The chaos that Hopewell throws in from the onset of “ Hopewell & The Birds of Paradise”, including a number of middle-eastern sounding instruments, horns, and dreamy-pop vocals really is enough to make listeners’ ears perk up. “Calcutta” comes to the plate with a much more traditional and coherent assault on Hopewell’s listeners, but does not completely abandon the Bacchic nature of the first track. The ropey bass present on…
Honeyhander – Woolly Mannerisms / 2005 S.A.F. / 5 Tracks / http://www.honeyhander.com / http://www.safrecords.com / Reviewed 29 September 2005 The distended vocals of Marilyn Manson hide themselves behind an eighties-influenced, synthesizer-heavy sound for “Wear Our Your Muscles Maryâ€. The track is a little repetitious, as the disotortion on the vocals renders everything into a mush from no words can escape. This mixture is decidedly low-key, and really smacks more of…
Honeycreeper – Freakqualizer / 2005 Planet A / 11 Tracks / http://www.honeycreeper.net / Reviewed 15 October 2006 At first blush, I thought Honeycreeper was going to come with a very jam band type of sound. “Your Voice†is the first track on the disc, and the female vocals are different enough that individuals will largely ignore the rest of the instrumentation on the track. This is not to say that…
The Honorary Title – Anything Else But The Truth / 2004 Doghouse Records / 12 Tracks / http://www.thehonorarytitle.com / http://www.doghouserecords.com / Reviewed 18 September 2004 The Honorary Title play a style of college-rock that is reminiscent of Lucero, Weezer and early Goo Goo Dolls, back before the latter had completely turned into the adult contemporary juggernaut they are currently. The rich mastering of “Anything Else But The Truth” allows for…
It’s hard to imagine Fairmont front man Neil Sabatino was once a punk rocker. His work with New Jersey’s Fairmont is more likely to bring up descriptions like “lush” and “atmospheric”. On the band latest effort, the six-song EP “The Meadow At Dusk,” indie rockers Fairmont stuck to the same style (thankfully) that made 2008’s “Transcendence” such an enjoyable record, but have added in an extra vocalist.
The Holy Mountain – Bloodstains Across Your Face in Decline / 2004 No Idea / 16 Tracks / http://www.noidearecords.com / http://www.noidearecords.com/bands/releases/holymountain_blood.html / Reviewed 28 January 2005 The pedigree on The Holy Mountain is impressive, taking members from Combatwoundedveteran and The Blackout Terror, but is “Bloodstains Across Your Face…†any good? Well, the music contained on this disc is beyond brutal, reminiscent of eighties-style hardcore with more than a little metal…
Hollow Ground – Cold Reality / 2006 Organized Crime Records / 6 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/hollowground / http://www.organizedcrimerecords.com / Reviewed 26 April 2006 The rough opening that “Cold Reality†has is not a result by any lack of maturity or talent on Hollow Ground’s part, but rather a desire to keep step for step with established bands like Hatebreed. The screamed-out vocals that first assault listeners during songs like “Ill Fate 
Jolie Holland – Springtime Can Kill You / 2006 Anti / 12 Tracks / http://www.jolieholland.com / http://www.anti.com / Reviewed 07 June 2006 To say that Holland’s vocals are not bizarre is to lie to one’s self. There is an interesting way that Holland chews eir vocals during “Crush in the Ghettoâ€. Most of the vocals are unaffected, but at the end of each line there seems to be this curiosity.…
“Awake Now†begins “Heads We Winâ€, and it skillfully ties together rock music from the seventies (Foghat, AC/DC, Boston), alternative music from the nineties (Weezer, Black Crowes) and current efforts (Buckcherry) into something that is hard-hitting while catchy to a large fan base. “Song About Revenge†starts out with crunchy guitars, splashy drums, and takes no prisoners in the band’s creation of timeless rock that will remind listeners of leather-enrobed…
Italian Japanese is a very atmospheric band that uses silence just as much as instrumental compositions to craft “The Lush, Romantic Weirdnessâ€. Despite the track only running a hair under four minutes, “Jeremiah†is an epic track. There is little more here than vocals, guitars, and very slight amounts of drums, yet there is a fullness here that requires that listeners go through the track numerous times to hear what…
Very few albums are able to keep listeners compelled and actively interacting with a band or individual throughout every single cut. Even albums seen by many to be nigh-perfect, like the Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness†or the Mothers of Invention’s “Freak Out!â€, have a few tracks that fail to deliver. Sonarpilot’s Mothership is one of the few double albums cut in the last five or ten…
The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday / 2005 Frenchkiss / 11 Tracks / http://www.theholdsteady.com / Reviewed 26 April 2005 The Hold Steady start off “Separation Sunday†with a very confusing style that really mixes a Tim Armstrong-style of vocal and ska-influenced guitar riffs with a Talking Heads-like structure. In what seems to be an ode to a more pissed off Conor Oberst, Hold Sunday’s “â€Cattle and the Creeping Thing†uses…
Hit The Switch – Domestic Tranquility & Social Justice / 2006 Nitro / 12 Tracks / http://www.hittheswitch.net / http://www.nitrorecords.com / Reviewed 08 August 2006 Hit The Switch sounds a lot like Anti-Flag when it comes down to it. Of course, the vocalist does not sound exactly like Justin Sane, but there is enough in common with both bands to make an extended comparison. It is especially present (during tracks like…
Hi Red Center – Architectural Failures / 2006 Pangea / 10 Tracks / http://www.hiredcenter.com / http://www.pangaearecordings.com / Reviewed 26 April 2006 Hi Red Center start off their “Architectural Failures†in a way that I’ve never heard a band start a disc. A high amount of electronic fuzz mixes with a lo-fi type of sound, only to have that amalgamation take on a much more noise-influenced sound. What results is something…
Zach Hill and Mick Barr – Shred Earthship / 2006 5RC / 19 Tracks / http://www.killrockstars.com / Reviewed 22 May 2006 The eclecticism in which “Shred Earthship†starts shows that Hella and Octis are both live and well in this new release. There is no need for vocals during the disc as the composition has a vocal component already present; the guitar work present during tracks like “Desert Glass Bubble 
Hi-Fi Sky – Music For Synchronized Swimming / 2005 Seersucker Fantasy / 12 Tracks / http://www.hi-fisky.com / http://www.voobrew.com / Reviewed 10 May 2005 The ambient sound of Hi-Fi Sky takes some getting used to; each of the tracks on “Music For Synchronized Swimming†tends to play around a lot with the patience of the band’s listeners. If one is impatient, they will miss out completely on what is an even-handed…
Hiding In Public – What Lies Ahead / 2006 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.hidinginpublic.com / Reviewed 29 January 2007 Hiding In Public play an odd brand of rock music. If anything, tracks like “Satellite†seem to be heavy in a tradition that includes acts like The Eagles and Bryan Adams. There is not a modernization of these influences, but rather Hiding In Public attempts to perfect the musical style.…
Hide From Cleo – Coffee Dreams and Acoustic Beans / 2006 Self / 17 Tracks / http://www.hidefromcleo.com / Reviewed 07 February 2007 Hide From Cleo comes out of the gates with a noisy restaurant sound, which kind of makes sense since the title of the track is called “Breakfast at Woodiesâ€. The start is not the quickest thing ever heard, but the band is setting up listeners for the rest…
Hey Tiger – September / 2005 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.heytigerband.com / Reviewed 15 March 2006 I’ve never gotten why there are just so many bands coming out of New Jersey at any one given time. It seems like every second or third act is a Jersey band; is it really true that every citizen of the state has a band, oir is it some bizarre patch that individuals…
Ari Hest – The Green Room Sessions / 2006 Sony / 5 Tracks / http://www.arihest.com / http://www.columbiarecords.com / Reviewed 19 January 2007 Ari Hest has been talked about quite a few times in the last few months, and The Green Room Sessions†is an introductory EP to show everyone who receives it exactly what Hest is about. The style of music that is played during songs like “Upstairs†is a…