Slavery has a retro feel to it that will recall the electrified pop of the halcyon days of the eighties and early nineties. The lush production behind Slavery makes the effort work admirably in the current period. A very poppy tempo and smooth feel to the instrumentation ensures that this track will easily slide onto radio rotation. I feel that Achim G does more with the pop genre than…
Bad Bad Feeling is a track that touches upon a lengthy tradition in music, expressing infidelity and raw emotion alongside a similarly responsive set of arrangements. Don’t Want No Woman is a fiery and multi-faceted effort, topped off by smooth and radio-friendly vocals. The production on Badlands allows for each constituent act of Trampled Under Foot to shine, creating a bouncy order out of a disparate set of instruments…
Shadows begins with Nothing Here but Love, a track that blends sedate and emotive instrumentation with an utterly memorable set of vocals. The dreamy nature of the track sets the stage for subsequent tracks; Faster with You continues this trend with a slight bit of electronic instrumentation. Floating between pop, EDM, and influences including Jewel and Natalie Imbruglia, Lenka deftly crafts a unique style of music during the first part…
Superstitious Mind is a hard-rocking track that ties together the work of Guns N’ Roses with a more current and contemporary (Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood) country sound. My Perfect World keeps with a strong instrumentation and showcases Lim’s eclectic set of influences. With more than a passing nod to sixties psychedelic rock and nineties grunge, My Perfect World has the hooks necessary to garner a substantial amount of replay. Broken…
Automatic showcases Iration’s own unique take on reggae; hints of 311 and Sublime can be heard even as the band takes a more pensive and even progressive-tinged approach to their music. The production during this introduction will pique listeners’ interests, which the band uses to great effect during Show Me. Show Me is a radio-ready track that looks back to the days of The Police and the second wave…
Seeming to come out of nowhere, Nashville’s Joy of Painting have just turned in one of the most exciting EPs of the year, genres be damned (they happen to straddle garage, punk and pop, in case you were wondering). With just seven songs, the band has actually managed to make Indie rock sound fresh, a big task when you consider that just about every band with a release in 2013…
The Suicide Machines-Battle Hymns-This is another band that I am giving a 2nd (and 3rd) chance to prove themselves. This album is much more cohesive then the first one I reviewed. The Suicide Machines end each song before it gets stagnant, by having the songs only last about a minute and a half each. They also are talented enough to keep the mix away from stagnation, changing styles numerous times…
The chunky rock of Suffrajett that starts off their self-titled EP in “Mr.Man” is reminiscent of acts like Joan Jett, but also from the very loud and raucous female country singers of the last decade (such as Shania Twain). The production is very Spartan for this disc, showcasing the empty space more than the instrumentation of the disc. This creates some tension in the track, something that is only negated…
Philly psychedelic Indie pop rockers the Photon Band have been at it since the early 90’s and they remain just has hard to categorize as they’ve ever been. Sounding like MC5 on one track and The Smithereen’s on the next, the band seamlessly skips from one genre to the next. Pure Photonic Matter [Volume 1], their latest, starts off with a swirl of electronic noise and what sounds like a…
Hookworms has been terrorizing headlining bands across northern England (as support with Wooden Shjips, Sun Araw and Peaking Lights), and beyond through sheer sonic velocity and emotive intent. The reel feels cathartic, each fresh revolution of the loop a confrontation between the band and themes of depression, loss and anger – subjects close to the heart of the group’s vocalist MJ. Pearl Mystic is an absolutely thunderous statement of…
What Could It Be? is the initial track on The Great Deception, and it provides ample background for listeners. Touching upon the Roswell alien crash, What Could It Be? links organic and human elements with a more tranc-y, out of this world instrumentation. Instructions immediately brings listeners into a style that fans of Styx and Utopia would appreciate. Seconds Before Landing touch upon a wide array of influences from the…
There is a high amount of energy that is present on this mixtape, and a considerable portion of that comes from the work of DJ Malone. Where the most common mixtapes around have DJs touting themselves at the expense of the songs that listeners want to hear, there is a much more organic feel to the compilation of cuts here. What DJ Malone Productions does here is blend the hottest…
Kelsea Little begins Personal Myth with Blue Feather, a track that has a delightful sound. Little allows the instrumentation on this introductory effort to keep up with her effervescent and bubbly style. What results with the beginning of Personal Myth is nothing less than impressive – It Hasn’t Gone Away looks back into fifties rock just as much as it touches upon a current and contemporary singer-songwriter sound. Little’s vocals…
Have It Your Way is a track that touches upon the work of Akon, Ne*yo, and Chris Brown. There is a certain twinkling nature to the track that will appease any fans of R&B. Michael’s vocals here could easily make it onto pop rotation, while the production pushes his vocals into an entirely separate realm from the average R&B fodder. One Night brings things back to a more time-tested tradition,…
Old Habits are Hard to Break is the latest effort by Howard Salmon and Deborah Martin-Lemmon, and it represents an album that is continually hooky and infectious. Take Me Down is a current take on the halcyon days of nineties countries. The lively arrangement of the track allows for a walking bass line, dual vocals, and strings to push each other to a higher plateau. One of these Days slows…
Razor & Tie has been stocking their bull pen lately with a slew of metal and hard rock bands, so the recent signing of punk-tinged, synth indie rockers Born Cages was a bit surprising, in that they sound nothing like a majority of their label mates. But if this two song 7” is any indication, someone at Razor & Tie A&R needs a promotion or at the very least an…
Sucka Brown plays a style of dance-punk that recalls the supersonic vocals of many emo bands while the music contained on “Extra Medium” really drives near to both dancemo bands like Head Automatic and indie-cred dance like Fischerspooner and The Postal Service. The incorporation of reggae influence on tracks like “Public Transportation” seems to be a little out of context; while it bookends the dance elements, it becomes prevalent…
Its almost like Scott Stapp has came and started playing with the rest of 311 – at least, that’s what the first track, “Save the Fool” sounds most similar to. The interesting drum arrangements on “Save the Fool” look back to the long list of genre-bending bands like Janes Addiction and Crazy Town for inspiration, and while the track is fairly versed in the mainstream, it enjoys much greater agency…
Tied To The Machine is a funky bit of electronic-infused rock, ensuring to please fans of acts as disparate as Nine Inch Nails and Siouxsie and the Banshees. There is a certain tribal element that further fleshes out this effort; Babble creates a track that crosses easily across thirty years of gothic-tinged music. Yeah Sure No Problem allows the tribal element to become dominant, allowing for a world music flair…
“Peace and Hate” is the perfect opening for The Submarines, as it shows their ability to create a catchy indie-rock track that continues pushing on listeners even though the tempo is slower than many comparable songs. The inclusion of airy guitars during the track will make individuals remember acts like The Red Hot Valentines, while the blend of vocals scream The Anniversary. While the second set of vocals drops…