Steve Bertrand – Pain Is A Megaphone / 2007 Icon MES / 9 Tracks / http://www.stevebertand.com / Steve Bertrand starts off “Pain Is A Megaphone†in a pop-rock way. The first track on the CD is “The Last Mile Is The Longestâ€, and it shows influences as wide as Bon Jovi, Matchbox 20, Semisonic, and Bryan Adams. Most times on an album it feels as if the music and the…
Sherwood – A Different Light / 2007 Myspace / 13 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/sherwood / http:/www.myspace.com/myspacerecords / Myspace Records is finally getting some energy to them, with the release of Sherwood’s “A Different Light’. The Disc itself starts out with “Song In My Headâ€, and “Song In My head†is a track that gradually gains energy after a slower, quiet start. The band still feels restrained during the track, so hopefully…
Against Me! – New Wave / 2007 Sire / 10 Tracks / http://www.againstme.net / http://www.sirerecords.com / Long time individuals know that I’ve had a relationship (or at least feelings, since I’ve only met them once) with Against Me! for quite a few years. I loved the work that they did on the destroyed full-length album and the “Crime†EP. I still liked their work with “Reinventing Axl Roseâ€, but the…
V/A – Distortion on the Dance Floor / 2007 Universal / 13 Tracks / http://www.toucancove.com / Josh Harris is the individual that mixed up this compilation, which features tracks by The Killers, Chicane, Tom Jones, John Digweed, Saving Jane, and a few other acts. I was not familiar with Josh Harris up to this point, but individuals that religiously read the Billboard dance charts may remember eir. This is because…
Les Hatepinks – Tete Malade/Sick in the Head / 2007 TKO / 7 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/leshatepinks / Les Hatepinks may be the most well known of punk bands coming from France in the current period. Speaking as an American, they may just be the most famous French band that I know of currently. This EP starts out with “Sexual Liberation is For Animalsâ€, and it shows that the band is…
Sean Na Na – Family Trees or Cope We Must / 2007 Dim Mak / 12 Tracks / http://www.seannana.com / http://www.dimmak.com / Man, Sean Tillmann can do a lot of different styles. Sean is the mastermind behind Sean Na Na, and musicphiles may remember the name from the noisy rockers Calvin Krime. Couple Sean up with already-diverse Dim Mak, and individuals will definitely have an interesting album. “Family Trees or…
No Hollywood Ending – Everybody’s Talking / 2007 Merovingian / 14 Tracks / http://www.merovingianmusic.com / http://www.nomilkrecords.com / No Hollywood Ending starts their “Everybody’s Talking†with a very orchestral sound. The disc’s cover looks nothing like the heavy, earlier style of metal that the band plays. Despite the earlier metal (Iron Maiden, Emperor) that the band seems most influenced by, the act comes out on a track like “ATM†like a…
Keke Wyatt – Ghetto Rose / 2007 TVT / 2 Tracks / http://www.umrg.com/artist.aspx?aid=473 / http://www.tvtrecords.com / For those individuals that are not familiar with who Keke Wyatt is, all one needs to know that ey was a member of Destiny’s Child for a time, when they were still called Girl’s Tyme. Keke has done music on eir own for the last half-decade, and this track marks the first single off…
V/A – Putumayo Presents A New Groove / 2007 Putumayo / 10 Tracks / http://www.putumayo.com / Putumayo had a solid album on their hands with “Gypsy Grooveâ€. That album was memorable because it blended together the traditional east European sound with a more current dance sound. This time, Putumayo seems to come out with a more normal type of dance mix. Normal is an ill-fitting word here, as the first…
The Aggrolites – Reggae Hit L.A. / 2007 Hellcat / 15 Tracks / http://www.aggroreggae.com / http://www.hell-cat.com / The disc opens up with “Work Itâ€, which uses a reggae sound that has been digitized to give the overall sound a tweak that has not been done to my knowledge. The rest of the track is fairly normal reggae fare, with a slow beat, bassy vocals, and a laid-back arrangement style that…
Jesse Harris – Feel / 2007 Secret Sun / 14 Tracks / http://www.jesseharrismusic.com / http://www.velourmusic.com / The front cover of Jesse Harris’ “Feel†does not give individuals much of an idea how “Feel†will ultimately sound. The front cover is largely white and features the artist’s name and the title in a slightly nuanced style, with a “tail†of different colors running down the bottom center of the liner. What…
Piebald – Accidental Gentlemen / 2007 Sideonedummy / 12 Tracks / http://www.piebald.com / http://www.sideonedummy.com / Piebald starts off their “Accidental Gentleman†with “Openerâ€, and the band settles into an Offspring-type of sound. This means that there hints of rock along with punk, coupled together to create an energetic sound that will get individuals singing along. “A Friend of Mine†blends styles to include acts like Weezer, The Aquabats, and The…
Magic Bullets – A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love / 2007 Words On Music / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/magicbullets / http://www.words-on-music.com / The band starts off “A Child But In Life Yet A Doctor In Love†in much of the same style as a number of New Romantic bands did (calling forth New Order most clearly), and while the instrumental and vocal seem to oppose each…
Blue Skies For Black Hearts – Love Is Not Enough / 2007 King of Hearts / 10 Tracks / http://www.blueskiesforblackhearts.com / http://www.kingofheartsrecords.com / Blue Skies For Black Hearts start off their ‘Love Is Not Enough†with “Here Comes The Rainâ€. The band wants you to imagine them as a seventies pop act, and the smoothed-out, half organic half electronic sound of “Here Comes The Rain†does a lot to solidify…
Auto Interiors – Let’s Agree To Deceive Our Best Friends / 2007 Ryko / 11 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/autointeriors / http://www.rykodisc.com / The Auto Interiors on “Let’s Agree To Deceive Our Best Friends†seem to have a sound that blends the darkly catchy music of Interpol and The Editors with the emotive, earthy emo music of the mid to late nineties. What results on tracks like “Window Shopping†is that a…
Hilary Duff – Dignity / 2007 Hollywood / 14 Tracks / http://www.hilaryduff.com / http://www.hollywoodrecords.com / Hilary Duff has changed eir style quite a bit since eir last few albums. A song like â€Why not†was something that could make it easily onto any Disney soundtrack, where songs like “With Love†may be pandering to a slightly older fan base. This is not really surprising, as the fan base that liked…
John Taglieri – Wide Awake & Dreaming / 2006 Leap Dog / 15 Tracks / http://www.johntaglieri.com / “Wide Awake & Dreaming†is John Taglieri’s fourth album; with a number of accolades already under eir belt, I have high expectations for “Wide Awake & Dreamingâ€. “Starring Role†does not completely live up to these expectations, as the pop music that Taglieri plays is nothing different from a number of artists on…
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.…