NEW SONG REVIEW BY MUEN MAGAZINE
Current mood: grateful
Category: Music
THE UNKNOWNN
Something New and FREE? We had to do an update!
Much like MUEN is filled with great content and is free, so it appears is The Unknownn, at least as of now and with one new tune. The Unknownn has released its first "official" new song and is offering it free via their MySpace blog and delivering it via download.
Expecting great things as I am a fan of their music but skeptical as it was free, I sent my e-mail to see what this indeed sounded like. I was not the least disappointed and found this to be yet another evolution of their music but with some of their signature haunting lyrics and intricate instrumentation intact. Described by Stoney ,from the band, "Sometimes" is the slowest and most somber of the new work they have been doing in studio that also includes full on rock, some dirty electro as well as their signature trip hop which may make an appearance all in the same song. "Sometimes" is slower in tempo and has a melancholy feel but is well written, produced and performed. A great reassurance that The Unknownn is still making great tunes with much better attention paid to song structure. Although they are spreading their musical style of wings through various influences, they are staying true to what their fans have come to know and appreciate in their complex and well written music and lyrics.
They promise to have an interesting and unique approach to their music releases in the next months and will not be confined to a single EP or CD. Stoney mentioned a more "artistic" approach by having personalized individual single CDs available in limited quantity of each new tune but also have them available on iTunes should you just want to listen more digitally. Other free goodies are "in the works" other than their music. Add them and subscribe to their blog as I think whatever they are to give away will not last long nor be in large quantities as nothing they do fits in a "traditional" genre including their music.
They can be found at
www.myspace.com/theunknownn
Or at their official website www.theunknownn.com
~Macavity
Thanks MUEN for all your support and visit MUEN Magazine at:
CD REVIEW - REGEN MAGAZINE
Current mood: ecstatic
Category: Music
The Unknownn
The Unknownn
Posted: Friday, September 12, 2008
By: Whidden Lee Flores
AR Rep & Consutant
Past the realm of the explainable, the earthly, and the definition of "just a band", The Unknownn breaks all these barriers without so much as a lifted finger.
Before there was Portishead's Third, there was The Unknownn's debut album. An enigmatic, elegant mystery band from the UK, these monsters of talent have perfected the blend of silence, simplicity, raw emotion, and lush blends of guitars and electronic music. Experimental, ethereal, pop friendly, rock accessible, progressive, and unique - The Unknownn has it all, not to mention, the beyond clean and impressive warm recording job done to accompany the highbrow talent. They rest somewhere lost between a confusion of Portishead, Invisible Ballet, Pink Floyd, and Scarling.
"Nocturnal" starts off the album slyly as if it left off where Portishead's Dummy ended. The guitars are positively creepy before breaking into an almost deep soul-like chorus, chanting "tear me apart," sinking into despair. "Cure All" has an almost Sneaker Pimps vibe with the descending keyboard chords echoing behind a heavily distorted guitar and busty vocals that undulate with the drum breakdowns. The bass line is what stands out the most; overcompressed, very low end DB's, gritty, and overly sexual and enticing.
The absolute jawdropper of the entire album is "Raw," which begins with a single dissonant piano chord, echoing against the painstaking silence. "Tear drops falling from my eyes / anger pouring from inside / footsteps on a wooden floor / don't want to feel like this anymore / my heart beating 'til it's raw." The lyrics are so simple and uncomplicated that it lets the listener feel just how hurt the song is, that nothing but the simplest thoughts can be expressed to ease the agony. It builds and swells, letting the listener know that the barely kept composure at the start of the song is about to snap into a complete, harsh, and personal emotional breakdown by the middle. The only weak track on the album is "Get It." It is too dissonant and abstract for most of the album and it is mostly a jam track with incredibly repetitive vocals that say "Get it, get it, oh" a few too many times. While it might have been fun for the band to jam out, it felt like a filler piece and would have been better left off the record. However, even then, if the listener sits through the five minute piece, the ending is crafty with a tight Rhodes before the next piece starts with some cumbersome, morose strings.
Next, "Backseat" cruises into your head like a warm sunny drive, giving you some comfort that the dark days just might have passed. The song immediately invites the listener into their dreamy realm filled with surprising twists and turns. Vocals are lush, sultry, and carefully planted at times, better than Allison Goldfrapp herself. After "Backseat," the album turns into almost a reflective dream pop, symphonic rock saga; while not as angry as the first half, still as good and just as sincere. "Blood" is the first time acoustic guitars are brought in and against the backdrop of lush strings, it leaves a stunning impression. "InkStarSkin" is tribal and reminiscent in the beat of Kidneythieves' album Zerøspace, before winding back down with "LeavingBC," returning to the original trip-hop style that started the album out.
What is most astonishing about The Unknownn is the confidence of their sound with their subtle grooves and decidedly perfect style, without fear to expand past the standard pop format and allow a haunting howl to escape into the mix. If Beth Gibbons and Roger Waters had ever gotten together and written an album, it would sound exactly like this. It is rare that an album can't be grasped by the third or fourth listen. The Unknownn took at least seven before the listener is able to comprehend the full capacity of this epic masterpiece. There is so much to absorb, so much to like, so full that words seem inadequate to explain the deeply spiritual and sexual tribal style that is The Unknownn. This is easily one of the most unique gems to be created within the past couple of years
FREE SONG AND LIVE SOUNDS :)
Current mood: excited
Category: Music
Hey Guys,
I KNOW...another new blog and quickly ;)
In addition to the FREE new tune WE have we also have....
A REAL and LIVE band on the Stoney Show...NOW!!!
APRON and they will have something special on their blog ;) so visit them at www.myspace.com/apronband
And check out what their blog says maybe....tomorrow ;) But the wait is finally over for us as well. . . get ready for a whole bunch of new stuff over the next 6 months, starting from. . . . NOW.
And, as a massive thank you for all the support, encouragement, friendship and general coolness over the last few years, the first track is free. ABSOLUTELY FREE!!! From me to you, to say thanks for all the fish :)
I thought about loading the song into the myspace player, but the quality sucks, more people than you can imagine can't get the download feature to work (Me included!), so. . . I'm going old SK00L on this!
Just email - friends@theunknownn.com with the subject "New Track" and the track is yours :)
It really is free! So do it… now… yayy!
Hope you enjoy the song. . . it's slow, sad and a bit broken :) hehe There are also some heavyweight remixes in the pipeline for the tune, with the likes of DFP and Jade already on the case, and rumours of Metal-gods "Apron" even doing a version!
I'll let you know as soon as i know, and the remixes and stuff will all be free too!! (You will be able to get it all on iTunes if you want to, but really. . . why would you?)
Let us know what you think of it, we love hearing your feedback if it agrees with what we're thinking at the time. ha
And. . . we promise we will try really, really, REALLY, hard to keep you posted about what's going on. Well anything's got to be an improvement from how lame I've been recently huh?
Go, do it. . do it now! YAY :)
Hot and sweaty and tired bits from being in studio with APRON most the day ;)
Stoney
Currently
listening
:
The Slip
By
Nine Inch Nails
Release date: 2008-07-22
NEW SONGS :) And the first one is for free!
Current mood: anxious
Category: Music
Hey Guys,
Long time no blog. Longer time no new music.
Well, there's been a lot stuff going on, doing tracks for films, messing around with hammers. . . that sort of thing.
But the wait is finally over. . . get ready for a whole bunch of new stuff over the next 6 months, starting from. . . . NOW.
And, as a massive thank you for all the support, encouragement, friendship and general coolness over the last few years, the first track is free. ABSOLUTELY FREE!!! From me to you, to say thanks for all the fish :)
I thought about loading the song into the myspace player, but the quality sucks, more people than you can imagine can't get the download feature to work (Me included!), so. . . I'm going old sK00L on this!
Just email - friends@theunknownn.com with the subject "New Track" and the track is yours :)
It really is free! So do it… now… yayy!
Hope you enjoy the song. . . it's slow, sad and a bit broken :) hehe There are also some heavyweight remixes in the pipeline for the tune, with the likes of DFP and Jade already on the case, and rumours of Metal-gods "Apron" even doing a version!
I'll let you know as soon as i know, and the remixes and stuff will all be free too!! (You will be able to get it all on iTunes if you want to, but really. . . why would you?)
Let us know what you think of it, we love hearing your feedback if it agrees with what we're thinking at the time. ha
And. . . we promise we will try really, really, REALLY, hard to keep you posted about what's going on. Well anything's got to be an improvement from how lame I've been recently huh?
Go, do it. . do it now! YAY :)
Hot and sweaty bits
Stoney
oh and p.s. - I'll probably be posting this as a bulletin multiple times, to try and let as many people know as possible, so if it starts to get on your nerves, I'm sorry, just drop a line and I'll stop! Also, if you feel like spreading the word, copy this and bulletin it yourself if you want to? maybe??
The Stoney Show’s random Wednesday outing!! Special guest!!
Category: Music
Guys, Guys, Guys. . .
Okay, so I don't normally do a show on wednesdays I know, but tonight I'm joined by the platinum selling artist and published academic. . . Louis Macan. wwwmyspace.com/apartment26
YES! - Get in.
We'll be on air and messing around in about 45 mins (30). . so that's 11.30pm GMT and different times if you're not!
None of the links I try and type seem to work for most people, So just go to spread radio live .com and you'll be 'right ;)
Jim Distortion!! Live on the Stoney Show!! in 30 mins!
Current mood: worried a little,
Guys,
So it's like this. . . My new best friend Jim from the band Perfect Distortion (don't check them out! www.myspace.com/perfectdistortions) has been over doing recording, scaring me with his stories and putting the fear of b'jesus in me with his driving.
So we're going to do the radio show together. . oh fuck
spread radio live, that's the where you should avoid at all costs for the next 2 hours.
We will also be joined by the actress Ameilia Tyler (She says she's an actress, but we've got her to do the washing up - she's shit at it)
Errr. . . that's about it for now as I'd better go and plug some microphones into things and stuff.
If amature internet radio, with no script and no clue, is you thing, then by all means tune in.
hopeful
grateful
ecstatic
excited
anxious
thirsty
confused