Kirsten Price - Guts & Garbage - CD

(Kirsten Price) Kirsten has a nice blend of gritty R&B and soul melded with pop rock sensibilities. I get a sense of KT Tunstall, Amy Winehouse and Christina Aguilera mixed in with a shot of gin at an inner city bar. The songs are rough, sexy and sensual and you get a feeling that Kirsten is a force to be reckoned with. Her voice is extremely powerful and she is in complete control here. If you have been searching for something catchy and soulful that hasn't been distorted by the mainstream then Kirsten Price is yours to be found.
-- Grog Mutant (2008)

The Lions Rampant - Play Rock n Roll! - CD

(The Lions Rampant) This is good old straight garage rock going full bore. Lo-fi, gruff and full of energy. They are part grunge (Mudhoney, Tad) and part Jon Spencer Blues Explosion thrown into the late '00s. It's always great to have bands like this around that are just fun and pure energy. Nothing really magical, but it's always a great feeling.
-- Grog Mutant (2008)

Scott Alexander - Makes Friends - CD

(Scott Alexander Music) I really had hoped this would be better. It has some great elements. Scott has a voice like Adam & His Package, is quirky and actually includes a bassoon on one track. Usually, I would call this the ingredients for a successful release. However, songs don't really gel and while some of his lyrics are quirky, they can't go the distance and become clever. As Spinal Tap said there is a fine line between clever and stupid, and these songs are quite a bit behind that line.
-- Grog Mutant (2008)

Felicia Carter - Feather / Step Lightly - 2CD

(Alberta Records) I really had to look at the CD information to make sure this was fact a contemporary recording. This double CD set is like a time warp straight from the hey-day of cool jazz. Felicia Carter has an amazing voice that commands your attention and then melts your soul. Everything she sings is in that oh so sweet jazz style where you can feel the sensuality just below the surface. The band backing her up doesn't miss a beat and has such a classic sound you'd swear you were at a dance hall in the 30-40's. This one is going into my personal collection and will be getting quite a bit of play at parties and special occasions. If you want to hear true jazz at its best then get Felicia Carter and let her do the rest.
-- Grog Mutant (2008)

Elika - Trying Got Us Nowhere - CD

(Fiercely Indie) This is an interesting release that flows between light airy trance / electronica music to full out industrial within the same song. The vocalist, Evagelia, is well suited to the music, but her voice feels forced into the beats on the heavier parts. It's a shame, because I think she could add another layer if she flowed over the beats instead having her vocals chopped up to fit the underlying rhythm The overall feel of the band is excellent, kind of a cross between Halou, Ilya and Portishead. Some of the transitions from the softer trance bits to the heavy fury could be better executed, but overall the sound is excellent.
-- Grog Mutant (2008)

Trans-Dimensional Voice - The Perpetual Maybe - CD

(T-DV) Very cool electronica album with shades of industrial and goth stylings. I hear mixes of bands like The Crystal Method, The Chemical Brothers and Moby, but in the style of Bauhaus or at times Portished. Most of the tracks are instrumental with a few lyric clips thrown in the mix and a very sci-fi type of feeling throughout. But on some songs there are definitely vocals, even though I can't make them out. Their cover art carries the parental advisory warning so the lyrics must be a bit racy...but I sure couldn't tell. Anyway, vocals are a very minor part of Trans-Dimensional Voice, the amazing parts are the soundscapes they craft. This is by far one of the best releases I have heard this year and will find itself in my personal mix.
-- Grog Mutant (2008)

Jim Phillips - Jim Phillips - CD

(Jim Phillips) This is a very interesting CD. Jim has a bluesy/Elvis/lounge singer style in both his music and vocals. However, the songs he sings are about the Bible. While the subject matter and lyrics make the songs feel monotonous, I will say that there is catchiness to the music and the opening tune "Count on You" is a pretty good song.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Dan Weintraub - Loose Ends - CD

(Dan Weintraub) Basic acoustic male singer-songwriter that one would find playing a local open mic. Not much more to say on this one.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Polka Floyd - The Polka Floyd Show - CD

(Static Records) Normally I like CDs like this where a band would present classic rock songs
using a different musical style, (Dread Zeppelin, anyone?) but this one just fails to impress. The songs on this CD just lacked the gusto that one would expect with a band such as this. If you hanker for this type of music then you might want to check out Those Darn Accordions out instead. I would also suggest that The Polka Floyd Show not just focus on one group like Pink Floyd and stretch out to other bands to help to liven things up.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Donald Norris - Donald Norris - CD

(Donald Norris) I'm a bit confused on this one. It starts out with an acoustical tune with a female singer. The last two tracks on this 3-track CD have male vocals with a strong country twang. This is a homemade CD without liner notes, so I'm not sure who the female is. The first song is pretty decent and the music and vocals on both are good. The lyrics on the last two songs are horrible. I know that the songwriter is trying to make a statement with the lyrics, but I feel that there would be a better way to convey the message that would be more interesting.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Taba Goog Music - Lophophora - CD

(Taba Goog Music) First off terrible name especially for a band that has funky industrial-dance
experimental beats as this band. I really liked the funkiness of "Feel So Good" as well as the disco groove of "Look Up". There are a few songs where the vocals seem weak, but overall not bad, just change the band name.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

We Need You - We Need You - CD

(Public Eyesore Records) Minimalist screeching on horn, bass and drums just isn't my cup of tea,
and unless you are bonged out of your brain, it's probably not for you either.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Joe Soko - Floss Like a Beast - CD

(Fuzzy Planet) I think the subtitle on this release sums this release up best; a collection
of incredible strange folk songs. Joe Soko is like the poor man's Haywood Banks in that his songs are quirky and slightly amusing, but not gut busting. But still how can you not laugh at song titles like "Yum! Yum! Yum! (and I am insane)" and "My Nuts are on Fire".
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Steve Gattermeyer - Stockholm Sin Drone - CD

(SoniCraft Records) I had friends in high school that had a band and dreamed of hard rock stardom. While they could play their instruments fairly well, they just didn't have the artistic talent that would have made them stand out among all of the other high school rock bands dreaming of stardom. And when they did originals the lyrics were always weak. The music on this release reminds me of those bands. If you had to listen to one song on this release is would be "If It Ever Comes Back" which is mostly an instrumental.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

V/A - Release the Cheerfulness, China Ground Up 2 - CD

(Noise Order Recordings) Back in 1995 Jason Kopec loaded up a backpack of recording equipment and headed to China to do field recordings of street and classical Chinese arrangements as well as sonic samplings of the places he visited. The resulting mixes on this CD range from relaxing melodic instrumental pieces to grating soundscapes. At times I was reminded of the music from the Akira Kurosawa movie Dreams. I would have liked it if the 14 tracks on this release
were titled or if more info was given in the liner notes concerning the music of China so listeners would be able to gain a better understanding and appreciation of what they were hearing. Overall, I preferred the minimalist tracks on this release minus any vocals.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Shelflife - Concerning the Absence of Floors - CD

(Public Eyesore Records) I knew a guy from the early '90s who mashed together various industrial
noises and his synthesizer and put together a minimalist noise collage that was reminiscent of the industrial white noise at the beginning of the movie Erasurehead. He called his project Noise Coitus. This CD is similar. I wasn't too impressed with it then and I'm not impressed with it now.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Jason Moss - The ep - CD

(Jason Moss) Jason has a laid back singer-songwriter acoustic sound that some people might liken to Jack Johnson meets Dashboard Confessional. Both Jason's vocals and music make you sit up and pay attention. This is the kind of songwriter who when he starts playing at a noisy bar
everyone stops what they're doing and pays attention. Definitely check this one out.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

FourWayFree - FourWayFree - CD

(FourWayFree) This CD starts off with the tune "Done" which is a Southern rock tune with white
guy blues vocals. It gets your toes a-tappin'. Then FourWayFree get mellow and wimpy. While I can handle the final tune on this release "Opposite of Empty", these songs aren't something I would want to hear over and over again.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Counting Crows - August and Everything After (Deluxe Edition) - 2CD

(Universal Music Company) This is another re-released re-master of a well-known alternative band by the folks at Universal in their Deluxe Edition series. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 15 years since Counting Crows hit the scene with their two hits off of this release: "Round Here" and "Mr. Jones." Now while I have never been a big fan of Counting Crows I do appreciate the tightness of their unique musical style as well as the catchy lyrics, and their nice musicianship sounds even more stunning on this re-mastered release.

Along with the improved crispness to the sound, fans will be happy to know that disc one of this two disc package is loaded with six demos, while disc two is a recording of the band playing live in Paris, France in 1994.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

I like the Counting Crows and found this to be a very interesting re-release. The live show was especially good, except for the extended versions of their two hits which went on like some jam band from hell. Otherwise this is a great record of their early songs. - Grog

2Pac - Thug / Life - 2CD

(Universal Records) Listing to this 2-pack 2Pac best of release, I have to say that I still don't get his appeal as a rapper. Disc 1 is subtitled Thug, while Disc 2 is subtitled Life, and as far as the music goes I can't really tell the significance of why which song went on which disc. If you are a fan of 2Pac looking to freshen up or tighten up your 2Pac CD collection or just getting into rap, then yeah check this out. But if you're like me and find it strange that a song called "Never Call U B**ch Again" is presented as a romantic tune, then just stay away from these two discs. (*Note: 2Pac was commonly known as Tupac Shakur until recently. I have no idea why this change happened...it just did.)
-- Mite Mutant (2008)

Analog America - A Four Course Meal of Found Sound - CD

(Hollow Earth Radio) This is basically a disc of found recorded phone conversations, answering machine messages and a couple of songs. While I love the concept on found art, I think the presentation could have been done better for this release. It would have been cool if a narrative could have been worked out with the recordings so that they would tell a story. I would also like to
hear more diverse recordings put into the mix. If you want to hear more found sound projects then go to their site.
-- Mite Mutant (2008)