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SHIM: Feel Like a King

May 9, 2008 / Mike Farley

SHIM is a four-piece guitar-driven rock band from Seattle, but you shouldn’t immediately draw comparisons to birth-of-grunge bands like Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots. No, SHIM is more of a throwback to the days of pure rock. Think maybe a cross between AC/DC, Aerosmith and Deep Purple – with more modern influences like the Black Crowes thrown in. However, that’s all for reference, because SHIM really does have its own sound. Feel Like a King pretty much picks up where the band’s debut, In the Veins, left off. Singer Ragan Crowe has a powerful instrument, a rock tenor that may remind you of Billy Squier. And of course, the bombastic guitar-bass-drum attack is never a bad formula for any rock band, especially when they are delivering songs named “Animal” or “We Got Guns.” But on here, the riff-driven “Highway” is the album’s best track. Still, even though SHIM gives us hope that the Rock is alive and well, Feel Like a King is more of a continuation of In The Veins, rather than an upgrade. (LABEL: self-released)

SHIM MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Rock

Audiocrash: Time Sensitive Material

May 9, 2008 / Captain Capm

You can tell that Guy Strzepeck and Craig Maseratti, the duo who form Audiocrash, are really trying here on their album Time Sensitive Material. But perhaps they’re trying too hard. Honestly, it’s hard to think of the last time I’ve heard a CD where the lead singer sounds as corny as he does on this disc. Guy is straining far too hard for the cool rock dude sound in his voice, going for one of those raw, throaty deliveries that sounds like the kind of thing Trey Parker hilariously parodies on any given episode of “South Park” or in the “Team America” flick. Songs like “Captain America” and “I Can’t Feel You Anymore” is the stuff bad rock nightmares are made of. Then there’s the production, which is just too damn sterile for its own good. This undoubtedly has to do with Maseratti handling all the instrumental and production duties himself. The songs sound like they’ve been suffocated in some sort of plastic coating with no room to breathe. Still, I suppose you can’t fault them for trying, and the music overall isn’t as bad as the worst I’ve heard. Perhaps their live show is better, but as far as what these guys have to work with on this CD, they’re honestly not going to get very far. Another DIY demo gussied up to look like a finished work. Pass. (Label: Dirty Garage Records, 2008)

Audiocrash MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, Pop, Rock

Your Vegas: A Town and Two Cities

May 9, 2008 / David Medsker

In today’s age of needing a “spin” or a “hook” in order to make a product appealing, Leeds quintet Your Vegas is refreshingly gimmick-free. Their Editors-meets-Keane form of epic pop rock doesn’t try to change the world or reinvent the wheel; indeed, they seem perfectly content to take turns rocking out (“Aurora”) or inciting a lighter/cell phone-waving moment (“How the War Was Won”). And while these songs show an impressive level of songcraft in their arrangements and sky-high choruses, many of the songs are missing that extra umph to push them to the next level. It’s all extremely pleasant while it’s playing, but much of it will be forgotten once it’s finished. Still, there is talent here, so here’s hoping they step up on album number two. (Label: Universal/Republic)

Your Vegas MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, Pop, Rock

Brooke Fraser: Albertine

May 2, 2008 / Mike Farley

If it seems like there’s been an overabundance of both male and female singer/songwriters the past five years, that’s because, well, there has been. Maybe it’s because recording technology has allowed more and more artists to make albums, but too many of them think they can and really can’t. Those who know how to write solid songs are the ones who stand out, and the ones who have strong vocal ability on top of that stand out even further. New Zealand native Brooke Fraser has all that and more, and her sophomore album, Albertine, is very likely to put her on the map here in the States. Fraser has a breathy, sexy voice, and a pop sensibility brought out by acclaimed producer Marshall Altman (Marc Broussard, Matt Nathanson). You might hear hints of Chantal Kreviazuk or another Down Under artist, Natalie Imbruglia. But Fraser has the kind of songs, some of them inspired by a trip to Rwanda in 2005, that should have her surpassing both of those names in global popularity—if not now, then definitely soon. (Columbia/Wood & Bone)

Brooke Fraser MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

Shy Child: Noise Don’t Stop

May 2, 2008 / Jeff Giles

The NME has said that Shy Child “are to Kraftwerk what the White Stripes are to Led Zeppelin,” but it might be more accurate to compare drummer Nate Smith and keyboardist/vocalist Pete Cafarella to Brendan Fraser in “Encino Man” – like his miraculously preserved caveman, this keytar-rockin’ duo comes straight out of a bygone era. Not that that’s a bad thing, mind you – especially if you’ve ever wondered what it might sound like if your favorite early ‘80s New Wave band had survived the last quarter century intact. (Duran Duran doesn’t count.) As the album’s title promises, Smith and Cafarella make an incredible racket here, spinning an impressively dense web of sound out of their drums ‘n’ keys setup. And oh, those keys – you haven’t heard synth tones like this since the closing credits of “Revenge of the Nerds.” Repeated listening to the keyboard solo in “What’s It Feel Like?” may cause spontaneous hair-feathering. It’s all a lot of fun, honestly, even if the endlessly uptempo beats do start to get a little ear-numbing after awhile; Cafarella’s gulping vocals are perfect for the material, and it’s a blast hearing actual drums on a dance record. You probably won’t find yourself humming any of these songs after they’re over, but after 40 solid minutes of ass-shaking, who feels like humming anyway? (Kill Rock Stars 2008)

Shy Child MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, Pop