Second single features Little Brother and production from 9th Wonder The Song: On Akrobatik’s second full-length solo release, the only thing more impressive than the star-studded guest list – Chuck D, J Dilla, Talib Kweli, to name a few– is the fact that he is not once overshadowed by the surrounding hip-hop giants. “Be Prepared,” featuring Little Brother and produced by 9th Wonder, exemplifies Ak’s ability to showcase other artists…
Here’s What I’ve Hidden Under My Tongue #1 / $1 / :10 / 28S / D.J.T., 108 Route 30, Newfane, VT 05345 / DJT’s zines are always some of the most emotionally affecting that I have the chance to read, and this time deals with eir dealings with diet, both before and after hormonal therapy. In the inaugural issue of this zine, the societal construct of what it is to…
I was always a singer. There is a dusty reel to reel tape somewhere of me singing Be Bop a Lula at about three years old. I didnt know all the lyrics then! Musicians of my age were perhaps the first generation of teenagers to actually like the music their parents listened to and so I had a good solid education of the Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks, The Who,…
Astralwerks act Hot Chip is Zune’s “Ignition” artist for the month of February and is releasing the track “So Deep” exclusively on Zune Marketplace on February 26 for a period of one month. In addition, the band is currently offering the Zune Freebie “Made In The Dark”, a track-by-track Breakdown of the new album, and an exclusive Guestlist featuring tracks hand-picked by the band. MSN is also streaming an exclusive…
Visiter, by San Francisco band The Dodos, is their second full length and first for Frenchkiss. Originally formed in 2006 under the moniker Dodobird as a one man acoustic act, Meric Long would gig around SF playing folky guitar with a combination of loops and ambient keyboards. Having already studied West African Ewe drumming, Meric got turned onto country blues fingerpicking and sought to create a band where the drumming…
Nik Freitas – Sun Down / 2008 Team Love / 10 Tracks / http://www.nikfreitas.com / http://www.team-love.com / Freitas has been around for a few years before signing on to Team Love. That means that there are three other albums that individuals can pick up if they like what is happening on “Sun Downâ€: Here’s Laughing At You, Heavy Mellow, and Voicing The Hammers. The first, titular track is an example…
The Joshua Cain Band found their souls on the streets of urban Tacoma. You might play great music, but then the town finds you, strips you down, and makes you real. Pain and possibility seem to go hand in hand there, spinning tales that remind you that a song isn’t really a song until you’ve lived it.
Herbin’ Guerrila #2 / :10 / $1 / 20M / herbinguerrilla@graffiti.net / This zine is one of the first that I have read that actually paints recreational drug use (at least with pot) as something that is not totally antithetical to anarchism/other movements. Throughout the few zines I’ve read on the topic there seems to be either an ignorance of the fun one can have with weed or an outright…
Hit The Lights have announced in a video update on their newly designed www.myspace.com/hitthelights that guitarist Nick Thompson will be taking over lead vocal duties. The bands former lead singer, Colin Ross left the band last summer to peruse a quiet life. The band remains tight with Colin and wish him the best in whatever lies next for him. The band have posted a new song with Thompson singing to…
The Wombats – S/T / 2008 Kids in America / 6 Tracks / http://www.thewombats.co.uk /  http://www.thekidsinamerica.net / Man, if there was a band that sounded like the prototypal act that has rocketed up the Popworld charts in the last two years, it would be The Wombats. This is not a bad thing, and the band’s brand of pop-cum-indie rock is really catchy. “Backfire At The Disco†sounds as if it…
On April 1,  7Bros. Records in conjunction with Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group are set to release Sevendust’ seventh studio release titled, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow.  Produced by  Sean Groove, Morgan Rose & John Connolly in Atlanta, GA at Tree Sounds Studios. Hope & Sorrow will be their second release on the band’s wholly owned record label.
Iridium Runners (PS2) / 2008 SouthPeak / http://www.iridiumrunners.com / I like the fact that the PS2 is still a viable platform. Sure, there is decidedly more of a focus on the PS3 and the PSP in 2008, but there are groups like SouthPeak Games that are ensuring that the PS2 does not die quickly. Iridium Runners places players in 2050, where there has been a shift in racing from cars…
A genre defying blockbuster and awesome beat creating sound guru, who is forever innovative in his approach to music. Yamasaki (Tom Edwards) has enjoyed album releases with the independent labels Criminal Recordz and Just Joe as well as achieving underground acclaim and radio play across the world (including having his tracks feature on Scott Mills show on BBC Radio 1 and The Jazz Suite & Soul Travels Radio in the…
Fakelife #6 / $2 + Shipping / 40M / 1:00 / http://www.pxsdistro.com / This issue of Fakelife is about the trials and tribulations that individuals have to deal with around the period of Valentine’s Day. The first story in this issue is “Young Loveâ€, a story that is written in a very idiosyncratic style. What I take from the story may not be what the author wishes individuals to take;…
Quiet Life is a candle with ecstatic wax and wick, modern burn and recycled light. Their blend of classic country/folk and indie/rock is one of the most genuine combinations being fused across modern America. Hailing from the whaling city of New London, Connecticut, these two brothers [Sean and Ryan Spellman] and two best friends [Craig Rupert and Paul Dutton] have all the sincerity of their great folk predecessors, influenced by…
HeartattaCk #50 / .50 / 1:00 / 80M / http://www.ebullition.com / This is the last issue ever of HeartattaCk. Some of the writers from the zine are starting a new zine called “Give Me Backâ€, so keep an eye on that. But, nothing new in the way of issues of HeartattaCk will ever be released. So is this issue any good? Well, there is a lot of columns present here…
Skelmersdale England’s death-thrash outfit Machiavellian has officially signed with Year of the Sun Records for the release of their upcoming debut four song EP, “The Impossibility of Death in the Minds of the Living”. The album will see release through the label on April 29th, 2008. Machiavellian marks the first international signing by the Canadian label.
Flogging Molly – Float / 2008 SideOneDummy / 11 Tracks / http://www.floggingmolly.com / http://www.sideonedummy.com / “Requiem For A Dying Song†is the first track on “Floatâ€, and it shows that Flogging Molly have taken the years in between 2004’s “Within A Mile of Home†and this album to create songs that are very intricate but still have the same blend of catchy Irish and punk genres. The three and a…
Combining the soulful ache of Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall with the sultry falsetto of Smokey Robinson, Lemon resurrects the plaintive longing and raw sexuality of vintage R&B with the synthesized rhythms of ‘80s modern rock.
Holy Rolemodel – The Sum of Our Parts / 2006 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.holyrolemodel.com / “Bleed America†is the first track on “The Sum of Our Partsâ€, and it shows that Holy Rolemodel is a punk act that links together a number of punk sub-genres. There is not a specific set of acts that the band tries to ape, but there is a heavier influence on the band…