Your Backstage Pass To The Music Industry
Your Backstage Pass To The Music Industry
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CRAIG JACKSON Damn The Roses Green Records |
| I once heard that the definition of Americana music is anything that kind of sounds like country but isn't played on the radio. That definition can fit many artists that have found mainstream success and have since fell off the radar a bit like John Mellencamp and Tom Petty, the latter who Craig Jackson has easily found himself compared to over the years. With this fifth album Damn The Roses, Jackson continues to have critics making that same comparison and it is easy to see why the moment you hit play and "Our Last Time" begins. His raspy yet smooth vocal perfectly accompanies the easy to listen to guitars as they softly pull you through the slower paced song leading to a great solo in the outro kicking things off. Jackson keeps with the slower paced songs throughout the album letting his voice and lyric be the focus of the cuts like "Slipstream," "1941," and "Simple." For the most part this album is one that stays relatively close in sound and style throughout, making it one that when you like the first song you most likely are going to like the 9 that follow it. By definition this is a great Americana album. It has left of the mainstream dial appeal that encompasses a lot of style and substance into the songs by combining outstanding melodies as he shows on the most up-tempo song on the album "Don't Mean Nothin," with believable and honest lyrics. | |
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THE JAKES Shake My Hand Self-Released |
| The first thing that leaps off the page when you hit play on "Shake My Hand," the latest offering from Orange County's The Jakes, is that they are young and musically are far beyond their age. With opening track "Garands at Normandie" you are tossed into this EP with an indie rock sound that combines perfectly with a left of the dial alternative bluesy feel to give you a unique sound that allows The Jakes to stand on their own feet an the overcrowded music scene. However, as left of the dial as you may think this album is going to be, songs like the infectious "Cough Syrup," complete with simple musicianship throughout the verses lead by mostly a drumbeat that drives perfectly into the up tempo chorus is very reminiscent of bands like Jimmy Eat World. Vocally this reminds me a lot of modern day pop artists and has that familiar feel to it, but also walks along that line of what is mainstream acceptable and what is a bit more avant garde providing an amazing touch to these songs. The acoustic offering "Take Me Home," gives you the chance to get into the soul of lead singer Sammer Gadhia as this track allows his vocals to shine and carry the lyric throughout. "Shake My Hand" is a very well rounded EP that offers you a glimpse into every side of The Jakes music from the left of the dial bluesy feel, to the indie rock feel, to an acoustic track. It shows that a band can be solid, create well-crafted songs, and at the same time remain unique without being completely over produced like so many others are today. Most importantly this EP will get you excited about what's to come next from The Jakes. | |
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JANUS Red Right Return Realid Records |
| Chicago's music scene covers multiple genres ranging from punk to blues to indie rock and much more. Submerging yourself in your surroundings can have an effect on you as a band and Janus is the proof. With their debut album Red Right Return, they've taken all the best aspects of the indie rock that their hometown has to offer, rolled it into one, and fused in their own uniqueness on their debut album. "Six Letters Sent" brings you in with pulsating guitars and vocals that instantly showcase their passion for the delivering the song and lyric. As the verse gives away to the chorus you see a pop infused sound mixed in that gets you moving; You will be hooked by the end of this three and a half minute cut and it only gets better from here. This same indie rock branded pop sound that originally grabs you is present throughout the album on cuts like "Say It," "Skin Deep," and "Stranger." They do take a moment to slow things down a bit as they show early on with "Maybe It's You," a song that uses simple instrumentation behind the vocals throughout the verses allowing the voice and lyric to drive the song to the chorus where they kick everything up a notch and get you singing along. The same could be said for the albums first single "Eyesore." Scattered throughout the album is some intense screaming in the background vocals, most noticeable on "Eyesore," but more often than not you get lead vocals full of passion and heart, music that pulls you through the songs that knows the exact moments to kick things into gear and when to hush it down, and as far as debut's go, this is one that hits the top of my list pretty easily. I suspect that big things are just around the corner for Janus and now is a good time to jump on the band wagon. Great debut!!! | |
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JAPANTHER Tut Tut Now Shake Your Butt Wantage USA |
| Brooklyn's Japanther has been creating a new for themselves within' underground scene for the past seven years now and with their latest effort "Tut Tut Now Shake Your Butt," they don't show any ideas about slowing down their ever growing fan base. This isn't for those fans out there that like the polished, mainstream sounds of the current rock scene, but rather for those left of the dial fans that are on the constant lookout for something completely unique. Obnoxious beats will have you clapping right along with Japanather on tracks like "Um Like Your Smile Is Totally Ruling Me," and on tracks like "Radical Businessman" the drums rolls and spit fire lyrics that take a bit of stand against authority as they sing "1-2-3-4 Fuck The Cops." However, this album isn't all beats. There are two contributions to it from Penny Rimbaud in the form of epic poems, "I The Indigene" and "Africa Seems So Far Away," both which come in at the 9-plus minute mark and both tracks offer a simple drum beat as they poetry is read to the listeners in a sort of beatnik styled fashion. As stated earlier, this is certainly not an album that is going to attract the mainstream or the mainstream listener as it tends to go towards the more artsy side of things throughout the album, however with a recent opening spot on tour with Against Me, it is a safe bet that Japanther is building a solid fan base and this album is going to be a perfect into those collections. | |
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JARBOE Mahakali The End Records |
| Jarboe is probably most recognizable to the masses from her 14-year stint with post-punk band The Swans. However, she embarked on a solo career that was vastly different than what you'd come to expect from her and became a critical darling with her release J2. To follow-up, Jarboe has put together "Mahakali," a truly unique, and a truly obscure album. I personally am not a fan of anything like this, but it is what it is. For the most part the songs come in at a long length with some of them early on topping the 8-minute mark, which was the early turnoff for me. While she focused the lyric throughout the album on the real side to life and living with running themes that hit on all emotions her inaudible vocals make the lyric hard to understand and the music just seems to drag on from the obscure into the weird range at any given second with long intros that really don't seem to lead anywhere. Catching the eye of the metal fans will be the names Philip Anselmo of Pantera fame and Attila Csihar of Mayhem fame, both which make guest appearances on this album, but if you know me, then you know that I don't really care for their brand of music much due to a lot of the screaming that comes with it, and yes that is present here as well. Perhaps I missed something when listening to this album. I can say that there is a huge, vast, difference between someone's art and someone creating art for the mainstream fan and this is about as far to the left of the mainstream dial as you can get without breaking the dial. | |
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JAYA THE CAT More Late Night Transmissions With… I Scream Records |
| With the watered down so called punk rock scene these days, when a band like Jaya The Cat comes along it seems almost a no brainer that rejoicing is clearly in order. The band originally hails from Boston and it clearly shows throughout this album. The Boston styled street punk that you have come to love from bands like The Street Dogs, Lost City Angels etc… rings out as you listen to tracks like "Mistake," "The Carnival," and more. You will quickly be pumping your fist in the air as the vocals pull you into the songs, and the simple guitar riffs drive right through the verses and into the soon to be anthem choruses for the new generation. However, this isn't just a street punk band and that is exactly what helps to separate Jaya The Cat from the rest of the pack. Tossing you into the album is a 1:44 second instrumental, reggae dub, "Hold My beer and Watch This." The reggae/ska blend that everyone fell in love with in the mid-90's is very present throughout this album as well. Tracks like "Good Morning," "Thank You Reggae," and "Government Center," all spew the up-tempo reggae goodness that you want to hear from a band fusing together influences of ska, reggae, and punk the way these guys do. Round all of this out with the bonus track, their version of the popular Jimmy Cliff tune "The Harder They Come" and you have just stumbled upon a great band and an equally as great album. | |
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JESUS FUCKING CHRIST AND THE GOD DAMN IT'S He Has Risen Riotous Records |
| Dave Hyde has never had a problem walking along a line that quite simply will offend 99% of the close-minded people that listen to his many creations. However, he may have brought it to an all time low with his latest project and seems almost to be on a mission to make sure you hate him personally by the end of the debut album from his latest project, Jesus Fucking Christ and God Damn It's. The good news is that he has found some others to join him on this project (Leopold Logan Loeb and DJ Dirty So-n' So) so he is not alone in his quest. "Noah, No," lyrically asks the question, Noah are you fucking the animals, while on "Ha Ha Your Son Is Dead," Dave takes on the roll of a preacher throughout a majority of the song and he tells the story of perishing, the needy, etc… However, in typical Dave Hyde fashion none of his albums are complete without some obscure songs that test your sense of humor and for this you need to look no further then "A Song About Muffins," where he sings and screams all about his obsession and love of you guessed it, muffins. Musically, this is one of Dave's projects that actually does have solid guitar riffs with a more hardcore feel at times masked around some of what can only be described as noise. So do you want to know the best part about this album? I am one of those few that can understand this sense of humor and therefore that made this a very fun and goofy album to listen to. So stop taking life so serious and check out "He Has Risen," and yes it may offend you at times, but that was kind of the point here so how can you call this anything but pure genius. | |
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JESUS FUCKING CHRIST AND THE GOD DAMN IT'S Back Alley Abortions Riotous Records |
| So, if you weren't offended enough by the debut album "He Has Risen," Jesus Fucking Christ and The God Damn It's have decided to give you a 4-song, 6-minute, EP all about abortions that starts with a disclaimer on the packaging stating that "this EP was made by choice to piss off those who believe women should not have a choice." With song titles like "Let's Abort The Pope," and "Abort Your Kids," you will most likely be offended before you even hit play. For my personal liking however, I will argue that this is actually the best work to date to come from Dave Hyde's mind. These four songs are vastly different then their debut effort. This displays elements of punk rock from the get go on "Back Alley Abortion Clinic," and later in the EP on "Abort Your Kids." The guitars contain simple riffs and are quite catchy at times and are the driving force behind the songs while Hyde's vocals are spit out quickly and often reminded me of punk rock pioneers like the Dead Kennedy's Jello Biafra. I really wasn't too sure what to expect from this EP, but was pleasantly surprised by it. Though it is going to offend people, which again seems to be the point of this band anyway, it is actually going to gain some fans as well as Hyde isn't afraid to speak his mind and it brings a more true punk rock sound to the forefront in an otherwise watered down, diet punk scene. | |
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JIMMIE'S CHICKEN SHACK Fail On Cue Fowl Records |
| Anyone who has been listening to rock music through the past decade or so is pretty familiar with Jimmie's Chicken Shack. Here's a quick refresher course for you though just in case ya need one. They found their way to the radio with songs like "High," and hit it big with "Do Right," in the early 2000's. Okay now that you've gone, hell yeah, I love those songs, onto the review. On their eighth album, "Fail On Cue," Jimmie's Chicken Shack doesn't stray too far from what you already love. Although they have gone through some personal changes within' the band, Jimi Haha remains in place and brings to the table what he always has as the band's main writer; a raw yet smooth deliver in his lead vocals and an eclectic mix of music from straight up alternative to ska influenced rock while all the while making sure that you have no choice but to move when you're listening. Don't believe me? Just check out tracks like "Caught Down," "Another Great Idea," and "Radio Song," and I dare you to try and sit still and not bob your head along with the beats. But Haha always has a little trick up his sleeve from album to album and this one is no different. For you fans of Ian MacKaye, there is an outstanding version of "Waiting Room" included on this album. This is a more complete album than what I have heard from Jimmie's Chicken Shack in the past in that there isn't a bad song on here. Sure to be a welcome addition to any rock record collection. | |
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JOE COFFEE When The Fabric Don't Fit The Frame I Scream Records |
| The hardcore scene is always an interesting one to explore. You have a variety of different styles of hardcore that come from the streets of Boston, the slums of New York, the sleazy LA scene, and much much more. Joe Coffee front man Rev. Paul Bearer is a graduate of the hardcore scene with his former band Sheer Terror, but this is certainly not a hardcore disc by any means, but rather a true punk rock record with a lot to say. The music is melodic and the bass lines are pumping as they show early on with tracks like "Don't Call Her A Bitch" and "Second String to Your Second Best." They do take a moment or two to slow things down a bit on "The Good Life (I've Seen It)," which shows a very raw Joe Coffee as it almost sounds as if it was recorded in an echo filled basement rather than a studio. The vocals for me leave a little bit to be desired, but it is simply a matter of opinion on that. For the music they are crating a raw and rough vocal like this that doesn't always find the perfect tones and notes makes for some a great addition to an album of this caliber when it comes to delivering the message of the lyric. This is a pretty solid effort and well worth a spin if you are missing the older more true punk rock style that seems to be eluding the scene today. | |
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JOETOWN Pills and Ammo Self-Released |
| The hard rock genre seems to have lost a bit of what made it great back in the day. Nowadays if you are screaming a bunch of lyrics that I can't understand then you get classified as hard rock. If you have a bit of an edge to your guitars and seem to know how to play them loudly, then again you get lumped into that hard rock category. So what makes Joetown different? For starters they are just good, solid, rock music they way it is supposed to be played. It didn't surprise me one bit to find out they had been compared to Alice and Chains and Guns-N-Roses, and heck even got an endorsement from Slash himself. The guitars are hard hitting enough to satisfy fans of the older style of rock, but at the same time throughout the album they are delivered smoothly while not overpowering the vocals, which 99% of the time are what carry the songs. The songs, more often than not have a bit of a haunting feel to them as is most noticeable on "American Altar," a nearly 7-minute song that reminds me of the kind of thing you may hear while waiting in line at a haunted house. The overall feel of the album is simple. Great guitars with a harder edge, surrounded by vocals that drive home the lyrics, that will easily take you back to the early to mid 90's brand of hard rock. If you are one of those people that miss the days when there was a separation between alternative and hard rock radio stations, you will love Joetown cause they will fall somewhere on those stations that played bands like Megadeath, old Metallica, etc… while still sounding unique and different amongst today's rock scene. | |
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JULIEN-K Death To Analog Metropolis Records |
| I never really understand the underground industrial/rave styled music too much. However, Orgy was one of those bands that for some reason I just got and understood, and absolutely loved. So when I found out that the two founding members of Orgy, had this new project they put together I was excited about it and the wait is finally over as they are set to release their debut project on Metropolis Records. So what can you expect from Julien-K? Well, it shouldn't surprise you too much to find out that this is an industrial/rave styled album, but it may surprise you that as much as it mimic's Orgy at times, it is that much different from them as well. The vocals are present and are excellent through out this album, but the focus seems to be much more music driven than it is vocal driven on this album. The beats, dubs, and electronica feel given to this album are all done incredibly well and will instantly be a smash to the industrial dance crowd and Orgy fans alike. Though the new direction did take some getting used to for me, once I got it and understood this project I was stoked about it and fell in love with it the way I did Orgy back in the day. Chester Bennington of Linkin Park fame lent a hand as the executive producer for this album, and with a past as rich as Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck have with this style of music you'd be hard pressed to not find something to love about this album. | |
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JUNO REACTOR Gods and Monsters Self-Released |
| To put it honestly, Juno Reactor just simply isn't my thing at all. But in all fairness I will give you my take as to what their seventh album, "Gods and Monsters" actually contains just in case they may fall into your realm of what is good music. They have indeed been a staple on the music world for quite some time now, landing themselves gigs scoring movies, critics have seemed to love their previous albums, etc… Musically, this is just way too artsy for my tastes. With the idea in place years ago of collaborating with outside artists to achieve a non-commercial sound, I would say that they have more than achieved this goal with their latest effort. Dubs, loops, guitar work that is very very very left of the dial, and hush styled vocals scattered throughout songs that top 7 minutes, is what you will find when you hit play. There isn't anything too catchy about the album and it definitely isn't something that will make you move, tap your foot, or anything that music is supposed to make you do. On the other hand if you want something that is truly unique, truly out there, and truly not even close to being mainstream than Juno Reactor is just what you are looking for. | |