Shofar - s/t (2017)

BANDCAMP: https://shofar.bandcamp.com/releases

BROADJAM: http://www.broadjam.com/shofar

Written by David Shouse, posted by blog admin

Shofar’s early catalog, available on CDBaby, doesn’t differ wildly from their return to recording, a self titled six song effort. Perhaps their songwriting concerns are a little more secularized than they were in the Minneapolis band’s earlier incarnation, but Shofar has always been more about a thoughtful, intelligent hue for the songwriting rather than some pulpit thumping broadside in a musical package. The six songs on this new EP lean more towards commercially minded and melodic rock with a mid-tempo pace, but there are some notable exceptions on this new release. Vocalist and main songwriter Larry Hagner remains a vital force at the center of the band’s compositions and has a talent for pouring a definable presence into the band’s performances. A number of these cuts should prove especially effective in a live setting.

“Running” opens the EP up with a blend of aggressive riff-focused guitars and some lengthy passages, especially during the verses, where they are more fixed on offering color to the piece. The hard rock portions of the track never really come again on this release, but Shofar shows they are more than capable of discharging some believable crunch through their music. “Powerman” is much more in keeping with the bulk of the EP, though it does place a greater emphasis on melody than instrumental assertiveness. It is, probably, the song on the EP best illustrating some of the band’s more obvious musical influences while still stamping the lyrics with a distinctive identity. “Shades of Grey”, unlike the aforementioned tune, looks within instead of without and demonstrates the immense artistry that Hagner and his band mates bring to the band’s more obviously personal material.

“Hands Down”, however, is much more clearly in a rowdy rock mode than any song save the first one. It boasts a particularly zesty chorus, as well, with Hagner riding high on the wave of its momentum. The band turns in their most inspired performance of the release as well and it’s keyed by a superb bit of drumming that sticks in the memory. We end up in a more poetic, imaginative realm with the EP’s final two cuts as “Countdown” envisions impending global calamity while the ending tune “The Coming” is open to a number of interpretations depending on your own imagination and familiarity with Shofar’s past material. Once again, they distinguish themselves by providing a compelling musical landscape and allowing listeners to arrive at their own conclusions. This self-titled EP is an experience like that – it doesn’t force itself on listeners but, instead, shares its heart and communicates with the hope that it finds different meaning with each new encounter.

Blue Apollo - Light Footed Hours + Circles (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://blueapollomusic.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/blueapollomusic/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BlueApolloMusic

Written by Daniel Boyer, posted by blog admin

With music to match the EP’s cover (a girl’s face with eyes closed surrounded by the infinite cosmos), Dallas three-piece Blue Apollo dig into spacey, gracious textures and serene melodies that collide head-on with rock n’ roll brawn on their debut, Light-Footed Hours.  It’s a delicious difference split of sound with some pop-vocal hooks, surprisingly complex instrumental threading and tougher movements that leave behind a memorable impact.

“Walls” kicks the EP off with Jeremiah Jensen’s big sound that practically throttles the toms while peppering the mixture with monster cymbal crashes and agile rim playing.  As his performance slips in more volume and rhythmic trip-outs, Luke Nassar colors in the gray space around the beat with head swimming melody chords blanketed in low-end warmth thanks to Rodman Steele’s prominent bass swagger.  The track works up a good head of steam, seemingly getting louder by the minute, until releasing all of its pent-up energy into a semi-progressive indie hard rock jam.  One moment the instruments will dip out and allow Nassar’s emotive voice take center stage and the next the band will lock onto a groove like a homing missile that ultimately explodes with crashing crescendos of epic soundscaping.  Subtle touches of keyboard mimics a clavinet and is probably the reason that the trio added a fourth member to handle all of the group’s various auxiliary instruments.  A superlatively rocking and careening lead topped off by a smacking snare-fill sends the tune hurtling towards a whirling, oscillating and truly exciting finale. 

“Feeling Right” is all about the groove and Nassar sips his guitar melodies from the tropics with some flamenco/funk/reggae flourishes that wouldn’t be out of place on a Sublime record (albeit more subdued than Nowell and company would mess with).  Ragtime piano maintains a lively atmosphere and the stop/start bass lines also toy with funk as the mix between straight timekeeping and syncopated jabs sprinkle some jazz into Jensen’s drumming.  Pitching yet another curveball, “Therapy” repeats its main guitar lick akin to a mantra and by doing so it becomes permanently ingrained in its audience’s memory.  It’s a cool amalgamation between pop punk’s instant immediacy and indie rock’s mind wandering charms.  Luke’s voice carves wonderful verse and chorus hooks as his guitar trades-off between being a lead instrument and a backing one.  A few craggy, jagged drum fills and scorching guitar licks give this piece an occasionally aggressive bite that fluidly transitions into the song’s more sugar sweet ideals.  

Album centerpiece “Avalanche” throws in the kitchen sink and everything else it can find into a sprawling piece that begins as just picturesque melodic singing and melancholic piano beauty.  Cellos, violin and a filled-out string section encompass a vast array of influences that unexpectedly sees the entire band joining in with smashing percussion (heavy on the crashing symbols), rubber burning guitar peel-outs, soul screaming blues guitar licks and quaking low-end grooves.  “Meant to Be” is mostly based upon Luke’s stunning lead vocals, his acoustic guitars and the return of an exotic string section, though it doesn’t forget to include a rock n’ roll finish for good measure.  The EP’s final cut and the band’s most recent single “Circles” mingles never-ending, kinetic tom-tom rolls, piano majesty and ringing melodic chords into a penultimate track that couldn’t have been a better closer; cementing Light-Footed Hours into a sweeping indie-rock release that pulls out all of the stops and succeeds at every single turn.

Man Called Noon - Everybody Move (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://mancallednoon.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/mancallednoon/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ManCalledNoon

Written by David Shouse, posted by blog admin

It’s evident from the shucking and jiving pop n’ rocky fury of lead-in number “Everybody Move” that Man Called Noon is intent on getting limbs swinging and bodies bumping with their danceable acrobatics.  Anthony Giamichael’s post-punk guitar shimmers and scorching solos work up a good melodic sweat set to a thrilling tempo ride set by drummer Josh Fontenot and bassist Dave Aitken’s well-oiled swagger.  Citing soul and Americana influences these elements ebb to the surface of Man Called Noon’s style thanks to the call n’ response vocal dynamics of Giamichael’s leads and Erin Piortrowski’s lavish back-ups; together the team makes the verbal component of the band’s sound airtight uber-contagious.  There’s a breathy, slightly nasally vibrato to Anthony’s leads that sounds a little like Tom Petty, but he keeps subtly shifting his tonality for a very original feel. 

The second composition “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” might be the EP’s best overall piece but with the quality of material on offer here, well, that’s a tough call to make.  Still this tune charges forth on a careening drum performance that embellishes punk rock tempos but twists them towards new wave’s lockstep syncopation and fluid bass work.  The guitars hang back in this one and seem to add extra notes to help complete certain grooves, embracing a near minimalist approach to the playing which delegates synth-player Nathan Crone to a pivotal role that sees his swelling, sonically tough keyboards riffs placed right upfront in the track’s production mix.  Speaking of the production there’s a fine sheen to the total package yet a certain amount of rawness is present on each instrument; rendering Man Called Noon as a rambunctious act who can take a wiry rock song and sand it to a smooth pop masterpiece.  Again the harmony vocals shine as the instrumentation delves into a complexity one seldom hears when exploring this style of music.  These cats should be all over rock radio and hopefully they are. 

This superb EP crosses the finish line with “One Last Ride’s” raucous punk n’ soul shakedown; Piortrowski steps into a co-lead vocal position providing some wordless blues melodies that wrap around Giamichael’s hooks like man-eating pythons as a throttling rhythmic groove nails everything down tightly.  Upper echelon vocal trade-offs and some of the most striking guitar work on the recording (marked by another killer little solo run) yields this jam a rowdy aura that will make you really want to bounce off your bedroom walls.  The alchemical split between soul, rock, punk and electronic music isn’t performed quite like anybody else out there.  Man Called Noon is fiercely original when stacked against their closest competition. 

All three tracks on this EP hit the bullseye with abandon and attitude.  Though pop elements prevail and the songwriting is tailor made for dancing and bedroom mirror vocal performances, there’s a sonic slap in the snout to this music that makes it a bit more in your face than anybody else that does it. Man Called Noon is poised to release the best album of their career based on the strength of Everybody Move; keep an eye on them!

Joe Olnick Band - Downtown (2017)

OFFICIAL: https://www.joeolnick.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JoeOlnickMusic

Written by Pamela Bellmore, posted by blog admin

The Joe Olnick Band’s sixth album, Downtown, builds on the artistic and critical success of his fifth release Defiant Grooves while extending the band’s instrumental reach in a way the aforementioned album never dared. The seven song collection is, like earlier efforts, an instrumental affair, but Olnick and his band mates avoid the typical self-indulgence often plaguing such releases. The collection is, likewise, united by a loose knit theme of life in a big city, circa 2017, and the music embodies it artfully without ever resorting to any bells and whistles in an effort to convey its narrative. The high quality production reflects the level of behind the scenes talent involved in assembling this collection, but it all begins with Olnick’s guitar work and the sterling interplay between Olnick’s rhythm section of drummer Jamie Smucker and bass player Jamie Aston.

The title song emphasizes groove and never hits an unconvincing note. Aston and Smucker’s chemistry is practically palpable and one can only imagine whether or not you are a musician, Olnick’s unbridled joy derived from playing alongside such superior musicians. There’s an easy confidence about this performance that allows the three piece to stay loose, yet precise, and maintains a deliciously natural feel. “Philadelphia Moonlight, Part One” features more tasty Olnick guitar work than the opener and has a bright, upbeat demeanor without ever coming across as forced or too saccharine. There’s some light funk propelling the third track “Food Truck” that definitely exudes a strongly urban feel without ever belaboring the point and Aston’s ear-popping bass line is ideally complemented by Smucker’s work on the skins. The trio’s stylishness comes through but it’s all the more impressive because they are able to couple it with genuine musical substance.

The band stretches out some on the song “Parkside” and its gradual accumulation of detail makes for an invigorating listen. Olnick’s six string inventiveness comes burning through on this track but never overreaches and he receives excellent accompaniment from Aston and Smucker. “Philadelphia Moonlight, Part Two” is much moodier than the first half and has some similarities to the previous song, but there’s an ambient edge to this performance that “Parkside” lacks. “Rush Hour”, the release’s second to last track, is busier than any of the earlier numbers and features some guitar pyrotechnics that never take an overwrought turn. Olnick and his band conclude the album with “Sports Complex”, a rampaging and raucous guitar work out that nonetheless goes from point A to Z in a logical, dramatic fashion. Downtown will more than please guitar fans, but there’s something here for anyone who enjoys challenging music that’s willing to take chances.

Slow Burning Car - Defection (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.slowburningcar.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SlowBurningCar/

Written by Mike Yoder, posted by blog admin

Defection, Slow Burning Car’s fourth album, is a ten song collection aggressively putting this Los Angeles band over as one of the more cutting edge rock/metal acts working today. The band’s four musicians are obviously extraordinarily talent and play without any obvious ego trips, but they are clearly talented songwriters as well who thread influences into their work that further enhance their penchant for the personal and physical. These are songs capable of engaging listeners mentally and, naturally, physically. The muscular movement of the band’s music conforms to certain expectations we have about this style, but they prove themselves equally effective at twisting arrangements in unexpected directions and bringing the listeners with them. This is an album that cannot be denied and Slow Burning Car is definitely intent on winning over new fans to their work so, despite its idiosyncratic air, the songs never fails to strike an accessible note.

Much of Slow Burning Car’s accomplishment with this release rests with their ability to mix up their musical approach, yet retain compelling coherence. Defection’s first half is largely devoted to big, brawling guitars. It begins with thenotic riffing behind “Alpha Duplicor” colored with just a hint of electronic flair to give the song a distinctive modern bite. The band’s guitar sound is current, but their sense of what constitutes a good riff is very much a throw back to older acts and the mix suits their aims quite well. “Soul Crimes” unleashes the band’s aggression in a more pronounced way as the uptempo charge of the song comes at listeners without compromise. There’s a genuine punk spirit you can discern along the edges of their musical attack, but the musicianship remains at a high level throughout. Bassist and lead singer Troy Spiropoulos excels with his vocal every bit as much with a barnstormer like this as he did on the more moderately paced opener. The unusual tempo and herky-jerky movements of “The Orb” allows Spiropoulos’ bass playing a chance to step into the spotlight and he also serves up a simmering, yet understated, vocal that dovetails well with the song’s subject.

“The Sunday Derby” is another idiosyncratic band achievement and another rhythm section centered tune. There’s some particularly jagged electric guitar inserted into the song’s mid way point and second half, but six string heroics aren’t what powers this song musically. It shifts through different textures, as well, to supremely compelling effect. “You Can’t Stay Here” dispenses with any frills and gives listeners probably the closest thing to an all out rocker on the album and definitely taps into a rambunctious punk rock spirit. The album takes on a much different tone and even an experimental edge the rest of the way – it’s largely devoted to acoustic sounds that never follow a predictable path with the exception of the album’s penultimate number, “Polar Warden”, an eight minute plus near ambient workout heavy on electronica and sans vocals. It’s a bold risk to take so late in the release, but Slow Burning Car gamble and it pays off quite handsomely. The finale “Clouds” is best considered more of a coda – after the explorations of “Polar Warden”, casting it in any other mold feels anti-climatic. It’s a graceful close to the album however that underlines many of the band’s strengths. Defection easily qualifies as one of 2017’s most interesting, varied releases in this vein.