News: August Burns Red Release First Single Off Upcoming Album
This week has already been a rather busy one for new music, and if it were just about any other band, I’d say a metalcore track would have a hard time keeping up against new music from the likes of Brand New and Pianos Become the Teeth, but this isn’t just any metalcore band. This is August Burns Red. Though they do have quite the act to follow after previous album, Rescue & Restore, which was nothing short of ground breaking.
While this new album is more of an aggressive, straightforward metalcore track, lacking some of the depth and dynamics of Rescue & Restore, it is certainly not without it’s merits. It is, of course, a brutally heavy track, written by one of the top names in the genre, so it certainly isn’t going to disappoint. But I’m hoping the rest of the album fills some of those niches created by their previous effort, and they keep the innovation coming.
Check out the lyric video for “The Wake” after the jump, and let us know what you think.
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AltFreq Weekly Planner (4/12/15-4/15/15)
–Written by Kevin Madert
It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the events going on in the area, so we’re here to let you know what’s happening in live music over the next few days. Watch out on Thursdays for the “Weekend Planner” where we’ll cover the most important 72 hours of the week.
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In Case You Missed It: August Burns Red – Rescue & Restore
-Written by Mike Hogan
Earlier this week, veteran metalcore act, August Burns Red, announced that they would be releasing their next album on June 30th, which is truly excellent news if this album maintains the momentum the band picked up during Rescue & Restore, their most recent release. Oddly enough, while Rescue & Restore has been the band’s best performing album to date, for one reason or another, it never quite grew out of the shadow cast by their 2007 release, Messengers. I have to say though, I can understand how thing happened, Messengers really shook up the metalcore scene when it came out 8 years it. It brought the technicality of the genre up to never before seen levels; it introduced a new formula to metalcore, one that would perpetuate the genre’s sound to years to come.
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Frequencies of 2014: Hip-Hop
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
This is another installment in the “Frequencies of” series. The music that got to me most in 2014 – that got my head nodding, that sent goosebumps prickling across my skin, that had me screaming at the top of my lungs – placed in a handful of semi-specific categories (for organizational purposes more than anything else). Am I telling you these are the best things released all year? Certainly not. Am I telling you they’re all great, and suggesting you check them out in order to grasp a more complete picture of the year in music? Absolutely.
Atmosphere – Southsiders
Atmosphere – aka rapper Slug on vocals and producer/DJ Ant on everything else – has always managed to stay both relevant to their fanbase and true to themselves throughout their twenty-plus year career. On Southsiders, their latest, Slug is even more mature than when we last heard him on The Family Sign in 2011. He raps about topics ranging from his marriage (“Fortunate,” & “My Lady Got Two Men”), to a eulogy for former Rhymesayers artist Eyedea (“Flicker”), all backed by restrained but raw beats courtesy of Ant. Between this album and their rigorous touring schedule – I was able to catch the Minnesota twosome on their recent North of Hell tour and couldn’t have been more impressed – it’s a safe bet Atmosphere will remain a force in the underground hip-hop community for many years to come.
Grieves – Winter & The Wolves
It’s no surprise two of the best hip-hop offerings of the year are Rhymesayers products. Grieves (real name Benjamin Laub) drew a fair bit of comparison to Macklemore upon the release of his fourth full-length, Winter and the Wolves, but the similarities extend about as far as their shared home of Seattle and the similar color of their skin; neither of which have any bearing on the quality or sonic components of their music. Laub has often been a serious guy, crafting morose tracks and telling tales of childhood struggles and emotional loss, and WatW is often about as bleak as it gets. While these tunes are admirable, it’s when he breaks from this mold and gets more optimistic that things really get interesting – the playful “Whoa is Me,” and the Slug collaboration “Astronauts,” are two stand-outs in this category.
People Under The Stairs – 12 Step Program
Imagine a day of channel surfing soundtracked by head-nodding alt-hip-hop, and you’ve got a rough idea of the structure and sound of People Under The Stairs’ latest effort, 12 Step Program. Complete with sampled television interludes and growls of manufactured static between (and sometimes during) many tracks, it’s a concept album sonically rather than thematically. PUTS have always been stellar storytellers, and that quality is prominent here too – “Pictures On My Wall” and the appropriately named “Cool Story Bro,” are just a few of the best-spun yarns. All in all, it’s another quality album from an established group with a career full of them.
Pharoahe Monch – PTSD
Pharoahe Monch is one smart dude. The NYC-based rapper finds himself most at home crafting intricately layered rhymes within thoughtful tracks compiled into unique conceptual albums, and that’s where we find him on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Envisioned as a follow-up to his previous LP W.A.R. (We Are Renegades), Monch’s razor-sharp tongue chronicles the path of a war veteran returning home and dealing with the condition from which the album draws its name. The duality is in the details, as the album is also a metaphor for Monch’s own path as a newly independent artist. If you enjoy your hip-hop with a healthy dose of contemplation, this album is well worth your time.
Sage Francis – Copper Gone
Über-smart alt-hip-hopper Sage Francis returns from a four-year hiatus with Copper Gone, his sixth full-length offering. From the seething verses and powerful backbeat of opening track “Pressure Cooker,” the indie-rock feel of his previous LP Li(f)e is long gone, replaced by the more familiar vitriol and sense of urgent honesty. It’s a pleasant return to former stylings because it’s a successful one; it feels as if this is the album Francis was itching to make all throughout his hiatus, releasing all the energy he’d contained in that time into a taut, pointed final product.
Logic – Under Pressure
This local legend turned international rap star (he calls Gaithersburg home) has released plenty of unofficial mixtapes in the past few years, which have played a large role in his ascension to wider prominence. But it’s this debut LP that most fans were really waiting for, and it doesn’t disappoint; the often autobiographical style of Logic’s work is on full display on Under Pressure, making for a real and relatable collection of songs. His storytelling prowess is complimented by his undeniable flow – look no further than the nine-minute title track for proof of that.
Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
What can I say about Flying Lotus that hasn’t already been shouted across rooftops the music world over? The electronica/experimental hip-hop/jazz fusion genre-melter has made a career out of combining the oddest influences and harnessing the results into a string of bizarre crossover successes. His fifth studio affair is more of the same, and finds FlyLo at perhaps his most poignant – even though he often says very little at all. The bottom line is this: if you’ve always loved him, you’ll be enamored with You’re Dead! from the get-go. If you’re not a fan, this isn’t going to win you over – it probably isn’t meant to anyway.
Read MoreNews: Dance Gavin Dance finish recording 7th studio album
Dance Gavin Dance have announced that they have finished recording their 7th album, the follow up to the critically acclaimed (especially by me), Acceptance Speech. No word on a release date yet, but I can assure you that I’ll be waiting quite impatiently for this one. If Acceptance Speech is any benchmark, DGD7 is sure to be one of the albums to watch in 2015.
We will be sure to keep you updated on any news regarding this album as it becomes available.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 11: Liquidity
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
There’s perhaps nothing more uplifting than a well-executed liquid drum ‘n’ bass tune. Need proof? Look no further than the kick-off track of this ten-pack, Fred V & Grafix’s “Major Happy”; those subtle pulsations atop that eternally familiar 808 drum pattern are aimed straight at your feels. That’s not to say it won’t get heavy – Blokhe4d and Dirtyphonics can attest to that. But even as it builds and crashes like some great sonic wave it still maintains that sly smoothness; nary a trace of the oft-abrasive tendencies of drum ‘n’ bass to be found.
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