Category: Music Reviews

Posted on: July 15, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum – In Glorious Times

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…

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Posted on: July 15, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

In Theory – This Is It

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 You”, 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…

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Posted on: July 15, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Nekromantix – Life Is A Grave & I Dig It

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 Grave”, and it shows that the band is still able to come up with a track that is catchy and…

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Posted on: July 15, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Kate Havnevik – Melankton

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…

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Posted on: July 14, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Coby Brown – Time Is Now

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…

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Posted on: July 14, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Our Lady Peace – A Decade

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…

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Posted on: July 14, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 1

The Spares – Beautiful and Treacherous Thing

The Spares – Beautiful and Treacherous Thing / 2007 Tweed / 12 Tracks / http://www.thespares.net / http://www.tweedrecords.com/ The Spares blend together alternative music with a brand of bluegrass-influenced country music that is first heard on “Waiting For The Smoke To Clear”. The vocals will remind listeners of a young Allison Krauss, while the guitars present during the track vary between the to styles. Regardless, what is being sang is something…

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Posted on: July 13, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

The Horrors – Strange House

The Horrors – Strange House / 2007 Stolen Transmission / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thehorrors / http://www.stolentransmission.com / The Horrors have been making some waves in the indie music scene in the last few months. The first track on “Strange House” is “Jack The Ripper”, and it shows that The Horrors are trying to recall an earlier period in rock music. A great deal of their music comes from the loud…

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Posted on: July 13, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Pos-Neg – I’m A Problem

Pos-Neg – I’m A Problem / 2007 Self / 3 Tracks / http://www.pos-neg.com / http://www.southbronx.com / Pos-Neg is a rap act, and the flow that is present on the single “I’m A Problem” is similar to the earlier DMX flows. The backing beat to the track is a little bit on the tinny side, which does not necessarily mesh well with the higher registers of the individuals on the track.…

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Posted on: July 13, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Chimaira – Resurrection

Chimaira – Resurrection / 2007 Ferret / 11 Tracks / http://www.chimaira.com / http://www.ferretstyle.com Chimaira has been rocking the faces off of their fans for quite a few years, first on Roadrunner and now on Ferret Music. It seems as if Ferret really has made their average band much more hard and heavy than they have been in years past, and this is a good sign for the label. Chimaira start…

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Posted on: July 13, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Lacona – 35/half of 70

Lacona – 35/half of 70 / 2007 Self / 2 Tracks / http://www.laconamusic.com /   The style of indie rock that Lacona plays is very influenced by the goth style that was largest in the earliest days of the nineties. An emotive set of vocals goes in and other key as the instrumentation creates a very dark and dingy backdrop for the aforementioned vocals. The vocals move in and out…

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Posted on: July 13, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Sick Puppies – Dressed Up As Life

Sick Puppies – Dressed Up As Life / 2007 EMI / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/sickpuppies / http://wwv.virginrecords.com “World” is the first track on “Dressed Up As Life”, and it shows Sick Puppies as a new rock band in the same vein as an Evans Blue or a Papa Roach. This means that the band has a post-grunge feel that unites the earlier style with hints of pop-punk and Goo Goo…

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Posted on: July 12, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

The Eclectic Collective – The Flux

The Eclectic Collective – The Flux / 2007 Self / 7 Tracks / http://www.ecbeats.com / The Eclectic Collective started out around 2003 to take the world over with their own brand of rock. This marks their second album, released a year after their debut album “Time Flies”. The first track on “The Flux” is “Ocean of Tears”, and it shows that The Eclectic Collective love blending an older, Eagles type…

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Posted on: July 12, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 1

Slide Show Baby – S/T

Slide Show Baby – S/T / 2007 Moraiath / 11 Tracks / http://www.slideshowbaby.com / “Long Long Road” is a track that starts with splashy drums. That’s a good thing. However, it sounds like the violin that is present during points of this track is created in Cakewalk and pandered as real. While I have no problem with how they have created the lines (real or through a program), it just…

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Posted on: July 12, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

The Morning Pages – The Company You Keep

The Morning Pages – The Company You Keep / 2007 Zealous / 6 Tracks / http://www.themorningpages.com / For some reason, the first band I think of when I listen to The Morning Pages has to be Led Zeppelin. The music that is present on “The Company You Keep” is couched in an earlier style of rock. The vocals are the focal point of a track like “It Makes Me Cry”,…

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Posted on: July 11, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Moneybrother – They’re Building Walls Around Us

Moneybrother  – They’re Building Walls Around Us / 2006 Sabot / 6 Tracks / http://www.moneybrother.net / http://www.sabotproductions.net / I never had the chance to hear anything from Moneybrother’s last outfit, Monster. This Swedish rocker starts off “They’re Building Walls Around Us” with a track that is heavily influenced by the disco rock of the seventies. However, “They’re Building Walls Around Us” is a track that has a vitality that shines…

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Posted on: July 11, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

V/A – Gypsy Groove

V/A – Gypsy Groove / 2007 Putomayo Grooves / 11 Tracks / http://www.putumayo.com / I must admit, before sticking in “Gypsy Groove” to my CD player, I had not hear anything from the dance scenes present in Eastern Europe, beyond what was played during earlier Eurovision song contests. Even then, these tracks were ones that I did not pay much in the way of attention to. However, with !DelaDap’s “Zsa…

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Posted on: July 11, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Paul McCartney – Memory’s Almost Full

Paul McCartney – Memory’s Almost Full / 2007 MPI / 13 Tracks / http://www.paulmccartney.com / Obviously, this is the new album by Paul McCartney of the Beatles. Individuals should know eir as a former member of the Beatles and Wings, and for being a prolific solo artist in eir own right. However, this is the first time as a music reviewer that I have had a chance to hear McCartney’s…

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Posted on: July 11, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 1

The Beach Boys – The Warmth of the Sun

The Beach Boys – The Warmth of the Sun / 2007 EMP / 28 Tracks / http://www.emicap.com / The Beach Boys are one of the best known pop-rock bands, one of the earliest boy bands (as opposed to earlier teen idols). This disc features twenty-eight different tracks by The Beach Boys, and can be described as a definitive greatest hits collection. This is because the sequence and substance of the…

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Posted on: July 10, 2007 Posted by: James Comments: 0

Matteah Baim – Death of the Sun

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 Sun”, “River”. 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.…

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