Like any other sucker for rock and roll, I’m partial to reverberating guitars and cheeky tambourines. So while I’m predisposed to enjoy Strange Grey Days by Vancouver-based band Chains of Love, the album fails to highlight the driving force behind the group’s garage soul sound, vocalist Nathalia Pizarro. Channeling Mary Weiss of the Shangri Las, Pizarro owns every woeful ballad and contemptuous cry on Strange Grey Days but struggles through superfluous processions of organ and drums, making the otherwise fine [...]
Archive for Category: "Reviews"
Alex Winston unites with NYC, once again
“I can’t believe it’s been a fucking year” were the words declared by Alex Winston regarding her absence from performing in New York City. To say she had a strong comeback performance would be an understatement. That night Winston rocked the Knitting Factory, hard. Petite in physique but with a load of personality, Winston began her show with “Fire Ant.” Typically it takes the artist a little warming up to the crowd before they literally immerse themselves into it. Winston’s [...]
Neon Trees – Picture Show album review
Neon Trees released Picture Show, their second full-length album on Mercury Records this April. The fourteen-song LP is packed with catchy hook laden tales of love reminiscent of Thriller era Michael Jackson, The Cure and Depeche Mode. At the same time, however, this Mormon four-piece from Utah manages to maintain an originality among the myriad influence of eighties new wave and glam that allows Neon Trees to maintain their autonomy and individuality. The album opener “Moving in the Dark” exhibits [...]
The Black Seeds – Dust and Dirt review
Yesterday my perspective changed, if only for the time it takes to listen through an album. Dust and Dirt planted a filter over my views of the natural world; a simple reminder to slow down. The album serves as the seventh studio release from The Black Seeds, a New Zealand based electro-reggae group and features 14 songs. It was during the first song that I was eased into my organic mental transformation. I find myself focusing on the sun shown [...]
Train – California 37 album review
California 37 is the seventh studio release for Train and displays a shift in their sound as they attempt to stay dynamic and relevant in today’s soundscape. Unfortunately, Train, doesn’t quite hit the mark. The overall pop sound of California 37 is well produced and undeniably polished, but there’s also a sense that the album is so desperately attempting to be mass appealing that it makes the whole thing come across as disingenuous. The album launches with the song This’ll [...]
School of Seven Bells – Ghostory album review
From the world indie dream pop comes School of Seven Bells’ Ghostory, the NYC band’s third full-length. Wait – dream pop? I guess there’s been a reemergence of this genre in the past few years, since bands like M83 can be labeled with this genre tag. So, what about School of Seven Bells? How does Ghostory stack up? I reluctantly admit that it’s not as bad as I first thought. This is the band’s first album as a duo, as Alejandra [...]
Band Crush: The Fixers
A future act you won’t want to miss are the Fixers. After seeing them play their first New York show at Brooklyn’s Cameo Gallery, I was immediately enamored by their psychedelic pop sound. This five member group hails from England and have been playing since 2009. With two EP’s released and one album on the way (which comes out in May), the Fixers are on the brink of having their huge break. Although the crowd at Cameo Gallery was not [...]
Weird Dreams – Choreography album review
For those not old enough to have been able to listen to the bands of the surfpop culture live, Brit band Weird Dreams dances along the edges of the late sixties with influences from the likes of R.E.M and dreamy Byrds. The tracks are all at least 3:30 with the exception of the title song, and although the metallic sound of the 12-strings, soft-touch percussion and harmonizations all run throughout each song, the arrangements are varied enough to keep the [...]
Bassnectar – Vava Voom album review
In the midst of constant touring to an ever-growing audience, Lorin Ashton a.k.a. Bassnectar has managed to release another of his “omnitempo maximalist” records this April. Vava Voom, Bassnectar’s 9th full-length album delivers all of the appealing elements that have allowed this San Fransisco native to create a flourishing underground community unseen since the days of the Grateful Dead: low thumping bass, intense musical eclecticism and a positive message of community involvement. His latest album includes a slew of collaborators [...]
Boys and Girls – Alabama Shakes album review
Experiencing something unbiased is a privilege. Take movies as an example, rarely does anyone get the opportunity to experience a movie free from outside influences, such as a preview or review. Given the chance, one might discover their opinion does not coincide with others’. If you have never heard of the Alabama Shakes, or their new album ‘Boys and Girls’, stop reading.Listen to ‘Boys and Girls’, it is free on plenty of streaming music programs. Grab your headphones, an old [...]
