Music Reviews |
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Premonitions of War - Left in Kowloon - Victory Records - I think I finally figured out why I like this CD more than Between the Buried and Me, and that is because this band reminds me at times of two bands I like a lot, early Prong and Helmet. For some reason, I think it's because the band has a little swing in their step, and I don't mean a swing as in a ska swing or big band swing, I mean they have a thin line to tread with this type of music but infuse it with some different beats and rhythms. I mean it could all be big blasts of guitars and growling lyrics, fast paced punch you in the mouth type shit but it's not that, or at least not just that. There are some bring the pain moments, heavy handed guitar and pounding drums, which is fine, but this band knows that you can't just pound someone over the head repeatedly and convey the message of their music to their audience. Some bands forget this, thinking that they will drill the songs into the audiences head, but Premonitions make it seem different while remaining in the same area of all hard rock/hard core bands. Why some bands can pull this off, and some seem to stumble beats me, but this band is one band that remembers that even though your playing growling hard rock, there is no shame in having a beat and a groove. I don't know how many times I have found myself bobbing my head up and down and re-listening to this CD, and I usually don't like to much of this stuff at one time. Why is it good? It just is, and it is worth listening to the whole CD. (KCS) Without End - disease is man - Psuedoplasmarecords - Have you been searching for some old school hard rock, the kind that Prong did so well before turning in the slightly "industrial" Rude Awakening ? Well search no more, cause this is the band and record that you will want in your player. Some would say that today's bands have taken a perfectly fine hard rock type of music and twisted it so much with sound snippets, screaming and dance elements that it doesn't sound like what it was trying to ape, I think the pundits call it "new metal". Well, this is nothing like any band on the radio today, they take the idea of basic metal and play it straight forward, and you know what? It's refreshing to hear a band come out shooting and continue to shoot, not altering their shot , but just jacking them up and hitting a good percentage. I would highly recommend this to anyone who like any of Prong's first four releases, and anyone who just enjoys good old fashioned, that sounds strange to say since the genre hasn't really been around that long, metal music. There is a certain type of comfort that comes from listening to a band like Without End, you know they are going to deliver the goods in their way over and over, without changing their sound or adding "elements" of other types of music. While that is comforting cause you know exactly what your going to get, and I have listened to this CD at least seven times all the way through, it is also a stumbling point for some listeners of music. Here is what I think of that nonsense, if you want diversity then look to a band that offers that, or why not try different types of music and different groups? These are the same people who bitch about AC/DC putting out the same record over and over. Don't bitch about it, they know exactly what they do well, they have perfected it and it works for them. Besides you know going in what you're getting and you shouldn't complain. I hope the Without End doesn't change their sound, it works for them, they do it well, and if people want change then they should look elsewhere, like their underwear. (Fat Ruben 2004) Havochate - This violent earth - Root of all evil records - 636 North snelling Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55104 - Very clean, hard rock, much in the vein of a slew of other bands that play this type of music, it's well played and the singer can be heard and understood. If Havochate resided on a street in middle America, I think you would have SOD living down the block, same neighborhood, same friends, they both attend the same parties. Is there room in the neighborhood for this band? Sure, they are the older brothers who buy the beer, and get the party started with their mix of Black Sabbath and Anthrax tunes. The second song the guy actually tries to sing, sing, and man the guy sounds like a guy who could sing in a musical, I don't mean that as a slam, the guy has some pretty good pipes, and some range beyond the normal hard rock band. There's the rapid fire guitar in all of its glory, and the heavy drums beating, but there is also some laid back moments on the disc, not all pummel, punch and bruise. Were some bands go for the bruising and over the top beating of the eardrums, this band, and it could be because they have been around in the music business (together or individually) for awhile, seems to understand that even the thrash/hardcore/hard rock race sometimes goes to the marathon runner and not the sprint. Very solid, good rock music. The fact that they played with Motorhead, Anthrax and Manowar should not be surprising, cause that would also be in the same neighborhood as this band. What a fucking neighborhood that would be, damn, now that would be one hell of a street party. (FR) The Light Wires S/T - Tiberius Records - This record makes me miss Whiskeytown. Makes me wish they were still together making music, thus ensuring that Ryan Adams would never release another solo disc (another topic for another time, maybe Issue 21's Betsy Ross column?). When I first listened to Whiskeytown, I wasn't sure I liked it, the music was more melancholy and depressing than I had wanted. However, over time and many lonely listening parties, I realized that it was beautiful in a depressing way, it made me feel sad but in a "I'm alive and I can feel" way. While this is not Whiskeytown makes a comeback as another band, it is a very likable facsimile of a very good piece of art. It doesn't make me sad at all to listen to this release, but it has the same zip code as the aforementioned band and for my tastes this is the record that Ryan Adams should have made instead of that piece of shit Demolition or the lukewarm Rock N Roll (which by the way is such a lame as title, if your such an artist Ryan, couldn't you come up with something better? And no, Love is Hell Part 1 &2 is no fucking better). Is this as good as Pneumonia? Probably not in the long run. That is the weakest of the Whiskeytown records, but that doesn't mean that The Light Wires record is bad, it just means that this one is almost as good as the weakest Whiskeytown, which was a pretty fine record itself, just not the "alternative" country gold that Whiskeytown released the first three times. So what do we have here? A complete waste of your time? Hell no, it's a very good representation of a sound that I really loved and enjoyed, but grew to love over time from a band that released some damn fine music. This is a little more upbeat and polished, you don't expect Jeremy Pinell to show up drunk or fall off the stage, and that's fine, I get the feeling that the band has better things to do than just create myths and legends for the band. I hope this record gets heard by a good sized audience, a tour with a headliner that has some status, Bottle Rockets or maybe Tim Easton or how about Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, and you know Robbie Fulks would fit just fine. (Dickey Two Bits 2004) The Control - Glasseye - Go Kart Records - It's only ten songs long and twenty one minutes, so you should know going in what kind of music this going to be, and you won't be disappointed. Sure it's screams, fast songs with plenty of guitar and songs about the upward mobility of people and the burden of swimming up and against stream, the futility of life. There are some pretty catchy songs though, something that might be missing from other bands scream and guitar punch. My question is, when a band that plays this style of music makes it catchy or melodic in a basic sense, do they alienate some of their listeners? I mean do people buy the CONTROL for some hardcore ass kicking? Why does song number nine make me think of Nashville Pussy? Where do these ideas of Helmet come from? Why are there only ten songs and twenty one minutes of music? Does the band and label feel like the consumer of music gets his/her money worth when they buy this release? This band has more of an AC/DC, Cult swing to it that makes it more digestible than some hardcore that just screams and pounds at you until you submit and want to lie down in a quiet room for the rest of the day with a bottle of aspirin. I don't get that headachy feeling from this release, not only because it's short but I think they know better than to come right out and pound you in the nuts with a hammer and then keep socking you up side the head with lyrics about life's choke hold on you. Sure, we all like a little kick to the nuts now and again, but when the pain subsides and the stomach ache goes away, then we just want some candy and maybe a stiff drink. I listened to this CD about twelve times through and I have to say that I have found myself really enjoying it, in parts, and found a certain side of my music loving persona coming out to dance around and shove into things and bounce up and down. The singer does sing scream at times, which I think he is better adept at, and it makes you jump up for the lyrics to find out what he is talking about or screaming about, must be damn important if he has to scream it all at ya. The bass is a little loose here and there and the jangling strings sound pretty good, thanks to the band for not overusing it and making it that "much more betters like". I mean if you over use something that's enjoyable, then it becomes obnoxious, boring and repetitious crap. Speaking of Glass Eye, I went to school with a guy who had one and the funniest thing he said about his glass eye was when he was telling me about this chick putting her tongue in his ass and how he almost "saw out of my bad eye". You see what I am saying? (Franky Such n Such 2004)
Minmae - Microcassette Quatrains - Blue Sanct Recording Co. PO BOX 2192 Bloomington, IN 47402 - You know how some people deliberately make music that they know will never be accepted by the mainstream? Thousands of bands come to mind, some of them working from the same idea that it doesn't matter what mass acceptance is like as long as you do what you feel. Let's take an obvious favorite of ours and use it as a model for our hypotenuse. Steel Pole Bathtub doesn't play to a mass audience, never has, probably never will. However, they do play the music they feel comfortable with and the music that they feel best represents who they are, not what someone wants them to sound like or what someone else might want to hear. I don't think we should call them selfish for wanting to create their own sound, cause if we like it then we like it cause it's honest and artistic in nature, not some contrived bull flap for Janie down the street to purchase, peruse and put in the trash. As with Steel Pole Bathtub, your going to have to really listen to Minmae, no hit single radio paste bullshit is going to immediately fall into your lap. I have nothing against pop music, I like some of it (and by that I mean pop music in the vein of Redd Kross, Evan Dando, Old 97's or such bands, not the Justin Timberlake or whatever other crap the kids are digesting today), but sometimes you want to listen to something with a little more substance. This release has substance and ideas coming out the ying yang. Music from bands like Minmae don't reach a mass audience because it requires you to listen deeper and invest more time in them. I think that you'll find your time has been well spent by listening to this, even the opening nine minute track that is mostly distortion, or some of the tracks that have a goofy off key charm to them. At times the band sounds like Flaming Lips (the song How Union and Bell used to be could be a song on the Christmas on Mars soundtrack), and other times they remind me a little of Sparklehorse. I think this is Minmae's most coherent, cohesive release, but then again I haven't really listened to all of their releases. I think your time will be well spent giving this release ample time on your music plate, because even though you may not think that you like it at first, it will end up being one of the most satisfying releases you have ever given time to. (DZ) Single Frame - Wetheads come running - Volcom Entertainment - As I mentioned in the paper review of this disc, coming soon in issue #20, there are twenty songs and two videos on this disc. I had absolutely no preconceived notions about this band before I popped the disc in the player, some bands you can get an idea from by reading their PR sheets or just looking at the disc, we call this judging a group by it's bio materials, and after listening to their music, I'm still not sure how to describe them. Just when I think they are going off on some goofy, toy piano sound side road on a "push the little daises" trip they turn it into some kind of pop song that sounds pretty good but remains interesting. It's hard to tell where they are going sometimes with their sound clips, and intros that fool you into thinking one thing then they break out a nice jam guitar piece and it goes into another direction. Sounds to me like the guys in this band have a good understanding of where they want their sound to be and how to make the whole record interesting, brief enough to hold your interest and if that weren't enough, two videos. What more could you ask for? This isn't the first CD for this band that has been around since 1996, and it doesn't figure to be the last. Lots of different sounds and styles, a lot to offer a listener. (SP) Bayside - Sirens and Condolences - Victory Records - Anyone who likes Alkaline Trio is asked to check out this band, cause if you like the some what distinctive poppy flavor of that rock band then this could damn well be the Amish cousin nobody knows about yet, but will when they break the record for butter churning. The lead singer has a good, distinctive voice, it works perfectly for the hard pop music they are playing, a little A-HA inspired vocal range, and hard pop guitar with easy and likable beats. The harmonies are put together well, and really that is something that some "new' rock bands have a hell of a time with. This is a very enjoyable and easy to digest CD, nothing innovative or threatening about it, just likable pop/rock music with very defined, smooth vocals. You know this may sound crazy and maybe I am, but if Del Shannon was still alive and was still making music with youthful exuberance and had lost the organ sound and picked up a young backing band then he might just churn out songs similar to this bands vision of what Pop/Rock music is in 2004. Maybe I am crazy and just miss Del a little. (DTB) Meridian Smith - Obscura - www.meridiansmithrecords.com - Well, just when I thought that I was never going to find that one CD or release that I could really dislike and cover my ears in pain, in the door steps this guy Meridian Smith. What is it about some music when you put it into the player and you immediately cringe and want it to stop? This is easy to do when you're a consumer, or checking out new music, but when you are a music reviewer you are expected to listen to it all and give it a fair shake. You know what? Fuck the fair shake thing I listened to it all two times through and about a half way through a third time and that is it, this is one of the worst CD's I have heard in awhile, just garbage. The instrumentation is alright, if you like ELP or some of that bloated seventies prog rock crap, but the vocals are just awful. The back up vocals are distracting and useless, and the lead singer has put his voice in the effects box and it came out worse. The guy can't sing at all, but that is not the point, I mean Wayne Coyne can't sing very well either, at least not with any range, but at least Wayne has character and depth to his voice and knows exactly how to use it to the Flaming Lips advantage. This Meridian Smith, I'm not sure he has any idea what depth and character are all about, just don't buy this CD without hearing some clips or something, because I think you'll want to punch the wall if you pay ten bucks for this and then hate it with every bone in your head. (KCS) Salvia Divinorum - On a Medical Afternoon - Dust Recordings - www.DUSTRECORDINGS.com - At times this band conjures up images of Moist Boyz, but not as rockin'. However, to just toss off a complete musical sound alike is total bullshit and not much of a review. To date I have listened to this CD seven times through, and it will probably total eight or nine by the time this review is finished. I wish I had some easy quotable snippets to jargon your way to help grease up your musical poop shoot, forcing your money belt and time into finding out more about Salvia Divinorum, but I don't think it's going to be as easy as comparing them to a Ween side group. Sometimes I wish that bands would decide if they are going to all out suck or all out be wonderful, keeping me from the hard decisions and multiple listening of their release. How hard is it for you guys to just suck and go home? Do you have to be the least bit interesting and listenable? When you come on by the appearance and sound of your release to be nothing more than a bunch of trippy/dippy College students (art school ones at that), then you should not hold my interest through repeated listening and I should have no trouble pigeonholing you into a pre-fit, reviewer ready category. The out of tune guitar, the simplistic song structure and drawn out instrumental goofing shouldn't please me at all, I should be fed up with this release before I even finish it, but here I am again listening to it. By my count that would be nine times through before I even wrote down a single word about it. Like no other release before it, this disc has given me troubles trying to figure out why I like it and trying to describe it beyond words of "It sounds like this band, and that is why I like it". For reasons that I can't grasp and maybe I will by the time I put the review in issue 20 , this release makes me want to keep listening to it, not only because it's a good listen but also because I should be able to pin down what I like about it easier, I mean Hell, it's not like it's some complicated Sun Ra score. What will continue to make me listen to this release is the idea that I can pass along an idea of what this music is about and whom it is for, where it would fit neatly on the music shelf and who the band would sound right touring with. That may be easy to do with a few more listens, a few more careful listens, but what I may never be able to tell is why I like this one even though I have heard the formula before, and why the hell it is giving me such trouble describing it in three hundred words or less. (SP) The Berlin Project - The things we say - Orange Peal Records - www.orangepeal.com www.berlinproject.com -When a band starts out by sounding like Less than Jake early in their career, you expect that at some point they will evolve past that, unless of course the original grows in slight ways, just like the imitation does. That they still remind me of Less than Jake should be no surprise since both have dropped the horns from being upfront and dominant in each song. Both are more poppy, and while I still see bands like Less than Jake as an influence on this band, it appears that Berlin Project has burning holes in their copy of Jimmy Eat Worlds Bleed American (later changed to being self titled because the band is a bunch of PC chicken shits). Also Berlin Project has gotten a better grip of what their strengths are, and what might make them successful (if in fact they get a break here and a movie soundtrack or video game song there). The band is better at their instruments, something that really wasn't that bad in the first place, and the singing has gotten stronger and more focused. Yeah , John Garrighan sings like he's after pussy, but what the fuck else do you want him to sing like? He wants a sandwich? No leave the comedy or irony/subtlety to other bands, Garrighan fires up his voice for one thing, and even if he won't admit it, it's to convey something to the ladies. What is that, you ask? Well, by the lyrics in the songs and the tone in which he sings, it tells me that the band is trying to attract listeners by making the girls pant, I mean it's all there, the guy who sings in tune, the lyrics about girls giving him the shaft and him not understanding what went wrong. Hey, this might not be my type of music in a personal sense, I do however understand a centralized, middle of the road, radio ready disc when I listen to it. This may not break any new ground in music, it may say some of the same things that other bands have said before, but you can't fault the band for giving you their take on power pop music, and if Jimmy Eat World can get huge and sell a bunch of records then why not Berlin Project? Sure they all but dumped the horns in favor of power chord rock and a little bit of sappiness, but so have a lot of bands. Just listen to "You're Gone" and tell me that couldn't be on a Jimmy Eat World disc. (DZ) Treephort - Buy this album or the Terrorists win - Brand Name Records - www.brandnamerecords.com - Okay, let's pretend for a moment that I am a teacher and that these "young Gentlemen" are my students, doesn't really matter what class it is, but for argument sake let us say that it is English (High School Sophomore year). They are rather dorky, and under dressed, but pretty decent people who give me little trouble, other than turning in term papers on Star Trek novels. What kind of grade would I give them if they were music students and their project for the semester was to form a band and imitate current pop punk/ska sounds, giving birth not only to their interpretations of tons of punk bands that have come before (not to mention aping Less than Jake and doing an credible job of ripping of Black Flags "TV Party" and the sound of the Pogues on one song "The night my father made me a man"), but also an image? While carefully listening to their final project Buy this album or the Terrorists win (boys I hate to say your about two years to late for that joke, and David Cross already said it, too), I would have to say that the band tends to lean toward the stupid and inane, especially in some of the song titles and lyrics, but they do have the capabilities to pull off enough of a fun sound and good time atmosphere on the CD. Are they having fun making this record? Sure sounds like it, but the project also called for the listener to have fun. There are however a few "singles", something the project didn't need to have, but that is worth extra points, and a higher grade should the band go the extra distance and try to shop the singles to college radio (even though those single minded little pricks think that the high point of College Radio is to play Evanesence three times an hour, good luck boys getting any airtime out of them fuckers!). I would suggest tracks eleven or thirteen, which reminds me of the Pogues too, but only if they added some major horn work to one of their faster songs, maybe something like "Sunny Side of the Street" from Hell's Ditch. My overall grade, including the packaging (the cover and song titles tell us all that we want to know, but there are a few minor curves, not huge Kerry Wood type curves, but decent ones that are still hittable if you keep your hands back), and music, would be a solid C+ or B-. (DZ) Silverstein - when broken is easily fixed - Victory Records - I am still not sure about this disc, I like it but sometimes it irritates me and I wish it would return to what I liked about it. You know what this disc reminds me of? Carlos Lee of the Chicago White Sox. A gifted young athlete that in the past showed some brilliance and flash, but then irritated the fuck out of you with a stupid bone head move in the outfield or swinging at a ball in the dirt. In the past, the thing was you kept watching him play because you just knew that he was going to be good, and that he would straighten himself out. Well this year Carlos has proven to be steady at the plate, and has improved a lot in the outfield, making some nice plays. How does this connect with Silverstein, a rock band with sometimes mellow, sometimes screaming vocals? It's the same to me, Silverstein shows lots of promise and at times some very good songs, but there are other times when I want to choke them to death because they are just flat lining at the plate, just going through the motions. I think that of all the bands that play radio ready rock, and believe me there are way too many out there, this band is one of the few that shows promise enough for me to get mad at them when they just phone it in. I want them to do better, I know they can do better at times, but what they have shown is flashes of good song writing, strong vocals and some nice guitar work, but it's not enough, just to be good. Or is it? You decide for yourself, and check out the Victory web site, and see if there are any song clips or songs from this CD on there that you can listen too. Me, I think that they can be strong and good in the clutch all the time, just like Carlos Lee, but then again I guess I just expect people who flash their talent to use it all the time and do their talent proud. Otherwise you might as well be Jose Valentine. (DTB) Terminus Victor - Mastering the revels - Innocent Words Records -After reading the previous review for this release, and deciding that it was a complete piece of crap (the review, not the disc) it made me think about why we review things in this zine and do we do a good job. By looking at the review for this disc, a complete hack job if I ever saw one, you would think that we have no idea what we are talking about and that we should never reveiw another thing again. If we cannot give you a review about music we recieve honestly with enough description to help you decided if you want to hear it or not, then we don't need to be reviewing other peoples music. We are not muscians, we do not play in a band, we are only music lovers who have listened to a lot of music and enjoy music outside of the music played in the normal channels (radio, MTV, and what not). What we would like to do is describe the music, maybe a personal opinion of what it means to us to listen to it, what it reminds us of, why it would be a significant addition to your collection. We are not going to review music, by and large, that is there for mass consumption, the type that is disposable, like most "popular" music. We are going to review music that most people won't hear, that doesn't get enough of the spot light, that should be heard regardless of if it's good or not, it needs to be heard and talked about. For us to sit here and judge any band by their art, is much like a king decides the fate of his court jester after that nights entertainment (however, don't think that we consider ourselves a KING in zine publishing, only that the annalogy works for us to describe our thinking that we are kings sitting on our perch criticizing others artwork). We were very erroneous in our review of this release, we nit picked and said stupid things like their picture on the CD insert reminded us of Cheap Trick. We want to apologize for such a stupid review, and vow that from now on we will not print, or web print, a review unless we have a complete review to report. As for TV, I have to say that I don't personally enjoy their music, only because it sounds like so many of the disposable bands on the radio and MTV, and that is something I would not personally listen to. However, there is some merit in the art, and to totally dismiss it would be short sided. So a new review for this release will appear in the print version of SLTM, and this time we'll try not to fuck up. (SP)
Various Artist - Small, My table - Innocent Words Records - Let's take this track by track, well at least the first six to eight tracks, and talk about each song and artist individually, shall we? Good, the other tracks we'll dissect in the paper version of SLTM. The first track is by Absinthe Blind, and I will have to say that even though they are local this is one of the first songs I have heard from them. It's rather dreamy, laid back, easy guitar rock, something tells me to say My Bloody Valentine with out the distortion, or something like Neil Young and Crazy Horse without the feedback. The vocals are dreamy and laid back, and the guitar work is good, but the underlying tones of the organ really make it worth listening to. I would definitely be open to hearing their music again. The next song is by Stone Gossard, called "Pigeon" , and I have to say that I didn't know he could sing, and I have to tell you that this song reminds me of that George Harrison album, the one with "When we were Fab" and "Got my mind set on you", or any of the Traveling Wilburys songs. What the hell does that mean? I guess that if Stone wanted to he could get a new super group together and record songs, hey I bet Jacob Dylan is free. Robynn Ragland, has a nice Concrete Blonde sound going for her, but with a much sweeter voice than Johnette Napolitano. Everybody Uh-Oh has a nice mersey beat, sixties Birds sound going for them, and god bless them for pulling it off so well. It's a nice sound and something different than most of the pop music drifting in and out of my ear waves these days. How about Stickfigure you say? Well they are on What Are Records, who has released some fine music, including Frank Blacks best disc Dog in Sand. The sound you ask? Very poppy, kind of like that one damn Canadian band that sang "if I had a million dollars" and that Chinese chicken song, fuck if I can remember their name though, but damn if I don't hate them fuckers, cause they are re-treading musical ground covered by the Archie's in the Sixties. Anyway this song sounds similar to their sound. Knievel, I didn't really care for , only because it sounds very breathy, Alan Parson Project type of rolling along pop, and that I will not stand for. The last track we are going to take a look at is by the Burden Brothers, whom set up shop in the shop previously owned by a ton of bands that never made it and who sounds still reverberate throughout their song, but who still manage to come out with one of the better songs in the first seven. It shouldn't work, this song, and it shouldn't be that enjoyable, but it is, and I would like to hear more from these people. I think it's the singers voice, the guitar play (however simplistic it may seem to the casual listener) and the "Wa-hoo's" thrown in there, plus the feeling of longing and sacrifice the singer is getting across in his voice. That's the first seven, maybe we'll get to the other twelve in the paper issue, or more likely, we'll just pick out our favorites and talk about them. Also don't forget that compilations are hard to review, because they give you one song to judge a band by, and sometimes that song is not what the rest of their material might sound like or their sound might change from the time the recorded this song and the release of newer material. (FS)
The Fenwicks - Truth & Memory - live and unleashed at Arlene Grocery NYC - Flip Dog Discs - www.thefenwicks.com - How could you not like a Fishbone type rock band? How the hell could you not like a band that swings and rocks at the same time? How could you not like a lead singer who is at heart a showman? Really, how could you not like this disc? Unless you don't like live discs, but then again, I don't really have any released disc's from this group to use as ground work, and really I think their strengths lie in their live sound and show. So with that in mind, and since you probably won't get to see them live, unless you live in New York, I guess?? you should buy this disc, because it gives the best live document of a band I have heard in a long time. I don't know what the status of the band is right now, and if they plan on releasing any new music, but it would be nice if they could mount a tour through the Midwest, because they would be a good live show, and I get that information solely from this disc. I mean if I can say that I would personally go to their concert if they came to Champaign, just from listening to this disc, then I think you should too. You should find out more about this band especially if you like rock music with horns, swinging music with a beat or just enjoy a good live show, Hey maybe the band can find a way to live stream a show on their web site or put out a video on their next release of them playing live? EH?? Maybe. (SP)
Manda and the Marbles - More Seduction - GO Kart - www.gokartrecords.com - Totally enjoyable pop rock music with female vocals. Now upon hearing that description you might be thinking in a few veins or sounds, but this is what I would say it resembles that is popular, The Go Go's , if they had a male member in the band (no I don't mean that as sexist tripe, but just as an understanding of sound) or maybe No Doubt, if they weren't so involved in writing faux reggae or marching out insipidly benign lyrics every song. Or, how about this a Penelope Houston sound similar? Oh fuck, I give up. All I know is that this is not the usual punk, dirt, rock - rock music that Go Kart is known for, it kind of reminds me of the direction that Victory Records took recently, with some of their bands going the Blink 182/Sum 41 route of pop/rock music. Is that clear at all? What I mean is that I didn't expect this kind of music to come from Go Kart, and I like that, because some labels get bogged down in one sound and you come to expect certain things from them. Hats off to Go Kart for sticking their collective balls out there and taking a chance on a different sound. Also a ham sandwich (A high honor around here) to Maranda and the Marbles for having a attractive singer and not just totally relying on that, it's nice to see that they are using her voice, the harmonies and the pop spectrum to their advantage. We'll talk more about this release in our paper version of SLTM, which is coming along swimmingly. (SP) Icons of Filth - Nostradamnedus - GO KART RECORDS - A good percentage of Go Kart releases are in the same vein, which is not a bad thing because if you know something is good why not release it? Now they seem to be stretching that boundary of what they release, much like Victory did recently (although I don't like the direction that Victory took with some of it's releases, some of them being SUM 41/Blink 182 clones. However it must be stated here that Victory has stopped sending me releases for review ever since Kathy took over the PR gig, but now I notice someone new is doing the job, but I don't count on them sending me stuff ever again, so I have no idea what direction they are going.) Of this release I would have to say that I was mildly surprised, in that it sounds more like late eighties rock music, but not that hair band bullshit that everyone loved then and loathes now. No, it for some reason kind of reminds me of a less dirgey (or dirty sounding, less heavy) Prong, but without a strong shouter/growler like Tommy Victor. This cat on this release sings, and sings a lot, I noticed that he keeps the words flowing out of his mouth at a constant rate, damn that has to be hard to keep going like that. I would say that if you like anything that Go Kart has done before you'll like this one, even though it's not all punk or not all hardcore and sounds more straight rock, like a less AC/DC influenced Electric Frankenstein. Right behind INDK and GBH, I would have to say that this is my third favorite Go Kart release I have gotten lately to review. My suggestion as always is to go to the Go Kart web site and find out more about this band and see if there are any MP3's to listen to, but I warn you that just because they are called Icons of Filth and there is a skull on the cover, and they recorded in Wales doesn't mean they are some kind of hard core or punk band, at least not all the way. You know what? I swear that I heard a Van Halen riff on number 9, a song called "FLAG". (FS) Omni - paint by numbers - www.omni-music.com - This disc has only eight songs on it, but I swear when your listening to it, you'll think that there are a lot more. The reason I say this is because the songs last long and it seems like the disc is a lot longer than eight songs, not in a bad way though. The disc takes a little time getting going, the first song is usually the table setter for the rest of the disc, like a leadoff hitter, however unlike Kenny Lofton, you don't want your disc to lead off with a walk, you want the guy swinging away, like Ray Durham used to do (can you tell I'm a White Sox fan?). Let's not judge the disc by this slow start, I mean the band is a rather slow burning musical entity. The rest of the disc kicks out hard rock music, and even the instrumental places the listener in a happy frame of mind. I don't get "angry young man bashing his guitar" feel from these guys, I get a more drawn out laid back feel from them, but not a total Fu Manchu (we like) or Queens of the Stone Age (we also like) feel. It's just that this would fall somewhere between the likes of Korn, older RHCP, Hum and the bands listed above. The band can play their instruments well, that is always a plus, and you do get your money's worth even though the disc has only eight songs. You know I think if any of us around here smoked pot, this would be a great record to put on while we were enjoying our buzz, sitting on the office couch watching reruns of Three's Company on TV Land with the sound off. It's laid back but hard, enjoyable but not threatening and in your face KORN style, which gets old over time. I don't think this will, we'll see though won't we when we review this in the paper edition of SLTM. By the way, if your going to take my suggestion and listen to this while smoking some fat back, start with track seven, "Release", almost makes me wish I smoked pot. (FS)
Gaza Strippers - From the desk of Dr. Freepill - Nicotine Records - www.nicotinerecords.com - Why in the world this was released on an Italian Label (nothing against nicotine, who seem to be a good label and very nice folks), because the availability of the disc seems to rather limited by this aspect. I am sure though that the band being as cool as they are will make the CD available somehow in the states. There are ten songs on this disc and really it's just a stop gap measure by the band to get out some new material for their fans until they release a CD of all new material. This one has seven news songs, or songs that I haven't seen anywhere else, plus three live songs recorded in Sweden. There is a cover of "Sheer Heart Attack", a good Queen song, and "me262" (which I am not familiar with) which the liner notes list as a Blue Oyster Cult song, the rest are originals. The insert of the CD is interesting to me because it reminds me of the inserts in the old Didjits releases. The music is pure, sweaty rock music, just like all the Gaza Strippers music, and the live songs (wish there were more) just go to prove something I have been pointing out in this zine, that the band is a very good live band. I don't give a crap if Rick Sims writes the same songs structurally, as some critics of his music point out, cause when your this fucking good, it doesn't matter. Rick Sims knows how to right a good rock song, and his band is so friggin good that it just makes the whole package that much better. The only reason you shouldn't have this one, is because you've had trouble finding it. My advice is to go to the strippers web site and email the band and tell them you really need this CD, want to buy it and need to know where to get it. (PW)
Dead End Kids - Demo #1 - SW Management POB 33664 Seattle, WA 98133 - What do you get when you start a punk rock/rock band when your a teenager today? Sounds much like what a band of the same age group sounded like in my day, and in the early seventies, messy but with a shit load of energy, and attitude and sloppy "who gives a fuck?" playing. It's hard to comprehend that most bands starting out today at an early age, would sound very similar to the sound that most punk rock bands began with in the seventies. Doesn't anyone ever start a country band in high school? Or does the dynamics of punk rock, the attitude and "Hey, I know we suck, but gives us a chance because we just started out" put a band in a certain category which fits nothing else like punk rock's sloppiness? The DEAD END KIDS are young, and while it is evident in their CD, it also gives them a certain amount of energy that doesn't come through in a lot of recordings anymore. Sure it's sloppy and somewhat repetitive (I mean they do play Captain Pickle about five times on the CD) but it's their first release and the playing is way above competent, and some of the songs a better off with their throw it out there attitude, I don't think studio polish or over practicing some of these songs would help. (FR) The Idle Hands - DIG? - self released -At times reminding me of a less eclectic and bombastic Waterboys and also with a pinch of Karl Walingers World Party, and I swear to Jeebus that I hear a tint of Lee Harvey Oswald Band in the last song (listen to it and tell me that it doesn't remind you of "Marilyn Loves the Leeches"!). This five song EP gives you a taste of where the band is and what it's influences seem to be, which I've mentioned above, at least that is some of the hodge podge I get when I listen to this disc. I get a really bluesy, Irish traditional, rock band sound out of them. Not U2, nothing that middle of the road poppy, but more like that movie about that Irish centric bar band, damn if I can recall the damn name of it, but Joe Cocker bluesy rock more than Waterboys bombast self indulgent rock (and believe me I love the Waterboys, and Mike Scott is one of the few people that can really pull off that shit). I am not sure if I am complicating a simple idea by trying to describe it's sound to you but it is more than just saying this band plays rock music and calling it a day. Their lead singer has a good bar band voice, the type that has a depth too it that has only been acquired by spending sometime singing in bars and entertaining drunk patrons (putting on a good live show and have a good time yourself, and conveying that to your audience). Its an agreeable set of songs, a disc that I think that most people who like music would like, even if you aren't really a fan of bar band music. I think they are worth checking out, if they ever come this way I would go see them because I get the feeling that you will be entertained with a good set of songs, good atmosphere and entertaining band. (PW) River City Rebels - No Good No Time No Pride - Victory Records - Let's put this as simple as possible, if you like punk rock music with horns (but not horns in the Less than Jake or Mighty Mighty Bosstones way), then you will like this. The vocals are perfectly snotty and annoying, but not so annoying that you want to turn the CD off, just right for the type of music they are playing. The horns add a nice dimension too it, and yeah I guess you could call it ska, but this band doesn't over use the horns like some bands of that genre do, which gets really tired after awhile and annoying. No this band employs some really good horn players, who know when to add to a song and not try to carry it with increasingly punched up notes that rise up the scale. That there are only six guys in this band is interesting, because when you hear some of the songs you would swear there is a least four or five horn players, but no there are only two. Its just refreshing to hear a punk rock band, who has a good horn section at their disposal, use that horn section to compliment the songs and not over spice them or flavor them too much. You know its like a recipe for something with spices, with the horns being an essential ingredient to the music, but too much making it taste bitter and nasty. What these horns add to the music is a certain spice that taking away the horns or adding too much would destroy. Thankfully someone in the band knows that a horn section doesn't make a whole punk rock band, and using the other strong points of the band only helps diversify (if there can be such a thing in punk rock music, cause lets be honest there is not too much diversity in punk music) their songs, making the CD that more listenable. Plus you get all the punk rock notions of the world we are living and the cretins that inhabit it as well. Oh yeah, along with twelve songs in thirty minutes you get a RCR tour documentary for your computer. (FSS) Nineteen Forty Five - I saw a bright Light - Daemon Records -I will have to admit that the last Nineteen forty five release I didn't really care for, mostly because I missed Katherine McElroy's sweetly innocent voice, it had been up front in the previous incarnation she was in that Daemon also released. This has lots of female/male vocals & harmonies, and that is good since her voice mixes nicely with the rough/tough Lou Reed voice of Hunter Manasco. There is definitely a good balance between the two, and that was a good decision by the band. Another good decision was taking a few risks, making some different sounding songs, and playing with some different kind of textures. No they will never be Wilco, but this band has grown a few steps in the right direction, and that is what you like to hear from a band. I was totally prepared to give this a few listens and dislike it, and that is a bad thing, because a reviewer should totally forget what they liked or disliked about a bands music that they previously reviewed. It also sounds like the band is tighter, and more in tune to each other, and the production is fine too, I really like the fuzz here and there, and what sounds like an attempt not to sound perfect on every note. This is a good release, and I figure by the time I review it for the paper edition of this zine, I'll have more good things to say about it, but it baffles me why some releases will really click with you and then the next won't or vice versa. It can't be my mood or outlook since I just started a new job, on third shift and feel like total shit. It's gotta be that I like the music and would listen to it again. PW Count the Stars - never be taken alive - Victory Records - www.victoryrecords.com - It always seems like for every band that makes a sound popular (i.e. Korn or Blink 182) fifteen bands will follow in their tracks, and its hard to tell who leads the pack and who are the ones that are drafting on the back. Truly no music anymore is very original, nothing is for that fact, but making music that is popular at the time only makes you seem like a total rock star, which some people hate (don't even mention it to my fellow indie music reviewer brethren). Count the Stars has the makings of a truly middle of the road, Jimmy Eat World knockoff, loud guitars with pop music aftertastes, and good competent playing. I don't know how much JEW really paved the way for knockoffs of their sound ( and as I said there is nothing original about one band's sound making it, when you could probably find at least five to ten that did it ten years before), but they did become popular enough in the last two years for anyone to say "Jimmy Eat World sound alikes" in their reviews and have people understand what they are talking about. I do like some of JEW's material, and can take it for what it's worth, but I'm not sure if having more of the same from another band is something that I as a consumer really want. When it comes to spending money on consumer products, I tend to think that the only things I will buy are music I already like and bands I recognize, and that no matter how much publicity a band receives, unless I hear their music for free (radio, MP3) I won't be able to tell if I want to spend my hard earned money on it. So, this I will say to you fair consumer and music lover; If you like JEW and can't wait for their next album then go to the Victory Records web site and see if they have any sound clips for Count the Stars. Try to find a internet radio station that plays their disc and request it to see if you like their sound. No this is not original, or even a sound alike of the original, its more of a carbon copy of the popular flavor. Still its well played, sung very well, competent and enjoyable (if you like that type of music). FR The Milwaukees - This is a stickup - Boss Tuneage/Does Everyone Stare? - www.bosstuneage.com - www.milwaukees.com - You know every once in a while, someone out of the blue will send you a disc, with no idea if you'll ever listen to it and with no idea if you even got it, just sending a vibe out there to see if it connects with anyone. How come I have never heard of the Milwaukees before? Good reasons, mostly because there is so much out there that no matter if you received a new disc every day for a year you wouldn't get close to hearing even most of the bands in your region. Are there too many bands? Yes, but then again there are too many zines too. We all think we have something to say, but I have nothing to say I'm just trying to keep my mind off the miserable idea that I clean toilets for a living (a very meek living) and that someday I will choke on a sandwich and die with a huge goiter on my neck and one testicle missing. Are the Milwaukees good? Sure, they do know their strengths and the singer sure does know how to sing his type of song, and what of their sounding like some of the bands on Modern Rock radio? What's so wrong with playing music that other people play? So what if it happens to be a sound that gets driven into the ground over and over and isn't too chancy or daring, so what? The Milwaukees are a straight ahead rock band, and a good one at that. Anyone that likes Pearl Jam, but not one of those cheddar Vedder Heads, would like this disc, or anyone that likes music from Third Eye Blind (not their poppy doo doo doo shit), Verve Pipe, and lets see if I can remember another popular one (shit it's kind of hard since I don't listen to a lot of radio music, because of it's repetitive nature) or a Harder Matchbox Twenty without a fat guy in leather pants ("Rob Thomas you suck!"). You see here is something that I don't understand about modern rock radio. If your going to have some down time during the overnight hours when listeners drop off then why don't you try playing some other bands next to the stuff you play five times during the day? I mean what the hell could it hurt to play the Milwaukees after a Evanescence song or a Foo Fighters song? At least there would some different band interpretations of the same sound and people would get to hear more songs, thereby creating more of a listening experience and time investment for them, instead of them checking their clocks and tuning in at 10:32 pm because they know your going to play the Strokes and then turning it off because they "KNOW" that White Stripes is next, followed by Slightly Stoopid and System of A Down. A little variety would be nice, and bands like The Milwaukees would get a chance to win people over, and radio wouldn't be taking that much of a chance since the band is not that far left or right of the "audience" dial setting. My question now is "Why not the Milwaukees?" Be sure to check out Issue 20 this summer for a longer review of this disc, with more about the music inside, plus a return feature called RADIO DIALING where we review local radio stations. (BSB) Process23: Premonitions - www.process23.com - First song impression (this is where we give the first song a listen and see if it's worth our time to give it more of a listen, cause doesn't every band want to come out like gang busters on the first song?) - To preface this little segment, where we will be listening to each song over and over again and reviewing a song a week, I just want to say that I am really bitter and tired and can't put up with much bullshit, especially in music, one of my favorite things in life. Okay, that stated, the first song on this disc is a good one, the singing and the driving jangle of the guitar fit so perfectly. It just chugs along in a nice poppy way, and the drumming is good, in a 'keeps up the beat but is not obtrusive' way. Yeah I can safely say that this is a band based on the first song that I would be more interested in hearing, here is a band that knows that the first song needs to interest a listener, give them an idea of what the band sounds like and make them want to hear more. Pretty dang good for an indie band I have never heard of ,and lately some of the crap that has been sent to this office just makes you think that maybe there are no more hidden gems to be found out there. We will see with this band, if it's good for the whole disc, but so far pretty good. Song #2 - Starts out with a nice strumming guitar sound, then adds some bass with synth sound, and some crazy ass helium sounding voices. Throw down some spoken word female (don't have any idea what she is saying), and a drum loop and you got yourself a song, and not a bad one. A little hypnotic and a little goofy, equals a pretty decent song. Wow, now this band is really starting to surprise me, I like the mood and atmosphere and even thought the voice is a little wacky, I think it all fits together pretty well. You know it would fit very well in a movie where the scene sets on our loser hero who has dreamt of meeting the girl of his dreams and we have a slow-mo shot of him walking through a corridor of some kind, and he bumps into her, and looks back toward her as he feels a rush that he can't describe, and he knows that she could be his if he would step up to the plate and take a swing. Or it could be in the New Teen Wolf 3 or Weekend at Bernie's 3. You're pick. More songs later. Songs #3 and #4 - You know instead of me trying to cover every song on this disc, individually, I am going to stop and just say that this disc has been a bright spot for me, in the music reviewing landscape. It's got a lot to offer a listener, with songs ranging from a techno beat, driving and pounding , to a surf instrumental, a Robyn Hitchcock rip-off and other songs that remind me of early to mid eighties British alternative rock bands. I just don't think as a music lover your going to go to far wrong with this one, it's interesting and diverse and entertaining, what more could you ask from a band you have never heard of? (DTB) back to top |
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