While this may be Jim’s largest issue to date, #74 was the issue I literally flew through, as it contains a slew of excellent reviews, interviews, and other materials to provide for a decent amount of reading material. By far, the most shining example of the killer writing in this issue has to be the excerpt from “The Enemy Withinâ€, which contains enough lucid detail to conceivably be an entire episode of an mtv drama. One of the major questions that is asked throughout this issue of Jersey Beat is how do individuals in bands feel about the recent resurgence of New York as a major breeding ground for signed bands. A myriad of responses are garnered in the various interviews, with the most interesting response coming in as “At least they weren’t bad bandsâ€. The interview sections alternate between large-popularity bands (Brand New, Circle Jerks) and non-name bands (for now, including Cardia, The Ergs, and The Escape Engine). None of the interviews are at a length that exclude some people with short attention spans, and the reviews literally cover all different forms of music. Even with going through the bulk of the reviews (taking over over half the issue), I could only find 6 or 7 bands that I had to absolutely check out, which is not a burden for Jersey Beat as much as a doorway for me to find other bands. Check #74 out – its worth your $3.
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
Testing & Ethics: All hardware, software, and media reviews are conducted through hands-on evaluation in accordance with NeuFutur’s editorial independence standards; sponsored consideration is strictly excluded from editorial ratings.
Contact: editor@neufutur.com