Review by Billy Geary
If our friends on the other side of the globe the French are known for one thing, it most certainly isn’t for their music scene, let alone experimental metal. With their debut album Februus, French metallers Uneven Structure are about to change all of that. Combining the atmosphere of bands like Pink Floyd with the intensity of Meshuggah, the French sextet have created an album that is both brutal and beautiful, often at the same time. Continue reading Uneven Structure – Februus | Album Review
Tag Archives: album review
Album Review | Every Avenue – Bad Habits
Review – Sibel Kutlucan
Every Avenue have returned with their brand new album, Bad Habits, which packs a punch and will definitely remain on repeat. The quintet hailing from Michigan had a reputation to uphold after the success of Picture Perfect (released 2009) and I was a little anxious to listen to Bad Habits; not wanting to sully their past tracks that I had grown fond of, but at the same time wanting to hear more. In the end I gave it a listen and I was glad I did!
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Stray From The Path – Rising Sun | Album Review
Review by Billy Geary
  Rising Sun – Stray from the Path |
New York hardcore quartet Stray From The Path have been around for quite a while now, with their past albums only ever hinting at the bands potential. Rising Sun however, changes all of that, delivering 30 minutes of excellent hardcore done right. Despite being their sixth album, Rising Sun shows that while the band’s sound hasn’t changed much over the past few years, Stray From The Path remain relevant due to the sheer passion and energy they bring to the music. Rising Sun’s strength lies in that while it sticks to a relatively stringent formula, it is more often than not a winning one, demanding attention for the entirety of the record. |
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Ladytron – Gravity The Seducer | Album Review
Review by Natalie Salvo
By now fans of Ladytron will be well-acquainted with their parallels to Roxy Music. The English quartet were named after the latter’s song; two members once posed as Roxy-like pinups for their remix album “Softcore Jukebox”; and there are certainly elements of the glam pop sound permeating their music. But while the group had previously aligned aspects of themselves with the latter’s frontman, Bryan Ferry, on album number five, “Gravity The Seducer” they seem to be taking a leaf out of his former bandmate’s book (and later solo work), i.e. Brian Eno and his famed atmospherics.
Continue reading Ladytron – Gravity The Seducer | Album Review
Lindi Ortega – Little Red Boots | Album Review
Review by: Victoria Nugent
 Little Red Boots – Lindi Ortega |
Often touted as Toronto’s best kept secret, this Canadian country music singer has been thriving in the local indie music scene since the early 2000s. Ortega’s alternative country style is a little bit classic country and a little bit rockabilly with influences ranging from Dolly Parton to Johnny Cash to Emmylou Harris. However, she also has a foot firmly planted in the indie scene with credentials including singing backing vocals with Brandon Flowers and supported indie group Noah and the Whale. |
However, if Ortega’s new material gets enough airplay, it may just be enough to secure her a place of her own in the heart of country music fans. Marrying sweet vocals with twangy guitar riffs, cheerful rockabilly tunes and clever lyrics, Little Red Boots stops short of being cliché to sit firmly in the middle of brilliance. The music is strong on lap steel , harmonica and slow acoustic guitar but the instrumentals come second to Ortega’s vocals, which shine through in every song.
The album and eponymous single are named after her signature red boots that she got while on tour with Kevin Costner. This personal connection sets the tone for the album, which seems to really give a glance into Ortega’s own world.
Ortega’s third album kicks off with ‘Little Lie’, an enticing tune with a kicking beat underscoring lyrics about lying to a lover.
Upbeat rockabilly track ‘Bluebird’ quickly showed its capability for getting stuck in my head, with its infectious chorus and truckloads of bounce. It reminded me somewhat of Kasey Chambers’ more recent tracks, but without the nasal tones.
Ortega also shows a knack for melancholy anthems, shifting the tempo down in songs such as ‘When All The Stars Align’ and ‘So Sad’.
In ‘Angels’ Ortega shows off slightly warbling but strong vocals against plucky bluegrass with plaintive lyrics.
‘I’m No Elvis Presley’ is an incredibly fun song as Ortega belts out tongue in cheek lyrics- “I’m no one, not legendary, I’m nothing extraordinary” to a soundtrack of rapid lap steel. Ironically the song has an underlying beat and riffs which reminded me somewhat of Elvis’s style, but with a country edge. I’m talking ‘All Shook Up’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’.
Little Red Boots is Ortega’s personal anthem but it is perhaps too close to her own heart to really capture anyone else’s. To me, this song seemed to embody the worst side of country music with the lyrics lacking meaning and the music lacking vibrancy with slightly too much jolt. That said, I feel like it would probably suit its purpose in a live context… imagine Ortega strolling onto stage in her red boots and busting out with that song straight up. However, it kind of falls flat on the album.
‘Jimmy Dean’ is relentlessly catchy with a haunting edge as Ortega sings of “the ghost of Jimmy Dean”.
The album rounds out with ‘So Sad’, an incredibly melancholy number with soaring vocals.
Little Red Boots is an album to set toes tapping, with a great mix of upbeat and slower songs. I love the amount of pop culture references on the album, from Elvis to James Dean to songs that seem to hark back to other great country songs. Forlorn lyrics about lost love are matched with upbeat tempos to temper out some of the sadness, while positive numbers are positively jumping with energy. After this gets some airplay, the singer dubbed “Indie Lindi” mightn’t be much of a secret anymore.
Track listing
1. Little Lie
2. When All the Stars Align
3. Blue Bird
4. Angels
5. I’m No Elvis Presley
6. Little Red Boots
7. Dying of Another Broken Heart
8. All My Friends
9. Fall Down Or Fly
10. Jimmy Dean
11. Black Fly
12. So Sad
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Album Review | Fair To Midland – ‘Arrows and Anchors’
Review by Billy Geary
Smart, unique alternative rock is becoming somewhat of a rarity in today’s music industry. Only a handful of bands such as Manchester Orchestra, Karnivool and Thrice are prepared to branch out and try something different and still retain an inherent accessibility about them. Given the ever increasing saturation of music worldwide, it often takes something quite special to break out of the rut and create something truly interesting and captivating. What Texan quintet Fair To Midland have achieved with their fourth album Arrows and Anchors, however, is just that Continuing on from where their breakthrough album Fables From a Mayfly left off, Fair To Midland have put together an outstanding album of eclectic rock music, albeit in a heavier fashion this time around. Arrows and Anchors is the natural progression from Fables… in that it improves the band’s overall sound while still retaining what made its predecessor such an excellent release. Tracks such as the utterly magical ‘Golden Parachutes’ and ‘Short Haired Tornado’ are perfect examples of this. In fact, the chorus of ‘Golden Parachutes’ is arguably one of the best rock choruses this year, let alone on the album. Praise must be given to vocalist Darroh Sudderth who possesses one of the best voices in rock music today, as displayed in the aforementioned songs.
Continue reading Album Review | Fair To Midland – ‘Arrows and Anchors’
Album Review | Define My Addiction – Systemic
Review by Billy Geary
Forming in 2009 after the demise of two well known Perth bands Saturation Point and Fractured, Perth’s Define My Addiction released their debut album Systemic in early 2011. The four piece play a brand of modern metal that comes across as an equal mix of Dillinger Escape Plan, albeit less frantic and a more polished Mudvayne.
On first impressions, Systemic is a little inconsistent, featuring some outstanding songs like the heavy as hell ‘Alignment’ and the more progressive ‘Nameless,’ but is also home to a couple of filler tracks. The main sticking point for Systemic is its somewhat lack of originality.
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Album Review | Calling All Cars – ‘Dancing With a Dead Man’
Review by Billy Geary
Melbourne hard rockers Calling All Cars are undoubtedly one of the harder working bands doing the rounds today. In the past two years since the release of their debut the three-piece have toured relentlessly with the likes of AC/DC, Queens of the Stone Age and The Butterfly Effect as well as a heap of headline shows of their own. Somehow in that time, they’ve managed to record an absolute cracker of a sophomore album, improving their sound in every way possible.
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Album Review | Unwritten Law – Blue Room
Review – Sibel Kutlucan
I have to admit, I had kind of forgotten about Unwritten Law for awhile now but when I heard they were remastering Blue Room, their debut released in 1994, I was pretty stoked (no offence but the original sound quality-wise was a tad shocking), it was a great album! For those who haven’t listened to Blue Room, and are familiar with Unwritten Law’s newer stuff, post-2002, then listen to this! It is completely different, but Blue Room showcases the band at their best and in their early days with their 90s punk rock sound.
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Album Review | Breathe Carolina – Hell Is What You Make It
Review – Sibel Kutlucan
Breathe Carolina’s third full length album, Hell Is What You Make It is great for when you want to dance, but can’t quite bring yourself to listen to full on pop or dance anthem tracks…and you still require that bit of ‘rock’ in your music.
Breathe Carolina is an assemblage of power duo Kyle Even and David Schmitt hailing from Denver, and their styles and choices definitely create a bipolar sound. Combining an electro pop sound with synthesizers and screamo/crunk-core, mixed with ‘traditional’ rock guitars and drums, Breathe Carolina certainly is interesting to listen to. Personally, I think it’s fantastic!
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Mariachi El Bronx – II | Album Review
Review by: Lana Harris
Another offering from hardcore punk band The Bronx’s alter ego, proving that having a split (band) personality can work wonders for some. The Bronx have put together their second album of mariachi music and done so with talent, substance and merit.
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EP Review | The Ivys – In The Company Of Wolves
By Chantelle Sievers
The Ivys have set the bar high for themselves, with a reputation for amazing live shows, supporting big names like Keane, and releasing a well received debut EP. Their long-awaited new EP, “In The Company Of Wolves” demonstrates that they still have plenty to offer.
This is a solid collection of new tracks with a more complex and mature sound. Luke Hannaford’s voice soars through each song. There are plenty of riffs not thrown in but cleverly worked in, so no track gets dull at all.
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Album Review | Art Brut – Brilliant! Tragic!
Review – Sibel Kutlucan
Brilliant! Tragic! definitely is anything but tragic. It is the fourth album from Berlin-based English and German punk rockers, Art Brut. It is a great 10 track album that promises rather drastic changes which have sparked quite a few heated discussions since its release in May this year. Art Brut as always promise a contagious concoction of strong gutsy instruments and cheeky punk vocals which are prominent throughout the entirety of the album, with some tweaks here and there.
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Album Review | The Elected – Bury Me In My Rings
by Sibel Kutlucan
Jeeze, where have The Elected been all my life! I was shocked that the band managed to produce two albums previously without me realising, however I’m glad to have been introduced to them with their third album, Bury Me In My Rings, which released earlier this year (may 17th) truly is a fantastic indie rock gem. After listening to the first minute or so of the album’s opener “Born to love you”, the LA based indie-rock band had me captivated and I am pleased to say that the album only got better.
“Babyface”; listen to it! If you only have to listen to one song off the album I would recommend this one (the second track), although you would be doing yourself an injustice to only stop here.
Continue reading Album Review | The Elected – Bury Me In My Rings
Sleeping With Sirens – “Let’s Cheers To This”
Review by: Sibel Kutlucan
Wow! It is fair to say with Let’s Cheers To This, Sleeping With Sirens have came a LONG way since their first album release, With Ears to See and Eyes to Hear, which was released just last year, and definitely wasn’t the best way to break into the scene. I was ready to give up on the American post-hardcore band, hailing from sunny Florida, however with a deep breath and a strong cup of coffee I was ready to tackle Let’s Cheers To This and boy was I surprised.
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