| AUTERNUS "CHANGING SEASONS" Posted on February 26, 2010 “Seasons” is a debut EP by Kansas quartet Auternus, which includes guitarist/vocalist Joshua Quint, guitarist Jeff Irvine, drummer Joshua Simcosky and bassist Steve Hittner. Their music combines psychedelia, ambience and metal in equal parts (some of the comparisons include Isis, Perfect Circle and Red Sparrowes). Just as title suggests, “Seasons” deals with times of the season (with a corresponding track for each). It’s an album of great complexity and virtuosic musicianship and one rare example of a record which sounds nearly perfect, with the band striking a right balance between technical and atmospheric parts/ambience. The album opens with “Fall”, which, much like other shorter instrumentals on the album don’t seem to add much to the mix, but serves as an interlude to the next track – “Slowmotion” (in a sense the logic behind the order of tracks on the album reminds me of Tool’s “Aenima” album). “Slowmotion” is a great piece with soaring vocals and emotional central motive – vocals are a clear highlight here, but in general it all comes together perfectly, the music and the singing. Given this, its also interesting that the band takes a left turn from here and abandon vocals altogether. “Winter” and “Spring” are short pieces, while “Chasing The Sparrow” and “Somber Victory” are monsters of prog-rock-ish complexity, yet the band never abandon dynamics and anything that makes songs exciting. “Summer” closes out the “Seasons” on a fairly quiet note. If this EP is any indication, there’s a lot great things ahead for this band. Hopefully, it will only be a matter of time before Auternus will gain more acceptance and will find their way to listeners hearts, because they certainly deserve it.
ROCKMIDGETS.COM AUTERNUS "CHANGING SEASONS" A concept record of sort, Seasons is something of a ronseal job - seven pieces of experimental post-rock with touches of electronica, divided into three "songs" and the four dividing seasonal tracks. The latter paint a strangely claustrophobic picture of the world; echoing Radiohead and Mansun's flirtations, Winter is like losing your hearing in a train station; meanwhile 'Spring' is to start with as painful as first bright sunlight. These interpretations can be even more disturbing than they sound. It's up to the other tracks to provide the warmth - 'Sombre Victory''s late afternoon drive, or 'Slow Notion''s dreamy post-grunge blurs. However, the centrepiece is really the magnificent 'Chase The Sparrow'. From the slow build that takes you through layers of expectant little flourishes to its closing anthemtic movements, it's an impressive natural progression. Most 10 minute tracks are like background noise to phase in and phase out of, but this truly had me gripped all the way through. As you might have gathered by now, it's not for anyone who wants a quick hit, but for those who want to truly submerge themselves in an album, don't miss this. To have sculpted such an accomplished and affecting journey so early on in their career really bodes well for them. Here's to more. Ravenheart Music ALICE SWEET ALICE.. ''MOLOKO & ULTRAVIOLENCE'
(Cauldron Soundwerx) Reviewed 5th May 2009
Alice Sweet Alice (ASA) are newly based in Kansas City, and specialise in Psychogothic Darkwave. I admire musicians that work really hard and are commited to their cause and ASA are one such band. Fronted by Scott Martinez with a little help from Ali Kat, their music stirs up memories of Pink Floyd and even The Doors, more so on the tracks fronted by Scott. This, their second release like their first is not metal, but it sure is a decent slab of rock music. Do not expect an album here full of hooks and catchy choruses however, and I myself like to call this type of music 'thinking persons music'. 'These Old Shoes' kicks the cd off and is an uptempo little number featuring both Ali and Scott on vocals, while 2nd track in 'Synesthesia' has to my ears an 80s atmospheric style. A couple of my faves on the album however, have to be 'Flight of Tonight' showcasing Ali Kat's vocals to the fore, and 'It's My Time', a piano led ballad with strings attached, again feat Ali. Another fave track being 'Weeping Lily'. This is a good release, a kinda cd to chill out too, without chilling out too much. Get me drift? Check them out at www.myspace.com/asweetalice and then buy the CD. It gets released May 12th. 8/10 (Reviewed by Dave) | | MUSIKUS.BG - Bulgaria
Alice Sweet Alice - First Light (translated from Bulgarian)02.05. Do not you wanted in a busy day or sitting comfortably at home with your favorite drink in hand after a hard day, to play music as background soundtrack to your thoughts? Either to help you relax, to forget the difficulties or simply because of pure curiosity you want to understand what lies behind the strange word electropostpunkadelic. If so, here's one of my proposal to you. This strange mixture of names of self-determination of genres is coming from Kansas, Missouri group Alice Sweet Alice. They have five enthusiasts (Scott Martinez - vocals, bass; Ali Kat - vocals, keyboards, Billy Brown - vocals, percussion; Alan Hicks - guitar; Latrop Travis - guitar), linking their own perceptions and ideas in this extraordinary project. The group was conceived as a project on the top Halloween 2007. The main contributor to this is Martinez Scott (vocals, bass). Together with Ali Kat klaviristkata and contributing to online guitarist Jeffrey Galias, he released the single "Glass Houses" and album "First Light". The search for a drummer ended with the accession of Billy Brown and guitarist Alan Hicks and Travis Latrop complete the full form of the group. In May 2009 Alice Sweet Alice issued their second album "Moloko & Ultraviolence". Their albums are distributed as follows: globally and in Bulgaria AMAdea Records, in Britain from Leaping Cat Records. Also, the first group signed with Cauldron Soundwerx Productions, whose albums will be sold in Asia in Australian Cowbell Digital. Their music is non committal, somewhat carefree. Gives full freedom to the listener to imagine pictures of their imagination, as the white sheet is the best backdrop for an artist. So I think the album, which should represent, would be amenable to many. From spectacular guitar in okrestriranite electro tunes and music of the last century, pleasant to listen to the vocal performances, all this is included in "First Flight". The album sounds really unusual. His magic is felt most by listening to songs in the order in which they are given. However, if you hear first, then the third, sixth and so on, you will lose the connection between them, and thus the charm of the single whole. "It seems to me that this is not the same group as that played the previous piece!" - I thought, hoping to play it quickly, just to satisfy my curiosity. So I started over again, listening Pushing aside his own episodes. Already in the first minute of the second song, however, my mind began to connect the two pieces. Each tell a story. Melody and lyrics are teaming to take you to a 40-minute journey. If "Alone" (1) find it too slow, then to "With You, With Me" (4) The album will be mattery power and will of one of its peak. Then the voltage from its peak time will fall to prepare for another one - "Geraldine" (9). And to be a good album, it needs a good finish, namely "Fallen Angel" (10). Highlighting with lyrical text and baladichno sound like it makes us realize heard of until now. One, albeit sad end to a beautiful debut album Alice Sweet Alice. That this can in good conscience say - What home ". Author: Dimitar Blagoev Gas Chamber Records ALICE SWEET ALICE CD REVIEW BY MR.SLIM Hi my name is Mr. Slim I am writing a CD review for Alice Sweet Alice. Formerly based in Maine now based in Missouri. Some have compared Alice Sweet Alice to great bands such as Pink Floyd The Doors and some have even said that their song sounds similar to older Led Zeppelin. As for me I would have to agree. Alice Sweet Alice has a very melodic sound along with great guitar riffs. Their music is very refreshing and good to listen to. Moloko & Ultraviolence is just a all around good listening experience it start out with a track called These Old Shoes hits in the middle with Weeping Lily and finishes up with what I think is the best track Great White Lie. Every one of these songs tells a story and when you put the CD in you can actually follow the story in your head. This is one of those great finds everything from the music to the creative artwork which was done by Randy Miller of Sinister Art And Art Co conception by Kj Pellas of Gas Chamber Records. The line up on this CD is as follows: 1) These Old Shoes 2) Synesthesia 3) The Inevitable 4) Legends Of The Po 5) Weeping Lily 6) Jaded Addiction 7) Flight Of Tonight 8) Ambola 9) Its My Time 10) Great White Lie This CD was engineered, mixed and produced by Scott Martinez (lead singer of Alice Sweet Alice) at Cauldron Soundwerx Studios in Dover- Foxcroft, Maine *Note- this CD is one of those CDs that you will find yourself escaping into an alternate reality. I find this CD tremendously done; well put together. The members of Alice Sweet Alice are: Scott Martinez Ali Kat Jeffrey Galios Have something very special and I hope that their music continues for years to come. I suggest that everyone go out and pick up a copy of this CD along with the other Alice Sweet Alice releases. I am giving this CD a 4 out of 5 ( worth getting ) CD review done by: Mr. Slim of Gas Chamber Records
| | PRESENT MAGAZINE Alice Sweet Alice - Moloko and Ultraviolence Eighties Touchstones, Modern Sensibility Review by Pete Dulin. Published: Friday, December 18, 2009 Alice Sweet Alice, a five-piece band from Kansas City, released their sophomore album Moloko and Ultraviolence in early summer 2009 on the indie label Cauldron Soundwerx. “Electropostpunkadelic” is not a helpful point of reference, as offered on the band’s MySpace site, given that the phrase can encompass just about any band that loosely fits in one of those genres. “Darkwave” is another tired description that never established an enduring place in the lexicon of music trends. How to describe their music? Bassist Scott Martinez offers this explanation of the band's use of the term electropostpunkadelic: "That's just a silly word for the different influences our music takes from. Some of our music is interlaced with arpeggiated synths, some has the punch and energy of double-kick drums, screaming guitars, and some has pretty strings, lush orchestral movements and pretty piano. Some of us grew up in the 80's and early 90's and so some of that post-punk influence is there, both American and European. Of course, '60s and '70s rock has always been something we've all listened to, so it can't help but appear in our music, with some of the Hammond organ and Vox piano sounds we use." Take the turbulent undercurrent of Joy Division, add edgy guitar-synth crunch and hooks ala Garbage, drop in the haunting post-punk of Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees, a dash of Love and Rockets psychedelics, and polish the whole mix with angst-meets-curious inclinations inspired by The Cure's rhythmic urges. Something like that with a twist. Alice Sweet Alice uses synth guitar, electric guitar effects, and piano to embellish the fundamentals of guitar, bass, and drums. Structurally, the songs have enough variety and interesting elements to hold up individually and as a body of work. ASA’s strongest assets include bassist Scott Martinez and pianist Ali Kat, infusing vocals with a brooding, no-nonsense attitude and alluring nonchalance respectively. “These Old Shoes” demonstrated the band’s skill at layering droning psychedelic guitar over a slow grind drumbeat and bass. Her voice coolly takes control on the gentle comedown of “Jaded Addiction.” “Synethesia” wriggles on a snake’s slithering belly of a bass line and atmospheric guitar effects. Compressed drumming and brief bouts of psychedelic guitar flesh out the sound. “Flight of Tonight” shimmers with a melodic piano line in distress and a quick beat. Ali Kat’s vocals sound crystalline and bright against the music’s dark romanticism. Having lived through the Eighties as the soundtrack to college years, there’s a definite sense of familiarity to this music. Are the ghosts of Echo & The Bunnymen, Psychedelic Furs, and other acts slipping across the decades to leave traces in the music of now? Perhaps, yet Alice Sweet Alice conjures a contemporary sound as well. There’s melodic muscular rock balladry (read: Evanescence) on “It’s My Time.” The track “Legends of the Po” bears an apocalyptic weight (read: Nick Cave) as if the Western world has gone straight to hell. Moloko and Ultraviolence is alternately sweeping and wound tight, unabashedly dramatic and consciously remote, sexy as a Twilight vampire and coolly reserved as a diamond smuggler. Alice Sweet Alice references musical antecedents, nodding to touchstones if you will; however, they refuse to dress up in the worn black leather, velvet lace, or loud plaid of yesteryear’s goths, punks, and New Wave outsiders. They’re looking through the electropostpunkadelic kaleidoscope backwards and forwards, twisting and tweaking enough to craft a familiar sound with some idiosyncratic flourishes. AMAdea Records ALICE SWEET ALICE.. ''MOLOKO & ULTRAVIOLENCE'
(Cauldron Soundwerx) Reviewed June 2009
Alice Sweet Alice comes with the sequel “Moloko & Ultraviolence” that brings new set of challenges. Their debut album “First Light” was a magnificent record; huge production, anthemic tracks, warm buzzing guitars. It was the album where Alice Sweet Alice gained their audience. Where “First Light” was visceral “Moloko & Ultraviolence” is intellectual. The high points on the new album are many. The augmentation of the guitar/bass/drums with various instrumentation gives a broader palette than the previous title “First Light”. In terms of songwriting and the melding of this writing with arrangement and performance, the band seem to have really reached a zenith.
“Moloko & Ultraviolence” is an awesome body of work. It is stylistically thoroughly incoherent, although texturally quite even. It is just about works, capturing the same sense of mystery and archaic wonder suggested by the retro-style cover art, whilst aurally conforming to the fuzzy-distorted style of guitar-driven alt-rock popular in the last decade. There are so many emotions - yearning, anger, enchantment, alienation, love, hope, frustration, that are painted very starkly inside the music.
What is the key to art? Edge. Edge comes from a sense of the unpredictable, the taking of risks, the possibility of failure. Doing something new that confronts our understanding of form. Sure, there are some misses here but you've got to take risks to come up with something as sensational as this. Comfortably the highpoint of this band's career and one of the top alt-rock albums out there.
- AMAdea Records, BULGARIA ASA INTERVIEW: June 2009 (click to go to purchase page) | |