Denver, CO based Alternative Rock Band LaRissa Vienna and the Strange has revealed the Official Music Video for their single, “Haunted,” off of their upcoming, debut LP Neptune VII, due out September 1st. “Haunted” was directed by Daniel Rachlitz and Demi Dehererra.
“I wrote Haunted” about the guilt of missing someone from your past. It is a song about the shame of desiring things you can’t have. For the music video, each band member has a storyline of what “haunts” them, whether it be relationships, alcohol abuse, or mental illness. Everyone has that one thing that haunts them, and in the music video, we wear it on our sleeves.”
– LaRissa Vienna
Influenced by David Bowie, Marilyn Manson and Shirley Temple (with a tattoo on her shoulder to match), LaRissa Vienna is a force to be reckoned with. Her somber, ghostly rock tunes will entrance you and run chills down your spine while the melodic, story-telling guitar mixed perfectly with the melancholy tones of her voice and the bass stays loyal to the hard-hitting drums.
Despite the soothing rock tones, LaRissa Vienna’s live show is nothing short of electric; despite standing only 4 feet 11 inches tall, her fiery energy demands the attention of every soul in the audience.
Starting out as a solo artist in 2008, LaRissa Vienna made her mark on the Denver music scene by writing and producing her own music, which she dubs “spooky rock.” Coming off of the local success of her 2015 and 2016 EPs, Strange Siren and Make the Pain Pretty respectively, and having had accumulated over 100,000 views on her “Underwater” music video within just a month of its release, Vienna is set to release her debut album, entitled Neptune VII” in September 2017.
There’s a definite camaraderie on the project, which finds her further honing her craft and establishing herself as a versatile artist within the rock realm, navigating the genre with grace and authority. Centering at its core around reconnecting with your inner child, the album’s lyrical content tackles the subject of facing the inevitable changes that come with growing older. Never shying away from autobiographical honesty, what results is arguably Vienna’s most personal project to date, embracing change and heartbreak as a natural course of life.
“The Strange” is Nick Workman – the lead guitarist with wild hair who has experience in every style. Aaron Mendoza on bass, influenced by The Cure and Coheed and Cambria, has experience in experimental bands and plays perfectly with the compelling drum styles of Luke Wolff. The classically-trained violinist Vanity Welch adds a perfect unique touch to the band.
LaRissa Vienna and the Strange intend to inspire and influence fans to be creative and express themselves by leading by example.
LINKS:
http://larissaviennamusic.com
http://facebook.com/larissaviennamusic
https://twitter.com/larissa_vienna
https://www.instagram.com/larissaviennastrange
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m1nk – The Far Side
m1nk (pronounced ’em one en kay’) is a duo based in the UK and Greece, comprised of Barry Snaith from Wakefield, UK, and Erika Bach – German-born, raised in Australia and currently living in Ithaca, Greece. Having met each other on Soundcloud, they collaborated on the track ‘Bleed Through’, hitting the alt-rock chart on that platform after the first day.
Erika Bach (a.k.a. Lola Demo) comes from a more garage rock background with some electronic influences. Her haunting voice and edgy trash ethic sometimes remind us of a less hopeful Patti Smith. Barry Snaith (a.k.a. The Inconsistent Jukebox) moves effortlessly between genres, his productions encompassing everything from acerbic alt-pop and industrial soundscapes to French cabaret and dubstep.
For these two, writing together was instantly a natural and organic process, each adding what they felt at the time of writing. Sometimes structured and sometimes completely abstract, vocally and sonically.
m1nk produce dark, gothic, electronic soundscapes for the passionately dispossessed and sexually charged absentees of the blank gender nation. Their songs are about lust, disappointment and dangerous encounters. They are very distinctive, yet hard to define.
Barry’s influences include Bernard Herrmann, David Lynch, Francis Bacon, Robert Fripp, Captain Beefheart and Dali. Erika is inspired by stormy days, a little pain and ugliness, human kindness and bewilderment.
For the Single ‘The Far Side’, Bach wrote the lyrics and melody first. “This is a song of yearning, waiting and disappointment,” says Erika Bach. With no particular sonic or musical structure, Snaith added the soundscape to fit the plaintive mood.
‘The Far Side’ released on August 1 across online music stores and streaming platforms, as well as Bandcamp. Find this and their previous single ‘Fuck You Up’ on Spotify and everywhere.
“Hauntingly ethereal… the imagery cloaked in a thickening black atmospheric is all at once petrified, desolate and withered yet strangely seductive in a darkening way”
– The Sunday Experience“A dark edgy sonic trip… like David Lynch armed with a fuzz box”
– The Spill Magazine“A stunning slab of gritty, grimy industrial electro reminiscent of the KLF at their idiosyncratic best. From the distorted, glitchy guitars to the impassive rapped vocals”
– Paul Kerr (The Devil Has The Best Tuna, BBC6 Music Selector)“A genre-defying collage of electro beats, distorted guitar… surreal lyrics and spooky chanted vocals”
– Essentially Pop“Apart from Lynch, this music brings to mind Portishead, The Bad Seeds, Nico, the softer underbelly of Lydia Lunch, and Siouxsie Sioux, and even the darkest side of Mylene Farmer. The lyrics take you to a noir place and, surprisingly enough, it’s not an uncomfortable one”
– Big Takeover MagazineLINKS:
http://www.m1nk.com
https://www.facebook.com/m1nk.official
https://twitter.com/m1nk_official
https://sejarecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/m1nk_band
https://m1nk.teemill.com -
Dragon Welding – The Builders
Andrew Golding, the founding member of C86 pioneers The Wolfhounds, presents his debut solo album under the moniker (a.k.a. anagram) Dragon Welding. Ahead of this, he previewed the lead track ‘The Builders’. The timing for this release is perfect, with The Wolfhounds set to return to record new material somewhat soon.
‘Dragon Welding’ is Golding’s first solo album and a remarkable effort, covering different genres, including alternative pop rock and indie-folk. As guitarist, writer, and multi-instrumentalist, Andrew Golding has been a part of Wolfhounds since 1984 and has written, played and sung on every Wolfhounds album.
‘The Builders’ is an epic six-minute hypnotic journey à la Moonshake. It is about the gentrification of our cities. Andrew Golding himself also animated the accompanying video for this song.
Musically, Dragon Welding features a rich blend of influences, the most obvious being The Wolfhounds and Moonshake, with nods to Neu! and Stereolab drone, particularly on ‘The Builders’. Other tracks like ‘The Dumb’ or the driving ‘These Are Dangerous Times’ offer an eclectic mix of acoustic guitars and analog synths, reminiscent of German cult band The Notwist.
The ‘Dragon Welding’ LP was largely written, recorded, mixed and edited on mobile devices whilst commuting between Essex, Hammersmith, and Los Angeles. Final mastering was supervised by Ant Chapman (Collapsed Lung and Arndales).
This debut LP features contributions from Alice Golding (The Othyrs and Wolfhounds backing vocals) and son James Golding. The album’s cover artwork was conceived and painted by his wife Helen.
As of March 15, this album can be found everywhere digitally via A Turntable Friend Records with distribution worldwide by SRD (London, UK). The download comes with a digital booklet including lyrics. It will also be available as a limited-edition 11-track gatefold CD via Bandcamp and Limited Run.
LINKS:
http://aturntablefriendrecords.limitedrun.com/products/635026-dragon-welding-dragon-welding
https://www.facebook.com/dragonweldingmusic
https://dragonwelding.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/TheWolfhounds
https://twitter.com/TheWolfhounds -
Vix20 – Broken Melody
Vix20 has premiered their new video for the track titled ‘Broken Melody’. Taking a large detour from tracks past, Vix20 shows a lighter side of originality with a retro-hook-filled melody-induced track with tips of the hat to the likes of Christopher Cross, Pink Floyd, and more. Sound like an original mix? You have to listen to find them, but they are all there. This is as much a classic approach to songwriting as it is a time-honored way to lay a track down.
The video gives that lucid memory to the graphic artists of old that worked on such classics as ‘Heavy Metal’ and ‘Animalympics’. Given the music-heavy tinges of those two classic films, it’s easy to see where Vix20 gets some of its influence. And that influence is worn on the sleeve on the jacket of originality.
About ‘Broken Melody’
Whoops they did it again… nothing can keep VIX20 down, not even a pandemic!
Embarking on what would be a ballad song if VIX20 did a ballad song. ‘Broken Melody’ is Slated to come out on 5 March 2021. The new song takes you back to the melody of The WINGS infused with WHAM’S “careless whisper” a NU School melodic roots in REEL Skool style. REEL Skool refers to the real music found on tape to tape reels unlike the computer-generated music of today. The strums of the guitar’s beat of the drums and tickling the piano along with smooth style vocals give new vigor to Soft Pop Rock!
From the band…..Vix doesn’t really do ballads but if they did….Best described as a slightly sinister journey that twists and turns through joy, grief, and revenge. Highlighting Vix’s diverse songwriting, Broken Melody started life as a 10 min throw down by Mills and Kill, CJ immediately raised the song to the next level. Vix doesn’t really do guitar solos but if they did …it would be on the full version.
About Vix20
Vix20 is Gary Mills and CJ, two music industry veterans who grew so disillusioned with the state of every element of the music industry that they both walked away vowing not to return…fast forward a few years, now rejuvenated, though no less prickly about the Modern Age, they return, to quote the band themselves, “we’re hard rockers turned to the dark side of pop”.
As evidenced in their single, Digital Age, their passion for power-pop (don’t say ‘punk-pop’ to them, it suggests too much jumping around) and dexterity with words combines to become insanely catchy 3-minute thunderbolts. Completing the Vix lineup is long-time conspirators Rich Norris and Kill, with a busy year ahead the next single is planned for April and the band will appear at the International pop overthrow festival in May at the legendary Liverpool venue The Cavern.
LINKS:
https://www.vix20.com
https://www.instagram.com/vixtwenty
https://www.facebook.com/vixtwentymusic
https://twitter.com/Vixtwenty
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuPABFfRP8fWPKkp6mA9Kkw
https://open.spotify.com/artist/01fEKKUsAN1pp9jguVrTQG?si=0cMw1OI6R6mM2iO_42M6sw