Authors: Ryan Michael Painter
Review: The Prodogy – Always Out Numbered, Never Out Gunned
THE PRODIGY ALWAYS OUT NUMBERED, NEVER OUT GUNNED Maverick You couldn’t help but feel like this album was never going to come. A year or two’s worth of rumors, a single that subsequently led to silence, line-up changes in the supporting cast and then suddenly here it is. Always Out Numbered, Never Out Gunned is supposed
Review: The Violettes – Self-Titled
THE VIOLETTES THE VIOLETTES www.theviolettes.com From the opening rolling cascades of sound of “Blue Hearted Fool,” it is quite clear that The Violettes are a shoegaze delight with fantastic production that allows for the chaos of sound to swell without giving the songs a cheap wash of undefined sound. That is, until the groove kicks
Review: The Poison Arrows – EP
THE POISON ARROWS EP File 13 “Trailer Park” is a tease with its smacking around of sound and distorted blips and buried vocals. It’s a BRMC record stolen by Suicide and slaughtered in Pro Tools. Bloody hell, it’s Primal Scream reborn! Well, if they’d only kick it in and go somewhere, which they never
Review: The Local Division – Pure Electric Light E.P.
THE LOCAL DIVISION PURE ELECTRIC LIGHT E.P. Aeronaut Records Singer Ian Christian and guitarist Mati met at a Mark Gardener (Ride) show. The only problem was that Ian lived in the UK and Mati was from Los Angeles. Regardless, they’ve released this rather interesting E.P. The first two tracks lift the early heavy strumming from
Review: The Static Age – Neon Nights Electric Lives
The Static Age Neon Nights Electric Lives Tarantulas Having toured with AFI, you might expect something with a little more of a punk rock kick from The Static Age, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they’re actually closer to Catherine Wheel than Davey Havok & Co. Not that you can’t find the smallest
Review: The Perishers – Let There Be Morning
The Perishers come sauntering in with a long list of hopefuls who would, if given the chance, knock that bloody crown off of Coldplay’s collective head. … read more
Review: The Upwelling – Self-Titled
The songs on this 5 track EP are nice, they sore, they have a little rock in them and they have a mood that sometimes crosses Catherine Wheel with Elbow. … read more
Review: The Great Depression – Unconscious Pilot
THE GREAT DEPRESSION UNCONSCIOUS PILOT Princess As the name of the band might suggest, The Great Depression, this lot create music with a predominantly mellow and melancholy tone. Not to say that there isn’t some lovely drum work to keep things from bottoming out and the occasional piano bit to swing away from the cascading
Review: The Black Swans – Who will Walk In The...
THE BLACK SWANS WHO WILL WALK IN THE DARKNESS WITH YOU? Delmore Recording Society Having recently listened to The Tiger Lillies masterpiece Shockheaded Peter: A Junk Opera I was primed for a slice of this overtly theatrical debut release from Jerry DeCicca and Co. What makes Shockheaded Peter brilliant is that even though it is
Review: The Hidden Cameras – Mississauga, Goddam
THE HIDDEN CAMERAS MISSISSAUGA, GODDAM Rough Trade Oh dear, The Hidden Cameras sounds like a rather twisted wreck of the flamboyant sexuality of the Scissor Sisters with the dark wit and tangled allusions to debauchery of The Beautiful South, the sing-along retro-chic of Belle and Sebastian and the awkward humanity found in all things by
Review: The Dead Science – Bird Bones in the Bughouse
The Dead Science Bird Bones in the Bughouse Absolutely Kosher The drummer plays in a jerky, attacking motion that reminds me of Tori Amos. The vocals are hushed, falsetto and reaching for a dramatic beauty that falls between the dissonance of the guitars and stand-up bass. It’s mutant jazz on downers twitching along in
Review: The Cloud Room – Self-Titled
The Cloud Room is a collection of finely crafted songs with great hooks and a sense of sincerity that is missing from the majority of this second-generation post-punk revolution. … read more
