“Thanks for the Gametes†is a vocal-heavy track, with instruments entering into the equation during all the right places; while little more is present here than a guitar and light percussion, the resulting track is substantive and compelling. The band gives the instrumental side of things a little more time in the sun with “Far As Sky Can Tellâ€, a track that is one great example of the band’s dynamic…
“Unsure†seems to exist in a weird space between the eighties New Romantic movement and the current backing instrumentation that signers like Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Mirana’s vocals further establish Theory of Tides as a truly special act, one that can use the widest possible swath of approaches to create the music heard here. “Karaoke†is Theory of Tides’ first bone fide hit, with cohesion abounds between the instrumental…
Shaky DeVille has a refreshing sound that uses styles that have been beaten down in the previous few decades (Irish punk, Rockabilly) and has tied them together in a new and fun arrangement. Nowhere is better to hear than during “M.V.T.â€, a splashy, fast-paced track that still finds enough time to throw in a sizzling bit of guitar work. The act may seem a bit discombobulated at points, but there…
“The Good Man†has an uptempo enough drum beat opening the track, while the guitar that enters into the equation soon after sets the stage for an odd little bit of alternative music, comparable to Cake, Devo, and Pere Ubu. There is a richness to “The Good Man†that is simply not present in any of the aforementioned acts; in that sense, it feels almost as if Audio-OK had taken…
John’s vocals provide a interesting contrast to the smooth bass and guitars found on the beginning of this track, seemingly a mixture of David Byrne and Daniel Ash. The effect one gets out of The Factory Incident’s disc is one of increasingly impressive instrumentation and a coolly detached singer laying eir vocals willy-nilly over this music. Muse and Palcebo make their ideological entrance during the beginning strains of “Said and…
When CBS first rolled out Eleventh Hour, their latest Jerry Bruckheimer-produced TV series last year, critics were quick to compare it to X Files. You had the mysterious, often freakish occurrences, the attractive, yet uptight female FBI agent pared with an equally attractive male partner plus plenty of ominous music. Though an easy comparison, it was a little off base.
Tornado Outbreak has players tapped to create through destruction; in that sense, the title seems to take a little from Katamari Damacy more than anything. The story line present in the title has players step into the shoes of Zephyr, an understudy to the wind god Nimbus, who gains abilities and finds items through creating mass destruction. In order to take down the massive objects and skyscrapers that dot the…
I was a little curious getting this CD because I didn’t really know Face to Face all that well; pretty much all I knew was the disc’s opening track “Disconnectedâ€. It sucks that I hadn’t tuned into them earlier; each of the tracks on “Shoot The Moon†is really essential for bridging some of the best bands of the eighties (like the Descendents, Husker Du and The Replacements) with bands…
“Home For An Island†begins painting The Exit as a brooding, intense rock act that takes a little bit from a number of genres. “Don’t Push†uses Police-like reggae to really amaze listeners in the first few minutes of the disc, while the vocals present will be enough to melt listeners’ hearts. This reggae-like sound is continued throughout the disc, the same template used again for “Back To The Rebelsâ€.…
The diverse array of sounds that The Exit play is more of a commitment to the musical eclecticism of the bands that they were influenced by than anything. On the opening track “Don’t Pushâ€, The Exit have a dominate college-rock meets The Police like sound, with some of the reggae of bands like The Clash flavoring the track at times. So many things are going on at any one given…
