Do you have anything that you would like to be reviewed? Hit me up in my ask box on my page. It needs to have been recorded/released in the past two years for me to even look at it. I will also review music that people request me to do, even if they were not the musicians that recorded it.

Cheers

Some Nights is the sophomore attempt from indie rockers Fun. These three boys have taken up the country in storm with their single “We Are Young” as it has sold a large amount of singles on iTunes. Unfortunately, that is about the only thing the album is good for.

Some Nights starts off strong with the “Some Nights - Intro”, then “Some Nights” with its very triumphant feel, almost “Wavin Flag”ish, and then of course “We Are Young”. After those tracks the album feels like it built up its momentum very fast, and then died a slow and painful death.

“Carry On” is a good track, as is “It Gets Better”, but one can tell that their drive was running out. They have some other tracks like “Stars” and “One Foot” that have catchy beats, but they just don’t have what “We Are Young” has.

The Sum and the Substance: Fun. has released a delightfully pop filled album full of “fun” tracks, but the only songs that really need to be heard are the first three on the album. After that, just don’t even really bother.

3.5/5

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Watch their video for “We Are Young”

Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com

Coming onto the music scene in 2008 without much of a history behind them, Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss have just dropped their second LP, Reign of Terror. To say that it was a highly anticipated release is an understatement. Touring and gaining a loyal audience with explosive live shows, Sleigh Bells caught the attention of the highly watched show Saturday Night Live (SNL), and they have come into national light.

While the first LP had something of a Hip-Hop feel to it, this second release has more of the bubblegum pop/avante garde feel to it that really defines “noise pop”. Enough about that though.

The album is an explosive force of noise, punk, guitars, drum beats, and gang vocals along with Krauss’s voice in the foreground at all times. It is apparent that Reign of Terror is the culmination of the past couple years of touring, song writing, and maturing as musicians; although they do not let it on too much.

One can tell that there is a lot of songwriting that goes into it, despite the fact that their main focus is on catchy hooks that reel an audience in. The main thing that matters to Miller and Krauss is having a wicked time playing really loud music. They do it well. In fact, some of the tracks are just straight up metal with no hint of the pop feel at all (aside from the drum machine).

All of the tracks on the album, even the ones that are somewhat softer, have no lack of the energy that defines Sleigh Bells as an electric show that can not be missed. Krauss delivers her vocals in punk rock/indie queen style while Miller rocks out on his electric.

The Sum and the Substance: If you like tearing down the road with your windows rolled down, stereo cranked up all the way, then Sleigh Bells is definitely a band for you.

4.5/5

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Watch their music video for “Comeback Kid”

Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com

“As a child, if you asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I would’ve said a musician,” states Adam Howard, also known as The Duke of Norfolk.

“Did you ever lay in bed at night as a kid, and imagine yourself in different scenarios? Well, I would lay there listening to whatever is cool at the time; DC Talk, News Boys; and imagine myself singing on stage,” says Howard.

Howard knew what he wanted to do, but did not pick up an instrument till sixth grade. He started violin in school and drums on the side. Once he reached sophomore year of high school he dropped orchestra, and played the drums more.

During that time, Howard joined his first folk-rock band. The band was recruited to play a wedding reception, except there was to be no folk-rock in the wedding. Howard borrowed and learnt to play a digital piano a month before the wedding, and continued to play till graduation.

“During this time I started writing music for the first time, but no words. I was comfortable writing poetry on the backs of things, just for myself, but not for the world,” Howard exclaims. “For one, I didn’t feel comfortable with my singing voice, and most of what I write is very personal to me.”

After Howard left home for college, he wrote and recorded an album that he claims to be very “emo”, and then after a while he reinvented himself as The Duke of Norfolk. “I picked up a guitar about three years ago during the summer. It is a really convenient instrument to know how to play.”

Next semester after that summer, Howard and his roommate Jordan Weeks had a mission to write and upload one song a day to YouTube. “I got used to writing a lot of songs, and I kept on writing. As far as when I decided I wanted to do this, hell if I know. If I said I didn’t want to, it’s still what I would do. It’s a part of me. I could have been a bridge builder. I would love to be a full-time musician and a hobbyist bridge builder, but people really don’t want hobbyist building their bridges!”

While being a bridge builder may be interesting, Howard has continued with making music more a part of his life. He will always have his “eyes on England, because that is the land of folk music. I like this style because I like folk stories. I like the music because of it’s imperfections. I mean, I like Cold Play and other pop music, I just find it harder to relate to them. I’m more attracted to the rough realities that come with folk music.”

Howard has released five EPs that all have a different migratory bird associated with them, and this is to reflect the different seasons in a person’s life. “I had 50 songs written for my debut album, and I didn’t want to cut all of those out. So one one of the purposes of these EPs is to get all of that music out there and not be cut. The second purpose was to be able to get enough material out so that people could get a feel for what I’m going to do in the future,” as well as his next project after his LP drops in early March.

Howard is going to be one of the artists featured in the next On Joyful Wings compilation album. None of the other artists can be disclosed at this time, but Howard is very excited to have his music alongside them. “I didn’t want to be ‘that guy’ that only has a couple songs out, the guy that people get bored with right away.” This is part of the second reason behind the releases.

Lastly, Howard does not want his music to be labeled christian. “I’ve never liked the term christian music, and I wasn’t sure at first why. I like what Derek Webb said about this. Webb said putting the term christian on anything other than a person is a marketing tactic. In reality there are no christian bands, christian breath mints, et cetera. My music is not very preachy, it doesn’t need to be. My internal being as a christian reflects in my music. People get whatever they want out of it, and whatever they want to get out of my music is fine with me.”

Become a fan of The Duke of Norfolk on Facebook

Download most of his EPs for FREE at his bandcamp

Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com

What do you get when you mix the punk sounds of Alexisonfire, the electronic atmosphere of Daft Punk, and gang vocals of the Ramones? You might end up getting something that sounds like crap, or it could be on the other end of the spectrum.

That other end is The Skies Revolt.

After the release of their fifth attempt, one might assume they would be better known, but that is not the case. In a musical world that has been taken over by would-be musicians with electronic sounds on their computer, what makes this one any different? The difference is in the way they construct their music.

They make it known that they don’t want to be in a bubblegum pop protest band, and they are far from anything like that. With heavy beats, gang vocals all over the place, they rest somewhere between metal, punk, and electronica.

Their newest LP, (Some Kind of Cosmonaut), has much to offer. Sounding much like something from Attack Attack!, synths and crunchy guitars are everywhere. At times the juxtaposition of everything is almost too much to handle. There are a few gems including “False Glory and Praise”, “Endure and Renew”, “It’s all in the Reflexes”, and “Beards can’t Hide”.

The Sum and the Substance: Another strong competitor in the electronic/hardcore genre; if you like Attack Attack!, The Devil Wears Prada, or Enter Shikari, then be sure to give The Skies Revolt some time out of your day.

3/5

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Watch the video for “It’s all in the Reflexes”

Download their older releases for free

Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com

For a seventeen year old guy, Oscar Lush brings presence and depth into his acoustic music that usually comes with a few more years under one’s belt. 

Lush recently dropped his new EP: Soon Enough, We’ll Be Gone. The EP is reminiscent of musical talents such as Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Fleet Foxes, and Seals & Crofts. Much of the appeal to his music, like the artists above, are the lyrics. It is not music one could party to; a cup of tea or coffee would be more suitable for Lush’s sounds.

With harmonica added to his acoustic picking, Lush manages to create a comfortable atmosphere that can fit in well with any coffee house mix.

The Sum and the Substance: If you are a fan of chilling out after the day is done, kicking off your shoes, and making a cup of tea, then give Oscar Lush a listen.

2.5/5

Become a fan on Facebook here.

Buy his EP here.

Check out his YouTube channel here.

\Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com

If Freddie Mercury were to have had a son, and then teach him in the ways of Rock and Roll, vocal lessons, and stage presence, then Eric Nally would have been the product.

Nally, the frontman for the rock band Foxy Shazam, has gone from one style to the next with each successive album they have released. With most of the musicians coming from a classically trained background in their instrument, FS has gone from being a funky mixture of punk rock and post-hardcore to something that harkens to the likes of Queen, Van Morrison, Billy Joel, and some Motley Crue as well.

Their latest album “The Church of Rock and Roll” is straight up what it claims to be. In a way it is very refreshing for something like this to be on the market again. Much of today’s music has electronic influences sprinkled in here and there to make it more appealing to the youth, but FS has made something of a throwback to the older days - and it is a sexy outcome.

Songs like the opening “Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll” stem from more of a classic metal side, and then anthems like “Freedom” would simply have made Freddie proud. The use of gang vocals and choirs throughout is a nice touch as well.

The music is not the only thing that should gain the attention of a listener however. Just as many artists are meant to be seen live, a person is almost cheated if the only way they ever experience Foxy Shazam is by their music. The high level of energy that is displayed on the stage can be compared to the likes of U2 and Queen.

The Sum and the Substance: If you are a lover of classic rock, and music that has yet to be dirtied by electronic beats, then Foxy Shazam’s “The Church of Rock and Roll” is for you.

4/5

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Watch a video of “I Like It”.

Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com

Lana Del Rey, born Lizzy Grant, just released her debut album Born To Die to great anticipation and buzz; Rey did not fail to deliver. Although some of the tracks on the album were leaked early, Rey was able to recover by letting her listeners know that they were merely demos, and the tracks on the record would be of a much higher quality.

In this album, Rey demonstrates everything that is considered to be “the hot stuff” in music today: soulful lyrics, retro feel, good instrumentation, and the passion of a woman spurned. If one is a fan of artists like Adele, then Lana Del Rey is right up the same street. One can feel the hurt that women get when they have been trampled on, but at the same time songs like “Diet Mountain Dew” gets one in the mood to go out for a drive in a fast car, smoking cigarrettes, and singing at the top of their lungs.

 Rey brings us something that has a distinctive sound, sure, but the album as a whole begins to feel quite repetitive at times. The entire album has a very dramatic atmosphere to it, which makes it feel as if it were the soundtrack to the life of some kind of girl with rebellion on her mind, but lacking the conviction to actually follow through with it. The lack of simple, fun songs is very apparent the longer one listens to the record. It’s as if the new ticket to stardom is to sing about all of the times one have been trampled upon in life, very reminiscent of the blues. 

The Sum and the Substance: If you like female jazzy vocals with great energy singing about broken hearts, then this is a fantastic album to check out. If you would rather not listen to yet another girl talking about how dark and dreary life can be, then steer clear!

2.5/5

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Watch the music video for “Born To Die”.

Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com

“We’ve grown - We’re still a fun, carefree band with songs abuot partying and having a good time and everything rock ‘n’ roll’s all about - but we’ve got some songs that are more serious, and a little more personal,” said Slater, Blessed by a Broken Heart’s drummer. The question to ask though is: does the audience really want more serious/personal songs?

Going back through their early work, one can see how far BBABH has come as a collective unit. Their first album being undeniably more in the metalcore/deathcore genre, second one having very prominent 80’s influences as well as being mostly clean vocals all throughout, and now their latest attempt being Feel The Power.  FTP brings in quite a few new elements to the mix: clean vocals as well as hardcore vocals, much more intricate instrumental work, but still all the while maintaining the 80’s feel that listeners have become accustomed to hearing from them.

Three years in the making, the album has much to offer depending on what mood a listener is in: depressed state, angry mood, or party-rockin energy! While the album would be much better off if the stereotypical anthem, “I’ve Got You”, was cut off, there are still many tracks to bang ones head to.

The Sum and the Substance: If you are a lover of the metal genre, then Feel The Power has much to offer you. If you’d rather not hear music that was made by men in tight-leather pants with crisco plastered in their hair, then this may not be the best bet for you.

3.5/5

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Watch the music video for “Forever”.

Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com

One of the hot things for new artists is to give away their music for free, but here is the catch: how does one sort out the crappy artists from the great artists to download their music from? The musical world on the internet is chock full of teenagers in their basement recording acoustic songs with garageband, and more often than not one would actually have to download the songs to even find out what the artist sounds like.

If DownBeat Keys has one thing to worry about, it is that people will simply skip over them because they are afraid to just click the download link thinking they are just another group of guys making almost-ipod-worthy music. It is unfortunate that such an eclectic group as the DownBeat Keys are looked over merely because of those fears.

With their latest album, Summer on Saturn, the DownBeat Keys bring something that is part jazz, pop, rap, and rock all at the same time. In all, SoS is a breath of fresh air in the world of electronic beats using an actual drum kit and real instruments.

The Sum and the Substance: If you like hip-hop but want something of a change from the basic beat tracks that are on many new artists, then check out DownBeat Keys. They have a fresh sound and are an actual live hip-hop act. They are a welcome change in hip-hop, other new aspiring rappers should take a leaf from their book.

4/5

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Watch a video of them performing a song live at Montage Music Hall.

Download their album for FREE on their website.

Written by James Kennedy

Contact Kennedy at ijwkennedy@gmail.com