With a title like Nothin’ But Blood, you half expect the latest from blues/soul/punk/Americana artist Scott H. Biram to be a rowdy collection of his loudest, burn-down-the-house compositions, but this 14-track effort is actually a pretty low key effort. That is certainly not a slam against these songs – far from it, as the record is simply amazing from the first track on – but more of a heads up…
Athens, GA indie pop band Eureka California take up right where Pavement left off after Stephen Malkmus realized he didn’t want to get along with anyone any more. Like their fellow 90’s rock obsessives Good Grief, Eureka California have a slacker pop sound that comes off uncontrived, but down right infectious. The pair, each contributing two songs to this split (“Turn on Autopilot” and “DC Sniper” for Eureka California and…
The Gates of Shadows leads in nicely to Evolution, a high-energy metal track that blends all the authority and power of eighties metal with a more current and contemporary production and in your face attitude. After this introductory salvo, Lucid Dream is able to move to a Queensryche meets Countdown to Extinction-era Megadeth sound; the act’s constituent elements are able to unite and provide for a track…
Blood Like Fire is a track that links together 90s indie and alternative rock with a more classic singer-songwriter style. The production of this introductory effort will immediately draw listeners in, while the smart instrumental arrangements will increase the track’s (and by extension, the album’s) replay value. Feza Feza is bolstered through the presence of Omnia Hegazy as a backing force during the song’s chorus; the track takes a considerably…
On the Road blends the sixties singer-songwriter genre with hints of classic country. Ferrell’s vocals are rich and road-wizened, while the arrangements similarly show a maturity that belies his age. Ferrell’s I Was Born EP shines based off the equal focus given to the vocal and instrumental side of things, while The Ring represents another track that feels destined for play on radio rotation. The track is built off of…
Carillon Belles is a smartly-designed composition. During this effort, the arrangements are given ample time to create a backdrop upon with the haunting and ethereal vocals can shine. The vocals do double duty – not only do they tell listeners a story, they contribute to the oval music that issues from the speakers.
The complexity that Julian & The Upside Sound craft on efforts like Out of Time is astounding; listeners can honestly sit down and unravel all the twists and turns on the track over the course of repeat plays. This complexity does not impact the allure of the band – fans can easily turn on this CD and be taken away by the compositions that are presented. Silverlining Waltz slows…
The hard, heavily distorted edge of “Life” moves into something that is odd, to say the least. The nearest thing that I could compare Sweet Distortion to would have to be a blend of Korn, D.R.I., and Megadeth. That is to say, the act goes forth and blends a number of harder styles while keeping things as current as can be. The production of the disc is solid, allowing the…
It takes Sweater Club a few minutes to get started on their “Pt. I”, but when the bass line starts chugging, individuals should know that they are going to be in for an intense listen. In fact, the style of this opening to “Five More Minutes” feels more like a Don Henley track than anything. The fact that Sweater Club have taken the eighties so seriously means that the band…
Though best remembered for the beautifully raunchy, but oh so catchy tune “The Dirty Song,” Athens, GA’s duo Cars Can Be Blue are back with their strongest full length yet, Trace the Tension. Bringing to mind everyone from The Muffs to The Moldy Peaches, the band is still playful and still irreverent, but a tad more focused with this latest 14-song offering. From the pumped up album opener “You…
Dr. Clive Brooks is Amberfern, and AquaEssence is a collection of tracks that he has created to elicit the sounds and experiences that one has when they are on a beach. From Avon Beach to the disc’s final track, Calm Waters Home, Amberfern has deftly created a release that will elicit memories of days spent on the boardwalk, playing around a swimming hole, or bobbing around in the ocean. At…
The Enchanted Path is the introductory effort on Day of Life. At four and a quarter minutes, the track still seems to go by like a flash. Each note created by Koch fits perfectly and sets the stage for the rest of the album. While Flowers on the Mountain barely reaches the three minute mark, the track is able to dovetail nicely into Morning Silence. The hopeful feelings that are…
Downpour opens up Daytime Dreamer, and it provides listeners with a tremendously dynamic and uptempo feel. While there are not vocals present, the piano line that Akram lays down provides a considerable amount of narrative. The track taps out at a hair over four minutes and leads into Dancing With the Wind. Dancing With the Wind is a softer and more introspective effort, where Akram delves into the corpus…
Cowboys and Indians is an independent film that benefits considerably through the presence of a set of compositions by Henrik Åstrom (who also created the score for 2011’s Jake and Jasper). While the visual component to the film is stellar and will draw viewers in, Åstrom’s 26 compositions for the film do more than highlight what is being shown on the screen. Rather, Åstrom’s work shines brilliantly on its own.…
Via delle Grazie is the latest effort from the Netherlands’ Red to Violet. Waiting for the Sun is a carefully-crafted piece of indie rock. The band is able to open up into a post-modern type of rock that is influenced by 90s alternative rock (Sean Lennon, Hedley) and the more emotive acts of the 00s (Brand New, Dashboard Confessional). The band’s instrumentation is smart, while they maintain an intensity to…
Starting off the disc with an instrumental track, Surrounded moves into the second track, “Exit Serenade” with an almost Richard O’Brien-esque (think “Little Black Dress”) opening. Allowing their music to act as a second set of vocals during some tracks (“Exit Serenade, Diesel Palace”), Surrounded, specifically with Marten’s vocals, spoken out with the most care, act almost as Dylan-esque ornaments on an incredibly rich song. Moving onto an emo-jam type…
“Always Never Again” starts off with “Born Into The World” , a track that has the unique distinction of mixing Flood-era They Might Be Giants with Chromeo. This, coupled with a lush production and a lack of distorted fuzz, is probably what will hook the most individuals. The fact that organi and inorganic provide such a harmony is something that cannot be denigrated; acoustic guitar and bass work perfectly…
Supermodel Suicide is influenced by the geometrically-taken bands that have found their way to fame in the last few years (The Killers, Franz Ferdinand). In fact, the first track on “Might As Well Just Kill Us Now” “1996” has more than a passing similarity to the latter’s “This Fire”. The same general sound dominates during “The Unheard Testimony of Johnny Danger”, even if the audible comparison to other acts…
The flow is great on the first track on “Stand Up”, but the laid-back backing beat is pretty anemic. It may work well with the flow, but the retro sound is just not working for Superiority Complex. Something more intense and faster tempo would work much better for the act. The introduction for “Stand Up”: is just too much to contain; the layering is a good idea in theory…
Funky Bouriel has a funk meets New Jack Swing flair that immediately draws listeners in; Madame Freak’s vocals pull double duty in the furtherance of the narrative and in the creation of the overall flair of this track. Ow!!! brings Follow The Crack into a bold new direction; a small amount of scat-like singing opens up into an eclectic mélange of early-nineties dance and Chic-like pop. Ride It straddles…