Category: Music Reviews

Posted on: August 11, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Mike Mangione – Tenebrae

Mike Mangione – Tenebrae / 2007 Mike Mangione / 12 Tracks / http://www.mikemangione.com / “Tenebrae” starts out slowly, with Mangione more concerned on creating a compelling and full sound instead of necessarily going forth and trying to wow listeners right off the bat. “Waiting For No One” is a very long track in terms of leading off “Tenebrae”, but the number of different twists and turns that ey puts into…

Posted on: August 11, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Kiff – You Can’t Keep It Down

Kiff – You Can’t Keep It Down / 2006 PeaceLabs / 11 Tracks / http://www.kiff.com / Aside from knowing that Kiff (spelled differently, I think) was the name of Zapf Brannigan’s second in command on Futurama, I had no idea what “You Can’t Keep It Down” was ultimately going to sound like. The disc’s cover, which features Chris, the logo, and the album logo, does not give much more of…

Posted on: August 7, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Joemca – Jum+Ka

Joemca – Jum+Ka / 2006 One Stone / 5 Tracks / http://www.joemcamusic.com / Joemca is someone that I was not familiar with before picking up this EP. The very Depeche Mode style to the vocals during the first track “Strangers” make it seem like Joemca is influenced tremendously by the New Romantic style. Unlike a number of the acts from that era, there seems to be a high amount of…

Posted on: August 7, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Horrifics – Now Fear This

The Horrifics – Now Fear This / 2006 1031 / 17 Tracks / http://www.thehorrifics.net / http://www.1031records.com / I must admit that I did not expect a hard type of punk music looking at the band. One member of the band has hair like Wayne Static and yet another looks like ey would be perfect in Union Underground. However, what The Horrifics sound like is nothing like how they look. “Uzumaki”…

Posted on: August 6, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Daylight Dies – Dismantling Devotion

Daylight Dies – Dismantling Devotion / 2007 Candlelight / 8 Tracks / http://www.daylightdies.com / http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com / Daylight Dies has a very subtly stated introduction to “Dismantling Devotion” that gives the resulting section of “Life Less Lived” that much more gravity. There is nothing in the way of vocals during the opening minutes of “Dismantling Devotion”, but this does not hinder Daylight Dies in the creation of a solid bit of…

Posted on: August 6, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 1

Oliver Future – Pax Futura

Oliver Future – Pax Futura / 2007 Fireproof / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/oliverfuture / Oliver Future have a decent amount of Radiohead influence in their brand of rock. Oliver Future operate with a very interesting approach to rock, linking together Maroon 5 and Modest Mouse with the aforementioned Radiohead to create something that is both impressive for the reviewers and musicians along with the average music fan. “Stranger Than The…

Posted on: August 6, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Jeff Babko – Mondo Trio

Jeff Babko – Mondo Trio / 2007 Abstract Logix / 9 Tracks / http://www.abstractlgix.com / The first track on “Mondo Trio” is “Head Trauma”, and despite the funkiness present in this track (or perhaps because of it), the resulting track has a very Zaappa-like sound to it. Everything would be okay if the song remained without vocals, as the horns and guitars provide a vocal sound that is just as…

Posted on: August 5, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Big Business – Here Come The Waterworks

     / 2007 Hydra Head / 8 Tracks / http://www.bigbigbusiness.com / http://www.hydrahead.com / While I was expecting something either drone-y or otherwise inapproachable, what Big Business do on “Here Come The Waterworks” is create a very sludgy (Alice in Chains) meets trippy (Jane’s Addiction) type of rock cum metal. “Just as the Day was Dawning” is the first track on the disc, and it will bring any listener back to…

Posted on: August 5, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Mother Jones – Union

Mother Jones – Union / 2006 Sun Rising / 10 Tracks / http://www.motherjonesband.com / Mother Jones has something in common with the magazine that has the same title; liberal media love the. Specifically, they were featured as the “Jam Band Artist of the Year” for 2006, and Neil Young has actually deemed them worthy enough to be on eir website as “songs of the times”. The first track is “Lost…

Posted on: August 5, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Slaughterhouse 3 – S/T

Slaughterhouse 3 – S/T / 2006 Abstract Logix / 11 Tracks / http://www.abstractlogix.com / There is a lot of Primus present in Slaughterhouse 3. This is due to the fact that the band starts out the disc with a self-titled track that has the same eclectic sound as what has been crafted in the past by bands like Primus and To My Surprise. There is a little bit more funk…