Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records

It’s been a very strange day here in Montana. We’ve gone from rain to snow and back to rain again, as winter continues its relentless quest for domination At least it will never overcome the power of music, and we have five very different artists for your review today.

Artist Name: Aqualung

Album Name: Additional Futures

Label: AllPoints

Genre: Indie

Track Listing: 1, All she Wore, she Was; 2. Complicated; 3. Fingermouse; 4. Use Me; 5. Blues

Publicist: Practise Music

Review: Until last month, we hadn’t heard from Matt Hales aka Aqualung since we last saw him perform at the RockDrive 2010 fundraiser at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. We got the chance to hear him again when we featured his song “Complicated” in one of our February Monday Mashups. As we mentioned then, “Complicated” is an amazing song and a true indication of the greatness that is Aqualung and what you will find in the five songs of Additional Futures, the EP sequel to his 2015 album 10 Futures. Every one of them is amazing, and this EP definitely deserves to be played on repeat. So glad to have Aqualung back 🙂

Recommendation: Definitely Get this one!

Artist Name: Marlene Oak

Album Name: Silver Moon

Label: Amuse

Genre: Folk

Track Listing: 1. Silver Moon; 2. How can I Move On; 3. In the Evening; 4. Everyone; 5. Come Home

Publicist: Effective Immediately PR

Review: We introduced you to Sweden’s own Marlene Oak back in early December when we featured her single, “In the Evening.” We also featured the live video of that single in our final Monday Mashup of 2018. To say we love that song would be an understatement, and our affection bubbles over to the other four songs on this EP. We really love the horns on the title track and “Come Home.” Oak is a treasure to her native Sweden, and we would like to share in her amazing talent here in the States. Listen to this one a few times, and we think you’ll wholeheartedly agree with our assessment.

Recommendation: Run and Get it.

Artist Name: Tony Monaco

Album Name: The Definition of Insanity

Label: Chicken Coup/Summit Records

Genre: Jazz

Track Listing: 1. Cars Trucks Buses; 2. Ceora; 3. Root Down; 4. Never Let me Go; 5. Quando Quando Quando; 6. Non Ti Scordar Di Me; 7. Awa Athar; 8. Last Date; 9. Truckin’; 10. Triste; 11. A Son for You

Publicist: Mouthpiece Music

Review: There is nothing like the sound of progressive jazz, especially when the sound includes the Hammond B3. Tony Monaco has developed a reputation as a Master of the B3, and he pulls out all the stops on this album, an eclectic mix of songs written by others. Amazingly, all of this great music comes from only a trio of musicians, albeit they are three of the best in the world, including guitarist Derek Dicenzo and drummer Tony McClung. Monaco’s wife Asako, a gifted pianist in her own right, also contributes her talents to “Never Let me Go” while Monaco contributes his vocals. This is truly a class act.

Recommendation: Definitely Get this one if you love jazz.

Artist Name: Saneit

Album Name: Crush

Label: Self-released

Genre: R&B

Track Listing: 1. Sprung; 2. One Desire; 3. I’m Your Baby Tonight (remix); 4. Candy Store; 5. I Said So; 6. Sprung Remix

Publicist: Shannon Brown

Review: Saneit is one of Chicago’s most promising artist, a rising R&B star that shines brightly with her soaring vocals and her perfect understanding and mastery of this genre. She is a voice that sounds fresh yet familiar, and you are probably thinking she definitely belongs on the radio. We couldn’t agree more. Enjoy these tunes and hopefully she’ll be back soon with more candy. So glad that she has a Crush on us.

Recommendation: Definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re into urban/R&B.

Artist Name: My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult

Album Name: In the House of Strange Affairs

Label: SleazeBox Records

Genre: Industrial/Electronic Rock

Track Listing: 1. Gold to Grey; 2. Forbidden Saints; 3. Treat Street; 4. The Chains of Fame; 5. Strange Affairs; 6. It’s me Holly; 7. Studio 21; 8. Year of the Klown; 9. Royal Skull; 10. Hanging Hearts; 11. Under a Crown; 12. Am I Dead

Publicist: TAG Publicity

Review: My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult (TKK) sprang from Chicago’s Wax Trax! Records and helped spawn the industrial music scene, along with label mates Front 242, Ministry and KMFDM. We had the wonderful opportunity to learn all about them at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival screening of Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records. The music of TKK has continued to evolve, and today they are more closely attuned to electronic rock, a genre heavily influenced by disco and funk which includes spoken word samples from a variety of B movies. Their music has been praised and used in countless movies due to the amazing cinematic style. Trust us when we tell you that this is one of the most unique bands you will ever hear. They could easily become a guilty pleasure. We look forward to see how far these songs reach.

Recommendation: If you love the dramatic in your music, then TKK is the band for you. Run out and Get this one.

Happy President’s Day! It was a very busy weekend with the opening of the 16th Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. We volunteered four box office shifts at the Wilma and MCT, attended the parties on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and still managed to squeeze in a block of four documentary shorts and two features. One of the shorts, After the Fire, won last year’s Pitch Day competition, and we can’t wait to see what gets pitched this year on Thursday.

At Friday night’s party at the Elks Lodge, we met director James Martin and his wife Jen West, as well as cinematographer Bud Simpson and Eva. They were involved in the short film Being with Elephants which screened Saturday afternoon and will screen again on Thursday at 4 p.m. at MCT. They were amazing company and we managed to run into each other several times over the weekend. We only wish we could see their film, but our schedule doesn’t permit that,

At Saturday night’s party at the Missoula Art Museum, we met Jonathan Sutak, the director of Dons of Disco. Before the Mili Vanilli lip-syncing scandal, there was Den Harrow, an Italo Disco artist who sold 20 million records without singing a word. This brilliant movie told the story of the plan by American singer-songwriter Tom Hooker and Italian producer Miki Chieregato to have a male model become the face of their music. It was a compelling story about the music industry and left us wanting to know even more about this fascinating tale, and the dispute that developed between Hooker and Harrow. We highly recommend this film.

Last night we attended Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records. This was the story of a small record store in Chicago that accidentally created a whole new genre of music and launched the careers of acts such as Ministry, Front 242, REVCO, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult and inspired others like Nine Inch Nails. It was a remarkable story directed by Julia Nash, the daughter of Jim Nash, who together with his partner Dannie Flesher, created this alternate reality for people whose musical tastes were far from the mainstream. We also highly recommend this film.

Today we are volunteering at the box office at the Elks Lodge before heading off to work, followed by tonight’s party at the Dana Gallery.

NEW SINGLES

Our first single comes from our dear PR friend, Doug Deutsch Publicity Services. It is the latest from LA Music Critic Award winner for best EDM/Dance artist/band TNEO, and we really dig the groove of “Circles Around You.” This one will definitely get you up and dancing on this Monday morning.

Next up is the latest from the amazing Alyssa Jacey. She has recently married the love of her life, Jutt Huffman, and the resulting new music is full of hope and love. Check out “Our Love” and share it with those you care for.

Our third single comes from the band Crystal Tides, and is an upbeat alt pop song called “Backbiting.” We love their groove and think this song has some serious legs. Check it out.

Next up is the latest from Grammy-winning artist Aqualung. “Complicated” is the second single from his new album Additional Futures. We think it’s one of his best ever and can’ wait to review the entire album soon.

Our final single this week is a rare treat. This one is a country tune from William Shatner (yes, Captain Kirk) and Jeff Cook of the incredible country band Alabama, which also features country legend Neal McCoy and acapella group Home Free). We are shocked at how good it is. Here’s “Why Not Me.”

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

Our first music video has the incredible guitarist/vocalist Jess McAvoy serenading the streets and subways of New York City with her truly inspirational song, “Do What you Want.” We love it.

Next up is the latest from The Stoneface, an amazing band out of Belarus. We love the rocking sound of “That Summer” and think you will too.

Video number three comes from Swedish alt pop artist Augustine. We love the sound of his latest, “Luzon,” and think he has a great career ahead. His sound is perfect for American radio, and the cinematography in the video is outstanding. Check it out and see.

Our next video is from New Orleans-based Berlin Taxi and has a definite 80s new wave vibe. We love “Last Night” and think you will too.

Our final music video today is “Shacked up Sweetie,” a rousing country tune from Canadian Francine Honey. This one will get your boots on the dance floor. Enjoy!

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