“Age of Miracles”, the first track off of “Common Splendor”, is a fun little bit of alternative rock. Feldiken create a special musical style that takes up equal parts They Might Be Giants and Ben Folds, all while keeping their unique sound present. “Age of Miracles” has each element of the band working perfectly together, whether it be the vocals, splashy drums, synthesizer, or guitar. “Together In This Groove” changes…
A number of maxi-singles and EPs have a few iteration of an artist’s single, and Jita’s mini-EP “Power of One” does just that. However, I feel that Jita really goes above and beyond in regards to this concept, as she puts forth three distinct versions of the titular single. The style of music that comes forth on the studio version of “Power of One” is something that deftly blends pop,…
“Weight of His Words” is a track that is dominated by the acoustic guitar, and Madden taking the style of Tom Petty to heart. In this track, Madden attempts to fuse two distinct styles; mid-nineties alternative rock with the aforementioned style of Tom Petty. The beauty about “Gone” is that the compositions present all are airy while still having a great deal of clutter to them. For example, “Path of…
The mixture of hardcore and metal has been done to death, so to hear Machinemade God coming forth with that style during the opening riffs of “Losses to Lessons” should rightfully make people leery. However, the talent shown by the band in regard to the arrangements that dominate the disc should be seen as indicators of a great act. The guitar work done by Holger and Sky makes the most…
The musical style of Machacek and eir band on [Sic] is something that can best be described as electric jazz. The disc starts off with the title track, and it feels like a classical jazz song, except for the little bit of electronic sound that creeps in at points. The compositions are more like short symphonies rather than pop tracks; there are a number of different movements in each track…
“Lucy” is a track that establishes Lindsay Mac as a very distinctive singer, really bridging the distinctive sounds of Tori Amos and Alanis Morrisette, throwing in a minor amount of Mariah Carey for good measure. The full sound of the track really allow the vocal embellishments levied on the track by Lindsay to be even more emotionally affecting. The second track on “Small Revolution”, “Use Me” feels as if it…
I love albums that do not look like the music that they are trying to represent. This is the case with Mabus’ “Cheers, To Doomsday Gloom”. Mabus plays a brand of hardcore (through emocore) that uses a lot of sludge metal influences to create something that is tied both to the past and the present. “One’s Nosedive is Another’s Parade” has a decidedly eighties metal flair to it that struggles…
The tenderness in which Lydia couches their entire “This December” is really similar to that of Boys Night Out during their “Trainwreck” album. Dual vocals are the norm, with both a male and female creating something that is extraordinarily full. The spirited vocals of Evan are reminiscent of both Chris Carrabba and Conor Oberst, while Maria’s sound like a mixture of both Boys Night Out and The Anniversary’s vocalists. Tracks…
Lycia should be considered one of the most important acts in goth rock, but has not yet gotten the publicity it deserves. With the re-release of “Estrella”, these wrongs can finally be corrected. Lycia starts out “Estrella” with “Clouds in the Southern Sky”, a very ethereal, instrumental track that meshes well with the backdrop for “El Diablo”. “El Diablo” showcases the haunting vocals of Tara Vanflower even as the instrumentation…
Two tracks that equal over fifty minutes. Here I was expecting a quick in and out and I am involved for a considerable length of time. However, “Cloudland” has a difference to it that really allows DAC and Jim to allow their songs to really shine. The first track, “Watercourse” really does not have an adequate title to it as the sounds elicited by the duo do not really have…
The style of music that Lullaby Baxter does on “Garden Cities of To-morrow” is something that has not been heard since Petula Clark was selling millions of records. Where individuals like Bjork have touched upon the style in previous years and acts like The Propellerheads have tied it into different forms of music, Lullaby Baxter’s style on this disc would fit in perfectly with the sixties. “Cardboard Armoured Car” is…
While some of the reviews out on this album has them being compared to The Replacements, a comparison which is valid, I completely see the general sound of the sprawling guitars and Ben’s vocals being more indicative of A Boy Named Goo-era Goo Goo Dolls. Each of the album’s 12 tracks spin through without any major shifts in the general sounds, embodying a cohesiveness that is hard to find in…
I had been looking forward to the new Lucero disc since I first heard about it, as 2003’s That Much Further West was one of the best albums of that year. “Watch It Burn” looks back more to bands like The Replacements and Husker Du instead of Uncle Tupelo, infusing each track on “Nobody’s Darlings” with more rock. The guitar work on tracks like “Anjalee” maintain the same aura of…
There is a heavy amount of country influence during the opening of “What We Whisper”. The composition that starts off the disc is “You Knew It Well”, and the country sound comes in when the lap steel washes over the composition. There is a hint more of country when Lucas sings; eir style is like a blend of Johnny Cash and Chris Isaak. The slow tempo of the first track…
I had heard snippets of this band for a decent period before actually laying my hands on the record itself. While everything that I’ve read about the band tags them as pop-punk wunderkinds, I would have to disagree. The music which Del Cielo puts out goes so far beyond the limitations of a loaded term like pop-punk into a term that is almost as derogatory : alternative. If they put…
The energy in which The Trolleyvox start out their “The Karaoke Meltdown” is pretty impressive, to say the least. “Just You Wait” is able to gain a little bit fro the punk spirit with its splashy drums and powerful vocals. The fact that the track is done and over with barely after the song hits the two minute mark shows further evidence for this link. However, the main stylistic influence…
The opening strains of “Big City Lights” start out a little nebulous, but rapidly fall into a hard-hitting indie rock style that has hints of Radiohead and the more emotive rock of Appleseed Cast and Fugazi present. There does not need to be any vocals at this opening section of the disc, as the instrumentation contains a vocal presence (the higher registers of the synthesizer) and the contributions are complex…
Low Flying Jets – Love Is In The Air / 2005 Self / http://www.lowflyingjets.com / Reviewed 09 January 2006 There is no limit to exactly how much Low Flying Jets sound like Interpol in the first track on “Love Is In The Air”. To be honest, this is a thread that weaves itself through a majority of the tracks on the disc, but the band really starts to make a…
The crunch of hard rock that hits listeners during “Mass Denial, Massive Guilt” seems to be much more in the vein of late nineties rock, but when the vocals kick in, something that is much more close to At The Drive-In is created. The vocals do hit a Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) style at point, but for the vast majority of “Mass Denial, Massive Guilt”, the At The Drive-In comparison…
The beginning of a song like “Frantic” is fairly standard, but then The Lovely Feathers kick into high gear, almost taking a punk like approach to think. This mixture of emo and indie rock, a number of different vocals and styles make this song a perfect introduction to the band. There is just not a referent that individuals can latch onto; this is not an example of a band that…