Altsounds - 8 Pints In | Issue #41

Well, that's another years Halloween festivities over. I'm not sure about you, but I did absolutely sweet F.A. to celebrate it. Halloween isn't a scary occasion anymore but the Christmas adverts are the freakiest. I mean come on, it's only just November! We know what you are all buying each other for this Christmas. ALTSOUNDS OFFICIAL T-SHIRTS! BUY HERE

That's quite enough rambling for now, right this weeks 8 pints is full of the usual exclusive content to Altsounds.com. We have an X-Box competition, Black Stone Cherry and Frank Turner live reviews and a whole bunch of over amazing things! Enjoy.

Our top rated Album, Single & EP of the week

Angel Brothers - Angel Brothers [Album]

91%

"‘The "Angel Brothers" are Dave and Keith Angel, Dave the man on guitars and mandolin with Keith on percussion and drums, together with vocalists Sandhya Sanjana and Mick Humphrey, Becki Driscoll on fiddle, Nick Wyke on fiddle, viola and cello, Jim Lockey on electric bass, Andy Seward (bass player with Kate Rusby, Eddi Reader and Martin Simpson) on double bass and electric bass and Dave Formula (of Magazine and Visage) on keyboards.”"

The Raveonettes - Bang! / The Last Dance [Single]

93%

"Whilst ‘Bang’ may be the more commercial, radio friendly number, it’s ‘The Last Dance’ that is the stronger of the two tunes on offer here. Initially it appears to be an innocent song laced with melancholia dealing with traditional Spector-esque prom night gone wrong style heartbreak, but closer scrutiny reveals there are darker themes at play. This isn’t just any old last dance this is the final dance in the true “God putting Patrick Swayze in the corner” sense. Thematically it’s almost like a Ronettes influenced relative of “Girlfriend In A Coma” as Wagner and Foo sing “And every time you overdose I rush to intensive care / Another sad eye stare before you disappear / If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance / Then save it for me baby.” It’s classic Raveonettes, hauntingly dark lyrics drenched in a gorgeous melody infused with a sense of bruised nobility and doomed grandeur."

Blitzen Trapper - Black River Killer [EP]

86%

"Listening to “Black River Killer,” I hear Jacob Dylan, Grant Lee Phillips, and Wilco – not enough that I would call this Blitzen Trapper derivative, it’s just what I’m reminded of. There is a Beatles-esque quality running under the songs as well. Most of "Black River Killer" features bright, appealing Pop songs ('Preachers Sisters Boy,' 'Silver Moon') that make it clear why Wilco invited Blitzen Trapper out on tour with them. The sound is similar to Wilco’s release “Summerteeth” and would appeal to the same audience.

Blitzen Trapper definitely have their own voice, though. The title track, for example, is dark folky song about an Old West desperado / serial killer. A couple of sleepy ballads, 'Shoulder Full of You' and 'Black Rock,' aren’t boring, but rather display Blitzen Trapper’s depth and range."

This week our Altsounds Editor Heron, even reviewed a film....with popcorn and evryfink...

All Tomorrow's Parties [Film]

94%
"Rockumentaries – they’re a laugh aren’t they? - especially when they involve a heavy rock band who take themselves a little too seriously (hello Metallica). Rarely though do they move you to anything other than laughter, unless there is a sense of tragedy as with “The Devil and Daniel Johnson.” Over the course of its 85 minutes running time, “All Tomorrow’s Parties” (thank god they resisted the urge to stick ‘: The Movie’ on the end of that) took me from sheer bloody excitement, through complete and utter awe, wistful reminiscence and sporadic laughter before ending in the feeling of sadness when it ended. Never have I come away from a film with my eyes so sore from contact lenses because I barely blinked the whole time (mainly because I usually wear glasses when watching films, but I digress); even raising my bottle to my mouth seemed too much of a distraction from the wonders I was witnessing on screen."

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

Nosound - A Sense Of Loss [Album]

27%

"Truth be told, listening to “A Sense Of Loss” was pure drudgery. Musically most of the songs meander through what seem like endless progressions and painstakingly dull melodies. Lyrically I had a very difficult time even understanding the words to the songs. The Italian accent of front man Giancarlo Erra is partly to blame but it’s mostly due to the intentionally subtle and distorted production of the vocals on every track.

Overall “A Sense Of Loss” is filled with six songs that last way too long. They never really seem to make a point. ‘Winter Will Come’ has a running time of 15:39, it seems like it's never going to end for fucks sake! And even though the rest of the tracks are short by comparison, they would benefit from being a lot shorter too. These tracks seem like they would be more fitting in a live show, not a studio album. They lack organization and direction and are more suited as background music."

We listen to pretty much everything under the sun @ Altsounds. Read the latest 10 reviews below.

Massive Attack - Splitting the Atom [EP]
LYU - The Sky Is Yours [EP]
Awol One & Factor - Owl Hours [Album]
Morrissey - London Royal Albert Hall, October 27th 2009 [LIVE]
Isis - London Koko, October 21st 2009 [LIVE]
Therapy? - London Relentless Garage, October 19th 2009 [LIVE]
All Hail The Ruin - Vultures [EP]
The Raveonettes - In and Out of Control [Album]
The Rikters - The Rikters [Album]
The Dead Weather - I Cut Like A Buffalo [Single]

Get the latest low-down, or down-low, whatever it is called in music land. Here is the latest 10.

the Swimmers: People Are Soft out now

BRING ME THE HORIZON'S 'FOOTBALL SEASON IS OVER' (AFTER THE NIGHT REMIX) NOW ONLINE

Dear Jack Available Today, Jack's Mannequin Announce Headlining Tour

THE WAY WE GET BY A Film Soundtrack/Score from Zack Martin Released November 3rd

PRETTY LIGHTS OFFERS FREE DOWNLOAD OF "CITY OF ONE"

The Weezer Snuggie and Raditude

Dragonette East Coast Dates This Week

HELLFIRE SET TIMES ANNOUNCED!!!

Them Crooked Vultures Offer Up Mind Eraser, Launch iTunes Pre-Order

ROADRUNNER EUROPE SIGNS SLASH

Speaking with some of the finest artists of today about their work, goings on and private matters you all want to know about.

Jon Anderson from YES

"I really don't miss anything. I feel like what they go through is exactly what we went through back then. We had to struggle just to get to the shows and play. I did that for 5 years, you know? I was very fortunate to get together with Chris and start YES. But, we didn't have any money. You have to trust that the music will guide you in the right direction. So, you rehearse your music. You know you survive only because of your music. When the breaks start to happen, they happen in such an incredible way that you know something big is going on."

Andy Cairns, Michael McKeegan and Neil Cooper from Therapy

"We didn’t have it easy when we started, and then we had a few lucky breaks... I think what we went through is what most long term bands go through; unless you’re the size of U2 or the Chilli Peppers, most bands kind of our size go through this, for ten, fifteen, twenty years, and it’s all part of it, it’s not probably as bad as it seems. Being in a band for a living when things are bad is not as bad as being out of work and not being able to feed your family if you work on a nine to five job. It’s all relative really."

Nick Vallepiano from The Parlor Mob

"I didn’t really decide, which is what is kind of cool about it. I grew up with music, my father is a musical genius, he went to Juilliard in the States, he had a degree in classical composition and all that kind of stuff, so I’ve been around music and had a good musical education my whole life, but never really knew what I wanted to do, I always thought I’d do something with computers or math, something like that, then I ran into Paul our one guitarist in high school, we started a band together and I discovered that playing music was fun. Then I graduated at school and like many people I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. We started playing again, we both got much better and we just kept on going with it and now we can afford the opportunity to... live the dream if you like."

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

Frank Turner - Leeds Metropolitan University, 22/10/09 [Live]

"Five minutes later and Frank Turner (minus a shirt) and his band are back and 'The Ballad Of Me And Friends' is the first on the list. Gaining the biggest and loudest cheer of the night, it also ensures the biggest amount of singing from the crowd and when Frank sings “and we’re definitely going to hell,” this is promptly bellowed, ten times as loud back at him. Next up is 'Reasons Not To Be An Idiot,' which again ups the ante for most horse voices in the morning and then its time for the best and last song of the night, 'Photosynthesis.' Arms waving, everyone screaming every word and random strangers hugging their fellow fans, the stage is invaded by Frank’s friends and his voice is over powered by that of the masses. He introduces his band and then says goodbye, to a room full of sweating, shrieking fans. Everyone in the room could of stayed for another two hours and still been awake and ready to take crowd participation to the next level. "

Black Stone Cherry - London Hammersmith Apollo, October 15 2009

"Yes, obviously there’s going to be a proper Guns’n’Roses cover, one big hit to take the oldest part of the audience back in time, and show the youngest what rock’n’roll really means. The choice falls on classic anthem ‘It’s so easy,’ but there’s a treat for the London audience tonight: a special guest. Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield “magically” appears on stage, and joins Loaded for the last chapter of this brilliant performance! So there, we had two rock legends to bless this gig. Can headliners Black Stone Cherry measure up to the occasion? Can they follow up two pieces of music history and keep their heads high?"

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

Hollywood Undead CD/DVD Giveaway!

A&M/Octone recording group Hollywood Undead will give their fans something brand new to talk about on October 27th, when they release a two-disc CD/DVD consisting of 6 new studio recordings, 6 live recordings and a full 60 minute live performance on DVD. The new package dubbed Desperate Measures : CD/DVD is an eclectic mix of new studio recordings produced by Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails) and live recordings of fan favorites. In its 60th week on the Billboard 200 album chart, the debut album Swan Songs remains inside the Top 200, with total sales of more than 500,000 and average sales of 5-6,000 per week - testament to the band's explosive headline performances and online marketing.

Adelitas Way / SickPuppies Xbox Giveaway

To celebrate all things rock 'n gaming Adelitas Way and Sick Puppies are tag-teaming up with Altsounds.com to give one lucky fan a chance to win the ULTIMATE price pack!

That's right, one lucky winner will receive an Xbox 360 pro, Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 for the 360 and a copy of not just Sick puppies' new album 'Tri-polar' but also Adelitas way's album!

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