I will admit that if it was not for my absolute obsession with Mafia movies & shows like Goodfellas, The Godfather, and Sopranos I may not have such a love for the music of the legendary, Frank Sinatra. So when I was pitched to review the brand new box set of CD’s and a DVD…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
When Summers Gone, December
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The dynamic duo known as When Summers Gone get extremely personal on this debut release titled December. When Summers Gone is made up of long-time friends Dave Graziani on lead vocals, guitar and piano & Chris Lepri on bass and drums. Graziani is also the chief songwriter behind this collection of emotionally-charged songs.…
Tegan and Sara, Sainthood
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Canada gets shit on for a lot of reasons. As a Canuck, I can’t imagine a lot of people living outside the great white north to understand the cultural importance of Curling and Peter Mansbridge. But we’ve got our heroes. We’ve got saints too, usually of the musical nature. And on Sainthood, the sixth full-length…
Grooms, Rejoicer
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Seriously, is Brooklyn the new Seattle? I mean, grunge is dead and gone, but what is it about the New York borough that breeds diverse, eclectic indie bands with unassuming ease. So many of these bands provide thirsty listeners with heightened awareness through potent, fuzzy guitar-heavy jams. Yet so many of these bands quickly fade…
Jay Reatard, Watch Me Fall
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Three years after his last full length, Jay Reatard returns with Watch Me Fall, a jubilant twelve tracks that smooth over Reatard’s scuzzy, garage-rock gems with concise production. Many will lament over Reatard’s decision to give into a production-heavy record, but it’s impossible to neglect how the production works in Reatard’s favour. Reatard’s vocals are…
The Got To Get Got, Salahee
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One of the biggest fears faced by writers is making their audience seem irrelevant by dropping unnecessarily large amounts of references. Anyone who’s read Chuck Kloksterman has probably felt fucking stupid at one point, yet there’s something about his vast array of knowledge that keeps you coming back for more. I wouldn’t be as brazen…
Hockey, Mind Chaos
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You’d think with a name like Hockey, this Portland foursome would be one of those shit-kickin’, tough as nails country bar bands. But thankfully for everyone who likes listening to records and going to shows and leaving with their teeth, this isn’t the case. Instead, the insanely catchy Hockey present a plethora of synth-laden hooks…
Cococoma, Things Are Not All Right
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Forget blitzkriegs, CoCoComa’s Things Are Not All Right is the real all-out assault. Ten tracks clocking in at somewhere around 25-minutes (It’s impossible to count, let alone keep your head above water throughout these often fanatical but impressively succinct tracks) will leave listeners grasping for air. But how could you expect any less from Goner…
Language Arts, Where Were You In The Wild
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Where Were You In The Wild, the debut LP from Vancouver’s Language Arts is a record made for the music geeks. No, not because it presents a certain bookish aesthetic. But because this eleven-track masterpiece contains some of the most original and inventive music available for blogging purposes. Sadly, it’s only those who are constantly…
Portugal. The Man, The Satanic Satanist
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How much does album packaging matter in this in age, when Itunes and The Pirate Bay are happy to pawn digital copies of new releases off and have the tunes delivered to you almost instantaneously? Albums used to be a complete package, a work of art. Despite their decidely modern sound, Portugal. The Man seem…
Copilot, Escape Through The Trees
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Not having been alive for certain things really gets me down. Paul Henderson’s goal in ’72, now that would have been something. And I suppose watching Neil Armstrong would have been a bit surreal. But not being able to enjoy psychedelic rock in at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco seems like a place I…
The Mary Onettes, Islands
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Alright, seriously. Sweden sounds like a magical place. Sure, it’s probably cold as hell, but the images that are often conjured up when listening to Swedish dream-pop bands that gets me thinking about booking a one-way ticket to Stockholm. I’m From Barcelona seduced me rather easily on Who Killed Harry Houdini? while Peter, Bjorn and…
Grant Hart, Hot Wax
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Some people are just blessed. These folks don’t necessarily “Walk in the light” as it were, but they’ve definitely got a perpetual well of talent to draw water from. Grant Hart is one of those dudes. As a member of Husker Du, one of the 80’s most influential and righteous alternative bands, Hart manned the…
Esthema, The Hereness and Nowness of Things
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Boston isn’t known as a major player in world music but that doesn’t mean it isn’t home to some fine bands who love to play the more complex and unconventional sounds associated with the genre. Need proof, just listen to Esthema’s latest cd The Hereness and Nowness of Things which expands on the charms of…
The Mary Onettes, Islands
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Sweden’s The Mary Onettes created a small buzz two years ago when it released its debut self-titled disc. That was mostly due to its 80s new wave sound of shimmering guitars and lush, dreamlike synthesizers. To many that loved the cd, it brought back many fond memories when Echo and the Bunnymen and New Order…
RANDOM STABBINGS & ARTLESS CRITIQUE, NOVEMBER 2009
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The Antikaroshi, Crushed Neocons (Fonatana Universal Records) Bordering the three musical states of Black Sabbath, Kings of Leon and Lou Reed, this German trio threaten math rock nonsense at the beginning (“Downtown”) before settling in to a found groove that weds the Paranoid guitar sound to an addictive little figure that would have fit in…
Mojo Rising, Feel What You Feel
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Mojo Rising has taken the land down under by storm as they now set out to take over the states. Making the move from their home-land of Australia to the sunset strip of Los Angeles hopes to be a beneficial one for the band. They hope to create a brand new fan-base by…
Alexandra Celano, I’m Overcome
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This singer/songwriter from Southern California is bringing her highly spiritual & inspirational music to the forefront. Alexandra Celano blends a joyful mix of Christian, country, rock, pop and Americana to make up one uplifting sound. Celano invites you to come along on her celestial life journey. The eleven tracks on I’m Overcome…
Morning Fuzz, Self-Titled
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This Morning Fuzz will without a doubt get your motor running from the early morning to the midnight hour. Morning Fuzz are a Brooklyn-based band with ROCK at the core of everything! The group is made up of front man, Frank Fussa on vocals & guitar, Chris Johanidesz on bass & vocals and…
The Peace, The Peace
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The Peace is led by Bobby Kendes who wrote all the songs for this debut release while also taking care of vocal & acoustic guitar assignments. One other key figure on this record is Aaron Z. Katz who is responsible for producing, arranging, recording, co-engineering & mixing this entire project. Katz also played…
Tonight We Ride, Of The West
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This Montana-based rock trio packs so much intensely fun energy into this record that it’s ridiculous! Tonight We Ride is made up of: Dustin “Dub” Campbell on vocals & guitars, Greg Vivrette on bass & backing vocals and Adam “Bomb” McDonald on drums. The music on Of The West is so damn random…
Mason Daring, Self-Titled
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Mason Daring is a well-established film composer who has been hard at work since the early 70s. Early on, the singer/songwriter performed solo at the Bull & Finch (eventually Cheers) in Boston and later toured & recorded as a popular duo with singer Jeanie Stahl. He is highly recognized for composing scores for…
We Are The City, In A Quiet World
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Youth is as much a blessing as it is a predicament. There’s a fresh-faced innonence that captivates young people; this innocence has a way of underlining so many recordings from young rock bands as well. The riffs sound a little more immediate and a lot more pop-leaning. The vocals are brimming with life, if only…
Parlour Steps, The Hidden Names
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A few months ago, while browsing through one of Vancouver’s top indie record shops, I came across an older record from Parlour Steps, a local act. I’d heard of them in passing and I was intrigued. I asked one of the clerks about the band, and in a typically succinct manner, he replied carelessly, “Good…
Painkiller Hotel, Black Roses
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Black Roses, the latest from Aurora, Illinois’s Painkiller Hotel is a study in how to do a lot of things right. They’ve got a great, interpretation-heavy name. And judging by the back cover, they’ve got that simple, weary rock star look down to the finely crumbled tuxedo. But most of all, they’ve got punchy tunes…
Various Artists, Record Of The Week Club
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The idea of Record Of The Week Club is rather simple; bring three different artists from Winnipeg’s Manitoba’s vast musical landscape once a week (Every Wednesday throughout the summer of 2008, if those kind of things are of interest to you) into MCM Studios. None of the artists knew who else was going to be…
Downcast Theory, Damaged Calm
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Downcast Theory is made up of Matthew Simon on lead vocals & guitar, Jake Raynor on lead guitar & vocals, Kenny Earl on bass and Matt “Raundawg” Raunick on drums & piano. This NJ-based hard rock group is bringin’ the noise in bountiful amounts. So much raw energy is displayed by this group…
The String Cheese Incident, Best of Trick or Treat
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Live albums can be a very hit-or-miss affair as it is hard to capture the energy of a concert in a recording without any visual clues as to what is going on behind the music. Making a live album even more problematic though is having it as a compilation of tracks from different concerts from…
Rob Wadda, Live From the Darkside of the Moon
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The first thing that struck out at me right away was the title of this album, Live From the Darkside of the Moon. I was thinking to myself, “Wait a minute; we already have a Darkside of the Moon by music legends Pink Floyd. Not to mention, this classic record goes down in…
The Warped 45’s, 10 Day Poem For Saskatchewan
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“It still amazes me what some people will throw away” croons Dave McEathron on “Progress.” It’s an apt sentiment from McEathron, lead singer of the country-rock troubadours The Warped 45’s considering how many fans and critics will disregard 10 Day Poem For Saskatchewan as nothing more than simple boot-stomping bar rock. Yet upon deeper dissection,…
Precious Father, Alluvial Fan
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Precious Fathers are the kind of typically enigmatic act that Vancouver’s oft-experimental, instrumental post-rock scene thrives on. Altruistic in the manner which they toss sounds off one another, Precious Fathers seemingly follow no tried and true methods of songwriting. Their experimental rock builds rapidly, with screeching guitars and relentless drumming acting as the core for…
Anna Madorsky, Incantation
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Madorsky is following up her 2008 debut, Talk Is Cheap, with a new name & a new attitude. Talk Is Cheap was darker clouded with the focus on a romantic breakup whereas Incantation focuses more on current issues from a narrative standpoint. The focal point for this album is based on where people…
Fiction 20 Down, Comfortable Fools
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First off, I’d like to mention the exceptionally professional touch put forth on their overall appearance of the cover art and inside sleeves. This brand new LP has a very pleasing feel about it due to its well-put-together packaging. Right away, I was drawn to this band and their record just from first…
Luis Bonilla, I Talking Now
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Sit down and fasten your seat belt before hitting “play” for this album, because Luis Bonilla is talking now. It’s going to hit you fast, and it’s going to hit you hard. In fact, in the opening/title track, you might have a 4-minute “WTF?” moment as Luis Bonilla and his band prove that their finger…
Tirra Lirra, Pink Live Forever
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The Chicago-based trio, Tirra Lirra, brings modern sounds of outer-dimensional electronics mixed with pop/rock tendencies. Pink Live Forever offers listeners a New Wave ambience of experimental sonic jargon. I would best describe Tirra Lirra’s new release as an abstract puzzle with millions of pieces. This puzzle will require much thought, concentration and…
Teleseen, Fear of the Forest
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Teleseen is one man known as Gabriel Cyr and he is based in Brooklyn. The NY locale has no relevance here because Fear of the Forest will you take you on a trip, but not in the physical sense but rather by way of a voyage through the mind. Teleseen and the artist behind the…
Steven Bryan, Let Me Stay
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Steven Bryan was born Francesco Dell’Orco in Milan, Italy, but he is an English adopted singer/songwriter. He later moved to London in 2007 where he really started to find out who he was as an artist. It seems that Bryan has now found his voice/identity on this new EP, Let Me Stay. …
Mayday Parade, Anywhere But Here
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On their sophomore release Anywhere But Here will come as a huge change to many Mayday Parade fans. Mainly for the fact the new record does not feature the writing and vocals of original singer, Jason Lancaster, whose spot has been filled by Derek Sanders. However, with the absence of Lancaster, the Tallahassee-based quintet have…
Elephant Stone, The Seven Seas
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“Hindie rock,” you say? That’s what Elephant Stone, a five-piece psych-pop outfit from Montreal (Better known as Canada’s indie music goldmine) are calling The Seven Seas. The debut record features members of The Besnard lakes and The Dears, and is essentially the brainchild of Rishi Dhir, once a member of the all-to-infectious Montreal rockers The…
Elliott Brood, Mountain Meadows
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Elliot Brood is one seriously bad-ass band. No, it’s not just one dude parading around; it’s a full-on, raucous three-piece band that manages to kick out some of the most rollicking countrified jams possible from just three instruments. Toss in lead singer Mark Sasso’s relentlessly raspy growl and you’ve got reason to believe why Mountain…
