Back Up And Running Soon!!

Ok so afew things of note...

First off: we're sorry that we've been missing in action sense December, it wasn't ment to be that way, we were just planning on taking like January and maybe a week or two into February off, but one thing led to another and between connection issues and internal group and personal stuff, we just all never made it back here to put up new music, sure it sucks, but sometimes that happens and its beyond anyone's control. But none the less, we are back and with a return and atleast one new addition to the staff, or which we hope there will be more to come along as we go, we hope to be back on track and running at full speed and putting out atleast two to three albums a month, or more if time allows or we find some really good stuff, you all know how it is.

Secondly: We as a staff would like to welcome back Tamara, who given her busy offline schedule might not be able to post alot, but she always finds something amazing and awesome for when she does get her chance to post. We would also like to welcome the addition of Mojo, he's been a long time friend of ours who's been trying to get into the group for awhile now and we just got tired of his whining and let him in, hopefully he'll have his first album up soon, if not he'll get the boots to him. And hopefully in the near future we'll have afew more additions coming along to make the group bigger and better and more diverse, because thats what surreal soundz is all about, bringing your ears things its never heard from all over the world.

Thirdly: We've been emailed some rather good albums by afew artists in the 8 or so months we've been missing in action, we will be sorting through them and putting them up when we're able too. And again, thank you all who have sent us music, we love it when people do that, its like a delightful surprise!

Again, any artist or group that would like to have their stuff put on here, please email us either a link to where we can download your album, or atleast 5 to 10 tracks (this allows us to get a full range of your work's feel) at the following address: surrealsoundzaccount@gmail.com However, please be advised, this is a download site and though we don't host anything here, we do provide links to where albums or songs can be downloaded, so as long as you have no issue with that, we'll be glad to help promote you.

Fourth: We would like to thank artist Casey Desmond for her lovely thank you note for including some of her music on our site, we love getting letters of that nature from artists who are happy we can give them some free press and try to broaden their fanbase and are glad to do so. BC's been a big fan of hers for a long time now and was glad to include his fellow Bostonian in the list of artists from new england he's brought here, and he says he plans on adding more in the near future. He says his only regret isn't having some acapella tracks of hers for a remix album he's kicking around the idea of putting up on here.

And Finally: Expect us to be posting again in the near future, hopefully in the next two weeks is our goal, BC and Bez would be back to putting stuff up around that time, and hopefully soon Sherry, Tamara and our newest edition Mojo will have some things up and ready to go in the near future as well.

Thank you for your time, and for staying with us even though we weren't here, and also, if there are any dead links floating around, please let us know so we can go about fixing them for you all.

Again, thank you all for your time, and we are sorry for the delays....

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The Surreal Soundz Staff

State Of The Art - Hilltop Hoods

Its never been a shock to anyone that I'm a huge fan of international hip hop, and in particular Australian hip hop, which is why, when the group that introduced me to rap from down under, The Hilltop Hoods, released their new long awaited album "State Of The Art", I jumped with joy. looking through the backlog, I've only posted The Hard Road Restrung by them, I'll have to fix that... Anyway, for those that aren't aware, I first heard of The Hilltop Hoods in 2003, when I was sent an mp3 of "The Nosebleed Section", and been hooked sense. Its been a joy to watch their evolution.

Which is why its no surprise that I rather enjoy the innovative "State Of The Art" which though remaining true to its roots in Aussie Hip Hop, broadens and expands and at times crosses into other genres, in a sense its a concept album hidden as a rap album thats abit more aggressive then what most of us are used too from the hoods, but don't let the harder edge turn you off, the album is the same awesome mix of perfectly crafted beats and both meaningful and innovative lyrics, even their freestyles are unlike what we get here in the states, as a child from the tail end of the first generation of hip hop, I enjoy that. But enough of that, lets get into the tracks shall we?

The album starts with "The Return", a nice Run DMC style rock mixed with rap beat where the group freestyles their reintroduction after being off for three years, its a great track that sets the tone for the album, a perfect opener I think. The second track is called "Super Official" and is a return to whats made the hoods loved by true hip hop lovers the world over, a nice easy to listen too party friendly track that just begs to be put on repeat. and played through some big speakers. Next is "Chase That Feeling", the album's first single, which was a nice choice, a really nice opening that sounds kind of like "Kung Fu Fighting" played on a piano, the track is a great easy to listen too track about the tribulations of life and what it means for everyone to chase their dreams, you actually find yourself repeating this one afew times when you first hear it, its just awesome and vintage hoods. Following that is "She's So Ugly", a battle rap thats just so straight for your head its just brilliant, the song is their commentary on the current state of hip hop the world over and how radio is slanting toward "radio friendly" american pop hop, its similar to Downsyde's song about the same subject, but I still love it. Next song is "Still Standing" a great bass heavy party track with an awesome hook that you find youself singing along too by the end while you nod your head to the beat of the awesomely smooth groove that makes you kind of wanna get up and dance, I do love this track so very much. Following that is "Classic Example", a nice freestyle track with american rapper Pharoahe Monch, who makes his first apperance on a song sense 2007, which is a big surprise for me, I'm a big fan of Monch's complex delivery and slant toward the more intelligent lyrics, much like most rappers that aren't from the states, he blends well with the hoods on this track, its got a nice jazzy beat and a nice flow all over all. Next song is "Chris Farley", a song that names off many different famous people of note that are dead, and their desire to gain that level of legend like rappers, singers, and actors known for living a hard lifestyle before them, the chorus on this is just so catchy that you don't realize how far into the song you are by the time you start feeling it completely, brilliant. After that is "The Light You Burned", which starts out with a catchy little sample that I can't really seem to find who does it, but I'd like too, the beat has that sort of rock meets rap beat, which is fast tempo and goes for the head right off, the hoods flow keeps up that pace from the onset, and doesn't really let up, this is another of those great play it on a loud sound system tracks, even if it is basically a break up song, I always enjoy when you can make a song about breaking ups and it be so awesome you have to play it loud and often, its just so catchy that you can't not do it. Next on the list is "Parade of The Dead", a nice hard edged track with a very unique beat, that normally I'd see MCs stumble over, but not the hoods, its a nice hard edged freestyle, which seems to be abit of a theme on this album, but i don't really mind it, its actually a nice change of pace after their last album, it shows they're growing as artists, which I always love. Next is "Last Confession", a nice "redemption track", which is kind of a staple of the Hilltop Hood albums, a smooth laid back jazzy beat sometimes with an obscure old audio sample played in the background, this is one of those things you don't feel complete with out hearing atleast once on a hoods album, they're just so well done, smooth beat with a live piano and violin in there, meaningful interspecies lyrics that make you look inside yourself, I honestly think they're the best group in the world at this kind of track. The second to last song is "Hillatoppa", a song that starts with this nice not to fast beat and a piano beat, as the hoods muse about their place in Hip Hop and its history, its a nice track that gets you from the start and keeps you all the way through straight to the end, a great listen. The final track is "Fifty in Five", which is something really rare in hip hop, its kind of "We Didn't Start The Fire" but done in rap, its a very strange track but its also an incredibly brave track, that I sat here and listened through to repeatedly just to get the whole impact of it, that actually makes it a great choice for a final track for the disc, I love when an album ends on a high note instead of a fizzle, it shows respect and care for the craft instead of just tossing some things together at the end to make it seem like you knew what was going on.

So, the big question, is this album for everyone? I'm not really sure, I'd say its a must for hip hop fans, be it if you've not ever heard international hip hop or are a lover of the genre no matter where the artist comes from, my one downside would be that the album seems alittle like they're trying to mimic the american heavy swearing style at times, the hoods have always had afew swears in their tracks, but this is the most to date, I don't dislike that, I just think it makes it seem slightly american, if that makes sense. As for everyone else, if you are up for an interestingly different take on a genre that is both brilliant and trash at the same time depending on your exposure to it (american radio being trash, the stuff you don't hear on the radio being brilliant at times), I'd say give it a listen, you probably won't be let down, you might even find something you enjoy on here, who knows?

But, if you aren't sure still, here is a video/whatever for "Chase That Feeling", for some reason the actual video for the song is unable to be embedded, which sucks, so this is the closest to thing to it, I can gather, it still lets you hear the song, so not a total loss.



Artist: Hilltop Hoods
Album: State Of The Art
Genre: rap, hip hop, australian hip hop, freestyle hip hop
Homepage: Hilltophoods.com
Myspace: Hilltop Hoods on Myspace
Download: Album Download Here


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BC

A Bitch Called Hip Hop - Tomahawk

And to conclude my week or so long vibe on hip hop, I figure I'll go with one of the more raw MCs I've found out there, that would be Tomahawk, a rapper who either on his own, or with his group Clandestien, always brings 100% to what he does, his delivery is raw and angry, though, his accent sometimes gets in the way of the actual lyrics, but don't let that bother you, the skill is there and thats what matters, least that what true fans would believe anyway, after all thats what hip hop is about, the lyrics and the beats and the marriage they have. Tomahawk's crew, Clandestien, are kind of like an aussie version of Living Legends or (going back afew years) canada's Monolith, meaning they all are solo artists, who flow amazingly together and will do albums together just so they can rhyme, most of them are infact represented on this album, which is great. Their style as a whole is kind of in your face social conscious themes done in street level dialect.



This is Tomahawk's second album, though most argue its the better of the two, which is infact why I'm reviewing it. It starts off well, with an over 6 minute introduction track thats ment to be metaphorical of his "marriage" to hip hop and how he loves it, but it doesn't seem to love him back right now, its rather symbolic of many an MC's complained these days, I find it rather raw and to the point personally, but thats just me, I'm like that. the second track is "Straight Outta Tragged Corridor" a battle track that makes you wanna go beat someone up to it, he's joined on this track with Layla, a female MC I'd like to hear more of, its also got one of the best MC diss lines I've ever heard "the only friends you have exist on myspace" which kind of takes a shot at how anyone who thinks they can rap can get tons of "fame" just by having a myspace account. Next is "The Sith Lord" where in Tomahawk drops verses as his alter ego, Darth Hawk, metaphorically calling mics lightsabers, which isn't so bad, I rather like the track, even if the batman/robin line seems out of place, still a great song honestly. Next is "Spoken Homing Beacon" which has a lovely amped up beat to it, the verses themselves are pretty well done, following his theme of being angry with hip hop as a whole, I like that he keeps to the theme instead of just tossing random stuff together and calling it an album, thats always bothered me, when an album makes no real statement, that is after all what hip hop is about, making a statement. Next is "I'm Sorry I Hate You" again with Layla on this track, which makes me just wanna hear a whole album of hers even more, again following the theme that hawk is mad with hip hop and what its become, though I love the use of the "baby love" sample, still Layla is the stand out on this one, lovely. Followed by "Cry Me A River" again with Layla, who at this point on is on just about every track and the album's first appearance by the lovely Porsah Laine, hawk's lyrics hit hard and boom off like bullets out of a sniper's gun as he freestyles, leading into Porsah's sexy vocals which lead into Layla's vocal, you get the feeling of an old smokey club in an inner city in a 1940s film nior gangster movie, just brilliant. Next is the song that first made me wanna find this album, "Love 2 Love Ya", a lovely sample of song of the disco song of the same name, on which hawk and layla go verse for verse in whats almost a mixtape must track, this is one you wanna turn up loud and repeat. Next song is "Now I'm In The House", a "chillin' with the crew" track, its got a killer bassline the lyrics just bang, Layla's verse is almost like a sexy panther stalking around her pray waiting for the moment to go for the kill move. Its followed by the very sexy "At The Strippers" which has a beautiful sample of that awesome classic "black velvet" which porsah laine just drops the sexiest vocals I've heard on a rap track in a very long time, completely amazing, even for a song about a strip club. From here the album follows the same theme, the angry self and outwardly introspective tracks by hawk, layla and porsah laine, beautiful samples that aren't what you'd assume from a rap album, and beats that bang so hard you almost sad when its over, beautiful disc, beautiful statement, and in the end, a beautifully dark love letter to a bitch called hip hop.



My only real compliant about the album is that there aren't more people from Clandestien on the album, for anyone thats aware of who they are, and how they sound together, you'll feel let down in that respect, but still love the disc because of how onpoint the three featured here are. I can see why it would have few though, one would love to stand on their own and make their own sales, not just sell because of who else is on their disc. Other then that though, I've nothing but love for this disc and what it stands for. I can see how many might get put off by hawk's overly angry delivery, but well, when you're angry, you deliver angry, its just how it goes, you know? Definitely a must listen if you've not actually heard it yet.


Here is the video to Introduction for those who want a sample...




Artist: Tomahawk w/Layla and Porsah Laine
Homepage: N/A
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/tomahawksbx and http://www.myspace.com/clandestienclan
Genre: Rap/Bass/Aussie Hip Hop/
Download: Here


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BC

The Grey Space - Horrorshow

As I've stated before, I'm really picky about my hip hop, to the extent I present to you the group "Horrorshow" out of Sydney Australia, with their debut album "The Grey Space", which i guess you could list as "new age rap" which is what they themselves call it, and i guess that fits for lack of a more to the point description or someone to list them as similar too. Though if I had to pin them down, I'd say its kind of like if the Boats did hip hop. And well, those of you who have been following us for awhile know just how much I love the boats and reserve comparison for those who truly deserve it. I'm not trying to sell you on it when I tell you right now, if you give this album a listen you WILL be blown away, there is no way around it.



This is one of those albums that just feels so awesome that you don't realize you've listened to the whole thing till you've come to the end, there are gems like "All Summer Long" that are just beautiful, a lovely uptempo blues hop track that lets the beat showcase just as much as the vocals, which I love, its like most of their songs honestly, a nice long mellow laid back bit of brilliance. Other major stand outs on this album are "Celapram" which has an incredible Jeff Buckley reference in it which made me roll back the player and listen to it afew times over just because of how it seemed together perfectly over the "ready or not" style eerie bassbeat, "Choose None" with rapper Just Enuf, a nice fast pace track that will have you nodding your head and turning it up because you'll just feel it. Other songs include the track "Days Past" which is just a beautiful jazz hop track thats got a great laid back beat that gets deep meaningful hip hop love story lyrics laid down over it, just amazing, its one of my favorites on the entire album, and believe me, finding a favorite was really hard to settle on. This whole disc is seriously full of gems, I'm not kidding, songs like "Dire Straits Pt. 1" which I could make a good argument for being the best rap song made this year, even though its only like 2 minutes and 30 seconds or so long. Both versions of "No Rides Left" are awesome beyond words, I love the flow, the piano beat, you couldn't believe this is their debut album with tracks like this, it shows awareness of having to have "radio style singles" that will get the masses hooked but not distort the album and its flow, not many artists do that, they'll just toss singles in and not care they don't fit the album's theme. It really is hard to not give you way to much of the album, but the rest I'll leave a mystery, after all, a fun album isn't as fun if you have a roadmap of what its gonna all be as you're doing it.



Now for the big question, do I think everyone will like this album? Yes, I think that this album, and more like it, should be more prominent in hip hop the world over, and should be given airplay, as to show the world that hip hop isn't all the horribly clitche violent "gangsta" stuff that gets forced down our throats. It shows that there is always room to grow and that hip hop is not dead as an artform, so yes, I believe that anyone, should they give it a listen will enjoy this. I know i did.

Sorry I couldn't find a video of them, but if you want a sample, their myspace has a fair amount of them to give you an idea.

Artist: Horrorshow
Homepage: http://www.elefanttraks.com
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/horrorshowcrew
Album: The Grey Space
Genre: Hip Hop/Australian hip hop/D.I.Y Music/Blues Hop/New Age Rap/Jazz/Blues
Download: Here


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BC

Trevor's House - Dallas Frasca and Her Gentleman

Not to long ago, a blues singer I know introduced me to an artist she was rather fond of, given her rough and raw delivery and driving hooks and backing, she called it "dirty down under mississippi delta blues", which, being the blues man I am at heart, drew my attention. The band she introduced me too was Dallas Frasca and Her Gentleman, a blues duo from Pambula, New South Wales, Australia, though by listening to Dallas' voice, you'd never know that. their style is kind of a amalgam of sub genres of blues and old school rock with the modern heartfelt female power ballading women of today's rock. Its kind of like if Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin formed a band, musically and vocally, with Dallas both singing and doing guitar, while her gentlemen as it were, picks up the rest, vocally, Dallas seems to be somewhere in a class of her own, as a woman who was self taught by means of a radio who was her only company on 12 hour shifts as a lab tech, has a stand alone sound that shifts effortlessly from soft and beautiful to raw and an almost thunderous Battlecry on the gruff and hard edged tracks.



These reasons are why, of Dallas' few albums to her name, I picked "Trever's House" as the one to showcase here, it swings the entire length of Dallas' spectrum as an artist, from slow and beautiful to harsh and guitar driven, to everything in between. I've always believed an album should be a trip around the universe in sound, not just a drive around the block in your grandmother's old car just to show off for the neighbors, in that respect i wasn't let down once with this disc. The album starts out with "Define Addiction" a slow starting track that builds to these beautiful hard rock guitar hooks that crash and boom like thunderheads in the night sky, lovely start track, very smart choice. Followed by "No Coincidence" a lovely hard driving rock track, its very reminiscent of those grandus 1970s rock ballads you'd find as an album track on a Led Zepplin album, just on a shorter scale, lovely as well. Next is "rejuvenation" which is infact my favorite track on this disc, i find myself singing the hook at odd times, and the music is awesome, I love the 1940s mambo style beginning that goes into one of those trippy late 60s british rock style tracks, it actually had me kind of dancing in my chair, which, not easy to do.



The rest of the album expands from there, high energy booming guitars, driving drums and well constucted hooks and lyrics. As I listen to her I get a feeling like I'm at this smokey little club in Oz and just watching in awe of the power and drive the band has, which is what really sells the album, its that feeling that this is what they live for, what they love and what they can't breath with out, their desire to sound like no one thats out today, mixed with improvisation and knowing when to put the right songs in the right places, just make them a joy to listen too, another stand out track on the album is "positive contagious" which might be the most mellow song on the whole disc honestly, I love how there is no real growling, or howling, or power ballading, its just nice mellow music with nice mellow vocals as well, beautiful track, its follow up is "One Cent" which has this amazing blues rock song with guitar beats that are like rough hot sex in music form, with vocals that match it perfectly, the song also gets points for the word "shitabyss" which is a lovely reference to the canadian cult tv show Trailer Park Boys, where it was introduced.



There are more tracks on the album, but I have this sort of "you have to listen too it instead of me telling you about it" kind of feeling on it, I mean would you want to tell someone about a rollercoaster ride or would you rather put them in the cart and make'um ride that bad boy with you? Yeah, its conflicting that way, I wanna rave about it, but i don't wanna ruin the surprises. I would say though, everyone should have a listen to this, atleast once, the journey it takes you on is just so beautiful to the ears. Beautiful music by a beautiful and unique woman, which I hope you all will enjoy.

as for kind of a sample... well, I couldn't find a video from this album, but I did find a video of Dallas doing "Old Fashion Morphine" which will give you an idea of her vocals.



Artist: Dallas Frasca and Her Gentleman
Hompage: http://www.dallasfrasca.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/dallasfrascamusic
Album: Trevor's House
Genre: Rock/Blues/Old School Rock
Download: click this

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BC

Elijah Drop Your Gun by Mieka Pauley

Afew months ago I borrowed the "10 Tracks" concept from my fellow contributor BC, and brought you all some music by one of my favorite artists, Mieka Pauley, a singer/songwriter/hot chick with a guitar from my hometown, the indie music mecca Boston Massachusetts, and to follow that up, I'm proud to bring you her latest album "Elijah Drop Your Gun" a title taken from the song "Run" which is as stated my last time out with her, is a personal favorite of mine. This time though, Mieka's taken a different turn form her down to earth basement studio style thats gained her critical acclaim and awards for so many years. This is a more stylistic and radio geared Mieka Pauley sound, and though I do miss the style I've come to love over these many years of watching her live, listening to her albums and downloading live shows, I don't overly mind the musical risks she's taking on this album. Plus every good artist knows that its a smart thing to change up their style just abit every few years anyway as to keep from getting stale or stagnant in their genre. So though afew songs probably shouldn't have been changed, over all this album is solid, incredibly done and takes Mieka's music to another level all together, which brings her just abit closer to finally being the success she deserves to be.

The album starts out with a new more rockish version of "All Of The Same Mistakes" which transitions well from a slow sad blues song into a somewhat angry chick rocker style which actually brings the song out more. the second song is "Be Like the Man" which is a pretty nice little southern rock style song, you wouldn't think Mieka's voice would lend well to a song thats music sounds like something akin to "Bad To The Bone" but it does, it really comes through when she starts bringing out the more angry tone to her voice near the end then drops back to her normal tone, this is followed by "Secret" which becomes a very upbeat but still sexy song over its simplistic guitar style of before, I love this song's transformation really. The next song is "Bravely" which goes from a somewhat uninteresting song into a very beautiful bit of music written over lyrics that make more sense with the new arrangement, love when a song makes me see it in a new light like that. The next song is 9:45, one of her newer songs I've not exactly heard enough of it to really judge any of its versions, but i'd assume its about getting up and running away in the middle of the night, if thats so the music on the studio version works so well with it as that, its the kind of thing you'd hear in a movie when a woman's trying to get away from an abusive relationship. The next one is "Devil's Got My Secret" not alot was changed for this, a piano is more pronounced and secondary guitars, but honestly, this song is so beautiful that anything they do to it is just amazing, it really is. Followed by "Fate Day By Day" which has become sort of a signature song for Mieka, its updated well but i'm still more in love with the latest live version of it, just so great.. the next one is "Stronger" another of her signature tracks, I rather enjoy this one's new take, the crashing guitars fit the chorus so well not much was done other then that to it from its original form, but still a very nice listen. The next song is "Run" the track which the album's name comes from, and though i love the bluesy "hunter" feel of the original version of the song, I am slowly gaining love for this more pop friendly version that just seems so, different, i understand what she's doing with the song and all, but, dunno just doesn't seem to fit 100% for me, but thats ok opened mindedness is key to life. the last two songs, "Left To God" and "Draped In Blue" though great songs live, seem so much more deep and meaningful in their new forms, no idea why but they just speak so much more, truly beautiful songs they are.

All and all as long as you aren't one of those closed minded "it must always be the same" kind of music fans and aren't open to new takes or ideas then this album isn't for you if you're a fan of Mieka's work before now. BUT, if you are open minded and willing to watch as a great artist comes into her own voice and her own musical space, then this album will be great for you, its not too pop for us not mainstream lovers and its not too indie that mainstream people will go "eww this isn't top 40 so it sucks" though really no one cares what anyone that thinks that way thinks anyway.. I would say this is the kind of album that everyone should atleast give a listen too, you might love it, you might like it, you might hate it, but its still something you could give a listen too just so you know..

here are some sample tracks and a video

All Of The Same Mistakes

Run



and the video for "Secret"

Artist: Mieka Pauley
Myspace: Here
Homepage: here
Album: Elijah Drop Your Gun
Year: 2007
Genre: Indie/Rock/Blues/Pop
Download: Elijah Drop Your Gun by Mieka Pauley

By: Just A Simple Poet

Mira Craig - Tribal Dreams

I was excited to recently come into ownership of Mira Craig's second album, most of you recall my overly raving review of the Norwegian hotness in a can's debut album, and I was waiting for her second time around to see if the queen of do it yourself music could return with the same or better then she did the first time around, and I must tell you, she did not disappoint, as I assumed she wouldn't, she did infact, grow, there is alot of maturity and growth in this second release Tribal Dreams, and I assume that she will continue to grow. There are heavy influences of American hip hop, Eurodance, Drum and Bass, and like 5 different types of Latin music, obviously her time on tour with American and Spanish acts through out Europe has helped her... well more then that knee shattering stagedive did anyway.

Now lets get into the album itself shall we? It starts out with an introduction track as most albums do, I rather like this because its very dark and sinister (more sinister then Nathanial Essex even!) drum and bass meets horror movie score kind of thing with Mira's eerie upper range mixed in for a chorus of just the right feel. The first actual track on the album is "Dada", a very upbeat jazzy bass track thats very dance friendly, sure the track is about sex and the lyrics are very suggestive in their own unconventional way, but still, an awesome track. The second track is "Leo" the defining track of the album, don't get all wigged out, I just mean defining in this is the track that you'll be hearing for years in clubs nonstop, not that its the peak of the disc, Leo is your standard issue club dance track that is gonna get women all over the world up on the dancefloor shaking the junk in their trunks better then any song this year will, the track just drips pools of American hip hop and Latin dance all over the floor around your speakers. The next track is "Fatty Girl" another song thats gotten alot of air play through out the world, well the world thats not the US anyway, damn US radio and its blandness, this track is very American hip hop influenced, you can hear alot of her time touring with Snoop Dogg in this one, even over its thick guitar heavy dirty south style beat that blows the top of your head off, the heartbeat baseline ending is awesome as well. The next song is "Dream", a very nice acoustic guitar and bass track which has Mira proving again the differences in her range, she goes from her normal deep vocal to her higher church chorus vocal range as well, she runs the whole gambit in a very nice love song about her dreams of this guy who she's really into. Thats followed by "Look At Me Now" a very sexy song, akin to snake charmer off her first album, that sexy Turkish/Trinidad traditional meets club beat over a very sexy song thats also one of her more empowering and positive songs, I love how she can mix lyrics about being a strong woman and enough sexuality to remind you just how this song is ment to be danced too into one song so perfectly. Next is "I'm So Ghetto" the beat is something like a mix of dirty south American rap and something like Jill Scott, which might not sound right, but I have to tell you, this works, she also pays homage to her father's home of Baton Rouge Louisiana on this, the track might sound like a skip over or album filler to some, but I see it for what it is, an experiment and attempt to grow her style and grow as an artist, I love it just for that alone. Its followed up with "Run and Hide" which is kind of mix of tribal, call and response and angry American hip hop, the beat to this track is just so amazing, the chorus is as well, a definite favorite. This is followed by "What My Name" one of those tracks that is just booming high level blast out of your speakers awesome, very much in this new club meets hip hop and Latin and jamacian dancehall that Mira has created through out this disc, this is kind of the song you expect to see a fight scene or a boxing match between two women set too, its just complete booming bad ass kick you in the mouth and make you spit out teeth music, I love it! Next is "Tell Me", which is as close to a downtempo track as you'll get on this album, its very sexy and very seductive in its own way, this is the kind of song you see a very hot sex scene in one of those movies where the whole time you're waiting for the two main characters to get together, its almost to sexy for this album really, meaning that it almost doesn't fit the feel of the rest of it, if that makes sense. The last song is "My Lion King", another of the sexy bass heavy Turkish/Trinidad snake charmer style slow dance tracks mixed with bit of europian traditional guitar and African drums in there as well, and unfortunately, when you're all prepped up and ready for a second disc, it doesn't happen, the album ends on this track and you're left wanting more.

As a whole I believe Tribal Dreams is a big step forward for Mira as an artist, she's kept true to what made her stand out to me from the first album, built upon that and made it more polished as well as infused more international styles learned from those who she's worked with the world over, and added more drum and bass and club style tracks to her arsenal as well. My only complants about the album would be there is no slower side, last time around we had afew slow, almost diva style R&B tracks that show Mira's vocal range with out the booming and swelling backing music, i did miss that given that she really has an incredible range, I was also hoping for atleast one track with someone else, not saying that Mira needs help or anything because she most definitely does not, but it would be interesting at this point to see what Snoop Dogg or Wyclef or Timberland or one of the other musicians she's met and gained the respect of the world over could do side by side with her, I was almost fiending for maybe a middle eastern style dance track with Nancy Ajram or Ruby, or a reggatron track with Ivy Queen (sorry Tamara lol), or maybe a Japanese style dance track with Ayumi Hamasaki, or even one of them all girl hip hop remixes with maybe MC Trey, Mia Jupiter, Jean Grae, and afew other under respected and unknown to most female rappers.. but in any event, the album is still a great leap forward and an incredible listen.

Do I think this album is for everyone? Hell yes. Mira makes some of the best music in the modern era and has never been a let down for me, add to it that she's the best selling do it yourself artist, meaning she makes everything and records in her home all by herself, that just adds to the awesomeness that she has and shows just how dedicated to her craft she is. That alone deserves respect, if not atleast giving her your ear for alittle while. I said it before and I still say it now, I want and expect big things from her and many years of music as well, I don't think i'm gonna be let down. Give her a try if you haven't already.



Tribal Dreams by Mira Craig

Artist: Mira Craig
Album Tribal Dreams
Genre: Dancehall,Drum and Bass,Hip Hop,Latin House,Latin Dance,Reggatron,Eurodance,Turkish Dance,Trinidad Dance,Rap,DIY Music


By: BC

Redikuluz: A First Look

Afew years ago, all of us here at surreal soundz crossed paths with an up and coming rapper from out of the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada area, a rapper who calls himself Redikuluz, and we've been lucky enough to watch his progression from a young man who had flow, to a young man who works day and night to make his craft something that though unorthodox compared to what we here in the states find in our underground, and isn't exactly like anything you'd find in the UK underground either, he is, in alot of ways, a musically created singularity in a the mostly untapped hip hop world of the great north.

The first thing you must understand when listening to a track by Redikuluz, or Redz for short, is that he has a delivery unlike anyone you have ever heard, its useless to try and figure out who influenced him or who he's based his flow off, there is no one. Second thing you need to understand is, his content is very similar to a Mos Def of Common Sense, everything from depressed children, to single parents, to suicidal thoughts to faith in god and enough freestyle to make things interesting when listening. I should also mention that afew of the 15 tracks in this are with his former crew SCA (Soul City Allstars), and alot have other local rappers and singers from around the greater Vancouver area.

Some stand out tracks for me personally, "A Story of Billy", one of his more recent tracks, but its a good starting point so you can see just how far Redz has come in a scant few years of recording, its the story of Billy (duh!), a lonely kid who's spent alot of time in his room writing lyrics and working on his flow and how it eventually paid off for him and how at the end, you can gain everything but still be empty inside, a sad but true fact. Another is "Sandy Lou" a track about a single mother where he's joined by the very vocally gifted Gina Yorston, Sandy Lou is the story of a woman who grows up the daughter of drug addicts and how she lives through her live that becomes sex and drugs, and then eventually becomes pregnant, as often in those cases, and how she takes a second chance to become so much better then the life she was raised into. Make no mistake Redz is in perfect form but so is Gina on this, I remember how I was blown away when i first heard how good it was, this is one of those early career defining tracks right here. "Still Ain't Happy" is a song which Redz does with fellow rapper H.Notik, who is also rather gifted, sounds abit like a southern style rapper, maybe one of the ones from Nappy Roots, can't place who exactly, the song is about how you have to stand tall through the struggles that we all go through everyday and the things one has to go through to get to where they want to be, I always loved the beats on the track, it fits so perfectly with their lyrics and delivery. "I'm A Warrior" is another favorite of mine, its a complete detour from Redz normal flow, its alot faster over a very fast blockparty breakdancing circle beat. Its your standard "Don't fuck with me" track, but like everything Redz does, there is more thought put into the lyrics and is far from your normal "fuck you nigga cause I can" fair you find normally in tracks of this nature in the modern hip hop world. I also included my favorite track of his, "Still Standing", this track for me, was the harbinger of what Redikuluz would grow to become, knowing his story behind it and knowing this song is, of sorts a rebirth for him and his craft, it speaks more about Redz and what he's gone through then anything else, though simplistic in compare to alot of his newer tracks, I still find it my favorite.

I included a very good mix of his work spanning from few year back to as recent as last week and afew freestyles he did just for fun, to give you a full idea of what kind of artist Redikuluz is, and the length that he's come even though he's not fully at his peak yet, i am infact putting this out because I believe that though there is still a long road for him before getting to where he will be by the time he matures as an MC, there is really no harm in giving a guy that lives for his music and works harder then most rappers selling millions, his first props.

So give Redz a try if you want something thats completely unlike any rapper you've heard, or if you want to remember what REAL hip hop is.

Redikuluz: A First Look

Artist: Redikuluz
Genre: Hip Hop,Breakbeat,Christian
Album: 15 Track Compilation


By: BC

Aloan - Better In Springtime

Aloan is a acid jazz trip hop band out of Geneva Switzerland, who after the release of their third album, "Better in Springtime" are starting to gain a following throughout Europe and making their way to the more enlightened ears through out the Americas and the Eastern world as well. They have a sort of unique mix of styles who makes them stand out from many of the others in their field. A delightfully refreshing mixture of blues, jazz, trip hop, rap, ambient, classical, and soul with small hints of atmosphere tossed in there where it just makes it gold. Its no wonder that "Better in Springtime" is being called the album which will get them noticed.

The album starts out with a beautiful acid jazz track called "One Dance for Destiny" a song that reminds me alot of Eryka Badu in both vocals and in music, a truly beautiful track about giving one last chance with someone she just can't give up, incredibly done, the right mix of old and new, great way to start off an album, and also the best way to set the tone that will carry through to entire disc, many times through out your musical journey you'll find yourself coming back to this, normally with some incredibly well done rap put in there too, from there we jump to two club ready disco tracks "Rise" and "The Good Day" both great in their own respects, though i would personally give the edge to "The Good Day" but thats just me. From there we go to "In Time" a very mellow downtempo acid bluestronica track, all the things you need for a good track are here, the beat, the perfectly done vocals, the right touches to the music at the right moments, just beautifully done. the next track bring us back to the style from the start of the disc again but with alittle more aggressive this time "I'm Your Tears" its called, the beat is hypnotic and the rap is dropped in at just the right spots, very well done. "I'll Never Be A Woman" is a very dark and smokey electronica song hidden as a blues song, I love the bridge of this, it just drives me insane with how great it is, this is the kind of song you would find as the background music in the sex scene of some indie movie, its just amazing. "Tonight I'll Kill You" is probably the harshest track on the album, and about as close to angry aggressive rap you'll find on here, which I like, not that I mind harsh hard rap, but well, this just makes the concept awesome, not bad for a song about not really believing in god I think, angry rap that makes you think, who knew that was possible in this day and age eh? From there we jump downtempo again with "Hopefully" a very lovely song that starts out with this great classical and piano bit, which highlights the vocals to a level thats almost acapella, which makes me wonder just how great it would have sounded that way, as the song progresses you find bits of crashing almost nightwish like guitars tossed in at the right spots, and an angry bit of rap tossed in, this is a song is a true adventure in sonic manipulation and I love it for that! "Get On Top" is a very awesome base heavy lowrider ready rap track thats just awesome and would get played on any rap station anywhere in the world and get tons of play, course that'll never happen, but hey, a guy can dream right? "Dreaming" is a nice contrast to the track before, a very lovely track that again brings us back to the flavor from the begining of the album, there are more hints of the trip hop and electronic in this one though, I love how they expand the sonic envelope abit, then come back to the feel at the start again, its such a great trip to be taken on. "Sick Little Doll" sounds alot like a soul song straight out of the 1970s golden age of soul, there are bits of Tammy Tarell and later career Diana Ross before she started doing horrible disco tracks in there, and little bits of Roberta Flack and Minnie Riperton in there too, very nice, I also love how it was run through a filter to give it that old scratchy record feel, it just adds to just how great this is. "We Got What You Want" is a really nice autobiographical track, its a very middle eastern infused laid back rap track that jumps between the bands history to political fuses to just plain boombastic hip hop. The album ends with "Better in Springtime", a lovely track that starts out like a blues song and ends up something akin to "Black Velvet" that great one hit wonder track by the underated and shouldn't be forgotten but is Alannah Myles, its a lovely end to an album that takes us all over the musical map and leaves us wanting more.

I'm not sure if everyone will like this, I know I did, and I would guess that most people would give it a chance, there is after all something for everyone in it, which is a rarity in the world of music these days, I would even go far enough to say its actually worth going and buying a copy of it, but to a sad end, most music shops probably wouldn't have something this obscure, shame too. Give it a try, see if you like it, they've got two other albums out there if you like this one.

Aloan - Better in Springtime

Artist: Aloan
Album: Better In Springtime
Genre: Trip Hop,Electrojazz,Jazz,Blues,Bluestronica,hip hop,Disco,Club


by: Just A Simple Poet

10 Tracks with Mieka Pauley

Mieka Pauley, for just about 8 or so years now, has been a long standing fixture of the Boston area indie club scene, she's also toured the country and opened for Edwin McCain if I recall correctly as well, she's one of those acts you hear and you wonder why when artists who are like her, people like Sarah McLaughlin and Jewel and others of that type, though deserving in their own rights, are out there selling out theaters and concerts the world over, why isn't Mieka doing the same? This idea comes through my head alot when listening to her music infact, but then I remember, sometimes, for an artist, staying low key and not making it to the headline spot, sometimes is more rewarding.... so with that said, I give you my 10 songs to let you make up your mind about this beautiful and talented young singer...

1. Blunt: Blunt in Mieka's words, is an angry song about playing shitty clubs for shitty and drunk people all over the country, she tends to tell a really funny story about how she came to write it, however this version doesn't have that, I went with the better quality recording instead this time. Blunt is basically her answering every crap line she's been given in a very sarcastic manor, the title "Blunt" in in reference to the chorus where in she sings about hitting people with her guitar. "If this guitar wasn't so expensive, and I didn't need it night and day, it would make a pretty good blunt object, to make you back away..", I give it a 10 for style and content, as well as style for the obscure Quickdraw McGraw/El Kabong reference it brings to mind.

2. Devil's Got My Secret: This is one of those songs where Mieka's fragile side comes through more then most would find comfortable, this, like many of her songs, is her lamenting over her secret love for someone whom she either never spoke too or has lost for some reason yet still loves. Its a deep emotional song that cuts deep for more people then you would think, "The Devil's got my secret, he promised not to tell, I left it for safe keeping, I'll pick it up in hell" as the chorus says, her voice mixed with the lyrics and downplayed background music makes this a work of art.

3. Fate Day By Day: This is one of the first songs of Mieka's I'd heard, and still one of my favorites, its her singing about her outlook on life and the things you take and the things you miss as well, "I will not wait, I will not wait, for what the world may not create" she sings, and I find this to be so true about so many things, this was also the only track off her demo to make it on her first album (2000's Mieka Pauley), though I went with the version done on a college radio show in Boston from I believe 2003 or there abouts because i like her voice on it better then the studio recording.

4. Fields of Gold: This is a live "cover of Eva Cassidy covering Sting" as Mieka claims, I think if anything this lovely cover, shows how much like the great Eva this young girl really is, its not just a statement about how well she can do the song, its a statement of who's place in the music industry she could rightly fill of she so wished. Its truely beautiful.


5. I wanna see the City: this is one of those great songs that I've only been able to find one version of her singing, this was taken from the same radio show Fate Day By Day was taken from, and is a song of her looking out over a large city and wondering what is really out there, not just what is put out for the tourists to see, but the real city, the real heart and soul of it, wondering just what there really is out there or if its all just facade and there isn't anything else to see.

6. Left To God: this song is a very introverted look at herself and those around her, and to an extent the world around her as well, she challenges herself and her ideas of life and religion and what life is really like for everyone, the unfairness and the luck some have, as well as the power and weak of the world. "I have heard thunder loud as god is great, where everyone ran inside weather or not it rained, I knew a devil he was white as any saint, he fell right through the ground where Lucifer remains..." she sings in the third verse, I find the deepness of these lines abit scary at times.

7. Spirit: This song is about life, death and being alone, some could even argue it could be seen as a suicide song if they wanted, it speaks of her travels and how she's gone this distance in life alone, and how at the very end, when she feel like giving up given how weak her spirit seems, she still has the willpower to try and carry on. I've never been sure if she is singing about life after death, or just carrying on with very little willpower or depression in general, either way, this is and will always be a beautiful song that will strike a chord with most.

8. Daydream: Daydream is maybe my all time favorite of hers, its a song of a love she never had, and as anyone can tell you, the love you daydream of but never say anything of because of fear and depression believing they don't feel the same as you, "have you ever spent your nights dreaming of someone you could not call your own? I close my eyes in a little daydream, and I pretend that you can love me, and I pretend that you are mine" she sings, this is truly one of the greatest love songs ever written I believe.

9. Companion to a King: this is one of the best tracks off her demo, why its never gone past that I'll never know, its excellent, the best way to describe it, think a song as masterfully written as "Let Her Cry" by Hootie and the Blowfish (you know, before they got lame) but told by a woman instead of a man, its the story of a woman who just can't leave a man who ignores her most of the time and hardly speaks to her, its a very sad tale but also a very well written one as well. Her guitar strumming even brings the emotional frustration of the lyrics through, simply great.

10. Run: Run is a song off her demo that saw play on a NEMO (New England Music Organization) compilation put out by Starbucks of all places afew years back, and where the title to her soon to be released second album "Elijah Drop Your Gun" came from, I like to call it a "Bluesy Stalker Song" because I see a scene in like, a cop movie playing out in my head as the song folds out, like the scene where the cops are chasing this guy through back alleys and stuff, its a nice mellow delta bluesy sort of feel to it.

11. When I'm in Chicago: Ok the bonus 11th song on this is because I just couldn't let this one not be put on here, this is a song looking back at a former love, she mentions various other places and who she's thinking of at that point in time, and it sort of has a feel of someone thinking back wile drinking abit, infact she jokes at the end "when i'm in Kenya i simply forget ya, when i'm in russia i'm not thinking of ya, when I'm not sober I think of your mother" to sort of hint its ment to be a sort of drunken looking back wile in the city of Chicago. Its a lovely little song and a lovely little highnote end to this set...



i hope you all enjoy, I do believe that anyone who hears Mieka will grow to like her, if not love her music, it just has this sort of sound that strikes everyone to it, its hard to explain really, but you just have to hear her and hear what she's saying, her voice and her lyrics truly are a gift for all to share.


10 Tracks with Mieka Pauley

Artist: Mieka Pauley
Genre: Indie,acoustic,singer/songwriter,female vocalist,folk,blues


by: Just A Simple Poet

Above The Trees by Paul Duncan

Paul Duncan is billed as, and very well could actually be, the greatest musician you've never heard of. His style is a never interesting mix of folk and acoustic rock, with elements of electronica fused in where it fits, and where you wouldn't think of finding it. Personally I think thats Paul's charm, that he does things you wouldn't always think of, and as anyone will tell you, an artist that keeps you excited and guessing on what their next move is, and how their going to end a song, such a nice distraction from the modern standard flair precut stuff they pass off as "indie" alot of times these days.

Its hard to break up his new album "Above the Trees" into single tracks for a write up, seeing as it seems you were ment to listen to them all one after another as it sort of tells a story of things that happen with in a picturesque secluded valley somewhere away from the rest of the world and the cares of the big city. which is ironic given that he's from Brooklyn if i recall. But, whatever works works, thats the way i see things. Its interesting, listening to Above the trees as I write this, its very, captivating, it draws you in and kind of makes you want to listen to more, if for no other reason then to see how the album ends. I love when that happens, and I love when its done by well crafted and well made albums more so. I find myself respecting Paul more and more as an artist as I listen as well, and I find myself getting abit angry that there is so little of him available both in shops and on the net.

I will say that some of the better chapters in this story told in music are "country witch", "above the trees", and my peronal favorite "The Lake Pt 1", and that the downside is, most of the tracks on this album really only work or make sense when you play them all one after another, and that does hurt the songs, just a slight bit, but not enough for me to ever claim this is a bad album. Infact, stand alone factor aside, this is everything I would look for in an album of this kind. Its melodic, its exploitive, and its innovative too. I can't help but love it.

Do i think this is for everyone? Maybe, its definately for the explorers out there, and saddly thats why there is no way it would ever get noticed on on radio or something, but in a way, that also helps it, it makes it something rare, and something that really only those who are looking for something new will find and enjoy, so give it a shot, see how you feel.


Artist: Paul Duncan
Album: Above the Trees
Genre: downtempo,Folktronica,Melodic Electronica,Acoustic Rock

Above the Trees by Paul Duncan


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BC

White Trash Beautiful by Everlast

Everlast might be well known in some respects to many of you, either from his days as the front man for the unforgettable hip hop group House of Pain, or from his amazing blues/hip hop/rock solo album "Whitey Ford Sings the Blues" in which is fused rock, old school hip hop and rock together and made amazing tracks like "What its like" and "The ends" both of which gained him a good amount of solo success in the summer of 2000 if I remember my times correctly. Now, what most people don't know is that after that album, and the failure of his follow up album do to lack of promotion or radio support, Everlast still kept on making music. And not just music, he kept making good music. Its very hard to understand the idea of a rapper fusing blues and rock and rap together, but I guess if Kid Rock can fuse all of those things and country together and make it work, I guess anything is possible in this day and age. Now, though Everlast has done afew albums in his time since his time in the spotlight for Whitey Ford Sings The Blues and the tracks off of it, I wanted to present to you all the album that just speaks to me the most, after all, isn't that really what this is blog is for?

White Trash Beautiful is a very down to earth grass roots look at life kind of album, songs about love, relationships and how they seem to go wrong, fear of death before your time, everyday hardships that cause people to do some horrible things, and just enough old school hip hop tossed in to make things worthwhile and remind us just where Everlast came from. Its a beautifully dark picture of his world and his vision of the rest of us, and I just love it! The first track off the album starts out with "Blinded by the Sun" a lovely track about some of the darker things he's heard as he travels around, its very much like "the ends" in lyrical style, but more upbeat, I like that. The next track is "broken" a sort of love song, where you can here Everlast's vocals straining in a way that seems very fitting for this song, giving it a very human quality to this song about how he wants to make up with his girlfriend, its a really beautiful song, you should give it a listen. The next is the title track "White Trash Beautiful", a love song about a woman pregnant woman who works at a dinner, and the man who tries to drive home to her as much as possible, and the love they have. Followed by "Sleeping Alone" a lovely blues style rap song trying to get this girlfriend to come back to him while she is dodging his calls, Everlast's flow is still one of the best I've ever heard, over 15 years after "Jump Around" he still has it. "The Warning" is a nice blues club style inspirational rap track, its very hypnotic actually, I rather enjoyed it personally. "Angel" brings us back to the blues rock with a nice hip hop beat flushed in, telling the tale of how he lost the perfect woman while describing the woman he desires in life. "This Kind of Lonely" is another of those tracks that reminds you just how human and emotional Everlast's lyrics are, its a very introspective song, you feel for him by the end of it. "Soul Music" is a very dark nod head low rider angry rap track with a very nice flow to it and pays respect to those who rocked the mic with him in the 80s and those who he wanted to be like. The last few tracks on the album are standard fair for this outing following the same concepts and formula of blues, rock and hip hop all together, "Lonely Road" is my favorite of the later tracks, a sort of uplifting coming to terms with the things he was dealing with all album sort of track, a light at the end of the tunnel if you will. A nice addition.

Do I think this album is something everyone could listen too? If they're up for a unquie mixture of various types of music that you hear mixed together alot these days, but done in a style thats not exactly what sells these days, then yeah, I think this would be for everyone, I can't see why it wouldn't be actually, there is atleast one or two songs on the disc that each person can take away and enjoy near as i figure. So give it a shot, see how it goes down, and show some love from a guy who shouldn't have dropped off.


Artist: Everlast
Album: White Trash Beautiful
Genre: Blues,Hip Hop,Rock,Indie Rock,Blues Rock,Blues Hop

Everlast - White Trash Beautiful

*Half of these tracks might actually be labled as the song after them, I noticed this after already uploading the album, be aware of that please.

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BC

Bird York (aka Kathleen York)

A friend recently recommended this album to me,,I was hesitant, thinking,
ewwwww....doesn't sound like my thing, but, whewwwwwwww...I really like
this,,and hope you enjoy also. Following is a little background..from
wikipedia that i found,,......

Taken from Wikipedia

Kathleen York (aka Bird York) is an Academy Award-nominated artist singer-songwriter and actor.

After spending years in the indie circuit, York achieved global recognition with her song "In the Deep", which appears on her album Wicked Little High and was written for the 2004 film Crash. "In the Deep" debuted at #64 on the Billboard chart and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song. On March 5, 2006, York performed the song live at the 78th Academy Awards.

Her songs have also appeared in The Black Donnelys, Nip/Tuck, CSI: NY, House, In Justice and Everwood, as well as many other film and television projects including all the songs for the 2001 season of the Paul Haggis CBS series Family Law.

As an actress, York has starred in numerous film and television projects. York starred as Naomi Judd in Love Can Build a Bridge, a four hour NBC miniseries about the country singer's life. In addition, she recurred in all seven seasons of the The West Wing as Andrea Wyatt. Other credits include films with Tom Waits, Northern Lights (with Diane Keaton), Crash, Curb Your Enthusiasm and starring roles in indie films Sister Island, The Big Day, Footsteps and most recently in the 2007 Warner release Sublime opposite Tom Cavanagh. She also wrote and performed three of the film's songs. Her new cd is expected out early next year.

Album: Velvet Hour
Year: 2003

Tracks
1. Haunting You
2. Open Wider
3. Wicked Little High
4. Had a Dream
5. Save Me
6. Remedy
7. Lovely Things
8. Come Be With Me
9. Up in Flames
10. In the Deep
11. Never Gonna Find Us
12. Have No Fear

Bird York

Posted by: Sherry

The Giant Hogweed Orchestra

"Wow man....play that record again..." - Lady Bezalel, after hearing TGHO for the first time




OK now, right from the start, don't you Genesis fans get too excited. Despite the name, this Finnish band has nothing in common with the band that more than likely inspired their name. With a sound that is best classified as space/prog rock, the influences are quite clear. The band jetties forth, making some better than average progressive instrumental rock, the biggest comparisons will probably be to Pink Floyd, Camel, Frank Zappa's instrumental free jazz albums, Ozric Tentacles and even jazz legends like Stan Getz and Miles Davis. While not the most innovative band to come along this millenium, TGHO have let their influences mesh well into their sound while not coming off as mere copycats.

This is one of those rare prog bands that come along who use almost no keyboard. Some synthesizers can be heard, but very sparsely. But don't let think for a second it is in any way lacking. The overall sound of the album is still surprisingly rich as they have replaced keyboards with flute, Didgeridoo, and other world tribal instrumentations and the ever present two guitars that dominate their sound. Jyri Traskelin's flute playing is very beautiful and I see a resemblance to Andy Latimer's playing, evenIan Anderson's in a couple of places. The mood of the album is somewhat melancholic, as well expected for the genre, but it's not that dark to be honest. Most of the songs are quite mellow, only "Terästulli" is much heavier, almost space-metal on some of the parts.

"Arabia" is a very short acoustic track (0:49), the guitar has a fat great tone and the melody is quite enjoyable. However, it's the second song, "Spirals" that really gets the album going. My personal favorite from this album, although it's the most Floydian track here. Very melancholic, with lots of flute and great, emotional guitar playing. In the end there's a great climax, with a bit heavier guitar riff. "Terästulli" is clearly the heaviest track here, I don't like it as much as the other two longer tracks, but it's still quite enjoyable. There are hints of fusion and space-metal in this track. "Pelham" is a very beautiful and jazzy tune, the flute really shines here. "Halogen" is the longest track here. It's based around a simple bass-line, with the two guitars and flute almost improvising, great jamming from start to finish. There's a great moog solo in the song, approaching the canterbury/fusion field. The album ends with "Exit", which is very similar to "Arabia". A nice song with lots of flute and acoustic guitar.

This sort of music is right up my alley, and I enjoyed the album tremendously. I hope you do, too.

Band: The Giant Hogweed Orchestra
Album: S/T
Label:Mellow Records
Genre: Space Rock/Prog rock/Progressive metal

By Bez

TGHO - self titled by Bez for SurrealSoundZ