Music Reviews of Modern Rock, Folk, Pop
Band Spotlight
Chiodos
Perhaps no one can explain the sheer ferocity and timid quietness it is better than when vocalist Craig Owens says “we don’t want to let the kids down” when discussing the group’s intense vocals live at shows. Well they never let a single kid down with their vicious assault on the ears and grip on the jugular...
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Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker
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WinterKids - Memoirs
03.09.2007 by J-Sin
Music Reviews of Modern Rock, Folk, Alternative, Pop
Sea of Green — Chemical Vacation Buy it at Amazon
Sea of Green, a threesome worth of legends, offer up their new album “Chemical Vacation”. Stoner rock can sometimes be flecked with redundancy and stagnant song structures. Fortunately that isn`t the case here whatsoever. Instead we`re greeted with a pleasant overall sound with featured vocals and production that is up there with some of the greatest albums available. Very grungy and dirty feelings that are beautifully mastered with an emphasis on the mid-ranges and lows add together to give this album many dimensions. And yet not every song is about being high or getting high or wanting to be high like so many of their fellows in the stoner rock genre. Whoohoo! Good stuff regardless if it`s 4/20 or not.
- J-Sin
Once a Hero — Stealing Street Signs Buy it at Amazon
Ann Arbor hosts a band called Once a Hero and Once a Hero puts that town on the map with their signature brand of indie rock. The instrumental “Ante Meridia” is the perfect beginning to the album with their soft tingling of the piano and perfect atmosphere. But nothing can prepare you for the remainder of “Stealing Street Signs”. Beautifully crafted emotive tracks that seem like such a natural high while occasionally offering more of a somber spine tingling. But your hair will stand at end when you hear “Washtenaw” which is a tale that we can all relate to and focus on. The lengthy opus at the end of the album is a perfect ending to this journey of mind, emotion, and spirit. The album is both beautiful and serene in nature yet somehow oddly energetic help form this cohesive tangle of musical webs.
- J-Sin
Asylum Street Spankers — My Favorite Record Buy it at Amazon
Quite interesting album that spans everything that has made music progression possible. You`ve got your waltz, ragtime, blues, jazz, country, folk, and southern-flavored rock-n-roll. The smoky lounge stand up bass-favoring tune of “Breathin`” invokes memories of the first few decades of the 1900`s. Unbelievably polished yet with raw energy and emotion, “My Favorite Record” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Much like their highly vaunted album “Spanker Madness” (a spoofy portrayal of the role drugs play in our society making fun of one of the more ridiculous anti-drug films of our generation), Asylum Street Spankers are again able to create a thematic album that will breathe life into the music scene. More than just a bit of vaudeville, “My Favorite Record” will quickly become your favorite with its eclectic yet stylistic tunes. What an awesome album.
- J-Sin
The Forms — Icarus Buy it at Amazon
This enhanced CD, which I might add is quite artistic and intriguing, was recorded by Steve Albini so that should tell you something about the quality of the album. It`s just amazing that this is their debut! Great artwork and packaging is coupled with a sensible and new approach to free-form rock. The only unfortunate thing is that it`s only 18 some odd minutes long. Occasionally you can hear some Sunny Day influences but they`re only influences this isn`t copycat land. I think it`s good and I think you should give them more than a quick listen.
- J-Sin
The Brands — Ballads For Stairs and Transparencies Buy it at Amazon
Produced by Jerry Fels The Brands give us their brand of new folk that is raw and self-contained. No doubt stirring up trouble in coffeehouses (I can imagine the other acts getting perturbed that they`re not better than this guy), but I would warrant the live act is something to be seen. Ok so the band really is Mark Mandeville who wrote all the songs and played most everything and did most everything except produce. And that`s probably why the album is so consistently great. Sure he`s got a sense of humor but he knows when to just sing his songs and let that do the talking. I really also must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the backup singing of Kayla Daly on “Masquerade” and I`d have to wonder if they`ve considered doing more work together because they blend so well together.
- J-Sin
Bumblefoot — Forgotten Anthology Buy it at Amazon
Songs that span from 1995 to 2002 create this highly anticipated anthology of some of Bumblefoot`s work. The first four songs were to be on a Ron Thal album but were regrettably rejected by the music label for being too negative. Boo! Tracks 5 through 10 are gritty metallic uppers that traverse through the speaker wattage into your bleeding ears. It`s amazing that these were recorded back in 1998 because they sound as fresh as yesterday`s laundry. And check out the funky “Bagged a Big 1” that for some reason conjures up a vision of an old MC 900 Ft. Jesus track with its Anthony Kiedis-styled vocals. Gotta love that big belch too. Weird, mind-blowing, and definitely eclectic—exactly what you would imagine coming from our friend Bumblefoot.
- J-Sin
Mappari — The Firecracker EP Buy it at Amazon
Vocals straight out of a late 80`s soundtrack, Mappari is everything rock and quite modern while having one foot back in time to give it some nice retro vibe. You can`t help but want to get up and tap your feet to “Don`t Be Afraid” a pungent melodic rocker. So telling indeed is their sound that even their name, a geographical word that means “where sound never dies”, tells of what to expect and to keep expecting it. But crap, they`ve even been on MTV in commercials and the VH1 Fashion Awards so where the hell why haven`t we heard of them before? Well their sound is so polished and addictive that we probably just assumed it was some band we`ve heard before but couldn`t quite remember who it was. Yes they`re that good and soon you`ll hear two of their songs on an upcoming Universal Pictures film. So how about we actually remember who these guys are and never forget? Don`t worry it won`t be a chore.
- J-Sin
Melk the G6-49 — Mene Mene Tekel Parsin Buy it at Amazon
Melk is not for your average music listener. Featuring John Spencer`s noise and bass talents along with Karl Hofstetter`s percussion, Melk the G6-49 is innovative noise compositions and as they say in their bio sheet is “a reflection and representation of God`s creation”. True dat! Every track is two minutes long in length although it`s separated into three movements if you will. It`s good stuff and certainly is not just stoner or acid music or anything. Instead it`s adventuresome and innovative and most importantly inspiring. I`d love to see these guys perform live.
- J-Sin
Kings of Leon — Holy Roller Novocaine Buy it at Amazon
Well Rolling Stone named Kings of Leon one of the 10 to watch in 2003. With their brand of southern rock they sound like the state they come from—Tennessee. Eclectic, rooted in country, and able to rock with the best of them and hell they`re all brothers and the guitarist is the first cousin. Unlike many other bands stirring up trouble in the airwaves, Kings of Leon is a genuine article of rock-n-roll and they don`t care that they`re retro in a sense. They enjoy taking us back to the place where white guys were first starting to steal the black man`s sound. With the recent resurgence of the garage band sound, Kings of Leon take that a step further by actually sounding good and not relying on obnoxiousness to get their sound across. And with their single-in-waiting “California Waiting” is it any wonder that the stillness and stagnant airwaves are preparing themselves to be invaded by a dominant sound that is both poignant and driving.
- J-Sin
Jenn Lindsay — Fired! Buy it at Amazon
Jenn Lindsay has her finger right on the pulse of the whole wide world of working people everywhere. Sure we care about terrorism and whether or not the dude sneezing next to us is going to give us SARS but what we really fear is losing our job or being stuck in a job that we hate because there`s no other ones out there. So Jenn Lindsay presents us with her album focused on that very flammable topic that we all find ourselves obsessing with. Playing incendiary yet muted folk and as she says it is indeed for the jobless, the brave, and the indignant. Real damn good too. “Not a Good Fit” is the music equivalent of middle America and poor America shaking their collective fists at the CEOs who say their companies are losing money and need to send jobs to Mexico yet these same companies pay millions in bonuses and compensation to keep those weasels. And in a town like New York City she must identify with millions! She`s got my attention and she`ll get yours as well. Just listen, you`ll love it.
- J-Sin
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