“STFUppercut†is a fast bit of hardcore punk that never lets listeners take a break. However, unlike many of the bands that bring fury but little in the way of harmony, The Blackout is able to tie all constituent elements together to make for a sound that will appease all. “Save Our Selves†has all the trappings of a track that will be played on any rock station this summer.…
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen has shown that sequels can do better than originals in all formats, whether it be special effects, storyline, or sheer amounts of money taken in at the box office. The same thing can be said for the soundtrack, which links together old and new, rock and emo, and keeps the energy up high through the entirety of the disc.
It took a few albums, but Chapel Hill’s reining alt country heroes Roman Candle have just turned in their iPod killer – not a single track is worth passing over. Oh Tall Tree in the Ear is 11 tracks of beautifully-crafted, well-written country-fused, roots-based indie rock reminiscent of some everyone from classic Big Star to the first couple of Wilco records.
I believe that The Dear Hunter may be the only band to undertake such a massive story arc; “Act III†is the third part of six that former The Receiving End of Sirens member Casey Crescenzo began with 2006’s Act I†(reviewed at https://neufutur.com/Reviews/thedearhunter.html ). The disc begins with “Writing on a Wallâ€, a track that is tremendously important for both establishing continuity with the other two releases in the…
Richard Swift has the sound, voice and influences an artist who’s been around for at least the past three decades. Lyrically, you have to go all the way back to Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman in the 70’s to find an appropriate contemporary and his music picks up where Jeff Lyne left off, boasting a brilliant knack for weaving literate pop sounds that go down smooth.
What a difference two years make. On Trio B.C., the band’s sophomore record, San Antonio’s Girl in a Coma has matured greatly, both musically and lyrically. It’s not that their debut was bad, just very clear that the band grew up listening to The Smiths and not a whole lot else.
“Dr Jekyll†is a perfect track. I had not heard of Naree before receiving a copy of their “Jekyll & Hyde†disc for review, but after hearing this song, I am hooked. The style of music that this female-led act puts out is something that moves between alternative rock, pop, and even punk at points. This means that lead singer Naree simultaneously sounds like Avril Lavigne, Natalie Imbruglia, and Hayley…
“Krazy†is a bit of strong guitar-driven rock-infused music that takes on all genres and musical styles equally. This means that there are hints of hard rock and even alternative placed alongside the dominant rock/country mélange that first hits listeners. “Krazy†is destined for radio rotation; with high energy and Young following on a musical tradition that goes all the way back to Cat Stevens and Jackson Browne, the track…
What The Swamphouse do on “The Fade†is create a completely unique style of music that will have listeners’ turning their heads when the first notes of “The Fade†come on. “Break Down†ties together funk, soul, and rap into something that really stretches over the course of the last thirty years in music. The flow that is achieved during the track is tight as all get out, providing an…
It has been nearly a decade since Capitol Records released what individuals still hold up as one of the best collections of Sinatra’s music specifically, and of how to create a definitive collection generally. The current leaders at Capitol are trying their hands at capturing lightning in a bottle twice. First off, all the songs that are on “Classic Sinatra II†have been digitally mastered, no matter whether they are…
Ted Nugent has shown eirself to really be a renaissance person, whether it be through eir radio show or through eir voluminous music career. While “Motor City Mayhem†may not show bits and pieces of eir radio show, I feel that Nugent’s tremendous charisma comes through on this release. This is due to the fact that Eagle Rock has crafted one of the best live recordings that I have ever…
On their second full length, Florida’s Clock Hands Strangle still manages to keep the sound indefinable. Compared to everyone from the Meat Puppets to Death Cab for Cutie, the songs swirl from influence to influence, many times within the same track. The result is not bad, just not terribly original either, sounding a bit like an MP3 player stuck on shuffle. When focused, on tracks like the more rock-oriented “As…
There is something remarkably satisfying about seeing a musician forgo the obvious and easy path and branch out in a new musical direction once their band calls it quits. The results are admittedly more often awkward than successful (Def Leppard as a country band anyone?), but every now and then the gamble pays off. Nightmare of You formed out of the wreckage of Long Island hardcore heroes Movie Life, where…
“Misunderstood†showcases a strong female presence on the vocals, allowing for a blending of country, alternative, and pop music. This means that “Misunderstood†is a track that all can appreciate, and it is done with a skill that will ensure that listeners stick with the disc throughout all ten tracks. Valerie Nicole can literally go anywhere with “Naïveâ€, “From The Heartâ€â€™s second track, and settles into a unique sound that…
Laura Izibor starts out this Sampling of tracks from “Let The Truth Be Told†with “From My Heart To Yoursâ€. What comes forth is a bit of Lauryn Hill and Angie Stone, tying together a late nineties sound with the soul of a Pink or Christina Aguilera. The inclusion of the tempo from The Temptations’ “Lean On Me†further moors the track to a rich musical tradition, ensuring that fans…
You’d have to go back pretty far to find a story of wasted musical talent as tragic as Jeff Buckley. The son of folkie Tim Buckley, Jeff was a struggling singer/songwriter playing clubs in New York’s East Village in the 90’swho was finally discovered by Columbia Record execs, who put out his only studio album “Grace.†The record was extremely promising, but took years to find a following. As Buckley…
“Wake Up†is a bit of thrashy rock that will immediately call forth images of acts like M.O.D., but there seems to be a harmony present to this first track on “Let’s Try The Otherside†that acts from that genre simply were unable to commit to disc. The title track continues the side thrash-heavy side, but Pepperdome has a little bit of contemporary (Static-X, Powerman 5000) influence that comes to…
“Dream excerpt no. 1†is a track that is eclectic in its sound, blending together indie music with folk and even alt-country. There is little in the way of instrumental adornment to be had with the track, but Hall’s vocals take a strong step forward in the creation of an impressive first glance. “Sunny Day†brings in a little bit more to the instrumental side of things, and listeners will…
Coalesce was one of those bands that petered out just as I first started creating NeuFutur, and as a result, I never really got into them as much as I did with acts that were creating and crafting when the magazine took off. The disc begins with “The Plot Against My Loveâ€, a tight bit of hardcore metal that kicks ass as easily as it bounces between genres. What Coalesce…
No idea how you can be gloomy in LA, but something’s bumming out the kids in War Tapes. On The Continental Divide, the band’s first full-length, the group draws strongly from fellow somber rockers like Joy Division, Interpol and Echo and The Bunnymen. The result is a solid effort, if a bit repetitive.