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.
OST: Kyle XY / 2007 ABC Family / 14 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/kylexy I know that a lot of individuals are really into Kyle XY. I never got to watch the show because it didn’t seem like something that would be too terribly interesting to me, and I didn’t even have cable until last month. Regardless, the disc has a who’s who of solid indie rock, alternative rock, and emo bands.…
Divasonic – Changing Wind / 2007 Digital Bliss / 12 Tracks / http://www.divasonic.com / The brand of wide-open, electronic pop music that Lynda Arnold puts down on “Changing Wind†will remind individuals of individuals like Enya and Bjork. There is a panoply of styles and sounds that are present on the disc’s opening track, “I Feel Highâ€. This means that funk, rock, and tribal sounds all unite to create something…
Lacquer – Rebuilt / 2007 Self / http://www.lacquerbadlands.com / “Ripper†is a track that will bring listeners back to the Motley Crue-like rock of the eighties. Lacquer is a little more complex than that comparison would seem, as there are hints of Ramones-like pop punk and even a little bit of a Replacements/Husker Du sound during this track. The musical progression during “Ripper†is something that individuals will feel comfortable…
Tum Tum – Eat or Get Ate / 2007 Universal / 18 Tracks / http://www.universalrepublic.com / http://www.ttownmusic.net / One has to wonder why that a rapper named eirself after a character in the 3 Ninjas set of movies. This is the debut album by Tum Tum, and tracks here feature talents like Mannie Fresh, Trae, Jim Jones, and some up and coming rappers (Double T, Lil Ronnie, Don Dada, and…
Deepak Chopra – A Gift of Love II / 2002 Rasa / 23 Tracks / http://www.rasamusic.com / Besides the music of The Buddhist Monks that I received a few months ago, Deepak Chopra’s “A Gift of Love†has to rank right up there in terms of the weirdness scale. This is the style of music that would be played at a number of import houses and other new-age shops, so…
Carina Round – Slow Motion Addict / 2006 Weapons of Mass Entertainment / 12 Tracks / http://www.carinaround.com / http://www.interscope.com / I must admit, I felt a little wary after looking at the sticker on the cover of “Slow Motion Addictâ€, where some yob from the NME said that “At her best she fucks up the blues like no Midlander since Led Zepâ€. The disc’s first track is “Stolen Carâ€, and…
Tyrone Wells – Hold On / 2007 Universal Republic / 12 Tracks / http://www.tyronewells.com / I had absolutely no idea who Tyrone Wells was when we received the CD here at NeuFutur headquarters. Essentially, Wells gained prominence through having eir songs played on a number of shows I wouldn’t touch with a twenty foot pole. These include: One Tree Hill, Numb3rs, Meet the Barkers, and Three Moons over Milford. Essentially,…
Chasing Victory – Fiends / 2007 Mono Vs Stereo / 10 Tracks / http://www.chasingvictory.com / http://www.monovsstereo.com / Chasing Victory is a band that is from deep in the heart of Georgia. They’ve toured before with Project 86, August Burns Red, and The Devil Wears Prada. This means that they are a Christian hardcore band, but one would likely not hear that when the horns kick in on a track like…
Paris Bennett – Princess P / 2007 306 / 16 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/parisbennett / http://www.tvtrecords.com / Paris Bennett was one of the stars from American Idol . Specifically (for those people that actually pay attention to it), ey was the fifth place winner in the fifth season of Idol. The introductory track to the disc, “All Hair the Princessâ€, is a song that reflects a gospel influence. “Ordinary Love†is…
Tum Tum – Eat or Get Ate / 2007 Universal / 18 Tracks / http://www.universalrepublic.com / http://www.ttownmusic.net / One has to wonder why that a rapper named eirself after a character in the 3 Ninjas set of movies. This is the debut album by Tum Tum, and tracks here feature talents like Mannie Fresh, Trae, Jim Jones, and some up and coming rappers (Double T, Lil Ronnie, Don Dada, and…
OST: Kyle XY / 2007 ABC Family / 14 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/kylexy I know that a lot of individuals are really into Kyle XY. I never got to watch the show because it didn’t seem like something that would be too terribly interesting to me, and I didn’t even have cable until last month. Regardless, the disc has a who’s who of solid indie rock, alternative rock, and emo bands.…
Dethklok – Dethalbum / 2007 Williams Street / 16 Tracks / http://www.adultswim.com/ Metalocalypse is my favorite show on Adult Swim, and ranks right up there with Duckman and The Critic for being the best animated show of all time. I received the CD one day after stopping at the post office to pick up my pile of packages, and slipped it in before I went on a trip back to…
Scorpions – Humanity Hour 1 / 12 Tracks / http://www.the-scorpions.com / http://www.ilovethatsong.com / I was always into hair metal when I was in high school. Needless to say, I was really worried when I thought I was “playing†the new Scorpions album and heard music that resembled Oasis. Luckily, I just had the wrong disc in the player. Anyways, I really got into hair metal after picking up a greatest…
Jimmy Eat World – “Big Casino†/ 2007 Interscope / 1 Track / http://www.jimmyeatworld.com / Jimmy Eat World has been a band that has impressed me (“Lucky Denver Mintâ€) and disappointed me in the past (changing “Bleed Americanâ€â€™s title). However, it has been a number of years since either of those events happened, so it seems like good policy to give the band another chance. There hopeful vocals that are…
The GoStation – Passion Before Function / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.thegostation.com / The GoStation sure love their Oasis, don’t they? Whether it is the opening strains of â€All Together Now†or the ending riffs of “When I’m Goneâ€, the band has a lot of debts to pay the Gallagher brothers. I can understand why the band would want to do that; Oasis was a band that pushed…
Bear Hands – Golden EP / 2007 Freedom in Exile / 4 Tracks / http://www.bearhandsband.com / Bear Hands start out their “Golden EP†with their own interpretation of indie rock. This means that there are hints of the energetic alt-country punk of a Lucero, the prim and proper alt-rock of Weezer, and even a little hit of the fuzz and meandering arrangements that brought Jane’s Addiction to prominence all those…