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…
Songs From The Sandbox begins with Warcry. The inclusion of this track is important as it provides listeners with a microcosm of the styles and approaches that they will encounter on the entirety of the album. The intensity of this aforementioned track provides a quick momentum which Furthermore, a dynamic is created between the guitar and vocals that pushes each constituent element to a higher plateau Songs From The…
Coming across as a low-rent version of Jeff Ott, Steve Towson’s first release is a jangly, sixties style guitar (which displaces the normal acoustic found on these albums) and a snotty, Joe Strummer meets Mike Ness-style of voice. Highly charged emotions are laid up without much ornamentation by Steve, striking the listener all the harder when they realize exactly what ey is committing to the disc. From “Madness of…
Hey Steve has actually updated the production quality of the CD face, a nice little touch for someone who is fairly busy in the studio. The production and mixing of “Arbeiter” is still almost painful to listen to, with the first track on the disc, “Rock Me In The Bombshelter” made virtually unlistenable by the continual, cheesy distortion that Lieberman loves. Achieving an Ozzy-like inflection vocally for “Rock Me”,…
Dark Blu is from Georgia, but the specific type of metal that is whipped up could easily come from any one of the eastern European countries. There is a tradition that is adhered to during tracks like The Enemy and Stand By Your Side. These efforts unite a disparate array of metal genres into something heavy, memorable, and ultimately is unique from what other acts have done. The dedication that…
Diary of a Blue Collar Cracker is an album that immediately introduces itself to listeners; Break, the album’s first track is inspirational and gets listeners excited about what will ultimately follow. Working Class Hussys have the ability to turn on a dime stylistically; it is this eclectic flair that fuels Diary of a Blue Collar Cracker. Somewhere You’re Smiling has a John Denver meets Simon and Garfunkel; there are…
What Yochanan Sebastian Winston does on The Kabbalah Suite is expand the ideal of what music is and can do. There is a narration that is weaved through each composition presented here that requires no vocals; the interplay of distinct elements solo and in tandem provides a more cogent story than even the most narrative-heavy band. These compositions require a listener to give their full focus; Winston’s subtle evolution…
The high-powered energy of Addison Station makes them a lock for big things. I feel that their Suit Up EP is a perfect introduction to the act. Few bands are able to create a full-feeling effort in the EP format, but the five salvos that the band issues will make listeners stand up and join in. Burn is an amazing effort on the EP and ties together electronic, pop-rock,…
The honest tracks that are so prevalent during Home are precisely the reason why Valentine shines so bright as an artist. Make sure to check out his website and see what stops he may be making through the end of 2012 and into 2013. Between Those Lines is a careful bit of acoustic rock that marries together intelligent arrangements with an alluring set of vocals. The bluegrass and folk-heavy…
Your Future Lovers are an act that set out to capture the world with their latest effort, Eat. Play. Leave. The twelve tracks unite to make one cohesive statement about the band’s styles and influences, but the disparate approaches that are taken ensure that listeners will never truly know what to expect from the band. There is a sub-plot that is presented during an arc on Eat. Play. Leave that…
When the Sun Goes Down is the introductory track on What You Gonna Do?, and it paints Crankshaft and the Gear Grinders as an act that is influenced by sixties pop, surf rock, and folk rock in the vein of Creedence Clearwater Revival or Neil Young. The infection energy that bubbles throughout this track will have listeners eagerly anticipating the next track. Boomtown speaks much more to the band’s instrumental…