Joan of Arc – Boo Human / 2008 Polyvinyl / 14 Tracks / http://www.polyvinylrecords.com / It has been a while since we heard anything from Polyvinyl Records. We gradually drifted apart after The Red Hot Valentines disintegrated, and while there were a few more albums we received, nothing seemed to really capture our attention as much as an RHV album did. The stunning vocals that are the focal point to…
Little Maestros – Postcards From My Mind / 2008 Kid Rhino / 28 Tracks / http://www.littlemaestros.com / http://www.kidrhino.com / Before I picked up “Postcards From My Mindâ€, I had no idea who the Little Maestros were or what they were trying to do. I guess that is because I’m not a parent, but for anyone that may become a parent in the months and years to come, some attention should…
Midsomer Murders: The Early Cases Collection / 2008 Acorn / 1800 Minutes / http://www.acornmedia.com / Midsomer Murders has had a tremendous amount of episodes, but few individuals have had the chance to view the show. The show is a mystery that focuses around the actions of Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (played by John Nettles, of Bergerac). Barnaby’s second in command is Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey (Steel River Blues), and…
Gavin Rossdale – Love Remains The Same / 2008 Interscope / 1 Track / http://www.gavinrossdale.com / Well, let’s see. Gwen Stefani was in a halfway-decent band in No Doubt, and then turned into a vapid pop star after departing from them (some of the later No Doubt songs were laying the groundwork, but there was a sea change between “Return Of Saturn†and anything that followed it). Individuals may know…
The Heavy – Great Vengeance and Furious Fire / 2008 Counter / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/theheavy73 / The style of funk that starts off “Great Vengeance and Furious Fire†could be present on the soundtrack of any Blaxploitation movie of the seventies. There is virtually nothing that could conceivably link this track to the current period, and that’s a good thing. While acts like Jameroquoi tried to do the same…
Al Rose – My First Posthumous Release / 2008 Monkey Holding Peach / 13 Tracks / http://www.alrosemusic.com / Al Rose has been around for quite a few years. “My First Posthumous Release†is his fifth CD, and the first release for Rose since 2003’s “Gravity of Crowâ€. The five years in between the release of these albums ensures that each of the compositions on this album are mature as all…
Putois – The Problem Is Not A Problem Anymore / 2007 99 Hours of Secrets / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/putois / The first track on “The Problem Is Not A Problem Anymore†is “Safe Againâ€, and while the first few seconds seem to push individuals away, the quiet bit of indie rock that Putois put forth on the early echelons of this CD is compelling as all get out. The…
The Lemonheads – It’s A Shame About Ray / 2008 Rhino / 35 Tracks / http://www.rhino.com / I was too young to be paying attention to music when The Lemonheads originally broke big with 1990’s “Loveyâ€, but I heard enough in the way of individuals talking about the band to understand that they were a “big thingâ€. This is the collector’s edition of their 1992 smash, “It’s A Shame About…
Eivind Opsvik – Overseas III / 2008 Loyal Label / 7 Tracks / http://www.eivindopsvik.com/ / The name Eivind Opsvik may not immediately ring a bell, but he is currently playing in acts such as Hari Honzu, Rocket Engine, the Ben Gerstein Collective, and the Kris Davis Quartet. He (and the acts that he is or has been in) have been chronicled in JazzTimes and the New York Times; he is…
Rev Theory – Hell Yeah / 2008 Interscope / 1 Track / http://www.revtheory.com / http://www.interscope.com / Rev Theory is the band that had the Wrestlemania XXIV theme song, and “Hell Yeah†is the second official single for their second major label album “Light It Upâ€. The act plays hard rock that has equal parts Guns N Roses and Bad Religion. The vocals have the same grit of a Mike Ness,…
Logs In The Mainstream – The Ridiculous & The Sublime / 2008 LogsMOLE / 12 Tracks / http://www.logsinthemainstream. com / Logs In The Mainstream start out their “The Ridiculous & The Sublime†with “Gotta Get Upâ€, a track that vacillates between sounding as if it came out in the sixties or the nineties. The amount of influences that come forth during the 12 tracks on “The Ridiculous†are legion; hints…
Somehow Still Alive – Afterall / 2008 SSI Records / 10 Tracks / http:///www.alivestillsomehow.com / “This Time It’s Personal†is a very hard-hitting and angular bit of rock that should be on rotation on radio stations all through the United States. While the act calls forth acts like Tool and System of a Down during this and other tracks on “Afterallâ€, they push forth a sound that is completely unique…
Jason J. Bundy – Returning / 2007 Self / 4 Tracks / http://jasonjbundy.com/ / After receiving “Returningâ€, I really wish I was more familiar with the I Ching, as the title refers to the 24th hexagram of that work. The limited edition of Bundy’s “Returning†features a hand-painted cover, and gives a certain gravitas to each of the four cuts on the disc. The first track on this EP is…
Amelia – A Long, Lovely List of Repairs / 2008 Adrenaline / 14 Tracks / http://www.ameliaband.com / I don’t know how well having a single start off an album in a foreign language is in terms of decisions, but the country-tinged bit of alt-rock that Amelia plays during “Enemigo†is something that is simultaneously catchy and intricate, touching on a number of genres and approaches. Individuals have little clue where…
Telepathique – Love & Lust / 2008 Urban Jungle / 5 Tracks / http://www.controlgroupco.com / The funky arrangements that start out the title track to this EP are tied together by a sultry set of female vocals that call forth acts as wide as The Sounds and Franz Ferdinand to traditional purveyors of electronic music such as Plastikman and the Crystal Method. One can definitely hear “House of Jealous Lovers 
The Lions Rampant – Play Rock N Roll / 2008 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thelionsrampant / The Lions Rampant are an act I must say with which I am not familiar. Their “Play Rock N Roll†starts of with “70-30â€, a track that brings back the bombastic energy of sixties pop and throws a layer of MC5 on top of that. Following the retro approach of rock that acts…
Mason Proper – Short Hand EP / 2008 Self / 4 Tracks / http://www.dovecoterecords.com / Mason Proper come to their “Short Hand†EP with a sound that has equal parts Nine Inch Nails, Maroon 5 and Depeche Mode jumbled all together. This makes for an interesting sound, and one that immediately hits individuals as unique after the first few notes of “Rest Up†start. The slinky style of the vocals…
Lucy Bland – Down To Sea Level / 2008 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.lucybland.com / The slightly electronic instrumentation that immediately comes forth during the somewhat-titular track (“Sea Levelâ€) provides listeners with an interesting counterpoint to the dreamy vocals of Bland during the track. While the music present during this track will provide listeners with something to zone out to, the chance that the track could make it to…
Strangers Die Every Day – Aperture For Departure / 2008 This Generation Tapes / 11 Tracks / http://www.thisgenerationtapes.com / Few acts can pull off an instrumental album and keep the attention of individuals through a full length album. Strangers Die Every Day do just that, and their “Aperture For Departure†is a disc that will keep individuals engrossed in the band for a good fifty minutes. The strings that start…
Ahn Trio – Lullaby For My Favorite Insomniac / 2008 Sony BMG / 16 Tracks / http://www.sonybmgmasterworks.com / http://www.ahntrio.com / Individuals may not know who exactly the Ahn Trio are. They have been around in some form or another for the last 20 years, when Time Magazine called them “Asian Whizz-kidsâ€. Their releases have been scattered over the course of these last twenty years, with their last album being 2002’s…