Articles in Album Reviews
The old adage is, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.” Well, in music this adage is changed to, “If you don’t have anything interesting to say, don’t say it at all.” Somebody should have relayed this message to Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy before he released his solo album, Lazarus, a couple of weeks ago.
The reason this album is such a let…
The indie rock supergroup, The Dead Weather, second album is Sea of Cowards, and was released in the US on May 11. Originally formed in Nashville, Tennessee, the band is composed of The White Stripes founder, Jack White, The Kills lead singer, Alison Mosshart, The Greenhornes bassist, Jack Lawrence, and the guitarist/keyboardist for The Waxwings and Queens of the Stone Age, Dean Fertita. The albums si…
When one has a “traditional” band comprised of two people, and only 4 hands, it is quite difficult to consistently produce quality songs. This proves even truer within the genre of blues-rock. The sound must be creatively cared for so as not to become repetitively thin, and/or dull to the ears-and-mind. The Black Keys are no novices to this particular challenge, and in their new album “Brothers” we find their 6th musi…
The Portland, Oregon based indie-folk band Blitzen Trapper has released their fifth album, Destroyer of the Void. This impressively eclectic and intelligently constructed compilation of songs straddles the decades with its heart buried in the soil of 1967 Monterey and its head wrapped in the chaos of the 2000’s.
Fleet Foxes’ harmonized, hymn-like songs immediately came to mind during the first song “Destroy…
Heading to Lollapalooza this summer and want to experience a band you’ve never seen before? Are you having trouble deciding which band to see? Worry no longer, Foxy Shazam has made your decision for you. The Cincinnati, Ohio based band released its self-titled third studio album back in April and has been making progress up the charts ever since.
The band uses Eric Sean Nally’s high-pitched vocals to channel thei…
Apple didn’t invent the mp3 player, the smart sphone, or the laptop computer – they just make them a cut above everyone else. Sleepy Sun is a band that produces a product in a similar fashion to Apple. They didn’t invent blues-based psychedelic rock, they are not the first band to incorporate multiple transitions within a song, and indeed reverb and…
It probably wouldn’t be a stretch to deem Model Stranger “rock n’ roll classicists.” Their first full-length release, Dreams & Bones, is recorded in what could be considered a very crisp manner, yet calling it clean would be a misnomer. It’s an album that takes on just enough of an antiquated manner of sound to accord for a distinct vitality – while being abl…
Koonyum Sun is the new album from Xavier Rudd and Izintaba. It is the 6th studio album for Xavier Rudd. However, on this album he collaborated with the South African bassist Tio Moloantoa and the drummer Andile Nqubezelo (of the Lucky Dube’s band). This is the trio that comprises Xavier Rudd and Izintaba.
Xavier is known for fusing various musical genres, often from different regions of the world. The music of Xavier R…
The past year has been huge for The Friday Night Boys. Forming in 2006, the pop punk band from Fairfax, Virginia has already signed to the record label Fueled By Ramen. They have released their first full length album entitled Off The Deep End on June 9, 2009 with producer Emanuel Kiriakou. The Friday Night Boys have opened tours such as Cobra Starship’s “Hot Mess Across The U.S.” and All Time Low’s “Glamour Kills Tou…
The shoulderbrain is a bit of an anomaly. You won’t find it in your textbooks and your doctor will cock an eyebrow if you ask him to point it out. But just because the medical world doesn’t know about it doesn’t mean it can’t exist. It can. It does.
I know because I’ve felt its effects and have been forced to follow its command. I bet you have, too. Anytime some music comes on and you find yourself moving, from a head bop to a sho…
After listening to Mishka’s new album, “Talk About,” it is evident that this artist has an innate knack for creating music that is an amalgam of island and American influences (the same blend is also enjoyably inherent within his vernacular and accent as well). This is not overly surprising considering that Mishka grew up as a child of the Caribbean islands, and currently calls Burmuda home. However, he has also call…
