Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

I made the mistake of listening to Circles by A Chinese Firedrill, immediately after I finished reviewing another disc that I found occasionally interesting, but more often ordinary. Oddly, though I physically got up and changed the CD in the player, I more or less forgot that fact that first ...

At the turn of the century, Adema was a hot property, with family connections (original lead singer Mark Chavez is related to “Korn” mastermind Jonathan Davis), and local hype resulting in multiple labels bidding for their services. The band parlayed that, and their then hot nu-metal sound into a successful ...

When I listen to an album the first time around, I don’t pay much attention to lyrics. I try to take in the sound alone. So when I first listened to Liberation by AM Syndicate, I wasn’t very pleased. The first thing that came to mind was King Missile’s “Sensitive ...

Anyu has also been gigging with different bands for quite a few years but he's gone solo this time. His debut album is entitled Reasons. I can think of several reasons why we should be his audience: Anyu's music has a distinct style. It's moody and ...

Avalon is a highly recognized Christian group that has been around for years, although they’ve gone through many changes, original member Michael “Father Avalon” Passons leaving the group and new members Melissa Greene and Greg Long, Janna Long’s husband, joining. But somehow, this quartet has come out stronger than ever ...

For the first three songs of Cadia, I continually waited for Zach Efron to come in and accompany one of the...sisters on their self-titled debut CD, thinking this was the new Christian version "High School Musical: Vacation Bible School". But, happily for me, sadly for some, Efron never showed. ...

If after spending a few hours watching VH1’s “I Love the 90’s” you feel a sudden urge to re-experience the tender 90’s ballad, look no further then Cloning Einstein. Not only does their self-titled album embody this character of music, it was also recorded in 1999 only to be re-released ...

Nuclear Lipstick, Crazy Mary’s sophomore release, is going to sound a bit different from their first disc. For one thing, Em Z (not a rapper, let me assure you) is sharing lead vocal chores with guitarist/composer Charles Kibel; the other is that Walter Steding, a violinist, is ...

Fireproof by Kentucky-native Dawn Landes is exactly that – fireproof. This album is a new form of genius in music. Unlike artists and singers who use flashy lights and music in order to get the attention of their audience, Landes avoids the complicated by playing the majority of her instruments, ...

Everyone Overcome by Desperation Band is a concert recording… well, check that. It’s a performance recording. As I am given to understand this, Desperation Band plays primarily, if not exclusively, at worship services and Christian youth worship conventions. They are well known --- and well-liked by their ...

Devastations --- and I’m not being critical, here --- is weird. The trio --- Tom Carlyon, Hugo Cran, and Conrad Standish --- are originally from Australia but don’t expect the second coming of Midnight Oil or AC/DC. Devastations’ music --- dark, languid, murky --- is reminiscent of ...

Eat Sugar is a Cincinnati - based quartet --- vocals, bass, synth, and drums --- that is hard to get a handle on, even as you want to, very badly. Their self-titled, four song, EP brings to mind a bunch of different bands, all of them very, ...

Feeding 5000 is a quintet based out of Austin, Texas, that came together in 2004. As near as I am able to tell The Books We Read is their debut CD; the band clearly put a lot of time into this work, not only in the recording but ...

This self-released, six-track EP by the Brooklyn-based quartet Finespun has some strong strengths and weaknesses going for it. Let’s start with the strengths. The compositions are strong, the band has a strong sense of dynamics, and the musicianship is competent. They are somewhat reminiscent of Pearl Jam, ...

French is not a language I speak fluently or even understand slightly. Though I have found over the years that good music is enjoyable no matter what the language is. Toutes mes aventures has that classic French sound, a mixture of Paris and the French countryside. This album made me ...

Alligator, the first full-length album for Guards of Metropolis, brings a sound like Paramore channeling the Go-Gos, but with a hollow-point I-Beam edge. The band – two Scandinavian girls and two California guys – got their first rehearsal together “in an abandoned chocolate factory on the outskirts of Oslo, ...

You may not have heard of II Big. If you haven’t you might be surprised to discover that Face in the Glass is their eighth release. II Big is a working band, having toured with rock icons from the 1970s such as Foghat, journeyman bands that at ...

Kula Shaker is back making music after the group's long musical hiatus since their last album release in 1999, according to cookingvinylusa.com. As cliche as it may sound, the Beatles were the first thing to come to mind as I listened to some of Kula Shaker's tracks. Yet ...

Kutiman is the debut solo release of Ophir “Kutiman” Kutiel, an Israeli musician/producer who has become well-known in music circles as a multi-instrumentalist and boardman for any number of djs. Kutiman’s self-titled release is a cottage project --- think Moby, in his apartment, doing what he ...

We’ve heard what can be done when you mix members from Guns N’Roses (Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum) with a member from Stone Temple Pilots (Scott Weiland) and drummer Dave Kushner, but what do you get when you take Reach the Sky’s and Rise Against’s Chris Chasse, Ignite’s Brett ...

The cover of Maiden Voyage promises a journey into the world of soul and boogie. From the very beginning, with the beautifully chirpy Lihue by Nohelani Cypriano, the CD definitely makes good on its promise. There is a variety of genres and styles on this 13-track album – ...

I will admit it: I own every single Mariah Carey CD except the first one. As I write this, I can actually see the long line of Mariah Carey albums on my CD shelf. I have managed to remain a true fan to Mariah – even after the “Glitter” incident. ...

Miggs, an alternative band from San Francisco, is possibly one of the best bands that you’ve never heard of. The leader and singer of the band, Don Miggs, is an excellent musician, and he is one of the best writers from the West Coast.To know what Miggs sounds like, just ...

Bands operating out of the Northwest hold a special place in my heart. Oregon and Washington are home to some of my favorite indie acts, and the Seattle area is the birthplace of grunge. Seattle based Minor Broadcast instantly grabbed my attention with some interesting samples on their ...

See Also: Missy Higgins - Exclusive Interview On a Clear Night, the latest release from Aussie singer-songwriter Missy Higgins, is a creamy-smooth blend of piano ballad and folk-pop guitar. With a voice like Sarah McLachlan channeling Fiona Apple, but with timbres and simplicity all her own, Higgins sings with ...