http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Mon, 20 Oct 2003 13:50:12 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/10/20/135012.php Mark BrandtIt's amazing how many bands have jumped on the sing and then scream gig. It's also amazing how many of those bands are absolutely worthless to listen to. The Calico System is not a worthless screamo band, thank God.I have a hard time reviewing screamo bands without referring to Thursday and this review won't deviate from that. The Calico System does the singing and screaming gimmick better then Thursday. The singing is never a whine, but always a strong clear voice, while the scream is hardcore enough to please most of the tough guys. The place where The Calico System falls behind Thursday is in the music department. The actual music is just not as technical and interesting, but it still holds up against most of the slop that is being put out in the name of screamo.The Calico System puts out a good CD that is worth checking out. If you don't like Thursday because of the vocals then this is the band for you. If you like any screamo at all then this band is for you. Nothing new, but the old is redone well enough for me.Mark Brandt www.buzzgrinder.com Music9336@blogcritics.org Mon, 20 Oct 2003 13:50:12 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/08/11/181747.php Mark BrandtFor those of you who are new to the Starflyer 59 music (I am fairly new myself) let me do my best to describe it for you. Starflyer 59 is a combination of soft listenable rock, spaced out effects, and soft, laid back vocals. They have a bit of a Radiohead flavor circa OK Computer. Can I get most people to kind of agree on that? Hope so. The major flaws I have with most of the other Starflyer 59 records are the production (especially of the drums) and the thickness of the music itself. See, most of the songs that are in the Starflyer 59 catalog are very dense songs that you can't find your way out of. There seems to be some sort of noise or note or something at every frequency. On Old the music has room to breathe. It is still has lots of layers, but this time you can find your way out. Now to address the production. I can't stand it when drums sound bad on records. I just can't listen to it. And if your snare sound is bad, then it's all over. Old's drum sound isn't great but it is much more listenable compared to the other Starflyer 59 records I have heard.This review has been fairly positive so far... but this paragraph will even it up. No matter how great everyone tells me Starflyer 59 is I will never get into them. Why? The music, the songs, everything seems to be mediocre. Sure they will have their moments, like the backing choir on the first and last tracks or the keyboard that makes the tracks much more interesting then what I would imagine otherwise. For me this is music to study to, because it's just really easy to tune out. If you were into Starflyer 59 before, buy this album. If you want to get into them, this is their best full length yet. But I will always recommend that you buy the Can't Stop Eating EP and then never expand your Starflyer 59 collection.Mark Brandt www.buzzgrinder.com Music7515@blogcritics.org Mon, 11 Aug 2003 18:17:47 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/08/09/201455.php Mark BrandtQuestion: What's better then well executed good old fashion rock 'n' roll? Answer: NothingThere you have it folks. A band from the underground, playing rock 'n' roll for the masses, with punk rock ferocity, and retro tendencies. This isn't another garage rock band. They're better then that. With horns, rhythm and lead guitar, bass you can hear, and right on drums they will make you wish you were a teenager a few decades ago. Actually, no, because if you were younger you wouldn't be able to hear The Suburban Sound.Now to burst the bubble. I'm sorry, but I have a complaint. The mixing (or maybe it's the mastering) just doesn't do the music justice. All the sounds of the instruments are there, but the whole mix seems to lack the ferocious juice that rock 'n' roll is supposed to contain. To remedy this I recommend listening to it loud and with headphones (all great records should be listened to this way anyway). It's a not a huge problem, but a noticeable one. Maybe next time they'll cut to tape in some legendary studio and have a mind blowing record, but this time not only musically, but sonically.Even if you don't like garage rock these guys more than deserve a chance because they aren't garage rock. They are the real deal... rock 'n' roll. To purchace contact Andy StyerMark Brandt www.buzzgrinder.com Music7475@blogcritics.org Sat, 9 Aug 2003 20:14:55 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/08/09/201115.php Mark BrandtWhat can I say? Another screamo record. If you like bands like Thursday, Finch, etc. then you'll probably like these guys. If you don't, then this record won't change your mind.Mark Brandt www.buzzgrinder.com Music7474@blogcritics.org Sat, 9 Aug 2003 20:11:15 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/08/09/200745.php Mark Brandt"Simple thing tend to mean a lot to me" (He might actually say "Silver", but it ruins the flow of my review) sings Limbeck's singer and that would just about sum up the band overall. A brand of alt-country that is deceptively simple, Limbeck puts out a great road-trip record. The songs are about real people and real events. This makes it easier to relate to the songs since they are concrete happenings instead of ideas or wishy-washy feelings that most bands sing about. You get to know the girl that broke the singer's heart instead of it just being a "she" that you'll never about.The music is a blend of rock and country that turns into a great accompaniment for a road trip, day at the beach, or even cleaning your house. It's great music for almost all occasions. The guitars are usually clean with perhaps a bit of dirt, but always clear. The songs have layers of these guitars, but it never muddles the song. The songs have room to breathe, which is grand, because it gives a bit of room for added instrumentation like banjo's and a Hammond organ.This is for fans of road-trips and 238. Pick it up today.Mark Brandt www.buzzgrinder.com Music7473@blogcritics.org Sat, 9 Aug 2003 20:07:45 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/08/09/200428.php Mark BrandtFinally! A pop punk/emo record that I can recommend to my friends and even enjoy a bit myself. It's not that it's anything new, but they do the old quite well. The music is energetic yet standard for that style of music and the vocals are a combination of standard emo and some Calibretto sounding gruffness. The songs are catchy and fairly well written, but there are only 6 of them. I'd like to see these guys do a full length and see if they can go a full 8 rounds instead of bowing out early.Buy it from Search and Rescue Records!Mark Brandt www.buzzgrinder.com Music7472@blogcritics.org Sat, 9 Aug 2003 20:04:28 EDT