Category: Reviews

All reviews

Bang Camaro

Bang Camaro – S/T (c) 2007 Black Sword Records

Wow! I don’t know if I should run screaming, far and fast or bust out my torn tight jeans and my long luxurious mullet and rock the hell out.

Bang Camaro certainly kicks it old school hair metal. They have an immense rock sound. In fact they have the sound that Night Ranger, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden and Motley Crue all jammed up together on the same stage might have.

Ok, and here’s the crazy part. Bang Camaro has a 20 man ensemble Chorus for monster power rock/ballad/metal use on … the choruses. I suspect it is very difficult to get them to play in a small club. Then again I guess with a big big sound like this, Bang Camaro ought to be heading to a summer festival arena show near you.

If you like your rock as big as your girlfriend’s bangs and riffs as tight as Mike Reno’s leather pants, you will love this. I have to enjoy it in spite of myself. It’s a great amalgamation of the music I loved almost two decades ago.

–Jerry Actually

Capital [Moment of Silence EP]

Capital – Moment of Silence EP (c) 2007 Fresh outta Brooklyn!  Capital makes good with a five track debut entitled Moment of Silence.  Capital are a rock/punk trio from New York and have a melodic quick paced though somewhat post-grunge sound.  I ain't saying that's a bad thing, just think thick wall of sound, heavily compressed music with layers as dense as a Seattle fog.  All in all a good effort by a new band on the block.  They keep the rock focused and fast and they have enough aggression that the rock aspect doesn't become wanking.  In a word, promising.  I'm anxious to hear more. –Jerry Actually

Rizorkestra [American Guitar]

Rizorkestra – American Guitar (c) 2007 Unstrictly Roots A while back, on a walk through the local art museum, I encountered an exhibit that grabbed my attention.  As I looked the content over, it began to seem over-processed and almost sterile.  Nested on the wall next to each piece, were statements from the artist typed out on little scraps of matting board.  I can't recall specific quotes but I remember one that read something to the effect of… “If Picasso were here in the 21st century, he would use a computer for his work too.” I was astonished. It seemed almost like a betrayal of human expression to me. I always believed the formula should be:Human thought process>Medium>Art – NOT – Human>Processor>Product.American Guitar is a nice break from the over-processed, over-produced shit  we hear everyday.  It is true, bluesy, folksie and unpretentious. While it provides no angst or punkiness, I would recommend taking a listen.  You may be surprised to learn that somewhere out there, people are still “paying respect to the roots”.–Krystal Tolle

Bamboula [Guilty Pleasures]

Bamboula – Guilty Pleasures (c) 2007 Wow man! These guys are rocking! Bamboula ROCK ROCK ROCK!! What a great 3 piece. The have a great psychobilly sound with a west coast flair. Their 14 great tracks take you in and the CD holds your attention the whole way through. I must say I would love to see these guys live, because if they can have this much energy on a studio release imagine what they could do live. So I would highly recommend checking these guys out. . It seems like the only down fall is it might be hard to get a hold of this CD but they do have myspace and a website. I give this release 8.5 out of 10.–Joey Socko

Chris Murray- Slackness

(c) 2007 Unstrictly Roots
[rating: 4/5]

I have to start by telling you that I've been anticipating this release for quite some time and because I'm a fan, this may come across as a bit biased.  For the unaware among us, Slackness is a collaborative project between Chris Murray and The Slackers.  I'll have to admit I was taken a bit by surprise with Slackness.  I wasn't sure what to expect, so let me tell you what I got.  12 great tracks of the heart and soul of ska.  The recording offers up a smorgasboard of ska reggae and roots, some old and some new.  Slackness starts with a great cover of "Janie Jones" and into a more traditional Chris sounding track that appears to be co-written with Dan Potthast of Mu330 fame. (admittedly I'm assuming here based on the writing credits.)  The CD continues into a few remakes of older Chris songs with the added twist of being backed by The Slackers, one of the hardest working bands in ska today.  I particularly enjoy "Rastaman Rock", a tuffed up version of the original.  The tracks close with a ironically upbeat war protest song entitled, "Why We Go To War".  I guess this is like the magical moment when someone got their peanut butter on someone else's chocolate.  If you've ever wondered what Chris would sound like backed up by a full band of the caliber of the Slackers, give Slackness a whirl.  Out now on Unstrictly Roots  In closing, you can tell that Chris Murray is totally OG … Check that freakin' bling homie!

–Jerry Actually

The Higher [On Fire]

The Higher – On Fire (c) 2007 EpitaphWell on its way to being the crappiest act I’ve heard this year, I submit to you The Higher. I saw my way through about five tracks of this mind dissolving drivel before I had to pull the plug. On Fire is as lame as it is pretentious. Epitaph declares them to be “Frontrunners of a new subgenre” Maybe this is true if they in the “Lame” sub-genre of the “Crap” genre. They are just another pansy dance-rock Hot Topic hair band. I think The Higher might be what you’d get if Silverchair screwed ABBA. The Higher is lame. On Fire is lame. If you like it, then you too, are lame.–Jerry Actually

Anthem for Odyssey [Come Blister the Sea]

Anthem for Odyssey – Come Blister the Sea (c) 2007 Purewicked Publishing I am oddly at a loss as to what, precisely, to say in regards to Anthem for Odyssey.  They are pretty and haunting, ethereal yet substantial.  It is the moment where sleep and dreams collide.  Come Blister the Sea, by length, is a five track 18 minute EP.  So by punk rock standards, a double album.  Though some of the songs clock in at over four minutes, they move lithely enough to not leave you bored, yet the continuity of the arrangements is fluid enough that it doesn't create a rift.  Sonically, Anthem for Odyssey, is what I would akin to eastern euro dreampop, reminiscent of The Rentals or perhaps a softer version of Salt.  This is a great CD for the musically adventurous.  In all likelihood I wouldn't have picked this one out for myself, but I find myself listening to it over and over again like the siren's song of a different odyssey.  Enjoy, but beware the trap, as it all to quickly draws to an end.–Jerry Actually 

1997 [A Better View of the Rising Moon]

1997 – A Better View of the Rising Moon (c) 2007 Victory Records1997, Victory’s new Chicago based emo five-piece, seem bound and determined to be part of tomorrow’s easy listening classics. Maybe you’ll see a couple of their songs roll by on a Time Life retrospective of the future. “A Better View of the Rising Moon” offers 13 tracks of what may as well be adult contemporary. Sadly it reminds me a lot of what happened to Smashing Pumpkins when they lost their initial edge. It is completely radio friendly and accessible to the teaming masses. In fact I bet your mom would love this CD … Hey, Mother’s Day is coming up. I have an idea.–Jerry Actually

The Said [Divisadero]

The Said – Divisadero (c) 2007 Fathom One I'm not entirely sure what to make of The Said.  They hail from Davis, CA and are very indie/alternative.  Divisadero marks their fourth release for Fathom One Records and nowadays they are split between Davis and DC.  Kind of an odd way to run things as a band, but I guess stranger things have happened.  Divisadero seems like an alright disc for the type of music that it is.  It really isn't for me though.  I'm thinking Bauhaus mixed with Lou Reed and old REM with an occasional hand from Dylan.  It is mellow and spatial; totally college rock.  Take it for what it's worth.  If you are into college/indie/alt rock, check out The Said.–Jerry Actually 

All Out War [Assassins in the House of God]

All Out War – Assassins in the House of God (c) 2007 Victory Records There have been words bandied about to describe the sound of All Out War, words like: brutal and the most brutal and totally brutal and brutal hardcore. My friends, these words are true.� “Assassins in the House of God”, The brand sparkin’ new disc from All Out War is a gutsy thrashcore assault to senses and an affront to any other band that can’t or wont do it like this. With out delving to deeply into the lyrical content of the disc, there are 11 tracks of aggro metal hardcore decrying evil in the name of religion. It is certainly an oft-covered topic, but based on the state of the world today, a timely one still. All Out War packs the dark metal intensity of Slayer or later Testament and delivers it with hardcore bombast like Sick of It All or Blood for Blood. Basically what I’m saying is that All Out War kicks ass on hardcore metal without having to rely on vocal styles ripped off from Napalm Death.–Jerry Actually