Aerosmith

Seventies Rolling Stones copyists whose career was revived when they guested on a 1986 hit remake of their funky-rock oldie “Walk This Way” by hip-hop pioneers Run-D.M.C. The song helped Run-D.M.C. (and rap generally) cross over to a white audience and introduced Aerosmith to a new generation of record buyers.

Reinvigorated, the band, led by ageless, rubber-limbed singer Steven Tyler (b. Steven Tallarico, 1948), cranked out a string of polished, lascivious hits (among them 1989′s “Love in an Elevator,” “Dude [Looks Like a Lady]“) that put them squarely back on the charts and MTV.

Even as the ’90s Aerosmith has grown stale and Read the rest of this entry »

924 Gilman

Graffiti-decorated warehouse space in Berkeley, California, that provides a stage for the area’s punk performers. With minimal promotion and no signage, this collective (founded 1986) only rarely makes the news: Jello Biafra was beaten up in May 1994 because he “sold out” and pop-punk band Green Day incurred the clientele’s wrath because they “went mainstream.”

(February 1994, the San Francisco Chronicle reported a “Destroy Green Day Now” graffito in the club.) 924 Gilman is adamant about its version of punk ethics: Read the rest of this entry »

Boards of Canada – “Geogaddi”

IDM, or Intellegent Dance Music, is a break from your normal electronica/techno music.  IDMers combine synths, samples, beats, etc to provide laidback music.  Boards of Canada is one of those group who produce well-known, quality music. “Geogaddi” does just that, finding a spot on many top ten lists for 2002.

I came across these fellas while reading some articles on Radiohead, like artists inspired and such.  Anyways, I picked this one up and enjoyed it.  “Geogaddi” is a well crafted album with, that is really pleasant to listen to.

I like the tracks “Music is Math,”1969,” and Read the rest of this entry »

Her Space Holiday – “Manic Expressive”

It takes talent to combine different styles of music, and make them sound good.  Her Space Holiday can pull this off, and “Manic Expressive” is a testament to that.

HSH is a one man operation, by Mr. Marc Bianchi, and sometime his girlfriend Keely helps him out.  Of the HSH I own, they all are somewhat different in little ways.  On his latest effort, HSH blends dream pop, IDM and other intracies to provide an “artful” sound.

The album opens with the “Manic Expressive Enterance” and closes with “Manic Expressive Exit.”  The former isn’t much to comment on, but Read the rest of this entry »

Natalie Grant – Relentles

Sounds like … Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Nichole Nordeman, and BarlowGirl through an eclectic array of adult contemporary, pop, rock, and R&B.

At a glance … picking up right where Awaken left off, Relentless finds Natalie Grant pushing herself musically and thematically to offer more than the usual Christian pop.

Natalie Grant is a case study in artist development. She started out in 1999 like so many other gifted vocalists in Christian music—performing pleasant-but-forgettable pop songs that failed to leave a lasting impression or distinguish her from her peers. Today, she’s on the A-list, and Read the rest of this entry »