It is really surprising that the Jackdawg disc remained unreleased for such a long period of time. This is due to the fact that the members of Jackdawg were some of the members of the best known rock bands of the last fifty years. The members of the act are linked to acts as diverse as CCR, Van Morrison, and even Eikichi Yazawa. With a set of recordings that get…
“An Ocean Blue†is the first track on “Midnight Bookâ€, and the solid nature of the track is exactly what is needed to ensnare listeners and ensure that they will stick with the album through all its different tacks, approaches, and general twists and turns. The track itself is important due to its opening position, but even if the song ended the disc it would be interesting. “Bay of Naples 
“Stay Together†is a track that showcases Robbers as an act that is influenced by the rock put forth by acts like At The Drive-In and Muse. The act is musically tight; each member puts in their own contribution, with the sum result being some impressive music. Where the vocals in a band are typically intended to be the conveyors of emotion, what is common on the “Flesh†EP is…
“Gone Away†is a simple, impassioned track that is devious in regards to the amount of different things that are actually taking place during the track. Of course, the vocals shine through brightly, putting together hints of Jakob Dylan with Dave Matthews, but guitars play at the periphery, adding a proper ambiance to the track. Drums add a solid foundation for the track, and by the time a minute or…
Knox Bronson makes music that operates at a level far beyond that of the typical act thrashing about in their garage. This is because, during tracks like “Summer of ‘68â€, Bronson is able to create something that is more like classical compositions than the latest pop hit. Listeners will have to put in Bronson’s latest EP – “The Seasons†– and give it a number of spins before they can…
What Versailles does during the opening of “Broken Dolls†is link together a number of different musical styles, the piano line variously shifting through alternative rock, goth, and even pop as listeners are given a hint as to what the rest of “Broken Dolls†will present. Versailles also makes a play for the minds and hearts of fans of music; there are arrangements and approaches taken that will please fans…
The White Stripes they aren’t. Though rock duo of Michael Van London and Rhiannon Jones may share the same stripped down guitar/drums lineup and gender makeup as The White Stripes, the comparisons pretty much stop there. The garage rock duo from Los Angeles can turn out sludge rock, but they hardly offer an original take on the genre. From the very beginning, with the rote album opener “Da Bomb,” the…
The Bloody Beetroots come forth on their “Rombo” EP with Rombo, a track that links together Gabber with The Crystal Method and The Chemical Brothers. When there are vocals, they are ancillary and are used more for their instrumental quality rather than a narrative one. The act suffers slightly from a level of repetition during this track that is a little high, but looks to come back strong with I…
1. When did you start the band/act? The Band was started by Al and Lance in 2004, went through a bunch of lineup changes etc etc and finally found its first solid lineup in 2005 when we started touring for the road to singapore (Our first EP) 2. Who are the band/act members? Brian Yuhas Drew Matz Steve Zimmerman Billy Brock John Thompson 3. Who are your influences? As a…
“Angel†has Jeff Brodnax create an intriguing composition. Where most vocals have only one duty (to further the narrative of the track), Brodnax’s take on an added responsibility. During this track, the vocals are charged with providing extra harmony, melding with the rest of the instrumentation and creating a track that touches upon such acts as Pink Floyd and Radiohead, even as the narrative part of the vocals take on…
Johnny Cash was punk rock before the term was every created. So it’s only fitting that modern punk rockers would honor the man with a tribute album.
Those expecting Wilco keyboardist Mikael Jorgensen’s side project to play the same alt-country indie rock his full time group is known for may be in for a disappointment. Rather the Jorgensen-fronted Pronto sticks to a brilliant combination of classic AM radio pop with a healthy dose of lyrical cynicism. All is Golden, 13 tracks of truly imaginative rock music, was actually recorded in 2006 with members of Iron & Wine…
“I Ain’t Got No Reason To Lie To You†is a track that showcases Weiss’ strength, putting her in a perfect position between a Sarah McLachlan and a Natalie Cole. The track, easily single quality, gets listeners interested in what is to come on “Concrete World and the Lover’s Dreamâ€, the latest effort by Weiss. “I Ain’t Got No Reason†also feeds well into “The Song About The Affair That…
“Tarots and Arrows†is a hooky type of track that is influenced both by the British and American pop of the sixties. What individuals will immediately hear bits and pieces of in this introductory salvo by Little Man is Fountains of Wayne; while not from the time period described above, the application of current musical approaches and styles to the earlier musical style is similar in both bands. “Don’t Pray…
The title track for Phoenix Rising’s “Ascension†begins with an emotionally dense composition that plays heavily in a classical style, but does not have any of the stuffiness or must associated with the classical style. Rather, what Phoenix Rising does during this track is weave a rich narrative through the entirety of the track’s 7 minute runtime.
“Shine†starts out with brooding instrumentation that seems to have fury and anger bubbling with it. While there is a formal, medieval approach to the opening, this is a façade, something to lead into a bit of gothic metal that touches upon the work of a Paradise Lost or Switchblade Serenade. The most interesting thing about Chantry is the fact that they create a patchwork of styles that makes direct…
“The Color of Daylight†is the first track that I heard by True Nature. The vocals present are a hybrid of individuals like Bryan Adams, Stephen Curtis Chapman, and Chris Isaak. The laid-back approach taken by the instruments allow these vocals to be as smooth and as gentle as a Jack Johnson song, kicking in only to give the track a little grit. The blend of country, alternative rock, and…
â€Melodia†has a number of styles immediately present, linking together African tribal sounds with Indian and Middle Eastern flavors, all while the vocals straddle the line between rock and New Wave. What results during a song like “Melodia†and the entirety of Manko Eponymous’ “Kaihealoha†is a truly special album that touches upon all lands and influences by the time that the final track grinds to a close. “Battlecry†is…
Wedlock may not be known too terribly well outside of their home city of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but their single “Reverend Charisma†may be the one track that breaks them big. The electropop movement is still on its way up, and the Depeche Mode meets drum n bass sound of Wedlock here has a very retro feel to it, tying together electropop with the “New Romantic†generation perfectly. The…
Before receiving “Vicious Circleâ€, the defining statement of the early-eighties punk/hardcore act Zero Boys, I thought Secretly Canadian was strictly an indie-rock label. Turns out that my assumption was misguided, and the label will release anything that is solid. For those who did not remember (or were not born when the band released this album, including myself), the Zero Boys were an Indianapolis quartet that lit a flag under the…