Give the Chicago-based band Mass Shivers credit. Not only is its latest CD Ecstatic Eyes Glow Glossy short (a mere 29 minutes long) but the band has released one of the more obscure rock recordings of the year. So kudos go out to this band, because it has the guts to spit in the face…
Bedlight for Blue Eyes – Life on Life’s Terms
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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…
Daniel Bon – Walking Backwards Thru the City
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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…
Landon – Defying the Stereotype
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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…
Awake and Alert – Devil in a Lambskin Suit
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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…
Sweetbird – Shine
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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…
Grayshot – Waiting Days
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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…
Hip-Hop Victory in Miami – M.I.A and The Cool Kids
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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…
Impending Doom – Nailed.Dead.Risen
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Blast beats, metalocalypse themes and the guttural bellowing vocals of Brook Reeves take the listener to the darkest corner of the subterranean world, and this is where you will find Impending Doom. Although the band hails from sunny and affluent Corona, California, Impending Doom sharetheir demonic inclinations with standout tracks of irony such as the…
Cipes and the People – The Conscious Revolution Has Begun
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“We can free the world”, sings Greg Cipes in “Free Me”, the first single from The Conscious Revolution Has Begun. The debut album from Cipes and the People is a powerful mix of reggae, hip-hop and rock. The album may not be pioneering any new music frontiers; however there is no shortage of love, passion…
Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew – Spirit If…
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Broken Social Scene may be presenting Kevin Drew, but this is not a BSS album. Like many BSS compositions, each song is quietly tripped into, and then builds to a symphony of horns, flutes and other orchestral instruments. But there’s something different about Spirit If… The difference between could possibly be due to the host…
Axe Riverboy – Tutu To Tango
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Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Tahiti 80 front man Xavier Boyer, now know as, Axe Riverboy, has created a collection of smart lyrics and winsome melodies on his new album, “Tutu To Tango”. The arrangements are concise, the embellishments are well-placed and the production extremely well-done. Axe confesses that he “could be somebody else” in the tune…
Immortal Souls – Wintereich
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Finnish band Immortal Souls has embarked on an ambitious project. Though I am not a hardcore fan, I was impressed with the beauty (yes, you did read that right) of the lyrics and the artwork of Wintereich. This album is Immortal Souls’ third full-length album and its second US release on Facedown Records. Immortal Souls…
Carnifex – Dead in My Arms
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Dead in My Arms is the debut metal album released by San Diego based Carnifex on This City is Burning/Uprising Records. Is there such a genre as “metal soundscape?” This 10-track offering is best described as just that. The “scape” is thick with blistering drum fills and guttural chants intended more to add texture than…
Jay Eff Kay – America: Suicide Notes Vol. 1
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The context for Jay Eff Kay’s America: Suicide Notes Vol. 1 is best captured by the image included on the back cover of the CD jacket: you, my friend, are stuck sniffing the butt of “the man.” Jay Eff Kay uses 14 tracks of hip hop and rap to fight back. “Den of Rats” takes…
The Peaces – Is/Are/Was/Were
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I’m envious of the money somebody in this alleged 3-piece band must have to be able to spend all that time in the studio, overdubbing and layering all those vocals. What I’m hearing is a highly professional, painfully polished attempt at creating a 21st Century America or Bread, or at times perhaps an uninspired Brian…
Enamel – Stray This Way
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Hailing from Springfield, the capital of Illinois, Midwestern power-rock trio Enamel has self-released a dramatic sophomore album. Stray This Way serves up more of the trademark alternating patterns of bone-crunching intensity and wistful balladry, juxtaposed against commanding melodies, soaring harmonies, solid songwriting and tight musicianship. The flawlessly self-produced Stray This Way wears its diverse influences…
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery (Remastered)
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The fourth studio album from English progressive rockers Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) is by far one of their most ambitious, if not successful, albums to date. The H.R. Giger artwork should be your first clue that this particular album has more of a science fiction theme than previous works. Peter Sinfield, the lyricist for…
Justin Martin – Chaos Restored
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Born in West Hartford, Conn. but transplanted to San Francisco, Calif., Justin Martin exploded onto the house/techno scene in 2003 after being noticed by film producer/DJ Barclay Crenshaw- A.K.A. Claude VonStroke- with his single “The Sad Piano”. Martin has since been a frequent contributor to Buzzin’ Fly Records and recently a cofounder of dirtybird records…
Corporate X – Surrender
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If Corporate X is as business-minded as its name suggests, then Surrender finds this dance-rock act easily settling in for a little casual Friday behavior. It contains no lyrical equivalents to flow charts. Instead, it features songs about real life. This act’s central player is Christine DeLeon, who fills these six tracks with eeriness that…
Ari Gold – Transport Systems
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Ari Gold’s third studio album Transport Systems is classic hip-hop-influenced dance pop. The melodies feel nicked from Britney and the boy bands of the last decade, but without the catchiness. Ten years ago, few could help singing along with Brit and the boys–whether at the club or in the car on the way to work.…
Sergeant – Midnight to Midnight
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Warning: If alone and depressed tonight, you do not want to listen to this album. If, on the other hand, you’re a sucker for straight ahead rock with an extremely moody powerhouse female vocalist/guitarist/pianist heading up the pack, then here’s your Huckleberry. Sergeant’s Midnight to Midnight is the darkest thing you’re going to hear in…
Motion Turns it On – Rima
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Fans of progressive rock will be pleasantly surprised with the well crafted musical sketch presented by Motion Turns it On, the up and coming post modern rockers of Houston, Texas. Their debut, the EP Rima, is smoothly refined and cleanly produced. Adventurous this EP is not, and those looking for the edgy experimentalism of the…
Raspberries – Live at Sunset Strip
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After 30 plus years, the Raspberries reunited to do a string of concerts. This disc features one of the shows at the House of Blues in So Cal. The group not only set standards that influenced countless working musicians, but captured the interest of music luminaries like Springsteen, Paul Stanley, Jon Bon Jovi, and yes,…
Clock Hands Strangle – Redshift/Blueshift
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When one thinks of native Florida music, images conjure up of sultry nights yearning for old Havana, cocaine cowboys burning across the screen in cigarette boats, and Fred Durst rap metal infusions. Rarely does one think of sleek and clean indie riffs, calm and burning with a itching desire to be knotty and melodiously challenging.…
Marc Broussard – S.O.S. Save Our Soul
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The Carencro Louisiana native’s purpose was to come out with a disc and live tour that paid tribute to our musical soul heritage. By competently covering classics made popular by Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and other selected soul luminaries, he’s been able to accomplish his goal. The re-working of the classics on this 12-song release…
Red – End of Silence
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Red is a group that provides some of the drive exhibited by Linkin Park early on and in-your-face guitar reminiscent of the styling of Mark Tremonti (Creed, Alter Bridge). The use of strings keys, and melodic backdrops at the right places, adds a dimension to their hard driving sound that worked so well for Evanescence.…
Sia – Some People Have Real Problems
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Sia’s an Australian-born singer/songwriter with a fascinating vocal style, posessing at times a penchant for R&B riffing (the mind occasionally wanders to Janis Joplin). The young lady had a spot of luck recently when a song of hers popped up on an episode of Six Feet Under, a TV show which apparently focuses on the…
Brooke Miller – You Can See Everything
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Brooke Miller is hyped as a young guitar virtuoso and up and coming roots-music songwriter. On her debut CD You Can See Everything there is some lovely guitar work, but it falls short of being very impressive. The CD starts off nicely with “World On A Whim” a catchy, up-beat pop tune with a country…
Common – Finding Forever
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Common is a legend in hip hop. When you are in a cipher of hip hop heads and they start talking about conscious emcees Common always ends up on top. It seems as though the media is trying to divide hip-hop into two camps. You have the conscious emcees like Common, Talib, Mos Def, and…
Goo Goo Dolls – Greatest Hits, Vol 1 – The Singles
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So I was going through the Skope mail and amongst all the great music we get, I was excited to see a new CD from the Goo Goo Dolls. Not only was this a new CD but it was their greatest hits. This CD is packed with 14 of the bands hottest hits. The Goo…
Skope Podcast – October 2007
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Our October podcast features exclusive new music by respected monoliths of the music scene as well as emerging artists you may have not heard of yet. Download our October 2007 podcast to hear new music by Underworld, Nucultures, UNKLE, Kathryn Williams, and The Clientele–listen to Kathryn Williams talk about her recent Mercury Award nomination and…
A.A. Bondy – American Hearts
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The voice of A.A. Bondy is bound to scratch its way into your soul. With a delivery rough enough to make it real and sincere enough to make it matter, Bondy plumbs the depths of the human condition in his new release, American Hearts. Upon reaching bottom, he conjures up songs that strike a melancholy…
Silver Seas – High Society
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Having been compared to 70s icons James Taylor and Jackson Browne, opening track “Country Life” is tailor made for an oxymoron era of soft rock. Daniel Tashian, lead singer and principal songwriter for the Nashville-based quartet has vocals that play a tug of war between less affected rock vocalists of today and the influences mentioned.…
Eisley – Combinations
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Eisley is a Texas band that craft beautiful and eclectic sounds. They are uncompromising in their artistry and the chemistry of the four siblings creates a wonderful dynamic in their music. Their new album Combinations is filled with beautiful melodies, strong harmonies and stellar production. The sound on this album jumps from genre to genre…
Inked In Blood – Sometimes We Are Beautiful
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Inked In Blood may have converted a new follower to the evolving metal-core movement with their charming blend of shriek vocals harmonized with a gorgeous voice that has a welcome presence throughout the album. “Angel of Lost Hope” really allows Kelly James’ voice to carry without letting the overall sound get too thin-skinned. The beauty…
A Plea For Purging – A Critique of Mind and Thought
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Anyone who includes the lyrics, “raise your glasses high,” is probably someone I can get along with. Nashville-based A Plea For Purging may not have the most appetizing name, but they certainly display a keen prowess for metal guitar riffing and amazingly steady backbeats. Some of these songs definitely belong on the newest edition of…
Racoon – Another Day
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Although the four-member band Racoon is Dutch, they can best be described as a band you’d see performing in an Irish or English pub encouraging sing-a-longs. The group consists of Bart van der Weide on vocals, Dennis Huige on guitar, Stefan de Kroon on bass, and Paul Bukkens on drums. The band mingles folk rock…
Will Dailey – Back Flipping Forward
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As I sit down to write this review, I am just full of excitement. It was in July of this year that I was notified with the press release that CBS Records has signed Will Dailey. Will Dailey is a Boston native who has been doing music for as long as we have been printing…
Rilo Kiley play Lauderdale – Oct 1, 2007
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