So on completely good terms we're parting ways and luckily Patrick (the bassist) has already in talks with a drummer who I have not met yet but seems to be promising. Hopefully, he will come to our practice on Sunday, and if all goes well he'll be our new drummer. There's been some difficult decisions over the last few days regarding Lifting Shadows but I think that the result is only going to make the band better.

On a slightly less serious note, THERE IS TOO MUCH GOOD MUSIC! I'm literally going broke and the only thing I've been buying recently is CD's. Let's see in the last few weeks I have bought Death Magnetic and preordered Chaos in Motion (comes out tomorrow!), Colors Live and Traced in Air. On top of that a new Buckethead album was released today that I just ordered (go to TDRS music's website), two other Buckethead albums were announced, and I was planning on buying the reissue of the first Dillinger Escape Plan EP "Under the Running Board" that comes out in a couple weeks. Not to mention I'm on the edge about buying the new Marillion album... And it would be nice if I didn't have to spend all of my money on music. 

Well...busy few days, for sure.

Dream Theater is preparing to release their new live DVD, "Chaos In Motion", tomorrow and their website has a preview trailer up. [Blabbermouth]

New Jersey metal legends Overkill are heading overseas in February with Metal Church for a European tour.

New Jersey progressive metal Dark Empire is still looking for a new drummer. Their MySpace page has more information.

New Jersey progressive metal Symphony X will be heading to Asia this February after their fall North America tour. [Blabbermouth]

Clutch frontman Neil Fallon recently talked about the band's upcoming album in a recent interview. [UGO]

Dillinger Escape Plan recently updated their MySpace blog with new information on their upcoming album.

Progressive metal up-and-comers Suspyre recently did an informative interview with Metal Underground.

For those of you not in the know, this is the re-issue of Botch's album We Are the Romans, originally released in 2000. This is a two album set that of course features re-mastered tracks from said album and a whole second disc of previously unreleased material as well as live songs.

If you are unfamiliar with this band and this album then you're about seven years out of the loop and five years late of ever hoping to see them live as the band disbanded in 2002. Botch set the standard for all the current hardcore bands today their chaotic math metal approach to hardcore, demolishing audiences and listeners with enough dissonant chords to melt your face and a rhythm section that would beat you into submission once you finished picking your face up off the floor. You know bands that you like in the metallic hardcore realm like Dillinger Escape Plan and Premonitions of War? Well they owe their musical careers to these guys, no doubt about it.

Although these guys went on to form a bunch of bands I could care less about, the members of Botch created an animal that had a mind of its own and whose shadow still looms over the hardcore scene; constantly inspiring new bands to up the ante. But I hesitate to say that any one of them will ever be able to surpass the master.

 Get this and see what the fuss was about.

Inovatia, inspiratia si longevitatea departe de mainstream au fost motivele pentru care revista Kerrang! i-a premiat pe THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, cu premiul „Spirit Of Independence”.

Consider ca este una dintre cele mai tari formatii ever, indiferent daca primeste sau nu premii.

Kerrang! au acordat premiile pe 2007 de abia acum. Intreaga ceremonie poate fi ascultata aici http://www.whatson.com/goto/?type=radio&station=kerrang&show=a_kerrang_awards_2007

How appropriate.

In related news, there are only a few more Party Smasher shirts left! Those wily independent fellas in the Dillinger Escape Plan have made limited edition shirts for each song on their 2007 album 'Ire Works.'

The 82588 shirt will be available -get this- only on 82508.  Monday, August 25.  Trust me... it's awesome.

Deftones and Maynard James Keenan - Passenger [White Pony]

Considering the rather ostentatious airs Maynard holds for his own music in Tool and, to a lesser extent, A Perfect Circle, it's quite surprising when you consider how involved he was in the early roots of the horribly coined genre tag of nu-metal. Duets with Rage Against the Machine and this notable performance on Deftones' masterpiece album, White Pony, which took all that young adult angst and used it as a foundation for a deeper, more soul searching sound.

Whilst White Pony brought with it a load of media attention and singles which Chino and co probably still live off the royalties of today, the standout track for me is 'Passenger', a song which had Maynard covering vocals with that familiar angry croon of his whilst the rest of the 'tones worked on a moody landscape in the background, bursting out with ferocious guitars as the chorus reached its climax.

I'm not too sure what it is about this track that I love so much. The chorus just acts as a total catharsis with the vocals sounding angered but always retaining a subtle undercurrent of delicacy. It retains a sense of epicness that is usually reserved for the likes of Mars Volta or other such bands that spend precious time building to a climax, but here the combination of Deftones and Maynard bring that peak in a digestible form.

Dillinger Escape Plan and Mike Patton - Irony Is a Dead Scene

It would be pretty easy to fill this whole list out with Mike Patton related collaborations. The guy seems to do his best to appear on anything of any kind in some shape or another. Hell, he even put forward his unique talents towards the voice of GladOS from Portal.

But I've chosen the the EP he did with Dillinger Escape Plan as a notable favourite. I've never really been able to get into Calculating Infinity as much as Dillinger's later work, but I think this EP really combines the aggressive nature of old school Dillinger Escape Plan with their more song driven sound that was brought in by Miss Machine.

Whether it was Patton who gave the band fresh ideas of where to take their music, you can't deny the genius of tracks such as 'Pig Latin' which opens with a tantalisingly picked guitar line and then just explodes into Patton's best strangled chicken impression. Oh, and it's got a crackingly grotesque cover of Aphex Twin's 'Come to Daddy' which makes this more than worth picking up.

MP3: The Dillinger Escape Plan & Mike Patton - Pig Latin

ISIS and Aerogramme - In the Fishtank 14

The 'In The Fishtank' series is a project devised by Netherlands independent music distributor Konkurrent which invites high profile bands to get together in a studio over a period of few days and see what they come up with. Other experiments have seen artists such as Tortoise and Sonic Youth in the studio, but one of the most ambitious recordings was the joining together of ISIS and Aereogramme, two bands with notable followings.

The results are tremendous, with opener 'Low Tide' proving a desolate grower as sound upon sound is layered over one another with a delicate craftsmanship, and middle track 'Delial' evoking the heavier nature of ISIS' influence on the EP. What is most surprising about this recording is the way the two bands, both really quite different, managed to find a common ground together that sustained a perfect balance of heavy rock and patient prog posturing, the latter of which I swear influenced ISIS on their last release 'In The Absence of Truth'.

MP3: Isis & Aereogramme - Low Tide

Yourcodenameis:milo & Martin Grech - We Hope You Are What You Think You Are [Print Is Dead vol.1]

Although YCI:M actually put out a whole collaboration album of their own, which is where you can find this track, Print Is Dead proved a mixed bag for me. But one track I completely admired from the first listen has to be 'We Hope You Are What You Think You Are', a raw slab of angry rock that bubbles with intense anger and scorn.

The intro to this track alone is worth the entry fee, with a slick bass line that moves up and down, before guitars come slamming in and the joyous screaming begins. "I will never come down when told to" is the opening line, and it oozes the kind of rebellious persona that this kind of music is all about as it reaches an unbearable crescendo that has solo artist Martin Grech and the others screaming "there is no God in this town", giving their all to a groin-kicking conclusion.

Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli (The Gutter Twins) - Saturnalia

The project known as 'The Gutter Twins' has been a long time in the making, with Dulli (of Afgan Whigs fame) and Lanegan (of having one of the heartiest growls since pirate days fame) being good friends for quite a long time. It's no surprise then that when the musical offering from this couple finally presented itself in last year's 'Saturnalia' it was a soulful embodiment of their respective talents and personalities.

Despite its rather poppy format, with shorter tracks, the album is a dingy example of how to make depressing music uplifting as possible. Lanegan shows his incredible ability to alter that powerful bark that most will be familiar from with his work for Queens of the Stone Age to a husky whisper that sends a shiver down the spine, and Dulli adds a haunting guitar sound that only exacerbates this feeling. In doing a bit of research for this post I found a fantastic quote that pretty much sums up the experience within this album. Music critic Liz Raftery said it's "an audial descent into the dark emotions that often lurk beneath the surface." Spot on.

MP3: The Gutter Twins - The Stations

Hvis I vil have koncerterne ned på harddisken, så anbefaler vi DVDVideoSoft's Free YouTube-to-iPod Converter. Lad ikke navnet snyde jer; den konverterer også til MPG og AVI. Selvfølgelig vil kvaliteten være efter YouTube-standard, og altså ikke just dvd-kvalitet (måske snarere dårlig vhs-kvalitet), men det er bedre end intet. Og jo, programmet konverterer, så I kan lægge koncerterne på jeres fancy små iPod's - og der gør 320x240 opløsning jo ikke så meget!

Mr. Bungle - Live @ Club Lingerie, 1991
På hvad jeg antager var bandets første "rigtige" turné, lige efter udgivelsen af den fænomenale debut. Patton og co. giver den fuld gas, og på trods af nogle lettere irriterende video-effekter, så er hele koncerten relativt professionelt filmet - og lyden er også god!

Strapping Young Lad - Live @ Download Festival 2006
Devin Townsend himself i topform. Det kræver en del selvironi at stille sig op på den scene og råbe, "Jeg er mere sexy end alle jer andre!"

Og hvem kan iøvrigt glemme proshot-videoen af en hel Dillinger Escape Plan-koncert fra for nylig? Ville lige nævne den hvis den havde undgået jer.

I gårsdagens Urban-avis (fra den 5. august 2008) udtaler Jesper, at det er "tankevækkende" at andre bands ikke har fulgt Radiohead's eksempel ved at udgive deres plade på nettet før en fysisk udgivelse. Dette skal tolkes på den måde, at Jesper anser stuntet som mislykkedes, og artiklens hovedudgangspunkt er da også, at flere mennesker har valgt at downloade Radiohead's album illegalt frem for at købe det. (Hvordan de lige præcis har fundet frem til hvor mange har downloadet albummet illegalt er ikke til at vide, men de var kommet frem til et tal, og det tal var højst sandsynligt hevet ud ad røven, ligesom det meste der kommer ud af AntiPiratGruppens talsrør.)

Udtalelsen er så dum, at man må tage sig til hovedet. Han siger, det er tankevækkende, at ingen andre bands har fulgt i fodsporet.

At en talsmand for pladeselskaberne er så uvidende om musikverden er skræmmende — og alligevel et godt billede på hvordan disse gamle dinosaur-firmaer tænker.

Vi behøver vel næppe at nævne, at svenske crustpunkere Skitsystem har lagt hele deres katalog ud gratis, Trent Reznor har udgivet hans sidste plade "The Slip" helt og aldeles gratis ovenpå to andre vellykkede eksperimenter, og at bands som The Offspring, Dillinger Escape Plan og mange andre bands vælger at lade hele deres album streame i fuld længde fra deres Myspace eller andre hjemmesider.

Hvis Jesper Bay havde hovedet mere i sandet ville hans isse kommet ud på den anden side af jordkloden.

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Some Images:

Press Play On Tape
Scene: Pavillion Jr.
Karakter:

God gas og dygtighed, med spilleglæde ud over scenekanten. Undrer mig dog over deres Slim Shady-pastiche, som var særdeles malplaceret, og selv om 80'er-medleyen var sjov var det ikke det, publikum var kommet for at høre. Bubble Bobble og Pacman skabte størst glæde, og deres udgave af Monty On The Run var ren nørd-blær med smil til følge.

Clutch
Scene: Odeon
Karakter:

Så er jeg også venlig. De er dygtige musikere, ingen tvivl derom. Men magen til arrogance. Koncerten bliver indledt uden skyggen af bandmedlemmerne, og i stedet får vi en al for lang intro på bånd. Når bandet først går på scenen virker de uoplagte (med mulig undtagelse af trommeslageren, der var pænt engageret i hans kram) og selvfede. Det til trods for, at musikken var i overhængende fare for at blive ensformig. I er dygtige musikere, drenge, men I skal ikke hvile på laurbærrene!

Radiohead
Scene: Orange
Karakter:

Eminent velspillet og med præcis den kølige distance, der ikke udråber arrogance, men nærmere introvert professionalisme og hengivenhed til eget værk. At gøre en Orange-koncert intim er der kun få, der har kunnet præstere (som f.eks. da Shirley Manson drak sig fuld under sin Garbage-koncert i 2002). Det lykkedes Radiohead. Kun næsten modvilligt spillede de Karma Police som allersidste sang, men den blev indledt med sangen Idioteque (fra Kid A), så der skulle dén pointe ligesom være sat på plads. Selv om setlisten hovedsageligt bestod af numre fra nyeste In Rainbows, som jeg ikke synes alverden om, så fungerede det langt, langt bedre end hvis koncerten havde været én lang "hit-parade". I så fald havde Radiohead ikke kunne prale af at være de auterer, de så inderligt gerne vil være.

Lidt røg skal de dog ha' med: deres brug af splittet storskærm, så man kunne se alle bandmedlemmer samtidig, var fin hvis man stod tæt på skærmen, men jeg har ondt af dem, der stod et stykke væk. Og hvis man ikke var Radiohead-fan, så blev man det i hvert fald ikke dén aften. Det var en koncert for de indviede, eller bare de meget skæve.

Seasick Steve
Scene: Pavillion
Karakter:

Festivallens overraskelse må komme i skikkelsen af denne true-blood redneck son-of-a-bitch med denim overalls, langt fipskæg, skovmandsskjorte og whiskey-ånde. Slide-guitar helt fra Mississippis hede, akkompagneret af "The Mississippi Drum Machine" (a.k.a. en trækasse på gulvet, som han hamrede på med foden). Efter at se hvor mange, der er mødt frem for at se ham, udbryder Steve som noget af det første: "Wow, I thought I was gonna play to like twenty people today."

Hans medbragte trommeslager gik så højt op i stemningen, at under en sangs afslutning væltede han bogstavelig talt bagover - heldigvis på sidste slag. Og hans søn på vaskebræt fik en slurk whiskey under introduktionen, hvorefter Steve stolt udbryder, "That's my boy."

Musikken var country/blues, og det er også fint nok, men mandens engagement var hvad der virkelig solgte koncerten. Han så helt og aldeles lykkelig ud, og var oppe og danse publikum i gang flere gange på trods af mandens tydeligt fremskredne alder. Man ved bare, at den mand sover med et oversavet jagtgevær under puden.

Holy Fuck
Scene: Pavillion
Karakter:

Improviseret dansemusik med galskab, kasten-sig-rundt, mærkværdige instrumenter, Casio-keyboards, båndmaskiner der blev flået ihjel, og en særdeles aktiv trommeslager. Jeg var målløs. "Holy Fuck" er præcis hvad man tænkte, da man forlod teltet efter koncerten. Man kunne også mærke på bandet, at de var sindssygt glade for at spille. Selv om de gerne ville være hårde i kanten og give publikum fingeren, så kunne de alligevel ikke lade være med at smile og komme med endnu flere skøre påfund til deres allerede dundrende lyd (lidt for meget mudder, hr. lydmand!). Deres to mikrofoner var ellers kun til effekt-brug (lidt reverb, lidt distortion, etc.), og altså ikke til at kommunikere med publikum med, men i ren affekt forsøgte den ene af de tre galninge alligevel at takke os for vores entusiastiske optræden gennem hans distortion-mikrofon. Kun enkelte gange tabte den ellers super-præcise og mildest sagt engagerede trommeslager et fill på jorden, hvilket jeg er sikker på ingen andre lagde mærke til, og han så undskyldende ud hver gang - og kvitterede få sekunder senere med et endnu hårdere fill. Og aldrig har jeg set en båndmaskine få så mange tæv. Holy fuck, indeed.

The Streets
Scene: Orange
Karakter:

Man kan sgu ikke klandre Mike Skinner for ikke at prøve. Publikum blev overøst med ros og entusiasme, og det må tages som en bonus, for Skinner kunne i virkeligheden bare have stillet sig op med sine bedste numre, fyret dem af, og taget hjem, velvidende om, at han havde leveret endnu en god fest i kraft af hans bagkatalog. Men nej, der skulle show til, og thank god for that. Det må være svært at være back-up band for den mand, for alle hans skøre påfund undervejs virker meget improviserede, og hvordan backer man en mand op, der insisterer på at få slukket al lys på hele Orange så han kan se lighterne? (And I tell you, fra luftfotoet så det meget imponerende ud at se en mørklagt Orange Scene kun lyst op af en mulliard lightere.)

Settet itself fokuserede meget på crowd-pleasere, og med crowd mener jeg hovedsageligt 14-årige piger. Der var alle tåreperserne og mid-tempo numrene, som man kunne stå og holde kæresten om livet til. Men når han endelig gad, så kunne Mike også sætte gang i en fest, og specielt "Fit But You Know It" fik smæk så den brækkede sig. Men Mike: jeg ved ikke hvem der har fortalt dig, at du kan synge. Men det kan du ikke. Heller ikke andenstemme. Lad hellere din rasta-buddy om dét.

The Dillinger Escape Plan
Scene: Odeon
Karakter:

Man skulle tro et band som Dillinger var vante til, at en vis procentdel af publikum ikke var med dem. Det handler jo alligevel om at svinge med og smadre guitarer og råbe og skrige. Men 3/4 gennem koncerten så Dillinger-banden nærmest skuffede ud, og Greg spurgte ligefrem om vi selv syntes, vi havde fortjent et sidste nummer.

Det var ikke fordi de ikke prøvede. Ben Weinman kastede sig rundt med både guitar og krop; kravlede op på højttalertårn; dropkickede selvsamme højttalertårn så det næsten væltede ned over ham; sprang ud fra selvsamme højttalertårn (som var fire store Marshaller stablet ovenpå hinanden!); og sprang ud i publikum under en superb fremførelse af Clip The Apex. Også Greg var en tur ude og uddele øvertæver. Men det var før teltet på Odeon tyndede ud til under det halve af dets kapacitet.

På trods af en ellers gedigent sammenrystet hardcore fanbase oppe i pitten, en del nysgerrige onlookers, og et band der ellers rystede alle deres moves af i et forsøg på at gejle folk op, så var indstillingen der bare ikke blandt publikum. Det hjælper måske ikke at lyd- og lysmændende var decideret sløve i optrækket.

So there you have it!
Smæk På var på festival, og fuck hvor var det godt.

Og iøvrigt fryd på Spleen United, der mistede deres lyd i en ti minutters tid under koncerten. Lyt til noget Ladytron eller Holy Fuck og tag ved lære; drop det der sodavandsdiskotek!

Og stol aldrig på en anmelder, der fortæller dig, at Alphabeat-koncerten var god — selv DR syntes, den var noget bras! Ha!

read more | digg story

Don Caballero - World Class Listening Problem

I guess Don Cab are like, the kings of math rock (if that's something you can even brag about).

Hella - Hold Your Horse Is

This is probably my favorite math rock album. Think of a Lightning Bolt that's less punk rock and more grad school.

Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity

NOT for the faint of heart! Dillinger Escape Plan combine hardcore metal, math rock and a little bit of free jazz into a concoction that sounds like your brain being ripped out of your skull. Enjoy!

Stunning, fresh, and quite genius.

May just drive you mad.

Error var det hedengangne super-projekt med brødrene Ross (hvoraf Atticus kendes fra det der lille band der), gutten fra Bad Religion, og MOTHERFUCKING GREG, a.k.a. koreaner-spyderen fra Dillinger. De fik kun lavet en enkelt EP, og den taber lidt dampen allerede omkring det næstsidste nummer. Men for fanden hvor er "Nothing's Working" et godt nummer, og hey, det kan hentes gratis! Whoopeee!

Desert Planet kendte jeg ellers ikke til før nogen oplyste mig om, at CD-mediet er DØDT, og man fremover udgiver sit skidt på USB-nøgler!!! Det er dog ikke dét album, jeg vil anbefale, men derimod albummet "Moonrocks". To finlændere med stor kærlighed for C64 SID-synthen, danserytmer og rock-arrangementer.

Ligesom Error før, så taber det også dampen ... faktisk overraskende hurtigt. Men de to første numre er fede, og hey, man kan downloade det fedeste nummer gratis! Svært at sige nej til. Men de har endnu ikke helt fortjent at kunne lave temaet fra Blade Runner i danseversion. Fy fy, slemme finlændere!

Arcturus lavede en skive, der hedder The Sham Mirrors. Den er værd at undersøge hvis man kan lide polyrytmik. Der er lige lidt for meget mellemtone i lydbilledet for min smag, men Hellhammer kan fandme ikke lide at spille i én taktart særlig længe - selv når alle andre i bandet gør det. Må fandme være svært at spille med den mand.

Dear Dude,

I play drums and am into fast hardcore/metal music like Darkest Hour, Dillinger Escape Plan, Devil Driver, Unearth, etc. l I have been jamming with these dudes recently and they are more interested in covering songs and doing just covers where as I’m more interested in making my own music and possibly playing shows. What advice would you give to me? Should I spend time working on these covers or should I find some dudes to play my own music with?

Thanks,

Run for Cover?

Dear Run for Cover,

First things first, I learned how to play guitar by learning others peoples songs. Learning riffs, solos, techniques, all made me, and continue to make me, a better guitar player, songwriter, and musician. However, too much imitation can lead to creative stagnation. Sounds catchy, I know, but you get the point. You have to learn to balance imitating & creating.

There is not one true path to either stardom or creative satisfaction. Shit, I know numerous musicians that play in cover bands who make more money, have steadier work, and play to bigger audiences then us touring types. And sometimes it's a path to success; just look at Eddie Van Halen, Dimebag Darrel, and Randy Rhodes for example. All shredders who started playing in full time cover bands.

All that aside, my honest advice is to find some other dudes you can make your own music with and don’t look back. The thing is, you’re probably not going to be able to make a living (or even get a gig) playing covers of Dillinger Escape Plan, Devil Driver, or Unearth. If you truly love metal, punk, and hardcore then you have to reach out and start expressing yourself in the genre. Sure, you can still jam with your dudes who want to play covers, as I said, it’s a great learning tool, but I wouldn’t have it be your only outlet. What it comes down to is it’s always better to try and be yourself then a pretty good copy of someone else.

The Dude

The video for The Dillinger Escape Plan's new single "Black Bubblegum" can be viewed here.  It is the second single off the group's most recent release Ire Works.

Devin Townsend's Punky Brüster: Cooked On Phonics. For dem af jer, der kunne lide Ziltoid, så er Devin's koncept-punk-skive om et dødsmetalband, der sælger ud og spiller pop-punk, lige til at gå ombord i. Historien er måske ikke så gennemarbejdet eller syret som Ziltoid, men der er tilnærmelsesvis en De Skrigende Halse-atmosfære over det hele.

Mindless Self Indulgence's IF. Jeg kunne ikke være mere græskkatolsk over, at bassisten er gift med ham klaphatten fra My Chemical Romance, eller at de har aftaler med pivegoter-mekkaet Hot Topic gående i USA. MSI er Serj Tankian på sukkeroverdosis, og man skal godt nok have sit selvoptagede goter-hoved langt oppe i dødsstjernen for ikke at fnise af "Mastermind" ("this shit gonna turn your mama white") eller "Get It Up" ("whatever you do, don't talk about your boyfriend while we're having sex, how 'bout that?!"). Frankenstein Girls var fed, You'll Rebel to Anything var federe, og IF er helt og aldeles klasse-vare! Fuck My Chemical Romance og få Mindless til Danmark!

Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works. Roskilde-programmet er sikret! Der skal uddeles skaller! Ire Works er intet mindre end smukt, og alle, der siger anderledes, kan få hovedet kappet af af min splinternye grå-vinyl udgave af pladen! Den er skarp. Nu mangler vi bare, at Alphabeat nedkommer med en eller anden livstruende sygdom og holder sig væk - så er min festival for alvor reddet.

Han er koreaner! Han spyr ild!

En special mention skal selvfølgelig lige ud til alles yndlings-onkel Trent, der har valgt at udgive sin nye skive helt gratis. Okay, så den er kun 40 mins lang, men i det mindste er det ikke Ghosts om igen.

Made Out of Babies are the kind of band that continue to get better with each subsequent release and how stoked was I to hear their latest song "Cooker" from their forthcoming album, The Ruiner, out June 24! I think the fact they keep getting weirder and more complex in their sound is what fascinates me. Vocalist Julie Xmas seems to be utilizing her considerable talents in more ways than just saying words--using her voice to add another element of suspense to the juggernaut rhythm section of bassist Cooper and drummer Matt, while Brendan's buzz saw and effects laden guitar dances around the chaos.

I've been anxiously awaiting a new release from MOOB and so I decided to send Julie some Q's in advance of their release date. If you haven't seen this band live, do yourself a favor and go check it out. 

Who is producing the new MOOB record?

The record would not have become what it is without the help of Andrew Schneider of Translator Audio in Brooklyn. Andrew is amazing. For anyone who isn’t too familiar with how records are made, the producer is as important as any member of the band, and Andrew is definitely a rising star in the audio engineering world.

Do you have a title for it yet?

The Ruiner.

You had mentioned in our interview a while back that your writing process as a singer you often think of the words last and use sounds more than actual lyrics, but Coward seemed more focused lyrically than Trophy did (as a result the vocals sounded more passionate, subject matter was more overt). Is that still the case?

Thanks for saying the vocals sound more passionate with more highly developed subject matter. I can’t tell if I’m more lyrically focused. Sometimes the words do seem to be coming to me faster, but other times it’s like squeezing blood from a stone. I think the key is always the music. If the music is really “for me”, I can usually respond to it fluidly without too many tears and grunts. Abstract vocals are very easy to hide behind. Then again, maybe I haven’t changed at all and it’s you has changed as a listener.

Has your process changed since you started MOOB? Do you utilize different writing/vocal techniques when working with different people like Battle of Mice and do you 'save' some things for your main project MOOB?

I respond to different music in different ways. I’m not a good saver. Every time I scream till I almost black out, I know I shouldn’t be doing it. I am weak that way. I tend to do whatever I want despite the cost. Saving ideas has recently come into play with my own solo work, because the music is generally not originating from other people.

How have things been working with your new label The End? What was the reason to work with them and not Neurot for your forthcoming 3rd album?

 Neurot is great, but we wanted to try a new partnership for this record. The End is a growing label with great ideas and we have high hopes for working with them – they seem really driven to make things work and they are committed to the new record, which is by far our best work.

What like-minded loonies are you working with in 08'?

My other personality, My lovely men from Made Out of Babies, the guys from Mouth Of the Architect, the guys from Spylacopa (Greg from Dillinger Escape Plan, Jeff from Isis and John from Candiria), A French Director and French Producer David Blin and Renaud Behar (I’m scoring their first feature length film), Andrew Schneider, Mel Liederman from Victory at Sea/Thalia Zadek, and a few other special surprises that I can’t name at the moment. It is a very busy time!

What can you tell me about the solo record and can what folks can expect? will it be heavy, electronic, ambient, combination of both, anyone producing? is if full band? is it just you and an acoustic guitar?

I would never try to play an instrument and sing. I have great musicians helping me out. The music is big and open, songs I want to sing or have always wanted to sing that most people probably will not like too much. I don’t think I could finish an entire album without expressing very dark feelings, but I also express a sense of hope and amazement at small things in the world.

Whats the possibility of a Jarboe/Julie Xmas collab?

I’ve never thought about it. I wonder if it would work.

When is the next tour scheduled for MOOB?

Summer 08’, we’ll be in Europe & the US. We’ve been taking time off to write and record.

Will there ever be a followup to the Battle of Mice record?

A BOM split with Jesu is coming out on Robotic Empire in a few months.

Did you guys work with Joel Hamilton again on the new MOOB record?

No, but we love Joel. I think we knew before we started to write that Andrew was the right person for this album. When you hear it, you’ll know why. The best - kept secret in Brooklyn.

Thanks Julie. Happy 08. looking forward to seeing you guys sometime this year.

Thank You! This was fun – thanks so much for thinking of me.  Let me know if you need anything else at all!