Wales Road – Radio Scripture
Wales Road returns with an album of updated classic hymns. But don’t think they have wimped out at all – the style here is still the Wales Road signature blend of hard rock, blues, and new wave influences. Since I didn’t grow up in church, it wasn’t that hard for me to separate most of these songs from the original versions, but your mileage may vary depending on attachments to older arrangements. For instance, I didn’t quite connect with the acoustic/Americana rendition of “Amazing Grace”, but really liked “Christ The Solid Rock” – probably based on more on personal attachment (or lack thereof) to the songs. The first “half” of the album is mostly electrified, while the second “half” is mostly acoustic. There is also a cool radio interview tacked on the end. For fans of re-imagined classic hymns projects, or of the Wales Road mix of sounds, this album is a great new addition to your collection.
Archaeologist – Vol. I EP
I’m coming up a bit short on how to describe the music of Archaeologist. In this case, that is a good thing. It’s a heavy, modern, metal, alternative, progressive amalgamation of styles that works quite well. But don’t let the “modern” tag scare you off if you like more traditional forms of heavy music – its mixed nicely in there with plenty of other traditional metal forms. Even more interesting is that Archaeologist is a one man project, with Kyle Schaefer performing the instruments and vocals. Maybe this is what gives the EP its consistent feel, even as it cycles through so many different styles and genres. Even the vocals go through a range of styles, from clean and alternative to deathly growls. This EP is the first in a series of planned EPs. Oh, and there is also an instrumental version of it. Archaeologist is an interesting and original project that I recommend you keep your eye on.
The Way – I Keep Falling
The Thumper Punk Juggernaut Punk Machine keeps rolling, this time with a new album from The Way. The Way is a mostly classic punk rock band, with a few touches of pop punk and acoustic punk here and there. The slower/acoustic numbers make a nice break from the blistering punk attack of the other songs. But the punk has got to rock to make a good punk rock album, and in the case of The Way, it does. The only thing that doesn’t work for me is the closing cover of the worship standard “Greater Grace.” Maybe I just wasn’t a huge fan of the original (the melody, not the lyrics), but it seems a bit out of place as an electrified but slowly plodding album closer. Other than that, I would highly recommend this album for fans of punk – the passion, energy, and punk ethos that you have come to expect from Thumper Punk are all present on this album.
The Sweet Sorrows – It All Belong
Stellar release by Sammy and Kylie Horner. 10 songs of gritty as well as tender Americana/Celt/Blue Grass/Outlaw Country, some of the best you’ll hear indie or major. The opening track ‘Ain’t No Devil Ever Gonna Come Steal My Soul’ will set the pace and get you hooked to hear the rest of the album. ‘The Baby Song’ has a nice Johnny and June Carter Cash feel. Beautiful harmony vocals cover the deep warm compositions, Kylie’s soft voice is the perfect balance for Sammy’s dark smokey delivery. This album flows well start to finish, each track compliments the next. Aside from the two I already mentioned, my stand out tracks are ‘Nothing New’, ‘If I Knew How To Tell You’, and the closer ‘May The Road Rise Up To Meet You’. Look forward to more material from this duo. Can’t recommend this album enough! Be sure to check out all of Sammy’s stuff at his Bandcamp site.Bill Mallonee and The High Desert Freaks – Dolorosa
Unfortunately a very busy 2013 has kept me from what I enjoy most, writing reviews and doing that good ole Down the Line Zine. Getting back into the swing of things, fresh year, a new start and reviews that I need to catch up on. Seems right that the first one I get to is Bill Mallonee and The High Desert Freaks release Dolorosa. This is a distinctive and beautiful album that I think is by far Mallonee’s best release in his solo career. There’s a certain feel that I expect when getting Bill’s music, there’s an ambience in the haunting lyrics and an emotion that is unmistakably human at the core; there’s the honesty in outlook, the gentle ringing backdrop of things unseen, and a perspective that comes from years of travel and experience.
Bill is gifted in ways that I don’t see from many musicians on the scene these days. He’s the blue collar hero in the vein of Woody Guthrie, he’s the poet that outshines Dylan on most days, and he picks, strums and plays those strings that echo the dust and smell of the open highway as he lays all his best hopes, fears and hopelessness out for all to see. There’s a connection to this music, a camaraderie for the weary traveler’s on life’s highway, an unmistakable beauty that the listener finds and can relate to in a way that most musicians cannot express with this type of sincerity and honesty.
This album is an amazing 12 tracks plus 4 additional bonus tracks. It takes the listener on the journey, a journey that we all encounter in various ways, that journey of life and circumstance. A full band release here with point on mixing and mastering, this is a MUST have for fans of folk/Americana, for those who need the reminder of better things in spite of the present trials, for those who feel burnt out but clutch the feeling of better days coming with a steel grip. This album is the best Bill has released, and although it will be hard to top, I know he will…he always does!
As a last note…yes, you can stream this on bandcamp and listen, do Bill a favor and thank him by purchasing this album (and his 56 other albums!) and expressing your gratitude with action and not just words. You can now also purchase albums as gifts for others through bandcamp…support independent music!
“ I learned the night skies when I came here
I pinned my hope on every star
I was taught the geography of fear early on
…till I knew it all by heart
’cause the hangman? he’s always ready
to help you straighten up your tie
tip your hat if you should meet him
and by all means: spit in his eye ”
Jason Tyler Burton – Something Borrowed
You may not be familiar with Jason Tyler Burton, but go check out his Noistrade site to see who is. Yep, Mr. Bill Mallonee himself would encourage you to check out his music, because he says “You will NOT be disappointed.” This particular album is a collection of covers and originals that you can download through NoiseTrade. Acoustic, Folk, Americana, Singer/Songwriter are all good labels to use here. This particular recording is a bit more raw and unpolished on purpose, but that really just adds an atmosphere that works. You can also check on Burton’s other music on his BandCamp site. A new full-length of originals called Headwaters is said to be in the works as I type, so be on the look-out for that.
Jagged Doctrine – Electrocuted
Way back before Spotify or Bandcamp, before Facebook, before even MySpace, there was Mp3.com. It wasn’t very social, but it was the place to check out this new-fangled digital method of music distribution. It was also pretty much a free-for-all place where unknown bands could fight alongside established bands due to lack of industry interest (“this mp3 thing will never catch on!”). Out of this melee, a band by the name of Jagged Doctrine rose to the top of and dominated the industrial charts for years alongside many other well-known names. Fast forward 15 years and Jagged Doctrine is still on top of the new musical landscape, just moving on to better and more social websites. The core musical identity of Jagged Doctrine has mostly been about electronic metal music, sometimes focusing a bit more on one side or the other. Electrocuted finds the band leaning just ever so slightly to the electronic side. A few songs, like “Wrestling With An Angel” and “Not Your Enemy” are all electronic, but metal fans need not fear. The guitars are still present and upfront throughout the album. As a band that has been in the digital world for quite some time, Jagged Doctrine takes a hard look at the “screens that separate” in their lyrics. It’s not always a pretty picture. My favorite song so far is “Lost Battlescar” with its nice interplay of electronic and electric (guitar). There is also a nice tribal beat on “The Invisible Man” as well as a remix of “Don’t Waste Your Time” from The Stalker album by Human 2.7 that closes the album. Jagged Doctrine shows they still have what drove them to the top of the charts back in the day.
False Idle – Threat
In the large and still growing re-emergent underground Christian punk scene, False Idle seems to quickly be climbing to the top of the heap. Out of all the good to really good punk albums I listened to 2013, this is probably one of the best. False Idle is not redefining punk as much as doing it very well. The passion in the vocals and playing is very evident in this recording, which is probably what catches my attention the most. I hate punk that just seems to be going through the motions. A few touches of reggae and pop punk here and there as well as some near thrash-crossover choices add some diversity to the album. The acoustic based title song also shows off the acoustic punk side of the band and probably serves as my favorite track. Twelve mostly short tracks makes for one quick full length, but the good news is that there are no real throw away tracks – just an album the starts, rocks your face off, and then takes off before it wears out its welcome.
Grace & Thieves – Shepherd of the Wolves
This slightly over-looked ep should have gotten more attention just due to the high caliber guest players on the album. But these guests don’t really overshadow the whole Grace & Thieves sound as much as augment it, though. The first track has a long, slow build up before it thrashes away nicely. You then get two tracks of intense, fast, in-your-face thrash. The last track is a bit of a surprise with a piano intro that builds into a slow doom-ish track, but the thrash intensity and speed builds until the riff finally comes in near the end. Overall, a good ep that serves as a preview of what is to come.
Easter Teeth – Being Alone With Your Thoughts Is For Inmates
This album was a huge surprise for me. When I put the songs into iTunes, the style came up as “Soul & Hardcore.” Great, I thought – yet another silly kid somewhere messing with genre descriptions. But, weird as it sounds, that is about the best description I can think of. Easter Teeth is basically the rhythm section of a math rock band that decided to form a new band with just those two instruments, writing aggressive hardcore songs mixed with soul/funk that is centered on drums and bass guitar… and then throw some horns on the top for the heck of it. You have to hear it to believe it. The bass is so distorted and fuzzy that it really makes a good basis for the songs. The drumming is insane like you would expect from a math rock alumnus. The horns really add icing on the whole package – apparently there are versions of the songs without the horns because the horn players can’t always play live with them. Experimental out-of-the-box music that actually rocks. If you are itching for something different, at least give these guys a listen at Bandcamp to see if they can catch that itch.