Hailing from Austin, TX, Casual Interference is a four-piece rock band composed of violin, guitar, bass and drums. They recently released a five-song EP entitled Inaugural that contains instrumental indie rock. It almost as if you took a band like The Strokes who had a bit more influence from Radiohead and replaced the lead singer with a violin. The guitar, bass and drums often feel separate from the violin. I say that in a good way. It often feels like the bass, guitar and drums are an anchor that creates a canvas for the violin to dance upon. Upon my first listen I thought vocals would be beneficial but after a couple of spins I ended up not missing them at all. The band jumps right out of the gate with “Acquiesce.” It combines jangly loose guitar chords, with a drum beat and bass line that provides the energy. Once the violin enters it pretty much carries the rest of the song. It is the most prominent instrument within the mix in which my ear kept on gravitating towards. The band takes it down a notch with the atmospheric and melancholy “Acceptance Speech.” They introduce either a synth or an organ into the mix, which adds soothing, subtle ambience. The violin is still the focal point as its sad strings provide moments of solace and hope. “Song 1” gives no warning about the frenzy that ensues only getting more intense as it progresses while “The Deserter” contains some of the best drumming on the album. The close with a catchy song entitled “New Day,” which really does sound like the perfect mesh between The Strokes and Radiohead. If it wasn’t for the violin the songs here might fall a bit flat. Fortunately, it replaces the need for a lead vocal and makes the EP an enjoyable listen. Overall, there is a lot to embrace with Inaugural. Become A Fan
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I have to admit after listening to the rather exceptional new album Shadowhead by Yeti it got me in the mood to bust my Sleater-Kinney and Quasi records out. I couldn’t get but somewhat excited when I hear guitars that sound like actual guitars when I plug them in (think slanted and enchanted) and female vocals that drip femininity that aren't overly cute. Yeti is a three-piece band with the ladies in control of the melodies. To put it simply Jenna Snyder is a force to be reckoned with. She is one helluva bassist, can harmonize and wrote a majority of the material. There were a number of times of the album I was more than impressed with not only her technical ability but also the creativity she put into bass lines. Julia Simoniello has her hands full with not only guitar duties but also lead vocals. As I mentioned earlier she has an attractive voice but is no slouch in regards to her skills on the guitar. It may not be the most technically impressive guitar playing in the world but her strength is knowing when to hit the right notes. Rounding out the band is Tom Bones whose drumming keeps the songs tight and in the pocket. The album starts off with a catchy song entitled “Red Pancakes,” which is about you guessed it - red pancakes. You are treated with jangly guitars and an infectious vocal melody. My favorite moment comes about halfway through the song when Simoniello shreds her guitar with some lead work. “Your Name” is a slower, melancholy song that fits the vocal style of Simoniello while “Sheep” contains a bass line you will not want to miss. There are a number of notable songs such as “Cicada,” “Brains” and “Dust” that caught my attention. Shadowhead probably won't be the most original piece of music you hear this year but it does offer irresistible indie pop that feels like it was made to be played in the midst of summer.
Commercial hip-hop, as it stands today, is close to death. The genre is saturated with people simply putting on a front, releasing basic rhymes over flat beats that use 808s to compensate for lack of musical acumen. But there is a ray of hope, someone working for over 20 years to keep the once rich genre alive, who knows the degeneration of quality in hip hop all too well and is not afraid to speak out on it. That person is Mr. P Chill. Persistence isn’t for the weak of heart, or those who subscribe to the watered down philosophies so quickly espoused in popular music; it’s too honest, jarring and direct for anyone who would prefer to live in the fantasy world of gold chains and tons of women. It’s an album for those who are familiar with the old school way of doing things, who aren’t afraid to hear about life from someone who has obviously lived enough of it to know a little something about it. If you’ve ever had (or are) that middle-aged father, uncle or family friend who still acted young at times but had a ton of real world knowledge and used it to help elevate the youth, you will feel right at home here. The hip hop beats were varied and just the way I like them: cyclical grounded melodies, meaty enough to stand alone but still serving as a sound foundation for the lyrics delicately dropped on them. There were a few trippy moments, such as in the chorus of “Nothing to Loose,” but of special note were the samples sprinkled among tracks. I smiled when I heard the brief snippets of Chic’s “Good Times” on Chill’s song of the same name – rather than borrow the entire chorus, he took the most memorable part of that song and used it sparingly for greater effect. The real focus was the lyrics. Each song has a coherent point, though the album itself covers a range of topics from being your own person to love to struggle. I think I had the most fun listening to the biting criticisms of rappers out here who don’t put their heart into their music but still profit from the industry; quite a few songs on the album address this in different ways, most containing a restrained vitriol in which he maintains some sense of calm but allows his lyrics to rip his subjects to shreds. That said, the most jarring song in this category was “The 11th Hour,” which utilized a frenzied violin line and equally rapid vocals that told the story of the near death of hip hop. That song is like the frantic evolved sequel to Common’s “Used To Love H.E.R.”. Woven throughout the album are moments of extreme personal significance. In this area, my favorite song was “Promises.” In it, he takes three situations that would destroy most people: aging, being broke, and not being there enough for his wife, and spins them into positive experiences to show that though things have been bad, they could be worse, and he is grateful to have gone through them. He reminds us that you can always promise yourself to do better, and by doing so can surmount challenges that make mincemeat of those who become broken by them. Like any great hip-hop album, it was inspirational – it made me feel like if someone else who has experienced the very things I’m going through can come out on the other side smiling, I can too. I’m actually quite pleased at the resurgence of classic hip-hop on the underground circuit. It means that Lady Hip Hop still has a pulse. Artists like Mr. P Chill are her respirator and as long as he and the others are around to keep her legacy, she will never die.
Back in 2012 Milan T. Jr started his one-man project Pyrrhura and he has released a numbers of album since then. Last year when Sean Dennison reviewed In the Middle of the Forest he described it as a unique, eclectic album in which as he used words like baroque and tribalism to describe the album. After listening to both In the Middle of the Forest and his latest Off the big road it can be said it is many ways feels like an extension.
Pyrrhura has an original style that is hard to define but for the sake of simplicity the music often sounds what Sunset Rubdown might compose if they were less of an indie rock band and wrote music for plays There is an abundance of instrumentation but the music itself feels spacious giving it plenty of room to breathe. You find atmospheric pads, piano, electronic drums, strings and more. The music and mood itself can best be explained by looking at the album cover. There is mysterious often, ominous feeling that you get when listening to the music. It may not be for everyone but it certainly feels original. The album begins with a sparse song called “Cloud of Thoughts,” which sounds as if something you would hear at a young child’s piano recital. I’m not sure how much irony was put into this song but it often feels like that especially when he exaggerates his voice. There is an appealing quality to the song that is hard to pinpoint. “Waiting Room” is a haunting, atmospheric piece that would be perfect for a contemporary take on a story like Hansel and Gretel. Towards the end of the song drums entered into the music, which I felt were a bit too prominent. “Spring is Coming” is the first introduction to strings and is really a two-part song. The first couple of minutes revolve around vocals, guitar and some loose percussion that dissipates and resurges as a more festive but sloppy sounding congregation of instruments. “Lake” is a long acoustic piece while “Keep It On Mind” is a somber instrumental piece that sounds like something you heard on Twin Peaks. Overall, there are a lot of odd but enjoyable moments on this album. Check it out and see if this is up your alley. My first impression upon checking out Goldenboy Prevails! The Soft Truth EP was ‘hey, the cover art is pretty rad…roots and skeletons and stuff…must be a pretty cool EP!’ In fact, I was right. The Soft Truth is seven songs that could easily be the musical journey of a wandering artist’s mind, with each new page serving as a sonic journal entry for the sometimes-scattered thoughts a creative person has. The dirty, grungy acoustics throughout and sometimes tunnel vocals really add to the experience.
There are some good points and lessons embedded in these tracks, which cause the listener to harken closer to hear every word. “Camouflage” had the great message about people who do things they know aren’t good for them, while still attempting to maintain a façade that everything is okay and they are a functioning member of society (I took it to be a deeper message about addiction, but that could very well just be a singular interpretation). Some of the songs are positively ethereal; “Forward in Time” and “Healing Without You” blend together to form this out-of-body type experience and you feel like you’re floating above the thoughts described in the song – a truly interesting event indeed. The latter, which also is the closing song, also contains a conglomeration of all of the energy showcased throughout the album and kicks it up to the red zone, serving as the perfect climax of the album while ending it comfortably and on a good note. Take special note of “Decomposer” – it is a few moments of absolute genius sandwiched between relative silence and is a bigger tease than most interludes I’ve heard. It reminds me of one of those fleeting thoughts we all typically get, that last for a few seconds and are some of our grandest ideas in life, but then before we’ve had a chance to develop them or even record them they drift away never to be found again. For the shortest song on the album, this one really packed a punch. There is a lot of passion and soul in this highly introspective album, which makes it a great listen for anyone who likes something that will touch their emotions and thoughts while still hitting pretty hard. The one thing I noticed was that the vocals seemed to become easily drowned out by the guitars when the strumming became more energetic, making it difficult to follow the lyrics. This is a simple production fix, and can easily be done without compromising any of the aggression. Otherwise, this was a very solid EP and I greatly enjoyed the journey that it took me on. Hailing from Newfoundland, rock band Cabbages & Kings have arrived on the scene and have delivered their debut, self-titled album Cabbages & Kings, which is comprised of 11 songs running for roughly 36 minutes of pure jam session goodness. The album itself is pretty simple, following a safe format for each song and embodying the core alternative rock qualities. Those who are fans of breakdowns will be happy to see there are a good amount of them placed nicely throughout the album – they aren’t focus grabbers, but they provide a nice shift in tempo and mood, which adds depth to each song. For a debut, it’s often important to stick to the fundamentals and they’ve done that rather nicely. The vocals were unexpected but kind of cool, and really are what give the album it’s alternative tint; they range from gentle to harsh, high to a slight sweet screech, and back again, which maintaining a smooth element. I was reminded a bit of a higher pitched punk style of vocals. I had a great time listening to the lyrics, too; they didn’t always make immediate sense to me, but I came to understand that’s how it should be, and it lent some mystery and surrealism to the album also. “Daisy” is a great example of this. I listened to it quite a few times looking for meaning in the words, and each time I just found myself appreciating the surrealism more than ever. What really sticks out, though, are the riffs that compose the melodies. The riffs are simple enough in theory but really have an extra kick in execution. Small, subtle nuances are adjusted and adopted to make each one more than just a basic melody. The riffs themselves are easily hummed and quick to get stuck in your head, while providing for great air guitar material. Because most of the songs followed the same formula, you could really listen to any one of them and enjoy it quite a bit. The one that stuck out most to me was “Paper Coffins;” it was dark and haunting, and featured my favorite riff of the album. I was also a big fan of “Shiva” for the piano melody that was just as beautiful as the guitar riffs featured earlier. If pressed for time, check either of those two songs out – they truly were a unique experience. I think this is a great debut album for Cabbages & Kings, and should serve as a solid starting ground for their next effort. The riffs were beautiful but still sounded a bit familiar; I would love to hear the technicality behind the riffs applied with more creative liberties to set them apart from other bands that employ similar tricks. There’s some raw talent here just begging to be developed and brought to the forefront (the drums, in particular, shined in “Paper Coffins” but played a relatively small part elsewhere) and I think once those adjustments are made, they will really have something special. This band has a ton of potential and will soon crack their shells and be a real force to be reckoned with. Become A Fan
Every week we mention a couple of artists that are worth your time to check out that were not featured in our weekly reviews.
Album Artist Rating Steve Parkin Steve Parkin III 3.9 Mike Schlenoff Muse's Morals 3.6 Seventh Seal The Ghost Of What We Are 3.7 Kibola Open Roads 3.4 Kalidas Love Over Guns 3.5 The Imposters Baked Noodlin 3.2 Porchlitscene Bedrooms & Basements 3.3 Leaking Pigs Brake 3.5 2Rabbit Splittin' Hares 3.2 Think of Simon and Garfunkel meets The Smiths. Jeffrey Simmons is a quintessential example of new-age pop music, with a bit of folk and soul thrown into the mix. Simmons has been producing music since 1999 and since has released six albums. This one is a complete solo-production minus a few guest appearances, and the album fin.begin showcases the musician’s songwriting ability and instrumental talents.
The opening song on the album is called “Hard to Tell” and has a pleasant singsong rock vibe to it. I could easily see this song being performed around a campfire or a scene in a movie about hippies from the ‘70s. Simmons really strikes a chord with that era, while listening to the entire album, I feel transcended to the time of “peace, flowers and love.” "The Goods" is an extremely catchy song which if it doesn't get you hooked in from the verse the chorus will surely do you in. He sings" We got the goods to go a long, long way E A B A E We got the goods to go a long, long way". Simmons wallows in a bit of melancholy on "Some Burden" while "Happiness" contains a dose of americana. “Dream Another Dream” is so dramatic in demeanor; it could easily be a song in a play or a musical. It makes me want to gently dance upon my bed sheets with joy and happiness because I know I’ll never have a bad dream ever again, “when your bad dreams make you scream out, please have no doubt, that if you wake up sad and lonely, console me you know I will.” fin.begin is filled with airy magical themes that anyone young and old can enjoy. The style of Jeffrey Simmons could be considered old school, but it has a classic vibration that is oh-so genuine and filled with truth and authenticity and offers many entertaining anecdotes. Listening to this album is almost like watching a movie, it’s filled with so many different story lines and the songwriting really shines through with colorful metaphors and cleverness. Forming in 2009 Faith In Jane originally played music that was a hybrid of reggae and punk. The band consists of Dan Mize (guitar and focal), Alex Llewellyn (drums) and Brendan Winston (bass). Their style would eventually mutate into a much heavier sound. To be precise they make sludge metal that lies somewhere between Black Sabbath and Spinal Tap. On their recent self-titled album Faith In Jane they produced six songs that only a certain breed of metal fans will appreciate. The EP sounds very live and not always in a good way. This is the band in its purest form but I think some cosmetic treatment may help some of the visceral impact of the songs. Mize’s vocals often sound appropriately exaggerated as if he is channeling stereotypes of what type of singer you might expect behind this music. He has a lot of inflection in in his voice and often sounds like some odd variation of Eddie Vedder. Musically, the band has some talent both technically and creatively. The album starts out with somewhat of an intro called “Jane.” It a slow moving instrumental piece that revolves around a lead guitar but wouldn't have sounded as good as it did if it wasn't for the creative bass line. The second song “Antietam” is when the band starts to flex their muscles and grind out some heavy riffs that feel right at home with crunchy ‘70s metal. The riffs and delivery aren't terribly original but gets the jobs done. The band starts to delve into more complex material with the nine-plus-minute “Brethren of the Coast.” It’s also apparent towards the end of the song that the band isn’t completely over their reggae phase when they bust into a riff that sound more like something you would hear from Bob Marley. Their deviation into reggae didn't make much sense and sounded out of place. I was impressed by the pure length of the closing songs. You don't hear of too many three-piece metal bands pulling off twelve-to-thirteen minute songs but they do it and it doesn't feel too drawn out. There is still a bit of tweaking that needs to be done for these guys too be a force to be reckoned with but they maybe on their way. One thing I would definitely do if I was them is leave some of the reggae tendencies they have behind them. Become A Fan
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Watchmoore is a young three-man band that emits a unique yet well-developed sound. Watchmoore seems to emulate the genre and style of established bands like Deftones, Circa Survive and Chevelle. The first song "Meta" has an alchemical metamorphosis to it. Beginning somewhat mellow and enchanting, it soon turns into an explosion of hard-rock glory. The lyrics “the reasoning lost in memories, watching it all fade,” are the precursor to the slow build-up toward the end of the song. During this time, it seems like a soft rock, almost Nirvana-like song, but then toward the end, Watchmoore shows its true colors with super heavy rifts and bass lines and you can’t help but get lost in the intense vibrations. Right before the closing, you could have sworn that you were listening to another song, but it is just another break before the next swelling of uber massive hard-rock waves. “Fractures” has a beautiful persona to it; one that is lovely yet carries pleasant faults that anyone could easily look over. It begins with a hypnotic guitar chord and then turns into a deep winding river of heavy melody. “Try to stop these paper lanterns from falling… it’s breaking my mind.” The heavy bass and drum patterns in the back are edgy and give the song an angst-y vibe. Then, it all levels out again into the familiar flowing melody, “…following the signs of life.” "Drag The Rivers" is starts with an intense guitar riff that only get more intense when the double bass drum kicks in. The band settles in a fog like mist so the vocalist has some space to sing the verse. It isn't to long before the band revs up the distortion and goes into a part that tips its hat to the band Tool. All the songs on Watchmoore are somewhat shadowy and seem like an oncoming storm, yet there is always that break of light within the tracks that free the listener to a higher plateau of thought and emotion. The recording quality on this production is superb and anyone into semi-hard rock will greatly enjoy this collection of songs. Become A Fan
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April 2024
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