Buy Snakes and Arrows Rush delivered on their strongest album in decades with the 2007 masterpiece,Snakes and Arrows . Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, the album was recorded at Allaire Studios in the Catskill Mountains of New York and found the group employing atypical sonic textures and instrumentation. This was especially true of guitarist Alex Lifeson, … 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
Our Choice 5 for October once again goes to the four corners of Earth to feature various styles of original music that came through our offices in recent months. A Manuel for Defeat by No Show Ponies Released in December 2013, A Manuel for Defeat was recorded live in the studio with few overdubs by … Read more
Buy American Idiot You could not escape American Idiot in 2004. No matter your age, if you were around a radio at any point of that year you heard something from this album. It was particularly well received by teenagers who rallied behind its anti-establishment pop rock sound. The album also came out at a … 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
The September Choice 5 features a diverse set of music groups that stretch from the Midwest to the Middle East geographically, and range in vast styles of original independent music. Chain Reaction by Distorted Harmony Tel Aviv, Israel is home to this modern progressive metal group, formed in 2009 by a frustrated jazz pianist. After … Read more
Buy Them Crooked Vultures Them Crooked Vultures are a modern hard rock power trio that is widely considered a “super group” due to the impressive resumes of its members. Formed in early 2009, the group consists of Queens of the Stone Age vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, Led Zeppelin bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones … 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