CD and DVD reviews
Metaleptic Fit is an industrial/thrash metal band based in the Chicago area, formed in 2013 and lead by The Reverend. The Reverend’s background has crossed through rock, blues, rap, hip-hop, house, and dance genres. From the beginning, he has enraptured heavy metal as a lifestyle of spiritual reverence. On the self-titled debut two track release…
Ann Faith Harris was born and reared in the blue-collar music mecca of Buffalo, New York. Growing up in a household headed by her mother, a classically trained vocalist, Faith started singing hymns and anthems in her family church, St. Phillips Episcopal. Throughout her school years, she studied piano, sang in school choirs, ensembles, and…
Joseph Pagano sings a song of hope and redemption is “More Friends In Heaven (Than In Hell)”. With a playful attitude to it the way the song unfolds in infectious, with catchy hooks dominating the song. A swinging rhythm comes into play as the way that the song works itself into a glorious rush feels…
Jess Weimer is a nobody who wants to be somebody. Hence why she left her hometown of Wichita, Kansas to pursue her dreams of music creation. Heading to the wonderful lime light that is Los Angeles, California, where her background ranges from quite a bit of activity such as a bluegrass-fiddle band, to musical theater,…
If you haven’t already gotten to the memo, welcome to the new age. Swaylex’s YouTube uploads are a real one-man-band effort with the musician playing all of the electric guitar parts, bass, and drums. There’s utterly honest DIY productions are executed far better than some might expect and the intimacy of the surroundings is no…
Based out of Toronto, the livetronica outfit The Chameleon Project provides a master class in genre hybridization with their unique and highly individual synthesis of funk, EDM, experimental rock, and slinky jazz grooves, among other elements. Their latest release Funk ‘n’ Space is a remarkable outing for this quartet and they pull off their sonic…
Too often today, instrumental albums promise greatness and fail to deliver because of lacking player skills, sub-par arranging and writing, and a plainly poor overall flow. Thankfully, this is far from an issue in Jakob Pek’s Acoustic Medicine album, and what might be its top track, “Sweet Memory’s Melody.” For once, to the benefit of…
Kathryn Shipley offers up a heartfelt ode with the glorious “Shine Your Love”. Crystal clear lyricism leads the way forward as the song swings forth with a classic style. Full of optimism and appreciation the song’s gradual unfolding feels masterful. “One Family Strong” shows off Hunter Sealy’s intimate approach. With only a guitar and a…
How can someone or something be original like the legit original said thing, person, or place that it is to be original about. Sorry if that was a lot to take in, but when an artist or band goes into such detail declaring that they themselves, are for instance the “original alternative hard rock as…
Full of energy and defiance, Darcy Donavan’s “It’s My Life (Galilee RMX)” is a compelling sound that taps into a rebellious spirit. Her voice soars full of commanding power. Lyrics are thoughtful and reflective while they emphasize a concept of individual self-worth. Such confidence lends itself well to the overall finely sculpted sound. Percussion reigns…
The Spiders are led by Lead Guitarist and Vocalist, Nick DeStefano. Nick has performed all over North America, from the Stone Pony in New Jersey to the Troubadour in Los Angeles. He has appeared on MTV in two award winning videos from his previous bands, Faces In The Crowd and Y Fly 2 London. He…
Round Eye are experimental, do feature a sax, and are no question a punk rock outfit. And yes, they are controversial and explicit, so, if that is not your thing there won’t be much to look-into. But if it is, there is plenty for the thrash lovers to slam around to on Monstervision, their new…
The King of Midi Guitar himself, Les Fradkin, never ceases to amaze me by continuing to evolve with his innovative style of music. ‘Welcome To The New Age’ is just that with a whole new perspective and direction from Les guiding the listener through airy soundscapes. Fradkin and his Starr Labs Ztar incorporate elements of:…
Omiqron6 offers an otherworldly exploration of sound on “A New Kind of Lightning”. A highly unique approach is taken for this album, one which rests in-between the waking and dream world. Stylistically Omiqron6 weaves together ambient, classical, dub altogether in a quiet celebration. Rhythms exist in a mysterious fashion, as the cyclical nature of the…
Shahed Mohseni Zonoozi offers a sound of celebration and triumph with “The Journey”. Imbued with pure passion, the album’s sound has a mystical, enlightened quality to it. Every single sound is treated with the utmost of care throughout the album, with a colorful array of instrumentation utilized to great effect. Utilizing the sounds of both…
I don’t think that any song here has any real issues. The album, though, is a bit lacking to me. Part of that comes from the fact that it feels too much like it’s holding back a lot of the time. It also seems to take the safe route throughout. It never really challenges or…
There is a shared ground between a lot of pop music. Mind you, I’m referring to “pop music” in a very traditional sense, meaning “popular music.” In a lot of ways popular music trends vary over time. In the first part of the twentieth century, pop music often meant piano sing-along tunes, things that are…
Only one other place where the lyrics of “One for the money, two for the show” came into play and that was with Las Vegas metal rock stars Escape The Fate with their track “One For The Money”. Except their song lyrics for that track go along the lines of “‘Cause it’s one, it’s one,…
I want to like this album more than I do. I really like a lot of the songs. It’s the singing I’m not crazy about. It’s not the voice or even Laura Vecchione’s ability to hit the right notes that bothers me. It’s the vibrato on the voice. The whole “shaking” thing used to the…
Music has always been the freedom force for people who don’t say much normally. It gives wings to their thoughts that they have kept inside for so long that they can’t keep in anymore and they explode out of them like hot molten lava out of a volcano. This is exactly what you will feel…
Nostalgia has always been around for as far back as time can possibly go. But as of lately it seems as if the late 2000’s i.e. 2010-2017 present day time frame seems to bring out that nostalgia feel more so than normal. It being tossed around in different forms of media ranging from TV, film,…
No matter how many times an artist or band goes and says how much they have been developing their sound and style, it always ends up being successful or unsuccessful whoever may be in question. For Dakú Lights with their first ever debut release in the form of an EP titled “Illumiiinate”, well let us…
Jen Gloeckner’s latest album “Vine” consists of 11-tracks a few of which have been making Jen quite noticeable. In fact, “Ginger Ale”, “Breathe”, are said tracks and these tracks alone really set up what this album ends up becoming, which is a solid piece of work. That being said “Vine”, is filled with such genres…
The self titled álbum of ‘Edge of Free’ band based in Los Angeles contains a well-defined but digestible rock sound, which is difficult to lose track even though between the tracks you can find elements like country that will just take you by surprise when you hear them And even when you’re headbanging, you’ll want…
Canadian’s Across The Board or ATB for short is an indie alternative pop rock band, trying saying that 5 times fast. Who like many artists and bands is just trying to push themselves to the limit if not the edge of the pop or rock music scene. They bring with them a track of a…
Have you listened to the Radio lately? Is it me or is something wrong with today’s music? Do you remember when music actually had really instruments in them with real people playing them? No kidding. How about good songwriting, performed by artists that not only wrote the music, but poured their heat and soul into…
Deb Montgomery sings with a lifetime of experiences on the glorious “Long Long Journey”. Representing the best of folk, her voice expresses great reassurance throughout the album. Songs possess a fragile, delicate quality to them. Keeping things to the absolute essentials means the songs have an intimacy to them. By ensuring a naturalistic and optimistic…
Country music has taken a liking to Russ Still and The Moonshiners. They bring out the light and authenticity to the radio and music scene with their classy country rock music. Where as they say “In an industry that currently thrives on auto-tune, drum machines, and pop templates”, which is sad yet indeed true. Russ…
Funky and triumphant, Sarantos delivers a hopeful message with “Graduation Day”. Rather playful the way that Sarantos offers a celebratory spirit feels fitting given the subject matter. There is a kindness to the lyricism, the way that a long journey ought to be viewed, especially one so personal regarding self-improvement. Instrumentally rich, Sarantos draws from…
Reveling in a dazed dream world is Stellarscope’s surreal shoegaze of ‘Standing In The Shadow Of Your Ghost”. Sounds move by in a glorious blur. With this powerful sound Stellarscope follow a path forged by new shoegaze groups like Belong. Belong in fact appears to be a particularly good analog to their work: forgoing optimism,…
It depends on who you ask, but there are some who like and dislike the taste of sour in their mouth. But in the case of a lemon it is a hit or miss but if it’s lemonade well everyone partakes in that fun tasting drink. Where does all of this sour and lemon small…
Leah Capelle’s music style hits you like a ton of bricks, when first listening to her music you assume oh another country artist that’s up-and-coming. But yet her genre choices are not of country but of alternative meets rock and pop instead. But yet her music still resembles that of the country music aspect so…
The Foxfires deliver a spellbinding, summery sound on the garage surf rock hybrid of “Reawakening”. With a neat nod to the past while forging new paths, there is something so welcoming about the sound. Guitar work is fantastic with nimble work gracing much of the album. Possessing a strong sense of optimism, the songs are…
Crash and Burn is the third EP release from That One Eyed Kid, Boston based singer/songwriter Josh Friedman’s personal “band” project, and it’s apparent he doesn’t feel restricted by an EP’s relatively limited scope. The opposite is true. Friedman, instead, seems emboldened to get as many of his best ideas worked into the five songs…
ESP EVOLUTION delivers a commanding sound with the infinitely poppy style of “OD & CAPRI”. Throughout the song, they reveal a true knack for storytelling, one that fully reveals their defiant spirit. Anchoring all of this is a powerful beat helping to move the sound forward further into the distance. Grooves are downright addictive for…
With “Theotokos” Saint Blasphemer delve deep into grunge’s inner spirit. Throughout “Theotokos” Saint Blasphemer show off their impressive chops nicely matching the anxiety and energy that pours out of the pieces. Lyrically the songs work through a vast deal of difficulties that life inevitably forces people to confront. Full of passion the way the song…
Where to begin when it comes to an artist like Gar Francis. He goes back, way back when to being born and raised in Plainfield, New Jersey for one. For another, as a child, his earliest memories came from getting out of the house, with his father every Sunday, listening to music, such as Chairman…
Gar Francis was just mentioned in regards to his own piece of work “Step X Step”. But as mentioned there he is a song writer of sorts, so of course his works would travel guiding and helping other artists, such as Kathryn Shipley. Gar Francis writing her latest and newest track called “Shine Your Love”.…
James Byfield, perhaps better known by his stage persona, “Blind Lemon Pledge”, is a multi-instrumentalist and blues singer based in San Francisco, California. Upon retiring from his career as a successful graphic designer and creative producer in 2008, Byfield set out to perform music and has since achieved a respectable amount of praise from critics,…
Bob Pepek performs with such passionate on the pop perfection of “Pratfalls and Curtain Calls”. Such heart and soul runs through these moving, emotive piece. By choosing such an approach Bob Pepek delivers thoughtful, highly articulate lyricism that guides the entirety of the album. Intricate arrangements further emphasize the exploratory temperament that defines Bob Pepek’s…
