The New Mastersounds' Journey, from Coals to Newcastle!

Leeds, UK- The birthplace of the ever-growing funk-jazz group, The New Mastersounds. Now the genre would seem quite unheard of, but I'd suggest: Better go hear them out and I'm sure its gonna be worth it to the core! Funk is primarily an American genre, but The New Mastersounds kept it alive in the UK, and made it popular as well.

 And now, the big news is: They have an upcoming documentary film scheduled to release on iTunes on November 1st! With sit-ins and commentary from several New Orleans master musicians, “Coals to Newcastle,” offers viewers a look into the lives of 5 Britons that have been influenced by a uniquely American art form, and a glimpse at the city that started it all as it struggles to retain its culture after Katrina’s devastation. The film has already been screened at various film festivals and has received amazing critical acclaim as well!

Now this film's sure gonna be interesting to watch out folks, being a documentary about a bunch of guys trying to play an altogether different genre that originated elsewhere, in their homeland, which couldn't have been so easy as it might seem to be! Take a look at the official trailer over here:

 

Indie Rock just got a whole New Symmetry!

When it comes to indie bands, there are two camps.

Actually, there are infinite camps amongst indie rock snobs, but for now, we'll say there's two. Camp One: If you've heard one indie band you've heard them all. Leave 'indie rock' behind already, and Camp Two: Assuming, those in camp one are wrong, this is where the possibility for endless other camps arises. Camp Two-ers will assume that each indie band can be different, but will argue over the true definition of indie, whether or not plaid shirts with glasses and beards
are overdone, whether mainstream indie is possible, or even which coffee shop is more authentic to sit at and bicker.

I've said all this to say, I'll call Wires in the Walls an indie-rock band, keeping in mind the two camps. Yes, that's a disclaimer. Stay with me.

Genre titles, snobbiness and bickering aside, Wires in the Walls formed in 2009. Originating in L.A., they've earned quite much fame by playing in top venues, touring both coasts and being very 'indie' with their promotion, merch, sales and shows.

Regardless of which camp you fall in, the band's first full length album "New Symmetry" dropped on October 25th, 2011 and it’s definitely worth a listen, a treat to your ears! If you think you know indie rock, don't be so sure just yet. Whatever ambiguous label you want to stick on Wires in the Walls, don't do it, and give them a listen instead.

Well, The album opens with Tremolo, a whimsical track that's immediately striking. Between the unique vocals and cheery instrumentals, it's the kind of song you might hear playing at coffee shop and think, "Who is this band? They're great? I'd like to hear more."

The next track, Sympathy Ward, is slower, and the vocals are sung in a lower register, a welcome change from the last track and a reassurance that the vocalist can do something different with his voice. I especially liked the transition and rhythm change towards the end, perfect! The next two, Sirens and The Ringer have a refreshing classic feel that's not altogether stale, but strangely unique. It's sound tame, but in a new way. I've noticed a lot of variation in certain parts in each track, which is tremendous indeed!

The title track, New Symmetry, is ridiculously fun. It started off very well! The guitars and vocals definitely stole the show in this one! Just the type of song you listen to on a warm sunny day with the windows down and this song just cheers you up!

The next two tracks, Soft Shirt and Y.S.A. have a country-infused twang. Now I was actually expecting to find such a track next, and it pleased me to the core! Y.S.A. would be one of my favorites from this album! The Land, The Sea and the Outer Space is a bit of a departure from the typical 'indie' rock ideals, and reverts to a more classic-rock feel. The drums and rhythm blended really well with the vocals. The next tracks, Tin Can and Crutch are both energetic, giving away a Punk feel, Tin Can reminding me a bit of 'Green Day' too.

The final track, Eulogy, is a somewhat somber ending, which had a really versatile intro and is apparently titled appropriately. All in all, it's a simple, beautiful ending to such a diverse album that can hardly be done justice with the simple genre title of 'indie rock'.

All in all, for a final verdict: Wires in the Walls is definitely one of the most versatile bands I've come across till now, and their debut album, New Symmetry, has a blend of almost everything! Whether you love Indie Rock or hate it, you sure are gonna love this album folks! Check out the band here.

This album was reviewed by one of our writers, Danielle, who actually is a recovering indie music snob, but remains an equipment snob. She spends her time checking out new music, and scouting out the newest and most innovative revolutions in home theater design and home sound systems.

Rusty Pacemaker: Blackness and White Light!

This time around we got to listen to a solo artist, all the way from Austria, Rusty Pacemaker, who has formally not got any kind of musical education, and is a band of his own!

If the above description of Rusty wasn't enough to make you curious, here's a complete review of the album, 'Blackness and White Light' :

The album started off with a quite basic track named 'Cell' which wasn't too exceptional of some sort, having a nice riff, fine bass and good vocal mixing. Next up was 'You never had' and hey, contrary to the name, this had it all! An impressive dominating Riff, along with a very original sound to it throughout!

'My Way' had a quite long intro, and begins to sound monotonous after a while, and the bass could have been better in this one. The next song, 'Amok', had an appreciable intro, and real good variations in the vocals and music overall as well. 'Waiting for tomorrow' is, musically, one of the finest tracks of this album, complete with a meaningful guitar solo I loved!

'The human race' began off an energetic intro with a punch of rage. Total justice has been evident in the genre, music and the vocals. Good piece! Moving on to 'My last goodbye', only lyrically could I see some change in this one, else the style remained same. But I'll have to add that the blending of the sound and the lyrics is real good!

Next up, 'Blackness and white light': The intro should have been short. Its really difficult to impress the audience with long intro's unless its as good as probably Led Zep's Stairway to Heaven, although yes, Its not at all like I'd expect a sound like Led Zep, but what I mean is that the intro lacked a bit of creativity. The album finally came off to an end with an intense, deep and dark track, true to its name, 'Mother'.

Overall, I'd say the album is good and true to its name as well. Its kinda a dark album, with deep, intense tracks that are sure gonna get you something different on your music players, and well, the album is up for a release very soon too folks!

Check out Rusty's official site right here.