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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03.09.2007 by J-Sin
Music Reviews of Modern Rock, Folk, Alternative, Pop
Elastic No-No Band — The Very Best of Elastic No-No Band (so far) Buy it at Amazon
I’ve always found it amusing to hear a “best of” from a band I’ve never heard of. Sure this is a joke but regardless, I feel that I’ll take it deadly fucking serious. Deal with it. And that might be what you’ll find yourself doing as you listen to this joke-riddled folk-rock outfit who so desperately wants to be Tenacious D that they even mention how they’re more serious than the famous duo in their bio-sheet. Yeah I guess I *should* take songs like “Let’s Fuck”, “Cheese Fries”, and “Run-DMC” seriously. Good thing I didn’t.
- J-Sin
Shelley Miller — Morning Somewhere Buy it at Amazon
Alternative folkster Shelley Miller performs light guitar pop with poetic lyrics and soft melodies abound. “Morning Somewhere” is a fun, relaxing album to enjoy on a sunny day on your porch while sipping lemonade and nature watching. While she may not be as challenging as other independent artists, it doesn’t need to be. Instead the album relies on thoughtful lyrics sung with an honest melodic voice with sounds riff in Americana, pop, and folk-pop.
- J-Sin
Eye Talk — Sun and Moon Buy it at Amazon
Holy bleeding ears Batman! Whip out the rusty roller skates and go to the disco. Tell Dad you’re gonna be studying real hard tonight—only don’t mention the subject is love. Eye Talk is part disco bump, ‘70’s pop, and smooth jazz. A combination any proud 50-year old will boast he or she still rocks out while cleaning the house on a Sunday morning.
- J-Sin
Dear Glorious Physician — Dear Glorious Physician Buy it at Amazon
Gathering force and momentum, these four brothers and sisters who share the last name Westfall glean ‘70s art rock with ‘90’s indie best. Paul Westerberg would be proud of this fearsome foursome who write ratty rock tunes with female and male vocal adventures wrapped nicely around groove-oriented distorted tunes. A band that doesn’t just fuck around, Dear Glorious Physician is quirky and tenacious, bringing the rock ‘n’ roll like it’s meant to.
- J-Sin
A.S.K. — A.S.K. Buy it at Amazon
Indie folk that buries its head in no one’s sand despite the inherent need to do just that. Well to be fair, it’s Angel S. Krasnegor (smartly acronymed to A.S.K.) horrific vocals that are far too off-key and bad for anyone to really enjoy. Her lyrics are pretty standard singer/songwriter fare with nothing in particular really standing out. Musically it’s just as benign and bland with her coffeehouse guitar strumming as tired as tired can be. It’s not often that a female singer/songwriter is as bad as A.S.K., so I almost hope that it’s a complete ironic release that’s poking fun at the whole pop circuit or something. Sadly it isn’t.
- J-Sin
Powtunes — The Story of What Came Next Buy it at Amazon
Two fellas in the United Kingdom came together to form the Powtunes label in ’96 and haven’t looked back since. Their music is traditionally instrumental electronic rock with all the bells and whistles of lo-fi apartment-based recording outfits. The music isn’t too bad often boasting driving rhythms and thick bass that really overpowers much of the mix. I definitely like a lot of the samples and crazy synth pieces.
- J-Sin
Denelian — False/Positive Buy it at Amazon
Seattle’s Denelian seek out long past ‘80’s alternative dance rock groups in the vein of Echo and the Bunnymen and Morrissey. You can also hear the gothic melancholy of Joy Division with adventuresome melodies and solidly catchy hooks. “Weight of the World” is easily the best song on the album and it starts everything off with its bright shiny guitars and infectious vocal arrangements. But that’s not to say that the rest of the EP is thrash; indeed “False/Positive” is an extremely well-written and superbly performed set of tunes. Be sure you pick this one up.
- J-Sin
Various Artists — CMD Represents: Volume 1 Buy it at Amazon
Cumberland, Maryland—home to some of the best musicians on the east coast? Well maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement but the good folks at Pro-Gravity Records like to think that they have a good grasp of music that spans various genres ranging from hip-hop to alternative rock to ska to heavy metal. Assembled here are some of the best tracks from those musicians who unfortunately have few local venues to shop their musical wares.
- J-Sin
The Summer Wardrobe — The Summer Wardrobe Buy it at Amazon
Acid-soaked psychedelic rock with bright alt. country guitars and melodic vocals hem each song together with tight knitting and thick yarns. The Summer Wardrobe reaches back to a bright and sunny day of yesteryear’s rock ‘n’ roll with elements of hippie folk-pop stirred in with brilliant results. Engaging!
- J-Sin
Dirty Pretty Things — Bang Bang You're Dead Buy it at Amazon
Ex-Libertines release the EP version of their single. Including an acoustic version of “Gin & Milk” as well as the title track it’s a good one for the collectors. Personally I think that their former band was much better but what do I know?
- J-Sin
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