*Posts on MusicManiac now come with Linkin Park Radio at the bottom of the page.Tune into some LP hits as well as tracks from other leading artists, selected by LP, and hhosted by Chester and Mike as RJs!!*
Note from the author: Hey, guys!Sorry for the extended break.How long has it been, 20 days?They were absolutely crazy,and I was asleep before I hit the sack.Well,I'm back now, and I will try my best to be regular now.So,moving on..........
Julien-K is:
Ryan Shuck (lead vocals,rhythm guitar)
Amir Derakh (lead Guitar,synthesizer,backing vocals)
Elias Andra (Drums,percussion)
Anthony 'Fu' Valcic [2010-present] (Keyboard,Engineering)
Brandon Belsky* (Bass,synthesizer,backing vocals)
*Brandon has now left Julien-K.
Julien-K is the newest band on the block.It was formed by guitarists Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh of the erst-while popular,but now inactive band,Orgy.Ryan takes up vocal duties,while drums are manned by the industrious Elias Andra.Close friend Brandon Belsky did Bass for their debut album, Death To Analog, and has left since.
The name Death To Analog smashes the brand of music Julien-K play at your face.Nothing is analog around here,everything is digital.They combine their electronica prowess with Rock,and oh,what a combination it is!Brandon Belsky and Amir Derakh are experienced DJs and have released DJ sets under the name JK-DJS.With this kind of personnel, the electronica part is taken care of.
Ryan Shuck brings in the Rock element with his lyrics and vocals.Ryan is a revelation as a singer.His voice is crisp,clean and hits the right note continuously.The clincher is his low notes, which makes me such a big fan of his work.
The resultant is a path-breaking album of our times and a must -listen.
DEATH TO ANALOG ------------------------- *********o [9/10]
This album was released in phases and last phase, Europe, was completed recently in 2010.It has been in the making for a lot of time after Orgy disbanded in 2004 after their critically-bashed 'Punk Statik Paranoia', which for the record, I loved.
Starting off with the title track, Death To Analog.Very aggressive and tells you what to expect throughout the album when you listen to the synth and guitars, oh the guitars, being blended like heaven on Earth.Screaming vocals make their only appearance.
Someday Soon is classic.The lyrics are classy and even hard-hitting words are dealt with velvety smoothness by Ryan Shuck.It can be a great dance number because of the peppy disco-like theme and synth-vocals.It elaborates on the eventuality of failure/the end and also speaks of metaphorical re-birth.
The biggie-Kick The Bass.My absolute favourite on this record.Elias on the drums makes his mark.His work & drumming technique is squeaky clean and he deserves a lot of credit for that, because that is exactly what suits this album.This song is about bondage, cannibalism and....well, you'd better check out the video.
P.S.-Yeah,it's Chester wearing the hat and the painted face!
Technical Difficulties is a head-scratcher.Does it belong here or not?Lyrics are hardly comprehended as the instruments cloud it all up, not to mention they are distorted and so are the vocals.In the end,it's an average track.For those who've seen the Transformer movie, you might have possibly heard this one.
Systeme De Sexe, la track fatale.The provocativeness and suggestiveness of the lyrics are best experienced with Ryan's smooth vocal tone.This one is sure to appeal to both Rock and Electronica fans.
Maestro is stellar performance by Ryan and proves him as a singer to reckon with.For rookie singers,try this.If you can hit the right notes,you've got talent!
Forever is more of rock, with hard-hitting drums and guitars, but all of that without losing vision of Electronica.This song is about a lover hopelessly in love.
Spiral is an energetic track.You'll love Ryan's "Ooh oohs..." when you're done.Bass can be clearly heard in the riffs for once.
Nvr Say Nvr is actually a cover of a Romeo Void hit from way back in 1982.I wasn't particularly impressed, except for the bridge in this song where Ryan is very good.Still, it didn't hurt the credibility of Julien-K.
Dystopian Girl is a winner and a perfect example of Rock+Electronica.One of my favourites on this track-list.The emotion in Ryan's voice makes this a track hard to keep away from your playlist.Belsky joins in with his well timed 'spice' on the synth.I can hazard a guess that this song is about an immoral girlfriend.
Look At U is a stock track.Exactly what it was meant to be, but nothing that catches your 'ears'.The climax to this song is worth a mention.
Stranded is about all the lies we hear and are told in this world, and the consequent confusion and apparent blindness.This song is also one of my favourites and is a laudable effort by Julien-K.
With Disease, we near the end of this wonderful album.It is a track worth listening to.A very dark track, it captures the mood of Julien-K.
Futura (DTA Mix) is the last track here and an average one at that.Still, the thing that amazes me is that you don't hate the track.Still, a better ending would've been great.
This is an album worth buying.All those who don't like metal music, you'll love this record.They have a stalwart of Electronica in Amir Derakh, a proficient drummer in Andra, new discovery of Ryan as a singer, the legendary producer Tim Palmer and an executive producer going by the name of a certain Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.With that kind of talent and creativity,they just had to succeed. Julien-K already have a new, un-named as of now, record that is 70% complete and will hopefully be out in 2011.
It will be a bigger success if Ryan's vocals are not restricted and if he opens up and sings freely.There were times in Death To Analog when that happened, and he was IN THE ZONE.
A spunky 9/10 is what they get for this piece of art.
News:
1]Vocalist Jay Gordon of Orgy has stated that he still owns the name 'Orgy', after the band broke up in 2004, and is looking to write new material.Now that's interesting seeing that Jay had a see-saw career, with critics always at him for his singing.
2]KoRn have some amazing news this Monday.Keep checking this space for more.
Next Week: Review of Chester's amazing side project, Out Of The Ashes by Dead By Sunrise
Note from the author: Hey, guys!Sorry for the extended break.How long has it been, 20 days?They were absolutely crazy,and I was asleep before I hit the sack.Well,I'm back now, and I will try my best to be regular now.So,moving on..........
Julien-K is:
Ryan Shuck (lead vocals,rhythm guitar)
Amir Derakh (lead Guitar,synthesizer,backing vocals)
Elias Andra (Drums,percussion)
Anthony 'Fu' Valcic [2010-present] (Keyboard,Engineering)
Brandon Belsky* (Bass,synthesizer,backing vocals)
*Brandon has now left Julien-K.
Julien-K is the newest band on the block.It was formed by guitarists Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh of the erst-while popular,but now inactive band,Orgy.Ryan takes up vocal duties,while drums are manned by the industrious Elias Andra.Close friend Brandon Belsky did Bass for their debut album, Death To Analog, and has left since.
The name Death To Analog smashes the brand of music Julien-K play at your face.Nothing is analog around here,everything is digital.They combine their electronica prowess with Rock,and oh,what a combination it is!Brandon Belsky and Amir Derakh are experienced DJs and have released DJ sets under the name JK-DJS.With this kind of personnel, the electronica part is taken care of.
Ryan Shuck brings in the Rock element with his lyrics and vocals.Ryan is a revelation as a singer.His voice is crisp,clean and hits the right note continuously.The clincher is his low notes, which makes me such a big fan of his work.
The resultant is a path-breaking album of our times and a must -listen.
DEATH TO ANALOG ------------------------- *********o [9/10]
This album was released in phases and last phase, Europe, was completed recently in 2010.It has been in the making for a lot of time after Orgy disbanded in 2004 after their critically-bashed 'Punk Statik Paranoia', which for the record, I loved.
Starting off with the title track, Death To Analog.Very aggressive and tells you what to expect throughout the album when you listen to the synth and guitars, oh the guitars, being blended like heaven on Earth.Screaming vocals make their only appearance.
Someday Soon is classic.The lyrics are classy and even hard-hitting words are dealt with velvety smoothness by Ryan Shuck.It can be a great dance number because of the peppy disco-like theme and synth-vocals.It elaborates on the eventuality of failure/the end and also speaks of metaphorical re-birth.
The biggie-Kick The Bass.My absolute favourite on this record.Elias on the drums makes his mark.His work & drumming technique is squeaky clean and he deserves a lot of credit for that, because that is exactly what suits this album.This song is about bondage, cannibalism and....well, you'd better check out the video.
P.S.-Yeah,it's Chester wearing the hat and the painted face!
Technical Difficulties is a head-scratcher.Does it belong here or not?Lyrics are hardly comprehended as the instruments cloud it all up, not to mention they are distorted and so are the vocals.In the end,it's an average track.For those who've seen the Transformer movie, you might have possibly heard this one.
Systeme De Sexe, la track fatale.The provocativeness and suggestiveness of the lyrics are best experienced with Ryan's smooth vocal tone.This one is sure to appeal to both Rock and Electronica fans.
Maestro is stellar performance by Ryan and proves him as a singer to reckon with.For rookie singers,try this.If you can hit the right notes,you've got talent!
Forever is more of rock, with hard-hitting drums and guitars, but all of that without losing vision of Electronica.This song is about a lover hopelessly in love.
Spiral is an energetic track.You'll love Ryan's "Ooh oohs..." when you're done.Bass can be clearly heard in the riffs for once.
Nvr Say Nvr is actually a cover of a Romeo Void hit from way back in 1982.I wasn't particularly impressed, except for the bridge in this song where Ryan is very good.Still, it didn't hurt the credibility of Julien-K.
Dystopian Girl is a winner and a perfect example of Rock+Electronica.One of my favourites on this track-list.The emotion in Ryan's voice makes this a track hard to keep away from your playlist.Belsky joins in with his well timed 'spice' on the synth.I can hazard a guess that this song is about an immoral girlfriend.
Look At U is a stock track.Exactly what it was meant to be, but nothing that catches your 'ears'.The climax to this song is worth a mention.
Stranded is about all the lies we hear and are told in this world, and the consequent confusion and apparent blindness.This song is also one of my favourites and is a laudable effort by Julien-K.
With Disease, we near the end of this wonderful album.It is a track worth listening to.A very dark track, it captures the mood of Julien-K.
Futura (DTA Mix) is the last track here and an average one at that.Still, the thing that amazes me is that you don't hate the track.Still, a better ending would've been great.
This is an album worth buying.All those who don't like metal music, you'll love this record.They have a stalwart of Electronica in Amir Derakh, a proficient drummer in Andra, new discovery of Ryan as a singer, the legendary producer Tim Palmer and an executive producer going by the name of a certain Chester Bennington of Linkin Park.With that kind of talent and creativity,they just had to succeed. Julien-K already have a new, un-named as of now, record that is 70% complete and will hopefully be out in 2011.
It will be a bigger success if Ryan's vocals are not restricted and if he opens up and sings freely.There were times in Death To Analog when that happened, and he was IN THE ZONE.
A spunky 9/10 is what they get for this piece of art.
News:
1]Vocalist Jay Gordon of Orgy has stated that he still owns the name 'Orgy', after the band broke up in 2004, and is looking to write new material.Now that's interesting seeing that Jay had a see-saw career, with critics always at him for his singing.
2]KoRn have some amazing news this Monday.Keep checking this space for more.
Next Week: Review of Chester's amazing side project, Out Of The Ashes by Dead By Sunrise
nice,can say its been worth the long wait...:-)
ReplyDelete:D ........... i'll bring this album next time we meet....
ReplyDelete