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 timesâ€. The first track is “Lost…
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…
Charles Mingus Sextet With Eric Dolphy – Cornell 1964 / 2007 Blue Note / 9 Tracks / http://www.bluenote.com / I am not the most well versed individual when it comes to blues and jazz music. As one can glean from the artists present in the title of this disc (Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy), this is a jazz album. The fifties and sixties were an interesting time for jazz music,…
Young Stunna – The Best of Me / 2007 RJM / 19 Tracks / http://www.rjmrecords.com / There are a number of independent rappers that are trying to ply their trade in the current perio.d So many of them suck that it means finding a halfway decent rapper is a shore in and of itself. Many times, there are a few strong tracks on a disc and about ten times the…
Fast Computers – Heart Geometry / 2007 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.thefastcomputers.com / The synth lines that start out “Sweden Hasn’t Changed, You Have†will undoubtedly remind individuals of The Psychedelic Furs. The fact that the book has pictures from a library further gives individuals an eighties type of feel. The band shifts things up enough that it does not last; a song like “How Many Times†brings Fast…
Chris Letcher – Frieze / 2007 2Feet / 15 Tracks / http://www.sheergroup.com / http://www.2feetmusic.com / The opening to “Frieze†starts off slowly with what sounds like a movie quote opening up “Deep Friezeâ€. However, it is the poppy style of indie rock that Letcher plays that immediately saves this album. There are more than passing comparisons to individuals like Matthew Sweet on “Deep Friezeâ€, and while the Avalanches meets Kid…
Buildings Breeding – S/T / 2007 Mushpot / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/buildingsbredding / http://www.mushpotrecords.com / Buildings Breeding play a dreamy type of indie cum pop rock music that will bring individuals back to the shoegazer genre present in the early to middle nineties. The use of clapping during the opening track “Stacking Up Reasons†further closes the sound in on the band, to make it seem as if the band…
AJ Rosales – Ultramarine / 2007 Novelty / 13 Tracks / http://www.ajrosales.com / AJ Rosales has a little bit of a Chris Cornell sound to eir voice during the opening of “Ultramarineâ€, the track “Alone Againâ€. The instrumentation may be bouncy and jangly, but there is nothing too terribly new provided by Rosales here. The California Dreams-like guitar line that shifts in and out of solos during “Alone Again†is…
Mando Diao – Ode To Ochrasy / 2007 Mute / 14 Tracks / http://www.mandodiao.com / http://www.mute.com / I guess there are bands that are still trying to do the retro rock thing. Mando Diao does just that with their “Ode To Ochrasyâ€. This is the band’s third alum, and it shows that the act has had considerable time to go and polish their sound. While “Welcome Home, Luc Roitaille†is…
Kristie Nalley – The Pagan Romantics / 2005 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.kristienalley.com / Despite the fact that all the documentation that I received with the disc said that the album was sanitized, I still felt as if unseen mold and mildew was messing with my breathing. Besides that, “The Pagan Romantics†is an okay album. “Barely Legal†starts out with Nalley’s vocals, and while different elements (drums, and…
