Sound & Shape - Venus [Video]

new album is out in a few weeks I guess too. I'll try and edit or post more about that soon.

Sound & Shape - Short July/August 2013 Tour

I'm just passing this along as I hope some folks are able to catch Sound & Shape on this brief tour this Summer. I might, but of course none of the dates are in Minnesota unfortunately. But I do recall Ryan mentioning to me they were going to come to Minneapolis last year (or early this year? I forget).

I would still love to see them live, but it'll have to be on a tour down the road.

It is a little odd how the 3 bands I sort of liken to each other in some ways, House of Fools, Bend Sinister and these guys, S&S are the only 1 I have not seen yet (although include Hotel of the Laughing Tree in there as well I suppose).

Tour Sampler

Tour Dates:

7/29 - Birmingham, AL @ The Nick

           w/Magnets and Ghosts

7/30 - Ocean Springs, MS @ Government Street Grocery

           w/Champion Club

7/31 - Hattiesburg, MS @ Brewsky's

           w/Magnets and Ghosts

8/1 - Shreveport, LA @ Bear's

8/2 - Tuscaloosa, AL @ Green Bar

         w/Magnets and Ghosts

8/3 - Florence, AL @ DP's

         w/An Abstract Theory

8/4 - Nashville, TN @ The High Watt

         w/Magnets and Ghosts

"The power trio Sound & Shape relies on more classic-rock stylings, and are shamelessly prog in their epic musings... The frontman has a great voice that matches the band's complex compositions..."

-By J.R. Taylor/Black&White (Birmingham, Al)

“For just three guys, Sound & Shape have a huge sound that seems to lack nothing except more attention and recognition. If bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Wolfmother can, it’s safe to say that Sound&Shape might be the next to hit it big.”

-By Jonathan Carabba/Submerge Magazine (Sacramento, Ca)

“...Sound&Shape aren’t dicking around trying to get you to bob your head. They’re there to blow your mind.”

-By Valerie Nutt/The Pulse (Murfreesboro, Tn)

“It's not hard to believe the band has been hard at work with hundreds of live shows from 2006 til today, but more incredible is their love for the music they've generated and developed.  They are astonishing.”

-By - Di Francesco Amato/Long Live Rock N Roll (IT)

Sound & Shape - Hourglass (2012)

This is somewhat unexpected at this time, they just announced last evening this is their new record and it's available now on iTunes exclusively. As they posted with this announcement on Facebook, it should be available on compact disc at shows among places eventually.



1 No Time to Explain 2:33
2 Everybody Leaves 2:42
3 Wolves in the Forest 3:45
4 Able Archer 3:06
5 The Whispering Boy 3:07
6 Signals 2:21
7 Hourglass 2:36
8 Wheels to Babylon 3:15

given who knows when I'll get to see them, and when this record will be available in other places and I want to support them I bit the bullet and downloaded this on iTunes. As much as it pains me to have to pay Apple for music, and have to convert the files. But so be it, $7.32 isn't a fortune.

Although in streaming the converted tracks on Windows Media Player just now, I'm hearing some clipping, and not of the cymbal-compression variety. I worry it's from converting the bitrate. I suppose once I burn this and listen via headphones, I'll know.

As far as impressions on this just off the bat, the style isn't incredibly different from their other music, namely 2011's Now Comes the Mystery EP. Shorter songs, and in this case, a shorter album being about 24 minutes. It's more of the length of an EP. Maybe The Love Electric will be their only work in epic length songwriting?

I was thinking earlier, I hope these guys don't go the way of a band like The Apex Theory, who made a fantastic 15 minute song/EP with Lightpost, and then the follow-up record Faces (under new name Mt. Helium) was spotty at best, and thus disappointing. The Love Electric is terrific, their debut record Where Machines End Their Lives isn't as good, but still okay.

I guess I'm hearing some moments on many of these songs, including a few with strings and horns; but I'm hoping headphones will lend to more of the *wow* factor I got from when I 1st discovered them with The Love Electric.

The Baltic Sea - Period Piece (2011)

http://balticsea.bandcamp.com/





this progressive rock band from Spain was suggested on the dredg forum the other day, and I checked out this new record of theirs. A lot of this is rather engaging. Sort of mixing bombast with ambience and melody. I might compare them to a few bands, one being Sound & Shape.

Another 2011 record, under my radar, now hearing in the stretch run. Why an Album of the Year Index almost could be done on any month of the year or rather be called Albums-of-the-last-12-months Index instead, lol

riyl: Sound & Shape, Brice Plays Drums, Yes, ...And You Will Knows Us as the Trail of Dead

my 1 beef is the last track, the 1st 3-4 minutes, the swallowing is heard way too clearly, which may make it a fast-fwd section.

Sound & Shape - Now Comes the Mystery EP (2011) (2.0)

1 Tangled in the Mane 3:29
2 Our Hollow Reasons 3:33
3 The Sacred and Profane 2:52
4 Bells at Twelve 2:52

This is a bit overdue review of this EP, especially given the band were nice enough to send me access to hearing this EP like a month ago. But I've been busy, and also as some may perceive, as much as this blog is called "allmediareviews" it is or has become much less about "reviews" specifically, and more about news or announcing information about new releases.

Not that it's not supposed to be about reviews, but truth be, I didn't actually pick the name, and it's a bit past the point of no return now to change the name. But who knows. I also wish I could write reviews better, but personally, I think my reviews aren't amazing.

But what I can say about this EP is, it's a tease in some ways. It's a decent collection of songs, that don't stray far from Sound & Shape's previous music. Some nice, subtle vocal harmonies. Tight guitar riffs. I guess it's less prog-like, in that the songs don't take huge twists or anything. And frankly, they are just shorter tunes.

But the best thing I can say about it is, even at about 12 minutes, the music has grown a bit on me, especially after finally getting to hear these songs with headphones. I didn't even notice the piano on the ballad "Our Hollow Reasons" until hearing it with headphones. Stuff like that, and even the lyrics mentioning the devil in the details and time stand still on "The Sacred and the Profane." Saigon Kick and Rush? :p Probably not, but I can't help but think of them. I recall even King's X has a song with the lyric "time stand still" like Rush.

The last track "Bells at Twelve" has probably the most memorable chorus on this.

"Brothers and Sisters, time is the same, til we can...scared, the strong and the brave. As soldiers we march on, we sing til the end, and we'll dance til the dawn"

So all in all, a nice, short collection of songs, that'll hopefully be regarded as just a sample of what's to come. As the band mentioned releasing a full-length record initially, and perhaps even later this year. I guess some of that could be due to how well this EP does. I guess my feeling is, for Sound & Shape to reach larger audiences, the crowd should still hear The Love Electric from 2009, as that grabbed me initially.

But this EP is not a bad example of them making more accessible (length) songs. If it does, I'd love to see that, as I still am surprised, especially amongst progressive rock circles, how unknown these guys are. Especially considering how much they played live just a few years ago.


Related: Sound & Shape - Now Comes The Mystery (EP) (2011) (1.0)

Sound & Shape - Now Comes The Mystery (EP) (2011) (1.0)

4/22/11 11:37AM




1. Tangled in the Mane 3:29
2. Our Hollow Reasons 3:33
3. The Sacred and Profane 2:52
4. Bells at Twelve 2:52

more to add as I've heard this thanks to the band.

3/13/11 5:55PM

May 10th. And it's an EP, not an LP. Curious about that, but it sort of supports a conversation I had with a friend of mine (who actually started a new music reviews blog of his own recently) about bands for cost, time, convenience, quality, releasing EPs more often than LPs. Pre-1966, it was more about the Single than the LP.

Maybe the EP is the compromise? Who knows, but that's for another blog entry. I am still rather excited to hear this, no matter how long or how many songs it has.


"Now Comes The Mystery out , in both physical and digital formats, May 10th!!! Please RT!"

-"Here it is folks! Our new EP,Now Comes The Mystery,will be out in both physical and digital formats on Tuesday, May 10th! More details soon!"

2/27/11 6:37PM

soundandshape twitter post

I can't give all the details quite yet, but I can say that our new record is called "Now Comes The Mystery"

1/7/11 12:01PM
new single "The Sacred And Profane" is being released in mid February. It sounds like this new record may be released pretty early in the year.

Hey Everyone,
Just wanted to let you know that our new single, "The Sacred And Profane", will be available through Itunes and Bandcamp on Tuesday, February 15th!! More details and direct links coming soon!!

Happy 2011!
S&S

--
www.myspace.com/soundandshape1

"The power trio Sound & Shape relies on more classic-rock stylings, and are shamelessly prog in their epic musings... The frontman has a great voice that matches the band's complex compositions, but there's good reason that the hype from Nashville is all about the rhythm section."

-By J.R. Taylor/Black&White (Birmingham, Al)

“For just three guys, Sound & Shape have a huge sound that seems to lack nothing except more attention and recognition. If bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Wolfmother can, it’s safe to say that Sound&Shape might be the next to hit it big.”

-By Jonathan Carabba/Submerge Magazine (Sacramento, Ca)

“...Sound&Shape aren’t dicking around trying to get you to bob your head. They’re there to blow your mind.”

-By Valerie Nutt/The Pulse (Murfreesboro, Tn)

“It's not hard to believe the band has been hard at work with hundreds of live shows from 2006 til today, but more incredible is their love for the music they've generated and developed. They are astonishing.”

-By - Di Francesco Amato/Long Live Rock N Roll (IT)

1/1/11 11:14PM


They just signed my last.fm page with this:

Hey Everyone! Please visit the OFFICIAL Sound&Shape last.fm page at http://www.last.fm/music/Sound%2526Shape !!!!Keep an eye out for NEW MUSIC in early 2011!!!!

So, that's certainly encouraging. Honestly, it almost reminds me of Bend Sinister a few years ago, with very little to no news after what I would have expected, would be something new. And then suddenly 1 day, they announced plans for a new album being released within a month.

I'm not certain this is what I recall seeing, but the news is similar if not the same. I read something about them working on a new album, even as far back as the summer of 2009 (and it may have even potentially come out in 2009, which it did not). But then of course they were included on my anticipation list for 2010. But I don't recall seeing much of anything about them on twitter, facebook or myspace.

But their "info" section on facebook says

In early 2010 the band returned to the studio, this time under the guidance of seasoned producer Matthew McCauley and Grammy award winning producer/engineer Casey Wood to tackle their most accessible and mature compositions to date. Armed with a wealth of new material, Sound&Shape have defined their mission: the best way to predict the future is to create it.

So, the Bend Sinister comparison, coming out of nowhere almost fits, given how quiet they were in 2010. I even wondered if they could be done/hiatus. Thankfully not, it appears.





2009's The Love Electric EP and 2007's Where Machines End Their Lives debut LP are both records I enjoy. In 2010 finally, really going back close to the time after getting into The Love Electric in 2009, got to hear WMETL thanks to a friend. And I do enjoy it, but probably rate TLE a bit higher. With that thinking, I'm definitely optimistic about this upcoming record. Hopefully some more fans will be made as a result, as I still feel this band should appeal to a much larger audience than they have (that I can tell) at this point. I'm not sure why, but as much as they have toured (220 shows in 2006, 170 shows in 2007 and 150+ shows in 2008), you'd think they wouldn't be lacking in exposure. But maybe it's not quantity, but being on the right tours/gaining exposure to the right fan bases, that could be holding them back at this point. Hopefully not for much longer.

Post-March Spring Break: St.Vincent and a lot of other music news

St.Vincent: her new album is called "Actor" and will be released on May 5th.



Tracklist:

1. The Strangers
2. Save Me From What I Want
3. Neighbours
4. Actor Out of Work
5. Black Rainbow
6. Laughing With a Mouth of Blood
7. Marrow
8. The Bed
9. The Party
10. Just the Same but Brand New
11. The Sequel

Pretty sweet new song "The Strangers" is up on her MYSPACE PAGE and her website



‘Actor’ is available for pre-order now. Early CD and LP orders come with a free limited edition 7” featuring the album track “Actor Out of Work,” and the exclusive, non-album track “Bicycle” on the flipside. more info

ST. VINCENT 2009 U.S. TOUR DATES
5/19/2009 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
5/20/2009 New York, NY Webster Hall
5/21/2009 Philadelphia, PA Unitarian Church
5/22/2009 Washington, DC Black Cat
5/24/2009 George, WA Sasquatch!
5/25/2009 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
5/27/2009 San Francisco, CA Bimbo’s 365 Club
5/28/2009 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
5/30/2009 San Diego, CA Casbah
5/31/2009 Phoenix, AZ Modified
6/2/2009 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
6/3/2009 Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr.
6/4/2009 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
6/5/2009 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
6/7/2009 Chicago, IL Epiphany
6/10/2009 Lexington, KY The Dame
6/11/2009 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
6/12/2009 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo
6/16/2009 Birmingham, AL Bottle Tree
6/18/2009 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre
6/19/2009 Austin, TX Mohawk

I may have to do that pre-order deal. First Ave again?..BLECH! I should check The Entry's calendar. I suppose given Jeremy Messersmith and Amanda Palmer's acoustic/quiet sections of their show, maybe the lack-of-soundproofing won't affect Annie's show as much if it's more electric stuff. Dunno. It still won't eliminate interference between songs.

maudlin of the Well's free digital album will be available in only a few weeks online! I did put about $12 I recall towards that donation. I'm definitely looking fwd to it, and cautiously hoping the amount of Kayo Dot influence is minimal in the writing. motW = good, Kayo Dot = bad (mostly).

Sound & Shape - The Love Electric (EP) (2009)

Maybe the best EP of this early season. A lot of what I dig in the Mars Volta-kind of sound.

40/50

myspace page



Sholi - Sholi (2009)




Sholi's myspace

Bought this disc used a few days ago @Zia in AZ on vacation. I had sampled them previously, but wasn't certain about how much I'd like em. As it turns out, I do like them, but am not blown away or anything (yet). It's a consistent album start-to-finish. Riffy, experimental, somewhat stripped-down at times. Sort of a mix of Deerhoof and The Skeletons just guessing off the top of my head. A bit like the Grammatics album, with song-after-song having some part or energetic section that works, but overall I'm not sure if it'll place quite as high.

Closer to my kind of "experimental" music anyway.

70/100

a whole slew of new bands I'm checking out, but sadly, Sholi and perhaps 2 others The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra and Japanese "Progressive Post-Rock" band Presence of Soul are the only ones that have worked for me thus far. But I got like 15 or so new names between blogs and Alternative Press's new "100 Bands You Need To Know for 2009" issue. TFTBO and Sound & Shape, ironically were not among *the 100* though.

Mastodon finally leaked (a full version, the drop date is Tuesday 3/24 like the New Decemberists) and the new dredg album may not be far away either as the 1st teaser/review was posted there. Usually w/ new reviews -> many promos sent out -> a leak. June 9th it's been pushed back to, but we may have a similar CWA situation with a very early leak. I don't mind, the band probably overall doesn't either given they know they have a large and loyal fan-base that will buy it anyway.

Porcupine Tree: New album is due September 21st. It will consist of 2 cds. 1 being 1 single 55minute song, the other individual songs.

I seriously doubt this will be a top 10 candidate just based on how much filler this could have. Really fucking sad, as Steven Wilson seems to be getting highly predictable. But maybe I'll be wrong about that. a 3-album winning streak this decade (Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia, Deadwing) would suggest potential comeback, but INSURGENTES sadly doesn't support the chances of that.


The new Dream Theater album comes out on June 23rd, like Soundscape. It's called "Black Clouds & Silver Linings." 6 Songs on cd 1. A 2nd cd of covers and then I guess an all-instrumental version of it on another disc depending on which version you get. Plus it's being issues on vinyl.

I'll likely, like some of it, but find a lot of it to be wanking filler and/or cheesy lyrics. But I'd love to be wrong. The band need a kick in the ass, but it hasn't come with their last 3. More piano and analog synths. More organic or even acoustic. But 6 songs for them means a few epic tracks, with in all likelihood will include the necessary extended proggy parts they enjoy. Fine. I just don't expect much more at this stage. But like I said, it would mean a lot for me, for them to comeback and make a statement like SCENES FROM A MEMORY or even 6 DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE.

also not a top 10 candidate just based on how huge and deep a year 2009 very likely will be. A top 50 likely, for what it's worth.

Blackfield also may have a new album out in 2009. Coheed and Cambria and Alter Bridge were a couple of others.

Oceansize has a new EP they are working on right now too that should be out in the Fall. They're on twitter if anyone is up for reading more about it. Keywords: Mike Vennart

The Dear Hunter are working on ACT III in the studio right now; really they have for a few months. They have I guess 14 or 15 songs (or movements), 1 being an in instrumental. Another having a working title "Poison Woman" that I guess has a ragtime feel to it. Their goal to have it out is "by Spring" but given how little info is finalized, my money is Aug/Sept-ish.

Subterranean Masquerade I got a message back from on myspace about "In Pastille Colors" the other day. But really no info about if/when it'll be out. Just that they've been working on it for the better part of 3 years.

Orphaned Land on the other hand will be finally releasing "The Neverending Way ORWarriOR" finally in October (projected). Steven Wilson is NOT producing (apparently, whatever that means), but will be mixing and playing keyboards on it. And done via mail/email I guess given schedule. Perhaps the reason he's not technically producing it now is due to that and not being able to be in Israel with the band. I put on 2004's "Mabool" last week and I can't deny, that album has some awesome moments throughout; that with Wilson on board and their progression as songwriters since, it could be a big sleeper for Metal album, or just plain a top 5 or top 10 album for '09.

fuck, I got a ton of other pieces to add, but of course time is always at a shortage. TV and the Synecdoche, NY DVD among others. I now have a portable DVD player.

Gophers (Men's basketball) lost badly to Texas in the NCAA's. It's not surprising. They weren't playing that well, and team's have figured out how to defend and score on them. If their press doesn't work (or they DON'T USE IT OFTEN, AND EARLY) they don't win usually. 2009-2010 is their year, but I'm not convinced Tubby's that great a coach (here at least, and yet). So far, my bracket looks pretty good like most, with mostly favorites winning. I'd rather have seen American beat Villanova just to screw up others brackets. I have Louisville beating North Carolina I recall in the National Championship game.

Catching up on TV. Castle is good. Breaking Bad I also am on board with. Bryan Cranston is very different, but still quite entertaining in it. I don't get what all the fuss is about that dry 50's drama Mad Men on American Movie Classics Channel. I was highly underwhelmed and bored. The audiences for Breaking Bad and that show seem pretty different, yet they air them back-2-back on Sunday nights for some reason.


Y: The Last Man I read the 1st graphic novel "Unmanned" over my Spring Break in Arizona. It's from Lost writer Bryan K. Vaughn Really intriguing Post-apocalyptic story. There's 8 more I guess, and I have almost all of them on request now at the library. Being a fan of Jeremiah and the use of that story setting, I am looking forward to going through the rest of the series. When I'm done, I'll try and write a more thorough review. It's nice to have some reading, even if they seem more like glorified, but closer-to-real-world comic books. They take a lot less time to finish (presumably).