Skinny Puppy announce new album, Weapon out in May

Skinny Puppy, the Canadian industrial group who have been making music since the early 80s (and featured Bill Leeb from Frontline Assembly for a short while) are releasing their next full length album, entitled Weapon on May 28th. This is their first album of new material since 2011's hanDover (OhGr's solo album unDeveloped was released earlier the same year). This new album, Weapon seems to be concerned with gun culture, judging by the press release and tracklisting. Skinny Puppy have always been a political band, engaging in issues such as equal rights, animal rights, etc...  I look forward to this new album from Nivek OhGr and Cevin Key. Here is the press release and tracklisting..
.............................................................................................................
 This stunning new album stands as a commentary on that which it is named after, the Weapon, or more specifically, to the concurrent glorification of the gun culture and simultaneous horror at the devastation the gun can cause. Given this view, the pop undertones of the albums opening wornin' and the compelling counterpoint of the vocals and lyrics seem to reflect our mass media homogenization of an instrument of death into an entertainment centerpiece. illisiT could then be focusing on the authoritarian control applied to us under the guise of protecting us from the criminal element. Though possibly it is from the view of the average citizen, arming themselves against the threat of each other. The more it is analyzed, the more it could be pondered on varying levels. Perhaps the classic Skinny Puppy sounds evident in the song solvent are a nod to not only the past, but to a bleak Orwellian future, cycle of the weapon leads only to power in the hands of those who have no fear of using it. Are we facing a 1984 dystopia filtered through a Kafkaesque lens? A world where the illusion of power given to the private citizen afforded ownership of a weapon distracts them from the Big Brother drones that watch overhead?

Parallels could certainly be drawn from our own society to a track like tsudanama, where the ever building menace of the mechanized rhythms crashes over the listener in waves as the vocals at times seem to take the tone of the voice of protest, standing against the inevitable tide of the dystopian path of progress. Then does plasiCage implore the listener to take up the fight against a gun worship culture and the spiraling towards oligarchy? Or are the mournful tones terminal a funeral dirge for our society?

Could the weapon be the gun, or the one who wields it? Is it in creating an arms race among the populace, or does it lie in the resulting authoritarian control given to those who are charged with protecting us from ourselves? Is it the power to profit from the cycle? Is it the singular act of speaking against the conditioning of our thoughts and actions?

01. wornin'
02. illisiT
03. saLvo
04. gLowbeL
05. solvent
06. paragUn
07. survivalisto
08. tsudanama
09. plastiCage
10. terminal

And here are some classic Skinny Puppy tracks to hold you over.....

Smothered Hope

Assimilate

Testure

Dig It

Stairs and Flowers

Killing Game

Worlock

Spasmolytic

Album reviews for February, 2012

A new year will bring a few new directions in this blog. The first is that, due to time and other obligations, the reviews will now be monthly, at varying times during the month. This will help me keep it focused and not as random as they have been. That being said, it has been a tremendous month for music with many new releases and news of upcoming albums. And we commence:

Bad Religion - True North

On this, the band's 16th album, Bad Religion rely on some old tricks. It is one of their shortest since 1988's Suffer, and maybe this is a good thing. Previous albums did have some filler tracks. (their last two especially), and the band has trimmed the fat. This record is one of their best since 1992's Generator. Tracks such as Robin Hood In Reverse, True North, and Everybody Knows. Greg Graffin has a degree in zoology and teaches at UCLA, and Bad Religion's trademark dictionary like vocabulary is still intact. You won't find many albums nowadays with words such as plutocrat, and declination. It's incredible that even at their old age, they still manage to make awesome music and have such energy.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away

Nick Cave has several incarnations. the crazed screecher on the Birthday Party, the crooner and sometimes poet with the Bad Seeds, and the loud rock of Grinderman. This album, the band's 15th album recalls albums such as The Boatman's Call and No More Shall We Part. It's worth noting that this is their first album without Mick Harvey, who has been the Bad Seeds guitarist of nearly 30 years. Warren Ellis really shines on this album, and you can hear lush strings and lots of flutes. The first single, We No Who U R, is built on a drum machine, and sees Nick being the crooner once again. Another highlight is Jubilee Street, which is about a murdered prostitute (which would fit in on Murder Ballads), and one of my favorites is the song Higgs Boson Blues, in which Nick Cave makes references to everything from Lucifer, to Robert Johnson to Hanna Montana. Theses songs supposedly came about from "random Googling and reading wikipedia entries" and it's a fitting tribute to our information age, and sees Nick mellowing out, but still rocking. The closing title track may be one of the most beautiful songs Nick has ever done,and one of the best closers to an album ever. One word to describe this: hallucinogenic.

New Depeche Mode single: Heaven, new album, Delta Machine out March 26

Depeche Mode are back with a new single. The calming song, "Heaven", off their soon to be released album Delta Machine, which comes out officially on March 26. Here is the album art:

It will be produced by Ben Hellier and mixed by Flood. I, for one, am happy to have Flood back at least in a mixing capacity. Flood recorded albums such as Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and Adore by Smashing Pumpkins, Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails, and Becoming X by Sneaker Pimps, among several Depeche Mode Nick Cave and U2 albums. I hope this will turn out better than 2009's Songs of the Universe, which I felt was very bland. Here is their first single, Heaven.

I find this song kinda...whatever, perhaps it will grow on me, and here is another song that has leaked, Angel.

I actually like this one better. I cannot wait to hear the entire album. Here is the tracklisting for the new album:

The album will be released by Columbia Records in a standard CD format and a deluxe edition featuring a bonus disc with four additional tracks as well as a 28-page hardcover book. Here is the tracklisting.

1. “Welcome to My World”
2. “Angel”
3. “Heaven”
4. “Secret to the End”
5. “My Little Universe”
6. “Slow”
7. “Broken”
8. “The Child Inside”
9. “Soft Touch/Raw Nerve”
10. “Should Be Higher”
11. “Alone”
12. “Soothe My Soul”
13. “Goodbye”

Bonus disc:
1. “Long Time Lie”
2. “Happens All the Time”
3. “Always”
4. “All That’s Mine”

They will do a European tour followed by a US tour in summer or early fall.I really hope to see them live this year!

Original and cover; Havana Affair

Havana Affair was a song originally by the punk group The Ramones. It appeared on their debut self-titled debut album released in 1976. One of their first political songs. It was basically about the US meddling in Cuban affairs. It's about a guy who had a productive job in Cuba picking bananas, now he's living in the US working for the CIA. It's a fun, short song with not many lyrics. It's a straightforward punk rock song and I love the way Joey Ramone says banana in this song. Here it is:

In 2003, Johnny Ramone himself was presented with the idea of bands doing covers of Ramones songs. He agreed as long as he had full control. Rob Zombie contributed album art, and Stephen King (a long time Ramones fan) wrote the liner notes. It includes bands such as KISS, Garbage, Marilyn Manson, Metallica, U2, Green Day, Eddie Vedder, among others. Johnny Ramone liked The Red Hot Chili Peppers version of Havana Affair so much, that the album opened with that song. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have a bit of a different take on the song. Their version is more nuanced, more rock, less punk so it has a bit of a mellow vibe to it. I love the guitar especially. I love the Ramones but I do prefer the cover from Red Hot Chili Peppers myself. Here it is.

Lyrics:
PT-boat on the way to Havana
I used to make a living, man
Pickin' the banana.
Now I'm a guide for the CIA
Hooray for the USA!

Baby, baby, make me a loco
Baby, baby, make me a mambo

Sent to spy on a Cuban talent show
First stop- Havana au go-go
I used to make a living, man
Pickin' the banana
Hooray for Havana!

Red Hot Chili Peppers release 5th set of 7" singles, Pink as Floyd and Your Eyes Girl, 4 more singles left!

On January 4th, The Red Hot Chili Peppers unveiled their latest 7" single for the songs Pink as Floyd and Your Eyes Girl. These songs are from the sessions that brought us 2011's I'm With You album. These are basically songs that didn't make the album. These songs are getting more experimental as time goes on. The band is sounding tighter than ever and Josh is a great addition to the band. First the song Pink As Floyd:

As the title suggests, this is a bit of an homage to Pink Floyd. There are very nice spacey strings in this song, and I have never heard anything like it from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This song was played live on their recent tour, including one of the stops right here in Los Angeles. I really like this song and it's becoming one of my favorites. One of the most interesting choruses in a Chili Peppers song.Here are the lyrics

 Coming up next is the song Your Eyes Girl, which you can hear right here:

This song could have fit in on One Hot Minute. There's a bit of profanity from Flea on here at the beginning. This is another somewhat trippy song and I could tell why it was chosen on this set. I love the guitar in this song, it's completely out there. Check out the songs and look for the next set of singles out next month.  Here are handwritten lyrics for this song.

New David Bowie! First new album in 10 years!! Premiere of Who Are We Now?

Today is David Bowie's 66th birthday. He gave us all a huge surprise yesterday by premiering his new single, Who Are We Now. This is huge news because we have not heard a note from him since 2003's album Reality. Many thought he had retired from music to spend time with his family. We were all wrong. Turns out, he recorded this album in secret with Tony Visconti, whom he had worked with before on previous albums. The song, which you can hear below,is a more mellow, somber tune reminiscent of his recent albums, ...hours and Heathen. It's a decent track, I'm more excited to hear the new album, which will be called The Next Day to be released on March 12th. This news is all so sudden. As you all know, Bowie is a lifelong influence for me so to hear anything new from him is outstanding news. The song is about Berlin, a subject Bowie knows well, as his trilogy of albums recorded with Brian Eno, (Low, Lodger, Heroes) was recorded there. These are ranked pretty high and I hope this new album does not disappoint. Listen to the single and judge for yourself.

Tracklist for The Next Day, out March 12th (iTunes preorder here)

1. “The Next Day”
2. “Dirty Boys”
3. “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”
4. “Love Is Lost”
5. “Where Are We Now?”
6. “Valentine’s Day”
7. “If You Can See Me”
8. “I’d Rather Be High”
9. “Boss of Me”
10. “Dancing Out In Space”
11. “How Does the Grass Grow?”
12. “(You Will) Set the World On Fire”
13. “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die”
14. “Heat”
15. “So She” (Bonus Track)
16. “I’ll Take You There” (Bonus Track)
17. “Plan” (Bonus Track)

End of the year entry. Happy 2012!!

Will Kilby here at Amongst the Soundwaves. This blog was basically created for myself, and my love of music. This year has been tremendous and has surprised me in more ways that I could have imagined. I started this blog in March, and it has been cathartic, helpful and calming. I love talking about the bands and music that I love. I have written over 100 entries since March and have acquired over 15,000 views during that time. It is truly a milestone and I could have not have done it without all of you. In the new year expect more top 20 lists, more music news, more videos, concerts, reviews, and anything music related I feel like posting. There are no rules to this. I post what I want, when I feel like it, it's a liberating feeling. When I look back on all the entries, I see how all the music from my youth have never went away. These bands are still touring, there are still people excited to hear new music from these bands, there is still an audience. This year has seen bands like Dead Can Dance, Smashing Pumpkins, The Swans, Men Without Hats, and the like come back with some of the best albums of their career. It has seen veteran singers like Leonard Cohen and Bob Mould release some of the most critically acclaimed albums of their career. While pop music continues it's downward spiral into nothingness, it is refreshing to see artists still out there, doing what they love, inspiring others, and still have great music. I end this year with some songs I'm listening to now. These are just some songs I have been listening to lately and look forward to hearing more from. It's great to get into an artist and see that they have around 13 albums! Music comes in cycles and music from 2012 has been no exception. I may be set in my ways, it's hard for my to get into newer music, perhaps, because I can see through the bs in modern music. There was a genuine punk spirit flowing through the 70s-90s music, even if the band's weren't punk, they still represented that independent spirit. This is what is lacking today. I hear lots of great albums being prepared for next year. Maybe one day we will get that Smiths and Husker Du reunion. Maybe 2013 will be the year. Only time will tell. Thank you all!!

Meat Puppets - Climbing

Lycia - The Decline

Type O Negative - How Could She

Sugar - Helpless

Tear Garden w/OhGr - You and Me and Rainbows

Ladyhawke - Sunday Drive

Smashing Pumpkins - Methusela

Wolfsheim - Kein Zuruck