The Ramona Flowers’ “Strangers” is a track that utilizes a slower tempo quite well. The band continues to refresh the 1980s / slinky new wave dance styles of early Depeche Mode and INXS into something thatt is bright, vibrant, and will get fans out on the dance floor. Synths, smart usage of silence, and a thick, hooky bass line are enough to tattoo the melodies of Strangers deep into the…
On Viva La Revolucion (again), The Howlin’ Souls are able to call back to the rock of the sixties and seventies, touching upon early Rolling Stones, The Stranglers, and the MC5. An absolutely insane guitar line and on-point percussion represent the touchstones of this single, while the hooky, slinky sound draws back on the blues-rock of the fifties and sixties. With hints of psychedelic rock bleeding through at the edges, The…
Famous is a strong effort that showcases the inimitable charisma of Tai Lawanson. The track blends together R&B with a rap flow tyhat takes up the standard of performers like Chiddy Bang and Wiz Khalifa. The bit of horns that provide the highlighting to Tai’s flow adds a bit of energy to the track, making this into a good track to be added to college or pop radio stations. Lift You…
Kingston, New York’s Galanos have just released a new album, Deceiver Receiver. The first track on this release, Loneliest of Men, is a raw and stripped-down rock track that builds off of the sound of late-nineties Smashing Pumpkins or early-oughts Muse. There is a dark, brooding sound to this opening effort that will have listeners firmly on the edges of their seats. A smart instrumentation makes good use of each…
Over the last few years, we have been fortunate enough to review a few of Bernward Koch’s albums, including Remembering, Silent Star, and Day of Life . Filled With Light is his latest release, and I feel that Bernward has been able to make his strongest and most cohesive statement yet. Filled With Light begins with Summer Anthem, a softly-stated track that uses repeated statements laid down by a twinkling…
The Haiku Project’s latest project Nebula begins with a titular effort that sets the stage for all of the twists and turns that are to follow. Strong sweeping synths have an air of gravitas. There is a strong narrative element that is weaved through this introductory track which makes its 5:30 run time seem much shorter. Breeze has hints of a vocal element that play at the upper registers while…
The music world is cluttered with tragically underrated bands. Groups that didn’t get their due until long after they’d broken up, despite their influence heard on a raft of more successful bands. Before R.E.M. there was Big Star, before Cheap Trick there was The Raspberries and before bands like Devo and The B-52’s, there was Captain Beefheart. So, North Carolina/Athens, GA’s Flat Duo Jets are in good company. In their…
In the first of three planned EPs scheduled to come out over the next four months, Silverplanes lay out an impressive, if brief collection of seemingly timeless guitar-heavy, atmospheric pop.
As any fan of The Replacements is likely to tell you their live shows were either brilliant examples of inspired Midwest punk rock at its finest or a drunken mess of bellowed obscenities, fistfights and thrown instruments. This surprise live recording of The Replacements, recorded in Hoboken during their Tim tour, is thankfully the former. This 29-song set marks the first official live set by the world’s most-underrated band (trademark…
Corbin Reiff must have known what he was setting himself up for when he decided to tackle a list of the best concerts, year by year. No matter how spot on his picks are – and with a couple of nitpicks here and there they are – there are bound to be people who have a problem with his selections. The only thing music nerds like more than talking about…
Indie pop musician Brad Peterson had already put out several well-received albums going back a decade, shared stages with a slew of greats from Jeff Buckley to Radiohead and then a spinal injury left him partially paralyzed. Through years of therapy he was finally able to hold a guitar again, and eventually built up a collection of songs that lead to the powerful “ellipses record”.
Judging by The Len Price 3’s latest you’d think the late ‘70s never ended. Steeped in some of the best influences The Who, The Clash and The Kinks have to offer, this UK-based trio have turned in one solid garage/punk pop album after another and “Kentish Longtails” is more of the same…. And that is far from being a bad thing. One of the appeals of the band is that…
Arable Desert is able to make a trippy look back to the psychedelic rock of the 1960s. A ton of fuzz and a slinky sound imbue this effort with hints of Lou Reed and Mott the Hoople. There is a bit of 1990s alternative that calls forth acts like Stabbing Westward and The Stone Roses). With a hooky guitar line that will tattoo itself deep into the minds and hearts…
The Singing Earth is hardly your standard rock star memoir. Despite playing drums for a slew of bands in Seattle at the height of Grunge’s moment (including Screaming Trees, Mad Season and Skin Yard), Barrett Martin takes a thoughtful, original take on the traditional musician’s bio with his book.
Chris Roach’s Ronkokomo is one of those rare parodies that keeps the same sound and spirit of the original. Roach’s switch-up of the Beach Boys’ Kokomo adds a bit of local color into the mix while keeping the humor focused into a specific geographical region. The smart wordplay of this single ensures that anyone listening in will be able to enjoy this parody. Chris Roach’s ability to hammer home humor in…
Cash is a gritty piece of blues-rock that will bury its hooks deep into listeners. The allure of Phil’s vocals makes this into a timeless composition; this could easily work on 1970s rock stations just as well as it does today.
We covered Dizzy a few months back, and were pleased to hear that K-Syran released a full-length album. Temptation is a pop-dance track that keeps the energy high even as there is some serious emotional content presented in the track. Hudson River is our choice for favorite track on Dizzy. The gradual increase in tempo will keep listeners on the edges of their seat, as the synths pick up into…
Hedera has just released a new release, Helix. The first track on this EP, Missing Yesterday, begins with a hint of Stone Temple Pilots-esque guitars, alongside arrangements that build off of the work of MUSE and Franz Ferdinand. A charismatic set of vocals stand out boldly on top of the track, while the tautness of the arrangement during this introductory single indicates that this band has their stuff together. The…
Almost Everywhere’s Survival starts out in a very sedate and soft fashion before moving into a hard-hitting EDM that pushes the vocal and instrumental sides to an entirely higher plateau. The atmospheric vocals pull double duty in that they both contribute a narrative as well as build upon the harmonies that are established. The arrangements tie together a number of distinct dance styles and approach. This means that alongside the…
Keep your Hands off her is the first track on the new self-titled release by Willy and the Planks. This is a powerful blues-rock track that takes up hints of soul and funk. Fans of the style from the 1960s and 1970s will hear newer hints here, as there is a subtle nod to performers like Chris Cornell and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The Dark Side of Me calls back to…