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…
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…
All Crazy – Sex Drugs & Hip Rock / 2007 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/allcrazyphilly / All Crazy are trying to follow acts like Gym Class Heroes in the incorporation of emo and hip-hop. The first track on the album is “Scarfaceâ€, and it provides fans of all genres something to appreciate. Where acts have tried to combine each of the different genres in the past, it seems that…
Orion Rigel Dommisse – What I Want From You Is Sweet / 2007 Drag City / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/OrionRigelDommisse / http://www.dragcity.com / “Fake Yer Death†is the first single on “What I Want From Youâ€, and it is very deliberate in its composition. The strings provide a very ordered and sedate bed for Dommisse’s vocals to lies on. Dommisse does more with eir vocals that most other musicians; they…
Mountain Home – S/T EP / 2007 Language of Stone / http://www.myspace.com/mtnhome “The Sparrow†is the first track on this eponymous CD, and it shows that Mountain Home is an amazing act. There are least three different lines that individuals can follow during this track. For example, individuals can focus on the dreamy vocals, the droning atmospheric strings, or the meandering guitars present on the track. Any one of these…
Phillip Lambro – The Film Music of Phillip Lambro / 2008 Perseverance / 25 Tracks / http://www.wimbtri.com/lambrobio.html The amount of music that is present on “The Film Music of Phillip Lambro†is simply stunning. Essentially, what Perseverance did here was put Lambro’s musing on four movies – Mineral King, Father Pat, Celebration, and Git! – onto one composition. Individuals may be familiar with Lambro’s previous scores, which included works done…
Barry Adamson – Back To The Cat / 2008 Central Control International / 10 Tracks / http://www.barryadamson.com / Individuals may not be able to immediately associate the name Barry Adamson with any acts. This is due to the fact that much of Adamson’s most known works were those that backed up charismatic lead singers, with Adamson spending time in acts like Visage, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Pan…
MOTU – Roadhouse Jesters / 2008 Dr. Richard Michelson / 13 Tracks / http://www.motu.net / This is the eighth release by MOTU, and individuals will be immediately attacked by the brand of blues and funk that the band inserts into each and every track. However, individuals should know that the band did not play together before this disc was recorded – some of the members did not even know each…
New Found Glory – Hits / 2008 Geffen / 12 Tracks / http://www.universal.com / http://www.ilovethatsong.com / New Found Glory has been around for a very long time when it comes to pop-punk bands. Individuals may have thought that the act started up in 1999, when their “Nothing Gold Can Stay†brought the world “Hit or Missâ€. If individuals missed that minor hit, chances are good that they might have thought…
Seven Mary Three – Day&NightDriving / 2008 Bellum / 12 Tracks / http://www.7m3.com / Known for their “Cumbersomeâ€, Seven Mary Three have been outside of the limelight for a few years. This does not mean that the band lost their fan base or anything; the act was attracting fans well before the song hit, being founded in 1992. While original member Jason Pollock is out of the band, the act…