Say it ain’t so! Yet another young, sweaty rock and roll act, full of energy and promise calls it a day. But rather than lament for the demise of dense barroom rock, listeners should pull a little carpe diem here. You Should Have Killed Us When You Had The Chance, the tongue in cheek final…
Category: REVIEWS
CD and DVD reviews
Rise For Order, Rip It Up
by •
Rise For Order is a hard rock/metal group based in Toronto. Four members included are: Johnny Goltz on lead vocals, Trevor MacLeod on guitar, Mad Choyles on bass and Jorge Pereira on drums. It’s also worth noting that their producer, Steve Thompson, has worked with Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Korn and Soundgarden.…
Justin Levinson, Predetermined Fate
by •
Why someone from Vermont with a soft, mellow Ben Folds-esque voice would desire to write a country album is beyond me, but something about it just works. Maybe it’s the something different that comes from pop/rock/country composition without the vocal twang. Perhaps Levinson says it best: “I’ve come supplied with duct tape and a…
Katie Garibaldi, Next Ride Out
by •
Katie Garibaldi is coming strong with her sixth full-length album titled Next Ride Out. At just 25, this young singer/songwriter wrote all the songs on the new record, handled all vocals & acoustic guitars and even came up with the outdoorsy & rustic album design. There are many other talented players on the new release…
Audio-OK, Good Men
by •
Isn’t that what we all want as music connoisseurs is just good-sounding audio for our ears? Audio-OK are attempting to bring you just that with satisfying music for one to enjoy. Okay…so don’t worry because Audio-OK has got you covered with their debut album, Good Men. These Good Men are made up…
THE MUSIC OF DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES, DO WHAT YOU WANT, BE WHAT YOU ARE (BOX SET)
by •
This four disc boxed set covers the career of the most successful duo in pop/rock history. Since 1966, the guys (who originally thought they could have careers as background singers) have been banging the chart tops with memorable tunes, and amazing collaborations, such as the monumental gig with the original Temptations at the Apollo…
CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL: THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Jo-Ann Geffen
by •
As part of the feel good series penned by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, the two have collaborated with Jo-Ann Geffen on a book filled with 101 stories behind popular songs. I knew many of the stories already (having been working on a book of this sort myself), but there was a lot…
Sinatra: New York, Box Set
by •
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…
When Summers Gone, December
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
“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
by •
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
by •
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
by •
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…
