The mix of punk and ska music is something that is hard to do successfully and without your band sounding like utter ass, but Fixed Idea know how to do it right. Tracks like “At The Side of the Park†work because the horns do not try to do something unheard of for punk music; at their best moments, the horns replace the bass in providing a deep sound to…
AC/DC is one of those bands where there is very little fence sitting. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em and I just happen to fall into latter category. The argument that always gets trotted out in discussing AC/DC is that the band sounds the same on just about every song on every album. Well… you’re right. They found a formula very early on that works: big crunchy power chords…
“Big Star†starts out with a piano line that sticks with listeners long after the track ends, while the vocals here are influenced by strong female singers like Joan Osbourne, Sarah McLachlan, and even Sheryl Crow. The production during “Big Star†is perfect, bringing out the vocals without dwarfing the rest of the instrumentation present. “The Sun†looks to continue the momentum first garnered during “Big Starâ€, with Cameron’s own…
While The Bramble Jam is an act that is centered into the younger set, I feel that the act’s musicianship is so stellar that fans of all ages can appreciate what is put forth on “Move Your Bootsâ€. “Going To A Party†is catchy as all get out, with both sets of vocals bolstered by a vaguely tribal agglomeration of bongos, percussion, and other instruments. “Pancakes†has a slower, funkier…
“Fair Trade†starts off “Morning Over Midnight†with a mixture of the new-rock sound with the proper amount of punk influence. Fivespeed thus comes out as a band that is tremendously influenced by Alien Art Farm and Incubus, while still having the current sound associated with acts like Three Days Grace. However, the immediate hit for the band has to be “The Messâ€. The song has everything that is required…
This is an electric-infused brand of folk rock that envelops all facets of a listener’s senses. The swamp-rock riffs that are such a major part of “I Hope You’re There†is a perfect introduction to Fite’s world, as the shambling sound of the track shows the diversity of sounds that influence Fite throughout. The infusion of a generous synthesizer to “No Good Here†brings one more dimension to Fite’s music,…
The blend of styles that were present on the one-sheet for Fisher made me more curious about how ey would eventually sound, and if it was a possibility that ey could unite all the styles without the resulting music sounding like a Frankenstein’s monster. However, all of my fears were assuaged by the time that “Song For Joel†kicked in. The horns of the track are fun, while the backing…
Coming through with a sound not unlike a mixture of Ten Foot Pole and JFT, break-neck guitars come through with the benefit of pushing the emotive lyrics of Andy even more quickly through the track. With the same sort of spirit that surrounds bands like Brookside, First Class puts two and two together and comes up with a mish-mash of two of the most well-liked off-shoots of punk rock: pop-punk…
Speeding through their first track, Firegarden has a straight-forward, intense brand of punk-laced rock. Very clean in their style of music, “Last Words†starts out their 2164. Very cognoscent of what hooks listeners in, a multi-part harmony cuts through the fuzzy guitar of the track, and a sizzling, squealing guitar solo consequently cuts through the vocals. “Don’t Run Me Over†is a track that is full of whistles and bells,…
Hey, someone actually got a press release right when they compared a band to other, more famous ones. Indeed, Fire Divine does sound like Weezer, no fooling about it. Where Weezer would like to go and make pop tunes based off what has been popular in the past, Fire Divine experiments with the general sound and the popular “screamo†sound of the day to make an interesting take on Frankenstein’s…
Hey Stevie Nicks? I think we’ve found your long-lost daughter in Sasha Bell. Starting off with an unabashed witchy-woman styling not unlike the great Nicks, “Reno†only differs from a Fleetwood Mac track by the more electronic arrangement of the instrumentation. Keeping the rich sound of the sixties and seventies alive in the following track, “Hairâ€, The Finishing School has a keyboard solo that would make Manfred Mann jealous. The…
The style of music that The Finals play is not anything that is tied down to a specific section of music, but rather pulls directly from different styles to craft a distinct sound from all of the clippings. “They’ll Never Know†is a track that draws heavily on a mid-nineties alternative sound, but the inclusion of synthesizers during the chorus brings The Finals into the realm of music previously inhabited…
Final Conflict start out their “No Peace on Earth†CD with an introduction to “Burning Bush†that seems much more proper for a rockabilly CD than the roughshod punk rock that is the common style on the disc. There is present in Final Conflict’s construction of punk music a sound that is tremendously influenced by acts like D.R.I. and the Circle Jerks. Songs like “Where’s The Threat†take up the…
For a band that has such a post-modern look to their album cover, this is some old-style, looking-back Irish sounding punk rock. The first track has a compelling, almost-lounge arrangement that clicks along as the sometimes-gruff vocals dominate. This lounge type of sound recalls Momus and other fancy-free artists in the vein of Cat Stevens; in fact, a track like “Neverkind†seems to be much more in this vein than…
Fightstar may just have been the biggest signing that Deep Elm has made ever in their tenure as a indie rock / emo record label. Sure, bands have grown up after being signed to the label (Brandtson, The Appleseed Cast), but Fightstar is HUGE in the United Kingdom. The opening track to “They Liked Your Betterâ€, “Paint Your Target†is the musical equivalent of smashing up a room; chaos reigns…
“Paralyze†has all the grit and energy that is present in a Papa Roach, Godsmack, and even Tantric. The hard edge that comes forth is moderated considerably by the tremendous skill exhibited by each band member. The nods that Rise For Order make to older acts, including Tool and Nine Inch Nails, further establish the act as one that furthers the dialogue present in the hard rock genre. The production…
This is the style of pop-punk that should be getting some notoriety, instead of the boy-bandish crap that is Busted. Nice, chunky guitars and high-pitched vocals, well-done, in the vein of early Unwritten Law and Green Day. K8’s vocal style is immediately reminiscent of both the lead vocalist of Switchblade Kittens and the aforementioned Billie Joe (from Green Day). The production on “Nothing New†is perfect, neither holding back the…
Fielding’s first track on this disc, “The Giant†is so sad. It is not sad in a pitiful way, but rather in its beauty and the extreme care that Fielding puts forth into making this track a work of near-perfection. The incredibly emotional vocals put forth by Eric work well with the plodding bass lines laid down by Aaron and the jangly guitars, to the degree that tracks like “Lampshade 
Starting up with an extremely emotive bass line laid down by Saskia, Feverdream’s EP of previously unreleased tracks start off with a middle-of-the-group tempo and typical arrangements. The start-stop feel of the first track, America shows a band that is cohesive, if not a little bland. The style of music that Feverdream plays is nothing out of the ordinary, in pretty much the same vein as practically everything that is…
The band plays a brand of rock music but it goes further than that when a synthesizer becomes present through the majority of “Redheadâ€. The unity of these two disparate styles distinguish The Fever from other bands in the Kemado stable. The talent that the band has in creating “In The City of Sleep†unites The Fever with the rest of the Kemado bands. There are more than just plain…