The Horrors – Strange House / 2007 Stolen Transmission / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thehorrors / http://www.stolentransmission.com / The Horrors have been making some waves in the indie music scene in the last few months. The first track on “Strange House†is “Jack The Ripperâ€, and it shows that The Horrors are trying to recall an earlier period in rock music. A great deal of their music comes from the loud…
Pos-Neg – I’m A Problem / 2007 Self / 3 Tracks / http://www.pos-neg.com / http://www.southbronx.com / Pos-Neg is a rap act, and the flow that is present on the single “I’m A Problem†is similar to the earlier DMX flows. The backing beat to the track is a little bit on the tinny side, which does not necessarily mesh well with the higher registers of the individuals on the track.…
Chimaira – Resurrection / 2007 Ferret / 11 Tracks / http://www.chimaira.com / http://www.ferretstyle.com Chimaira has been rocking the faces off of their fans for quite a few years, first on Roadrunner and now on Ferret Music. It seems as if Ferret really has made their average band much more hard and heavy than they have been in years past, and this is a good sign for the label. Chimaira start…
Lacona – 35/half of 70 / 2007 Self / 2 Tracks / http://www.laconamusic.com /  The style of indie rock that Lacona plays is very influenced by the goth style that was largest in the earliest days of the nineties. An emotive set of vocals goes in and other key as the instrumentation creates a very dark and dingy backdrop for the aforementioned vocals. The vocals move in and out…
Sick Puppies – Dressed Up As Life / 2007 EMI / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/sickpuppies / http://wwv.virginrecords.com “World†is the first track on “Dressed Up As Lifeâ€, and it shows Sick Puppies as a new rock band in the same vein as an Evans Blue or a Papa Roach. This means that the band has a post-grunge feel that unites the earlier style with hints of pop-punk and Goo Goo…
PLAIN WHITE T’S STRIKE GOLD, BAND SCORES ITS FIRST GOLD ALBUM WITH HOLLYWOOD DEBUT EVERY SECOND COUNTS
The Eclectic Collective – The Flux / 2007 Self / 7 Tracks / http://www.ecbeats.com / The Eclectic Collective started out around 2003 to take the world over with their own brand of rock. This marks their second album, released a year after their debut album “Time Fliesâ€. The first track on “The Flux†is “Ocean of Tearsâ€, and it shows that The Eclectic Collective love blending an older, Eagles type…
Slide Show Baby – S/T / 2007 Moraiath / 11 Tracks / http://www.slideshowbaby.com / “Long Long Road†is a track that starts with splashy drums. That’s a good thing. However, it sounds like the violin that is present during points of this track is created in Cakewalk and pandered as real. While I have no problem with how they have created the lines (real or through a program), it just…
Seeking the Lotus #5 / $1.50 / 1:00 / 20M / http://www.seekingthelotus.com / Seeking the Lotus is a zine that tries to educate individuals about Buddhism without going into complicated discussions of philosophy. This is a good thing. Reading like a “Buddhism For Dummiesâ€, albeit with a much more serious and illustrative tone, Seeking the Lotus is a benefit for anyone that wishes to look into what Buddhism is and…
The Morning Pages – The Company You Keep / 2007 Zealous / 6 Tracks / http://www.themorningpages.com / For some reason, the first band I think of when I listen to The Morning Pages has to be Led Zeppelin. The music that is present on “The Company You Keep†is couched in an earlier style of rock. The vocals are the focal point of a track like “It Makes Me Cryâ€,…
Moneybrother  – They’re Building Walls Around Us / 2006 Sabot / 6 Tracks / http://www.moneybrother.net / http://www.sabotproductions.net / I never had the chance to hear anything from Moneybrother’s last outfit, Monster. This Swedish rocker starts off “They’re Building Walls Around Us†with a track that is heavily influenced by the disco rock of the seventies. However, “They’re Building Walls Around Us†is a track that has a vitality that shines…
V/A – Gypsy Groove / 2007 Putomayo Grooves / 11 Tracks / http://www.putumayo.com / I must admit, before sticking in “Gypsy Groove†to my CD player, I had not hear anything from the dance scenes present in Eastern Europe, beyond what was played during earlier Eurovision song contests. Even then, these tracks were ones that I did not pay much in the way of attention to. However, with !DelaDap’s “Zsa…
Paul McCartney – Memory’s Almost Full / 2007 MPI / 13 Tracks / http://www.paulmccartney.com / Obviously, this is the new album by Paul McCartney of the Beatles. Individuals should know eir as a former member of the Beatles and Wings, and for being a prolific solo artist in eir own right. However, this is the first time as a music reviewer that I have had a chance to hear McCartney’s…
The Beach Boys – The Warmth of the Sun / 2007 EMP / 28 Tracks / http://www.emicap.com / The Beach Boys are one of the best known pop-rock bands, one of the earliest boy bands (as opposed to earlier teen idols). This disc features twenty-eight different tracks by The Beach Boys, and can be described as a definitive greatest hits collection. This is because the sequence and substance of the…
Suburban Blight #5 / $? / 36M / 1:15 / [email protected] / This is the “Gender†issue. This means that there are a number of pieces about the construction of gender. Where there are a number of philosophical pieces about what gender and sex means in society, there are some different pieces present that keep individuals interested. For example, there are CD Reviews and listings of zines by feminists. This…
TOCA Emerges From Los Angeles’ Underground Hip-Hop Scene With Self-Titled in stores now.
The Other Half #1 / $? / 28M / :30 / PO Box 293, Dayton, N.J. / This zine is done by the same crew that did Suburban Pastoral. As one can guess, this is another poetry zine. As I am not the biggest fan of poetry, I will reserve judgment of the poetry present in this issue. However, “The Other Half†is the more political side of poetry. Also,…
White Rabbits To Perform on the Late Show With David Letterman July 19th, To Play Siren Festival July 21st – 1:30 PM Main Stage & August Cribs Tour Debut LP “Fort Nightly†Out Now on Say Hey Records
Matteah Baim – Death of the Sun / 2007 Dicristina / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/matteahbaim / http://dicristinarecords.blogspot.com / Matteah Baim is holding back tons during eir first track of “Death of the Sunâ€, “Riverâ€. The set of vocals that ey contributes finally takes a focal point at near the two minute mark. What seems to be the focal point before that is the constraints given the disc by the recording.…
Rasputina – Oh Perilous World / 2007 Filthy Bonnet Co / 12 Tracks / http://www.rasputina.com The last time I heard of Rasputina, ey was pandering an album because it had a collaboration with Marilyn Manson on it. That was quite a few years ago, but I remembered that when I got a copy of eir latest album, “Oh Perilous Worldâ€, for review in the magazine. The compositions on this album…