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Oh Cassius: On Such A Full Sea Are We Now Afloat

Lee Roberts — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 23:21:07 +0000

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Grade:

4.03

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On Such A Full Sea Are We Now Afloat

Oh Cassius

People ask me why do I write reviews on music when there are bands that I have to listen to that I don't like. Most think that it's because I'm wanting to get stuff and I won't deny that I don't like that, but that's not the reason. Why I write reviews is simple, it's for when I get a band that I like. I love hearing new music and even though the radio stations will play new stuff, most of the time the music they play is similar to every other song and it's by bands that really aren't that good but still get air time. That's why doing reviews is good, I get new bands that don't get radio time, bands that are just starting out, or maybe they have been around for years but never hit it big. These new bands can bring into my life some music that I might not ever want to hear again but there are times that I get to listen to music that I can't get enough of. For this review, it's the band called, Oh Cassius that I got to listen to and their album, "On Such A Full Sea Are We Now Afloat" that I just can't get enough of.

Oh, Cassius is the duo John Torres and Meredith DiMenna, both singer and songwriters, that create some wonderfully mellow, upbeat tempo songs. I was impressed with how they are able to keep a steady mellow beat in their songs while also have a good amount of energy in their songs. These are no laid back songs but they are still mellow songs with a easy beat to them. There also fun songs that are lighthearted in nature while also being serious. One example of the lighthearted fun that these two have is by putting a kazoo in as a played instrument. Not the typical instrument, especially for professional bands, but Oh, Cassius includes the kazoo where it actually enhances the song and is just fun to listen to. That's pretty much how this whole album is, just fun to listen to.

First thing to know about these songs is that they are captivating. These two singer/songwriters know how to create some interesting songs that have a mixing of sounds and instruments. This is a indie rock album with hints of folk, pop, and some electronic being used in the songs to give them a unique and different sound. It's because of this unique sound that this group has that make their songs so interesting and entertaining. Not to be overlooked are their skills with vocals and the way the instruments are being played. Vocals on the songs have some really good harmonizing between the two as well as having a good sense of tempos. They know when to make their vocals slow and when to pick up the pacing while always keeping the mellow, easy going nature in the songs. This is a interesting album with fun songs that make me want to relax but also want to get up to discover new fun places in the world.

Album:

On Such A Full Sea Are We Now Afloat

Band:

Oh Cassius

AJR: Infinity

Lee Roberts — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 01:36:51 +0000

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Grade:

3.99

You know that saying, one man band, how about a 3 man band? OK, so there's no saying about a 3 man band but there should be after you hear about the band, AJR. This is literally a 3 man band that consists of 3 brothers, Adam Met, Jack Met, and Ryan Met who not only play the songs, but they write, produce, and mix their own songs. If the fact that they do all that on their own don't impress you, maybe knowing that they do all that from their living room in New York City. Their music is one that is a mixing of different styles where these three brothers are trying to add to their talents by creating some creative songs.
I think I am more impressed with the fact that these three brothers do everything themselves in the process of coming up with a song to producing the EP. That EP they have produced is called, “Infinity” and yes it was done from their living room. The style of music they play is a pop, indie, dubstep, electronic style of songs that blend together for some interesting music. Now just because I'm more impressed that they did all this themselves from their living room doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the music. In fact, considering that this was done from a living room and it sounds as good as it does is only more impressive. Then again I don't know their setup and as far as I know their living room is huge and has the equipment of a professional studio giving them the resources to create professional sounding songs.
Their songs are fun, both in the way they sound and how they make you want to go out to have fun. From the way their music sounds, the brothers must have had fun playing these songs. There's a lot of energy in these songs where they are vibrant and infectious. There's some catchy lyrics in the songs and the vocals of Jack Met are strong and sure of himself. To give the songs just a bit more impressiveness, the songs on the EP changes up in their style and sound. It's hard not to stop listening to the songs on this EP but it's even harder not to have fun while listening to them.

Album:

Infinity

Band:

AJR

Seether: Isolate and Medicate

Wayne Stillson — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:59:17 +0000

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Grade:

2.90

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Seether

Isolate and Medicate

The first time I listened to Isolate and Medicate I was a little disappointed. I had hoped that the album was going to be heavier. After listening to the album a 2^nd and 3^rd time I really did enjoy it. While its not the most complex in terms of writing of both the music and lyrics and not what I was expecting it turned out to be a good CD. Something I can jam out to while driving around.

Out of the 10 songs on the album there’s only 2 that I’m not really a fan of, both of which being somewhat slower songs. If you’ve listened to first single off the album Words as Weapons, it’s a good track to get a feel for most of the album. Not to heavy and fairly simple music writing but with a couple good riffs to keep you interested. I would recommend this album if you’re a Seether fan but also recommend not expecting anything incredible.

Album:

Isolate and Medicate

Band:

Seether

The Last Bison: VA

Wayne Stillson — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:51:06 +0000

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Grade:

4.00

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The Last Bison

VA by The Last Bison was something that sounded really familiar but something completely new at the same time. A lot of the music style on the album reminds me of some of the techqnics I learned while playing classical guitar but played in a folk style.

The band as a hole features quite a few different instruments from what sounds like a banjo to bells to violin plus quite a few more. When accompanied with Ben Hardesty unique vocal style really makes for a good listen. The songs “Every Time” is available to listen to here which if you have the time I would recomend.

Album:

Band:

The Last Bison

All Them Witches: Lightning at the Door

Wayne Stillson — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:45:48 +0000

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Grade:

1.50

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All Them Witches

Lightning at the Door

While the album needs some work I can definitely see some potential. Givin the opportunity I think they could make a really good instrumental band. Most of the songs kind of sound likes a jam session that got recorded.

While that’s not a bad thing the sound quality isn’t much better either. I thought that most of the tracks needed some work being mixed and some of the volume leveled out. It seemed like the drums kind of drowned everything else out which made it hard to get into.

Even though the album does need some work the music itself was something I could get into. It had a very bluesy feel to it but a little heavier. While I wasn’t a fan of the vocal style it does fit in with the music style.

Album:

Lightning at the Door

Band:

All Them Witches

Machinae Supremacy: Phantom Shadow

Wayne Stillson — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 14:40:57 +0000

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Grade:

3.20

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Machinae Supremacy

Phantom Shadow

While it took a little getting use to the vocals the music on MACHINAE SUPREMACY’s (MaSu) new album “Phantom Shadow” was great. The album is heavily influenced by video games, which you can hear very easily. A few of the songs intros remind me of old 8-bit style video games.

MaSu has toured with Children of Bodem, played music from Final Fantasy with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Stockholm, and also created an original soundtrack for video game Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams. Though I’ve never heard of the game I do kind of want to check it out solely for the music.

The album features some great guitar work. Though the vocals are a little high pitched for my taste the music itself more then makes up for it. The odd mix of heavy guitar and classic video game sounds is something I haven’t really heard before but complements each other very well.

On t he bands website that can be found here you can find a lot of songs that are available for free to listen to by the band and I definitely plan on checking some of it out. Though its not a band I’ve heard of a week ago I would highly recommend listing to if your looking for a new style of rock or just like some really good guitar riffs.

Album:

Phantom Shadow

Band:

Machinae Supremacy

Aurin: Catharsis

AJ Garcia — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 23:53:12 +0000

Review:

Digital Music

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Grade:

4.28

Tags:

Pavement Music

Aurin

Catharsis

Having been in the music review game for awhile now I’ve learned to ignore the impulse to assume a band is going to sound a certain way based on their artwork, album title or even song titles. It’s a surefire way to shoot yourself in the foot and completely setting a mood that may bias your entire review.

That being said I simply jotted down Aurin’s album, Catharsis, on a flash drive and plugged it into my car as I headed back to work.

My first impression of the band was that they were one of those great bands that has one foot in the music business and one foot in the wild unsigned world of passion playing. Their album has a very raw power behind it.

Drummer Linda Medina is simply explosive and guitarist Andrew Wayne’s presence is both power and experimental and fits well with bassist Joe Palamara, who both keeps rhythm as well as throws in the occasional odd jazz-like curve that meshes well in the busy world of Catharsis. Rounding the band out is vocalist Sarah Anderson who delivers the bands message with a nice range that will remind most casual metal heads of Evanescence, more adventurous listeners of Amaranthe, and even old guys like me of Joan Jett back her heyday (but that’s up to speculation).

The overall feel to the album is somewhat common. There are some songs about anger, songs that dig a bit deeper in the dark, but a little research on the band and you’ll quickly discover their passion and activism for such topics as bullying, suicide, and all the in-between isms that coexist within those dark frames. In short, the band gives substance through action which makes me believe in their message all the more and not bulking them in with the many, many bands out there that hit on the same topics in their melancholy and seemingly fall in fashion.

The only real quirks I had with the album were some out of step sounding tracks like Hysteria which sounds a bit muddled and treble heavy and the breakdown at the end of Over which sounds a bit off in the timing on percussion. Hardly anything truly noticeable aside from my take on Hysteria, but overall definitely an album that will keep your head bobbing and your want for heavy music well fed. Definitely check Aurin out.

Album:

Catharsis

Band:

Aurin

Naked Lunch Music From The Original Soundtrack: Howard Shore and Ornette Coleman and the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Lee Roberts — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 23:34:01 +0000

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Grade:

3.90

I just finished listening to a soundtrack to a movie I have never even heard but now have the urge to watch. That's because the soundtrack, "Naked Lunch Music From The Original Soundtrack" by Howard Shore, Ornette Coleman, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra has some well composed and played songs that make me want to find out what is going on in the scenes that the music is supporting. You might have heard of the name Howard Shore, or maybe you don't know his name but I would bet there are more people out in the world that know his music without even knowing that he was the one that composed it. Why would you know his music without knowing him? Because he composed the music for some very popular movies, such as, "Lord of the Rings", "The Silence of The Lambs", and "Mrs. Doubtfire", as well as others. So see, the man you might not know his name to but you know the music that he has composed and now that you know his name and that he has a new soundtrack, along with Ornette Coleman, it's time for me to talk about this soundtrack in my words.
Surprisingly, at least to me it was surprising, this soundtrack is a jazz style soundtrack. I was expecting the typical soundtrack where the orchestra plays songs that are closer to a classical song than a song that is instrumental. It's weird, this soundtrack has songs on it that gave me a sense of wild times, crazy nights, and lots of fun and drama but the music is played in a controlled, thought out, and intentional way. This is the kind of jazz music that I like, the kind that puts you into a mood to dance, a mood to go out on some investigation, and for me makes me want to see the world in black and white. There's a darkness in the tone of the songs being played but at the same time there's a easy, fun tone being weaved into the songs as well. I have one word that I can think of that could sum up the images, the feelings, and how I picture the movie, noir.
One of the reasons that I now want to watch the movie is because I want to see the scene that these songs are playing to. I could hear the different emotions being played in the songs that range from pretty much every emotion that a person can experience like anger to love to fun. This music is composed very well, but it's also the skills of the people playing in The London Philharmonic Orchestra that make these songs entertaining to listen to. Even if this wasn't a soundtrack to a movie, the songs are played so well and in such a manner that they could easily be listened to as a standalone album. They are also played well enough that if you don't like jazz, I think this would be an album that might start in changing your opinion of jazz. At times you can hear one instrument over the others and times when you hear the song as a whole where you can't pick out just one instrument that is better than the rest. Of course this is done on purpose, that's what good composing does, but it's also because these musicians play well enough to allow their instruments to stand out while also support the others. I liked this soundtrack, more so then I expected, it has good jazz songs, there are good harmonies being played, and it's just an entertaining album.

Album:

Naked Lunch Music From The Original Soundtrack

Artist:

Howard Shore and Ornette Coleman and the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Rain City Rockers: Mayday

Lee Roberts — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 00:53:55 +0000

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Grade:

3.25

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Rain City Rockers

Mayday

Four guys from four already established bands have come together to form a all new group called, Rain City Rockers. These four guys, Andrew Conroy, Tom Thacker of Sum 41 and GOB, Anthony Bleed from Die Mannequin, and Darrin Pfeiffer of Goldfinger, have a new album called Mayday that is something of a jam band record but with a twist. It's twist is that it's also a rocking out record. Along with the band jamming out to the songs they play on this album, they also rock out. What you get on Mayday are punk rock songs that are a lot of fun to listen to and are full of energy that can get you pumped up.
While looking up about this band I found out something that was amazing, not that the members are from other bands, that's common in the music industry, but what isn't common is being able to record a whole album in one take. That's right, these guys created an album that is entertaining to listen to and I believe that's because the group had fun playing the songs. I don't know how long these guys have been playing together but what this album makes me believe is that they have been together for years. The songs have a vibrant and young sound to them but they are catchy and easy to learn. Singing along with these songs will come easy to most people that listen to them because Rain City Rockers make the songs sound fun to sing along with. The instruments are played with skill and a lot of energy. These guys mesh with their styles of playing.
This is a good album, don't make no mistake in that, but there are still a few flaws to the songs. One is that some of the lyrics are a bit too repetitive, not in a bad way, it's one of the reasons that they are easy to learn and sing along with, but I could have enjoyed them just as much with only hearing some lyrics repeated a little less. And though this really don't hurt the album, the lyrics aren't that creative. They are fun, even a little on the joking side, but not too creative. It's the lyrics that make these songs have a slight young to immature sound to them. On the flip side to that, it's because of the young sound and because the lyrics are the way they are that these songs are entertaining and fun. Listening to this album is like watching a movie that you don't have to worry over thinking about while you watch, you just sit back, let it wash over you, and enjoy the moment you are in while forgetting all you problems. This album is fun, it has a raw sound to it that makes it in your face attitude, and it's played quite well.

Album:

Mayday

Band:

Rain City Rockers

Teeel: Hydrostatic

Paul Arca — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 18:34:30 +0000

Review:

Digital Music

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Grade:

4.00

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Teeel

Hydrostatic

Teeel is an electronic artist from New Jersey. The person behind Teeel is Jim Smith, who produces, writes, and does the vocals and instrumentals. His musical influences include New Order and Daft Punk and his sound can be described as a more playful version of Chromeo. His third album, “Hydrostatic,” was released on September 9, 2014 and has been creating a big buzz for Teeel.

“Hydrostatic” has a lot of great beats, a retro synthesized sound, and an overall upbeat mood to the album. This guy is quite the electronic maestro and will surely appeal to any fans of New Order and Daft Punk. His vocals are also very fitting to the songs and compliment the grooves perfectly. This was a very well-rounded album that I recommend checking out. My favorite songs on the album were “Party?,” “Disk go,” and “Runners” This album will take you on a trip to the 80’s and leave you there. For those reasons, I am giving Teeel and “Hydrostatic” an “A.”

Album:

Hydrostatic

Artist:

Teeel