I was lucky enough to get a chance to review this band’s last album titled ‘Damaged Calm’ back in 2009 for Skope Entertainment Inc. (http://skopemag.com/2009/10/28/downcast-theory-damaged-calm ). I loved what I heard then and I really love what I hear now from their self-titled release. I am so excited for Downcast Theory and their…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Rick Shaffer, Hidden Charms
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Following up his debut solo album from last year called ‘Necessary Illusion’, Rick Shaffer reveals to you ‘Hidden Charms’. This multidimensional artist not only played the role of singer, guitarist, bassist and percussionist but also wrote and produced the entire record. Additional members backed up Shaffer wonderfully to help ‘Hidden Charms’ become discovered…
Strong Like Woman, Fortune EP
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Over the years we’ve seen rock & alternative rock slowly erode into a dumbing down process of overly commercialized, corporate puppet shows. Unfortunately this form of entertainment exists not only in music but also on TV, & Movies as well. Talking to many music fans out there, the response is overwhelming. Give me something new,…
Jane Hunt, Self-Titled
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All I have to say first is WOW!!! This Jane Hunt will invigorate your senses and will leave you with a feeling of mass content. There is a reason why she is referred to as the self-proclaimed “Violin Venus” and that is because she makes breathtaking music with her instrument. This four-song EP…
Life After Liftoff, Memory of You
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Get ready for Dayton, Ohio’s own Life After Liftoff and their quick-to-the-punch EP ‘Memory of You’. LAL is a four-piece band made up of: founder & front-man Lee Weiss, Jason Sigritz on bass, backing vocals & keys, Ryan Chatterton on guitar, backing vocals & keys and Dan Malloy on drums & backing vocals. …
Tony DeSimone, The Second Time Around
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Tony DeSimone is a singer/songwriter & multi-instrumentalist who will impress the hell out of your ears. The new album ‘The Second Time Around’ and Tony’s music in general is said to have songs of “hope, love and dreams”. I would agree with that and further add that all 10 tracks on this record…
Junior Giant, True North
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“Junior Giant” is a fitting moniker for Spencer Linsley, the 21 year-old front man for the Salt Lake City foursome of the same name. A professional skier since his early teens, Linsey now channels his courage in tackling some of the big mountains into the courage to tackle lead in his indie rock outfit. His…
Assaf Kehati, Flowers & other Stories
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Jazz Guitarist Assaf Kehati releases his latest CD “Flowers & Other Stories” in 2011. Kehati is an accomplished player & composer from Israel who now makes his home in the Boston Area. The recordings themselves provide a very euphoric, fruitful & colorful musical experience via a very talented quartet. I hate to pigeonhole Kehati…
The Mighty Mulligans, Music To Shank By
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You’ve heard of Sugarhill Gang’s classic hit “Rappers Delight”, well get ready for a golfer’s delight anthem brought to you by The Mighty Mulligans. ‘Music To Shank By’ is a collection of 13 lighthearted tunes that poke fun at nothing else but the game of golf. This comedy-driven album is smart & funny…
Earth and the Next Society, Live Earth Teaser
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All I have to say is OHHHH YEAHHHH!!! I was supplied five tracks which is only about half of what you can expect to hear on their debut record ‘Live Earth’. Let me tell you though that Earth and the Next Society still blew me away! Their energy & force is second…
Carly Jamison, Everything Happens For A Reason
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It’s a good thing that the semi-reclusive Carly Jamison took the urging of producer Tres Sasser, and brought her internet-only songs to disc form. The first thing that grabs you is the vocal delivery. Jamison’s deep, sultry vocals are the likes of Melissa Etheridge meets Patti Smith. The next thing that grabs you is the…
Bryan Gorsira, So Far
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Over the years we’ve seen music slowly erode into something quite disturbing. Morph back to a happier time when you will find carefree acting as the embodiment of a carefree society. Music these day, though very technically savvy is missing something. Instead you get bands or artists that act in a very overcompensating way trying…
The Pauses, A Cautionary Tale
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There’s no doubt that the three members of Orlando’s The Pauses have the ability to write some fresh-sounded and at times, perky pop songs in the vein of Rilo Kiley. Some of those tunes even appear on A Cautionary Tale. However the title of this three piece’s debut is quite deserving: the album is just…
Skittish, The Perfect Shade of Green
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Over the years we’ve seen rock & alternative rock slowly erode into a dumbing down process of overly commercialized, corporate puppet shows. Unfortunately this form of entertainment exists not only in the form of music but also on TV, & Movies as well. Talking to many music fans out there, the response is overwhelming. Give…
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, MAY 2011
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Mark Wonder, True Stories of Mark Wonder (Groove Attack Records) This to-date retrospective of the Jamaica-born reggae guy begins with the not-really-representatively-poppy “So Long” as guested by Luciano, whose turn is more unplugged-Big Mountain-like than anything else on here, which, in the main, sticks to the roots, ganja-puff skank to rasta-babbling hard stuff to tourist-trap…
Glamour Kings, Front Row Seat To The End of the World
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I already like these guys due to their no-nonsense, no-bullshit attitude and mentality. Finally…a band that makes a very conscientious record that I can completely relate to. Glamour Kings is their name and ‘Front Row Seat To The End of the World’ is their game that needs to be played carefully. Right away…
Tom Shaner, Get Real Or Get Gone
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Tom Shaner is a multi-talented artist who has written over 300 songs in his career so he is no stranger to the music scene. Shaner is a singer/songwriter & performer who dares you to ‘Get Real Or Get Gone’ on his new EP. Prior to this solo release, Tom played in a band…
The Albertans, New Age
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The Albertans aren’t from Alberta. Let’s just get that out of the way now. No gritty punk or honest-to-goodness country rock here. Instead, this Vancouver via Brooklyn five piece have combined the best of what both Vancouver and Brooklyn’s scenes are largely known for: fresh faced, melody driven pop with tons of indie sensibility and…
Bikini Robot Army, Old Soldiers
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I have heard the phrase from most artists I have worked with/on: “Let’s put this up on the wall and take a look at it.” In the case of Val Broeksmit, the creed is something more like: “Let’s just run through the wall.” Under the guise of Bikini Robot Army, Val has pushed the limits…
Welter, The Bush Years
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First things first, the guys from Welter love their guitars as evident in their debut full-length The Bush Years. The angsty-alt trio from Philly have been compared to Green Day Jawbreaker and The Replacements and while there are different elements at work here make no mistake, this is all about guitar, guitar and more guitar…
Jennifer Castle, Castlemusic
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Female singer-songwriters are very often pigeonholed very quickly and given little opportunity to evolve artistically without their past releases being referenced. Lucky for Jennifer Castle, she’s left every door open on Castlemusic, her sonically lush debut. All nine tracks feature a depth of aesthetic and sonic approaches, all held together by this Toronto songwriter’s patient…
Morgan Bracy, End of Cinderella
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I don’t usually say this but I really do feel like a star is born after hearing Morgan Bracy’s new release. I never had a chance to hear her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Dirty Laundry’ but I can now say that ‘End of Cinderella’ is a brilliant piece of work. Everything about this album…
James Sera, Reality of the Fantasy
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First and foremost I have to say that James Sera is a highly skilled guitar player after hearing ‘Reality of the Fantasy’. Now that I got that out of the way let’s find out more about this debut album. The new record features James playing solo on the acoustic guitar with nothing more…
Shaky DeVille, Hot Asphalt
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Named after the classic ’76 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Shaky DeVille is still cruisin’ along with style & pizzazz. I actually reviewed what was supposed to be their self-titled debut album back in ’09 but low and behold ‘Hot Asphalt’ is the new debut. Lead singer & guitarist Matt (M.S.B.) DeVille actually stopped…
Seven Against Thebes, Self Titled
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Over the years we’ve seen rock & hard rock slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing us all with music that is extremely sing songy, predictable, highly popish & overly corporate sounding. I hereby call this new breed of music “Poser Rock” & I want to take this time to personally congratulate all the…
The Gertrudes, Dawn Time Riot
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What makes Dawn Time Riot such a miraculous listen is how, with all its unmitigated energy, the record still manages to keep up its timely and highly entertaining pace throughout the record. Featuring eight players and over 100 guest musicians from the Gertrudes native Kingston; there is the worry that The Gertrudes could turn into…
Fair Weather Watchers, Out Past the Garden
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It is through a contemporary interpretation of folk that songwriter Ginger Hebert and company has unveiled Out Past the Garden, a 13-track collection of songs admittedly “written and hoarded for years.” The emotive, yet approachable lyrical matter is laid over a delicate musicality foundation and features an intermittent array of unconventional instrumentation the likes of…
J.J. Ipsen and the Paper Crown, Entertainment Ordinaire
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The word “Quirky” often carries negative connotations, but one spin of Entertainment Ordinaire ought to prove otherwise. The debut full length from J.J. Ipsen and the Paper Crown is indeed a diverse listen, full of jangly rhythms and pop-leaning harmonies. But couple that with some fairly left-leaning soft rock hooks and incredibly literate lyrics and…
Snailhouse, Sentimental Gentleman
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Continuing in a long line of swampy, Canadian acts whose thinly-veiled brand of optimism is only heard through murky guitars and earnest crooning, Snailhouse make great strides with Sentimental Gentleman. The ten emotionally-laden tracks serve to establish Snailhouse not just as a fitting and hauntingly harmonious soundtrack to your last drink of the evening, but…
Verlee for Ransom, Happy Like Monkey That Climb
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First things first, to say this band is full of youthful exuberance is redundant. With a 20-year old keyboardist and an 11-year old bass player as bookends, their ages speak for themselves. However what their ages belie is the professionalism they bring to album making and the degree of available talent at their disposal (it’s…
Neil Thomas, A Century of Lullabies
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Over the years we’ve seen punk, rock & even alternative rock bands slowly erode into a dumbing down process of overly commercialized, corporate puppet shows. Unfortunately this form of entertainment not only exists in music but is slowly infiltrating TV Stets & Movie Theatres as well. Talking to many music fans out there, the response…
Jay Aura, iParty
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Jay Aura is ready to get the party started with his new EP ‘iParty’. The four-track recording has a dance club atmosphere for a reason and that is because Jay had all the strobes, lasers, girls and drinks in place. Jay Aura didn’t just sing about being in the clubs but actually lived…
Steve Northeast, Another Day
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In true “make it here, make it anywhere” fashion, Aussie singer/songwriter Steve Northeast relocated to New York City in 2002. Honing his craft and pursuing musical stardom in NYC venues, he first gained prominence with the release of his debut album Inside. Recently, Northeast and company released their anticipated follow-up Another Day, a 10-track dynamo…
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, APRIL 2011
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Lumerians, Transmalinnia (Partisan Records) Even the most pointless and unusable departments of music have bands that do enough right that you have to sort of hand it to them. San Fran’s Lumerians are peddlers of drone, which metal band SunnO))) squeezed for every last ounce of cred it could produce several years ago, so…
Jon McKiel, Confidence Lodge
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A good number of singer-songwriters face the pressure of trying to prove their worth through their craft. Very often, these artists go overboard in their efforts to be heard. What listeners are left with is a jumbled effort that only scratches the surface of the songwriter’s true gift. Jon McKiel didn’t make these mistakes. Instead,…
Bobby Runk, Good Company
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No question about it that Bobby Runk is in good company with the rest after hearing his debut album. Runk handles lead vocals, keyboards & synth on the new record and this CD is produced by Steely Dan’s own Gary Katz. Not to mention Bobby has a terrific backing band that helps Mr.…
Kiseleff, A Sound Seal
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Kiseleff is a pop/rock group made up of Al Renwick and Scot Andy. Renwick is the brains behind this operation known as ‘A Sound Seal’ thanks in big part to family inspiration. Al Renwick writes about three of his own Scottish ancestors who immigrated to America back in 1838. This information was…
Twin Tigers, Gray Waves
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There is an atmospheric sweep to Gray Waves, the debut full length from Athens’ Twin Tigers which makes recent tours with The Antlers, Deerhunter, Les Savy Fav and A Place To Bury Strangers understandable. For a debut, Gray Waves, a potent mix of haunting chamber pop and goth-inspired groove is remarkably mature and self-assured. This…
Mike Ian, Puzzle Pieces
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Over the years we’ve seen punk, rock & even alternative rock bands slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows. Talking to many music fans out there, the response is overwhelming. Give me something new, something fresh & fun. Give me band that dishes out good old fashioned Indie Rock with a no holes barred musical…
Doug Ratner, Eye To Eye
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Much too often, fence-straddling, genre-bending albums come across as contrived works with a lack of direction and no noticeable motive in sight. It seems the purposeful incorporation of “this and that” creates more musical confusion than cohesion. That being said, the above does not apply to Doug Ratner’s latest studio release. And while the album’s…
