Shorties: Day 1

This week’s Tuesday with Riley has been preempted by two days of mini-reviews that I am entitling “Shorties” (My phenomenal and enlightening conversations with the dubious and malty Shael Riley will resume next Tuesday for 2 more weeks, so stay tuned).

Shorties consists of short reviews of albums that I had too much to say about to include in a 10 in 10 post. Today I will feature 3 albums that I liked quite a bit. Tomorrow, I will look at 2 albums that I didn’t think much of (and one may be quite a bit of a surprise for those who know me and my musical tastes). Enjoy today’s post and come back tomorrow for some advice about what not to purchase next time you hit the local record store.

[rating:7.5/10]

Evacuate‘s debut full-length is another example of what Taang! does well, which is put out solid punk rock albums. Dirty, grimey, cause driven, West Coast hardcore music. he type of punk rock that makes you involuntarily envision yourself sweatily stomping around in a circle pit, stopping only to put your arm around the guy next to you to shout the lyrics together. This is a band that states, “a href=”http://www.punkrockers.com/evacuate”>We are NOT one of those bands that have members that USED TO BE PUNK that now play rock and roll“… a band that sings, “What happened to hardcore… cause it’s not the same as it was before”… and a band that reminds the punk rockers inside many of us why we fell for the music and scene in the first place.

[rating:7/10]

Cool is Just a Number, the latest EP by NES Rock band I Fight Dragons, is a solid EP of pop rock inspired by and containing video game style sounds and tunes. In the vein of Shael Riley, this chiptune sextet has quickly made a splash in the video game scene with this self-released freely distributed EP. Despite only being around since 2008, the band has the tightness of a unit that has been together for years. Here’s hoping that this EP is just the beginning for the Chicago pop rock act.

[rating:7/10]

While not flooring me, Telegraph Canyon‘s VBM debut, The Tide and the Current is a strong and well-crafted pop album. What doesn’t impress is the album’s style, it’s simply not me. What does impress is the knack for songwriting and the incredible musicianship. “Safe on the Outside” is my favorite track at the moment, but that could change. If you are into pop rock with tons of different instruments and layers, ala The Arcade Fire, this is for you. And whether that’s your thing or not, you still need to scoot on over to Decapolis to check out my full review of this album later this week or early next. With more listens, the album seems to be growing on me, so perhaps my praise of the album will, too grow. You can’t miss out, but don’t worry, I’ll remind you.

Come back tomorrow for 2 more albums, albeit ones that I like a good deal less than these.

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~ by thepaintedman on September 1, 2009.