Category: Music Reviews

Posted on: September 22, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Men of Gentle Birth – Ye Of Little Faith (CD)

I had tried to ignore reviewing this EP for the longest possible time, because I had no clue how the Men of Gentle Birth (formerly Blacks) were going to be able to re-created their tremendous live act. However, they have been paired up with the best production and mastering, allowing for them to shine in all the right places without necessarily opening up the tracks too far and losing some…

Posted on: September 21, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

The Memory Band – Apron Strings (CD)

The guitar that opens up a song like “I Wish I Wish” is very traditional sounding, with the female vocals that are paired with the guitar giving the act a more complete approacvh. While the music was created in 2006, there is nothing saying that this type of music – and the band that created it, The Memory Band – could not be from an earlier period. The production is…

Posted on: September 21, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

The Melvins – Mangled Demos From 1983 (CD)

The Melvins, I thought, were a metal band. Two things really made me change my mind on that synopsis: first off, the album that Jello Biafra did with these guys, and secondly, this album. “Mangled Demos From 1983” might be from over twenty years ago, but the re-vamped sound of this album (long found as a bootleg) makes the intensity of The Melvins almost as if they were playing for…

Posted on: September 21, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Mellowdrone – Box (CD)

Mellowdrone really link the sound of their band during tracks like “C’Mon Try A Little Bit” to their title; the mellow drone of the band in all facets of output (instrumentation or vocals). There is a little electronic/techno edge to “Oh My” which immediately draws a parallel to acts like Nine Inch Nails; the off-kilter sounds of the band that come soon after really distinguish them from the former act.…

Posted on: September 20, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

John Mellencamp – Freedom’s Road (CD)

There are a number of individuals that have been gone from the popular purview that have released albums in the first quarter of 2007. Kenny Wayne Shepherd and John Mellencamp are two of those individuals. As many know, John Mellencamp was the mastermind behind such rock standards as “Jack and Diane” and “Pink Houses”. Mellencamp would resurface again in 1993 with a cover of the Van Morrison track “Wild Night”,…

Posted on: September 20, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Medications – Self/Titled EP (CD)

Rush and Dream Theatre immediately mix with Weezer to create a current yet aged sound. This “aged” factor, pretty much a reinventing of the shoegazer genre of the mid-nineties, is strengthened through the omnipresent bass by Chad Molter on tracks like “Safe and Sorry”. “Safe and Sorry” benefits from a highly technical guitar arrangement that also recalls the best of sixties rocks like The Kinks. Devin’s vocals, best described as…

Posted on: September 20, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Ed Mecija – S/T (CD)

Hey, I had no idea that Ed would be doing rap no this EP. To be honest, there was little that told what type of music that the EP had on it on the front cover. The style of the EP’s first track, “Beautiful Friend”, is very Spartan. The only thing that is a constant during that track are the vocals of Mecija. The flow seems a little rushed at…

Posted on: September 17, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Sacred 13 – Jagged Regrets (CD)

Sacred 13 is an act that skillfully blends rock with a much harder and grittier sound, immediately inviting listeners in with “Secrets”. Perhaps most interesting has to be the grind the band gets into during the track and how exactly it interacts with the vocals laid down here. “Lifeless” keeps things interesting, with a little bit of electronic noise inserted into the track. What was a more instrumentally-lead band during…

Posted on: September 17, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Circledown – Mobius Sampler (CD)

We here at NeuFutur have been lucky enough to snag the earliest tracks that Circledown has released as part of their “Mobius” LP. The album, which is slated to come out in February, 2011, showcases an absolutely intense band. “Re-constitute”, for example, is a track that ties together musical references as diverse as Static-X, Linkin Park, Fear Factory, and even Machine Head in one furious and intricate metal track. The…

Posted on: September 17, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

Downslave – Cost of Freedom (CD)

“Unnamed” is the first salvo that Downslave shoots at their listeners, and it is pretty immediately that one can hear Papa Roach, old school Megadeth, and even Hellyeah in this straight-forward, intense bit of metal. With a production hat virtually ensures that the band will break it big, “Cost of Freedom” has it all. “Cost of Freedom” varies things up, giving the drums a highlight that properly shows the talent…

Posted on: September 13, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Meat Loaf (feat. Marion Raven) – It’s All Coming Back To Me Now (CD)

This is one of the songs that broke Celine Dion huge in the adult contemporary market here in the United States. It is thus tied to eir, as pretty much anyone that was cognizant and listening to the radio heard eir rendition way too many times. Now, apparently this song was originally written for Meatloaf. I can understand that; “I’ll Do Anything For Love” has the same general type of…

Posted on: September 13, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Meat Loaf – Bat Out Of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (CD)

It has been over a decade since Meat Loaf came out with eir last CD. However, it was right around the same amount of time since the first “Bat Out of Hell” CD was released to the world, so I suppose that Meat Loaf has created a trend in eir own right. The first track is “The Monster is Loose”, and it has a harder sound than any of Meat…

Posted on: September 13, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Measles Mumps Rubella – Fantastic Success (CD)

Is the style of music that Measles Mumps Rubella play influenced by the current angular sound of bands like Franz Ferdinand or something that seems to have more in common with the dance music of the eighties. Either way, “Algorithm of Desire” is a track that will get individuals on the dance floor. There is a considerable inorganic presence to this track, but the inclusion of breathing and a flawed…

Posted on: September 12, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Larkin McLean – X-Rated Musical (CD)

Remember that episode of Family Guy where Lois starts singing cabaret at Peter’s bar in the basement of their house? Larkin McLean tries to add a few songs to Lois’ repertoire with songs that are simultaneously strong and sultry, such as “Do I Still Love You”. The track is influenced by jazz and the entire lounge movement of the fifties and early sixties, while the production value of the disc…

Posted on: September 12, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Sarah McLachlan – Bloom Remix Album (CD)

It is really hard to come up with a review of a remix album considering that we have not had the pleasure of hearing the album that was the impetus for these remixes. Still, the tracks can be evaluated on the merit that they alone hold, which means that the opening track “World On Fire”, despite its extended time provides listeners with a solid beat and a compelling use of…

Posted on: September 12, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 1

MC Homeless – Pink Unicorns (CD)

MC Homeless is an artist around the Northeast corner of Ohio. “Chamapgne Wishes” is the first track on the disc, and it starts off with Homeless flowing over a sample from The Smiths (How Soon is Now?). The sample really allows Homeless to shine brighter, as it pushes various phrases and fragments to the forefront while acting like a nest for the weaker sections of the rap. Continuing the delightful…

Posted on: September 11, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Clit 45 – 2,4,6,8 We’re The Kids You Love To Hate (CD)

The shouted-out vocals that start out “2,4,6,8” bode well for Clit 45. The style of punk music that hits listeners’ ears are quick and streetpunk influenced, with guitars that are influenced by the Bad Religion school of music. There are few times that individuals can breathe on this disc, and this is not because Clit 45 is obnoxious, but rather that the band kicks it into high gear whenever they…

Posted on: September 11, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Mazing Vids – Ride the Rings (CD)

Coming out with “Ride the Rings”, Mazing Vids are a two-piece act from New York. However, that is pretty much all I can discern about the band, as this EP is really good at pounding the same general sound into my ears for nearly eighteen minutes. Throughout the entire disc, all instruments morph into one large mass that is virtually impossible to disassemble – including voice. Everything on the disc…

Posted on: September 11, 2010 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0

The Paperbacks – Lit From Within (Parliament of Trees)

It was a little more than overkill when The Smashing Pumpkins put out their double album in 1995, so the fact that The Paperbacks, a Canadian indie pop band with little recognition outside of the Pitchfork crowd, gave their latest release the double record treatment seems downright ballsy. A two disc, 32 track album in the era of iTunes is a little unheard of in 2010.

Posted on: September 11, 2010 Posted by: Sargeant Comments: 0

Mazarin – We’re Already There (CD)

Mazarin plays a brand of hygienic synth-pop that actually moves beyond the weaknesses exhibited with the genre and comes up with an intricate and compelling style through their tracks that simply forces people to listen in. Mazarin just does not like sticking in one specific style of music; “For Energy Infinite” moves back to the indie-rock style, replete with jangling guitars that was such a rage during the mid to…