I like when DVDs have a CD release tied to them. If there is a particularly impressive DVD and I want to take that with me and listen to it, most times what I would need to do is go and find some way to rip the audio stream to my computer and then burn it to a disc. However, with this CD I am able to take what was…
“Blood on Your Lips” has it all – strongly enunciated lyrics to the point that individuals can distinguish anything that is being sung, utterly sick guitar work, and drumming that pops up whenever the band needs it. The style of music may be too hard to get on pop radio, but the idea is that listeners are treated by Sodom on this CD much like they would be at…
After the piano solo, the lighter-rock that starts out “Alexandria as Our Lens” is welcome. The heavily-vocal nature of the track, coupled with the continued piano lines on the track make this a more rock-based version of The Rocket Summer. The slightly vocal style of the vocals on “Alexandria” is comparable to Mark Schultz and later Yellowcard. What results is not the traditional “emo” that is so present on…
Socialburn moves cross the gamut of popular rock type of styles, taking a little bit from Bush, Howie Day and even the dirty rock of bands like Lit for their “Beauty of Letting Go”. A track like “Speak Now” really looks toward Switchfoot for its main influence, but really puts forth something that is more cohesive and compelling than anything that “The Beautiful Letdown-era” Switchfoot could come up with.…
Skinny Sad Girls is the first track on Girl Named Never, and it soars due to the smart instrumentation and vocals, which have a decidedly Elvis Costello feel to them. What results then is a track that will stick with listeners long after the track wraps up, a perfect microcosm of the collection of tracks on this album. Girl Called Never is a slower track that flips the relationship between…
Dani Raushi and her band begins High Tides Collide with a furious bit of rock that seems destined for radio rotation. The harder edge of the drums and guitars amps up the overall sound as Raushi’s vocals come forth as a blend of The Pretty Reckless, Evanescence, and Avril Lavigne. The tightness of the resulting composition is enough to keep listeners focused in, and Don’t Call Me (the next track)…
Another October is one of those bands that are able to tie together tremendously emotive lyrics with absolutely intense arrangements. The act is able to blend together equal parts emo, hardcore, and punk music into something that is bubbly, catchy, and will be remembered long after listeners finish up with this EP. Romeo Was Wrong is a tempestuous track that looks back to the halcyon days of Blink-182 while adding…
Again is a brutally forward bit of rock music, and it immediately throws listeners in to the unique style of Eclectic Mayhem. The band is able to create a stable foundation from the onset of this track, ratcheting up the energy until the vocals kick things into a high gear. Whether it be Tool, Jet, or Monster Magnet, the influences that Eclectic Mayhem place here are stellar. Want It All…
Sixstep is an act that bounces between reggae and ska, spinning the two styles into something that can be appreciated by all. There is a certain storyteller feel here, where the band weaves a story through each of the tracks on House of Cards. Get In Line keeps things free through the inclusion of a chunky and funky bass line. This addition gives Sixstep a varied sound that yields considerably…
Canadian (though technically American) sibling act Heart is one of those bands that has always been around, or so it seems. Despite the changing fads and musical styles, they always manage to keep up without compromising their distinct sound. So much so, that when you start to calculate all of their hits over the past few decades (“Magic Man,” “Dreamboat Annie,” “Barracuda,” “These Dreams,” “Never,” “What About Love,” among many…
Dance wunderkinds Justice have just released a video for their latest single, “New Lands”. The track, which is based on the work of AC/DC, is matched perfectly with its video. They tapped the Spanish collective Canada for this one and the results are stunning. Check it out and pass it along: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DgAfs4FutI&feature=youtu.be From the band/Ed Banger: “First, there are tense bodies,…
In the mid 2000’s a young Johnny Solomon was a fixture in the tight knit Twin Cities music scene, forming the angular indie pop band Friends Like These and touring extensively, he received critical praise from far flung sources such as Time Out New York, the College Music Journal and numerous local articles and accolades, including a City Pages cover story that looked like the beginning of a promising…
Scattered among the soon-to-be forgotten one-hit wonder releases (Glass Tiger, Stacey Q.), the last grasp efforts by fading bands (Toto, Nazareth) and the first strains of hair metal (Cinderella and Bon Jovi), 1986 saw Paul Simon release his career-defining album, a record that easily is one of the best things musically to survive the 80’s: Graceland. Since splitting from Art Garfunkel 16 years earlier, Simon had settled into…
Bleed is an utterly expansive track that touches upon new age, rock, and pop genres. No matter what styles of music that you personally like, the approach taken by Putt will turn you into a fan. There is a maturity to each of the compositions that we have heard that far outstrip great deal of what is currently out on the market. This means that each side of the…
Katrin the Thrill is an act that is hard to categorize. The eclecticism of Evil Eye Charm is such that listeners will continue to find more to appreciate with each subsequent listen. The initial track on Evil Eye Charm is Losing, and it blends hints of “Creep”-era Radiohead with Sisters of Mercy. Perhaps most brilliant on this track would have to be the guitars that soar above the rest of…
Most of the “gay” identified artists really suck. Enterprising individuals go and understand that there is a lot of money from campus groups and private organizations if they identify themselves with a GLBT logo, so the quality of music by out musicians really suffers. That is, until Soce begins eir “The Lemonaide Incident” with “I Am (So Gay).” The boldness experienced with the rapping on this track is great;…
In the same vein as Leah Zicari and more established individuals like Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco, Kelly Snyder seems to be on a stratosphere rise simply due to the style of music that eir puts on “Oxygen”. I mean honestly the Amos/DiFranco bunch will buy this up with a spoon, but is the disc honestly any good? Kelly has an ear for pop, and producer Charles Newman has…
The title track introduces listeners to who Snakes and Music is. I know I was not familiar with the band before that, and what one can expect from the band is a brand of indie rock that is safely nestled in a guitar fuzz and dreamy vocals. The style of the title track breaks slightly into a punk framework, so that Snakes and Music approach something closer to an…
The album starts out as a microcosm of sounds and styles to come; I believe that Fawn introduces themselves nicely to listeners. While the band is riding a wave of success after the release of “No Wave”, I feel that the rest of the cuts on this album are at least as strong as that cut. The eclectic approach of Fawn is the reason that can create hit after…