En Route, the second album from singer/songwriter Cameron Blake, is a refreshingly unique masterpiece. Although the Baltimore musician has his master’s in violin performance, he is clearly a man of many talents. With fantastic orchestrations from the young musician, the album will take you on a journey paved not only with violin, but beautiful...
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Fool’s Gold is an LA-based octet that recently released their self-titled debut, Fool’s Gold. It’s honestly difficult to adequately capture their sound – some make comparisons to Vampire Weekend, but that’s like saying a Lotus is similar to a Toyota because they have the same engine. What you’ve got here is a homegrown fusion...
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Dan Webb and The Spiders have put forth a new album that hints of greatness underneath layers of unnecessary mudding and distortion. Released in fall 2009, The self titled album features 9 tracks that take the listener on a roller coaster ride of catchy vs. unmemorable. The sound ranges from that of garage punk...
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I grew up listening to pop-punk, so I have a fondness for it that goes far beyond the marginal toleration most reviewers give it. I also grew up listening to local bands from faraway places like Baltimore. So, FFHH (which is now going by the abbreviation of their former title Faster Faster Harder Harder)...
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South Texas band Dignan may have arrived on the stage quietly, and there was no pomp and circumstance as the five members of Dignan unpretentiously and unassumingly began their set. But that certainly didn’t last long, as the band launched into their thumping, pounding live show at the Opolis in Norman, Oklahoma. Their strong,...
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I’m really picky about female vocalists; it’s just the way I am. That’s why my discovery of Jenny and Tyler is so exciting. The former part of the moniker has a wonderful voice that elevates the duo’s acoustic-based folk tunes to a level that wouldn’t be achieved simply by the rest of the album...
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I am addicted to pop music. I play it, I listen to it, I write about it. So when a band comes along that delivers brain-grabbing melodies, singalongs, and musical skill to boot, I jump on that like a trampoline. Thus, cue the applause for Skyline Circle. Skyline Circle consists of a pianist/vocalist, a...
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It’s hard to judge objectively something that you are intimately acquainted with. Vocalists have a tough time taking other vocalists seriously, and writers are notoriously hard on other writers. That’s why We Are the City‘s accomplishment with In a Quiet World is so astonishing. They’ve made the piano (something I play on a daily...
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Dignan brings a different meaning to the “indie” tag. Being an independent band means a lot more when you’re coming from the very deep south of Texas. Four of the five members of Dignan hail from just barely north of the border, in McAllen, Texas. “A lot of times people are surprised that anything...
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For a ’90s kid like myself, Boston-based Beautiful Lies sounds like a blast from the past that I can actually remember. The mainstream music of the ’90s has been subject to (unproductive?) debate, but it can’t be denied that this time period popularized fuzzy garage sounds and the pop-punk category. Beautiful Lies’ revival of...
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