To hype the new release Conditions has just released a new track called “Better Life” on their Myspace page. The new track absolutely jams! Basically picking up right where their last EP “Your Are Forgotten” left off, with extremely clean and catchy vocals, excellent guitar work and some extremely tight drumming.

2010 is the year that Conditions breaks out, mark my words!

Check out the new songs at: www.myspace.com/conditionsband

In an age of singles and doubles, the female fronted melodic metal band Oblivious Signal continues to break ranks and not only put out a full length, but make it a limited edition in anticipation of yet another full length this year.

While the edition of John Tovar (Marilyn Manson, The Mavericks) as management, and an international drummer and bassist, along with a slew of potential producers, has the band’s fall release under question as to the form it will take, the July 5th release, Into The Night, is true to melodious metal.

The ten tracks tell a story of overcoming, and the feelings that come with both the battle and the victory. Each step of the way sultry front woman Cristina T. Feliciano gently urges us through the pain of things we may not identify with, but feel so real at that moment that we think we do.

Nick Orisino is a solid metal guitarist, without pretension or inhibition. His unrestrained musical style sets the tone to keep the CD on the harder side of mainstream, so that when Feliciano’s unique smokey voice joins in the album stays true to the genre.

Weeks prior to the Into The Night release, distressed band members got wind of a leak of the entire album on a Torrent site. They frantically attempted to pressure the site to remove it, while seeing signs of almost 20,000 copies illegally downloaded in the first 24 hours. The efforts proved to be unnecessary, as a download confirmed the copy to have been amateurishly uploaded at such poor quality that it should have no negative effect on album sales.

What is does say for the album is that people are eager to get their hands on it and that the limited edition copies could go faster than anyone expected.
Options for purchasing legal copies are on the bands website: www.oblivioussignal.com

Each episode of DTB focuses on a band in which the band gives a personal tour of their bus, van or setup allowing viewers to see what it is like to live on the road and be in a band. With a large variety of bands such as Shiny Toy Guns, The Black Dhalia Murder and Emarosa you can really see how different bands manage to live on the road and how bands at different levels in the game live.

Aside from the “Cribs Style” behind the scene videos, Digitaltourbus.com also provides up to date tour information for many of your favorite bands. Which is incredibly handy and ties in perfectly with the overall theme of the site.

Overall I think the concept of the site is incredibly solid and interesting. I can definitely see the site catching on and blowing up!

Check out the site and videos at: www.digitaltourbus.com

Think post-Sonnny From First To Last,Stick To Your Guns, and Cobra Starship.

A chilling piano intro begins the album on “Sexual Man Chocolate”, getting our hopes up for a somewhat decent metalcore album. And for the first three songs or so our expectations are pretty much exceeded — it is, so far, indeed a metal album with a hint of electronica; until the fourth track, “Shut Your Mouth”. It’s a good song, if you’re a fan of dancing and, perhaps, Jeffree Star. I understand that electronica takes a big part in Attack Attack! as a band, but “Shut Your Mouth” strays just a bit too much from the general genre that the band has landed on, and really sticks out as annoying filler. As my own preference, when listening to heavy music, I want to stay in heavy music until I’m ready to be done. I don’t want any dance, J-Sleazy, or anything of that sort. The overall idea behind this album’s genre is pretty confusing in general. You’ve got a good ‘ol heavy as hell fast-paced sound in songs like “Renob, Nevada” and “AC-130″, a girlish Cobra-esque “Shut Your Mouth”, and Boyz To Men in the final track, “Lonely”, with something that Brokencyde would put out in the last 60 seconds of the album.

Caleb, the groups third and current lead vocalist, brings a heavier scream to the table, whereas Carlile had the higher-pitched accent. And as far as I’m concerned, the band’s music hasn’t greatly changed or evolved.

Let’s hope any future music videos won’t earn them any more comments from critics.

Rating: 3/5

She started the show with many tracks from her album Stairwells that was released this past February, such as Strong Enough and Cambridge. Mid-show, you could feel the energy of the crowd emanate significantly
as Kina performed her latest single ‘Valentine’. Next followed an amazing cover of Jason Mraz’s ‘I’m Yours’ as well as the song Make Me, which can both be found on her very popular YouTube channel. The next song that Kina performed was unexpected by me but I was in awe of her rendition of Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’. Who would’ve thought that this girl with her guitar and sweet indie pop sounds could pull of such a song?! She more than pulled it off as the whole crowd was cheering her on and singing along; it really was the high point of the entire set! Lastly was the song that shot her to fame, ‘Message From Your Heart’ and even though I was sad that her set was over, it was definitely an enjoyable and memorable show!

Set List:

Strong Enough
World in Front of Me
Cambridge
In Your Arms
The Goldfish Song
Valentine
Heart and Mind
I’m Yours – Jason Mraz cover
Give Me Back
Make Me
Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio cover
Message from Your Heart

I highly recommend checking her out live and to pick up her album ‘Stairwells’, you will not be disappointed! Also, I was given the opportunity to interview Kina about her rise to fame, songwriting etc., so here it is for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!

1. Introduce yourself to our readers! Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Kina Grannis. I’m a singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles, raised in Orange County, and currently floating around touring the US.

2. How would you describe your musical style?
I’ve never been great at defining music genre-wise… but if I had to, I’d put my music a happy medium somewhere between folk, pop, and indie. What I do know is that I try to write honest music that makes people feel, think, and find hope.

3. What influences your music the most?

There’s no one thing. Everything influences my music in one way or another… my life, my friends, family, strangers, dreams, nature, art…

4. When it comes down to writing new tracks, what is the process like for you?

Songs usually find me when I least expect it. I’ll be messing around on the guitar singing gibberish when all of a sudden I’ll be moved by a melody, and in the next 1-3 hours out pours a song. It’s not a very conscious process… I try to let them write themselves for the most part, and then after the fact I may go back and shape them a little and make sure they make sense. I’ve found that letting songs happen rather than forcing songs out creates songs that mean a lot more to me and are usually a more honest depiction of things.

5. You have quite an impressive following on YouTube amongst many other outlets like Facebook. How do you feel that social networking has helped jump-start your career?

I have social networking to thank for everything. It’s thanks to social networks like myspace and youtube and digg.com for allowing me to start growing my following and eventually lead to my winning a record deal and getting my music video played during the Super Bowl through Dorito’s Crash the Super Bowl. Since then, youtube has continued to let more people around the world find my music, and along with twitter and facebook, has allowed me to develop a relationship with my supporters. Nowadays with the music industry scrambling to figure out what to do next, I think, thanks to the internet, the power of real people supporting artists they like and artists giving back to them is going to be extremely important.

6. I love the covers that you do on your YouTube channel, especially your new rendition of Justin Beiber’s ‘Baby’. What makes you decide to do a particular cover?

It varies. Some songs I cover because they’re amazing songs that move me. Others I cover because I think they’ll be a fun challenge for me to take on and try to make my own.

7. When you won the Crash the Super Bowl contest in 2008, you also won a recording contract with Interscope records. What made you decide to stay independent and how do you think this affected your music and career, if at all?

I couldn’t bear the risk of losing any of my creative freedom. At the time I was signed I had nearly an album’s worth of songs that really meant a lot to me and I was ready to get in the studio and make it happen. The labels plans involved spending some months developing and writing with songwriters in the industry. While I’m sure that would have been a good experience, it would not have been me. It was a hard decision to make, but one that I have never doubted or regretted. The thing that really made me feel secure in my decision is that I knew I had amazing supporters all around the world who believed in what I did and would back me no matter what.

8. How much control do you have over your music being used in television and film, such as when your music was featured on General Hospital and on MTV?

I have very little control of film and TV placements. Unless we’re talking about the ability to decline these opportunities, in which case I suppose I have all the control in the world (don’t know why I’d ever do that though!), but you really can’t make placements happen. It’s all about knowing the right people and having the right song at the right time.

9. If you could work and collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?

Among many other amazingly talented artists, I would love to work with either Imogen Heap or Jonsi of Sigur Ros. I consider them both to be complete musical geniuses and am in awe of the music they create.

10. What can your fans expect going forward in 2010?

More music, more videos, more touring

11. Last question! What other artists/albums are you obsessed with at the moment?

A few that I’ve been hooked on for quite a while now:

Ellipse – Imogen Heap
For Emma, Forever Ago – Bon Iver
Sparrow and the Crow – William Fitzsimmons
a lot of random Sigur Ros/Jonsi stuff

For fans of: Ingrid Michaelson, Colbie Caillat, Michelle Branch

www.kinagrannis.com
www.youtube.com/kinagrannis

Kirtland Records just sent me this promo for the upcoming “re-recording” of a record that was rejected by Interscope Records in 1998. Well apparently The Toadies were and still are big fans of these songs, so they decided to re-record all the songs which will be released in early 2011.

Here is the promo vid:

With terrible bands and trends in the nu-metal movement, most notably Limp Bizkit, most people look back on the nu-metal genre and it’s bands with a sour taste and laughable memory. Deftones although has bridged that gap and remained relevant throughout they years, how have they done it?

-The Deftones have always been a band that has followed their own path. They have enjoyed success and even a few radio hits, but have never really been a band that clamored for the spotlight or forced a “radio ready rock single” for the masses.

-They have never really changed their image and jumped on trends. When bands such as Korn were rocking track suits, countless bands such as Mudvayne, Motograter, Mushroomhead, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit rocking face paint and stage costumes, the Deftones simply kept it real, wore what they wanted and didn’t concentrate on anything other than creating some great music.

-Chino. For me Chino has one of the “best-worst voices” in the game. Honestly one of my favorite recorded voices and even one of my favorite performers live, but let’s face it, the guy lacks the live vocal game “most of the time” and I think everyone knows and has come to accept that. With that being said, the man is a rock icon and has put on some of the best performances I have seen live. If you play 2 seconds of his vocals to anyone that listens to rock/metal music and he is instantly recognizable. But what I think most people love about Chino is the fact that he is a front man that doesn’t need to be flashy or try and demand your attention. He simply gets up there rocks as hard as he can lives his music, there is no BS, period.

-They LOVE and care for their music. The Deftones are also a band that has always taken special care of writing the best songs and albums they possibly can. I have read countless articles about how many times they have written, re-written, scrapped and reworked songs until they absolutely believed that they had written the best song possible. As I mentioned earlier they have had a few radio hits such as “Change”, but they have really never had that hit song that brought them into full on mainstream or TRL success while the rest of their peers Limp Bizkit, P.O.D. and Korn became absolute household names. I really feel that this kept the hardcore Deftones fans happy because we could still feel that the Deftones were safe from the grips of teeny boppers and still a relatively “underground” band.

Overall, I just think people still respect what the Deftones do for the reasons stated above as well as I am sure many others. Having been jamming on “Diamond Eyes” for the past couple weeks I can safely say the “Tones” still have it. If you havent picked up the album yet, I highly recommend it. While many bands have come and gone, falling to both trends and fads the Deftones have remained honest and for that the Deftones will always remain cool in my book.

www.deftones.com
You can pick up the new album for only $7.99 from Amazon.com HERE

The EP opens in a proper fashion with the high-energy title track. As the song progresses, it becomes maybe a little bit too repetitive, but sustains the energy and excitement that it begins with.

One thing that definitely sticks out to me about this particular album that many bands are guilty of, is the over-repetitiveness of songs. On a positive note, singer Grant Harris’ voice is definitely unique and helps put Breathe Electric’s music above all of the other generic pop bands despite the use of auto-tune throughout the album.

Something I really enjoy about this particular album, is the difference in each song. Yes, they do all seem to be about love and girls, but somehow each song is different enough that they keep the album from becoming monotonous, which is something I can’t stand. Each song is exciting and just a warning: you might find yourself dancing.

A particular song that sticks out to me, is “Electronic Lover”. The song slows down the somewhat fast pace of the album, but in a good way. The song itself is still full of energy, just a little slowed down.

Something else that many popular bands these days incorporate into their music, is just plain awful lyrics. Yeah, I’m looking at you 3OH!3 and Brokencyde. Even if the lyrics on “Lovestruck” are slightly generic, they beat putting down females and lyrics mostly talking about drugs and alcohol.

And now, the end of the album. “Stop Actin’” is the final track. If I had chosen the tracklisting, I really don’t think I would have chosen this song. It seems to keep the same mood in the sense of energy as the previous track “Electronic Lover”. The song is a bit slower paced as with “Electronic Lover” and is a disappointment. Although most of the songs on the album are around the same length, “Stop Actin’” feels shorter, like an abrupt, hurried ending.

If you like to dance, you will most likely enjoy this EP. Breathe Electric has a lot of potention to gain even more friends and become more well-known, which I would like to see. I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to this album, as this genre isn’t usually what I listened to. Definitely worth listenting to more than once.

I give it 3 stars out of 5.
www.myspace.com/breatheelectric

In the interview Casey (singer of The Dear Hunter) hits on a lot of interesting subjects, such as the evilness of the record industry, his least favorite song to play live and when we can expect new tunes!

Enjoy!

Circa Survive’s latest release Blue Sky Noise is a record that has been over two years in the making. The record almost never came to light, with lead singer Anthony Green feeling the enormous pressures of trying to create a record that elevated their music to the next level. Well let me tell you what, thank God that this record was created because it is truly remarkable.

From front to back “Blue Sky Noise” is an album in every sense of the word. This is truly a record that should not be bought by individual songs but together as a whole piece. Everything about the new record really has been elevated, from the lyrics to the sheer musicianship of the band Circa Survive has really found a way to take up their already incredible sound to the next level.

Anthony Green’s vocals have really never sounded better and his lyrics have never been so poignant. I really didn’t think it was possible for him to improve upon himself but he has done it. Speaking of stepping it up, the band has really gone above and beyond writing songs on “Blue Sky Noise”. There is absolutely no filler on this album, with each song being carefully thought out and wasting no time delivering the goods.

While I dig basically every track on this album I am a big fan of the more in your face tracks such as “Get Out” and “Imaginary Enemy”, to me this is when the band is at it’s best. The more aggressive in your face feel really just grabs you and commands your attention. That being said songs such as “Frozen Creek” provide a nice breather for the album and are also top notch quality.

Standout Tracks: Get Out, Imaginary Enemy, Glass Arrows

Buy Blue Sky Noise HERE

Track Listing:
1. Strange Terrain
2. Get Out
3. Glass Arrow
4. I Felt Free
5. Imaginary Zebra
6. Through the Desert Alone
7. Frozen Creek
8. Fever Dreams
9. Spirit of The Stairwell
10. The Longest Mile
11. Compendium
12. Dyed in the Wool

Score: 5/5
www.circasurvive.com