Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

The Lost Art of Conversation, Vol. 1 is the debut EP by A Third Wish Granted, a California trio that has received some fair amount of attention recently. This disc consists of six tracks which are somewhat uneven in execution but show promise for the band as ...

Ever since The Fray, I love bands that add a solid piano in their melodies. It has forged itself into the alternative genre, as demonstrated by the Adam Gilbert band. He has a show tune quality to his voice, like he’s been in productions before. His back-up singers have the ...

He has a very 90’s sound to his voice, that scratching to smooth note ability. The lyrics of lost love and confusion are relatable, with a nice solid slide guitar in the background. Here’s a line from the chorus of Ida Lupino that summarizes his view: “Oh your lights and ...

April Skies? I could swear they are the musical love child of Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen, but with an ingenuity all their own. April Skies is a fitting name for a band that can create tracks that make you want to take the top down on ...

Bauhaus is one of those bands whose name evokes either adulation or groans; there is no middle ground. Founded in 1978 by drummer Kevin Haskins, brother and bassist David (David J) Haskins, and guitarist Daniel Ash, and later joined by vocalist Peter Murphy, their entire career has ...

This album was nothing like I expected. He keeps a constant bounce beat with his guitar and it works.. at first. Russell's first two songs sound exactly alike. I Know is very repetitive, at least until the violin solo. That solo threw me off -- it fit nicely and ...

A cure for the nation of saviors? A nation of puppets pulled by strings of the media. Blood Red Sun offers a dark disposition to a bright sunny day. A thinking man’s band, unafraid to veer off the path of the well tread, and “against the grain” in confronting ...

“Please listen to me/and don’t disagree.” These words open --- immediately --- Stupid Now, the first track of Bob Mould’s District Line, his widely and wildly anticipated return to form. A fiercely personal, introspective work, it is a sonic pleasure even as it provides an occasionally painful snapshot ...

When I first popped in this CD, echoes of Polyphonic Spree bounced off the walls of my room to my delight. I thought orchestral pop had died, much to my chagrin and the joy of the non-enthusiasts. But Bodies of Water’s album, Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink, yields ...

This band is insanely talented with their instruments! I was impressed from the beginning with the trumpets and electric guitar, somehow working together. Aside from TSO I had never heard that work before! They can slide and trill, and the drummer is a lot of fun to hear as well. ...

In 2006, Chris Tomlin released his latest CD, See The Morning only to re-release the album with an accompanying DVD of his latest tour. Tomlin’s music is like Christian worship on a four-pack of red bull. He is highly energized by his desire to worship Christ and shares that desire ...

A funny thing happened on my way to reviewing Laylower by CirKus: I hated it. I couldn’t listen to it all the way through. I didn’t know much about CirKus, other than it has an extremely interesting composition, including Nineh Cherry as a member, as well as ...

This California based folk band presents an album of soft serenading show tunes that are capable of lulling you into a serene oblivion. Cryptacize, a trio composed of Nedelle Torrisi, Chris Cohen and Michael Carreira, make their first break with Dig That Treasure. However, the band members are not new ...

The new album from Evangelicals, The Evening Descends doesn't so much as arrive in your speakers as kind of meanders across them duringthe opening, title track. Exhibiting an artsy, ambling pretentiousness, the first track sets an appropriate mood for an album that sounds equal parts as if its made by ...

Though it pains me to give full faith and credit to anything or anything from Michigan, I’ve got to give Every Avenue both. Shh, Just Go With It, the band’s second long play, is a joy from beginning to end. Even though they look suspiciously like the ...

Don't let the title of EP confuse you, Faunts' M4 clocks in at nearly 40 minutes of dreamy synth-heavy rock. The five tracks are a collection of compositions that were originally written for a handful of independent films, with the exception of the track M4 (part 2), which can ...

I can safely say that I’ve never heard Jewish music before, and that I had never heard of one of its biggest stars, Gershon Veroba. But now, having had my first taste, I do think it’s very interesting. I can’t understand one lick of most of the songs on this ...

I don’t really listen to Christian rock, but I’m open to anything. I popped the CD into my stereo and immediately liked what I heard. Lead singer Sara Acker’s voice sounded like a cross between Gwen Stefani and Jessica Simpson. Each song has heart and soul and sends a message ...

Jet Lag Gemini is one of the more interesting bands, in terms of band makeup, that are around at the moment. While based in New Jersey, the band members hail from three different countries, those being Russia, Romania, and the United States. Despite the guys from Russia ...

The two-man soft indie band from Scandinavia, Jettie, consists of Anders Gränsmark on drums and Clas Bohman with lead vocals and guitar. Their sound is soft and muted and their lyrics are…well, I couldn’t really tell you. I’ve never had as much trouble getting myself to sit down ...

World, meet your next big star. With characters like John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Rocco DeLuca, Matt Costa and Mat Kearney, this is the Golden Age for acoustic/rock/pop music. And in Josh Fix we have yet another ultra-talented, ultra-passionate rising star in a genre where there is always room for new ...

On March 4, 2008, singer/songwriter, Katie Sawicki will release her third album, Time Spent Lost. This album is fraught with songs about loneliness and leaving loved ones, yet the lyrics are some of the most honest and heartbreaking I have ever heard. Sawicki puts her feelings and emotions directly into ...

Lana Lane fronts a three piece band consisting of her husband, Erik Norlander on keyboards and bass, Peter Verschuren guitars and Ernst Van Ee on drums. Either she or Erik penned all the songs on the album. The more epic cuts come from Eric, including Into the Fire, Capture the ...

You have to love bands that borrow liberally from many sources and manage to turn out a product that doesn’t really sound like any of the above. The problem/intrigue with Mahjongg, which takes a page from hip hop rhythms, 80s New Wave bands, dance/punk and a few ...

Upon first listen, I have to admit that I did not enjoy Malea McGuiness’s debut album, True Believer. By the third-or-fourth listen, however, the music and the lyrics grew on me. I realized this album is not what I typically listen to. It is optimistic, upbeat, and hopeful. The lyrics ...