For their No Sleep Records debut, Major League were able to pull out all of the stops. While they may still be a relatively new band, Hard Feelings easily has the potential to become a classic and will find the band moving up to the big leagues of pop punk.
Move Out West is a band that has never been easy to label. A constant presence in the Connecticut music scene, the band has formulated an entirely unique sound which combines old-school rock ‘n roll with more contemporary pop rock.
Slingshot Dakota pack an impressive punch considering the band consists of just two members: Carly Comando covering vocals and keyboards and Tom Patterson on percussion. The duo’s most recent release, Dark Hearts, transitions between plaintive songs that hang in the air residually like life’s difficult questions and fiercer, more gritty anthems enveloping Comando’s clear voice.
Hailing from Newport News, VA, Holly Would… are a breakout pop rock band with a southern rock flair that’s way too easy to fall for. Just a few months after signing with One Day Savior Recordings, the band have debuted a full-length album that establishes them as a versatile group of musicians that can write a song for just about anybody.
For fans of the Pompano-based emo act Further Seems Forever, the wait is finally over! The 11-track Penny Black is a mature conglomerate of upbeat, heartwarming, and sometimes dark songs.
Colourmeinkindness is a force to be reckoned with. Working with producer Sam Pura (The Story So Far, The Limousines), Basement have given it their all in what will be their last effort before going on hiatus.
Bad Books’ appropriately-named II is a collection of songs with great variety yet a common, wistful edge which ultimately creates a cohesive and earnest album. The ten tracks share a lulling musicality which allows the listener to lose themselves in the layers of tender vocals and smooth instrumentation.
With his debut LP It’s Not An Excuse, It’s A Reason, Marcio Novelli proves that great music isn’t written with intentions to impress the masses, but as a personal anecdote by the musician. Recorded in just two weeks and produced by Jim Wirt (Incubus, Jack’s Mannequin), Novelli’s debut is a revival of simple pop rock with meaning, the kind that has been fading out since 2005.
The first challenge of properly absorbing Benjamin Gibbard’s first solo album Former Lives: separating the Death Cab For Cutie and Postal Service versions of Gibbard from the solo one. The new album is more gritty and acoustic than his former beloved gentle indie catalogue, true, but Former Lives needs to be experienced in its own right without any shackles of the past.
Filled with expletives and breakdowns, The Acacia Strain bring a full course meal to the table that the masses will gobble up. It’s the most complete album from them to date, filled with both power and finesse.
