REVIEW ROUNDUP: THE BRAVERY, LADY GAGA, CAVO, SEAN PAUL, ZAHO, H.I.M., MEGADETH, OK GO, SHAMAN’S HARVEST, AND HERZOG
The Bravery – HatefuckStir the Blood‘s lead single, “Slow Poison,” didn’t quite revive The Bravery as it should’ve. The beat lacked bite, a spark akin to “Unconditional” that “Hatef–k” (iTunes) manages to ensnare. It is dark, and danceable while driving its merciless
REVIEW ROUNDUP: HOLE, GODSMACK, COLD WAR KIDS, NEON TREES, LILY ALLEN, SEVENDUST, RED, AND SHINEDOWN
Cold War Kids – AudienceAn odd end in a collection of tracks compiled in the Behave Yourself EP, “Audience” brings the Cold War Kids back to the delightful drum and piano pounding indie rock of 2006. It has the “Hang Me Out To Dry” vibe and shakes much of the sophomoric
Review: Cœur de Pirate – Coeur de Pirate (2008)
Remember the 80s? That decade dominated by bubbly pop or often synthesized keys? Or how about the highlighter colored clothing that threatened to temporarily blind you depending on how many clouds were in the sky? Well…it was also the time of tattoos decked out over hair metal artists. We’ve com
REVIEW: ALKALINE TRIO – THIS ADDICTION (2010)
Seven has been associated with This Addiction, whether covering the CD itself to the earplugs the band uses during their tour. The integer itself denotes either dread or luck, depending on your viewpoint. The seventh album is as polarizing as the number; you’ll either love it or hate it. In f
REVIEW: DESSA – A BADLY BROKEN CODE (2010)
My first exposure to Dessa just so happened to be on one of the False Hopes that the Minneapolis collective, Doomtree, has been churning out over the 2000s. She’s the countering anchor to heavy hitters, Sims, Mike Mictlan and P.O.S.. With A Badly Broken Code
REVIEW ROUNDUP: CYPRESS HILL, DEFTONES, THE DIRTY HEADS, SERJ TANKIAN, SILVERSUN PICKUPS, CREED, CHARLIE WINSTON
Admittedly not much variety this week, both in terms of genre nor ratings. That’s just cause radio’s waking up and starting to deliver better material after a slow January. Charlie Winston – I Love Your SmileThe newest from UK singer/songwriter, Charlie Winston, sounds straight from
REVIEW: YOU, YOU’RE AWESOME – YOU’RE GETTING OLD (2010)
The daring darling at The Hot Half Life recently made a monumental shift to Cincinnati from Chicago, leaving our fair city resembling more like a lawless, crime-infested Gotham City than…I exaggerate…but she did telegraph back dispatches in the Cincy scene! One such cherished discovery
REVIEW: MUMFORD & SONS – SIGH NO MORE (2010)
The 2008 British folk movement brought the two leading luminaries into the Bottom Lounge in Chicago for a half-filled show. Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling had been stirring hearts and minds, expanding into the festival circuit. Woe be thee who missed the opening act, because Marcus Mumford and compa
REVIEW ROUNDUP: GORILLAZ, COHEED, DAN BLACK, THE HEAVY, SWITCHFOOT, PAPERCUT MASSACRE
Coheed & Cambria – The BrokenClaudio Sanchez is arguably one of the best personalities to break into alternative radio in the past decade. No one else possesses his falsetto and mammoth guitar abilities in one person, nor the hair. As Coheed & Cambria supposedly winds down its ep