Matteah Baim – Death of the Sun / 2007 Dicristina / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/matteahbaim / http://dicristinarecords.blogspot.com / Matteah Baim is holding back tons during eir first track of “Death of the Sunâ€, “Riverâ€. The set of vocals that ey contributes finally takes a focal point at near the two minute mark. What seems to be the focal point before that is the constraints given the disc by the recording.…
Rasputina – Oh Perilous World / 2007 Filthy Bonnet Co / 12 Tracks / http://www.rasputina.com The last time I heard of Rasputina, ey was pandering an album because it had a collaboration with Marilyn Manson on it. That was quite a few years ago, but I remembered that when I got a copy of eir latest album, “Oh Perilous Worldâ€, for review in the magazine. The compositions on this album…
Bitter Bitter Weeks – Peace is Burning / 2007 High Two / 10 Tracks /http://www.minerstreet.com/bbw / http://www.hightwo.com / The Bitter Bitter Weeks sound a lot like The La’s during the first track to their “Peace Is Burningâ€, “Once and for allâ€. This means that the vocals are the dreamiest part of the band even as the instrumentation provide a little more tangible thing for these vocals to latch onto. The…
Ben Jelen – Ex Sensitive / 2007 Custard / 13 Tracks / http://www.benjelen.com / http://www.custardrecords.com / Ben Jelen starts off “Ex Sensitive†with a very hopeful brand of pop-rock music that is more influenced by eir vocals at the onset than even with the shifting, shambling beat that backs ey up during “Pulseâ€. Taken in toto, Jelen opens up this disc in a very solid way. There may be hints…
They Shoot Horses Don’t They – Pick Up Sticks / 2007 Kill Rock Stars / 10 Tracks / http://www.theyshoothorses.org / http://www.killrockstars.com They Shoot Horses Don’t They is a fucked up band. “One Last Final Push†mixes together so many different styles that it is really like a schizophrenic trying to go and craft a song. Ultimately, “One Last Final Push†is a track is primarily influenced by the swing-dancing style…
The Shake – Kick It / 2006 Self / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/theshakeband / The band comes forth to us with a sound that blends together equal parts FOo Fighters and Bad Religion. The first track on “Kick It†is “Frequencyâ€, and it shows the band’s ability to create a wall of sound. The only thing that could be construed as a negative on this opening track is the high…
V/A – Chakras: From Brazil To Berlin / 2007 Azul / 25 Tracks / http://www.chakras.com.br / This double disc has a very interesting purpose in mind. There is a unification of the more tribal styles of Brazilian spirit music with the functionalist and inorganic sounds of Germany. What would normally sputter out and fail to succeed is whipped into a solid two-disc mix by Miguel Reis, DJ Chris Wood and…
Black Diamond Heavies – Every Damn Time / 2007 Alive / 10 Tracks / http://www.blackdiamondheavies.com / http://www.alivenergy.com / “Fever In My Blood†is the first track on “Every Damn Timeâ€, and it starts out with a schizophrenic drum beat that finally gets reined in about a minute into the track. The guitars and other elements of the band gradually insert themselves into the mix, until a very sixties influenced type…
Villebillies – S/T / 2006 Universal / 12 Tracks / http://www.villebillies.com / http://www.universal.com / However punk or ska-influenced that this cover may be, what the Villebillies do on this self-titled album is rap. “Whiskey†is the first track on the disc, and it seems like the Villebillies are trying to blend together Bone Thugs N Harmony with Gnarls Barkley. “Whiskey†has a level of newness to it; despite listening to…
Tim Barry – Rivanna Junction / 2006 Suburban Home / 10 Tracks / http://www.timberryrva.com / http://www.suburbanhomerecords.com / Tim Barry is one of the member of Avail. Avail was an integral part of the melodic punk scene in the late nineties. “Rivanna Junction†starts out with “Trash Inspirationsâ€, a track that goes the alt-country route taken by Lucero. At some point, Barry is still a practitioner of punk music, and this…
The Buddhist Monks – My Spirit Flies To You / 2006 Decca / 14 Tracks / http://www.thebuddhistmonks.net / http://www.iclassics.com / The Buddhist Monks are to 2006 what the Gregorian Monks were to the early nineties. There is some sort of acceptance by the pop and adult contemporary stations to what normally would be a style of music reserved only for the most devout of followers. The music that is present…
Ligion – External Affairs / 2007 Maple Jam / 11 Tracks / http://www.ligion.net / http://www.maplejamrecords.com / The vocal style that starts off “On The Way†does not mesh completely with the more dance-y rock of Ligion. This is because there seems to be a more emotional and natural sound to the vocals, while the instrumental arrangement on this track seems to be more sequenced than anything. Ligion get their stuff…
Sachal Vasandani – Eyes Wide Open / 2007 Mack Avenue / 12 Tracks / http://www.sachalvasandani.com / http://www.mackavenue.com / “Naked As We Came†is the first track on “Eyes Wide Openâ€, and Vasandani comes forth with a very classic style of singing. If anything, I would have to link eir singing style to an early Dean Martin or Bing Crosby. There is enough of a current focus to keep individuals interested;…
Maylene and the Sons of Disaster – II / 2007 Ferret / 11 Tracks / http://www.mayleneandthesonsofdisaster.us / http://www.ferretstyle.com / Maylene and the Sons of Disaster is a band that blends together Corrosion of Conformity (“Deliveranceâ€-era) with Marilyn Manson, and puts it in a way that listeners in the current period can love. “Memories of the Grove†is the first track on “IIâ€, and it shows the band as being very…
Jerry Lee Lewis – Last Man Standing / 2006 Shangri-La / 21 Tracks / http://www.jerryleelewis.com / Jerry Lee Lewis is an individual whose time had came and left by the time that I started listening to music in the middle nineties. This does not mean that ey does not have anything left in the gas tank, but that I had never heard anything more than a few singles from Lewis…
Sasha & Shawna – Siren / 2007 Blue Note / 12 Tracks / http://www.sashaandshawna.com / http://www.manhattanrecords.com / I feel so un-educated when I get an album like “Sirenâ€. For example, I was not familiar with Sasha Lazard, Shawna Stone, or Grammy-award winning producer Peter Asher. This album is a blend of classic opera tracks along with the duo’s reinterpretation of popular songs. These songs include Radiohead’s “Fade Outâ€, which opens…
Rachel Margaret – Buena Vista Park / 2007 Self / 4 Tracks http://www.myspace.com/rachelmargaretmusic / “Landfill” is one of the focal points on “Buena Vista Park”, and while the instrumentation is softly-stated and meanders around the vocals, Margaret here comes correct and creates a brand of modern pop-rock that is just as honest and impressive as anything released by Fiona Apple or others of her ilk. “Someday Soon” is a slightly…
The Christine Spero Group – My Spanish Dream / 2007 Self / 9 Tracks / http://cdbaby.com/cd/christinespero2 / One of the first things that is heard at the beginning of “My Spanish Dream” has to be the entirety of The Christine Spero Group weaving their instruments together to come up with a coherent and cohesive sound. Hints of Latin arrangements and jazz spontaneity immediately confront listeners during the disc’s first track,…
Paris Luna – City Lights / 2007 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.parisluna.com / Paris Luna start out their “City Lights†in a way that reminds me of Sixpence None the Richer. The first track on “City Lights†is “Having a Hard Timeâ€. “Having a Hard Time†is a rock track in the same vein as a Kelly Clarkson; the bass and drums make for an easy listening track, one…
Street Dogs – Fading American Dream / 2006 Brass Tacks / 13 Tracks / http://www.street-dogs.com / http://www.drt-entertainment.com / Street Dogs’ first album was fucking amazing. Simple as that. Their second album was still decent, but it had less of the fury and fun style that “Savin Hill†had. Street Dogs are back with their third album, “Fading American Dreamâ€, and it might just be the best of the three. The…