Music Reviews of Unsigned Bands, Demos, Promos
Band Spotlight
Chiodos
Perhaps no one can explain the sheer ferocity and timid quietness it is better than when vocalist Craig Owens says “we don’t want to let the kids down” when discussing the group’s intense vocals live at shows. Well they never let a single kid down with their vicious assault on the ears and grip on the jugular...
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Current Top Ten Chart
Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker
Converge - No Heroes
The Graduate - Anhedonia
Death By Stereo - Death Alive
Comeback Kid - Broadcasting
The Snake The Cross The Crown - Cotton Teeth
Dear and the Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
The Geeks - Every Time We Fall
Limbeck - Limbeck
WinterKids - Memoirs
03.09.2007 by J-Sin
Music Reviews of Unsigned Bands, Demos, Promos
Kevin Zugschwert — Subject to Change Buy it at Amazon
Not really building on his last effort that we reviewed, “Over the Limit”, Kevin Zugschwert trolls in with less-than-memorable guitar-centric instrumentals. He surrounds the guitar glitz with bland progressive drumwork and the songwriting isn’t anything worth your effort.
- J-Sin
Moes Haven — (Sh)oc(k)tober Buy it at Amazon
I give up. Music is dead to me. I couldn’t set out to write a song a day for a year and compile the best into an album per month. But Moes Haven have. And are. And will be for at least two more albums. One of which will include a song that I challenged them to write for little old me. I’ll honestly be honored because I feel like I’ve spent an eternity working on the very few albums that I’ve put out over a decade or so of me playing music, whereas Moes Haven have already put out more albums this year than I probably will my entire life. And the trick is that they’re very rarely offering songs that are mere fodder. Indeed most of these songs beat the pants off any Grammy-nominated album—often showing their varied influence as it bounces from genre to genre (dude “X-Mas Evil” sounds like an off-Broadway showtune!!!), yet still somewhat seamlessly. Amazing guys, amazing. And after I heard this collection of tunes about horror movies, I can’t wait to hear what you’ll write me. Thanks for making me feel like the worst thing to happen to music since Kevin Federline.
- J-Sin
Chuck Brimer — I'm Gonna Be Your Hero Buy it at Amazon
No you will never, ever be my hero with your tired pop-rock songs that are as predictable as it gets. Proof positive that even Berklee College of Music students can be terrible songwriters.
- J-Sin
UltraViolet Uforia — Shadow of the Sun Buy it at Amazon
Culling from the influence of ‘60’s and ‘70s psychedelic rock, UltraViolet Uforia stretches out their limbs to space. Jam band grooves with remnants of reggae, funk, and space rock, UltraViolet Uforia probably needs to find a singer that fits their actual sound rather than the guy who sounds like he just stepped out of a crappy Vegas lounge.
- J-Sin
The National Rifle — The National Rifle Buy it at Amazon
Their “Support American Jihad” yellow ribbon magnets are pretty clever. I think I’ll stick mine on the next Hummer I see. The music is light indie rock that preaches about socialist agendas and political frustration. Rough-edged guitars that are surprisingly poppy are but one of the many reasons to check out this enigmatic group from a Philadelphia suburb.
- J-Sin
Ruckus and the Trousers — Ruckus and the Trousers Buy it at Amazon
Nicely written and well performed indie rock tunes with pop hooks and elaborate harmonies, Ruckus and the Trousers are an endeavor that Pittsburgh natives should all be proud of. Coffeehouse attendees may recognize them as they did a “Northeast Coffeehouse Tour” earlier this year. And the label of “coffeehouse” actually does a good job of describing their sound too—it’s not loud but very engaging and uplifting just like a good cup of coffee is.
- J-Sin
Steve Lieberman — Melancholia Falling Buy it at Amazon
One of my favorite independent artists, Steve Lieberman, aka the Gangsta Rabbi, suffered through a bout of depression for several months. While it sickens and demoralizes me as a fan and friend, I must admit that I’m thankful for the inspired music that he wrote during this dark period. He latches onto his emotional rollercoaster and shares with us his pain and darkest moments throughout the appropriately titled “Melancholia Falling”. It’s still just as abrasive and groundbreaking as his other ten albums have been, but the subject matter is quite different with some rather explicit love songs that are both dark and sarcastic. His next planned venture is a covers album and the rumor is that he will be writing me a song and releasing it as a single. How cool is that!? I’m totally psyched to hear it as is my family and friends! Steve, my main man, I hope that the Gangsta Rabbi has fully recovered and is ready to completely conquer the punk rock world!
- J-Sin
Matt Singer — All Us Heathens Buy it at Amazon
Matt’s deep throat lungs out note after note with impassioned gusto. His music is light rock with pop hooks and indie folk mixtures sprinkled on top. You surely hear the influence of the anti-folk scene throughout “All Us Heathens”, which Singer isn’t afraid to embrace. Most importantly it seems as if all of his songs have a socially conscious slant to them, which is something that will set him apart as he continues to build upon his budding music career. You gotta give him snaps for the complex textures and lush arrangements that spot this great underground disc.
- J-Sin
Loci — Filtered to Function Buy it at Amazon
Oh my, ‘90’s alternative rock. Loci didn’t get the memo that Matchbox 20 wasn’t really that cool even back then. To be fair it’s not exactly that poppy—it tries to be darker and heavier—but it’s exactly stripped from that dated sound.
- J-Sin
BHB — A Pleasin' Sense of Happiness Buy it at Amazon
With impressive singer/songwriter tunes, BHB is based out of the mecca of music in San Francisco. “A Pleasin’ Sense of Happiness” lives up to its name with rich harmonies and rarely a discordant tone. Vocally it’s astonishing with catchy hooks that bite in deep and don’t ever leave you with a sense that something is missing. In fact the songs are thickened with a stew of multiple arrangements that make the album dense and sophisticated.
- J-Sin
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