With vocals like “One For The Kidsâ€-era Yellowcard, Will’s vocals match well with the supersonic instrumentation laid down by Nic and Joseph (guitars), Kevin (drums) and Ryan (bass). Tracks mesh well with each other; there is nary even a breathe between “Say Anything†and “Honestlyâ€. While there might not be the sizzling guitar solos and outright technical prowess of the technical emocore bands (those influenced by bands like Converge), the…
Seeming more like the shoe-gazing indie rock of the early nineties than the Detroit acts of the seventies that many rock and roll magazines have been want to compare them to, The Carlsonics nonetheless rock. Whether it be the utterly chaotic guitar solo of a song like “Ice People†or the look back to the British invasion of punk in “I Dig the Bushwackâ€, The Carlsonics can make the lo-f…
The style of music that The Cocktail Revisionists play is something that is pulled from a different time in alternative music, and songs on “This Is My Happy Face†are those that would have been all over the radio in the early days of the nineties. The style of vocals laid down on this disc by Leslie is something that is in locked-step with other artists like Susanne Vega and…
The opening of “Feel Good Tunes†really confuses listeners into first thinking that the band is harder than the rest of the fare would indicate, and then immediately inculcates them into a set of truly “Feel Good Tunesâ€, beginning with “Psshhh…Like I’m Handcuffedâ€. The “pick it up†that was heard much much too often back in the late nineties is used to some minor success on this track; the band’s…
I had to stop myself and actually ignore the fact that Capture the Flag was on Go Kart Records. Even with a relatively embarrassing promo sheet that dropped tons of names of bands that had absolutely no ties aurally to CtF (like Bad Religion, Dag Nasty, Descendents), Capture the Flag still makes a very good fusion of post-hardcore and pop-punk. Heavily drawing from some of the better metal from the…
I guess I do not understand the theme behind titling the songs in the way they do on “Ruder Forms Surviveâ€. Each of the seven tracks has a date and then a title; I understand some of the dates’ significances, but am not sure about all of them (1946 instead of 1945)? However, the tracks all have a lot to do with each other, and these ties are made even…
The opening, self-titled track of The Capitol Years is very airy and wispy. The opening is not very substantive; when the band finally kicks into “Revolutionsâ€, individuals can feel as if they are getting something from the band. The mixture of styles in this track (the electronic sound of The Who and The Beatles) sounds odd at the beginning, but The Capitol Years smartly blend together the different styles without…
“Ticking Ghosts, Pt. 1†is a instrumental track that shows Capillary Actions a little confused at the opening gates, different lines crash into each other and muddle what is honestly a very intelligent and complicated track. The band gets back on track before the distortion kicks in, ensuring that the recording is powerful enough to really affect listeners of all sizes and shapes. The second part of Ticking Ghosts begins…
This is the first completely instrumental metal act that I’ve got my hands on. The tracks work really well for someone that is doing household chores, but there are only a few tracks that shine with any sort of intensity. Intensity does come during a track like “Accidents in Mutual Silenceâ€, but there still seems to be a few cobwebs present in Canvas Solaris’ music. If one is looking for…
Time has been good to Cannibal Corpse, as tracks on “Kill†(for example, “Barbaric Bludegeoningsâ€) come out first with the same fury that has been present through all of the Cannibal Corpse albums, and then expand the band’s palette to allow for a greater toolbox for the band to choose from.
The style of the title track is an update version of the light-instrumentation and violent raps of the gangster period, allowed a little bit of the nuanced DangerDoom/newer style. The anemic beats on tracks like “Majestic Mic Masters†might be created to properly show off the vocal styles of the act, but in reality the down-tempo of the backing beat gives the vocals a certain sluggishness that it would not…
With a minute-long introduction, the one thing that individuals will know about the band Canada on their “This Cursed House†is that they do not intend to have the most speedy compositions. In fact, after the minute or song introduction to “Beige Stationwagonâ€, what results is an indie rock marked by a jangly acoustic-sounding guitar and a more natural sound to the dominant vocals. When the bass and drums kick…
Before listening to this CD, the only track from CVB that I could say I was familiar with was “Pictures of Matchstick Menâ€, and while their last CD came out in 1989, I still feel as if I should have been better versed in the band. The tight style of the alternative rock that CVB places on “New Roman Timesâ€, exemplified early by “51-7â€, a track that ties together introspective…
The cover of “Another Page†would throw off pretty much anyone that looked at is, as the smudgy art piece on the front cover would typically indicate something along the lines of a throwback band. To counter this, Megan Cameron sounds at the top of her game, eliciting comparisons to Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant, and Alanis Morisette. Each song does not go too far out with experimentation, but one will…
Ahh, this band is named after a Who song. Psychedelic imagery is all over their disc, and they mention Led Zepplin in their press release. I’m afraid. Starting out their disc with the retro-rock that is all the rage, along with a spastic base a la flea’s work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, what results in Call Me Lightning’s first track is something that should appeal to all listeners.…
The opening to “Illuminated Manuscript†are as twinkling as the stars on a clear night. While there are hints of acts like Death Cab For Cutie and The Postal Service present in eir “Pretty Boringâ€, Cale Parks is able to recast eir music into something completely different than what has been done in the past. The fact that there can be such a full sound with little more than a…
“Sunday†starts out with a very classic type of sound that shows The Cakes as a band that are very in touch with the bands that they listened to as kids. This means during “Sundayâ€, there are hints of Toni Basil, The Moody Blues, and even Styx. The production value of this EP is solid enough to allow for The Cakes to not be held back but anything but their…
The dreamy opening to “I Guess I Was Daydreaming†allows Cake on Cake to give individuals a foundation for which to base opinions of the album off of. There is a smart decision made by Cake on Cake at the beginning of the disc, as the first track barely cracks the two minute mark. Having such a short track opening up the album allows for two different styles to come…
I cannot give any information about this act, except that they played a local punk show about 4-5 years ago with other local Ohio acts, and that I picked this disc up in Columbus a few years back many months after they probably disbanded. While “Cooperate†has some serious problems, as it sticks to the typical pop-punk song, it has a very interesting sound to it. While they don’t thank…
Playing a style of rock that mixes together the smoothed-out vocals of Matthew Good with a Geddy Lee-style of voice and scruffy-distorted guitars, Cafebar 401 strikes at the heart of many a listener with their first salvo, “Full-pro Discoâ€. Slowing down the tempo but not removing the strong bass presence during “Many Left Here Long Beforeâ€, Cafebar 401 play a track that is the equivalent of a monotone – flat,…