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CNET France reports on a French animation studio that's competing with the big guys; Kara Tsuboi checks out wearable tech at the Second Skin fashion show in San Francisco; and our Munich correspondent takes a close look at 'the best Windows smartphone ever.'
"Take This Life" is the roll-out single and video from In Flames' wildly anticipated new album, "Come Clarity." The "Take This Life" video was produced and directed by long time In Flames collaborator Patric Ullaeus (for Revolver Film Company) and features the band (Bjorn Gelotte - Guitars, Daniel Svensson - Drums, Peter Iwers - Bass, Jesper Stromblad - Guitars and Anders Friden - Vocals) performing against the backdrop of New York City's Times Square as an evolving storyline unfolds. In addition to his video work with In Flames, Ullaeus is known for directing the Lacuna Coil hit videos "Heaven's a Lie" and "Swamped". In Flames has been one of the leaders of the underground metal movement for over 10 years. With over 1,000,000 records sold worldwide and coming off a successful tour as part of OZZFEST 2005, where they shared the festival's main stage with Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and others, the time is ripe for this Swedish quintet to continue their ascent. The band's recent success, as well as that of their counterparts -- including Killswitch Engage (whom they co-headlined with in 2004), Shadows Fall and Lamb of God -- has paved the wave for metal bands to break through to the mainstream.
New Young Pony Club: "Ice Cream"
Hot on the heals of previous limited 7" single "The Get Go" New Young Pony Club (NYPC) return with Ice Cream, a sparsely minimal punk funk jerkout that sounds like a distaff version excursion on disco-era Rolling Stones fronted by the Slits' Ari Up and produced by David Byrne and Brian Eno. Partly inspired by LCD Soundsystem and a chance meeting of like-minded band members intent on establishing something potent, Andy and Tahita formed NYPC in 2005. A five-piece comprising of Tahita (vocals), Andy (guitar), Igor (bass) Lou (keyboards) and Sarah (drums), they provide the kind of tight and bass-heavy future discoid noise currently setting hairs on end up and down the country. Ice Cream, their first single on Modular, is already causing a stir online with fans creating myspace pages with lyrics taken from the provocative song. ?A lot of [the lyrics are] about the perceived idea of how women are supposed to be, and putting my twist on it.? Says Tahita. NYPC have quietly set their world alight with a swell blend of disco, pop and punk which they are currently distilling into a debut album for Modular. Undoubtedly, one of THE bands to watch for 2007.
THE ADORED combine elements of discopunk, new wave, and pure power pop to create an intelligent yet catchy, different yet danceable sound. Inspired by the likes of The Clash, The Jam, and Blur, scenepointblank.com calls them Garagey, catchy, and as much as I hate the word, sassy. The Adored were born when four best friends and bon vivants joined up to make spiky party music. What came out draws from the more angular elements of early punk & postpunk and the less pompous elements of fin-de-siecle Britpop. Ryan (vocals) and Nat (drums) met in the mid-90s in NorCal and both played with a locally legendary punk band before moving southward. Max (bass) and Drew (guitar) met as students in Boston, studying media, all the while dreaming of a Los Angeles pop life. The four finally came together in LA and never looked back. So far, their adventures as Hollywood golden boys have included shows with eclectic artists new and old like Supergrass, The Zombies, Ima Robot, Bow Wow Wow, The Futureheads and Les Sav Fav. The Adored have also performed at parties hosted by members of buzz bands Mount Sims, Interpol and the Moving Units. The band has also appeared in clips on the UK?s Channel Four and Southern California?s Fox 11 ---as the current LA ?it band?! With mentions in the NME, the California press, and a grassroots network of blogs and webzines have all helped build an international fan base for the Adored. Again and again, they have performed in San Francisco, Las Vegas and Californias beach counties, bringing their music to grateful, music starved suburban scenesters and leaving their mark on the West Coast. The boys finished a successful 4-night mini-tour to New York City this spring and a weekly residency at Sunset Strips KEY CLUB. Following a 4-song demo in 2003, the Adored recorded a 5-song EP for V2 Records in fall 2004, with producer Dave Trumfio and a special guest vocalist friend and mutual fan Pete Shelley [Buzzcocks]. Due in stores January 2005. These 2004 LA WEEKLY MUSIC AWARDS BEST DANCE ARTIST nominees deceptively simple lineup of guitars, drums and three vocals help the four lovely lads produce a rhythm unique to the California scene -- the first stage in their plan to induce global simultaneous Adorgasm.
Enon is a band from Brooklyn and Philadelphia. John Schmersal (guitar, bass, synths, vocals), Toko Yasuda (bass, synths, vocals) and Matt Schulz (drums) have all been in a bunch of bands, and are still in a bunch of bands. But all that doesn't really matter, right? What does matter is that these three, together, are Enon, always, and they're always amazing.
The Raconteurs: "Steady, As She Goes"
The Raconteurs are a new band made up of old friends, consisting of Jack Lawrence (bass), Patrick Keeler (drums), Brendan Benson (guitars, vocals, keys) and Jack White (guitars, vocals, keys). The seed was sewn in an attic in the middle of a hot summer when friends Jack White and Brendan Benson got together and wrote a song that truly inspired them. This song was "Steady, As She Goes" and the inspiration led to the creation of a full band with the addition of Lawrence and Keeler. While each of these four individuals have had successful careers with their own bands, the culmination of all of their talents is what truly makes The Raconteurs a force to be reckoned with.
The quartet convened at Benson's East Grand Studio to lay down the basic tracks for Broken Boy Soldiers. Work would continue whenever the boys could get together over the next year. Finally, the album has found a window for its release in May of 2006. The band is now, for its members, all consuming and they now present themselves to be....consumed, or at best simply heard.
From the ready-made, radio-friendly quality built into songs like "Steady, As She Goes", to the explosive tenacity of "Store Bought Bones", all the way down to the 'hits the cockles of your heart' lullabies that encompass the full length recording, The Raconteurs are more than capable of conquering any genre challenge or tale that they encounter. After all, a raconteur is, by definition, a deft storyteller. And now a new story is unfolding.
The Early Years: "So Far Gone"
The Early Years David Malkinson, Roger Mackin and Phil Raines (guitar, guitar and drums) ? only formed in late-2004 and not along after, their demo tape received the on-air backing of Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq on Radio One and John Kennedy on XFM (they were even invited in to record sessions for both stations), Beggars Banquet were alerted to their talent. Less than a year on and their debut album is ready to go. Furthermore, it?s a delight. Both live and on record, the results are stunning; never swaying from their ambition to make inventive, original and accessible music. You might have already been converted to their ?noisy majesty? (Drowned in Sound) at this year?s Tapestry, Truck and Latitude festivals, supporting bands like Electrelane and / or at numerous club nights across the capital. You might even have been turned on to them by seeing them on constant late-night MTV2 rotation or soundtracking a recent Nike World Cup advert. Either way, once their music takes hold, you?ll not be sorry. The Early Years say themselves that they offer a sound that lies somewhere between their joint love for ambient noise, motorik beats, drones, feedback, harmony and melody. Dave cites his influences as Acid Mother?s Temple, The Boredoms and Spiritualized, Roger talks of his love for The 13th Floor Elevators, Julian Cope, The Velvet Underground and Storm in Heaven-era Verve and Phil talks of Can, Neu! and Tortoise as being his major sources of inspiration; all this helps to explain both the bands depth and integrity
This video features the use of live-action animation and dancing magnet men. Features Richmond's Los 10 Space. Scott DuPre Mills: Keyboard, Guitar. Mason Mills: Bass. Mark Zipp: Drums.
Mates of State is the organ and drums, vocal-laden duo of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel. Formed in the nation's heartland December 1997, their infectious songs and long-standing motto of play anywhere, anytime has earned them a legion of fans from coast to coast and everywhere else in between. After years of playing in countless bands (nearly twenty between the two of them), Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel finally realized the ease of playing with only one other person. Ditching their guitars for just an organ and drum set, the trick now was getting two people to sound like a full band. With the two instruments, they added call and response vocal melodies and harmonies to create a sound unique in its immenseness. An open-mic was scheduled and tensions ran high as they began to question their untraditional arrangement. Afterwards, they realized it didn't matter. Mates of State possibly played six times in Lawrence, Kansas before packing it in and driving to California in August 1998 where the band would release "Leave Me at the Tree" with Fighter D as a split 7" on Omnibus Records. After eight months in the suburbs, the band moved to San Francisco proper and Omnibus released two additional songs, "It's the Law" and "Invitation Inn," as a separate 7". Mates of State spent 1999 touring throughout the West Coast, playing consistently in California and solidifying their position in San Francisco's burgeoning pop scene. In April of 2000, the band chanced upon engineer John Croslin (Beulah, Spoon, Guided By Voices) whose reserved but confident knowledge immediately attracted the band. The same day, Mates of State scheduled studio time. The Croslin sessions resulted in their debut album My Solo Project, 12 tracks of unconventional pop appeal. Instantly, critical acclaim poured forth from fanzines, periodicals, and dailies such as the San Francisco Bay Guardian and New York Times (who included the album in their "10 worthwhile albums you may have missed in 2000"). A Midwest tour with longtime friends Appleseed Cast was quickly put together and followed by yet another string of shows up and down the West Coast. July 2001 saw Mates of State signing with Polyvinyl, and a month later they re-entered the studio to record their second album, this time with engineer Dave Trumfio (Butterglory, Dianogah, Wilco) behind the board. The band closed out the year by landing large tours alongside Beulah and Mars Volta. Their second full-length Our Constant Concern, was released in January 2002 and the tour machine was once again placed in motion. And what a machine it was. Unparalled by any band in Polyvinyl's history, not even Braid could come close to Mates' four national tours, three international tours, and the 200 plus shows they played in support of the album. Mates of State greeted 2003 with two new releases. The first was a split 7" with longtime friends Dear Nora which featured Mates' haunting rendition of Jackson Browne's "These Days." The latter was their next full-length Team Boo which was released September 2003. Now on their third album, the band discovered the perfect studio environment for their unique blend of vintage Yamaha organ, Gretch Round Badge drums, off-kilter harmonies, and the dynamism that holds it all together. The album was recorded and mixed over three weeks at both The Garage and Willie Nelson's Pedernales studios. Manning the knobs were John Croslin (My Solo Project) and Spoon's Jim Eno. Incredibly infectious, Team Boo was immediately embraced by college radio as the band toured with friends Victory at Sea, The Thermals, and Death Cab for Cutie. Mates of State fans have a lot to look forward to in 2004. Another tour is currently in the works that will take the band through the United States, out to Hawaii and up north through Canada. A DVD documentary is in the works. And who knows, another 7" or EP may be down the line.
Mates of State is the organ and drums, vocal-laden duo of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel. Formed in the nation's heartland December 1997, their infectious songs and long-standing motto of play anywhere, anytime has earned them a legion of fans from coast to coast and everywhere else in between. After years of playing in countless bands (nearly twenty between the two of them), Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel finally realized the ease of playing with only one other person. Ditching their guitars for just an organ and drum set, the trick now was getting two people to sound like a full band. With the two instruments, they added call and response vocal melodies and harmonies to create a sound unique in its immenseness. An open-mic was scheduled and tensions ran high as they began to question their untraditional arrangement. Afterwards, they realized it didn't matter. Mates of State possibly played six times in Lawrence, Kansas before packing it in and driving to California in August 1998 where the band would release "Leave Me at the Tree" with Fighter D as a split 7" on Omnibus Records. After eight months in the suburbs, the band moved to San Francisco proper and Omnibus released two additional songs, "It's the Law" and "Invitation Inn," as a separate 7". Mates of State spent 1999 touring throughout the West Coast, playing consistently in California and solidifying their position in San Francisco's burgeoning pop scene. In April of 2000, the band chanced upon engineer John Croslin (Beulah, Spoon, Guided By Voices) whose reserved but confident knowledge immediately attracted the band. The same day, Mates of State scheduled studio time. The Croslin sessions resulted in their debut album My Solo Project, 12 tracks of unconventional pop appeal. Instantly, critical acclaim poured forth from fanzines, periodicals, and dailies such as the San Francisco Bay Guardian and New York Times (who included the album in their "10 worthwhile albums you may have missed in 2000"). A Midwest tour with longtime friends Appleseed Cast was quickly put together and followed by yet another string of shows up and down the West Coast. July 2001 saw Mates of State signing with Polyvinyl, and a month later they re-entered the studio to record their second album, this time with engineer Dave Trumfio (Butterglory, Dianogah, Wilco) behind the board. The band closed out the year by landing large tours alongside Beulah and Mars Volta. Their second full-length Our Constant Concern, was released in January 2002 and the tour machine was once again placed in motion. And what a machine it was. Unparalled by any band in Polyvinyl's history, not even Braid could come close to Mates' four national tours, three international tours, and the 200 plus shows they played in support of the album. Mates of State greeted 2003 with two new releases. The first was a split 7" with longtime friends Dear Nora which featured Mates' haunting rendition of Jackson Browne's "These Days." The latter was their next full-length Team Boo which was released September 2003. Now on their third album, the band discovered the perfect studio environment for their unique blend of vintage Yamaha organ, Gretch Round Badge drums, off-kilter harmonies, and the dynamism that holds it all together. The album was recorded and mixed over three weeks at both The Garage and Willie Nelson's Pedernales studios. Manning the knobs were John Croslin (My Solo Project) and Spoon's Jim Eno. Incredibly infectious, Team Boo was immediately embraced by college radio as the band toured with friends Victory at Sea, The Thermals, and Death Cab for Cutie. Mates of State fans have a lot to look forward to in 2004. Another tour is currently in the works that will take the band through the United States, out to Hawaii and up north through Canada. A DVD documentary is in the works. And who knows, another 7" or EP may be down the line.
