One Starving Day - Broken Wings Lead Arms to the Sun (Planaria/KNVBI)

The record patiently awaits its turn among the large pile of music. Finally it is allowed to play, to shine, to sing, and to scream in its beautiful agony. It's like this: if you are a drooling mischievous apocalyptic follower of Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Mono, as well as Pelican, Neurosis, and Isis, then you absolutely _must_ get this album. One Starving Day is a group of Italian musicians, with a previous experience in some hardcore bands, but what they whip up on their debut album, Broken Wings Lead Arms to the Sun, is beyond metal, beyond screamo and post-nu-post-rock. It is a blend of very melodic and voluptuous swells of unfolding desperation which erupts into the mass of lava... flowing... slowly... All you can do is just stand there, agape, watching it helplessly wash over your ears, consuming everything in its path. Take the intimate lyrics on my favorite track on the album, Leave: "on these tears / lay down, and wait / for becoming / an abandon / to soothe / all your fears / a pure heart / to soothe / and leave". Into this deadly cocktail, throw in the spacey 70s synth sweeps, raw violin screeches, and explosive (excellent) drumming. And I did mention the screamed vocals, right? That may sound discouraging to some listeners (or readers), but it works _very_ well for One Starving Day, and is actually more than welcomed by yours truly (surprise!). The CD was released on Washington DC based Planaria Recordings, and then repressed on a colored 12" vinyl with two extra unreleased tracks on an accompanying 7" by KNVBI Records. Whether you're a collector or not, this record must be in your library for the likes of the above mentioned bands.



myspace.com/onestarvingday | onestarvingday.com
myspace.com/planaria | planariainc.com
myspace.com/knvbirecords | knvbirecords.com

Daturah - Reverie (Golden Antenna / Graveface)

I don't know why, but I simply love extended post-rock tracks that evolve over a course of ten to fifteen minutes. A track becomes a whole story, a movement, an extraordinary composition. And Daturah, the Frankfurt (Germany) based instrumental five piece band, accomplishes just that. The dynamics build up and drop, the rhythm breaks and picks up again, and the melodies draw me in, unfolding like a trip through a familiar mountain climb, only to reveal a new breathtaking view once you reach the top; and once I'm at the peak, I fall and soar with music towards the sea of sound. I also can relate to this description in the band's bio: "Sand disperses. Counterpoints are set discreet. Suddenly and abrupt you climb up. Newly awoken the listener gets pulled up in a mighty swirl. Resistance seems pointless, but maybe someone is rescuing the listener from an apocalyptical, stormy sea..." Reverie is Daturah's sophomore album. The five tracks seamlessly flow into one another, at times dropping into the ambiance of shoegaze, at times insisting on crashing down the post-metal barrier. Daturah formed back in 2003. After the self titled debut release in 2005, Daturah has toured the world, playing alongside The Thermals, Do Make Say Think, Gregor Samsa, and Mono. Reverie is released on Golden Antenna, a German label previously responsible for Maserati; and on Chicago based Graveface Records with a roster of artists such as Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dreamend and Monster Movie. I would love to see Daturah live. Perhaps Graveface will bring them in [wink]. Be sure to pickup the first self-titled album, Daturah. Recommended for the likes of Mogwai, GSY!BE, Caspian, Yndi Halda, This Will Destroy You, Red Sparowes, as well as Isis and Pelican.



myspace.com/daturah | daturah.de
myspace.com/goldenantenna | goldenantenna.com
myspace.com/gravefacerecords | graveface.com

Mountain Mirrors - Dreadnought (self)

Talking up rock, slightly dipped in psychedelic dementia, and roasted with a metal torch is a first for me. So it must mean something. Jeff Sanders's third album, Dreadnought, is a total surprise to me. I think the most unbelievable fact is that I really like it. And I never thought that I would enjoy music, the influence of which came from metal artists like Anthrax and Metallica. Prior to writing, Jeff has played in a cover band, until the bug of creation finally bit him. All the years gliding over riffs and familiar chords finally paid off. With the help of a couple of friends, Jeff formed Mountain Mirrors, and set out to produce his "twisted acoustic rock music from the woods of Massachusetts." The instruments are skillfully controlled, the mixing quality is superb, and even and the lyrics are haunting [I say 'even', because you know how I feel about lyrics]. Bottom line is this: either Dreadnought is a very special album, or this genre of music has grown on me after hours of playing Guitar Hero. I'd like to think that the former is true. One way to find out - check out this album and tell me what you think. Jeff's additional current influences include High on Fire, Opeth, Mastodon, and Megadeath.

Jeff is kind enough to share with you the Dreadnought Promo.

myspace.com/mountainmirrors | mountainmirrors.com

Death In Public - Instrumental in Silence EP (self released)

A two member band out of Lancaster, UK, had everything lined up for an EP but the drummer. But that didn't stop Julian Dicken and Josh Longton from going forward on this instrumental release falling somewhere between post-rock and post-metal. Armed with a drum machine, the duo added solid beats to mellow atmospheric shoegaze and explosive attitude grinding chords using everything in their arsenal - including drilling snare rolls (try that with a drummer). And in my humble opinion, it is exactly the element of a unique programming approach that made it stand out among the dozen of promos that line my studio floor. Taking a slight detour, I turn my attention towards their latest single, Biometrics [specifically Motion Sickness track] in which Death In Public have evolved a bit with slightly tighter production, deeper bass, a real drummer, and a vocal line. Yet continuously being biased towards lyrics, I'll just anxiously await an instrumental full length. Thumbs up for the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai and Pelican. Favorite tracks: Everything Is Tired In Its Own Way and Motion Sickness (from Biometrics EP).

myspace.com/deathinpublicmusic