My Brothers Banned - "Five" CD Review (Off White Trash Records)

My Brothers Banned is a Mohegan Colony-based musical collective which centers around vocalist/multi-instrumentalists Lyle Puente and the band released its latest album, Five, last month. This new disc is the band’s fifth in the past six years (missing Puente’s goal of five albums in five years) – with its rich vocal harmonies and hazy, jangle-pop instrumentation, it bears more than a passing resemblance to the music of The Byrds and Big Star.Puente...

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The Toy Dolls - "The Album After The Last One" CD Review (MVD)

UK punk band The Toy Dolls has now been around for 32 years and the US release of their twelfth disc, The Album After The Last One, is scheduled for July 10th (MVD Audio). The Toy Dolls’ music is immediately recognizable as it is a mix between the sing-along working-class oi anthems of bands like Sham 69 and the tongue-in-cheek punk of bands like The Dickies. Unfortunately, the band doesn’t have a lot of name recognition in the US as the last time...

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Great Elk - "Autogeography" CD Review

Brooklyn’s Great Elk released its full-length debut, Autogeography, in May and the ambitious, self-described “indiefolk” disc (eleven-tracks - 47 minutes) is an extremely strong outing from the band. This new disc has drawn comparisons to My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses but I found the disc to have more of the shimmer and late-night vibe of bands like Death Cab for Cutie and there is even a hint of the Velvet Underground on one track (“Liquid”).The...

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Deadkill: Seattle Punk Outfit Release "Oh God Help You" Video From Debut 7"

<p><a href="http://deadkill.bandcamp.com/album/deadkill">Deadkill by Deadkill</a></p>Seattle's rock/punk henchmen Deadkill have just set loose a brand new video, filmed for the opening track to their recently-released self-titled debut 7". Directed/edited by Joe Jacobs, and produced by Jerry Howard and Nik Christofferson, the badass "Oh God Help You" video thunders...

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GG Allin & the Murder Junkies - "Blood, Shit, and Fears" DVD Review (MVD)

I was living in DC when G.G. Allin started getting national notoriety and remember watching him on Geraldo. At the time, I really didn’t know what to think - I had seen The Dwarves a number of times blast through their 15 minute “sex, drugs and violence” sets and had watched the NYHC scene on Phil Donahue in the mid-80’s and could relate to both but G.G. seemed completely “out there”. This impression was further reinforced after watching “Hated”...

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Yoko Ono, Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon Release "Early in the Morning" to Benefit Orphans of the 3.11 Tsunami

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Thurston and Kim are working together on a new project - X (the band) has survived infinitely longer than John and Exene's marriage. Earlier this month, Thurston, Kim and Yoko Ono announced that they were collaborating on some new material. The trio has confirmed that a six-track album, YOKOKIMTHURSTON, will be released September 25 in the U.S. and September 24 internationally (via Chimera Music).YOKOKIMTHURSTON...

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Frostbite - "Valentine and Other Stories of Hope" CD Review

mail.Frostbite is the name of the latest project from Atlanta musician Christopher Lee Compton and the project’s debut full-length CD, Valentine and Other Stories of Hope was released almost a year ago. It has been a long time since I’ve thought about Godhead (who were the only band signed to Marilyn Manson’s Posthuman label) but Frostbite seems to fall into a similar industrial/goth-rock territory.Valentine is heavily atmospheric and Compton sings...

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PushMethod Premiers Video for "Technology Kids" at Tender Trap in Brooklyn on June 26th

<p><a href="http://pushmethod.bandcamp.com/album/volume-1">Volume 1 by PushMethod</a></p>The Aquarian described PushMethod's music as a "blend of melodious hip=hop and jazzy pop rock with a heavy Beatles influence that truly puts them in a league of their own." The band is screening their latest video "Technology Kids" at Tender Trap in Brooklyn on Tuesday, June...

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Everest Cale: Brooklyn Roots-Rock Band Plays Pianos on July 24th / Debut EP Out Sept. 4th

I’m somewhat curious who, what or where Everest Cale is…Getting back on point, Everest Cale are South Carolina-to-Brooklyn transplants who play roots rock in a similar vein to Kevn Kinney and Connor Oberst. The band’s debut EP "Beast" in due out September 4th and the band has a few summer shows booked in advance of the release of the CD. The first is at Pianos on July 24th and the second is August 22nd at Bryant Park, as part of the Park’s “After...

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Changing Modes - "In Flight" CD Review

STREAM: Changing Modes - "Ghost in the Backseat"Playing a similar style of music to Quix*o*tic (Dischord/Kill Rock Stars), Changing Modes has a similar “wow” factor that Quix*o*tic had when I saw them perform at Tonic in the late 90’s. Changing Modes recently released their fifth disc, In Flight, and the band’s music incorporates a veritable stew of musical sounds and influences. Similar to Quix*o*tic, Changing Modes’ music jumps across a range...

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Town Hall: Brooklyn Indie-Folk Band Release Cover of R. Kelly's "Text Me"

<p><p><p><p><a href="http://townhall.bandcamp.com/album/roots-bells">Roots &...

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Fates Warning - "Inside Out" Reissue CD Review (Metal Blade)

Two years after Metal Blade issued a deluxe 3-CD reissue of Fates Warning’s 1991 CD Parallels, the label has followed this up with a three-disc reissue of 1994’s Inside Out.On the bonus CD are five tracks that were recorded live in Germany when the band was opening for Dream Theater along with seven demos/unreleased tracks. The live show consists of three tracks from Inside Out and two tracks from Parallels. The demos present early versions of...

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Joe Walsh Plays Live at J&R Electronics on June 8th

DOWNLOAD: Joe Walsh - "Lucky That Way" (w/ Ringo Starr on Drums)Joe Walsh will be performing tracks from his upcoming album release Analog Man (out 6/5 on Fantasy Records/Concord) on Friday, June 8th at J&R Electronics (23 Park Row). Analog Man marks Joe’s first solo release in 2 decades.“It’s been 20 years and I have a lot to say,” said Walsh. “These songs come from the heart.” Walsh, best known for his powerful guitar licks, joined the Eagles...

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