Reviews

The Vincent Black Shadow – Fears in the Water

May 30, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

The Vincent Black Shadow is a Canadian five-piece band signed to the Bodog record label. ‘Fears in the Water’ is the debut album from the band and comprises of a grand total of thirteen tracks amassing to fifty one minutes of music. For the most part the tracks tend to clock in at around the four minute mark and the sound created here can be quite a hard hitting one.

The ‘Fears in the Water’ album is quite an interesting one, the band features a female lead vocalist and it is her voice that stands out strongly throughout the album as the key feature of the music that has here been created. The vocal style of The Vincent Black Shadow front woman Cassandra Ford is extremely similar to that of Gwen Stefani, the vocal sound created throughout this album comes across strongly and always there is great power in her voice. Although the bands singer is strong; not always do the other components of the music work too well here with this album. Sometimes it seems that this band is trying to create a few too many sounds at once and the music therefore can on occasion sound a little messy.

Beginning with ‘Metro’ the album starts quite strongly here, the chorus is rather repetitive but the track does I feel work quite well. The vocals sound strong here but the repetitive nature of the music detracts away from the overall quality of the sound that has here been created. It’s a well constructed track, the chorus can cause quite an irritation however and this is in fact something that is true of many of the tracks on this album. Never is the music particularly bad as such, the instrumental element just has quite a tendency to be more than a little repetitive.

Throughout this ‘Fears in the Water’ album the guitars always possess great strength and accompany the vocals perfectly. The guitars are excellent, the vocals are brilliant, but often the melodies created here are not hugely impressive. All too often here the tracks begin well but soon become irritating as the repetitive nature of the music begins to grate. This is not to take anything away from the quality of the vocal performance; always the voice of Cassandra Ford is incredibly strong here and never does the power of her voice cease to amaze me.

Title track ‘Fears in the Water’ is probably the best track that this album has to offer, the music is well presented by the band here and always the sound created here is a strong one. The track progresses well and never is there a dull moment here. There’s some strong guitar work, the vocals are powerful as ever and every element of the music just seems to come together to perfection. I really have a great appreciation for the title track on this album, the sound created suits the band strongly and had the band produced more tracks here of this sort of style then the album would be a lot better I feel. It’s a powerful rock track, the best way to describe the sound created here would be to say that it is quite similar to that of Evanescence and my opinion of the track is that it is absolutely excellent.

‘Dream’ has to be my least favourite track from this album, it just doesn’t seem to work and the plodding pace of the instrumental element and stretching of the word ‘dream’ to about ten seconds in length is really quite an odd one. It’s by far the weakest track on this album in my opinion, I just fail to see the appeal of the track and every time I listen to it the droning nature of the music fails to impress me. There are times here when the vocal performance is incredibly strong and huge power can be felt protruding through, for the most part however the track just seems to fail.

The main positive that can be drawn from this album is the excellence of the voice of front woman Cassandra Ford, the guitars possess great strength also but it is truly the vocalist that is the star of the show here. Despite the supreme vocal performance here, the music created is really quite a disappointment on the whole. Many of the tracks featured on this album do not progress too well at all and listening to this album can therefore be quite a disappointment. The Vincent Black Shadow is most certainly a band with great potential; work certainly needs to be put in on the instrumental side of things however as at current I just do not feel that this band is quite the finished article. The repetitive nature of the music is a great let down here, something that stops the album from ever being truly excellent and an element that holds back the overall quality of the music.

Label: Bodog Music
Release Date: 5th November 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Producers With Computers – Girlies

May 12, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Girlies’ is the debut single from the Southend based Producers With Computers, a grime/pop crossover duo that has gained radio backing from the likes of Zane Lowe and Steve Lamaq. The music created here reminds me a little of the John B track ‘I’ve Been Stalking You On Myspace’ which emerged in late 2006; a pretty crap song really but one where the lyrics are fairly amusing the first time you hear the track. ‘Girlies’ works on entirely the same premise as ‘I’ve Been Stalking You On Myspace’ only it’s probably not done quite so well and isn’t so interesting to listen to. The music created here fast becomes irritating, it’s never going to be noted as a classic release of 2008 but I’m sure that there will plenty out there that will be vaguely amused when they hear this one. It’s pretty rubbish really, it’s rubbish in a good way though and that’s something that I actually quite like about this track; the music isn’t taken too seriously and for that reason it’s a fairly good bit of fun. Give ‘Girlies’ a listen, you’ll probably never want to hear it ever again but it’s definitely worth listening to the once.

Label: Trash Society Records
Release Date: 1st April 2008

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Duffy – Warwick Avenue

May 11, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Duffy is a supreme Welsh wonder of a recording artist; her voice is hugely powerful and never does her music disappoint. ‘Warwick Avenue’ is the latest single to be lifted from the super album ‘Rockferry’ and once more the stunning voice of Duffy shines through as she blasts her way through an action packed four minutes of music here. The voice of Duffy truly is of an exceptional quality, throughout this track the beauteous nature of her voice comes through sensationally and the song structure here truly is superb. The track is full of life, the melody is masterful and once more here Duffy has shown exactly why her debut album has deservedly sold so many copies and why the likes of English newspaper The Observer and American music magazine Rolling Stone think so highly of her.

Label: A&M
Release Date: 26th May 2008

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

The Rivers – She Gives It Around

May 6, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Released through NoCarbon Records, ‘She Gives It Around’ is the latest single from the Brighton based band The Rivers; a powerful track which comes complete with the excellent B-side of ‘Fold For You’ also. The music is powerfully put across here, the guitars are excellent and an extremely energetic sound is created by the band here. The vocals are incredibly well sung for the single track ‘She Gives It Around’, the vocal tone of the bands lead singer is absolutely excellent and never does the music of The Rivers disappoint. The music is powerful, the progression of the track superb and never does this band put a note wrong with either the single ‘She Gives It Around’ or bright and bold B-side ‘Fold For You’ either. With the B-side it is left purely to the vocals and guitar to put the music across, the track is executed excellently and in some ways the B-side is in fact even more impressive than the single itself.

The Rivers is an extremely talented band, a band that I thoroughly expect to go far. Producing music as excellent as this it should only be a matter of time before the phenomenal force of The Rivers is recognised by many.

Label: NoCarbon Records
Release Date: 28th April 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Giants Fall – Demo

May 6, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Having formed from the ashes of the punk rock band Breakneck, the four members of Giants Fall got together with an aim of creating music far greater than they ever had done before. Although under the name of Breakneck the band toured with the likes of Capdown and Gallows; this is a band that I was not before familiar with and therefore did not quite know what to expect with this three track demo. Having listening to the tracks from this release I have to say that I’m quite impressed with the sound that has been created here. The approach taken by this band is incredibly fresh and interesting, the music is put across well here and this demo therefore sounds strong.

Throughout this demo the guitar riffs come firing, the drum beats strongly surge through and the vocal approach taken here is quite excellent also. The sound created here is an interesting one, the band constantly bounces between fiery hardcore assaults and more melodic moments. The music is not always hugely hard hitting here, more often than not however the band impresses here and the sound created comes across incredibly well. This demo possesses plenty of promise; the three tracks of ‘Vacate The Building’, ‘Paper Cups & String’, and ‘Irevive’ are put together extremely well and the music created is a strong sound to listen to. I expect to see a lot more of this artist in the future, I can see Giants Fall increasing in excellence as time passes by and progressing to produce a fuller and even more well constructed sound.

Release Date: 21st June 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

The Thirst – Sail Away

April 28, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

The Thirst is a band that truth be told does very little for me. The music isn’t bad, but it’s not greatly memorable and it just really washes over me without leaving much of a lasting impression whatsoever. In the single ‘Sail Away’ the band prove themselves to be quite catchy with the chorus here, but ultimately this music isn’t particularly impressive and after only a couple of listens I find myself to be more than a little tired of the track. I’d be happy to listen to music of this sort on the radio, and it’s okay in small doses but to listen to a whole album of this wouldn’t be particularly appealing to me at all. I can see why some people might love this band, but they’re not a band for me really, the music just isn’t powerful enough to hold my interest and keep me captivated.

Label: Wooden Records
Release Date: 28th April 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

The Getaway Team – Lost All Hope

April 28, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Lost All Hope’ is an exciting new single release from the brilliant indie/pop punk band that is The Getaway Team. This track comes across very much like the music of The Ordinary Boys and I for one must say that I absolutely love it. This is not the most original sound in the world, the music is however full of energy and excitement. The sound is put across well by The Getaway Team here and I really enjoy the music that this band creates. There are few bands out there that I enjoy the music of as much as this right now. Since hearing the bands ‘Haven’t You Head…’ EP I have held an extremely fond love for the music of The Getaway Team, ‘Lost All Hope’ is a fine example of the bands work I feel and should put a smile on the face of all those that hear it. If you enjoy a good bit of pop heavy indie music then I’m sure that you’ll absolutely love this one. There’s so much to take from the music and not for a second does the sound created by this band ever disappoint here.

Give ‘Lost All Hope’ a listen; I’m certain you’ll enjoy what you hear, particularly if you like the music of such bands as The Ordinary Boys. The music of The Getaway Team is creatively inspiring and always extremely well put together; highly recommended.

Label: Easy Tiger
Release Date: 28th April 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

StoneRider – Three Legs of Trouble

April 25, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Three Legs of Trouble’ is a fiery display of rock n’ roll from the hard rock band that is StoneRider. The band hails from the American state of Georgia and this is the first album recorded and released under the name of StoneRider, before this however the four members that make up this band had previously been in a band together under the name of Fight Paris. Ten tracks are on display here, all of which are extremely hard hitting and never is there a dull moment with the music of StoneRider. This is certainly a band with a great talent for producing powerful rock music; this is something that soon becomes highly apparent with this ‘Three Legs of Trouble’ album as right from the offset the music is absolutely packed full of energy and excitement.

‘Rush Hour, Baby’ begins this release and immediately the music here makes an impact. From the opening guitar riff you can tell that this album is going to be something really rather special and as it all unfolds you’re certainly not left at all disappointed. The vocals come firing through here, the drum beats pound proudly, and the bass lines also sound extremely succulent. The sound that is created here is that of exciting rock music. The guitars are the most prominent feature in the music of StoneRider here and it is the guitar riffs that are the most impressive element of the bands sound throughout this ‘Three Legs of Trouble’ album. The guitar riffs that the band put forward with opening track ‘Rush Hour, Baby’ truly are phenomenal, throughout this album never does the musical edginess stop coming full throttle and always the sound created on this album is incredibly hard hitting.

For those that love their rock music, ‘Three Legs of Trouble’ should be regarded as essential listening. Tracks such as ‘Hair of the Dog’ and ‘Wild Child’ are particularly impressive here I feel. ‘Wild Child’ is a particularly strong rock track to listen to; the southern drawl of the bands front man Matt Tanner comes across perfectly here. With this track the sound put forward by the band is a cross between hard rock and southern rock, the music works magnificently and the sound created here truly is epic. It is the guitar riffs that make the music so powerful here, but also the vocal tone that makes this one stand out so much. Every element of the music just seems to fit together; ‘Wild Child’ is a finely structured track with an incredible chorus to boot.

‘Hair of the Dog’ begins with an incredible drum beat and it is this that makes this track stand out so much for me. The band makes an instant impact with this one through the powerful use of the drum kit, the guitars soon follow and once more the vocals are incredibly effective. With this track it almost sounds as though the guitar licks are put forward in reply to the lyrics of Matt Tanner. The vocalist sings a line and then the guitar returns a musical reply straight after, it’s an extremely interesting track and the guitars do in fact speak greater volumes than the vocals do here. Often the vocals are removed from the sound entirely here, the music is left to do all the talking and a fine job the instrumental element of the music does of it all too. The talent of StoneRider is put across superbly with this track I feel, all four of the bands members possess a great musical ability and the ten tracks of this album there are always incredibly well put together and an absolute joy to listen to.

‘Shut My Mouth’ ends this album well, the music is as electric as ever and the lively nature of the bands sound is perfectly put across here in order to bless this ‘Three Legs of Trouble’ album with one final moment of glory. The chorus is excellent, a brilliant track to sing along to and one that closes this album in incredible style. Such excellence is attained with the sound of the guitars here, perhaps more so than ever the guitar riffs are a central element to the music with this final track and as ever the musical construction of this track certainly does not disappoint. The track clocks in at four and a half minutes in length; the band does plenty throughout the run time of this track in order to hold your interest wholly and never allow for your interest to wander. As you listen to ‘Shut My Mouth’ always you feel entirely entertained, the strength of this track is great and everything about the music does plenty to impress here.

For those that appreciate the music of such artists as AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and Wolfmother also I would most definitely recommend giving this ‘Three Legs of Trouble’ album a listen. For all fans of music in fact I would advise giving this album a listen, the choruses are always excellent and the talent with which this band puts across the guitar sound in the music truly is phenomenal. There is plenty to take from this debut album from StoneRider, this band is clearly in possession of an abundance of talent and this is something that is always shown throughout the ten tracks of this album. There are a total of forty minutes of music present on this album spread over the ten tracks, never does the music of StoneRider disappoint here and always in fact the sound that the band presents here is absolutely brilliant. StoneRider is a terrifically talented band, this is something that is most definitely shown on this ‘Three Legs of Trouble’ album and I therefore have nothing but love for this release.

Label: Trustkill Records
Release Date: 28th January 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Neurosonic – Drama Queen

April 24, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

Arriving in the world of rock via techno/dance, this is the début album from Jason Darr’s Neurosonic. Never confining themselves to one genre, the band blasts through this release with the confidence and conviction of a band that has been performing together for some years. Producing a dark and devilish kind of noise, Neurosonic is a band with a sound that is very much its own. The album is packed full of raging riffs and towering choruses, this is a band with a mesmerizing charismatic force. Think Nine Inch Nails, but with greater pop sensibilities and a more electrifying industrial edge.

Tracks such as ‘So Many People’ and ‘Me Myself and I’ are particularly effective from this album, always the music is crammed full of excitement and the edginess of the music never ceases to amaze and enthral me. I would not say that industrial music is my first choice of genre when it comes to music, I certainly love what it is that Neurosonic is doing however as the music here is absolutely sensational. This is such an innovative début album from the Canadian industrial outfit that is Neurosonic, never does the music here fail to impress and always in fact this ‘Drama Queen’ album has plenty to offer. The reason the music is so effective is because this band does not pure and simply stick to the genre of industrial, elements of other musical genres are brought into the mix here in order to provide for an incredibly full and well rounded sound.

When listening to this album it is made very clear that Neurosonic is a band with a strong grounding in the techno/dance genre. The crossover between rock and dance here is phenomenal, the music possesses a great energy and never is this bands music ever short of excitement. Neurosonic is a band made up of four members, each of which is extremely talented and the combined efforts of these four figures really provides for an exciting album here in the form of ‘Drama Queen’. It seems that each of the four members of this band brings something different to the mix, something that makes the music of Neurosonic stand out as exceptional. The musical backgrounds of all of the bands members are here brought into the music, Neurosonic is a band like no other and the sound that is created here is therefore extremely innovative and creatively excellent.

With this album Neurosonic has something slightly different to offer with each and every track. There is an eclectic array of influences on display here, something that is made highly clear with the sound that is produced throughout this ‘Drama Queen’ album. There is at times a high degree of dance influence that can be felt impacting upon the music, at other stages the music is very much industrial in its approach, and at others the music takes more of a straight up hard rock approach. As you listen to this album you never quite know where the bands sound will go next, always there is a high level of energy running through the music and the unpredictability of it all makes this album incredibly exciting to listen to.

For fans of industrial/alternative metal then I feel that this ‘Drama Queen’ album should really be considered as essential listening. The album is excellent from start to finish and always the music of this band has plenty to offer. ‘Drama Queen’ will not be to everyone’s taste, those that appreciate the sounds made by artists such as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails however this album should be of great appeal. ‘Drama Queen’ truly is an album full of excitement, high energy is here apparent at all stages of the albums progression and I for one wholeheartedly recommend giving this release a listen. The problem with the bands music being so diverse and different is that many may not find this music too approachable. Neurosonic is a band in a league of its own, a band creating a sound far different to anyone else out there and sounding all the more excellent for it. The bands greatest strength is also it’s biggest pitfall, never will the music of Neursonic appeal to a particularly mainstream audience and always this bands fan base will be rooted very much in the underground.

Label: Bodog Music
Release Date: 5th November 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

My Awesome Compilation – Frontiers

April 20, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Frontiers’ is the latest studio release from the UK based band My Awesome Compilation, an album produced by Hundred Reasons’ Larry Hibbitt and one that showcases a darker direction for the band. Long gone is the squeaky pop sound of old and what we have here instead is a heavier and much more hard hitting musical approach from the band. A lot has happened for My Awesome Compilation in the past few years; in 2004 the band had a split single with Fall Out Boy, and more recently the bands ‘Put Up A Fight’ track was used in the popular computer game Saints Row and featured in the Australian version of Big Brother also. Add to this the fact that the band has toured with the likes of Fall Out Boy, Funeral For A Friend, and even The Darkness and the success of My Awesome Compilation is clear for all to see.

With this ‘Frontiers’ album the quartet that is My Awesome Compilation has here produced some of the bands finest tracks to date. The music is different in sound, the strong melodies and catchy choruses are still present however and the music just takes a meatier approach. The changes that the band has made I feel have been hugely beneficial to the overall sound of the music of My Awesome Compilation. The music that the band was already creating was strong, here however the band has upped the ante and further enhanced an already finely honed sound. ‘Frontiers’ is ten tracks strong, never is there a dull moment here and always the music is massively impressive. Opening track ‘Red Is For Danger’ begins the album on slightly dodgy ground I feel, the backing vocals don’t quite sound right and yet other than this everything is absolutely excellent. The first track on the album is all good other than the few dodgy moments where the backing vocals protrude through in the sound and slightly ruin what is otherwise an excellent introduction to the ‘Frontiers’ album.

What I have always loved most about the music of My Awesome Compilation is the bands vocal tone. Vocally the band is really fresh and exciting, the vocals are always full of life and when listening to the bands music this is I feel always the central focus. The guitar hooks are succulent also, there’s nothing better than this bands vocal work however and always the approach this band takes brings a smile to my face. The music really comes together exceptionally well at all points on this album, every track here is blessed with a beautiful chorus and the melodies truly are terrific. The guitars possess more power here than has ever before been present in the bands music and this I feel is something that has worked out incredibly well for My Awesome Compilation on this ‘Frontiers’ album. Tracks such as ‘Ghosts on the Underground’, ‘Hostage’, and ‘Accelerate’ have all turned out brilliantly on this album I feel. In truth I do not feel that any of the ten tracks on display have turned out badly here, these few are perhaps a little better than the others but nothing here would I ever classify as poor. ‘Accelerate’ stands out strongly I feel due to the heaviness that the band here puts across, listening to this track sounds like listening to a completely different band and I for one absolutely love it. Unlike with opening track ‘Red Is For Danger’ the backing vocals here work incredibly well and nothing about this one disappoints.

‘Ghosts on the Underground’ was actually chosen to be the lead single from this album and it’s not hard to hear why. This one is incredibly catchy and comes across terrifically. The vocals come belting through here, the guitars are hard hitting whilst remaining light enough to appeal to the pop demographic, and everything about ‘Ghosts on the Underground’ just seems to come together perfectly. Underneath the main sound of the music a keyboard can at times be heard, this provides a soft and gentle undertone for the track which contrasts extremely effectively with the heavier sound of the guitars and other instruments. It’s a powerful number, a strong single and a track that I personally extremely enjoy listening to.

A strong closing track always goes down a treat with me, and ‘Save Yourself’ most certainly ends this ‘Frontiers’ album sensationally well. It’s a three minute track, an extremely soft one when compared to much of the rest of this album and one that brings this release to a perfect close. After a hard edged nine tracks of punk heavy pop punk, ‘Save Yourself’ is a nice light way of ending the album and is extremely effective I feel in bringing this album to its climax. ‘Frontiers’ is a strong album so it’s only right then that it should finish with a track that leaves you wanting for more. A good album always has you craving for it all to continue, this is definitely the case here and when this ‘Frontiers’ album comes to a close you’re left with a sinking feeling and great sorrow that the album is over. The album clocks in at a total of just over thirty minutes in length, and when the music finishes you most certainly feel that listening to this album has been thirty minutes well spent.

My Awesome Compilation has always been an excellent band, this album I feel is an extremely strong release from them and one that most definitely does not disappoint. The harder direction that this band has taken has certainly worked out, the music of My Awesome Compilation sounds all the better and although this album gets off to a rocky start the nine tracks that follow more than make up for this. ‘Red Is For Danger’ is not a bad track to begin this album with, it’s just that the backing vocals do not work out too well here and the music is therefore not as effective as it should be. ‘Frontiers’ is certainly an album that I would recommend to fans of pop punk; the music is strong and never does this band here disappoint. ‘Frontiers’ is an angry album from My Awesome Compilation, lyrically the band is stronger than ever and musically also the sound produced here is far greater than ever before. The bands début album ‘Actions’ was released in 2005, since then the four members of My Awesome Compilation have come a long way and now the music being made is greater than ever. It would seem that the band is gaining in talent and experience all the time, the music is getting progressively stronger and ‘Frontiers’ provides great evidence of the bands furthered talent and expertise in creating incredibly fine music. Give this album a listen, the music is strong and this band I feel is now the best that it has ever been.

Label: Small Town Records
Release Date: 26th May 2008

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.