Premiere: Air Marshal Landing – “You Used To Be Me”

Lost In The Sound is honored to premiere Canadian indie rock band, Air Marshal Landing‘s debut album, You Used To Be Me. The three piece independently are releasing the record on June 4th after more than three years of writing, re-working and recording. In the Fall of 2011 the band travelled to Gibsons in British Columbia to record the album at The Farm Studios with Nygel Asselin. Watch their humorous public announcement of the LP here.

From the band about the album, “You Used To Be Me is a product of three great friends, ones that like to try and make our three-piece band sound closer to a 10-instrument assault. You’ll also find some subtle genre hopping over the course of the record. Must hop! Can’t stop!”

The album although primarily revolving around the indie rock genre, also draws in a variety of different musical stylings making the album an enthralling experience. Listen to Air Marshal Landing‘s You Used To Be Me below with our exclusive stream of the album in its entirety. If you want to pre-order the album you can do so on iTunes here and download their earlier releases on Bandcamp. Tell us what you think about the album in the comments below, and check out their Facebook, Twitter and website for more information!

The Dirt Radicals’ Punk Rock Journey

Have a blast, even though there’s nothing to do.

The year is 1999. The air is thick and consistently burns on the small Southeast Asian metropolis of Singapore. A group of expat high school musicians hailing from Australia and Japan, form a band under the moniker Pug Jelly. The young band’s infectious, energetic brand of pop-rock/pop-punk quickly spread through the country, pushing them up the ranks of the local music scene and establishing Pug Jelly as one of the household names in underground Singaporean pop-punk. No easy feat, considering the fact that the band was spawned by foreign talent, and the nationalistic mindset that many Singaporean’s have. Despite the criticisms, the “local” band has seen international acclaim, proven by tours spanning across Southeast Asia, and a nomination for the MTV Asia awards.

Pack Your Bags…

Pug Jelly met their end in 2005. However, after a couple years worth of hiatus, lineup changes and a brief run under the name Saw Loser, The Dirt Radicals rose from the ashes in 2009, by previous Pug Jelly members: Australian brothers Sam and Matt Cooper (Vocals/Bass, Drums) and Japanese Masashi Kimura (Guitar/Vocals). Fueled by an insatiable hunger to create great music and put on energetic live shows, the band pushed the envelope of contemporary punk rock in dynamic and creative ways with the release of their first full-length, …I’ve Got A Rad Feeling About This! in August 2010. With catchy tracks like Jakarta, (my personal favorite,) Osaka Sundown, and lead single Pack Your Bags (which received heavy airplay on Singapore’s top radio stations).

The Dirt Radicals not only rocketed back to the top of the punk scene, but hungrily showed, with no discrimination, why they rightfully belonged there in the first place. With several tours, and a slew of headlining positions at Asia’s most major music festivals (Baybeats, Unionway Fest, Java Rockin’ Land, HoHaiYan Festival); one would think any band would have had their fill. But The Dirt Radicals are far from through.

Enterin’ and Destroyin’

After leaving Singapore with their eyes set on London, England, the band is currently due to release their sophomore album Enter Destroyer. The highly anticipated album features 13 tracks, sonically united by a darker, heavier sound combined with the distinctive rock-and-roll/punk rock vibe. Sam Cooper describes the album’s theme as the “disintegration of society. It’s about people lying and cheating to get ahead in the world. It’s about the people who carelessly enter and exit others’ lives, nonchalantly leaving a trail of destruction behind them.” The album, as the band has stated, will serve as a venting tool for their struggles in the members’ lives.

From Pug Jelly, to Saw Loser to The Dirt Radicals, the band has stayed true to their core message, great music and great times. With the Enter Destroyer set to drop on June 25th this year, it’s easy to see how far The Dirt Radicals have come, and far they’re going to go. The cigarette is far from done. Pre-orders for the new album begin May 28th on iTunes!

Review: The Front Bottoms – “Talon Of The Hawk”

The Front Bottoms – Talon Of The Hawk

Released: May 21, 2013
Label: Bar/None Records
Purchase: Vinyl | Casette [Sold Out] | Digital | CD

The Front Bottoms’ sophomore album Talon of the Hawk integrates the addition of two new members, Tom Warren (bass), and Ciaran O’Donnel (keys/trumpet/guitar) to play alongside Brian Sella (vocals/guitar), and Matt Uychich (drums). The album gives off a more band orientated sound, instead of simply a two piece bouncing off of each other’s energy. However, Sella’s familiar stream of consciousness implicit lyrics are very much so still present, alongside Uychich’s punchy drumming.

The first track from the release Au Revoir (Adios), is the most similar sound-wise to their self-titled and provides a nice transition to the fuller band sound which kicks off near the end of the song. Twin Size Mattress encompasses everything about The Front Bottoms; the repetition of a familiar melody throughout, and figurative lyricis. Sella loudly singing, almost yelling, “I want to contribute to the chaos, I don’t want to watch and then complain, because I am through with finding blame; that is a decision that I have made” enforce the sentimental connection that is almost guaranteed with each song. The track, Santa Monica incorporates the use of trumpet and synth melodies, and is reminiscent of their earlier song, Father as Sella promises”to be stronger than your Dad was for your Mom.” Funny You Should Ask, a personal favorite, is one of The Front Bottoms’ distinct obscure love songs, that provides an esoteric view of relationships. The lyrics, “Honey, you got to learn that love is simple, just like mud, if you play the dirt, and I’ll play the water, all we got to do is touch” leading to the refrain, “Because I was young and I thought I didn’t have to care about anything, but I’m older now and know that I should” provide a sense of realism differentiating the band’s style to others. Backflip, a fast paced anthem of regretting tattoos, good vibes and Sella’s familiar breathing techniques, shows the progression of the band sonically despite sticking to similar thematic ideas.

Talon of the Hawk may not have as many standout tracks as the self-titled, but in hindsight the bar was set so high that it would have been almost impossible to create two perfect albums in a row. This being said, due to the immense talent of the band this album does stand testament to their ability to continue to create captivating songs that will be adored by fans. After spending the last two years touring, (shown in their recently released music video for Twin Size Mattress) The Front Bottoms will begin their journey of touring again starting June 1st with a national tour. You can purchase tickets for the tour here and stream the album in its entirety via Noisey.

Standout Tracks: “Twin Size Mattress”, “Funny You Should Ask”, “Backflip”

8.5

“I just want this to mean something to anyone even if they don’t know who I am.”

Track listing:
01. Au Revoir (Adios)
02. Skeleton
03. Swear To God The Devil Made Me Do It
04. Twin Size Mattress
05. Peach
06. Santa Monica
07. The Feud
08. Funny You Should Ask
09. Tattooed Tears
10. Lone Star
11. Back Flip
12. Everything I Own

Interview: The Maine

On the 4th of June, Arizonian rock and roll outfit The Maine will drop their highly anticipated fourth studio album, Forever Halloween. In light of the upcoming release, I recently got the chance to speak with drummer and founding member Pat Kirch about the album, their songwriting and recording process, and growing up with their fans. Pat also shared a pretty crazy tour story with us, check out the interview below!

Hi there! First off, can you introduce yourself and tell us your role in the band?
Hi, my name is Pat and I play drums in The Maine.

So, Forever Halloween is set to drop on the 4th. Is there anything on the record that you think will surprise fans? How do you think Forever Halloween compares to your previous releases?
I think the album has more of a human feel than any other album we have done in the past. You can feel the energy and the connection between five people playing in a room together. I would say that is the biggest difference between our past albums; this time we learned about a different way of recording that will change the way we do things from now on.

What’re some of the lyrical themes behind the album?
That is probably a better questions for John [O’Callaghan, singer], and I do not want to speak on his behalf. But to me, what I love most about John’s writing on this album is that it comes from a very personal place. Some songs are written in a more straight-forward way, where you can really tell that it is a story that happened, which I really enjoy.

Regarding the music, what are some things you guys experimented with?
We experimented with a bunch of different sounds on this album as far as guitar/drums/ and bass tones go. I think sonically there is more of a mood than anything we have ever recorded and I think that is because of some of the tones we used. We ended up making a pretty straight forward rock album and just did what we do best, which is drums, bass, two guitars, vocals, and maybe a little bit of piano here and there. I think we made a recorded that is pretty rounded, which I am really proud of.

What was the songwriting process like for this album? Has it differed from how you’ve written previous albums?
It was kind of the same way we have gone about the past albums besides maybe Black and White but John usually comes in with an idea for a song, we get in a room and work it out as The Maine. It is pretty simple and we just do what works for us, we all add in our own flavor on top of what is really John’s vision for a song.

What would you say were your biggest inspirations when writing this album?
Our musical tastes are always growing and changing so I do not think we could really pin point any specific artists but just rock music in general was an inspiration. Listening to albums that are not recorded to be perfect but to have a feel and a vibe, that is what we took inspiration from.

You recorded Forever Halloween on analog tape instead of digitally, what was that experience like and what brought about that decision?
It was an amazing experience, it brought us back to how it felt to record the first album in the sense that we didn’t know how the recording process worked and did not understand how things were go to go down. That is a really scary thing but it is exciting and brings something different out of you. You just kind of have to let go a little which lets you make more on the spot decisions. For me I have become so comfortable with how modern digital recording works that there isn’t any fear or worry about how the process will unfold. With recording this album live it was like starting over and learning a whole new craft which is really exciting and thats when the best stuff happens.

Do you have any personal favorites off of the new record? Can you tell us a bit about them?
I change my mind on this question each time I am asked it but right now I am going to go with a song called Blood Red this song goes from being a mess to all coming together and then does that all over again. It has tons of ups and downs and a lot of what we used on the song was kind of done in anger/a joke after a late night and it captured a mood that we could not have forced. I am very excited for people to hear thats song!

You guys has come a long way from Stay Up, Get Down, how do you feel your band has progressed and evolved since your formation?
The word I would use would consistent, we have continued to evolve with each year and each release. It has just been slow and steady and it all just goes along with we are getting older along with our fans.

On separate note, what are some bands/artists that you’re currently listening to?
I have been listening to a lot of Weatherbox, Pavement, The Replacements.

You’re set to embark on tour with Brighten, A Rocket To The Moon and This Century this summer. What’re somethings you’re excited for about it?
Everything!! We will be with our best friends and playing some new music along with old music. It is going to be a great time.

Since we’re on the topic of tours, can you share a tour story with us?
A few months ago we were driving through Texas and a car coming the other way on the freeway flipped over into our lane and kid flew out of the back of the car. The kid landed on his feet and didn’t have a scratch on his body. We were able to stop in time and did not hit the car but we all got out of the van to help the people in the car and John was kind of shaken up by seeing the car flip over and the kid fly out that he passed out. It was a pretty crazy day to say the least.

That is insane. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us! Any last words?
Thank you!! Very excited for people to hear Forever Halloween on June 4th.

You can pre-order Forever Halloween from The Maine’s website, and download their new track Love and Drugs by clicking here.

Review: elvis depressedly – “holo pleasures”

elvis depressedly – holo pleasures

Released: 16th April 2013
Label: Birdtapes | Orchid Tapes
Purchase: Vinyl | Casette [Sold Out] | Digital

holo pleasures is the sixth release by lo-fi pop project, elvis depressedly and marks the first time under this moniker that there has been a full band effort. The trio that contributed to the record includes Mat Cothran on vocals, drums, and guitar, Eric Jones on guitar and bass, and Delaney Mills playing all the keyboard parts. Like most of Cothran’s work, there is the familiar lo-fi analog comfort layered on top of warbling vocals to create unparalleled mellowness and melancholy.

The first track, okay, a pop number, encompasses Cothran’s simple yet poignant lyrical style including the lyrics, “I remember becoming winter, haunted by light, true love turned to sickness in my body, stayed up all night.” The album has the some of the same vibes as Coma Cinema, Cothran’s other outfit, however what sets them apart is the difference in the coherent aesthetic of the albums. The harmonies and hooks of this release contain a medley of droned keyboard, blown out guitar strumming, and muted percussion followed by refrains such as “If there’s a cool spot in heaven, I know you’ll get in” in weird honey and “Always real, always right, always alright” in pepsi/coke suicide. The six songs that run a total of twelve minutes are meant to be listened as one in order to gain the full experience of the record.

Mat Cothran and his band members are always constantly progressing and a new release is never far away, or from any of the groups in the scene such as Julia Brown, R.L. Kelly, and Pussy Wizard. The casette form of this release is currently sold out, but you can still pick up the 7″ vinyl in either blood red or swamp green from Birdtapes, or give it a listen over at the Bandcamp page.

Standout Tracks: “okay”, “weird honey”, “pepsi/coke suicide”

8.5

“never quit, there’s always a reason to try.”

Tracklisting:
1. okay
2. pepsi/coke suicide
3. inside you
4. teeth
5. weird honey
6. thinning out

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