A Global Threat – Where The Sun Never Sets / 2006 BYO / 18 Tracks / http://www.aglobalthreat.net / http://www.byorecords.com / Reviewed 16 March 2006 To say that this album sounds different from “What The Fuck Will Change†is a gross understatement. The sound of A Global Threat seems to be a little more mature, and the production value seems to be much more compressed than the last album. In a…
Glimpse attempts the fairly minimalist style to their music, preferring instead to let the vocals shine through and drive a great deal of the melody in each song. Sure, the drums might be splashing through the track in the background of the song, but one doesn’t notice them half as much as the ultra-smooth lyrics of Josh. Starting off the disc with “Stayâ€, Glimpse chooses to go with a pseudo-ska…
Moving their center slightly to include the latest developments in emo-rock, Glimpse has gained some much needed ground in the nine months since I’ve reviewed them last. While still extremely radio friendly, Glimpse has taken on the smooth / screaming dual vocal styles of bands like Boys Night Out and The Goodlife, something most audible in their “Here With Youâ€. Moving through the disc, Glimpse shows that they are still…
Bringing back the sound of Matthew Sweet may not be the best idea, but Gladshot is able to create a disc of hits that walk along the same path. Mike’s vocals are all the instrumentation that Stand needs, as all the rest of the instrumentation is definitely secondary. Deborah’s piano lines, especially noticed in a track like “Hotel Room†are warm, earthy, and emotional, adding a second aural presence to…
The style of music that Gist plays is tremendously influenced from the early D.C. emo (Rites of Spring, Nation of Ulysses), something that makes sense when one understand that the act is from D.C. itself. Tracks like “Miscellaneous†really tie themselves to the second-wave emo of the late ninties, which is to say that each of the tracks on “Diesel City†act well as driving music, with driving guitars and…
There seems to be an entire side of the music that is coming out of Japan that few individuals know about. Every few years, it seems like a band like The Willows or X Japan becomes part of the American music discussion and fades out. Sigh is a band, with their “Scenes From Hellâ€, that will be former without having the latter happen to them. The band has been around…
Girly Freak Show goes down the path of Blondie and Me First, throwing in a little reference here and there to The Donnas. Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely a rougher cut of band than any of those previously mentioned would indicate. With lyrics like “When I stick my face inside his zipper, I just gotta lick it!†(from “My Boyfriendâ€, we are transferred to the land of Fear-style…
Girl Talk is a great act, and they build their fame on slicing and dicing the hooks and choruses from a number of different artists’ tracks. In doing that, they are able to create very interesting and compelling compositions off this foundation. Most of the clips that they use are from R&B and rap tracks, but to be honest there are parts from all sorts of different genres. The titles…
From what al the pictures of Gil Mantera’s Party Dream looked like, I was not expecting this sedate, almost synth-pop sound to issue forth from me during tracks like “Buffalo Tearsâ€. There is such a catchy hook to “Buffalo Tears†that one cannot do anything but be enthralled by it; one will be on the dance floor before the end of the band’s first track, no questions asked. For songs…
The piano lines that start off “Far Beyond the Pacific†are reminiscent of those put out by Tori Amos during the mid to late nineties. The vocals are not so easy to categorize, and add much of the independence and nuance to Giges’ compositions. The inclusion of other instruments during “Find Some Time†give the track a more Shania Twain meets Carrie Underwood type of pop-country sound. Note, however, that…
Giant Squid may just be the most approachable band out of all the acts currently on The End Records. This is not saying much, as the style of music that Giant Squid plays is a very progressive meets System of a Down type rock. The use of two, three, and sometimes more vocals on their “Metridium Fields†will immediately garner them fan support, as the number of artists they draw…
“Kevin Is Gay†is a very weak step for Giant Drag. First off, the track relies on the presence of a much-too-repeated guitar riff for its main focus, and the meowing that ends the track just seems out of place compared to tracks like the follow-up “Cordial Invitationâ€. “Cordial Invitation†is the first in a long string of indie-rock tracks that Giant Drag allow their “Hearts And Unicorns†to be…
This album is not for the faint of heart, as the average track here breaks the six-minute mark. Ghorar Deem Express plays a brand of free jazz that has much more in common with jam-bands than with the (more-often) classically trained brand of jazz players. The infusion of rap-like flows during tracks like “Mucoid Plaque†really changes the context of the music, especially when one considers that Nader’s vocals are…
One doesn’t make it on the radio when they are doing music that would be the background for the Weather Channel. The first track “LFO†is just that and every single thing that they could do wrong in trying to go and put this on the radio is there – it is instrumental, there is absolutely no driving force to the music, and everything just sounds synthesized. The second track,…
Starting off shakily on “Makin’ History†with a set of vocals mixed well above the level they should, “Me in your bag†has vocals reminiscent of Dolores O’Rierdan (Cranberries) and Andrea Corr (The Corrs). Continuing the inoffensive acoustic-led rock during eir second track, “Universeâ€, the belting out of vocals by Getz seems to find an analogue in the country of the late 70s and early 80s. Getz’s veteran move of…
Get Hustle – Rollin’ In The Ruins / 2005 Three One G / 5 Tracks / http://www.gethustle.com / http//www.threeoneg.com / Reviewed 29 November 2005 This is a much slower, more nuanced version of noise than practically anything else put out by Three One G. Even though tracks like “Black Stallion Medallion†are still well under three minutes, the psychedelic-infused brand of noise that Get Hustle have spent over a decade…
Gertie Fox – An Imaginary Meeting In The Woods / 2006 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.gertiefox.com / Reviewed 25 May 2007 The style of music that starts off Gertie Fox’s “An Imaginary Meeting In The Woods†is something that reminds me of an earlier, nineties sound of alternative rock. The guitars really give me that impression, and the slightly-tinny production values of tracks like “Modern Love†just firm up…
Lisa Germano – In The Maybe World / 2006 Young God / 12 Tracks / http://www.lisagermano.com / http://www.younggodrecords.com / Reviewed 06 June 2006 There is little to grab onto when Lisa Germano starts eir album “In The Maybe Worldâ€. The first track, “The Dayâ€, contains a set of vocals and some incidental instruments. What the track quickly does, however, is make something much more compelling and full out of the…
Where it seems like SXSW brings in the hip and happening to the Austin music scene, Tribella is poised to showcase that Austin has a vital musical landscape. “Deal Breaker†begins this release, establishing Tribella as an act that can showcase contemporary and classic influences alike. “WTKN†continues to add momentum to the early reaches of “Thirteenâ€, with the track establishing Tribella as an act that can link together the…
“You Should Be Dancing†is the first single off of the newest album by My Glorious, and it firmly establishes the act as one that is confident and sure of their abilities. There are hints of Nine Inch Nails, Oasis, and even U2 at the periphery. The driving beat established by the splashy drums allows a proper foundation for the spot-on vocals to truly shine, giving the act the proper…