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| BLAM HONEY |
075. Listen to 5 bands beginning with every letter of the alphabet
I also specified that at least two of the bands for each letter should be new to me, so I chose 3 bands I've heard before (BLAM HONEY, Babylon Zoo, Babylon Whores) and two that were "new" (Boy Harsher, Blood Ceremony). I was going to include Bauhaus in the bands I'd heard before, but they're a lot more well known than the others, so I went with these.
To read about/see clips from the bands, click the cut below↓↓
1. BLAM HONEY
About: BLAM HONEY was an electro-industrial band from Japan, which was originally formed in 1995 by Tatsuya (vocals, guitar, bass, percussion) and RYONAI (programming/synths, synth guitar). After Tatsuya passed away from acute leukaemia in 2004, RYONAI eventually continued band activities (as per his former bandmates wishes), first recruiting live vocalist Hygya in 2008, then eventually taking over the vocal role himself instead. Due to RYONAI's chronic health problems, they have not released any new material since 2010 and it seems that they are now in a state of indefinite hiatus.
Website:
MySpace
RYONAI's Twitter
RYONAI's Ameblo
Thoughts: This is a group I enjoy a lot, and they are probably one of my favourites. Despite their lack of recent activity, I still find myself returning to their music every so often. Though the music is what drew me in first, I appreciate this band both for their sound and aesthetics, which remind me of things from various sub-genres of sci-fi (especially in games, anime/manga and films) that emerged in the 70's-2000's. I also like the play on words that they use in many of their song titles, which take phrases that are originally medical conditions and make them mean something else by splitting the words in two.
Though they're not well-known, they've influenced quite a few other bands in the genre (both in Japan and beyond) with their sound and image. Said sound mixed synths, samples and largely up-tempo beats with vocals that varied from soft and whisper-like to screechy shouts, but they also had some tracks with a calmer, almost etheric quality to them as well. RYONAI also has/had a fashion accessory brand (and side music project) called Suppurate System, items of which can be seen in many of his and other bands' looks.
More songs:
Rink
Deep Hole (not the PV, though it says it is)
Hyper Aesthesia
E.O.D.
A friend who also loves this band suggested the song Vertex Poison, but I can't find it to link here. But just listen to any BLAM HONEY songs because they're all good!
2. Blood Ceremony
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| Blood Ceremony |
About: Formed in 2006 in Toronto, Canada, Blood Ceremony combine a mix of retro sounding hard folk rock with lyrics inspired by occult sources and classic horror films.
Website:
Blood Ceremony at Rise Above Records
Blood Ceremony at Metal Blade Records
Thoughts: To be honest, I'm not a fan of retro-rock in general and the recent female rock vocalists I've heard haven't really been to my taste, so I wasn't expecting to like this band at all. However, from the songs I've listened to so far it seems that they're actually rather good! The themes that they focus on and the fact that their singer, Alia O'Brien, doesn't constantly feel the need to unnecessarily vibrato her way through the song to prove that she can sing probably contributed to me liking them more. She also plays the flute solos on several tracks, which gives their sound a more psychedelic folk feel than other bands putting out material with a similar retro prog sound. The Jethro Tull influence is rather evident on some tracks though.
I'm glad to have discovered this band, and will probably listen to them more in the future.
More songs:
Children of the Future
Ballad of the Weird Sisters
Witchwood
Daughter of the Sun
3. Babylon Zoo
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| Jas Mann of Babylon Zoo |
About: Babylon Zoo were a rock band started in Wolverhampton, UK in 1992. They released two albums and six singles during that time, including the internationally successful single 'Spaceman'. The band had a few different line-ups, with their vocalist/songwriter Jas Mann being the constant. After disbanding, bassist Carrie Melbourne continued making music with her husband under the name Melbourne and as a solo artist, and Jas Mann (now going by Jasbinder Singh Mann) went into film production, first with Indomina and now with Virgin Produced India.
Website: N/A
Thoughts: Let me just preface this by saying that I got into this band when I was very young - a child still in primary school in fact - and their first album was the first album I ever bought. It was fantastic! As a kid, they were one of my favourite bands and even now I still absolutely love their first album, 'The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes', and like about half of the songs on the second, 'King Kong Groover' (though I didn't like KKG that much when it was released).
Of course, my fondness for Babylon Zoo's music now could be a kind of nostalgia. Or it could just be because I think they were a genuinely good band that were unfairly dismissed as "one hit wonders" or worse, just because they had a hugely successful first single (after people heard a remix of this song in this advert), but they weren't really a pop band, so never matched that level of commercial success with anything else. I liked their music - still do - and I don't know why they received so much hate. Perhaps I just have awful(lly good) taste though!
More songs:
I'm Cracking Up I Need A Pill (the whole first album is here also)
Animal Army (single version, for the video, even though I prefer the album version)
Confused Art
Stereo Superstar
Love Lies Bleeding
The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes (single version, because I like Jas' eye suit in the video)
Metal Vision
4. Boy Harsher
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| Boy Harsher |
Genre: Electronic, coldwave
Above is the original of 'Pain', but I also love this remix by The Soft Moon
About: Boy Harsher was started in 2013 in Northampton, Massachusetts, by Augustus Muller and Jae Matthews, under the name Teen Dreamz. As the music and vocal delivery changed over time, the group eventually changed their name to Boy Harsher and have released an album, two EPs and a single to date.
Website:
Boy Harsher website
Thoughts: I hadn't heard Boy Harsher until the end of last year, but I'm so glad I did. They make the kind of music I can appreciate as good music on its own, or listen to in the background when I want/need to get things done. Sometimes the music can be somewhat repetitive - not in a negative way - but their singer's voice has a uniqueness to it that keeps the sound fresh. If you don't enjoy her voice though, it might be a problem (I like it a lot). Also, I've heard that they're a very engaging live as well, but live performances aren't something I'm able to go to anymore, so you'll have to go and see for yourself if you want to find out!
More songs:
A Realness
Morphine
Suitor
Underwater
Motion
Country Girl
5. Babylon Whores
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| Babylon Whores |
About: Babylon Whores was a Finnish band that was active between 1994 - 2006, playing music that mostly fell into the metal and deathrock genres, with lyrics that were inspired by occultism and mysticism. They performed a surprise reunion live, under the alias Babylon Horse, in 2007 but have since been on an indefinite hiatus. In 2012, vocalist Ike Vil formed a new band called Sleep of Monsters, which has gone in different direction musically but shares some lyrical themes with his previous band.
Thoughts: Babylon Whores is a band that I used to listen to quite a lot in the late 90's, though I don't listen to them that much now. However, the songs I do still listen to, I absolutely love. To me, the music isn't that different to a lot of other bands, which means they don't stand out immediately. However, their lyrics can be interesting and their vocalist has a somewhat unusual voice, which makes them worth listening to, especially if you are partial to this kind of music.
More songs:
Omega Therion
Skeleton Farm
Lucibel (The Good Spirits Of Europe)
And that concludes the bands beginning with the letter B! Any band/artist suggestions for future posts are welcome. :)
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☆Thank you for imagining another part of this paracosm☆