UPWARDS - TEODASIA

Every time one listens to a new band, there is a sort of uncertainty as to wether their first album will measure up to the expected standard or if it will flop, due to its being the product of just entusiasm, and rock-star dreams. Fortunately, with Teodasia's first effort Upwards, one can rest assured that one will be in for a musical ride full of excitement, cinematic atmospheres and great music.
  
   The album kicks off with the incredible Temptress, a song that, in a way, shows what the album will be about: tempo changes, vocal melodies ranging from lyrical to rockish, and a musical background so tightly knit that it is hard to believe that this is indeed the band's first record. After Revelations, a song with beautiful orchestral passages all along, comes the grandiose Lost Words Of Forgiveness, featuring one of the finest singers in the Italian metal scene, Fabio Lione, of Rhapsody Of Fire. Teodasia's singer Priscilla Fiazza duets with Fabio in such an enticing manner that it is simply not possible not to play the song once again (or many times again) before continuing with the rest of the album. After that, the there is some room to relax a bit with the beautifully-sung Close Call. Clarion Call shakes things up a bit: Tempo changes, an orchestral interludio, and a flawless instrumental background offer the perfect background for Priscilla's voice to soar. This marks the transition to the second part of the album, which kicks in as powerfully as the first part did. A Powerful Life boasts one of those chorus lines hard to forget. Again, after one listen to this song, the melody lingers. A special mention to the guitar solo here, which blends perfectly with the singer's voice. The song ends a bit abruptly, leaving the listener expectant. After a few seconds of silence, Hollow Earth bursts in. This is, perhaps, the most perfectly-crafted song. The break in the middle is marvelous. The instrumental interludio and the guitar solo mark a change in the mood of the song, and the coda crowns this masterpiece. Then comes Aurora, a spell-binding song that for a few minutes will keep the listener wondering to what kind of mystical land his or her mind drifted. Pandora's Knight is, perhaps, the song where influences stand out the most. The keyboards automatically reminisce of the Nightwish of the Wishmaster/Century Child era. There is a bit of growling in the middle, a surprise at this stage of the album and towards the end, there is a brief passage that reminds of Within Temptation. In fact, if one is unaware of who is singing, one may think it is Sharon den Adel. There is an instrumental track in the album as well, Eulogy, which is epic. It could be the soundtrack to a lord-of-the-rings-style movie. This is a euology to music. Emotive and bombastic, this composition boasts all the elements which have been mentioned above. My Minotaur, the final track, is the perfect ending for a flawless album.
If one had to define Upwards, the right answer would be that this is the perfect debut album for any band in the genre. The musicians have achieved such a level of balance that the whole group sounds tight. There are no cracks, the band sounds like a unit. There are no displays of virtuosity, no lightning-fast guitar or keyboard solos, but they are not needed. This is perhaps Teodasia's main virtue to sound as a unity. Teodasia has achieved a sound that is hard to imagine in any debut record. This album has certainly set the bar high for the band's next projects. But if the musicians continue being this consistent, there are no doubts they will surely keep setting higher standards with every new record.

Rating: 9/10

Video: Lost Words Of Forgiveness

Unmissable song: Hollow Earth

No GNR Reunion at Hall of Fame induction - Axl's open letter

The rumor became real. Axl Rose has released an open letter stating that he will not be there at the Guns N' Roses Hall of Fame induction next Saturday. On the band's official Facebook page, Axl posted a lengthy letter which is posted in its entirety below:

To: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N' Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern,

When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced I had mixed emotions but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honored, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course I realized as things stood, if Guns N' Roses were to be inducted it'd be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.

Since then we've listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of Guns N' Roses, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists' comments weighing in publicly on Guns and the Hall with their thoughts.

Under the circumstances I feel we've been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of Guns N' Roses, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in "our" induction (that for the record are decisions I don't agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things... no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn't appear to be somewhere I'm actually wanted or respected.

For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It's their show not mine.

That said, I won't be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N' Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of "Guns N' Roses".

This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp's perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I'm sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I'll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don't intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we've actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, "damned if I do, damned if I don't" scenario all the way around.

In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite or Illusion lineups, I've publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing's changed.

The only reason, at this point, under the circumstances, in my opinion whether under the guise of "for the fans" or whatever justification of the moment, for anyone to continue to ask, suggest or demand a reunion are misguided attempts to distract from our efforts with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and DJ Ashba.

Izzy came out with us a few times back in '06 and I invited him to join us at our LA Forum show last year. Steven was at our show at the Hard Rock, later in '06 in Las Vegas, where I invited him to our after-party and was rewarded with his subsequent interviews filled with reunion lies. Lesson learned. Duff joined us in 2010 and again in '11 along with his band, Loaded, opening in Seattle and Vancouver. For me, with the exception of Izzy or Duff joining us on stage if they were so inclined somewhere in the future for a song or two, that's enough.

There's a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities. Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn't room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion.

Maybe if it were you it'd be different. Maybe you'd do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever. I love our band now. We're there for each other when the going get's rough. We love our fans and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart we can.

So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense.

But hey if ya gotta then maybe we can get the "no show, grandstanding, publicity stunt, disrespectful, he doesn't care about the fans" crap out of the way as quickly as we can and let's move on. No one's taking the ball and going home. Don't get it twisted. For more than a decade and a half we've endured the double standards, the greed of this industry and the ever present seemingly limitless supply of wannabes and unscrupulous, irresponsible media types. Not to imply anything in this particular circumstance, but from my perspective in regard to both the Hall and a reunion, the ball's never been in our court.

In closing, regardless of this decision and as hard to believe or as ironic as it may seem, I'd like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns' induction. More importantly I'd like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we've had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N' Roses music.

I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!

Sincerely,

Axl Rose

P.S. RIP Armand, Long Live ABC III

(Picture taken from GNR's Facebook page).

A DIFFERENT KIND OF TRUTH - VAN HALEN

After fourteen years of musical silence, Van Halen's follow-up to the not-so-well-received-by-fans 1998 record Van Halen III is out, and what a comeback! The most notable aspect of this return effort is the fact that original frontman David Lee Roth is back to his role. He had already toured with the band in 2007 and 2008 but this is the first full-length Van Halen album featuring David's voice in twenty eight years (David left the band after the record-breaking 1984). The current line-up is completed by Eddie's brother Alex, the legendary drummer, and son Wolfgang, in charge of the bass.

With the first play, the album evokes their roots, laden with melodies, ingenious guitar riffs, long solos and Eddie's trademark tapping skills. Many of the songs in the record were brought back to life from demos written in the 70s. However, there is a bunch of brand new songs, such as Stay Frosty and You and Your Blues, which have a bluesy feeling to them. David's voice sounds top-notch, as it time hasn't gone by and Eddie's playing is flawless. It seems that this symbiosis between both leaders is beneficial for the band, as the sound and musical creativity are at their best and both stand out in their own way, but never overshadowing one another.

This is an album that fans will praise for obvious reasons: it is the Van Halen record everybody was expecting: The original singer is back, the album sounds as it had been recorded in the early 80s and yet is not a brazen copy of that era, and Eddie's guitar playing is simply great, as he were making a statement of why he has been a major influence for guitar players around the world for over thirty years. A curiosity: this is the first album featuring David Lee Roth which does not include an instrumental stand alone track.

This LP will surely make the best-2012-album lists around the world.

Rating: 9/10

Video: Tattoo

Unmissable song: Stay Frosty

CHARLOTTE ERIKSSON - INTERVIEW

On my last post I wrote a review about Charlotte Eriksson, a young artist coming from Sweden who has recently brought out her new EP "This Is How Ghosts Are Made". Now, due to the overwhelmingly positive comments that I received on that review, I have decided to treat all the readers and followers of this blog. I have contacted Charlotte and she was super nice to answer all my questions, which I am sharing with you all here. Enjoy!

Can you describe a bit your beginnings as a musician? (for example, family background, studies, school bands, etc.)

I got into music very late, I think I was around 15 or 16 that I even started to really listen to music. But when I ”discovered” it and the way it could make me all hypnotized, I was hooked. I guess when I really started to take it seriously was when I moved to London all alone last year. Then I started my record label in May 2011 and released my first EP, and since then I’ve just kept going!

Have you done any formal musical studies?

I went to a songwriting/producer-school in Sweden before I moved, but it wasn’t any high level, just very basic, and then I went to some music-business classes etc. at a music college in London. But I’ve never taken any lessons in any instrument.

Do you play any instruments? If you do, which one(s)?

I play the guitar and the piano and I’m trying to learn how to play the drums.

How old were you when you wrote your first song?

I was 15, or 16, and it was actually called ”The Glass Child”

Many prominent artists come from your country: Abba, Roxette, The Cardigans, Jill Johnson, Ace of Base... Have they had any influence on your music? Do you relate to any of them? If so, how?

We definitely have a lot of amazing pop artists from sweden, but to be honest I’m not into Swedish music at all. The Swedish music-scene is very stuck and in their own little box and it’s the same with the fans in Sweden - they only listen to the bands that everyone else is listening too. I’m very influenced by a lot of Swedish folk singers though, like a guy called Lars Winnderbäck. He’s only writing in Swedish, but he’s probably my biggest hero when it comes to lyrics.

What's your most important source of inspiration?

My weird little existence and the way my mind works. How to live, how other people live. Human behavior and just how people choose to spend their lives. Everything I write about is about real things and experiences that I’ve been through or felt, so it’s all about my real life.

Could you describe your song-writing process? Do you come up with lyrics first? Is it the music and then the lyrics? Does anybody help you with melodies/harmonies?

It’s very different for every song actually, but it always starts with something that I need to say. Something that I need to say to a person, or to a group of people, or just something I need to explain and that I feel that I can’t talk about. So, I always know what I want the song to be about before I start writing it, but then sometimes I start playing on the piano or the guitar and the melody and the words just kind of appears. Other times I might write something in words on the tube or on the bus and then I just start singing them when I have an instrument. There’s no formula really and I can’t even really describe it, and I think that is the magical about music. It just appears.


Do you ever write/sing songs in Swedish?

I’ve actually written a couple of songs in Swedish, mostly when I just moved to London and was horribly homesick and missed my friends and family. I started to listen to quite a lot of Swedish folk singers just to feel more like home, and I wrote some Swedish songs as letters to the people I’d left behind. But I’ll probably never show them to anyone, haha!


What do you think of Swedish as a language for pop/rock songs? Is it suitable? Why do you sing in English?

No I don’t really like Swedish in pop-rock songs, it sounds very corny and weird, and to be honest, English comes so much more natural for me. I’ve never really felt at home in Sweden, so I guess that’s why don’t have so much connection to the language. But it’s really beautiful in acoustic folk-songs though.

Can you name your three favorite records and say why they are your favorite ones?

Counting Crows - August and everything after

This is the first record I ever bought, because I stumbled upon the song Round Here, and that’s the first song I ever connected with in music. This record is as real as it can ever get for me, and I can honestly say that it has shaped me in so many ways.

Ani Difranco - Not A Pretty Girl

Because her music is so real and she’s probably my biggest inspiration when it comes to being a vocalist. I even think she’s the one who taught me to sing, especially the reason to why I wanted to sing in the first place.

Valencia - We All Need A Reason To Believe

This is such an amazing band that never got the recognition they deserved. They just broke up and I was so sad when I heard that, I never got to see them live. This album is just perfect all the way through, the melodies, lyrics, production, everything.

Can you name your three favorite singers/artists and say why they are your favorite ones?

Well, obviously the ones above, but after those it’s probably Ben Harper, Augustana and CocoRosie. They’re all amazing songwriters , singers and just beautiful people. I’ve been listening to them since I got into music when I was 14 and I always go back to their albums.

Do you have any side jobs?

Before I moved to London and decided to go for the music I wanted to be a professional dancer, but now I’m just working as a dance teacher some times because it’s fun, both in London and Sweden. Other than that I spend every minute of every day on my music.

Do you have any hobbies other than music?

Tons! I love everything that has to do with art. I write and read a lot, I love photography and dancing obviously and I’m spending days in the dance studio as often as I can, choreographing, just to get to express myself in a different way than music. I love going on small adventures or roadtrips, alone or with friends, to nowhere at all just to see what can happen and what you can learn. I love hanging with my friends, going to gigs and going to new cities.

Where do you see yourself in a ten-year's time?

In ten years I’m full-time touring the world and living for music and art. I’ve released a hand full of albums (hopefully one each year, so ten albums), I’ve grown as a person and I have hopefully figured myself out a bit more.

How much time of your life does music take up?

Basically every minute of every day. First of all because this is what I love and what I want to do every minute of every day, but also because that’s what it takes to get your music out if you don’t want to sell yourself to a label that pays for success. It’s only hard work and determination that can get you anywhere.

It seems to me that your EPs have gotten a huge response by your followers. Which role have the internet and social networks played on this success?

The internet with twitter, facebook and tumblr is the reason for almost every single fan I have today. I’m a white shy person and I’m not very good at interacting with people face to face, so I figure quite early that I connected so much better with people on the internet because I have so much easier to express myself with written words. Also, since I don’t have any money for touring or expensive features in big magazine, the online-buzz is my only chance, so the internet means everything to me really.

Being so young and leaving everything behind to settle down in a foreign country and pursue your musical career seems a bit scary. What can you say to people wanting to do the same?

It was scary and it was the hardest first months of my entire life, but I can honestly say that I would never ever have found myself and figured myself out if I hadn't done it. I think it’s so important to move away all alone, so that you can become who you are meant to be. If you stay around the same people, in the same place, doing the same things, you will never grow into the person you were born to be. You will get stuck in habits and in old comfortable behavior, and that’s the biggest mistake you can do as a human, in my opinion. For those who want to do what I did: it is going to be hard and you’re going to cry a lot and miss people and regretting ever leaving, but those days are the days you grow your strength and when you realized that you got through it, you will realize that there are so many opportunities in life if you just dare to push yourself into uncomfortable situations. It’s worth ever second.

Would you like leaving a message for your current and future fans around the world?

Please check out my new album This Is How Ghosts Are Made that is out everywhere and you can stream it on my website www.charlotteeriksson.com. And also, I’m answering to every single tweet or message I get to write to me on Twitter, Tumbler or Facebook or just say hi! Dream big and stay strong!

(Don't forget to read my review on Charlotte's Latest EP: This Is How Ghosts Are Made)

(Photos taken from Charlotte Eriksson's website: www.charloteeriksson.com)

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Charlotte Eriksson - This Is How Ghosts Are Made

Around a month and a half ago I came across a young Swedish artist, called Charlotte Eriksson (The Glass Child) on Youtube. The song that struck my attention was Insanity. For some reason I was impelled to dig a bit more into her music. What followed was a string of fascinating songs played over and over on my computer. It had been some time that something like that happened to me: That I felt some kind of energy pulling me towards the songs. I guess at first I was mesmerized by the power Charlotte transmitted, but then there were the topics she dealt with. So, I got her EP released in December 2011, called This Is How Ghosts Are Made. One short definition: My instincts proved me right.

This is How Ghosts Are Made is Charlotte Eriksson's new EP; her second effort after the Charlotte Eriksson EP. I got the deluxe edition including some extra tracks and some personal notes that give some insight into her life. Being very young, she left Sweden and settled down in London to pursue a career as a musician. This is a big source of inspiration for her: All the thoughts that crossed her mind when she made that huge change in her life, for instance, leaving her friends and family behind, being ditched by record companies because she didn't want to sell out to a more "commercial" style, and her time spent in solitude. All these things, mixed with a very strong personality showing that she won't back down no matter what and that she will prove the world that she can make it give shape to her style: raw songs, leaning toward the minimalistic side which hightlights both Charlotte's strength to fight for her dreams and her honesty. This is a very important concept and, perhaps, what relates me the most to her music: honesty. She does not hide herself in overly produced songs and videos, she does not want to comply to the typical pop singer image, she does not care about what media moguls may think of her; in other words, she stays true to herself and to her fans. This is, in my opinion, a gift rarely seen in music industry nowadays, which should be praised when found.

As it was said before, Charlotte's songs are simple: basic chord progressions and minimal arrangements. This is, however not a bad thing. On the contrary, this is the best setting for her to display her strength and honesty. I would seem strange if things were different, as a more "elaborated" style would hide this rawness her tracks bear and it would also prevent her message to come across as bluntly as it does when listening to This Is How Ghosts Are Made. Honesty, strength, passion for music and a lot of willpower are just some of the attributes Charlotte portrays through her music. Intricate personal stories that develop between the real world and the realm of imagination cast a layer of mystery to the songs. Lastly, an overall attitude of not betraying who she is and what she wants makes Charlotte Eriksson an artist worth following.

On one of her songs the lyrics go: "learned to use my voice and sing up loud enough, maybe loud enough for you to hear me?"; and yes, her voice deserves to be heard. Not only has she proved that she has what it takes to break through as a true artist, but also the statements she makes on all her songs are so solid that the slowly vanishing concept of honesty in music is something we can all rest assured will not be compromised.

Rating: 7/10

Videos:

Best Part Of Me

Insanity

(Pictures taken from Charlotte Eriksson's official website)