Guided By Voices and Built to Spill may by the go-to bands when someone’s trying to sing the praises of lo-fi music, but the New York-by-way-of-Chicago band Kleenex Girl Wonder – just as prolific as Robert Pollard and his boys, by the way – deserve just as much credit for all that’s great about the genre. Centered around singer/bassist Graham Smith – the one constant in the group…
Coming off sounding like an alt-country band playing grunge music after gobbling a handful of mushrooms, it’s hard to find another band today that sounds like Augusta, GA’s Dead Confederate. And why bother, when this five-piece does it so well. Yes singer Hardy Morris sounds eerily like Kurt Cobain reincarnated, but the band can write one hell of a jam. In the Marrow, their sixth album, is easily their…
The Original UK edition of Mr Selfridge stars Jeremy Piven (Entourage) and is helmed by Andrew Davies (Bridget Jones’ Diary, Bleak House). Mr Selfridge is a title that looks into the life of Harry Gordon Selridge, who was responsible for the success of Selfridge’s department store in the city of London. Piven is joined on Mr Selfridge by a slew of stellar actors, including Frances O’Connor as Harry’s wife,…
Flash Gordon was created in 1934, had a feature film (utilizing a killer Queen soundtrack) in 1980, and made its way onto the Sci-Fi network in 2007 and 2008. The show ran for 22 episodes, and placed Eric Johnson (Rookie Blue, Smallville) into the titular role. Rather than change the fundamental parts of Flash’s identity, those associated with the creation of the show have kept faithful to the source…
I’m not going to wade into the debate of whether or not Public Enemy actually belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (they do, by the way), but their recent induction is obviously the impetus for this latest collection of re-mastered hits. And if it took an induction to get these songs on vinyl again, well hell, it was worth it. Yes, it’s frustrating that only 11 songs…
If there were a PHD-level class in heavy metal Louder Than Hell would be the textbook. Intimidating in size, coming in at nearly 750 pages, this oral history of society’s favorite whipping boy musical genre is as fascinating as it is comprehensive. Beginning with the numerous bands who have been credited with founding the genre (from Black Sabbath to Iron Butterfly) and delving into just about every imaginable subgenre –…
The Exhibitionists is a title that is incredibly meta in that it captures the exploits of a filmmaker, Walter Todd, (Richard Short, 666) as ey delves into increasingly blue subject matter. Capturing the dark side of everyone at a holiday party, Todd is able to titillate as well as education. The Exhibitionists captures the creative process as well as the relationship between the filmer and those being filmed, showcasing the…
We had received a bottle of Adult Limeade for review in NeuFutur, and to be utterly honest, I was a little scared of the stuff. However, I feel that what the Adult Beverage Company has done with Adult Limeade is actually craft a liqueur that can succeed as a sipping spirit just as much as it will in ice or as a shot. While there is an easy comparison that…
British singer/songwriter David Ford is one of those musicians you can’t help but scratch your head at and wonder why this guy is not huge? His songs as catchy as hell while still coming across as giftedly witty (give album opener “Pour a Little Poison” 30 seconds and if you aren’t humming along, check your pulse). He can even wear the fedora better than Bruno Mars and all those other…
Dime Te Deseo is a slinky single that ties together glitch and dubstep with the strong female feel of a Ke$ha or Blackout / Circus – era Britney Spears. Where much of pop music feels as if it has been polished to perfection, listeners can hear that Minor’s vocal track relies solely on her talents. What results is a mélange of organic and electronic, as easily at home in a…
Playing Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon reminds me of the 90’s action flick Solo. Solo was the worst kind of 90’s movie, with the same super-soldier tropes, ridiculous set pieces and cardboard acting that Blood Dragon parodies so successfully. But back in 1996, my eight-year-old wanted desperately to see Solo. Alas, its PG-13 rating proved prohibitive. It wasn’t until years later, when I stumbled upon Solo on Netflix, that I…
What specific life events lead you to become a musician? My older brother had a serious record collection and a really expensive stereo system when we were kids. Sitting in your room cranking Zeppelin and AC/DC for hours just gets under your skin. I couldn’t wait to get a guitar. How have these life experiences molded your overall sound? Learning to play before the dreaded video came and killed…
On the Scene is the introductory track on this album, and it provides listeners with a very taut and alluring set of arrangements. The music ties together smooth jazz with a hint of funk to establish a timeless quality to Hagen’s music. Midnight Drive contains a tremendous amount of rhythm, crafting an interesting dynamic between the organic and electronic instrumentation. The narrative that is created during this self-titled release far…
Pontus Gunve (who performs as PHWG) has just released his latest album, The Observer. Gunve has had countless compositions utilized for art installations, performances, and commercials. The Observer is a title that will showcase the sheer multitude of styles, approaches, and overall feelings present in Gunve’s career. Aside from acting as a retrospective, what The Observer feels like is an evolutionary step forward. With each track on The Observer,…
For those individuals that have been living under a rock for the last five years, Ruben Studdard was one of the American Idol finalists. This is actually eir second album; eir first album, “Soulful” had the catchy song “Sorry 2004”. However, this album starts out very weakly. The first track on “The Return” is the title track, which has the unfortunate tag line of “Of The Velvet Teddy Bear”. I…
In the mid-1990s, the “southwestern sound” had its time in the sun, with Gin Blossoms, The Meat Puppets and The Sidewinders all on the charts. The Refreshments not only entered that niche, but entered Billboard charts at the top. The Refreshments will reunite for the first time in 15 years at Circus Mexicus XXII in Rocky Point, Mexico on June 8th, 2013. The Refreshments’ were a classic…
I have had some major time spent with the heavy-ABV 24 ounce cans. Whether it was Steel Reserve or Camo Black Ice, there was much value to be had with one of these big boys. Four Loko has provided individuals with a heavy amount of alcohol and an ample amount of flavor to hide the alcohol bite. Phusion Projects, the company behind Four Loko, has created “Loko Margarita”. This means…
Usually, I would stay away from live recordings from smaller labels like TKO just for the fact that many of these bands really don’t have the equipment necessarily to make their live performance not sound like shit. Take for example the Leftover Crack live show from Reading, PA in which it is virtually impossible for an individual listening to the disc to actually figure out which lyrics are being sung,…
Standby Records has launched pre-orders for New Life, the upcoming LP from Orlando, FL’s Modern Day Escape. The LP was produced with Don Debiase ((Modern Day Escape, Beneath The Sky, For All Those Sleeping) of Studio D and recorded at The Standby Studios in Cleveland, Ohio and will be released on June 11. To pre-order New Life: http://merchnow.com/catalogs/modern-day-escape. Track listing: 1. 20 years 2. bound by blood 3.…
Nobody Walks concerns the relationship that Martine (Olivia Thirlby) and a Los Angeles couple, Peter and Julie (Rosemary DeWitt and John Krasinski); Peter has offered to do audio work on Martine’s initial film as a favor to one of Julie’s collegiate friends. The addition of Martine to Peter and Julie’s family is enough of a catalyst to get the whole family in a tizzy. Ry Russo-Young (The Color Wheel, Hannah…