“Come Out Ye Black & Tan” is the first track on “Hot Asphalt”, and it blends together traditional rock, punk, and Irish music into a hard-hitting and catchy format. With vocals that will easily worm their way into any listeners’ heart, “Hot Asphalt” will quickly capture anyone lucky enough to listen. The title track to “Hot Asphalt” has a funkier groove to start out things, shifting towards a sea shanty…
The guitar work that begins “Reality of the Fantasy” showcases a level of emotion that is a constant throughout the 9 cuts on the album. The care taken in the creation of these arrangements will immediately endear Sera to anyone listening in, all while creating a wholly unique style that resonates through the album. The rich narrative quality of the guitar work is something that is just not heard in…
With the decreasing effect that a band like Radiohead can honestly have in music, it only makes sense than a musician like Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead’s guitarist) will be trying to increase eir versatility. This is done well with eir soundtrack for Norwegian Wood, a Japanese film set in the early sixties that focuses on a couple that is tremendously affected by the death of one of their mutual friends. Charged…
Unwritten Law has been around for a hell of a long time. They first played music together all the way back in 1990, while “Blue Room”, their first album, was released in 1994. Over the course of these last twenty-one years, Unwritten Law has allowed their style to evolve and change considerably. What results in “Swan” is the band’s best-balanced album to date. The album begins with “Starships and Apocalypse”,…
Bands like Journey and Styx may have hijacked the 70’s nostalgia movement, but it’s musicians like Leon Russell that prove that decade was a lot more than tight jeans, poufy hair and neutered arena rock, dripping with saccharin. Lyrically Russell’s right up there with Bob Dylan and Neil Young with a voice just as distinctive as… well Bob Dylan and Neil Young. The 16 track Best of Leon Russell collection…
Rio will be one of the biggest animated features of 2011, and this is not only because the film is from the creators of Ice Age. Rather, Interscope has created a heck of a soundtrack for the film that ties together veteran musicians with up and coming performers. What results is a soundtrack that matches the action in the film along with creating a bold statement on its own. This…
“Sweet” is a track that comes forth with a number of distinct and unique styles. With a funky backdrop and a Mick Jagger-esque (think “Emotional Rescue”) approach taken by the vocals, listeners will immediately be enthralled by the band’s output. The electronic-infused arrangements that are present during “Sweet” will hearken back to the New Romantic movement of the early and mid-eighties, while there is a little bit of a harder,…
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart lit up a terribly dark first half of 2009 with their self-titled debut album, and were able to keep interest in the band high with their EP Higher Than the Stars. About 18 months later, and the band has just released what I feel to be their magnum opus, Belong. “Belong” acts as a microcosm of the different styles and feelings that are…
We here at NeuFutur do not get many Australian bands sending us material for coverage; despite possessing millions upon millions of citizens, this continent seems to be particularly barren when it comes to bands that possess the fire to become something bigger than mainstays at their local bar or venue.
The Low Anthem proves yet again why they’re critical favorites on their latest effort, Smart Flesh.
“I Won’t Remember Much!” is the first track on the iParty EP, and it immediately will hook listeners of individuals like Jay Sean, Taio Cruz, or even Owl City. With a blend of electronic and pop sounds present, “Remember Much” will ensure that listeners stick with Jay Aura through all of the four tracks on this EP. At a svelte three minutes, this track opens the iParty EP nicely and…
The Internet browsing experience is never complete without putting on some music. A rousing playlist, after all, sets the tone for not just your social networking activities, but for the entire day as well. The easy accessibility of music online allows you to get tons of free music downloads, and perhaps the most ideal source for such is Bearshare. Bearshare presents a highly functional, user friendly interface for you to…
It seems almost as if a number of musicians and bands take a few tracks to introduce themselves and come to the creation of a hit, but Kiseleff’s first effort on “A Sound Seal” is downright jaw-dropping. This track, “Quicksilver Universe”, builds off of the work of bands like New Order and Depeche Mode even while possessing a tempo that would make acts like Tiesto and Daft Punk jealous. “Savannah”…
World music has a number of distinct sounds and styles that comprise the overall genre, but Daniel Masson stands tall as one of the most unique musicians in the format. This is particularly true in his new album, “Frequencies”. From the first track, “Bluecolor” all the way out to the disc’s concluding cut, “The Backwaters”, there is no limitation to the different approaches and overall styles broached by Masson. “Jam…
Billy Joel’s decades long career has mirrored other pop musicians, most notably Neil Diamond: starting out a thoughtful writer/performer churning out one great song after another, before sliding into the over-produced slickness of the late 80’s, early 90’s churning out basic, paint by number radio ready hits with little effort or thought (“The River of Dreams”), laying low for awhile and finally hitting legendary status embraced by everyone from the…
The heavy bass line that begins “Adventures in Chaos” is reminiscent of Anthrax’s version of “Got The Time”. This properly-energetic track is the perfect introduction of the band to fans, and represents just one of the many high points that the disc has to offer. Intense vocals, splashy drums, and driving guitars all unite to create a track that straddles the line between rock and metal. “Bridge Too Far” switches…
I absolutely love when there is a good remaster or reissue of a forgotten disc. Sundazed’s 2011 version of the Blues Magoos 1966 classic is without fault. A quick glance of this 1,000-print limited edition disc showcases absolutely brilliant and vibrant cover art, while sticking the album into one’s player will show a similarly intense quality. This is due to the fact that Sundazed has procured the Mercury master reels,…
After faltering in the late nineties and early oughts, it seems as if vinyl has finally vanquished one challenger (cassette) and is looking for a tag team victory with iTunes against the flagging CD format. This blend of old music format and cutting-edge digital representations of music is mirrored perfectly in OFF!. OFF! is the new project by Keith Morris (Circle Jerks and Black Flag), taking up residence with Dimitri…
A great many of the bands that come from the United Kingdom possess a certain musical pedigree that presents itself audibly during their music. It becomes an easy feat for a great many of these bands to succeed based on this pedigree along, but a special kudos has to go out to any sort of band that looks to break free of this style. I have to contend that The…
The Last Act is a bluesy, metal-based act that immediately assaults listeners with their own blend of Metallica, Motorhead, and Dimmu Borgir. While absolutely brutal in its execution, “Still Standing” is a track that will have listeners singing along after their first listen. With a head full of steam, The Last Act continues to kick ass with their “No Chance…Again”. Despite blazing through the track with a grim grittiness, this…