Archive for the 'Song Reviews' Category
Concert Review: The Morning Of
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
Newcomer to Bamboozle Rocked it
May 20, 2008—The Morning Of—Newburgh, NY—played at Bamboozle 2008 for the first time on May 3rd, 2008. This is a happy, energetic band that is also very talented. Their new Indie pop-punk album is “The World As We know it” (Tragic Hero Records). For a newcomer to Bamboozle, their confidence and stage presence looked as though they were returning artists. In between songs, the guitarist said, “Two years ago I stood in the stands and thought, ‘wow, wouldn’t it be cool to play at Bamboozle,’” which made me wonder, where will they be two years from now?
read comments (0)No Age – Nouns
Author: Meghan Palagyi
Nouns is the best album of 2008 so far by any standards. The duo No Age bring their sound with refreshing consideration to punk-attuned audiences with no qualms. Hailing from Los Angeles, their guitar and drums combination with insightful lyrics layered on top provides the recipe for a great half hour of listening. In particular, Nouns emphasizes No Age’s lo-fi melodies that provide a for cushion for lyrics that hold meaning and mentality. Read the rest of this entry »
Album Review: Schoolyard Heroes, ‘Abominations’
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
May 13, 2008—I was driving in my car in January when I first heard Killswitch Engage’s pathetic cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.” I have never been so enraged and offended at a band– ever. The first song I heard by Schoolyard Heroes was “Children of the Night” and I thought, thank God the spirit of Dio lives on. Doing a background check on Schoolyard Heroes revealed that purevolume.com removed their song “Dude Where’s my skin” after a day—despite the fact that it was the fastest downloaded song in the history of purevolume.com. The fact that KsE disgraced Dio’s ‘Holy Diver’ is more offensive than the horror-punk sounds of Schoolyard Heroes. But because they are “disturbing” and “morbid” they get taken off purevolume? I think 1988 called and they want their Reagan era religious-right’s control of free expression back. Their most recent album is ‘Abominations–’ and it combines skilled guitar riffing with melodic lyrics and a haunting message. Read the rest of this entry »
Spaces for Morning
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
A New Day in Indie Rock-experimental: ‘Spaces for Morning’
May 6, 2008 – Classified as Indie-Rock-Experimental, Spaces for Morning— Philadelphia PA —has a new album coming out. Members are John, Deven, Eric, Pete, and Mike. They started two years ago, and one year ago they changed the name from The Hummingbirds for stylistic reasons and because of the arrival of new members. They have not been signed and their album will be out mid-to-late June. They need bookings for D.C. Richmond, Charleston , Cleveland , Pittsburgh , New York , Atlantic City , and Connecticut for the month of July. Read the rest of this entry »
Jay Reatard – “Blood Visions” and “See/Saw / Screaming Hand”
Author: Meghan Palagyi
If the beginning of the first track of the album sounds like “Bela Lugosi is Dead” played at 45 rpm instead of 33, it a given that “Blood Visions” is going to be great. It was released in October of 2006, so it may be old news, but recently discovering Jay Reatard has refreshed my seriously stale music library. This is the first solo album from the group, and while the cover may be a tad unsavory for some tastes, Jay is wearing nothing but a Speedo and is covered in what appears to be fake blood, by no means should the music be judged by the CD cover. Read the rest of this entry »
[bands to watch] ‘Throw me the Statue’ – Seattle, Washington
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
[bands to watch]: Throw me the Statue
Seattle-based Indie Pop makes a believer out of the cynical.
Indie rock at its worst is esoteric lyrics with an emo twist, overly done up instrumentation, and excessive bridges instead of skilled solo’s which leave the listener with a feeling of emptiness. The fact that I was going to observe Throw me the Statue at The College of New Jersey’s on-campus bar/restaurant the Rattskeller, which is dank, dingy, in need of massive redecorations and intense cleaning didn’t help. Throw Me the Statue is the total opposite of my worst misconceptions of indie rock. The combination of basic rock structures, electronica influences, vocal centric aesthetic, major key tonality, and a mix of acoustic and electric rhythm guitars was simply amazing. Read the rest of this entry »
The Kills – Midnight Boom
Author: Meghan Palagyi
The Kills new album, “Midnight Boom”, is a great art rock follow up to their album “No Wow”. Fans of the Kills will not be disappointed in the single “Cheap and Cheerful”, which stays true the the Kills’ grungy, dirty style while still presenting new material. Read the rest of this entry »