Category: Music Reviews

Posted on: December 15, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

The Imaginaries ft. Maggie McClure & Shane Henry “Merry Christmas, Baby” and “First Thing On My Christmas List”

The Imaginaries have released a pair of holiday tracks. On Merry Christmas, Baby, the duo is able to make something drawing on blues, pop, and country that makes a play at garnering plays on Holiday playlists. Intelligent vocals, fulfilling bass, and a pair of smooth, capable vocals are all that listeners need to sail away with. First Thing On My Christmas List is a laid back track that showcases technically proficient instrumentation…

Posted on: December 15, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Taylor Barton “House of Light”

House of Light is a dreamy, traditional rock / alt track in the vein of Stevie Nicks and Natalie Cole. Deliberate, contemplative guitar lines and booming drum beats establish an engrossing environment for Barton. The yin and yang of the vocals and instrumentation ensures that each side pushes the other to a higher plateau. With just a bit of mid-1980s Tom Petty whipped into the track, the familiarity fans will…

Posted on: December 15, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Rob Higginbotham and the Mysterious Undertones “Black Coffee”

Black Coffee is a funky track that is able to call forth the vibrancy of the titular beverage. Soulful vocals beam out over the track, comprised of an intricate bass line, a tinge of the Dave Matthews Band, and enough passion to draw in even the most dour of us. Rob Higginbotham’s vocals are further bolstered through a matching female set of vocals, while the beginning of the second minute…

Posted on: December 12, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Nuke The Soup “Deeper”

Nuke The Soup’s Deeper is a hopeful track that builds upon the approach of mid-nineties / early oughts alternative rock and punk music. Hints of Green Day and Natalie Cole can be picked up here, while the strong guitar work presented on the track allows Deeper to stand on its own. The stylistic shift that listeners will experience at the two-minute mark keeps things interesting, as does the psychedelic-tinged guitar…

Posted on: December 11, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

Society of the Silver Cross “When You’re Gone”

When You’re Gone is a powerful effort that goes back to the early-nineties style of goth music (e.g. Christian Death, Switchblade Symphony) and makes it important and vital again. The slow introduction showcases a very traditional sort of instrumentation; the emotionally intense vocals completely change things up shortly after. Taken together, these two disparate elements make for a loud, resounding effort that will stick around with listeners long after the…

Posted on: December 11, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Worth Taking “Am I The Only One”

Worth Taking are able to refresh the emo-punk sound of the early oughts with their new single, Am I The Only One. Alluring vocals work quite nicely with taut instrumentation. A robust bass line interplays nicely with splashy drums to make something eminently listenable. We’re immediately tapping our feet by the end of the first minute. Never content with the status quo, Worth Taking are able to keep shifting and…

Posted on: December 9, 2018 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Reverend Horton Heat – Whole New Life

The Reverend Horton Heat (known by his parents as Jim Heath) is likely the only musician out there to be name-checked by Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, John Lydon and Rob Zombie. But it makes sense, as no band since The Cramps has done a better job of fusing rockabilly with a sharp punk rock attitude. And his latest, “A Whole New Life,” shows he still has a foot planted firmly…

Posted on: December 8, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Chris Beer “Remember To Forget”

Chris Beer is able to bring forward late-era Johnny Cash and Mumford & Sons in his latest track, Remember to Forget. Blending together contemporary with a much more storied style (e.g. Snow Patrol), there is always a unique flair that is presented in Beer’s new effort. Where there is a seemingly straight-forward sound that is dominated during this single, listeners should really strap their headphones on and listen deeply to…

Posted on: December 8, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Garretson & Gorodetsky “Insambia”

Garretson & Gorodetsky “Insambia” / Weba Garretson

Posted on: December 8, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Thomas Passon “Los”

Thomas Passon creates a bouncy EDM track that blends together industrial, drum and bass, and pop. Taking influences from U2 and Scooter, Passon can make a song that will appease fans wishing to dance as well as those music aficionados that want something a bit deeper and more comtemplative with their acts. Los’s usage of a guitar style out of the Weezer or post-grunge playbook alongside the perfection of electronic…

Posted on: December 8, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Gottweist “Weight of the World”

On Gottweist’s latest single Weight of the World, the band is able to create a hard and heavy track that calls back to Machine Head and Fear Factory while having just enough harmony to have listeners hanging on every world. The dynamic that is established by the band – guitars and drums rotating, a brutal set of vocals reigning over the composition – firmly ensconces the band among the top…

Posted on: December 8, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

ash.ØK “We’ll Waste Away” (feat. Robyn Cage and Jomy George)

ash.ØK has a new single – We’ll Waste Away – that deftly ties together EDM, pop, and a global sound into a sound that will bury itself deep into the minds and hearts of listeners. The electronic side of things (laid down with a fulfilling synth line) work nicely with a traditional, vocal-heavy component. A brief instrumental interlude at the three-minute mark keeps things fresh and bouncy, with a beat…

Posted on: December 7, 2018 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

Glen Campbell – Sings For The King

Only Elvis could get away with having an album full of songs by a rising star recorded entirely for him. But that’s exactly what happened in the mid-1960s, with one of Elvis’ favorite songwriting duos, Ben Weisman and Sid Wayne, convinced an early-in-his-career Glen Campbell to record a dozen-and-a-half of their songs, so they could pitch them to The King. The tactic obviously worked as Elvis went on to record…

Posted on: December 7, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

The Finger Guns – $9.99 Quesadilla

The Finger Guns blend together Green Jelly with NoFX to make for something eminently catchy with their latest single $9.99 Quesadilla. The vocals whip in hints of the Descendants and Rise Against. Intense guitars, splashy drums, and a perfect bass line unite to make something that could hang right alongside The Ramones or Social Distortion. Just like a good quesadilla, there’s a tremendous amount of material stuck between the beginning and end…

Posted on: December 7, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

Boy Breaking Glass – Masquerade

On Masquerade, Boy Breaking Glass’s latest single, a tremendously emotional and impacting set of vocals are able to work with echoing guitars and eclectic drums to make for something that will stick with listeners long after the effort ceases to play. With a middle-point providing a few seconds of the band’s instrumental side, Masquerade is able to gradually gain speed in the single’s second half. Moving towards the finish line…

Posted on: December 7, 2018 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Hemhora and the Glass Band drop Helix Pattern Blues EP

Hemhora and the Glass Band deliver an exhibition in surrealist rock for the ages in their new record Helix Pattern Blues, which is available everywhere that indie music is sold and streamed this coming December 7 through Greyday Records. Endlessly eccentric and riddled with enigmatic prose that is buried beneath a smorgasbord of colorful and unforgiving textures, Helix Pattern Blues borrows only slightly from contemporary pop construction and willfully dabbles in the sort…

Posted on: December 7, 2018 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

The Danbees’ new EP The Veggie Tapes is here

The rock genre has gotten a little soft according to some critics, and I’m rather inclined to agree with them when I scan my local FM dial browsing for new music. There isn’t a lot to be excited about in the little bit of rock that does manage to penetrate the Top 40, but if we take a look underground and see what acts like New York’s The Danbees have…

Posted on: December 7, 2018 Posted by: Kim Muncie Comments: 0

Hughie Mac shines new life and charm

Philadelphia’s Hughie Mac shines new life and charm into the classic “Let’s Get Away from it All” from the album Hughie Mac Sings Some Great Songs Pt. 3. It is a great song, and Mac is a great singer. Drawing experience from his live shows in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Mac is a crooner with plenty of charisma and smooth delivery in this Frank Sinatra staple.

Posted on: December 6, 2018 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

THE GERMS – What We Do Is Secret [RSD Black Friday Vinyl]

The Germs may have only released one proper studio album before frontman Darby Crash died, but you’d be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of more influential hardcore/punk rock bands to come out of that era. Everyone from the Minutemen and L7 to Soul Asylum and Pennywise owe a debt of gratitude to that Southern California band of nonconformists. So, it’s frustrating just how few songs the band managed…