The Selfish Gene – The Grand Masquerade / 2007 Ruff Road / 12 Tracks / http://www.theselfishgene.com / The Selfish Gene’s “The Grand Masquerade†starts out with brooding and dark strings, the title track giving a blend of goth and classical styles to individuals that are ensure of what the band sounds like. The chaos increases considerably, explodes, and a timid, shoegazing style of indie rock ultimately comes forth. “Weight of…
Leiana – No Going Back / 2006 Page / 10 Tracks / http://www.leiana.com / Female fronted rock with a tinge of punk. Leiana comes forth on “No Going Back†with a style that Lennon did a few years back and that Avril wishes that ey could do. “2 B Unkind†is the first track, and while it shows the intensity of eir vocals, the limp guitar work during the track…
The Blakes – S/T / 2007 Light in the Attic / 13 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/theblakes / http://www.lightintheattic.net / Light in the Attic have really came into the public eye in the last few months. Whether it be through the Summer Records Anthology or the countless reissues of older (forgotten) music, Light in the Attic are doing their own part to marry the current and past of music. The Blakes are…
Individuals that have had their ear to the ground in independent music during the last decade will be familiar with the name Julie Moffitt. Moffitt released her first album in 1995 (Labyrinth), and sporadically released follow-up efforts in 2001 (dancerdemonloveranswer) and 2002 (Yules). “Cover to Cover” represents Moffitt’s fourth release, a blend of Moffitt’s interpretations of the songs that have molded her into the performer that she is today, along…
Eastern Conference Champions – Home Away EP / 2007 Suretone / 4 Tracks / http://www.eccmusic.com / http://www.suretone.com / It has been a few years since we last reviewed the Eastern Conference Champions, and the “Home Away†EP marks the first tracks off of their “Ameritown†album. The vocals that stop off “The Box†have a lot in common with a Dave Matthews, while the rock created by the rest of…
This Holiday Life – The Beginning of the End of the World / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.thisholidaylife.com / This Holiday Life start out their “The Beginning of the End of the World†with “A Yes, Not A Noâ€. During “A Yes, Not A Noâ€, This Holiday Life show that they are consummate professionals, creating a style of music that is simultaneously catchy and intricate. The band puts…
One World – Share My Love / 2007 Sunstone / 15 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/oneworldband / http://www.sunstonerecords.com / One World is an act that can easily move from a niche genre into something that will be accepted and appreciated by a wide swath of popular music listeners. “Julia†is a slower track that makes individuals recall an earlier Latin style. The shuffling arrangements present during this track keep the track fresh…
The Hanslick Rebellion – The Deli of Life / 2007 Eschatone / 6 Tracks / http://www.eschatone.com/albums/ESC011/ / “You Are Boring The Shit Out of Me†Is that stand-out track during “The Rebellion Is Hereâ€. The song starts out with an instrumental interlude that will slowly worm its way into each listener’s head. The track, which deals with the banality of office work, has hints of System of a Down and…
The Silver Seas – High Society / 2005 Cheap Lullaby / 11 Tracks / http://www.beesmusic.com / Two years of distance between when this album came out and when it was originally recorded does not even put a minute layer of dust on the compositions that The Silver Seas (formerly The Bees) put together on their “High Societyâ€. Daniel, Jason, John, and David are able to craft a style that is…
Goldtoes – The Gold Rush / 2007 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/blacknbrown Goldtoes is the individual that is associated with Thizz Latin, the CEO of the firm. The first track on “The Gold Rush†is “Blow Itâ€, and it brings all of the energy and style that any current rapper has. There is not much of a commonality to specific rappers out currently, but Goldtoes provides individuals with something…
Chris Rice – What a Heart is Beating For / 2007 Sony / 11 Tracks / http://www.chrisrice.com / http://www.sony.com / When I still was seriously into Christian music, Chris Rice was an individual that I encountered. I was not too familiar with eir work, but I heard a few tracks here and there that I like. “What a Heart is Beating For†starts off with “So Much For My Sad…
She Wants Revenge – This Is Forever / 2007 Universal / 13 Tracks / http://www.shewantsrevenge.com / http://www.universalrepublic.com / You know, I don’t remember She Wants Revenge charting in 2005 and 2006, and apparently they did for “Tear You Apart†and “These Thingsâ€, hitting #5 and #22 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts. “True Romance†is one of the singles off of the track, and it shows She Wants Romance as…
Baby Elephant – Turn My Teeth Up / 2007 Godforsaken / 17 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/babyelephantmusic / Baby Elephant consists of Prince Paul (producer of 3rd Bass, De La Soul and part of Handsome Boy Modeling School) and Bernie Worrell, of Parliament and the Talking Heads. Rounding out the trio is Don Newkirk, who has been associated with Prince Paul. The disc is laid out like many classic rap albums, int…
West Indian Girl – 4th and Wall / 2007 Milan / 11 Tracks / http://www.westindiangirl.com / West Indian Girl have been around as a band since at least 2004, when they released their self-titled debut album on Astralwerks. Members of West Indian Girl have worked together before, as Robert James and Francis Ten were previously in WIG. “To Die in L.A.†is the first track on “4th and Wallâ€, and…
Digby – What’s Not Plastic / 2007 Toucan Cove / 6 Tracks / http;//www.digbyonline.com / http://www.toucancove.com / Digby start out “What’s Not Plastic†with a brand of rock that links together middle to late nineties rock with a little bit of Our Lady Peace to create something that can speak equally well to the past and present rock fan. The production is solid, and while there is a lot of…
The Simpsons: Testify / 2007 Shout Factory / 41 Tracks / http://www.thesimpsons.com / http://www.shoutfactory.com / Throughout the years, The Simpsons have had a number of different CDs capturing the countless songs that have been present during the show’s run. This disc collects the songs that made it into episodes during the 10th through the 18th seasons. Of particular note right off the bat are “Homer & Margeâ€, a parody of…
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Home For Christmas / 2007 U-Watch / 11 Tracks / http://www.hallandoates.com / Hall and Oates have been together for longer than I have been alive. As I get older, the number of acts that can say that decreases, but Hall and Oates have been cranking out their music for about forty years now. However, “Home For Christmas†is a little bit different from their…
Cut Off Your Hands – Shaky Hands / 2007 I Am Sound / 6 Tracks / http:///www.cutoffyourhands.com / http://www.myspace.com/iamsoundrecords / Cut Off Your Hands play a brand of energetic indie rock that is first shown to audiences during “You&Iâ€. The jangly nature of this track fuzzes over slightly the intensity of the band’s compositions. The track is sufficiently short to not give individuals a full glance at what Cut Off…
The Femurs – Modern Mexico / 2007 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thefemurs “Vitamins†is the first song on the new Femurs album. For those that did not know, the Femurs (or “Los Femursâ€, as they are known on the front cover of “Modern Mexicoâ€), have been around for a few years. “Modern Mexico†is a collection of these songs, and shows off why exactly the band has been accumulating…
DJ Axel – Breakin’ The Law / 2007 Holden / 15 Tracks / http://www.djaxel.com / I love mashups, and when individuals are able to make completely new albums (such as in the case of Girl Talk), the love only increases. I must admit, I had not heard much about DJ Axel in the past, although I was aware of a number of mashup albums (most famously, “The Grey Albumâ€). Anyways,…