Kaddisfly plays a wide-open, atmospheric style that puts them off from all other bands that are on the market. The band has had a few albums with which to create their own sound, but songs like “Summer Solstice” put them off in a completely different direction. “Campfire” is a track that conforms much more to the conventions of emo music. In this track, there are nods to acts like Coheed…
This band is more like a laid-back Against Me! than even I would care to admit. Where Against Me! is more political, Just a Fire tends to experiment a greater deal with general sound, moving from electricjazzfunk in “Hot Export” to a slowed down tempo in “Graduation”. Everything is here for the amateur listener to say “Well, there is not a real tie to any genre, any general sound, and…
I had heard a lot about The Juliet Dagger, but did not have the ability to review them until I received this single in the mail. This single (which I am not sure if it will be released to the public) has as its’ A-side “Saturday Morning”. This track is very synth led, and will remind individuals of the shoegazer pop of acts like The Red Hot Valentines, although blended…
Juggernott is another of the Greencastle band that really are more intense and impressive in a live session. The mastering and recording on “Necessary Evil” is top-shelf, but even it is not able to proper re-create the fury that Juggernott brings to each venue they play. The guitars, laid down by Barry Bollinger, are given an equal stake in the process, something that really is hidden at times in the…
There is a certain type of rest-filled sound to Kaddisfly; everything is not done with the burning intensity that is present in many other emo bands. However, there seems to be some syncretism with more sedate, “stoner” types of rock (Pink Floyd, Sublime) to create a sound that comes closer to At The Drive In and 311 than anything. The one thing that this change of style really does for…
“Get Your Green On” is an eclectic track. In the course of only four minutes, One World (R)evolution are able to take on distinct musical approaches from the seventies, eighties, nineties and today. The overall rock style is a funk-filled one, with a number of gear changes that keep the track interesting. “Stop The Insanity” continues furthering this rock sound, but puts the slightest bit of country into the track.…
“Not Long For This World” is a track that showcases the eclectic nature of “Cole Porter’s Blues”, with a number of distinct genres and musical styles broached in the course of four minutes. With listeners properly prepped for what is to come on “Cole Porter’s Blues”, Michel Ackermann creates a more expansive and slower tempoed track in “How Long?” The vocals and instruments here unite to create something ethereal, airy,…
“Whiskey & Cocaine” is the first track that listeners will sink their teeth into when they get their copy of Thee Nosebleeds’ self-titled release. This is an absolutely balls to the wall type of track that comes forth from the early eighties heavy rock / metal style of Iron Maiden, onward through the thrash-laden riffs of speed bands like Anthrax, and even comes forth to the current brutality preferred by…
Eighties synthpop, ambient, dance, modern classical music – these are all different words that fit appropriately to how Me, Three begin their “The Space Race”. Despite the act’s unique sound, the act is able to create a lively narrative in this track that will have listeners following the songs out to its post-four minute end. The band is able to avoid the pitfalls that a number of more experimental acts…
There is a lot present in JR Ewing’s style that I feel has its precedent in other famed acted. The first track on “Maelstrom” matches with the title of the album perfectly. The brutal guitar and drum interaction that happens during the average second of this track is nothing to scoff at; the inclusion of an acoustic guitar at points bring the band into an At The Drive-In meets Fugazi…
For J+J+J, think a more spastic version of Junior Senior, tempered by the electro-buzz of Lolita Storm. The music has been completed in toto by electronic instruments, with tracks like “Skeeball Vs. The Mall” working its club magic with nothing more than a drum machine and a synthesizer The sound of the entirety of “They Hump While We Go Nuts” is very cohesive, as a casual listener will be hard-pressed…
J. Page’s sound, specifically in the vocals has a comparable sound to Columbus’ own Rise and Shine. The use of guitar lines that seem drawn from the early nineties, especially during “Dying staying Here” really gives the band a timelessness to their sound that ensures that dated-ness of their music will not happen. The wall of sound present on the aforementioned “Dying Staying Here” gives a perfect backdrop for J.…
Joy Zipper, on their “American Whip” plays a dreamy brand of alt, indie-rock that draws heavily from the mod scene as well as later rockers like Matthew Sweet. While a track like “Baby You Should Know” contains a quick and peppy beat, the much nuanced “33x” has a subtle and incredibly catchy style to it that is only furthered by the inclusion of a sound that is very ambient-based. The…
Journey seem to have the same sort of energy that really marked them as purveyors of rock in the early eighties. The opening track to the disc, “Faith in the Heartland” ties together some of the soaring guitars of early U2 and even throw a little Who into the mix. There is no lack of energy on “Generations”, and the only thing that seems to have changed about Journey in…
The opening of “Gleipnirs Smeder” is really not that impressive. In fact, almost the first two minutes of the track is something that sounds more like a brick of noise than anything leading into the brand of metal that Jotunspor would eventually lead their listeners into. It takes the band a good five mionutes to get into the meat and potatoes of “Gleipnirs Smeder”, but when they get into that,…
Very predictable style of lyrics that are backed up with a Husker Du instrumental style, and a vocalist that sounds like a mixture of Justin Sane, Rivers Cuomo and John Rzeznik. A form of alt-country that is nowhere near as experimental as those earliest Uncle Tupelo or Whiskeytown albums, but where it lacks in experiment it really gains in the lush recording and pop-influences. “The Town’s Old Fair” is the…
Starting out with nothing more than a piano and an almost whispered-out voice, Jorma makes it painfully clear that this is his record, putting this seven-minute composition on the listeners plate instead of some fancier and more gaudy track. Oddly enough, “Clocks in the Sun” is cut from the same fabric as another decidedly lo-fi track, in the surprise dance hit “Shake Your Booty” by Josh Jenkins. Repetitive to prove…
Jonuh’s “The Fight” starts off this EP, and what immediately results from this track is a realization that the band likes itself a LOT of Yellowcard. In fact, Yellowcard is pretty much the only influence that one can hear on this early track. To their credit, there is much more of a rock sound that is present during this opening track than what the aforementioned band typically inserted into their…
Jonny Lives starts off their “Get Steady” with a brand of current, alternative rock (a la Weezer and the Lonely H) that has tremendous dues to give to sixties rock (for a more current comparison, rent a copy of That Thing You Do and you’ll get an idea). “No Good” is the perfect introduction to the disc, as the splashy drums and strong vocals are a perfect introduction to the…
John Shaffer – Change / 8 Songs / 2004 Self-Released / http://www.johnshaffermusic.com / jshaffer4634@comcast.net / Reviewed 24 May 2004 Firmly planting its roots in the Sting/Peter Gabriel/Michael Bolton sphere of things, John Shaffer has made a disc that works extraordinarily well as a background disc. The instrumentation on “Change” might be incredibly rich, but everything is produced with the same laid-back tempo that doesn’t lend itself well to exciting and…