Altsounds - 8 Pints In | Issue #33

Times are hard, everyone is struggling with the credit crunch and with politicians eating up all our hard earned taxables, we only think it's right to give something back and reward all you lovely Altsounds members with free stuff. The competition giveaways are coming in thick and fast, there is so much free stuff up for grabs. Unfortunately we can't get hold of Madonna's agent to liase with her into giving away one of her many sprog lings, but were working on it. Instead we have DVD's, CD's Signed stuff, Posters, you name it, and we have given tons of stuff away already to some lucky Altsounds members.

Head over to our exclusive Giveaway section and get your goodies in the bag. Remember, you need to be an Altsounds member to get a chance to win these exclusive prizes.

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MUSIC REVIEWERS WANTED

Altsounds.com is scouting for musical reviewers, we want avid music lovers to speak their mind and contribute to the site. (position not paid)

Altsounds.com is quickly becoming the most trusted musical taste-making resource. Think of us as a musical sieve. We make sure the shit music goes down the drain ensuring only the most quality bands get noticed. Our review team are not scared to knock a band off their pedestal whilst at the same time they are equally not afraid of elevating a band to super stardom. This is where you come in.

BECOME A REVIEWER FOR ALTSOUNDS.COM

Get the latest low-down, or down-low, whatever it is called in music land.

You like good music yes? Well Altsounds sorts the men from the boys. Here are the best releases to get your ears all moist.

Jack Penate - Everything's New [Album]
XL Recordings

Jack Penate is the very definition of British acoustic rock music. After having phenomenal success with the release of his first album ‘Matinee’ [which went gold], it looks like we may be in the process of seeing history repeat itself with the release of this brilliant follow up titled ‘Everything’s New’.

[read full review here]

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The Low Anthem - Oh My God! Charlie Darwin [Album]
Bella Union

The Low Anthem sit comfortably as part of the newly fashionable 'new wave' of Americana which has seeped into public consciousness over the last 12 months through Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver via their critically and commercially successful debut albums.

[read full review here]

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Scott Matthews - Into The Firing Line [Single]
Island

Scott Matthews made a sizeable dent in the already overcrowded 'sensitive singer-songwriter' scene in 2007 with the minor radio hit 'Elusive'. That songs hushed reverence, haunting melody and dense atmosphere could easily set you up for the hushed Bob Marley cover of 'Is This Love?' on this singles flip-side but the A side is a different beast altogether.

[read full review here]

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Foxes! - Who Killed Rob? [Single]
Catcutter Records

It's quite amazing that bands who come up with perfect little pop songs, full of intelligent lyrics and brilliant melodies don't even get a fraction of the exposure that hit parade quality bands used to get in the sixties and seventies. Bands like Magnetic Fields, Saturday Looks Good To Me and Of Montreal have got everything their famous predecessors ...

[read full review here]

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Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer [Album]
Jagjaguwar

As we approach the end of this century’s first decade, those who are wise enough to understand that musical genius is not the preserve of previous generations, and who crave it enough to go and seek it out, can look back and recognise that one of the decade’s most prolific musical talents was Canada’s Spencer Krug.

[read full review here]

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REM - Reckoning (Deluxe Edition) [Album]
Polydor

Given REM's vast and varied back catalogue, it's sometimes easier to see them in terms of their own extensive discography than to picture them as a band who are still a touring and relevant outfit. The recent re-issue of the bands faultless (and in my opinion never bettered) debut album 'Murmur' was a revelation with the new mix ...

[read full review here]

An advisory “do not listen” comes attached to these releases. Altsounds is not afraid to speak it’s mind.

Papa Roach - Lifeline [Single]
Interscope

I can't say I remember much of Papa Roach other than their 'hit' song about self harm from nearly a decade ago and the absolute slaughter of the Pixies classic 'Gauge Away'. By the evidence of "Lifeline" though their legacy remains as also-ran nu-metallars who somehow managed to cling onto the gravy train as it was pulling away from the station.

[read full review here]

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The Virgins - One Week Of Danger [Single]
Atlantic

'The Virgins' is a suitably juvenile name for a suitably juvenile and immature band. I'm sure it's all very trendy and clever if your in on the joke but to me this song sounds like a complete mess, like the Dandy Warhols covering Jet in a vacuum. Everything from the monotonous beat to the "woo woo" backing vocal screams lack of effort ...

[read full review]

Covering the latest bands and artists playing at a venue near you.

Bat For Lashes The Roundhouse, London [Live]
19th July 2009

I remember when I first started hanging around the music scene. I used to go and see unsigned bands live and buy their CD on the spot from the merchandise stall if they touched me in any way, and that is still to this day my favourite way to discover new music. Tonight, I was looking forward to finding out what all the Bats for Lashes hype was about when I made my way to the Roundhouse.

[read full review here]

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Clutch - The Sunshine Theater [Live]
17 July 2009

I moved to Albuquerque two years ago from the east coast. It's a cool town, but the music scene is not at all what I'm used to. You can't go buy a pack of smokes without running into at least one dude with a mullet and a sleeveless Iron Maiden T-shirt. And there's nothing wrong with that--it just takes some getting used to. But when a band like Maryland-based Clutch comes through, it always makes me feel like I'm sort of back on home turf. And no one tours like Clutch tours. In eighteen years, the band has recorded nine (NINE!) full-length albums and a slew of other stuff, and they're constantly on tour.

[read full review here]

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Spinnerette – Electric Ballroom, London [Live]
16th July 2009

Stumbling out of the tube station at Camden, after a couple of long hours sitting and sweating with excitement on the train, I try to find the prestigious Electric Ballroom. Looking around at the busy streets, I spy a line of mohawked, pin cushioned and tattooed ladies sitting in an ironically ordered queue, and I know I'm in the right place. Although Spinnerette is completely different to The Distillers, the fans are mostly Brody Dalle obsessed and more than open minded about her new sound. Everyone in the line is beyond excited but the hub of the crowd is nothing in comparison to the explosive atmosphere inside.

[read full review here]

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Toadies - The Launch Pad [Live]
11 Jul 2009

Well, on the eleventh of July, The Toadies came to the heart of New Mexico (Albuquerque, not Santa Fe), and proved that not everything in Texas sucks. Those of you who, like me, were raised on 90s alternative (oh please oh please don't say grunge) rock, will remember The Toadies by the song "Possum Kingdom." If, like me, you were a Toadies fan, you were left feeling somehow shorted in 2001 when they split after only two albums in seven years.

[read full review here]

Speaking with the bestest artists of today about their goings on and private matters you all want to know about.

POISON THE WELL

"it's definitely changed a lot and gone through many different sonic evolutions. Just like personalities and preferences change over time, music evolves with that. Everyone in this band is a different person than they were a decade ago, and is drawn to different styles or techniques of music along with that, so it's just a natural progression of what we want to play. If someone is really into a particular artist or genre at the time, some of that influence seeps into Poison The Well."

[read full interview here]

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THE GHOST OF A THOUSAND

"I think that 9/10 they're just music nerds like me and I could have very easily been doing what they do, so yeah I have sympathy for journalists as a lot of bands are complete cunts and don't give them the time of day. I love that Q like us, it means my Dad has some kind of frame of reference for if we're doing ok."

[read full interview here]

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ARROWS OF LOVE

"Well we're not going to spell out 'doom', or litter your pretty site with our vexations about society....people get enough of that stuff all the time. There's certainly some shit going on out there, you'd be nuts if you didn't think so, but every collapse means new growth, so let's just get on with chopping some of that dead wood and making space to grow the good shit."

[read full interview here]

You can be the first to say “Yeah I have heard of them, they were on Altsounds introducing".

BLACK MOLD

A warped and mutated blend of the futuristic and the organic, Snow Blindness is Crystal Antz is the debut album from Black Mold – the electronic alter-ego of songwriter Chad VanGaalen. With Black Mold, VanGaalen is allowed the freedom to explore the wildest tangents of his instrumental work, using a broad palette of glitches and noise married with the warm hues of acoustic instruments. Guided by a free-associative approach to songwriting, the songs show the full-blown instrumental side that VanGaalen hinted at sparingly on his own albums.

[read more here]

What!?! Free stuff! Yes please. Get your mits on the coolest stuff. Remember to sign up for an Altsounds account to get full access to all our competitions!

ROB THOMAS Goody Bag Giveaway - DVD's, T-shirts, Beanies & MORE!

On June 30, Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Rob Thomas released his first ever live performance DVD, Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour - Live at Red Rocks. Captured in High-Definition with 5.1 Surround Sound, the 18-track concert features music from his solo career as well as Matchbox Twenty, and releases simultaneously with Rob’s new CD cradlesong. To celebrate the release of this DVD, Altsounds and Special Op's Media have joined forces to give you lucky Altsounds members TWO prize packs! Yes! TWO!

[read more here]

Got a studio? Altsounds reviews the latest technological advances in music.

Audio Technica AE2500 Dual-element Cardioid Instrument Microphone

The Audio Technica AE2500 Dual-element Cardioid Instrument Microphone can simply be described as "the ultimate kick drum mic". The Audio Technica AE2500 consists of two microphones that can be combined or used independently that sit comfortably within one microphone housing. There is a dynamic capsule and a cardoid condenser, one being designed to perfectly capture the attack of the beater (dynamic) whilst the other picks up all of the wonderful tonalities that exist post beater within the kick drum shell (condenser). It has been a well known production trick for a while to use both a dynamic and condenser ...

[read more here]

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Enjoy reading the new look 8 Pints! - Altsounds Team