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Showing posts from February, 2018

Rejectionist Front - Evolve (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://rejectionistfront.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RejectionistFront/ Written by Daniel Boyer, posted by blog admin Rejectionist Front has tended to their musical development with all the attention you’d expect and have aligned themselves with causes and concerns clearly illustrating the importance of conveying their core beliefs through the vehicle of popular music. Their second studio album Evolve boasts twelve songs showcasing their exponential development since first debuting and they bring much of the same New York City assertiveness we heard on their first collection. Most rock bands in the modern music world adopt either five or three piece configurations in their journey to earn public notice, but Rejectionist Front is a four piece band with immensely creative rhythm section work and creative guitar playing compensating well for the absence of a second guitar player. The band’s appeared on a variety of high profile festival lineups and

Chris Murphy - Water Under the Bridge (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://chrismurphymusic.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/chrismurphymusic1/ TWITTER: https://www.facebook.com/chrismurphymusic1/ Written by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin Renegade jazzman Chris Murphy and his dead aim band The Blind Blake Blues Band tackle winding instrumental passages, dirt road country, rock n’ roll and even a sing-a-long little ditty or three on their debut together Water Under the Bridge .   Murphy (a current LA resident) has been at it awhile and is a true troubadour with a huge back catalog of solo and collaborative work that’s well-worth a look.   You can tell that everybody was feeling inspired on this record because the chemistry was magnetic, or certainly appears that way because you can feel all of the individual passages of music free-flowing in and out of one another.   It begins with the catchy quirks of “Moveable Feast;” a free-wheeling, feet moving zig-zag jazz swing sort of song kept glued tightly togeth

Alpha Mule - Peripheral Vision (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.alphamulemusic.com/ BANDCAMP: https://alphamule.bandcamp.com/ Written by Mike Yoder, posted by blog admin It’s apparent from the cascading acoustic guitars and bourbon bashing banjo of “Corpus Christi” that with Alpha Mule you’re in for a trip down memory lane.   Those golden days when country was country, rock was rock, rap was rap and we didn’t have to crisscross 20 different genres together in the name of experimentation.   Sometimes, you just want a style of music to be what it is.   Experimenting can be a good thing, don’t get me wrong but in an ol’ Americana type of sound, well, just save it or you’re going to end up sounding disjointed.   The debut, Peripheral Vision , from country/folk duo Alpha Mule was written, arranged and mostly played by just two gentlemen; Joe Forkan on acoustic guitar/lead vocals and Eric Stoner on banjo and additional acoustic guitars.   They get some help with the auxiliary instrumentation by a number of spec

Shofar - s/t (2017)

BANDCAMP: https://shofar.bandcamp.com/releases BROADJAM: http://www.broadjam.com/shofar Written by Larry Robertson, posted by blog admin Shofar’s journey back into the world of active recording has been a long time coming, but their self-titled six song EP doesn’t disappoint. The band’s lyrical message, courtesy of main songwriter Larry Hagner, has broadened some with the intervening years out of the studio, but they remain much of the same creative unit they were before their layoff. These are engaging songs cast in an alt-rock setting, but there’s definitely plenty of classic guitar-driven song motifs worked into these compositions. The lyrics are accessible and easy to follow, but there’s no question that Hagner is a writer of rare distinction whose able to push his language into listener’s consciousness without relying on a bevy of poetic flourishes. Shofar’s self-titled re-emergence is one of 2017’s most satisfying releases and definitely positions the band for an