Listeners are greeted on “Many Waters” by an instrumental composition that has an incredible amount of narrative quality. With equal amounts classical, Enya, and even the arrangement intensity of an act like the Trans Siberian Orchestra playing out, “Many Waters” is brought to the next plateau when Cloud’s vocals begin. At times providing the narrative, at other bolstering the instrumental arrangements, Cloud’s vocals really are versatile.
We really do not get enough rap music at NeuFutur. While we scour other media outlets like XXL and try to keep current with a site like Mixtape Torrents, Sab had previously flown under our radar. However, we received a copy of “The Artist” a few days ago and have made sure it’s been stuck in our stereo since then. The disc starts up with “Lookin’ At Girls”, a single…
“Walts In The Snow” is a great track in that it shows that Bird Call utterly refuses to be constrained by genre or style classifications. Listeners will find that this first track breeds familiarity, but will be unable to put their finger on a specific set of artists. This mysterious sound is further expanded upon with “The Animals Know”’s second track, “Berlin”. I feel that “Berlin” is a solid track…
The sheer expansiveness of the beginning of Nathan Sexton’s Grave is amazing. Beginning with a set of vocals that come right out of the James Taylor playbook, Sexton’s voice interacts with the epic instrumentation to flitter between David Bowie and Bob Dylan. “Satellite” is a much harder-rocking track, with the guitars struggling with Sexton’s voice for dominance. By putting the two sides of the act against each other, I feel…
“The Part Of Me You’ve Thrown Away” is bound to be one of the biggest tracks of this summer, as it has a catchy hook and a sunny disposition. This is not to say that the rest of the tracks on “Overblown” can be written off, but the fact that Madrepore immediately hooks listeners in at that early spot of the disc bodes well for the rest of the album.…
“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…