Author: James McQuiston

Posted on: January 29, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Ice Nine Kills – The Burning

Ice Nine Kills – The Burning / 2007 Red Blue / 7 Tracks / http://www.iceninekills.com / “The Greatest Story Ever Told” is a track that links together the work of bands like Brand New and Taking Back Sunday with the screamed out hardcore of Coalesce and Maroon. The bouncing back and forth between screaming and intensely catchy vocal lines, especially during “The Greatest Story Ever Told” is fun as all…

Posted on: January 29, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Cinematic Shoegazers Faunts Release M4 EP; Featured In Xbox360 Game Mass Effect

New EP available now, Faunts recording new LP for fall 2008 release Friendly Fire Recordings is extremely proud to announce that the magnificent new Faunts EP (really closer to a full-length album, considering it’s 40+ minutes long), entitled “M4,” is now available digitally. Faunts was formed in the fall of 2000 by brothers Tim and Steven Batke and soon after, Paul Arnusch. At this point the band emerged, squinting, into…

Posted on: January 29, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Female Species #3

The Female Species #3 / Free / Half-Sized / 20 Pages / [email protected] /  An anarchist zine with the outside look of a perzine, The Female Species is a much longer read than the 20 pages would have individuals think. A lot of pieces in this issue are no longer than one or two pages, but their respective writers are talented enough to make brevity a strength. This issue contains…

Posted on: January 28, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Spoon Benders – Resurrecting the Giants

The Spoon Benders – Resurrecting the Giants / 2007 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.thespoonbenders.net / The Spoon Benders craft a style of music that brings me back to the early days of the nineties. The disc’s first track is “Making My Name”, and it has The Spoon Benders linking together the works of Rusted Root, the Dave Matthews Band, and hints of more current (Maroon 5, Matchbox 20, and…

Posted on: January 28, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

GREG LASWELL To Release “How The Day Sounds” on 3/11

Santa Monica, CA – Lyricist/singer/multi-instrumentalist/producer Greg Laswell reveals another chapter in his musical and emotional journey with How The Day Sounds, a six song EP that is openly transitional from its spotlight on Laswell’s elegantly expressive piano playing to the sense of healing and moving on that resonates throughout its course. How The Day Sounds will be released March 11th on Vanguard.

Posted on: January 28, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

A Third Wish Granted – The Lost Art of Conversation: Vol. 1

A Third Wish Granted – The Lost Art of Conversation: Vol. 1 / 2007 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.a3wg.net / If you have been around Los Angeles in any serious sense since 2001, and followed the local music scene at all, chances are good that you have heard of A Third Wish Granted. Hell, I’m from Ohio, and I had heard them before I was sent “The Lost Art…

Posted on: January 28, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Introducing: King of Prussia

While a quick assessment of King of Prussia’s debut might bring to mind the Smiths, Belle and Sebastian, or a more straight-ahead Flaming Lips, the band’s deftly-designed, often misanthropic, lyrics–which speak of home as place, home as state, consumerism, summertime, etc.–place the band closer to the Steely Dans and Magnetic Fields of the world. The point here is that it’s hard to categorize KoP, even if their erudite power pop…

Posted on: January 28, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Aaron English – The Marriage of the Sun and Moon

Aaron English – The Marriage of the Sun and Moon / 2007 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.aaronenglish.com / It has been a few (5) years since Aaron English first hit the music scene with “All The Waters of This World”. “The Marriage of the Sun and Moon” is his second album, and by the time “Moon Murmurs” (the disc’s last track) peters out, it is clear that English has…

Posted on: January 28, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Bullet For My Valentine are streaming their entire new album, Scream Aim Fire, in its entirety on Myspace

Bullet For My Valentine are streaming their entire new album, Scream Aim Fire, in its entirety on Myspace. Scream Aim Fire will be in stores on January 29th. The band has also released an exclusive audio commentary on their new album at MP3.com. The commentary gives an inside look at the making of the new album. Bullet For My Valentine are currently on tour in Europe and will kick off…