To be honest, many of the rock bands from Indiana I’ve had to deal with in the past have been boring-as-hell nu-metal acts that provide no distinction from the legions of similar bands. The Nancy School come through in bolstering my low opinions about Indiana metal, as the beginnings to “Fancy Title”, specifically “Midshindeep” provide their listeners with a varied and technically proficient brand of metal. The dramatic intelligence of…
If there is not a tremendous seventies influence bringing Nagg to the studio for each track on this record, I would be amazed. There is more than a subtle hint of AOR rock here that seems to also grab some of their early punk (Undertones, Generation X) and moderates it slightly for current consumption. The production on this album is impeccable; the shrill guitars present on “Another Day” seem to…
It is so hard not to just think “Popular” when one listens to Nada Surf. It really is a shame, as the music contained on “The Weight Is A Gift” is truly another nail in the coffin for those individuals who felt that Nada Surf was a one-hit wonder. The slight twinge of Goo Goo Dolls and Uncle Tupelo (slide guitar) during the disc’s opening salvo “Do It Again” makes…
The full sound of this new band from Tairrie B (Tura Satana/Manhole) really is what invites listeners in during tracks like “Touch Me I’m Sick”. Everything is given a bass-heavy luster that allows the swampy-rock of the band to shine through. Couple that with sizzling guitar lines and arrangements that are similar in style to “Deliverance”-era Corrosion of Conformity, and the band has some serious positives to win people over…
The style of music that The Myriad plays is an ultimately polished and proper type of emo-meets-rock that has every member of the band join in in a very democratic way. The mastering on this disc is probably the best purveyor of this “everyone gets a shot” attitude; bass lines crust and swell at those moments where the supersonic vocals of Jeremy resound through the track. In fact, tracks like…
Not the type of cookie monster-emo culmination that many hardcore bands are latching onto for rapid success, My Revenge! mix together traditional Minor Threat / Sick of it All-style hardcore with traditional metal and 80s punk. For example, the opening track “Haddonfield Illinois” shows the influence of straight-forward punk, most noticeably The Misfits. Never one to slow down, each track on “Less Plot, More Blood” blasts through at about a…
Call me shallow, but I was not expecting My New Life to sound like they actually do – I’ve had their poster up on my wall for a few months, and I was expecting an indie-rock band. “Three Weeks” opens up “A Sad State of Affairs” and it compels individuals to listen through a very tight arrangement of music and a pop-punk sensibility that disappeared from the venue after Green…
In the same vein of emocore music as Coheed and Cambria and Story of the Year, My Chemical Romance mixes killer production with a silky-smooth set of vocals and equally compelling guitars. Swirling guitars as well as the technical abilities of the band make a track like “Give ‘Em Hell, Kid” fulfilling in both the musical and catchy senses. Never one to rest on their laurels, My Chemical Romance is…
This deluxe edition comes at a time when MxPx is trying to make a strong caser for their continued relevance in the land of emo, hardcore, emocore, and countless other bands with fades and girl pants. What could be better than releasing a deluxe edition of “Let It Happen”, a disc that showed to many that MxPx was capable of hanging with the big dogs of the time (Bad Religion,…
This is really what I’ve come to expect from Mustard Plug, as I have had the pleasure to review a number of their prior releases for inclusion at the local radio station. If you are at all familiar with Mustard Plug, you already know of their brand of infectious ska/punk. If you are wondering why Mustard Plug hasn’t been like the rest of the ska acts and turned to emo…
Even though these tracks span a time nearly fifteen years ago to the somewhat-present, the tracks at all times on “Masterpieces: 1991-2002” sound as fresh and as vital as if Mustard Plug just recorded them. The term “ska” is used by many individuals to really tie a band down to a specific (often-times Mighty Mighty Bosstones-like) sound, but Mustard Plug should really show anyone listening in that ska can be…
The band does not give much of an idea what they sound like from how this EP looks. It is covered in a plain white paper holder, and the cover of the CD is nothing more than two faces that put together look like the body of a violin. To say I have no clue what Musical Underground Theatre sound like is an understatement. With “Verse One”, individuals will be…
This is an all-star band if I ever heard one; Murder Disco X has members of Severed Head of State, Cluster Bomb Unit and Detestation. Of course, there have been a number of bands that have sucked it up royally that could be called “All-Star” (including acts like the Damn Yankees). However, there is no need to worry with Murder Disco X, as “Robots” starts off this disc with simple…
You would not expect this style of music when you hear that a band is named Murder By Death. Instead of being a crust or metal band, Murder By Death is an indie rock band that throws together a very vocal, Dylan-descendent style with strings and tribal drums. In fact, during the first track of “In Bocca Al Lupo” (“Boy Decide”), Murder By Death has a very Voltaire type of…
The funky style of Murdxa during “Lamb” is not going to win eir any fans. The style has been done a number of times, and while “Lamb” is a pop song, it does not break enough ground to make it into the hearts and minds of individuals. This happens a lot with aspiring pop stars; the individuals make pop songs but they do not imbue them with enough soul to…
Multiverse plays a very safe brand of rock that is more likely to be heard in coffee shops and frat houses than anywhere else. The style is an adult contemporary brand rock that is blended with an adequate amount of jazz and funky to create something that can be received equally well by all. The disc’s first track “Different Worlds” seems to portend the blend of styles, and while there…
After the introduction, “Unleash The Bastards” starts off Municipal Waste’s latest album “Hazardous Mutation”., The clarity in which Municipal Waste works may be the most shocking thing about the band, far outstripping the speed and intensity that this thrash act puts forth on every track of “Hazardous Mutation”. There are hints of “Rust in Peace”-era Megadeth, D.R.I., and much more present in the Waste’s style, but the inclusion of the…
Mummy The Peepshow is the first band that has been imported from Japan from Records of the Damned that really breaks free of the J-pop label. In fact, the first track on the disc (“Hide-And-Seek On The Turntable”) ties together Brassy with L7 to make a hard rocking and musically confident track. There is much of the same happening on the disc’s title track. The straight-forward dominance of the guitar…
Even though the music on “I Wish My Name Were Jack” was xcreated this last year, the compositions feel as if they could have came out years and year ago. The disc’s first track is “Salt Water Jam”, and it meanders around for a few minutes before Mullen moves on. This music is not for those individuals that wish to run or mosh to the guitar strains of an act.…
The way in which “Floating In The Clouds” starts is very sedate. If anything, one can hear the style of acts like Soul Asylum, Blues Traveler, and Rusted Roots in this track. In fact, the band builds their sound specifically on the style of these bands. The opening track is only three minutes long, and the slower tempo of M2B makes the three minute runtime of the song feel more…