The Shake – Kick It / 2006 Self / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/theshakeband / The band comes forth to us with a sound that blends together equal parts FOo Fighters and Bad Religion. The first track on “Kick It†is “Frequencyâ€, and it shows the band’s ability to create a wall of sound. The only thing that could be construed as a negative on this opening track is the high…
V/A – Chakras: From Brazil To Berlin / 2007 Azul / 25 Tracks / http://www.chakras.com.br / This double disc has a very interesting purpose in mind. There is a unification of the more tribal styles of Brazilian spirit music with the functionalist and inorganic sounds of Germany. What would normally sputter out and fail to succeed is whipped into a solid two-disc mix by Miguel Reis, DJ Chris Wood and…
Black Diamond Heavies – Every Damn Time / 2007 Alive / 10 Tracks / http://www.blackdiamondheavies.com / http://www.alivenergy.com / “Fever In My Blood†is the first track on “Every Damn Timeâ€, and it starts out with a schizophrenic drum beat that finally gets reined in about a minute into the track. The guitars and other elements of the band gradually insert themselves into the mix, until a very sixties influenced type…
Villebillies – S/T / 2006 Universal / 12 Tracks / http://www.villebillies.com / http://www.universal.com / However punk or ska-influenced that this cover may be, what the Villebillies do on this self-titled album is rap. “Whiskey†is the first track on the disc, and it seems like the Villebillies are trying to blend together Bone Thugs N Harmony with Gnarls Barkley. “Whiskey†has a level of newness to it; despite listening to…
Tim Barry – Rivanna Junction / 2006 Suburban Home / 10 Tracks / http://www.timberryrva.com / http://www.suburbanhomerecords.com / Tim Barry is one of the member of Avail. Avail was an integral part of the melodic punk scene in the late nineties. “Rivanna Junction†starts out with “Trash Inspirationsâ€, a track that goes the alt-country route taken by Lucero. At some point, Barry is still a practitioner of punk music, and this…
The Buddhist Monks – My Spirit Flies To You / 2006 Decca / 14 Tracks / http://www.thebuddhistmonks.net / http://www.iclassics.com / The Buddhist Monks are to 2006 what the Gregorian Monks were to the early nineties. There is some sort of acceptance by the pop and adult contemporary stations to what normally would be a style of music reserved only for the most devout of followers. The music that is present…
Ligion – External Affairs / 2007 Maple Jam / 11 Tracks / http://www.ligion.net / http://www.maplejamrecords.com / The vocal style that starts off “On The Way†does not mesh completely with the more dance-y rock of Ligion. This is because there seems to be a more emotional and natural sound to the vocals, while the instrumental arrangement on this track seems to be more sequenced than anything. Ligion get their stuff…
Sachal Vasandani – Eyes Wide Open / 2007 Mack Avenue / 12 Tracks / http://www.sachalvasandani.com / http://www.mackavenue.com / “Naked As We Came†is the first track on “Eyes Wide Openâ€, and Vasandani comes forth with a very classic style of singing. If anything, I would have to link eir singing style to an early Dean Martin or Bing Crosby. There is enough of a current focus to keep individuals interested;…
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster – II / 2007 Ferret / 11 Tracks / http://www.mayleneandthesonsofdisaster.us / http://www.ferretstyle.com / Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is a band that blends together Corrosion of Conformity (“Deliveranceâ€-era) with Marilyn Manson, and puts it in a way that listeners in the current period can love. “Memories of the Grove†is the first track on “IIâ€, and it shows the band as being very…
Jerry Lee Lewis – Last Man Standing / 2006 Shangri-La / 21 Tracks / http://www.jerryleelewis.com / Jerry Lee Lewis is an individual whose time had came and left by the time that I started listening to music in the middle nineties. This does not mean that ey does not have anything left in the gas tank, but that I had never heard anything more than a few singles from Lewis…
Sasha & Shawna – Siren / 2007 Blue Note / 12 Tracks / http://www.sashaandshawna.com / http://www.manhattanrecords.com / I feel so un-educated when I get an album like “Sirenâ€. For example, I was not familiar with Sasha Lazard, Shawna Stone, or Grammy-award winning producer Peter Asher. This album is a blend of classic opera tracks along with the duo’s reinterpretation of popular songs. These songs include Radiohead’s “Fade Outâ€, which opens…
Rachel Margaret – Buena Vista Park / 2007 Self / 4 Tracks http://www.myspace.com/rachelmargaretmusic / “Landfill” is one of the focal points on “Buena Vista Park”, and while the instrumentation is softly-stated and meanders around the vocals, Margaret here comes correct and creates a brand of modern pop-rock that is just as honest and impressive as anything released by Fiona Apple or others of her ilk. “Someday Soon” is a slightly…
The Christine Spero Group – My Spanish Dream / 2007 Self / 9 Tracks / http://cdbaby.com/cd/christinespero2 / One of the first things that is heard at the beginning of “My Spanish Dream” has to be the entirety of The Christine Spero Group weaving their instruments together to come up with a coherent and cohesive sound. Hints of Latin arrangements and jazz spontaneity immediately confront listeners during the disc’s first track,…
Paris Luna – City Lights / 2007 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.parisluna.com / Paris Luna start out their “City Lights†in a way that reminds me of Sixpence None the Richer. The first track on “City Lights†is “Having a Hard Timeâ€. “Having a Hard Time†is a rock track in the same vein as a Kelly Clarkson; the bass and drums make for an easy listening track, one…
Street Dogs – Fading American Dream / 2006 Brass Tacks / 13 Tracks / http://www.street-dogs.com / http://www.drt-entertainment.com / Street Dogs’ first album was fucking amazing. Simple as that. Their second album was still decent, but it had less of the fury and fun style that “Savin Hill†had. Street Dogs are back with their third album, “Fading American Dreamâ€, and it might just be the best of the three. The…
Albert Hammond, Jr – Yours To Keep / 2007 New Lie / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/alberthammonjr / http://www.newlinerecords.com / Albert Hammond does not sound like much of a rocker. However, for those individuals that do not know, ey was one of the integral parts to the seminal band The Strokes. The opening track on “Yours To Keep†is “Cartoon Music For Superheroesâ€, and it does not sound like the hard,…
Bad Religion – New Maps of Hell / 2007 Epitaph / 16 Tracks / http://www.badreligion.com / http://www.epitaph.com / Anyone that actually knows me knows that Bad Religion is one of my favorite bands of all time. I thought that they had a trying time in the Atlantic days, but that they came back to true form with “The Process of Belief†and “The Empire Strikes Firstâ€. With Joe Barresi at…
Cashis – The County Hound EP / 2007 Shady / 8 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/cashisoc / http://www.shadyrecords.com / Cashis is the latest project put forth by Eminem and eir Shady Records. Eminem’s touch has not been the strongest with the last few releases on the label, with Obie Trice being the most notable failure up to that point. “That Nigga A Gangster†is the first full track on the disc, and…
OST: 300 / 2007 WB / 25 Tracks / http://www.300themovie.warnerbros.com / Pretty much everyone has seen 300 at this point. It is the story of the valiant Spartan army against the evil Persians; what individuals may not be immediately familiar with is the work of Tyler Bates. Bates, who composed the score to this movie, is best known for creating the soundtrack to movies like Dawn of the Dead and…
Videohippos – Unbeast The Leash / 2007 Monitor / 12 Tracks / http://www.videohippos.com / http://www.monitorrecords.com / The electro-indie rock of Videohippos reminds me of a coked-out reinterpretation of Neil Young’s Trans album. There is an earthy, natural progression to the track even as the synthesizer and electronic fuzz seem to paint a picture opposed to that. “Tooth Sub†is the first track on the disc, and the band’s only fault…
