From July 16th to August 20th, 2007, Wu-Tang fans have the chance of a lifetime. They can log on to LOUD.com, where they will be able to use a unique online recording studio to make and submit their own track using beats produced by The RZA himself.
V/A – Distortion on the Dance Floor / 2007 Universal / 13 Tracks / http://www.toucancove.com / Josh Harris is the individual that mixed up this compilation, which features tracks by The Killers, Chicane, Tom Jones, John Digweed, Saving Jane, and a few other acts. I was not familiar with Josh Harris up to this point, but individuals that religiously read the Billboard dance charts may remember eir. This is because…
Les Hatepinks – Tete Malade/Sick in the Head / 2007 TKO / 7 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/leshatepinks / Les Hatepinks may be the most well known of punk bands coming from France in the current period. Speaking as an American, they may just be the most famous French band that I know of currently. This EP starts out with “Sexual Liberation is For Animalsâ€, and it shows that the band is…
Sean Na Na – Family Trees or Cope We Must / 2007 Dim Mak / 12 Tracks / http://www.seannana.com / http://www.dimmak.com / Man, Sean Tillmann can do a lot of different styles. Sean is the mastermind behind Sean Na Na, and musicphiles may remember the name from the noisy rockers Calvin Krime. Couple Sean up with already-diverse Dim Mak, and individuals will definitely have an interesting album. “Family Trees or…
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…
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…
Havoc is one half of the musical force that rap fans have to come to know and love as Mobb Deep.
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 Grooveâ€. 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…
Northern State celebrate the release of their third LP with a mini Northeast US tour. Their up and coming stunner “Can I Keep This Pen†out on Ipecac Recordings (Aug 28th), has already received new heights of critical acclaim.
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 Itâ€, 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…
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…
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…
Piebald – Accidental Gentlemen / 2007 Sideonedummy / 12 Tracks / http://www.piebald.com / http://www.sideonedummy.com / Piebald starts off their “Accidental Gentleman†with “Openerâ€, 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…
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…
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.
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 Rainâ€. 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…
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…
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:…
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 â€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…
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 & Dreamingâ€. “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…