Free download from Ghost

Last week I shared the first track off the forthcoming EP from Ghost, which was produced by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters). In that post I mentioned that if you pre-ordered the EP you'd receive a free download of the live recording of Secular haze. Well it turns out that any one can download the track for free, simply by providing an email address. Best of all, this isn't in a lossy format like most free downloads...

Dead Beats and Sol Invicto remixes

Before releasing the last track to Initium II, Sol Invicto treated us to a remix of Saul Williams' Break. The track originally appeared on Williams' album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, which was produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

Speaking of which, local production duo Dead Beats released a remix of Nine Inch Nails track, The hand that feeds this weekend too. It's been a while since I've listened to the original With Teeth version, but hearing this reminded me of how much I liked that song when it was released in 2005. Dead Beats have taken all the elements I liked from the original, and breathed new life into it. This is well worth a listen if you're a fan of Nine Inch Nails, and like hearing other artists interpretations of relatively well-known tracks.

If you enjoyed the remix then check out Dead Beats other offerings. They also have three EPs that can be downloaded for free. Two of these were released under the duos previous name, Sparrow.

Apologies to Sol Invicto

Halfway through writing the previous post I realised that I've been spelling the title of Sol Invicto's EPs Initium and Initium II incorrectly for almost a year. Bugger.

At least it's a pretty easy mistake to correct, and since no one corrected me, I'm assuming no one had even noticed.

Also, you can find where to download both EPs by clicking on the links above. The first track from Initium III will be released next weekend. Yes please!

Sol Invocto 'Initium II - 12.0'

Today saw the release of the final track making up Sol Invicto's second album, Initium II. The track follows on the naming convention for the Initium series, and is named 12.0. Unlike other tracks from Initium II however, this one features contributions from several members of the Sol Invicto fan base. As such, the full list of contributing artists quite long; 

Sol Invocto featuring Kyle Sams, Jaakko Eskelinen, Chris Murphy, Sal Marsh, Maja Pasaric, Frankie Giustino, Soren Toft, Erik Bustos, Gussemburger Laurent, Dan Koetter, Logan, Endira F J, LC Chantre, Jorge, Nicholas Melton, Nicole G, Natalie McGeehan, Clinton Stonich, Tyrian Purple, David Yu, Gibson J, Lauren Bradley, Miles Kalbach, Darla Tempel, Alex Boswell, Jake Hoffman, NdSansbury, Chuy Naj, Haff, Appacasiapeyus, Steve Joliffe, Gianluca Grippa.

As well as having one hell of a list of contributors, 12.0 clocks in at over 10 minutes, making it the longest track on the EP. The resulting track sounds absolutely astounding, which is a testament not only to the artistic skills on the Sol Invicto members, but also to all the fans who contributed something to the project. Well done to all parties involved.

Bloc Party - Obscene (Kele Okereke remix)

Kele Okereke (Bloc Party) is poised to a release a compilation album that will feature a remixed version of Bloc Party's track Obscene. The remix departs from the familiar Bloc Party sound, Okereke makes the track work incredibly. The bouncy beat makes this an immediate club banger for the UK clubbing scene.

Okereke's Obscene remix will be available exclusively on the Bloc Party Tapes compilation, which will also feature tracks by artist who have influenced both the direction of Okereke, and Bloc Party's sonic exploration.

The list of contributors is quite extensive, and the number of musical genres their skills encompass is inspiring. this adds further insight into just how complicated the sound of Bloc Party has become as the band has assimilated all these sounds and ideas, and formed something new from it all.

While admittedly not for all Bloc Party fans, this is a great way to be get a feel for the type of music the band, and more particularly Kele Okereke, listen to for pleasure and when looking for inspiration. If this sounds appealing, then take a listen to this 20 minute preview, or go have a look at the full track list for Bloc Party Tapes.

Dave Grohl produces new Ghost cover EP

Ghost (a.k.a. Ghost B.C.) teamed up with Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) to record an EP of covers by artists such as Depeche Mode, ABBA, and Roky Erickson. The EP takes its name from Erickson's single "If you have ghosts." In addition to recording and producing the first four tracks of the EP, Grohl also lends his superb drumming talents to the title track.

To promote the release of the EP, Ghost are also releasing a pretty sweet looking T-shirt bundled with either a CD or vinyl copy of the EP. Here's a look at the track listing:

1. If you have ghosts (Roky Erickson cover)
2. I am a marionette (ABBA cover)
3. Crucified (Army of Lovers cover)
4. Waiting for the night (Depeche Mode cover)
5. Secular haze (Live from the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Pre-order now to receive an instant download of the live version of Secular haze.

October brain teaser solution

Last week I posted the following brain teaser:

Here is the solution, showing all workings