Road – Long Player
Wow the ‘70s called and they want everything back. You are not allowed to play rock, thanks.
Hunters, Run! – EP2
A quick two-song EP that is the second in a series of four consecutive 7”s, that dot the I’s and cross the T’s on this New York City-based post-pop group. Magnetic melodies that recall Husker Du with lyrics that could have been penned by Elvis Costello. Only 200 physical copies are out there folks, so get this limited gem while you still can! Peep the MP3 of “If I had Half a Chance”.
Definite Spaces – Patterns that Matter
Indie pop trio Definite Spaces hail from San Francisco and recall neatly packaged emotional rock from the mid to late ‘90s. The songs are very stripped down and easy to listen, but also are easy to forget without any particular melody or harmony sticking with you. Watch them closely, there is definitely something here.
Black Friday ‘29 – 2009
Aggro-hardcore from European hardcore outfit Black Friday ’29 unleashes a torrential downpour of spite, aggressive nuance, and pumping fists. Anthems abound!
The Cassidy Scenario – Withstanding Voracity
The Austrian landscape of melodic hardcore is small in scope but heavy on quality; The Cassidy Scenario is one proof positive of why everyone’s eyeballs should be trained on that. Recommended if you like, Comeback Kid or Above this Fire or you know, freakin’ good hardcore.
Mia Vermillion – Alone Together with the Blues
Blues standards with female vocals that are one two-step away from being classics. Nicely done.
Brenda Earle – Songs for a New Day
Grand jazz-pop with sultry style and a firm grasp on what constitutes the makeup of a great jazz standard with covers of Marc Anthony, Keane, Cole Porter, and Crowded House.
The Yes Pleases – From Whence It Came
The Yes Pleases are really a “No Thank You” that should go back to “From Whence It Came”. I can do without this sort of wannabe quirky indie pop, thanks.
Ocote Soul Sounds – Coconut Rock
Martin Perna was one of the foremost musicians responsible for reviving the Afrobeat sound as part of a fifteen-piece collective in the Big Apple; “Coconut Rock” finds Martin employing funk and soul with Latin American fusions and rhythms.
Destination: Oblivion – The Phoenix
“The Phoenix” isn’t even a guilty pleasure and when you mention that the album is adding elements of “emo, dj, trance, and progressive” you figure there’s gotta be something there that you would never admit to liking but that you secretly jam out to when no one is around. Nope. The only guilty pleasure is figuring out how to mock it better than the next guy. Here’s my swag at it: “Forget the Holocaust, this is the worst thing that mankind has ever done to one another.”
The Sexy Accident – Mantoloking
Chunky guitars crunch with crackling melodic vocals humming bars of harmonies underneath an engulfing wave of oceanic delight and power pop saltiness. Neat and organized indie pop from Kansas City’s The Sexy Accident.
Katastrophe – The Worst Amazing
Katastrophe’s third full-length is a rangy indie hip-hop album for hip suburbanites who steer clear of much of the lame BET fodder but like their beats bouncy and their lyrics poignant and intelligent. Peep the video for “The Life”.
Drum Dynasty – Drum Dynasty
Ambient percussionists Arturo Rodriguez, Marco Zonka, and Bruce Burgess join forces with film composer Kevin Christensen to blend an interesting mix of new age world rhythms into a two-disc collection of rhythm. Intriguing.
Final Gravity – Final Gravity
Really who didn’t covet the great ‘80s hair bands and early ‘90s rockers? While Final Gravity is certainly far removed from Van Halen, they have the ferocious beer coveting that Eddie and the gang were known for. Good tunes, perhaps played at high volumes with lots of hops and barley action going on.
Kite Operations – Festival
“Festival” is the third album by Kite Operations and showcases their tepid and alluring sonic-driven sound that could easily be mistaken for a b-side from the great Sonic Youth.
Joshua James – Build Me This
Whoa he totally looks like the heroin junkie played by Jared Leto from “Requiem for a Dream”, Joshua’s music is soulful and endearing rock that’s easy on the ears and pleasant to hum along to. Fantastic.
Wiretree – Luck
Austin, Texas long a boon to the indie music scene now can boast Wiretree to its added collection of great exports. “Luck” is a dynamic songwriter’s dream with smart vintage and retro sounds of hipster underground pop that no one can really remember the name of.
Circulatory System – Signal Morning
Featuring the members of The Olivia Tremor Control as well as Jeff Mangum and Julian Koster of the seminal Neutral Milk Hotel, Circulatory System should be no stranger to oodles of praise and fan-boy wanton madness. Fortunately it will be well deserved as this album “Signal Morning” is one of indie intrigue and rocks out with dense and abrasive guitar work.
Eva and the Heartmaker – Let’s Keep This Up Forever
Throwaway pop-rock that features female vocals and rangy rock with pop harmonies from Norway. Nothing great, nothing special but it passes the time well enough.
Jookabox – Dead Zone Boys
Indiana natives Jookabox launch a third full-length album that is a study in the primordial stew of avant garde music effortlessly blending a hodgepodge of intriguing sounds. Get your mind numbed with their genre bending and stirring mix-o-logy.
Kevin Delaney – Pause for Effect
Kevin Delaney’s latest album is a nice move forward from his previous album, “Himalayan Moon”. His singer/songwriter tunes are drenched in hard-working rock with Americana overtures. The sparse elements of stringed instruments (cello, violin, viola) go well with the more countriy-fried blues utensils of harmonica and mandolin.
Lynhurst – Field Day
Sassy pop from a group of siblings that is total California (of course the band harkens from Minneapolis) in its sultry sun-drenched vocals that sing lyrics of heartache and witty satire. Hanson it is not and that’s a good thing.
blueVenus – Grin
Canadian lo-fi pop singer/songwriter is rife with nuance and culture, something you’d expect from a group whose spotlight was just beginning to shine when immigration policies shook the band’s foundations from being together again.
Chad Smith’s Bombastic Meatbats – Meet the Meatbats
Funky jazz improvisational music heralded by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith that is a big take-it-or-leave-it. If you were hoping for a Deep Purple b-side, then I guess you’d be impressed. Otherwise…
Ming & Ping – Ming & Ping
Twins Ming & Ping once again craft alien spaceship soundtracks with New Wave techno 8-bit synths and warbled bass funk with pop nuance reminiscent of Gary Numan and the Pet Shop Boys. Nintendo-core kids will fall in love with “Vanilla” with its glorious 8-bit-ness.
Versus the Throne – Ruins Afire
Aggressive melodic metalcore outfit Versus the Throne recently inked a deal with Bastardized Recordings; their newest album “Ruins Afire” is a testament to the boundaries that metalcore will attempt to push. Not bad but if you’re not a metalcore fan you’ll want to just keep on truckin’.
Ichor – The Siege
Death metal band Ichor hails from Trier, Germany, the oldest city in the country, “The Siege” is an old school (if you call the mid ‘90s old school) trip through hell with percolated new school greatness. I hear a lot of influence from Obituary and Incantation and that’s fucking grand.
Faust Again – The Trial
Polish death metal outfit Faust Again formed in ’99, and ten years later have warped into a progressive amalgam of hardcore influenced death metal. If you cast this off as just another metalcore album you’ll be missing out on a lot.
Today Forever – Profound Measures
Melodic hardcore quintet Today Forever pens imaginative new school hardcore that have a tinge of emotion (don’t confuse that with ‘emo’ please) and dynamic melodies. It’s a fistful of nice.
Chaos Reach – Monument of Chaos
Yawningly darkened death metal that rarely finds true momentum from either of the brother guitarists Topi or Tatu Hiltunen. The rangy melodies could be interesting if they were backed up with real punch instead of a somber eulogy.
