Music Reviews by Jack Sparrow<\/p>\n
Run Run Run: \u201cEndless Winter\u201d (Song & Dance Records)
\n Los Angeles is a nice place to live. There are millions of people in this city and each one has a story to tell; some of these stories are more tragic than others, some are more suspenseful, more sympathetic or enviable, but you never get the feeling that you don\u2019t belong in this city. A morphing city, a living town that is constantly growing, constantly changing, L.A. will be a vanguard for sometime to come in many different areas, many aspects of American life.
\n One rock band that has recently emerged from the city of Angels is Run Run Run, a moody, eclectic combo that is very talented as well as having an ear for pleasing melodies, hooks, riffs, jams, et cetera. On their eponymous debut album they show that they are worthy of the time and money spent recording them. Whew! If there is one thing that this world is always in need of, it is new, original, idiosyncratic arts in general and music in particular.
\n Their debut CD, \u201cEndless Winter\u201d, an apt name, evoking sullenness and moody petulance, with a psychedelia-tinged undercurrent, starts off with a bang in, a perfect opener, \u201cDrizzle\u201d. Some of the more outstanding cuts are \u201cTry\u201d, \u201cWire\u201d & \u201cSong & Dance\u201d. The disc winds up with a slowed down, mellowed out tune called \u201cAll of a Sudden\u201d, which is a great way to end the CD; it\u2019s like the perfect way to come down after jamming along for the whole of the album and have it slowly kind of fade out in the end. I hope that Run Run Run can keep up with themselves and continue to churn out more great music in the months to come (months \u2013 not years!). For more information, check out http:\/\/www.runrunrun.com or http:\/\/www.mridistribution.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Andrew Rothbard: \u201cAbandoned Meander\u201d (Smooch Records)
\n After listening to \u201cAbandoned Meander\u201d all I could say was \u201cWow!\u201d This is a good find for me. I am glad I stumbled across this solo album by Andrew Rothbard, a really talented musical wizard.
\n The music on \u201cAbandoned Meander\u201d is a sort of quasi-psychedelic, neo-folksy pop record, recorded by someone who I can tell loves making music; loves introducing new and interesting sounds to musical freaks who\u2019ll appreciate it.
\n Two cuts that really caught my attention on the first listen were: \u201cHighuponlone\u201d and
\n\u201cIndigo\u201d. Both had interesting guitar solos, hooks and nuances that one rarely gets to hear in new music anymore. I hope that we all hear more from Andrew Rothbard and not in two years or some distant time, but soon! To learn more about the artist, buy the album or contact him, go to http:\/\/www.smoochrecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Big Backyard [s\/t] (self-released)
\n These are the days\u2026wild nights, lingering memories from late nights, good times, high times and low tides. Ooh! Baby, baby, baby. That is the kind of stuff that Big Backyard evokes. With a big fat helping of AOR-style easy listening rock & roll, BBY has a sort of Bay Area feel to them, especially a KFOG FM feel, for those SF-ers who know what I mean.
\n Listening to their eponymous debut I thought of Big Backyard as a kind of Verve Pipe-meets-Widespread Panic. The latter because of the jammin\u2019 solos on which BBY take off now and again throughout the seven cuts on this CD; this was most evident on track #3, \u201cFeel It\u201d and track #5, \u201cTemporary\u201d. Basically, this is what I\u2019d think of a \u201cdaytime\u201d album, something light and not too trippy or jarring for work, school, meditating at home, or maybe cruising around in your car, coming home from work, on a road trip or just meandering about. If you\u2019d like to get more information, or to just take a chance and buy the album, go to http:\/\/www.bbymusic.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Faulter: \u201cDarling Buds of May\u201d (Abacus Records)
\n You know, I\u2019m pretty sure there is some oh-so-cool band that gets heavy-rotation on all the hip \u201calternative\u201d or \u201cmodern rock\u201d radio stations, but I couldn\u2019t tell you that band. I just know that Faulter has all the right \u201cmoves\u201d, as it were.
\n \u201cDarling Buds of May\u201d is like an ice sculpture: it\u2019s cool, crisp, concise, crafted and ephemeral. All pop music is fleeting; it\u2019s just that some go away sooner than others. Faulter has the potential to be around for a while if they choose to.
\n I could easily imagine hearing some of the cuts herein on the radio \u2013 like the opener, \u201cSixes & Sevens\u201d or \u201cHolding On\u201d, or maybe even \u201cEyes Like Stars\u201d.
\n There is really nothing outstanding, unique or extra-special about Faulter, but they play some tight rock & roll and they do it with aplomb. So, go out & buy \u201cDarling Buds of May\u201d for your sibling for Xmas or Hanukkah. (http:\/\/www.faultermusic.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Mind Controls (Dirtnap Records)
\n Straight outta Portland, OR, it\u2019s Mind Controls. These guys rock! I love the bass-work on this CD. It\u2019s a rambunctious punk album. Low-fi, DIY punk rock is the way these guys go and the ride is fast and bumpy.
\n This self-titled opus starts out with a gutter-jam called \u201cTake a Message\u201d. Track #2 is a real screamer called \u201cDeath Cult Shoot Out\u201d. Then it\u2019s on and on with more rip-roarin\u2019, electrifying jams.
\n If you were\/are into the legendary Minutemen or got your mind blown by MC5 or the Stooges you\u2019ll no doubt dig Mind Controls.
\n In this sorry, sappy age of sell-outs and ersatz punk, perpetrated by corporate whores, it\u2019s refreshing to see some real people, not fabrications of the record industry, make music the way they want to and since they are happy, it shows in the music, ergo the fans are happy, everyone wins \u2013 except icky corporate slavers, Yea! (http:\/\/www.dirtnaprecords.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Deviltones: \u201cRiding the High Horse\u201d (Hard Knox Records)
\n Rrrrrr\u2026 the Deviltones are in the house, watch out! If you are up for a whiplash-inducing, head-spinning gutter ball of a record, this will be your saving grace! The Deviltones are a raucous, rockin\u2019, raunchy bunch of wildmen who will show you a good time.
\n \u201cRiding the High Horse\u201d starts out with a punch \u2013 a wild anthem (\u201cFull-Service Woman\u201d) and keeps going from there, not stopping or slowing down to let up on your ass.
\n It will definitely make you sway and shake and groove along to the beat. The Deviltones bring me back, they evoke images of big, loud arenas filled with cigarette smoke, pot smoke, the smell of stale beer and sweat and 12,000 screaming kids jumping up and down on the folding chairs that get set up on the main floor.
\n In fact, listening to \u201cRiding\u2026\u201d it sounds so familiar to me, even though I\u2019ve never heard it before, due to myriad influences bleeding through; I can hear a lot of the bands I used to listen to when I was a kid in the early 80s through this record indirectly.
\n At the same time, however, this doesn\u2019t sound like it\u2019s out of date; maybe a little bit retro, but it\u2019s got a 21st century flavor to it except that it\u2019s all guitars, bass and drums; no Butch Vig studio preening finish to it; but it is loud, crisp and crystal clear; one can hear every little nuance on the guitar solos. (http:\/\/www.deviltones.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Io Perry: \u201cGreybay\u201d (Jupiter X Records)
\n Pixie-like ice princess, Io Perry is a cute little waif who sings in this pretty little voice; a high, soft birdsong that is infused with a sense of happiness and calm.
\n On \u201cGreybay\u201d, she displays a wry sense of humor, a pop sensibility and sharp, cool and sweet little hooks and gracious melodies throughout.
\n It is not the deep-throated, heavy voice of an opera diva or a Lady Day-jazz singer, but still, this style is a different one than the heavy-handedness of the former and no one can replicate the great crooners of the past, but take heed to Ms. Perry, she\u2019ll dazzle you nonetheless.
\n \u201cSick of You\u201d is a playful song that seems to be glad to get rid of a pest. \u201cI\u2019ll Pick You Up\u201d is like musical sunshine, it brightened up my room on an overcast day, ditto for the next track, \u201cSaturday\u201d. So, as you can see\u2026I like it, I like it. Now, go out & buy it and you\u2019ll like it too. (http:\/\/www.ioperry.com or http:\/\/www.jupiterxrecords.com) \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Music Reviews by Jack Sparrow Run Run Run: \u201cEndless Winter\u201d (Song & Dance Records) Los Angeles is a nice place to live. There are millions of people in this city and each one has a story to tell; some of these stories are more tragic than others, some are more suspenseful, more sympathetic or enviable, but you never get the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[419],"class_list":["post-195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-run-run-run-music-reviews"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10226,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2014\/05\/25\/run-brothers-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":195,"position":0},"title":"Run Brothers Run","author":"brent","date":"May 25, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Wheeland Brothers Muchos Mahalos LP Reviewed by Brent D. Tharp \u00a0 The musical landscape is littered with acts that are ubiquitous, and sadly, completely interchangeable. Many also claim some distant but unexplained California nativeness. At the risk of generating skeins of hateful email from the feel-good music crowd, I include\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"download","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/download.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":157,"url":"http:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/10\/10\/mark-foley-cut-and-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":195,"position":1},"title":"Mark Foley cut and run","author":"admin","date":"October 10, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Foley resigns... ... and when they found out about him, what did he do, in the middle of the night, before the media could arrive? 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