Author Archives: bobvinyl
Review: Flying Machines
Label: Meteor 17 Released: September 22, 2009 Flying Machines recently won Converse’s “Get Out of the Garage” nationwide battle of the bands contest. Their music has been featured on TV’s Psych. They’re a band on the way up. So, what’s the hype? Well, their guitar driven pop rock (a la the Killers) fits in nicely with the current mood of… Read more »
Review: Ace Frehley – Anomaly
Label: Bronx Born Records Released: September 15, 2009 Anomaly is the latest release from Ace Frehley, but it’s also a good description of Space Ace himself in a sense. After all, he’s the only member of Kiss to make any good records on his own. So, score one for Ace. On the other hand, it’s been 20 years since he’s… Read more »
Review: Girl in a Coma – Trio BC
Label: Blackheart Records Released: June 2, 2009 Coming two years after their promising debut, Trio BC shows a young band that has done some significant maturing as musicians. The album maintains their early punkish edge, but expands the sound well beyond that. Nina Diaz elevates herself to a rough-around-the-edges Patsy Cline, particularly on the yearning, tender melancholy of “El Monte.”… Read more »
Review: Rapid Cities – Machinery Saints
Label: Love/Hate Records Released: May 2009 In some cases, albums where a band knows exactly where they’re going and how they’ll get there deliver a level of perfection that earlier albums hadn’t. However, there is an urgency that blossoms from the creative free-for-all of a band finding their way as they go. There’s a visceral energy that perfection just can’t… Read more »
Review: The Slits – Trapped Animal
Label: Narnack Records Released: October 20, 2009 Trapped Animal is the first studio album from the Slits since 1981 and comes 30 years after the seminal punk/reggae fusion of their debut, 1979’s Cut. The passage of time and only returning with two-thirds of the band’s core (Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt) certainly give reason to be skeptical of a new… Read more »
Video: Pictures of Then – Wicked Sea
Check out this creepy coolness from Pictures of Then:
Review: Saint Bernadette – Word to the Lourdes
Label: Exotic Records Released: April 14, 2009 The band name and album title here present a question. Is this band serious or tongue-in-cheek? After all, they’ve named themselves after the saint whose visions of the Blessed Mother continue to provide awe and inspiration to the faithful 150 years later. While their name could clearly be taken seriously, the title’s less-than-reverent… Read more »
Review: Thieves and Liars – American Rock n Roll
Label: Dreamt Released: September 1, 2009 Thieves & Liars debut, last year’s When Dreams Become Reality, was a bold, expansive album. If it had a noticeable fault, it was that it didn’t always turn its breadth into a cohesive whole. American Rock n Roll doesn’t suffer that same ill though. It’s a much more straight forward hard rock album. While… Read more »
Review: Latin for Truth – We Are Sick of Not Having The Courage To Be Absolute Nobodies
Label: Pitfall Records Released: Summer 2009 Some bands can get by on simply having big, open, honest hearts to fuel their music. They don’t have to be particularly creative as their appeal lies more in soul than songwriting. Latin For Truth is like that…except, despite having more than enough in their hearts to make just about anything compelling, they don’t… Read more »