Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball

Produced, recorded and mixed by Mike McCarthy in Austin, TX

It takes something pretty unique sounding for a band to get noticed these days in the notoriously creative city of Athens, Ga. As if to completely set themselves apart from these other talented bands, this group pulls their inspiration from some rather unusual sources - the Seattle grunge era of the 1990s and the classic rock sound of the early ‘70s.

This first full-length release from Dead Confederate marks a substantial improvement over its self-titled EP, in so far as it successfully replicates the grandiose sound often found in the band’s unrelentingly loud and epic live shows - something that the previous recording never quite seemed to attain. “Heavy Petting” kicks off things with the band’s signature ferocious energy; singer Hardy Morris screams the lyrics at the top of his lungs a la Axel Rose with a heavy southern drawl, while Jason Scarboro attempts to break his drum set and the two other members do their part to create a thick and hazy, southern gothic atmosphere. The arena rockready “The Rat” has the angst and mood of late Nirvana accompanied with the technical proficiency and finesse of a U2 track, while “All The Angels” offers head banging guitar riffs and choruses, not to mention piercing feedback that would have My Bloody Valentine run for the hills.

Just when the listener feels like they know what to expect, “The News Underneath” channels Pink Floyd’s with spaced-out stoner jams and a guitar riff that pays homage to “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. Accompanied by ghostly singing from Morris, it competes with only “Flesh-Covered Canvas” for being not only one of the longest tracks on the record (clocking in at seven and 12 minutes, respectively), but one of the best as well.

Just as Nirvana and Pink Floyd were able to capture the same raw intensity of a live concert on an album (and yes, those lofty comparisons are warranted in this case), so too does Dead Confederate succeed here on Wrecking Ball. Southern rock will never be the same again. (The Artist Organization)

www.myspace.com/deadconfederate

-Matt Frisch

Rantings of Eva - Rantings of Eva

Engineered, produced and mixed by JasonElgin at Synchromesh Studio in Birmingham,AL

Atlanta band Rantings of Eva has been on the music scene for six years. The band’s music straddles the line between indie-rock and pop, with crossover appeal to a variety of genres. Lyrics are fluid and drums and guitar provide a solid partner for the tracks. Vocals are thought provoking without being sugary sweet. This group has come a long way from the three-song demo it had in 2002, and a set at Music Midtown that same year. A change in band members and short hiatus has given the group an intense hunger for success.

Rantings of Eva’s self-titled debut album starts with “Sirens,” an up tempo song, followed by “The Only One,” that showcases lead vocalist Ryan Flanagan’s clear and strong vocals. The third track, “Bright Side,” opens with a guitar intro before leading into mellow vocals and a slower beat. Track seven, “Infrared,” is a slower ballad. Track nine, “Still Holding On,” is also a slower song with an infectious line, “I’m still holding on / To everything that is gone.”

Rantings of Eva has maintained a solid reputation in Atlanta free of stage gimmicks or shenanigans. Recent winners of Spin Magazine’s Hot Pursuit competition for their song “Bright Side,” the band was given a record deal with Epic Record sure to provide national exposure. (Self-released)

www.myspace.com/rantingsofeva

-Kelly Tenedini

Happy Valley - Mutanten

Birthed, fed and raised by Happy Valley

Orlando’s Happy Valley has done its damnedest to turn synth, pop and space rock on its ear. Mutanten is more than a collection of strange sounding tunes about alien mutants taking over Planet Earth and turning its inhabitants into likewise mutants. Mutanten is more than a concept album. Its theatrical qualities measure closely to its oblique and ever inventive strangeness. The band spits and finesses the ear, teasing it with an elliptical, genre-defying album that is noisy, loving and weird. Mutanten is like musical silly putty with all the good, wild colors.

“Hollywood Monster” is funky and trippy. The vocals are vampish, like a lounge lizard singing through a fuzzed out electric megaphone. The singer is derisive in the song; “Your face is hamburger helper / The road kill of the world / I doubt you could get a job as a waitress.” “Don’t Look Outside” soars like an anthem and “Metallic Birds” boasts an aural quality that is sonically tingling. Vocal duties are shared between Darin Hughes and Evan Shafram throughout Mutanten. They are yin and yang, one sounding like a blend of whiskey-smoke throated Jim Morrison and Brad Roberts from the Crash Test Dummies, the latter a more youthful version of Tears for Fears.

Mutanten, with its wonderful and contorted album artwork, takes the moody theatrics of Pink Floyd and pomposity of Frank Zappa to create dreamlike and nightmarish ambiance. The result is a collection that is sometimes catchy and sometimes indifferent. It traverses between playful and serious, driven with harsh and otherworldly sound effects. Much of the album is driven with keyboards, echoing futurism, 1980s video games and New Wave. At times whimsical and rich in musical fantasy, Mutanten also digs deep into gothic drudgery. It’s Tenacious D meets Rush with a plan, albeit with a story to tell. (Sleepy Bird Orphanage)

www.hvband.com

-Brian Tucker

Soft Targets - Heavy Rainbow

Produced, engineered and mixed by Tim DeLaney | Recorded at Electron Gardens studio and Southern Tracks Recording in Atlanta, GA | Mastered by Rodney Mills at Rodney Mills Masterhouse in Atlanta, GA

The latest release by the Tallahassee, Fla.-based Soft Targets is Heavy Rainbow, an appealing collection of indie pop songs highlighted by the band’s strong vocal harmonies.

The CD starts off with “Something Else,” a mellow, breezy tune with a psychedelic feel. “Calm Me Down” has a clipped song style reminiscent of The Cars, while “Sugar Glass” has a slower, bluesy feel. “The World Looks Bigger Now” features a terrific vocal effect at the end with the music slowly fading out leaving only the vocals. The music takes on more of an edge for “So Long, Baby Burns,” “Under Control” and “Skyscraper.” The longest song on the CD, “Heavy Rainbow,” has a slow, delicate beginning which shifts to a frenetic pace, then switches back and forth in tempo throughout its more than five minute running time. “Surrendering Slow,” “Offseason,” “Sirens” and “Dear Atlanta” return to the mellow, breezy music found on the first song.

The lyrics are very descriptive, creating sharp, sometimes intense images or feelings for the listener. In “Something Else” there is no interpretation needed for the meaning, “Woke up, got kicked in the head by a word / Two syllables that just smashed my face in the dirt” and “I’ve got the shaky sick stomach of a boy who just got forced to fight.” The colorful imagery in “Offseason” also paints a vivid portrait (“The sun escapes behind a curtain of red clouds glided in gold”).

From the smooth flowing vocals to the diversity of the songs, the three members of Soft Targets, Jesse Corry (vocals/guitars), Nate Sadler (bass/keys/vocals), and Steve Gillespie (drums/percussion/vocals) have created a CD that is well worth more than just a cursory listen. (Cloud 13 Records)

www.myspace.com/softtargets

-Kat Coffin

The Dark Romantics - Heartbreaker

Produced, recorded and mixed by Dean Paul and Eric Collins at The Chalet Southglen in Lakeland, FL

Taking their name from 19th century American writers the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson, The Dark Romantics meld deeply moody tonal qualities with dance club rhythms shot through a prism of rock ‘n’ roll. The dark nature of that period fits Heartbreaker efficiently, although it’s more upbeat than one would imagine. The reference is merely a shade of what the band paints on its follow up to 2006’s Some Midnight Kissin’. The Dark Romantics are delightfully poignant, compounding ache and melody with energy.

Mostly low key, Heartbreaker aims high for polished melancholy and soul and nearly hits the mark. Vocalist Eric Collins is brooding and seductive as he croons and howls through lyrics, maintaining a level timber, never teaming to get attention with theatrics. The band takes its time, soaking in its urbane and curdling concoction - a whirling blend of keyboard and guitar knocked around with knee-jerk backbeats.

“Love and Pain” is vocally symphonic, laced carefully with a guitar line The Cramps might feel is borrowed from them. “The Perfect Place” works like a chant, steadily ticking along - The Doors mixed with old school Herbie Hancock. “Never Been Loved” is superb, the band hitting on all its strengths and resulting in an avant-garde sounding pop song that defies genres. From beginning to end Heartbreaker is absolutely antipop, a fresh approach to moody and soulful rock.

The band succeeds in crafting music that sounds nearly timeless. If anything, it is more akin to the mid-1980s (think Bryan Ferry, Simple Minds) than mid-2000s, with shades of The Killers and The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas, specifically on “Gimme a Kiss.” Heartbreaker is darkly lit and sexy. It sleeks about in its delivery, old and elegant like smoky jazz hideouts and rare wine in chipped glasses. (Lujo Records)

www.thedarkromantics.com

-Brian Tucker

Young Antiques - Soundtrack to Tear Us Apart

Engineered by Tim Delaney in the basement of the Biltmore Hotel in Atlanta, GA

It is refreshing to hear straight-ahead, poppy rock songs done well, like a double scoop ice cream cone on a hot summer day. On Soundtrack to Tear Us Apart, the third album from Atlanta rockers Young Antiques, each song is a power-pop treat. The band has crafted a 10-song collection packed full of catchy hooks, clever lyrics, and the solid musicianship of veteran players confident in their abilities and chemistry together.

The three-piece band - guitarist/lead vocalist Blake Rainey, bassist/ vocalist Blake Parris and drummer/vocalist Kevin Charney – have played together (with a few drumming changes) since 2000, and Rainey and Parris go back to childhood years. This history together shines through on the album, with spot-on harmonies and interesting interplay between the three members, especially in Parris’ bass fills through Charney’s vibrant drumming. Three-piece rock bands face the challenge of having a full sound while still retaining a range of dynamics, and Young Antiques pull this feat off with aplomb. They also benefit from the lean musical freedom that a three-piece band allows, which is shown in the crisp start/stops between many verses and choruses.

Soundtrack to Tear Us Apart starts with the energetic “(There Isn’t Anything That Means) Nothing at All,” and builds throughout. It says something for Soundtrack’s depth that one of its best songs, “On a Planet,” is the last track. The ‘Tiques are clearly influenced by the likes of Elvis Costello and Cheap Trick, but they move beyond easy comparisons to bring their own sound to the table. This is particularly true when Rainey switches over to a firm falsetto, which enhances songs like “November” and “Slow Down.”

With no missteps and lots of hits, Soundtrack to Tear Us Apart is a solid album through and through. While its September release puts Soundtrack out for fall, it feels like a summer record alleviating the heat with its cool, refreshing tunes.

www.youngantiques.com

-Jason Peterson

Liz Durrett - Outside Our Gates

Produced by Eric Bachmann | Mixed by Andy Baker at The Bakery in Athens, GA | Engineered by Joel Hatstat

Liz Durrett’s latest release Outside Our Gates is first and foremost an amazingly robust album. Usually one for the stripped-down technique, Durrett’s latest offering favors electric over acoustic, but still manages to stay soft. Benefiting from a multitude of instruments including accordion, omnichord, upright bass, trombone and something called a wurly, this CD is thick with sound. The arrangements are tightly constructed and every instrument can be heard without the slightest hint of overshadowing. And the drums, which tend to be occasionally overlooked, are well represented on the entire album. This latest effort also benefits from a plethora of guest artists such as Amanda Kapousouz from Tin Cup Prophette, the members of Ham1, Brian Causey and, of course, Durrett’s own uncle, the legendary Vic Chesnutt. Overall, the tone of Outside Our Gates is not one of mirth and merriment; the songs deal with loss, heartache, giving up and finally, surviving. One of the most engaging songs on the CD would have to be “Wake to Believe,” if only for the amazing pairing of the strings against the percussion. Another gem is “In the Eaves,” in which piano and percussion are set against feedback, giving the song a menacing and sad tone all at once. It’s almost a shame that Durrett’s delicate but husky voice is better showcased by the less upbeat songs on the CD. Outside Our Gates is a completely mature album that shows Durrett is not compromising; she’s just getting started. And if this is any indication of where she’s going, it’d be worth it to stick around. (WARM Electronic Recordings)

www.lizdurrett.com

-Charley Lee

Ninja Gun - Restless Rubes

Recorded at Earthsound Recordings | Produced by Lee Dyess and Ninja Gun | Mastered by Dan Shike at T & V Mastering

Restless Rubes is the latest release by Valdosta, Fla.’s Ninja Gun. The band’s sound is an engaging mix of rock and punk with a country southern charm, with each specific style peaking and shifting through the songs.

The title track kicks off the CD with an edgy musical intro that then takes on a more subdued tone carrying through the rest of the song. “Darwin Was A Baptist” is another song with an edgy musical intro that slides into a bass prominent honky-tonk style for the verse only to shift back to the edgy guitar laden music for the chorus. “Front Yard Screamers (Kitchen Kissers)” is a more straightforward country song, with the story-telling lyrics taking a more prominent role. The CD closes with the mellow easy listening “Breaking Light Of Day.”

The songs feature a variety of sounds aside from the standard musical instruments to add to the diversity. “Restless Rubes,” “Red State Blues” and “Asking Price” make use of various oohs and ahhs to flavor each song, while “Eight Miles Out” uses clapping. In “The Last Cowboy” bird sounds flutter through the song on cue from the lyrics “That the birds in trees all have someone, but not me.”

Ninja Gun does a terrific job of incorporating the band members’ many influences into cohesive listenable songs that can fit into many different genres and find a varied fan base along the way. (Suburban Home Records / Barracuda Sound Records)

www.myspace.com/ninjagun

-Kat Coffin

Phoenix Block - Chemtrails

Produced, engineered, and mixed by Tony Catania | Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound | Recorded at Orange Glow Studios in Bonita Springs, FL

Chemtrails is the debut full-length CD from Phoenix Block. The Naples, Fla.-based band creatively fuses a combination of pop and electronica for a multi-layered aural delicacy.

The CD opens with “Can’t Divide Us,” showcasing the band’s artistic melding of pop and electronica. The CD’s title track deftly uses stark vocal passages offset by segments of electronica for a diverse sound while “Future Calling” and “Bitter End” stick with the electronica sound giving them an ethereal feel. “Tear Us Apart” and “They’re Coming” still feature electronica, but their prominent drum tracks make them stand out, along with the edgier vocals in “They’re Coming.”

“On My Mind,” “Play Your Hand” and “My One” musically lean more towards the pop end of the spectrum with their slower pace and prominent piano. “Crying And Dying Again” and “Last Chance” both show a more pop side to the band as well.

Andrew Jaffe’s lead vocals tie the songs together beautifully whether he sings “The two of us parted / But we could’ve just started / Anew” in the soft ballad “On My Mind,” or singing with a harder edge, “Take a look around / I’m the only one” in “They’re Coming.”

Jaffe and the rest of the band, Steve Schoeffler (guitar/piano/keyboards/ vocals), Tony Catania (bass/guitar/keyboards/vocals) and Darrell Nutt (drums) have crafted a stunning CD, made even more impressive with top-notch production. (Hard Six Records LTD)

www.phoenixblock.com

-Kat Coffin

The Suicide Kings - The Suicide Kings

Produced by George Dembow, III | Mastered by Dave Shirk at Sonorous Mastering

Recent Nashville transplants The Suicide Kings don’t step lightly into the genre of classic country. It’s a brave step indeed. A genre still haunted by the ghosts of such legends as Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash yields a certain amount of unease for any newcomer looking to follow in their enormous footsteps. Despite the soft, hallowed ground, singer / guitarist/songwriter Bruce Connole and keyboardist/backing vocalist Brad Buxrer have successfully and respectively stepped their way into a cemetery of musical greatness. With The Suicide Kings, there’s no confusion about what you are listening to nor are there any immediate comparisons. It’s just simple, somber, tight country that smells of dark and smoky honky-tonks along a deserted highway and tastes like ‘shine straight from the still. Sonically, The Suicide Kings’ debut is blunt and devastatingly poignant with the least amount of effort. Throughout the 12-track disc, the musical atmosphere twists and turns from melodic and gentle to dark and fierce. The duo’s softer side is heard most prevalently on the tracks “Everything’s Right,” “Marie,” “Bottle And A Gun” and album opener, “Suicide King,” while “Hogtown Willie,” “Cradle To The Grave,” “Whiskey Row” and “Even Hookers Say Goodbye” provide the album’s punchy, toe-tappin’ flavor. Overall, The Suicide Kings are a living ghost to a genre that has feared it’s past for so long it has nearly forgotten it completely. (Blue Plate Music)

www.thesuicidekings.org

-Matt Godbey

Kooley High - The Summer Sessions

Produced by 9th Wonder and Kooley High

Like a powder keg, hip-hop quintet Kooley High has exploded out of the Raleigh, N.C. underground with its latest release, The Summer Sessions. Comprised of five former N.C. State University students, Kooley High combines traditional hip-hop and R&B with a modern freestyle that traverses effortlessly between not only genres, but also generations. The result is a three-dimensional concoction that envelops listeners in a sound that is as smooth as The Fugees and Common, as passionate as Mary J. Blige and as intelligent as Hieroglyphics. With three MCs and two producers of its own, Kooley High recruited Grammy Award-winning producer 9th Wonder for collaboration.

The team proved to be a strong one giving The Summer Sessions a laid back yet soulful vibe that’s as old school as it is progressive. Softer tracks like “There You Go” and “Back Home” have been receiving the most radio play, but Kooley High’s strongest musical showing lies in more energetic and melodic tracks like “Kool With It” and “Water.” There is a refreshing intelligence and positivity flowing through every beat and every lyric of this true hip-hop five-piece on the rise. Kooley High is the latest eruption from the volcanic hip-hop underground proving that real hip-hop has received a new warrior in the battle between hip-hop and mainstream rap. (M.E.C.C.A Records)

www.myspace.com/kooleyhigh

-Matt Godbey

Tenth to the Moon - Tenth to the Moon

Recorded and mixed at Tenth Central in Atlanta, GA | Mastered by James Plotkin

Built around a haze of electric-soaked ambiance and theatrical vocal delivery, Atlanta, Ga.’s Tenth to the Moon’s self-titled release is essentially post modern industrial music. It lumbers and thunders along like hip soldiers wearing sweat soaked plastic instead of leather, making much trouble in their wake.

Coarse analogies aside, Tenth to the Moon sounds like it should be played in the clubs in place of stale dance music; the music is erratic and maniacal in its delivery, furious dance beats and over-the-top vocals to match. The band’s song construction gleefully defies conformity, eschewing typical craft for a fevered pitch, stress-inducing rhythms and absolute frenzy. The album whirls about like a disjointed and scatter-shot heated dream, complete with synthesizers and bombast. It whips you about, dominates the senses and places a foot in the middle of your sternum.

“Avoidance” is punk meets techno in overdrive, benefitted further with voice mail messages over thumping beats. “Kadaver Dogs” is exceptional for its use of saxophone. “Silence” is ambiance coupled with seductive spoken word lyrics. The wails on “Mantramanon” are lovely and nervewracking simultaneously (think PJ Harvey singing without all that bass). These added touches are merely thin layers to an already over-sized album of material.

Tenth to the Moon seems to be going for broke instead of a specific shade of music. The album is pushy and forceful, meant to put a listener in a position, whether one of distorted energy or an imaginary firing line. By the end one may grow tired of the effect and the wealth of ideas at work here. With Tenth to the Moon one may find the entryway to another realm altogether. (Stickfigure Records)

www.tenthtothemoon.com

-Brian Tucker

The Class War - A Crack in the Mask

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Matt Wilder in Nashville, TN | Produced by Matt Wilder and Jacob Thomas

Lafayette, La.-based The Class War, formerly The Fashion, formerly Beat the System, still has its roots in punk regardless of what the band calls itself these days. A Crack in the Mask, the group’s first EP under the name The Class War, reflects the band’s chronic identity crisis, but also reveals that these guys (and gal) are still punks at heart.

The band’s sound as The Class War has been tucked under the indie umbrella, but could more accurately be described as one part Franz Ferdinand, one part We Versus the Shark and seven parts Muse. And it’s a shame that the angst riddled Muse sound is the one that dominates the EP, because it feels out of place for the band and a little derivative. The majority of the five tracks contained here are tinged with gloomy emo-like posturing, but a quick listen shows this band is more fun and upbeat than it wants to let on.

The rhythm section is really what tips Class War’s hand. Ranging from raucous to intricate, bassist Ban Davis and drummer Drew Ogle have too much energy for the minor-key melodies. Tracks like “Love Is” andespecially “Here and Now” expose an enthusiastic tendency toward math-rock/dance-punk and, when combined with the pointedly satirical lyrics, they make for irresistibly catchy songs. Dynamic male-female dual vocals and quirky time signatures are where the band seems to be most comfortable. So why fight it? The Class War is at its best when it is at its punkiest.

It might take one more name change to do it, but this band is just a small step away from\delivering something truly remarkable. (Self-released)

www.myspace.com/theclasswarmusic

-David Feltman

The Visitations - The Conundrum Tree

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Derek Almstead and Davey Wrathgaber at Pixel Studios and Polyfidelity Labs in Athens, GA

Longtime Elephant 6 collaborator and Athens, Ga. powerhouse Davey Wrathgaber is back with a third Visitations album. And it’s the best so far. Demonstrating a sound that has fully developed in the psych-folk vein, it’s a style that Athens natives will certainly be familiar with. The Visitations have keenly crafted their spaced-out dissonance with literary and comical lyrics that often echo early Flaming Lips.

The Conundrum Tree offers a lush sonic landscape full of peculiar and often unidentifiable “instruments” that offer a perfect counterpoint to Wrathgaber’s whiteboy deadpan vocals. The barrage of strange elements, which may have easily led other bands to muddled chaos, is expertly wrapped into dreamy melodies and mid-tempo rockers by Wrathgaber and bandmate Derek Almstead.

But the hands-down show-stealers here are the lyrics. Tinkering with themes of love and hate, Wathgaber paints vivid and humorous images with lines like, “We make love just like a bowl of old spaghetti / Somewhere between the heaven and the dirt,” and draws rambling psychedelic fables like “Ms. Brown’s Robot” about a lonely woman falling in love with her cybernetic companion. There’s a lot to be found on these 10 tracks, enough to require several consecutive listenings.

If the album itself wasn’t enough, the disc contains a treasure trove of extras: everything from art and old show fliers to a couple of extra albums worth of mp3s lifted from their previous releases. This is an absolutely essential addition to Athens psych-pop catalogue and certainly worth the time to seek out. (Orange Twin Records)

www.myspace.com/thevisitations

-David Feltman

Sun Domingo - The World’s Alive

Produced by Ted Comerford | Recorded at Low Watt in Raleigh, NC | Additional recording by Jonathan Beckner at Reel 2 Reel in Atlanta, GA | Mastered by Jim Demain

Packed with emotion and craftsmanship, the trio of Sun Domingo bring together 10 songs full of mysterious textures and uplifting choruses. From the opening track, “Burning Both Ends,” to the closer, “The Race Has Already Begun,” this band never lets up, performing songs with dashing color, complete with sizzling instrumentation, strong leads and bold vocal harmonies.

Most noticeable in The World’s Alive are the passion and design of perfect, catchy, appealing hooks and choruses, as in the dazzling “Hot Little Room” and the album’s highlight and most noteworthy song, the memorable “A Song in Your Name.”

The production work is stellar and truly captivating. The album’s polished work was done by Ted Comerford and the group, with extra help by Jonathan Beckner. The songs are short and full of energy, strong enough and with just the right amount of time, as the album clocks in at a meaty and worthy 39 minutes.

Sun Domingo is a band that knows how to write songs painted with rich color and emotion, filled with heart and the power of the mysterious. For a song burning with mystery and sadness, the track “Sweetest and Saddest” delivers the palette for the senses, the vocalist singing “Time heals all wounds / You’re the sweetest thing, the saddest thing, I’ve ever done.” Mesmerizing.

Already touring over a hundred shows a year, this band is sure to find itself in the driver’s seat to a more promising future. (MBM Records)

www.sundomingo.com

-Shawn M. Haney

Hightide Blues - Love Come Easy

Recorded at House of David, Nashville,TN | Produced by Richard Mclaurin andHightide Blues

Love Come Easy charges out of the starting gate with a furious blues explosion worthy of Hightide’s stellar live performances. Most notable about Hightide Blues is the band’s craftsmanship and careful attention to detail, writing and delivering songs from the meanest of gritty blues rockers, the most cherished an humble of alluring love and breakup ballads.

“Katie, Can You Hear Me?” fills the room with tremendously captivating blues guitar solos. “Far From Home” is gripping, and graceful, a charming slow song packed with emotionally charged Hammond B3 organs and piano, that compliment lead vocalist, Paul McDonald. One can hear more stunning lead guitar work on “Let It Roll” and “Black Crows” by Jonathan Pears.

Scotty Rollins keeps a steady foundation with riveting percussion and drums, with extra help of guests Phillip Gayle, John Lancaster, David Henry and producer Richard McLaurin.

“Are you lonely just like me / Are you dreamin’ alone?” McDonald, pronounces in “Dreamin’ Alone,” filled with glorious rhythms perfect for the highway. “I am too afraid to love you / I’ve been too afraid to let you go,” further emphasizes this well-spun story. Pears plays a lush, appealing harmonica with fervent fashion.

“Let It Roll” finds the band ready to charge the audience to dance with energy and delight. An uplifting and glorious song, the words filter out with accompanying organs and keys, “Let it roll, let it ride / I can never get these feelings off my mind.” This is a genuine party song.

This band can really swing, spilling out their creative juices and delivering insightful, powerful music, with a few really lovely ballads mixed in.

The stirring heartbreaker “Dancing with the Angels (Meg’s Song)” completes the album perfectly.

Recorded in Nashville, this album finds the ranks of experienced producer Richard Mclaurin to work up the finished product, polishing the songs to pristine charm. A great blues album. (Self-released)

www.hightideblues.com

-Shawn M. Haney

Chainestereo - Shake off the Corpses

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Chris Unck | Produced by Chris Unck and Chainestereo

The garage band strums of the past have been redone almost to a default over the years, leaving monotony and imitation in its wake. Luckily, Chainestereo’s debut album brilliantly steps away from the norm and makes their gritty sounds completely their own. Shake off the Corpses is an album that, though obviously influenced by previous musical trends, does nothing to resemble the same-old-same-old. The collection of songs explores different tempos and melodic configurations, being sure not to rest on a repetitive string of chords. Constantly trudging forward, their lyrics and musical themes range from the light hearted to the grimy. Still, no matter what the topic, Chainestereo’s offerings remain engaging and completely unique in their own right.

Producer Chris Unck displays excellent recording abilities throughout the overall make up of the record. From the opening track, “Terminus,”

Shake off the Corpses presents an old-timey listening experience. This is most largely noted in the presentation of Philip Frobos’ and Nathaniel Higgins’ vocals. He sounds as though he is singing through a burlap sack or down a dorm room hall, eliciting the feeling that comes when enjoying a really old record that hasn’t been played for a while. All the texture and grain of the record is perfectly placed and well balanced. The same can be said for the instrumentation throughout the album. The muted makeup of Shake off the Corpses allows all of the key players

to be heard, and yet none of them are obnoxious or overdone in their execution. Caitlin Lang’s keyboarding adds a great endearing and playful quality to the songs, while drums and bass set creative paces for the songs to take their molds. (Double Phantom)

www.myspace.com/chainestereo

-Cristina Martin