Tag: Brian Rocha

Wonderful News about Iamthemorning

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock2 Comments

This, from our great friend, Brian Rocha, and Fresno Media:

RUSSIAN PROGRESSIVE DUO IAMTHEMORNING WINS ‘ALBUM OF THE YEAR’ AT PROGRESSIVE MUSIC AWARDS
“Lighthouse” out now on Kscope
LONDON, U.K. – Russian progressive duo iamthemorning has won the prestigious ‘Album of the Year Award’ for its latest Kscope album release, Lighthouse. The award was presented to the band last night at Prog Magazine’s fifth annual Progressive Music Awards in London. The ceremony took place at the world famous Underglobe beneath Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
“This was definitely a night to remember,” commented vocalist Marjana Semkina upon receiving the award. “We were of course very excited about attending as it is a great chance to catch up with old friends and meet some new people – some of the finest people of Prog, I should say! And that’s it, we never even thought we’d get the award.
“The nominees in our category are all so amazing, some of them are our good friends too, and it feels generally awkward to sneak the award from them, because every single one of them deserves it. But we are of course really happy and humbled, it is such a great honor for us to actually win, and it’s so inspiring. Big thanks to our team of engineers that put all their time into this project – Marcel van Limbeek, Gianluca Capacchione and Vlad Avy, as well as people that contributed their amazing musicianship, including Gavin Harrison, Colin Edwin and Mariusz Duda, this whole thing wouldn’t be possible with all of them. We hope that more than anything it will give us a chance to actually start playing Europe properly, but for now I can’t wait to start working on the next album!”
In addition to the ‘Album of the Year Award,’ iamthemorning has also revealed the official music video to its track, “Libretto Horror,” taken from Lighthouse, on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gFMg2vvLCKw. A live performance of the song from St. Petersburg, Russia’s Aleksandrinksy Theater can also be viewed at https://youtu.be/iLPM8EH767Y.
Lighthouse released via Kscope earlier in 2016, following up the band’s 2014 album Belighted and was described by Prog Magazine as “life affirming, beautiful, heavenly – a monumental album.”
As with Belighted, the engineering and mixing on Lighthouse is handled by Marcel van Limbeek (Tori Amos) and self-produced by Gleb and Marjana. The album also features guest musicians Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson) on drums, Colin Edwin (Porcupine Tree) on bass and additional vocals on the album’s title track by Mariusz Duda (Lunatic Soul, Riverside).
Lighthouse is a rich and eclectic album with echoes of classical music, the Canterbury scene, northern folk, jazz and electronic sounds. Featuring a story of the progression of mental illness, the album takes the listener through the stages with the story’s central character, her attempts to fight it, and temporal remission leading to a final breakdown. Lyrically, the works and lives of Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath inspire the album.
Recorded across London, Moscow & St Petersburg, the core instrument of the band, the grand piano, was recorded in Mosfilm Studios Moscow, one of the largest and oldest studios in Russia. Founded in 1920, Mosfilm is renowned for recording orchestras for soundtracks for the most famous Soviet-era films, including works by Tarkovsky and Eisenstein.
The album artwork for Lighthouse was created by watercolor artist Constantine Nagishkin who the band has previously collaborated with before.
Lighthouse is available digitally now on iTunes at:
http://smarturl.it/LIGHTHOUSE_DIGITAL and on CD, LP (with MP3 download code) through the Kscope webstore at: www.kscopemusic.com/store.
1. I Came Before the Water (pt. I)
2. Too Many Years
3. Clear Clearer
4. Sleeping Pills
5. Libretto Horror
6. Lighthouse (feat. Mariusz Duda)
7. Harmony
8. Matches
9. Belighted
10. Chalk and Coal
11. I Came Before the Water (pt. II)
12. Post Scriptum
Stay tuned for more information on iamthemorning and Lighthouse, out now on Kscope.
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iamthemorning is:
Marjana Semkina – vocals
Gleb Kolyadin – grand piano, keyboards
iamthemorning online:

RochaNews: Nosound

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment
 
NOSOUND LAUNCHES NEW VIDEO FOR “SOGNO E INCENDIO” FEAT. ITALIAN SINGER ANDREA CHIMENTI
Fifth studio album “Scintilla” out September 2 on Kscope
ROME, Italy – Ahead of the release of its fifth studio album Scintilla on September 2 via Kscope, Nosound has launched a new video for the song “Sogno E Incendio” featuring acclaimed Italian singer Andrea Chimenti. Stream the clip on YouTube at:
Nosound’s Giancarlo Erra explains: “The video was directed by Erika Errante. She was introduced to me by Andrea [Chimenti] via his son, as she had produced a few videos for his band and I wanted a video done by someone else for once, not myself. For this reason I wanted to give her full freedom. All we knew is that we didn’t want to go too literal with the lyrics in the song, but instead expressing the concept in another way. So the concept is explained through the idea of lost and found people and feeling, and transformation from one into the other. It is a more loose and artistic connection, and I liked it a lot for that reason.” 
Giancarlo Erra co-wrote the song with Andrea Chimenti: “Working with Andrea was extremely easy; we discovered we have a common emotional ground, so the theme of my album immediately vibrated with him and together we quickly arrived to the meaning this song was meant for. The song is all about the spark (scintilla) that can ignite a fire, but for that to happen there’s a need for dead dried leaves, or branches, or old paper, so the old and dead stuff that seems useless is what is really needed for the fire to start again.”
 
On the collaboration and creative thought process Chimenti adds: “Giancarlo Erra had long ago sent me an instrumental song to listen to. It struck me immediately and I liked very much the idea of working with him, but as often happens we were busy with various things and that tune remained in the drawer for a while … maybe it was not the time to deal with it because everything happens when it has to happen. At the beginning of this year, after a series of events that have transformed my life, the text and singing for that song were born. The extraordinary piano sequence of Nosound, with its perpetual motion, rolled out the words, one after another like a string of pearls and the album title ‘Scintilla’ was the thread on which they walked. 
 
“The crescendo of the second part suggested to me fire as a purifying element that from a spark turns into a real fire. I love music when it manages to be evocative, calling into dreams and images. The music of this song has in it all that strength and not just that of the dream, but that of the spark, the fire prelude.”
Inspired by personal upheaval and a desire for change, Scintilla is an emotionally complex and musically direct work, presenting a stripped-down set of compositions that mark a major departure from Nosound’s trademark symphonic lushness and production precision. Taking in influences from post rock, shoegaze and alt-singer-songwriters, the album imaginatively utilizes a mostly organic and acoustic sound palette.
In addition to Andrea Chimenti, Anathema’s Vincent Cavanagh lends his distinctive vocals to two of the album’s tracks, and cellist Marianne De Chastelaine returns once more to the Nosound fold (this time in a more free-flowing and improvisational capacity).
An additional Scintilla track and video, “Short Story,” can be streamed on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLtfb-HcTz8&feature=youtu.be and Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/167108079.
Scintilla is available to pre-order via the Kscope webstore at: https://www.burningshed.com/store/nosound as a deluxe CD/Blu-Ray in Mediabook (with 24 page booklet and Blu-Ray containing HD stereo and 5.1 surround sound mixes, plus additional video content) and audiophile double 180g vinyl edition (mastered at 45rpm to ensure quality) in a gatefold cover with booklet and poly-lined inner bags. Download and streaming versions will be available to pre-order at: http://smarturl.it/SCINTILLA_DIGITAL with instant downloads of “Short Story” and “Sogno E Incendio.”
1. Short Story [02:24]
2. Last Lunch [07:00]
3. Little Man [04:38]
4. In Celebration of Life [05:34]
5. Sogno E Incendio [04:44]
6. Emily [03:19]
7. The Perfect Wife [07:27]
8. Love is Forever [02:51]
9. Evil Smile [04:33]
10. Scintilla [06:27]
Regarded by critics and fans alike as one of the most interesting up and coming alt/art rock bands in Europe, Nosound inventively combines influences from ’70s psychedelia, ’80s/’90s ambient and contemporary alternative, progressive and post rock. The project started as a one man studio project in late 2002 by Giancarlo Erra, but has since grown into a five piece band, evolving into something unique, focused and powerful. The music is evocative and intense, with personal songwriting.
A cathartic album of emotional extremes, Scintilla marks the brave beginning of the second phase of Nosound’s fascinating career. Stay tuned for more information on Nosound and Scintilla, out this September on Kscope.
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Nosound is:
Giancarlo Erra – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Marco Berni – keyboards, vocals
Alessandro Luci – bass, upright bass, keyboards
Paolo Vigliarolo – acoustic/electric guitars
Giulio Caneponi – drums, percussion, vocals
Nosound online:

RochaNews: Old Fire

On By bradbirzerIn Brian Rocha, progressive rockLeave a comment
OLD FIRE (FEAT. JOHN MARK LAPHAM [THE EARLIES / THE LATE CORD]) SIGNS TO KSCOPE; DEBUT ALBUM “SONGS FROM THE HAUNTED SOUTH” DUE OUT JUNE 24
“Songs From the Haunted South” teaser video streaming online
TEXAS – Kscope is delighted to announce the release of the debut album from Old Fire, Songs From the Haunted South, on June 24. The pet project of Texas based programmer John Mark Lapham (of The Earlies and 4AD band The Late Cord fame), Old Fire joins a world-class roster that includes the likes of Steven Wilson, The Pineapple Thief, Anathema, Nordic Giants and The Anchoress.
The 13-track album contains a selection of songs that in one way or another are dedications to people, some dead and some still living. Musically, inspirations range from ambient artists such as Brian Eno and Stars of the Lid to psychedelic rock, traditional country and early 4AD.
Sitting alongside original Old Fire compositions are a selection of intriguing cover versions. Lapham uniquely interprets songs by Psychic TV (“The Orchids”),  Low (“Laser Beam”), Ian William Craig (“A Sight Grip, A Gentle Hold”), Jason Molina (“It’s Easier Now”), Camberwell Now (“Know How”) and Shearwater (“Helix”).
The project also features a myriad of exceptional musicians including DM Stith – piano & guitar, Christopher Barnes (Gem Club) – piano, Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive) – guitar, Thor Harris (Swans) – drums, Christian Madden – Rhodes piano & organ and Semay Wu – cello.
Songs From the Haunted South was produced by John Mark Lapham, mixed by JM Lapham and Mark Kuykendall, and was mastered by Ian Hawgood.
The powerful cover art was designed by U.K.’s Grammy Award winning designer Vaughan Oliver, famed for his work with artists such as Mojave 3, Lush, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, The Breeders, This Mortal Coil, Pixies, Throwing Muses, in addition to artists such as David Sylvian and Bush. The cover shot taken in 1958 features Lapham’s father during bivouac camping basic training in the foothills of the Ozarks, at Fort Chaffee, Ark.
View a teaser for Songs From the Haunted South on Vimeo at:
Pre-order Songs From the Haunted South on CD here: www.kscopemusic.com/store.
1. Old Fire 3
2. Along Came a Sadness
3. Helix
4. Know How
5. It’s Easier Now
6. A Stranger in the Family
7. Bloodchild
8. Faust
9. Shadows
10. A Slight Grip, A Gentle Hold
11. Laser Beam
12. The Orchids
13. Deadhouse Dream
Taking nearly a decade to make, Songs From the Haunted South has been a labor of love for Lapham. Born from an album concept for a 4AD project with singer Micah P. Hinson (The Late Cord), the album was originally intended to feature different singers and musicians recording songs that were both covers and originals. After parting ways with Hinson, Lapham remained determined to realize his vision for the album and sought voices he considered special or fitted the inspiration.
The first piece of the puzzle fell in to place after meeting the former owner of 4AD, Ivo Watts Russell, who introduced Lapham to singer/songwriter, Tom Rapp – who recorded a string of haunting albums in the late ’60s and ’70s under the name Pearls Before Swine. The vocals Rapp provided formed the basis of the track “Shadows.” In the following years, guest vocals were recorded by Sara Lowes (The Earlies), DM Stith, Christopher Barnes (Gem Club), Rebekka Karijord, and Alex Maas (The Black Angels).
Stay tuned for more information on Old Fire and Songs From the Haunted South, out next month on Kscope.

RochaNews: New Airbag

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment

I’m absolutely thrilled to read this news.  I think the previous three albums have been outstanding, each better than the one before, and the solo album by Bjorn Riis was a thing of beauty as well.  They started off rather Pink Floydish, but they’ve certainly become their own band with their own sound over the past two albums.–Brad

AIRBAG ANNOUNCES FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM “DISCONNECTED” ON KARISMA RECORDS
“Disconnected” out June 10; teaser video streaming online
OSLO, Norway – Norwegian progressive rock act, Airbag, has announced its fourth studio album, Disconnected, to be released on June 10 via Karisma Records. A teaser video for Disconnected, the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed 2013 release The Greatest Show on Earth, can be seen on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/gG8vNaWnm1g.
Guitarist Bjørn Riis comments: “The early demos for ‘Disconnected’ were written during a couple of months in late 2014. The idea and inspiration for most of the lyrics, and the title track in particular, came from me realizing that I had to make some changes in my life. I was tired of the daily routine, working 9-5 in an office doing basically nothing and never having enough time for my family and music. I took a year off and started writing for the album.
“As for the music, you want to look forward and explore new sounds and musical ground. We talked a lot about wanting to use more electronic elements and giving more room for the drums, allowing them to be more percussive and basically avoid the usual rock formula on all songs. We also wanted to do a more stripped down production and create a more spacious and dynamic sound.”
Featuring six songs with a common theme of alienation between the individual and society, Disconnected was recorded with long-time collaborator and engineer Vegard Sleipnes and produced by Airbag vocalist Asle Tostrup and guitarist Bjørn Riis.
1. Killer
2. Broken
3. Slave
4. Sleepwalker
5. Disconnected
6. Returned
Airbag’s music is best described as scenic, epic rock – a sonic journey of lush soundscapes and arrangements, underlined by soaring guitars and soulful vocals. Airbag’s three previous album releases: Identity (2009), All Right Removed (2011) and The Greatest Show on Earth(2013) have gained the band a solid following and reputation among both fans and the press. Prog Magazine hailed The Greatest Show on Earth as a “confident step in the right direction, so much so you’re led to believe that album number four really could be the big one.”
Over the years, Airbag has also become a solid live act, playing at several major festivals and as support and in double-bills with bands like Marillion, Anathema, Pineapple Thief, Riverside, RPWL and Gazpacho.
Stay tuned for more information on Airbag and Disconnected, out this June on Karisma Records.
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Airbag is:
Bjørn Riis – guitar
Asle Tostrup – vocals, keys, programming
Anders Hovdan – bass
Henrik Fossum – drums
Airbag online:

Katatonia Track List: FALL OF HEARTS

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock1 Comment
 
KATATONIA REVEALS “THE FALL OF HEARTS” TRACK LIST, SECOND TEASER TRAILER
 10th studio album out May 20 on Peaceville
SWEDEN – Katatonia, the Swedish purveyor of dark progressive rock/metal, has released more details of its eagerly awaited 10th studio album The Fall of Hearts, which is set for release on May 20 through Peaceville Records. View the second The Fall of Hearts teaser video with album format details and track listing on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKjQduLxALM  or Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/158896918.
 
The Fall of Hearts track list:
Takeover [07:09]
Serein [04:46]
Old Heart Falls [04:22]
Decima [04:46]
Sanction [05:07]
Residual [06:54]
Serac [07:25]
Last Song Before the Fade [05:01]
Shifts [04:54]
The Night Subscriber [06:10]
Pale Flag [04:23]
Passer [06:25]
Bonus Tracks:
Vakaren [04:54] (CD/DVD & Deluxe Edition)
Sistere [04:11] (LP & Deluxe Edition)
Wide Awake in Quietus [04:59] (Digital & Deluxe Edition)
The Fall of Hearts will be released on the following formats:
Deluxe 12″ hardbook featuring:
  • 30+ page artwork book with alternative album artwork from Travis Smith.
  • CD The Fall of Hearts 12 original album tracks plus two bonus tracks “Sistere” and “Vakaren.”
  • DVD-V The Fall of Hearts 12 original tracks hi resolution stereo and 5.1 audio (DTS 96/24 5.1 & 96/24 Stereo LPCM) mixed by Bruce Soord.
  • Special Double 10″ vinyl edition of The Fall of Hearts 12 original tracks plus bonus track “Wide Awake In Quietus” (with MP3 download code) featuring guest guitarist Paradise Lost’s Gregor  Mackintosh.
2 Disc CD & DVD Mediabook featuring:
  • CD The Fall of Hearts 12 original album tracks plus bonus track “Vakaren.”
  • DVD-V The Fall of Hearts 12 original tracks and includes hi resolution stereo & 5.1 audio (DTS 96/24 5.1 & 96/24 Stereo LPCM) mixed by The Pineapple Thief and Katatonia collaborator Bruce Soord.
CD featuring:
  • The Fall of Hearts 12 original album tracks with a total playing time of 67:32 minutes.
Double gatefold 180g heavy weight LP featuring:
  • The Fall of Hearts 12 original album tracks plus bonus track “Sistere” (with MP3 download code).
Digital download featuring:
  • The Fall of Hearts 12 original album tracks plus bonus track “Wide Awake in Quietus” featuring guest guitarist Paradise Lost’s Gregor Mackintosh.

CD, LP and Deluxe Edition exclusive bundles can be pre-ordered now at: www.peaceville.com/store and http://www.omerch.eu/shop/katatonia/. A digital pre-order link will be available soon.

The official follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed Dead End Kings was recorded at Stockholm’s Studio Gröndahl and Tri-lamb Studio, and was self-produced by Katatonia’s Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse. Mixing and mastering duties were carried out by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Ihsahn, Devin Townsend) at Fascination Street Studios, with Karl Daniel Lidén (Switchblade, The Ocean, Greenleaf) brought in as engineer.
The dramatic yet desolate artwork was created by long time Katatonia designer and illustrator Travis Smith.
The Fall of Hearts is the first record to feature new drummer Daniel ‘Mojjo’ Moilanen along with the addition of recently recruited guitarist Roger Öjersson (Tiamat), who came in just in time to sprinkle some blistering solos on the album. With its new lineup, Katatonia will continue to push its musical boundaries beyond its roots in the metal scene while drawing in new fans from across the musical spectrum like peers such as Opeth and Anathema have also done, cementing Katatonia’s place as one of the most revered and cherished of all bands in the world of modern heavy music.
Guitarist Anders Nyström commented on the addition of Roger Öjersson: “We’re delighted to welcome our neighbor Roger, a true multi-musician extraordinaire, into our spiraling ways of darkness. Currently with this five-piece, there’s nothing hold back or limiting Katatonia’s potential, neither in the studio nor on stage. Our ever growing ambition may now begin to manifest our vision.”
Formerly the lead vocalist and bassist in Swedish power trio Kamchatka and currently also the guitarist in Swedish metal band Tiamat, Öjersson joined Katatonia just in time to briefly appear on parts of the new album. Öjersson replaces Per “Sodo” Eriksson who left the band in 2014. Since that time, a couple of temporary guitarists have stepped into the fold such as Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief) and Tomas Åkvik (Nale, Lik), but Öjersson is effectively a full time member of Katatonia with his first show taking place at Karmøygeddon Metal Festival in Norway next month.
Öjersson added: “I feel honored and privileged to get to be a part of the Katatonia family. I hold these fellow musicians’ artsmanship in very high regard and I am looking forward to setting out on this journey with eager anticipation.”
Stay tuned for more information on Katatonia and The Fall of Hearts, out this spring on Peaceville.
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Katatonia live:
4/29 – Kopervik, Norway @ Karmoygeddon Festival
6/19 – Clisson, France @ Hellfest
7/03 – Helsinki, Finland @ Tuska Festival
7/09 – Bouckenborgh, Belgium @ Anterwerp Metal Festival
7/10 – Bouckenborgh, Belgium @ Anterwerp Metal Festival
8/05 – Corroios, Portugal @ Vagos Open Air Festival
8/17 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/18 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/19 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/20 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
9/04 – São Paulo, Brazil @ Overload Music Fest
Katatonia is:
Jonas Renkse – Vocals
Anders Nyström – Guitar
Roger Öjersson – Guitar
Niklas Sandin – Bass
Daniel Moilanen – Drums
 
Katatonia online:

RochaNews: Katatonia, FALL OF HEARTS

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment
KATATONIA ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW STUDIO ALBUM, REVEALS NEW LINE-UP
 10th studio album “The Fall of Hearts” out May 20 on Peaceville
SWEDEN – Katatonia, the Swedish purveyor of dark progressive rock/metal, has revealed details of its eagerly awaited 10th studio album, The Fall of Hearts, set for release on the May 20, 2016 through the band’s long-time home of Peaceville Records. A teaser video can be seen on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/IRabnXZi7OI and Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/158019681.
The band commented: “This album is probably everything we unknowingly ever dreamed of to release. It’s a bleak but adventurous journey through our elements, we haven’t held back, we have pushed to get forward and backward in the ever spiraling night of our musical legacy.”
The official follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed Dead End Kings was recorded at Stockholm’s Studio Gröndahl & Tri-lamb Studio, and was self-produced by Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse. Mixing and mastering duties were carried out by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Ihsahn, Devin Townsend) at Fascination Street Studios, with Karl Daniel Lidén (Switchblade, The Ocean, Greenleaf) brought in as engineer.
The dramatic yet desolate artwork was created by long time Katatonia designer and illustrator Travis Smith.
Katatonia has spent the past four years since the release of Dead End Kings touring the world, as well as expanding its fan base through two special albums on Kscope, the sister label of Peaceville. 2013 saw the release of Dethroned & Uncrowned which exploded the core of the songs on Dead End Kings creating new moods and textures. In 2015, the band released the live acoustic album and concert film, Sanctitude. Both releases illustrate the band’s journey toward this, its current more progressive sound.
The Fall of Hearts is the first record to feature new drummer Daniel ‘Mojjo’ Moilanen along with the addition of recently recruited guitarist Roger Öjersson (Tiamat), who came in just in time to sprinkle some blistering solos on the album. With its new lineup, Katatonia will continue to push its musical boundaries beyond its roots in the metal scene while drawing in new fans from across the musical spectrum like peers such as Opeth and Anathema have also done, cementing Katatonia’s place as one of the most revered and cherished of all bands in the world of modern heavy music.
More details of The Fall of Hearts will be released shortly. Stay tuned for more information on Katatonia.
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Katatonia live:
3/12 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Metal Town Festival
4/29 – Kopervik, Norway @ Karmoygeddon Festival
6/19 – Clisson, France @ Hellfest
7/03 – Helsinki, Finland @ Tuska Festival
7/09 – Bouckenborgh, Belgium @ Anterwerp Metal Festival
7/10 – Bouckenborgh, Belgium @ Anterwerp Metal Festival
8/05 – Corroios, Portugal @ Vagos Open Air Festival
8/17 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/18 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/19 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/20 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
Katatonia is:
Jonas Renkse – Vocals
Anders Nyström – Guitar
Roger Öjersson – Guitar
Niklas Sandin – Bass
Daniel Moilanen – Drums
 
Katatonia online:

RochaNews: Se Delan’s New Album

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment
SE DELAN DETAILS NEW ALBUM “DRIFTER”
Sophomore album out April 29 on Kscope
LONDON, England – Se Delan, the dark, alternative, new-wave duo made up of multi-instrumentalist Justin Greaves and Swedish singer Belinda Kordic will release its new album Drifter on April 29 (June 3 in France) via Kscope. Drifter is available to pre-order now on CD and 180g black vinyl via the Kscope webstore at: www.kscopemusic.com/store with a digital pre-order to follow.
The follow-up to 2014’s The Fall, the pair set about to make an album that felt raw, more natural and human. Together with their shared influences (“music, film and life”) and a mutual understanding of the way each other works has led to Se Delan creating an album that musically and lyrically looks at madness and how the line between sanity and insanity can at times appear frighteningly thin.
Vocalist Belinda comments: “Sometimes it can take a lot of effort and hard work to stay grounded and stay on the right side of that line. Life vs Death. The unknown (and cats).”
Drifter takes the slow and dreamy nature of the music from the duo’s debut album The Falland moves it to a far darker place through the lyrics and layers of sound that pulsate throughout the record. By giving up all pretentions and just following their hearts, Justin and Belinda recorded (with Ritchie Chappell at Tripdown Studio) in a way that simply captures how they felt as humanly as possible.
Justin states: “We don’t write songs in any way with this big concept in mind. We just put our thoughts into words and feelings into music, whatever they may be.”
Stay tuned for more information on Se Delan and Drifter, out this spring on Kscope.
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Se Delan is:
 
Justin Greaves – all instruments
Belinda Kordic – words & voices
guided by 1000 ravenous skulls.
Se Delan online:
Press on The Fall:
“A haunting piece that gets in your head and won’t go away” – Noisey
“You will become hooked to their haunting sound” – Never Enough Notes
“An impressive beginning” – Team Rock
“Few ears could resist the tractor beam of such beautiful and entrancing music” – Under The Radar Magazine
“Eerie prog-rock with a side of skull-splitting riffage and apocalyptically angelic vocal” – CMJ
“A deeply felt and hugely atmospheric record that speaks of greater triumphs ahead.” – Echoes & Dust

RochaNews: Renman

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment
 

STEVE RENNIE TO HOST FREE “HOW TO LEARN THE MUSIC BUSINESS” WEBINAR NEXT WEEK
Enroll today for the chance to win a Renman U ‘Mentor’ scholarship
LOS ANGELES – Music industry veteran and Renman Music & Business founder, Steve Rennie (aka “Renman”), will host a free webinar next week, “How to Learn the Music Business,” on Tuesday, December 8 beginning at 12 p.m. PST / 3 p.m. EST. The live broadcast will explore all the options for learning the music business, from traditional four year universities, to online courses, free resources and more. Head over to Renman Music & Business at: https://renmanmb.leadpages.co/free-webinar-learn-music-biz-tw/ to sign up for free. One registered participant will also be chosen at random at the end of the webinar to receive a Renman U ‘Mentor’ scholarship ($499.99 value) which will grant access to Rennie’s “Renman U Insider’s Guide to Today’s Music Business” online course, complete with 10 personal Google Hangouts sessions with the Renman himself. Head over to: www.renmanu.com for more information on both the Renman U ‘Solo’ and ‘Mentor’ courses.
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About Steve Rennie…

 

Over the last 36 years, Renman Music & Business mastermind, Steve Rennie, has become one of the most successful and respected professionals in today’s music business. He has amassed a broad swath of experience as a concert promoter (Sr. VP Avalon Attractions now Live Nation 1984-1990), record company executive (Sr. VP GM Epic Records 1994-1998), internet entrepreneur (ArtistDirect 1998-2000) and artist manager (Incubus 1998-2014). Now, he is dedicating himself to mentoring this next generation of artists and music pros who will shape the music industry of the future.

 

Earlier this year, Rennie launched Renman U, an online course designed to be “an insider’s guide to today’s music business”: www.renmanu.com. Once enrolled, Renman U students receive an interactive set of online video lessons designed to teach aspiring artists and music business professionals what it takes to succeed in the music industry. Course lessons are based on Rennie’s more than 36 years of experience at the highest levels in the business, and include quizzes, written exams and more. An introductory Renman U video can be seen on YouTube: http://youtu.be/Q-GQyl5zNk8, while a free demo is available at: http://renmanu.com/course/renman-u-free-demo/.

 

Steve Rennie founded Renman Music & Business: http://www.renmanmb.com in 2012, an online education portal for the music industry featuring a YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/renmanmb with over 500 video clips with tips from industry pros, a web show, Renman Live: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaCGuUBKBfsuEGSchAEyI9fFuMXzJVuun, which has livestreamed over 100 episodes so far, and more.

 

Renman Music & Business online…

 

www.renmanmb.com

www.renmanu.com

www.facebook.com/RenmanMB

www.youtube.com/user/renmanmb

https://twitter.com/renmanmb

http://instagram.com/renmanmb

RochaNews: Gazpacho’s Latest, MOLOK

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock1 Comment

A review copy of the latest Gazpacho showed up about three or four days ago, and I’ve been listening to it, over and over again.  My first thought: what is this?  My second thought: wow, this is really subtle.  My third thought: there’s something really profound going on here.  My fourth (and most recent) thought: this is freaking incredible.  I still need to listen with headphones, but my thoughts (collectively) after about five listens–MOLOK is a thing of intense beauty, the best Gazpacho has made since MISSA ANTROPOS.  More to come. . . .

Molok. In English, Moloch, a king who demands the sacrifice of children.
Molok. In English, Moloch, a king who demands the sacrifice of children.

GAZPACHO TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM “MOLOK” THIS WEEK ON KSCOPE

First single “Know Your Time” streaming online

NORWAY – Norwegian art-rock progressive outfit Gazpacho will release its brand new studio album Molok through Kscope this Friday, October 23. Molok can be pre-ordered on CD and LP via the Kscope web-store at: www.kscopemusic.com/store. The CD version will feature an additional instrumental track “Algorithm.”

The first single, “Know Your Time,” is streaming on Soundcloud at: https://soundcloud.com/kscopemusic/gazpacho-know-your-time-taken-from-new-studio-album-molok/s-dBSqz.

1. Park Bench

2. The Master’s Voice

3. Bela Kiss

4. Know Your Time

5. Choir of Ancestors

6. ABC

7. Algorithm

8. Alarm

9. Molok Rising

Molok, the follow up to the acclaimed 2014 album Demon, sees the band continue to push the boundaries for creating the most complicated and strangest concepts for a record while simultaneously becoming the first band ever to actively try to destroy the universe with an album. A small code that sounds like a strange noise at the end of the album will cause the correction software that runs in all CD players to generate a random number every time the CD is played. If that number should correspond to the actual position of all electrons in the universe then technically the universe could be destroyed.

Dr. Adam Washington from the University of Sheffield confirms that this is science fact rather than fiction: “The random signal produced by the end of the disk contains enough bits of information to express a measurement of the total number of fundamental particles present in the universe. If the noise actually contained such a measurement, and that measurement was performed rapidly enough, the universe’s total particle count could be fixed under the Quantum Zeno effect. Locking the total particle count would prevent the pair production that forms a fundamental part of the decay of black holes. Without such decay forces, black holes would remain stable forever, without the need for nearby matter or the cosmic microwave background to keep them fed. This would greatly hasten the practical end of the universe.”

The band further commented: “If it can be destroyed by such minute creatures within it, if it is just a chemical reaction, then does it have any spiritual value? In this scenario there is no good or bad, just an absence of meaning.”

Across the album there are religious themes going head to head with modern day new science ideas and theories, Gazpacho’s Thomas Andersen states, “the album itself is about a man that sometime around 1920 decides that wherever anyone worships a God they always seem to be worshipping stone in some form. Whether it is a grand cathedral, the stone in Mecca or Stonehenge. God seems to have been chased by his worshipers into stone never to return. This harkens back to Norwegian folk myths where if a troll was exposed to sunlight it would turn to stone but it also reflects the way God has been incommunicado for a very long time.”

The band goes on to say: “In a mechanistic view of the universe all events in the universe are a consequence of a previous event. This means that with enough information you should be able to calculate the past and the future and this is what he does. He names the machine ‘Molok’ after the biblical demon into whose jaws children were sacrificed because his machine crunches numbers. On solstice day he starts the machine and it quickly gains some form of intelligence as it races through history undergoing its own evolution.”

Throughout Molok Gazpacho focuses on the idea that without God/a god to guide us, humanity is unsure of the meaning of life, that while we attempt to fill the void with other things we’ve still not found the answer; without a master to lean on we are very much alone in this universe.

On the album Gazpacho makes a direct connection with history. Norwegian music archaeologist Gjermund Kolltveit appears on the song “Molok Rising,” playing his reconstruction of stone-age instruments with an educated guess at what the early songs of worship must have sounded like. This includes small stones, moose jaws and an assortment of flutes and stringed instruments. He also plays the Skåra stone, a singing stone which has a strong possibility of having been in use since the last ice age ended 10,000 years ago. Technically this means that the album uses the oldest original instrument ever recorded on an album.

The band is also joined by world-renowned Norwegian accordion player Stian Carstensen who is a central member of Balkan-jazz orchestra Farmers Market.

Stay tuned for more information on Gazpacho and Molok, out this week on Kscope.

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Gazpacho online…

www.kscopemusic.com/gazpacho

www.gazpachoworld.com

https://www.facebook.com/Gazpacho.Official.BandPage