A new moody and melancholic void has been filled for me recently after the discovery of music by London based band Trembling Blue Stars.  I stumbled across their song “All Eternal Things” not too long ago, which caught me off guard.  I was doing something and actually thought I was listening to a Cure song.  But this wasn’t the case.. it was actually Trembling Blue Stars.

The band has actually been around since the mid 1990’s.  I’m pretty sure I heard tracks from them quite a few years ago.. perhaps I was too caught up in hardcore metal songs at the time that I didn’t really take note of how good their songs are.  I enjoy the shared vocal duties from Bobby Wratten and Beth Arzy.. good stuff.

Visit Trembling Blue Stars at MySpace.

Visit Trembling Blue Stars at Elefant Records 

Time for me to get up on my soapbox and spread the word of some incredible sounds worthy of recognition. Yet again, the sounds come from a group of musicians from Sweden, known as Watertouch. I know I talk more about Swedish prog music more than one can sometimes tolerate, but hey.. someone has to do it.

If you take absolutely no interest in prog music in the realms of Frank Zappa, Kansas, Jethro Tull, The Flower Kings, Spock’s Beard, the Dixie Dregs, or Deep Purple, you probably won’t find this interesting. But if the slight mention of these artists spark an interest for you, you’ll come to appreciate the music of Watertouch.

The band consists of fine talent from Peter Holmstedt on bass, Eiron Johansson on drums and percussion, Per Wiber on the keys, and Patrick Salin on guitar and vocals. Swedish Grammy winner Tommy Andersson produced Watertouch’s debut album We Never Went to the Moon. The 7 track album is amazing, the majority made up of instrumentals. The band is inspired by the best classic rock music of all time, showcasing their ability to mold their own brand of prog.

Visit the Official MySpace page of Watertouch to listen to their tracks.
Visit the Official Website of Watertouch

Another interesting find during my quest of musical madness found in the complex minds of intuitive musicians leads me to Norway’s Bogus Blimp.  Just when you think you have them figured out, they venture off to explore musical paths others may be to afraid to tamper with.  A listen to their music has the ability to transcend you into another place and time, which may either excite or frighten the average listener.  Weather you choose to place their music in the category of ambient creation, or simply modern works of classical art, Bogus Blimp will open your mind to both.

The band formed in 1996, and since then has released several albums on Jester Records, most recently Rdtr, released in 2004.  The album takes you on an in depth journey into the realms of science fiction exploration.  The whole concept of experimental music is quite fitting for artists such as Bogus Blimp.  Give a listen to them and discover why they are best known as “The Spectacular Rock Orchestra”.

Visit Bogus Blimp at MySpace

If you are anywhere near Los Angeles or Las Vegas around Halloween time this year, you’ll have the opportunity to see Monsters are Waiting.  The American indie rock band from California will be playing at The Echo in Los Angeles on October 26th, and on Halloween night at the Beauty Bar in Las Vegas for their Halloween Show.  I loved their full length release Fascination, on Retone records, which was released back in 2006.  Their music is loaded with memorable guitar licks, catchy melodies, and strange bit of oddness.  Hey, who said odd wasn’t cool?  I think they rock.  Monsters are Waiting is made up of  Annalee Fery, Eric Gardner, Jonathan Siebels, and Andrew Clark.

Visit Monsters are Waiting at Myspace

Following up with some factual Radiohead news, the band announced that fans can choose what they would like to pay for their new album.  The album will be available to download on October 10th.  The band is currently without a specific record label, so they are free to do what they wish.  Their physical box set will be released in December, so keep an eye out for that one too.  Nice marketing move for the band, this will create a buzz!

..or maybe not. There’s a countdown to some Radiohead details that has created a buzz in cyberspace. A representative for the band has said the website has nothing to do with the band and that the site is a hoax. I’ll leave it up to you to decide weather the website is legit or not. As far as I know the new album will be out in early 2008. Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see what shows up on the site when the countdown is complete.

***UPDATE***

Hammock has never fell short of being an inspiration when it comes to imaginative music.  Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson put their listeners in a transcendent state of mind.  I find their creativity pure genius when it comes to ambient and experimental music.  There are no boundaries in the experimental genre, and Hammock proves just that.  The duo from Nashville Tennessee has had great success with their 2005 debut album “Kenotic”, their EP “Stranded Under Endless Sky”,  the volume one “The Sleep-Over Series” album, and their most recent full length release on Darla Records titled “Raising Your Voice…Trying to Stop an Echo”.  Hammock had their first live performance ever at a private event in Hot Springs, Arkansas back in August, performing after Riceboy Sleeps, another brilliant musical project from Iceland.  I am glad to say reviews of Hammock’s musical creations have been nothing but positive.   I look forward to hearing more from these guys.

Visit the Official Hammock music website
Visit Hammock at Myspace

Experimental indie rockers Minus the Bear are getting ready to kick off their tour in support of their newest release “Planet of Ice”, which is a fine release I might add. The band continues to unleash catchy tunes, with more of a serious tone. But that’s not a bad thing, in my opinion. As long as the band has been around, most people who are familiar with the band know them for their crazy but likeable sense of humor. Some may think the band is playing a bit safe with their latest effort, but I actually think they are more “musically” focused. I personally don’t get tired of listening to all the tracks on this album. It’s one of those cds for me that stays in the player for a while, and it’s highly refreshing to still come across new releases that have that replayable factor.

The Official Website of Minus the Bear
Visit Minus the Bear at Myspace

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Sep 23    Spokane, WA    Service Station
Sep 24    Missoula, MT    The Badlander
Sep 27    Detroit, MI    St. Andrew’s Hall
Sep 28    Cleveland, OH    Grog Shop (Early)
Sep 28    Cleveland, OH    Grog Shop (Late)
Sep 29    Pittsburgh, PA    Diesel
Sep 30    Buffalo, NY    Tralf Music Hall
Oct 01    Toronto, ON    Opera House
Oct 03    Cambridge, MA    Middle East Downstairs
Oct 04    Cambridge, MA    Middle East Downstairs
Oct 05    Brooklyn, NY    Warsaw
Oct 06    New York, NY    Irving Plaza
Oct 07    Sayreville, NJ    Starland Ballroom
Oct 08    Philadelphia, PA    Theatre of Living Arts
Oct 10    Washington, DC    Black Cat
Oct 11    Norfolk, VA    The Norva
Oct 12    Atlanta, GA    Variety Playhouse
Oct 13    Charlotte, NC    Tremont Music Hall
Oct 14    Orlando, FL    The Club at Firestone
Oct 15    Ft. Lauderdale, FL    Culture Room
Oct 16    Tallahasse, FL    The Moon
Oct 18    New Orleans, LA    House of Blues
Oct 19    Austin, TX    Emo’s
Oct 20    Houston, TX    Numbers
Oct 21    Dallas, TX    Palladium Showroom
Oct 23    Tulsa, OK    Cain’s Ballroom
Oct 24    Lawrence, KS    Granada Theatre
Oct 25    Sauget, IL (St. Louis, MO)    Pop’s
Oct 26    Chicago, IL    Metro
Oct 27    Minneapolis, MN    First Avenue
Oct 28    Omaha, NE    Slowdown
Oct 29    Denver, CO    Gothic Theatre
Oct 31    Albuquerque, NM    Sunshine Theatre
Nov 01    Tempe, AZ    Marquee Theatre
Nov 02    San Diego, CA    Soma
Nov 03    Los Angeles, CA    Avalon Hollywood
Nov 04    Pomona, CA    Glass House
Nov 06    San Francisco, CA    The Fillmore
Nov 08    Portland, OR    Crystal Ballroom
Nov 09    Bellingham, WA    Viking Union (WWU)
Nov 10    Seattle, WA    Showbox
Dec 06    Yeovil, UK    Orange Box
Dec 07    Cardiff, UK    Ifor Bach
Dec 08    Milton Keynes, UK    The Pitz
Dec 09    Nottingham, UK    Rescue Rooms
Dec 10    Sheffield, UK    Corporation
Dec 11    Leeds, UK    Cockpit
Dec 12    Glasgow, UK    King Tut’s
Dec 13    Manchester, UK    Academy 3
Dec 14    Birmingham, UK    Barfly
Dec 15    Oxford, UK,    Zodiac
Dec 17    Portsmouth, UK    Wedgewood Rooms
Dec 18    Colchester, UK    Arts Centre
Dec 19    Bristol, UK    Fleece
Dec 20    London, UK    Mean Fiddler

I found something really interesting from Japan, the musical project “Alone Together”. I don’t really know how to describe the music. Perhaps a good description might be Pac Man on crack pounding out tunes on a piano. I think there are a lot of clubs out there that would love some of Alone Together’s music exploding their speakers. Songs are written by Yuuki Ota, also featuring Takashi Matsumura and Mari Ohta. If you enjoy insanely crazy techno beats mixed with all sorts of interesting sounds, this is for you. I give lots of props to the creators here for the unique and bold creations.

Listen to a song called Human Beings:

The three piece experimental music group Ahleuchatistas are busy touring this summer, visiting some cities they haven’t visited in the past. The guys have some more brilliant music ready to be unleashed. Their fourth album, which is being released on Cuneiform Records September 18th, 2007, will be titled “Even in the Midst”.

With Shane Perlowin on guitar, Derek Poteat on bass, and Sean Dail on drums, their communication between one another through music is amazing. The instrumental madness coming from the minds of Ahleuchatistas, along with incredible musicianship, is what powers the group. Their highly complex style of music, filled with pattern changes, insane rhythms, and melodic overlays bring attraction of all kinds. Weather you want to call it progressive, a form of jazz, or experimental, they know what they are doing.

Check out a video of a sick performance in VA:

The band’s website is great, and provides a lot of information. Stop over there to learn more about them.

The Official Website of Ahleuchatistas
Visit Ahleuchatistas at Myspace

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Jul 24 2007 Monk’s House of Jazz – Salt Lake City, Utah
Jul 26 2007 Three Kings Tavern – Denver, Colorado
Jul 27 2007 The Scallywag – Saint Joseph, Missouri
Jul 28 2007 Ronny’s Bar – Chicago, Illinois
Jul 29 2007 Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center – Saint Louis, Missouri
Oct 12 2007 Nexus – Saalfelden