Fake Problems – Spurs & Spokes / Bull > Matador / 2006 Sabot / 8 Tracks / http://www.fakeproblems.com / http://www.sabotproductions.net / Reviewed 20 January 2007 I was worried for a little bit. The opening of “Spurs & Spokes†sounds a lot like classic country, but it is only a few seconds before the band moves into a Mojo Nixon bit of bouncy country punk. During “Motion of Ocean’, Fake Problems…
Can I say that I completely misjudged The Faithfull from their CD cover? I was imagining a sullen, quiet, boring indie rock band, and I was given a up-tempo, post-hardcore verging on emo-rock band. Aside from my birthday and yule gifts, I would have to say that this was one of the best surprises I’ve gotten in the last few years. Mixing the best elements of Boys Night Out, The…
Starting off more metal than “radiohead-ish†as DallasTexasMusic.com would have it, “Forgive Nothing†is some of the cutting edge of what is now being considered emo music, in that it mixes flawlessly a generous bass along with the shrillness of Logan’s vocals just as they mix down-and-dirty rock with punk music. Each track on “Forgive Nothing†is aurally similar enough to make this album a specific blip on the timeline…
Any Otis Redding fan – big or small – already has most if not all of the songs collected on this best of album. Regardless, it’s a decent glimpse into Redding’s brief but brilliant career, highlighting songs like “Respect,†“I’ve Been Loving You Too Long†and “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember,†along with a great cover of the Stones’ “Satisfactionâ€. John B. Moorewww.neufutur.com
4 piece band with very fast and old style Offspring sounding guitar riffs. The recording isn’t great but the SoCal sound still lives with this Canadian band. The sound of the album is one of urgency and is perfect moshing music. The guitar line for “Our new evolution” sounds a little bit like the amazing offspring song off their self-titled release called Tehran. Fade out’s songs are very catchy and…
“Ocean Boulevard†needs nothing more than a guitar to fully set the mood of the rest of the track. When Summer’s Gone immediately lurches forth with a blend of styles that uses bits of hard rock, emo, metal, and even hardcore to create something hard-edged while still possessing of a heart. Where the overall track is one that could easily make it onto rock rotation radio, I feel that some…
“Thanks for the Gametes†is a vocal-heavy track, with instruments entering into the equation during all the right places; while little more is present here than a guitar and light percussion, the resulting track is substantive and compelling. The band gives the instrumental side of things a little more time in the sun with “Far As Sky Can Tellâ€, a track that is one great example of the band’s dynamic…
“Unsure†seems to exist in a weird space between the eighties New Romantic movement and the current backing instrumentation that signers like Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Mirana’s vocals further establish Theory of Tides as a truly special act, one that can use the widest possible swath of approaches to create the music heard here. “Karaoke†is Theory of Tides’ first bone fide hit, with cohesion abounds between the instrumental…
Shaky DeVille has a refreshing sound that uses styles that have been beaten down in the previous few decades (Irish punk, Rockabilly) and has tied them together in a new and fun arrangement. Nowhere is better to hear than during “M.V.T.â€, a splashy, fast-paced track that still finds enough time to throw in a sizzling bit of guitar work. The act may seem a bit discombobulated at points, but there…
“The Good Man†has an uptempo enough drum beat opening the track, while the guitar that enters into the equation soon after sets the stage for an odd little bit of alternative music, comparable to Cake, Devo, and Pere Ubu. There is a richness to “The Good Man†that is simply not present in any of the aforementioned acts; in that sense, it feels almost as if Audio-OK had taken…
John’s vocals provide a interesting contrast to the smooth bass and guitars found on the beginning of this track, seemingly a mixture of David Byrne and Daniel Ash. The effect one gets out of The Factory Incident’s disc is one of increasingly impressive instrumentation and a coolly detached singer laying eir vocals willy-nilly over this music. Muse and Palcebo make their ideological entrance during the beginning strains of “Said and…
I was a little curious getting this CD because I didn’t really know Face to Face all that well; pretty much all I knew was the disc’s opening track “Disconnectedâ€. It sucks that I hadn’t tuned into them earlier; each of the tracks on “Shoot The Moon†is really essential for bridging some of the best bands of the eighties (like the Descendents, Husker Du and The Replacements) with bands…
“Home For An Island†begins painting The Exit as a brooding, intense rock act that takes a little bit from a number of genres. “Don’t Push†uses Police-like reggae to really amaze listeners in the first few minutes of the disc, while the vocals present will be enough to melt listeners’ hearts. This reggae-like sound is continued throughout the disc, the same template used again for “Back To The Rebelsâ€.…
The diverse array of sounds that The Exit play is more of a commitment to the musical eclecticism of the bands that they were influenced by than anything. On the opening track “Don’t Pushâ€, The Exit have a dominate college-rock meets The Police like sound, with some of the reggae of bands like The Clash flavoring the track at times. So many things are going on at any one given…
8 song tape of Death Metal/HC from Glendale, AZ. Throaty vocals mix perfectly with extremely speedy guitar and drum beats. The recording on this tape is a little muted, but the pure aggression that this band is capable of is definitely noticeable. Existi has times where the guitar riffs find a little harmony, moving into the Goth/Black Metal subgenre. The bass is very pronounced on this album, playing around during…
It is so nice to see that a relic of the punk rock days has not eschewed the style that made eir a legend and went into something exponentially more boring (I’m looking at you, Lydia Lunch). Exene Cervenka and the Original Sinners come up with a bouncy, fresh punk track that really does not have any specific dating to it . “It Ain’t Supposed To Be†has a punk…
It’s a bit surprising Different Light, the 2007 sophomore release from Sherwood didn’t help make the California band a household name. With their Pet Sounds-era harmonies and a sound the evoked everyone from the Beatles to ELO, the album was pretty damn close pop rock perfection. Their latest, Qu is almost as good. It’s a bit cliché to talk about a maturing sound in record reviews, but it’s true with…
Okay, I’m thoroughly surprised with what I hear on this disc. I was expecting very tepid, warmed-over pop-punk, bu I get this really well done indierock. I always whine about how I don’t review CDs in a timely matter, but I’ve had this CD for about a year and a half. I’m horrible. The band really seems to switch styles between a Osceola/At the Drive-In sound and something near what…
The tracks on “Alternation†fittingly alternate in style and length, with some tracks being over six and seven minutes while some struggle to get to the two minute mark. At every point during “Alternationâ€, there is a very different sound that Excepter is trying to cultivate. There are hints of sixties pop, alternative, surf, and about fifty other styles that all blend together to create a sound that is specifically…
Evolve plays a very atmospheric brand of music that takes quite a few minutes to fully appreciate. “August Moon†is the first track on the disc, and before the beat goes into something approximating “From Your Mouthâ€-era God Lives Underwater, little can be felt about the band. Slow, Evolve finally comes into a storytelling type of music when the instrumentation settles down. No vocals are needed during the opening of…