There is an ever-building group of intense rock bands that incorporate the advances of technology with their traditional influences. One of these bands, Headlights, just happened onto the scene with their debut EP, The Enemies. They bring forth the same passionate vibrato in just four songs that any of their predecessors do in an entire album. Read more…
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Each generation has thus far had their own signature music from the period of their youth. The Baby Boomers had classic rock, gen x had new wave and children of the 90s had grunge. Even though grunge isn’t as main stream as it was ten years ago, a few bands still exist that give this generation a reminiscent look into their past. One of these bands is Vervein with their second album, The Weather Inside. Read more…
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Belle & Sebastian are a group that has been around forever and are just starting to be noticed in the United States. Each new endeavor is the continuation of a quest for the perfect album, hence the title of their latest piece, The Life Pursuit. At this point, the group has still not found their musical nirvana. Read more…
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There are many bands in popular culture that constantly waiver between different styles or push the envelope with their controversial persuasions. The Strokes are not one of these bands. Their third album, First Impressions of Earth is the same brand of solid rock and roll that their previous albums were. This is the beautiful thing about The Strokes: you will be sure that anything they produce is enjoyable. Read more…
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Bands form and create music usually because of one of two major reasons. They are either to let their souls speak through beautifully composed pieces or to make a statement which others can relate to. In the case of bands such as The Fiery Furnaces with their newest album, Rehearsing My Choir, neither reason can be detected. Read more…
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Many bands have tried their hands at a complete revamping of their sound and appeal but few bands that have attempted let alone securely executed a comprehensive rock opera. Coheed and Cambria have done both of those with part four of their operatic albums Good Apollo I’m Burning Star. Here with their newest installment is the first of two volumes for the concluding quarter of the opera, From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. Read more…
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It was Friday June 24th, 2005 9 p.m. at the Tritone on 1506 South Street. The balmy summer breeze made Philadelphia feel like San Diego as I sucked on a watery drink, waiting. The red glass votive candles flickered against the crimson walls and expressionist paintings in the tiny retro venue casting oddly appropriate shadows on the small crowd. Presently, a hurried quartet known as ZZZZ, (“Zeez” being one of many pronunciations) burst through the door with their equipment; a travel-size drum kit, analogue keyboard, amps, mic stands, bass and saxophone. The road-worn players assembled their set in record timing and disappeared for a breather. They reappeared dressed in crisp white for a pre-show beer and off-the-record conversations, which consisted of cultural niche discussions and how keyboardist Ellen Bunch, with no prior band experience learned what “jamming” is. Drummer Greg Sharp expressed his concern with the volume; they apparently played pretty loud, and he wasn’t sure this small bar could accommodate them. Looking around at the handful of attendees equipped with earplugs, I was sure that it would be ok.
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It’s almost a given that what someone’s tastes were when they were young will change once they become adults. Emotionally intense or flippantly silly bands may appeal to that person when they are a teenager. One of those bands would be Electrocute with their aptly named debut full-length LP Troublesome Bubblegum.
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It’s often a good idea for up-and-coming bands to release shorter EPs rather than full length LPs. In lieu of a second album, Straylight Run releases a nine song EP, Prepare to Be Wrong, which shows the breadth of their abilities. Read more…
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Goth had dug itself a neat little niche, nestled beyond any reach of the blinding lights of pop. A long time ago there were a few crossover bands like Bauhaus, The Cure and Joy Division that braved that gap. Since their era, there have been few who really tried until now except for the likes of Viva K. Viva K’s self-titled debut takes different elements of Goth and fuses it with several genres, creating their own other-worldly species of pop.
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