Blog: Here Comes The Flood

Proof I Exist is the stage name of singer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Kulis a . His full-length Suburban Sci-Fi was put together piece-by-piece over the years. Starting out in 2033 he gradually applied new layers and instruments to his songs resulting in a surprisingly cohesive sound. He sounds like a full band, switching from pop to reggae to funk. A couple of songs were picked by college rock stations In Ohio, but the Cleveland base musician could break out of the cognoscenti niche. Trespassing in Heaven is a pop song that [...]

Brooklyn singer Lai Ices has releases a new video for Little Marriage , a track from her Grown Unknown album. Her new single Wish You Were Here b/w Late Night is released as a 7"and digitally on March 4 on Jagjaguwar . ( Lia Ices - Wish You Were Here ) The Pink Floyd classic has been hanged and quartered by hordes of talentless buskers and god awful cover bands. Her take is quite good [...]

Garage band The Forty Whacks play fast punk metal songs with a rock twist. Based in Beach Park, IL, the quartet is slowly building a fan base. They have released one EP so far. The Death Of... is a collection of lo-fi songs, energetic and - sometimes - all over the place. A few unmemorable mid-tempo metal songs - New Pathology and Flowers ) but also some good stuff: the angry Afterbirth , with the typical nu-metal lyric "I've lost my job today and now I'm really fucked" and Ever [...]

photo: Cameron Wittig Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt of Minneapolis folk band The Pines find themelves fronting a six-piece band nowadays. Their new album Dark So Cold retains the lonesome atmosphere and subdued vocals of their previous output. Originally out of Iowa they sing about the demise of traditional farming and dealing with living in the city. The Pines are not romanticizing country life. They are field reporters writing musical postcards touching a nerve. Expanding the band into a sextet has [...]

photo: Sigurd Grünberger Danish pop band got lucky. In fact, they got lucky three times, getting major exposure when their songs were picked for Apple and Heineken ads, and a promo for Mad Men. The core duo Mette Lindberg (vocals) and Lars Iversen (songwriter and producer) have been together since 2007. The girlish vocals and the old school keyboards proved to be a wining team, crossing over to the hipster crowd as well as the mainstream. Their new album Out [...]

Low Society live @ Festival In the Borough, Washington, NJ - 2011/10/02 photo: Raymond McConnell One of the best things in life is watching a loud blues band firing on all cylinders. One of the hardest thing to do is capturing the excitement on tape in the studio. NYC band Low Society pulled it off. Fronted by the happily married couple Mandy Lemons and Sturgis Nikides their album High Time transport the listener to a crowded bar where they are playing loud and raucous songs. [...]

The Library Is On Fire makes lot of noise for a trio. Their new album Works On Paper sounds like it was recorded when grunge and early indie were ruling the music world. The Brooklyn band mixes catchy hooks with feedback and nasal lead vocals - delivered with the signature "love-it-or-leave-it" NY attitude. It is a rare feat for a band to sound good even when they are out of tune ( Stranded on Monster Island ), channel The Modern Lovers ( They Don't Know You (Like I Know You) ) or The Buzzcocks ( Burn It [...]

Chicago trio Mutts loves Tom Waits, sharing a passion for rough vocals. The band released three EP's leading up to their new full-length Pray for Rain . They proof that it's possible rock out without using electric guitars. An assorted array of keyboards comes howling out of the speakers, riding on top of loud-as-fuck rhythm section. Mike Maimone fires off his lyrics like pissed off Nick Cave in a blues mood. The music has bits of early Deep Purple ( Not Ready ) and the Spencer Davis Group ( Blind Truth ) and even a [...]

photo: Stewart O'Shields Guitarist Warren Haynes talked to Billboard about the current state of rock. So, is rock is dead? Man, I've been hearing that for over 10 years, and I'm sure some elements of rock, particularly in the mainstream, appear to be deceased. But I think there are independent young bands that are going at it the right way and hopefully are bringing back a resurgence. There's no shortage of ticket sales for classic rock bands, but the marketplace is just so cram-packed with product [...]

• Here Comes The Flood - Warren Haynes Band - Baby Love

Watch the new A Place to Bury Strangers video for So Far Away , from the Onwards To The Wall EP, out on Dead Oceans on February 7. The Brooklyn band will be on the road with The Joy Formidable . 03/12 San Francisco, CA @ Independent 03/13 San Francisco, CA @ Independent 03/14 Los Angeles, CA @ The Music Box 03/17 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre 03/19 Minneapolis, MN [...]

• A Place To Bury Strangers - So Far Away

Brooklyn shoegazers Elika have done it again. Their album Always The Light puts the computerized percussion on center stage, with the vocals of Evagelia Maravelias sounding aloof and lazy. Brian Wenckebach drops in guitar flourishes one-at-time and this sparse approach serves as a wake-up call during the dreamy passages that are plentiful on this album. The single No One Gets Lost is a left-field pop ditty that could have been recorded by Kate Bush during the sessions for The Dreaming . Changes are that casual listeners [...]

DJ Kypski & The Matangi String Quartet have just released their free mixtape Electromantique Vol. 1 . A frontrunner in the Dutch electro scene teaming up with classically trained musicians could have resulted in a mess with a few interesting tidbits. Thankfully it is a real collaboration, adventurous and a with shared willingness to explore unfamiliar territories. Electromantique Vol. 1 is a self-released mixtape. Download it from the band's website . Tracks: Daft Punk - Rectifier (KypskiMatangi Version) [...]

Greek indie pop band The Finger are sharing the title track from their upcoming full-length I Don't Believe My Eyes . The euro crisis has taken the country by storm and the song deals with all the ensuing economical madness that could lead to a country going bankrupt. A sense of foreboding can be detected in the bleak bass lines and muffled drums. ( The Finger - I Don't Believe My Eyes ) » thefingerband.wordpress.com

Singer Ryan Karazija moved to o Reykjavík, Iceland, after a stint as a member of Audrye Sessions turned into a disappointment in terms of sales and critical recognition. His one-man project is called Low Roar and his self-titled debut is a lonesome record - he is kicking out his demons one at the time. His self-imposed exile has garnered him an album with songs channeling the musings of Radiohead and Sigur Rós. No more signs of the major label trying to lead him to commercial success. [...]

Twenty years ago Phish performed at Worcester Memorial Auditorium (The New Aud), Worcester, MA. The show is now available as a 3-set digital download and on-demand CD through livephish.com : Phish had a busy year in 1991, signing a record deal with Elektra Records and touring coast-to-coast for a total of more than 130 shows including a fourteen-show tour with a three-piece horn section and the first unofficial Phish festival at Amy's Farm. That summer Phish also recorded their third studio album, "A Picture Of Nectar". White Crow Studios in Burlington, Vermont provided [...]

Electro-dance jam band Lotus have announced their Winter tour. The quartet plays a NYE show in their hometown Philadelphia before taking a short break. The Winter tour starts in Denver on February 4. They fly to Europe next performing at The Melkweg in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, at the Jam in the Dam festival. Live dates: 12/31 Festival Pier @ Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, PA 02/04 The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO 02/14 Madison Theater, Covington, KY 02/15 The Intersection, Grand Rapids, MI [...]

• lotusvibes - Blacklight Sunflare

Hogie , aka Tim Higgins , is a Jack of all trade when it comes to the arts, trying his hand at painting, photography, film and graphic design. Currently on a foray to make a living with music, he has just released the Folk From The Smoke EP. The four lo-fi tracks were recorded within two days in Liverpool, produced by Mike Badger , founder member of The La's . Higgins' hoarse vocals are tailor-made for the honky tonk music, laid down by a band members of The Shady Trio and The Loose [...]