Seep Away - Seep Away - EP Review

Seep Away have released their self titled debut EP.

Though their sound is loud and full of distorted heavy metalist guitars and bass they have a certain attitude reminiscent of take this or die! 

The three tracks are different as Trudge hits the hardest meanest sound, you imagine you're stuck in a swamp with just a pair of oars and facing down the schnoz of an alligator, great! But it's a case of lock-up your wives or if you're rich enough your bitches, cos' these dogs are in town.

Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right has probably the longest instrumental intro with the lyrics starting at 1:58, into this southern slouch of a track.

Last up is Watch You Burn that has more underground grunge guitar that melts a common theme among the heavy metal scene.

Seep Away capture their raw no-nonsense sound well on their recordings, and you get a sense that if, when, and how you see them live they've got that reciprocal energy that you get just playing their music at home.

Seep Away is available @ Bandcamp 

Empire of Gold - Raw - EP Review

Empire of Gold debut Raw EP is just what it says on the can.

This is the project of Michael Jack Dole who has made a very stripped down EP, and all of the songs feature loud parts with electric guitar and then switches to acoustic guitar very prominent in the alternative rock scene of the '90's, which seems to be making a coming-back recently.

As for the tracks you get themes of restlessness in What Are You Waiting For?, not having much friends left in Burning Bridges, and the self centring You (Shouted The Worst You Could do), though in Hot, Damn is quite a gothic rock track, and finally the acoustic song Help Me.

Raw EP is available @ Bandcamp

Little Shells - 5 Deep Under - Album Review

Little Shells have released an eight track album called 5 Deep Under.

Little Shells is the latest project fronted by vocalist/pianist Conchita Campos. She departs from her two earlier solo albums to a more soulful softer orchestra/pop feel on 5 Deep Under.

There is a heavy leaning to using an orchestra on the album, and in the opening track Another Night, it is used to etch a powerful and sudden burst in the choruses of this song.

Getting pretty urban in the next song Haik (God of the Sea), has a slow double kick drum beat accompanied by sampled piano, trumpet and later trombone that sounds as if they are playing on top of the roof in a ghostly town, but going by the title like a lost ship in the middle of the ocean.

Quite a spiritual song Feet On The Ground is set to another urban beat, but with a different tone added, that deals with the changes in our lives whether we like it or not because nothing stays the same.

5 Deep Under featuring Live Footage is best described as a modern classical influenced track, and has some nice easily accessible experimentation added on the layers of synthesizer and other electronic sounds incorporated into a song that is one feet higher than being buried.  

Not departing in I'll Remain, is a splendid folktronica/orchestral themed song. The following song breaks the album for a moment in Lola's Song that has just piano with some atmospheric ambient sound effects set in the background as Conchita Campos sings this nice little tune.

When They're Gone is full of sparks and energy with the full array of the orchestra, as the song touches on the erosion of freedoms that have been afforded us from much blood spilt.  

Getting into a very mellow loose jazz song Goodnight, this song will at least make the farewell memorable.

5 Deep Under is available @ Bandcamp

Cantaloop - Avalanching - Single Review

Cantaloop have released their latest single Avalanching.

The song is about things getting too overwhelming in life, especially the struggling aspect and focuses on relationships and their unfortunate endings.

The music featuring the soulful and sonically beautiful vocals from Sam Rogers, is a soft jazz pop funk with a slice of trip-hop to create blissful tones, and is a sound that distinguishes Cantaloop.

There are two remixes by Fun Lovin' Criminals and London Funk DJ's.

Avalanching is available @ iTunes

Gus Garcia - Medieval - EP Review

Gus Garcia - Medieval EP release is a mixture of soft acoustic driven and lively songs that will last in your memory long after hearing these four tracks.

Clocks & Crocodiles is the first track, which is a lively and uptempo song dealing with not wasting time with tales of dreams.

Getting the more lively aspect to Gus Garcia's music begins in the second track Rhythm.

Showing the vocal talents of Gus Garcia is prevalent in this subtle track, Two for One.

Probably the best song on this EP is Medieval, a mixture of acoustic and soft rock elements that builds around the song.

The Sailor is a rather melancholy song that starts with a slow piano that goes through until it gets quite experimental with sounds reminiscent of the waves of the sea, and adds to the story and tales of the high seas.

Medieval is available @ CD Baby 

The Birdman Rallies - Real River - Album Review

The Birdman Rallies have released their fifth album, Real River.

This album is a creative festival of different styles, starting with Dissolve Into The Black, a vibrating electronic kick drum thumping, with layers of other electronic gadgetry to impose the lyrical content neatly.

A Little Of Your Glitter swings into indie guitar mode in great portions, while the song deals with wanting that sparkle we have surrounding us.

Getting nice and mellow in Vampire, just don't venture out in the sunlight otherwise you'll melt. Though it deals with more of the leeches that inhabit our world.

Falling into the mood of the first track, though more harder in the political themed Great Storm Of Now.

A clever worded love song in the track Taj Mahal, which features an array of music styles that start with a jazz progression structure, and gets into a sort of pop reggae boogie.

It's fascinating that your school sweetheart never seems to leave you throughout life, which is passionately sung in Julia.

The next track turns in a one-eighty-degree look at the woman who puts her makeup on, especially the red lipstick in a warrior mode of hunting and fighting with her male counterpart, in the lushful sounding Heartless.

Having the same irritation in life as driving on the Ring Road is uniquely put, and the following song On A Corner Overtaking paints a picture of driving through the valley roads, in the sweaty summer months.

The tribal sounding track Patrick, deals with not only a good deed by a dear friend but has a romantic angle which isn't reciprocated.

The cello plays a crucial part in the introduction to Kitty In Detroit, of not only shacking-up with a girl, but in the once great motorcity capital in the world, however it is now a decaying and crumbling American state, Detroit.

Coming to a close is the dub heavy beat of Wild Sisters, which is counterbalanced with strings and keyboard sounds. The song looks at sisters and how they are similar in some ways, and in other ways they are opposite.

Real River is available @ iTunes and @ Amazon

Milow The Girl - High Speed Trouble - Single Release

Milow The Girl latest single is the intoxicating pop tune High Speed Trouble.

The song has a good message of wisdom, but those most intelligent even get into trouble!

The two remixed versions both by Carlone are one for the radio and the other longer & more experimental version for the dancefloor.

High Speed Trouble is available @ iTunes & Amazon

Exclusive Interview - The Attic Ends

www.theatticeends.com

Are you a bumblebee, or do you see yourselves as stargazers?

Half of us are are stargazers, and half of us are bumblebees, which keeps us balanced. You put a task in front of a bumblebee, they go from flower to flower getting it done. They can’t help it! That’s how they are programmed. But none of us are that short sighted. Stargazers live and breathe to make their dreams come true. When we are not flower hopping we are always looking-up.

Has the struggle to maintain and grow as individual and collective creative souls within the music scene any easier as time goes on?

It has definitely gotten easier. Once you are completely dedicated, which we all are, you can find your voice. As a group, we feel like we are just now finding our sound. We feed each others’ creative souls and foster each others growth by challenging each other and holding each other to task. We expect a lot from ourselves and having that support is what any creative soul needs to even be able to breathe in this crazy industry full of incredibly talented people and also so many charlatans. We need to trust each other to make sure we stay in the former category. 

What project are you currently working on?

We are about to shoot our next video for the title track of our first cd Home, which was released on iTunes in December ‘10. We have been rehearsing, gigging, and supporting Home. We are really excited about writing songs for our next record. All kinds of ideas are flowing and sneaking themselves into the rehearsal studio. We are blessed to be in a position where we have discovered our sound and new riffs, beats, and melodies are just flowing naturally. For all of us, that’s our favourite part of playing in a band and we are having a lot of fun with that right now.

How has this project been that you’re you are working on? Adventurous, heart-wrenching, soul-searching, glorifying, triumphant, nauseating, confirming, validating, terrifying, exciting... It runs the gamut of human emotions, there are sometimes tears and a lot of high-fives!

Is your world opening-up to more exciting things?

Hells Yeah!

Are you leaving your nest, to fly around the world with your band and music?

Yes. That’s all we ever wanted to do. We love New York. We love Brooklyn. But we want to go to places like London, where so much great music that we all love has come from! We hear so many great things about the scene in Europe and we are definitely up for the adventure.

What’s the biggest thing you’ve done as individuals and as a band?

We wrote and released a cd onto iTunes in less than a year. That cd has been accepted by Pandora, and we are very proud of that. We are about to shoot our third video as well. We feel our biggest accomplishment has been that we have done so much ourselves, as an indie band.

Anything else you would like to say to our readership?

Music is one of the most important things in human life. Music is emotion, and we hope our music can touch some people out there. We look at it as a privilege to be able to contribute music to people’s lives, and we take it very seriously. We hope we can inspire people and help them get through experience they are going through. We have always turned to music, listening and eventually creating it as an outlet for emotion in times of pain and joy. Sharing it is what connects us all. That may sound a little cheesy but nothing is truer!