The Meaning Of - NEW SHOWS ADDED

"THE ALLIGATOR FESTIVAL"
Available Now At All Good Record Stores Nationally

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After four long years in the making The Meaning Of have finally completed the follow-up to 2003’s award winning debut, “What Is Your Excuse?”. The new 15 track long player titled “The Alligator Festival” (Recorded by Adam Spark @ Wing Command, Perth & Mixed by Forrester Savell @ The Base, Melbourne) was launched at Club Capitol to 600+ punters on Saturday February 16th.
The Alligator Festival was nationally released on March 1st 2008. Any good music store can order it in, you just have let them know it is The Meaning Of - The Alligator Festival - Distributed through MGM and the Catalogue Number is TMO002, and then you'll be on your way!!
The high energy shows full of tribal percussion, funk, didgeridoo & bone crunching grooves have helped TMO create their own distinct niche in the national alt rock scene & with tours and supports for The Butterfly Effect, COG, Karnivool, Helmet & Hell Yeah to name a few the foundations have now been laid for a huge year ahead.
THE ALLIGATOR FESTIVAL REVIEWS
X-PRESS MAGAZINE
After an extended wait, The Meaning Of have finally released the follow-up to their What’s Your Excuse? album, and the boys have made sure it’s as tight and polished as it should be. Far more beat and hip hop-driven than their previous work, The Meaning Of have made The Alligator Festival more akin to their live show, which is traditionally an exercise in making people dance. That said, the incorporation of more advanced hip hop elements is done seamlessly, helping translate these new ideas for us guitar boofheads. The production is fat, the songs more personal, and the distance from nu metal greater than ever before… so it looks very much like The Meaning Of have been mindful of keeping their music fresh and innovative, without relying on either their history or what is currently in vogue to do so. Knowing they would have to pull out something special to justify the wait, The Meaning Of’s fastidiousness and predilection for perfectionism has paid off in a complex but rewarding album.
By Mike Wafer
RIP-IN MAGAZINE
Grab a big motherfucker of a m i c r o w a v e . Chuck in Anthony Kiedis ( f r o n t m a n ) and Flea (bass) from Red Hot Chili Peppers then throw in some Igor Cavalara from Sepultura on guitars. Have you got your head around that sound? Now splash in some John Dolmayan from System Of A Down on drums… Is that a wild mix or what? From here, perch Xavier Rudd somewhere up the back with a host of traditional and percussion instruments. We’re not quite finished yet. Finish things off with a few backflips and fire breathing and presto, you have one of the most entertaining bands in the country. Perth’s The Meaning Of has been slowly seething away in the Perth alt rock scene for well over a decade, gradually increasingly in strength and class, so gradually in fact that it was almost impossible to predict they’d grow into the phenomenal rock machine you’ll find here on The Alligator Festival. Without a word of a lie this is the biggest, cleanest and most devastatingly efficient hard rock album I’ve ever heard from a WA band, and sonically one of the best Australia’s ever produced. The album literally jumps out from your speakers and demands attention, a little like Full Scale achieved with their Black and White Eps and full length of2005. It’s no surprise, I guess, to learn that Birds Of Tokyo guitarist, Adam Spark, manned the recording dials and Forrester Savell (Karnivool et al) handled mastering duties. A technical, groove heavy outfit, such quality production helps the band swim through the occasional lack of melody in some of their songwriting, but when they hit home (which is more often than not), they’re up there with Karnivool, The Butterfly Effect and Cog on the enjoyment factor. Among the handful of spoken word moments here ala the aforementioned Cog, you’ll uncover a party of groove laden, technical hard rock with plenty of heart and more than a little bit of humour. An album of such class, I’m tipping this to find its way into my Top 10 albums for 2008, this early on, and - if you squint - you can almost see this album on IPECAC Recordings, if only someone could slip a copy in Mike Patton’s pocket!
By Brett Ladhams PERTHBANDS.COM
4/5
The Alligator Festival is the 2nd full-length release from alt-rock band The Meaning Of. The album contains an infectious mix of hard grooves, sex, freedom, and interesting sounds. To my mind it sits somewhere between Primus, Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but it still retains a great originality on most of the tracks.First, a little about the members. Vocalist Mike Sukys has a very good voice, especially in the crazy, speedy phrasing stakes, often sitting in his own mix of Anthony Keidis and Mike Patton, but with awesome shouting choruses (Doing Life). The race call in the middle of Intanoodle is certainly a highlight of this album. The vocals are clear and present throughout the whole album, but it has to be said that I don't think the two spoken word tracks really fit the rest of the album, although they do contain some interesting soundscapes. Also his use of darambuka (I won't even pretend I know what one was before hearing the album, but essentially it is a percussion instrument) is a welcome addition, and is not at all a pretentious "I'll use it because I can" gimmick. It just suits the tribal rhythms perfectly.On that note, Raz Hansen's didgeridoo is another clever musical element, if a little underused, and at times under-mixed. The low rumbling really helps the songs along, and at times sounds somewhat like a jew harp.Bass player Tim Collins does a fantastic job of combining tight grooves with fun slap lines and intricate melodic riffs (most notably the awesome breakdown in Jonathan Plum. He really locks in with drummer Lee Afentopoulos to make this recording very rhythmically diverse and fresh.Guitar wise, Pete Sukys provides some massive riffs and some very innovative lead playing, not entirely because of notes, more techniques like unexpected slides and also placement of notes within each phrase and also within sections of the song.Production-wise, everything sounds massive, and the tones on all of the instruments are very good on a whole. The drums are perhaps a little heavy on the low-end and brittle on the cymbals, but by no means does it make this a less listenable album. In fact, the massive ringing out of the floor tom in moments of this album really add to the interest. The other big thing this album has going for it is the use of sound effects. Things like the horse footsteps in Intanoodle and the electrical noises in March of the Humans.For me, the standout tracks are as follows: Doing Life for the clean verse guitar and the huge transition to the pre-chorus. Jonathan Plum for the Primus-like rhythm, jazz change, and that insane bass breakdown. And Intanoodle for the hilarious race-call and the awesome changes in feel and tempo through that section, although the bassline reminds me a little too much of the breakdown in Chili Pepper's Stone Cold Bush.Overall, this is an really solid release, with only a few minor things going against it (the out-of-context spoken word stuff, and the soppy opening section of album closer When I wake up Everything Will be the Way it was), and more than enough good stuff to outweigh the bad (the talents of the band as a whole, and the slightly dissonant solo on the track mentioned in the previous set of brackets).
: FOR YOU promo clip :

: LIVE REVIEWS :
...goddamn they have turned into an incredible band. Tight, fun, and completely humble on stage, The Meaning Of are so far beyond anyone else playing remnants of nu metal that theyre in another dimension...'
- Mike Wafer XPRESS MAGAZINE
..incisive to the core...this is filth energy plus. Hell rancheros of the hyped type. Im just blown away by the sheer power and thrust of what they obviously love to do. Big things are coming for the W.A boys.
- Mark Fraser Revolver Magazine NSW - Narrabeen Surf Classic
...The Meaning Of are quite a phenomena... see them now and tell everyone you saw them before the trend starts
- Daniel Salter XPRESS MAGAZINE
'A couple of things occurred during the changeover to The Meaning Of; firstly, the room literally overflowed with new arrivals, highlighting just how popular TMO has become since the release of their belated LP....Its no secret that The Meaning Of is a band on fire right now. Theyre an off-centred sextet made up with quirky Patton-escue vocals, sporadic didgeridoo and bongo moments, held together by a crushing groove '
- Brett Ladhams XPRESS MAGAZINE
: I AM DIRTY (Live 2003) :
: WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE? LP (2003) REVIEWS :
'...The heavy riffs of Who Ever Said You Were Leaving, the didgeridoo-introduced hook-laden Bay Of Martyrs, and the quirky funky metal of the brilliant Pale Sky comprise the best opening three tracks any hard music fan could hope for. Add a beautiful acoustic ballad called Evergone, Mike Sukys emotive Richard Ashcroft-like vocals in What An Occasion and old live favourites such as the falsetto gold of hidden track Pandoras Box, to a couple of spoken word moments, and you have a buffet of goodies to feast on...'
- Phil Jupp THE WEST AUSTRALIAN
'...This release just goes to show every unimaginative frat metal band out there that creativity and originality are not impossible or redundant qualities...The Meaning Of have produced a cracker of an album that is sufficiently un-American without being fashionably or foolishly anti-American...'
- Mike Wafer XPRESS MAGAZINE