The eclectic way in which Cheryl Alexander starts out her Resilience Redefined is a great way to involve a larger subset of listeners than would normally be keyed in to her music. With the opening strains of “My Innocence”, one can hear a tremendous array of different influences that range from pop to female singer-songwriters like Janis Joplin to rock and metal and even to bluegrass and country at the…
Steve Cropper may just be the one musician that has slipped under everyone’s radar. As an integral part of acts like Booker T. &The M.G.’s, eir guitar works is soulful, intelligent, and always looks to change up the norm. “Dedicated” is a great selection of tracks from eir life, and brings individuals deeper into the mind of Cropper. While a large number of these cuts are modified versions of Booker…
Country music has been continually changing and evolving over the course of the last few years. What was fairly constant and static up until the mid-nineties began to change at a rapid clip during the last decade. Eric Church is looking to provide another path in which country can go with eir latest album, “Chief”. “Creepin’” is the first track on “Chief”, and it immediately provides listeners with a bold…
The emotional opening of the Needles EP will immediately catch the minds and hearts of anyone listening in. This is not only due to Zweng’s vocals but the arrangements that are present here. There are a multitude of different layers that work to highlight the vocals, and give listeners simultaneously a high replay value for the disc’s three tracks. Zweng moves through alternative, pop-rock, and alt-country all in the space…
“Wrecking Ball” does not give listeners a single second to prepare themselves; Voice of Addiction does not care, and their sing-along style (which is reminiscent of Street Dogs, Pennywise and Rancid) will grasp a listener by their shirt and never give up. With sizzling guitars, splashing drums, and a compelling set of vocals, the first strains of Reduce, Reuse, Resist are good ones. “Constant Pollution” has Matt Freeman-esque bass lines…
“Illustrated Girl” is the first track on the five-track “Beneath The Trees” EP, and it immediately kicks things into high gear. Back Pocket Memory is one of those rare bands that bring their own unique sound to the fore, rather than introducing themselves through the inclusion of their favorite bands and other influences. What results with the band’s sound at this early stage of the disc is something that has…
I find it tremendously interesting when an act that is not from the United States is able to come forth and create music that speaks so well to the American context. Crystal begins with “The Moment My World Stood Still”, a metal-laced song that links shredding guitars and equally-fitting drums in with an atmospheric meets gothic set of vocals. The track’s six-minute runtime gives Chantry proper time to introduce themselves…
“Just Another Day” is the first track on Meet The Christopher Brothers, and it provides listeners with inoffensive rock that is catchy, fun, and possessing of just enough of an edge to keep things interesting. Perhaps most interesting with “Just Another Day” is the rapid back and forth that the vocals take towards the end; rather than riding the melodies to their logical conclusion, the Christopher Brothers continue to add…
“Scene Through The Mist” is the perfect opening to The Veil of Whispers; the gravity of the female vocals that are present here will immediately cause listeners to take notice. Listeners will continue to focus in with the beginning of “L’Invitation au Mystere”. The track takes an interesting tack in that it blends together electronic and organic; there is an interplay, a context that is continued through the bulk of…
The ethereal opening to “Earthsong and Stardance” transcends the current period and touches upon mystic societies, traditional monk chants, and even more aboriginal approaches to music. What unites the disparate elements on both parts of the initial suite is the skill used in creating a seamless musical effort. While the two parts of “The Unfolding of the Worlds” represent the longest tracks on Earthsong and Stardance by far, Gandalf keeps…
When Athens’ favorite sons R.E.M. released Life’s Rich Pageants in 1986, the rest of the world finally got a peek at what the college rock crowd had been raving about for years. Four albums into it, R.E.M. had their strongest commercial success with Lifes Rich Pageant, a foreshadowing of what was to come with the impressive succession of follow ups (Document, Green, Out of Time and Automatic for the People).…
Washington state’s The Riffbrokers have managed to find a way to sound completely timeless. They play “rock” without any unnecessary prefix needed to describe their sound and as a result they could have recorded their latest (Every Pilot’s Blinded By the Sun) in the studio right next to Tom Petty when he was working on Damn the Torpedoes in ’79 or they could have just as easily been playing with…
We’ve teased and tip-toed, but the big day is finally here. That means we’re proud to announce the debut of Valencia’s new video for “Still Need You Around (Lost Without You)”. Fly on over to PureVolume, Absolute Punk, or Buzznet to check out the premiere of this gorgeous video. Four Year Strong is headlining this year’s AP Tour and we couldn’t be more excited! You can show us how excited…
The sonic swelter of guitars and gentle finger picked motifs work like seaweed swaying with rhythm and beats. Front-woman Tanya Horo’s chilling but childlike vocals effortlessly trick and tease the melodies, weaving her lyrics and captivating audiences. Compelling the listener to delve further into this weird and wondrous world that brought Sherlock’s Daughter from the wide open spaces of downunder to the concrete jungle of New York. The band’s latest…
“Last Transmission” is the first track on “After All This Time”, and it immediately provides listeners with the perfect blend of emo, rock, and punk music. The nearest thing that I can link Low Fi to is the pre-Metal Blade Goo Goo Dolls. There is a fury and passion that is present with each of the cuts on this EP that will permanently imprint the band onto the minds and…
Dan Sartain has been crafting eir own unique style since 2001; “The Legacy of Hospitality” is eir seventh album, and showcases more of the same compelling skill that made eir last albums must-have. “Atheist Funeral” begins this album of rarities and otherwise forgotten tracks, providing listeners with that little bit of energy to keep them hanging on. Particular high notes during this album have to include “I Don’t Wanna Go…
Jungle Rot is one of those bands that has been bubbling under the radar for the better part of two decades, and their hard work has been paid off with their 2011 signing to Victory Records. Far from appeasing their new label, “Kill on Command” builds off of a great many of the sounds and styles that were first brought fans during 1997’s Slaughter the Weak and 2004’s Fueled By…
With the increasing interconnectedness of the world, it becomes easier to find musicians that are creating some impressive music no matter where they may reside. Seun Kuti, from Nigeria, is a perfect example of this phenomenon. Originally breaking on the scene with 2007’s “Think Africa”, “From Africa With Fury” represents eir first release on Knitting Factory Records. The previously mentioned interconnectedness increases when one hears the production on “From Africa…
Jonathan Edwards has been creating music for a period of time longer than a great many listeners have been alive. Eir career gradually got larger during eir stint in Sugar Creek, while many casual listeners may be familiar with Edwards’ music through “Sunshine”. “My Love Will Keep” is the first album that Edwards has released for over 12 years, and represents further maturation and evolution of the music that ey…
“Field Songs” is the fifth album by William Elliott Whitmore, and it provides listeners with some of the most touching and compelling music of Whitmore’s career. The tracks on Field Songs unite into one cohesive entity – while the different tracks on the album can be enjoyed alone, I feel that there are is a considerable amount of intertrack interplay that one has to listen to to properly get what…