Album Review: The American Scene - Safe For Now

Album Rating: B

Let's clear the air and get one thing out of the way: The American Scene's new album, Safe For Now, sounds like Transit. Heck, if Transit dropped Tim Landers for A.J. Perdomo on Listen & Forgive, The American Scene would almost be a carbon copy. But it's unfair to pigeonhole a band as emotive as the Berkeley band, even if their emo-influenced leanings sound somewhat familiar.

Album Retrospective: The Gaslamp Killer - I Spit On Your Grave

Album Rating: B-

It’s hard to put into words exactly what  I Spit In Your Grave is, because the album’s so vivid that images come to me instead. Windows rolled down in San Francisco. The summer air beating down on lovers that are simultaneously growing together and apart. An addiction taking hold on a new victim, beguiling him only to beat him into submission. The urban landscape presenting opportunity, but also betraying hope while nobody’s looking.

Artist Of The Day: The Fashion

Sometimes, you stumble upon a great artist that was before your time, or that you found out had broken up before you'd heard of them. For me, today, that was The Fashion. Akin to a musical clusterfuck of Beastie Boys, LCD Soundsystem, Head Automatica, and The Rapture, the band had a creative blend of sounds going for them. Often centering around a quick drumbeat and vintage guitar tones that are naturally sweet to the ears like honey to the taste palate, I can certainly say that I wish the band was still around, so there would be at least a possible, glimmering hope that I could catch a live set, because there's so much life that The Fashion brings to their music.

Artist of the Day: Audrey

I feel a little guilty that the news that Audrey are entirely female was such a surprise to me. I guess my standard “music nerd on the Internet” sexism must have reached a point where I expect the musicians to be predominantly male. What’s worse is that I assumed the band’s shared vocal efforts were in fact the voice of one Swedish singer, which I guess makes me racist, too. So on learning that the man behind the keyboard for this feature is both sexist and racist (two qualities that my father tells me are rather fun), allow me to introduce you to Audrey: an all female indie/ post-rock quartet from the musically enriched land of Sweden.

Album Review: Yellowcard - Southern Air

Album Rating: A

Only a band with more than ten years of experience and five full length albums could make a record as focused as Yellowcard's Southern Air. While the band hasn't changed its sound much over the last decade, the intricacies within the band's sound have progressed. Every aspect of the music feels slaved over for hours, and every subtlety is fine-tuned to perfection, creating the best sounding Yellowcard album to date. Although not every song is an "Ocean Avenue," a "The Takedown" or a "For You And Your Denial," they are among the most carefully crafted songs that Yellowcard has released, and the best of the batch will forever be classics among the band's prolific discography.

Artist Of The Day: Ajimal

North East England currently has quite a concentration of upcoming talent, but Ajimal, a solo project from Fran O'Hanlon, could be the best of the lot. "A collaborative in-ear experiment with the aim of writing about the interplay between ideas from music, medicine, art, ideas, literature, science and stories" may not sound like the most engrossing of propositions, but with only a handful of recordings to his name, the Newcastle-based musician is already confounding his own dreary descriptions. With an angelic, ethereal croon and slightly flamboyant demeanour, it's not too far fetched to draw parallels with Jonsi Birgisson, but it's in his compositions where the comparison truly lies. They adopt a more folky aesthetic, and are clearly still in their primitive stages, but they nevertheless hold a fluid, otherworldly beauty that's not wholly dissimilar from Sigur Ros themselves. That harrowing emotional punch has already been sampled on debut single 'Footnote To Love [Part One],' with an EP, entitled Childhood currently in the works. Early days perhaps, but if these initial indicators are anything to go by, Ajimal could well be worth getting excited about.

Check out 'Footnote To Love [Part One]' and a handful of other tracks on Ajimal's Soundcloud page.

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Album Retrospective: Alio Die - Aura Seminalis

Album Rating: A

Students of the Ambient genre must approach Alio Die’s discography as something of an epic pilgrimage. It’s vast: impossibly so; with releases spanning back to the early 90’s and four albums released in the first half of this year alone. He’s worked with some of the greats of the genre - the most defining of which being Robert Rich, with whom he released Fissures in 1997 - yet has also managed to produce consistently outstanding drone-ambient compositions by himself. To properly sort through and explore his works in their entirety would take months. The issue of his most powerful album is contentious, but Aura Seminalis, released in 2008, is arguably his most magical. Sitting at odds with the rest of his discography, which focuses on the mystery and wonder of nature and life, Aura Seminalis is a much more religious, desperate and moving affair: painting an image of a lonely man in an old, empty hall, surrounded by god.

Artist of the Day: Cloudkicker

Cloudkicker couldn't possibly have a more fitting name. It screams importance and properly captures the effect that Ben Sharp has had on the do-it-yourself Bandcamp community. The man started off with a penchant for Meshuggah-inspired metal riffs that showed instrumental prowess, and has lately even dabbled into acoustic outings, namely on the easygoing Let Yourself Be Huge. All the major ground's been covered by Cloudkicker, and he certainly sets the bar for musicians having a go at it themselves.

That album artwork is pretty damn promising, at least.

Album Review: Dark Time Sunshine - ANX

Album Rating: A

“Sounds better when taking mushrooms and smoking a bit of stash, but staying sober and listening close is when it sounds best.”

It’s damned near impossible for Dark Time Sunshine fans to view ANX without the retrospective lens that, inevitably enough, compares the album to Onry Ozzborn and Zavala’s groundbreaking debut, Vessel. This was evident enough within the first few days ANX was released; fans all over the Internet picked their favorite full-length without delay, oftentimes hastily choosing after a single listen of the new material.

Artist of the Day: Anchor & Braille

Side projects are a curious thing in the music industry. The true motivations of the side project are often unclear- is it for money or personal fulfillment- and the quality of the material is often much weaker than that of the parent group. However, once in a blue moon, there is a solo project that sacrifices the opportunity to grab more money from fans in favor of musical exploration and personal fulfillment. Anchor & Braille, a collaboration Anberlin vocalist Stephen Christian and multi-instrumentalist Micah Tawlks, is one of the rare side projects that actually seeks to delve deeper into the music and explore more of the spectrum.

Album Review: Such Gold - Misadventures

Album Rating: B-

Set Your Goals' Mutiny! is a hallmark pop-punk album. It's an album at a crossroads with its influences, caught somewhere between the aggression of melodic hardcore and traditional bouncy songwriting of more sugar-coated pop-punk. It's a record as unyielding in emotion as it is easily accessible. It's as raw in production as it is crafted for crowd surfers and sing-alongs at barlight-soaked dive bars.

Artist of the Day: Little Gang

In this modern age of hyper-communication, is it fair to claim that individual countries retain a kind of unique, musical feeling? It's something that certainly comes to the forefront with Little Gang: blending the melancholic tendencies of the Scandinavian band with the emotional naivety of US-born frontman Jacob Snavely. In their recently released debut, Half of Everything, this international mix is highlighted by the constant struggle and sway of the album's mood. From happy to sad, laid back to energetic: it never quite manages to find its feet yet it's this inner turbulence that makes it one of the most interesting Alt-Rock albums of the year so far.

"Evert's Song" demonstrates this most evidently, as it's impossible to say whether this almost lyric-less track is uplifting or not. It bops along in a carefree manner, sure, but it never solidifies it's position to one mood: leading to some very confused listeners. Although this is confused in the welcome, enticing manner as opposed to the post-trauma kind, thankfully. Alongside this tonal ambiguousness, Little Gang set sail with a style that bleeds Scandinavian-Folk but shifts to a childhood-Christmas blend of warmth and magic. The kind of cuddly goodness that, along with Snavely's deep, soporific vocals, help carry you into sleep. It's a style so powerful and inviting that you're forced to put down the debut's various shortcomings. The album itself is definitely worth checking out, but it's the future of the band that's worth getting excited about as they hammer out the last few dents in their sound.

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Artist of the Day: Toh Kay

Streetlight Manifesto embodies everything that's right about ska-punk. Their brass section is bold and brash, drummer Chris Thatcher is relentless behind the skins and although they will never one up modern ska classic Keasbey Nights, the band has motored its way to an impressive discography.

Artist Of The Day: Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate)

In the forefront of the rising emo revival movement is Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate). This husband and wife duo from Fenton, Michigan appeals right to the listener's heartstrings, combining twinkly riffs right out of American Football's self titled album with Keith Latinen's passionate voice. Latinen is strongest when he's pushing his voice to the limit, as on "The Only One That Could Ever Reach You," the opener off On Time Spent Waiting..., the band's best release to date. But the band's upcoming full length, due out in the fall, could easily surpass it based on the new track off Count Your Lucky Stars' (the band's own label) latest four way split. "Everything Small is Just A Small Version of Something Big" adds in a little groove to the band's sound, showing off another aspect of the band's immense ability to switch things up within their own sound. You can purchase the four way split right here, and check the band out on Facebook here. We are also interviewing the band within the coming weeks, so let us know your questions in the comments.

Various Artists: Humble Music Bundle

Somewhat strange for the company that normally releases games, but the kindly folks at Humble Bundle threw together a pack of video game-related / nerdy music for a great value. Who are the folks at Humble Bundle? Why are things usually related to video games? What are you talking about, Mat?

Let me explain Humble Bundle. They're a group of generous people that receive permissions from independent artists and studios to release games in a limited-time-only, name-your-price sale. The profits from the sales go to three groups: the developers, a select charity or charities, and the folks at Humble Bundle, in order to help promote future bundles. However, not only does the sale allow you to name your own price, but it also allows you to choose where your own proceeds go. Pretty nifty, huh?

Artist of The Day: Dirty Gold

Dirty Gold's Roar is the perfect soundtrack to the rest of your hot summer: they combine the carefree, relaxing, fingerpicking acoustic sounds of Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews with the relaxed and nostalgic atmospheres of Youth Lagoon and Magic Wands, they have lyrics that hit on just about every youthful and summery topic possible (relationships, "coming home," building a new life, and second chances,) and they produce five songs that could all end up being your favorite song of the summer.  

Album Retrospective: Dimlite - My Human Wears Acedia Shreds

Album Rating: B

Dimlite tends to create a bit of a divide in the instrumental hip-hop genre, and it's because his music has always represented what the genre’s capable of with no restraint. His most well-known release Prismic Tops is a complete clusterfuck of ideas, for instance; its inherent lack of memorable melodies has always dissuaded potential fans. As soon as an alluring musical phrase is about to be fully established, Dimlite shifts the ground underneath it completely, turning the equation upside-down to avoid a sense of staleness. While bold, this approach can’t establish a connection with the listener; there exists a more ideal balance, one which the Swiss producer has yet to meet.

Live Review: Death Cab For Cutie, Meadowbrook Music Theater (7/4/12)

Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard
(Photo courtesty of Tumblr)

July 4 is generally a day for barbecues, fireworks and reunions with old acquaintances to celebrate the greatest country on Earth- America. I chose to forgo most of the celebration, however, and have a decidedly less explosion-filled evening by attending the Death Cab for Cutie concert at the local college pavillion. Personally, I hate pavillion venues, especially when I get stuck with lawn seats as I did for this concert; luckily, the lawn made a minimal difference in the overall quality of my evening.

Artist of the Day: The Album Leaf

A favorite ambient / post-rock band of mine, The Album Leaf has calmed down since their string of releases in the early half of the 2000's. However, there's a lot to love about the band, even with only a single full-length released in the past six years. Similar to sitting in the park to watch the sunrise and waiting for the rest of the world to awaken around you, the formerly-solo project of Jimmy LaValle features music that lays in the background, at times, but can be instantly recognizable if you simply listen, for a moment.

Album Retrospective: House of Heroes - The End Is Not The End

Album Rating: B+

I feel like a disgruntled suburban parent when I talk about Christian music, its not that I'm mad at the genre, it is just that I am very disappointed.  I have always felt that if your music centers around something as powerful as the existence of an all loving, all knowing and all controlling God, then your music should have some sort of emotion behind it. If you sincerely believe with all of your heart that that you were predestined to make music for this LORD, that the LORD loves every person with all his heart, and that you want to "bring as many" people to this LORD as possible then you should have some sort of emotion and divinely inspired creativity in your music.  Even though Christian artists claim that they believe in all of the things I listed above, their music usually never gets past their niche audience because of cliched songwriting, lack of emotion, lack of creativity, lack of talent, and lack of consistency. In fact, the only consistency about Christian rock is that it will sound like it was made out of some weird obligation instead out of some divinely inspired period of creativity.