Elevate Difference

Music

End of Silence

End of Silence is a powerfully themed album with dynamic vocals and a wonderful message. Jasen, Mike, Randy, Anthony and Hayden provide outstanding lyrical talents with matching musical prowess as well. The theme is one of powerful spirituality along with haunting soul-searching lyrics.

M’Bem di Fora

If you wish to fully appreciate this album, I would recommend that you read about the artist and the music first. I was lucky in that I received a press release with the album. I listened to the music, which varies from slow, ethereal songs to finger-snapping, toe-tapping beats. Then I read about Lura, and the background of each song. I was able to go back and listen, again, for real.

Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? the eighth album from Of Montreal, is trippy, offbeat, and terribly infectious. With their quirky brand of psychedelia, Of Montreal (who are actually from Georgia) manage to somehow combine upbeat, catchy, pop music with incredibly depressing lyrics.

Living Well

Rob Crow definitely has one of the greatest album covers I've seen in a while. It's a photograph of Crow, wearing a demonic-looking t-shirt while drinking a cup of coffee and standing in front of some pumpkins and several hand drawn, paper tombstones. With a cover like that, I was a little surprised to find that Living Well had a much slower tempo than I was expecting. Although it seems that was the point – the Pinback frontman made this record at home after the birth of his first child, opting to slow down and spend time with his family while writing more introspective music.

Living with the Living

In a day where so many previously non-political artists are taking a stance to assure themselves a Grammy nod, Ted Leo’s refreshingly authentic social commentary shines through in his music just as much as it has for the past decade. The strict vegan, along with his band The Pharmacists, released his fifth full length studio album, [Living with the Living](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MQ55DO?ie=UTF8&tag=feminrevie-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000MQ55DO).

I Wouldn’t Trade That for Anything

I didn’t know what I was in for when I agreed to review Agent’s I Wouldn’t Trade That for Anything. Self described as melodic hardcore, rooted firmly in the Long Island sound, but strongly influenced by '90s indie rock bands like Braid, my initial response was mixed. The music has a very punk feeling to it - hard driving guitar riffs with vocals that were barely audible unless you turn up the volume to ear-splitting decibels that could permanently alter your eardrums.

Sangue Puro

Sangue Puro is entrancing from its entrance. We don't question the electronics, but we wait for a rhythm, a melody and a disposal. Here is a band with some notoriety, yet this album sounds utterly bizarre if you compare it with previous takes. It's more noise, less pop. It works for me better, in the way that Erase Errata works for me, as infectious and more exciting at each listen.

Despite Our Differences

Despite Our Differences is Emily Saliers’ and Amy Ray's first release on their new record label, and it shows on an album that feels like a new beginning for Decatur’s own. Taking a slight upward turn in sentiments from some heavy themes on All That We Let In and the acoustic, earthy Become You, fans should be advised not to live without this one.

Book of Bad Breaks

A wildly irreverent trip into your own mind is all this entire review can say about both the band and their album, [Book of Bad Breaks](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O5AYD4?ie=UTF8&tag=feminrevie-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000O5AYD4). With driving rhythms and a smoky, erotic lead singer, Thee More Shallows has a sound unique to any I have ever experienced. In their song “Night at the Knight School,” you are taking on a strange head-trip only reminiscent of Pink Floyd.

Trespassing through Time

Do you like Sandra Bullock? Some people do, and some people don't. But she does have a certain appeal, a wide-open smile that brightens the celluloid, and her popularity is evidenced by box office stats and the ability to get Miss Congeniality made into a sequel. Well, Trusting Calliope has a similar charm. Jill Horn and Susannah Meyer are both California natives who are often mistaken for sisters. Before they joined forces, their lives ran parallel paths.

King for a Day

King for a Day is the soundtrack of my last bittersweet hangover, the series of samplings leading to brie and pernod, unfortunately topped with a chile beer. This means that you should get the CD, even if it does not always inspire happy thoughts. Bobby Conn is not a minimalist, and that’s why I adore him. Rock opera, ornate orchestration filigrees with pretty raw – and raw, pretty – lyrics.

Transparent Things

“We were just pretending to be Japanese,” say Fujiya & Miyagi. Surprise! Fujiya (reference to the cult record player) and Miyagi (pop reference to Pat Morita’s Karate Kid character/racist stereotype) are three white men from Brighton, UK. Much like fellow Brits Hot Chip, they bring minimalist, poised electro with their ambiguous irony. Fujiya & Miyagi cite Krautrock such as CAN and Neu! as influences. Certainly the German imprint is there in the album’s low-key, layered grooves and artful calculation.

Acceleration

In his latest double disc release, Acceleration, Tom Gavornik continues on with his forty-year, six-string love affair and creates a welcoming modern jazz space, always hospitable and graced by the spirits of many of his own musical icons. This is his eighth release and follows the double disc, Soul Cry, which topped many U.S. and Canadian jazz charts in 2005. Disc one gently rolls from the light "Breeze in a Bottle" through to a mellower "One Small Cup of Water," showcasing his skills with a Telecaster, and echoing the great Les Paul as well as many of the rock groups of the sixties.

Songs From Under the Sink

Mischief Brew describes the 14-track album Songs From Under the Sink as a “collection of anthems, ballads, marches, love songs, hate songs, and lullabies” written over five years, from 1997 to 2002. It is a “lost LP,” resurrected or “finally brought up from the cellar-or, from under the sink.” These descriptors help identify this album as being a non-identifiable hodge-podge of sorts, with a variety of distinct sounds. Some are “hot and spicy, some are just as fresh as the day they were written, and others may have passed their expiration date a bit.

In Advance of the Broken Arm

Who wouldn't be interested in listening to a female musician who is described as playing guitar better than “you, or me or probably ninety-nine percent of the people who have ever looked at a guitar?" From the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Marnie Stern was signed to Kill Rock Stars after sending in a demo tape.

Like, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul

In much of Like, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul, Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter are a throwback to the experimental and explosive era of singer/songwriter reminiscent of the 1960s and the 1970s. Sykes’ voice has a rough, smoky quality that sounds almost genderless at times, evoking nostalgia about when music was all about challenge and experimentation.

Bored of the Dance

Punk rock infused with Irish folk slash gypsy rock slash drunken anthem is what you'll get when you listen to Meisce's Bored of the Dance. Lead singer Pete Jay has a very distinct vocal talent and offers a sharp contrast to the Irish folk rock of past. Jay's voice is reminiscent of that of the lead singer of a Russian heavy metal and industrial rock band Rammestein. Violins and mandolins are played fervently like electric guitars, and I can't say I've ever heard an accordion sound so hardcore. Hard and heavy is not what Meisce is all about though.

New Arrivals: Volume 2

Rachel Sage’s Mpress Records presents its second compilation, this one to benefit the organization Artists Against Hunger and Poverty, a division of World Hunger Year. Eighteen performers are showcased, most solidly in the “My heart: here” tradition of straightforward song stylings, some more twang than others.

All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

I have always been fascinated by this band because of the people who are interested in them, as well as their name. Listening to Explosions in the Sky for this review was my first experience of them. I have to admit, I pretty much fell in love at first listen. The simultaneous wash and wall of sound is incredibly emotional, which is enormously challenging for an instrumental band.

From the Plantation to the Penitentiary

From the Plantation to the Penitentiary is Wynton Marsalis’ most overtly political release to date and is, simply put, brilliant.

Smash the Windows

I have truly never heard anything like Mischief Brew. Much of their music pairs such disparate elements as a heavy-metal bassline and a twangy mandolin, and a study of the lyrics reveals a similar discord: an aggressive expression of anti-establishment anger, under which lies a genuine desire to celebrate freedom and individuality. Their music feels at once like a barroom brawl and an intelligent, textured cultural critique. While Smash the Windows incorporates solid musicianship and strong production, the vocals miss their mark.

The Longest Day of the Year

It’s as if The Cure went acoustic, frontrunning the band with the softest sounds of feminine chanteusery. The Reverse is a twosome composed of vocalistic guitarist Tara Emelye Needham and drummer Todd “Todbot” Karasick. Born in Long Island, The Reverse migrated to New York City, as talents tend to do. Unaffected, feet-shuffling wanderings best describe the tone and tunes of this debut album, making one reasons, perhaps, why it is entitled The Longest Day of the Year.

Shades of Dorian Gray

Danny Cohen’s third record for the label ANTI demonstrates his uniqueness as an artist, as did 2005’s We’re All Gunna Die. The 16-track CD takes one on a musical journey of mystical, gothic proportions. Often compared to Tom Waits, Vic Chestnut, Jad Fair, and Daniel Johnston, Cohen has crafted an offbeat musical career spanning some five decades.

City Beach

When I first received this album, I already had preconceived ideas. I thought the music would be terrible and the lyrics even worse. I was actually pleasantly surprised. When I put the disc in and started listening to the music, it was very positive with good beats. The singer’s voice is mellow and she reminds me of such singers as Melissa Ethridge and Sheryl Crow, which are two of my favorites. This is definitely a feel good compilation. It is full of real life lyrics that I’m sure many people could relate with.

Reminted

When I received this CD in the mail, I must say that I was disappointed. The Fort Knox Five, who claim they don't remix songs, they remint them, which kept with the theme and designed their CD cover to be reminiscent of a $5 bill. Clever packaging, but I thought I was actually being sent money, so to find that it was in fact a CD was a bit of a let-down. I felt better after I popped the disc in, though. Featuring 12 “reminted” tracks by various artists, the CD is thoroughly ‘70s, with funky retro beats that give the album a nice feel.

Dismissed With a Kiss

Described as music with “attitude and ovaries,” Dismissed With a Kiss is the first album from New York-based Spanking Charlene. This record features rock and roll with a lot of feminist reflection, as frontwoman Charlene McPherson sings about misogyny, how women treat one another and how perfect life will be “When I'm Skinny.” This album has a lot of potential, but it's lacking punch, despite the garage-band guitar riffs and provocative lyrics.

Small Gods

As the guitar plays airily in the track "Dodge," soloist Swati sings, “I believe in karma, I believe in brutal honesty, why do so many of you break my heart? Maybe I’m crazy …” and these words characterize not only the general mood of her debut album, but also her individuality.

Lovers and Crypts

Straight outta Brooklyn, New York, Bunny Rabbit is a sound that is to be forgotten, at best. The music is drab and the beats predictable. Vocally, this is a woman who portrays herself as a sex object, who believes her only value is in being used for sex and nothing more.

Venus

The opening and strongest tracks on Venus. “Venus” and “Now You Know,” from this five-piece band from Ohio are catchy, energetic and fun, setting the atmosphere for the rest of this pop-punk album. As the title implies, the songs are about love, but so much so that it delivers a kind of monotony, which drives the listener away at times. “Blue Coat, Black Hair” reminds me of Billy Talent with its faced-paced, hardcore sound and screaming vocals.

Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge

When I started to listen to Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge, I thought “Oh, folk rock, how… er… nice.” Not that I have anything against folk rock, but… Then the beat kicked in. Forty minutes later, I was still dancing in my seat. This music rocks! The lyrics are good poetry about love, sex and strong women. There are some out of the ordinary instruments used on this album, such as a glockenspiel. I like different; it makes my senses perk up.
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