Music Reviews of Punk, Indie Rock, Emo, Ska
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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The Geeks - Every Time We Fall
Limbeck - Limbeck
WinterKids - Memoirs
03.09.2007 by J-Sin
Music Reviews of Punk, Indie Rock, Emo, Ska
Gifts From Enola — Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind Buy it at Amazon
Spacey shoegazing instrumental post-rock is the perfect summation of “Loyal Eyes Betrayed the Mind”. Softly edged guitars are drenched in a myriad of effects and distortions that would make Sonic Youth proud. Capturing a merger of Mogwai and Explosions In the Sky, Virginia-based group Gifts From Enola fuse a dynamic experimental set of wondrous post-rock opuses and almost ambient epic pieces that can be emotionally uplifting and catchy or dark and slightly sinister.
- J-Sin
Barr — Summary Buy it at Amazon
Do a google search for “Barr Summary” and you’ll land on quite a few of the insane conservative Bob Barr’s rants and ravings all of which couldn’t be further from anything related to this band and their new album. Barr takes beats and samples and light instrumentation and does beat poetry and life stories overtop. Artsy alt-pop that is unafraid of exposing raw emotions to the elements and for all to stare, pick at, and be intrigued with. Barr’s sonnets are written by Brendan Fowler and flow from dark recesses of his mind to his most intimate moments all told through the voice of a street poet. Very powerful stuff here, that would make Bob Barr and his Republican counterparts extremely nervous.
- J-Sin
Blango — Organ-Vibrator-a-thon Buy it at Amazon
Only a drummer who “sings” and “uses pedals” is what makes up Blango. Odd? Yes. But it’s less than five minutes of free-jazz noise with spastic rhythms and experimental noises with three tracks. That’s short even by CD-single standards. I like the beginnings here as it’s right up my alley but I want to hear something a little longer and more breathtaking.
- J-Sin
Mayors of Miyazaki — Kancho Buy it at Amazon
Across the pond lays this Muse-like pop-rock adventuresome group known as Mayors of Miyazaki. Marrying angular riff rock with alliterated screams and melodic crooning, the Mayors could be the next Refused. Sounding off with hard-edged rock numbers, they easily cascade into a cacophony of altered melodies and distorted guitars with weird awkward vocals ala the Blood Brothers. It’s eclectic punk at its very best.
- J-Sin
Blinded Black — Under the Sunrise Buy it at Amazon
St. Louis won the World Series, now they want to win over the indie rock scene too. Having signed to SideCho Records, Blinded Black got renowned producer Marc McClusky (Norma Jean, Hit the Lights) to work on their album. A six-piece group infatuated with horror movies they were album to get their “Set in Stone” featured in a big Weinstein horror flick Automation Transfusion that is sure to get the kids in love with Dead Alive yearning for more. Blending pop-punk with a little of the mall punk and neener neener metalcore, they may have the unfortunate downer of being confused for other bands but once they shake loose expect big things for this group of hard-working overachievers.
- J-Sin
Calico — Calico Buy it at Amazon
Salt Lake City, the home to Mormons (note that’s with an extra ‘m’, not to be confused with ‘morons’), is also the home to Calico. The farthest from derivative, Calico’s brand of art rock is noodled in varied approaches to sounds including noise, free-jazz, indie rock, and indie pop. No particular emphasis or harmonic is exposed giving the album a lot of elbow room for expansion. I could imagine some of their tunes being woven into an eclectic artistic DJ’s set as a backdrop or the foreground to some great mash-up remix. Devilishly clever indie art rock is rare and special so when someone this difference and interesting comes around, you simply must stop, admire, and then share with everyone you know. Calico you probably just made at least six of my friends’ lists already…
- J-Sin
Standish Arms — The Reasoning Engine Buy it at Amazon
I loved Standish Arms last effort on “Once Outlined in Blueprints” and after a very cursory listen to “The Reasoning Engine” I see that they’ve only improved upon everything that I liked the first go-around. But maybe I shouldn’t say ‘they’ when referring to Standish Arms as it’s only Brad Caliman with a few friends helping out with everything from backing vocals to glockenspiel to French horn to accordion. The sound is decidedly delicious indie pop with rockin’ choruses and infectious harmonies. I love the more apartment rock sounds that dot this special album with a signature lo-fi DIY backdrop; Standish Arms also boasts dominating lyrics that aren’t as intimating as they may seem from the outside looking in. Go buy a couple hundred for yourself and others.
- J-Sin
The Photo Atlas — No, Not Me, Never Buy it at Amazon
Denver dance-punk group The Photo Atlas has the right article in front of their moniker. For this is a ‘the’ band if you’ve ever heard of one. You know, take one bit of The Hives mix it with a little of The Strokes and a few dashes of The Killers and add some The Vines on for good measure. Stir, heat to 450 degrees making sure to account for the height above sea level, and you’ve got yourself The Photo Atlas. Sure it’s not really all that easy but boy does this whole club-friendly dance-punk New Wave garage rock thing get old fast.
- J-Sin
Lunch with Beardo — Surrealistic Picnic Buy it at Amazon
Strap in and prepare yourself for a wild surreal electric parade of a ride. Noise art collage artists Lunch with Beardo aren’t afraid to show the darker sides of the post-acid culture with free-jazz delights well behind them. Sort of an ambient noise effort that has cascading and colliding sounds wetting your eardrums, “Surrealistic Picnic” is one of the more strange ambient soundscape albums you may come across but it’s a worthy addition to anyone’s cosmic cabinet of culture and other alliterative illustrations.
- J-Sin
When We Fall — A Cry In Despair Buy it at Amazon
Formed from the leftovers of Bowser, a Swedish skate-punk/hardcore act, When We Fall has been around for almost three years now. With vast helpings of heavy melodic riffs, screamed yelps for vocals, and a laserbeam attention to detail, When We Fall constantly impresses. Aggressive music this good has no place in Hot Topic but the funny thing is that it’s catchy enough for the mainstream to fall in lock step with. Melodic hardcore punk that does not take prisoners and leaves the listener with thoughtful political and socially conscious lyrics.
- J-Sin
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