The Situationals – Bellwether

The Situationals deliver a sound that is a modern throwback to 80’s postpunk new wave ala Missing Persons, the Divinyls, the Motels, Blondie, the Pretenders, etc. The Charlotte, NC, band is fronted by singer Candice Tucker, possessing all the vocal swagger you might expect from the list of influences just mentioned, she caresses songs with a tense energy that satisfies and leaves you wanting...

Russ Stedman – alert but without acute distress

The first track (The Prowler) pricks your hopes that this is gonna be filled with the characteristic Stedman guitar aplomb. This is thick and heavy GUITAR rock with vocals. 2nd track (Why Am I Alive?) continues with double-tracked vocals and sounds like a nod to Kiss. That’s been one of the cool things about past Stedman albums; how Russ throws in stuff off the cuff (there’s one from Lindsey...

The City Skyscape — self titled CD Review

Christopher Mongillo is a 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist from Hartford, CT. His bio lists his musical influences as The Postal Service, Depeche Mode and vocal influences as Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Placebo’s Brian Molko and Brandon Flowers of The Killers. City Skyscape’s debut will find fans of Depeche Mode warming to Mongillo’s outstanding, soaring vocals and...

Ready the Destroyer — Through This Night

    Ready the Destroyer is a Chicago-based 3-piece in the vein of Built To Spill, Dinosaur Jr, The Afghan Whigs, Fugazi while turning an ear toward Yellow Card, Green Day, etc. Neill Miller (vocal/guitar), Aaron Cleall (bass), and Nicolas Lama (drums) balance the nacent grit of furious rock with a direct melodic approach and build it to the gutpunch in these songs. This is definitely a band to watch...

zeusfuse – cannonball CD Review

Zeusfuse fuses elements of progrock, post-grunge, and gothic. Vocalist Pete Gargano’s lyrics are poetic explorations that sidestep the common ground focus and look forward as often as they grimace. The band is solid. Guitarist Ken Brown opts for acoustic foundations along with heavier riff-laden fare; and Zeusfuse can make their music run a gamut of emotions. Reviewed by: Bryan Baker. Visit...

Victrola & the Duhst Bunnies — Duhmocracy CD Review

Victoria Parks is a category winner in the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest debuting as Victrola & the Duhst Bunnies with a full-length production that’s a bold, in-yer-face collection of songs ranging from the blovinely political to the hilariously bizarre. Parks stuffs a whole cartload (a BIG cart) of stupid politicians, right-wing apologist media, potheaded and spoon-fed x’s, religious...

Eye Talk — Sun and Moon CD Review

Eye Talk is the brothers Clark — Alan writes, sings and produces/records most of the songs; Bob plays bass and brings a couple songs to blend into the mix. The sound is influenced largely by the Euro-soul sound of bands like ABC and others in their wave of studio gloss’d MIDI funque and blue-eyed soul. Eye Talk attempts to set itself apart by bringing established session artists into the...

SVOY — electric CD review

SVOY’s music is a truly unique coupling of pop and electronic. The songs here are immediately captivating with a sound that keeps each song turning into odd little avenues that lead you further into this world as seen through the eyes of some kind of lovelorn automaton who speaks only in 3 minute pop songs or something. It’s hard to explain. Listen to the sample tracks to see what I mean....