Music

Go Home Robot “Candles and Bombs” – psychedelic pop/rock mixed to perfection with electronica

High-octane, intricate and frenzied - these are the best words to describe "Candles and Bombs", Go Home Robot's first ever album. The album is a polished mix of psychedelia, rock, pop, and electronica, with a healthy dash of mad experimentation that gives Go Home Robot a style that's truly their own. On top of that, these guys from Arlington, VA know how to make love to their instruments and you can feel their passion in every song of this - dare I say it? - work of art. If you're sick of bands who can't play a guitar to save their lives, now is a good time to listen to people who seriously know their stuff.

Art Punk Band “Zeno and the Happy Cats”

You think you've heard it all - why shouldn't you, when every single day hordes of musicians come out with their own interpretation of one or a dozen genres? Well once in a while you ought to come across a band like The Art Punk Band. They make absolutely no sense outside of themselves and their musicality is, at best, questionable. They sound really weird. However in a sea of nice-but-forgettable music, weird is good, if only to serve the purpose of expanding your mind and your musical tastes.

FOE “King of the Mountain” – hip-hop without the bling

Most people associate hip-hop with blings, cars and girls. But FOE makes it different - he brings real hip-hop with a mix of R&B and rock his listeners. With the help of his long-time friend and now music producer 800 the Jewell, King of the Mountain was produced as FOE's first solo release, with the goal of making Jewell Tyme Music a household name.

Vate: Volt

Vate, a Mexican electro-music artist, is one certainly to be recommended. From the very beginning of Volt, his latest record, one finds that it is a release that cannot be neglected. There are some Kraftwerk influences there, and Turismo, the first tune of the LP, is a Tour de France for the modern era, when car rallies replaces bicycle ones. Orient Stress follows, and it's been the most energetic one composed by Vate, almost an EBM piece with a highly recomme

Spheriot “Bekennerschreiben” – techno and hard rock mashed up with indie pop, in English and German

Behind Spheriot is one man who literally does everything—from the composition of music to the recording of all his songs. The result? A provocative album entitled Bekennerschreiben. According to the singer and writer himself, all of the songs in the fourteen-track album is a result of music from the heart and head. They were all produced in Spheriot’s living room. For someone who just toys around with his Mac, Spheriot was able to impress with his surprisingly refreshing take on music.

Fresh Body Shop: The Ugly Army

The Ugly Army is the fourth album released by Fresh Body Shop just last June. Heavy bass riffs and snappy drum beats dominate the seven tracks of this new album while the vocals are kept husky, even whispery, but not really to the point of being annoyingly distracting. Guitar and piano leads are kept to a minimum but they're cleanly and precisely executed. As for lyrics, they aren't fussy or overly angsty---you'll notice that they're not really the objective of this collection. The real goal is to showcase the (both real and synthesized) instrument skills of the artist.

Alan Macmillan Orr: The Natural Mind – Waking Up

"The Natural Mind- Waking Up" is Alan Macmillan Orr's 250-topic, 2-volume magnum opus into what it truly means to be human. The massive book took five years to write and covers diverse topics, from love to gambling, zoos, prostitution, supermarkets, banks, desire and so on. Orr drew from his personal experiences as he traveled the world searching for meaning, observing, and formulating opinions on the dire human condition. He shares what he learned through "The Natural Mind" and also encourages you, the readers, to contribute to the book's evolution.

In[Perfektion] “Perfekt Chaos” – free electronic dance album from Enough Records

In[Perfektion] is a Portuguese music project that began back in 2005. The band is composed of two former members of the now-defunct band Twilight Garden. The members of the band In[Perfektion] are Walter, who provides the vocals and is on the synths, and guitars; Charlotte, who is on synths and programming, and Hypecrash, a Live Member on the synths. Their third release, "Perfekt Chaos," is a five-track dark electro EP that was originally released in 2007. Now, the EP has been remastered is now available for free download via the netlabel Enough Records.

Notes & Scratches “Grace Park” – newest EP from a very friendly Chicago band

Grace Notes is Notes & Scratches newest release with four sad songs about departures. Speaking of departures, the band actually departs from its usual sound - the songs don't have a "celebratory feel", which is the band's trademark. For Grace Notes, they handpicked four songs which are melancholic, pining, and lonely. The album takes its time, like footsteps dragging where they don't want to go, with trumpets and viola on the background to set the mood. For sure, it's an album to listen to on difficult goodbyes. More about the band and an interview with Joshua Dumas (vocalist) after the jump.