Category: Alternative (Page 66 of 155)

New Tunes From An Old Favorite

March 31, 2009 / Alexzandra Hackford

If you haven’t heard already, punk princes The Bouncing Souls have been releasing a new song each month as part of their 20th anniversary album. We’re three tracks deep, and already The Souls, true to form, are making quite a buzz on the scene.

Gasoline—

The first track, released January 1, 2009 is entitled “Gasoline” and packs a five-fingered, old-school Souls punch. BlogCritics.org called the release, “punk rock satisfaction from start to finish,” and said, “The Bouncing Souls prove with this single that even if 20 years have passed they still are capable of pushing out great tunes.” The track is classically up-beat, pure punk rock with singer Greg Attonito’s signature pipes driving the melody, as he sings of being sheltered from reality and searching for a distraction from the monotony of every-day life. Aversion.com called the track, “ everything you’d expect from the Souls…a dose of old-school grit gleaned from stacks of British singles…from The Clash to early oi!, with doses of big-sugar pop-punk melody.” It seems the Bouncing Souls can do no wrong, even after 20 years!

We All Sing Along—

February brought us, “We All Sing Along,” a gritty heartfelt anthem of a song with a positive twist. Track two is the perfect combination of old-school Souls attitude with a smoother more polished feel that mimics more recent releases like 2006’s, “The Pizza Song.” BrokenHeadPhones.com called the track a, “punk anthem” celebrating its positivity and inspirational tendencies. If the Souls can keep cranking out tunes like this one after more than twenty years, there’s hope for the future of punk music after all.

Airport Security—
As far as punk love songs go The Bouncing Souls have hit the jackpot with the third of this year’s twelve releases, “Airport Security.” In an interview found on ReadJunk.com the band said about the song,

“A good love song is hard to come by.. Most times they are corny and annoying…but the good ones are sooooo Good!! Airport Security is that attempt for me. Its a love song from me to my wife with a slice of a political statement/comic relief…but hopefully when the songs starts you forget about me, my wife, politics, comedy and yourself. If you do…it’s a good love song.”

It’s safe to say the Souls have achieved that exact affect sweeping the listener off his feet with the lyric, “I could write a thousand songs and never get it right/In my mind its getting harder to leave you/You know I have to believe you’re alright/What else can I do while I’m flying so high.” There’s a sort of longing in Attonito’s voice that becomes almost playful when combined with the pulsating guitars of the verse. This is the perfect follow-up to “We All Sing Along.”

It seems as though The Bouncing Souls have a nice little album coming together here. All three of the tracks released so far have been packed full of Bouncing Souls’ signature attitude with a new school twist that’s polished and mature. After pumping out more than 20 years of hardcore punk rock, The Bouncing Souls have managed to find a happy medium between their old school, garage-punk roots, and the shiny pop punk of today’s mainstream. If the next nine tracks are anything like these three, we’re all in for a treat, courtesy of The Bouncing Souls.

Alternative, CD Reviews, Punk, Rock

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Southern Boys Put A Country Spin On Rock ‘N Roll

March 28, 2009 / Alexzandra Hackford

Cage The Elephant, Relentless Records
One sunny afternoon just north of Nashville, TN, the grit of southern rock fell in love with the energy of funk and the very essence of rock n’ roll. Their love grew and multiplied and a short time later, out of Bowling Green, Kentucky, was born Cage The Elephant.

Brothers Matt and Brad Schultz joined up with a high school friend Jared Champion, and family friend Danielle Tichenor. A few months later Lincoln Parish, an eager young musician, e-mailed the group several times asking to join. Subsequent jam sessions proved successful and Parish joined the group at the ripe old age of fifteen. Cage The Elephant began to conquer the local tour circuit, and after word spread of their high-energy, high-chaos live shows, they signed with Relentless Records. Since then, they’ve been working hard to release their debut album “Cage The Elephant” which dropped in the US June 23, 2008

Since 2007 Cage The Elephant has been touring and living in the UK where their first single, “In One Ear” debuted at number 26 on the Top 40 charts, and their intense live shows have earned them opening spots on tour with Kings of Leon and Queens of The Stone Age.

Now, that their self-titled LP has finally been released in the States, Cage is poised to take control of the American rock scene. The band’s organic melodies channel the likes of The Chili Peppers and outspoken lyrics mock their critics with a raw poignancy reminiscent of Dylan himself. On the opening track “In One Ear” the band claims, “They say that we ain’t got the style/we ain’t got the class/we ain’t got the tunes that’s gonna’ put us on the map” but subsequent tracks like “James Brown” and “Lotus” dispel any such rumors.

BBC reviewed the new record saying, “’In One Ear’ is a definite two fingers up at the music industry (”I’m an antisocial anarchist who sounds like so and so… Rock ‘n roll is dead I should have stayed at school”).” The story behind the lyric is, no doubt, one of the many things that draw fans to Cage’s live shows and helps to make the track so phenomenal.

Cage The Elephant continues the record with tracks like the fan-favorite “Tiny Little Robots” which channels “the kind of guitar playing that The Hives would appreciate,” (Contactmusic.com)and finishes everything off with the distinct, “Soil To The Sun,” a track that proves Cage is in it to win it with their haphazard enthusiastic rock.

While DrownedInSound.com called Cage The Elephant, “Kings of Leon 2.0.” nothing could be farther from the truth. While it’s true Cage shares geographical origins with Kings, the overall intensity and passion found in Cage songs such as “Back Stabbin’ Betty” and “Back Against The Wall” put the two bands in completely different categories; Cage is pure rock, while Kings have a distinct indie-edge.

Opinions aside, Cage The Elephant have made it clear that they are here to rock, and with their debut record, courtesy of Relentless, they’re not about to let anyone forget the fact. Online music source, Mirror.Co.UK described Cage’s magic perfectly saying, “[Cage] moves in demented unison, hits you with the force of a hurricane and doesn’t forget to drop killer riffs and top tunes.” Their energy smacks the listener in the face from the very first beat and keeps him coming back for more track after track.
Check out Cage The Elephant on iTunes, or sample some tunes for free on the band’s MySpace here.

Alternative, Artists, CD Reviews, Funk, Get to Know, Indie Labels, Punk, Rock, Soul

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Let the Right Ones In: Ten bands that should be in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame

March 27, 2009 / David Medsker

The 23rd annual induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is coming up, and with it comes the annual bitchfest by music fans and critics as to which bands deserve to get in and which do not. The general public has no say in the nomination or induction process; instead, an anonymous committee chooses the nominations, which are then voted on by an equally anonymous group of 500 “rock experts.” Bands are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Usually there’s little controversy when it comes to the artists chosen for induction, with the real debates circling around those artists who have yet to be recognized by the Hall of Fame.

The Hall has its prejudices when it comes to selecting those worthy enough for induction. Heavy metal, punk and prog rock have a hard time getting in, while anyone with an obvious blues or country influence seems to be a shoe-in. It also helps to be American or British; no artists from mainland Europe, Africa, South America or Asia have been inducted yet.

With that in mind, Bullz-Eye has selected 10 artists, listed in chronological order of their eligibility, that we feel have been given the shaft by the Hall. These are by no means the 10 “best” artists who have failed to be inducted; just 10 “of the best” who have not yet gotten their due.

The Stooges
Eligible since: 1994

The Stooges self-titled debut came out in 1969 and it’s hard to imagine just how abrasive and loud the Stooges must have sounded to audiences at the time. Try putting them in context: the biggest albums of that year were Abbey Road, Blood, Sweat & Tears’ self-titled record that had the hit “Spinning Wheel” and the original cast recording of “Hair.” One of the biggest singles was “Sugar Sugar” by the Archies. Contrast that with “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” and a sense of just how far ahead of the times they were begins to develop.

Rush
Eligible since: 1999

We are loath to use album sales as a measure of a band’s true worth, but it’s worth noting that Rush’s first 16 studio albums, spanning 22 years, have sold a minimum of 500,000 copies each. The only band with a longer gold-or-better sales streak is the Stones. Aerosmith is just behind Rush, with 14 straight gold-or-better albums, and U2 will probably get there if the band doesn’t kill Bono first. Fittingly, Aerosmith, U2 and the Stones are all in the Hall; Rush, however, are not, and their exclusion can be boiled down to three words: critics hate prog.

Motorhead
Eligible since: 2002

They may have paved the way for Anthrax and their thrash metal ilk, but Motorhead’s influence can be heard in punk music of the ’80s and ’90s, alternative rock groups such as Queens of the Stone Age and even in electronic and new wave music (industrial music is basically thrash metal with keyboards). The Hall hates metal, for some reason – it even took them 11 years to get off their asses and induct Black Sabbath. And if Ozzy and company can barely squeak into the Hall of Fame, an underground act like Motorhead doesn’t have a prayer. Pity.

To read the rest of the bands that should be in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, click here

Alternative, Artists, Electronica, Lists, Metal, Pop, Power Pop, Punk, Rock

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Ian McGlynn: This Is the Sound

March 27, 2009 / Mike Farley

Every once in a while, an artist’s music has this way of striking us in our musical pleasure center. Singer/songwriter/pianist Ian McGlynn’s second full-length album, This Is the Sound, is likely going to have that effect on you if you are a fan of dreamy alt-pop. McGlynn’s tenor and some of his melodies will remind you a bit of John Lennon, but his songwriting leans more towards a cross between Ben Folds and Aqualung, and the production on this effort (it’s self-produced with help from songwriting partner John Mosloskie) bring the songs to life in powerful fashion. Much of McGlynn’s material has a cool underground vibe, but some of the tracks on This Is the Sound stand out. In particular, “Night Driving” paints a vivid picture with its dark yet melodic feel, and “Memorial Day Parade” is as close to straight-up pop as McGlynn gets. And he takes things up a notch on the opening track “Play Dead,” which is haunting, beautiful and able to stop you from whatever it is you were doing before you started listening. McGlynn’s music has been placed in both independent and major motion pictures, and whether or not you have heard him before or think you may have, he’s well worth seeking out. (LABEL: Bailey Park)

Ian McGlynn MySpace Page

Alternative, Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

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USS Make Smoothies, Impress Crowd In Austin

March 26, 2009 / Alexzandra Hackford

Canadian rock duo USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) brought their high energy rock to RedGorilla Music Fest Wednesday, complete with techno inspired beats and homemade smoothies (they made them on stage), giving everyone a taste of what it would be like if Nirvana went to a rave.

It’s true there are thousands, probably millions of independent bands in the US alone. They record in their basements or garages, tour on meager merch sales, and survive purely on adrenaline. Most of them will never make a dent in the mainstream rock market, but every now and then a band comes along that possesses enough talent and drive (the combination is key) to take them straight to the top. Case and point: USS.

You may not be familiar with USS yet, but these guys have been enjoying great success in Canada thanks to heavy radio rotation and a never-ending desire to create something completely unique. With the help of their trusty MacBooks, USS has been creating Nirvana inspired indie-rock laced with infectious beats and energy to boot, for years. Now, with intuition to guide them, USS is embarking on the ride of their life: the release of their upcoming album, and an exciting tour to follow.

USS’s set at RedGorilla Music Festival last Wednesday was an experience in and of itself. Their energy, above everything else was intense. They ran around stage shouting lyrics in perfect harmony, and spitting energy with their wicked rhymes. To top off the night, USS took the audience on a strangely entertaining ride when they proceeded to make homemade smoothies on stage, while singing. Ash would sing a line, pick up a banana, rub it all over his face and then sing another line. He’d do some more rubbing and then place the banana into the blender and pick up a strawberry. After some more singing and eccentric expressions, he would rub the strawberry all over his face, sing some more and then throw it into the blender with the other fruits. The set ended with the two drinking the smoothies and acting surprised as to how they wound up with smoothies in their hands. It was borderline train wreck, but it was brilliant, and the music was so spot on live it was incredibly entertaining. I laughed my head off, danced my heart out, and still have their melodies stuck in my head. USS puts on such a great set it’s a wonder they haven’t been around longer.

For USS, the journey to the top of the Canadian charts was surprisingly organic. It began with Ash’s desire for something he had never heard before. After swapping his electric guitar for a new MacBook—the first computer he had ever used in his life, mind you—Ashley Boo-Schultz paired up with pal and turntable master the Human Kebab. The evolution of the duo’s thoughts and desires came to fruition in the bass-heavy sound that can be heard on the band’s new record Questamation that is currently on iTunes, and will hit stores soon.

Interestingly enough USS has recorded, produced, marketed, promoted, and distributed their music without any help from a label. They’ve also been fortunate enough to grow a significant following without falling victim to mainstream media, bypassing the hoops of fire most new artists are forced to jump through to secure radio play. Instead, USS’s music has spoken for itself. The synth-pop and grunge-inspired rock that defines them has risen above the masses of indie music as some of the freshest, most promising tunes on the radio. Here’s to USS and their incredibly unique brand of indie-rock. If you missed this band at RedGorilla you should be ashamed of yourself. Trust me—you want to get to know USS, they’re coming your way. It’s only a matter of time before they’re dominating radio and tour circuit here in the states, and when they do all I can say is “I told you so!”

Alternative, Artists, Concerts, Dance, Get to Know

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