Stuyvesant
- Linden Calling (Stuyvesantrock.com)
All good pop rock (and just about every musical
genre) is filled with references and influences
from other bands and eras, and the music on
"Linden Calling" is no exception.
But Stuyvesant also proves the band has absorbed
some of what's going on with the new music
scene. These Hoboken-area scene veterans reference
CBGB's- era Television, Stiff Little Fingers,
and more than a little bit of The Raconteurs'
songwriting style, which makes for an interesting
and adventurous album! Subjects range from
tales of tragic characters to tape hiss, and
listening to "Linden Calling" in
its entirely, it all makes sense. These 14
songs hold the potential to hit a home every
time. The high energy opener "Victorian
Lawns" promises the listener will embark
upon an exceedingly infectious musical journey,
and the album maintains that energy and diversity
all the way through. - Phil Rainone
Shame
Club - Come On (Smallstone.com)
Shame Club are a music reviewer’s dream
come true! You always hope to find that one-in-a-million
band that grabs you my the throat, pulls your
brain out, turns it upside down, and puts
it back in. By the end of the disc you can't
tell up from down, but you know you that you
just had a hell of a good time! And damn if
Shame Club doesn't sound like the second coming
of Vanilla Fudge! Pure Rock 'N' Roll! Period!
On songs like "Transamerica," "I
Just Want You to be Free," or "How
Far," for starters, Shame Club goes right
to the root of rock, punk, and alternative,
aggressively capturing those genres’
power-chord-driven, angst-filled anthems with
a thunderous crack. Together, this quartet
from Detroit, Michigan is well on its way
( they started in 2000). The band consists
of Jon Lumley on guitar and lead vocals, Andy
White on guitar, Eric Eyster on bass and vocals,
and Ken McCray on drums and backing vocals.
Part of what makes Shame Club so powerful
is the fact that each of its members can stand
alone on their own musical talent. Each adds
to the character of each song. "Come
On" pays tribute to a lot of the great
traditions in rock music. These are rock journeyman
that talk the talk and walk the walk. It's
just the sort of music that you'd expect from
a full-blooded rock 'n' roll soul band! -
Phil Rainone
Animo
- Blood in the Water (theanimo.com)
This Colorado quartet plays straightforward,
guitar-based pop punk, refreshingly
free from the band-of-the-moment stigmatisms.
Blood in the Water sounds assured,
and boasts a varied selection of songs and
tough production. With a catchy chorus and
at times, comically ironic lyrics ("Left
Out [Between the Sheets,"])" "Win
None, Lose Some,") and a certified, should-be-a-hit
("The Addiction,") the band covers
all the bases, then hits a grand slam on the
last two songs on the album. "Last Letter
Home" and "Out of Line" both
are inarguably the best cuts here, with a
fury and interplay that lack stereotypical
commercialism but are heavy on kinetic energy!
Latter day rock 'n' roll revolutionaries have
shown a marked tendency towards
swift burnout, but Animo reveals their raw
vision of the world, and are survivalist.
They have the fortitude to turn this album
into a centerpiece for their live show.
And speaking of their live show, last year
they drove nine hours to New Mexico to meet
Vans Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, lobbying
for a chance to perform. Lyman was impressed
by the band's persistence and let them play
that day, and
afterwards invited them to join the caravan
the next year, but at a price. They had to
do some of the grunt work in helping to build
and tear down the stages in addition to playing
every day. Like the saying goes, "If
it don't kill ya, it only makes you stronger."
And that it did. Animo thrived and got some
really good publicity ( that's how I heard
about them) along the way. Animo are on this
year's punk rock Summer Camp that hits Jersey
on July 25 in Camden and July 28 in Englishtown.
I'm looking forward to seeing them in Camden
and hopefully get an interview. Until then,
I suggest you buy their album. These guys
are the real deal! - Phil Rainone
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