Phantom Planet Are Calling It A Day

After 14 years, Phantom Planet will finally be calling it quits. This is a band we've been following for quite sometime and several line-up changes. In fact, the first day High Voltage launched we revealed a Phantom Planet interview and contest, read it here.

And here's what the band blogged yesterday about it:

This could be the most difficult piece of news we have ever had to post. Sadly, Phantom Planet will be playing our last show, December 12, at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, the same venue that we played our very first live all ages gig, back in 1994. We have had an amazing time playing together for 15 years, but we have officially decided to go on hiatus, and will not be playing any more live shows or making any new records, indefinitely. There is so much more to write, but at this time, we just want to say thank you, to everyone, for their support, friendship, inspiration, attendance, and love.

-alex, darren, jeff and sam.

MySpace | Official Site

Of The Moment: The Patient & I

I've had my eye on this artist for a while now... and with good reason. Many bands attempt the Acoustic/Electronic/Ambient sound, but Lewis Wall A.K.A. The Patient And I has the combination just right: heartfelt lyrics and grand arrangements brought together by a graceful voice. ~ Naimah Holmes

TPAI is currently the guitarist for another HV favorite, Balance Problems, who are currently supporting Morning Sun and There's Life in the Trees.

MySpace

HYPE IT UP: Avian X

Hyped By: Izzy Cihak


Finally, high school cheerleaders and burgeoning scenesters have something to bond over. The sound of Avian X, Natalia Ivachkevitch's foray into the glamorous world of NYC Synth Pop, provides the link between Madonna and The Sounds. With all the dance-able sass of Shiny Toy Guns, but lacking the Post-Punk-inspired edge of peers like Theo and the Skyscrapers, Avian X would be fit for a Warped Tour stage or an opening slot for the Material Girl alike. "My Life" could be mistaken for a Katy Perry B-side, "Fears" pairs gently haunting synths with a powerage of dance club soul, and "Fierce Explosion" produces a sweet and easily palatable darkness reminiscent of The Birthday Massacre. Despite the trend, it's still hard not to love neon-clad platinums raised on Parallel Lines.

MySpace

Civet - Hell Hath No Fury

Civet
Hell Hath No Fury
(Hellcat Records)
Reviewed By: Izzy Cihak

The sound of Hell Hath No Fury can only be described as bubble-gum-coated kink. Civet's self-branded "Femme Fatale Punk Rock" blends the brash audacity of 1977 with easy-to-swallow (and quite yummy) hooks and choruses. On their second full-length the band produces the most playfully brutal sounds since The Distillers. "Take Me Away" and "Gin and Tonic" are chorus-happy sing-a-longs, while "Alibis" and "1989" are equally suitable for dance-floor brawls or rocking bathroom stalls at any punk club in the world. Even the trite-tastic "All I Want," co-penned by Tim Armstrong (and likely intended for someone along the lines of Avril Lavigne or Kelly Clarkson), comes off as endearingly faux badass – possibly your little sisters' gateway to The Donnas' Lookout! years. In the tradition of Crucified Barbara and Betty Blowtorch, Civet continue to prove that hot chicks with painted lips, an abundance of ink, and a vast knowledge of Motorhead's back catalogue rarely disappoint.

MySpace | Official Site

Industry Minute: trueAnthem.com

Artists and Advertisers have found a new one to sustain within the ever-changing industry. They've now teamed up to offer FREE MUSIC/DOWNLOADS (the skies the limit, pretty much) to EVERYONE through a sponsored widget. What's better than free music to the consumer?!

Check out a couple of our previous OF THE MOMENT artists who are on board:




Official Site

New York Dolls - Ventura Theater - Ventura, CA

New York Dolls Photo Gallery
Ventura Theater (Ventura, CA)
October 29, 2008
Photography By: Chelsea Schwartz



MySpace | Official Site

HYPE IT UP: Sylvie Lewis

Hyped By: Izzy Cihak


Since her 2005 debut, Tangos and Tantrums, Sylvie Lewis has been playing the part of the fairy princess of the world of singer/songwriters and dinner theater venues. Her ethereally Jazzy vocality and a delicately other-worldly Folk musicality combine to create a sound that could underscore any Disney climax or the cutest moment of your life. Last year's Translations is a nearly flawless collection of fables imbued with an endearingly quirky schizophrenia. Songs like "And Of Course, Isobel…" and "Just You" are just slightly offbeat takes on mythical romance and "If It Don't Come Easy" and "Old Queens, Monet and Me" are pleasantly jaded social commentary that could seemingly only be found in a storybook. This Fall this Rome-by-way-of-Los-Angeles-by-way-of-London songstress is bringing her magical brand of storytelling to the states while supporting Sondre Lerche. Listed below are your opportunities to be enchanted by Ms. Lewis… or at least see a singer/songwriter that doesn't make you want to burn down every coffee house in the world.

TOUR DATES w/ Sondre Lerche
Nov 14 - The Mod Club - Toronto, ON
Nov 15 - Studio Juste Pour Rire - Montreal, QB
Nov 17 - Iron Horse Music Hall - Northampton, MA
Nov 20 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
Nov 22 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA
Nov 24 - 9.30 Club - Washington, DC
Nov 25 - World Cafe Live - Philadelphia, PA

MySpace | Official Site

Alive in Wild Paint - Ceilings

Alive in Wild Paint
Ceilings
(Equal Vision Records)
Reviewed By: Naimah Holmes

A certain environment is being built within the songs that make up Alive in Wild Paint's debut album, Ceilings: that of loss, faith, and maturity. Within the first seconds of the title track a story of two sides of desperation is told through the lyrics of Travis Bryant (vocals, guitar.) He sings of the need to save a lover ("I helped you out of your self and right back in.") Later the object of his affections need to lose not only themselves, but the relationship itself ("You whisper soft if we’re lost. Don’t turn around. We’ll take our time to arrive.") From a love lost to a reminder that fragility is the product of the mind in “Crystal Selves” explaining that boundaries are there for you to break through ("Sometimes some time is all it takes to change your mind. Aching the absence wondering were you’ve been."). Determination can be found in the form of “ God Gave Me a Gun” and “Anxious Disease” tells of an inevitable breakup. “II” is the tale of an empty life hidden behind what the world wants to see as perfect ("When you take a bow the curtains close. They will applaud you for playing the role of a wretched child with a bleeding nose.). “Traffic” is the most haunting of all the tracks, with such delicate piano between Bryant’s elegantly emotive voice. “Sleep With Your Soul In” is where their rock influence can be found. Their musicianship shines bright with Matt Grabe (guitar/piano), David Roat (bass), and pounding away at the drums that give until the very end. In “Forecasting” a love becomes stale and one-sided in the way of affection ("How quickly he forgets that you exist. And he never comes alive quite the way you’d like. It keeps you where you are."). “Everywhere, An Ocean” has Bryant reasoning with a choice to make peace, to settle or make the decision to abandon something he’s built to find some uncharted territory ("And it’s fear of what the sun would see beckoning me into.") Suprisingly, or ironically, “Children of Divorce” is the most upbeat song on the album as the characters try to prove themselves they are reminded ("But they can’t take from you. Something inside you never knew."). “Cold Spell” lingers as it tells of a transformation after the loss of something or someone you thought was all you wanted ("It’s a cold spell casting over everything we’ve felt. When there’s no one left to tell I keep it to myself."). The hurtful remainders of a relationship, where the two who were never meant to make one is what can be heard on “ A Vespertine Haunting” ("I never meant to leave dear I just thought I would arrive. But it seems here I’m never quite alive.")

It may take two listens to get the feel for this album. Lyrically this work is strong. At times the music itself seems to overpower what Bryant has to say. There are great stories told throughout the album and lessons to be learned by its conclusion.



MySpace | Official Site

HYPE IT UP: The Bronx

Hyped By: Chelsea Schwartz


Don't let the name fool you, the five piece rock band known as The Bronx actually hails from Los Angeles and are releasing their third self-titled studio album on November 11th. The music is the perfect mix of AC/DC, Jane's Addiction and you're favorite hardcore Warped Tour-esque band of the moment, while not feeling hardcore in any way. Basically The Bronx knows how to bring the rock!

I feel many good things to come from this band.

MySpace | Official Site