The production on the new self-titled Conservative Man EP is really quite good, if you're into that sparkly, soulless electro-pop thing that these guys do. And is it really "these guys", or this guy? There are 3 members listed: Justin Sokol - Drums Darren Hyest - Keys, Synth Ian McCarthy - Vox, Bass, Guitars, Spite, Synth, Drum Programming, Bad Production, Non-Conversationalist, Songwriting, etc, etc. Wow. I don't have any inside information here, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that Ian is the one that wrote those descriptions. He didn't feel that just one "etc" would be sufficient, so he went...
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In the mood for a nerd boner? “Yes.” You say? Then it’s your lucky day! Joey Mariano or as he’s known in the chiptune scene (is there really a chiptune scene?), Animalstyle is set to release his newest album, Teletime, on NES cartridge. You might be thinking, “WHAAAAT, ON NES CARTRIDGE?” because I know I was. And yes, folks this album is being released in a very limited quantity of about 50 NES carts. Since Teletime has not yet been released, and because I don’t own an NES console anymore, I got my first taste of Animalstyle by listening to...
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If any one out there is planning a trip to outer space, I have the tunes that will help get you there. Overlook’s new release, ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ is a soundscape album that takes the listener to infinity and beyond. Equal parts Radiohead and Muse, this Philly band is pushing the same sonic boundary lines the aforementioned bands have battled. The instrumentation is spectacular throughout, supplemented by Brian Eno-esque sonic experimentation. The album seems to have a jazz influence which is why comparisons to Radiohead are justified. Songs like “Stars” and “The Venom” bring out the band’s rock influence. “The...
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It's the Holiday Season and all, so I'm going to try and be as gentle as I can here. After giving the six songs that make up the new 'Reflect' EP several listens, I can safely say that Elder have a really cool album cover. The illustration by UArts alumni Mike Wohlberg is what drew my attention to the band in the first place, and after spending some time with the music, it's still my favorite part. As much as I generally hate the limitations of genres, Elder could easily be pigeonholed as "screamo", and that is their downfall. The music,...
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The Rowdies are like a teddy bear. A teddy bear wrapped in barbed wire. Hailing from the small suburb of Hatboro, Horsham, this little band is bursting onto the scene with a huge sound. In an era of ever changing technologies and trends, The Rowdies are taking the time to throw it back to the good old days when punk rock was an ethic, not a commodity sold at Pac Sun. The root of The Rowdies sound is punk rock. Blending styles of decades past, this band can be described as the greatest mix-tape of every punk band...
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I look all around the country and I see Musical Artists/Bands looking for places to play for as large an audience as possible, wanting to be heard, wanting to gain new fans, wanting to earn a living doing what they like to do – which is: Creating and Playing their Music. Naturally, they are going to go where they can be hired, which most of the time consists of different Bars, Clubs and other drinking establishments... Well, in theory, this should work pretty well; you have places to gather and nurture fans, and you’re doing what you love to do - play...
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There are countless tools available to bands nowadays, especially when it comes to delivering your music on the internet. The focus of this post will be Bandcamp.com, which is by far the most impressive service I have ever seen for musicians. The short version of what Bandcamp does is simple; they host your music files and allow fans to play it and download it in a variety of ways. Big deal, right? There's a million ways to do all that. Bandcamp has gone far beyond what bands can expect from any other services. I'll try to break it down is a...
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Alright, Junior’s five song E.P., 'Our Temporary Everything' picks up where their last release, 'Eudaemonic', left off; leading a visceral stampede of post-punk anthems upon our ear drums. Taking into account the vast amount of overdubbing and production tricks used on modern recordings, it's refreshing to hear one that sounds like the band is playing live in your ear buds. The sonic quality of the album is definitely an improvement upon 'Eudaemonic', progressing from rawness to a fuller, more polished sound. The grit is still very present due to the band’s ability stay disciplined without being boring. I would...
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Every once in a very long while a band comes out of left field and seems to instantly reinvent what we know about Rock music. You can probably count on both hands the complete list of truly groundbreaking artists that have accomplished such an amazing feat. Big Terrible are not one of them. And luckily for us, they don't even bother to try. When any group of people are as naturally gifted at crafting memorable Rock n Roll anthems as these guys are, they shouldn't concern themselves with reinventing the wheel. They know what they're good at, and that's exactly...
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The first thing I noticed about Eat Your Birthday Cake was the clever title of the band’s debut EP; which reads “Eat your birthday cake, I Know you can.” I couldn’t help but giggle. The masterminds behind Eat Your Birthday Cake are two dudes from Fishtown, Bill Storck and Marc Neibauer that have been refining their recipe for lighthearted rock since early 2008. The EP opens with Vegan Leather, a pleasant sounding song that made my ears perk up. The melodies are lovely enough that the song would still be good sans lyrics. Something that bothered me was the...
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For the rabid "fans" with short attention spans, here is the short version: I LIKE THE ALBUM, AND PURCHASED A COPY. Have a nice day. After dealing with all the comments from the other day, I did all I could to get this album as fast as possible. I also reached out to the band and its label for interviews. The band declined, but Deathwish co-founder Jacob Bannon agreed. I never bothered to ask for a copy of the album, because I figured it would be declined. But I knew I could trust the loyal fans of the band to post the...
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Heading straight from Bucks County comes Ghosts in the Valley; a band easily labeled as pop punk in a sea of pop punks, yet they offer so much more. They have a raw older hardcore punk meets late 80's alternative rock sound, like something you would hear on an SST sampler alongside Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, fIREHOSE, Hüsker Dü and Minutemen. Musically, as well as technically, they have a sound in common with those SST and later Dischord bands. Ghost in the Valley's newest release, "Subtle as a Brick", opens with a killer jam called "Kingsize". You hear the steady 3...
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The fact that Facebook and Twitter have turned Myspace into a relative ghost town isn't news. But it is still surprising to see how the once dominant social network continues to shoot itself in the foot. The one specific area where Myspace still has an advantage over all the others is music. It has a robust music player, and profiles designed specifically for bands and musicians. Over the last few years, it's become an absolute necessity for bands big and small to have a presence on Myspace. Among the best features of the site for exploring new music, was the local...
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