Talons – Hollow Realm

Hollow Realm is furious instrumental post-metal that runs the gamut from black to power metal, from post-hardcore to mathcore, but Talons suffer from an almost cringe-worthy lack of focus. Every element, taken on its own, is exciting — enthralling, even — but this is fragmented metal that’s not just hard to follow: it’s an almost scattershot approach that takes a very strong sound in some puzzling directions.

It’s that fragmented approach leaves the band worse off. They really do have an enviable sound and energy, but their approach is so wildly inconsistent that finding a moment to think is difficult at best, and impossible at worst. Hollow Realm is promising, but instrumental metal is typically best when it can either be contemplated or be lauded for a visceral approach. Talons offer neither, but not for lack of trying.

It’s hard, then, to soak in the good qualities here: Talons just put their first foot forward, and their pace and power fling them through a 40-minute album. And that’s the problem! The sound is sometimes incredible; there’s a sense of power here that’s incredibly rare in the metal world. But it’s all put together with so little regard for maintaining any sense of consistency, that Hollow Realm buckles under that weight.

But, when those aggressive guitars are coupled with some very nice — if a bit out of place — strings, the sound just shines. If only temporarily, it’s hard to be too upset about the fragmentation here. Still, with greater coherency, this could have been one that metal connoisseurs would be lapping up for years.

Demonic Resurrection – The Return to Darkness

Hailing from India, of all places, this band has been around the block for quite some time. They’ve been writing about ‘darkness’ for equally as long, this release being the 3rd, and last, in the written series.

Demonic Resurrection plays symphonic black metal in the vein of Limbonic Art. The album has an excellent production and awesome cover art of a decimated city being closed in on or swallowed by some sort of evil entity. Their music is very black metal at times, although the singer reminds me more of Nergal from Behemoth. They experiment with slow, melodic, clean passages at times; with very clean vocals. In my opinion it does not fit the music and seems very out of place. But no fear, the music has plenty of blast beats, double bass and shredding guitar riffs. The guitar leads are very tasteful and nicely done; they’re definitely more on the technical side of soloing.

Demonic Resurrection just try to get a little bit ‘too pretty’, too often. This is black metal guys. Black metal isn’t meant to be pretty. I guess in summation; Demonic Resurrection will not let down fans of Limbonic Art, Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth (without the speed and raw brutality) and The Gathering. I say the Gathering due to the fact that there are a lot of the ‘pretty/clean’ passages on this album. Maybe a little too much for my taste….. but hey!! Who the hell am I?

Short Takes on Four Albums

Blood Red Shoes – Fire Like This

V2

http://www.bloodredshoes.co.uk/

Brighton, England-based Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter returned last year with their sophomore album Fire Like This and it burns with a cool, blue-flame intensity (as depicted by the album’s cover art) compared to the red-hot wildfire of the band’s debut, Box of Secrets, released in 2008.  Both albums are still and undeservedly only available as imports in the U.S.

The blaze of vehemence and exuberance that burned through the first album is more contained here, with Steven and Laura-Mary’s sharply indignant and passionate vocal tones tempered by a touch of resignation (instead of desperation) and, dare it be said, maturity.  Laura-Mary reveals a softer side with her lead vocals on “When We Wake”, her emotional fragility apparent as she forlornly draws out the words “…broken in pieces…” and “In the end is this all we can ask for?”

Blood Red Shoes still rocks out on most tracks, all riled up and restless, keeping the rhythms chunky and choppy on standouts like the defiantly-played and shouted “Light It Up”, the revved-up guitar and drums of “Don’t Ask”, and the guitar jags and slamming drums on “Keeping It Close”.  Mammoth album closer “Colours Fade” revolves in a slowly pulverizing spiral of constant, visceral cymbal ‘n’ drum bash and low-end, distorted guitar chug.

All India Radio – The Silent Surf

Inevitable Records

http://www.allindiaradio.com.au/

Australian Martin Kennedy’s long-running band/project All India Radio is back with its 8^th studio album of down-tempo instrumental ambience meant to soothe the savage human beast with a blend of subdued electronics, measured beats, contemplative guitars and piano notes, and touches of wordless or spoken word vocals.

It takes no time at all to slip into The Silent Surf, with the placid intro “The Bomb” featuring guest spoken-word from The Church’s Steve Kilbey.  He calmly intones in his best hotel manager voice “Welcome to pleasant shores…” against Western guitar reverb accents, acoustic guitar strum, and low-key keyboard notes.

Electronics, cymbal tap, and piano notes all mesh on the briskly-paced, but still serene “Night”, where wordless male vocals float amid poignant piano notes and a subtle pull of horns.  Conga drums, dynamic cymbal tap, and shining synth notes enliven the wavering guitar pattern of “Crystal Waves”.  A perfectly peaceful summer’s day is transposed into song at the start of “Clouds” as it drifts softly by on a slow beat and little curls of guitar.  It gathers steam mid-way with the addition of high, sighing vocals, guitar line, synth notes, and a slightly faster pace.

The ephemeral nature of the ocean’s surf is captured by the pulsing cymbal tap on “Shimmer” as solemn, drawn-out synths and delicate curls of guitar fill the air.  Western guitar reverb is welcomed back on “Rippled” which also features The Church-like types of guitar lines (Is the song title a nod to “Ripple” by The Church?).  Atmospheric synths hover over the proceedings, as muted organ notes and wordless male vocals build up, giving the song a ghostly, dreamy feel.

DulceSky – Invisible Empire

Nueve Music

http://dulcesky.com/

In the age of (dis)connection of social networking, leaking of classified information, and global news at your fingertips (but which “news” do you choose to view?), DulceSky releases Invisible Empire this March.  Tthe band has created a thematic album that delves into the deception and control of the powers that be over the individual via social engineering.

Oliver Valenzuela (guitar and vocals), Daniel Valenzuela (bass), Mitchell Razon (drums and keyboards), and Brett Kocherhans (guitar and keyboards) have something to say on this message-centered album, all while wrapping their call to fix a broken system (which has been broken for a long while) in propulsive, dream-rock guitars, dynamic drumming, and Oliver’s deeply sonorous, warm vocal delivery.

While the lyrics are front ‘n’ center, they are general enough for the listener to just go with the flow and get lost in the music and not just focus on the words.  A dark undertow of guitars and bass pulls through “Last Warning”, along with sizzling to piercing guitar lines as Oliver intones lyrics that could be about a relationship: “I don’t care what you think about me… / but I care about you / I care who you are / That’s where the truth lies.”

Elongated synths, clacking sticks, and a thumping drum rhythm are pinned down by the bass line on “Life As We Knew” as a mid-range and plaintive Oliver sings “The dreams once we had are disappearing while we sleep…”  By the end of the track buzzing guitars break through, adding weight to the lyrics “Life as we knew is never coming back.”

Searing, metal-rock guitars, the chug of bottom-heavy bass, and a pushing beat bolster the already-strong lyrics of “You bought into lies… / You believe them… / You will get what you deserve.” on the revamped “Icon (of Distress)” that was previously on the band’s Unfamiliar EP.  Oliver sings in a hazier tone on “Spies of the System” as he declares “Everything once in visions I saw / It’s coming true.” amid a steady beat and synths that wind around the distinctive bass line.

Sharp, shining guitar lines rise out of a repetitive guitar motif on “Ministry of Truth” as a softer-toned, clear-eyed Oliver takes center stage, singing the hard-to-ignore lyrics “To the people of free thought / a “thoughtcrime”, a message… / beware of the social architects / and their mass-mind controlling…”  The chorus picks up the pace with heavier guitar churn and mirroring synth line.  By the end of the album, the listener is left with this final thought from “The Gathering Darkness”:  “There has to be a change…”

Tunabunny – self-titled

Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tunabunny/46713719033

The new self-titled album by Tunabunny can be a challenging but sometimes gratifying listen due to its lo-fi, unvarnished production, discordant guitars and drums, and sweetly curdled to shouty female vocals.  The first two songs showcase these qualities and how they can be shaped into two entirely different styles.

“Flowers on the Stage” starts with burning rock guitar agitation and then moves into rudimentary guitar and drum patterns that build up in intensity while dual exclaiming female vocals repeatedly yell variations of “Goddamn flowers on the stage!”  “Cotton Candy Steamroller” takes the opposite tack, mixing 1960s-sounding Girl Group harmonies with roughed-up garage rock guitar and bashed cymbals and drums.  The dual female vocals are present, but are lighter and more pleasant.

Tunabunny forays into Hotpants Romance territory with “When We Go Out”, kicking the girlie shouting and yelping up a notch as several gals exuberantly exclaim “They’re gonna eat up our hearts!”  Constant guitar riffs and a fast drum beat propel the song to its cymbal-shimmering finish, capped off by the incisive lyrics “When we go out at night / we…stand next to people we don’t like.”  Ah, such are the trials of life!

The band unplugs at the start of “Bloodstream” with acoustic guitar strum backing distant, but pushy sing-talking vocals. The contemplative tone is worn away by a grinding rock guitar line and thumping drums that appear mid-way through the song.

The darkly polished “Play Dead” is a clear winner and it replicates the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in the best way, with scintillating guitar frisson, kinetic cymbal and drum rhythms, and an acrobatic, Karen O-like female vocalist insouciantly singing “Come on out tomorrow / We can play dead / Come on out tomorrow / You can shoot your gun.”  Tunabunny sounds like a totally different band on this track!  “Ladykillers” (sadly, not the song by Lush) is a relief after all the sonic raucousness, with a sustained, trembling guitar line and a lighter, softer register on the lyrics “I don’t care about the women… in your bed / It’s in my head.”

Arbouretum – The Gathering

Writing about the self or from the self in one way or the other is the point of reference for a majority of song-based rock music. This usually brings to mind songs filled with first-person reflections on attitudes, motivations, social relations, needs, desires, and emotions. Though the language and themes inevitably are simple and repetitious, great songwriters usually can make due with the limitation, wrenching out new meanings by applying perspective. Dave Heumann is not really interested in writing those folksy sorts of songs, though he is interested in using the self to write about the mysteries of life and forms of perception. On heavy rocking Arbouretum’s fourth album, The Gathering, he gathers imagery at turns psychedelic, medieval, and naturalistic to support a feeling of significance rooted in the deep timelessness of the human spirit and our collective unconscious.

Heumann has a knack for chasing these big ideas with a broad vocabulary and a feel for good-sounding words that everybody knows but rarely uses (e.g. ashen, fathom, gloaming, garments, and so on). The big ideas here are made bigger by the support of the massiveness of the band’s music. Paring down to one guitarist and adding a keyboardist (mostly for texture, not melody), the group sounds refined to an essence yet more powerful than ever. They conjure images of a band of giants blasting their sound out over a valley from high atop a mountain. Heumann’s sludgy but freewheeling guitar is still the focal point – here soloing more within a small range of notes but mixing them up and playing with his riff’s rhythms – and his voice is equal parts low-range manly and high-range soaring as needed, sounding confident but more interested in telling a story with reverences than hooking your mirror neurons into sharing an emotion. The drums are booming and the bass drones up and down a small range, and the band play well together as a tight unit willing to go wherever Heumann takes them.

“The White Bird” is a great lead-off track, deceptively both heavy and light until Heumann’s vocal glides up the scale lifting the song skywards like the titular animal, riding the wind of his ever-shifting arpeggios. One of the album’s main themes – being mentally ready for making realizations when the symbols present themselves – is introduced here and continues through the eerily stringed, slow drama of “When Delivery Comes”, which shows a man extricating himself from his earthly problems of low rank and servitude by positioning himself on the high road, waiting to recognize and seize his chance to escape. A cover of “The Highwayman” balances the album in the middle, separating the somewhat slower and more reflective first half from the slightly speedier and more jammy second half. It’s a fantastically selected and interpreted cover that makes you forget the self-referential, good old boys take the outlaw country all-stars Nelson, Jennings, Kristofferson, and Cash used as their theme, and brings back the elegiac aura of Jimmy Webb’s original, and it’s exploration of masculinity’s fall but ultimate persistence plays nicely with the album’s use of archetypes as lenses to view the human condition. The album closes with an exhilarating blowout on the snakelike “Song of the Nile” which hears Heumann hollering out, plodding melodically, changing key, introducing noise and shredding like a badass.

Heumann’s lyrics encourage opening up to the shared archetypes and inner visions accessible in different states of human consciousness – crows on wires, cities of towers, halls of a thousand rooms, and the alignment of planetary bodies – and considering them as meaningful signs which might provide connection between yourself and everything. Appropriately for an album called The Gathering, the esthetic Arbouretum achieves feels somewhat monolithic – overarching and whole instead of neurotic and splintered – and in this manner should provide healing properties for a psyche battered around by all the little specifics of daily life.

Arbouretum

Thrill Jockey

Earth – Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1

Stripping away the superfluous excesses of music, (overly busy drums, bass work that never finds a solid groove, guitar licks just overburdened with too many notes), leaves one with the bare bones, a skeletal framework if you will, in which there is ample space to explore tone, harmonic textures and slowly expressed melodic forms. This is something Dylan Carlson and the bevy of musicians involved (albeit a revolving roster) with Earth have known for years, and they continue to demonstrate that knowledge on Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1.

And, of course, Earth does it like no other. With Adrienne Davies holding down the percussive end, Karl Blau handling the low-end duties, and Lori Goldston lending an atmospheric depth with her gorgeously haunting cello work, the stage is set for Carlson’s signature guitar sound to shine and shimmer through, riding waves of reverb, tremolo, and delay. I’m not implying that the guitar overpowers the other instruments, each individual instrument lends it’s part to the whole of the compositions, imparting a unique take on Americana. Though throughout Earth’s lifespan some the most notable features of the music have been the tone of, and the melodies presented by Carlson on guitar, this album (as well as the two previous) find him taking a more reserved approach; allowing the other participants to fill space where he previously would occupy it with crushing waves of distortion drenched with other effects. By no means did that negatively affect the body of work that such an angle was taken upon, it was just a stop along the sonic journey that represented the early bulk of Earth’s catalog, and was one of the aspects that originally drew me to this band. However, it has been incredible to witness the evolution in sound and approach from where Earth began, to where the band is now.

But, let us not neglect the vital elements of Earth that are the low-end bass drone (handled on the album by Karl Blau, but for upcoming live dates by Seattle performance artist Angelina Baldoz) and down-tempo percussion work, especially that of long-time member Adrienne Davies. She creates a sense of space that is vital to this type of instrumental work. With slow, dirging tempos yet precise, deliberate percussive events, Davies lays the groundwork beautifully and skillfully for Blau to build upon with droning yet melodic low-end richness. Enter the haunting and enveloping strains of cello brought into being by Lori Goldston. The  aspect she brings to Earth’s music shifts their sound from merely lush, textured soundscapes, equally bathed in the brightest light whilst mired in the murkiest dark, to the point of being something achingly beautiful.

Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 contains some of the finest work Earth has produced to date. There are pieces of the past, not just Earth’s, but influences cited by the band at this point include Pentangle, Fairport Convention (folk-rockers who had their heyday most notably in the 60′s and 70′s), and modern day groups such as Tuareg roots-blues group Tinariwen. But the reinvention and expansion of old, and the introduction of some new ideas on this album is refreshing and engaging and presents the listener with a wholly visceral experience. I’ve listened to this album dozens of times since getting it, and haven’t gotten tired of listening to it in any way. Something that I hadn’t noticed before hits me every time I put it on, and it’s still giving me chills.

Emily Howard – Wind Me Up EP

Emily Howard is a St Louis based singer/songwriter. This is her debut EP, which has already seen her gaining a lot of critical acclaim. The video for opener “Love Sleeps” attracted 2000 hits in 24 hours on Youtube (see below). No small accolade for an artist who seems to have appeared out of nowhere; so what’s all the fuss about? Well, Wind Me Up is an accomplished and mature debut, highlighting an amazingly successful blending of pop and rock that many more established artists fail dismally to achieve.

“Love Sleeps” starts with sparse instrumentation; a skittering drum pattern and hand claps; acting as a showcase for Howard’s voice, which is lilting and precise with each word perfectly placed and articulated. Howard’s phrasing and immaculate delivery, mixed with the melodic pop hook of the music, is reminiscent here of Tegan and Sara, despite the more romantic nature of the lyrics. At around the two minute mark the song explodes into the chorus with a cacophony of sound; pounding drums and whirling guitars: ‘They say all that’s black and white can’t be read, but nothing’s ever written when it’s left unsaid’, before it descends quickly back to the quieter, melancholic verse.  The chorus comes crashing back around 2:45, pulling what is for the most part a quiet and understated song about lost love into a passionate, triumphant ending. The comparisons to some of Regina Spektor’s quirky love songs, particularly “Fidelity”, are easy to make; the hit from the New York based Spektor is similarly quiet and heartbreaking at the beginning, with a feeling of renewed strength and resolution towards the end.  Whilst the comparison can be made (as much as she could be compared to any other female singer/songwriter who plays guitar and piano), I think the sound on this EP is uniquely Howard’s own, imbued with a passion that only comes when performing deeply personal songs.

“Paper Heart” kicks off with an almost Emilie Autumn-esque electronic riff, which sounds oddly like a harpsichord, playing arpeggios in the background, which is soon joined with choppier guitar sounds. There’s a nice blend of electronic elements, rock and very catchy pop here, which is probably where the comparisons to KT Tunstall come in. In actuality I think Howard’s sound is much fresher and original than Tunstall’s, which is heavily derivative (particularly on Eye to the Telescope) of Joni Mitchell style folksiness.  While there is a lot to recommend this, and Tunstall certainly has a gorgeous voice, there is something a lot more inventive to what Howard is doing, which is commendable.

Closing track “I Don’t Care” again opens with descending arpeggiated piano and Howard’s sparse voice floating over the top. This builds quickly to a stompy, rockier number with pounding drum beats and a more defiant pop/rock tone reminiscent of some of the more sentimental songs from such goliaths of the genre as Garbage and No Doubt. “I Don’t Care” acts as the perfect closer to this EP; with three songs seemingly about dealing with heart break and betrayal in love, moving from the sadness and inability to let go of “Love Sleeps”, to a more rebellious turning away from a bad situation in this closing track.

Overall, an interesting, fresh debut from an undoubtedly talented artist blending rock and pop effortlessly. Whilst she’s not covering new ground with the lyrical content of the songs, they are delivered with a passion that displays Howard’s personal connection and devotion to perfectly crafting each one.  I hope to see a lot more from this artist in the future.

Debut album from Melanie Penn

Melanie Penn, a New York based singer/songwriter (and award winning theatre actress) has a history as rich and lush as her voice and the songs she writes.

The songs on Love are tiny marvels, full of unlikely arrangements and surprising melodic twists — a record that marries the tenderness of The Innocence Mission and The Sundays with the compositional savvy of Sufjan Stevens. The sparkling “Ordinary Day” ditches a traditional rhythm track in favor of brisk, steady finger-snapping; and the stark title track, based on a passage from Song of Solomon, moves from bright verse to aching chorus, Melanie’s voice fluttering against a bare acoustic guitar and quiet, burbling organ.

But Love isn’t just a marvel of construction: it’s also got a rich, beating, broken heart that chronicles love lost, hope restored and the theme of eternity in nature and the cosmos

“I’ve experienced healing in music and I want this album to do that for people. I haven’t done my job if I don’t tell a story of redemption in these songs.”

Riveting and hopeful, Wake Up Love accomplishes just that, acting like a friend who stays with you in times of trial. It commiserates, it relates, it rejoices at redemption. And although Melanie’s voice moves softly through its melodies, the impact is anything but subtle.

Official Site: http://www.melaniepenn.com/

Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine

In the early parts of 2010, Toro Y Moi’s Chazwick Bundick highlighted the chillwave movement with his stellar debut, Causers of This. After a strong summer progression in 2009, the South Carolina-born graphic designer was able to amass the many proponents of chillwave onto a stunning set of music. Subtle and subdued, songs like “You Hid” were gentle electronic flashes of life that were perfect in any kind of setting: driving home from work, unwinding after the long day’s work or even, preparing for the daily grind. And songs like “Minors” proved that there was a genuine versatility that Bundick possessed and a true talent to be reckoned with.

Now, wasting very little time, Bundick returns with Underneath the Pine, a new album of assorted styles and tricks. While Bundick does his best at staying true to the chillwave genre that birthed many new fans, he is able and proficient in conveying a far wider range of styles with his second album. “Good Hold” serves as the album’s penultimate gem with a menacing piano line and Bundick’s muffled vocals. Although the song mirrors a minor melody through its dissonance, the highlight comes when Bundick inverts the sounds into a cloudy and stifled effect; small, yes but rather significant when taking in the kind of artist that Bundick is. It’s on Underneath the Pine that one realizes the apt musician behind Toro Y Moi and if Bundick intends to continue releasing albums of this caliber every year, it will always be welcome.

While the music on Causers of This left many memorable moments fresh in our minds, Bundick displays a worthy amount of diversity with Underneath the Pine’s sweeping songs. “Got Blinded” features a soaring chorus behind the driving support of a steady piano line and a guitar that always enables the singer to go further. Bundick’s arrangements still maintain the dreamy capability that allows for his music to be compared to Grizzly Bear and Beach House but this time, songs like “Before I’m Done” showcase a wide depth of skill behind Bundick’s arsenal. The latter, sounding like something out of Bibio’s play-book, still fortifies the ‘old sound’ we’ve all come to love from Toro Y Moi while still focusing on a winning melody and atmospherics. There’s always reason to rejoice anyone that tries to go for some growth and advancement between albums and Bundick has accomplished just that.

So in many ways, it’s almost fitting for the album to begin with the mist and glaze of “Intro/Chi Chi” – as it travels from a keyboard-tinkled line to a bumping, low-driven beat – because it impressively places the spotlight on Bundick and his mastery of transitions and segues. Everything on a Toro Y Moi album is meant to be easily digested and more so, fluently taken in and Bundick is in top form. Even as he gets lost in Stevie Wonder/Michael Jackson territory with the first ‘official’ song, on “New Beat” (a title that is a little more than blunt), Bundick fashions it with his timely trademarks: smooth, carefree and entirely engrossing. And on “Divina,” Bundick delivers one of his finest songs with a gorgeous piano-melody and harmonics that recall the aforementioned Grizzly Bear with their poignant touch.

Now, in the early parts of 2011, Bundick is again continuing to wave the flag of chillwave brighter than most others. He’s been able to continue on his path without compromising his talents or ability and with Underneath the Pine, this is now two outstanding albums in the span of just as many years. It’s a worthy accomplishment – a downright remarkable one to be honest – it’s not only a welcome change of pace but it’s absolutely welcoming, in every aspect of the word.

Carpark Records

Horned Almighty – Necro Spirituals

Although I was not familiar with this band, I did some digging and listened to their past material as well as Necro Spirituals. The band has definitely taken a step in the right direction. This has landed them a deal with UK & Philadelphia based Candlelight Records. They play a blend of black metal meets “black & roll”; drifting more towards a heavier version of the latter.  The vocals are borderline raspy to guttural, which I would not expect for the style music they play. But personally I like the contrast; it makes it stand out from all the other black metal/black & roll bands out there. When I say black & roll; I am NOT comparing it to say Satyricon – Volcano. This album crushes Volcano. Necro Spirituals by no means is groundbreaking, but it has a very nice flow and is a very easy listen. It does not fall into the category of “ok, 2 songs over, that’s enough”.  When they slow things down it reminds me of Norway’s Khold. When they pick up the pace it has a Triptykon feel. I’d wager these guys were big Celtic Frost fans back in the day. These Danish met’lers have produced a quality slab o’ metal here. For fans of Triptykon, Khold, Gehennah and any black metal fused with adrenalin driven black & roll.

http://www.myspace.com/hornedalmighty

Album from Adebisi Shank in March

Check out the lead MP3s, “International Dreambeat” HERE and “Genki Shank” HERE.

The Wexford, Ireland trio deftly merges the triumphant guitar harmonies of Fang Island with the mathematic precision of Battles, the genre-surfing playfulness of Daft Punk and churning intensity of HEALTH. But it’s much more than the sum of those parts, it’s a sound befitting of the retrofuturism we’ve come to love about old films where archaic technology collide with far more further-reaching ideas. To wit, the album cover depicting two zebras galloping across a Tron-style neon landscape perfectly embodies the transcendent intersection of triumphant guitars and rollicking drums with vintage synthesizers, marimbas, horns, vocoder, synthesizers, ensemble percussion and musical instruments we’re not sure have even been invented yet.

Adebisi Shank has been doted on by Irish, European and UK press since its 2007 debut EP, 2008 full length and the 2010 Irish release of This Is the Second Album From A Band Called Adebisi Shank — which topped countless Year-End Best of 2010 lists and named by Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper one of the Top Five Best New Irish Bands. US label and management company Sargent House has signed Adebisi Shank for worldwide management and will release the album in North America on March 15th, 2011. The album was previously issued in Ireland/UK by equally likeminded and groundbreaking DIY Irish label Richter Collective (co-founded and co-operated by Adebisi Shank drummer, Mick Roe) in 2010.

This is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank features contributions from Mercury Prize nominated Villagers frontman Conor J O’Brien and Ireland’s Choice Prize winner Richie “Jape” Egan among others. The album was recorded and produced by the band and Stephen J. Caffrey in various locations around Ireland and mixed and mastered by TJ Lipple at his home in Washington DC. The trio’s debut full length, This is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank was produced by legendary musician (Jawbox, Government Issue) and producer (Jawbreaker, Dismemberment Plan) J. Robbins.

On the Web:
www.adebisishank.tumblr.com
adebisishank.bandcamp.com

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