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…
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 Sunâ€, “Riverâ€. 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.…
Rasputina – Oh Perilous World / 2007 Filthy Bonnet Co / 12 Tracks / http://www.rasputina.com The last time I heard of Rasputina, ey was pandering an album because it had a collaboration with Marilyn Manson on it. That was quite a few years ago, but I remembered that when I got a copy of eir latest album, “Oh Perilous Worldâ€, for review in the magazine. The compositions on this album…
Bitter Bitter Weeks – Peace is Burning / 2007 High Two / 10 Tracks /http://www.minerstreet.com/bbw / http://www.hightwo.com / The Bitter Bitter Weeks sound a lot like The La’s during the first track to their “Peace Is Burningâ€, “Once and for allâ€. This means that the vocals are the dreamiest part of the band even as the instrumentation provide a little more tangible thing for these vocals to latch onto. The…
Ben Jelen – Ex Sensitive / 2007 Custard / 13 Tracks / http://www.benjelen.com / http://www.custardrecords.com / Ben Jelen starts off “Ex Sensitive†with a very hopeful brand of pop-rock music that is more influenced by eir vocals at the onset than even with the shifting, shambling beat that backs ey up during “Pulseâ€. Taken in toto, Jelen opens up this disc in a very solid way. There may be hints…
They Shoot Horses Don’t They – Pick Up Sticks / 2007 Kill Rock Stars / 10 Tracks / http://www.theyshoothorses.org / http://www.killrockstars.com They Shoot Horses Don’t They is a fucked up band. “One Last Final Push†mixes together so many different styles that it is really like a schizophrenic trying to go and craft a song. Ultimately, “One Last Final Push†is a track is primarily influenced by the swing-dancing style…
The Shake – Kick It / 2006 Self / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/theshakeband / The band comes forth to us with a sound that blends together equal parts FOo Fighters and Bad Religion. The first track on “Kick It†is “Frequencyâ€, and it shows the band’s ability to create a wall of sound. The only thing that could be construed as a negative on this opening track is the high…
V/A – Chakras: From Brazil To Berlin / 2007 Azul / 25 Tracks / http://www.chakras.com.br / This double disc has a very interesting purpose in mind. There is a unification of the more tribal styles of Brazilian spirit music with the functionalist and inorganic sounds of Germany. What would normally sputter out and fail to succeed is whipped into a solid two-disc mix by Miguel Reis, DJ Chris Wood and…
Black Diamond Heavies – Every Damn Time / 2007 Alive / 10 Tracks / http://www.blackdiamondheavies.com / http://www.alivenergy.com / “Fever In My Blood†is the first track on “Every Damn Timeâ€, and it starts out with a schizophrenic drum beat that finally gets reined in about a minute into the track. The guitars and other elements of the band gradually insert themselves into the mix, until a very sixties influenced type…
Villebillies – S/T / 2006 Universal / 12 Tracks / http://www.villebillies.com / http://www.universal.com / However punk or ska-influenced that this cover may be, what the Villebillies do on this self-titled album is rap. “Whiskey†is the first track on the disc, and it seems like the Villebillies are trying to blend together Bone Thugs N Harmony with Gnarls Barkley. “Whiskey†has a level of newness to it; despite listening to…
