Link: Official Website

Maybe time has surpassed when one indie band after the other was putting out glossy versions of pop punk albums forging rock into radio-friendly hits and filed under the weight of what the industry was churning out at the time. It got to the point, you could hardly tell one of these groups apart from the other. The mad scientist found the secret formula and multiplied it to the masses.

Those times are gone and in comes Ryan Calhoun. He formed The Heaven Switch and re-visited and revised the formula to create something that I would not simply call re-hashing of the pretty boy pop rock era. “Raise A Flag” may start out like the rest of them, but Calhoun is better than that. “Stolen Car” proves that he can come up with a great rock song. It’s not like he’s new to all of this, his last album Everything That I’m Not got all kinds of attentions and chart placements through iTunes and other avenues.

I feel that Calhoun is in a place where he has the ability to expand his musical self, and has done so properly with this self-titled release. He has not stretched beyond his capabilities as this is a nice complement within his now growing discography. You will find that this album is easy to listen to, and you will be pleasantly surprised by the intimacy and exquisite acoustic number of “Fault Lines” or power rocker of “Surface.”

There are elements of this album I feel I should hate but Calhoun makes it so easy to be engrossed in his lyrical writings and consistent tunes. A well-rounded album for the masses.

Link: John Amadon on BandCamp

Seven Stars is that gleam in the eyes of the 1970s with its heart pointed to the South. However, John Amadon lives in Portland, and from reading up on the multi-instrumentalist, I don’t think either was his intention.

But Seven Stars is a beautiful release, filled with the mystery and intrigue that was built around strong songwriting and passionate affiliation to powerful vocals that tugs at the heartstrings.

A little bit Diamond and Rust and a little bit Player, a touch of Elliott Smith and a little bit of Band Of Horses, you can imagine what all of this wrapped together would sound like.

I’m not a big fan of the somber acoustic ballad, but “All Patched Up” is as good as any Urge Overkill song due to the swift transformation to electric power pop that pushes out of the song into new directions, only to be touched on before the chorus hits. And when the glowing guitar solo becomes reality, holy shit, I want to get my lighter out and salute the man for making something as relevant right now as it could have been 15 years ago.

I could get addicted to these songs. They are easy-going while being exciting all in the same breath. Amadon makes it seem so simple. The Cold Spring Harbor piano serenade on “Bitter Prayers,” pushes that Elliott Smith envelope. It’s an argument raiser between influences on Billy Joel or Paul McCartney.

It just proves how diverse Amadon can be on this album and still make it all feel consistent. Exploring these songs over, I can pick out my favorites, but I can also say that every song is solid in some way or another. And by the end of it, you will be satisfied.

Link: Mutt’s Website

Chicago is a town well known for its blue-collar mentality with an insistent grit. The three-piece band Mutt exhibits these characteristics and more with their first feature-length LP Pray for Rain. Part blues-punk of QOTSA (Queens of the Stone Age) and part hung-over Joe Cocker, Mutts finds solace in melodic derangement.

“Fool” is nothing short of calculated and fitting start to Pray for Rain. Mike Maimone provides the zany vibe with his organ effect ridden keyboard blurts and sandpaper growl, usually the trademark of journeyman Tom Waits. “Not Ready” blazes right behind with blistering bass lines while drums strikes delivered with mind-boggling precision. Maimone relaxes his Waits impression and intently barks out each verse legibly. While it may slightly awkward to admit, the verse piano-bar pounds of “DOB” gave a slight remembrance to Fiona Apple’s “On the Bound”. The dexterous beat infects far within the depths of your mind before the questionable buzz kill postlude into the droning track “Save Us” dismantles any garnered momentum.

Pray for Rain then takes an outlandish sharp turn. Though not to imply things haven’t been considered already weird at this point but maybe in moderation. Almost like the album production was under the direction of Tim Burton; bizarre if only for the sake of being bizarre. Mutts have built a reputation in the Chicago area as having equally peculiar live shows. There is no true distinction on whether art is imitating life or vice versa in Pray for Rain.

The album almost gets back on the rails with “Done It Again” and its bouncy piano work and implementation of diverse chapters with beautiful sonic suspense. Unfortunately, a standout track for all the wrong reasons as it is surrounded by subpar talent. By the time we reach the end with the circus lullaby “Putting on a Show”, Mutts seem to have lost their vision within the fog of the absurd. Mutt’s Pray for Rain is eclectic in almost every sense which its purest enduring quality. They acknowledged and ultimately accepted to walk a musical tightrope between gonzo and the conventional. Somewhere in the middle, the winds picked up and Mutts couldn’t hold on.

Link: Tomorrow The Moon on FaceBook

The Chi-Town trio Tomorrow The Moon’s debut album The Dim, Distant Now is bewildering yet fascinating. Self described as “Space Punk”; ‘punk’ is an overstatement but nevertheless I was very intrigued. Though when the fuzz-guitar laced fade into the opening track “French Goodbye” begins, I can’t help but be apprehensive and narrow my eyebrows to decipher each sound of this artificially conceived genre.

It’s not until the standout track “Accounts Deceivable” and its infectious chorus and wailing intergalactic guitar sprawls do I even begin to comprehend Tomorrow The Moon and their unique approach to creating music. “HeSawRed” takes the band a completely different direction and sounds like early Rated R era Queens of the Stone Age. Cohesively, robotic stoner riffs and desert-psychedelic fuse for this tenacious anthem.

The sound production is puzzling at best with abrupt fade in/outs of intermittent instrument tracks throughout songs and a generous arrangement of sci-fi effects. The original intention may have been to be clever but is misconstrued and ultimately a hollow distraction. The album regains its composure after each minor setback but it becomes glaringly obvious at this point of the album.

“Till I No Longer See” ushers in an alternate indisposed identity for the remainder of The Dim, Distant Now. Gone are the upbeat ample riffs as they are unceremoniously replaced by prolonged serenades of introverted reflection and space. “Those Grey Men” is a meticulously brooding track with vocalist/guitarist Steve Gerlach murmuring over each insidious bass thump and timid snare clash; each member forming their own layer of melancholy.

The Dim, Distant Now can be appropriately labeled a top-heavy album in terms of quality with a split personality complex. The conclusion of spacey (some instrumental) jams are enjoyable but borderline lethargic in comparison to the album’s diligent beginning. Amid the album’s unbalance in structure, Tomorrow The Moon showcases their ability to captivate the listener with their catchy mysterious ambience. As unorthodox as this band and album truly are, it’s just relieving to still see bands (successively) challenging normalcy.

Link: Quiet Company Official Site

Hallelujah! A well-rounded rock album. Taylor Muse takes his experience from his Eisley days and expanded the band’s creativity to the limit.

Let me back up to the beginning. It starts like someone getting out of the bed, “The Confessor” is mellow and modest with simple singer/songwriter contemplation. The organ feels like a Sunday morning confessional. But the transition is an open door into a world full of sound and the beginning of an incredible journey.

Quiet Company lets the throttle out on “You, Me & The Boatman.” It’s like Death Cab For Cutie on steroids or Foo Fighters with a horn section. The wide array of emotions that pour out of this song and others give us hope. There is passion in the cause and potential in the excitement that they embrace the music fully.

And just when you think something is going to be silly and undeserved, the band saves the moment with something spectacular. You cannot take Quiet Company with a grain of  salt. If you think something is going to be mediocre, give it a few seconds and expect an explosion of sound.

“We Went To The Rennaissance” is pure power pop goodness. “Are You A Mirror?” is a ballad without the typical balladry. “The Black Sheep & The Shepherd” explores religion and consciousness in the humanities.

With 15 songs, the album stretches out in epic proportions, and the band does a wonderful job at keeping the exciting moments exciting and the modesty sincere. What you end up with is a full spectrum of rock, powerful melodies, and expressively creative singer/songwriter prose.

Link: http://iamdynamite.com/

What a strange trip we embark on. When you first hear IAMDYNAMITE’s Supermegafantastic, you get a glistened power pop rock opus that bears the strains of modern-day pierced prospects like Blink 182. You want to dismiss this album based on these accusations alone.

But here’s the twist. The band is equally, if not more capable of creating something cinematic out of their hybrid rock songs.

The band knows how to reel you in. They have slicked-back rock hooks with noble vocal prowess. You must give it to the production of this album, although in the back of my mind, I think they can pull of instant gratification in a live setting almost as well. They act just as comfortable in their demeanor through a studio setting to give off that impression.

Once they have your attention, and you have that inkling that there is something more to this band than what floats on the surface, that’s when they pull out the dynamics.

You want to say that “Ms. Jones” (not the Counting Crows song) is a power play to Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” Adding in a further depth to the song’s tribal base takes the songs methodology further. Towards the end, you end up in some unexplored territory that sends the band off and running head first into a sonic fog.

“Stereo” is more straightforward but still shoots out like an arrow in your eardrum. Either way the band presents it, they primarily do it well. There are a few songs that fail to reach that level we know they are capable of based on the songs that do work with amazing effects.

Link: http://megafaun.com/

Megafaun “State/Meant” by Hometapes

If you do not run out and pick up this incredible rock album, you will be missing out on one of the greats for 2011. The end of September expect a new adventure for the band as they go beyond previous conceptualizations and into limitless possibilities and scope. The brother to Bon Iver (when the band DeYarmond Edison split up, Justin Vernon went to Bon Iver and the rest of the band formed Megafaun), expect to be blown away because for Megafaun, it’s unlike anything you have heard before.

“Real Slow” sets the mantra like a buzzing head spin into a hypnotic crawl of gorgeous folk rock. The illusion lies within the simplistic sound structure so you will want to dig deep into the mindset of the song as they set the stage for a journey of musical experimentation.

The experimental values come in on the aquatic “These Words,” which incorporate spa-like sounds with psychedelic posturing. It does not do well for the vocals like “Get Right” does; a shame because it’s the vocals that build a powerful presence to the album.

It’s these songs that continue to put this band on a pedestal for talent and musicianship. “Second Friend” plucks out everything great from rock and roll and weaves them together with an accompaniment of strings as “State/Meant” brings the banjo out and adds to the ‘70s acoustic glow. All of this is interspersed with more challenging numbers like the multi-instrumental “Isadora” or the road-worn blues of “Scorned.”

You may gravitate to the easier numbers, but it will be something like the dimensional style of “Postscript” that will put a gleam in your eye, bringing the cool and collected rock numbers to a more appreciated light.

Despite the disappointing sing-along that ends the album, you will find the rest to be solid gold.

Afterlife Parade – “Black Woods, White Beach” (from the album Rebirth)

Link: http://afterlifeparade.bandcamp.com/

When you come across an EP titled Death, you begin to prepare for some kind of dark and deeply affecting lyrical promenade linking you to the mystic and often heartache of the other side. But for Quinn Erwin, his Afterlife Parade project is a surprise. When you dig into his songs, you begin to wonder where is the pain in his music? Sure on “Nothing But Love Can Stay” there is a soberness like a Sunday sunset, but the over-riding sensation is a feeling of celebration; not to death, of course, but to life. If you get beyond the sadness of mortality, then you realize just how special the gift of life is. That’s how Erwin thinks.

But he’s not going to preach that to you. The only thing you will get out of these songs are honest rock expressing his experiences through sincere storytelling. And the music is felt more as a backdrop to all of this than a statement. Everything is wrapped around his vocals that carry the song to success. And when you get to that Nashville-tinged rock on the title track, you feel that sense of belonging. It’s where he should be.

This makes a case when you compare Death to Rebirth. In the musical concepts of things, there is not much difference between the two ideas. “Black Woods, White Beach” continues that exploratory search. With the escapism of the rhythm, the thing you get out of this song is the feeling that Erwin his lifted the veil and is ready to take on the future. After that, it simply becomes an album.

But within the context of Rebirth, Erwin is more experimental, messing around with electronics and strange time signatures to co-exist with the standard folk rock leanings he does so well. But when you hear the title track to Rebirth you see he can handle himself under a different musical umbrella, even if that umbrella sounds a lot like U2. And “Sequoia” is encapsulated in indie rock immediacy. Why the whiny overtones, I’m not sure because he sounds stronger without it. For me, the title track would have been a perfect ending that is punctual and powerful. But again I am the one to stick around for the dusty trail of transient tales.

Link: www.myspace.com/joepaulsonmusic.com

Like the cover beckons and the simple outline of the piano, Joe Paulson entices you with his musicianship…and enticing he does. His piano skills are impressive. When you hear “Cinderella,” you get glimpses of Bruce Hornsby-like influences tucked in there. When the guitars and drums kick in, you realize what a great alternative rock number he has just created.

Even with the electronic piano on “Beauty In Her Eyes” you feel its warming sound waves wrapping around you. While we are on ballads, “Lovestruck USA” is tinged with soft hues and Sunday afternoon contemplation, feeling like that great love song from Cold Spring Harbour.

This Fine Evening is an album that gradually keeps getting better with every listen. When I first played through these tracks, I took them for what they were. But something kept me coming back to re-visit its whimsical allure. And a song like “All that I Know” becomes that much more meaningful.

Paulson’s knack for ‘70s rock introspection bursts forth in a glowing glory as you get visions of Ambrosia in your head as equally as you can imagine him next to Semisonic.

And then we return to the country folk jam “New York Highway” or the bouncy urbanized “Expectations,” both two different styles of Paulson’s musical spectrum, but both that wanders off without striking as many notes as say Hornsby likes to do, but has that same pop-like departure into a pianoesque daydream.

It’s a positive album that will affect you positively.

Various Artists
Keb Darge and Little Edith’s Legendary Wild Rockers
BBE Records
Rating: 5 out of 5

Link: http://www.bbemusic.com/data.pl?release=BBE169CCD

Remember the Bob Keane Del-Fi resurgence in the ‘90s? That cat was releasing retro comps left and right. Be it surf, rare rock ‘n’ roll stomp, or exotica, there was never a dull moment to that scene and even the comps with modern bands doing old Del-Fi classics or other songs were ace (highly recommended is Shots In The Dark).

What Del-Fi Records did for me was to start becoming curious to this underworld of ‘50s and ‘60s rock that went beyond people like The Beach Boys or Bill Haley. I should credit The Cramps and their fascination for gritty rock and roll covers (Ronnie Dawson’s “Rockin’ Bones” is one of my favorites).

This and a little help through WFMU, I was able to stumble upon a really cool comp called Wail Man Wail, Original Rockabilly and Chicken Bop, Volume 3, which I believe is the only volume to this collection. The compilation of real rarities blew my gourd with a sound that was so raw and relentless in the rockabilly genre that I am hooked.

Since then, I have not been able to find a compilation that has blown my mind and charged me to re-visit a lost musical era that, to this day, is still equally vibrant and exciting. That is until now.

Keb Darge and Little Edith’s Legendary Wild Rockers is immaculate in their collection of gritty youth anthems and rage rockers. Darrel Rhodes’ souped-up roadster jam “Lou Lou,” The Carnations’ wave rider “Scorpion,” and Kai-Ray’s tribal “I Want Some Of That” will send you in an uncontrollable fit to gyrate something fierce.

And the sax on Mel Dorsey with Chuck Wayne and The Heart Beats’ “Lil Lil?” Wail man, wail! It’s also a pumped up B-side cover from the Hives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfRyDDvlhs4).

Keb Darge and Little Edith, you cats have compiled an essential piece of music history that cannot be matched.

List of Wild Rockers

Boogaloo and His Gallant Crew
The Carnations
Dale McBride
Darrel Rhodes
The Jiants
Kai-Ray
Mel Dorsey with Chuck Wayne and the Heart Beats
The Moonlighters
The Reekers
Ron Thompson His Rowdy Guitar and the Brogham’s
Stormy Gayle
The Valentines