When Gmail fails you, it fails really hard.
I was going through my Spam folder last night (because you never know– among the poor souls begging me to give them my checking information, there might be some gems), and boy, am I glad I did. An email from one of my favorite bands, Noctura (whose song “Caged” I reviewed here), had released a new EP! Under a new moniker! I quickly flagged the email as NOT SPAM (dammit, Google) and rushed to their website to pick up the new songs.
The Noctura of old was a rock group in the vein of Evanescence and Within Temptation, with vocalist Mandy Suiter’s vocals rising from Kris Haughey and Jeremy Roche’s crunching guitars like a phoenix floating over its own flaming wreckage. That aspect of the music remains, but now Noctura has become Westvale, and they’ve added a bit of electro-pop into the mix!
The EP is unfortunately only four tracks– I’ve already decided they need at least twelve more in order to satisfy my thirst for amazing music featuring female vocalists. (It’s one of those things where most groups meet one qualification or the other, you know?) But those four tracks are fantastic. They’re perfect if you need to get pumped up, to go for a run or beat the shit out of a speed bag. They’re also perfect if you just need to stick the headphones on your head while riding the subway and escape to a surreal, ethereal paradise.
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Look, let me preface this post by announcing right off the bat that I do not generally consider myself to be a rap/hip-hop/R&B fan. I definitely don’t have a vendetta against the genre or anything, I just tend to prefer my singers female and hitting notes way up in the stratosphere. You know what I mean?
But! I had a few friends involved with the production of a new artist, and their excitement for the things they were creating was catching. The artist’s name is Charlie Rose, and he’s going to be doing some great things. Having the privilege to watch this album come to fruition, from the early days of recording and slowly releasing preview tracks on SoundCloud to the countdown to release, was really something special.
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Christina Perri is releasing a long-awaited new single tomorrow, but you can hear it on her YouTube before you buy it! Check it out!
Fans of her first (and only) album will be pleased with the sound. She’s soft and heartbroken, but she’s learning about herself. It’s a tale of truth, that she’ll do her best, but as we all are human, we’re going to make mistakes.
I can’t wait for the new album!
Purchase the single on iTunes at midnight. (International folks, she says it’ll be available on iTunes in early 2014.)
Review: As an attachment to the 2013 horror movie Savaged, Noctura has released a new song entitled “Caged.”
After selling out their 2011 debut performance in Indianapolis in three days, Noctura has gone on to be part of the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival in Indianapolis and support for national recording artist Fuel.
I’ve been a fan of Noctura since their early days, back when their only songs were a couple (brilliant) covers of Evanescence songs. Since then, they’ve only released one full-length album (Surrender the Sun, 2011), but they have a 2010 EP available on their website as well as another stand-alone single called “December.” You can also find a lot of their older stuff (like a 2009 self-titled album) on YouTube.
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Title: Uses For Boys
Author: Erica Lorraine Scheidt
Genre: YA Fiction
ISBN: 1-25-00071-19
Published: January 2013, St. Martin’s Griffin
Purchase: Amazon, MacMillan
Main Characters: Anna, her mother, Toy
Synopsis: Anna is alone. She has a mother, sort of. She has no father. She never has. She’s trying to grow up on her own, desperately searching for a place to belong or some sort of sign that she’s on the right path, that where she is now is where she’s supposed to be. Every time she makes a new decision– a new apartment, a new friend, a new boy– she hopes it’s the one that will finally make her life make sense. “Tell me again,” she says. Will she ever find a reason to smile?
Review: This book reminds me of the way I felt when I was a teenager. Our situations were nothing alike, but I can identify with the overall feeling– not knowing where you’re going, where you belong, if you’re lovable…
Continue reading at Analaithe Books!
