For years now, Legacy Recordings have been raiding the RCA vaults to re-release a slew of Elvis Presley albums. This latest collection, out now on vinyl, is one of their most important Presley releases to date. On one vinyl LP, the label is putting out some of the Memphis singer’s earliest efforts, all produced and engineered by Sam Phillips at his legendary Sun Studios.
Twenty years into their career, Flogging Molly have managed to survive musical fads a slew of weak imitators to emerge as one of the finest bands to ever blend traditional Celtic and American punk rock influences. You’d have to go back to The Pogues to find anyone else who can consistently deliver as reliably as Flogging Molly, album after album.
The term one-hit wonder gets tossed around a lot and often incorrectly, but the song “You Get What You Want,” off of New Radicals debut/swan song album is the definition of one-hit wonder. And it was one hell of catchy earwig.
Today, we are speaking with UniversalDice. Can you give us a little background information about yourself? How did you get into music? I’ve played music since I was 5 years old; in elementary school, my family was offered a choice of instruments for my musical education – accordion or guitar. Of course, they chose that I learn the accordion. I always joke to myself that if they had chosen guitar…
Since the recent resurgence in vinyl, record labels big and small (but, mostly big) are scrambling to empty their vaults for anything to re-release on wax. The results can be mixed; consider that someone re-released the Space Jam soundtrack on vinyl. But every so often, a gem is found, cleaned up and released back into circulation. The latest jewel from Legacy Recordings is the remarkable fifth album from Roseanne Cash,…
Brian Mackey’s “Learn To Be” begins with tremendous passion, with Brian providing a vocal-heavy foot forward on the onset. When the guitars and synths enter into the mix, greater nuance is shown. Mackey’s adoption of sounds and styles like 1990s alternative, Maroon 5, and Soul Asylum is given a new lease on life through contemplative instrumentation. Learn to Be is perfectly polished pop-rock, with a tremendous amount of care taken…
You could build a library solely dedicated to books written about Guns N’ Roses, the genre is that deep. Band members Slash, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler have all written books about their time in the infamous band. Slash’s childhood friend Marc Cantor was able to cash in on a book, even Adler’s mom was able to get a publisher for Sweet Child of Mine: How I Lost My Son…
Clearly not a band to shy away from a challenge, the Denver country punks in The Yawpers decided to make their third LP a concept record about a tragedy set in World War I France… including a song in French. Oh, and none of these guys actually speaks French.
When this year’s Slayer tour was announced I was on vacation out at sea on an eight night cruise and got the fan club email after the various presales and general ticket sales had already started (which translates to all the good seats were already taken – since I am now older, wiser, wear glasses and no longer consumer adult beverages I opt for a seat at shows instead of…
The first voice you hear on the 10th album from acoustic punk poet Hamell On Trial is from Donald Trump (“I’d like to punch him in the face,” declares the Whiner in Chief on the opening line, to the album’s opening track “Safe”). And much like Ragan launched a slew of great punk bands in the ‘80s, Trump’s white-pride-and-fuck-the-rest style of leadership serves as fodder for much of Hamell’s latest…
For a two-man band, Brick + Mortar have figured out a way to make an impressively big sound. On “Dropped Again,” their latest album, Brandon Asraf plays guitar, bass and sings; Jon Tacon drums, while both handles samples. The result, though a little sterile at time, for the most part is an eclectically fun mix of Indie pop and electronic rock.
AJ The Kid’s new single “Keep It Litty” featuring Young Gully has really caught our attention here at NeuFutur. The beat is lively and reminiscent of the Atlanta rap scene. AJ’s rapping is lyrical and melodic, it’s well complimented by Young Gully’s flow. The production of the song is solid with no monotonous areas, though the arrangement may be a little chaotic. Aj has a lot of potential in his…
Nashville musician Korby Lenker decided to skip the traditional record studio for his latest album, “Thousand Springs,” and take a field trip instead. Armed with his guitar, some recording equipment and a tent, he headed to a dozen various places including his home state of Idaho, Texas, Massachusetts and Standing Rock, the site of the recent government standoff. He played in bookstores, hotel rooms and even a mortuary. The inspiration…
Over the course of the last 19 years, we have covered a wide variety of performers that have run the gamut from Christian to death metal. One of our major focuses was in electronic and dance music, based on my own love for 1980s synth-pop and 1990s dance and ambient genres. As the styles laid the blueprint for the modern style of EDM and all of the subgenres that reside…
The Refreshments may be seen by many as a 1990s one-hit wonder, but the band is almost a religion to a smaller, but much more rabid group of music fans. And can you blame them? Roger Clyne and his crew churned out two LPs crammed with a slew of fantastic songs that vacillated between roots rock, Americana and dessert boogie.
Airy Jeanine’s “Everywhere” is a delightful track for August. Powerful vocals and a powerful dance beat vie for dominance. Airy Jeanine’s vocals are deep, drawing well from pop and singer-songwriter traditions. The track hammers home a beat that will bury itself deep into the minds and hearts of leaders. There is a sense that the instrumentation does more than provide highlighting for Airy jeanine’s vocals. Give Everywhere a few additional…
My Silent Bravery’s “Got It Going On” is a bouncy effort that has just a hint of Latin guitar to it. This allows for a more robust backdrop upon Matt (My Silent Bravery). The bit of beatboxing bridges the gap between vocal and instrumental, making for a compelling effort that hangs well with other pop fare. My Silent Bravery is able to make a catchy tune, have thoughtful instrumentation, and…
Tremble’s “Thorns” is amazing. This catchy track is built off a set of vocals that play nicely with Jess Glyne or Ingrid Michaelson. The atmosphere generated by the hazy synths and fuzzy drums imbues Thorns with a mid-1990s sound. There is a crispness to the vocal / music dynamic that works perfectly in 2017. The spontaneity of Thorns further pushes this track to a new plateau. Over the course of…
MRYGLD’s “Cool Kids” is a power-pop / alt-rock song that draws upon The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. The two-part harmonies establish the band from others, while there is a tautness to the instrumentation that stands up to repeat plays. The dynamic between traditional (guitar/bass) and electronic (synth) styles makes for a track that could easily garner airplay through the end of the summer and into the fall. Each element is…
Noel Monk managed Van Halen from 1978 – 1985, the biggest rock band in the world during that run. And while he was ultimately fired from the band and cut out of millions of dollars, he certainly left the gig with a slew of stories, funny, sad and salacious. Thanks to a 30-plus year NDA agreement that has recently run out, he’s now able to channel the best of those…