The Indie Review

By Sean Duregger
March 14, 2008

Artist: Ambulance for Angeles
Album: Viper Creek Club EP
Label: Unsigned
Rating:

Ambulance for Angeles is on the brink of something special with the release of their EP Viper Creek Club. An EP full of ambient instrumentation and a very much indie vibe, there is some definite potential here. Some of the potential is overshadowed by a some imperfections that keep Viper Creek Club from being great. But these are things that can be developed and improved on as Ambulance for Angeless grows as a band.

Let’s start with the glaring positives. Ambulance for Angeles have a unique and infectious sound. I love the use of ambiance and piano in the songs. There is a dreamlike quality to the songs and most of the songs are very memorable. Songs like, The Aquarium, When We Were Showgirls, and My Embroidered Tusks are the high points of this release. Each with it’s own unique and memorable elements. I think these songs showcase the best elements of Ambulance for Angeles, with the other 2 songs being a little forgettable.

With so many positive elements, however, I did have one gripe. I just couldn’t get past Mathew Wisner’s lack of pronunciation on each song. I had to strain just to understand what was being said and that took a little bit of magic from the songs. I’m not saying that the vocals have to be perfect. In fact, some of my favorite artists (Elliot Smith, Paul Westerberg, Bob Dylan) are known for not being perfect vocalists. But, in this instance, even though Mathew’s vocal quality is unique and definitely powerful, the lack of understanding the words to these songs was distracting. Maybe I’m getting too old, I don’t know.

Ambulance for Angeles is a band that has massive potential. With my small gripes aside, Viper Creek Club is an EP worth checking out. Hopefully they continue to grow as a band and develop their sound a little bit more. They’re a band you want to keep tabs on.

Stand Out Tracks:

“The Aquarium”

“When We Were Showgirls”

“My Embroidered Tusks”

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The Indie Review

By Derik Hefner

March 14, 2008

Artist: Red i Clan
Album: Killohead
Label: Unsigned
Rating:

According to the Red i Clan’s Myspace page, “a RED i CLAN show is best described as an all out sensory attack.” If their live show is an accurate reflection of Killohead, I don’t doubt this for one second.

Before getting into a proper review of this album, I would like to tell the Red i Clan, in all sincerity, from the very bottom of my heart… thank you. You are the reason I review music. Why, you ask? Because I’ve noticed a phenomenon in the music world, particularly the continent of the music world inhabited by unsigned bands. You see, no one knows how to be honest to musicians. Rule of thumb: “Wow, did you write that?”, “You guys have a sound all your own,” and “How long have you been playing [guitar/drums/bass/keyboards]?” are all euphemisms for “Your music is like the soundtrack to an unanesthetized frontal lobotomy, performed with eyelids held open by toothpicks while watching a Kevin Trudeau infomercial marathon… but I’ve known you since high school, so I don’t have the heart to break it to you.” But I haven’t known the Red i Clan since high school, and I’ve been asked to give my honest opinion on their music. With that in mind, let me say it again: Thank you Red i Clan. Thank you for giving someone the opportunity to tell you the truth. Thank you for letting someone save some unsuspecting consumer from shelling out hard-earned cash for this sonic offense. Thank you for justifying IndieUprising as being the first line of defense against bad music reaching the masses.

So long as you either

A) take this advice for what it is, and work to improve your craft before blindsiding the world with music like Killohead again or

B) chalk it up as a loss and never ever touch another musical instrument in your life… you have done the world a favor.

And now for the review. I’m not going to spend much time on this. I’ve heard enough, and I have better things to do. Long story short, here’s a band who claims “Aphex Twins” (yeah… plural) and Nine Inch Nails as influences… you know the type. I’m all about Aphex Twin (singular) and Trent Reznor, but for the love of God why do horrible bands have to claim influences like that, as though it will actually make them sound better? You can’t polish a turd, no matter what kind of gourmet meal you had for lunch. I mean come on, the lyrics on this thing…

“brown milk sucking from a nipple / yeah, yeah, let it always trickle”

… the hell??? Sure not all the lyrics are quite that— well, I don’t even know what the word for that would be— but there is nothing redeeming this album at all. Unless you count the unintentional laughs.

Although I have to say, there is one line that reaches a level of truth and honesty that I don’t think Sor (that’s right, the musical prodigy behind this debacle is named “Sor”) even counted on:

“yeah I play my song and it won’t be long for your ears to bleed”

If you have any compassion at all for the human race, please take a page from Big Tobacco’s playbook and print this lyric on the packaging of your CD.

I want the last half hour of my life back. And then I want the next two hours of my life back, which I will be spending trying to get right with God. Because I’m pretty sure it’s a sin to listen to music this bad.

Stand Out Tracks:

Uuuuuuuuuuuuh . . .

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The Indie Review

By Allie Berg
March 13, 2008

Artist: Friends of the AMS
Album: Death Before Decaf
Label: Unsigned
Rating:

With the flourishing music scene coming out of Saint Paul, Minnesota, it is no surprise that a pretty cool band formed there. Five dudes and one chick had an idea to take their love of music and form what became Friends of the AMS. In 2007, they released their first EP, “Death Before Decaf” and applied various music styles to create their own unique sound.

I can’t describe it any other way, and hopefully this makes some sense, but if a hardcore, spanish fairy tale was ever created, the soundtrack would be this EP. Friends of the AMS have been influenced by many different genres of music. Spanish/salsa influence can been heard in the track The Life and Death of an Alarmist. While music like this may not be popular in the mainstream, they don’t seem to care because that is their sound and they are sticking with it.

Friends of the AMS use the perfect combination of different music genres, screaming, harmonies, bells, chimes and other effects. At times I would have liked their to be a little more music and little less effects, but overall it was a nice balance. Also, having a female voice thrown into the mix really added something special. I found her voice to be soothing, but the music and screaming in the background kept the sound edgy. Another thing to be noted was the excellent harmonies. Compared to other bands their age, they seemed to have it together and harmonized beautifully. Death Before Decaf showcases their natural talent and their desire to experiment with effects and different sounds. Hopefully they will not be influenced too much by music popular today, and won’t feel the pressure to conform. It would really be a shame if they changed their original sound going on just to “fit in”.

Stand Out Tracks:

“Over The Rainbow, Jenny”

“The Whale and the Witch”

“Color Me Insensitive, Color Me Confused, Color Me
Anything Just Color Me”

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 IndieUprising #32: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (800)

Music By: Yellow, The Vertical. Inept. Driving East. We Are the Union. I Am the Avalanche. Mosh Patrol. Foals. Broadway Calls. Bravo Romeo Bravo. Paint It Black. Houston Calls. The New Frontiers. Admiral Twin. The Wedding.

I had a few errors on the show this week and wanted to address them:

1) The 5th song is by Mosh Patrol, from the Aughra & Mosh Patrol split EP Is Anyone Else Outside

2) Driving East’s new album, The Future of the Free World is Riding on This One is currently available exclusively at Smartpunk (orders ship with a free poster while supplies last); the album hits all other retailers on April 15th.

3) The New Frontiers‘ new album Mending is available now at your favorite Independent music store and everywhere else on April 29th.

SEAN’S PICKS OF THE WEEK

Aughra & Mosh Patrol
“Paper Airplanes” (mp3)
from “Is There Anyone Else Outside?”
(Magic Bullet)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at Napster
Buy at Rhapsody
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon
Buy at GroupieTunes
Buy at mTraks Download
More On This Album

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The Indie Review

By Allie Berg
March 11, 2008

Artist: Bravo Romeo Bravo
Album: Twilight
Label: Unsigned
Rating:

Given the opportunity to use only one word to describe Bravo Romeo Bravo’s lyrics it would probably be “wow”, but using one word to describe their new EP, Twilight, it would be “unoriginal”. Twilight starts off with the track Excess Progress which contains real powerful lyrics. Simple yet thought provoking, lines like “Where do I stand if there is nothing but breaking ground” is pretty deep. The song is awesome, unfortunately Excess Progress is the strongest track on the album and each song after that just doesn’t compare.

Bravo Romeo Bravo’s lyrics set them apart from other bands, but that’s really the only aspect setting them apart. The vocals are extremely solid, but the music is nothing spectacular. Don’t get me wrong, there is no denying that these guys do have talent, but this sound can be found in a lot of currently popular bands as well as those who are trying to break into the scene. I just don’t see these guys breaking any musical ground with Twilight.

On a more positive note, Bravo Romeo Bravo formed only two years ago and have acquired a decent sized fan base in a short period of time. I think they have real potential, but need some time to grow and develop their sound into something a little more unique.

Stand Out Tracks:

“Excess Progress”

“This Is Your Pilot Speaking”

“Friction”

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Ten Song Selection Steps for Success….

by Tim Towner
www.thedailychorus.com

In my new role as a freelance A&R person, I have noticed some big flaws that unsigned bands are doing that are hurting their chances of discovery. I felt compelled to write an article on how important a band’s song selection is for acquiring new fans and label interest.

Continue to FULL ARTICLE

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