thePULSEThe Miniature Tigers’ Build a Fortress
By Jennifer Russo
It’s difficult to pinpoint the sound that is “indie” rock. Though the term has been used liberally in recent years, the genre has actually been around since the 80s and describes any type of music that isn’t main-stream. Though this is true, indie has somewhat become a sound of its own, marked by its hodgepodge of sounds with roots in alternative rock, punk, pop, and new age. It’s an artistic and progressive experimentation in sound.
Now that we have the musical history lesson squared away, let’s apply what we’ve learned. Quiz time: What happens when four guys from the west coast get their musical science kits and start playing around with the instruments, throwing around different ideas and lighthearted vocals and seeing what they can come up with based on the influence of indie predecessors before them and a desire to discover something new on their own? The answer is simple…the pure audible chemistry of Miniature Tigers.
The band has found the perfect balance of laid back melody and daring creativity. Their newest CD ~ titled Fortress~ is a Beatlesesque sound with a little dash of Muse, a pinch of The Dream and a large portion of some kind of psychedelic tasty. Listening to the 10-track album will send you on a tripfest through lands of coyotes and Japanese women that may or may not be living in your closet.
To be honest, when I first popped in the CD I wasn’t sure if it were my cup of tea at all. In fact, I thought my editor, who knows that 90% of my playlist is horns-in-the-air worthy, was playing some kind of joke on me by asking me to review it. The more I listened to it though, the more I realized how catchy the songs actually were and that there was definitely a place for them in my music library. You will have a hard time convincing me that it isn’t perfect while sitting there on the beach working on my tan or driving to nowhere with all the windows down and the wind in my hair. If something different is your kind of party, pop Fortress in the CD player during your next pre-snow weather barbeque.
www.myspace.com/miniaturetigers
www.facebook.com/pages/Miniature-Tigers/8303854154
Ashers’ Kill Your Master
By Joseph Anthony
When you sit down (or, rather, stand up) to listen to Kill Your Master, the first full-length album (following 2008’s Cold Dark Place EP) by Boston-based fivesome Ashers, you may notice some similarities to other punk/metal acts such as The Unseen, Crash and Burn, Deadly Sins, Global Threat, and Death Before Dishonor. This is with good reason, as Ashers has members from (or who have guested on albums by) all of these bands. But the similarities are subtle as Ashers has a whole new sound of its own.
Running a brief 25 minutes long, Kill Your Master manages to cram in enough aggressive hardcore for a lifte time of street punk acts (with some obvious, but not overbearing, metal influences). You’ll know what I mean the second the title track crashes into you right off the bat like loud, unstoppable, barreling freight train. From that initial onslaught, Kill thrashes into other rage-filled audio assaults including “Watch It Burn” and “Now So Clear.” The lengthy (compared to other tracks on the EP, that is) “Blood and Grain” gives your ears the very slightest respite ~ but only the very slightest, as there’s literally nothing mellow to be found here…but would you really want there to be?
And this thunder is delivered with top-notch production values: this is punk, pure and simple, albeit punk with a slight metal edge to it (evidenced by the occasional guitar solo). Kill contains guitar riffs that’ll tear right through you, layered over fist-pumping rhythms and savage bass lines. My only real gripe (and it’s a minor one) is that Kill Your Master works better as a whole than its songs work individually…and, unfortunately, a few tracks are very reminiscent of those found on the Cold Dark Place EP. Those small bumps aside ~ fast, angry, raw, and full of non-stop, screaming angst, Ashers have hit a home run with this first full-length opus ~ and we can only hope that their brutastic sound is here to stay.
www.myspace.com/ashersthe band
Danzig’s Deth Red Sabaoth
By Bruce Sullivan
Mothers, lock up your daughters, hide the children, secure the windows and doors, protect the village virgins, because Danzig is upon us! After a six year absence, Goth-punk’s multiplatinum selling godfather Glenn Danzig is set to unleash his wrath upon the souls of rock fans everywhere with Deth Red Sabaoth, an 11 track disc of irresistibly dark and demonic compositions. The CD is a blending of nightmarish imagery and powerful hardcore rock, perfect for the Halloween season.
Joining Danzig on this album are guitarist Tommy Victor (Prong, Ministry), and drummer Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Seventh Void). Musically, the trio intentionally strips away the gloss, washes away the hair mousse, and reveals a no frills, classic metal sound. “I wanted it to have an organic sound, bigger and thicker…You’ll hear real reverb, real tremolo on this album, which sounds completely different than the stuff that’s done with computer chips.”
Killer tracks include first single “On a Wicked Night,” an eerie confrontation with death, which builds from acoustic whisper into a thunderous electric climax and features hellish images of a man’s final hour. “Hey my lady in death, have you come for my last breath?” “Deth Red Moon” features a great hook, crisp lead, and driving rhythms. The album’s masterpiece is the two part “Pyre of Souls.” Part one is a haunting funeral dirge that combines classical piano and guitar with somber Renaissance choir chants. Part two explodes with epic guitar riffs and thunderous rhythms, a virtual soundtrack for the unstoppable armies of hell to lay waste to mankind’s souls.
Be forewarned, Danzig’s latest effort contains imagery more disturbing than watching Grandpa climb aboard his Lark wearing nothing but black socks and a pair of peek-a-boo boxers. However, if you’re looking for the perfect soundtrack to the Halloween season, or simply need something to kill time while your girlfriend tries on slutty costumes, then pick up Danzig’s Deth Red Sabaoth, or check out Danzig at www.danzig-verotik.com.
Stealing Heather’s Your Mistake
By Tom Cadrin
There are certain things that I count on to get me through the day when the world seems to be spinning out of control. On these days, I turn to music. Filled with solid grooves, lyrics to meet any situation and good musicianship, Your Mistake, the sophomore release by L.A.’s own Stealing Heather, can now be an added as a bandage to my moody day medicine cabinet.
This album serves as a throwback to the rock of Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Smiths, and many other from the ‘90s with 2010 twists. The astral synth sounds swirling over distorted guitars panned in between the driving dance beat of the opening track “Breathe Out” throw the listener headfirst into the lyrics. From there, the album pushes forward with the colored smoke and jolting momentum of Doc Brown’s time machine hovertrain (blatant ‘90s reference.) Expert placement of acoustic guitars to support intimate verses and chorus adds great effect to the overall feel of the album; Your Mistake was produced with master precision. Lead singer, songwriter and producer, Joshua Aaron, shines strongest on the album’s closer, ‘We Belong,’ creating a song with an overall feel similar to something off of Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
So this month, with hurricane Earl behind us and Fall edging closer with each falling leaf, why not find some positive list in Stealing Heather? An uplifting listen, you’ll find it hard to resist stomping along to anything on this record.
Head to the band’s website, www.stealingheather.com, for more information on tour dates, music videos, and upcoming events.
Ken Macy’s Goin’ California
By Tine Roycroft
Ken Macy’s latest gift to the world of music ~ an album by the name of Goin’ California ~ is yet another wonderful display of Macy’s skill, passion and story-telling abilities. This multi-talented musician and songwriter is a four time Worcester Music Awards winner and on this album alone, he handles the vocals, the acoustic and electric guitar, the bass, harmonica, some percussion and the tambourine. (He DOES let incredibly rhythmic Kevin Haverty handle the drums, however.)
Country and folk are alive and well on Goin’ California, with Macy giving us the twang when necessary and the thumping back beat when we need it. Each of his songs is like a short story; he steps in as the charming narrator and tells us of a young girl who finds quick success and ultimate failure in the bright lights, of a simple guy reaching out to friends and family for connection during the holidays, of a couple whose passion consumes them as soon as they return to each other’s arms after a day apart. Macy’s lyrics are appealing because he keeps it simple. The emotions and language are honest and straightforward with never a superfluous word or thought snuck into the fray, keeping the imagery fresh and rich.
The album has unique moments that add zest to an already solid collection of songs. The vocal effects in “Country Cow Blues” give Macy’s singing that “old tyme” feel and you wonder if he’s traveled back to the 1920s to record the ditty into an old tin can. In “Seasonal Girl,” a peppy song about a guy in love with a girl he only sees during the warmer months of spring break, there are fun traces of the Beach Boys that make one smile and remember summer lovin’.
Goin’ California is a great representation of Macy’s range as an artist.Too bad we can’t keep this homegrown boy all to ourselves, but he is destined for great things that are bound to steal him away….
Check out Ken Macy at www.kenmacymusic.com.
