Category Archives: 250 word album reviews

Album at a glance: Empirics – Odophilia

Posted on March 22, 2015 by VocalsOnTop

The Empirics is St. Joseph musicians Eddie Miles and Aaron Furst making a mellow metal album in the vein of A Perfect Circle and other bands that know how to ease off the throttle. The 7-minute instrumental opener “Mechanism” sheds … Continue reading →

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Album at a glance: Tyler Gregory – Roots Below

Posted on March 18, 2015 by VocalsOnTop

Tyler Gregory’s vocal delivery is rough and raw as he belts out colorful stories with his banjo and acoustic guitar. His powerful voice is the key to his backwoods songs. He uses them to contrast quiet music and sometimes no … Continue reading →

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Album at a glance: Violet and the Undercurrents – Waves

Posted on January 31, 2015 by VocalsOnTop

The clear highlight of listening to this record is the smooth, sultry vocals littered throughout. This all female group easily produces dreamy pop songs coated with smooth cello and jazzy backbeats. They’ll remind you of the heyday of the 90s … Continue reading →

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Album at a glance: Til Willis & Erratic Cowboy – Cars Etcetera

Posted on January 28, 2015 by VocalsOnTop

Til Willis & Erratic Cowboy are actually anything but erratic, they have honed in on just a portion of their sound to make “Cars Etcetera” a bumping rock record. They even organized three albums for release on the same day … Continue reading →

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Album at a glance: Holy Mother Exhaust – Holy Mother Exhaust

Posted on January 26, 2015 by VocalsOnTop

Holy Mother Exhaust – Holy Mother Exhaust This long lost record finally saw the light of day by way of a reunion show in November. The recordings aren’t new but very few have ever heard them. Dsoedean drummer Bobby Floyd … Continue reading →

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Album at a glance: The Kansas City Bear Fighters – The Planet Where We Fell In Love

Posted on January 5, 2015 by VocalsOnTop

The Kansas City Bear Fighters are peculiar enough to be very interesting. Their throwback style of acoustic strums and picks along with a draping of accordion in their music make it unique and turn heads fairly easily. Their harmonies are … Continue reading →

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Album at a glance: The Brody Buster Band – Will Die Young

Posted on January 2, 2015 by VocalsOnTop

The Brody Buster Band throw traditional blues a curveball on their album “Will Die Young.” Instead of the run-of-the-mill blues runs on guitar they feature raunchy riffs with a powerful rhythm section and heavy low end to match. The record … Continue reading →

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Album at a glance: Black Luck (formerly Black On Black) – Firebrand EP

Posted on December 29, 2014 by VocalsOnTop

It is so tempting to call Black Luck (formerly Black On Black) a punk band but they just doesn’t quite fit the bill. The punk mentality and aggressiveness is there; the music is just too full. The thin, tinny guitar … Continue reading →

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Ashley Raines & The New West Revue – After The Bruising

Posted on December 12, 2014 by VocalsOnTop

David Byrne once said that singing was a trick to get people to listen to music longer than they would ordinarily, Ashley Raines takes the opposite approach. Raines has a lot to say and he uses the mood of his … Continue reading →

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250 Word Album Review: Cracker – Berkeley To Bakersfield

Posted on December 1, 2014 by VocalsOnTop

Cracker has always used a lot of geography in their songs. Their lyrics often contain quaint places from the two chief songwriters’ pasts. Berkeley To Bakersfield makes a lot of sense because of this. The characters created by the band … Continue reading →

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