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…
I hear a lot of speed immediately from From A Second Story Window, but I hear nothing that joins together all the disparate sections of their band. The disc’s first full track comes in “Soft Green Fieldsâ€, and the production of the band at this juncture seems to be pushing the vocals to a level that is too high for the rest of the band. For example, the guitar work…
The vocals that are first heard during “Song For Ireland†are of a type that most individuals are not familiar with. There are two aspects to these vocals; first, that they act in an instrumental way most of the track, and they hearken back to a much earlier tradition in music. When I hear these vocals, I hear something that is akin to the medieval type of music that is…
The sedate style of a band like Frog Holler during songs like “Hades†does not inexorably link itself to current musical styles, but to the shoe-gazer rock of the early nineties, eighties acoustic pop, and other musical developments that link themselves to Country & Western. What results is that Frog Holler are a very current type of alternative rock band that create songs that individuals will stick their lighters in…
Fermata is a band that has always been interesting to me. There are heavy hints of emo music just as the band goes for the hard rock sound in tracks like “Frustratedâ€. The instrumental interlude that is present during the aforementioned “Frustrated†will remind individuals of a Sunny Day Real Estate, even if the vast majority of the track gives off more of a Foo Fighters means 10 Years vibe.…
The opening track on Fermata’s self-titled EP starts off ominously before moving into a blend of Deftones and Static-X. The vocals, laid down by Blake, do not seem to be a natural fit for the music present. However, the effort exerted by Blake opn tracks like “Frustrated†is admirable, and it is through this effort that allows Fermata to succeed on the early stains of this disc. The vocals come…
You gotta love an indie band that doesn’t try to coat their pop songs in faux hipster swagger. Seattle’s Boat – unlike many of their trendy indie brethren in the Pacific Northwest – play straight up pop rock and the result is fantastic. On Setting the Paces, their third full length, the group delivers 14 tracks that would make Cheap Trick put down their double-necked guitars and start taking notes.…
“No One Really Knows†begins with “Latelyâ€, a track that I feel that exhibit enough energy and fire to keep listeners buckled in for the long haul. Whether it is the funky guitar lines, the impassioned vocals of Campos herself, or even the punchy drumming present, “Lately†is a bombastic and charged entry into “No One Really Knowsâ€, and is a perfect foil to the much more slinky and sultry…
There are only two players to the different elements heard on “Dust & Tearsâ€. When an individual has the ability to hear exactly what sort of dense and detailed sound issues forth from their speakers during “Dust & Tearsâ€, they will be amazed. McGuire himself takes on the vocals, bass, guitars, and drums, while Donnie LaMarca takes the strings and the piano-type instruments. “Breathe†is the culmination of these two…
When The Format announced they were splitting up last year after their epically brilliant, but tragically underrated concept record Dog Problems, it seemed like a horrible waste of talent. Dog Problems, produced by Red Kross’ Steven McDonald with musical arrangements by Jellyfish’s Roger Manning, Jr., was pop rock perfection from start to finish; one of the best power pop records put out in 2007. Taking inspiration from XTC and ELO,…
It’s easy to forget how relevant Willie Nelson still remains, nearly 50 years after releasing his first record. On Lost Highway, his greatest hits collection from the label of the same name, Nelson, turns in 17 already classic country songs. Tunes like “Maria (Shut Up and Kiss Me),†“Back to Earth†and his cover of the reggae classic “The Harder They Come†just go to illustrate how relevant he still…