Chris Conlan
02-22-2007, 04:46 PM
So with all the albums that come out in a year, is there enough time to get to everything? No, but we'll try our best. Below are 5 albums/EPs that might have slipped under the radar. Enjoy!
A Girl A Gun A Ghost - Save This City EP
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/agirlagunaghost-savethiscity.jpg
Website (http://www.agirlagunaghost.com/) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/agirlagunaghost)
When first hearing A Girl A Gun A Ghost’s debut EP, Save This City, many things came to mind: Southern Comfort, Every Time I Die, and damn good music. Their style is southern rock mixed in with hardcore. This 5 track EP packs a damn big punch with tracks like “Boy, You Better Save Face” and “That Girl”.
While it seems a lot of bands are taking on the “southern rock” theme for their music, there are still only a few bands that actually pull it off. A Girl A Gun A Ghost have the ability to be up there with likes of He Is Legend and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster with their forthcoming full-length.
Rating: 4/5
RIYL: Fight Paris, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, He Is Legend
My Favorite Highway - Anywhere But Here EP
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/myfavoritehighway-anywherebuthere.jpg
Website (http://www.myfavoritehighway.com/) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/myfavoritehighway)
My Favorite Highway is still a new band on the market, but the guys have already released 2 EP’s that have garnered much attention for press and labels alike. It is easy to see why with their impeccable style of pop/rock. On their 2nd EP, Anywhere But Here, the guys have improved vastly over the previous EP. It seems the guys went into the studio focused and really wanted to create their best work to date. On “You’re Making It Come Alive” the band relies on the piano and Dave Cook’s pleasant vocals to drive the song. This could easily do very well on the radio. So could most of their songs.
The guys already know how to write a perfect pop song, it’s just a matter of time before some label snatches them up and makes them a household name.
Rating: 4/5
RIYL: Cartel, Jack's Mannequin, The All-American Rejects, The Fray
Sophia - My Hands, My Greedy Hands EP
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/sophia-myhandsmygreedyhands.jpg
Website (http://www.sophiarock.com/) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/sophiarock)
When receiving Sophia’s new EP My Greedy Hands, I’ve had no experience whatsoever with the band. From the moment the first song hits “Prison Epistle Abridged”, I already knew what to expect from the rest of the EP. None of the tracks seem to separate themselves from the previous. It seems like the guys used the same formula for each track. Use the synth, some melodic singing to interrupt the screaming, and constantly starting and stopping.
Sophia really needs to step away from the style they are going with because it is easily becoming overdone. While this release could fit well on the Solid State roster, it will just hang on the edge and do nothing. For future reference, listen to the new Destroy the Runner album.
Rating: 1.5/5
RIYL: As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red, Destroy the Runner
Big Rig - Big Rig EP
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/bigrig-bigrig.jpg
Website (http://www.myspace.com/bigrigtn) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/bigrigtn)
You ever listen to a band and really get into them, but after you heard the whole album/EP you mind completely changed? That is what happened with Big Rig’s new EP. On the self-titled EP nothing really stands out. Cody Richardson has a ferocious voice, but maybe it’s the production, the aggression doesn’t come out clearly. He needs to speed up his delivery and the melodic singing needs to be worked on as well. Instrumentally the guys playing some punishing riffs and monstrous breakdowns, but if they really want to make themselves known, they need to speed things up. It just seems like the songs start to drag after a minute or so.
I’m not putting off Big Rig yet. I still think they have the ability to write a killer full-length.
Rating: 2.5/5
RIYL: Becoming the Archetype,Job For a Cowboy, The Showdown
Wilderness of Tekoa - The Skies Pale in Comparison
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/wildernessoftekoa-theskiespaleincomparison.jpg
Website (http://www.tekoamusic.com/) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/wildernessoftekoa)
Wilderness of Tekoa is very passionate when it comes to their music. Every aspect of their new album, The Skies Pale in Comparison, shows that with the intimacy revealed throughout in songs like "Asleep" and "Your Place in the Ground". Lead vocalist, Nic DiPace's voice cuts right through the barrier between your speaker and your ear with his eloquent, yet impactful voice. The instrumentation on the record is almost like flying around in space with multi-layered guitars that give it a lot of ambience. The Skies Pale in Comparison is the perfect album to listen to after a long hard day and all you need to do is relax. Take my word for it.
Their label Northern Records is planning on re-releasing the album with two additional tracks. No word yet when it will be released.
Rating: 4/5
RIYL: Coldplay, Lovedrug, Sparta
A Girl A Gun A Ghost - Save This City EP
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/agirlagunaghost-savethiscity.jpg
Website (http://www.agirlagunaghost.com/) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/agirlagunaghost)
When first hearing A Girl A Gun A Ghost’s debut EP, Save This City, many things came to mind: Southern Comfort, Every Time I Die, and damn good music. Their style is southern rock mixed in with hardcore. This 5 track EP packs a damn big punch with tracks like “Boy, You Better Save Face” and “That Girl”.
While it seems a lot of bands are taking on the “southern rock” theme for their music, there are still only a few bands that actually pull it off. A Girl A Gun A Ghost have the ability to be up there with likes of He Is Legend and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster with their forthcoming full-length.
Rating: 4/5
RIYL: Fight Paris, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, He Is Legend
My Favorite Highway - Anywhere But Here EP
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/myfavoritehighway-anywherebuthere.jpg
Website (http://www.myfavoritehighway.com/) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/myfavoritehighway)
My Favorite Highway is still a new band on the market, but the guys have already released 2 EP’s that have garnered much attention for press and labels alike. It is easy to see why with their impeccable style of pop/rock. On their 2nd EP, Anywhere But Here, the guys have improved vastly over the previous EP. It seems the guys went into the studio focused and really wanted to create their best work to date. On “You’re Making It Come Alive” the band relies on the piano and Dave Cook’s pleasant vocals to drive the song. This could easily do very well on the radio. So could most of their songs.
The guys already know how to write a perfect pop song, it’s just a matter of time before some label snatches them up and makes them a household name.
Rating: 4/5
RIYL: Cartel, Jack's Mannequin, The All-American Rejects, The Fray
Sophia - My Hands, My Greedy Hands EP
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/sophia-myhandsmygreedyhands.jpg
Website (http://www.sophiarock.com/) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/sophiarock)
When receiving Sophia’s new EP My Greedy Hands, I’ve had no experience whatsoever with the band. From the moment the first song hits “Prison Epistle Abridged”, I already knew what to expect from the rest of the EP. None of the tracks seem to separate themselves from the previous. It seems like the guys used the same formula for each track. Use the synth, some melodic singing to interrupt the screaming, and constantly starting and stopping.
Sophia really needs to step away from the style they are going with because it is easily becoming overdone. While this release could fit well on the Solid State roster, it will just hang on the edge and do nothing. For future reference, listen to the new Destroy the Runner album.
Rating: 1.5/5
RIYL: As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red, Destroy the Runner
Big Rig - Big Rig EP
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/bigrig-bigrig.jpg
Website (http://www.myspace.com/bigrigtn) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/bigrigtn)
You ever listen to a band and really get into them, but after you heard the whole album/EP you mind completely changed? That is what happened with Big Rig’s new EP. On the self-titled EP nothing really stands out. Cody Richardson has a ferocious voice, but maybe it’s the production, the aggression doesn’t come out clearly. He needs to speed up his delivery and the melodic singing needs to be worked on as well. Instrumentally the guys playing some punishing riffs and monstrous breakdowns, but if they really want to make themselves known, they need to speed things up. It just seems like the songs start to drag after a minute or so.
I’m not putting off Big Rig yet. I still think they have the ability to write a killer full-length.
Rating: 2.5/5
RIYL: Becoming the Archetype,Job For a Cowboy, The Showdown
Wilderness of Tekoa - The Skies Pale in Comparison
http://www.chrisconlan.com/images/albumsyoumissed/wildernessoftekoa-theskiespaleincomparison.jpg
Website (http://www.tekoamusic.com/) | Listen (http://www.myspace.com/wildernessoftekoa)
Wilderness of Tekoa is very passionate when it comes to their music. Every aspect of their new album, The Skies Pale in Comparison, shows that with the intimacy revealed throughout in songs like "Asleep" and "Your Place in the Ground". Lead vocalist, Nic DiPace's voice cuts right through the barrier between your speaker and your ear with his eloquent, yet impactful voice. The instrumentation on the record is almost like flying around in space with multi-layered guitars that give it a lot of ambience. The Skies Pale in Comparison is the perfect album to listen to after a long hard day and all you need to do is relax. Take my word for it.
Their label Northern Records is planning on re-releasing the album with two additional tracks. No word yet when it will be released.
Rating: 4/5
RIYL: Coldplay, Lovedrug, Sparta