Friday, October 31, 2014 0 Engineers

News: Good news & bad news for Planks!



GOOD NEWS & BAD NEWS...tend to go hand in hand. Today we have to share exactly this match of news to you. As people tend to keep it in real life we'll start with the good news:

For some time now we've been working in the Lunarcity Studio (Darmstadt) with our friend and producer Lari Eiden on the follow up to 2012th 'Funeral Mouth'. The songs have been in the making for a while, developed and grew to a point where we said it's time to lay the tracks down. We're around 50% done. It’s not possible to say exactly how much more time we will need to finish everything, but to look for a release in spring of 2015 seems legitimate. So far, we're satisfied with the results and the record heads in a slightly different direction from our previous material. Since we were more than satisfied with Timo's work and are also good friends with him, the album will yet again be released by Golden Antenna Records.

Unfortunately, and this is the part with the bad news, Planks won't be a functional band by the time of this initial release in 2015. After long talks we decided it's time to call it quits. It's merely an issue of time and energy. Private life, geographical distances and especially an almost unbearable workload besides the band took a toll and made us realize that it's too hard to keep this band alive without sacrificing too much of our “everyday life”. The impossibility to play shows further away, tour or answer to the many great show offers we get from around the globe furthered the feeling we should maybe stop right here, right now.

All in all we are grateful for everything we were able to do as such a tiny DIY band in the eight year's of our existence and want to say thanks especially to all the people that supported us. We will write a bigger post on this topic as the end draws close. We decided to call it quits at the end of this year, as in January the work situation will change for one of us yet again. This leaves four final shows for this year and possibly forever (...you never know).

All four shows are with bands we feel closely related to. In November we're looking forward to a weekend with our good friends in SVFFER, visiting Bielefeld and Leipzig, where we will also meet the lovely FINISTERRE and SHIT SHIFTER. This goes down Nov. 21st and 22nd.The last weekend we'll visit Ralph's hometown of choice Cologne at “Privat” with our dear friends ORTEGA from the Netherlands and PARAMNESIA from France on December 12th.

The last show will be on Saturday, Dec.13th in the very place where everything started: The “JUZ” in Mannheim. This is where Ralph met Frank, where Benny and Ralph talked about starting this band, where we had the first rehearsals, practise for two years, played our first show (with The World/Inferno Friendship Society, in early 2007), were involved in setting up shows, played with many great bands and which is run by people we like. That’s why, all things considered, December’s installment of the “WIR SIND DIE TOTEN” festival seems like the perfect 'Final Show', as it features many bands and people we've shared good memories with.

At some point this had to come to an end – we're sorry that it happens so unexpected, so soon and that the new record won't be out before that. We hope to see a lot of you nice people and close friends, that kept and keep on supporting us for the many year's being, at the final show in Mannheim.

Thank you.Benny, Marcel, Ralph (Oct.2014)

0 Engineers

EP: Swansona - Flat Bock


Band: Swansona
Album: Flat Bock EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. Fuck The Flood
02. Husk
Download

Swansona was a post-rock band from Vancouver, Canada and two years after their conclusion, the band released the Flat Bock EP.

Too bad they split up, cause this EP reminds me of post-rock back in 2005, when I first started discovering this genre.

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0 Engineers

Video: Ilydaen - 1/121


Thursday, October 30, 2014 0 Engineers

Album: Kauan - Muistumia


Band: Kauan
Album: Muistumia
Label: Blood Music
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. Unsoi
02. Aamu Ja Kaste
03. Lumikuuro
04. Koivun Elämä
05. Sumun Syleily
06. Äidin Laulu
07. Orkidea
Download

***PLEASE NOTE***

This album is downloadable for free - as we do not want pirates to have anything to do with this music. Please donate as you see fit if you enjoy the music. Our suggested pricing scheme:

Low budget = 3-4 EUR
Average budget = 7-8 EUR
High budget = 10-15 EUR

Please tell everyone to download from this official source only and ignore music pirates. They are ruining music production budgets. -Blood Music

 The Russian/Ukrainian doom outfit Kauan's sixth album - "Muistumia." The album's title means "reminiscences" and is a professionally re-recorded collection of the band's best material from their early years, plus the opening track "Unsoi," which is a newly composed song.

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Wednesday, October 29, 2014 0 Engineers

EP: The Illusion Of Free Will - The Explorer


Band: The Illusion Of Free Will
Album: The Explorer EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. Time Travel
02. The Magic Of Now
03. Past Lives
04. Far In The Ocean
05. A Prophetic Journey
Download

A guy (Ricardo Vela) and his guitar, in the search for the perfect soundtrack of his life... that's The Illusion Of Free Will. Traveling between sweet and chaotic sounds, everything is a representation, a scene, even a memory, you can choose what you want to feel.

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0 Engineers

Video: Obsidian Kingdom - Ball-Room


Saturday, October 25, 2014 0 Engineers

EP: Half Gramme Of Soma - Marche Au Noir


Band: Half Gramme Of Soma
Album: Marche Au Noir
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01.Marche
02.Seeking Shelter
03.Hitch Hike
04.Cage
05.Zero (Bonus Track)
Download

Half Gramme Of Soma is a rock band formed in early 2011, based in Athens, Greece. Blending heavy rock sound with a wide range of influences, Half Gramme Of Soma were introduced to the Greek music scenery by their strong live aappearances. In early 2013 they put out their S/T debut album, which was followed by member changes. The band released their second work, “Marche au Noir", in Autumn 2014.

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Wednesday, October 22, 2014 0 Engineers

Video: Owel - Fade Into You (Mazzy Star cover)


Tuesday, October 21, 2014 0 Engineers

The Inquisition: 021.Last Builders Of Empire

1. How did you come up with the band name? 

Dan: It was hard at first. We thought about it for weeks, and it wasn’t until Rich mentioned that he was listening to a radio interview where the guys were discussing about Builders Of Empire, like old ancient empires. He liked the name and I agreed but thought something was missing. That’s how I contributed with the “Last” part. 
Rich: “Last” worked pretty well considering that the end of the world was supposed to arrive in 2012. 

2. Do you have a standard procedure of creating a song? Do you just jam around or is there a main riff and the track is build up on it? 

Rich: Ideas can come from anywhere but usually someone plays something that’s been swirling around in their head and eventually the rest of us pick up on it and start throwing things at it until we like where it’s heading. After that, it’s fairly linear and we’ll try different things to expand on what we’ve made. 
Dan: It’s a collaborative effort. Sometimes either Jesse or I would come up with a part that we had previously written, or Rich would come up with a beat, and work out a song structure based on that. Sometimes we might have a pretty straight idea of what we want a song to sound like, but most of the time the songs evolve from a simple idea into a complete different beast, since each one of us adds our very own elements. I guess the fun part is that we all come from a different background, with different influences, and that adds to a more distinctive sound. I think that’s an element that make us different from most bands in the genre. But no jamming is allowed. 
Jesse: Dan’s allergic to jamming, jamming is off limits. Our writing process is pretty complex, we have white boards full of song structures that are unreadable to anyone but ourselves 
Dan: It’s true. Also, Jesse and I are constantly chatting everyday, and providing feedback on where we want the songs to go, and what we want/need to improve. In these constant chats is where we come up with most of our conceptual ideas. I think this is very important, since it influences the future of our songs. 

3. What are your influences and what kind of music do you hear when you are at home? 

Dan: Lately I’ve been listening a lot to The Courage Of Others by Midlake. I think the instruments in that recording can be heard beautifully, and I connect very well with the lyrics. There is a new song we are currently writing where you could probably pick some of these more careful guitar work. Other influences are: Pink Floyd, King Crimson, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Sigur Rós, Do Make Say Think, The Radio Dept., Deerhunter/Atlas Sound, Blonde Redhead, Grandaddy, Sparklehorse, Beirut, Midlake, Radiohead, Blur, and many more. 
Jesse: I never know where to start with this, I’m mostly influenced by non musical things. I feel like there are catalogs of musical influences in my head (some of it very weird or bad), but when I write a song it needs to mean something, or match a concept, and the influences are just reference points. I think you can really hear that on Post-War. Lately I’ve been listening to stuff like Jai Paul, Bat For Lashes, Burial, Autre Ne Veut and too much Songs: Ohia. 
Rich: Having grown up in the 70’ & 80’s my musical taste came to a screeching halt with the growing popularity of MTV and all of the awful, cheesy bands that flooded the airwaves. I generally don’t listen to much music but some favorites range from The Velvet Underground to War to The Talking Heads to Mogwai. I usually have drum beats floating around in my head that I can’t wait to bring to practice and that tends to crowd out much else. 

4. Which is the one album you can't live without? 

Dan: Tough question. I don’t think I could just pick one single album. () by Sigur Rós, The Sophtware Slump by Grandaddy, Kid A/Amnesiac by Radiohead, Animals by Pink Floyd. I guess if I had to pick just one would be a mixed CD with my favorite songs out of this albums. 
Jesse: If I had to pick one, it’d probably be Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. It’s such a huge and beautiful album, there are so many unique songs. I’m always coming back to it for inspiration and I have so many memories based around that album. 
Rich: The Best Of War! 

5. What's the first record you've ever bought? 

Dan: Mellow Gold by Beck. 
Jesse: Whoomp! (There it is) by Tag Team… 
Rich: Boston on 8 track. 

6. Name a band that you would like to share the stage or tour with? 

Dan: Do Make Say Think. 
Jesse: Do Make Say Think! 
Rich: Sigur Ros 

7. Did the internet and specially the blogs helped to spread your music around the world? Name a place (country) that you were surprised to know your music has reached to? 

Jesse: We reached out to blogs right after the album went live online, and the reception has been kinetic. There are so many people listening to the album in Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe already, it’s a kind of surreal. 

8. Do you support the idea of bandcamp where fans can decide the price or services like spotify?

Jesse: It’s tricky, you can get almost any song for free online now, free music spreads faster and further, but I think it’s crucial for fans to support artists they appreciate, in any medium. I like the format of bandcamp as a space you can curate, offer streaming, downloads and sell merch. It’s clean, simple and really gives independent bands lots of opportunities. 
Rich: Yup, ditto that. 

9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 

Jesse: I don’t think we’ve really thought that far ahead yet, creating this album was a tremendous undertaking, but it was also a fantastic experience. We’re starting to write again, and we definitely still have more LBOE material and ideas to explore. We’ve put the brakes on performing live as a band for the most part though, our main focus is on writing and releasing music. 
Rich: Tough question but it would be nice to continue writing & recording and possibly be included in some soundtracks. 
Dan: The sountrack part is something we’ve been dreaming for a while, and so far we’ve been part of a soundtrack for a documentary. We’d definitely like to continue writing and recording new material. 

10. Is the artwork of an album important nowadays in the digital era? 

Jesse: Definitely! We put as much thought and design into the album artwork as we did the music for Post-War. With instrumental music especially, I feel the visuals and song names add another dimension. 
Dan: I think it’s always been an important part. Even on iTunes, or other digital media, would be hard to sell an album without an image, especially if you’re just starting. I guess there are some famous artists who have tried to show that that’s not an issue (The Beatles - The White Album, Metallica - The Black Album), but I don’t think they would had done it if it was their first record, and they weren’t already famous. 

11. What is your favorite album cover? 

Dan: Limited 2008 edition multi-format box set singles by Bjork, and ( ) by Sigur Ros.


Jesse: The limited edition Radiohead Amnesiac booklet, I loved that it was basically a book. Also Pearl Jam Vitalogy.

12. It seems that a lot of people are turning on vinyl again. Why do you think that is and which is your preferable media format? 

Jesse: Despite not having a vinyl collection I love the idea of it! It’s an amazing canvas for artwork and creating a physical album experience. It also forces you to listen to the music in a different way. Rich: What goes around comes around and out of sheer convenience…digital. 
Dan: It’s one of our goals to release an album on vinyl as well someday. Most of my collection is CDs, but I think vinyl can add even more to the total musical experience. 

13. What's the most vivid story or moment as a band? 

Jesse: One thing that stands out is when we realized the band was greater than the sum of it’s parts. 90% of Post-War was recorded live to analog tape with all of us, and the gear, in the same room because there’s just a vibe that happens when we’re locked into a song that can’t be recreated by tracking each part separately. Sometimes we even had separate amps running off loopers live to capture all the elements at once. It usually meant nailing an 8-10 minute song in one shot, and there were a couple of takes where we bombed it in the last 30 seconds of the song. In the end though, you hear the band, and not just the individual parts. 
Rich: There’s not much drama in this band so it’s all pretty low key…nothing more gratifying though than getting back the mastered files.

More info:
1 Engineers

Album: Moanaa - Descent


Band: Moanaa
Album: Descent
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. Sunset Growing Old
02. Repulsive
03. Lit
04. Zero
05. Lost In The Noise
06. Ion...
07. ...Mills
08. Away
Streaming

Moanaa was founded in 2008 in Bielsko-Biala, Poland. The band plays music that could be categorized as post-metal and psychedelic. "Descent" is their second release and debut album. They have shared the stage with bands such as Rosetta, City of Ships, Jarboe, Nachtmystium and At The Soundawn.

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Monday, October 20, 2014 0 Engineers

EP: In The Hearts Of Emperors - White Cities Are Breeding In Your Wound


Band:  In The Hearts Of Emperors
Album:  White Cities Are Breeding In Your Wound EP
Label: Moment Of Collapse Records
Year: 2014







Tracklist
01. Memorial PT I
02. White Cities Are Breeding In Your Wound
03. -
04. Together We Mourn
05. Memorial PT II
06. The Beating Of Rodney King
07. Believing. Believing. Believing. Together.
Download

In The Hearts Of Emperors is a swedish post-metal/sludge band from Nyköping, formed in 2010.

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Sunday, October 19, 2014 0 Engineers

Band: Waypoint


Band:  Waypoint
Album:  Hollow Ground EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2012








Tracklist
01. Convinced
02. Let In
03. Hollow Ground
Download


Band:  Waypoint
Album: Good And Well
Label: Self Released
Year: 2011








Tracklist
01. Good And Well
02. Ameliorate
03. St. Claudia
04. Of August
05. One Night, The Flood
06. I Am Sun
07. Glare
08. When You See Me
09. Eros
10. Give And Take
Download

Emerging from the fertile musical soil of Jackson, Mississippi and slaying stages since 2009, Waypoint has turned thousands of heads with what critics have described as a "unique and new experience in heavy, ambient post-rock." With roots in the hardcore scene and hearts in the indie world, Waypoint has successfully managed to bridge the gap between the two genres and developed an unrepeatable sound of their own.

Waypoint's debut release "Good and Well" arose from the embers of tragedy and followed the passing of the band's best friend and bass player Emezie Harrison. The LP sent the band in a much darker and emotive direction, and they began to venture into deeper musical waters, exploring the influential sounds of grunge and post-rock alongside their hardcore/emo roots. Waypoint returned to the studio in the summer of 2012 to record the EP "Hollow Ground" and followed the release with extensive touring, sharing the stage with the likes of As Cities Burn, Colour Revolt, Sainthood Reps, and The Weeks.

In 2013 Waypoint re-entered the studio (The Refinery in Nashville) and focused their effort on an individual hard-hitting single titled "Solus". "Solus" (latin for 'alone') marked the bands darkest and most mature material to date and caught the attention of several indie tastemakers, including Spartan Records. It did not take long for the label and band to enter into a musical love affair, and for Waypoint to find their true home with Spartan.

The band headed into the studio this summer to record their debut Spartan EP "Creature of Habit", which will be released on November 18th.

For fans of Thrice, Gates, Moving Mountains and Of Us Giants.

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Saturday, October 18, 2014 0 Engineers

Video: The Lumberjack Feedback - A Whisper To The Thunder


Wednesday, October 15, 2014 0 Engineers

Video: Synopsys - Red Stars


0 Engineers

EP: Kruse - Atlantic


Band:  Kruse
Album:  Atlantic EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. Someday This Will Belong To You
02. Ørkas
03. Polar Bears And Astronauts
04. Second Hand Hopes
05. Swans
Download

Kruse is an instrumental post-rock band from Dortmund, Germany.

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Monday, October 13, 2014 0 Engineers

Album: Huldra - Black Tides


Band:  Huldra
Album:  Black Tides
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. The Eye Of The Storm
02. Black Tides
03. The Sky Split Wide Open
04. From Out Of The Maelstrom
05. He Was Compelled To Turn Westward Out Of Some Misplaced Sense Of Hope
Download

"Black Tides" is the second album and forth release by Huldra, a post metal, ambient, experimental band from Salt Lake City, Utah.

This is an album about grief and loss, told through the story of a man lost at sea.

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Sunday, October 12, 2014 0 Engineers

News: Owel - Help Us Record Our New Songs!



Hello everyone. This is Jay, Ryan, Seamus, Jane, and Pat and together we play in a band called OWEL.

It's been about 2 years since we started working together and since then, we've released a full length record which you can find on iTunes and Spotify,


We've had the pleasure of sharing the stage with artists like Minus the Bear, Casey Crescenzo from The Dear Hunter, EMA, Foxing, Penfold, and American Authors.
We've also gotten amazing reviews and write-ups from blogs like Pitchfork, Stereogum, Grantland, Absolute Punk, and NPR.


Needless to say, so far we've been pretty lucky. But still, there's so much more music that we'd like for you to hear. Since the release of our full length record, we have been writing new songs that we are super proud of and are eager to release.


This is where you come in.

With your help, we could have the funding to get into the studio and record these songs. If all goes well, we will be working with the one and only Mike Watts who's produced bands like As Tall As Lions and The Dear Hunter. Not only that, but we will be releasing a kick ass music video for one of these songs.


Record labels can be great and do a lot for bands (like lets say…. fund a record), but the wrong label can ruin one. Now if you've been in bands or you've been in the music industry, we're sure most of you can think of someone who's had their record shelved by some major label. These artists pour their hearts into their songs only to find out that in the end, the label didn't see them as being marketable or relevant.  As a result, a lot of these songs go unreleased and unheard. That kind of sucks.

But that's the beauty of a campaign like this one. You as the listener can choose to believe in the artist and be an essential part of their success. After all, It's you who we want to share our music with. It's you who we want to move, and it's you who has helped us come this far.

If you check out our perks and Indie Gogo exclusives, you can see we've got some pretty cool prizes depending on how much you decide to contribute. Any help you can extend will be accepted with huge gratitude and will go a long way.

We've been lucky to have such amazing fans and friends, but we'd like for you to be a part of this band in a whole new way.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Understandably, we know not everyone has money to contribute, but this doesn't mean you can't help! Here are some ways you can still show your support:

Please help get the word out to your friends. Sharing is caring. Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, telegrams via ravens, etc.
Come to our shows, give us hugs, cheer us on. It keeps us going!
As always, thank you for your support and for listening.

Owel

0 Engineers

EP: Ólafur Arnalds - The Invisible Front OST


Band:  Ólafur Arnalds
Album:  The Invisible Front OST EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. Kadzionis
02. Partisans
03. Epilogue
Download 

"In 2012 I wrote the music for "The Invisible Front", a historical film about the armed resistance against the Soviet occupation in Lithuania. The film was only just released in 2014 and to celebrate that I created this FREE EP with music from the film." - Ólafur Arnalds

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Wednesday, October 08, 2014 0 Engineers

EP: Goodbye, Titan - Harbinger OST


Band: Goodbye, Titan
Album: Harbinger OST EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. I Demand Origin
02. Arboreal
03. The Lonely Eyes Of The Cosmic Traveler
04. A Really Short Song
05. Battle Of Huevos
06. Really Big Super Gigantic
07. 101 Reasons For Workshop (She's Into Workshop)
08. Day Of The Red Giant
09. End Of The Movie
10. Sunken Temple
Download

Goodbye, Titan wrote a soundtrack for a short film movie of an adopted ten year old, who climbs to the top of an oak tree in hope of catching his unborn baby brother falling from space, called Hardbinger. It's everything you would ask from a post-rock album in approximately 15 minutes, which definitely makes you wanna see the film.. We only wish it could last longer...

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More info about the short film:
Harbinger
Tuesday, October 07, 2014 0 Engineers

The Inquisition: 020.Musth


1. How did you came up with the name of the band? 

Well, Simon, first bass player/singer of the band, was watching a show on National Geographic about elephants… He kinda was in the zone if you know what I mean, and they were talking about horny adolescent elephants… Seems this phase in their life is called „musth”… et voila, we had a band name.

2. Do you have a standard procedure of creating a song? Do you just jam around or is there a main riff and the track is build up on it? 

Most of the „magic” happens in our rehearsal room, when Ben and Jens (our guitar heroes) start jamming. Most of the time one of them has a good idea of a riff, and then they start jamming around it.

3. What are your influences and what kind of music do you hear when you are at home? 

The main influences of Musth are bands like Cult Of Luna, Isis, Neurosis, The Ocean etc… At home I (Tim) listen to a lot of stuff: my favourite band is Nirvana (I was born in 1978 ;)), and I also adore Amenra, Wolves In The Throne Room, Celeste, Colaris, …

4.Which is the one album you can’t live without? 

Nirvana - Nevermind

5. What's the first record you've ever bought? 

Guns N’ Roses - Appetite For Destruction

6. Name a band that you would like to share the stage or tour with ? 

Amenra… We already shared the stage with them, and they are an amazing live band and nice guys!!!

7. Did the internet and specially the blogs helped to spread your music around the world? Name a place (country) that you were suprised to know your music has reached to? 

Off course it helped!!!! I was surprised that we sold our vinyl to a guy in Greece (I think you know who ), we also shipped to Canada already. All thanks to the internet!!!

8. Do you support the idea of bandcamp where fans can decide the price or services like spotify? 

You can’t get around the internet anymore. Our previous album was on a Russian blogspot the day after we released it… So if our fans want to give something for the blood, sweat and tears we put into making our album, we are extremely happy with it!! And we have loyal fans, who still buy our vinyl and CD’s, or pay for the download via bandcamp. Thank you very much for that!!!

9. Where do you see yourselves in 5 years? 

That’s a difficult question: we are writing our new album now (the followup of „Ebb & Flow”), and it is going to be different. The idea is to get a much darker vibe in it, compared to Ebb & Flow. If that works out, we hope to tour around Europe, play some awesome gigs in a lot of different countries, … World domination comes to mind.

10. Is the artwork of an album important nowadays in the digital era? 

For us it still is! Nothing beats the feeling of looking at the awesome artwork of an album, while that album is playing. The smell, the feel, the whole concept just makes sense!!

11.What is you favorite album cover?

Baroness - Blue Record

12. It seems that a lot of people are turning on vinyl again. Why do you think that is and which is your preferable media format? 

Vinyl is by far the best format for heavy music!!!!! The charm of putting the vinyl on the player, and putting the needle on there… Also the sound of vinyl is so much better!!!!

13. What's the funniest story or moment as a band? 

Well, that Musth have been Koelbox Open Air… It’s a „private” festival in Belgium, where the organisers arrange an awesome lineup and a cool location, and the audience needs to bring their own coolbox and their own booze and food. We were headlining this festival, and I arrived early, so I could watch the first band. No need to say that by the time we had to go onstage, I was so wasted that I could barely stand on my feet. The only advantage I had, was that the audience was in the same state! Afterwards, I heard that one of the guys who visited the festival and fell over every time you saw him, had a broken leg apparently… They found that out the day after… Just so you know what kind of festival it is.

Musth is a post-metal band from Belgium, with a demo, 2 albums and a split release in the past few years.If you're not familiar with the band, check them out!

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Monday, October 06, 2014 0 Engineers

EP: Polair - MMXIV (Demo)


Band: Polair
Album: MMXIV (Demo) EP
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. With Perseverance
02. To Be Continued
Download

Polair is a young punk hardcore band from Orleans, France.

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0 Engineers

Pelican - Dead Between The Walls


Friday, October 03, 2014 0 Engineers

Album: Plastic Violins Of Darkness - Spiral


Band: Plastic Violins Of Darkness
Album: Spiral
Label: Self Released
Year: 2014








Tracklist
01. Anima In Herba
02. Spiral
03. Solstice
Download

Plastic Violins Of Darkness is an one man band from Leipzig, Germany. "Spiral" is their second release, consisting from 3 tracks with a total running time of over 50 minutes. A combination of doom and dark ambient, which is a successful follow-up of his debut album.

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Thursday, October 02, 2014 0 Engineers

The Inquisition: 019.This Patch Of Sky

1. How did you came up with the name of the band?

The band name was actually a comic drama that was written by Gregory Foote.  We adopted the name shorty after the drama was performed at a local theatre.

2. Do you have a standard procedure of creating a song? Do you just jam around or is there a main riff and the track is build up on it?

Every song we create seems to go through a different process.  For example, “Time Destroys Everything, But Our Foundation Remains” was accidentally written at one of our band practices.  I was messing around with one of my guitar pedals and started finger picking a chord over and over while tweaking some settings.  Josh looked at me and said, “That’s kinda cool, keep it going.”  We started to build off of it after that.  Other songs like “The Winter Day Declining” or “Love Is In Beauty and Chaos” start with an idea that someone brings in and we begin to develop it.

3. What are your influences and what kind of music do you hear when you are at home?

As a band our influences seem to differ by person.  I would say This Will Destroy You and Sigur Ros are probably the largest influences for the band as a whole.  Other influences also include:  Minus The Bear,  Olafur Arnalds, The Album Leaf, Iron and Wine, Snow Patrol, The Appleseed Cast, TTNG, Message To Bears, Blink 182, Moving Mountains, Debussy, Wagner, Hans Zimmer, Hammock, Coldplay, Death Cab For Cutie, Phillip Glass, Arvo Part, MONO, Silent Whale Becomes A Dream, ect.

4. Which is the one album you can’t live without?

Sigur Ros:  Valtari

5. What's the first record you've ever bought ?

My very first album was ‘Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo’ by MxPx.  Laugh all you want, I still thoroughly love that album.

6. Name a band that you would like to share the stage or tour with ?

Easy:  This Will Destroy You.

7. Did the internet and specially the blogs helped to spread your music around the world? Name a place (country) that you were surprised to know your music has reached to?

The internet is a very powerful tool.  If it weren’t for the internet, our music probably wouldn’t have reached beyond our city.  Surprisingly our music has a huge presence in Germany.  Being on a German label for a few years probably played a huge role in that.

8. Do you support the idea of bandcamp where fans can decide the price or services like spotify?

Haha this is a tough question.  I honestly support the idea of both.  Bandcamp is a great tool for an artist to utilize tracking album purchases, viewing stats for song plays, and to see what websites have embedded your bandcamp player.  Spotify on the other hand can reach a huge audience which is also greatly beneficial for an artist.

9. Where do you see yourselves in 5 years?

In 5 years, I hope we're scoring films regularly in addition to regular studio albums, and I hope we'll have our own brewery.

10. Is the artwork of an album important nowadays in the digital era?

If we're fully honest with ourselves, I think you do form some of your opinion on the quality of a band based on their album covers. At least I do. If it looks cheap and tacky and photoshopped, and it doesn't look like any time was put into it, that's a reflection on your entire band to me. Album covers are an opportunity to do something cool, creative, beautiful, etc...why wouldn't you take advantage of it?

11. What is you favorite album cover?

‘Lovesexy’ by Prince.

12. It seems that a lot of people are turning on vinyl again. Why do you think that is and which is your preferable media format?

I've been collecting CDs since I was 10, and I still prefer physical formats. For me, going to a local record store is like going on a treasure hunt and much more enjoyable than clicking "download" and that's it. Vinyl is both nostalgic and has a unique sound quality that other formats don't have, and I think that's why people like it.

13. What's the most vivid story or moment as a band?

Opening for Caspian at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland.

This Patch Of Sky recently released their second full length album. It's a new stepping stone for the band as they begin to shift their focus on creating more of a soundtrack vs. individual tracks. As a result, the album gives you a more powerful, atmospheric, and cinematic album that gives the listener a chance to either stay engaged or simply drift away. With the addition of cellist Alex Abrams, the band continues to grow in their writing style which becomes clearly evident in this release.

More info:
Official Site
Facebook
Twitter
Bandcamp
0 Engineers

Video: Jakob - Blind Them With Science


Wednesday, October 01, 2014 0 Engineers

Exclusive: Preview 2 tracks from Whale Fall's forthcoming album "The Madrean"

"It's been a long time since our last release, but we are excited to announce that we are finalizing our second album The Madrean -- an eight-song instrumental story, each with an individual visual,  of the Madrean Region of the American Southwest." - Whale Fall

The Madrean will be released later this fall on digital followed by vinyl.

Here you can hear two of the new tracks, accompanied by it's artwork:



Whale Fall is an instrumental rock band based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2008, the five member group, whose name derives from the biologic process by which a decaying whale carcass spawns a new sea life community, quickly established a dedicated fan base who embraced the band's dynamic live sound, leading to the recording of their eponymous debut album, a vinyl double LP self-released in 2011. In addition to live performances, recordings, and an expanding online presence, the group's music is reaching new audiences with the inclusion of two Whale Fall tracks in the award-winning documentary Code Black, currently in wide release. This cinematic foray complements the numerous soundtrack credits attributable to the fivesome’s past projects, including The X-Files, Kiss of Death (1995), Up in the Air (2009), promotional trailers for The Help (2011), and several independent films. 

Whale Fall's sound stems from a wide range of musical influences, from shoegaze to experimental rock to Ennio Morricone cinematic fare to the echoes of border town Americana replete with mariachi horns. Add to this mix the visuo-narrative influences of the group's external surroundings in the American West, the cultural milieu of Los Angeles, and the internal landscapes of their individual imaginations. This is the very concoction that gave rise to the band's second album, titled The Madrean, a collection of eight thematically linked compositions paying homage to the Madrean region of North America, the arid landmass spanning the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. With band members having spent their respective formative years in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and California, the Madrean Region is an inescapable internal and external space for Whale Fall, and the intersection of its urban and natural environs—from L.A. freeway overpasses to majestic Sierra peaks—serve as both the backdrop and the foreground of the music of The Madrean as well as the accompanying visual imagery. 

On this, Whale Fall's sophomore offering, the band's live ensemble of traditional rock instrumentation augmented by trumpet and piano is further expanded with the addition of saxophone and cello. The interplay between Ali Vazin's ethereal guitar swells and Dave Pomeranz's raw six-string tones suggests the vast desert sky overhanging stark and rugged terrain, with J-Matt Greenberg's trumpet and keyboard flourishes providing the flora and fauna, all supported by the tectonic framework of Erik Tokle's gliding bass and Aaron Farinelli's foundational percussion. Guest instrumentalists Joseph Santa Maria on saxophone and Artyom Manukyan on cello conjure the few rivers and streams that course through this arid landscape. Recorded and mixed alongside the taco trucks and bodegas of Highland Park in northeast Los Angeles, the music of The Madrean centers its urban origins in an awareness of its encapsulation between the Pacific Ocean and San Gabriel Mountains. This sonically invoked imagery is visually reinforced by the beautiful artwork created by Emmy award-winning designer Jordan Wayne Lee. Whale Fall is very proud to present this new incarnation of a timeless character, The Madrean, to both the denizens of the Madrean Region and the world at large.

Special thanx to the band for allowing me to post the private links to stream the 2 tracks.

More info:
0 Engineers

Video: The Matador - Destroyer



From The Matador's latest release "Destroyer".

The album can be found here:
Bandcamp
iTunes
Spotify

Also check

 
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