Michael Zapruder has created in eir latest work, Pink Thunder, a truly multimedia experience. The album is meant to be enjoyed alongside photos and poems. The myriad of different influences and styles that are broached during the 22 tracks on the disc unite to showcase the intricacies of a stellar musician. Zapruder is helped along the way by the efforts of 36 musicians (this list includes Tom Griesser, Ava Mendoza,…
Come On Let’s Go is a perfect introduction to Crazy Mary and their latest album, Dreaming in Brilliant Color. The band has been around for nearly fifteen years, and Come On Let’s Go touches upon the different styles and influences that are approached during the remainder of the title. This track serves as an easy way for listeners to meet the band. I feel that the different elements of Crazy…
Never Try to Change You 2 is a catchy bit of pop-country that touches upon Shania Twain, Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, and Natalie Cole before ending. The rapid-fire delivery of Longo’s vocals keeps the tempo high, ensuring that listeners will continue to stick with the disc. The momentum achieved by Never Try to Change You 2 is bolstered through Tangled Up. This effort succeeds because it stands out from…
High Tonight is an incredibly high energy track, and it shows that each member of Engloria throws their heart and soul into the track. The guitar, drums, bass, and vocals unite to make a stellar track. The titular track adds a little bit of psychedelic folk and pop into the mix, recalling the halcyon days of Oasis and Blur. Engloria is talented enough to update this Britpop-styled sound; there…
(Two Miserable) Blackbirds is a rock track that could easily be heard at any point of time, on any type of radio station. There are hints of The Wallflowers, Spin Doctors, and even Dishwalla. The rich instrumentation of (Two Miserable) Blackbirds will immediately draw listeners in, as the band glitters and bounces along until the end. Fly Away keeps with the same introspective arrangements and allows the vocals to…
I believe that the most difficult task that a musician can take is committing oneself to the creation of a ten minute-plus track. The difficulty of this effort is so high due to the sheer amount of work one has to put in. It is simply not enough to merely repeat different arrangements (albeit with minor variations) for the bulk of the composition. Opening Sound dives headlong into this enterprise…
It is rare to hear such a narrative-heavy album. Hints of Donovan, Phil Ochs, and Simon & Garfunkel can all be heard in Blood and Thunder’s first track, Mister D. The instrumentation on the track has a similar gravity to it. Strum takes an interesting tack during this album; rather than having the instrumental arrangements continually red-line a listener’s speakers, there is a careful consideration for how each part…
The guitar work is what will immediately bring listeners in to FlyPaper’s self-titled release. The titular track is the perfect introduction to the band, as this guitar is found alongside a rich and emotive set of vocals and utterly on point drum work. Taken together, what listeners will find is something unique, while still touching upon blues and rock. Is It Just Me slows things down, and allows FlyPaper…
All Out War is the initial track on Showdown, and it captures in 150 seconds the sheer magnitude of where the band will take listeners through the album. Happy is given an additional minute over this beginning cut, and it is this additional time that allows the instrumental side of Royal guard to shine vis-à-vis the inimitable vocals. Yesterday immediately follows the band’s introduction and is vital in establishing…
/ 2012 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.garyleewingard.com Seems To Be Raining is a complex and dense track that soars on the interaction between instrumental and vocal sides. There are hints of rock, country, and even John Denver-esque pop that is present during this track. Wingard is able to establish a very contemporary type of sound that is imbued with a wide array of influences and styles. I Really Love…
It is amazing that “Start A War” starts off without any introduction; to use the metaphor, this is as if the U.S. just started bombing a country without any provocation (hrmmm….). “I’m The One” steps back from that precipice to have a more brutal (instead of breakneck-fast) sound; the spastic drums that are present during the track are perhaps the high point of what is a fairly chaotic track.…
A Static Lullaby’s self-entitled album is one of the more mainstream works I have reviewed. The screaming is well done; I don’t lose any lyrical value and don’t feel overpowered by it. The singer shows some serious range, control, and skill. The drums are powerful, with impressive fills and a decent amount of presence. The vocalist and screamer paired together make any song a thousand times better. I love…
The mastering and general sound of A Static Lullaby on this disc is amazing – the band had some serious cash put into the creation of Faso Latido, but this doesn’t always mean that it will translate into gold. A number of these tracks start out good, but really seem to bog down mid-way through the track as the band loses perspective. Tracks like “Smooth Modulator” work under the…
Las Vegas has watched local Sin City rock group OTHERWISE move their way up from a hometown favorite to national name. OTHERWISE has had widespread radio success with their first single “Soldiers,” which became the first song by an unsigned artist to ever occupy the #1 spot on the Sirius Octane channel. The track peaked at #19 at Active Rock radio and has sold over 75,000 singles to date, making…
Kaboombox is a hot bit of electronic-infused rap music. Hints of Korn, Coal Chamber, and Boondox can all be heard during this funky, energetic, and overall fun introduction to Cata9tales. Of particular note during this track has to be the production, which allows the track to stay crisp and compelling through its run time. Open Letter To Generation Adderall provides listeners with a grittier and harder feel, with the…
Hot Air has so much going on that the track will require listeners to give it multiple spins before they can feel as if they have gotten everything that Time and Energy has placed into it. Whether it is the overall jam feel to the effort, the jazz-influenced drum lines, or the emotive horns, Time and Energy have ensured that there is something for everyone. Breakdown slows things up;…
State Bird’s “Marching Thru The Wilderness” is an interesting album. State Bird reminds listeners of a few different acts. There seems to be the same large-scale sound that acts like The Boy Least Likely To and The Flaming Lips. The band is so off the wall that tracks like “Behold the Lamb” has a bouncy, almost Beatles-like feel to it, while still maintaining a current sound that will put…
Starting out their “The Rising Horizon” with a track that recalls both The Nekromantix as well as 45 Grave, the end results of this debut by The Starvation is a retro-rock song couched in the rockabilly tradition. “Purgatory” is a bizarre mashup of Billy Joel, Bright Eyes, and the “goth Elvis” vocals reminiscent of Danzig. What comes to bear throughout a great deal of the disc, and really comes…
The first effort from “Eminem Presents: The Re-Up” was a weak track from Eminem featuring Cashis. This is the second single from this album, and this will determine largely whether “The Re-Up” will be a success or just another album that will be gathering dust at music stores worldwide. The immediate thing that one will notice about “Get Low” is that the strings of the backing beat provide an…
The cover of “Centuries Before Love and War” seems very organic and natural, but the first track on the disc, “Centuries” seems to have all the electronic accouterments of a Fischerspooner coupled with a tender bit of indie rock that is comparable to the releases of Bright Eyes. The guitar work is intense during “Movies of Antarctica”, which allows Stars of Track and Field to add to their overall…