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…
Fenix*TX – Purple Reign In Blood / 2006 Adrenaline / 13 Tracks / http://www.fenixtx.com / Reviewed 24 February 2006 For some reason, I was expecting Fenix*TX to be a lot lighter than the Sum 41/Static-X hybrid that the band shows off during this live album’s first track “Something Bad is Going To Happenâ€. In a sense, the band throws in a little Atom and His Package to the mix at…
Unless an individual is actually a fan of Irish and Scottish music, chances are good that the only bands that the average person will be familiar with are Flogging Molly and (if they are lucky) Great Big Sea. To say that The Fenians do not have much in common with either of those two bands is an understatement; the style present on “Have Fun or Get Out!†is much more…
The substantive part of “Paper Anniversary†starts with the very interesting track “Vertebraeâ€. The track is not interesting for how radio friendly it may be, but for Fellows’ tweaking of what time signatures that ey uses here. This tinkering turns “Vertebrae†into a track that lurches back and forth while still being a song that individuals can easily get behind. The gradual snowballing of strings on this track further gives…
Cliff Eberhardt has been one of those individuals that has been in the periphery for a number of years, but has never gotten the fame or recognition that ey deserves. With “500 Milesâ€, I feel that there is enough present to bring in an entirely new fan base that may yet catapult Eberhardt to stardom. The album starts out with “500 Milesâ€, a song that tells just as much with…