The self-assured, serpentine melodies, liquid-glass harmonies and literate, cutting lyrics almost render their name ironic: for a group whose name implies struggle and nascent growth, Cocoon seemed to appear out of thin air, fully-formed.
“This Girl Has A Gun†is the first song (not counting introductions) on The Bleeding Alarm’s “Beauty in Destructionâ€. The band comes to this track in an interesting way; the band vacillates between a harder rock style and the much more emotive rock style that ultimately takes the day by the end of the track. The band starts out their album in strong fashion, but there seems to be something…
Starting out with the same type of singer-songwriter vibe that numerous bands from Matthew West to The Majestic Twelve have, Blake Rainey goes through “Appetizer Sickness†with the same earthy tone that Brandon Patton was not able to completely tame. However, while Brandon tries to oversaturate the disc with a number of different instruments, Blake goes the other route and creates a Spartan atmosphere that really is not hospitable to…
The acoustic-heavy opening to “Treadmarks†is the “We Didn’t Start The Fireâ€-inspired “One Planet – One Utopia – One Helmetâ€. The phrasing of the lyrics during the track is at least as random as the aforementioned Billy Joel song, without the interesting piano work to divert a critical eye from this randomness. The guitar lines, while maintaining a certain cohesion tend to break down after tremendous repetition; Johnny J Blair…
4 songs on Projekt Records, which brings the total running time of the disc to 15:04, around 3:46 per song. “Remnants of Deeper Purity” has a richer collection of voices then “this lush garden within” but falls a little short in the instrumental department. This is not to say that the instrumentation is weak by any means, as a number of traditional instruments are played over a very fitting synth…
Mixing together parts of The Doors, early nineties Goo Goo Dolls and Bauhaus, Alicja Trout starts off “Tronic Blanc†with a jangly goth-dance track that could honestly have been pulled out from the halcyon days of the form. However, complacency is no on the docket for this disc, as “Torture Torture†rips up any framework that was created with “The Picture Looks So Small†and uses seventies-punk guitar riffs to…
“Shuffle Your Feet†is a blues-influenced track that seems more in common with a Stevie Ray Vaughn than with the current focus on the retro-rock of The White Stripes or . The slightly-slower sound of the title track is thus facilitated by the Corrosion of Conformity-esque opening to the disc, and will allow individuals to see the slightly Brit-rock sound of the second track. The heavy synth lines during “Howl 
The album’s cover looks like it comes right out of the sixties, which makes sense since the band plays the closest thing to 60s rock that has came out in the last decade or so. The tracks are Shaharazad-story long, as the first two (Druganaut and Buffalo Swan) tracks almost break twenty minutes in runtime on their own. The extension of simple arrangements, such as a three or four note…
Blackmaker plays a branch of pop-rock that has parallels in bands like Switchfoot and Nickelback, and while many practitioners of this system are nothing more than apers of the style (Damage and Ditchwater are two of the bands that illustrate that example fairly well), Blackmaker plays the style in terms that are their own. Both “Spiraling” and “Let It Go” start off the disc with a tremendous amount of momentum,…
One of the most even discs of this new year, The Black Maria’s “Lead Us To Reason†is the latest in Victory emo bands revolutionizing the genre. Everything has the gentle sound of the late nineties alternative scene, but the Fear Factory meets Shadows Fall sound of more current days. The overarching synthesizer present in a track like “Organs†works perfectly in playing off of and accentuating the emotive and…
With song lengths that would make the quickest punk or noise bands blush, Blacklisted create a style of hardcore that has not been seen for quite a few years. Coming out of a more metal tradition than the nerd-core (technical hardcore) pablum that has been filling the street, this is furious music that does not give listeners time before going off into another direction. The arrangements are obvious, and it…
“Home of the Brave†is a great way to start “Bittersweet Sixteenâ€, mixing together a very eighties type of American pop with a set of bagpipes to start a traditional/current dichotomy. Very few bands actually make it past the five year mark, so to see that Black 47 has been around for sixteen years is a statement all to itself. This greatest hits collects sixteen tracks from the band’s sixteen…
The hard-rock approach done by The Blackfire Revelation really seems to portend well for the band before the band starts off their true approach, which is essentially screaming over whatever the rest of the band mates decided what would sound good (did I mention that these bandmates had no idea what their other halves were doing). What really hinders The Blackfire Revelation are the extremely long times that they allow…
Incorporating the best parts of Samhain, Tiger Army, Nekromantix and Death By Wednesday, Black Cat Rebellion simultaneously works in two different periods; first off, in the earliest days of Goth music, alongside bands like 45 Grave, and in the later punk/rockabilly revival. “Burn†comes through with an infectious beat, aided by the intricate bass of Creepy Rob and a sultry-sang set of vocals laid down by Brad. Each track spins…
The style of metal that Bible of the Devil play is not what would seem to be probably when one looks at the front cover of the CD. Bible of the Devil starts the disc strong, by including two tracks that added together are well less than six minutes. This has the effect of giving listeners a good idea of the range of styles that Bible of the Devil can…
The funky beat that drives â€Black Diamonds and Pearls†is only furthered by the inclusion of a number of different harmonies. This means that Blackalicious exists on a number of different eras and general sounds, providing the largest possible fanbase with music that is completely digable. “Ego Sonic Wardrums†might be the most fitting title of a song ever; the brooding backing beat add a sound that threatens to consume…
Where an act like Goldfrapp comes forth with a minor amount of trip-hop influence, Bittersweet takes that sound to its logical extreme with the beginning of this disc. There are hints during “The Mating Game†of acts as diverse as The Propellerheads and Bjork, while the sound of the band is something that sounds as if it was pulled lock stock and barrel from the mid nineties. Something that seems…
The first track of this album is something that immediately grabs hold of listeners and does not let them go for the entirety of the track. Of particular note are the rapidly escalating guitars that dot the track, something that will bring in listeners by the barrelful.
Pieces of Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLaughlin make their way to the front of “Cut A Man’s Heart Outâ€, as Bishop does a strong, vocal-led pop assault (pop as in the tradition of Suzanne Vega, not as in the case of Ms. Spears. The light country-influence placed on the top of “Metaphor for your Life†really allows Bishop to really work with a broad range of sound in what traditionally…
The Biltmores play a very contemplative brand of indie rock that individuals will first encounter during “Buried Undergroundâ€. The beginning of the track is nothing to write home about, but the band does well in adding additional layers to the track, under there is a Primus meets Rise Against funk. This groove is something impressive, provides individuals something to dance to, and is fundamentally different from anything else that anyone…