The product of this live album is something that honestly holds a candle to previous live works like KISS’s “Alive” or Cheap Trick’s “Budokan” album. The music contained within is solid enough to conceivably be on a studio recording, while the addition of live singalongs to a number of the tracks really adds another dimension to this disc. What is even more impressive is the fact that these tracks were…
The straight-forward emo rock of Lakota makes for tracks that are relentless in their mission, trying to make the most compelling music for both Clearchannel listeners and individuals that must have interesting arrangements in their music. In a sense, tracks like “She Has It” maintain some of the same fury of early Foo Fighters recording, in that the general tempo is somewhat aurally similar to the aforementioned band’s “Everlong”. When…
The average track on “Ultimate Destroyer” is not a short one, with the eight songs of the disc reaching well over the thirty-eight minute mark. The band does not need anything in the way o fvocals to affect ttheir listeners; all that Lair of the Minotaur needs to rock is the guitars, bass, and drums that are typically present on a metal disc. When vocals do occur (as is the…
“Walking Wine” is the first track on “Tres Tontos”, and it immediately kicks things into high grear. The music that Mikingmihrab starts their album out with is a blend of Fugazi, rockabilly, and early Alkaline Trio. The off-kilter sound of the band stands out as some of the most unique I’ve heard, and the density of this initial composition should provide enough of an impetus to continue listening to this…
“The Real Thing” is the first track on Ria’s self-titled album, and it is important for setting the stage for the rest of the album. There is a decidedly pop sound to the track that touches upon different styles ranging from the eighties on; while there is a Pet Shop Boys electronic feel to the backing instrumentation, there is a current and contemporary feel to Ria’s vocals. This blending of…
Lagwagon has been around for tons of years (older than most of their fans, since they started in 1988). There is a comparable chunk of Lagwagon’s sound to The Vandals, in that a number of their tracks have the same style of hair-metal guitars. Couple that with a chunky bass that plays a major role in a number of tracks (especially “Automatic”) and one has theformula for a sold, spastic…
Not really what I could categorize as emo rock, Long Since Forgotten mixes acts like Jimmy Eat World with the Goo Goo Dolls, using rich recording to mesh the two sounds without any discernible seams. All and all, the tracks go by incredibly fast, working just as well as incidental music as front-level driving music. Josh’s vocals on every track are ultimately clear and act in different capacities, creating something…
With the best recording of anything to come out of Greencastle, Lagging Leftward’s style of Led Zepplin and Lynyrd Skynyrd-like rock is also a bold step in a direction that was previously untouched by the whole of Greencastle music. One thing that hampers the band would be the length of each track on this demo, with the shortest track averaging out at over 4 minutes. Repetition is the key for…
Patti LaBelle is one of those artists that I know was big in the past, but has not really done anything earthshaking since I became cognizant of music. For those that do not know, LaBelle started out as a singer for the Bluebelles, changed their name to Labelle, and then broke free from the rest of the pack starting in 1976. From 1962 to 1993, LaBelle charted tens of songs,…
The opening piano to “He Was There” should be reminiscent to listeners to Des’ree’s “Kissing You”. In fact, the general style of “He Was There” is tracked alongside that song, even if the act adds a considerable amount of gospel influence to the mix. The decision to put the longest track at the beginning of the disc is an interesting one; this gambit has sunk many a band when they…
