Ray Tarantino is an exciting musician that we stumbled upon a few weeks back. He has just released a new self-titled album. This 2012 release covers a wide array of different musical styles, genres, and overall approaches to music. It is this eclectic nature that makes this title a must-have. The evolution that has taken place since Tarantino’s debut, Recusant. Recusant benefitted from the masterful production of Simply Red’s Tony…
Sittin’ In My Room is a track that has so much soul to it that listeners will immediately be singing along. The track has it all, whether it is a solid production, a hot flow, or an instrumentation that properly highlights all points of T.O.N.E-z’s output. Where the lyrical content of a great many rap songs are lost in the mix of red-lined synths and guitars, I feel that…
Vampires: check; Werewolves and Werepathers: check; Shape shifters and Fairies: Check. The only supernatural group really missing from True Blood was witches and season four trots them out en mass. Since 2008, Alan Ball and his team of writers have been upping the ante on what to expect from this Vampire soap opera. A slew of imitators have come and gone over the years, but True Blood continues to…
The energy that resides barely beneath the surface on the Silversun Pickups’ “Kissing Families” is something to behold. Lead vocalist Nikki finds the skill to show that ey has the desire to completely snap and lash out against the world, but tempers it to a T and really makes everything fit underneath the Breeders-meets-System Of A Down like sound that “Pikul” has. This is unrepentant, angry indie-rock that breaks…
The hopeful opening of “Carnavas” puts listeners into a good mood. The fact that Silversun Pickups play such an interesting brand of indie rock should keep listeners in that mood. The fuzz present on the guitars is unnatural, but Silversun Pickups can couch it in a compelling way. During tracks when this type of distortion is present, such as “Melatonin”, the guitars (and distortion) are the key emotional force…
The sad thing about this recording in that in no way captures the intensity or impressive nature of the band, especially after one has seen them live three or four time. However, this is a strong step in a direction where a great many of these nascent local scenes need to go in cataloging their music, even if it is only on a CDR (as Nothing Special is). The…
The opening to “Something Pretty Something True” is in the same vein as acts like Fiona Apple and Joan Osbourne, but there is a less bland instrumentation that is flittering behind Silver’s vocals. For this opening track (the title track), there is a heavy Hispanic influence to the track that gives the track a certain international flair. “Flame I Should Fear” has much less of this innovative sound, and leaves…
One of the first acts to be signed onto the Tiberius Records roster that does not personally involve one of the Tiberius owners, Silo the Huskie have a lot to prove with their Tiberius debut, Sons of Columbus. Sounding at times like Jawbreaker, Smoking Popes, Soul Asylum and even early R.E.M., Silo the Huskie plays well with the newly reenergized Tired Anchor-era Thistle. Having the average tempo of any Sons…
In on It begins with Good Kiss (From A Bad Girl), a track that touches upon a wide array of styles and genre. In the course of the first minute, hints of Bauhaus, Tom Waits, and even Soft Cell can be heard. Marc James is able to make this track germane to current listeners due to intelligent instrumentation and an always-catchy arrangement. Out of Touch keeps fans listening, with a…
The drums that start off “Rebirth of the Temple” are tied to a heavy, deep brand of chanting. Imagine if the soundtrack from Xena was mixed with a tribal beat and the Benedictine monks. That is how the opening selection “Call To Arms” starts off the disc, before Silent Civilian starts off the meaty side of the disc with “Funeral”. The track is a blend of classic metal a la…
