Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york. Show all posts
We caught up with Andre Mistier from the innovative new NY outfit, ISM:

CWG: Your new album, "Urgency," due out on August 5th features the single "Sacred Cows"… What's the song about?

The song is a call to arms for all of us to acknowledge what is unique and important about each of us, and to use that to give meaning and purpose to our activities rather than just passing time in a daze waiting for something or someone to happen.

CWG: How did you guys come up with the idea to start a politically-charged
electronica outfit?

More fun than banking, safer than robbing a bank. I found that, in the process of trying to understand myself, I had to spend so much time thinking about how we all live our modern lives that eventually sharing those ideas just felt necessary.

And to talk to modern people, one should use a full range of modern sounds- the organic, such as human voices, violins, and guitars, and the inorganic and industrial, such as bleeps, whirrs, cellphone rings, and other electronic noises. How many people do you know whose day-to-day activities do not include both hearing human voices and hearing a phone ring, or a computer bleep?

CWG: Which political/social cause would you say is most important to the band?

The most important political/social cause to me is world ignorance.

I think a lack of understanding and just plain old stupidity, combined with a little fear and arrogance, causes most of the problems in the world.

However, other than world stupidity, environmental needs, and the search for new energy, seem to me to be the most pressing issues. You can argue about who owns what, and where one should draw the lines, but if there's nothing to argue over and no one left to argue with, the whole question doesn't really matter anymore.

CWG: Do you have any opinions on Gangster-ism?

Shit, bitch.

CWG: If you could invite 3 people to your "Party at the end of the world," living or dead, who would they be and why?

Bruce Li, cause I've always wanted to meet him, Mozart, cause that guy looked like he could party, and Gandhi, cause I bet he wouldn't eat too much.

I tell you who I would not invite: Genghis Khan. The guy drank from the tits of his yak, and then when their milk ran out, cut them and drank their blood. Anybody who does that can't have good table manners.

Same goes for the roman emperors- they'd just eat till they puked, then keep partying. But who's gonna clean the mess up, huh?
Label: Tee-Pee
Rating: 4 Guns

Buy on:
Hopewell

New York-based Hopewell, fronted by ex-Mercury Rev bass player, Jason Russo has been a critic’s darling from their inception. That’s understandable after listening to their new record “Beautiful Targets.” Hopewell, much like their West coast counterparts, The Shore, are American Brit-Pop at its finest. Cinematic in nature, and giving bands from England a run for their money, the ever-innovative Hopewell has released another classic Indie Rock opus.

The album starts off with “In Full Bloom” a slow, yet pretty song. It runs 3:10 before breaking right into “All Angels Road,” the album’s second track. This song rocks hard all the way through; as cinematic as it is heavy.

“Bethlehem” has that 1960s Brit-pop feel, sweet from beginning to end, and “Tree” has that Pearl-Jam-inspired arena pop-rock sound to it.

Throughout the album, the band shows they’re not afraid to experiment, throwing in random tidbits of keyboard, Theremin, and time-based guitar effects. Most bands can’t effectively integrate experimentation and hooks; Hope well isn’t one of those bands.

“Monolith” and “Echo and His Brother” are upbeat, cynical in nature, and cinematic all at the same time, referencing the movie “Big Fish” in the lyrics.

Hopewell - "To The Slaughter..."



Russo channels rock legend Mick Jagger in “Are You Anywhere,” and puts Radiohead to shame in ambient rocker, “Afterglow.” “To the slaughter…” the album’s closing track is by far the best. Fit to be in background of any movie, this ballad uses strings and fluttery guitar to take listeners on a journey into sound.

This album is a must buy for anyone into Radiohead and Brit-Pop.

Check out the video for “All Angels Road” below:



Like this band? You may also like: The Shore, The Verve, Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay