Junk Science – Gran’dad’s Nerve Tonic / 2007 Embedded / 13 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/junksciencerap / http://www.nukfam.com / “Slojo†is the first track on Junk Science’s latest album, and the blend of seventies instrumentation with a current type of flow makes for a strong foot forward. The rap styles that are showcased during this CD are points and strong, and are only moderated by a second set of vocals which end…
I15 – Lost in Love / 2007 Interscope / 4 Tracks / http://www.i15music.com / I15 is another type of R&B / boy band that is done much in the vein of a B2K. “Lost in Love†is typical radio fare, but the act is really able to hook fans with a catchy chorus and multiple-vocal harmonies. This single features the “Radioâ€, “Albumâ€, “Instrumentalâ€, and “A cappella†version of the track.…
Seth Lakeman – Introducing…Seth Lakeman Vol.1 + Vol. 2 / 2007 Manhattan / 6 Tracks / http://www.sethlakeman.co.uk / http://www.manhattanrecords.com / For those individuals that are not immediately familiar with the name Seth Lakeman, ey was a member of Equation during the band’s three-disc run. “Introducing†is not the first solo Lakeman album (even if it does sound that way): “The Punch Bowlâ€, “Kitty Jayâ€, and “Freedom Fields†all were full…
Floratone – S/T / 2007 Blue Note / 11 Tracks / http://www.floratone.com / http://www.bluenote.com / Floratone is as close of an “all star†act that one can get in jazz and free-form experimental music. The two main components of Floratone are Bill Frisell and Matt Chamberlain. For those not in the know, those two individuals together have combined to work with this list of stars: Tori Amos, Morrissey, Stevie Nicks,…
Elliott Carlson Botero – Parasite: A Love Story / 2007 Self / 15 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/ecbmusic / Elliott Carlson Botero has been around a long time. With a couple of discs under his belt, “Parasite: A Love Story†marks his musical magnum opus. “Plastic Bag Tree†is a track that subjugates a number of different styles and approaches into a coherent style. The heavy bass line, the Goo Goo Dolls-like…
Bronze – Calypso Shakedown / 2006 Self / http://www.myspace.com/bronzechicago / “On The Clock†literally sounds as if Bronze is coming out of the late seventies or early eighties. Whether it is through the heavy use of synthesizers, or through the emotive vocals, the band loves their musical predecessors. Like current retro-looking acts like The Darkness or the Scissor Sisters, Bronze are able to be deeply involved in earlier musical styles…
Silveth – The Elemental / 2007 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.silveth.com / “Storm†shows that Silveth is an act that has no desire to finesse their fans. The metal that the band puts forth is full of shredding guitars, splashing drums, and growled-out vocals that never bend or break. The band can scale back their intensity but never budges on the intricacy present in their music. “Storm†shows that…
Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter / 2007 Sony / 14 Tracks / http://www.joshritter.com / http://www.sony.com / The first track on “The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter†is “To The Dogs or Whoeverâ€, and it shows Ritter as someone that blends together Bob Dylan with Conor Oberst. The style approached during this inaugural track is a jangly bit of indie rock that will allow individuals to sing…
Shock Cinema – Our Way Is Revenge / 2007 Kanine / 8 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/shockshockcinema / http://www.kkaninerecords.com / What Shock Cinema does on their “Our Way Is Revengeâ€, and particularly during the opening track “Breathe Againâ€, is recall the goth rock of bands like Siouxie and the Banshees and the Sisters of Mercy. The punk-like tempo is the only derivation from that formula, and it is this blending together of…
Sah – 06/06 / 2007 Phiatry / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/sah / http://www.phratryrecords.com / It is always a risky gambit for a band to go forth and start off their EP with an instrumental song. Sah is a band that does just that with the opening to their 06/06, “Inside You There’s A Part of Me Scared Shitlessâ€. Luckily for the listeners, Sah is an act that can create a…
The Challenger Deep – S/T / 2007 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thechallengerdeep The Challenger Deep introduce themselves with “Historianâ€, a track that has a very tempestuous and chaotic flow. In a way, the instrumentation that takes place before the vocals kick in seem like a more jacked up version of At The Drive-In. The style of The Challenger Deep is not easy to categorize. There are hints of hardcore,…
Okay Paddy – Where You Went? / 2007 Prison Jazz / 5 Tracks / http://www.okaypaddy.com / Okay Paddy play a brand of rock music during their “Dumbwater†that blends together acts like Weezer with Matthew Sweet to create a sound that is very well located in the mid to late nineties alternative rock genres. Unlike Weezer, there seems to be a little more energy in the arrangements during tracks like…
Jesea Hoop – Kismet / 2007 Sony / 3 Tracks / http://www.jescahoop.com / http://www.columbiarecords.com / This “EP†version starts out with “Seed of Wonderâ€, a track that blows away any conception that I might have had about Hoop before playing this disc. There are so many instrumental and vocal layers in this track that individuals can be satisfied one of twelve different ways. In much the same way, Hoop et…
Oreskaband – S/T / 2006 Sony / 6 Tracks / http://www.oreskaband.com / http://www.sony.com / As one can likely game from the band’s name, what Oreskaband play is a brand of ska that is in the same vein as a Mighty Mighty Bosstones or a Reel Big Fish. The first track on the disc is “Pantimeâ€, and it is a quick, barely-minute long track that gives individuals some sort of context…
Mello Mello – An Abstract Love Story / 2007 Mello-Soul / 16 Tracks / http://www.mello-soul.com / Mello Mello have a pretty good description of their general sound in their act’s name. What results from tracks like their eponymous opening track is something that resembles Jodeci, Tony Toni Tone, or even Boyz II Men. “Tha Best Thing 4 U Iz Me†has a much more current type of sound, and this…
Chip Raman – Edge of a Song / 2007 Rosebud / http://www.chipraman.com / It has been quite a while since a straight-forward chap with a guitar sounded this was. Individuals will hear a lot of the sixties (Neil Young, Bob Dylan) in Raman’s style. Obviously, Young or Dylan never said anything about opening up their Nokia, but the style of Raman is unmistakenly influenced by these two giants of rock.…
Dave Sasscer – Quiet Mind / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.davesasscer.com / Dave Sasscer is the lynchpin of the eponymous project that released “Quiet Mind†this year. Joining Sasscer are the Mojo Conga Jam, a group of talented musicians that have spent time in the supporting acts of the Indigo Girls, Shaun Mullins, Omar Hakim, and Hiram Bullock. The first track on “Quiet Mind†is “(When) She’s in…
Lorrie Ruiz – Chewy / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.chewyonline.com / The funk meets jazz sound of “Slipping Away†gives first-time listeners to Lorrie Ruiz a good grounding in the styles that will present themselves throughout “Chewyâ€. While Ruiz does craft a sound that is rooted heavily in earlier music styles, the resulting music does not sound dated in the least. Instead, the allure of a “Slipping Away 
Onesidezero – S/T / 2007 Corporate Punishment / 13 Tracks / http://www.onesidezero.com / http://www.corporatepunishment.com / Onesidezero start off their self-titled album with a musically heavy track in “Carry Your Gunâ€. When the band throws the vocals into the mix, what results is something that does not mesh completely. The vocals struggle to approximate the roughness of the instrumentation. This means that there are two distinct threads present in this opening…
John Phillips – Jack Of Diamonds / 2007 Phoenix / http://www.varesevintage.com / This album marks music from John Phillips’ “Jack of Diamondsâ€. For those that might not know, this was a previously unreleased album that marked music that Phllips created from 1972 and 1973, and was unreleased for whatever reason.  Varese Vintage here has not only committed the disc to the CD format, but has added 5 new tracks, whether…