Archive for February, 2006

• Band / Artist : Taxi Doll
• Genre : Electronic / Dance
• Sample Track Download : Waiting
• Buy CD : Buy
• Buy Digital Download : mp3Tunes – iTunes
• Rating : 8 out of 10

Sexy, sassy and catchy as hell, this is a great example of what commercial radio is missing out on. Oh well, their loss is definitely our gain.

This is a relatively short CD, with 8 tracks, 3 of which are remixes, but they still add value to the album as they are very well done. I remember paying stacks of money for 12″ remix singles, oh those were the days and vinyl they were too. Do you remember vinyl? Hey who just shouted “Grandad!”?

The CD opens with the title track “Waiting”. This is well crafted pop at it’s finest. The lead singer Dhana has a very sexy, provocative voice that really reminds me of another artist, who’s name escapes me. Not that it really matters. Her vocals are key to the success of each track and I’m really looking forward to hearing more from her and the band in the future.

So yes you’ve guessed it, “Waiting” is the first of my standout tracks, the other being “Sister Amazing”. I have to admit, for me the vocals are spot on, but so too is the music, which is really tight and provides Dhana a really sound canvas on which to paint.

Conclusion : Yes the CD is very brief, but it’s also a real kick up the derriere, that at times is sorely needed.

Just a quick note to say the Indie Launchpad Podcast #6 has been released. Direct Link here.

Just a quick note to say the Indie Launchpad Podcast #5 has been released. Direct Link here.

• Band / Artist : The Black Angels
• Genre : Rock
• Sample Track Download : Black Grease
• Buy CD : Buy
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 9 out of 10

The old house had been quiet for many years, but not on this late October night. It was 11:30pm and the guitar sound that filled the cold frosty evening was pounding, relentless, unforgiving. Deep in the heart of the house, she lay motionless, a victim to some unknown terror. By her side, the source of the sounds that filled the air. A CD with three simple words “The Black Angels”…

OK, OK maybe I’ve just gone a little overboard here, but when you hear the opening track to the Black Angels EP, you’ll know why. This is the kind of track that opens CSI or some other murder scene all too typical in TV and movies. That’s no reflection on the music, it just gives you some kind of idea of what to expext and that’s just the music. Wait till you hear Jim Morrison reincarnate. OK again, I’ve gone overboard with the comparisons, but this has a real earthy Doors feel to it. That’s track 1, “Black Grease” covered, what about the rest of the EP.

The Doors theme runs consistently through the rest of the EP and there’s also a kind of Jefferson Airplane vibe going on, for those of you old enough to remember them. Track 2 “The First Vietnamese War” takes more mellow downturn, but make no mistake, this is still pure rock. Track 3, “Winter ’68” is a relatively short song, that further enforces the overall sound. Track 4, “Manipulation” rounds the EP off nicely, with a sprawling, nigh on 6 minute finale, something akin to the Doors track “The End”.

I have to say, this is truly great EP. The band has a really tight sound and once you add the vocals, you end up with something really quite special.

Conclusion : Do I really have to say, go buy this EP now. I’m chomping at the bit to see what the band can do with a full length album.

• Band / Artist : What Made Milwaukee Famous
• Genre : Rock / Pop
• Sample Track Download : N/A
• Buy CD : Buy
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 7 out of 10

What Made Milwaukee Famous? Errr Happy Days? No that wasn’t a question, that’s the name of this band from Texas and pretty good they are too.

The moment this album started, I thought it was the theme to Mission Impossible and then in comes a real retro sound, something akin to a Commodore Vic20 doing sliding scales and that’s all within the first 10 seconds. An eclectic mix, to say the least. Once the vocals come in however, things begin to settle down and the album truly begins. Track 1, “I Decide”, for me is one of the weaker tracks on the album, because once you hear the following track “Mercy Me”, the album really starts to come alive.

What Made Milwaukee Famous, has a real Radiohead sound to them, as is seemingly popular with many bands at the moment. But this isn’t just some Radiohead rehash, there is a real spark of freshness bubbling up from underneath. Track 3, “Almost Always Never”, is a beautiful example of pure infectious pop. Opening with a nice mellow intro and then simmering into a song that really grabs hold. The vocals in particular are subdued and at times haunting, with very Jeff Buckley overtones.

The remainder of the album seems to waver between infectious pop, which thankfully is the majority of the album and rambling rock, Track 9, “Short on Shields”, being a prime example. Usually my view of an album mellows over time, but with “Trying to Never Catch Up”, I liked what I always liked and the same for my dislikes.

So if that hasn’t confused you enough, what is my final verdict. Well this is a very accomplished outing, from a band that should definitely be out there on the global radar. Yes I didn’t like all of the tracks, but there was nothing that forced me to skip tracks, it’s just a some of the tracks are just much more to my liking.

Conclusion : If I would have heard 2 or 3, of any of the tracks from this album on the radio, I would have definitely picked up the CD. I expect to hear What Made Milwaukee Famous making a lot waves in 2006.

• Band / Artist : The Ride Theory
• Genre : Rock / Pop
• Sample Track Download : I’m on Board
• Buy CD : Buy
• Buy Digital Download : Buy iTunes
• Rating : 8 out of 10

A lot of the fun listening to bands sometimes, is trying to guess their influences. Sometimes you listen to a band and you can hear who influenced them right off the bat. With The Ride Theory it wasn’t immediately obvious, but the more I listened, the more I could hear the influences of the Kinks, the Small Faces and most of all, the one you couldn’t mistake at all was the early R&B sound of the Rolling Stones, especially on the first track. The Ride Theory remind me a lot of a UK band from the late 90’s called Ocean Colour Scene. They had a real 60s rock sound, but had managed to give it a real 90’s edge. The Ride Theory has done the same, but now with a 00s edge (or as I prefer to call it, the naughties).

I’m on Board has that classic 60’s sound with a pounding drum beat and to complete the bluesy sound, there’s also a harmonica, but don’t let that fool you, this is most definitely a modern take on the 60’s blues sound. This is one of the standout tracks for me along with Truce with it’s driving guitar sound. However Devil in my Heart and Hey Sugar are my favorite tracks, showing a softer more melodic side of the band. In fact this album is a bit of a Jackle and Hyde, but that’s not a bad thing, the two different styles contrast nicely and go to make a nicely balanced album.

The more I listen to this album, the more Kinks influence I hear. There’s also a ton of originality in the band, so it’s not all some good sounding pastiche of a band, just some underlying influences that surface in the songs every once in a while.

Conclusion : This is a very tight band with a sound that belies their youthful age. I love to whack up the volume on this one. I’m looking forward to what 2006 may bring from the band.

• Band / Artist : Liz Carlisle
• Genre : Country / Pop
• Sample Track Download : N/A
• Buy CD : Buy
• Buy Digital Download : Buy iTunes
• Rating : 8.5 out of 10

I make no bones about the fact that I’m no great country music lover. Probably the closest I ever got was Shania Twain (should I say that in public?). So when a country artist causes me to prick up my ears and listen, that artist has to be pretty special, and she is.

I first have to hold my hands up and say I’ve had this CD for a couple of months. Or rather I had it, lost it, forgot about it and then found it again. I remember liking it the first couple of times I listened to it. However when I found the CD again, it was like finding an old friend.

Although I call this country music, it isn’t your stereotypical country music, this is music that manages to bring country into the 21st century, without having to resort to dumbing down, to enable the force feeding to pop fans. Good music, is just that, no matter what the style or genre. I have a deep respect for singer songwriters and bands that create their own material.

So that wraps up the album preamble, what about the album itself. Containing 11 great tracks, the album opens with the catchy “Horses”, which is probably the weakest track on the album and that’s saying something about the quality of this album, if such a pleasant song can be the weakest track. Standout tracks for me are “9/8 Central”, “Waiting”, “Feels Like Home” and “St. Angela”, the latter two showing a softer, more sentimental side of the album.

I can usually tell a good album after listening to the first few songs, but I always get a reinforcement of that when I get to the end of an album and think to my self, “oh, is that it?” and that’s exactly what I did with this album.

Conclusion : This is a beautiful album from an artist with a rich, soft and beautiful voice, that makes listening to the album a pleasure.

• Band / Artist : The Sinistrals
• Genre : Pop / Rock
• Sample Track Download : The Girl (with the sunshine in her eyes)
• Buy CD : Buy
• Buy Digital Download : Buy
• Rating : 7 out of 10

Without wishing to offend Steve of The Sinistrals, this isn’t an album that’s going to set the world on fire, but it does have a certain charm. For anyone who’s ever heard of The Rutles, the band that did for the 60s, what Spinal Tap did for the 80s, The Sinistrals will sound very familiar with their 1960s, tongue in cheek, pastiche style. With that in mind, this album provide 12 tracks of very charming, very Beatlesque sounding songs. Hopefully the remaining Beatles don’t come after Steve, like they did with the Rutles, but then again, maybe that would be the ultimate compliment.

I have to admit, I first listened to this album and was somewhat stunned as I just didn’t know what to make of it. I listened to it a couple of times and then set it aside for a while. Upon listening to it again many weeks later, I couldn’t help but smile and really enjoyed the album. I think the only thing that lets the album down, is the sometimes shaky vocals, especially on track 5, “Stranger in the Mirror”, the music however can’t be faulted and has a very authentic, basic sounding production. My favorite song on the album is track 6, “The Girl” which is funnily enough, more Rutles sounding than Beatles.

Conclusion : For anyone who likes the 1960s, early Beatles sound and specifically a more humorous touch, then definitely check this out.

• Band / Artist : bill
• Genre : Pop / Rock
• Sample Track Download : Sound Scientist
• Buy CD : Buy
• Buy Digital Download : Buy
• Rating : 8 out of 10

bill is a band that has been making quite a stir in the podcasting scene. Their songs “Sound Science” and “Panacea” have been featured numerous times and to give their thanks to the podcasting community, they made this album freely available for a limited time. A week later and over 1,100 downloads, it’s easy to see that bill have already established a pretty good fan base and deservedly so.

The album starts of with a relatively short accapella track, which could easily have been turned into a longer track, but in any case starts the album off nicely. There are many different influences on the album and it’s nice to see bands not constraining themselves. For instance with “Sound Science” the band creates a very Snow orientated track. Do you remember Snow, the guy who used to try to squeeze as many words into a short space as possible. Actually it’s not unusual as I remember Bare Naked Ladies doing something similar as well, but who cares, it works and is a great pop song, that wouldn’t sound out of place on commercial radio, oops sorry, didn’t meant to say the dreaded “R” word (and commercial at that). “Kiss the Stone” is one of the songs that cannot fail to get your feet tapping, with it’s catchy tune and great guitar accompaniment. “Panacea” is another standout song on the album.

This is an album that sounds like a lot of thought has gone into it. The musical arrangements all gel nicely with the rich vocals and go to make a wonderful listening experience.

*Rant Mode On* Whilst it’s great when bands make their albums freely available, we also have to realise that for many of them, this will hopefully be/is their livelihood, so it’s quite understandable when the bands also charge for their stuff. I have no problems with that, especially when the difference in CD and download prices is so spot on. I have no problems spending $15 on an album, but I’ll be buggered if I’m going to spend the same, or as near as, on a digital download. This for me is where iTunes falls down, and to compound that, the DRM that restricts your access to the music, well let’s not go there. bill offer their album for download at just $5.00, this for me is a ballsy move and one that I wish other artists would follow. I want MP3s of all the music I buy and I want it at a reasonable price. *Rant Mode Off*

Conclusion : OK, so you missed the free download, but don’t let this put you off. This is a wonderful album that I’m sure will take pride of place in your CD player.

• Band / Artist : Dukes of Ted
• Genre : Jazz / Rock / Funk / Soul
• Sample Track Download : Bird on the Wire
• Buy CD : N/A
• Free Digital Download : Download
• Rating : 7 out of 10

An interesting EP from a band I know very little about. In fact there’s only a few paragraphs on their web site, but never mind, we’ll let the music do the talking.

This EP has an eclectic range of music styles and influences. From the second I heard the first track, “Back on the Road”, the image of Shaft came into my head, but it didn’t last long, as the track quickly moved into a more soulful, R&B groove.

“Bird on the Wire” is an unusual track that somehow fuses a banjo with a sax and delivers something quite interesting. This is obviously a band that loves their music and are not afraid to experiement until they find something they like.

With “Crochet Jay”, the band takes a most unusual turn with a crochet making, hat wearing friend. Now this is too far out there, even for me. The musical style is nice and the song would probably be my favourite if the vocal sections were removed, not just the vocals, but the whole secions leaving the 2 minutes or so in the middle and maybe reworked to be a bit longer.

The final song “The Music” has a nice feel to it and reminds me a alot of the British artist Gordon Giltrap, which is a great compliment to their muscial talets.

Conclusion : This is a great introduction to the band and I’m definitely interested to see how they develop their sound. I’d love to see what they can do with a couple of real mellow tracks. Be sure to check out the band and download their first EP free from the website.