I Won’t Stop Loving You showcases Best Not Broken’s confident approach to rock, touching upon hints of Green Day and the Goo Goo Dolls. The drums, guitars, and vocals push each other to greater heights as the track comfortably settles down. Breaking My Heart is a mash-up of Weezer and Interpol; Best Not Broken keeps the momentum high with a sentiment that will be understandable if you have ever loved…
Australia’s Villainettes have all spent time in previous bands, providing them with ample opportunity to hone their sound – what results is nothing less than amazing. The act is able to provide new luster to the rock style with intelligent arrangements, catchy compositions, and a sense of depth that simply is unable to be found in current music. The interplay between the guitars, drums, and bass lines during a Villainettes…
Heat Wave is a tremendously hopeful pop-punk song that is replete with sizzling guitars and emotive lyrics. Tan is carefree music in the vein of Metro Station or Sum 41. The production of tracks on A Summer to Remember is tremendously lush, making it easy for these tracks to make it onto pop rotation. If I Could I Would is an effort firmly ensconced in the pop tradition; Tan’s vocals…
Ride Ride Ride is a straight-forward retelling of early country. Rose’s vocals are gritty with a tinge of sweetness; taken alongside the guitars and percussion, they make for a track that will stick with listeners long after the track ceases.
Few artists are able to do the acoustic-only release to the same effect as Nirvana and other acts took to MTV’s Unplugged twenty years ago. England’s Matchstickmen are able to imbue their own unique style and a radio-friendly demeanor into each track on their latest release. Jealous Times hangs perfectly with the Counting Crows and Blues Traveler, while Dark Blues is darkly emotional and simultaneously touches upon the seventies and…
Heal Me Friend is the first track on In The Shade from the resurrected Dog Society, and it showcases a band that is able to delve deeply into the works of Goo Goo Dolls, Stabbing Westward, and Stone Temple Pilots while still cultivating their own unique style. Listeners are immediately thrown into the fray.
Fresh out of the clink, pop punk’s saving grace are finally back with a new record. The Masked Intruder, who turned in one of the genre’s most satisfying records in years with their 2012 debut, has managed to top that effort with M.I. A baker’s dozen of three-minute sing-alongs that are tighter than a set of police-issued handcuffs wrapped around your wrists.
The titular track on Be Careful What You Wish For is an energetic metal track that ties together Lemmy, Ozzy, David Lee Roth, and Axl Rose into something that is contemporary while perfecting the art of an earlier period. This same frenetic style continues into Little Green Fairy. While the band is firmly settled into the hard rock / hair metal format, I feel that there is a thrash (Suicidal…
Ode To K is a darkly emotional track that blends hints of Godsmack, Corrosion of Conformity, and Soundgarden. The resulting track is heavy, intense, and gains momentum until listeners are being blown away by the band’s output. There is a tender side to the vocals that shine through at points, providing an additional laer of complexity to an already dense arrangement.
For You (My Love for You) is a heartfelt and touching composition that succeeds on little more than a guitar and Farrell’s vocals. When he drums kick in, what tissues forth from listeners’ speakers is something greater than the sum of its constituent parts.
A.T.A. Boyz have just made their By Any Means Necessary album available for download on Datpiff
The story that Remondini tells on his forty-five minute composition, Non Sequitur, exceeds that told on the entirety of a lyric-heavy effort. The changes in styles from funk to synth-pop and classical styles may all occur in the space of five minutes, but Remondini links together these disparate styles in a compelling and sensible format. The segues that are present here are organic and fit in well with the story…
Johnny Was is a track that touches upon the work of Alanis Morrisette and Fiona Apple, while showcasing Jules’ more mature, Stevie Nicks moments. The track comes forth with a very pop-friendly sound, but contains considerable emotional intensity – listeners will be able to pull something from their experience that parallels what Jules sings about during this song.
I Told You So has a tremendously emotive style to it that set the stage for the rest of Letters From High Latitudes, with the intricate arrangements present here blending organic and industrial elements. Coming My Way begins with a strummed guitar; when the vocals kick in, listeners are treated to a very cozy and inviting track.
Dance of Wrath is a track that introduces listeners to the wide and varied styles that Dark Model create on their self-titled release. Fate comes forth with a blend of dubstep, glitch, and the more classical elements that were originally heard on the onset. Dark Model’s early success comes in the create of a cogent and coherent narrative from the beginning to end.
Super Country Cowboy is a cool and confident track that works well in melding together country music from the eighties, nineties, and today. The production of tracks on Briney’s latest makes it easy for listeners to immediately fall in love with the disc.
Individuals listening to Nick Deutsch’s EP Crazy Ride will happen upon Run, a track that links together The Rocket Summer and hints of Say Anything and Owl City. Run is a track that could easily make it onto pop rotation, as Deutsch’s emotive vocals will capture listeners’ hearts while the solid production allows his inimitable vocals to hang with the biggies in the field. Green Light is a track that…
A Better Man showcases a very confident sound for Wetwood Smokes, opening into a distinct and unique vocal-heavy section. The act is able to work well in an alternative or pop-rock format. The sheer authority that the band creates during this track will ensure that listeners become fans. Madeline immediately succeeds with a fun challenge to traditional time-signatures. The funkiness of the composition here showcases a softer side of the…
A Baby-Step of Faith is a track that straddles the line between Conor Oberst-style indie rock and alt-country; the intensity and virtuosity exhibited by the guitar and drums establish Falbo as something considerably different than what is currently garnering buzz. Sacagawea’s Son’s is a lively mash-up of Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, and Mike Ness. The production of Sacagawea’s Son is immaculate, allowing the disparate elements of the track the ability…
One of These Days is the latest album from Canada’s Marshall Dane, and the album provides listeners with country music that draws equally from the late eighties, nineties, and oughts. The production on a track like Take You Home to Mama ensures that the track could easily make it onto country rotation, while the quality of the instrumental arrangements here is stellar.