Trash Monday CVI

Warning: what you’re about to witness doesn’t conform to the usual Trash Monday standards, it far exceeds anything you’ve ever heard or seen here in terms of WTF-ness. Make sure you watch this video with headphones on if you don’t want your coworkers/roommates/parents to assume you’re into seriously messed-up porn.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJl06nxPub8&feature=youtu.be]

Issues – Issues


When Issues released their debut EP in late 2012, I was severely impressed by it and I was amply stoked when they announced that they would be recording a full-length in 2013. At the same time I had some minor doubts as to whether they could keep up the high level of the EP…luckily the self-titled album not only lives up to it but, in my opinion, exceeds it by miles. But let’s dive in, shall we?

For those of you who don’t know, the sextet from Atlanta plays very modern post-hardcore with heavy R&B influences in the vocal department and some rapped vocals…while it seems weird on paper, it works surprisingly well. Especially since the instrumental parts are quite groove-orientated and yet maintain a great deal of heaviness to them. One gripe that people might have is that the twelve songs are quite over-produced, but to be frank, I couldn’t imagine their thing to work for them without it.

The main factor that differentiates the band from the flock however, is without a doubt that they manage to incorporate pop melodies into their songs, without it sounding incredibly stupid. A good example is the song, Late, which you can find below: in my opinion the song could be played on the radio and, except for the screamed parts, nobody would think about it twice.

Another focal and selling point of these forty-four minutes for me are the dual vocals, which feature on the one hand the amazingly soulful vocals of Tyler Carter and on the other hand the aggressive screams of Michael Bohn, the original Woe, Is Me vocalists. Mostly the clean vocal melodies coupled with the vocal effects in some songs still blow my mind…mainly because I’m not a huge fan of vocal effects in general, but it just works for me in this ensemble. The female guest vocals by Nylo on the song Tears On The Runaway, Pt. 2 are also a nice addition, even though I have to admit that I would have loved a heavier guest vocalist on one of the songs as well.

To sum things up, Issues managed to improve on the one negative aspect of their EP, that being the length, and deliver a solid record where every song, even the DJ interlude, has a right of existence. I can strongly recommend giving the song below a spin and if you like what you hear, visit the band’s Facebook page for more info and buy the album!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTvcW_s0FCo]

More Than A Thousand – Vol. 5 Lost At Home


They’re finally back! The Portuguese quintet More Than A Thousand has been working on their new record for quite a while and at some point it seemed that it might become the next Chinese Democracy. However, in early 2014 the band announced that Vol. 5 Lost At Home was going to be released on February 24th and thus put an end to the wait of fans! Let’s see what it has to offer and whether it can meet the high expectations following the general praise of its predecessor.

For those that have never heard of the band, their sound can be described as melodic metalcore, but I like to put them in a made-up category called bounce metalcore, since their songwriting is strongly aimed toward making the listener want to jump around and freak out. This can especially be observed in their energetic live shows, which to this date have never failed to impress me. Said formula is strictly kept during the forty-five minutes of the album but executed on a new level, with catchier melodies and choruses.

Literally every aspect, that makes MTAT what they are, has been further improved: the heavy parts are more aggressive and brutal than ever, the melodic parts are bound to be stuck in your eardrums after the first listening and the “bounciness” has reached incredible heights. To the point where I’ve personally found it difficult to resist jumping around in public while listening to it on my headphones.

While the thirteen songs are for the most part straight-forward, there are a handful of surprises. Like the almost-ballad I Am The Anchor which is completely growl-free and is in my opinion the catchiest song that the guys from Setúbal have written to this day. Furthermore, there are some pretty sick guest vocals by Robert Ljung of Adept on the song No Mercy For The Weak, which gives it that extra little something.

All in all, it’s safe to say that Vol. 5 is the band’s strongest record so far and does not have to hide from international competition in any way. So, be sure to give the record a listen when it comes out and be sure to catch them whenever they’re on tour, since they always put on quite a show! Visit their Facebook page for additional info and listen to the song below.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nHsFhRsV4Q]

Versus You – Moving On


It’s been almost five years, but the arguably most well-known punk band, Versus You, from our small country is back with a new record called Moving On! The title fits exactly, since they have definitely evolved in this past half-decade: while they were always on the pop-punk side of the spectrum, this has become even clearer this time around…and I, for one, absolutely dig it! But let’s get down to business.

While the opener starts off with the almost overdone canon in D major, the rest of the song is a nice example of fast-paced good mood inducing pop punk, at least on the instrumental side. The rest of the twelve songs follows a similar pattern of up-beat and danceable power chords and straight-forward drumming with a multitude of fills. The occasional solo is also thrown in to break things up when necessary, while still keeping the song together…which is always welcome in my book.

Even though the main part of the thirty-one minutes seems to be cast from the same mold, there are two songs that separate themselves from the rest: the closing ballad You Are My Friend and the, simply brilliant, Be Better Than Me which features an acoustic lead melody and the perfectly-fitting female backing vocals by Hannah Smallbone. The thing that strikes me about them is that they provide such a beautiful contrast to the main vocals that makes this piece so catchy.

Earlier I mentioned that the instrumental side is on the happy side of life, but the lyrics in some parts touch on very serious matters, albeit sometimes in a tongue-in-cheek humorous way. A good example of that is the song 30 Pills which tells the story of an HIV-infected guy who has been rejected by society: even though the message itself is quite social-critical, especially the chorus has a ring to it that makes me smile every time I hear it…but then again, I tend to have a twisted sense of humor.

As a closing statement, I’ll stay that I much preferred Moving On to its predecessor since it’s just more in my ballpark of the punk genre. The clean and yet authentic sounding production, I have to say, played a big part in that as much as the generally catchy nature of the tracks. If you want to find out for yourself whether you like it or not and want to spend an enjoyable night, head on over to den Atelier in Luxembourg this Saturday, February 15th, since that’s where the band will have their release show! You can get a first taste below and more information on Facebook!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMWfCVCOKkQ]

Sublind – Thrashing Delirium


Thrash is dead. Now, I know that’s a dangerous statement, so don’t get me wrong: thrash metal is anything but dead, but even the classic bands have adapted the modern sound that is so commonplace these days…and I guess that’s what happens at some point in the career of most bands. However, there are a fair share of new bands emerging that swim against the current and stick to the old school thrash that so many people love. I’m proud to say that one of these is resident in our little country and goes by the name of Sublind. To make things better, I’m happy to say that the five guys are releasing their debut album Thrashing Delirium this month…so let’s take a look at it, shall we?

The moment you start the forty-three minute musical journey, you are bombarded with pure metal and everything you, as a fan of the genre or as a newcomer, could hope for is condensed on this record: fast-paced riffs that convey aggressiveness through their simple but shit-stirring nature, relentless drumming that will make the headbanging set in even earlier than healthy and last but not least raw and powerful vocals.

It’s interesting to note that the quintet did not have the intention of having a perfect sounding album when they started recording these ten songs, which is why it’s not over-produced in any way whatsoever. The drums are not triggered, the string instruments aren’t quantized and, if you hadn’t guessed it, there is no auto-tune or other correction on the vocals. While some people might argue that’s a cheap excuse for a bad sound…I share the strong opinion that it conveys just what this music should be all about: attitude! And besides…the final product sounds pretty damn good, but be your own judge of that.

The lyrics are mostly of a slightly cliché nature, with such topics as drinking, war and having sex with dead people…what? While Shakespeare might twist in his grave at some of the lines, I, for one, love this approach…since it makes for great sing-alongs at gigs! The vocals are mostly screamed, with a few excursions into high-pitched screams, and are generally well performed but they are also the only thing where I could imagine a small improvement through a bit more variation.

To round things off, there is probably one of the best drinking anthems on here…in the form of the Luxembourgish song Humpeknupper! More information can be found on the band’s Facebook page and you can get an impression by checking out the song below. Last but not least, if you have no plans this Saturday, February 15th, be sure to head to the Café Remelenger Stuff in Rumelange, since that’s where the release party will be held! UH!

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/123177612″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
~Yannick~

2AM: The Smiling Man

As a frequenter of a subreddit called NoSleep, I was delighted to find that one of the most memorable creepypastas I’ve stumbled across was interpreted in film format last year. 2AM, directed and edited by Michael Evans of Go For Broke Pictures and starring Sean Simon and Paul Foltz, is based on a supposedly true account by user tidal_wave of what happened during one of her sleepless nights out and about in a big American city.

Tidal_wave, a self-described night owl, had made a habit of strolling through the streets late at night while her (she doesn’t explicitly state her gender in the story, but as she pointed out in the wake of the release of 2AM, she dropped some pretty obvious clues) non-nocturnal roommate was asleep. This went well for four years until she encountered the now-notorious Smiling Man and resolved never to walk out at night again.

The major creep factor here is that the story is realistic. Insane people exist, drugged out people exist, and people who just enjoy messing with strangers in the middle of the night exist. Whether or not creepy supernatural beings from hell exist is debatable, but a story like The Smiling Man sure makes some of the more terrified minds wander.

The most glaring inaccuracy in 2AM is the protagonist, who is most likely female in the original. But seeing as that’s not exactly a crucial element in the story, I think it’s fair to say that the film team did The Smiling Man justice — though the visual portrayal of the smiling man might actually be a tad more hilarious than horrifying while the written description is 100% spine-tingling, but that’s just my opinion. Here’s what tidal_wave has to say about the adaptation of her story: “This is pretty cool. It’s really well shot, and the actors did a great job. It’s not particularly accurate in terms of how it actually went down, but a few things were very close.”

Read the story, which was originally posted to r/letsnotmeet and later re-posted to r/nosleep, here (listening to “Surfin’ Dead” by The Cramps while reading helps if you scare easily) and watch the short film below. I recommend proceeding in that order.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u6Tt3PqIfQ]

Childish Gambino – Because The Internet


Today I’m going to write about a genre that I don’t listen to very often, and my last real experiences with it were about twelve years ago with The Marshall Mathers LP. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m talking about hip hop…more specifically the second album, Because The Internet, by the American rapper Childish Gambino.

There might have been some decent records in the past decade, but none of them really appealed to me since, from what I’ve gathered from listening to the radio or seeing random songs posted on the internet, it was mainly that “gangster shit”…which I simply can’t stand. While there are some “bad boy” moments among the nineteen songs on BTI, it’s a very diverse package altogether and the seriously clever lyrics make me forget my aforementioned aversion.

Musically, it’s a brilliant mix between instruments and synthesizers with mostly easily-recognizable beats and melodies. One should also mention that this is a concept album of the special kind, but more about that in the next paragraph, which is also clearly noticeable in the mood of the different songs and even in the various parts of individual songs…one prime example for that is Shadows, which ranks among my favorites among these fifty-eight minutes.

The main attraction, as is generally the case in hip hop, are definitely the lyrics though, which tell the story of “The Boy”, who is a pretty rich guy but who has a very peculiar attitude and behavior. However, Gambino didn’t stop there…he also wrote a script to go along with the music, which can be listened to for free on the site, and actually filmed a short film. I can only recommend giving both a try if you liked anything about the album, since it makes the whole experience a tremendous blast. As gripping as the story is, there is also the fact that the references he makes are in quite a few instances extremely funny and well thought-through…they certainly made me smile more than just once.

As a closing statement, I can wholeheartedly tell everyone I know who actually pays attention while listening to music, to give Because The Internet a chance; even if they aren’t necessarily into the genre. While it has not caused me to re-discover my love for hip hop…it did make a big fan of Childish Gambino. More information can be found on Facebook and the first single can be found down below…but I recommend giving the whole thing a chance.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG35R8F2j8k]