Plumbline – Recollection / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.plumblinemusic.com / Plumbline play a hopeful brand of Christian rock that is safe without breaking completely free of the established artists in the genre. The disc’s first track comes in “This is a Song of Hope’, and while the band does not rattle the cage or otherwise try to go in a style that has not been done before, they…
Amy Cook – The Sky Observer’s Guide / 2007 Root House / 10 Tracks / http//www.amycook.com / http://rroothouserecords.com / “Coming Home (The Eclipse)†starts off in a slow style, the guitar being pretty much the only thing that bolsters Cook’s vocals. The vocals of Cook are nothing special, coming forth as somewhat poppy, somewhat rocky. The anemic flow of “Coming Home†means that the only thing individuals can really get…
Drawing Voices – S/T / 2007 Hydra Head / 6 Tracks / http://www.hydrahead.com / For those not in the know, Drawing Voices is the culmination of forces including artist Craig Dongoski and Isis’ Aaron Turner. So, typical Hydra Head-types of individuals join forces to craft a six-song album. “Being Born Broken†is a short introduction to Drawing Voices, and there is more atmospheric sounds present to the track than anything.…
Alice Donut – Fuzz / 2007 Howler / 12 Tracks / http://www.alicedonut.com / http://www.howlerrecords.com / I had known of Alice Donut for quite a few years, and their cover of “War Pigs†is one of my favorite covers of all times. However, I did not know what their sounded like beyond that. “Madonna’s Bombing Sarajevo†is the first track on the CD, and it blends together the strung out sounds…
Khlyst – Chaos is my Name / 2007 Hydra Head / 8 Tracks / http://www.plotkinworks.com/Khlyst/KhlystMain.html / I must admit, I am not completely behind the work of Khlyst at the onset of this disc. I mean, I like noise in my music, but fucking around on a guitar and just screaming out without any rhyme or reason isn’t that impressive to me. The band does start to become more coherent…
The Hidden Hand – The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote / 2007 Southern Lord / 10 Tracks / http://www.thehiddenhand.com / http://www.southernlord.com / God, I love grunge. I love bands that revel in sounding like they’ve just had sex with their Corrosion of Conformity, Helmet, and Morbid Angel albums. “Purple Neon Dream†is the first track on “The Resurrection of Whiskey Footeâ€, and it shows that the band loves crafting some of…
Dead Town Revival – Hasta La Muerte / 2007 Sinister Muse / 11 Tracks / http://www.deadtownrevival.com / Before receiving “Hasta La Muerteâ€, I never had heard of Dead Town Revival. The band plays a brand of rock that is very influenced by punk music. The first track of the disc is “Wacoâ€, and what really distinguishes the act from the rest of the bands releasing CDs now has to be…
Shshsh Shark Attack – S/T / 2006 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.shshshsharkattack.com / I guess I should not be surprised, but Shshsh Shark Attack play a brand of surf music that is linked to the more chaotic sound of an act like Men’s Recovery Project and to also the goth music of the late eighties and early nineties. Their first track on their self-titled album is “Burmuda Triangle†(yes,…
Angelspit – Krankhaus / 2007 Dancing Ferret / 16 Tracks / http://www.angelspit.net / http://www.dancing-ferret.com /  Hell, even if I don’t like this album, I can look at the art of the disc, which has a ton of interesting looking industrial kids and a very attractive Asian person in a bathtub (where’s the blood in said tub, though?). Regardless, “Krankhaus†starts off with a Lords of Acid song. At least,…
Peter Searcy – Spark / 2007 Toucan Cove / 12 Tracks / http://www.petersearcy.com / http://www.toucancove.com / For individuals that were into the Louisville scene, Peter Searcy was a member of seminal Louisville punk act Squirrel Bait. Later on, ey joined Big Wheel, Starbilly, and has been doing things in the solo scene since around 2000. This is ey fourth solo release, and the album starts off with Searcy coming forth…
Recourse – Weakening The Structure / 2007 Skinlifter / 8 Tracks / http://www.recoursemetal.com / http://www.skinlifterrecords.com / “Frail Existence†shows that Recourse is a new type of metal band, playing as fast as possible while using the conventions of metal and harder rock. The band goes through all of the tracks on this EP at a breakneck speed. The track length may be about three and a half minutes time in…
White Rabbits – Fort Nightly / 2007 Say Hey / 11 Tracks / http://www.whiterabbitsnyc.com / http://www.sayheyrecords.com / White Rabbits probably take their name from that Jefferson Airplane classic. I have no clue if that is true, but it sounds good. “Kid On My Shoulders†starts out “Fort Nightlyâ€, and it shows that White Rabbits absolutely LOVE the sixties, especially the lounge sound. The vocals come from a newer tradition, but…
V/A – Deep Elm: Cover Your Tracks / 2007 Deep Elm / 12 Tracks / http://www.deepelm.com / I guess I do not understand the real purpose of Deep Elm bands covering other Deep Elm songs. Obviously, it would not be hard to get copyright clearance from Cross My Heart, Last Days of April, Pop Unknown, and the like. However, I don’t see what the use is in doing these covers.…
Helmet – Monochrome / 2007 Warcon / 11 Tracks / http://www.helmetmusic.com / http://www.warconrecords.com Helmet was a hard rock act that I never really got into in all of my years listening to music. Well, I received “Monochrome†a few weeks ago and I really was blown away. “Swallowing Everything†is the first track on the disc, and the first thing individuals can hear is the distinctive guitar work present. The…
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – In Glorious Times / 2007 The End / 11 Tracks / http://www.sleepytimegorillamuseum.com / http://www.theendrecords.com / The disconcerting sound that Sleepytime Gorilla Museum puts forth on their “The Companions†blends circus music with a movie score. The falsetto cuts through listeners and the music on the track alike; when the band finally breaks into a harder rock style, things change. Of course, the circus feel to the…
In Theory – This Is It / 2007 Shelter From the Storm / 11 Tracks / http://www.intheorymusic.com / In Theory play a brand of emo rock that would make Yellowcard proud. The first cut on the album is “Help Me Help Youâ€, and the track could easily be the band’s first single. The distinctive vocals of In Theory mesh with very confident guitar lines and splashy drums to make a…
Nekromantix – Life Is A Grave & I Dig It / 2007 Hell-Cat / 14 Tracks / http://www.nekromantix.com / http://www.hell-cat.com / Nekromantix have been around a very lengthy period of time, crafting their brand of punk rockabilly music for the masses. “NekroHigh†is the first track on “Life is a Graveâ€, and it shows that the band is still able to come up with a track that is catchy and…
Kate Havnevik – Melankton / 2007 Universal / 12 Tracks / http://www.katehavnevik.com / http://www.universal.com / Individuals from Europe may not know why we are running a “Melankton†review now; the disc was first released there in April of 2006. However, the disc just made it to American shores this year. Havnevik’s “Melankton†is a debut album, but from the beginning of the disc, it does not feel to be. The…
Coby Brown – Time Is Now / 2007 Self / 4 Tracks / http://www.cobybrown.com / Coby Brown and the 11:11s play a brand of pop rock that is comparable to the work of a Coldplay, Keane, or Artic Monkeys. That means that the music that is on “Time Is Now†is inoffensive, does not experiment in the slightest, and relies on the paths that previous individuals have traveled. The tracks…
Our Lady Peace – A Decade / 2006 Columbia / 18 Tracks / http://www.ourladypeace.com / http://www.columbiarecords.com / Our Lady Peace is yet another Canadian act that was big in America for a song or two, but reached massive levels of success for years (almost a decade) in their own home country. I still remember when I first was introduced to Our Lady Peace. It was a year or so before…