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,…
Paul Oakenfold – Greatest Hits & Remixes / 2007 Ultra / 20 Tracks / http://www.pauloakenfold.com / http://www.ultrarecords.com / When it comes to electronic and dance music, Paul Oakenfold is right up there (if not exceeding) individuals like the Pet Shop Boys and The Chemical Brothers. This album marks an interesting premise for a “greatest hits†compilation. Rather than just having the songs originally penned by Oakenfold (“Starry Eyed Surpriseâ€, “Ready…
Innerpartysystem – The Download EP/ 2007 Stolen Transmission / 6 Tracks / http://www.innerpartysystem.com / http://www.stolentramsission.com / Innerpartysystem starts out this EP with a blend of electronic sounds and styles that blend together techno with more ambient bands. Cobine this blend of styles with an angular approach to rock a la Franz Ferdinand or even the Offspring and individuals have the general sound of Innerpartysystem during “Don’t Stopâ€. This first track…
Boy/girl – Secret Secret Secret Singles / 2007 307 Knox / 5 Tracks / http://www.307knoxrecords.com / The disc starts off with “Alcohol and certain medicationsâ€, a track that blends together more tribal, middle eastern style of music with different untraceable quotations (besides the fact that they are political in some sense). This intro works well with the rest of the EP, which turns “Secret Secret Secret Singles†into an eleven…
Sona – Man In The Mirror / 2007 Imperial / 4 Tracks / http://www.imperial-recordz.com / I had no idea who Sona was before “Man In The Mirrorâ€, but a very nineties sound starts off “Dreamsâ€, the first of a double single captured on this CD. “Dream†shows that Sona has a Tupac like style, while the instrumentation captured as the backing beat for this track really continues this comparison. The…
The Narrows – Benjamin / 2007 Wantage / 4 Tracks / http://www.wantageusa.com / The Narrows start off their “Benjamin†with a heavy bit of drudge and sludge, in “The Sasquatchâ€. “The Sasquatch†has much more of a pop style to it than would be present on a The End Records or Hydra Head Records band, and at points, I can hear a little bit of Audioslave present in the band’s…
Landon – Defying The Stereotype / 2006 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.landonband.com / “Only 20†is a track that is interesting to me. The Spartan, heavily electronic style of the instrumental segment of the track is good enough, but the vocals only reach their stride when Landon moves from the spoken style of vocals to something much more singing-heavy. “Only 20†has catchy bits, but is not solid enough…
Girl In A Coma – Both Before I’m Gone / 2007 Blackheart / 13 Tracks / http://www.girlinacoma.com / http://www.blackinacoma.com / I’m not sure if Girl in a Coma has changed the title of the Smiths classic for their own profit, but “Both Before I’m Gone†shows a band that is trying their hardest to create their own sound. Obviously, they have some pretty powerful supporters – no less than Joan…
Blake Lewis – Break Anotha / 2007 Sony / 1 Track / http://www.myspace.com/blakelewis / Anyone that knows me knows that I pretty much loathe American Idol. Sure, there have been one or two idol stars I could stand after the show (Clarkson and Aiken, primarily), but the vast majority of post-Idol albums have been drek. Blake Lewis, with eir single “Break Anothaâ€, is trying to change that. What Lewis trying…
Athlete – Beyond The Neighbourhood / 2007 Astralwerks / 11 Tracks / http://www.athlete.mu / Athlete is perhaps the biggest band that no one has heard of in the United States. Their last album, “Touristâ€, went double platinum, and “Beyond The Neighbourhood†is poised to do the same thing. From the opening strains of “In Between 2 Stateâ€, Athlete shows that they understand how to get individuals involved with their music.