The Rolling Stones announced last month that their 25th studio album, Blue and Lonesome, would be hitting stores on December 2nd via Polydor. The record is being touted as the band’s “return to the blues,” and as you’ll hear in the ‘Hate To See You Go’ single, they weren’t lying. Continue reading
HBO’s Westworld is aiming to do for Sci-Fi for what Game Of Thrones has done for the fantasy genre. On the most recent episode (S01 E05) ‘Contrapasso’, an instrumental version of Nine Inch Nails ‘Something I Can Never Have’ was heard in a pivotal scene. You can hear it below:Continue reading
If the surfeit of Christmas tinsel, chocolate and nostalgia is enough to drive you to immerse yourself in a VAT of Jaegermeister, or if you have already had enough of Christmas “specials” of television programmes that weren’t actually that special to begin with then, during this holiday season you could while away some hours with some of the really rather excellent music DVDs that are available from your local emporium of choice.
Here at Ghost Cult Towers we have literally toiled hard from our sofas to check out the ones that are worth parting you from your hard earned cash. Top of our proverbial pile is, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, The Rolling Stones. Those lovely folk at Eagle Rock Entertainment have been slowly but surely releasing some terrific footage of Jagger and co at various points in their historic pomp. Live from The Tokyo Dome 1990 and Live at Roundhay Park 1982 are two cases in point. Filmed in 4:3 ratio (and considerably pre internet) the first is a spruced up version of a TV special that celebrated the band’s arrival in Japan and the culmination of their Steel Wheels Tour. ….Roundhay Park, filmed eight years earlier when the band were battling to retain relevance in a world dominated by post disco and New Romantics, is equally compelling. What could have been exercises in simple nostalgia actually turn out, thanks to the wonders of remastering, upscaling and a new audio track (thanks to sound wizard Bob Clearmountain) to be performances of considerable panache and verve, mainly thanks to Jagger and Richards being on particularly good form and yet more evidence, should it be needed, as to why this band are regularly regarded as the best live experience on the planet. These are the sort of DVDs that PR companies will say are “a must for any fan”. In this case, they might actually be right for once.
About The Young Idea is a quite brilliant documentary about UK mods The Jam and, in particular, frontman Paul Weller. This is very much a warts and all documentary, ultimately sympathetic to the threesome, placing them appropriately in the canon of great British bands of the late 20th century. What resonates in this film is how diverse the band were in terms of influence and inspiration before what now seems like an inevitable breakup in 1982. Packed with brand new interviews with the band’s principal protagonists, About The Young Idea reveals itself as part insightful documentary, part labour of love, all fabulous music. If you remain sceptical after watching the film, then have a look at the accompanying live concert footage from 1980 where the band’s energy, anger at injustice and clarion calls to the youth to change the world around them can be seen in full effect. Indispensable.
Shifting decades and gear somewhat, Black Stone Cherry are the hard rock underdogs made good and this energetic live concert film, Thank You shows just why. Their early career saw them somewhat unloved in their home country (USA) but they were soundly adopted by the UK and Europe and have subsequently built a fairly decent career, including notable performances at Download festival and their own sell-out arena tour, which this film documents. Black Stone Cherry are one of those bands that tend to divide audiences but, for the uninitiated, this is a standard concert film where, if nothing else the band are ridiculously hardworking, highly energised and pretty much adored by their fanbase. As souvenirs of their well received 2014 tour go, this is the one to own – it’s miles better than their over-priced t-shirts anyway…
And so we come to The Ritchie Blackmore Story, which is a well-produced, insightful and fascinating talking heads style documentary about one of hard rock and heavy metal’s most revered and talked about characters. This is a DVD worth owning, not just for the vintage footage but thanks to brand new and exclusive interviews with the main man himself. You get a rounded picture of what drives and inspires one of rock’s most feted players. Pretty much everyone and anyone turns up to pay their respects- there’s Queen’s Brian May, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and Gene Simmons all saying very nice things and Joe Satriani and Toto’s Steve Lukather revelling in being true fan boys but it’s Ritchie himself, entirely appropriately, who is the star of this. It’s the kind of DVD that you’ll watch time and again and the kind of DVD that will make you want to rediscover or (in my case) discover the man’s music.
Job done, then. Merry Christmas.
MAT DAVIES
Lemmy of Motörhead, photo credit UDR
Motörhead, whose new album Bad Magic (UDR) releases this Friday, are streaming their cover of The Rolling Stones classic song ‘Sympathy For The Devil’. You can hear the track at this link.
Bad Magic track listing:
01. Victory Or Die
02. Thunder & Lightning
03. Fire Storm Hotel
04. Shoot Out All Of Your Lights
05. The Devil
06. Electricity
07. Evil Eye
08. Teach Them How To Bleed
09. Till The End
10. Tell Me Who To Kill
11. Choking On Your Screams
12. When The Sky Comes Looking For You
13. Sympathy For The Devil (The Rolling Stones cover)
It’s taken them 20 years to rediscover their midas touch, but of late Earache Records have been on a roll. A rock n’ roll, if you will. Whether Dig installed a Hot Tub Time Machine or not is open to scandalous rumour, but the label has been plucking 70’s rock success after retro-fuelled triumph, seeing the likes of The Temperance Movement, Rival Sons and Blackberry Smoke bring home the bourbon. Atlanta, Georgia’s Biters look set to be the latest in the line of acts on their roster recreating the magic of yesteryear, adding a street-smart proto-punk bite to their rock, rather than the smokey Southern vibe of their new label mates.
Kicking off with ‘Restless Hearts’, rocking a brilliant earworm of a bubblegum chorus, whose conception seems rooted in a world where punk and rock first met, as if Social Distortion had rocked out a couple The Sweet covers, Electric Blood manages to be effortlessly cool in its’ skin-tight Ts and tassle leather jackets. All through, the effortlessness with which the choruses lodge in the brain is to be admired, as Biters bring the pop of 80’s hair metal, mixed into a cocktail of the rough, sleaze and cool of The Rolling Stones and the panache (and tambourine) of 70’s Glam Rock.
Swagger, nonchalance and above all quality simple rock songs dominate the skyline of their début. ‘1975’ and ‘Heart Fulla Rock n’ Roll’ overload with lyrical cliché but this is no parody as they swing authentic, with the latter breaking out into a Gary Moore descending guitar harmony and old-school bass-led breakdown. Vocalist Tuk is part-cheerleader, part-rabble rouser and full-time tunesmith, his simple tones knowing their limitations, but infusing these straight-forward good time songs with the melodies and hooks they need.
Don’t go into Electric Blood expecting anything other than oh-so-cool pop rock, and a love of yesteryear. In the heaviness stakes, Biters are more Gaslight Anthem than Green Day, and at times both are brought to mind. With traces of Americana lacing tracks like ‘Dreams Don’t Die’ and nods to AC/DC (‘Electric Blood’) and Thin Lizzy (‘Space Age Wasteland’), this is an album that demands the top (or at least the windows) down, the open road, the speed-dial nudging naughty and voices raised in joyous communion.
These songs have teeth. Biters just bit hard, and these songs aren’t letting go.
7.5/10
STEVE TOVEY
Sometimes the epithet ‘Southern’ can make one shudder in fear rather than delight, with stodgy ‘Dad Rock’ often found invading its borders. There’s no such danger here… from the off Black Ocean Waves (Graveyard Hill Records), the third album from Virginian old-timers King Giant, displays a brooding intensity: the rumbling bass notes and lead howls of opener ‘Mal de Mer’ invoking feelings of both melancholy and trepidation. The roaring riffs of ‘The One That God Forgot to Save’ carry more of a barrelling stomp than a latent groove, whilst the overall feel possesses some of the Stoner / Grunge of Gorse with Dave Hammerly’s vocal reminiscent of the Brighton trio’s James Parker.
There’s a sleazy, nefarious quality here which prevents the album’s early stages from diving into flabby mundanity. Todd “TI” Ingram’s leadwork is often understated yet enlivening when it appears, evoking The Rolling Stones’ ‘Gimme Shelter’ when splitting ‘Requiem For A Drunkard’s raunchier elements. It gives the lament of ‘Red Skies’ an indolent, Eastern quality, while Hammerly’s plaintive roar portrays guilt and shame with real passion; the whole swaddled within intricate rhythmic patterns and fluid time switches.
There’s nothing new here of course, and the younger metalhead may doubtless find this lacks his or her required energy levels. Rarely, however, does this kind of stuff possess the sort of up tempo, pulsing vibe that King Giant produce with seeming ease; the rampaging yet tempered heavy rock of ‘Trail Of Thorns’, for example, displaying the vitality of The Doors’ later, heavier moments, albeit without the quirky invention. Creativity is here though – the angry roars and swells of ‘Blood Of The Lamb’ are occasionally quelled by a softer texture; a constant duel which heightens the emotion and piques the curiosity further with a dreamy, truly moving Ingram solo. The crushing oscillations of closer ‘There Were Bells’, meanwhile, mix with lamenting yet euphoric verses in an elephantine take on Pearl Jam.
All sounds the old man might like? Sure. Black Ocean Waves, though, gives them a serious injection of power and fervour which lifts King Giant way above the often bloated fayre of their genre.
7.0/10
PAUL QUINN
Black Pussy, who released a new album Magic Mustache (Made In China Records) in February, has faced opposition and defaming due to the bands name involving protests over whether or not their name is offensive. The protests included a Change.org petition, show cancellations, and even personal threats against the band online. The band has released a statement addressing this:
WE GOT 99 PROBLEMS BUT A BAND NAME AIN’T ONE
– a statement from Black Pussy –Some people think our music is “awesome” but won’t wear our T-shirt in public.
Some people think our music “sucks” but that our amps are “cool.”
Some people “love our band” and come see every single show we play in their city.
The common denominator with all three statements is that everyone has a different opinion about our band. And what’s so great about that is no one is forced into having “this” opinion or “that.”
Miriam-Webster defines “double entendre” as ambiguity of meaning arising from language that lends itself to more than one interpretation. That is the meaning of our band name. That there isn’t a specific meaning. That’s why we love this band name. We love Black Pussy and we are never going to change our name.
People have expressed outrage at the supposed origins and intentions of the name. Our band name was chosen BEFORE our knowledge that the Rolling Stones song Brown Sugar had a working title of Black Pussy. But the ultimate decision to roll with the name was encouraged by what we found out.
Miriam-Webster defines “satire” as the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices. At the time when Mick Jagger wrote Brown Sugar he was in an intense year long secret love affair with Marsha Hunt, a black actress and model. Both have cited her inspiration for the song. But that begs the question; why would a woman whom he is madly in love with inspire such scandalous lyrics about taboo subjects like slavery, interracial sex, cunnilingus, and less directly, sadomasochism, virginity, rape and heroin? Satire often professes to approve of (or at least accept as natural) the very things the writer wishes to attack. When looking at the lyrics through a satirical lens they begin to take on anti-rape and anti-slavery connotations. It’s doubtful that this was done consciously, but a spontaneous and uncensored approach to art is absolutely crucial for the dissemination of creativity, no matter who is offended.
(http://www.vulture.com/2015/04/brown-sugar-still-tastes-good.html)The lamest thing about all the click-bait articles and comment threads is…well, the stupidity. People espouse their opinions about the way these two words make them feel. At best they get information wrong. At worst they’re character assassinations. Communication is a vital tool of our continued free existence, and in no way should anyone censor discussion, least of all us, when people write ignorantly crass posts online. But it cannot be understated that elements of our digital culture are incredibly knee-jerk and weak minded. There are no medals to give the person with the most hurt feelings.
If you’re upset by the band name we think there are far better outlets for your time and energy . Both of those are extremely valuable commodities, time and energy, and we wish to maximize the way in which we spend them. We encourage you to do the same. Complaining about our name and calling for a boycott of us and the venues that book us are all well and fine, but it’s not going to hurt us. Rather, and ironically, all of this attention emboldens the band’s momentum and exposes more people to our music. Mike Patton once said, “Bad press is the best press.”
Throughout all of this our message has been pretty consistent; FUN. Have fun. Make love. Feel good about life. Fight things that take away your personal freedoms. Be positive. Fuck the people who try to put you down.
We love our fans. Let us say that again. We love our fans. Without them we would be singing into the void. We work our asses off year round to bring our music across the country and it is both a challenging and joyful experience. We accept all responsibility for the repercussions that our name brings. Ultimately, the music is what should be scrutinized rather than the clothes we wear or the name we chose. But whatever. Trolls are gonna troll, complainers are going to complain and people who get it are going to keep on getting it. And to those who get it we say…Viva la Pussy!
Love,
Black Pussy
Dustin Hill – Ryan McIntire – Dean Carroll – Aaron Poplin – Keith O’Dell
BlackPussy on Facebook
More artists have come up as part of the forthcoming Guitar Hero Live video game, out this fall.
Halestorm – “Love Bites (So Do I)”
Tenacious D – “Tribute”
Beartooth – “I Have A Problem”
Pearl Jam – “Mind Your Manners”
Rise Against – “Tragedy + Time”
Soundgarden – “Been Away Too Long”
Anthrax – “Got The Time”
Architects – “Gravedigger”
Chevelle – “The Clincher”
A Day To Remember – “Right Back At It Again”
Songs already announced for the game include:
Deftones – “Diamond Eyes”
Marilyn Manson – “Disposable Teens”
The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling”
Blitz Kids – “Sometimes”
Killswitch Engage – “In Due Time”
Mastodon – “High Road”
Bring Me The Horizon – “Shadow Moses”
Of Mice & Men – “Bones Exposed”
Trivium – “Strife”
System of a Down – “Chop Suey!”
Black Veil Brides – “In The End”
Rage Against the Machine – “Guerrilla Radio”
Judas Priest – “Breaking the Law”
Pantera – “Cowboys From Hell”
Royal Blood – “Little Monster”
Vista Chino – “Sweet Remain”
Marmozets – “Move Shake Hide”
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground”
The Pretty Reckless – “Going to Hell”
Alter Bridge – “Cry of Achilles”
Ed Sheeran – “Sing”
Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”
Gary Clark, Jr. – “Don’t Owe You a Thang”
Green Day – “Nuclear Family”
The Killers – “When You Were Young”
The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”
My Chemical Romance – “Na Na Na”
Pierce the Veil – “King for a Day” (feat. Kellin Quinn)
The Rolling Stones – “Paint it Black”
Skrillex – “Bangarang”
The War on Drugs – “Under the Pressure”
Sleigh Bells – “Bitter Rivals”
Alt-J – “Left Hand Free”
Broken Bells – “Leave It Alone”
The Guitar Hero video game franchise is relaunching its line this fall with a new installment called Guitar Hero Live, where it has been reworked to now feature a live action experience and focuses solely on guitars this time around. A new guitar peripheral has been announced to go along with the game and features two rows of three buttons to offer a different experience that will allow for basic chord patterns on higher difficulties.
Artists confirmed to be part of the game this time around include:
The Black Keys
Fall Out Boy
My Chemical Romance
Gary Clark, Jr.
Green Day
Ed Sheeran
The War on Drugs
The Killers
Skrillex
The Rolling Stones
The Lumineers
Carrie Underwood
Pierce The Veil
Blitz Kids
