Explosions in the Sky- All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone

Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Rock
Release Date: Early 2007
Sounds Like: Mogwai, Mono, My Education
Overall Rating: 9.0/10

Summary: Anybody who knows me really well also knows I love Explosions in the Sky. They are one of my all time favorite bands, so just assume right off the bat that this review is biased. I managed to get my hands on the forthcoming EITS album, to be released in early 2007. The album is all called All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone and it is a Post-Rock classic. The album features six epic songs that build layer upon layer of post-rock grandeur. The melody is there and the guitars are huge as usual. This album is vast and lush. This is the best album I have heard in all of 2006, too bad it is a 2007 release. It looks like we have frontrunner for album of 2007 already. Just awesome! I will link you to tracks soon.

Ratings Summary:
Originality within Genre: 9.0
Originality by Band: 9.5
Production: 8.0
Did I like it?: 9.8

Track Ratings:
1) 8.1
2) 9.2
3) 9.3

4) 8.0

5) 7.5

6) 8.4

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

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

Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist (10/31/2006)

Genre: Rock, Metal, Alternative, Post Grunge

Overall Rating: 5.7/10

Summary: This is the 5th full length album by the Deftones. The album is a return to the White Pony era featuring melodic washes of orchestration over gnarling guitars and Chino Moreno's Hush-Scream vocals. Though this album fails to capture the brilliance of White Pony it far exceeds their self-titled previous effort. I rate this album slightly better than average. Click here to listen to a track.

Rating Breakdown:

Originality within Genre- 5.8

Orginality by Band- 7.2

Production/Sound- 7

Did I like it- 5.8

Track Ratings:

1) 6.0

2) 4.0

3) 6.1

4) 6.0

5) 6.7

6) 5.2

7) 6.0

8) 3.0

9) 4.0

10) 4.8

11) 5.8

12) 5.5