TGIF! It’s been a busy week at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, which is winding down this weekend. We got to celebrate “After the Fire,” the winner of the Tribeca Film Institute‘s $20,000 “If/Then” filmmaker’s pitch competition last night, a film to be completed about the recent fire in Sonoma in northern California. It sounds like a great film. While we wait for them to complete it, let’s check out five more new releases today.
Artist Name: Craig Kelley Band
Album Name: Not so Blue
Label: Self-released
Genre: Blues/Rock
Track Listing: 1. Nobody Wins; 2. Sweet Memory; 3. Forevermore; 4. It’s Almost Game Time
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: We’ve reviewed a lot of blues her in the past six months, and Craig Kelley is easily one of our favorites. We love all forms of the blues, and Kelley’s progressive blues rock guitar wails while his voice lays it down thick. This four-song EP is an impressive start, but we want to hear more, much more. Kelley and his band truly rock it out on the opening track, “Nobody Wins,” with its socially conscious message that nobody wins with racism or hatred. “Sweet Memory” has the influence of 60’s/70’s rock acts like Led Zeppelin, Santana and Jimi Hendrix with a trace of the blues to keep it honest. They slow things down with a rocking guitar solo instrumental on “Forevermore” before closing out the EP with “It’s Almost Game Time,” a southern rock tinged blues masterpiece that leaves the listener anxiously waiting for the next installment.
Recommendation: Definitely Get this one.
Artist Name: VK
Album Name: Terms & Conditions
Label: 112 Records
Genre: Americana/Folk
Track Listing: 1. What Makes Sense; 2. Terms & Conditions; 3. Even the Devil Cries; 4. Edge of the World; 5. Take the Chance; 6. Common Ground; 7. Never Afraid; 8. I’ve Learned a Lot; 9. Radiate and Glow
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: Mellow folk/Americana is what you will get from VK. The title track adds in piano and fiddle and has a sound reminiscent of a carnival. The vocals are smooth and mellow, with well-crafted lyrics and musical accompaniment that take the entire Americana sound to a new and different level. This is definitely one of those albums you put on, sit back and relax, allowing the mellow sound to ease your troubled mind.
Recommendation: We can guarantee you don’t have anything like this in your music library, so do yourself a favor and Get it.
Artist Name: Candy Ambulance
Album Name: Spray
Label: Nashphone Records
Genre: Grunge/Punk
Track Listing: 1. Spray; 2. Weekday; 3. Cooks in the Kitchen; 4. Inner Child; 5. Iowa; 6. Lips/Dick
Publicist: Behind the Curtains Media
Review: The sound of Candy Ambulance is like the B-52’s on crack. It is intense, energetic and fun, especially the title track. On “Weekday,” that influence turns to Blondie, but continues with the fun. Just be aware that the songs are laden with F-bombs, especially “Weekday,” “Cooks in the Kitchen,” and “Iowa.” Other than that, if we could contain the energy in these tracks, we would never have to depend on oil for our power needs.
Recommendation: Interesting EP that is not for everyone. If you don’t mind the expletives, and concentrate on the music, the first two tracks are worth the price of the EP.
Artist Name: Josh Mover & the Shakers
Album Name: Into a Ghost
Label: Self-released
Genre: Indie Rock
Track Listing: 1. Box in the Sky; 2. When I Steal Your Heart; 3. Park Benches; 4. How can I Compete With That?; 5. Into a Ghost
Publicist: Self-promoted
Review: One of the most interesting things about this CD is the fact that it was recorded during a whirlwind span of two days, and includes many local Toronto musicians, including Ben Reinhartz (Dilly Dally), Mathew Wronski (The Sulks), Joseph Landau (ex Formalists), Will Hunter (The Nutrients) and Clara Klein. It was mastered by David Newfeld (Broken Social Scene and recorded and mixed at Union Sound Company by Ian Gomes (Odonis Odonis, Teenanger). It’s indie rock sound contains elements of punk with fun pop hooks, and should appeal to most lovers of indie rock.
Recommendation: Definitely worth a listen, we recommend you Get it.
Artist Name: The Lovely Eggs
Album Name: This is Eggland
Label: Egg Records
Genre: Punk/Rock
Track Listing: 1. Hello I am Your Sun; 2. Wiggy Giggy; 3. Dickhead; 4. I Shouldn’t Have Said That; 5. Return of Witchcraft; 6. I’m With You; 7. Repeat It; 8. Witchcraft; 9. Big Sea; 10. Let me Observe; 11. Would you F*ck
Publicist: The Syndicate
Review: Long a leading member of the British Underground music scene, The Lovely Eggs bring an overall harder edge to their punk sound with their latest effort. The first two tracks, though, is closer to indie rock than punk. Appropriately enough, “Dickhead” is the first of the harder songs, and they continue from that point until “Big Sea,” which returns to the indie rock sound.
Recommendation: If you love punk rock, and harder indie rock, then this is just up your alley. If not, then just forget it.