The Stang Band by the band Stang is an homage of sorts to classic rock, performed and mixed to fit in the canon of their influences. While all music has influences, Stang embraces them almost to the point of imitation.
Songs like “Blues That STANG” and “Here Comes The Fire” are almost note-for-note copies of Led Zeppelin songs (“Since I've Been Loving You” and “Heartbreaker,” respectfully). While the lyrics and vocal melody differ a bit, the guitar riffs are essentially the same and even some of the drum breaks feel cloned. “Graveyard Dead” employs a “Ramble On” riff, but also moves the tempo and feel around (in a Zeppelin-esque way) through moderate shuffles and up-tempo rock-outs that disguise the riff a bit. “Let Me Bleed” on the other hand feels the influence of Page/Plant/Bonham/Jones, but feels more original and features a fantastic guitar solo. The other major influence is AC/DC, prevalent in the opening song “Burnin' Through My Soul” and “I Need You.” Between the vocal inflections and the guitar riffs, Angus Young and Bon Scott live on. The band fares a bit better on the second half of the album. “Gettin' My Act Together” is a Black Crowes-inspired song with a great guitar solo and an interesting intro full of cymbal crashes and feedback swells. “Freedom Ride” sounds a bit like the band Free and has a sneaky bass riff throughout. “Platinum Dragon” sounds the most original with its counter-rhythmic guitars and slight reggae/Police influences sprinkled in. The album closes with “It's Your Soul (Long Live Rock n' Roll)”, an ode to the music the band loves. Built to be an anthem with its halftime choruses and shredding guitar solos, the band unapologetically reaches out to the stadium crowd and celebrates what they love. In that, Stang is most successful. They sound like a lot of fun and that they really enjoy playing the music they play. The talent is there, if they can step away from copying their influences and try to integrate more of the parts they like, they can be filling those stadiums in no time.
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The Tilt Room is a three-piece band fronted by Mike Swindell (guitar/vocals) and backed by Anthony Pandolph (bass) and Justin Hackett (drums) from Pittsburgh, PA. The band recently released an eleven-song album entitled Nostalgic Future.
There isn’t an electric guitar to be found to my ears on Nostalgic Future. Swindell’s main weapon is an acoustic, which really defines the band's sound. Some people might associate an acoustic with ballads, guitar picking and songs that in general can’t rock that hard. That simply isn’t the case here. The songs have plenty of energy that is vibrant, kinetic and quite dynamic. The band has stated that they have been compared to disparate groups such as Radiohead and Rusted Root. After listening to their album I would say that their music veers towards the latter. The music felt too upbeat, jovial and celebratory to be compared to Radiohead to my ears. I felt like some of the instrumental work actually had more in common with a band like The Dave Matthews Band. The band doesn’t waste any time introducing you to the vibe you can expect from the rest of the album with “The Crutch.” It’s the shortest song on the album and in some ways felt like an intro. They start to really flex their technically muscles on the next track “Five Boroughs.” Hackett and Pandolph do a great job supporting the guitar chords. The myriad of bass notes and tom heavy beat really give the song the energy it needs. Swindell delivers a solid vocal performance displaying his dynamic and emotional range. “On the Edge of Time” benefits from a number of distinct transitions from the rolling snare work to the subtle breakdowns and build ups throughout the song. You certainly won’t be bored listening to this track. The centerpiece of the album felt like the title track. This song is arguably the most emotionally resonant on the album. The violin certainly adds an additional layer of meaning but the vocals feel very heartfelt on this track. ”Define Yourself” at least sounded like the fastest song on the album that has some noteworthy technical work while the closer “Near Life Experience” eventually works it way to a extended crescendo that solidifies the band's talent. Nostalgic Future is a consistent, seamless album from start to finish. It seems obvious to me that the band not only was able to create a number of well-written songs but was able connect the energy and vibe of them as well.
Stellamorphic is a two-piece band comprised of Justin Holt and Matthew Folger. The duo recently released an LP entitled The Somnium Drift. They play heavier rock that tries to reach for the cosmos. More often than not the band loads up on reverb and tries to go for epic sounding stuff. For comparison sakes a band with a similar sound would be Comets On Fire.
This is a dense album that is arduous to get through in one sitting. In no way is it because the songwriting is subpar but because of the sheer length and the fact that there aren’t many hooks. That being said the band does a good job of mixing it up. They start “Seri” which sounds like it's jam session from a ‘9’s grunge band that is thinking about introducing psychedelia in their sound. Some of the riffs shout Soundgarden although you won't hear Chris Cornell. In fact I could barely hear anyone. There is a voice but it’s barely audible. It sounds like a faint, distant ghost at points of Maynard James Keenan. What I believe is a cello really helps this song stand out and feels unique. “4TTK” is an eight-plus-minute song that you could argue is more metal than grunge. The vocals are more audible this time around although I could still barely make out a single word. Around the six-minute mark the band lays off the distortion before breaking in a cosmic guitar solo. The band has some success with the solo acoustic song “D” and not as much with a run of the mill alternative track called “108°.” The band gets back on track with “3 Sheets” that has a couple of inspired moments. The band has their most inspired creativity on “Mezame.” They successfully implement a heavy, cosmic soundscape towards the end of the song. This is really the sound the band should be striving for more often than not as the more standard alternative stuff has been done to death. The Somnium Drift has its mishaps but the good outweighs the marginal. Recommended.
Unionville is a relatively new band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that recently released their debut album entitled Cahill Pass. The band plays very straightforward music that embraces the tropes of pop/rock music with refined, radio friendly songwriting. As I was listening to the album the songs felt so polished in terms of the production as well as the performances that it's hard to imagine these types of songs residing in the fringe of what music offers in today's landscape. Suffice it to say they have more in common with popular bands from the ‘90s like Live and Toad the Wet Sprocket than indie rock bands of today such as Local Natives, Grizzly Bear and Deerhunter, and many other semi well known acts of 2016.
They get going with “Radio” which is the highlight on the album. There is a clear country flair to this song that the band wears very well. In fact I wish the remainder of the album veered towards this style but it ends up being very mixed. This is indeed a pop/country song but the band gets everything right here. It’s catchy without sounding cheesy and I thought the tasteful guitar fills were well implemented. They follow up with “December Waiting” which is another success. This is fun, catchy and sing-along worthy. The next two songs “Still Standing” and “Everything” are essentially straight up pop songs. These are the single-worthy mainstream sounding song that you could easily imagine being on a FM dial. When I got to “The Weight of Karma” I was feeling the relative new formation on the band. “The Weight of Karma” is a far cry from the first two songs. The tip of the hat to the band Live seemed to be the case for this song. They go back into a pop/country vibe with “Always” and close with the impressive acoustic ballad “Not Enough.” Cahill Pass is a solid album with consistently good songwriting but it feels slightly scattered. The band successfully pulls off a number of different styles but can’t quite nail their own on this record. I think Unionville will get there but they may just need some more time under their belt. Overall, this album is worthy of your time as it does contain a number of gems.
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Nick McNally is a college kid who spends some of his free time making music. Getting Away With It is a complete DIY effort that certainly shows some potential and a number of inspired ideas. The song ideas are disparate at best and McNally at this stage in his development seems to be recording anything that sounds good to his ears.
The recording quality is about what you expect from a guy who doesn't have much experience in a studio and is forced to use consumer gear. Overall, it's good enough to get an idea of his talent but isn’t competitive with the production of top echelon indie acts. The album starts with “If” which is a frenzy of distorted guitars and drums that leads into a solo piano that slowly builds with atmospheric synths. Around two-and-a-half minutes in the song completely changes. McNally might as well have called this a different song as it has nothing to do with the first half. At its best it sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel is warming up about to play a song. McNally then goes into “If You Can't Beat Them” which is a much more straightforward garage rock song revolving around a couple of power chords and piano. He follows that with White Stripes-esque “Voodoo” and “See Me Later.” “Mirror Mirror” is mostly cymbals and distortion with a couple of words thrown in here and there. “My Dear” is another complete departure that has nothing to do with what came before it. That being said it is arguably the highlight on the album. He hits his finest moment when he sings “I'll lose myself without you.” McNally is a decent songwriter but is still in the beginning stages of his development. Luckily he is still extremely young and has time to start refining a general style and eventually an original sound. Getting Away With It feels like an exploration of McNally’s musical interests that contains mixed results.
Jonathan Smith is a musician from the UK who recently released a thirteen-song album entitled Travel Bag. His music is straightforward pop/rock that doesn’t contain a whole lot of surprises along the way. Smith embraces plenty of tropes within the songs but still delivers consistently solid songwriting.
He gets going with “Dawn Rising” which revolves around guitar picking that may remind you of a band like The Byrds or Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The drumbeat was a little too simple for my liking but the vocals and guitar made up for it. It’s a catchy opener - no more no less. “Wayward Vision” is upbeat and festive and I particularly enjoyed the accordion on this song. One of the highlights was the title track, which is a soft picking song. I thought his vocal performance was superior to the preceding song here. He seems more relaxed on this track. Another highlight was “5000 Miles (feat. Leanne Richards).” She delivers a stellar vocal performance and was a pleasant change. “Angel of Entry” is a well-written pop/rock song that is about lost love. Smith sings, “I wonder where she stays, and if she thinks of me / You’ve got to have some chains before you can be free / I feel renewed this time." “Six Charles” is a short, instrumental song while “Long Time” reverts to Smith's strength, which I think are the slower, melancholy tracks. This is further displayed on “Future Tense.” I can’t say every song was a homerun for me on Travel Bag. That being said Smith does a good job mixing it up style wise while not deviating too far. The album felt cohesive and seamless with a couple of highlights along the way.
Singer-songwriter Mick Posch delivers a collection of songs that dabble in straightforward folk, ‘60s jazz and light psychedelic rock on his debut release Far Be It.
The New Jersey musician does something a little different with each song on the album—a folk song here, a jazzy instrumental number there—rather than totally amalgamating all of the influences. The album opener “Ontario” is about as straightforward of a folk as you can get: A bright, picked out-then-strummed guitar riff, crystal clear talk-sung vocals and a lovely violin accompaniment. “Captain Radon” gets a little bit more out there, with some phaser sounds accentuating the spaceman theme, while “To Do” builds into a more orchestrated endeavor by involving a piano and some drums. Far Be It really takes off on the number emphasizing the ‘60s jazz. “Don't Eat the Rye Bread, Marius,” an instrumental song, jams out, up and down some scales with a handful of instruments: synthesizer, organ, wood blocks, piano and a slew of other virtual instruments, while aggressive (by this album's standards) percussion guides the track forward. That song sets a tone of departure from the crisp LL Bean approach of the album's opener. “Tin Can Violin” involves a nearly syncopated key part and a jazzy hi-hat one-two that suggests the velour cool of a minimalist Burt Bacharach. The piano stands at the forefront of the mix—the vocals still totally intelligible, but with that back-of-the-room reverb. The album's closer and standout track “Bonfire Song” capitalizes on the production of the jazzier numbers with a dense mesh of instruments lying the groundwork for vocals, a soloing guitar or an organ to rise to the surface. The song has a droning, chic sound evoking a reverence for ‘60s styles. Vocals intermingle with counterpoint lines; bongos keep the song tumbling forward while a lightly distorted guitar crashes every so often. Posch has incorporated a surprising amount of variety. All of the songs at their base are just acoustic numbers that Posch continued to develop. While that's a fairly standard practice, it's cool to see all of the different directions each song goes in—and all of the different instruments and effects used to create such a layered and nuanced album in a mere six, short tracks. The production value is also great on the homemade album. Whatever Posch was lacking from a professional studio, he made up for with time, experimentation and passion. While he did conscript a bit of help from his niece and brother, the whole thing was essentially a one-man project from inception to production. Ultimately, it's a fun little album that goes in a few different directions without losing its focus or voice.
Asplund aka Ken Robin Asplund Husoy is a Norwegian artist/producer currently based in Brisbane, Australia who recently released his first EP entitled Where We Begin. The EP contains three-songs which all revolve around piano and warm, airy synths. Only two of the tracks contain vocals. The first track entitled “Satellites” has the most overt new age vibe. It’s the piano that is at the center of the music, which is accompanied by distant synths, oscillating sine waves and a slick drum beat. It has a relaxed, chill vibe and even when the song picks up the energy never feels intense or aggressive.
On “Control” Husoy gives us a taste of his vocals and I can say it complimented it quite well. The music again is very serene and tranquil. Husoy sings in a similar way that reminded me a little bit of James Blake. That being said Husoy seems more stoic when he sings, “Between these walls I stand with hope and rusty wings, spaced out. / Take control when my sight is lost / from staring at the cause that leads me wrong.” “Control” is a solid song but I also wondered where else Husoy could have gone with it. He closes with “Golden” which not only is the most experimental but veers more towards soul and R&B than new age. He cut up his vocals here and also pulls off the catchiest melodies on the EP. There aren't many words in this song. In fact he repeats the mantra “Day and night / Morning light / Is golden / Is golden.” It’s obvious that Husoy has some talent but Where We Begin certainly feels like an appetizer. Not only because there is around ten minutes of material here but also because Husoy implements many changes in the songs themselves. The changes felt subtle at best and reinforced the initial idea. I think perhaps some more dynamics and a couple more transitions might make the songs feel a bit more fleshed out. I’m not too worried about Husoy. The songs are enjoyable. I just want him to not hold back and flesh out some of his future songs.
To say that IAmber traffics in a complex form of rock may be something of an understatement. Ostensibly a post-rock project, the Finnish group mines from metal, post-punk as well as prog, classic, alternative and hard rock genres—often checking several of those boxes in the confines of a single song. On their sophomore album, Rueris, IAmber creates vast, desolate spaces, illuminates every corner with bright guitars before filling each crevice with heavy, yet nuanced, walls of sound.
With such a wide array of genres at play, you might think that IAmber would be a hard band to nail down, insofar as their own sound is concerned, but there's a unifying sense of foreboding darkness, as well as a prevalent use of effects and a propensity to bounce between quiet interludes and crushing torrents of distortion. Between the channeled, albeit sparse, vocals, ghostly echoing reverb and bright distortion of minor chords, IAmber can be evocative of the dark psychedelia of The Doors or Echo and the Bunnymen—not that they sound like either of those bands outright, but they feel similar. The vocals, on the few non-instrumental songs, often maintain phased out qualities similar to Tool, but with some of the levity of new wave oddballs, The The. And, as sure as you're going to get a drop in an EDM song, the post-rock majority share in the band's sound ensure that, at some point, it's going to get quiet for a second and then really loud as the wall of guitars come rushing up. The songs themselves are complex—they have to be to accrue such a litany of cameos from individual genres in the span of seven songs. There's a definite sense of evolution to each song that comes not only from building, or waxing and waning, in intensity, but also from the use of intricate chord progressions that evolve each time around the chorus—in the cases where there even is a clear chorus. Having over a dozen different riffs or movements in a song allows for ample opportunity to transition, bit by bit, from one end of the spectrum to the other. This radical evolution within a song can be a curse or a blessing. Some songs start in one place and end up so far removed from there that you wonder why all the parts were stitched together in the first place. For example, I absolutely loved the first half of the track “Bricks.” It almost sounded like Yo La Tengo—a radical change from a band that was getting their Metallica on a scant few minutes prior, but a great midpoint departure in the album. But once the inevitable build came and continued (and continued) along an increasingly intense and repetitive series of steps, it felt like overkill and completely separated the beginning of the song from the end. That said, the crazy evolutions within songs worked more than it didn't. The first song started with easy ambience before guiding the listener in and building intuitively. The variety exhibited there made the slightly more upbeat nature of the second song seem like the most natural thing in the world, as well as built a little anticipation for the rest of an album where you don't know exactly where the band is going to go with it. At the end of the day, that's the most exciting part of IAmber. These guys clearly are pushing boundaries and unafraid to go in a multitude of directions—including joining some genres that typically wouldn't share an album, let alone a song. It doesn't hurt that they're also self-recording and producing the project in an abandoned sugar factory. There's a sense of creative control, total self-direction and just the right amount of Scandinavian weird to make IAmber's Rueris absolutely worth checking out.
Montreal has a long reputation of artful, interesting, experimental and genre-defying punk rock. While the American punks succumbed to the liberty spikes & pyramid studs school of black leather punk put forward by The Dead Boys, our neighbors in the Great White North have kept the forward-looking, ecliptic spirit of art punk alive.
Montreal's The Taskmasters are well equipped to represent this artful thread of lo-fi, raw rock n’ roll, being members of the original punk/new wave movement of the early '80s. The Taskmasters is a veritable supergroup of underground musical talent, featuring members of the D-Vices and Ulterior Motive for this unique blend of psychedelia, jangle pop and raw rock n’ roll. It always seemed such a shame and a missed opportunity that punk, psychedelia and rock n’ roll diverged so drastically in the States. Look at the glam mod rock of T. Rex or The New York Dolls - both of which could be considered as a kind of wild, primitive psychedelia, just re-creating the fevered hallucinations of crystal speed benders instead of pot and LSD. Instead of building unnecessary musical boundaries, The Taskmasters All Saints' Days is tearing down walls as can be heard on "Forlorn" most glorious moments - all wailing white noise and subtle acoustic guitar soloing. It's raw and loose as any early '80s ROIR cassette, while still being sweet and catchy enough to warrant our attention as we do in 2016. Basically, All Saints' Day from The Taskmasters is a vindication for anyone who's ever tripped out on old Buddy Holly records, who understands that listening to The Beatles in the modern world is a revolutionary act. It's for the anti-establishmentarians who also like to read books and REALLY think for themselves. It's 2016. Punks are just hippies with haircuts, while new age yoga freaks are ardent anarchists. It's time to get together and communicate. Pick up a physical copy and roll something up - staying up irresponsibly late, talking about politics and surrealist literature like we USED TO DO in 1976.
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