Music
Reviews - Mike S0S
VARIOUS ARTISTS
RENO: WHERE DREAMS COME TO DIE
SEDITION
Reno, NV seems pretty pissed off if we take Sedition Record's
16 track compilation into account. Who'd to think that the offspring
of the player's club would spawn such an undercurrent of rebellion,
yet it has and they are angry. Take Vae Victis for instance,
whose desperate screams are only underscored by the destructive
melody below them ("Last Man"). Add The Shookups to the list
as well, as their swinging social commentary "Deadboy Strut"
shares a similar bleak outlook. So, next time you're in Las
Vegas painting the town red, remember not too far away there
are a plethora of bands dispelling the myth and tearing the
walls down.
(www.seditionrecords.cjb.net)
PROUDENTALL
WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE
CAULFIELD
Proudentall is a jarring outfit from Kansas whose latest release
is a swirling mix of indie rock sensibilities and hard rock
melodies with a disjointedness about it that makes this outfit
impervious to classification. The closest thing to contrast
these guys may be At The Drive In, but they seem to have more
control than that, almost in a Radiohead kind of way ("1002").
Decisively heavy but not tasking on the ears, this band is much
more deep than your average rock group and they utilize stellar
compositions to showcase this ("Line Drawing Dead Winter", "Sharp
Confessor"). For an avant garde walk through rock music, Proudentall
is your best bet.
(www.caulfieldrecords.com)
THE BODIES
FIREPOWER IS OUR BUSINESS
TKO
The Bodies are a California punk rock band who get their faces
painted and perform straight ahead punk rock. Their seven track
disc isn't anything that we haven't heard before, but it does
have a certain catchiness to it a la The Misfits ("Justice")
that reels you in and allows you to enjoy the simplicity of
their output ("Fly The Flag"). For a quick shot of punk rock
that is unassuming and without pretenses, check this Sonoma
Valley quartet out.
(www.tkorecords.com)
SELF RIOT
SELF RIOT
SELF RELEASED CD
The eight tracks which make up Self Riot's release are laden
with anger and fueled by a strong hybrid of hardcore and punk.
With an undercurrent of NYHC running throughout the disc ("17
Years"), these Queens, NY natives show that they're not playing
around ("Bored To Death"). Heavy riffs that border on metal
clash with punk rhythms and keep the pit flowing nicely. Keeping
the underground a sanctimonious entity is not an easy thing,
yet Self Riot's sound does just that, with just the right amounts
of production and attitude to pull it all off.
(acidkrush@aol.com)
SPYGLASS
STRATEGIES FOR THE STRANDED
PATTERN 25
Spyglass is a female fronted quintet whose Garbage meets Portishead
style fits nicely while sipping on a martini after a tough day
of work. A bit on the ethereal side, Spyglass succeeds in creating
interesting arrangements that leave a haunting mystique ("Photograph").
Containing nine tracks of subversive pop that leaves a heavy
feeling in your head and a film noir type feeling in your gut
("The Longest Day"), Spyglass seem like the perfect band to
listen to on a long European train ride or in a swank lounge
environment. If you enjoy deep grooves and female fronted music
that is left of center, Spyglass is the band to tune into.
(www.pattern25.com)
PSYCHOTIC REACTION
LAST TRAIN TO NOWHERE
PSYCHO BUBBLEGUM
This Connecticut quartet take the time machine back to early
80's NYC, as their spiked hair melodics and safety pinned rhythms
are as retro as it gets. Sneering like it's 1977 and playing
with a disposition that reflexively throws the middle finger
in the air without concern ("I Could Care Less"), these guys
aren't reinventing the wheel, but instead their trying to take
the power back and remind the people what punk is really about,
which is basically bitching about things as loudly and obnoxiously
as possible ("Trust"). It's here where PR succeeds, and they've
got the attitude and the songs (18 in all!) to back up their
claims. Viva the real deal!!
(www.psychoticreaction.com)
COMADOSE
RE-UP
SCREAMING FERRET
From the New England harvest of heavy bands come Comadose, a
sextet whose hip hop is hopped up with slamming grooves and
phat beats that rip out like rock is meant to ("Velcro"). While
the genre that these guys work in isn't exactly the most original
out there, what sets Comadose apart from other rap rock outfits
is their gut wrenching guitar sound, which smacks you in the
face just as hard as Hatebreed or Diecast ("Cushion"). Seven
tracks that will have your head banging and your ass shaking
is what these guys deliver, and based by the disc, it's a safe
bet that they can throw a mean moshpit as well.
(www.screamingferret.com)
VELVET
DEMO 2001
SELF RELEASED
Velvet is a Mid Atlantic outfit whose musical style resemble
the month of March, whereas many of the 10 tracks that comprise
this untitled collection come out of the gate roaring like a
lion, yet towards the end, tend to subtly fade out as gently
as a lamb ("They All Float Down Here"). With a touch of emo
warbling in their indie rock swirl ("Not What You Had In Mind"),
these guys take bits of Hum, Grade and The Deftones and create
ambient rock music that boils over with emotion ("Expectations").
For those that crave some sensitivity in their rock without
going the way of Vertical Horizon, check out the latest from
Velvet.
(www.enjoyvelvet.com)
INFINITE WINTER
4 SONG DEMO
SELF RELEASED
Infinite Winter is a female fronted hard rock outfit from Queens
NY whose four song demo showcases this quintet's versatile musical
talents. With a solid slab of hard rock driving the tunes through
your speakers, IW rounds out their thick sound with a twin guitar
assault that shreds ("My Cell") and a stellar rhythm section
that holds it all down. Music this intense usually requires
a male vocal to bring it on home, but the female leads not only
will blow you away, but are also a welcomed change of pace ("Bring
Me Down"). Infinite Winter provides a winning formula on many
different levels and are worth a listen if you think the realm
of radio rock has gotten a bit stale as of late.
(www.infinitewinter.net)
KING'S X
MANIC MOONLIGHT
METAL BLADE
The long running and cult favorite King's X return with another
gem of an album. Their ninth release finds Ty, Doug and Jerry
once again wheeling out the warhorse and delivering 10 tracks
of the unique sounds that have made this Texas trio such an
underground favorite. Summoning on the 1970's, MANIC MOONLIGHT
contains chunky riffs that have got that funky shuffle ("Yeah"),
but King's X broadens their horizons a bit and dabble in the
technological side of things, throwing in samples, loops and
electronic drums for added flavor, without sacrificing their
trademark heavy harmonies ("Vegetable", "False Alarm"). With
no end in sight, King's X continues to open new doors and rock
the block. If you're a fan of rock and don't own any of King's
X's albums, MANIC MOONLIGHT is a good place to start. Even though
it's not their best work, it nonetheless exemplifies just why
they are such a force in the world of rock.
(www.metalblade.com)
SLIM CESSNA'S AUTO CLUB
***
ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES
Slim Cessna's Auto Club is a honky tonkin', beer swiggin', good
time 14 track album that puts the straw back in the mouth of
country music ("Fifteen Years"). With many of the tracks sounding
as if they could have turned up on original soundtracks to many
of the classic John Wayne Western flicks ("My Goodness Me"),
this outfit capture the essence of Americana quite nicely in
a down home package, suitable for the front porch or the county
fair ("Willow Garden"). Alternative country music with its position
firmly on the fence between mainstream and the underground,
Slim Cessna's Auto Club is a howling good album that yodels,
reels and square dances your way to your heart. Maybe if these
guys provided the music for your grade school dance festivals,
those dreaded functions may have been fun after all.
(www.alternativetentacles.com)
SCENE KILLER
SCENE KILLER
METEOR CITY
Ed Mundell is as busy as a one legged man in an ass kicking
contest, as not only does he back up the Superjudge himself
in Monster Magnet, but he also plays in Atomic Bitchwax. But,
his musical endeavors don't end there, as Ed rounded up some
of his stoner rock buddies and made an album not unlike Josh
Homme's DESERT SESSIONS. With the collective strength of Core,
Solarized and Halfway To Gone among others, SCENE KILLER is
a colossal 13 track collection of organically grown rock and
roll that stomps, wails and give you that "Have A Nice Day"
feeling all over ("Midnight Snack"). Fuzzed out guitars and
groovy rhythms are where these cats are coming from ("Pit Of
The Soul") and man, is it a nice place. Imagine the laid back
grooves of Fu Manchu meeting crunchy hard rock that screams
to be played at a go-go bar ("Back Of My Mind") and that's what
Scene Killer gives you, complete with teeth gnashing rockers
and out from left field guitar noodlings to satisfy every walk
of musical life.
(www.meteorcity.com)
THE AEFFECT
A SHORT DREAM
FUELED BY RAMEN
Do you like New Order and long for the days of sailor suits
and synth pop? Well, The Aeffect should hold you over nicely
as their short and succinct six tracks of Pet Shops Boys sparkle
fit in quite nicely at a swank dance club ("Insomnia"). With
that driving bass beat to satisfy the glow stick crowd ("Of
Truth"), The Aeffect strike a chord that dance music lovers
should be able to rave until dawn over.
(www.theaeffect.com)
SQUARE JOHN
SQUARE JOHN
SELF RELEASED CD
Square John is an outfit whose output is a seething stew of
aggressive riffs and intelligently crafted hard rock that sounds
very much like the post hardcore of the middle 1990's NYC scene,
a la Quicksand and Helmet. On their five song release, this
Los Angeles quartet take pieces of the aforementioned groups
and add a pinch of Fugazi to steer their ethereal brand of heavy
music ("Untitled"). Creepy chords and jaded rhythms ("Overstep
The Fall") fade in and out as a plain yet passionate vocal is
blanketed over the music. While these guys may not be the most
overpowering band to hit the scene, their incredible sense of
dynamics and composition help to make them one of the most interesting
listens of the year ("Suckerpunch"). For a swift kick in the
ass indie style, check out Square John's artistically crafted
noise.
(www.squarejohn.com)
UNDERDRIVE
GIVING BACK THE MONSTER
SELF RELEASED CD
Underdrive is a Long Island trio whose strong songwriting sensibilities
propel their 10 track disc and keep the listener attentive.
With a firm foothold in rock music, Underdrive succeeds in writing
anthemic chorus led tunes ("Stop Me"), as well as letting their
hair down and rocking out like it's 1987 all over again ("Untitled").
With the right dosages of funk, grunge and punk in their mix
("You Know Something"), Underdrive manage to keep their hands
in many pies and maintain a
consistent level of solid musicianship throughout that at times
sound like Megadeth meeting the Smashing Pumpkins ("Tribe"),
which undoubtedly makes for an interesting listen.
(underdrive2000@aol.com)
SCAR CULTURE
INSCRIBE
CENTURY MEDIA
The metal adventure Scar Culture displays on their 12 track
debut is bountiful, as it runs the gamet from deep death metal
to hardcore groove ("Keep It To Myself") and then into whatever
else they have in mind within split seconds, making for a rollercoaster
ride of an album. With some of the finest guttural growls on
the scene today, Scar Culture sets a monstrous tone that is
accentuated by the powerhouse rhythm section and jackhammering
riffs that switch from Machine Head grind to Dying Fetus speed
to Hetfieldian grandiosity ("Vision", "Branded"). Yea, these
guys are a little bit different. But guess what? That doesn't
make them any less brutal. Instead, it makes this fearsome foursome
more deadly, thanks to the art of unpredictability and the element
of surprise. Maybe that's why Faith No More's "Surprise, You're
Dead" appears as unlisted track 13? Something to ponder after
the metal mayhem Scar Culture unleashes truly hits you where
it hurts, your head.
(www.scarculture.com)
MikeSOS
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