“The first time I drank piss was on a fire escape overlooking downtown Los Angeles.” So begins the memoir on NOFX. If you can get past that first sentence, the payoff is worth it.
It didn’t exactly seem so at the time, but the Dixie Chicks were more punk rock than just about any band while Bush Jr. was in the White House. Sure they seemed like just another Saccharine Southern Country band from Texas when their major label debut “Wide Open Spaces” came out in 1998, but soon after they would start to show an admirable “Screw it, we’re going to speak our…
I’m a Sweetwater Hillbilly is a timeless track that ties together guitars, drums, soulful vocals and flutes. This introductory single to the latest Sweetwater Hillbillies album, Take Me to the Mardi Gras, present fans with a brief taste of what they will experience over the following 13 tracks. Alabama Hippie is a similarly-dense track. The bouncing beat of the track calls back to the country & western of the 1970s, while…
The electronic-infused rock that begins the latest Soles of Passion album “Escape from Jurisdiction B” hearkens back to the halcyon days of the mid-1980s. The act is able to create something wholly unique through the entirety of this album, bolstered by sizzling guitar work, a chugging bass, and an emotive and alluring set of vocals. The complex arrangements that are fostered through Wheezy Hissy Fit will require listeners multiple listens to…
Back in early October of last year, having just spent the most metal week of my life aboard Motörhead’s Motörboat, catching up on the metal news that had transpired while we were away was the discovery that Iron Maiden had announced a tour, which was to open only a few hours from where I lived. All focus and discussion about the cruise was temporarily suspended while my cruise mates and…
Deborah Henriksson has just released a haunting and beautiful cover version of Clannad’s “Harry’s Game”. Henriksson’s ability is enough to unite the instrumental and vocal sides of the composition into a cohesive entity. The rich tapestry that is weaved through the track’s three minutes will stick with listeners long after the song has ceased to play. The multimedia component of this single is completed by its video. The shots imbue each…
All That I Have is the opening effort from Bryan Deister’s Spines of the Heart, an intense track that is able to hurtle listeners to the end with a unique blend of electronic and more alternative vocal elements. Responding Well changes things up to have a more atmospheric and twinkling sound; the different tack taken here prepares listeners for In Her Eyes. In Her Eyes builds off of the trip-hop…
Give Me A Groove is an eclectic track that will immediately get up people on the dance store. Hints of funk, soul, and dance all vie for dominance. A sizzling guitar line ties the disparate elements together, establishing high momentum as listeners move into Sexy Cutie. Sexy Cutie builds on a timeless base (hints of Isaac Hayes and James Brown) while establishing a dense instrumentation replete with horns and ropy…
Ronjo V’s Ronjoism starts with Un-Friend, an impassioned piece of indie-rock that sparkles with the careful dynamic established by the vocals, guitars, and piano. A bit of fuzz links together these disparate elements, giving the track a timeless feel that will appease fans of alternative from the 1990s, oughts, and current. The progression of the track imbues the effort with considerable catchiness, ensuring that listeners will eagerly devour the opening…
Dawn to Dusk begins with Lucy, an effort that links together jazz and funk into a chill package; Judy La Rose’s vocals will immediately tattoo themselves deep into the psyche of listeners. Lewontin Campbell is an extraordinarily complex track that will require listeners multiple listens to fully understand. While there is a very easy-listening, lounge-meets-soul sound that plays at the top level of the composition, there are so many elements…
