Danny Allen starts off “Howdy†with a very sedate, surf-influenced type of alt-rock track that really leaves eir listeners unsure of where the disc will go in the subsequent tracks. The second track “Scattergun†is much more decisive and works off a Cake/Beck framework, inserting a much more insistent set of guitar lines than would be present in either of the names previously dropped. Something that immediately comes to the…
“Change is Inevitable†is a marathon track in its own right. This is not necessarily the type of music that individuals will be filing into dance clubs to hear, but for those slower, more low-key house parties what Ian Allen commits to disc here might just be the ticket. What is nice on “Nova’s Lounge†is that there are a mix of short and long tracks; if individuals start to…
Any music simulation game is my think. I love either singing, playing guitars or other instruments, or even dancing around. However, it seems that a few companies have locked up the minds and hearts of individuals like me. PopStar Guitar, and publishing company XS Games, are here to show that this need not be the case and that a newcomer can be stellar. This game (which is also available for…
It’s been a few years since Alien Ant Farm last cut a new album. A number of different musical revolutions have happened in the meantime. Will Alien Ant Farm move toward Fall Out Boy, or still go with the same style that was cultivated during tracks like “Moviesâ€. “Bad Morning†is a track that comes out with a harder version of Alien Ant Farm than I remember; the band has…
I know that the Legendary Performances series has been covered considerably by a number of different individuals over the last few months, but I feel that the series, and especially the Merle Haggard edition of the series, are worth a more critical view. For those individuals that may not have had the chance to view any of the series, they are essentially compilations of performances that one major individual in…
I still remember when Dr. Katz was first on. I guess I was young enough at this point to not really have the appreciation for the show that I now do, but I found the stand-up comedians on the show to be unfunny and the show overall underwhelming. However, in the years that have followed, I have paid attention to the careers of a number of those individuals that were…
For some reasons, the amount of whiskey (and whisky) that we have received seems to be well beyond that of any other type of spirit. There have been a number of great whiskeys that have crossed this reviewer’s table in the year or so since we first opened the alcohol reviews section, then, and Pendleton is one of the best that we’ve ever had the chance to lay lips on.…
A very sedate style of music that mixes together Radiohead, Neil Young, and David Bowie, Akron/Family begins their self-titled CD with a track that almost seems dated in its delivery. “Before and Again†is much more before than again, an anachronism that is fixed with “Suchnessâ€. The flittering flutes of “Suchness†afford the track some atmospheric relevancy – it honestly feels as if one is outside when listening to the…
With The Day The Earth Stood Still doing well in box offices, it only made sense for Fox to come forth and re-release the original in the Blu-Ray format. Most individuals that would be reading this review would already know what the film is about: a spaceship lands, saying they come in peace, while it seems up to only two individuals to save the world after the emissary seems to…
I did not have the chance to watch the first movie in the Chronicles of Narnia story arc, but I was lucky enough to see the film in theatres. Saying that, the Blu-Ray transfer that Disney has created is simply stunning. The audio is as crisp and as clear as anyone could experience in the theater, while the video is rich and vibrant, showing the otherworldly allure created by the…
The approach taken by Akron/Family during their “Meek Warrior†is interesting, to say the least. There still seems to be a down-home type of rock, but the title track is much more bouncy. The distinct vocals that come forth on this track are bolstered by the on-again off-again guitar track. This is not the most polished production that one can hear, but the cozy way that Akron/Family is recorded on…
Akercocke has a sound that no one can deny is hard, but there seems to be some caressing of the listeners on songs like “Verdelet†that really makes the argument of this disc into a bifurcated one. While there is definitely a thrashy, Slayer-like sound to the band, there is (and may actually be more present) a Paradise Lost meets Blind Guardian like sound to Akercocke’s style on “Wordsâ€.The band…
When I saw this CD I was expecting nothing but overbearing indie rock that would have me wanting to kill myself between the fifth and sixth track. I was wrong, as Mike Ness says, as tracks like “Ocean Close†show a nice mixture of the Doors, R.E.M. and the B-52s, all packaged together with a fairly convincing mastering. The overall tone of the disc is solidified with “Duke The Deadman…
Now, Air Supply has to be behind the 8 ball when it comes to “The Singer and the Songâ€. First off is the fact that the band has not charted in a meaningful way for about 20 years, and secondly, that this is an acoustic album. Acoustic albums usually only get picked up by fans of the group, of which there quite a few still around (175,000 attendance at a…
The electronic sound of “Bonus Jack†is not necessarily influenced by Devo, but it really comes out of a more current techno / electronic vein . The bass line of “Hectrometre†really casts Airport 81 into a different vein, Each of the tracks on “Put Your Squares Together†has a completely different set of influences; a song like “Low Speed Impact Test†really seems to be pushed forward by a…
I was amazed by Ahleuchatistas when I first was lucky enough to see them at AMC 2004, but their album goes just as far showcasing their Primus-like spurning of traditional chord and time structures. Allowing for a high amount of continuity between “Cracked Teeth†and “Ecstasy Combat Bootsâ€, Ahleuchatistas are impressive any way one sees the band, whether it be the Neil Peart like bass lines of Derek or the…
Very few artists come out of Iceland. However, those that are able to break it big internationally are able to achieve some modicum of success. This is the case with Agust, as there are very interesting compositions that mark tracks like “If You Leave Me Nowâ€. Know that this is not the Chicago track, but rather a track that blends together classical compositions with Agust’s love for acts like Jethro…
Wow, what can people say about Agoraphobic Nosebleed. In the time that it took me to write these words up, five or six songs have blasted by. This is beyond thrash, this is light-speed metal and don’t let anyone tell the band otherwise. Individuals would have to be on speed just to begin to comprehend the urgency in which Agoraphobic Nosebleed creates all of their music. It is serious as…
The style of music that The Aggrolites play is a classic brand of reggae and ska. The music is not the blend of ska and punk that Tim would have in Rancid, but rather something (that during tracks like “Thunder Fistâ€) recall the sixties more than anything else. The tracks are newer but each of the songs feel as if they should be a reggae classic. The production of this…
We have received for review a disproportionate share of rums during the year and a half that we have had our alcohol review section active. However, this is the first time that we have been fortunate enough to review a Spiced Rum. Before receiving the Captain Morgan 100 Proof Spiced Rum, my only experience with that variety of rum came in the Lady Bligh that a number of friends swore…