The Holloways – So This Is Great Britain?

This record may not be revolutionary, but it is a solidly good record. The first song to stand out was “Generator” with catchy guitar riffs and upbeat lyrics. The album contains the music video for this track which is just as quirky and amusing as the songs themselves. The video even adds aspects to the song, rather than over-simplifying what is put forth in the lyrics. “Generator” (like many of their songs) is almost cheesily upbeat, but still impossible not to put on repeat after the first listen. It’s a refreshing break from both bad catchy music and good music that takes full concentration.

The band pairs lots of harmony use with their charming British accents. Teenage angst creeps through the lyrics in “Dancefloor.”

“How will I get home tonight? I haven’t got no money. How will I find love?” They face many of the same issues that seemed to be faced in many songs like these. They can’t dance. The girl is unattainable. Life is rough. Despite these magnetic clichés, they set themselves apart. The Holloways use a few interesting additional instruments in their songs, such as an unexpected harmonica in “Two Left Feet.”

So This Is Great Britain? is like the Disney version of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save The Queen,” exposing political issues with an added charm and even a few love stories. Even when singing along to lyrics about whores and a false economy, you can smile contently and enjoy the joyfulness of the music.

By Annelise Kopp

Bedlight for Blue Eyes – Life on Life’s Terms

Former grandiose pomp-rock nimrods Bedlight for Blue Eyes have kicked out a burdensome former singer, gone through several other line-up changes since the uneven and equally oppressive 2005 debut The Dawn, and re-emerged bouncier than a Super Ball. The follow-up, Life on Life’s Terms, is a totally revamped pop-oriented endeavor with a cache of radio-responsive ammunition aimed toward an obvious hit-single target audience.

Fronted by the soaring, soulful pipes of new vocalist Daniel Rinaldi (who took over for the dismissed Christian Guerrero), and bolstered by the skillfully-crafted hooks of lead guitarist Derek Weber, the new-and-improved Bedlight for Blue Eyes have fashioned an album of striking FM-oriented pop songs implicitly synonymous with their 70s arena-rock heroes Boston and Foreigner, and modern day counterparts Cartel and Fall Out Boy.

While a rejuvenated Bedlight for Blue Eyes fail to steer away from wimpy adolescent break-up songs indistinguishable from the ever-multiplying competition, the clean and polished dual production from Kenneth Mount and Zack Odom (Death Cab for Cutie, Cartel) adds a surprisingly refreshing and impressive mix of 70s rock and 90s emo-pop that is generously interspersed throughout the album’s eleven straightforward and mostly energetic tracks.

What distinguishes them from the SoundScan-driven pack of anonymous pop-rock lemmings is their renewed versatility. By slowing down the pace for fleeting moments of self-reflection and sincerity, and embracing a gritty Guns’N’Roses-styled acoustic-rock ballad formula on album centerpiece “Walk With Me,” and “Michael,”a tear-jerking ode to a prematurely departed sibling, the soul-searching and reinvented spangle-rock hombres have gone full circle to their rightful pop sensibilities.

By Ron Bally

Nu Cultures – Butterflies, zebras, and moonbeams

When a double CD release comes across my desk from an unknown band, I’m as enthusiastic about listening to it as I am about opening my credit card bill after Christmas. But Philly newcomers Nu Cultures have left me pleasantly surprised with this ambitious release of masterfully produced downtempo.

Their blend of music is Radiohead-sounding at times—think Amnesiac—with acoustic instrumentation amidst sampled loops in the background and lyrics that ponder. It’s Morcheeba-sounding at other moments; think brassy, soulful, cool. The collective rotates vocal duties through the twenty songs which span the two discs. Ellie Perez’s voice brings in the nuance of seductive lounge singer while Timmy Motzer—the man responsible for the seasoned guitar playing, arrangement and production of the album—gently ebbs the listener momentarily away to a different backdrop.

Nu Cultures also rotate a sparing array of exotic-sounding instruments—trumpet, nylon-stringed guitar, and tabla drums—executed in a manner that’s a far cry from the beginner’s introduction to world music. Though each of the collaborators brings in his/her own groove to the mix, Butterflies… doesn’t sound like a mismatched hodgepodge. This variety of vocal styles is not only refreshing, but creates a stronger, more complex album. Highlights on the album include the instrumental, “Babylon is Crying” which sinks the listener deep into the noir-like intrigue of an Angelo Badalamenti score, and the melancholy rhetoric of “Think I’m Losing it.” It’s a disc not to be overlooked; pick this one up and watch the time go by fast.

By Claudia Ward-de León

Daniel Bon – Walking Backwards Thru the City

There’s nothing really wrong with Walking Backwards Thru the City, the debut CD by Boston’s Daniel Bon & the FUTURE ghosts. The playing is capable, recorded with booming, live-sounding production. Bon churns and croons, changing up the pace enough to keep from settling into the same groove for too long. And Bon has clearly studied his 90s rock history, throwing in occasional nods to Bob Mould and Sugar or the Pixies.

The problem is, there’s nothing particularly compelling about the CD, either. While the songs seem perfectly acceptable, it’s hard to shake the feeling that you could be listening to something more inspired. On “Turning Blue,” Bon shoots for Thom Yorke’s transcendent falsetto, and while he has the range, the song is mired in modern rock clichés and never truly takes off. What might have started with an honest feeling ends up sounding like it was tailored for a tender moment on the Road Rules soundtrack. Likewise, the pulsing, mechanical synth pop of “The Signs in Things” comes off more like warmed over Savage Garden when Bon was probably aiming more for Depeche Mode.

Bon is obviously talented, and he has an appreciation for a lot of different sounds (he is, after all, a producer himself). He just can’t seem to get below the surface. For all that may be wrong with Walking Backwards Thru the City, there are times when it feels like Bon is frustratingly close to something more substantial, something more passionate and personal. But for now, it’s too much gas and no spark.

By Nick A. Zaino III

Landon – Defying the Stereotype

Despite its title, this album defies no stereotype. Landon is the equivalent to a combination of Pink, Amy Lee from Evanescence, and Jo Jo. Landon has a strong voice and can hit high notes, but this does not negate the unoriginality of this album. Remember when Britney Spears did “Stronger” on her album Oops, I Did it Again? She exemplified a force with this air that she was trying too hard, and her bubblegum roots were visible through the translucent façade. This album follows this empty structure with the addition of real musicians (whom, without doubt, give it much more credibility).

I’m all for girls in rock bands, but when done wrong, this ends up seeming like more of a fashion statement than a musical one. Musically, Landon is comparable to NIN. The entirety of Defying the Stereotype banks on the trendiness of the iconic uncontrollable and dysfunctional girl (you know, the same one we met in “Girl Anachronism” by the Dresden Dolls and “Milk” by Kings of Leon) . For me, the album was boring, if not irritating, to listen to.

To followers of bands with choppy guitar, rough-voice lyrics, and a tough feel to the music, this is probably the band for you. There’s nothing especially bad about Defying the Stereotype, but certainly don’t buy the album if you’re in the market for something new and refreshing. 

By Annelise Kopp

Awake and Alert – Devil in a Lambskin Suit

Rich, thick, and somber, Awake and Alert’s Devil in a Lambskin Suit is moody and subtle in its execution. Finely crafted with deep and sometimes haunting landscapes, the album’s only shortcoming is its repetition.

The Arizona quartet’s deep and atmospheric feel is initially striking. Minimalist instrumentation weights every note and tone with importance as Awake and Alert conveys emotion and melancholy in minor key.

The head nodding “Ready or Not” is an accomplished mix of pop rock and orchestrated strings. Similar to something you might hear from Evanescence, this is one of the two common sounds found throughout Devil in a Lambskin Suit. “Ready or Not” relies on harder rock and Peart’s unrestrained voice while the other side of Awake and Alert is syrupy with sweeping landscapes.

Awake and Alert shows power and poise with either sound. Maya Peart’s voice soars over the album’s canvas, almost elevating to an angelic level in tracks like “Let the Autumn Lift Me” and “Starry-Eyed Visions.”

“Eternal Life” balances Peart’s sweet vocals with a simple guitar line and reverberating electric bass. Intimate and emotive, this track is noteworthy for its ability to convey so much with such minimal sound and production. Overall the band shows depth and intelligence, but lacks in variety.

Within a few songs the album’s monotonous uniformity becomes drab. Awake and Alert possesses talent and potential, and if the band is willing to use their assets to broaden their horizons in the future, they’ll make more of an impact than they did with Devil in a Lambskin Suit.

By Lauren Proctor

Sweetbird – Shine

First impressions are hard to overcome. For someone who is not really into religion, the Heavenly Father and all that jazz, it’s difficult to give an honest opinion about a record for music’s sake when it was recorded in worship of the Lord.

Lyrical content is a large part of the entire concept of a song or album. One can listen to an instrumental song and feel whatever it is one feels; the song becomes subjective. But within the lyrics, you’re almost forced to feel what the writer is feeling, and if you disagree with their beliefs, human nature, from time to time makes it hard to even listen.

With that being said, this album sounds like every other Christian praise and worship album out there. Singer and songwriter, Christine Yandell sounds a bit like an older Mandy Moore, without the spice. Her voice is as pure as her lyrics. When you’re listening to the majority of “God music,” you’re dealing with some soft, breathy vocals over jazzy elevator tunes, and that’s exactly what we have got here.

A few of Sweetbird’s tunes are just guitar and vocals. Track six, “Love Song,” creates a certain something that makes you listen, no matter what your beliefs. It’s about love; the kind that is up for interpretation. Some of the best art is a result of anger and pain, no matter the medium. This album is good for what it is, and if you are religious, it is even better.

By Ginger Hebert

Grayshot – Waiting Days

Not anyone can be a musical genius, and as such, there are very few artists out there who manage to do something new and totally unexpected. Instead, what happens is this: one band comes up with a sound, and then facsimiles of that band start appearing all over the place; imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all. The problem with this formula is that there are bands copying musicians who were never any good in the first place. Sorry, Coldplay—this means you.

You can hardly blame bands like Grayshot for reproducing the sound of Coldplay. Meaningless, but supposedly heartfelt lyrics sung in a sweet, almost falsetto voice set to the right three chords have made many bands millions of dollars, and since there are so many of these songs out there, I can only assume that they’re easy to come up with. This is the equivalent of fast-food in the music industry. And sadly, there will always be a place for it.

It’s not that there’s anything particularly wrong with Grayshot’s EP, Waiting Days. It’s more that we’ve heard it all before, so it has all the excitement of a warm bath. The funny thing is that the album smacks of over-production, even though it’s self-released. Usually you don’t hear this kind of studio sterility until a band is signed by a major label. Normally I would feel a slight pang of guilt for slamming a band that isn’t all that bad, in and of itself. But their formula should garner them enough success without my lip service.

By Celena Carr

Hip-Hop Victory in Miami – M.I.A and The Cool Kids

M.I.A. and The Cool Kids Heat Up Miami
By Shaun Flagg

I am exhausted from last night; it is a struggle to function and coffee is the only thing holding me together right now. But it is worth the pain, a long workday of lethargy is a small price to pay. The show at Studio A was unbelievable. The Cool Kids and M.I.A. showed hip-hop is alive and well. The heat in the small venue was stifling like a summer day in Sri Lanka and both the rookie Cool Kids and more seasoned M.I.A. colluded to set the place ablaze.

The Cool Kids hail from Chicago and bring a throw back style of hip-hop reminiscent of the early LL days. There is the big beat sound and their retro clothing style that wraps their facade in the neon haze of the 80s. Although these guys are new to the scene they commanded the stage and easily flowed through their set. Wordplay, clever lyrics laced with humorous punch lines, and good chemistry between Mikey and Chuck made for a very entertaining show. Both rappers played off each other’s rhymes in an alleyoop fashion passing off one line for the next, a coordinated and smooth effort that was a triumphant slam-dunk. I had a smile on my face the whole time as I watched these newcomers give a stellar performance. American hip-hop has recently suffered from a pervasive staleness but it is groups like The Cool Kids that divert from the oft-traveled path and deliver a fresh and fantastic sound. The group left the stage to energetic applause having stoked the embers that would soon burst into flames with the arrival of M.I.A.

I was curious about the live presence and sound of M.I.A. and how it would hold up under the nakedness of the stage sans any production assistance. I have seen groups who rely heavily on processed beats and electronic augmentation that when they are on stage without the heavy arsenal of the studio the sound loses its layered pomposity. I soon found out that this would not be the case in this instance. The set opened to a projection video of an angry, bald, Asian guy speaking to what seemed like a parliamentary assembly denouncing the majority in his country and calling for revolution. It was a powerful introduction and set the mood for her first song “World Town”, an enthusiastic revolutionary incitement. M.I.A. took the stage like a fighter entering the ring wearing a boxer’s robe with some custom M.I.A. designs stitched on the front. Wearing 80s style sunglasses and a hood draped over her head she floated on stage electrified by the music, she delivered her passionate lyrical diatribe against oppressive forces. Her music is politically charged but you have to pay close attention because it is wrapped up in wildly danceable beats. This may seem at first incongruent with the context but she strikes a fine balance of energetic disobedience and irreverent protest delivered in dance friendly tracks.

The sound was full and just as well formed as if you were listening to the album on your car stereo. M.I.A. was backed by a solid DJ who was able to provide the lush and layered musical backdrop we have come to expect. She was assisted on stage by a sidekick vocalist who added some dimension and depth as their voices combined for emphasis or were dotted with the many tongue rolls and vocalizations present in her songs. There is a heavy tribal influence in her music with the heavy drums and cacophonous shouts; it’s a primeval mixture tossed into a sonic processor; a sound that pushes dance music to new heights.

M.I.A performed for nearly two hours and by the time she was done the crowd was dripping with sweat. An exhausting and rewarding experience I was pleased to look back and say every expectation was met and exceeded.

Photos to come soon.

Peace
S

Alvin Lee – Saguitar

Now this is blues-rock for real blues enthusiasts! I am of course referring to Alvin Lee’s latest album, Saguitar. Those of you yearning for a Ten Years After fix might be disappointed, for this latest effort is a lot less rocking and bit more bluesy than Lee’s previous incarnation. Think more Scotty Moore, less Yard Birds. With that being said, don’t think this album doesn’t bring it on home; Saguitar is laced with some of the most rollicking rhythms and soul bruising hooks in the blues-rock arena. “The Squeeze” is one such number that goes in and out of heavy-handed guitar riffs and heavy hearted melodies. “Got a Lot of Living to do” is another gem, is slightly reminiscent of Mississippi delta blues, but without all the sorrow.

The most surprising track on the album is not very blues-oriented at all. “Rapper” is a track of funky looped drums fills, some very wicked guitar harmonies, and even a little “rapping” by the man himself. This maybe not be an album for those unfamiliar with Lee’s previous works, but for any fan of the blues, it’s a definite treat.

By Charley Lee

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