Your Backstage Pass To The Music Industry
Your Backstage Pass To The Music Industry
 |
Latest Updates
|
 |
 |
|
 |
MIKE MANGIONE Tenebrae Self-Released |
| Glenview, Illinois is a stone's throw away from our offices so we are always happy to see an artist break out and succeed from our area, but when an album like Mike Mangione's "Tenebrae" finds it's way to our desks we are not only happy but proud to be from this area. Having found huge success with his 2005 album "There and Back," he has followed it up with what has instantly become one of my favorite albums of the year thus far. From the opening notes of "Waiting For No One" you are instantly thrust into a mellow, adult alternative, sound, that will capture your attention with the passionate vocals that carries through the entire album. There is some pop involved in the songwriting (see "You Don't Wanna Leave"), but it is Mangione's voice that carries the songs, draws you into them, and makes you want to hear more. He has effectively created an honest album that is not too much like anything else out there right now, but will easily please fans of artists like James Blunt, Maroon 5, etc… and is a welcome addition to my collection and an album that I can honestly say isn't going to leave my CD player for a long time. | |
 |
MARION SQUARE Draw The Line Marion Square LLC |
| Marion Square is something I would normally listen to, mainly it isn't my cup of tea, but Draw the Line was pretty good. It reminds me of a cross between Dave Mathews Band and Evanescence. Vocalist McCall Cruse has a beautiful voice, but her voice is what makes most of the songs sound the same. I think this was a decent album, but I don't think this deserves more than a 3 out of 5. (Nick Zamfoti) | |
 |
MATINEE CLUB The Modern EP Ninth Wave Records |
| From Blondie to the Cure to Duran Duran, The Matinee Club combines all of these influences to create a new wave tinged debut album that is sure to catch on with an early 30's crowd. When you hit play you are thrown into a pop record with a whole lot of synth thrown into the mix making for an album that will have you wondering if you are listening something originally released in the 80's. There seems to be a trend of bands like this coming out right now, but what separates The Matinee Club from the pack the most is the sexy, seductive vocals by Emma Cooke, who is recognized in London from her appearances on TV and in film. She does however split the vocals a majority of the time with Nathan Cooper, who's voice instantly reminded me of a cross between Tears For Fears and Duran Duran. Together their vocals compliment each other and bring the songs to life. An added bonus for you fans of David Bowie is their version of Bowie's "Modern Love." You will not be disappointed. This is one of those albums that while it isn't a style I would normally listen to, you have to give credit where credit is due. This is well-crafted music that is going to be perfect alongside any of the bands that littered mainstream radio in the 80's, so get out your legwarmers and hit the dance floor. | |
 |
MOTHER MOTHER Oh My Heart Last Gang Records |
| Vancouver's Mother Mother raised some eyebrows with the critics when their debut album came out, so with their follow-up album, "O My Heart," set for release this fall my interest was peaked although I had never heard their music, I only heard of the band. Unfortunately it only took a couple minutes for my interest to turn as this is totally not my thing. I am a simple guy. I like simple lyrics that get right to the point, simple guitars, and simple, understandable vocals… there really isn't too much of that here. The three vocalists harmonize a lot, often times making the vocals get lost and buried into the mix. Lyrically, they are poetic which means they leave you trying to figure out just what they are trying to say at times. Guitars, well okay these are a little bit simpler and through it all stand out best the best part of the album. Mother Mother is just one of those bands that tries to be more than they are. If they spent less time going for complexity in their songs and lyrics, and focus on their pop sensibility a bit more, then they could be a great band but they chose to go the complex route and driving me away from really digging this band at all. | |
 |
MOTHER TRUCKERS Let's All Go To Bed Funzalo Records |
| So just how stupid can the country music industry be? Well let me tell ya. They are so set in their ways and let the same 5, ego driven songwriters, write just about every song you hear on mainstream country radio, and turn their cheek to an original, hard rocking, country band like the Mother Truckers and dub them as alt. Country. With that being said, I will take Austin's music scene over Nashville's any day when they have bands like The Mother Truckers as a part of it. On their latest release, "Let's All Go To Bed," the Mother Truckers bring their brand of outlaw country fused together with a rockin', Rolling Stones tinged Blues style (see "Streets of Atlanta), and have put together one hell of an album. Right from the opening notes of "Dynamite" this album explodes with a rockin' brand of country, complete with walking bass lines, and sing-a-long choruses, that will no doubt have you bopping right along. The vocals provided by both Josh Zee and Teal Collins are excellent. Teals' gritty, raw delivery masked by a sweet exterior is enough to draw comparisons to the likes of Gretchen Wilson, while Zee's outstanding backing vocals help to fill in their overall sound. Call the Mother Truckers what you want to. Roots Rock, Alt. Country, etc… I believe that this is what country music today oughta sound like and if you like your country rocking as much as I do then this is a must have album for you. | |
 |
MOTLEY CRUE Saints of Los Angeles Motley Records |
| There are some bands from my youth that put out bad album after bad album, and go on reality TV shows in an effort to recapture the spirit of what they once had going for them. Then there are the leaders of the Los Angeles sleaze rock scene. This album is the first album with the original Motley Crue lineup in over a decade and I want to be one of the first to say welcome back. The thing that I love about Motley Crue and more importantly "Saints of Los Angeles" is that these guys aren't trying to recapture the glory and fame they had in the Dr. Feelgood era, but rather they understand that times have changed, not to mention the hard rock genre of music, and their return isn't something out of the past full of nostalgia, but rather a glimpse into the present hard rock scene and they pull it off with the best of them. From the great guitar licks, pounding drums, and Vince Neil's surprisingly, outstanding vocals throughout this album, hard rock music fans will be pleasantly surprised. This is a personal album, based around the highly successful biography, "The Dirt" and perfectly exploits the Crue's history and let's you live it with them. As long as you aren't going into this album looking for the past, then you will not find anything to complain about here. This is a solid album full of today's style of hard rock music from a band that knows how to do it. | |
 |
ALISON MOYET The Turn W14 Music |
| Alison Moyet's latest release The Turn was the most terrible thing I have ever heard in my life. I'm trying to think of something good to say about the CD and nothing at all come to mind except she sings like Morissey, which is a compliment, but her music sounds like a terrible generic version of The Smiths. I have never listened to a cd that was so bad that it left me speechless.... until I listened to this CD. That's enough said. This is 1/2 out of 5 and I'm being generous with that 1/2! (Nick Zamfoti) | |