Author: James

Posted on: July 22, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

No Hollywood Ending – Everybody’s Talking

No Hollywood Ending – Everybody’s Talking / 2007 Merovingian / 14 Tracks / http://www.merovingianmusic.com / http://www.nomilkrecords.com / No Hollywood Ending starts their “Everybody’s Talking” with a very orchestral sound. The disc’s cover looks nothing like the heavy, earlier style of metal that the band plays. Despite the earlier metal (Iron Maiden, Emperor) that the band seems most influenced by, the act comes out on a track like “ATM” like a…

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Posted on: July 22, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Keke Wyatt – Ghetto Rose

Keke Wyatt – Ghetto Rose / 2007 TVT / 2 Tracks / http://www.umrg.com/artist.aspx?aid=473 / http://www.tvtrecords.com / For those individuals that are not familiar with who Keke Wyatt is, all one needs to know that ey was a member of Destiny’s Child for a time, when they were still called Girl’s Tyme. Keke has done music on eir own for the last half-decade, and this track marks the first single off…

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Posted on: July 22, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

V/A – Putumayo Presents A New Groove

V/A – Putumayo Presents A New Groove / 2007 Putumayo / 10 Tracks / http://www.putumayo.com / Putumayo had a solid album on their hands with “Gypsy Groove”. That album was memorable because it blended together the traditional east European sound with a more current dance sound. This time, Putumayo seems to come out with a more normal type of dance mix. Normal is an ill-fitting word here, as the first…

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Posted on: July 21, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

The Aggrolites – Reggae Hit L.A.

The Aggrolites – Reggae Hit L.A. / 2007 Hellcat / 15 Tracks / http://www.aggroreggae.com / http://www.hell-cat.com / The disc opens up with “Work It”, which  uses a reggae sound that has been digitized to give the overall sound a tweak that has not been done to my knowledge. The rest of the track is fairly normal reggae fare, with a slow beat, bassy vocals, and a laid-back arrangement style that…

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Posted on: July 21, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Jesse Harris – Feel

Jesse Harris – Feel / 2007 Secret Sun / 14 Tracks / http://www.jesseharrismusic.com / http://www.velourmusic.com / The front cover of Jesse Harris’ “Feel” does not give individuals much of an idea how “Feel” will ultimately sound. The front cover is largely white and features the artist’s name and the title in a slightly nuanced style, with a “tail” of different colors running down the bottom center of the liner. What…

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Posted on: July 21, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 2

The InterActivist #30

The InterActivist #30 / Free / 28L / [email protected] / The InterActivist is a zine that I have never seen before, but this is probably due to the fact that I do not make it to Athens, Ohio all that much. This issue reminds me a lot of the now-defunct Clamor magazine, which means that there are a lot of social justice pieces. While it seems like some of the…

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Posted on: July 21, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Piebald – Accidental Gentlemen

Piebald – Accidental Gentlemen / 2007 Sideonedummy / 12 Tracks / http://www.piebald.com / http://www.sideonedummy.com / Piebald starts off their “Accidental Gentleman” with “Opener”, and the band settles into an Offspring-type of sound. This means that there hints of rock along with punk, coupled together to create an energetic sound that will get individuals singing along. “A Friend of Mine” blends styles to include acts like Weezer, The Aquabats, and The…

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Posted on: July 20, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Magic Bullets – A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love

Magic Bullets – A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love / 2007 Words On Music / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/magicbullets / http://www.words-on-music.com / The band starts off “A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love” in much of the same style as a number of New Romantic bands did (calling forth New Order most clearly), and while the instrumental and vocal seem to oppose each…

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Posted on: July 20, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Testament Signs with Nuclear Blast for Distribution.

On Wednesday, July 20th, live on stage, in front of 20,000 roaring fans at the infamous Earthshaker Festival in Rieden, Germany, heavy metal heroes Testament inked a recording deal with Heavy Metal Record Company Giants Nuclear Blast.

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Posted on: July 20, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Blue Skies For Black Hearts – Love Is Not Enough

Blue Skies For Black Hearts – Love Is Not Enough / 2007 King of Hearts / 10 Tracks / http://www.blueskiesforblackhearts.com / http://www.kingofheartsrecords.com / Blue Skies For Black Hearts start off their ‘Love Is Not Enough” with “Here Comes The Rain”. The band wants you to imagine them as a seventies pop act, and the smoothed-out, half organic half electronic sound of “Here Comes The Rain” does a lot to solidify…

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Posted on: July 20, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Auto Interiors – Let’s Agree To Deceive Our Best Friends

Auto Interiors – Let’s Agree To Deceive Our Best Friends / 2007 Ryko / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/autointeriors / http://www.rykodisc.com / The Auto Interiors on “Let’s Agree To Deceive Our Best Friends” seem to have a sound that blends the darkly catchy music of Interpol and The Editors with the emotive, earthy emo music of the mid to late nineties. What results on tracks like “Window Shopping” is that a…

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Posted on: July 20, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

J Medeiros Fights Child Trafficking with “Constance”

Los Angeles, CA – Mr. J Medeiros is an eloquent hip-hop artist on a mission to create massive social change through music, in more areas than one. In keeping with the release of his debut solo-album “Of gods and girls” on July 24th, 2007, Mr. J officially launches his anti child trafficking campaign “IamConstance.org” in Los Angeles today; a website that relates to the non-traditional, “hit” single off the album:…

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Posted on: July 20, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Hilary Duff – Dignity

Hilary Duff – Dignity / 2007 Hollywood / 14 Tracks / http://www.hilaryduff.com / http://www.hollywoodrecords.com / Hilary Duff has changed eir style quite a bit since eir last few albums. A song like ”Why not” was something that could make it easily onto any Disney soundtrack, where songs like “With Love” may be pandering to a slightly older fan base. This is not really surprising, as the fan base that liked…

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Posted on: July 19, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

John Taglieri – Wide Awake & Dreaming

John Taglieri – Wide Awake & Dreaming / 2006 Leap Dog / 15 Tracks / http://www.johntaglieri.com / “Wide Awake & Dreaming” is John Taglieri’s fourth album; with a number of accolades already under eir belt, I have high expectations for “Wide Awake & Dreaming”. “Starring Role” does not completely live up to these expectations, as the pop music that Taglieri plays is nothing different from a number of artists on…

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Posted on: July 19, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Metal Blade Records Celebrates 25th Anniversary

To help commemorate Metal Blade Records 25th Anniversary Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, The Red Chord, The Absence, and one more guest to be announced have teamed up for a full US tour to begin September 6th in New Orleans, LA at the House of Blues.

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Posted on: July 19, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 1

Plumbline – Recollection

Plumbline – Recollection / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.plumblinemusic.com / Plumbline play a hopeful brand of Christian rock that is safe without breaking completely free of the established artists in the genre. The disc’s first track comes in “This is a Song of Hope’, and while the band does not rattle the cage or otherwise try to go in a style that has not been done before, they…

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Posted on: July 19, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Amy Cook – The Sky Observer’s Guide

Amy Cook – The Sky Observer’s Guide / 2007 Root House / 10 Tracks / http//www.amycook.com / http://rroothouserecords.com / “Coming Home (The Eclipse)” starts off in a slow style, the guitar being pretty much the only thing that bolsters Cook’s vocals. The vocals of Cook are nothing special, coming forth as somewhat poppy, somewhat rocky. The anemic flow of “Coming Home” means that the only thing individuals can really get…

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