Upon Beauty Rests – For The Days We Fear The Air We Breathe

I just finished inviting 100 people to this blog, and to celebrate, I think I’ll post quick, and then fall alseep quicker.

The six songs on this EP depict the spiritual path of a band whose journey has been blessed with happiness and marred by tragedy. With worldwide demand and a positive message, the Portland, OR based band will be touring throughout the year and beyond.

For fans of: Saosin, Underoath, old Thrice, Scary Kids Scaring Kids.

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Veil Of Maya – The Common Man’s Collapse

‘Veil of Maya’ is a common Hindu term. Maya is said to represent the illusion that is our everyday consciousness. This blinds us from everything’s true forms and intentions, hence the veil of maya. It’s like how the Earth turned out to be a big computer in ‘The Matrix’. Neo’s veil was lifted and he saw the truth.

Formed in Chicago, IL in 2004, Veil of Maya are part of the small group of newer American metal bands that aren’t following the typical “metalcore” pattern, instead churning out a sound that’s as technically proficient as it is brutal. And no, despite their name and many a foolish accusation, Veil of Maya is not a Cynic tribute band.

Upon first listen, this album blew me away.

Compelling. Dynamic. Brutal.

For fans of Winds of Plague, As Blood Runs Black, Between The Buried and Me, Orgone, Cynic, Meshuggah, etc. They are on tour right now, with some awesome bands. Check their myspace to see if they are playing in a town near you.

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Fuzön – Journey

Fuzön is a Pakistani rock music group comprising three members. The name is derived from fusion. The vocalist Shafqat Amanat Ali describes the band as a fusion of Pakistani classical music and modern rock music.

Fuzön creates an individualistic genre-breaking sound, including elements of western pop/rock and eastern classical influences, reggae, rock, and jazz.

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Night Song

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a Pakistani musician, primarily a singer of Qawwali. Nusrat’s family has an unbroken tradition of performing Qawwali for over 600 years. Among other honorary titles bestowed upon him, Nusrat was called Shahenshah-e-Qawwali, meaning The Emperor of Qawwali.

Night Song features also Michael Brook on the guitar. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1996.

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Shahen-Shah

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s 1989 release, Shahen-Shah.

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+44 – When Your Heart Stops Beating +BONUS

When this album came out it was like Jesus’ second coming.

Originally +44 was only going to be a side project to blink-182, when Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker noticed that Tom DeLonge was becoming less and less interested in blink. After blink-182 announced their “indefinate hiatus” in February 2005, former members, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker wanted to continue working on music. The duo began to collaborate which resulted in writing and recording new songs together in Travis’ basement. Originally, electronic drums, keyboards, and direct computer recordings were used in the majority of recordings. Barker later stated that the whole electronic element of the band was derived from “155″, the first song he and Hoppus wrote as a band (the song title is simply the tempo of the recording).

As work continued on the demos, “Get the Girl” vocalist Carol Heller was invited by Hoppus and Barker to try out her vocals. Heller’s performance was agreeable enough to the band and as a result the three kept working on more songs together. The band’s lineup changed again early 2006, with the addition of guitarist Shane Gallagher. In order to progress with their demos, Barker and Hoppus acquired a studio, a move which marked a major turning point for +44. Travis Barker said in an interview that he recorded Chapter 13 (which happens to be track 12) in one take without hearing the lyrics or the whole song in its entirety. He wanted to re-record it after he heard the final recording of the song but the guys in the band wouldn’t let him. They thought he nailed it (which is not uncommon of Travis…he’s one of the best drummers out there, and his talent is undeniably evident on this album).

The band began working solely in the studio they had purchased, playing live drums, guitars and vocals. The band’s sound had started with an electronic element which became less evident, but still remained a key feature. As a result, Heller found she wasn’t compatible with the band’s direction, and with the addition of her wish to start a family, she left the band. The vocal work that Heller contributed is still present in the songs “Make You Smile”, “Weatherman”, and the early mix of “No, It Isn’t”. After this, Hoppus, Barker, and Gallagher were left to find a new backing vocalist. Guitarist Craig Fairbaugh of “Mercy Killers” then joined the band.

As the projected release date grew nearer, it was believed that the album would be called “A Little Death Makes Life More Meaningful,” which was later revealed to be a lyrics from the song “Little Death.” Mark finally settled on “When Your Heart Stops Beating”. The band played their first gig on the September 7, 2006 (my birthday!) in Hollywood, which was the first live show that Mark had played in two years. The album was released on November 14, 2006 in North America.

Note: On August 6, 2007, Mark announced on his blog, HiMyNameIsMark, that plans were underway for a new album (to be released on Interscope Records).
“We’ve got a bunch of ideas; a studio full of instruments, microphones, and effects; and a soundboard from the 1970’s.”
-Hoppus

I could go on and on about this album, but I don’t want to bore you. Let me just say this: eclectic. catchy. wonderful.

mediafire | BONUS (acoustic songs)

Thrice – The Alchemy Index: Vols. I&II: Fire & Water

In September 2006, Thrice announced plans for a new album on its official website (later titled The Alchemy Index). The album was conceived as a series of 4 EPs, each of which represents an element of nature: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The band maintained a studio blog titled Alchemy Index throughout the recording process.

The first half, The Alchemy Index Vols. I & II: Fire & Water, was released on October 16, 2007.

The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV will be released on April 15, 2008. The band debuted “Come All You Weary” a month or so ago. A video of the performance can be found on here. According to the band, this song is the only song from The Alchemy Index Vol. IV that has a full drum kit or any instrument that isn’t acoustic.

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Immanu El – They’ll Come, They Come

Immanu El’s music is simply heavenly in all aspects of the word. Their lyrics are loosely related to Christian beliefs, and the music is very atmospheric and prefers to stay subtle. The vocals sound very similar to those of Sigur Rós, but are sang in English.

mediafire | ShareOnAll

Lali Puna – I Thought I Was Over That: Rare, Remixed, and B-Sides

Lali Puna sounds like glitched-up version of Air. Plus, they have a sweet band name. And the little bunny is wearing headphones in the artwork. Its a grand slam.

Of note: This collection features a remix of “(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan”, a song by Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello), featuring the vocals and lyrics by Ben Gibbard. When the song was released, it was so well-received that the two collaborated on a full-length album, Give Up, which they released as The Postal Service in 2003.

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The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely

I was surprised that none of the other authors have posted this yet. But here’s the new one. It came out yesterday, but has been leaked for a while. You can get it here if you haven’t already gotten it somewhere else.

According to the official website, “The seed was sown 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.” The band came together in Detroit during 2005 and recorded when time allowed for the remainder of the year. Due to the various members success in other bands, they were quickly dubbed a supergroup. The band, however, asserted they were not, saying that the term implies something pre-planned, whereas they are actually “a new band made up of old friends.”

look below