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Archive for 'Full Reviews'
Full Review: The Gallery - If You Know What I Mean
Posted on July 5th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
From obscurity to notoriety, the new album ‘If You Know What I Mean’ is poised to make a huge impact for The Galley. Amazingly focused and solid the entire way through, the slightly folk infused indie rock debut record is sure to turn some heads.
No Comments
Full Review: Eye Alaska - Yellow & Elephant
Posted on July 3rd, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Increasingly known for their somewhat generic bands, Fearless Records decided on a different direction when signing Eye Alaska. The band’s sound is a mix of several different genres (including rock, jazz, pop) which is a welcomed breath of fresh air.
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Full Review: Relient K - The Bird And The Bee Sides
Posted on June 30th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
The new release from the ever so clever pop rock band Relient K is not exactly all new songs although they may all be new to you.13 new songs along with 13 B-sides give plenty of songs for those on a budget. Just like a new used car still feels new to you, this feels like a complete 26 song album and not two different ones.
2 Comments
Full Review: One For The Team - Build It Up
Posted on June 26th, 2008 by Tyler, under Download, Full Reviews.
The Militia Group never fails at finding interesting acts to sign, One For The Team being one of their latest. The band has certain characteristics which mask their true color and the fact that under everything they are really a lo-fi, indie rock band.
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Full Review: Cute Is What We Aim For - Rotation
Posted on June 21st, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Those who are already fans of the band have nothing to worry about and should just buy the record (even if you haven’t heard anything from it). Those of you who aren’t fans but are curious may actually find something you like or at least something you listen to secretly and never tell anyone about.
1 Comment
Full Review: Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Posted on June 13th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Coldplay traditionally represents this exclusive/high class rock ‘n roll but Viva La Vida steps on the pedestal in a sense and bridges the gap to those who had previously felt excluded.
4 Comments
Full Review: The Offspring - Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace
Posted on June 11th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Much like the other bands that came up with The Offspring and progressed with the mainstream only to revert to a style similar to their early days, The Offspring have also gone back in time to when faster was better.
5 Comments
Full Review: Jon Foreman - Summer EP
Posted on June 10th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
As the weather begins to warm and school is letting out, the new record from Jon Foreman is released just in time to accompany the coming sweltering months of innocence.
2 Comments
Full Review: TV/TV - Something To Get Excited About
Posted on June 3rd, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Catchy choruses that go beyond the generic standard, along with high energy songs that benefit from infectious verses make up the EP from TV/TV.
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Full Review: Damiera - Quiet Mouth Loud Hands
Posted on May 31st, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Once head deep in the ’straight forward’ punk genre, Damiera now has all the makings of borrowing fans from other similar bands such as The Mars Volta.
2 Comments
Full Review: Weezer - Self Titled (Red Album)
Posted on May 28th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
There are so many ways to lead off a review of the new Weezer album that it’s hard to choose between talking about the fact that this is the 3rd self titled album in a different color or how musically the band has changed again to mix the old with the new.
8 Comments
Full Review: The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Posted on May 25th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
The Hold Steady have managed to take a somewhat unpopular and usually underground genre and style into the spotlight which is crowded with one too many smooth singers. ‘Stay Positive’ is a progression for the band and a direction full of potential.
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Full Review: Ortega - Conversations
Posted on May 20th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
About 3 years late to the party, Ortega is hoping their full length album ‘Conversations’ will bring the hardcore punk genre back to the forefront of peoples mind.
No Comments
Full Review: 1997 - On The Run
Posted on May 17th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
1997, or should I say, Nineteen Ninety Seven is back with their sophomore album, ‘On The Run’. Although the band went through a slight line up change by replacing one female keyboardist with another I doubt that’s the reason for such a different direction than the debut release.
11 Comments
Full Review: Seabird - ‘Til We See The Shore
Posted on May 16th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
It’s actually surprisingly rare that amazing rock music gets accompanied with such deep, thoughtful, and intelligent lyrics. Seabird’s debut album contains more than just notes and chords but rather it’s real life put into melody.
3 Comments
Full Review: Jason Mraz - We Sing We Dance We Steal Things
Posted on May 14th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
There is a lot of excitement over Mr. Mraz’s latest album as he seems to keep growing in popularity which each release (obviously the goal of any artist). This time around there may not be that many noticeable differences in style and execution of the record but this album is definitely different than his past releases.
2 Comments
Full Review: Cinematic Sunrise - A Coloring Storybook…
Posted on May 9th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Cinematic Sunrise, the side project of Craig Owens and Bradley Bell of the band Chiodos, has been making plenty of waves of their own. Perky melodies, swift drums and high pitch vocals give a lot of people good reason to pay attention.
No Comments
Full Review: Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
Posted on May 6th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
This time around Death Cab For Cutie has added a little bit more indie than pop to their mix. Long time fans who have made it through the last couple of releases will still swoon over the new album, the only people affected by the band’s subtle style progression will be the casual-ist of listeners.
6 Comments
Full Review: Driver F - Chase The White Whale
Posted on May 5th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Drive F is one of those bands that from the moment you listen to them you can tell they have something special. With multiple vocals parts, constant guitars, horns, and an ever moving bass line ‘Chase The White Whale’ is sure to become a classic.
1 Comment
Full Review: Run Kid Run - Love At The Core
Posted on April 30th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
If something’s not broken, why do you need to fix it? Run Kid Run knows that they excel at the traditional pop punk style and thus they didn’t add anything gimmicky to their solid act.
1 Comment
Full Review: Trevor Hall - The Elephants Door
Posted on April 30th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Trevor Hall may be an unfamiliar name for you now but the very strong and solid album, ‘The Elephants Door’ should change that. Hall may be only in his early 20’s but he has a voice and presence as if he’s been putting out records for decades.
1 Comment
Full Review: The Cab - Whisper War
Posted on April 28th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Despite being a fairly new band, The Cab has been able to generate a lot of buzz and anticipation for their debut ‘Whisper War’. The question (cliche-ly asked) is not whether the band will make a big splash with this release, the question is how big?
8 Comments
Full Review: Augustana - Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt
Posted on April 22nd, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Augustana was more of a rock band that had some pop elements. They had a Train like mega hit anthem, “Boston”, but a lot of their other material had a rough feeling to it. With the new album however, their sound has become that of slow builds and big pay offs.
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Full Review: V/A - Punk Goes Crunk
Posted on April 21st, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
The Punk Goes… series has been huge hit over the years and the most obvious choice of genre to cover next was apparently ‘rap’. Maybe it’s the fact that rap and punk fans don’t over lap in the same way pop and rap fans do that makes this release so intriguing to some people, but nevertheless it has created quite a buzz for itself.
1 Comment
Full Review: Forever The Sickest Kids - Underdog Alma Mater
Posted on April 20th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Quick witted pop punk has been around, but it has to continue evolving to keep people interested. ‘Underdog Alma Mater’ is absolutely chalked full of hooks and cliché formulas but it is also slightly unique enough to give it a chance.
3 Comments
Full Review: Phantom Planet - Raise The Dead
Posted on April 18th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Much of the band’s success comes from the early record, ‘The Guest’ (or ‘Phantom Planet Was Here’) which was released back in 2002. I have a feeling though that the future success of the band will be largely attributed to ‘Raise The Dead’.
No Comments
Full Review: Boris Smile - Young And It Feels So Good
Posted on April 15th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Boris Smile has not merely put out a new record or simply put some random songs together on an album calling it ‘Young And It Feels So Good’, but rather they have carefully and skillfully built what can only be called a time machine.
No Comments
Full Review: Dizmas - Self Titled
Posted on April 14th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
Dizmas are at an interesting point in their career with their new self titled album. The jump from indie to major is a huge one which doesn’t always go according to plan of attracting new fans while keeping the older ones.
3 Comments
Show Review: Yellowcard/Spill Canvas/PlayRadioPlay
Posted on April 12th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
It’s always nice when you have heard of all the bands playing at a show and are at least somewhat familiar with what to expect. The current Yellowcard tour is one which the band is playing an all acoustic set (including a cello). It’s different than a typical Yellowcard show but is the tour worth checking out if you have the opportunity?
1 Comment
Full Review: Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vols. 3 & 4
Posted on April 10th, 2008 by Tyler, under Full Reviews.
The Alchemy Index is Thrice’s attempt to capture the 4 elements and recreate them musically. The feat is one that sounds almost ridiculous, but amazingly it works. There will be 4 EP’s in total [Fire, Water, Earth, Air] which will be split and combined into two albums, the 2nd of which is Vols. 3 & 4 [Air and Earth].
