The Payola Reserve – 200 Years / 2007 Self / 13 Tracks / http://www.thepayolareserve.com / The Payola Reserve have a smoothed out sound that blends a Radiohead sound with a more classic, folk style. “Grade A Television†starts off “200 Yearsâ€, and it is here where The Payola Reserve begin to impress listeners. They impress listeners through this blending of styles, and through the confidence of the band’s lead singer.…
Lifehouse – Who We Are / 2007 Geffen / 12 Tracks / http://www.geffen.com /  http://www.lifehousemusic.com / You know, I had no clue that Lifehouse took their name from a failed Who follow-up to their classic album “Tommyâ€. Enough for random trivia: “Who We Are†marks the fourth full length album for Lifehouse, and it shows the same sort of stable sound that acts like Nickelback and Daughtry have been creating…
Sacha Sacket – Lovers and Leaders / 2007 Golden Sphinx / 11 Tracks / http://www.Sachasacket.com / Sacha Sacket plays a brand of pop music that takes on the style of a Stephen Curtis Chapman or a Michael Smith. However, during tracks like “Stayâ€, there seems to be much more of an electronic influence to the track than either of those two singer songwriters. It is almost as if Sacket has…
Bedouin Soundclash – Street Gospels / 2007 SideOneDummy / 13 Tracks / http://www.bedouinsoundclash.com / http://www.sideonedummy.com / “Walls Fall Down†really put Bedouin Soundclash in a position that reminds me of a modern Clash. The act is able to make a track that will come forth easily and naturally on rock radio, but does not lack in any sense in regards to the smartness of the instrumentations. There is an eclectic…
June – Make It Blur / 2007 Victory / 12 Tracks / http://www.junerock.com / http://www.victoryrecords.com / I have known about June for a few years now. They played with some of the bands around the Greencastle area right before or after signing with Victory Records, but I never had the chance to hear or review them before receiving “Make It Blur†in the mail. The disc starts out with “No…
V/A – Reggae Gold 2007 / 2007 VP Records / 15 Tracks / http://www.vprecords.com / I do not get much in the way of reggae albums. Pretty much the last one that I really think we received was probably the last Shaggy album, and that has been a few years ago. It doesn’t mean that I do not like the style, but that we here at NeuFutur do not get…
The Spoken X – Wild Child / 2007 Metro / 13 Tracks / http://www.thespokenx.com / The title track to “Wild Child†just exudes cool. From the spoken narrative that starts out the track (think the opening to “Shaftâ€) and the ropy, cop-drama bass line present, and an individual would have a good idea of what The Spoken X are trying to do with this album. Instead of just sticking with…
Alaria Taylor – Bread or Water / 2007 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.alariataylor.com Alaria Taylor is perhaps the most decorated musician that you have never heard. Among these accolades are winning the VH-1 Song of the Year Contest and the Billboard Magazine World Song Contest. The five tracks that are on “Bread or Water†show the reason why Taylor has received all of these accolades. While the guitars start…
Brown Shoe – Vanity / 2007 Self / 13 Tracks / http://www.brownshoemusic.com It is a hell of time trying to find a band when you’ve screwed up their name. For the longest time, I thought the band’s name was “Brown Shoes†instead of “Brown Shoeâ€. After I got that problem worked out, I was able to hear the powerful indie rock of the band. Brown Shoe reminds me a lot…
Matt Woods – Something Surreal / 2004 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.mattwoodsband.com / Most the time when I receive CDs done by a band with the name of an individual (typically the leader of the band), what I am “treated†to is something that is quiet, singer-songwriter styled, and is something that essentially rehashes the collected works of artists like Dave Matthews and John Maher. However, Matt Woods and…
The Campbells – The Kid From Gillette, Wyoming / 2007 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.campbellsrock.com / The Campbells start out their “The Kid From Gillette, Wyoming†with a very early nineties type of alternative rock sound “My Silly Sparks†is a track that sounds as if The Campbells took equal amounts of Polaris and Soul Asylum and linked them together. There is still a little bit of fuzz coming…
Charlie Beresford – The Room is Empty / 2005 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.charlieberesford.com / The dissonant opening that Charlie Beresford places on eir “The Room Is Empty†will provide individuals with a challenge. The artistic style of this track may be lost on some, but Beresford’s dedication to making “If Only†work will endear more than a fair share of fans. “Nosfer†is a twenty second string-heavy track…
Fjord Rowboat – Saved The Compliments for Morning / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.fjordrowboat.com / This is Fjord Rowboat’s first full length album. After individuals listen to “Carried Awayâ€, they will marvel at how mature the band is. “Carried Away†is a track that has the same type of instrumental coolness and disaffected vocals that have been present in countless Franz Ferdinand and Interpol tracks, but what Fjord…
Arrica Rose & The …’s – Last Night on Earth / 2007 Poprock / 5 Tracks / http://www.arricarose.com / “Last Night on Earth†starts out slowly, but “Turn†(the introductory track) really starts going when Arrica Rose gets situated. The style that Rose & the …s play is hard to properly explain. “â€Turn†has a sixties pop type of sound, while Rose’s vocals have a mid-nineties sound..â€Occasionally the World’s An…
Cat-A-Tac – Past Lies and Former Lives / 2007 Needlepoint / 12 Tracks / http://www.cat-a-tac.com / http://www.needlepoint-denver.com / Cat-A-Tac starts out their “Past Lies and Former Lives†with a track that has a very nineties alternative type of feel to it. Coupled with that, “Needles and Pins†has more than its’ fair share of electronic and New Romantic influence, which makes Cat-A-Tac into a different act than anyone has previously…
Mike Mangione – Tenebrae / 2007 Mike Mangione / 12 Tracks / http://www.mikemangione.com / “Tenebrae†starts out slowly, with Mangione more concerned on creating a compelling and full sound instead of necessarily going forth and trying to wow listeners right off the bat. “Waiting For No One†is a very long track in terms of leading off “Tenebraeâ€, but the number of different twists and turns that ey puts into…
Kiff – You Can’t Keep It Down / 2006 PeaceLabs / 11 Tracks / http://www.kiff.com / Aside from knowing that Kiff (spelled differently, I think) was the name of Zapf Brannigan’s second in command on Futurama, I had no idea what “You Can’t Keep It Down†was ultimately going to sound like. The disc’s cover, which features Chris, the logo, and the album logo, does not give much more of…
Joemca – Jum+Ka / 2006 One Stone / 5 Tracks / http://www.joemcamusic.com / Joemca is someone that I was not familiar with before picking up this EP. The very Depeche Mode style to the vocals during the first track “Strangers†make it seem like Joemca is influenced tremendously by the New Romantic style. Unlike a number of the acts from that era, there seems to be a high amount of…
The Horrifics – Now Fear This / 2006 1031 / 17 Tracks / http://www.thehorrifics.net / http://www.1031records.com / I must admit that I did not expect a hard type of punk music looking at the band. One member of the band has hair like Wayne Static and yet another looks like ey would be perfect in Union Underground. However, what The Horrifics sound like is nothing like how they look. “Uzumaki 
Daylight Dies – Dismantling Devotion / 2007 Candlelight / 8 Tracks / http://www.daylightdies.com / http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com / Daylight Dies has a very subtly stated introduction to “Dismantling Devotion†that gives the resulting section of “Life Less Lived†that much more gravity. There is nothing in the way of vocals during the opening minutes of “Dismantling Devotionâ€, but this does not hinder Daylight Dies in the creation of a solid bit of…