Category: Features

Posted on: January 10, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Velinski – “Living The Dream” featuring Sertari

“Living The Dream” by Velinski featuring Sertari is a track that timelessly ties together the pop of the early nineties with a vibrancy that will make fans of current R&B dig this composition. The considerable vocal power exerted here does just as much to ferry the overall harmony of the single as the backing instrumentation. The two elements combine to create something decidedly greater than their constituent parts.

Posted on: January 9, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Common Sense (Upstate Brewing)

Upstate Brewing (New York) has created Common Sense, a Kentucky Common Ale Common Sense would be a great beer paired with burgers, salty foods, or American cuisine. The style is interesting as it had disappeared for the most part after Prohibition; while grain and malt are in ample supply here, one can discern hints of dark fruits and slight floral elements. While a more easy drinking beer, Upstate’s Common Sense…

Posted on: January 9, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

HBC-291 (Single Hop Series)

The HBC-291 hop is a relatively new varietal, and before Flying Dog’s bottling of this IIPA (Imperial India Pale Ale), had only been used in a few beers previously. Single Hop Series: HBC-291 is an utterly distinctive Imperial IPA released by Maryland’s Flying Dog Brewery. The HBC-291 pours with a burnished brown to slightly orange coloration. This effort fills a glass with a significant amount of head that sticks around for a…

Posted on: January 9, 2016 Posted by: Randude Comments: 1

Dark Days: A Memoir (Randy Blythe)

David Randall “Randy” Blythe is the vocalist and lyricist of the metal band Lamb of God – from my previous readings of his blog and attending 3 Lamb of God concerts it’s hard to believe that this wild growling madman on stage is such an eloquent writer in his stories beyond just song lyrics. Randy writes this book telling of his arrest, incarceration, trial and ultimate acquittal when he was…

Posted on: January 7, 2016 Posted by: Randude Comments: 0

PRONG – X – No Absolutes

This is a solid release from Prong – the opening track “Ultimate Authority” gets things going with that raw crunching guitar sound that we metalheads love and gets your head banging from the start. Every song on here will have your head nodding at some point. There is a change of musical pace from their traditional sound with “Do Nothing”, sort of ballad like, but does pick up as it…

Posted on: January 7, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Cullen Omori announces debut record New Misery

On March 18th, former Smith Western frontman Cullen Omori will release his debut long-player, New Misery, worldwide on CD / LP / DL through Sub Pop Records. The album, which features the highlights “Cinnamon” and “Sour Silk” was recorded by Shane Stoneback (Sleigh Bells, Fucked Up, and Vampire Weekend) at the now defunct Treefort Studios, and was mastered by Emily Lazar (Sia, HAIM, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, and Bjork) at…

Posted on: January 7, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Moonies K.l.o.u.D gang – Phases of The Moon

The Moonies Anthem begins Moonies K.l.o.u.D gang’s Phases of The Moon with an intense blend of hard-hitting instrumentation and knife-edged flow. The hook is used to great effect here, tattooing the lyrics deep into the minds of listeners.  Mooninight Riders is a bass-heavy cut that has an intricate flow requiring listeners a number of spins before hearing every syllable and nuance to the effort.

Posted on: January 6, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Insulated Dark Lager (Brooklyn)

There is a richness to Brooklyn Brewery’s Insulated Dark Lager that provides enough twists and turns to impress even the most jaded of beer connoisseurs. The mouthfeel of Insulated is rich and creamy, while there is a toastiness to the effort that counters the tendency of lagers to go wheat-heavy. Insulated pours with a dark brown to blackish coloration and a good amount of white head that is slow to dissipate.…

Posted on: January 6, 2016 Posted by: Owen Coughlin Comments: 0

DeModa – The Future Perfect Premiere

NeuFutur Magazine is premiering the scenic and serene video for “The Future Perfect,” the new single from acclaimed electronic songwriter DeModa. DeModa describes the music of “The Future Perfect” as “very soft and endearing for the purpose of showing the sensitivity the protagonist feels towards the antagonist.” He attributes the song’s serene nature to a mother’s love for her child, and notes that the video for “The Future Perfect” perfectly…

Posted on: January 6, 2016 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

ALUK TODOLO Release Voix 2/5

Aluk Todolo returned to the studio during May – June 2015 to record their fourth album, entitled Voix (“voice[s]” in French). And now, the album is set for European release on February 5th via Norma Evangelium Diaboli [NED] (same date in North America via The Ajna Offensive).

Posted on: January 6, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Hotbox Coffee Porter

Hotbox Coffee Porter is a collaboration between Oskar Blues and Hotbox Roasters. The resulting porter (utilizing two varietals of cold-brewed coffee from Burundi and Ethiopia) has a thick mouth feel and an assertive coffee finish that goes down incredibly easy. The beer pours with a dark brown coloration and a thick, slow to dissipate beige-ish head. The lacing sticks stubbornly to the glass as one begins to experience the effort.…

Posted on: January 6, 2016 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Antlered Aunt Lord – Ostensibly Formerly Stunted (And On Fire)

As the press materials that accompanied this record from Athens-based Antlered Aunt Lord so aptly describe it, the band (essentially Jesse Stinnard) is “the missing link between the Pixies and The Byrds if they’d been raised in the Appalachians.” No truer statements has ever been written in a press release.  This oddball collection of nearly 20 songs is the perfect anecdote for what passes an “Indie Rock” today

Posted on: January 5, 2016 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Ben Millburn – Strange Love & Consequence

With just four songs, Austin musician – by way of Louisiana – Ben Millburn makes an pretty meaningful first impression. On his debut, Strange Love & Consequences, Millburn blends classic rock with soul and pop for a sound that is instantly familiar.Of the four, the opening/title track is probably the strongest of the batch, but there really are no weak ones here. The production is minimal adding to a realness…

Posted on: January 4, 2016 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Mod Hippie – Tomorrow Then

Straddling a thin line between garage rock and space pop, LA-based Mod Hippie turn in a debut that’s as satisfying as it is odd. The band mixes a wide collection of influences from psychedelic odd balls like Syd Barrett, with Beach Boys harmonies and Sonic Youth angular guitars

Posted on: January 4, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Hoperation Overload (Destihl)

Hoperation Overload is an absolutely intense double/imperial IPA that is a year-round release by Illinois’ Destihl Brewery. This effort pours with a brown, tinged by yellow coloration and a small amount of off-white head that quickly dissipates. An ample amount of lacing will make its way down a glass, a testament to the constancy of the effort.

Posted on: January 3, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Super Why: Cinderella and other fairytale adventures DVD Review

PBS Kids have given parents a tremendous amount of value with their latest Super Why release, “Cinderella and other fairy tale adventures” . This DVD collection includes four tales, Cinderella: The Prince’s Side of the Story”, “Snow White”, “The Prince and the Pauper” and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”.

Posted on: January 1, 2016 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Port O’ Call (Uinta Brewing Company)

Port O’ Call is a belgian-style dark ale from Utah’s Uinta Brewing, giving imbibers a very deep set flavors. The beer pours with a dark coloration and a fair amount of off-white head. The large bottle size (750 mL) provides one with the opportunity to experience the shifting set of tastes that are experienced in a bottle of Port O’ Call. This means that note of banana,clove, sugar, and malt are…

Posted on: December 30, 2015 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Slow Learners (DVD)

Within the first 10 minutes of the indie comedy Slow Learners you know exactly how it will end. It’s a traditional romantic comedy, albeit on a much smaller budget, so it doesn’t take that much intuition to know the leads, both seemingly dorky and unlucky in love, will end up together. But even knowing how it ends, Slow Learners is still charming and funny from start to finish.

Posted on: December 30, 2015 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

Squirtgrandhoover / Offul “C” – Dis Letter of Mind

Squirtgrandhoover’s Dis Letter of Mind is able to go back into the mid-1990s for a hard and gritty style, touching upon hints of 2Pac and the Gravediggaz. A backing beat builds off of the work of late-oughts/early-2000s New Orleans, while the flow that issues forth during Dis Letter of Mind is straight fire.