Lost Ocean - Night to Life

Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Pop
Release Date: 8/15/2006
Sounds Like: Coldplay
Overall Rating: 3.9/10

Summary: Do you like Coldplay? If you do then perhaps you will like Lost Ocean or maybe you will feel like you have been let down by a pretender. There is nothing wrong with having influences, but this is thievery. I think these guys are good musicians, but they do not know who they are yet. Click here to listen and learn more about them.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 3.0
Originality by Band: 5.0
Production: 7.0
Did I like it?: 3.0

Track Ratings:
1) 4.0
2) 5.0
3) 3.0

4) 3.0

5) 4.0

Explosions in Space 11/25/06

A new Explosions in Space show is up on the explosions page. Click here to go there. I managed to get this one up a day early. Must be the holiday. This week's mix is weighted more on the heavy side as you will see. We have some post-punk from Thursday and At The Drive In. We have a healthy dose of metal from Isis, Type O Negative and a killer tune from the Spawn Soundtrack. We have Moby! Yes, that Moby! He released a rock album back in the late 90's that pretty much rocks. No Dance music here. And finally a beautiful drinking song from Silkworm called DRUNK. I think that about sums it up. If you are too lazy to go to the explosions page click here to listen now.

Daturah - Daturah

Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Rock
Release Date: 2005
Sounds Like: Mogwai, Mono, Explosions in the Sky
Overall Rating: 7.6/10

Summary: Daturah is the biotanical name for Jimson Weed. A drug that Hunter S. Thompson made famous in the Great Shark Hunt. Jimson weed is a hallucinatory drug that has a profound effect on the sensory and physchological aspects of the mind. Sight and sound can be blurred and distorted. Noise can become music and music can become ambient noise. It is twisted and hence the name of this band. Yeah, I know it was released last year, but have you heard of it? Probably not, so it is new for both of us. Rather than bore you with my prose, just read this and understand why I love this band. Visit their myspace site for more info and tunes.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 7.9
Originality by Band: 7.5
Production: 8.0
Did I like it?: 7.8

Track Ratings:
1) 7.2
2) 7.9
3) 6.9

Heliconia - Glad You Were Born

Genre: Indie Rock, Shoegaze
Release Date: Summer 2006
Sounds Like: The Verve, My Bloody Valentine, Catherine Wheel
Overall Rating: 7.2/10

Summary: This is the debut full length for England's Heliconia. Glad You Were Born is just a great album. Why flower it with poetic words like... lush walls of distorted guitars over a water fall of rainbow prisms. Why declare that the album shimmers like a billion diamonds strewn across the sunlit sand. Why? It's really simple because this album does all of that, and if you listen, and if you like even a bit of classic shoegaze then you will understand. This is what I have been waiting to hear, a band who embraces the early 90's shoegaze movement and one ups it to a new level. I must give one bit of criticism though, it sounds too much like early Catherine Wheel. Wait, that's a good thing! My mp3 player will wear out its batteries on this album. Buy it, download it, steal it! Just get it! Visit their myspace site for more info and of course tunes.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 7.7
Originality by Band: 7.0
Production: 8.0
Did I like it?: 8.5

Track Ratings:
1) 8.1
2) 7.2
3) 6.1
4) 7.8
5) 6.9
6) 5.8
7) 6.9
8) 7.2
9) 6.6
10) 5.2

11) 7.7

Nassau - Machines to Paradise

Genre: Indie Rock, Psychedelic

Release Date: 10/24/06

Sounds Like: Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Trail of Dead
Overall Rating: 6.9/10

Summary: Nassau is from Toronto, Canada. Machines to Paradise is their second full length album. This album is a straight ahead psychedelic rocker. The band wears its influences on its sleeve. You hear early Pink Floyd, The Byrds, Blue Oyster Cult and more contemporary bands like Trail of Dead. Yet despite these influences they maintain a unique sound that is purely Nassau. I have a feeling this album will get better with a few more listens, especially late at night with the headphones on. Check out their sounds here.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 7.5
Originality by Band: 7.5
Production: 8.5
Did I like it?: 6.7

Track Ratings:
1) 6.6
2) 6.8
3) 6.5
4) 5.5
5) 6.1
6) 6.8
7) 5.8
8) 6.7
9) 7.2
10) 6.6

11) 7.8

Explosions in Space 11/19/06

A new Explosions in Space show is up on the explosions page. Click here to go there. This week we have some classics from Sugar, The Flaming Lips and the Treepeople. I threw in an awesome Butthole Surfers tune and for my buddy Caps I closed the show with New Jersey's own Overkill. You never know where the beverages will take me. If you are too lazy to go to the explosions page click here to listen now. Below is the track list for this week.

1. The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia - Godless (5:20)
2. Butthole Surfers - Independent Worm Saloon - Leave Me Alone (2:27)
3. The Flaming Lips - In a Priest Driven Ambulance - Mountain Side (6:19)
4. Leaves - The Angela Test - The Angela Test (4:26)
5. And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead - Madonna - Mistakes & Regrets (3:46)
6. The Meeting Places - Numbered Days - Cardboard Robot (4:11)
7. Absinthe Blind - The Everyday Separation - You Should Get Out More (7:42)
8. Magic Dirt - Magic Dirt - Goofy Gumb (6:00)
9. From Monument to Masses - The Impossible Leap in One Hundred Simple Steps - Sharpshooter (8:52)
10. Sugar - Beaster - JC Auto (6:13)
11. The 90 Day Men - (It (Is) It) Critical Band - Exploration Vs. Solution, Baby (4:57)
12. hope of the states - the lost riots - black dollar bills (6:54)
13. Treepeople - Something Vicious For Tomorrow, Time Whore - It's Allright Now Ma (2:19)
14. Overkill - Taking Over - Wrecking Crew (4:32)

Confuse the Cat - We Can Do it

Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative
Release Date: 10/16/06 (Europe)
Sounds Like: The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol
Overall Rating: 6.5/10

Summary: Confuse the Cat are from Belgium and that is about all I know about them. After listening to We Can Do It, I am shocked that they are not popular here in the USA. This is just a really good album all the way through. It certainly competes with anything by The Killers, Franz Ferdinand or Interpol. The only fault I can find in this album is the absolute complete lack of originality. Confuse the Cat is the three above bands rolled into one. There is nothing unique here, but if you haven’t tired of the bombardment of non-stop Post-Punk Dance music then you will love this. The 80’s still live here and I do expect Confuse the Cat to cross the pond real soon. Good album. Click here for some songs from their myspace site.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 4.0
Originality by Band: 6.0
Production: 8.0
Did I like it?: 7.5

Track Ratings:
1) 8.7
2) 8.6
3) 7.5
4) 7.7
5) 8.1
6) 7.7
7) NR
8) 6.6
9) 4.9
10) 4.5

Bad Astronaut - Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment

Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative, Pop-Punk
Release Date: 11/14/06
Sounds Like: The Anniversary, Bad Religion, Superdrag
Overall Rating: 5.8/10

Summary: Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment is a pretty fair description of the new album by Bad Astronaut. I am not a fan of Pop-Punk, so I reviewed this album with an open mind. The opening track Good Morning Night sounded like it was straight from the mall. I was ready to quit right there. I didn’t think I could listen to anymore. I forged on and to my surprise it got a lot better. Most of the tracks are not Pop-Punk, but rather pretty artistic indie rock. I was surprised. Bad Astronaut is essentially the experimental side of Lagwagon. And believe me, I hate Lagwagon’s brand of mall punk. This album kind of floats along without you noticing, this could be good or bad. Either way it is worth a listen. This album is best summed up by saying it is like Coldplay and Lagwagon in a blender. You decide is that good or bad? This album ended with a higher rating because I believe this album pushes the boundaries for the Pop-Punk Genre. Click here to a few tracks from their myspace site.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 7.7
Originality by Band: 7.7
Production: 8.0
Did I like it?: 3.8

Track Ratings:
1) 5.5
2) 4.7
3) 6.1
4) 6.2
5) 5.8
6) 4.4
7) 6.1
8) 6.5
9) 6.1
10) 4.1
11) 3.8

12) 6.9

13) 2.1

...And You Will Know us by the Trail of Dead - So Divided

Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative, Post-punk

Release Date: 11/14/06
Sounds Like: Unwound, Seachange, Superchunk
Overall Rating: 5.4/10

Summary: I must admit I am a huge Trail of Dead fan, so perhaps my review is biased, but I will try to call like it is. This is a decent album, but it lacks the fire of Source Tags and Codes and thankfully it is less indulgent than Worlds Apart. Unfortunately, it falls somewhere in between and yet fails to capture the brilliance of either album. I am disappointed. I was expecting so much more from this album and perhaps it is because my expectations were too high. So let's be fair, this album is good compared to so many other close to famous indie bands, yet it lacks the ROCK and NOISE and so much more. A few tracks stand out, but overall I am disappointed. They are still heavy at times, they are artistic at times, yet they fail to convince in either. I predict Trail of Dead will break up sometime during their next tour. You heard it here first!!! Click here to hear a few tracks from their myspace site.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 5.0
Originality by Band: 5.0
Production: 8.0
Did I like it?: 5.0

Track Ratings:
1) NR
2) 6.9
3) 6.5
4) 6.9
5) 2.1
6) 4.9
7) 5.2
8) 5.9
9) 5.8
10) NR
11) 6.6

Explosions in Space 11/13/06

A new Explosions in Space show is up on the explosions page. Click here to go there. This week we have some classics from Pavement, Fugazi and Swell. Of course there is plenty of post-rock thrown in too. You never know what you'll hear. If you are too lazy to go to the explosions page click here to listen now.

Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood - Out Louder

Genre: Jazz, Post Bop, Jam Band
Release Date: 9/26/06
Sounds Like: Sex Mob, Soulive, Galactic
Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Summary: In 1998, Medeski, Martin and Wood collaborated with John Scofield on his A Go Go album. I’m not sure what it is about this group of musicians, but when they get together they bring out the best in one another. Out Louder is the best album since A Go Go for both MMW and John Scofield. This album is raw, funky, groove laden improvisational jazz. It steers into psychedelic territory, but is always accessible. Each musician seems challenged by the other resulting in impeccable playing and creativity. It seems like this quartet was meant to play together. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another 8 years for the next jam session. Click here to listen to some tracks from the MMW site.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 9.5
Originality by Band: 8.2
Production: 8.0
Did I like it?: 7.8

Track Ratings:
1) 7.5
2) 8.4
3) 5.5
4) 7.4
5) 7.8
6) 5.9
7) 6.8
8) 5.4
9) 8.1
10) 6.2
11) 7.5
12) 5.0

Hammock - Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo

Genre Shoegaze, Space Rock, Post Rock
Release Date: 11/20/2006
Sounds Like: Slowdive, Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky
Overall Rating: 6.9/10


Summary: Raising Your Voice...Trying to Stop an Echo is the 2nd full length from ambient space rockers, Hammock. Never has there been a band so appropiately named as Hammock, well, except for Slayer, which is probably the perfect antithesis to Hammock. This music would be ideal laying on a Hammock between blustery trees on a cool cloudy day. You would need a sweater to keep warm from the chill and the grey. The album is cool and it is dark with an expression of hope. It is mood music and it is beautiful like a picture of a wind swept snowy landscape. Ok, so enough artistic metaphors! Does it rock? Yes and no. In between the ambient dream segways there is powerful guitar driven splashes that overpower and suffocate slowly. There are strings, piano and ethereal vocals that compliment the tidal wave of guitar.. this is bliss. This is an adventurous album and will probably only appeal to a small audience, but quite frankly, it appeals to me...Cause tonight I am feeling dark and grey. Click here for some tracks from their myspace site.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 8.0
Originality by Band: 8.0
Production: 8.5
Did I like it?: 7.5

Track Ratings:

1) 6.1
2) 7.7
3) 6.9
4) 5.0
5) 6.9
6) 5.5
7) NR
8) 7.6
9) 4.9
10) 5.2
11) NR
12) 5.1
13) 7.7
14) 5.9
15) NR
16) 3.1
17) 5.2
18) NR

New Explosions in Space Show

A new Explosions in Space show is up on the explosions page. Click here to go there. This weeks picks are quite diverse, ranging from the dirty bar room punk of the Murder City Devils, the feedback drenched Bardo Pond and a classic Built To Spill song and of course much more. Check in each Sunday for the new playlist. You never know what you'll hear. If you are too lazy to go to the explosions page click here to listen now.