Please meet Vienna based three-piece Lex Audrey
Featuring Niklas Apfel (vocals, guitar, samples), Patrick Pillichshammer (drums, sampling pad) and Lukas Staudinger (bass, synthesizer), with a nod to Audrey Hepburn the band asks their audience to take a closer look at the world. This look should also meet their debut EP ‘God Given’.
On ‘God Given’ they confront their audience with contrasts, they combine euphoria and sadness and manage to shift the musical boundaries between Rock, Pop, and Electronica.
The band sees the world in red, yellow and blue but when these three primary colors are mixed they turn to black.
Welcome to the world of Lex Audrey.
LINKS:
http://www.lexaudrey.com
https://twitter.com/lexaudreymusic
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Twilight Fields – Demagogue
Canada’s Twilight Fields, the solo moniker of singer-songwriter Allister Thompson, has announced his new album ‘Songs from the Age of Ruin’, slated for release in early 2019. Ahead of this, he presents the first rather politically-charged single ‘Demagogue’, an expression of anti-populist sentiment.
Twilight Fields is truly a one-man show, with Thompson writing, playing, engineering, mixing, mastering and designing everything himself from his home studio in North Bay, Ontario.
‘Songs from the Age of Ruin’ is a warning to the present and an apology to a possible future. While Twilight Fields is best known for his blend of ambient, dream-pop and progressive rock influences, this album pays grateful homage to such artists as Billy Bragg, New Model Army, Killing Joke, Midnight Oil, and The Levellers, as well as other artists influencing his music like Leon Rosselson, Bob Dylan, Robert Wyatt, and Phil Ochs.
‘Songs from the Age of Ruin’ is also an uneasy but compelling song cycle that begins with the bombing of Hiroshima and the absurdities of the atomic age and proceeds to tackle such difficult topics as homelessness and economic inequalities (‘Lazarus’), the evils of populism and political repression (‘Demagogue’, ‘Taken Away’), the toxicity of social media communication (‘Offended’), animal rights (‘The Animal’s Song’), and the utter stupidity of war (‘Soldier Song’). It concludes with a three-part “climate change suite” (‘Loss’, ‘Barren Planet’, ‘Why Did We Do It?’) that lays bare the tragic human consequences of catastrophic climate change.
The album also contains two cover versions, including of Bruce Cockburn’s immortal classic ‘Lovers in a Dangerous Time’ and Thin Lizzy’s ‘Holy War’.
“While growing up, certain passionate, activist musicians were very influential to me. So much so that I’d say they changed and shaped the person I would eventually become. There has never been a more crucial time for musicians to step up and add their voices to the chorus of reason necessary to take us back from the brink of total destruction,” says Allister Thompson.
“The year 2019 finds the human species standing at a crossroads, with only two possible directions: survival or extinction. Artists should contribute their strong and clear voices to dialogues that could lead to our survival and renewal.”
Allister Thompson has had a varied musical career, initially playing with Toronto-based glam-rock band Crash Kelly, together with Sean Kelly (now guitarist for Nelly Furtado), and opening for such notable artists as The Black Crowes and Alice Cooper. He later veered towards making traditional folk music, progressive rock and ambient music, recording several ambient rock albums as Twilight Fields and numerous albums of ambient/Krautrock/psychedelia under the monikers The Gateless Gate and Khan Tengri.
As of December 6, ‘Demagogue’ will be available via online stores and streaming platforms, including Spotify and iTunes, as well as Bandcamp. The full album ‘Song From The Age of Ruin’ LP will be released on February 1, 2019.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/twilightfields
http://twilightfields.bandcamp.com
http://twitter.com/gatelessgate1 -
State of Illusion – Blind
Life is often comprised of our reactions. Often, negatives can be turned into positives through the way we look at situations or how hard we are willing to work for what we love. At least, that’s the philosophy that Greenville, SC-based rock band State of Illusion has adopted.
Though the rock act has had many successes, including memorable performances with artists such as Staind (hand-selected by vocalist Aaron Lewis), Chevelle, Flaw, Smile Empty Soul, Austin John Winkler (ex-Hinder vocalist), Like a Storm, Failure Anthem, and Stitched Up Heart, along with functions for Disturbed, Killswitch Engage, Lacuna Coil, etc., State of Illusion has faced more than its fair share of adversity.
After releasing their most recent studio album, Aphelion (self-produced, self-engineered, and self-released), State of Illusion took another dose of their well-documented bad luck (see the documentary One More Song – A Decade of State of Illusion from their brand new DVD, State of Illusion – Live) through the loss of core-members. Though beautifully crafting Aphelion with only two members (Jacob Porter on vocals, guitar, piano, pedal steel, engineering, and editing and Josh Breland on bass, drums, guitar, and piano) and seeing a top 100 worldwide rock chart release, the immediate post-Aphelion lineup was not meant to be.
What began as a rag-tag group of hired-guns pulled from other local acts to fill in on an opening show for an early musical influence in the band Flaw, a mixture of hard work, dedication, positive outlooks, and a love for the music turned bad luck into the strongest line-up State of Illusion has ever had. Former guitarist Cameron Price, drummer Bryce Chism, and Solarist vocalist/guitarist Tom Carden on bass stepped up to help Porter when State of Illusion needed it most.
This line-up continued to assist State of Illusion throughout 2017 as, one by one, these temporary members dedicated themselves as permanent members of the band. While filling in admirably, Carden knew that he needed set his focus back on Solarist and allow room for a permanent bassist to cement themselves into the lineup. His parting gift was former Solarist bassist Brandon Rodgers.
Once the 4 piece was solidified, State of Illusion sought the creative minds of Silent Flight Productions’ director Erez Bader (The Contortionist, Veil of Maya, The Dear Hunter) and VFX supervisor and producer Casey Crescenzo (vocalist of The Dear Hunter) to bring a visual representation of their single “Blind” (remixed by Greg Macklin of Ordinance) to life. The moody result is a perfect fresh start for State of Illusion, who plan to use this opportunity to introduce Aphelion to a new set of listeners they couldn’t reach before.
Aphelion stands out amongst its contemporaries. The album is complete, in every sense of the word, with its many textures and range of sonic landscapes. With soaring anthems, such as the radio-ready singles, “Blind” and “Find Yourself,” to heavy-yet-melodic tracks, “Over” and “The Price You Pay,” to quiet moments, highlighted in the reflective “Reach the End,” Aphelion covers a full spectrum of emotion.
State of Illusion, seasoned with experience, a solid and energetic line-up, a reinvigorated approach, and having met success on the road for the past two years, have just released their first DVD, State of Illusion – Live, and are hard at work writing the highly-anticipated follow-up to Aphelion.
LINKS:
http://www.stateofillusionmusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/StateofIllusion
http://www.twitter.com/stateofillusio1
https://www.instagram.com/stateofillusionmusic -
James Holt – Whispers
James Holt is an alt-rock artist from the moors of Bolton and is receiving attention and praise from music industry giants, such as legendary producer Brian Eno, and the listening public alike. With the craftsmanship and energy of his songwriting translating effortlessly to his stage performance and having performed at the UK’s most prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, this is an artist to watch out for in 2018.
“Fresh and exciting to listen to”
– Brian Eno“Sounds so great on the radio!”
– Chris Douridas, KCRW (LA)“Very talented, very wonderful – absolutely love his voice”
– BBC Introducing Manchester“With an arresting voice that is reminiscent of John Lennon or early Bob Dylan, wily lyrics and an upbeat weave of rock, prog and blues, it’s obvious to see why his remarkable music is turning heads”
– Manchester Evening NewsSOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
https://www.jamesholtmusic.com
https://twitter.com/jamesholtmusic
https://www.facebook.com/jamesholtmusic
https://soundcloud.com/jamesholtmusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/jamesholtartist