For awhile there it looked like U2 were finally back on track. Starting in 2000, when the band atoned for their past sins and, in Bono’s words “Reapplied for the job… of the best band in the world†with the fantastic All That You Can’t Leave Behind, followed by 2004’s almost as stellar How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the Irish stadium rockers had nearly made up for past experimental…
Jamie Barnes plays a brand of folk-rock that is similar to that created at regular intervals by Devendra Banhart. However, Jamie takes more than a little hint from sixties-rock (America, Neil Young) and this is why “Honey From The Ribcage†far out-strips much of the earlier-influenced folk rock of the current period. The bouncy sound of “Pearly Gate and Son Pest Control†shows a little more of that sixties-influence, and…
“Death Is Never Permitted†has a moment of uncertainty present before Blinded Black start. While they come forth a very hard-hitting pop-punk meets emo and rock sound, this bit of confusion showed that the band is human. “Death Is Never Permanent†is a typical emo track, but does throw in something a little bit new. This time, Blinded Black place a synthesizer into the mix that hearkens back to all…
The Bank Robbers play a brand of emo that has been popular for a few years ago, following from the trends of both acts like Alkaline Trio and Hawthorne Heights. The disc’s opening (full) track is “Defending The Kingdom†and it feels as if The Bank Robbers already have the formula down for their first big radio hit. “Making Promises†is more of the same, with the guitars and vocals…
“Black Faced Clocks†starts out in a very deliberate way, but when Blag’ard gets into the meat and potatoes of “Monkâ€, one can hear that the band is still tremendously reverent of the early nineties. The band plays a brand of alternative rock music, but this is the style of alt rock that was big during the days of The Pixies rather than The Raconteurs. In fact, there is nothing…
Watchmen is one of the biggest films to be released to this point in 2009. Director Zack Snyder has been praised for sticking closely to the original graphic novel, and I would have to say that composer Tyler Bates has kept pretty close to the original mode and feelings created by the title. The 21 compositions on this soundtrack taker on a variety of different sounds and approaches, putting forth…
“Damaged Goods†seems to be as good of a starting point for The Bangkok Five as anything else on their “Who’s Gonna Take Us Aliveâ€. The track is a smart brand of indie rock that ties together dominant styles, whether it be the angular rock of Franz Ferdinand or sexy vocals of The Killers into one hard-hitting and fun type of track. This high-energy sound is not something that The…
It seems that at every party that we hold, the flavored spirits are the quickest to go. One of those spirits, the Cucumber that we recently received from Crop, has been drained at a slightly slower rate than most others. I believe that this is because Crop has picked out a very interesting flavor, one that has not been seen by many. The initial opening of the bottle yields a…
NIS America has ensured that each title that they bring over to the United States is simply stellar, and they go beyond that in the creation of mini-boxed sets for the titles that is exhaustive in the amount of information and additional features that they contain. This time around, the premium box set includes a soundtrack, a strip from the masterminds over at Penny Arcade, and a lyric sheet that…
The original F.E.A.R. title was one of the best-selling titles when it originally came out, with reviews of the titles being pretty much uniformly positive. Thus, it is not a stretch to say that Warner Brothers and all related companies had some large shoes to fill with the second title in the series. For those that do not know, the title itself is a first-person shooter, and was released for…
“Inside†has a very strong vocal presence that blends well with the electronic backing instrumentation. The progression of the lines is similar to that of more classic and neo-classic compositions. Where the instrumentation taken separately might be perfect for a soundtrack, the vocals give Bang Gang enough of a radio-friendly sound that it would not be surprising to hear them on alternative stations across the United States. “Something Wrong†continues…
While Brett Terry has been declared by some to be influenced by The Beatles, I feel that what he puts forth on “Instant History†is much more unique and impressive than that comparison would have individuals believe. Tracks like “Unharmed†show an individual that establishes his own sound early in the disc, and ensures that listeners will be salivating for more with each subsequent track. “On Alexander Street†will blow…
Mixing the catchy rhythms of a jam band with the alternative sound of the mid-1990s, Ballyrag makes an album that is innocuous and bubbling with energy. Coming to the table with omnipresent bass guitar, Ballyrag first bands a good impression with individuals on “Sweet Thingsâ€. In this track, a surf rhythm is mixed with classical Spanish music to create a style that transcends the conventions of both the genres. “Johnny…
“Dog Eat Dog†starts off in a way that sounds more in tune with progressive metal than anything else heard in popular music lately. There are also nods to country-rock and a little bit of the earthy-punk that acts like Fugazi and Husker Du were known for; The Balls tell a tremendously detailed story with only three minutes of music, to start off “Come Out Swingin’â€. The guitar is the…
Baleen is a hard band to follow during the first track of their “Follow Me Blindâ€, which to be honest really has an opening style not quite unlike the early-nineties gospel-rock tracks that are still played often on Christian music stations. The stop-start sound present on “Magnifico (The Mule)†really puts Baleen in the nexus between a number of different styles, as diverse as Jazz and college-rock. The multiple-vocals that…
Glyn Bailey starts up “Toys From Balsa†with “Sorryâ€, a track that sounds like and continues the same humor that the late Warren Zevon strove for in eir career. “East & West†has Glyn going a little too far with eir vocals, straining at points where the placement of vocals should have been a cakewalk. The second set of vocals are melodramatic, but do end up working. However, Glyn really…
I thought this album had an introduction that was spoken word, but then would go into something that was perhaps a little musical. That is not the case with “A Random Litter of Thoughtâ€. What Dennis Bagwell does on this album is essentially what all perzine creators do with their zines. The minor amount of instrumentation that works as the backdrop for tracks on “A Random Litter of Thought†is…
Dennis Bagwell has the onerous honor of garnering one of the lowest ratings ever given by NeuFutur. However, it’s been about 6 months since I reviewed eir last album, “A Random Litter of Thoughtâ€. “All Our Friends are Enemies†has a weak version of President Bush’s set of vocals doing some stream of consciousness rant as looped samples of vocals are played throughout the background. The rhymes are all obvious…
Much like the Just A Fire disc released by Asian Man this last year, “Twelves†is a completely upending of the roots of the record label and a complete step towards a sound for Asian Man that can’t be described as “skaâ€. Bagheera really just reminds me of a more professional version of The Devil is Electric/Operation Cliff Clavin, albeit with a slightly more experimental edge. By far, the crux…
For those individuals who have been inculcated into more pedestrian and popular music, the long-drawn out and intricate compositions that The Bad Plus use on “Suspicious Activity?†may be off-putting, to say the least. The strongest thing that one can say about The Bad Plus is that they are one of the most intense bands currently out on the market. Forget the thrash metal acts, or those bands that use…