Rufus Ready – Rufus Ready


It’s about time we got in a review of a national band in the new year, even though technically it dates from mid-July 2013…but better late than never. Rufus Ready is a duo that, with the help of their “imaginary friends”, recorded their eight song strong self-titled debut.

They categorize themselves as folk rock and that about hits the spot, since their mid-paced music is appealing to a broad audience and should be accessible to the average listener who might not enjoy the heavier side of the musical spectrum.

However, the guys manage to cram a lot of different and interesting instruments into their sound, which separates them from many other bands of the genre. Among those are a trombone, a banjitar, a moog and a pedalsteel, which, coupled with the regular stuff like guitars and drums, create an enjoyable half hour experience.

The vocals are either hit or miss for people, I’d say…while they are well performed, I found that they were generally monotonous on the album, the featured song The Tidal Wave below being the main exception. There are, however, both male and female back-up vocals, which bring a nice little contrast with them.

In closing, I’d say that Rufus Ready, like the majority of folk rock bands, are best enjoyed in a live environment but that the home version of it is worth looking into. So if you get a chance to see them play somewhere around you, do so and if you like what you hear…grab one of their CDs! For more information you can visit the band’s Facebook page and be sure to listen to the song below.

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

The Animal In Me – Who’s Laughing Now


I always try to keep up with new bands and therefor I am subscribed to a channel on YouTube that regularly puts up new videos by newcomers. That’s how I came across The Animal In Me and their song End Of The Road. One thing upfront: after listening to that one song, they managed to stand out from the rest and convince me to delve into their debut album Who’s Laughing Now, which was released mid-December last year.

The sextet from California plays fairly standard but tight post-hardcore, with not many musical surprises in the instrumental department…but as I always say: why change a winning team? The different musicians have no issues whatsoever of playing their instruments and the songs are nicely arranged, with enough catchy parts to keep the listener interested during these thirty-six minutes.

Now, you might wonder why TAIE caught my attention and the answer is quite simple: because of the vocals. Especially on the album, this surprise effect is quite wonderfully orchestrated: the intro is your run off the mill one minute song, with screaming and heavy riffs. But when the Doctor Doctor! kicks in, the band shows its true face with clean female vocals…something I have seldom heard in this genre. The fact that she’s a brilliant singer only enhances the whole experience during the ten tracks.

To sum it up, I’d say that the record is not a masterpiece but a very welcome variation on a very exhausted genre. I, for one, will be looking forward to what the guys and gals are up to in the future! For more information, you can visit their Facebook page and in order to get a taste of their music, be sure to check the video below!

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

Trash Monday C


If someone had told me ten years ago that one day Snoop Dogg would change his name and do reggae, I’d have laughed out loud…but it happened. The video below has a certain charm with its Pokémon and Contra homages, but the afore-mentioned fact makes this a perfect number one hundred.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qM7IYPAJsw]

Sianvar – Sianvar EP


Initially, my plan was to review the handful of albums that I didn’t get to do last year, either because they came out too late or due to me simply missing their release. However, I did stumble over this little gem which marks a great start into 2014, since it was released on January 5th! As you might have guessed from the artwork, I’m talking about Sianvar and their self-titled EP.

This quintet is somewhat of a supergroup, with members from Dance Gavin Dance, A Lot Like Birds, Stolas and Hail The Sun. Unsurprisingly, the band plays super catchy post-hardcore which will immediately please every fan of the genre.

The five tracks actually have a remarkable variation to them; jumping from fast-paced scream-filled passages to melodic dreaminess without missing a beat or breaking the flow…but I could not have expected anything else, if you consider the above-mentioned roster.

Every single instrument is pushed to its limits with the intricate guitar riffs and complex drumming, which prevents these twenty-two minutes from getting boring even after the fifteenth play. The same goes for the vocals, which almost constantly switch between clean singing and screaming, thus giving enough variation to avoid repetition.

All in all, the Sianvar EP totally deserves to be checked out by everyone and sets the bar for this year’s future releases at a considerable height! Be sure to check the band’s Facebook page and listen to the tracks below! Enjoy!

Changes (not the David Bowie song)

2013 was a big year for El Gore, both for the blog but also for the people involved. As it stands now, we all have full-time job and/or university duties, which is why we decided to loosen up our schedule a bit.

Trash Monday will continue without any breaks whatsoever and one review, be it music or movie, is also guaranteed. Of course, additional content might be added in busy weeks in terms of new releases.

That’s about it! We will strive to review as much as we possibly can, but for now our personal lives need to be put first. We hope you understand!

~The El Gore team~

Top 5 2013 by Yannick

2013 has been a very busy and rewarding year for me…especially in the music department. It’s been my first full year at El Gore and I managed to put out forty-seven reviews, which I’m a bit proud of to be honest, since I absolutely love doing what I do. But since the year is almost over, it’s time to compile a list of my top five albums…so here goes!

#5 Scarred – Gaia/Medea (review)

There have been quite a few really solid Luxembourgish releases this year, but to me the five guys from Scarred take the cake with their second full length. If you haven’t listened to this…you, sir or madam, have missed out big time. What are you waiting for? Go!

#4 Devildriver – Winter Kills (review)

Even though DD never really re-invent themselves completely on their biennially released albums…they always manage to suck me in and keep me there for quite a while. Winter Kills is no exception and has thus won a spot in my hall of fame this year.

#3 Stone Sour – House Of Gold & Bones Part 2 (review)

I said it last year…and the same argument is valid this time around: if Corey Taylor is involved in a project, it’s almost guaranteed to land on my list. But in the case of HoGaB Part 2 this is not pure fanboyism but actually appreciation of, arguably, the best Stone Sour album to date.

#2 Counterparts – The Difference Between Hell And Home (review)

These Canadians completely unexpectedly blew me away with their third release with the long name. While I never considered myself a true fan of melodic hardcore, I lost my musical virginity of the genre to a brilliant album, and I highly recommend giving it a go if I were you!

#1 A Day To Remember – Common Courtesy (review)
August Burns Red – Rescue & Restore (review)
Bring Me The Horizon – Sempiternal (review)
Secrets – Fragile Figures (review)

I thought about my number one long and hard. Not only is that what she said, but it’s also applicable to this list. There was just no way for me to choose between any of these four records since I’ve listened to each one at least, not even kidding, one-hundred times before putting down the first letter of my review. That’s how overwhelmed I was by all four individually. If someone held a gun to my head and asked me to choose an overall winner, I’d have to go with Bring Me The Horizon, simply because they put forth the biggest musical change…but I can honestly recommend all four records without a second doubt.

That’s it, folks. I hope you had as much fun reading my reviews as I had writing them and I hope that you enjoy the holidays: drink lots, eat lots and in case you get some cash…keep my list in mind. I’m looking forward to next year, which should see new releases by: Chiodos, Architects, Betraying The Martyrs, Slipknot, Issues and Emarosa! The local front also has two announced releases that I can’t wait to get my hands on; those being of the thrashers Sublind and the space cowboys Cosmogon!

Top 5 2013 by Luc

Yeah, 2013 was a great year, again. I am not talking about movies, because honestly, I went to the cinema only once or twice, mainly because 2013 wasn’t a very interesting movie year for me. Let’s see what 2014 will bring.

For the rest, 2013 rocked. I won’t include any private stuff, even though I could fill a top 100 with all that… but let’s see what else made 2013 so great for me.

#5 My Retro Game/Console Collection upgrade

I have always been interested in the oldschool consoles, arcade coin machines and games. Why? Well, first of all because of my childhood. I had an amazing one and I made the first gaming experiences together with my brothers and friends during this time. Secondly because of the fun factor. It is obvious that gaming graphics get more realistic from console to console but for me, it isn’t about the graphics, it is, as mentioned above, about the fun factor. So, this year I raised my Game Boy, Nintendo and Super Nintendo game collection by visiting flea markets and making good deals on Ebay. I also bought my first Dreamcast (damn, I love it and I have no clue why it flopped back in 1999) and other stuff which I won’t list now. If you are interested in the collection, you should check out my instagram as I post a lot of my stuff there.

#4 Bahnhofskino

If you are into B-Movies, listen to podcasts and understand German, the Bahnhofskino podcast is an absolute must! I discovered it this year and El Gore was already the co-host in one of the episodes. Even though I do not always agree with the hosts, Patrick and Daniel, they do a fantastic, interesting  and competent job. The Bahnhofskino podcast is hebdomadal with a new episode being released every Friday. Go and check them out!

#3 Hotline Miami

Hotline Miami was released in 2012 but I only discovered it this year during my stay in Berlin. What can I say about it? It is perfect! It’s brutal and gory with GTA 2-like graphics, a weird and hypnotic soundtrack (even though I like the in-game music, you should try Mr. Oizo’s Lamb Anger during the game) and a completely fucked-up story. If you like indie games, you know what I am talking about and are probably waiting for the follow-up. If you don’t know the game, check it out.

#2 Crust Punk/Powerviolence

Bands like Discharge, ACxDC, Charles Bronson, Fuck on the Beach, etc. really caught my attention this year. The rawness, power and aggressiveness are incredible!

#1 The El Gore Zine

It was always a personal dream to release a zine, and together with my El Gore mates and the help of other friends, we finally managed to release the first copies of the first El Gore Zine edition.
By the way, if you are interested in a copy, just drop us a message on:
Twitter
Facebook
or write us a mail: elgore1(at)hotmail(dot)com

I wish everyone a happy new year and we’ll see each other in 2014!