REVIEW ROUNDUP: MGMT, KORN, COHEED & CAMBRIA, CIVIL TWILIGHT, PAPER TONGUES, GREEN DAY
Civil Twilight – Letters from the SkyThe way Andrew McKellar’s voice strains recalls classic Bono, just with a touch of Chris Martin. It is ambitious, beginning with a punctuated piano just dolling out heavy note after note weighed down by a driving-yet not overwhelming-drumming toward
REVIEW: DEFTONES – DIAMOND EYES (2010)
Trauma has a peculiar way of turning up at the worst moments. Scotland Yard Gospel Choir underwent a horrific traffic accident that led Elia Einhorn into a neck brace to heal an injured spine…not mentioning the rest of the band that folioed Elia and rolled over five times. Or in the Deftone‘
REVIEW: SOPHIE HUNGER – 1983 (2010)
Monday’s Ghost carved out a deep precedent for the Zurich-born singer/songwriter who intricately and expertly borrows facets of jazz and folk to chip and shape her unique sound. First discovered at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, I had the chance to attend one of five consecutive performanc
REVIEW: NUMÉRO# – SPORT DE COMBAT (2009)
In the tradition of French electro-pop comes yet another duo making sure those symbols get the spotlight, Numéro#. However they ain’t from Paris, but across our border in Montreal. Sport de Combat skews towards dance in taking queues from Simian Mobile Disco more than fel
REVIEW ROUNDUP: STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, TIËSTO, NICKELBACK, CHIDDY BANG, PUDDLE OF MUDD, SKILLET, LINKIN PARK AND 2CENTS
2Cents – Get What?Given the following review’s mentioned tendency, 2Cents leans towards the harder end of the speed vs. heaviness spectrum. They cite Pennywise as influences, heard in the perfect start/stop ability perfected by their fellow Los Angeles musicians. Think “Bullet With A
REVIEW: SIRIUSMO – THE UNINVITED GUEST (2009)
Setting this straight, American’s viewpoint of German music is woefully limited to Rammstein and commercials of college kids stuck with the Germans’ techno industrial dance music. Outside of that I can’t really say much more about it all, at least until Berlin’s Siriusmo
REVIEW: WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS – THE LAST PLACE YOU’LL LOOK (2010)
I’ll admit I’m late to We Were Promised Jetpacks. Been slow at keeping up with Huw Stevens‘ stellar recommendations, of which I’m sure the Edinburgh outfit was one such. Yet thanks to a recent brilliant bill at Lincoln Hall, they eluded my ears no longer. Just before and
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