For a man who hasn’t recorded an album in 30 years, Mason Daring’s self-titled release is remarkable. The album sounds as if he spent all that time honing his craft. I am extremely impressed with how well it is put together, and how Mason Daring (I just have to say his full name again;...
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Phosphenes by DC’s Imperial China just might be the next big thing! I cannot stop listening to this album! It comes out Valentine’s Day, 2010 as a split release between DC labels Sockets Records and Ruffian Records. On first listen, I hear this kick-ass, big beat, Battles-type stuff woven through tight, Gang of Four-type...
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It’s really hard for me to judge Moruza objectively. Moruza (which is named after its primary songwriter, Leslie Moruza Dripps) plays quirky, upbeat piano songs that have equal parts pop glee and serious contemplation. The fact that both moods often occur in the same song, and that Moruza has a penchant for both strings...
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Making “serious music” is always kind of a gamble. When you’re making standard pop music, you can pretty much guarantee that at the very least, drunk guys at the bar are going to think you’re freakin’ awesome and buy a CD. But when you’re making a statement and causing people to think about your...
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I’ve had a spate of number bands recently. I reviewed TiLT 360 the other day, I recently reviewed Black Heart Procession’s Six, and now I’ve got a double dose in reviewing The Fifth by Seven. I’m not really sure what causes people to name their band a number, but it seems to have no...
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I hate Nickelback. But I don’t hate them because of their music. They have every right to be watered-down grunge or roughed-up pop (whichever you prefer). It’s that they legitimately think they are hardcore. It’s obvious to anyone who’s actually heard a rock band that Nickelback is not hardcore, but Nickelback takes themselves as...
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As far as experienced lineups go, The City and Skyway seems to have hit the jackpot. Band members have previously played in Dashboard Confessional, Lifetime, Limbeck, The Promise Ring, The Benjamins, and others. And yet, as the star power doesn’t exactly add up on Everything Looks Worse in Black and White. There are certainly...
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I was at an Oklahoma City Thunder game yesterday, and “Blitzkrieg Bop” came on over the PA in the same loop as fragments of rap songs, “Jump Around” by House of Pain and various songs mostly known as Jock Jams. While the Ramones have suffered far worse indignities in terms of where they’ve been...
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Andy Davis‘ New History EP falls neatly into the mature pop genre. Davis’ clear, soulful tenor fits neatly into the constraints of the genre, and his paino-led songwriting does similarly. It’s no knock to the quality of the EP; that’s just the way it is. If you like Mraz, the Fray, John Mayer, even...
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Bluskreen’s Mockup is exactly what I like to see from a sophomore album: an album that builds off the established sound of the first release without abandoning the trademarks that made the debut so good. The sounds in Mockup expand on the cinematic downtempo techno of debut Selections by incorporating a lot more analog...
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