Essential Listening for today was actually recommended to me months ago by Webmaster Extraordinaire(and new father!) Brody: suburban Illinois-based The Felix Culpa, who label themselves post-hardcore and with good reason - their three-man mayhem always hints at going completely overboard, but it's kept under control. I like it. Maybe you will too after listening.
Pillar's new video for the single 'Frontline' can be viewed on their label's myspace page; the band are currently holed up working on their third or fourth album. I can't remember how many they've done. Good band though. [JFH]
Surprisingly to some, maybe, P.O.D.'s brand-new album Testify debuted at #9 on Billboard's Top 200. It's been widely reported that the band need a "solid hit", as their last self-titled album in 2003 was a disappointment on a commercial and artistic level. I really like what I've heard of the new one.
So I'd never heard of this band Scapegoat before discovering them stumbling around purevolume(me, that is...not the band stumbling around, though that's a funny visual), but listen to 'After Class With' over here and tell me the singing doesn't sound like a dead ringer for Anberlin's Stephen Christian. Tell me that! I dare you! Anyway, the musicality almost reminds me of He Is Legend, so that says something about the variety presented.
En Masse, from all over Florida, feature ex-members of twothirtyeight, Decahedron, Further Seems Forever and more; the band formed last June and will release a five-song EP on Pop Up Records this summer, produced by J. Robbins. Check out some demos over here.
The track listing for the upcoming dc Talk tribute album(more properly, the Jesus Freak tribute) is out:
01. "So Help Me God" - The Showdown(whaaat? Crazy metal!!)
02. "Colored People" - The Gotee Brothers
03. "Jesus Freak" - 4th Avenue Jones
04. "What If I Stumble?" - Sarah Kelly
05. "Day By Day" - House Of Heroes
06. "Between You And Me" - Relient K
07. "Like It, Love It, Need It" - Family Force 5
08. "In The Light" - StorySide:B
09. "What Have We Become" - Liquid w/Verbs
10. "Mind's Eye" - Fighting Instinct
I've never heard of a few of these artists, but the Showdown covering a dc Talk song? That is purely metal magic.
He's nothing if not prolific: rapper/experimentalist John Reuben is already working on his next album, due this summer or fall. His last, The Boy Vs. The Cynic came out last June. Daaang, he quick.
According to a pretty funny post on their website, Seattle rock kids Acceptance will have their new album out by the end of the summer. No word on whether the blatant Jimmy Eat World worship will continue with this disc, but as I've said before, when you're this catchy, who cares? [absolutepunk]
Rumours abound that Bleed the Dream and the masterful Stretch Arm Strong will be the support on Story of the Year's April headlining tour. I hope it comes to Ottawa, but with the demise of the Capital Music Hall(replaced by the smaller New Capital), that's doubtful.
Posted by mike at February 2, 2006 05:00 PM