7" Vinyl Review: "Terasoma" by Avantist

terrace

Let's start off with some housekeeping.

This is the record that's been waiting, fairly impatiently for time in the sun in the Glacially Musical vinyl reviews.

Avantist and the follow up came to me in the same package. I made it a point to wait instead of thumping out two reviews by same band on successive weeks.

So, Terasoma gets to be a part of Glacially Musical's first ever Vinyl Week.

Both of the releases hit the streets this year and the band, continues to confuse me.

Our friends from Chicago have a color palette the size of Lake Michigan.

In fact, it's bigger than Wrigleyville and other things in Chicago put together. (Sorry guys, though this St. Louisan loves your city and your Metra Rail service, it's not like I'm spending oceans of time up there.)

OK, they have more colors than a Giordanno's pizza has cheese?

Stream: ACROPHØBIA by NØMADS

It's been quite awhile since we've heard anything out of the NØMADS camp. That makes this particular release a welcome respite from the not wacky music.

They're releasing single after single leading up to their 2018 vinyl release of PHØBIAC.

LP Review: "Secret Kids" by Virgin of the Birds

Secret Kids

Today, barbecue pits were discussed. It's almost as if we need to participate like the others have...and besides...steak.

This automatically brings up the idea of all of the BBQ joints all over St. Louis. Many folks love them because they love the food.

But for me, though Sugarfire was amazing the couple times I've been there, it's just not my bag. Because of what grilling is.

It's an activity, not a meal choice.

Think of it like fishing. It's not about the fish you catch but the time spent in the company of others.

There's little in this world more satisfying than watching the raging inferno of a charcoal fire morph into the slow burn of fiery embers. All at once, it's two things.

Album Review: "The Gilded age" by Tulipomania

The Gilded age

Thomas The Tank Engine is an amazing program that teaches children a lot of things.

That is if you can ignore their subtle racism towards diesel engines.

I cannot say for certain, and I might be reading too far into it, but there was always a negative connotation for the more modern locomotives.

The first to be on the show was Diesel. Either Ringo Starr or George Carlin, depending on your nationality, referred to Diesel as oily.

Is oily really such a bad thing? So many men, and women, oiled their hair in order to make it shiny, perhaps gilded even.

Album Review: "The Price of Immortality" by Liberty's Exile

The Price of Immortality

This is another one of those times where I had to consider enlarging the photo of the album cover in order to accommodate the title of the album.

Thankfully, it just squeezes in.

However, the tracklist is whole other story entirely, our new friends from London, England have packed this release full.

FULL.

This is, I THINK, now officially the longest album I have ever reviewed. It clocks in around Metallica's Load and Reload.

Yes, The Price of Immorality is around 78 minutes of music. If it were any longer, the listener would need to have already paid the price of immortality just to finish the record!

I kid. I  kid, but only a little.

Album Review: Casey Jack's Eponymous Debut

Casey Jack

Are you aware that I reside in St. Louis, Mo? Hopefully, my readership is larger than my metro area and that everyone who's just read that didn't think, well duh, yeah....we all knew that, anyway...moving on.

Well, the object of today's review is from my home state of Missouri, but on the far southwestern end of it, Springfield, Mo.

Springfield is about four hours down Interstate 44 from where I live. It's a nice little town in that corner of the state. My mother lived in Springfield for a time.

I've been down there a few times. I intended on getting out there soon to catch a Springfield Cardinals AA minor league baseball game. Beyond my couple times down there, I don't really know a whole lot about the area and I certainly have no concept of the music scene, but today, we get a sneak peak into their scene, with Springfield's own, Casey Jack.

Album Review: "Fragments" by District

Fragments

Twitter is a funny thing.

In the very recent past, I received a message from a band asking if I did reviews, and after answering in the affirmative, they sent me their album.

That is still my very favorite thing about running this little music blog. When a band contacts me. (Please see email address to the upper right of the screen should you be interested.)

But, in the end, I've never heard of this band and I have very little information about them other than that they have released an album and they are from Seattled and named District.

They self identify with alternative rock, but could they really call themselves anything else while being from Seattle? Perhaps I'm just too old, but that's all I think of when I think of Seattle...well that and The Crow.

"Free My Animal" by NØMADS

NØMADS are a noise rock duo featuring Nathan Lithgow and Garth Macaleavey, both of whom are  familiar names in modern rock circles.

This venture though, I would wager that nothing they've done previously really compares to this music. (If this is wrong, please let me know because this is the internet after all.) Referring to this duo as a noise rock group though seems so, well ill fitting, but that'll be explained in a bit.

Most of the duos, that are so in vogue these days, thank you Black Keys and White Stripes, consist of a guitarist/vocalist and drummer. Then other little bits are added here and there for color.

Granted there's the James Leg/Black Diamond Heavies thing where the singer is holding a piano, but he overdrives it so much, off track. Off track. Here is where the NØMADS live up to their name by veering off the well worn path. Instead of an electric guitar playing the music, it's an electric bass. Cliff Burton fans rejoice, this album is for you.

Album Review "Welcome To The Breakdown" by I Fight Dragons

Welcome To The Breakdown

I Fight Dragons came on my radar when they came to town on tour with MC Lars. Yes I know this is the third CD I'm reviewing from that show. Yes I know this another EP, but I bought four that night! All of them were only five bucks.

How could I not walk out with something by all of the acts?

This group is interesting. This is the first Chip Rock I've ever heard, but for categorizing purposes, I'm just going to call them modern rock. A large part of their sound comes from the use of sound chips from Nintendo and Super Nintendo cartridges. What makes that even more fun is that they don't sample them with just a touch of a button, but they use controllers from both systems, including the powerpad and a guitar hero guitar controller while on stage to click the samples.

What they end up with is a poppy, nerdy, and fun type of music that I really enjoyed.