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Date: 2010.08.30 | Category: Reviews | Response: 0
The Sword: Warp Riders
Austin, Texas based metal band, The Sword has delighted listeners with their combination of doom and stoner metal. On their third studio album, Warp Riders the band makes a conscious choice to incorporating more elements of hard rock.
Musically, Warp Riders is the least “metal” record The Sword has put out to date but that does not mean that the album does not have its moments. “Astraea’s Dream” reminds me of Doomriders but the track is merely an instrumental interlude between album sections. Although it is a full length track, clocking in at over three minutes, the track is not representative of the rest of the album.
The fact is the album has two strikes against it in my mind. First, it is a concept record. The Sword’s website has a detailed description of the storyline that the album tells. The website tells that the album chronicles the tales of “Ereth, an archer banished from his tribe on the planet Acheron”. After that I stopped reading because if I wanted science fiction I would have gone to see Battlefield Earth.
Strike two against the record is the vocals. The vocals border on 90s alternative rock on many tracks rather than what I would consider traditional metal singing vocals or some screaming. I suppose singing is better so listeners can understand the story.
With that said, musically the album is fantastic. Heavy, technically proficient metal filled with crunching guitars and explosive solos, what more could you want out of a metal album? In the end, the nerdy story and lackluster vocal performance are what really drags the album’s rating down.
Rating: 7.7/10
MP3: The Sword “Astraea’s Dream”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!
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Date: 2010.08.30 | Category: News | Response: 0
House producer Danny Dance just sent me his Aaliyah “Try Again” remix EP. As I mentioned, last week was the 9 year anniversary of Aaliyah’s death so it is no surprise that a plethora of remixes have come out of the wood work. Danny Dance’s takes “Try Again” to new house territory with his remix. Check it out!
MP3: Aaliyah “Try Again (Danny Dance Main Remix)”
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Date: 2010.08.30 | Category: News | Response: 0
Whenever I hear the name Maximum Balloon, it reminds me of the incredibly awesome and addicting game, Bloons. Maximum Balloon’s latest single “Groove Me” could not possibly live up to the awesomeness of Bloons but the track is pretty good. This remix is by Alex Metric. It reminds me of The Neptunes‘ produced Hives‘ track “T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.”. Check it out.
MP3: Maximum Balloon featuring Theophilus London “Groove Me (Alex Metric Remix)”
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Date: 2010.08.30 | Category: News | Response: 0
I really think anytime you put the word “DJ” in your song title you are just begging for a million house remixes to be done of your track. Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” is no different. While Temabes is one of my favorite remixers right now, this is at least the fourth remix of this song that I have received. Temabes’ remix takes the track to the European house scene with heavy bass and thumping beats. Check it out.
MP3: Usher featuring Pitbull “Dj Got Us Fallin’ In Love (Temabes Remix)”
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Date: 2010.08.30 | Category: News | Response: 0
Retro-vaudeville act, The Two Man Gentlemen Band are preparing to release their new album, ¡Dos Amigos, Una Fiesta!. The album’s first single is “Chocolate Milk”. The track reminds me a little of Squirrel Nut Zippers. Check it out.
MP3: The Two Man Gentlemen Band “Chocolate Milk”
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Date: 2010.08.30 | Category: News | Response: 0
Talvihorros is an ambient post-rock composer from London. His latest album is last year’s Some Ambulance. Despite not promoting a new release, he just released this cover of “Twin Peaks Theme”. The track is a little trippy but solid just like Twin Peaks itself. Enjoy.
MP3: Talvihorros “Twin Peaks Theme”
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Date: 2010.08.29 | Category: News | Response: 0
Dave Wrangler has long been one of the best producers out there. His output is not as prolific as Dave Wrangler “How Low Coconuts (Ludacris // Junior Senior)”
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Date: 2010.08.29 | Category: Reviews | Response: 0
Margaret Cho: Cho Dependent
What hasn’t Margaret Cho attempted to do? I remember watching her short lived TV show, All American Girl in 1994. Of course at that point I was ten so a lot of the humor probably went over my head, but I remember liking it. She is mostly known for her stand-up but she has also written and produced films, live theatre, and even started a fashion line. But now she is trying something a little different. Although she has released CDs previously, most have been live comedy albums. Cho Dependent is her first foray into music. Cho enlists the help of famous friends to create an album full of humorous lyrics that also has serious musical value.
The album’s opening track “Intervention” features and was co-written Tegan and Sara. The track features Tegan and Sara’s traditional guitar strumming and extra poppy harmonies backing Cho’s lead vocals. The twee pop music just serve as a backdrop to Cho’s comedy. The track’s lyrics are humorous but not goofy like Weird Al or over-the-top like Stephen Lynch. Not to say that Cho does not go over-the-top on some of the album’s tracks.
The track “Your Dick” was co-written with AC Newman and features Ben Lee. The track is undeniably poppy but features graphic lyrics like “if it was an armed force, I would have enlisted/You pull yourself out of me and it’s like I got fisted”.
Musically my favorite song is “Asian Adjacent”. The track was co-written with Grant Lee Phillips. The track has a Leonard Cohen‘s “Everybody Knows” feel to it while Cho sings about her favorite subject, being Asian.
In the end, Cho has said that her goal was to “create a new genre of music that is hilarious but [is] also seriously good”. I have to say she accomplished this. Although sometimes the music is so poppy that it is easy to overlook the lyrics, in generally Cho is very funny on the album but still manages to make something that could be played on any college radio station during an indie rock show.
Rating: 7.2/10
MP3: Margaret Cho featuring Tegan and Sara “Intervention”
Buy: iTunes or Insound!
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Date: 2010.08.27 | Category: News | Response: 3
There is nothing better than to come home and find a new Kanye in your inbox. But what makes it even better is the all-star line-up the track features. On the track is Jay-Z (of course), Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and to add some indie rock power, Bon Iver. Supposedly this is the first single from a Kanye West & Jay-Z collaborative EP, but that was announced on Kanye West’s twitter as was like five different titles for his upcoming album so I’ll believe it when I see it. Enjoy!
MP3: Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver “Monster”
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Date: 2010.08.27 | Category: Features | Response: 0
LexiconDon released their album, Pink + Blue this week. The album’s lead single is “Student Body”. The track is synthpop track that reminds me of Black Kids. To promote the album’s release the band also released a remix of the track. Chicago producer Bit Funk remixes the track into a Daft Punk-esque dance track. I actually think I like the remix better than the original. Check out both and let me know which you prefer.
The Original: LexiconDon “Student Body”
The Remix: LexiconDon “Student Body (Bit Funk Remix)”
