It is interesting to see the evolution of Darius Rucker’s musical career. Where ey had a tremendous amount of success as the leader of Hootie and the Blowfish, many fans have not had the chance to pick up eir later works. From the forgotten-about 2002 release “Back To Then” out to 2008’s blockbuster “Learn to Live”, Rucker’s post-Hootie career has rapidly taken off. “Charleston, SC 1966” is an album that…
Noisy while still being melodic, Utah’s New Transit Direction provides the best of both worlds (emo and Jawbreaker-punk), starting out their first album, “Wonderful Defense Mechanisms” with the full-sounding “Fictional”. Moving to incorporate some of the early-nineties Soundgarden/Tad metal-brand of grunge in “Survival 101”, The New Transit Direction still varies things enough to ensure listeners can never draw a bead on the band. Josh’s vocals occupy a middle space where…
YUMMY YUMMY VIOLINS! Thank you, The New Tragedies for your pleasant little contribution to my day right in track one. “Vanity, Vanity” is a picturesque 10-song partner to sit shotgun on those days where you rock your shades, windows down and just drive anywhere you feel. A friend you can laugh and cry with. Loving the luau vibe in “Talk to Me”. Nice falsetto! Calming yet not weak. And beautiful…
The country overtones that begin “Dead Man’s Shoes” colour this disc from the outset, with individuals only needing a few seconds to get a first impression from Mark Newman. However much of a country influences may be during the beginning few minutes of “Must Be A Pony”, there are equal hints of indie and rock present, to increase the amount of listeners considerably. The blend of country and funk that…
“Hope/Fiction” is the first full track that Lauren K Newman starts off eir “Postulate I” with, and to say that is defies convention is a great first step for trying to understand what exactly it is that Newman tries to do here. So many different and disparate struggles are striving for dominance during this track, a tendency that is continued wholeheartedly for “Prognosis”. At least “Prognosis” has Newman taking a…
The New Lou Reeds have probably the most dead-on name in the whole of music today, as they start off “Screwed” with a direct Velvet Underground-influenced track in “The Gutter”. From the grungy production value to the detatched style of singing, The New Lou Reeds would make a believer out of the old Lou Reed. The vocals laid down by Stephe DK have a Mojo Nixon-twang to them that really…
Country music is a genre in which it seems tremendously hard to break through. The number of established acts that are on the charts at any one time are few, and consist largely of those performers that have been doing their thing for a number of years. However, this trend may yet change with the release of The Band Perry’s first, self-titled album. This album was able to practically reach…
I was really wondering where New Found Glory was going to go since “Catalyst” do not do all that well. This would be a very important album for New Found Glory, that is sure. The second that I turned on “It’s Not Your Fault”, I heard that the band had invested a large amount in a much more mature, more emo-located type of music. This was done to the detriment…
The New England Roses make an album in “Face Time With Son” that does not have the polish of a more-major type of album. The vocals present on a track like “Dancing Nancies” sounds more similar to something out of The Sissies’ vein of thing more than the buffed sound of PJ Harvey. Interestingly enough “Blood Blood Blood” seems to use the lightest hint of the Civil War song “My…
The opening for “Surf” does not sound like its title genre, but rather of a spontaneous type of noise-rock that is not necessarily borne out by the music present on the track. In fact, the incredibly quick bass lines during the track give the song an incredible amount of harmony. The track eventually gets off of its trackos and the resulting chaos brings the previously mentioned bout of noise into…
Let me make it clear that I’ve never been into a church for service in my life. I found Christian music to be enjoyable for quite a few months back in high school and the first year or so of college, and there is still a soft spot in my heart for a few acts out there. In the last few years, there has been an expansion of bands that…
New Bruises play a very confident brand of punk rock in the vein of old Offspring and Against Me! . The disc really gets started with “Bigger Isn’t Always Better. Yes, Texas this Means You”, but does not quit with the subsequent tracks on the disc. The arrangements on “Transmit! Transmit!” are not necessarily at the cutting edge of music, but in treading well-traveled roads the band connects well with…
There is something about the music on “Story Like A Scar” that will titillate listeners at every turn; is it just that the lyrics do not match the sedate sounds of a track like “The Death of Us”, or the fact that the band itself rests on these same type of contradictions? Amazon links The New Amsterdams to Rocky Votolato, and I’d have to say that the comparison works. The…
“35 Hours” is a great introduction to the Neurotic Swingers, as it shows them as purveyors of an early (read 1990)-era Green Day cut in with more than a fair shake of rockabilly. This means that the tracks on “Sexy & Mysterious” are catchy but still contain a modicum of solid musicianship and interesting arrangements. “Grand New Wave” shows the band as purveyors of a style that is not changed…
The album art of Neurosonic’s “Drama Queen” does leave me a bit scared, bearing a queen with fangs and blood running in the corners of her mouth. But the first track takes the fear away, the opening is really good. The fast sung lyrics remind me of Thousand Foot Krutch. It isn’t annoying as it sometimes can be, the lyrics are understandable. As it turns out, the openings on all…
Coming from out in left field, I really didn’t know what to expect from this album, as I had only familiarized myself with one Neurosis album in the past. Neurosis puts a continually crackling and haunting backdrop for Jarboe, who takes up eir’s role as the typical female-goth vocalist. While the disc might be a little daunting, containing only eight tracks for a total running time of about sixty moinutes,…
The herky-jerky tone that Neon Blonde starts off “Chanderliers in the Savannah” is raucous and loud, but has some form of harmonics hiding behind all the brash and bold arrangements. “Cherries In Slow Motion” mixes perfectly parts of seventies rock (perfectly exemplified with the fabulous vocals and piano present on the track) with the traditional noise of bandfs like The Locust and Lightning Bolt. Interestingly enough, Neon Blonde really break…
After a typical opening for a rap album, Nemasis and Jay Womack come out with “Fo Sho”, which is pretty solid when they keep the flow, instead of the number of talking breaks. I’m sure that this is a tactic just to show exactly how street they are, but the simple fact is that these little interruptions make it difficult to enjoy the flow that they have. Moving onto “Intro”,…
This album sample is mixed quietly, which actually is a detriment to what is already a quiet band. Neon Sleep is an emotive rock band in the style of Ani DiFranco and Sloan, albeit with more electricity crackling through the tracks than either of them. Opening up the disc with “The Lights In This Town Are Faded”, Neon Sleep miffs a little bit by allowing some of the background noises…
I’ll probably be strung up and gutted for saying this, but the Nekromantix mix the best elements of Insane Clown Posse and Misfits to create one of the most innovative and refreshing albums of the early year. Whether it is the chugging bass of “BackStagePass To Hell”, or the rock-a-billy beat of the follow-up track, “MoonChaser”. Throughout the entire disc, there just are no slower-tempoed tracks to be found; everything…