Much like the Just A Fire disc released by Asian Man this last year, “Twelves†is a completely upending of the roots of the record label and a complete step towards a sound for Asian Man that can’t be described as “skaâ€. Bagheera really just reminds me of a more professional version of The Devil is Electric/Operation Cliff Clavin, albeit with a slightly more experimental edge. By far, the crux…
For those individuals who have been inculcated into more pedestrian and popular music, the long-drawn out and intricate compositions that The Bad Plus use on “Suspicious Activity?†may be off-putting, to say the least. The strongest thing that one can say about The Bad Plus is that they are one of the most intense bands currently out on the market. Forget the thrash metal acts, or those bands that use…
First off, what the bloody hell is wrong with the lead singers voice? I thought, hey, there’s a female lead singer for this act, cool. But, I looked at the booklet and there’s this guy named Arthur who apparently does the vocals. The end result of the time recording this disc is an album that sounds as if the person had no clue how to digitally record – seriously, it…
Backseat Driver has to be the only band the Greencastle area to actually have an intelligent producer work on their tracks, as the tracks on “5 Steps to Victoryâ€, while still replete with the noisy distortion endemic on many discs during the emo era, are very professional. While the disc begins slowly with “A Thousand Battlesâ€, “Washington Portraits†shows a band that is much more spirited and intense, allowing the…
“Sunset†begins with a compressed synthesizer land that seems plucked out of an early seventies movie, and goes with it, creating a Halloween-like atmosphere (like those .99 CDs at the craft stores) for the rest of the song, with its incorporation of spooky guitar lines. Reminiscent of Bauhaus with “Nosferatuâ€, albeit with a less impacting set of vocals (the vocals are more along the lines of a Placebo than anything),…
The Awkward Romance is a bizarre mixture of emo and rock that comes out not sounding like any one specific band, but showcasing different influences throughout. Taking the lead duties of vocals, the sound of “Wake Up, Wonder Twins†really begins to increase the stock of the CD, and the double-vocal assault of “Like Hypochndriacs Need Placebos†just provides another notch in the band’s belt. The music is not at…
“Wheels, No Engines†seems to begin much in the same way as a Fischerspponer track, but Awesome New Republic shows their sound to be much more complicative and inclusive than being describable by just a few acts. There are hints of Talking Heads, Radiohead, and Death Cab For Cutie strewn about this dreamy, electronic pop act. The professionality enjoyed by the band is perfect for the style of music that…
Since her Polaris Prize-nominated album “Woke Myself Up”, everything has come together in JULIE DOIRON’s world.
Going through the promo pack that Hopeless sent for this disc, I was totally expecting an AFI-ripoff band. The glossy photo had a member wearing an AFI shirt, and the general look of this disc looked dark. Avenged Sevenfold is yet another band that completely changed my preconceived notions from what I gleaned from the promo kit and CD art. This band completely stretches out the perception of anything they…
Santeria, a rock band with three-parts pure Cajun blood and one-part East Indian, was born in the haunted bayous and swamplands of Louisiana where atmosphere plays as much a part of the music as the rich cultural legacy of the Deep South. For 10 years, they defied expectations by releasing three exceptional records (Santeria in 1998, Apocalypse, Louisiana in 2000 and House of the Dying Sun in 2002) on their…
North Carolina’s GIANT has announced that they intend to move forward under the moniker BRAVEYOUNG. The band comments:
The first solo album by singer-songwriter PETER DOHERTY (Babyshambles, The Libertines) is complete, and scheduled for North American release on Astralwerks on March 24, 2009, the label announced today.
Okay, so the last time we heard from Avenged Sevenfold, they were completely coping their general sound from Helloween. Now, with the start of “Beast And The Harlotâ€, the band starts off taking off Queen and underwhelming with a new-metal blast whose only skill comes in the skillful blending of pop-friendly rock and light elements of emo. The guitar solos that are to be found on “City of Evil†may…
BRASH Recording Artist and American Idol Season 6 finalist Chris Sligh got some great news this week when he found out a song he penned will become Rascal Flatts’ new single. “Here Comes Goodbye,†written by Sligh and Clint Lagerberg, which had an add date of January 26th, and appear on Rascal Flatt’s upcoming new album, UNSTOPPABLE, out April 7.
A seemingly unlikely collaboration but one that has borne compelling and captivating results, O+S has completed its self-titled debut, to be released March 24 on Saddle Creek Records. Buoyed by Orenda Fink’s (Azure Ray, Art In Manila) lilting vocals and propelled by the sonic collages of Scalpelist (aka Cedric LeMoyne of Remy Zero), the album is a hauntingly beautiful collection of light/dark, electronic-tinged pop, drawing inspiration equally from the films…
Autumn Black plays a hard-hitting metal-influenced style that is present from the beginning of their “Beneath the Shadowsâ€. The band hits hard with “Salvationâ€, even going and breaking the mold when they do not include an “emo†singer to balance their compositions. This makes the resulting track much more dark and remorseless; Autumn Black is here to create hard music, and not to get their albums in Hot Topic. This…
18.04.’09 DE-Annaberg – Bucholz, Alte Brauerei 19.04.’09 DE-Berlin, K17 24.04.’09 DE-Buchen (BW), Frankenlandhalle (Release-Party) 25.04.’09 DE-Osnabrück, JUZ 01.05.’09 DE-Hauzenberg, Walpurgis Metal Days 07.05.’09 DE-Hamburg, Logo 08.05.’09 DE-Kiel, Die Pumpe 09.05.’09 DE-Essen, Turock 22.05.’09 DE-Dessau, Legacy Fest 06.06.’09 DE-Celle, Rock City Festival
Audiamo is an album that transcends limitations of genre and resists all attempts to be pigeonholed. The only generalization that can be made about this album is that it is the perfect get up and go CD, with a powerful tempo permeating each and every track on the disc. Jason’s vocals are almost smooth, aphoristic, and provide a perfect sticking point where every other facet of the band literally changes…
Autocad-Penultimatium-2000. Electronic music that does not contain many (any?) words. The music, while catchy, becomes repetitive very quickly, as the songs quickly go back to the same beats. This album, created from fractals, sounds as if it is a soundtrack from a mid-90’s video game. Autocad flows from each subgenre of electronic music, from annoying eurodance (Delta Atnos) to an ethereal tune (Our Skies 1). Log rhythm is another song…
There is no denying that one can tell exactly how Michael Lee Austin is going to sound after looking at the front cover of eir CD “Labor Painsâ€. The disc starts off with the title track, a honky-tonk type of song that will get individuals into lines, all ready for dancing in just the shortest bit of time. Austin’s vocals are easily the equivalent of a Travis Tritt or an…