2010FM - January Magazine One

In no particular order or priority 2010FM Magazine just grabs what we like and are happy to give a quick plug to, or a whole hearted recommendation along with gushing praise, see if you can spot the difference or better still just check out the artists we feature.

Last Man Standing finally have a release date in the USA for their debut album 'False Starts and Broken Promises' and it is January 12th 2010.

Here in the UK they have received a lot of interest and some excellent reviews in the major music press. Don't just take our word for it, take a look at the review in UNCUT Magazine by Gavin Martin.

Max Vanderwolf’s band have a colorful ingenuity of Bowie’s 70’s floor shows and the wild spirit of Tom Waits- which means the are essentially rock theater, but with attitude. Stylistically they cram a lot- sometimes too much- in, but the policy usually works. This collection of bedraggled songs duly incorporates the cabaret angst of ‘70s Lou Reed, dust bowl Mariachi, and Steely Dan cynicism. Their vision of wild-hearted losers, misfits and a world in collapse somehow holds everything together. (three stars ***).

Listen:
'Queen Kong'



Website: MySpace.
MP3 Purchase: False Starts & Broken Promises

Fredrik are from Malmo Sweden and as regulars here may have noticed in the past I have a bit of a bias towards bands from Sweden basically because it is a land of musical plenty and has been for some time and some really good diversity in styles, Fredrik being another case in point.

Their most recent press release states The Swedish forest-dwelling folk visionaries' second release is here. Following their critically acclaimed debut Na Na Ni from 2008, Trilogi is a more consistently inward-looking affair and takes on themes like social realities and subconscious geography. The melodies are more serpentine and the textures decidedly darker. However, Fredrik's warm, sensitive lead voice and operatic choir work still lends the material the same comforting elegance as on the debut. Trilogi is a compilation of highly limited 3" EPs released in their home country in hand-made origami packaging. The EP's bore the titles "Holm", "Ava" and "Ner", all fictional names roughly signifying "Frozen Forest Island", "Water Through Sound" and "The Inside Underground". Together they represent a trilogy of contemporized viewpoints of the Lovecraftian dream passage - orientation at great cost and understanding at the risk of sanity.

Check them out and listen to some of their songs over on MySpace HERE. There is even more including video over on the official site is HERE. Pre-order or purchase mp3's etc via Kora Records & itunes HERE.

We have featured Emanuel & The Fear before here on Beehive Candy however they did the following apparently...

Once upon a time, in a small studio in DUMBO, an eccentric, big haired, musical genius and his Juilliard trained trumpet player had a conversation about how cool the band Deerhoof is. It went something like this:

“Hey man, now that we've finished climbing the Brooklyn Bridge, can I do an arrangement for us to cover The Perfect Me?” said the trumpet player.

“Well shiver me timbers and call me a dried up sponge monster, why the heck not!!?” replied the big haired music man with electric ecstasy.

And so the idea was born, and the trumpet player he did lay down the arrangement and the band they did practice and practice and some time later, it was finished; Emanuel and the Fear had recorded a cover of ‘The Perfect Me’.

The End. OK whatever - however the cover is rather good and they have kindly given it for us (and others) to share !

Listen:
'the perfect me'



MP3: The Perfect Me
Purchase: Self Titled EP
Website: MySpace.

Finally some advance warning about Minneapolis band Red Pens who have been creating quite s stir locally and also one helluva noise to boot ! I have just been listening to some of their music on MySpace and this band are now on the personal radar.

Their debut album REASONS is set for a February 16th, 2010 release via Minneapolis-based Grain Belt Records. With a sound that has been described as forceful and larger-than-life, it’s hard to believe that Minneapolis band Red Pens is made up of just two members—a self-taught guitarist with unconventional techniques and powerful lead vocals, and a female drummer who has mastered both percussion and painting. In addition to being dubbed “Best New Band” by hometown paper City Pages and “Minnesota’s Best Band 2009” by The Boston Phoenix, Red Pens recently received a spot on The Onion’s Twin Cities’ “Best of the Decade” list for being “one of the most buzzed-about new local bands of the year.”

More on this band another time so keep an eye on 2010FM Features. We have a lot more new music and recommendations in the pipeline and will hopefully produce a January 'part two' soon.