Went to my mailbox yesterday and there was a small package sitting there from the UK. I hadn’t ordered anything, so assumed it was some kind of promo stuff. Well slap me with a wet fish, it was actually a present from one of my listeners/readers. Not only had they designed a really cool mug, with the Indie Launchpad logo, but they’d also included the album covers of albums they’ve bought, because of Indie Launchpad. This makes me so happy, not just because I received an amazing gift, but also because it shows that Indie Launchpad is working. I have tons of great feedback from people buying tons of music because of Indie Launchpad. Lets hope 2010 is going to be a banner year.

Thank you to Ian, Amy, Adam and Christine, for the amazing gift and for believing in Indie Launchpad. It means a lot to me.

• Band / Artist : A Life of Science - mySpace
• Genre : Electro / Rock
• Sample Track Download : Yacht Life
• Buy CD : N/A
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes - Amazon
• Rating : 9 out of 10

Of the many albums that I’m asked to consider for review, it’s often not much more than a few songs that capture my imagination. This was pretty much how it was, for The Apneist. One song in particular caught my attention, “Barnacles of Time”, and was used in a recent podcast. It wasn’t until I had a chance to really sit down with the album and to pur over the sleeve notes, that I was able to fully experience the story that unfolded before me.

Set in a distant future, the hopes of mankind have fallen on the shoulders of “John”, whose whole life has been engineered by his parents for the greater good. Born on the same day as “Sarah”, his kindred spirit, when they become too close, the powers that be, see fit to separate them, and so begins “John’s”, isolation and his goal, to create a robot that will end all war, at the same time, never forgetting his true love.

The style of the album, sways a little between electronica, pop and rock, with an element or two of screamo. Yes you heard me right, I said screamo, but don’t let that put you off the album. While there are a few songs, that feature this, they are very much in context with the gloom and desperation that underlines the whole album, and are used to good effect. While I feel theres not many songs that could be potentially used as singles, that’s really not what this album offers. This is an album, of a kind that’s not often attempted, let along successfully. To me one of the best examples is Jeff Wayne’s, War of the Worlds, a sheer classic adaptation of H.G. Well’s book of the same name, or The Who’s, Tommy.

Opening with the whimsical title track, it’s easy to be fooled into thinking this is going to be some light weight, electronic, ballad album. However as “Barnacles of Time” begins, a darker side begins to emerge. This for me is the highlight of the album, with soft emotive vocals, backed by a wonderful electronic score.

The beginning of the album has an air of desperation, but it’s soon replaced by frustration, bordering on hate, which is very evident in “Carving a Canyon”. The point of this review however isn’t to pick apart the album, but to review it as a whole. As I mentioned earlier, you get a much better sense of immersion by reading the liner notes, included with the download, as a PDF file. For those wanting even more background, there is also a full comic available for purchase, which I have to say is wonderfully illustrated and gives even more background information, making the album really come alive.

Conclusion : An absolutely wonderful find. Whether you consider it a rock, electronic or concept album, there is much within to delight and enjoy. Certainly one of my top finds of 2009.

• Band / Artist : Inara George - mySpace
• Genre : Alternative / Folk Rock / Pop
• Sample Track Download : N/A
• Buy CD : N/A
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 8.5 out of 10

I like to think I have a pretty eclectic and open mind when it comes to music. However, every now and again, I find my self discounting an artist or band at the slightest of challenges. Case in point, Inara George. For whatever reason, subconsciously kept thinking this was going to be some kind of Aboriginal or Maori music and just passed on by. Let me clearly state, I don’t have anything against Aboriginal or Maori music, but it’s not usual fayre of Indie Launchpad, and with so many artists and bands to investigate, one or two do manage to slip through, that shouldn’t. Anyway, yes slap me silly with a wet fish, imagine how stupid I felt, when I actually took the time to delve a little deeper and found what I can only describe as an absolutely amazing artist.

The album opens with, coincidentally enough, the first track of Inara’s I ever heard, “Surprises” and to say my socks were blown off is and understatement. I immediately replied to the email from Inara’s record label and upon receiving the album, voraciously ingested the album with relish. With a wonderful voice, that reminds me a lot of the early Suzanne Vega, with a hint of the musical stylings of another indie artist, Ingird Michaelson, the album, is exceedingly easy on the ear. Many of the songs like “Surprises”, “Accidental” and “Can’t Say No” feel somewhat upbeat, even though they are laid back tracks, there are a few tracks like “Bomb”, “Where to Go” and “Captured” that have a more darker tone, however this is shrouded with amazing vocals, and works out well, giving the album some nice contrast.

For me the stand out tracks on the album, would have to be “Surprises” which I have absolutely played to death and still love, “Bomb” which was recently KCRW’s top tune, “Bottlecaps” and “Captured”.

Conclusion : For anyone with a penchant for wonderful female vocalists, like me, this album is a total no brainer. For anyone that is looking for great vocals, with that little quirk of wonderful, do yourself a favour and head straight to your favorite digital download service.

• Band / Artist : Emmet Swimming - mySpace
• Genre : Rock / Alternative
• Sample Track Download : The Dance
• Buy CD : N/A
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes - Amazon
• Rating : 9 out of 10

Emmet Swimming is a band that while they’ve been on my radar, I somehow hadn’t manage to pin them down for a listen. Until now. After receiving an email from one of the many PR companies, I have a wonderful relationship with, I figured now was the best time to at least have a quick listen, to see what they were all about. And in a word, or maybe two in this case, “Hoochie Momma”. This is a band that are no strangers to the rock scene, having been around since 1991. Indeed they have had 3 albums with Epic Records, but in 2000 took an extended break. After listening to the first track on this EP, I gather things maybe went a bit sour. This EP was originally released in 2003, but I’m hoping that it will be a bigger hit second time around, as I definitely want to hear some new stuff from this, my new awesome find.

The EP is available in 2 versions. Digitally from iTunes, it comes with 4 tracks and 1 bonus track. From Amazon, also digitally, it comes with an additional bonus track.

The EP opens with “The Dance” which is a fantastic slow burner. Straight out of the gate, it’s the vocals that hit you. They remind me a lot of Brad Roberts, without the quirkiness, but they’re deep and wonderfully powerful. On this track there appears to be something of a backhanded comment, regarding Epic, which I find interesting. I’m guessing the label figured they’d run their course and didn’t want to do another record. Well this EP is well and truly a one figured salute (two figured in the UK) to Epic.

“Don’t Call” is again a slow burner, featuring a different, not so dark sounding vocalist. There’s no denying though that it’s a wonderful track. In fact this is the track that really got me hooked on Emmet Swimming, but I now find I much prefer “The Dance”. “Heart Like an Eskimo” again features “The Dance” vocalist (I need to learn my vocalists), but the song is much lighter, reminding me at times of a happy Nick Cave.

“Joanna at the Door”, is an interesting song, which wouldn’t sound out of place in the Pulp Fiction movie, but I’m afraid it does nothing for me. It has that latin rock sound, and indeed the lyrics are all in Spanish, but it feels most definitely like the odd song out. There is however an interesting guitar solo, about 2 third of the way in, that goes on for the remainder of the track, which goes some way to lightening up how I feel about it.

We’re now into bonus time. The 1 extra bonus track from iTunes is “Door 2″. Flagged as explicit, it’s not quite the racy track, that the term explicit always has me expecting. It’s a very grunge sounding track, and relatively short at just over two and a half minutes. The second extra bonus track on Amazon, is “Waving at Cars”, a very upbeat track, which rounds off the EP nicely.

Conclusion : I’m hoping I haven’t come to Emmet Swimming too late. Yes this maybe a 2003 re-release, but if you don’t have it, I’d say it’s a definite purchase for your collection. Here’s hoping for a new release, sooner, rather than later.

• Band / Artist : David Condos - mySpace
• Genre : Acoustic / Folk / Country
• Sample Track Download : N/A
• Buy CD : N/A
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 7.5 out of 10

It’s funny, I can’t remember how I found out about David Condos, but discover him I did and even managed to download this EP at no change from his website, though not sure this is still possible. I make many comparisons, for the artists and bands I review. Most of these comparisons are usually of household names, but every now and then an indie artists will slap me about about, when I hear something and that was the case here, where I very much reminded of the Jacob Jeffries Band. The music style is fairly different, but the vocal styles have a very similar feel.

The EP starts with the title track, opening with some wonderful cello. Immediately I was enamoured. I hadn’t heard of David Condos before, but on investigation, found he released a full album in 2006, called “Smoking City”. There’s a strong maturity in the overall sound. At times there are many layers, intertwined to form a kind of cacophony, but it’s a noise that draws you in. “Don’t Look at Me Like That”, has a lighter sound and while the name Marc Bolan kept brimming to the surface, I kept trying to suppress it, unsuccessfully I might add. That cello also returns and it almost acts like another vocal accompaniment. The third and final track, “Finding Yourself There Now”, has a much lighter feel, with it’s almost spring time, meadowy feel.

Conclusion: While it’s hard to build up a complete picture of David Condos from this 3 track EP, there is enough here to enjoy and indeed make me want to hear a full length album.

• Band / Artist : Yim Yames - mySpace
• Genre : Acoustic / Folk / Country
• Sample Track Download (Sign Up) : Behind That Locked Door
• Buy CD : Artist Site
• Buy Digital Download : Artist Site
• Rating : 8 out of 10

This is an EP that immediately jumped out at me from the email in my inbox. George Harrison is probably the most underrated of the Beatles, though lately his popularity seems to be on the rise. This EP is a tribute to the Beatle most overshadowed by the pairing of Lennon and McCartney, however this didn’t put him off perfecting his craft. It was only when the Beatles disbanded, that a veritable torrent of songs poured forth, resulting in 1970’s All Things Must Pass, triple album.

Opening with “Long, Long, Long”, which while not my favorite Harrison song by any means, sets the scene for the EP, with it’s haunting reverb and stripped back production. “Behind That Locked Door”, originally had a kind of blue grass flavour, but here that is mearly hinted at, with a more sripped back acoustic sound. “Love You To” is one of my favourite Harrison, Beatle’s era songs, as it has the most wonderful harmonies. Whilst those are not present here, Yames’ interpretation is in keeping with the rest of the EP. There’s also a really dark overtone, that brings Jeff Buckley’s name to mind, especially the angst ridden screams.

The song that proved both a blessing and a curse to Harrison, was “My Sweet Lord”. Whilst it’s Hare Krishna infused chants, proved moving, even to the most devote non believers, it’s the protracted lawsuit that ended up overshadowing the song. The cover here, whilst much shorter, has a wonderfully personal feel. Gone are all but the merest hints of the chants, but it still manages to be a moving song, and one for which Harrison will always be fondly remembered. “Ballad of Frankie Crisp (Let it Roll)” was always one of my favourite tracks on the All Things Must Pass album. Here’s it’s ably covered, but theres just something about the piano accompaniment that feels a little off. I’ve listened to this EP a few times, and it’s always the thing that jars me, albeit the only thing.

Rounding off with the title track, of the 1970 album, you really begin to feel that this was a kind of memorial in music. The ethereal sound is present throughout, which pretty much means this will end up as late night, kick back and veg out kind of EP, which is fine by me as I sit here listening on headphones at nearly 2 in the morning.

Conclusion: This is an EP that while clearly shows Yames’ love and respect for Harrison’s songs, some might find hard to access. Perseverance will leave you with a wonderful EP and a great homage, to a wonderful musician.

Just wanted to give an update on Indie Launchpad. As you’ve probably noticed, reviews have slowed to a trickle. I’ve been trying to get some done over the last few weeks, but with best intentions, the spare time has just not been forthcoming. Indie Launchpad has always been a labour of love for me, so first let me put your mind at rest, I am not going away, or shuttering the shop, as I have done with a few other web properties. Indie Launchpad will continue, as will the podcast, but I have to try to reorganise my life and find a way to plug Indie Launchpad back in again. With this in mind, I’m going to place the podcast on indefinite hiatus, while I try to put to bed a few other time drains and then think about how I can move everything forward.

On top of this, Google in it’s infinite wisdom, is playing silly buggers with Feedburner feeds, which this site uses, as does the podcast and I think I’d prefer to fiddle about in the background and make sure everything is running smoothly, before getting up a head of steam and potentially causing myself unnecessary headaches.

So what does this mean for people who have already submitted material to Indie Launchpad, well nothing. Your music is still in review rotation and I will get to it when I find some time to actually start listening again. While I am not actively contacting bands and artists, you are still more than welcome to approach me through the usual channels, and partners with whom I have a working relationship, may still continue to submit. Anyone contacting me for review, will be made aware of this post and will then be able to decide if they still want to submit.

So this is by no means a goodbye note. I just need to finally try to get my priorities in order and then I can focus on the things I truly love, with Indie Launchpad being very much a part of this.

Anyway I will cross post this on the main Indie Launchpad site and the Podcast site, just so I reach everybody. I’m not going to post any artificial dates or timelines, suffice to say it will be sooner rather than later. You’ll still probably find the odd review being posted here, so that should put your mind at rest, that I haven’t vanished off the face of the earth.

Thank you to all the artists and bands who have made Indie Launchpad a sheer joy. Not forgetting a very special thanks, to you, the reader, who hopefully has found many great bands and artists to purchase music from.

Here’s looking forward to a reinvigorated Indie Launchpad coming to a web browser near you soon.

Thanks, Colin

• Band / Artist : Jim Boggia - mySpace
• Genre : Rock / Pop
• Sample Track Download : N/A
• Buy CD : amazon
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 9 out of 10

The instant I had the fortune hear Jim Boggia sing, I knew in an instant that this was going to be a special album, that I needed to get my hands on. This 10 track CD opens with “Johnnie’s Going Down” and I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to one of my favorite current indie artists, Mike Viola, solo artist and member of the Candy Butchers and Lurch. This turned out to be quite an apt comparison as Mike and Jim gig together quite a bit and I get the feeling they are quite good friends. “To and Fro” also shares that Mike Viola pop vibe, and is truly a wonderful track.

It was the third track, “No Way Out” that really made my ears prick up, as this is where I feel Jim really begins to come alive. While the previous two tracks are more conventional pop, this track has a much more soulful, earthy tone. In fact it reminded me a lot of Rod Stewart, but the Rod Steward of old, when he was in the 60s band, The Faces. “So” is another track that really blows me away, as there is a wonderful emotive quality to Jim’s vocals that are quite mesmerising, as indeed they are for the following track “Nothing’s Changed”.

“8 Track”, shakes things up a bit, but this is more rock, that the poppy sound of the first two tracks. The title of the song is very apt, as there is a great 70’s rock vibe to this track, very reminiscent of George Harrison in his solo days. Talking of George Harrison, be sure to hunt around on Jim’s site for a cover of one of my favourite Harrison songs, “Wah Wah”. It’s funny how one minute I can kind of criticise for sounding 70’s, 80’s etc, but the key is being able to use these influences and firmly place your stamp on them, which Jim does exceptionally well. “Listening to NRBQ”, has that very 70’s AM sound and it just brings visions of convertibles and wind in your hair, on a sunny day, with the girl of your dreams in the seat opposite.

“Chalk One Up for Albert’s Side”, again has a hint of in this case, Steely Dan, but it’s the wonderful vocals, that firmly have the name Jim Boggia in your head as you are listening to them. The penultimate track, “On Your Birthday”, is a very short and whimsical track, and whilst pleasant, feels a little like a filler. This however cannot be said of the final and in my opinion, best track on the album, “Three Weeks Shy”, a story of a soldier killed 3 weeks before returning home. Those Rod Stewart syle vocals return, to this final and indeed longest track, at a tad under 7 minutes, an amazing way to draw a wonderful album to a close.

Conclusion : An album that starts of one way, but turns about face, from pop to more emotive rock. Certainly an artist whose CD will remain in close proximity to my stereo for a good while yet. If you like your vocals with heart, whistle on down to your music outlet of choice and whack down some folding stuff, pronto.

• Band / Artist : Lloyd Dobbler Effect - mySpace
• Genre : Rock / Alternative / Powerpop
• Sample Track Download : Stranger
• Buy CD : CD Baby
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 8 out of 10

Lloyd Dobbler Effect sounds like something Doc, from Back to the Future would be looking for to generate the jigawatts of electricity need to bounce around in time. In fact it’s a Washington DC based band, that have a wonderful and energetic sound. There’s certainly no lack of musicanship on the 15 tracks on this album, which is not surprising as the band does around 200 gigs a year. With a hard rock sound, softened by more pop biased vocals, there is a nice balance between blowing the cobwebs out of your ears and lulling you into a false sense of serenity.

The album opens with “Have Faith” which for me, has a oddly soft rock feel, but really loosens up when the chorus chimes in. This is a funny track, as I could really feel it growing on me as the song progressed. “Radio” for me is where things really seem to fall into place. For a lot of songs on the album, I kept getting an 80’s slap across the head. It’s nothing really definitive, just a riff here and a lead in there.

While I really enjoyed the album, there was not enough here for me, that had a definitive stamp on it, a sound that would would allow me to pick out this band on the radio for instance. That being said, there’s some tracks on here that are real gems including the previously mentioned “Have Faith”, “Radio”, “The Past” and “I Have the Touch”.

Conclusion : There’s no denying the talents of this band. With such a touring schedule, I imagine they are pretty hot to see live. It will be interesting to keep an eye on this band, to see how they develop, but if you enjoy 80’s/90’s rock / pop then I think this will be right up your street.

• Band / Artist : Gentry Morris - mySpace
• Genre : Pop / Acoustic / Folk
• Sample Track Download : Thank God
• Buy CD : CD Baby
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 9 out of 10

Gentry Morris is an artist from Bangor in Ireland, who I’ve been hearing a lot lately on the various podcasts I listen to. It’s funny how they all seem to have targeted in on the first track on this EP, “Rene”, which is a pleasant song, but only shows a mere glint of his amazing talent. When I first heard him, I was at once reminded of one of my all time favourite indie artists, Paul Melançon. There’s a quality to his voice that is eminently listenable and when he lets go, there is an amazing flow of raw emotion. “Rene” is more a pop song, with a loose flow, which is enjoyable, but I saw that glimpse of brilliance and wanted more.

The four tracks that follow, could really hold this EP together all on their own. “The Box” is a fairly laid back track, with minimal musical accompaniment, but man when that voice starts to sing, there’s an incredible power, that you know is being harnessed and the reins skillfully let out when needed. “My Heart” shows a looser side and is more of a pop style I prefer when compared with “Rene”, which feels like a track produced to cater to peoples needs, rather than “My Heart” which is more Gentry Morris, well that’s my take anyway.

The last two tracks that close the EP are very laid back and melancholic, but for me this is when the EP really begins to smolder. “The Waltz” is where I feel Gentry’s voice really starts to come into it’s own. The production on the vocals is great, allowing them to soar, without distortion or hindrance of the music. “Thank God” is much less melancholic, but a real slow burner nonetheless and the perfect track on which to close.

Conclusion : A stunning EP from an artist that deserves to go far. I’m really hoping to hear a full length album in the near future, from this most exceptional talent.