“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…
“Not Today†is a track that really challenges what I originally had thought Ruby Rendrag would thought. A very intricate instrumental approach begins “Not Todayâ€, before Rendrag’s own unique vocals take the fore. Hints of Amy Lee, Tori Amos, and The Breeders all unite to create a crunchy brand of rock that has more than a fair share of a pop glean present. With a strong introduction, Rendrag looks to…
There’s something about acoustic guitars that draws former punk rockers like moths to a flame. Frank Turner, former member of Million Dead, unplugged after his band dissolved about three years ago and decided to go the route of Billy Bragg, writing lyrically smart, occasionally politically-tinged folk rock songs.
I first wanted to apologize to Steve for not reviewing this disc any time sooner. I had promised eir a timely review of “Psych Wardâ€, one of eir latest CDs, and I completely dropped the ball. Anyways, here is our review of “Psych Wardâ€. The disc starts out with “Stigmatiz’d and Label’sâ€, a minute and a half romp that simultaneously introduces new listeners to Lieberman unique style as well as…
“Rock Bottom†starts off this self-titled release, and what comes forth is a pretty pop-oriented approached to indie rock. The tight bass lines are what will immediately shine to listeners, but it seems at this early juncture that there is little more to truly shine from Beware Fashionable Women. However, there are nine different tracks after that to choose from, the first of which is “Obligatory Tattooâ€. “Obligatory Tattoo†changes…
It’s amazing how desperate label reps get in trying to sell you on their latest signings. From the moment they were added to indie emo label Dog House Records, folks tried to remake these Oklahoma teens into a pop/punk band. Though they put out catchy pop tunes, someone thought adding the suffix “punk,†to every reference written and spoken about the band was a great was to try and add…
With The Day The Earth Stood Still doing well in box offices, it only made sense for Fox to come forth and re-release the original in the Blu-Ray format. Most individuals that would be reading this review would already know what the film is about: a spaceship lands, saying they come in peace, while it seems up to only two individuals to save the world after the emissary seems to…
Even before I reviewed this disc, The F-Ups were the subject of some of the most inquiry to me. “Hey, is that the pop band with mohawks?†was a question fielded to me a bunch of times. Sure, they are, and their style of pop-punk mixes older Green Day and SR-71, and suffice it to say, the band sounds destined for one-hit wonder status. Not saying anything about their musical…
When I saw that the band was called the F-Units, I was expecting some hard punk stuff in the verins of F-Minus or the F-Ups. This is not what is present on “Reject on Impactâ€, as the F-Units play a brand of rock that is lightly tinged by punk rock. This does not mean that what the F-Units plays is not interesting, but individuals should understand that this style of…
With Led Zepplin-esque guitars and a Corrosion of Conformity/Alice in Chains feel to their first track, “Written in Stoneâ€, Fu Manchu starts off with all the balls in their court. Continuing the aural assault with Bob’s sizzling guitar solo layered off of Scott’s rhythmic lines, Fu Manchu never let off in their relentless search for rock. Infusing their music with seventy down-and-dirty rock, “Start the Machine†is full of tracks…
A long time ago, I bought Against All Authority’s All Fall Down for a few bucks from a place at a flea market. I never listened to it much, but I guess now, after selling it, maybe I should have. This is not the ska I was imagining from the band, but rather a pop-influenced brand of rock. Nods are given to bands like Screeching Weasel and The Clash, albeit…
Against All Authority show that they have not lost a step in the few years between this album and the last; the title track ties together Rancid, Rise Against, and the Bouncing Souls to create something that is mired in the older punk styles but still is extremely salient. Tracks are not long and the message that Against All Authority provides is crystal clear. When the band goes into the…
Aerosmith has had a number of “greatest hits†collection. I am a moderate fan of the band, and I can recall two; “Big Hits†and “Young Lustâ€. Apparently, there was also “O, Yeahâ€, “Aerosmith’s Greatest Hitsâ€, and “Gemsâ€. So, the question is why should anyone pick up this album if they have any of the albums described previously? Well, the first reason is that tracks from Aerosmith’s entire career are…
Eighteen years and still going for some unexplainable reason. New Orleans party band Cowboy Mouth have managed to take a handful of trite party songs, a strong word-of-mouth live show and shape a pretty decent career as second rate Jimmy Buffetts. On Fearless, their ninth full length, the band continues to confound. Filled with 12 mostly novelty songs about everything from big girls (Belly) to Kelly Ripa (Kelly Ripa), the…
Based on interviews alone, it’d be easy to dismiss The Killers as little more than naive keyboard rockers with laughably bombastic quotes about world domination or simply millennials who just discovered Depeche Mode and David Bowie and have a few more minutes left on their fame stop watch.
I’m certainly not the first to compare Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo to Brian Wilson, but the comparison is particularly apt with Cuomo’s second collection of home recordings released in just 12 months. The harmony-loving Wilson created some of the best pop records of the 60’s and Weezer took the stigma out of pop rock in the 90’s; the frighteningly talented Wilson has been rather prolific following a very long…