Over the past year, the label 429 has been building a reputation as a safe haven for 90’s musicians exiled too soon from the majors (Lisa Loeb, Camper Van Beethoven, Soul Asylum, etc.), but if their latest signing, the Scottish indie rockers The View is an indication, they have a hell of a knack for picking the next big thing as well. Cheeky For a Reason, actually the band’s…
Somewhere between Big Star and Urge Overkill records, you’ll find Count it In, the first full length from Thorcraft Cobra. Comprised of Billy Zimmer and Tammy Glover, each a refugee from other bands, and a handful of guests including Steve McDonald of Redd Kross, Thorcraft Cobra is a pop/rock band stripped of pretentions, crammed with a myriad of influences, and amazingly satisfying. There is not a weak track out the…
Though not as top-of-mind to most as peers like Bryan Ferry and Kate Bush, Scottish ambient/soft rockers The Blue Nile built up a tight cult following thanks to an impressive collection of songs in the 80’s spread out over two solid albums: A Walk Across the Rooftops and it’s follow up Hats. They had a comeback album of sorts in the mid 90s and again 10 years after that, but…
Culprit continue their winter scouting tour of Europe in search of young producers on the brink of creative greatness. For their 32nd EP release, the label makes a stop in Barcelona, recruiting the emerging talent of Argentian-born Nicolas Abalos aka Shall Ocin to join the cause. Ocin’s ‘Crash Into My Love’ EP is part of an exciting first wave of accomplished music arriving from the artist and expands the label’s…
Illusion begins The EP, and it provides listeners with a brief look into the twists, turns, and stylistic variation that they will experience on the remainder of the title. The beauty of tracks like Illusion comes in their uniting of disparate genres of music; the track touches upon the past, the present, and the future over the course of three and a half minutes. While each of the tracks on…
Man, if you were/are a fan of the90’s Brit pop band Blur, 2012 was your year. They started it off by getting the Outstanding Contribution to Music award from the Brit Awards, headlined a show at Hyde Park for the 2012 Olympics, re-released every single one of their studio albums with a ton of extras, and entered the studio to start recording new music. They ultimate scrap ped plans for…
American Travels is the initial track on Heading West, and it provides listeners with an insight into the new direction taken by Mike Howe. Howe establishes a very specific atmosphere for Heading West that is bolstered by Old Wooden House. There is a pristine and untouched feel to the compositions on this CD that will stick with listeners long after the title closes up. Hope is a very deliberate and…
Few bands are able to establish their sound in the space of a few tracks, but My Secret Island are able to show a considerable amount of their facets on this release. Their new maxi single contains four tracks – three versions of their latest single, I Miss The Day, and a cover of the classic Sheila. I Miss The Day is a radio-worthy track that links together the…
I Know You boosts the momentum of Shine on Crazy considerably, changing the overall style and feel originally introduced in Is This Your World. This time out, DNAC links together Madonna and Beyonce into a funky, chill effort. I Know You provides listeners with a retro feel that still feel at home in the most cutting-edge dance clubs. It’s Like That ties together the rap of the eighties into…
We Wish You A Merry Christmas is the star of the North Mississippi Christmas EP, as it deftly blends what listeners would expect from the track with a very down-home and comforting set of vocals. While the effort may spin to a close before the four minute mark, fans will be singing along long after it has ended. Deck The Halls is a solid inclusion for this EP, as Olga…
Stillness: A Collection is an absolutely stellar collection that allows individuals to be sent away on a dreamy and austere journey through the minds of some of the greatest current composers on the scene. More importantly, this CD allows listeners to find tracks and performers that they like, so that they may purchase other releases from their discographies. We have reviewed a few tracks on Stillness: A Collection in previous…
I had little clue what to expect when I first slid this disc into my player. A style that would work perfectly upon the disc of all the major emo bands first assaults listeners during “Where is my Crossbow?”, to which a set of vocals that seem ill-fitting soon are added. After a minute or two to get acclimated to the disc, it is not that the vocals are bad,…
From Gang of Four up to Phoenix, Europe has been consistently been churning out one impressive dance rock band after another. Well, it’s time for the U.S. to finally start getting credit for their contributions to the genre, and what better band to lead the revolution than the anthem-ready Denver-based group The Epilogues. With the aptly titled debut Cinematics, the foursome sound like they are scoring a picture that fails…
While the opening track to “Basement Songs” sounds a little emo-influenced during the beginning bars, the track “Vera” moves into a blend of Elvis Costello and ska music. The ultimate style of The Stolen Records during this track is quite like if The Anniversary on an Aquabats…
Crystal Rain is an incredibly diverse album, and listeners will be sent on a journey that takes on hints of considerable genres. This means that before the time that the album closes up shop, fans will be hit with goth, darkwave, ambient, and all out club-worthy electronic tracks. However disparate these styles would seem to be, there is a competent hand ensuring that the effort is cohesive. Despite this being…
The ability for an artist to go out and get listeners involved that would not normally hear their message is perhaps the hardest thing to do, and Rev Lelton Davis has attempted to do just that. With the calling of God inspiring him, every effort that he has made in the last few years has been to point his listeners towards the light in the hope that they can be…
Dreamland begins with the titular effort; listeners will be immediately hooked by Dane’s familiar yet inimitable style. I feel that the opening effort provides a full explanation for the styles and influences that are to follow. Once In A While has a timeless feel to it that provides a much richer instrumentation than is typically heard in pop music. Dane’s vocals perfectly fit with the track’s bouncing beat; hints of…
The notes in the liner for “8 x 12”” say that all the songs were written in 1995, over fifteen years ago. When “Nowhere” kicks into affect, the one thing that has to be said is that the track does not sound to be dated in the least. The production is great, allow9ing for each guitar line or drum hit to contribute equally for The Stitches. All of the…
“Who You Are” has a style of hard rock music that blends early Manson with Filter and Stabbing Westward to link together the eighties and nineties into a style of music that is Stiilpoint’s own. “Who You Are” also moves into a Deftones-like direction, one that has been travailed in the past but without the ability shown by Stiilpoint. The production seems to have a little to much of…
23 tracks at 68:45, which comes to almost 3 minutes a song. Belvedere opens this compilation with a very eclectic style of punk. The Rx Bandits, with their song “Wrong With Me” play an infectious brand of Skunk. People may remember the Pietasters, who gained success a few years back, then promptly fell back into the Ska underground. If I remember right, the song on this CD, “Yesterdays Over” was…