If there were a PHD-level class in heavy metal Louder Than Hell would be the textbook. Intimidating in size, coming in at nearly 750 pages, this oral history of society’s favorite whipping boy musical genre is as fascinating as it is comprehensive. Beginning with the numerous bands who have been credited with founding the genre (from Black Sabbath to Iron Butterfly) and delving into just about every imaginable subgenre –…
The Exhibitionists is a title that is incredibly meta in that it captures the exploits of a filmmaker, Walter Todd, (Richard Short, 666) as ey delves into increasingly blue subject matter. Capturing the dark side of everyone at a holiday party, Todd is able to titillate as well as education. The Exhibitionists captures the creative process as well as the relationship between the filmer and those being filmed, showcasing the…
We had received a bottle of Adult Limeade for review in NeuFutur, and to be utterly honest, I was a little scared of the stuff. However, I feel that what the Adult Beverage Company has done with Adult Limeade is actually craft a liqueur that can succeed as a sipping spirit just as much as it will in ice or as a shot. While there is an easy comparison that…
British singer/songwriter David Ford is one of those musicians you can’t help but scratch your head at and wonder why this guy is not huge? His songs as catchy as hell while still coming across as giftedly witty (give album opener “Pour a Little Poison” 30 seconds and if you aren’t humming along, check your pulse). He can even wear the fedora better than Bruno Mars and all those other…
Dime Te Deseo is a slinky single that ties together glitch and dubstep with the strong female feel of a Ke$ha or Blackout / Circus – era Britney Spears. Where much of pop music feels as if it has been polished to perfection, listeners can hear that Minor’s vocal track relies solely on her talents. What results is a mélange of organic and electronic, as easily at home in a…
Playing Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon reminds me of the 90’s action flick Solo. Solo was the worst kind of 90’s movie, with the same super-soldier tropes, ridiculous set pieces and cardboard acting that Blood Dragon parodies so successfully. But back in 1996, my eight-year-old wanted desperately to see Solo. Alas, its PG-13 rating proved prohibitive. It wasn’t until years later, when I stumbled upon Solo on Netflix, that I…
On the Scene is the introductory track on this album, and it provides listeners with a very taut and alluring set of arrangements. The music ties together smooth jazz with a hint of funk to establish a timeless quality to Hagen’s music. Midnight Drive contains a tremendous amount of rhythm, crafting an interesting dynamic between the organic and electronic instrumentation. The narrative that is created during this self-titled release far…
Pontus Gunve (who performs as PHWG) has just released his latest album, The Observer. Gunve has had countless compositions utilized for art installations, performances, and commercials. The Observer is a title that will showcase the sheer multitude of styles, approaches, and overall feelings present in Gunve’s career. Aside from acting as a retrospective, what The Observer feels like is an evolutionary step forward. With each track on The Observer,…
For those individuals that have been living under a rock for the last five years, Ruben Studdard was one of the American Idol finalists. This is actually eir second album; eir first album, “Soulful” had the catchy song “Sorry 2004”. However, this album starts out very weakly. The first track on “The Return” is the title track, which has the unfortunate tag line of “Of The Velvet Teddy Bear”. I…
I have had some major time spent with the heavy-ABV 24 ounce cans. Whether it was Steel Reserve or Camo Black Ice, there was much value to be had with one of these big boys. Four Loko has provided individuals with a heavy amount of alcohol and an ample amount of flavor to hide the alcohol bite. Phusion Projects, the company behind Four Loko, has created “Loko Margarita”. This means…
Usually, I would stay away from live recordings from smaller labels like TKO just for the fact that many of these bands really don’t have the equipment necessarily to make their live performance not sound like shit. Take for example the Leftover Crack live show from Reading, PA in which it is virtually impossible for an individual listening to the disc to actually figure out which lyrics are being sung,…
Nobody Walks concerns the relationship that Martine (Olivia Thirlby) and a Los Angeles couple, Peter and Julie (Rosemary DeWitt and John Krasinski); Peter has offered to do audio work on Martine’s initial film as a favor to one of Julie’s collegiate friends. The addition of Martine to Peter and Julie’s family is enough of a catalyst to get the whole family in a tizzy. Ry Russo-Young (The Color Wheel, Hannah…
Give Me Everything is a smooth track that could easily be played on rock radio rotation, where it succeeds tying in late nineties rock (311, Saliva) with a more contemporary feel. Where Do We Go has an absolutely furious instrumental arrangement that highlights the soaring vocals on the track. Hints of Foo Fighters and Maroon 5 can be heard in the vocals, with the track’s production tying together the…
When I was a child, one of my favorite books was a reference guide to all of the monsters and otherworldly creatures in H.P. Lovecraft’s massive bibliography. It didn’t matter that I had never actually read one of Lovecraft’s stories, the illustrations and descriptions of each oddity captivated my ten-year-old self in a way that few other books could. My fascination with animals both real and fictitious has continued to…
Cosmic Suckerpunch have just released their Breathe EP, a collection of five tracks that provide listeners with a sense of the band, their influences, and where they may ultimately go in the years to come. That Voice is a straight-forward rock track that succeeds because it blends hints of alt-rock and psychedelic into the overall Ramones / Cure / Strokes vibe that is established. The Breathe EP succeeds because…
Strike Fire Fall is an absolutely perfect emo-rock that hails from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The style of tracks like “Stay Awake” mixes acts like Amber Pacific with The Starting Line to create something that is emotionally deep but still holding of a musical intensity that can never be quenched. Each of the tracks on “Still Life” are just perfect for video games, music videos, or radio; another track that really…
“To Live in Discontent” is a collection of Strike Anywhere’s out of print EP and other 7 inch work – when the disc starts off with “Asleep”, one can hear the intense sounds of the band even if the mastering and recording is not necessarily up to “Exit English”-standards. Something that is immediately recognizable is the cohesion of sound that Strike Anywhere has created over the course of their post-Inquisition…
Mix the Blue Man Group with The Avalanches and Kid Koala, and one will have a good idea of what the Street Drum Corps sound like. The disc starts off with “Wrecks”, a track that really does not need to be three and a half minutes. The use of sampling during the track gets a little repetitive by the two-two and a half minute mark, and is only saved…
You can’t help but catch a strong “Me too!” vibe off of Stephen Pearcy’s memory of his time as Ratt’s founder and frontman (ironically, Ratt always had a “me too” vibe attached to their music as well, being seen as a carbon copy of Motley Crue, despite coming up from the same scene around the same time). Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll is Pearcy’s attempt to one up or at…
When we received a Halo V headband for review, we were a little skeptical about how well sweat would be shunted from our faces. The headband is incredibly fashionable and thin, consisting of a shiny fabric (Dryline) that looks too sheer to hold any moisture. After completing an exercise in the Halo V, we were absolutely astounded at how well the company’s headbands work. The SweatBlock Seal (patented by…