Lisa Coppola is a singer-songwriter that has flirted with fame for years, whether it be backing up Billy Joel on one of his Saturday Night Live performances or playing a number of NYC’s world-renowned clubs and venues (The Bitter End and Brownie’s, to name a few). “Wisdom From The Pain†benefits from the touch of John Waite (“Missing Youâ€) and Anthony Krizan (Spin Doctors), but it is Coppola’s own skill…
While “Hope For Harmony” may be officially the debut for pianist Kathryn Toyama, the eighteen compositions that are present on this disc showcase a talent that far surpasses any other debuting act. “Hope For Harmony” leads off with “Hope”, a track that needs nothing more than a woman playing a piano to bring forth a narrative that will last throughout the whole of “Hope For Harmony”. From the light, airy…
“Drop Of Love†is the initial track on “Water Meâ€, and this track has a humanity to it that a number of major-label releases are seemingly unable to have. The vocals on “Drop Of Love†are approachable to a degree that is simply not heard in most current music, and the resulting Marie Black track is something that draws heavily on the vocal history established by individuals like Janis Joplin,…
Regardless of whether individuals are familiar with the work of Gee Davey, the one thing that can be said is that the band is dedicated. Over the course of the last five years, Gee Davey has came to the plate four times – 2003’s “Dear Theoâ€, 2005’s “Sparticle†EP, 2006’s “Sparticle†LP, and “She Sells Smilesâ€, the latest effort of the band. “Say Another Prayer†leads off this EP, and…
John Paul has had his fair share of accolades over the years. Whether it was a nine-week reign at the top of the Portland Phoenix local-artist sales charts in his old band, Stillview or another of his old acts (The Posters) getting the Got Milk-campaign’s stamp of approval in 2004, Paul has captured the attention of anyone that has had the chance to listen in. “Belmont Boulevard†marks the second…
We here at NeuFutur had the chance to review Hills Rolling’s last album, “Sweet Teaâ€, and we were very impressed with the rock stylings of the band at that point. “Something Delicious†is the latest disc by Hills Rolling, and it showcases 9 impressive tracks that build upon the solid foundation that was created by “Sweet Teaâ€. “Something Delicious†begins with “I Wake Upâ€, a unique track that defies convention…
Wilkins – consisting of Mark Wilkins (bass, guitars, and vocals), Julian Wilkins (piano/synths), and Jan Wilkins (acoustic guitars, vocals) – are a family that has been creating music together since 2000. “No Expiry Date†is an album that shows that, even with Julian’s hiatus from the act, that Wilkins is a musical tour de force in the folk music sphere. “Easy†is the first track on “No Expiry Dateâ€, and…
Man, “Future Luver†is an interesting track. The song itself links together rock and funk, while Statan’s output on the track shows influences from artists as different as Lenny Kravitz, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Gavin Degraw. While it would be easy for Statan to go off into absurdity, as acts like Chromeo (“Needy Girlâ€) and the Bloodhound Gang have done, Statan makes for a track that is compelling,…
“Cactus Lizard†is the initial track on “Bobby Barbadosâ€, and it showcases a very interesting musical style. Von Davis creates a folky, singer-songwriter type of music but creates a narrative style that is not typically present in this style of music. “Cactus Lizard†discusses the quandary of being a lizard where everyone else is a cactus, allowing Von Davis to add a little bit of Mexican influence to the track.…
“Jamie†is one of the stand-out tracks on The Bridge and the Prophet’s self-titled release. The track builds off of a seventies pop approach (think Rob Stewart and Cat Stevens), with instrumentation that provides the support for John’s vocals to truly soar. “Heavenly Candle†is a track that will immediately gain the attention of listeners, owing much to the intricate guitar work that is present. The guitar work has a…
Last week I got the chance to ask a few questions to the up and coming band Another Option. They are a New England based Indie/Rock band who is currently on tour with TGL and Brookside.
After four years, it feels like Conor Oberst’s label Team Love has came full circle. The first release on the Team Love label was Tilly and the Wall’s “Wild Like Childrenâ€, and at this moment, “o†is the current release that they are pandering. Tilly and the Wall’s “o†is their third full-length release, set on the same 2 year publishing schedule that “Wild Like Children†and “Bottoms of Barrels 
The Offspring have been around longer than about 90% of their fan base has been alive. This means that the act has been together since 1984, and “Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace†shows off a maturity that befits a band that is on their eighth studio album. The album follows from “Splinter†in that all four recording members of the band – Dexter Holland, Noodles, Greg K and session…
Hopeless Records has had a hell of a long streak of simply amazing albums, whether it be Amber Pacific, or The Dangerous Summer. The fact is that “Deadlines†is the first track on this EP, and it largely showcases the same attention to quality and solid arrangements that Hopeless acts are really known for. The emotive style of the band has a hopeful sound to it despite a much more…
Paper Rival has torn up CMJ showcases, toured with acts like Nightmare of You, and have even been noted by Spin as an “Artist of the Dayâ€. “Foreign Film Collection†is the first stand-out hit during this album. This is due to the fact that the act is able to create an emotive and grave sound to their tracks that will have individuals hearing a heavy Death Cab for Cutie.…
While we have had a number of opportunities to have a shot at reviewing the soundtrack or score from a movie, I believe that this is the first time that wehere at NeuFutur have been tapped to go forth and do a review about the soundtrack/score from a video game. Oliver Deriviere (composing) and Dora Hristova (conducting) have created the score to this Atari game, a re-vamp of the classic…
I have never really been to a music festival, personally I thought I was probably making a huge mistake going to Warped tour, I had the stereotypical view on music festivals. At first I thought it was going to be a dirty, hot, drunken, drug fest. Well this proved me wrong. The whole area was great, kept up and clean, flyers all over the place but no true garbage on…
Bodies of Water have been around since 2005, and have released (before “A Certain Feelingâ€) an EP (2005’s “Bodies of Waterâ€) and an LP (“Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blinkâ€). “A Certain Feeling†is the first full-length released after they have signed with Bloomington, Indiana’s Secretly Canadian. The disc itself begins with “Gold, Tan, Peach, and Greyâ€, giving listeners a blast of sixties singer-songwriter that eventually opens up into…
I, for one, had no clue that Willie Nelson was 75. Sure, I knew that ey was getting up there is years, but had no clue that ey was born in 1933. What Nelson originally did with “Stardust†was reinterpret what ey called the “Great American Songbookâ€, putting eir unique tone on a number of American classic. This means that “Georgia On My Mindâ€, “Unchained Melodyâ€, “Don’t Get Around Much…
The Morning Benders are gradually gaining their own audience after touring in support of acts like Death Cab For Cutie and The Kooks. While they have released a number of EPs (“Loose Changeâ€, “Boarded Doorsâ€, and “Waiting For A Warâ€) in the past, The Morning Benders’ “Talking Through Tin Cans†is their full-length debut. Potential listeners have to know that a band is good if a PR firm’s label picks…