At a time, when Hip-Hop is king, Country is cool, and Pop is a princess, real Rock & Roll might as well be the ugly step-sister.
Those days of stepping out in the East Village, to find a rock band performing live at a legendary venue on every corner, are long gone. Both the venue and the bands are no where to be found. Rock and roll institutions have been replaced by international clothing chains and drug store theme parks.
Yet, just when the future of rock appears bleak, one underground band surfaces with a new album, that injects a powerful surge of hope and inspiration into the world of music.
The New York, Bronx born band, SWEET CYANIDE released a new album today, SONGS FROM THE STARDUST ROAD. Thirteen tracks, written and composed by SWEET CYANIDE’s front man, Sal Scoca. The album is coming off of their 2012 rock radio hit, "IN MY WORLD" and 2014 rock radio hit, "BETTER AT GOODBYES."
STARDUST ROAD is an unexpected yet, genius evolution from SWEET CYANIDE’S original aggressive, hard rock sound. Each track on the new album delivers a distinctive mix of inventive electric modernity, layered between daringly clever lyrics that all culminate into a unique rock experience.
STARDUST ROAD, has the power to change the way the world emotionally digests a group of songs released together at the same time, by offering fans a few different ways to experience the album.
Each song can stand alone as it’s own distinctive sound and experience. Yet, if you listen closely to the lyrics from beginning to end, each track seamlessly flows from one scene to the next, ultimately revealing a captivating character and raw storyline. But, make no mistake, the whole is not greater then the sum of it’s parts. Just different.
The multi-level experience that STARDUST ROAD delivers fans, is what industry insiders would refer to as a, “concept album.” The concept may have a thematic unity or artistic cohesiveness. The group of songs may be unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical.
Most rock historians agree, the first concept album was by the Beatles' in 1967; Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Other famous concept albums include: The Who's Tommy in 1969, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in 1973 and the Eagles' Hotel California in 1977.
Setting out to create a concept album is quite ambitious. Writing a successful song is hard enough. Now, imagine trying to create thirteen individual songs that offer double the pleasure? Seems almost impossible to pull off.
Seems impossible, but Scoca pulled it off. STARDUST ROAD is a successful concept album.
Yet, when we asked Scoca to share the concept, he said, “I don’t want the concept to over power or influence how someone interprets the sound. The storyline is not up in your face. It’s suggested. Abstract enough so the listener still has the room to think and create a personal connection. I guess when you create a concept that is the risk you take.”
It’s a risk that paid off for Scoca. Tracks like New Illusions and Zero Hour are epic hits on their own and when you listen to the entire album, they weave an intense thought provoking story, that delivers both musically and lyrically.
Scoca said while he was in the trenches of creating the album he was listening to a lot of music from the late 70’s and early 80’s, “I kept going back and forth listening to Hall and Oates, Peter Gabriel and Bowie.”
Sal also revealed, “Initially the concept of the album was inspired by Ziggy Stardust. I always wondered to myself, what ever happened to Ziggy? What if Ziggy was resurrected now, in the year 2016? A time where the majority of society is obsessed with celebrities, fame and selfies. Basically exploring the concept of…Are you chasing the dream or is the dream chasing you?”
You can form your own opinion and download the album which premieres on ITUNES today.
You can also experience the album live. SWEET CYANIDE plans to make their annual pilgrimage cross-country from NYC to South Dakota. The band will be performing live on the main-stage at the 76th annual Sturgis Buffalo Chip Music Festival. Sturgis is a real tradition for the band. Past years SWEET CYANDIE has performed live and shared center-stage with Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Five Finger Death Punch, and Motley Crue. This year, Friday, August 12, 2016, the band will be performing live with Pop Evil and Buckcherry. You can buy SWEET CYANIDE LIVE @ STURGIS tickets HERE.
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