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…
Memphis based Southern boys Saving Abel, whose self-titled Virgin Records debut is set to be released on March 11th have announced a string of tour dates as opening band for label mates Sick Puppies beginning today at the Canyon in Las Vegas, NV (full schedule below). With four weeks until Saving Abel’s debut hits stores, the southern rockers first single “Addicted” is quickly becoming a staple at rock and alternative…
Intodown – Brave New World / 2007 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.intodown.com / Intodown is an act that loves their long tracks. This means that the shortest composition on “Brave new World†is 5 minutes, while the next (the eponymous track) is 7 minutes long. In the middle of the album, there is a 21 minute track. Now, whether the band will succeed or fail is really dependent on…
Few tales from the Playboy Mansion make mention of the light switches. Yet, when Dimitri from Paris played in the Gothic-Tudor LA estate, he paid more attention to the fixtures than he did to the Playmates. “The whole decor of the place, the furniture, the light switches,†recalls the Gallic disco selector, “it was like something out of a James Bond movie.†Dimitri visited the world famous LA pad in…
HeartattaCk #49 / .50 / 1:30 / PO Box 848, Goleta, CA 93116 / This is the penultimate issue of HeartattaCk. That’s right, with issue #50, HeartattaCk will be no more. Needless to say, I was pretty depressed when I actually read this issue. There are some good features during this issue; interviews with Iron Lung and I Object, to be sure. The columns even bust out some relevant and…
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at his best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at…
Great Northern – Sleepy Eepee / 2008 Eenie Meenie / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/greatnorthern / http://www.eeniemeenie.com / Eenie Meenie has tagged this as “The Prequel For Trading Twilight For Daylightâ€, and these five tracks do a damn good job in giving individuals a good idea what Great Northern sounded like from 2003 to 2004. The dreamy brand of indie music that they play is given a rough form here. The…
Seven years ago, Curb Recording Artist Tim McGraw claimed the feat of having four consecutive singles off the same album land the coveted number one position on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles Chart. This week, label-mate Rodney Atkins accomplishes the same feat with “Cleaning This Gun” off his current CD If You’re Going Through Hell.
Spin.com : “There’s no such thing as too much reverb for Chicago’s Sybris†Chicago’s Sybris is a quartet of powerful grace, the sound of a battalion of Valkyries astride winged horses bound for Valhalla. The sweep of giant white wings in the wind, the creak of the saddle beneath the weight of warrior goddesses in full regalia, the dreamy, gauzy, glittery haze of the ghosts of the warrior dead behind…
Quiet Life – Act Natural / 2008 Safety Meeting / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/quietlife / The bluesy rock style that Quiet Life starts off their “Act Natural†with is something that could easily break the band big as soon as the right individuals find the album. It is not only the catchiness of the act that will sell listeners on this album, but their ability to create order in chaos…