LexRox hits on a number of distinct genres. In Go All In, hints of Avril Lavigne, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus unite to make for something that will eagerly be eaten up by the tween set. The high energy of Go All In continues throughout the track’s three and a half minutes. LexRox’s vocal harmonizations simultaneously further the narrative quality of the track and make the effort that much more…
Slang starts out their “Every Day” with a style of rock that does not have any specific ties to current styles. In fact, the slightly gritty style of the vocals present on “That Is Why” seems to play to the era of rockers like Don Henley. The instrumentation on the track does not give listeners too much of a reason to stick with the album, so the duty of…
KC Jockey is a performer that takes on the current R&B genre (Akon, Sean Kingston, Sean Paul) and adds a bit of pop harmony. What results on Girl You’re Free, his latest single, is nothing less that special. Despite having a softer, radio-friendly style, Girl You’re Free has a very strong anti-violence message. The production of Girl You’re Free allows both the instrumental and vocal sides of the cut to…
The brash, loud sound of SLA on even the first track of their pseudo-eponymous album makes a good case for them to be put alongside all the post-psychedelic acts (Love, the MC5) and above the hack retro rock revival bands (The Strokes). The vocals of Dylan on many a track provide the topping that makes the act so special; with a hint of Alice Cooper and a dollop of…
“The Pugilist’s Lament” is a straight-forward track that does not have much time to go off on meaningless tangents or otherwise waste listener’s time. Thus, the guitars and vocals are pointed at one specific spot on the musical skyline and are set loose for two or three minutes. Skylines are tremendously influenced by the post-grunge acts of the mid nineties. During tracks like the aforementioned “The Pugilist’s Lament”, the…
The diversity of efforts that are presented on Echoes of Love are substantial. Each track provides listeners with a different side of Akram. This transforms Echoes of Love into a title that is tremendously personal while still standing on its own as a solid musical composition. The titular track on Echoes of Love is five minutes of expansive compositions that twist and subtly turn into something tremendously different at the…
I believe the most important contribution that the Brad Mehldau Trio makes to music as a whole is their capacity to create a fuller sound than one would normally expect. These three individuals are able to create something absolutely mesmerizing on the titular track. Each of the compositions on Ode are able to break free of typical length constraints and create a fully immersive sound scape. The different types…
The expansive sound that is established on Phil’s Harmonic is nothing less than amazing. With the drums being laid down by Slayer’s Dave Lombardo, what issues forth on Harmonic is nothing less than special. The sound that issues forth from the introductory Vitriolize is unparalleled; there are hints of metal, punk, grunge, and sludge that can all be heard. The different influences ebb and flow through Mitch and Hun.…
Three years is not a long time to evolve and become a well-rounded musician. Colin Caulfield begin working on eir career then, and Volume 1 represents eir second full-length title. There are 9 tracks on Volume 1 and each provides listeners with a distinct side of Caulfield and eir band. Taken together, they are a cohesive entity and a hell of an album. Volume 1 begins with Header, a…
Rhett Miller has had a tremendously full career despite eir age; The Dreamer adds considerably to this mythos and provides listeners with a new set of songs to spin through the summer. The Dreamer begins with Lost Without You, a nearly five-minute track that showcases Miller’s utter confidence in eir fare. Where the longer track length would be disastrous for lesser musicians, Miller provides more than enough material and…
Skyline Rodeo tries to imbue a certain atmosphere on its listeners with the extended opening of “Peppermint Patty”. The track is firmly rooted in the early nineties, mainly taking its influences from the alternative rock of the time and also from “Cherub Rock”-era Smashing Pumpkins. Ending that quick soon after, a very angular style hits the listeners; “George Bailey Complex” has much more in common with Devo and Franz…
This is progressive metal if the progressive metal people actually knew what they were singing about. This is in stark contrast to acts like Blind Guardian, who have their best songs dealing with a trilogy of overrated book. For Skyforger, these songs are in their blood, the compositions those that have been based off their family and country life for hundreds of years. During “Neighed The Battlehorses”, Skyforger show…
The one thing that individuals should immediately hear about Skye’s CD is the professional production that begins “Good Boys Don’t”. The vocals style is not anything that can be immediately derived from other sources, but there are hints of influence to Alanis Morrisette and Christian Aguilera, with hints of Pink and Kelly Clarkson thrown in. The track is something that could be on pop radio, and “Good Boys Don’t” is…
This isn’t really a NeuFutur Records compilation, but a disc that I found when digging through some boxes. I believe I pulled the tracks off of the respective artists’ Myspaces, but I could be wrong. These artists all were from Lancaster, Ohio. I’m guessing that the tracks are around the 2002-2006 era; comment with any additional information that you may have. Check out the CD at http://www6.zippyshare.com/v/50242824/file.html . All rights reserved…
I was lucky enough to see The Skulls live at Warped Tour this year, and this CD (along with 2+ hour DVD!) captures the live essence of the band almost as well as sitting in the audience. The recording on “Night Of The Living Skulls” is a little flat, running to the tinny sound of a number of old punk LPs but the energy of the band is such that…
Skid Row starts off their “Revolutions Per Minute” is much the same way that Velvet Underground came back into prominence. While there are hints of the same hair metal that brought Skid Row to the fore in the late eighties and early nineties, the edge which they imbue each of the songs on “Revolutions Per Minute” with is as sharp as all get out. Skid Row has came back…
“Git” starts out with a bevy of different sounds set out to assault one’s senses. “See The Way” mixes traditional (bongos) with futuristic (synthesizers) to make a dance track for the new millennium. This fusion does not split a listener’s interest, rather it draws eir in like a light to a moth. The name of the band really makes sense with some of the music that finds its way…
Skid Row starts off their “Revolutions Per Minute” is much the same way that Velvet Underground came back into prominence. While there are hints of the same hair metal that brought Skid Row to the fore in the late eighties and early nineties, the edge which they imbue each of the songs on “Revolutions Per Minute” with is as sharp as all get out. Skid Row has came back…
“Git” starts out with a bevy of different sounds set out to assault one’s senses. “See The Way” mixes traditional (bongos) with futuristic (synthesizers) to make a dance track for the new millennium. This fusion does not split a listener’s interest, rather it draws eir in like a light to a moth. The name of the band really makes sense with some of the music that finds its way…
“Gone” is the first track on “Palomino”, and it provides listeners with a brand of pop-infused rock music that is similar to the music created by Sarah McLachlan or a harder version of Kendall Payne. Instead of just trying to focus on one specific genre of music, Skaugen’s allure comes in the fact that ey goes through a number of different genres in the creation of “Palomino”. The music…