NEW MUSIC REVIEWS

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Pure Volume.Com Compitlation

(Driv-Thru Records)

Drive-Thru Records and Purevolume.com released a double-dose of excellence with their new two-disc collaboration that hit the store shelves in mid-February.

If you’re looking for a wide variety of music ranging from rock to pop-punk to emo, venture out to your local record store and pick up this CD.

The compilation features 145 signed and unsigned bands. It is one of the best musical concoctions released so far this year.

Discs 1 and 2 combined feature 25 actual tracks, with 120 mp3’s embedded in the disc for play on your favorite electronic gadget.

Many of the artists on the CD have already made a mark on their scene: you’ll find tracks by such popular bands as – The Format, Fallout Boy, The Juliana Theory, Matchbook Romance and others.

Some of the best tracks on the collection are on disc one. It’s hard to listen to “Tie The Rope” by The Format and not wander around humming the chorus. Melodic and upbeat, it’s the perfect opener for the record.

“Exit Emergency” by Houston Calls is also an excellent track. Energetic with a punk edge, you’ll pogo around your living room with this one.

Say Anything brings us “Woe”, a delightfully campy song that sounds similar to a bizarre show tune.

Other noteworthy tracks include: “His Midas Touch” and “Kill the Messenger” by Something Corporate side projects Firescape and Jack’s Mannequin. Firescape introduces us to the vocals of Corporate guitarist Josh Partington, while SOCO front man Andrew McMahon’s familiar voice and piano playing skills cross over to Jack’s Mannequin. Both are commendable bands, and it will be interesting to see these two talented artists take their personal projects to the next level.

Of course, the review would not be complete without giving some praises to the many unsigned bands that appear on the compilation, including Northwest Indiana’s own, Asteria.

All bias aside, their contribution to the disc, “You Could Be My Mona Lisa” is definitely one of the best of all the “unknowns”. Coupled with the right producer and a little fine-tuning, the guys that make up a high-school band this year could very well be a Warped band in the years to come…

Keep an eye out for Asteria and other up-and-coming bands like Bel Air Academy, The Goodyear and Wings of Azrael.

The folks at Drive-Thru and Purevolume.com are applauded for developing this idea to help introduce new bands to hungry listeners.

Overall, this wonderful collection rates at “10.” If you like the pop-punk/alternative genre of music, you’ll devour this delicious compilation. It’s fresh and it’s fun!

– Corine Jurgerson

BRIGHT EYES

I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning

(Saddle Creek Records)

Like many “alternative genius” types, hype seems to precede this band. However, with Bright Eyes (read - singer/songwriter Conor Oberst) seems to live up to the hype.

In the vein of Ryan Adams, Oberst has a capacity of depth with the promise of more to come. On I'm Wide Awake, It’s Morning, the music is stripped down to the essentials, allowing haunting, raw emotion to set at the forefront.

“We Are Nowhere And It's Now” is seminal folk/country. It’s a personal tale of drunken abandon unfolds, guitar, piano and mandolin juxtapose the mood of the piece.

“Lua” is by far the best song on the CD. Breaking up never sounded so honest, helpless and innocent. Just voice and guitar sounding as if they were recorded in a cold furniture-less room with a 45-watt bulb creating more shadows that illumination.

A song that commands listening. “First Day of My Life” features a fantastic double bass that delves out the energy needed to move this folk-flavored ditty.

The CD concludes with “Road to Joy”. Sort of like Robert Smith of the Cure giving a nod to Bob Dylan with an “alt/country” take. Political and relevant, this is a perfect way to end the CD.

Bright Eyes is much like Badly Drawn Boy or Five for Fighting in that they are really a one man band fleshing out vital singer/songwriter angst against opposing musical backdrops.

I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning was a pleasant surprise to and is is worth the gamble to a music fan who likes surprises.

– Jon Rice

KAADA-PATTON

Romancese

(Ipecac Records)

In the mood for a unique musical experience? This collaborative effort between John Erik Kaada and Mike Patton will make your day.

Romances offers retro-sensibility. The music is very hard to classify, as is typical with Mike Patton projects. While never full-out rocking, the vocal stylings and harmonies are a heavy assault in their own.

Mike Patton has always been involved with great musical adventures, from Mr. Bungle/Faith No More to Fantomas/Tomahawk. Romances fits into his catalogue perfectly.

John Erik Kaada, an artist on Patton’s record label, Ipecac, is extremely gifted in instrumentation and gives the CD an otherworldly texture and a signature sound. Kaada has an amazing talent when mixing production work and toying with samples.

Romances is the best of both worlds as Patton’s vocal ability and Kaadaa’s production work are both in top form.

The album harkens back to the martini swilling days of yesteryear. Romances would make the perfect soundtrack for anyone’s swinging space-age bachelor pad.

Aside from Patton’s trademarked vocals, one of the greatest attributes of Romances is the musical range. The opening track, “Invocation”, sounds like it belongs on a soundtrack to a foreign movie or old science fiction movie, and that’s only the beginning.

Inspired by the works of classical composers, Romances travels to areas rarely explored in modern music on cutting-edge numbers like “Crepuscle”, the eleven-minute opus, “Aubade” and “Seule”.

The album has a unique style that sets it apart from everything else out there right now. Patton and Kaada are talented enough to walk the line between avant-garde without seeming to go above their audiences heads.

Good, good stuff!

– Rod Eckrich

CROSSFADE

Crossfade

(Sony)

Newbies Crossfade enter the ring of pop-metal with their eponymous release. Nice try, but no cigar.

While talented and not horrible, there exists a malaise that becomes numbing after the third song. Perhaps if the subject matter wasn’t so cliche and their approach not so antiseptic, they may have found a niche.

“Starless” starts off promising with a rapid-fire riff that slips away in a wash of four/four tedium.

Their “radio hit” –– “Cold” –– may hit the Top 100, but will die an early death before it gets past seventy-five. Mid tempo, apologetic and hinting at “boy band” vocal treatments, the only highlight of the tune is the wah-wah guitar solo.

“Colors” is the most realized song on this CD, because it throws away the “pop-metal” formula and lets it all hang out. Vocals that push the “comfortable” range, a message of reaching out and a crunchy rhythm section set this tune apart.

The rest of the songs offer the limited palette of three shades of gray and are not worth a spin.

When will the “star-maker” machine realize that the CD-buying public has learned to smell out a “formula band” and big business-driven mediocrity a mile away.

Their feeble attempt at adding rap into “No Giving Up,” was forced, uninspired and calculated.

– Jon Rice

THE MERIDETHS

A Closed Universe

(Ebauchery Records)

The Louisville-based indie rock quintet, The Merediths, have offered up a fresh sounding EP, A Closed Universe.

Alive with vivid melodies composed of both new and nostalgic concepts, The Merediths’ latest release is destined to be a hit at college-radio.

Clearly influenced by The Beatles, the five-track EP stands out amongst typical tunes receiving today’s radio airplay.

Melody-heavy pop sounds combined with an air of sophistication, equals brilliance emerging at time when most radio-friendly music needs a massive overhaul.

From the opening track, “Marmalade Maggie”, the listener is digressed to the groundbreaking hits of The Beatles. At least half of the tracks on the EP have Beatlesque overtones.

Instrumentally rich with mature lyrics, A Closed Universe seeks to open new horizons for this up-and-coming Midwest band. Already established in the Louisville music scene, they are now attempting to make a name for themselves across the United States.

This could be possible, as Joe Meredith’s vocals are easy on the ears. Their sound is akin to Beatles meets Better Than Ezra... so what’s not to love? An interesting blend that leaves the listener wanting more than the 5 tracks on the EP.

Please, give us more.

– Corine Jurgerson

THE FOXYMORONS

Hesitation Eyes

(Heatstroke Records)

The Foxymorons are Texas duo David Dewese and Jerry James, from Mesquite, Texas.

Their latest album, Hesitation Eyes, plays around with different genres and has a very relaxed feel to it, but ultimately plays everything completely safe.

The music stays in a broad area and feels as though it is boxed in by the rules of its genre. What is it’s genre exactly? Well, the Foxymorons fall somewhere along the lines of independent alternative country.

They are a half-baked band that probably thinks – “OK. We’re a lo-fi alt-country band. Let’s write nonsensical lyrics that don’t even sound clever and toss some ho-hum rhythms around and people will hail us as the next big thing.”

Hesitation Eyes starts off solidly enough with the track “Harvard Hands” and slightly loses steam by the next track, “Just Because”.

That is pretty much the pattern here, as each track seems to worsen. I found myself wondering – “When is this album ever going to pick up?” It doesn’t.

The vocals and instrumentation are decent, but the songs are lacking and the lyrics just are not nearly as cute as the the band might think.

Neil Young or Jeff Tweedy, have no problem putting the tongue-in-cheek lyric where the music and pace is serious. The Foxymorons are not at that level.

Somewhere in Texas, a coffeehouse open mic night is missing its two stars.

– Rod Ekrich

THE MARS VOLTA

Frances The Mute

(Universal)

The Mars Volta are creating a strong buzz for themselves based on their powerful, off- kilter sounds.

Made up of former members of At the Drive In, which broke up at the height of breaking into commercial fame, The Mars Volta have recently released their second LP, Frances The Mute, and chances are, you are going to hear about this one for a long time to come.

The Mars Volta’s previous album, De-loused in the Comatorium, cemented their reputation as having a powerful sound structure and heavy dynamics. Frances the Mute further establishes that and stands as out as one of the best releases of 2005 thus far.

The look and sound of the band might seem pretentious at first, but I assure you that the band and album is full of great music and integrity.

I was not a fan of At the Drive In. With that band, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s vocals seemed too self-important and aggravating. With the Mars Volta, the vocals are one of the strong points of a musical odyssey.

With most of Frances The Mute’s tracks going past the ten-minute mark, it is one incredible journey. Describing The Mars Volta’s sound is a tough task. They are a category unto themselves – aggressive noise rock, psychedelic (reminiscent of earlier Pink Floyd), improvisational jazz, and world music.

Frances The Mute is something of a concept album. Based off of a diary that was mysteriously found, the concept is not ultimately clear and I am not sure if that’s the point or not.

While this certainly is not The Wall or a Tommy, the album clearly is on to some kind of new concept that is not afraid of leaving behind a traditional story to go along with the ever-changing musical flow.

Frances The Mute is almost a continuing cycle of the same thing over and over. The tones range from whispery soft to jackhammer-paced rock.

The CD starts off with a track called “Cygnus Vismund Cygnus”, and like stepping onto a train, this is the beginning of a very pleasant musical ride.

When tempos shift often. The slow points to prepare the listener for the next explosion into free-form jams. The guitar and drum work on this album is powerful.

There is never a dull moment on this record, which says a lot when a track like “Cassandra Gemini,” clocks in at over thirty minutes.

No other band out there sounds like The Mars Volta and a lot of hipster wannabes already think they live in Coolsville for being in the know about the band.

With a second LP that is even better than their underground classic debut, The Mars Volta are breaking out as even the mainstream press are catching on to this sophomore release.

Some people may be turned off by the album’s rather schizophrenic pace and the constant shift of tone, but that is just new ground that The Mars Volta has successfully broken.

Frances The Mute deserves to be heard by anyone who likes psychedelic or heavier music. Check it out!

– Rod Eckrich

MADSIDE

Madside

(EVO Records)

Sometimes when East meets West good things happen.

When EVO Recordings, a new label out of North Carolina heard a band out of Redding California, they immediately signed them. The band was Madside, a quartet who deliver a very tightly-woven, hard-driving sound.

The evidence is found on their self-titled debut, Madside. Shards of hardcore and metal influences are brilliantly sprinkled into this stew of music to give it some great metallic flavor.

What makes Madside stand out from the pack, is their ability to play as one unit, as a band. This is not just about the guitar or the vocal, it’s about the sum of those parts and others. It’s about the end result and the teamwork it takes to get there.

Each member knows when to step up and play and they know when not to play; letting other instrumentation come through.

Each of the11 tracks on this CD are good, hard driving, straight up rockers. My favorites are: “Ammunition”, “Enemy” and “Face It.” Each feature, not only strong instrumentation, but smoothly delivered vocals. It is great to hear a band within this heavy rock genre sporting a vocalist with the ability to actually “sing”, not just bark in the middle of the mix or screaming in time to the music.

Madside is a band that heavy music fans owe it to themselves to check out. Find them online at: www.madside.com

– Mr. Sid

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