Category: Music Reviews

Posted on: June 24, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Damien Dempsey – To Hell Or Barbados

Damien Dempsey – To Hell Or Barbados / 2007 Clear / 10 Tracks / http://www.damiendempsey.com / http://www.ufomusic.com / Reviewed 23 June 2007 The style of music that Dempsey plays on “To Hell Or Barbados” is an eclectic one. So eclectic, in fact, that it is hard to sit down and actually listen to the disc for any length of time. Sure, individuals will be able to built themselves up to…

Posted on: June 23, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Duke and the Drivers – Harder Than Before

Duke and the Drivers – Harder Than Before / 2006 Groove International / 12 Tracks / http://www.dukeandthedrivers.com / Reviewed 22 June 2007 There are a lot of Boston bands that played in the seventies that have came back to prominence in the current era. Duke and the Drivers is one of those bands; The Destroyed is another. Even though the vocals on “Harder Than Before”, the opening track, are scratchy…

Posted on: June 23, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

At Dusk – You Can Know Danger

At Dusk – You Can Know Danger / 2006 Popping Open Music / 10 Tracks / http://www.atduskmusic.com / Reviewed 22 June 2007 This is the third album released by “You Can Know Danger”; “In The Background” starts off this effort, and shows that the band has had time to smooth out their sound. What is immediately noticeable with At Dusk on this album is the diversity of sounds that come…

Posted on: June 23, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Jana Hunter – There’s No Home

Jana Hunter – There’s No Home / 2007 Gnomonsong / 15 Tracks / http://www.janahunter.tk / http://www.gnomonsong.com / Reviewed 22 June 2007 “Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom” was the last Jana Hunter CD that I had the chance to review, and while it feels like only yesterday I review it, it is in reality over a year and a half since I heard something from Hunter eirself. “Babies” is a track…

Posted on: June 22, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Lift – It Is What It Is

The Lift – It Is What It Is / 2007 Little Red / 10 Tracks / http://www.theliftstation.com / http://www.myspace.com/thelift / Reviewed 21 June 2007 The Lift do not start off their “It Is What It Is” with the most interesting of starts. The band themselves are catchy on their own, but there seems to be too much of a U2 influence early. This hinders the band from crafting their own…

Posted on: June 22, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Trail of Dead – So Divided

Trail of Dead – So Divided / 2006 Interscope / 11 Tracks / http://www.trailofdead.com / http://www.interscope.com / Reviewed 21 June 2007 I still remember reviewing Trail of Dead a number of years ago for the campus radio station. They were a pretty impressive band back then, and I’m glad I have the chance to see how they have grown since then. The first actual track on “So Divided” is “Stand…

Posted on: June 22, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Secrets of the Moon – Antithesis

Secrets of the Moon – Antithesis / 2007 Self / 9 Tracks / http://www.secretsofthemoon.org / antithesis.sotm.de / Reviewed 21 June 2007 Secrets of the Moon start out their “Antithesis” with a well thought-out entry in “Nowhere 11.18”. The track gradually grows in speed and uses repetition to get into listeners’ heads. The band is able to tie together different elements and create something compelling without having to resort to vocals.…

Posted on: June 22, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Nox – Ixaxaar

Nox – Ixaxaar / 2007 Earache / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/nox333 / http://www.earache.com / Reviewed 21 June 2007 Nox is a band that plays an absurdly fast brand of metal. In fact, it is my opinion that they are one of the top five or ten fastest acts out on the market. While I have no reason to believe that they use sequencing on any of the tracks on “Ixaxaar”,…

Posted on: June 21, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Dreadful Yawns – Rest

Dreadful Yawns – Rest / 2007 Exit Stencil / 10 Tracks / http://www.bomp.com / http://www.myspace.com/dreadfulyawns / Reviewed 17 June 2007 It has been a few years since I have had a chance to hear The Dreadful Yawns. In fact, it was 2005 when I last reviewed a Dreadful Yawns album. For their self titled album on Bomp, I said that the band had a down home and rootsy sound that…

Posted on: June 21, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Rio En Medio – Bride of Dynamite

Rio En Medio – Bride of Dynamite / 2007 Gnomonsong / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/daniellestechhomsy / http://www.gnomonsong.com / Reviewed 17 June 2007 “You Can Stand” is the first track on Rio En Medio’s “Bride of Dynamite”, and the slower, more soulful sound created by the band during this track is telling. As it sits at the head of the album, the rest of the disc is tempered by the music…

Posted on: June 21, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Johnathan Wilson – Frankie Ray

Johnathan Wilson – Frankie Ray / 2007 Koch / 16 Tracks / http://www.kochrecords.com / http://www.songsofjonathanwilson.com / Reviewed 17 June 2007 The tag that I see Wilson tagged with is “rock”. I would have to not agree with that, as songs like “Calvary” rely much more on a country-western and seventies pop sound than anything remotely close to rock music. The walking bass line, the strung-out vocals, everything on “Frankie Ray”…

Posted on: June 21, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Michael Buble – Call Me Irresponsible

Michael Buble – Call Me Irresponsible / 2007 Reprise / 14 Tracks / http://www.michaelbuble.com / http://www.repriserecords.com / Reviewed 17 June 2007 Michael Buble is all the rage in the right circles, but is not among the key demographics that would turn this very successful artist into the “next big thing”. However, this artist may be able to establish eirself in the minds of a larger range of listeners with this…

Posted on: June 20, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Music Review Page

The music review page is currently accessible at http://neufutur.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/reviews.html. I will put more current reviews up as their own posts, but the review page will be kept up to date for easy perusal.

Posted on: Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

OST: Sudden Impact

OST: Sudden Impact / 2008 Aleph / 22 Tracks / http://www.schifrin.com / Sudden Impact is a film, released in 1983, that features Clint Eastwood. It is also the 4th movie in the Dirty Harry series. Lalo Schifrin was tapped to make the score for this film, after being replaced in eir duties by Jerry Fielding for “The Enforcer”. The first track on this score is the “Main Title” track, and…

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Midnight Movies – Nights EP

Midnight Movies – Nights EP / 2008 New Line / 6 Tracks / http://www.midnightmovies.net / It has been a while since we here at NeuFutur have heard anything from the Midnight Movies, and this “Nights” EP marks the next evolution in their sound. The act makes a strong step forward with their psychedelic version of The Moody Blues’ “Nights In White Satin”. Despite the Jefferson Airplane-styled vocals that are present,…

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Blue Man Group – How To Be A Megastar

Blue Man Group – How To Be A Megastar / 2008 Rhino / 40 Tracks / http://www.blueman.com / http://www.rhino.com / I really had no clue that the Blue Man Group had been around for over 20 years. This album “How To Be A Megastar” provides individuals with an audio and video component that captures quite different sections and facets of the Blue Man Group’s inimitable style. Both segments were, as…