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…
The guys in Lonely H started out as a garage band in Washington State, but over the years and albums, they have gravitated towards more of an alternative country sound. They can still rock, but there’s a bit more of a worn in, dust-crusted on the boots swagger with their songs now. And decamping to Nashville before working on this record has made the evolution that much more stark. …
Superstitious Mind deftly blends country and hard rock, providing listeners a perfect introduction to Lim’s rich set of tracks. My Perfect World looks back to the days of Joan Jett and even Joni Mitchell / Joan Baez. The hooky style of My Perfect World will resound loudly in listeners’ minds after the disc concludes. Broken Promise Blues is a stand-out track on this album, as it shows listeners a considerably…
Religious narrow-mindedness, like conservative politicians, has always been a boon for the music world. So when musician bree (no last name necessary) – raised in a religious cult led by her pops where secular music was a no-no – and was cast out at 17, she naturally she turned to the Devil’s music. And to wildly paraphrase Dusty Springfield, no one rocks as hard as the child of a…
Don’t you lie to me / Yooplaaa! is the band’s latest EP, and it showcases a certain eclecticism to hooyoosay. It is this certain undefinable quality that will bring listeners in by waves. Hints of They Might Be Giants, XTC, and Devo can all be heard in this introductory track. The funky electronic-infused style of the band during this effort will burrow deeply into listeners’ psyches, while there are enough…
The biggest and most welcoming surprise about Hold, the debut from Highness, is that it sounds very little like what you would expect, given the resume of its band members. Collectively, the group members have put in time with Darkest Hour, Christie Front Drive and City of Caterpillar, among others. And while Highness does take elements from all – emo, metal, post-hardcore, the sound is not an obvious carbon copy…
Though it may not have the cool back-and-forth mail delivery lore of The Postal Service’s one and only record, This is Thunder is still a testament to putting up with geographical barriers to cobble together a great record. And while The Postal Service juggled different time zones for an entire full length, for This is Thunder it was just a four-song EP and not a full album yet, but the…
In just over nine years, the wildly prolific lush pop (I honestly never know what to call this genre – Orchestra pop? Chamber pop?), Morning Bell has churned out four EPs and six full length. Aside from Willie Nelson and Ryan Adams, that type of pace hasn’t been kept by musicians since the 70’s and all those bands were likely locked in the studio thanks to fists full of speed.…
“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…
The Subjects start off their “With The Ease” with “Speaking Parts”. The falsetto voice that marks the beginning of the track is a little pointed at times, which does not mesh perfectly with the more shoegazer sound of the instrumentation of the band. Still, the track is a solid entry into the minds of most listeners, who have not had a chance to listen to the band up to…