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…
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.
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…
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…
Onsidezero is currently supporting their recently released Ulrich Wild (Static-X, Stabbing Westward, Taproot) produced sophomore album, which was released through Corporate Punishment Records.
Drawing Voices – S/T / 2007 Hydra Head / 6 Tracks / http://www.hydrahead.com / For those not in the know, Drawing Voices is the culmination of forces including artist Craig Dongoski and Isis’ Aaron Turner. So, typical Hydra Head-types of individuals join forces to craft a six-song album. “Being Born Broken†is a short introduction to Drawing Voices, and there is more atmospheric sounds present to the track than anything.…
Alice Donut – Fuzz / 2007 Howler / 12 Tracks / http://www.alicedonut.com / http://www.howlerrecords.com / I had known of Alice Donut for quite a few years, and their cover of “War Pigs†is one of my favorite covers of all times. However, I did not know what their sounded like beyond that. “Madonna’s Bombing Sarajevo†is the first track on the CD, and it blends together the strung out sounds…
Khlyst – Chaos is my Name / 2007 Hydra Head / 8 Tracks / http://www.plotkinworks.com/Khlyst/KhlystMain.html / I must admit, I am not completely behind the work of Khlyst at the onset of this disc. I mean, I like noise in my music, but fucking around on a guitar and just screaming out without any rhyme or reason isn’t that impressive to me. The band does start to become more coherent…
The Hidden Hand – The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote / 2007 Southern Lord / 10 Tracks / http://www.thehiddenhand.com / http://www.southernlord.com / God, I love grunge. I love bands that revel in sounding like they’ve just had sex with their Corrosion of Conformity, Helmet, and Morbid Angel albums. “Purple Neon Dream†is the first track on “The Resurrection of Whiskey Footeâ€, and it shows that the band loves crafting some of…
Dead Town Revival – Hasta La Muerte / 2007 Sinister Muse / 11 Tracks / http://www.deadtownrevival.com / Before receiving “Hasta La Muerteâ€, I never had heard of Dead Town Revival. The band plays a brand of rock that is very influenced by punk music. The first track of the disc is “Wacoâ€, and what really distinguishes the act from the rest of the bands releasing CDs now has to be…
Every so often a musician comes along who uniquely captures the attention of the listener in a personal, heart-felt manner.
Shshsh Shark Attack – S/T / 2006 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.shshshsharkattack.com / I guess I should not be surprised, but Shshsh Shark Attack play a brand of surf music that is linked to the more chaotic sound of an act like Men’s Recovery Project and to also the goth music of the late eighties and early nineties. Their first track on their self-titled album is “Burmuda Triangle†(yes,…
DeVotchKa, has signed an exclusive deal with ANTI RECORDS for the European release of their much-praised album How It Ends. Â DeVotchKa are four musicians who have quietly become one of the most celebrated bands making music today. They make a disparate, yet articulate union of Eastern European, Southwestern, South American, and American roots music, both punk and folk.
Angelspit – Krankhaus / 2007 Dancing Ferret / 16 Tracks / http://www.angelspit.net / http://www.dancing-ferret.com /  Hell, even if I don’t like this album, I can look at the art of the disc, which has a ton of interesting looking industrial kids and a very attractive Asian person in a bathtub (where’s the blood in said tub, though?). Regardless, “Krankhaus†starts off with a Lords of Acid song. At least,…
Machinima.com, the preeminent site serving the Machinima community, and Wind-up Records, one of the largest independent labels in the United States, have launched the “Game Over†contest with Strata. Players will be able to submit their “most memorable in-game death†displaying how their “virtual life ended.†Participants will submit a story, music video, montage, “kill,†or “raid†using their favorite video game, sharing why their “in-game death†is their most…
Peter Searcy – Spark / 2007 Toucan Cove / 12 Tracks / http://www.petersearcy.com / http://www.toucancove.com / For individuals that were into the Louisville scene, Peter Searcy was a member of seminal Louisville punk act Squirrel Bait. Later on, ey joined Big Wheel, Starbilly, and has been doing things in the solo scene since around 2000. This is ey fourth solo release, and the album starts off with Searcy coming forth…
In the wake of their first #1 debut album It Won’t Be Soon Before Long (A&M/Octone) and first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Makes Me Wonder,†Grammy-winning pop quintet Maroon 5 has announced plans for their 2007 “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long†world tour, hitting 28 North American cities, with special guest The Hives, beginning September 29th in Detroit and concluding November 10th in Las Vegas…
Recourse – Weakening The Structure / 2007 Skinlifter / 8 Tracks / http://www.recoursemetal.com / http://www.skinlifterrecords.com / “Frail Existence†shows that Recourse is a new type of metal band, playing as fast as possible while using the conventions of metal and harder rock. The band goes through all of the tracks on this EP at a breakneck speed. The track length may be about three and a half minutes time in…
Emo artist Logan Lynn drops breakthrough album From Pillar To Post on October 30, 2007. Produced by Carlos Cortes of DJ Collective Assemble The Empire, the album’s driving electro-heavy beats combine with Logan’s self-deprecating lyrics to provide a sense of urgency that will keep you pressing the replay button. Think The Postal Service, only gayer. “Feed Me To The Wolves†is the first single off is upcoming release, and can…