Influenza
Influenza was a series on the music blog Culture Bully, serving to give insight into the thoughts, influences and the inspirations that drive the creation of music, directly from the mind of the artists.
- DM Bob & the Deficits “They Call Me Country” (Influenza) ()
The history behind DM Bob & the Deficits is one that might not translate through a screen as it seems to be a story weathered by well over a decade of unique twists and turns. Earning a Master of Fine Arts degree from LSU in Baton Rouge, “Deutsche Mark” Bob (Robert Tooke) formed the trio with Django […]
- T.Q.D. “Desert Sky (Remix)” (Influenza) ()
Following the release of Status Reign’s Brutally Honest LP (which includes such standouts as “Dedicated” and “The Chorus“) comes a new release from another member of Minneapolis’ Background Noise Crew, T.Q.D.Serving as an aptly titled lead-up to more new material which should drop later this year, The Appetizer 3 is an “odds-and-ends collection” which does […]
- The Ettes “Excuse” (Influenza) ()
As time draws near for the release of the Ettes‘ fourth studio album, Wicked Will, the trio has dropped a pair of new tracks: the fuzzy and wonderfully distorted “The Pendulum” and the straight-forward kick in the teeth “Excuse.” Produced by Liam Watson (the Kills, the White Stripes) Wicked Will was written on the road […]
- Erin Manning “Back and Forth” (Influenza) ()
It’s rare that music can appropriately be labeled as deceptive, but such an explanation might hold true for Back and Forth, the new EP from Nashville’s Erin Manning. Though physically unimposing, the petite vocalist maintains a commanding presence with a voice that is peppered with far more passion and explosiveness than her appearance or singer/songwriter […]
- The Non-Commissioned Officers “Fire Standing Still” (Influenza) ()
Simply put, had it not been for a bit of chance the Non-Commissioned Officers would not exist. A phone call from an old friend about an indie film that was set to be produced in Nashville—which would become Make-Out with Violence—drew brothers Eric and Jordan Lehning together from opposite sides of the country, and out […]
- MYTY KONKEROR “Cell Division” (Influenza) ()
I Miss the Future, the full-length debut from New Haven’s MYTY KONKEROR, offers an interesting blend of sounds that loosely fall under the wide-reaching blanket of guitar-based rock. The group’s been called “a thoroughly dirty rock band” (Redefine Mag) that creates “a psychedelic slab of droney, hypnotic rock” (Magnet), but Sonic Masala‘s conclusion might best categorize […]
- Guante “The Hero” (Influenza) ()
Conscious is Not Enough 2011 by Guante CB’s Influenza series looks to help dissect the influences that breathe life into music, and in the case of the latest release from Twin Cities-based MC Guante, he not only wears his influences on his sleeve, but has firmly affixed them to a flag which he proudly waves […]
- Resident Scout “Heal Me” (Influenza) ()
Each new generation of musician is left to build off of the work already put forward by artists from decades gone by. And as widespread as it is to come across modern musicians who grew up long after their particular genre of focus has peaked, it’s still interesting to dive into their music and see […]
- TRMRS “Hello Self” (Influenza) ()
Finding inventive ways to keep garage punk vibrant isn’t really as necessary in the genre as simply being good; or “feeling it”; or simply having fun. And when you start adding up all of those factors, it becomes natural start making the comparisons: “Not comparing TRMRS to the Black Lips would just be weird” (Stuck […]
- Gareth Liddiard “The Radicalisation Of D” (Influenza) ()
While the band has only had scattered success in the States, the Drones have quietly become one of the most highly regarded Australian bands of the past decade. As explained by Pitchfork‘s Joe Colly, “The band has released consistently strong albums since its 2000 inception and garnered high praise from their countrymen up against Aussie […]
- Hopewell “Preamble (Part II)” (Influenza) ()
As the depth of their touring resume might suggest—having supported names ranging from My Bloody Valentine to British Sea Power to the Posies—Brooklyn’s Hopewell creates music that satisfies any number of line-blurring genres that fall under the larger rock umbrella. Just as this focus on drawing from a wide spectrum of sounds has given the […]
- Thee Piatcions “Time” (Influenza) ()
Perhaps it’s a combination of variables that has left Thee Piatcions‘ sounding like a refreshing detour from the exhausted stereotypes that typically define shoegaze: “Wall of sound!”; “Reverb!”; “Distortion!”; “Etheral vocals!”; you get the picture. Hailing from a small town in Northern Italy (Domodossola), the band has remained below the surface for some years now, […]
- Scanner and the Post Modern Jazz Quartet “The Decisive Moment” (Influenza) ()
Scanner is the alias of one Robin Rimbaud, a veteran electronic musician whose works, it seems, are not to be easily defined. “[He] traverses the experimental terrain between sound, space, image and form, creating absorbing, multi-layered sound pieces that twist technology in unconventional ways,” explains the biography on his website. How, then, does such an […]
- Conjure One “Like Ice” (Influenza) ()
Rhys Fulber might not be a household name, but to electronic music fans the Canadian musician’s resume speaks for itself. Standing as a one-time member of the veteran industrial group Front Line Assembly, and one half of the long-standing electronic duo Delerium, for the better part of the past decade and a half Fulber has […]
- Thunderball “Enter the Brahmin” (Influenza) ()
Smooth tempos, sitars, retro-future samples? It must be the return of Thunderball, the stylish kids from DC all grown up after half a decade spent tuning their forks as members of Fort Knox Five.” While succinct and to the point, Urb‘s introduction to the DC-based trio glazes over the near decade-long process of experimenting which […]
- Oh Land “Sun of a Gun” (Influenza) ()
Nanna Øland Fabricius’ life has offered the vocalist an interesting series of events that, had the Dane had her way, would have likely never materialized into a career in music. While born to a classically trained opera singer, Fabricius adopted an obsession for dance as a child, and by the age of 10 she had […]
- Metric “Black Sheep” (Influenza) ()
No strangers to acclaim, Metric’s Polaris Music Prize and Juno Award nominations have contributed heavily to the Toronto-based quartet being recognized as one of Canada’s highest regarded rock acts. That said, the band is seemingly perpetually on the brink of something greater. With the release of last year’s Fantasies—which debuted atop Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart—the […]
- Hissy Fit “Outdoor Life” (Influenza) ()
Over the past couple weeks alone, under his Hissy Fit pseudonym, beat-maker Matthew Hiscock has already released a live podcast via Swing and Skip Records and an EP via Phuturelabs. He also has a another full-length 12″ on its way next month via S&S, and still the Newfoundland-born producer finds time to curate a bass-friendly […]
- Phone Home “Panda” (Influenza) ()
Similar to when listening to electronic or classical music, with there being no lyrics to dissect or vocals to critique, the instrumental sound of John and Michael Vallarelli’s Phone Home leaves listeners with a vast array of ways to describe the duo’s sound. As explained by Olive Music, Phone Home is “coated with color, passion […]
- Seeing Suge “Breaking” (Influenza) ()
Blackbird Blackbird is a California-based producer who churns out music described by Nialler9 as “reverb-heavy” “dream pop jams,” and I Guess I’m Floating as “sunny, idyllic dreamwave.” Star Slinger is a UK-based producer who creates a sound which Dazed Digital has called “heavily rooted in the fundamental laws of hip-hop.” Emay is an Ontario-based producer […]
- Junip “Always” (Influenza) ()
Largely unknown as a group stateside, Junip began in the late-’90s as a collaborative effort from Tobias Winterkorn (organ, synth), Elias Araya (drums) and José González (vocals & guitar). As the three members continued on with their separate paths however, the reality of recording a full length release became a casualty of their own unique […]
- MaLLy “Heir Time” (Influenza) ()
“I am sick and tired of doing shows at these grimey no show bars!” While still a young name on the scene, Mally has been rapping since 2002 and released his first album, The Letter, in 2007. The 26-track collection drew a bit of nation-wide praise for the Twin-Cities-based MC, but none higher than that […]
- Eww Yaboo “I’m Not Afraid” (Influenza) ()
Yeah, What? EP by Eww Yaboo Described as a “sleepy coal mining town,” the unlikely setting of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania is where Eww Yaboo’s collective fortress, affectionately known as “The Notch,” has taken on a reputation due to the “noise” that continually resonates from deep within. But to the trio of Drew Carsillo, Nathan Andre and […]
- Dark Dark Dark “Wild Go” (Influenza) ()
Having released the band’s full-length debut, The Snow Magic, in 2008, Minneapolis’ Dark Dark Dark quickly built a reputation for standing outside any single genre, or single city, actually, as the group roamed between the Twin Cities, New York, and New Orleans. In his review of the album The Line of Best Fit‘s Adam Nelson […]
- Silver Swans “Secrets” (Influenza) ()
What was originally meant to be a single collaboration between vocalist Ann Yu and DJ/producer Jon Waters sparked something between the two, a rare sense of chemistry which ultimately led to the formation of Silver Swans. Whether their sound be explained as a combination of “dance floor energy, a laid back lounge refinement, and a […]
- Black Prairie “Red Rocking Chair” (Influenza) ()
Comprised of Portland-based musicians Annalisa Tornfelt and John Neufeld along with Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, and Nate Query of the Decemberists, Black Prairie found its beginnings in 2007 but it wasn’t until this year that the band released any material. The group’s debut, Feast of the Hunters’ Moon (Sugar Hill Records), is nothing if not […]
- Liars “The Overachievers” (Influenza) ()
Now a decade into their existence, Brooklyn, New York’s Liars released their fifth studio album this past March titled Sisterworld (Mute). And much like its predecessors, 2007′s eponymous album or 2006′s breakout Drum’s Not Dead, it was quickly greeted with acclaim on all fronts. Reviews have only been mixed in that there has been no […]
- Lovers “Figure 8″ (Influenza) ()
Few names garner such a remarkable endorsement as being called “an entrancing spell-caster,” but Lovers’ Carolyn Berk is one such person. While the founding member of the Portland-based trio first took on the band’s moniker nearly a decade ago, the story of the group’s current lineup comes down to a meeting some years later between […]
- Eric & Magill “Old Man Winter” (Influenza) ()
To put it bluntly, the journey leading up to the release of Eric & Magill’s new album has been a long and arduous one. Dating back to the late-’90s, during their time together in the Milwaukee-based band Camden, Ryan Weber and Eric Osterman have had a long and trying relationship, but one that has ultimately […]
- Paul Cary “Iryna” (Influenza) ()
Cedar Rapids, Iowa isn’t exactly perceived as a cultural hotbed teeming with artists on the verge of greatness. But nearly a decade before the city was tragically propelled into nationwide headlines due to severe flooding in 2008, a trio of musicians came together in the city under the banner of the Horrors, signing the great […]