Justin's Top Ten List.

I'm snowed in here in Michigan, but I'm lucky enough to have power and I've spent these last few cabin fevered days working through the past year's releases and deciding which ones really made an impression on me. I set a goal of ten for this list and after a bit of bargaining with myself, settled on the ten releases that I kept going back to this past year.

There are some obvious choices on my list. Some albums, some artists, you just expect to see. But I hope a few albums that might have gotten past you in 2013 will be brought to your attention now. To help get you reacquainted I've thrown in a song for you to sample, lest you forgot how awesome some of these albums are.

And here it is ladies and gentlemen, straight from the Polar Vortex, my Top Ten List.

10. The Sun & Sail Club- Mannequin = Gang Justice

9.  Mojo Waves- Lo! and Behold = Great White

8. Gozu- The Fury of a Patient Man = Bald Bull

7. Stone Magnum- From Time... To Eternity = Lonely God

6. Blood Ceremony- The Eldritch Dark = Witchwood

5. Beast in the Field- The Sacred Above, The Sacred Below = Wakan Tanka

4. Horisont- Time Warriors = Writing on the Wall

3. Age of Taurus-  Desperate Souls of Tortured Time = A Rush of Power

2. The Freeks- Full On = Secret Pathway

1. Monster Magnet- The Last Patrol = Mindless Ones

SPACE ROCK!!!!!

Album Review: Lo and Behold! by Mojo Waves

Mojo Waves are a rock 'n' roll band from Finland. They perform as a power trio. They've just released their debut LP, Lo and Behold! Their music is a swirling amalgam of Desert Rock, Psychedelia, and Garage Rock. The drums are tight, the guitars chop and soar, and the bass keeps the whole thing relatively grounded. But the vocals are what separates this band from the hard rock pack. Arttu Kantola, who handles voice and guitar, belts and shrieks like a demented Burke Shelley, or the rebellious son of Tiny Tim. This approach to the vox is refreshing and distances the group from other bands fronted by Neil Fallon wannabes and grungey warblers.

But while the vocals are different, they are not employed as a novelty, like The Darkness used them. No, the vocals here are the perfect compliment to the crunch of the music, the high and sweet to the music's heavy and tough. This dynamic works great on songs like Skylight (personal favorite) where the guitar bounces like a tumbleweed in a twister, and the vocals soar above like an angel. Great White cleverly incorporates elements of surf music and hints at a sense of humor. And the closing track, It's Just a Road, Yeah offers some funky bass breakdowns and dusty guitar solos. The tune is a frenzied cliff hanger and the perfect way to end an album- going out swinging and making the listener want more.

Lo and Behold! is the first LP from Mojo Waves, and if the great songs on their debut are any indication, this young band will be big. You can say you heard them here first. Below is a short teaser, but the link to their Bandcamp page below the video is the way to go to hear these tunes in their awesome glory. 

Facebook/Bandcamp

New Band To Burn One To: MOJO WAVES

Heavy Planet presents today's "New Band To Burn One To"...MOJO WAVES!

Band Bio:

Mojo Waves is a power-trio rock group based in Vantaa, Finland. The band was formed in late 2011 but the musicians have been playing together for some years.

Mojo Waves' sound is something that you wouldn't expect to come from Finland. These days most of the Finnish rock bands play over-produced, safe and highly predictable music that lacks the attitude and the spirit of what rock music used to be in the past. Mojo Waves is the opposite of the common rock band. It's unpredictable, personal and energetic. Although influenced by vast amount of bands, its sound is unique, and its music doesn't fit in any one category.

Although the band feels some sort of spiritual connection with the rock music of the past, it doesn't try to copy its influences. The main goal of the band is to make their own personal songs that they can be proud of and play as many gigs as possible. Live music is what music has always been about, and that's what the band loves most, too.



Thoughts:

"Heavily stripped down and infectiously groovy, these guys definitely have their "mojo" on at full-force. The first think I thought when I heard this band was, "how old are these dudes?". The band looks to be in their teens but play much more mature. Combining heavy psych, garage-rock power and an extremely high-octave shrill, these boys (eh eh) men know how to rock your face off. This is rock and roll to the umpteenth level: raw, fun and wildly unpredictable. Check out some of their tunes available on SoundCloud and be prepared to be thrown back in your seat."

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