“Buffalo Jump†is how many individuals will be introduced to Stellar Vector, and the band is able to take a very strong step forward with the song. The act bounces back and forth between hard rock (Static-X, Him, MSI) and an electronic approach to thinks. These two sides give Stellar Vector a unique sound that is further expounded upon with each subsequent track on “A Flock of Cowardsâ€. “Lacking Self…
Wait, did I just hear The Cardigans? Or is it The Cranberries? Oh wait, it’s The Gathering, a band with a lead vocalist that ties together those two styles with a little bit of Siouxsie Sioux to make something that is bizarre enough to be famous. The fact that nothing more than vocal warbling can be a bridge on a track like “Shortest Day†shows the ability of the band…
Genghis Tron – Cloak of Love / 2005 Crucial Blast / 5 Tracks / http://www.genghistron.com / http://www.crucialblast.net / Reviewed 25 March 2005 Genghis Tron is really what I thought Ed Gein should have sounded like, a bi-polar band cpable of descending into the abyss that is hardcore just as easily as they can surface with very emotive, almost atmospheric compositions. Tracks like “Rock Candy†are perfect examples of this, and…
It happens during “Monument†that Gas Huffer closely parallels The Vandals, using the same vocal inflection and repetitious guitar riffs to get their point across. However, “Monument†is not a cut and dry copy of The Vandals, but rather has Gas Huffer taking up the rockabilly cause (Tiger Army, Nekromantix) for their other influence. Changing up again for their “Another Wafer, Please†Gas Huffer begin to take on the heavy…
Garrison is the type of band that can actually repeat the same 4 words over and over and make it into a three-minute long song – and have it work. While the guitar lines are relatively straight-forward and uninspired, the vocals by Joseph Grillo are clean and soothing on the eardrums. Joseph’s method of vocal delivery is along the lines of early-nineties Soul Asylum (think Can’t Even Tell, off the…
The beginning track on this EP, “Two Wings†is in the vein of the gospel that knows no date. There are literally hundreds of CDs that use the same general sound (that being a early nineties, jazz-influenced style to pander to a larger segment of society). “Two Wings†is not a weak track based on that; but it shows the curiosity of this general sound and its seeming permanence in…
We have covered a number of bands over the course of our last 12 years as a magazine, and I feel that the evolution of music over that time has been just as significant and as important as what has preceded it.
There softly-stated sound of “Castle Time†shows that Garneau is an artist that exists in the nexus between alternative and indie rock. There are hints of radio-friendly sound present in “Music for Touristsâ€, but this is moderated by the strings and other more classic elements present on the disc. The cohesion achieved during the first few tracks on “Music For Tourists†is impressive; individuals know by the time that “Relief 
Gargantua Soul is a hard-rock/light metal band that mixes together Deftones, Clutch, Korn, and the like to make a rock stew. The recording on this demo is rough, but not too rough to make the disc unlistenable. However, the distortion on the guitars, which have the typical metal over-distorted crunch to them, are something that could and should have been changed before recording this CD. The songs, including the opening…
Jon Garcia is another individual that tires to make their fame through playing a style of adult contemporary rock that is full of energy and soul. While there is a tremendous amount of emotion shown in Garcia’s own vocals on the tracks of the disc, perhaps more emotional has to be the arrangements that await listeners during tracks like “Sweet Miseryâ€. The inclusion of strings during “Sweet Misery†is that…
The intensity of the industrial drone that is placed behind lead singer, Shirley Manson’s vocals as ey goes through the opening of “Bad Boyfriendâ€, itself a homage to Foreigner, cannot be compared. The very-artificial sound of “Run Baby Run†shows that Garbage, even in their veteran state can take of the dance/synth-rock of bands like The Bravery and The Killers and incorporate it into the same general brain trust that…
I was excited as hell when I learned that Gang Of Four were coming out with a new album; “To Hell With Poverty†starts off the disc and seems to have a lot to do with the angular dance-punk of bands like Franz Ferdinand and Electric Six than anything else. Hell, there are even hints of both early U2 tand the Sisters of Mercy during this track’s runtime, so chances…
Sounding like Billie Joe Armstrong’s half-brother, The Gamits’ vocal assault mixes well with the emo stylings of Chris’ guitar work. Nearly together for a decade, The Gamits show that they really know what they are doing, arranging the tracks on “Antidote†with a care that would even amaze the kids from Jawbreaker or Samiam. The building intensity of a track like “Curious Vanessa Black†and the ability of the band…
It is easy to forget just how much of a transformative figure Elvis Presley was to music. The erratic behavior, the bloated Vegas period and dying on the can have all contributed to “Elvis as the punch line†rather than “Elvis as Rock and Roll Godâ€. This four disc box set will help remind just how much of an inspiration Presley was to, well just about any rock band putting…
Another Doghouse band that has the utmost devotion to their sound, ensuring that Four to Go will be the most crisply recorded, that there will be no dropped guitar lines, and that Guy’s bass line continue to assault you throughout the recording. Walking the thin line between power-rock and pop-punk, Gameface follows the path set out by Audio Adrenaline, Nada Surf, and DC Talk in creating an album that will…
The sharp guitar line that starts out “California Jesusâ€, the first track on “All For Youâ€, gives the disc a nice energy with which to work off of. This is needed, especially since Gallucio’s vocals during this track are a little bit slower (while still having an energy of their own, they are bolstered considerably by the guitar work). By the time the chorus hits, Gallucio creates the same type…
Call me uncultured, but I don’t see where someone like Cher and Christina Aguilera can be so universally panned and the virtually same thing, exemplified down the years by Bessie Smith and Ella Fitzgerald, and Diamanda can be put into such high regard. Maybe the fact that Diamanda is so much harder to get into, the Thomas Pynchon to Christina’s JK Rowling. Perhaps it is also that I’m not cultured…
The wide-open compositions of Future of Forestry sound like a blend of current U2, Coldplay, and Delirious. The disc’s first track is “Open Wideâ€, and aside from the atmospheric guitar lines, one of the things that individuals can hear easier would have to be the active drums. While the track is not close to pop-rock forms, there are hints of the more United Kingdom-type approach to music that came up…
“News and Tributes†is one of the only tracks I’ve heard in the last few years that gives the bass such a major role in the create on of the overall sound of the track. The blend of futuristic styles like the New Romantic and the angular sounds of a prior time, The Futureheads at least fulfill half of their name. The band keeps with the older styles with a…
Most individuals are familiar with the long-time work of the Isley Brothers, but few individuals know that there was a splinter group created in the early eighties that tied together Ernie and Marvin Isley with Chris Jasper. What resulted is “Broadway’s Closer To Sunset Blvdâ€, an album that has gathered dust in the collective memory of R&B listeners for the last twenty-five years. This is the first of three albums…