The Hibernauts – Periodic Table / 2007 Self / 7 Tracks / http://www.thehibernauts.com / While the opening of “Off Key And Violent†does not sound much different from what a countless number of indie rock bands are doing at the current, The Hibernauts step up their game immediately and come forth with a catchy, hooky set of vocals. Of course, the instrumentation is driving and supports the vocals much the…
Botox Party – E.P. / 2007 Upchuck / 6 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/botoxpartyva / http://www.upchuckrecords.com / Aside from some crust punk albums, the runtime of “E.P.†has to be some of the shortest I’ve ever heard. This does not mean that the harder edged punk music of Botox Party is forgettable. In a way, a track like “Problematic Emotions†calls forth bands like Pulley and “Cheshire Cat†or “Buddha†era Blink…
The Hazey Janes – Always There / 2006 Measured / 3 Tracks / http://www.thehazeyjanes.co.uk / “Always There†is the first track on this EP, and it sounds like The Hazey Janes have heard a lot of “Big Meâ€-era Foo Fighters. The opening strains of the track have a high amount of this influence, with only later the band taking a sixties boy band (think a blend of equal part Beatles…
Scene of Action – S/T / 2007 Pop Smear / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/sceneofaction / http://www.popsmearrecords.com / I have to be honest here. When I first the instrumentation at the beginning of Scene of Action’s disc, I heard The Killers. In much of the same way, the first time I heard the band’s vocals on “Daydream Stop hockâ€, I thought they paid off Gerard Way to do the vocals. The…
Caleb Micah – Come Home / 2007 Aux / 6 Tracks / http://www.calebmich.com / http://www.auxrecords.com / “Come Home†starts out with “Juan Shoe is Gonna Rock You!â€, a track that uses a duet of vocals done in a back and forth style that is given the perfect amount of support by the slightly country-tinged sound of the guitars and drums. This style reminds me vaguely of The Anniversary, but don’t…
The Action Design – Into A Sound / 2007 Pop Smear / 6 Tracks / http://www.theactiondesign.com / http://www.popsmearrecords.com / The first track on “Into A Sound†is “The Scissor Game†and it gives The Action Design a rock meets goth type of sound that really brings the band into a Nightwish or an Evanscence sound in my opinion. The second track on the disc is “Eyes On Meâ€, and aside…
Monikers – Eat Your Young / 2006 Kiss of Death / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/monikers / http://www.kissofdeathrecords.com / “Eat Your Young†starts out with “Informationâ€, a track that has a emotional blend of guitar and drums until the slightly snotty vocals of the band kick in in a very Fat Wreck type of style. The production of the disc seems to oppress the guitars and vocals while giving an accurate…
Sleeping Pilot – Panic Sex / 2007 Sonic Deadline / 8 Tracks / http://www.sleepingpilot.com / http://www.sonicdeadline.cjb.net / Sleeping Pilot start off their “Panic Sex†with “()â€, a very dark and brooding track that gains energy slowly, rending individuals with confident and aggressive guitars and at-attention drums, just waiting for the right moment to strike. Despite this deep and dark sound first shown by Sleeping Pilot, the use of brooding arrangements…
Fangboner – A Joke Gone Bad / 2007 Lightning Rock / 5 Tracks / http://www.fangboner.net / http://www.lightningrockrecords.com / “Quiet Riot†is the first track on “A Joke Gone Badâ€, and it shows Fangboner as an act that is very in tune with the punk rock of acts like The Weirdos ad The Dickies. The vocals of Sheamus Carney remind me a little bit of Devo, and the heavily-rock based punk…
Collin Raye – Selected Hits / 2007 StarPointe Records / http://www.collinraye.com / http://www.starpointerecords.com / What Collin Raye does on eir “Selected Hits†is essentially make a Greatest Hits EP. Like many greatest hits albums, there are a few new tracks to whet the appetites of completists (this time, “A Soldier’s Prayer†and “Quitters†make their appearance). Also like many greatest hits albums, there are tracks that everyone that is a…
Karmina – The Kiss / 2007 CBS / 5 Tracks / http://www.karmina.com / http://www.cbsrecords.com / “The Kiss†is the self-titled opener to this pop star’s latest EPs. “The Kiss†has a sound that seems like a more mature version of early Hilary Duff. There are hints of artists like Kelly Clarkson present in Karmina’s overall approach. The instrumentation works well in highlighting all the right places during “The Kissâ€, but…
Will Dailey – Back Flipping Forward / 2007 CBS / 10 Tracks / http://www.willdailey.com / http://www.cbs.com / Will Dailey has been around the Boston independent music scene for a few years. 2004 marked the release of Dailey’s first disc, “GoodByeRedBulletâ€, which pushed 10,000 copies in sales. Individuals that are not immediately familiar with Dailey’s work may have still heard Dailey in the past. Songs of eir have been present on…
Johnny Cash – The Great Lost Performance / 2007 Island / 18 Tracks / http://www.johnnycash.com / http://www.islandrecords.com / This CD makes a Johnny Cash that was a good fifteen years before the one that was captured during the last “American†CD. This means that the voice seems stronger, and that there is more of an energy with each of these eighteen cuts that blends well the younger and older Cash.…
Son Volt – The Search / 2007 Transmit Sound / 14 Tracks / http://www.sonvolt.net / I came to the music scene a little too late to hear Uncle Tupelo, but Son Volt is an act that continues some of the same styles and musical approaches that Uncle Tupelo once created. This is probably due to the fact that Jay Ferrar, the guitar / harmonica / vocalist of Son Volt, was…
Marla Hansen – Wedding Day / 2007 Standard / 6 Songs / http://www.marlahansenmusic.com / Individuals may not be familiar with who Marla Hansen is. Essentially, ey is a member of the Sufjan Stevens band and also is a member of My Brightest Diamond. The title track has more of a Devendra Banhart sound than a Sufjan style, as Hansen comes to the plate with a very early Americana type of…
Over The Rhine – The Trumpet Child / 2007 Great Speckled Dog / 11 Tracks / http://www.overtherhine.com / “I Don’t Wanna Waste Your Time†is one of the first tracks on “The Trumpet Childâ€, and it shows Over the Rhine as an extremely mature band that is able to set off a track that will introduce fans properly to the rest of the album. There is a high amount of…
Elvis – Viva Las Vegas / 2007 RCA / 16 Tracks / http://www.elvis.com / http://www.rca.com / There are literally millions of fans that dedicate their lives to following the spectre of Elvis. Record labels have attempted to continually keep these fans awash in different media concerning Elvis, and this live CD is yet another important step forward. While the tracks here are from a myriad of different places, there are…
Marlene Tholl – Kore / 2006 Self / 11 tracks / http://www.marelenetholl.com World music is an inexplicably tough genre in which to attain popularity . This can be assumed, of course, with any genre of music, but world music is constantly thrown into a category with classical or orchestral. I had some hope in World music, especially with more mainstream bands like Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly infusing Irish beats…
Birds and Batteries – I’ll Never Sleep Again / 2007 Self / 13 Tracks / http://www.birdsandbatteries.com What the country’s new obsession with annoying Mario Cart music like The Snow Patrol and Hellogoodbye is, I will never figure out. Nor will I be able to forgive people like my sister, 17 and a cheerleader, for blasting the annoying, synthetic beats every morning for her workout. Good job, America, for getting away…
Brandi Shearer – Pink Lady / 2006 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.brandishearer.com / http://www.amoeba.com I spent the better part of my 18 years on Earth dogmatically honoring the industrial cacophony of bands like Wumpscut and Front Line Assembly, so it seemed a radical and incomprehensible move when I abandoned synthesizers in exchange for acoustic guitar.