The story behind Slinger could easily be transformed into a television show or movie. The band has been around for a number of years, far enough back in history that they committed their first recordings to a reel-to-reel. The act poured their hearts and souls into their work, and were able to garner considerable support in and around the Orange County (California) area.
Country Crazy is the latest single from Amy Rose, and it will immediately capture listeners’ attention with a strong instrumental side. When Rose’s vocals kick in, the track is given a full sound. Rose’s approach to country has hints of Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, Gretchen Wilson, and possesses just enough pop to have tremendous crossover potential.
The band released High Water late last year, and can be seen live at Axum’s Level X Lounge in Washington, DC on 4/26 and Desmond’s Tavern in New York, NY on 5/31. Make sure to visit their social networking profiles to locate more information about the act, their releases, and their live shows. High Water is a raw and visceral title, but is recorded in such a fashion that each…
Go Some More is a timeless track that allows listeners of a wide swath to find something that they can appreciate. The driving arrangement is provide additional depth through a bouncing, driven set of vocals.
Low Life is dark and gritty rock that would shine as brightly in the seventies as it does now. The track has a number of bold and brash elements – vocals, drums, and guitars all vie for dominance – but the constituent elements are able to gel into something fun and hard-hitting. I particularly like Three State Famous’ ability to just stop the instrumental side of things and allow the…
Blue Muse begins with A Fiddle Player’s Love, a tender track that shows the intricate arrangements that are commonplace during the release. Tozer’s vocals link together Stevie Nicks with Reba McEntire, while the instrumentation will resound loudly in listeners’ ears long after the title ceases.
The band begins Fire Work with a tremendously interesting use of time signatures, meaning that the act has a sound that has equal parts of Tool, 311, Sublime, and Primus. The vocals are able to expand upon the work of bands like Coheed and Cambria and Fall Out Kid, along with hints of Incubus and Godsmack.
Sacred Earth has created one of the most cohesive meditative albums that we have heard this year. Each of the disc’s first five tracks range in length from eight to ten minutes, and provide a wide array of distinct influences along with considerable twists and turns over the course of the sixty-plus minute run time.
The Haiku Project is a musician that is looking to further the ambient genre into something that is tremendously effecting while still being approachable by the widest swath of listeners. The album begins with Atlantis, an eight-minute track that feels to be a fraction of that.
People don’t normally consider Canada to be a hotbed of extreme metal. When talking about the best black or death metal bands, Scandinavia is constantly mentioned, along with a few American bands, German bands and various regional scenes but the Canadian scene is often overlooked which is a shame because some of the bands to come out of the Great White North are some of the best bands metal has…
Prospect is a very emotion track that requires nothing more than Thorpe’s fantastic voice. The different harmonies that she achieves before the whistling begins is simply unparalleled in music, with comparisons being drawn to Sarah McLachlan or Paula Cole.
Jeff Bobbin is a musician that is looking to expand the progressive metal genre into bold new directions. Calling Orlando, Florida his home, Bobbin’s band The Conduit has just released the Six LP. This disc begins with a cover of a Tesseract track (Perfection) which Bobbin has twisted and contorted into his own unique style, providing the proper momentum that listeners need to stick through the rest of the album.
Do You Believe? Is the first track on Love Transmitter, and it provides listeners with a solid introduction to the styles and approaches that will be presented on the remainder of the album. Taken separately, the track is something that could easily be on rotation at alternative and modern rock stations.
Lonely Place begins Breathe Air in a very emotional and touching way. This effort has hints of Elton John and Styx, even as a darker and more rock-oriented style bubbles beneath the Broadway façade. The track gradually picks up steam and ensures that anyone focusing in to this introductory effort will be glued to the edges of their seats.
A Beautiful Way is a perfectly polish track that showcases equal amounts of Adam’s soulful vocals and intricate compositions. Hints of Coldplay, Jason Mraz, and The Wallflowers can all be discerned as influences during this introductory track. Our Man is a track that looks back to the work of Blur and James. while keeping things fresh and interesting. This track combines with A Beautiful Way to showcase that beautiful instrumentation…
Follow is an album that shows a variety of styles, providing listeners with a great introduction to the band. The album starts off with Wrecking Ball, a mid-tempo track that takes on hints of Maroon 5, Mumford & Son, and Matchbox 20.The track deftly blends equal parts instrumentation and alluring vocals. The track moves into Water from the Well, an intricate effort that provides just as much narrative with the…
Darling is a wonderful bit of lo-fi rock that will appease fans of the seventies and eighties. With equal parts stoner and hair metal, what The Falling Birds do on this intial track is immediately bash their fans with catchy melodies and Edgar Winter-esque heaviness. The track keeps listeners on the edges of their seats for four minutes, and provides brief hints into the band’s influences. This means that bits…
Roll On is a solid bit of seventies rock that keeps a frenetic amount of energy from beginning to end. The track benefits from a solid production, allowing the guitars, drums, and vocals to shine separately or as a cohesive unit. The switch between instrumental and vocal elements keeps things particularly fresh, while the narrative that is created by Morley here allows listeners to be firmly involved with the track.…
Believe it or not kids, there was a time when Elton John was not only cool, but wrote songs you didn’t have to listen to on the sly with the windows rolled up in the car or through earbuds, pretending you were listening to The National.
Gunfighter is an album that has a number of twists and turns, allowing The Heart Pills to take on hints of mid-90s California, The Anniversary, and even hints of Bright Eyes before the initial effort Concrete ceases. Cowboy has a bouncy feel to it that will appease fans of NoFX and The Aquabats, even as an electric sound (think The Red Hot Valentines) plays at the periphery. The dynamic that…