Dearest Luk/Luke/Lukey/Whatever You Are Calling Yourself These Days,
This is an open letter to you about your latest LP, Awakening Mercury’s Head for the Indies. I cannot, in good conscience, do a regular old review of this release, given the fact that you are a good friend of mine and my opinions are biased. That said, I want to be open, honest, and critical in a letter directly to you that my readers and your listeners can read in order to get a little bit of a feel for you as the artist that you are.
This release is a major step forward from anything you’ve ever done before. The music is more mature, the vocals are solid, and the lyrics are poetry. While your early days with Dreaming Under Mercury were fun and bubbly and your later material with the less pop oriented version of Dreaming Under Mercury is where you started to develop your voice, this release finds you coming into your own as a truly credible and powerful artist.
In earlier days, you wore your musical and vocal influences on your sleeves (or rather on your sleeveless arms) a bit too much. You have always rocked hard, but at times it felt like you were trying to be someone else. Whether it be your previous vocal emulations of Brandon Boyd or your intense musical similarities to Blindside, Chevelle, or (at one point specifically) Further Seems Forever, there always seemed a slight identity crisis in your musical past.
Today, however, those influences may still be evident, but in a much more unique way. Rather than sound like a copycat, you are your own you. Sure, like any great artist, the ghosts of other musical giants haunt your tunes, but never does Head for the Indies feel like music searching for an identity. This is you, all you… and it make me proud, both as a fan and a friend.
I’ve played this album for several friends, just to gauge a reaction. One friend, who listens primarily to arena rock (Creed, Fuel, etc.) found your music enjoyable but ultimately forgettable. This, however, is not the typical target audience for artier rock like this LP. The more appropriate prospective fan, a friend who’s musical tastes lie primarily in the realm of Further Seems Forever, Sensefield, Jimmy Eat World, and The Juliana Theory, found your LP thoroughly enjoyable and has been bugging me about a copy since that time. I guess your sound can hit home, afterall.
I’ve already been verbose, so I guess it’s time to starting wrapping up, especially seeing as I intend to post a full review at some point (by a guest reviewer, of course). I’d like to simply close this letter by saying that no one has ever deserved a chance to “make it” in music more than you. Always busting your ass to write, record, promote, and network, not to mention all the work you’ve done to help out other bands and artists… rock and roll is your lifestyle, but not in the sex and drugs kinda way, but rather in the way that you breathe, sleep, and eat music. One day, your dream will come true, but until that time I have no doubt that you’ll keep plugging along because no one I know loves music as much as you. Keep honing your craft and you’ll hit the big time… then I promise to ride your coattails as far as I can.
Your friend and fan,
Justin “thepaintedman” Harlan
gilli moon is an Aussie singer/songwriter with a big, beautiful voice and a penchant for pop hooks and easily consumed melodies. Inspiring lyrics and great musicianship make this release a pop album that stands out from the uninspired and mediocre pop riddling the radios these days. Comparisons to Alanis Morisette and Lily Allen would not be off the mark in describing the emotion, cleverness, and soul of the stillness. Called “a female Elton John” by Billboard, gilli’s use of great piano work makes this reviewer quite happy (note that Ben Folds and Billy Joel both creep into my top artists list). A solid album cover to cover, but if the first several tracks, notably the trio of “Be”, “I Am”, and “Outside In”, don’t reel you in wanting more, you are probably deaf.
Strong Waves Kill Weak Swimmers
Questions Are Like the Knocks of a Beggar Man
thepaintedman rates this:
By the name of the band and the EP, you could guess (and be quite accurate) that SWKWS is an eclectic indie band. Another example of great musicianship, the band tinkers with layered string arrangements in “Wolves”, jams upbeat synthesizers on “There’s Something in the Sea”, and strums acoustic on “Nothing to Write Home About”. Overall, they sound like a band without a true identity, but a band that is willing to play what they want to play. This EP shows promise and talent… even if they are from Pittsburgh. Another EP or 2 and some maturing and this could be a band to watch out for.
the85bears featuring Alex Exile
Tone & Volume
thepaintedman rates this:
My bias on this one if going to be evident, seeing as a TPM contest is what hooked these artists up together. A few new tracks from the85bears and a few remixes of older bears tracks by the extraordinary Alex Exile (formerly known as Second Reality). There’s also a bonus remix track from Alexander Lowery of The Zero Four. What I like most about the release (besides the fact that it’s FREE), is the variety. Great indie rock coupled with some dance tracks, all the while feeling like a project with continuity and vision. I’d rave more about this, but my bias is already too evident! Check out “Certain Death” and the remixes of “Belly Down” and “Meshac”. Killer stuff.
Little Lords
(s)kills
thepaintedman rates this:
Fourth and final on this edition of Shorties, another Signorelli project that I’ve mentioned a few times before. On this one, Mike gets down and dirty with crazy drumming, screamcore vocals, and a just enough DC hardcore influence. (s)kills is four tracks for fans of the glory days of Victory Records. Brutal in all the right ways, Little Lords will tear you face off and you’ll like it.
The Doctor of Blues that is… Free Music Monday hits y’all off today with “Going Down to Louisiana” by Marshall Lawrence. Bluesy roots rock for the soul… click on the pic below for a free MP3!
I throw this album on and immediately I think… wow, this is pretty good. The vocals are familiar in some way, the rock is in your face, energetic, and polished. A great opening track can grab the listener and from the first listen, I was proof of this.
That said, the best track here is the opener. That isn’t a bad strategy, seeing as first impressions count, but to a certain extent I was a little bit disappointed as the album progressed. The most fair assessment of Million Dollar Mouth’s the panicking is that it’s a commercially viable radio rock album with a few standout tracks and a few that are forgettable – better than mediocre, but not jaw dropping (outside of the opener “Big Kiss” which is likely to remain an iPod playlist inclusion for me for quite some time).
The bands’ onesheet notes that they are recommended if you like Queens of the Stone Age, Stone Temple Pilots, and The Killers, among others. I immediately put a connection in my head between them and STP, the lead singer has a very Weiland-esque presence on this album. I see the comparison to bands like QOTSA and Eagles of Death Metal, as well, but not bands like The Killers… I just don’t hear it. In describing their sound to someone who has never heard them, I’d say that Million Dollar Mouth is Scott Weiland fronting a band with Josh Homme at the helm and the two spent their inspiration sessions listening to 90’s grunge.
For several reasons, I would not be surprised to hear tracks from Never Lost a Lover, their forth-coming follow up to the panicking on the radio in the not too distant future. First, the aforementioned sound is wholly sellable. Second, the band is tight and well produced. Third, I fully expect the follow up to have more tracks like “Big Kiss” (and other standouts like “1-4-3”) on the next album, but every indication from this album is that the band is only going to get better with age and time playing together. Expect big things from them.
MDM is a good band, make no mistake about it. How good remains to be seen, but until then I’ll be playing “Big Kiss” over and over on repeat because it kicks ass.
The Satanic Punk International Conspiracy (aka SPIC) is the first of 2 bands on today’s Twofer Tuesday is a punk influenced rock band that reminds me of a great Philly band I had worked with called bang bang beautiful. To be fair, bbb was better than SPIC is, but the potential is there. It’s raw, fast rock with punk rock vocals, that owes influence in both sound and name to The (International) Noise Conspiracy (and of course, the aforementioned’s original act, The Refused). SPIC’s newest album Day Drunk, is equal parts The Refused and The Hives, danceable punk rock that has me tapping my toe as I type.
I can honestly say that the inclusion of word “satanic” in their name threw me off a bit. I expected a bit more novelty or horror influence, but the lack of that element was not in any way disappointing. In fact, many novelty acts are novelty acts because they can’t hack it with the novelty (ie. The World Inferno Friendship Society). The artwork and title of the album were much more representative of the band. Goofy, irreverent, and fun, with a just the right touch of drunkenness… SPIC strikes me as a great band to have at your next house party, rocking the basement while all your buddies get plastered and jump off the roof. The music is straight forward, has a sing-along quality, and is high energy beginning to end.
The tracks are all similar in sound, but the standout, from this listener’s point of view, is “Strike the Set”. It’s got an old school hardcore punk influence, with thrashy guitars that harken to a pre-pop era of punk. It’s a “sugar diabetic overdose”… listen and you’ll quickly get the reference.
Another of my favorite tracks here is the opener, “Hitsville TX” which can be download here so you can wet your whistle on the sound of SPIC
thepaintedman rates this:
The second band in today’s spotlight is Imagine Dragons. Their EP Hell and Silence, while not what I expected, is a solid showing. The name and my nerdy tendency’s had me to believe the band would be a bit nerdier in sound than they are, but there is still some good synth and a dash or two of geek.
I would compare their sound in ways to many of the popular dance oriented and pop influenced alt rock acts that I am not found of… but that’s not to say I don’t like these guys (and gal). There’s something that makes them a bit different. Perhaps it’s the similarity to the only band of the previously mentioned group that I tend to truly enjoy, The Killers. There is definitely something very familiar, and it’s not surprising to find out that they hail from the same city as the Brandon Flowers bunch.
The most fair thing to say about their EP is that it’s good. It’s familiar and yet fresh, which usually speaks to a release being one that can resonate with fans and critics alike. Being both, I can say… it is an EP that I’d endorse for the alternative radio crowd. I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to hear these guys on Philly’s 104.5 or XM/Sirius’s Alt Nation. In fact, I’ll be surprised if within the next two years they aren’t on regular rotation at these stations.
An EP with great production, addictive hooks, and all types of promise. One of the best things this reviewer has received in his mailbox in months. Expect big things from Imagine Dragons.
A few weeks ago I came home to a small package in the mail, the type of package that is quite frequent for me… one consisting of a small press kit and a CD. I opened it and found a copy of Manafest’s latest CD. I’d never listened to Manafest before being sent his CD to review, but I’d heard his name. I knew he was a rapper, but little else. I began to recall a band from my high school days called Mannafest (note 2 n’s to this rapper’s 1), who hit is pretty big in the Christian market after changing their name to Edison Glass. So, I daydreamed about some old shows I ran for a bit, including a great all day festival where Mannafest (2 n’s) shared the stage with Element 101, Beanbag, Ivan and the Reds, Reconstructing Heather, Reign Storm, and my boys in Giving Way. My daydreams were cut short by a baby who needed to go potty and a meal that needed to be cooked.
The next day, after trying to throw any preconceived notions about Christian rappers and/or the current state of Christian music out, I popped Manafest’s The Chase into my car stereo on the way to work. Right away, the opening track hit my ears with all that I loved about Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory years ago. Soon, I was singing along. POD, PAX217, and John Reuben all came to mind as I continued to listen… but once it was all said and done, I realized that Manafest had carved his own little niche in the Christian music world with a unique rap/rock hybrid that is all his own.
What makes this CD different that other rapcore and hip hop influenced rock that littered the radios a few years back? A lot, to be completely honest. Pop and punk influences on “Fire in the Kitchen” bring to mind some of my favorite moments of John Reuben’s The Boy vs. the Cynic. “Supernatural” reminds me that not all music that can be categorized as “Nu-Metal” has to suck. “Bring the Ruckus” sounds like POD at their best.
But… wait! I said that Manafest was different and all I’m doing is talking about other bands. True, I have been doing this, but you’ll notice that I referenced a wide variety of music in only a few short sentences. That is because Manafest’s influences are obviously diverse. The older and more mature I become, the more I appreciate musical diversity, especially when an artist can be diverse and yet still has a very unique and defing sound to what they are doing. Manafest does this. Whether it be a danceable synthrock rap tune like “The Chase” (think Family Force 5’s Dance or Die album meets Linkin Parks’s “Bleed It Out”), the beautiful ballad “Every Time You Run”, or the PAX217-meets-Gym Class Heroes sound of “Breaking Down the Walls”, each track still has a vibe that can only be described as Manafest.
In short: This CD harkens back to all the best parts of the rap rock heyday, but finds a way to not conform to the pitfalls of the beleaguered genre. In fact, if Beanbag were still around, these guys could definitely share a stage and rock all of our faces off until we had “Whiplash”. Pun intended
The RBCs (aka The Roast Beef Curtains) are from Long Island, New York, but if you put on the Pleasure EP, you’s swear that you were chillin’ in Long Beach with the Skunk Records crew. Five tracks of Sublime inspired reggae-punk-alternative-rock guaranteed to deliver on the promise of the title.
Track 1 – “You’re Great”
Song opens like a track off of a Halfway Between Here and There-era Rx Bandits album. There is an obvious Sublime influence, as with most of the album… nice rock chorus, vocals are solid, and there’s a killer lead guitar solo. From the door, here’s the proof that Andrew has his own voice, both lyrically and vocally.
Track 2 – “L.I.B”
I’m not sure what “L.I.B” stands for… Long Island Beach, perhaps? Any way you slice it, this track is white boy reggae at it’s finest.
Track 3 – “Rabbi David”
Here’s the obligatory punk rock track. Clever lyrics about a screwed up rabbi dude, for instance: “Rabbi David is eating bacon, I’m gonna tell his mom he’s fakin’.” Love it. It makes me laugh, all the while rocking my face off.
Track 4 – “5th Base Girl”
Musically, this song is what Fugazi would sound like as a reggae band. Lyrically, this song is dirty… like very dirty. The bass line is sick and the song is informative… I learned that 5th base is Diet Coke and gloryholes.
Track 5 – “Salty Vile Dub”
Final song of the EP is a solid dub track. The bass booms. And, it makes me wanna be sitting poolside with an ice cold beer. That, my friends, is a good song… taking me to a vacation in my mind.
So… the synopsis here… 5 good tracks of white boy reggae ala Long Beach Dub Allstars, Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Si Senorita etc. There is killer tattoo flash art including a rad interpretation of the Unabomber. Great, great, great EP. Check it out!
No need for an intro, I’ve kept ya’ll waiting long enough.
1. the85bears w/ Alex Exile – Belly Down opens the mixtape with a great tune to dance to. thepaintedman would like to take (at least a little) credit for this awesome collaboration, as a TPM RemixThis! contest brought these forces together. The entire album, featuring more collabs with Alex Exile, a few new tracks, and a sweet remix from RemixThis! can be downloaded for FREE. And it’s currently #2 on noisetrade, so I suspect you’ll like it!
2. Enlou – Amphibian is a track from the Lujo Records act’s new EP. They’ll be hitting the road this Fall, so keep your eyes peeled.
3. Milk Plus – Digging Out proves that Nerdcore is alive and kicking in the UK. Check out this killer track.
4. Bodies in the Lake – Ohh… I’m Sorry for the Confusion will rock your face off… quite literally. It will actually hurt. But it will hurt so good… and once you are done hurting, you can listen to a bonus second track by BITL entitled “Visions of Chaos“. Both of these track were record at Atrium Audio in Lancaster by Carson Slovak, great production if I do say so myself.
WARNING: THE NEXT TRACK FEATURES AN ARTIST NAME WITH A NAUGHTY WORD IN IT!
7. The Glass Gentlemen – Love Story is a crappy cover of a crappy song. The Brads need to stop listening to bad pop! Seriously, though, it’s a fun an enjoyable cover of a song that all of us pretend to hate but secretly dig. Raise your hand if you have a Taylor Swift crush.
8. Jeremy Ritch and the Cowards – Crystal Beth is a track by that dude who wrote some reviews for TPM and pastors an indie church in Harrisburg, PA. Yeah! THAT dude. Did I ever mention to you that this guy is relatively obsessed with old country and is totally in love with Johnny Cash? Guess I did now.
