Partly Cloudy – Arm Your Weapons / 2007 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.partlycloudyrocks.com / Partly Cloudy has been around for quite a few years. The act was founded by Dave Harms in 1995 and released an album, “State of Mind†on Long Island Recording. This 5 song EP marks their latest foray into punk music. The disc’s opening track is “Helplessâ€, and it shows the band as a mix…
Art Brut is “Very very cool…the most entertaining [band]…they’re great” – Daniel Radcliffe on Art Brut, to Conan O’Brien Click Here to View Video :“Direct Hit†http://youtube.com/watch?v=PSoz_cfC_lg Click Here to View “Direct Hit†Live On Conan : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RgIjd3tPlI Spin Magazine “Complicated shows a real grasp of musical history.†[Jul 2007, p.99]
Diego Sandrin – A Fine Day Between Addictions / 2007 Self / 13 Tracks / http://www.diegosandrin.com / For those individuals that have to have pretty much any punk recording, the name Diego Sandrin will be familiar. She was the mastermind behind the Italian punk group Ice and the Iced. Other individuals may know Sandrin for the fact that Lisa Marie Presley included a song that she wrote with Sandrin on…
Las Vegas-based hard rock/screamo outfit Escape The Fate will embark on their Hot Topic Presents Black on Black headlining tour in September to support their debut album, Dying Is Your Latest Fashion. The tour will kick off September 1st in the group’s hometown of Las Vegas. The band is currently wrapping up an incendiary stint on this year’s Van’s Warped tour.
Demetra – S/T / 2007 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.demetramusic.com / “Beam Me Up Scotty†is the first track on this, Demetra’s self-titled released. While there are sci-fi beeps and bloops that seem to bring the band into a dance-punk type of style, the female vocals that are present during the track recall acts like Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Donnas, and Battershell. The style of rock music…
Scott Marrow – For All The Time You Spend Losing…You Better Enjoy Your Failures / 2007 Whiteroom / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/scottmarrow / http://www.whiteroomrecords.com / Man, I was completely expecting something else from Scott Marrow. I really thought that what would result with “For All The Time You Spend Losing†would be yet another boring singer-songwriter with an acoustic guitar. However, Marrow impresses with eir blend of Two Gallants, The…
Median’s Relief In The MakingIt’s been a long time coming, but Median’s Relief, the highly anticipated debut album from Justus League member Median, is only eight short weeks away from landing on store shelves worldwide. The album, which hits stores September 25th on Halftooth Records, features outstanding production from 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Nicolay, Ant B, and more, as well as guest appearances from the likes of Joe Scudda, Chaundon, L.E.G.A.C.Y.…
Nebelhexe – Essensual / 2007 Candlelight / 10 Tracks / http://www.nebelhexe.com / http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk / Nebelhexe may better be known as Andrea Haugen, who has been around goth and metal-like rock music for well over a decade. The disc itself starts with “Underworldâ€, a song that has Haugen sing in a very Stevie Nicks meets Switchblade Symphony style. The instrumentation has an Enya/Enigma sound to it, which means there are tribal…
Atreyu have filmed a 5-part video series documenting the recording process of their new album, Lead Sails Paper Anchor, due out August 28th. Atreyu teamed with producer John Feldman (The Used, Good Charlotte) on the follow-up to A Death-Grip On Yesterday. The second installment of the video focuses around drummer/co-vocalist Brandon Sallers and his methods for recording his drum tracks on the new record.
The Masons – Let You Down Easy / 2007 75 or Less Records / 14 Tracks / http://www.themasonswebsite.com / http://www.75orlessrecords.com / “Preemptive Denial†is a track that has in it a very early nineties alternative sound, with equal hints the B-52s and Sonic Youth. There is a simplistic approach to the vocals that matches well with the instrumentation present during songs like “Preemptive Denialâ€. The thing that makes this track…
Atlanta, Georgia (July 30, 2007) – The Echo Project kicks off its annual eco-responsible music and arts festival in Atlanta, Georgia this October 12 – 14, 2007. The three-day, multi-stage camping festival will be held on 350-acres of scenic Chattahoochee river front property on a privately owned 1250-acre farm just south of metropolitan Atlanta. With a green focus and philosophy, The Echo Project is set to revolutionize how music and…
A Shoreline Dream – Coastal / 2007 Latenight Weeknight / 4 Tracks / http://www.ashorelinedream.com/COASTAL / The slightly electronic feel of “Ukraine†starts off “Coastalâ€. A Shoreline Dream make a play for the Smashing Pumpkins meets Morrissey set with this track, but comes at it in a very unique way. The vocals are present and do have a focal point during this track, but the instrumentation seems to be the thing…
Inside Artzine #11 / 4 Euros / :45 / Â 40L / http://www.inside-artzine.de / Â As one can gain from the title of this zine, there is a lot to do with Inside Artzine. The focal point fo this issue has to be the lush pieces of art that are reprinted here in full color. In fact, what the pieces in this issue leave a little to be desired, the works that…
Clare & The Reasons “The Movie†(Frog Stand Records- Late September). “The Movie†is lush & sinfully beautiful, featuring the likes of Van Dyke Parks (“Love Can Be A Crimeâ€), Sufjan Stevens (“Nothing/Nowhereâ€) and Gregoire Maret (“Rodiâ€). Clare & The Reasons’ music harkens back to the romance of a forgone era, through the eyes of a contemporary indie-chanteuse with a pop sensibility.
Dear Peppers and Pollywogs : What Parents Want to Know About Planning Their Kids’ Parties / 2007 Self / 132M / http://www.pepperspollywogs.com / As individuals could guess, this book is a guide for parents. This book is set up to allow individuals to quickly come up with an answer to their party quandaries, whether it be the parent wondering what is age-appropriate or how much individuals should spend on birthday…
Transatlantic Brit-Rock saviors certainly hold a deep routed and unconditional place in most New Yorkers and Londoners heart. Having carved their way amongst the masses from the indie rock explosion back in the early “Noughties†– they ventured on the road, the old school way, without funds and equipped with an array of amazing new songs, top notch live performances and a presence hip and dark enough to attract the…
Fuzzy Lunch Box #11 / $2 + 2 Stamps / 40M / http://www.myspace.com/fuzzylunchbox / I had ran out of issues of magazines to review for NeuFutur, so I made an impassioned plea to all of the Myspace zine groups in order to have some zinesters send me review copies of their zines. Laura and Deborah, the twins that run this zine, were nice enough to send over a copy of…
Ben Weasel and his Iron String Quartet – These Ones Are Bitter/ 2007 Mendota Recording Co./ 14 Tracks / http://benweasel.mu.nu/ / http://www.mendotarecording.com / After five years hiatus Ben Weasel former front man of legendary pop-punk bands Screeching Weasel and The Riverdales is back and has made damn sure that the wait was worth it with These Ones Are Bitter. Taking everything that only a master of the pop and punk…
Sammy Hagar and the Wabo’s – Livin’ It Up! / 2007 Image / 112 Minutes / http://www.sammyhagar.com / Sammy Hagar has been rocking for well over thirty years. Along the way, ey has created a high-end line of Tequila and has fronted acts like Van Halen and Montrose. This is admittedly the downside of eir career, and it would not be surprising for Hagar to start removing eirself from the…
Spokane – Little Hours / 2007 JagJaguwar / 10 Tracks / http://www.jagjaguwar.com/ Spokane offers listeners a melodic and sad album with their newest release Little Hours. It starts out with “Singing†which does a good job of giving the listener a taste of what they will hear throughout the entire album and has some neat nature noises which is a bonus to what is coming. “Minor Careers†doesn’t differ too…