Category: Music Reviews

Posted on: November 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Brennan Dylan – Bullet Ride (CD)

The bit of industrial and electronic music that comes issuing forth at the beginning of “Bullet Ride” primes listeners for what is to come. Fast, slow, intense, and more meandering sections all mesh to create a microcosm of the genre. While an instrumental concoction of Dylan, “War Parade” is nevertheless a track that has tremendous narrative qualities. Deftly integrating synthesizers, guitars, and drums into one coherent expression, Dylan gives listeners…

Posted on: November 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Intended Creation – Awake EP (CD)

The 100 seconds that “Train” occupies at the beginning of the “Awake” EP are tremendous important, an insight in which listeners can gain their first glance of Intended Creation. What they will immediately learn from “Train” is that the band operates on a number of distinct levels. This means that while Intended Creation can come forth with a tremendously compelling interplay between drums and guitar, that the act looks to…

Posted on: November 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Nexcyx – S/T EP (CD)

We here at NeuFutur were lucky enough to get a copy of the Nexcyx debut EP a few days back, and we would like to give this release some love. What the act does for pop music is nothing less than impressive, and I’d personally like to get in at the ground floor. Take a listen to the band’s first single, “Take A Minute”, and you’ll see what I mean.…

Posted on: November 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Kristina Westin – In The Back of My Mind (CD)

“In The Back of My Mind” is slated to be released in just a few days, and “I’m at War” is early evidence why listeners should be lining up to purchase it now. This is because that there is such a unique set of influences working throughout this introductory track that fans of all stripes can appreciate it. The horns take on equal parts jazz and ska, while there is…

Posted on: November 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Adam Rader – S/T EP (CD)

It is always difficult to come forth with a cover of a track that is as storied as Mac Davis’ “In the Ghetto”. Performed by as wide of a swath as both Elvis and South Park’s Cartman, it stands to reason that there is little that performers could do to otherwise make this track their own. Adam Rader, a singer-songwriter, looks to imbue the track with just a little bit…

Posted on: November 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Paolo Nutini – Live Sessions (CD)

I had seen a lot of Paolo Nutini posters around campus in the last few months, so I thought “why not review this EP”. This EP has live versions of four songs from three locations, which provide individuals with an introduction to Nutini. For those individuals that already have the LP, “Live Sessions” allows fans to hear different versions of their favorite album tracks. “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty” is the…

Posted on: November 29, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Nural – The Weight of the World (CD)

Nural come out immediately from the gates with a brutal, driving brand of rock that cannot be classified as emo or punk, but rather in the vein of other genre-straddling bands like the All-American Rejects and Local H. And hell, with all this great instrumentation, the band has placed a tremendous weight on the vocals, making them the key purveyors of “The Weight of the World’s” infectious, Nickelback-like harmonies. The…

Posted on: November 28, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Number One Fan – Compromises (CD)

Placing together some of the indie rock of the early nineties with a Weezer-like pop sensibility, Number One Fan is able to weld their strengths into a contraption that is held together with the sauter of talent. Not holding themselves to traditional power-pop/indie-rock song lengths, Number One Fan really uses the extra time that they give themselves for an expansion of their sound, making sure aurally that no stone is…

Posted on: November 28, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Null Objct – The Blind Clockmaker (CD)

Starting out with an electric beat reminiscent of the typical Amp-fare of the mid to late nineties, Null Objct takes influence from Squarepusher and Plastikman and mixes it with rock, in a way that is molded by and surpasses Fatboy Slim. Opening “The Blind Clockmaker” with a track the works in Dick Dale-style surf guitars to what can only be described as a late eighties cop drama’s them, “False Positive”…

Posted on: November 28, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Nova Dream Sequence – Interpretations (CD)

There are very few bands or acts that can get away with just sequentially naming their tracks. Bracket was one of the first bands to show me that one does not have to be an egotistical jackass to do this, as their “Requiem” was a solid disc throughout. Was “Interpretation” going to be an album that is full of egotistical bull, or something much more mind-blowing. This is a King…