November 12, 2014 by Ric Albano Buy Shiver + Shake Made up of mainly pure, straight-forward, direct jams, Shiver + Shake contains few songs which exceed four minutes in length. Still, this second full-length LP by the Seattle-based duet, My Goodness, is packed with variety and movement, with thick, riff-based guitars and thundering drums. The … Read more
The group Mumiy Troll is a rock and roll institution in Russia and neighboring countries and is now poised to expand deep into the Western world in 2015. Originally formed in 1983, long before the fall of the Soviet Union, the band is led by composer and frontman Ilya Lagutenko, who defines his group’s unique … Read more
October 15, 2014 by Ric Albano Based in San Francisco, California, Steakhouse has forged a unique fusion of modern and classic styles on their self-titled debut LP. Steakhouse contains music that seamlessly marries synthesized techno motifs with a solid Country and Western rhythm, along with long lyrical narratives that bring the listener to some dark … Read more
September 24, 2014 by J.D. Cook & Ric Albano A name like “Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentleman” will probably manage to grab some attention. But what really matters is the music. Does it grab the ear’s attention? Is there a nice balance of originality and accessibility? Will the songs still be relevant years from … Read more
September 14, 2014 by Ric Albano Purchase Mushaboom Hailing from the great white north of Finland, the dynamic rock quartet, Mushaboom, produced a very impressive self-titled debut album. Released in mid 2103, this classic-rock flavored album is loaded with tracks that paint vivid pictures through simple, straight-forward lyrical lines, themes, and phrases, while the exceptionally … Read more
August 13, 2014 by Ric Albano Purchase Pulling Upon the Strap Gypsy Lumberjacks is a group with a unique fusion sound built on folk instrumentation. Their full-length album, Pulling Upon the Strap, released early this year, masterfully displays their range of influences and compositional originality. The album follows an earlier release by the group called … Read more
July 19, 2014 by Ric Albano Buy Peach Late Cambrian is a three-member pop/rock group from Brooklyn, NY. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist John Wlaysewski, along with bassist Nunzio Moudatsos and the keyboardist/vocalist artist who simply goes by the name “O”. The group’s second full length album Peach was released in April … Read more
June 15, 2014by Karyn Albano Buy Bread & Circuses Bread & Circuses, the debut album from Idaho based Furious Jones is actually a follow up to their EP Bully which received some attention on nationwide college radio. The cover of this CD is deceiving. The soft silver and gold appear hazy as though behind a … Read more
February 10, 2014 by Karyn Albano Purchase Good Fight The two man group Scoti*Slate‘s latest album, Good Fight, has 1980’s influences in style, but it is by no means retro or stuck in time. At some points, it is as if Prince or INXS may have had a hand in the writing and production of … Read more