“P.R. Song” starts off “Modern Primitive Punk”, and Kcuf comes forth with a style that lends itself well to the thrash-punk that hit it big during the early part of the eighties in places like California. The simplistic riffs of the track smash listeners upside the head and show that the band does honestly not give a shit whether individuals call them repetitive. What one will immediately hear about Kcuf…
While all the Brits are extolling the virtues of Kava Kava, the United States haven’t had the ability to get their new album, “Maui” until now. Starting off with intense dance-music (ntense as in Junior Senior, not the 300bpm dance marathon tracks), Kava Kava’s rich instrumentation and solid production ensure for a tremendous experience. The tracks on “Mauyi” are mini-epics, using the extended lengths of some of the longer pop-dance…
With immediate influences to Converge and Hidden In Plain View, Kane Hodder does the light/dark dynamic of vocals impressively, with the light set of vocals capturing all the harmony and melody of Ryan (Yellowcard) as well as Serj (SOAD) and the dark set being fairly par for the course. Moving perilously close to the insincere arena rock of later-day U2 in the late minutes of “Last of the Anti-Fascist Warriors”,…
This may just be the first progressive metal band that I have heard use a pitch changer; this occurs first on “March of Mephisto”, which is a Middle Eastern influenced romp that gives the opening of “The Black Halo” proper energy. The band speeds things up considerably during “When the Lights Are Down”, mixing crystal-clear guitar work with breakneck drumming and a set of vocals that approximate early-nineties Iron Maiden…
“Raindrops” starts out slowly, but Kalli seems to bring more and more elements into the track without losing anyone along the way. Still, by the time that the track gains a little steam, all that is needed is a guitar and drums. The vocals come in in much the same way as a Melissa Etheridge or a Joe Cocker, all while the driving instrumentation lifts the vocals to a new…
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,…