Eleni Mandell is a supremely talented and critically acclaimed songwriter with a singular gift for writing wry, literate songs that synthesize jazz, country, folk, blues, rock and pop. Artificial Fire builds on her 2007 breakthrough, Miracle of Five, adding a more direct, full-band sound to Mandell’s sharp-edged tales of romance, lust and love.
“Malachai are a stand-alone Bristol sensation†– 4/5 Mojo “Malachai mix Love-style garage psychedelia and trippy samples with modern production savvy. The result is catchy, off-kilter backdrops for vocals that are a clear tribute to Horace Andy. Think Mellow Gold-era Beck crossed with the Kinks.” — The Observer “Outsider pop that’s unlikely to remain out in the cold for long†4/5 – Q “Like a hyperactive DJ spinning between a…
On February 3, 2009 Concord Records will release Send One Your Love, a 10-track album of seductive love songs from sax icon Boney James. The album, whose sound creates the ultimate “musical valentineâ€, will be released just in time for February 14th.
SouthPeak Games announced today that it will be publishing Sled Shred for Wiiâ„¢. Focused on downhill sled racing on everything from tubes and toboggans to discs and bobsleds, Sled Shred promises to give players a thrilling experience as they try and earn their way into the World Winter Games, racing with and against the world-renowned Jamaican Bobsled team. Sled Shred is scheduled for release in fall 2009. “We are very…
MV & EE (Matt “MV” Valentine, once the brawn of the Tower Recordings, and Erika “EE” Elder, CEO of Heroine Celestial Agriculture and The MV & EE Medicine Show) have landed at DiCristina Stairbuilders bearing a new release, Drone Trailer, featuring The Golden Road: Doc Dunn (pedal steel, guitar, harmony), Mike Smith (bass, fender rhodes, harmony), and James Anderson (drums, engineer) that is coming out later this Winter. You may…
Each time I review a disc, it gives me a little more information about some facet of life which I had not known before the review. This time, I realized that I was listening to the former leader of the Swans. After having mouth agape at the disc, I decided to forge on and was met with another shock – this music is some of the hardest to categorize (pigeonhole),…
Described by UK critics as “one of the most innovative of their era†and that “even to this day they sound brave and freshâ€, Martha and the Muffins return on February 2nd with Delicate, their first new studio album in eighteen years on their own Muffin Music label. The album was five years in the making and mixed by David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel, David Sylvian, Robert Fripp). The songs range…
Combi BIIIG The Evil has returned. After spending much of the past two years touring the world, Combichrist unleashes “Today We Are All Demons” upon its eager fans. Combichrist mastermind Andy LapPlegua has once again expanded on the beat driven, hook-laden evil electro found on “What The Fuck Is Wrong With You People?”. In the summer of 2008 Combichrist gave us a taste of what was to come with The…
Buffalo straight edge juggernauts RHINOCEROS are ready to break out with their Eulogy Recordings debut “They Are Coming For Me” on February 2nd. A new song “Righteous Man” has also been posted on their new Myspace page. Starting late January they’ll be taking part of the “EULOGY TOUR 2010” with label mates DONNYBROOK!, KNOCK ‘EM DEAD and on select dates LIVING HELL, xTYRANTx, SHATTERED REALM and FURIOUS STYLES. Bio: RHINOCEROS…
rooklyn multilingual MC Y-Love teams up with with Crown Heights soul rapper, DeScribe to musically fight for “Change”. One song will be released per month, as part of “The Change EP”, beginning with “Change”, produced by Prodezra, which was released on January 20th.
Every time I hear Badly Drawn Boy, what I hear reminds me of the story of Atlanta from Futurama. The folk influences present on “Born In The UK†are ever-present; the tentative lines of the title track (“Swimming Pool†do well in helping the listener insert themselves into the mind of the Boy. During this first track, “Pomp and Circumstance†marks a division between the two distinct styles played during…
Miami’s KNOCK ‘EM DEAD are set to release their long awaited debut album “Endless Struggle” on February 2nd through Eulogy Recordings. The album was produced by Will Putney at the Machine Shop. They recently shot a music video for the song “Killing Hope” off the new album by Brad Gregory which is currently in the editing process. The first installment of 3 video studio blogs has just been posted on…
Always impeccable with their choice of arrangement, Angels Fight The City mix early nineties alternative music along with 70s post-punk like Wire to make compelling track. The first track on this EP, self-titled, uses multi-part harmonies and cacophonies to weave a sort of vocal melody that is sadly not explored by many popular acts today. “Out Of Depth on Land†is a track that bands like The Strokes or The…
Nick Jonas (of the Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum selling Jonas Brothers) & The Administration announced tour dates for their upcoming tour. The dates kick off January 2, 2010 in Dallas at House of Blues and wind up January 30 in Berkeley, CA at Zellerbach Auditorium. The shows will be intimate in their setting, reflecting the more raw and powerful feel of their upcoming album, Who I Am, which is due out…
Project Jenny, Project Jan kick-off 2009 touring with Passion Pit, Fujiya & Miyagi, and Pop Levi In 2008, PJPJ had a cameo in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, toured with Fujiya & Miyagi, and worked on an upcoming collaboration record along with their own new PJPJ release. Sammy and Jeremy have more PROJECTS for the new year! They recently contributed to the Buffetlibre DJ’s Rewind 2 project, which debuted on…
“On “Keyboard City,” Sal and Mark layer reedy, synth atmospherics, icy-cool electronic keys and a smooth-as-butter beat underneath Sal’s awesomely zonked-out Vocoder-heavy vocals” – RollingStone.com Music is a burst of choices. Not only what note to play when and with what instrument, but whether to play a note at all. Salvador Santana, the 26-year-old keyboardist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter with strong Bay Area roots, knows what it means to navigate…
When one door closes, another one opens. This couldn’t be more true for former 18 Visions singer/songwriter James Hart. When the Orange County, CA band broke up in 2007 after almost a decade together, that didn’t dissuade Hart and his pursuit to be a frontman once again. He’s ready to get back to it with his new band, BURN HALO, who will be releasing their charismatic self-titled debut March 10…
John Baldwin Gourley, vocalist/guitarist for Alaska-rooted indie darlings Portugal. The Man, has been named the “Best Vocalist of 2008” by the editors of Alternative Press magazine (February issue, just out). Additionally, the magazine’s staff selected the band’s third and most recent release, “Censored Colors,” as one of last year’s “10 Essential Albums.”
This is the third time that I’ve been able to review AFTC, and they are still going strong. Bringing back the experimental nature of the late seventies with a timeless meshing of styles, this band is simultaneously a completist’s favorite and possible rock stars. “Like a Dog†is benefited by the sizzling guitar solos and shuffling drum beat that makes this track as equally possible as a disco track as…
“Their blurry, disaffected rock reminds us of New York rock when the The Strokes were the biggest band ever, and also Spacemen 3 minus the reverb and plus a bunch of dirt.†– The Fader “Driven by springy Gang of Four-style bass lines, brittle guitar stabs and singer-guitarist Lamkin’s sneering delivery.†– Rolling Stone California quartet The Soft Pack are proud to announce the release of their eagerly awaited self-titled…