Mahi Mahi play a bizarre, fun band of herky-jerky dance music that has as much to do with The Locust as it does with Gigi D’Agostino. In fact, during tracks like “I Can’t Hear You”, the unnecessarily clunky drumbeats of the track even begin to recall the demo-led recordings of Wesley Willis and a Ritalin-fed Atom and His Package. The aforementioned “I Can’t Hear You” has a synth/drum dichotomy that…
Aside from their magazine, Filter has to be doing something right . Magnet is the next act that will undoubtedly hit it big, and it is not because they are primped and primed for the big time. Rather, Magnet is a diverse sounding band that will infuriate the hearts of listeners to the point that they cannot stand it; “The Tourniquet” is the equivalent of the melting pot that is…
Magicicada elicits a Native American type of feel to the first track on “Everyone Is Everyone”, “Coso Joru”. There is not much else to this track besides a humming that is present throughout the song’s six minute runtime. In what can only be described as a noise approximating that of a human heart, the atmosphere created by Magicicada from the get-go is very organic, even if (I would venture) most…
“Skipping Stones” starts off with an emotionally-full piano line that goes into some serious harmonies soon after. The great thing about this is that it opens up into a very reggae-infused sound, with horns to boot. There are no vocals present, but there is little need for them; the arrangements are that full and impressive that the inclusion of the vocal at the onset was not necessary. This is not…
There is a heavy sixties sound to the opening of Mad Tea Party’s album. This song is “62 Years”, and while it resides in a different style than what is popular today, there is a humbleness to this composition that will allow it to be appreciated by a larger audience. In a sense, Ami’s vocals sound like Suzanne Vega and Jill Sobule; this tie to the present will also make…
Alive in Stereo come forth on their self-titled release with a very intense and emotionally-driven rock style. The band immediately puts everything into the red, with equal intensity given to the vocals, drums, and guitars, giving “Change Things” the perfect amount of oomph. “Impossible” improves on this first salvo, with a clarity of composition and grit that will remind listeners of Skillet and even Stabbing Westward. While “Change Things” was…
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…