Featuring 5 Remixes from the hottest DJ’s and the fierce radio edit from Producer Eve Nelson.

Larry Flick from Sirius Satellite Radio and host of OUT Q in the Morning with Larry Flick says “Sandra Bernhard’s [Perfection] is a slammin’blend of banging beats and Sandra’s astute view of pop-culture. Equally nutritious to the brain and the booty.”

ALL MUSIC GUIDE reports “PERFECTION, a strange club track best suited for sardonic Dance floors”.

The Perfection EP includes 6 remixes of the original dance single “Perfection” that will knock you onto the dance floor!

Perfection (DJ Lunic’s Minimal Dub) – dark & minimal, very moody percussions
Perfection (DJ Balo & Trakkula’s Dub) – sizzly, big room after hours dub
Perfection (DJ Balo & Trakkula’s Dance Dub) – dance floor filler, dance radio favorite!
Perfection (DJ Balo & Trakkula’s Hard Dub) – arms will fly! crunchy, hard floor, high energy dance dub
Perfection (DJ Balo & Trakkula’s Club Dub) – sexy, gritty, full club dub with room to mix and out.

You can find the EP for download on Amazon.com, Emusic.com and Rhapsody.com soon to be available on iTunes!

Hear it on the radio! The radio debut of Perfection was October 10th, 2008.
Listen for the re-mixes on the following stations:
Pulse 87
WBZC
Hot 97.com
I Party Radio
Music Choice
AOL Radio
Party Radio USA

Style: Acoustic Folk Pop
Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
Latest Release: The Shapes That Shift Us

About Brad Senne:

Music in the style of Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, Rogue Wave and Iron and Wine.

In early 2007, Senne bought a laptop computer and recorded the basic tracks for The Shapes That Shift Us. The album was mixed with additional instrumentation added at Crazy Beast Studios with Ben Durrant (Andrew Bird). The song “Caroline to Maine” is a catchy folk-rock gem that keeps listeners humming for days, while “Drift Gently” is reminiscent of the sparse finger-picking style found in Beck’s album Sea Change.

Brad frequently plays in Minneapolis as a solo musician and with the band Beight.

Members & Instruments

Brad Senne: Guitar, vocals, bass, piano, drums

Special guest performances by:

J Tyler O’Neill: Piano, synthesizer, vocals
Ben Durrant: Electric guitar, arp, accordion, banjo, vocals
Ryan Lovan: Drums
Channy Moon Casselle: Violin

Track List

1. Into the Moon
2. Caroline to Maine
3. Swim With the Sun
4. Dance ’til Dawn
5. Lullabies
6. Drift Gently
7. One Word Rescue
8. So Far
9. Open Sea
10. Boardroom Hearts
11. Searching for the Sun
12. Lost in Love
13. Opposite Sides
14. Sun Behind Me

Go To Tracks
Song #2 - Caroline to Maine
Song #5 - Lullabies
Song #6 - Drift Gently

The Shapes That Shift Us Quotes

“Senne is another unique voice in the indie pop scene.” - Omaha City Weekly

“…Senne could give Beck a run for his money.” - Illinois Entertainer

For more information, go to:

Brad Senne Official Website
MySpace

There is a smart mixture of hip-hop and rock that I found intriguing with this recording. It takes a lot to pull me in if an album has strong elements of hip-hop or rap so I have to give the “hats off” to JP for doing a great job of keeping my interest and flat out fascination with his artistry and clear multitude of talents. This gent did the entire album by himself including production and all the instruments and lyrics. What we have here is a work of brilliance and lyrical cynicism and an interpretation on a gut level that cuts right to the chase. This is my kind of in your face lyrical prose that I just love. Some of the lyrics are so profound.

On “Killing You Alive” he sings…

One foot deep is how we all start off

Two feet deep is just breaking the law

Three feet deep is half way to hell (trying every escape
someone’s got for sale)

Four feet deep slightly ahead of the pack

Five feet deep slightly addicted to crack

Six feet deep, with one more in the hand, put it away or put it all to an end

And he speaks very loud and proud on “M16s & AK47s” by saying…

Liberated by the hated so they want to forget

That their cities were burning, death was served and if it
wasn’t for Americans they’d all be speaking German

Look, I love the people of the world who don’t hate me

So, don’t take this as a rebel with his poison ink

For some, its hard to see its World War number three and every battle ends in victory by defeat
The lyrics have to be prolific for me to quote entire passagesand this is some “to the bone” stuff that you must hear and process.The musicianship needs mention as well, throughout this recording it is exceptional along with strong vocals. When you get right down to it, String Theory is a treat for the ears and senses all the way around, it cannot miss.

Artist: Circle Syndicate
Title: String Theory
Genre: Hip Hop-Rock-Blues
Label: Independent
Website
Source Link

Tracks:
01. Lovedrug
02. Miss Jane
03. Profit
04. Stupid
05. Rage
06. Psycho Lovers
07. Throw Me A Dollar
08. Killing You Alive
09. M16s & AK47s
10. X-Ray Vision
11. Heroine

© MuzikReviews.com

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

This band sings and plays with ferocity and purpose. While only three members comprise this progressive rock unit, they sound like much more. A full sound comes at you constructed with guitars, drums, and bass as it swoops down and sucks you into every hair-raising storyline. The Tea Club is Patrick McGowan (vocals, bass, and guitar) with Brother Dan (vocals, guitar) and Kyle Minnick (drums).

As things kick off the album you are immediately brought into the macabre with “Werewolves.” This is a potent tool for mesmerizing you and creating interest and excitement about what you are hearing while intently listening to their own personal take on the legendary transformation from man to beast. Guitars, bass and drums thunder as Pat McGowan bellows “I just need a little time, this is my Mr. Hyde…well I am down and I am wearin’ thin, I can’t help but keep hurting you”, as the words roll off his tongue they cut like a knife right through you. As all of this unfolds, all I can think of is a Halloween night where The Beatles meet King Crimson and they start jamming. This vision kept coming to me throughout the run of this CD. Low and behold, their biggest influences happen to be two of the bands I just mentioned, so there is no shock here, just a bit of validation from the perspective of a listener and music fan. This was the best song on the album and marvelous way to introduce themselves to potential listeners while simultaneously creating some interest to hear more.

I bet some of you are wondering where they came up with the title for the album. I am always pondering what the title and artwork mean. If it is not obvious and in this case, that applies, you have to wonder what the significance is and just how it all ties in to the big picture of a project. The term General Winter, is a name used for the horrible weather the Germans experienced while trying to invade Russia in World War 2. Pat McGowan then added in the rest of the title and the band loved it.

The title track of all things gets the boot because the band thought it did not flow with the rest of the album. In this case, they should have put it at the close of the album and I do not think removing that track was the best decision.

At times, they do pull off some beautiful Beatles like harmonizing so the thought process may have been that this would easily cross over to pop-rock territory. Regardless of those elements, the fans that listen to this music expect bombastic opuses lasting 7-12 minutes, it is the norm, the music is far from being top forty or pop and it does not take long after hearing the way the tracks come at you that they are doing their best to make a progressive album. If you want to hear the title track then visit the band’s profile here http://mybandsmusic.com/members/680/ where you actually can listen to 15 tracks with the option to purchase and find out for yourself where they are coming from. If anything, it entices people to go check it out, so that is a positive gained from a somewhat odd decision to eliminate the title track.

Getting back to the rest of the album-it is solid, not a great piece of work but very good and this band has the potential to be great. What I heard was a steady blend of music that did tend to go back and forth in waves of varying sounds and emotions, which is the standard for the genre. The variations with rhythms, beats and guitars are interesting and definitely not something that you would hear on the radio…there are no 4/4 time syncopations or drum click tracks buzzing in the ear of their drummer, no way. Besides the lead off track, this album did tend to flow together too easily from track to track for this type of music.

What I think needs work here is to develop more complexity with the song structures they already have, which are excellent, by simply adding some layered keyboards or a driving Hammond B3 on a regular basis. With that, the entire picture could change and they may very well become the band they always dreamed of being. Again, this is just the beginning for them and it is a real good start. They wrote all the songs, which is impressive. For three people they make some noise and it will remind you fondly of some other great trios that have come and gone since the inception of progressive rock. They reached their goal to get a stripped down sound removing things like a flute and so forth. Perhaps on the next outing those things will remain with additional instruments to beef up their sound and then they will blossom, as I would expect.

Artist: The Tea Club
Title: General Winter’s Secret Museum
Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: Independent
Myspace
MyBandsMusic Profile

Tracks:
01. Werewolves
02. Cool Smack
03. Big Al
04. Castle Builder
05. Purple Chukz
06. The Clincher
07. Will O The Wisp
08. The Moon
09. Ice Clock
© MuzikReviews.com

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

Ameila is Teisha Helgerson (vocals), Jesse Emerson (upright bass, electric bass, acoustic, piano, percussion, autoharp) and Scott Weddle (acoustic & electric guitars, electric bass, vocals, bass harmonica, glockenspiel, marxaphone, percussion, loops).

Teisha’s vocals are soft and expressive. That style compliments the music produced by her band mates. I was impressed by the overall musicianship and versatility of this band. Considering there are three people providing the music, it speaks volumes for their talents and aptitude for switching between instruments. The ebb and flow of this recording remains consistent throughout, as the vocalist does not waver from her style or tone. The band provides a lush backdrop for her to maintain that tempo and style, which is a mixture of folk, rock, and pop, with an emphasis on roots and a smidgen of country twang thrown in for some extra flavor.

“Dolores” is a nice toe tapping tune that I could imagine hearing on the radio and the lead off track “Enigmo” while delivered in a different language, could find its way to the Latin charts and end up being a cross over hit.“Thick As Thieves” is perhaps the most interesting with a nice lead off electric guitar lick. It has a contagious ring to it as the guitar reverberates and the acoustic is strumming along behind, it makes for a nice instrumental and actually the one song I could not see Tiesha singing to so it was a good choice for the only track without vocals. It is very short but I was very interested to hear more as it was quite a step away from the rest of the album. “Sugar Falls” would be another good choice for airplay. Interesting enough that familiar electric guitar weaves its way into this track as well. I have to say with authority that as much as I can appreciate the acoustic side of their work I would like to hear more of that electric guitar, it is very tasteful yet it makes a point with strong lines placed just right to enhance the lyrics. ‘Eyesore” ends up being the most pop injected tune and the most commercially viable, which I think would engage new listeners and push them to explore the rest of the album.

This is a strong release and I can see Amelia going places if they continue to develop.

Artist: Amelia
Title: A Long, Lovely List of Repairs
Genre: Folk-Roots
Label: Adrenaline
Website
Source Link

Tracks:
01. Enimigo
02. Farewell
03. Tragedy
04. After You
05. Try
06. The End
07. Dolores
08. Thick As Thieves
09. Sugar Falls
10. The Great Escape
11. Eyesore
12. Cover the Leak
13. Needlework
14. Here We Are

© MuzikReviews.com

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

The Parental Advisory Warning is for one thing, she uses the F word on the lead off track, and I never heard anything else derogatory after that. Taler does paint the image of the rebel without a cause quite well. The visual statement is definitely intact at this point with her CD covers and the images all over her website suggest that there is a hard core edge to her persona, but does all the music follow?

Not Guilty is a fun album. She is comparable to a female Alice Cooper if you will with just not as much horror and shock. All I kept thinking of while listening was Joan Jett’s first band The Runaways and in particular the song “Cherry Bomb.” Taler has that Jett and Lita Ford tough-as-leather rocker vocal style. The music does follow her lead for the most part, so it does work.

What I found interesting after making my way through this CD was the title track closes out the recording and Taler’s voice is suddenly more pop and smoother. I thought this was some of her finest moments on the album. Therefore, what I ended up realizing about this female rocker was that there is much more behind the tough chick mask she wears for her music. Taler has talent and her band is not that bad either. She provides lead and background vocals, acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards. David Buland (bass, electric guitar), Bill Martin (piano, violin orchestration) and Alex Mine (drums) afford the rest of the instrumentation to fill out the sound and help to bring Taler’s songs to life. This artist has something to say, note “Life Stinks” and “Justice.” Each track packs a powerful punch, so much that the music is secondary.

Taler reminded me of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and the line “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”, “Justice” gives us food for thought with words like…

For centuries of injustice
It wasn’t so long ago
They killed the ones that were different
A slave, a witch, a foe
You think the world has changed
Well look hard and know
‘Cause viciousness remains
Inside the human heart

And from “Life Stinks” a similar express of grief…

Makes you wonder are you a puppet and who or what is pulling the strings? Is it the president, you own parents ‘cause you know what…life stinks

I did not hear too much variation on the theme or the music on this album with the exception of the closer “Criminal Mind.” This is a good album and Taler has the potential to be much better than a flat out good. Her penchant for writing on the dark side may be more powerful and effective with some heavier music to support the lyrics and then if the artist decides to soften it up a bit a go the pop route then certainly success would be attainable as well. Not every artist has that kind of talent and flexibility. It will be interesting to see what the next incarnation of Kathy Taler will be but in the meantime, there is a socially conscious effort put into this project and plenty of music to enjoy on Not Guilty.

Artist: Kathy Taler
Title: Not Guilty
Genre: Rock
Label: Two Jack Records
Website
Source Link

Tracks:
01. Life Stinks
02. Condemnable
03. Get It Right
04. Far From Heaven
05. Rhode Island
06. I Want U Again
07. Angel of Death
08. Sleepy Hollow
09. Justice
10. Criminal Mind

© MuzikReviews.com

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

Grissom has some well-known performers on Loud Music such as Pat Mastelotto and Chris Layton on drums, names that would ring a bell with anyone that has a good knowledge of recorded music.

Grissom has a great bluesy country voice that I found very engaging. He made me feel like I was the living out the story with him as he sang while playing his guitar. I was starting to feel the whole thing was in chorus with my rhythm and he totally rocked my socks off. This guy can kick out the jams!

As the opening track, “Lonesome Dave” (perhaps a tribute to Foghat’s deceased Lonesome Dave Peverett) kicks off this barnburner of an album…all I could think of was SRV and Double Trouble so maybe Chris Layton should have stepped behind the drum kit for this one. Grissom’s guitar work is extraordinary-He draws from the deep wells of the blues, country, and rock to create his masterpieces of raw energy filled with swift guitar licks on primarily instrumental voyages of delight. I was reminded of incredible players like Danny Gatton and the trio from The Hellecaster’s, who seemed to have all that lightning captured in a bottle…the ability to blend three different genres into one powerful ear catching toe tapping tune that you cannot resist.

There are only three tracks with vocals, the title track “Loud Music” and “Sake and Venom,” both are smokin’ hot numbers and the closer “Midnight Drive,” a blues-country ballad featuring a different side of the artist with some softer vocals and some wicked slide guitar (think Allman Brothers in their prime). “Lucy G” was one of my favorite instrumentals. It starts with a dog barking and you hear it one more time around the middle of track, which gives it that backcountry feel. Although all of the tracks displays Grissom as an outstanding virtuoso it was this one that really made my ears perk up more than any other.

Loud Music is a great album and one that I have found very difficult to keep out my stereo. It is a great thing to see an artist step out from behind the shadows of others to show what they can do when left to using just their own original talents without having to pay attention to what someone else wants. In this case, it worked out very well and I hope to hear more solo work from this cat very soon, he is on fire!

Artist: David Grissom
Title: Loud Music
Genre: Rock-Country-Blues
Label: Wide Lode Records
Website
Source Link

Tracks:
01. Lonesome Dave
02. Loud Music
03. Wide Lode
04 Hi-Tex
05. Sake And Venom
06. Nothin’ Makes A Man Go Crazy
07. Whiskey Cryin’
08. Boots Likes To Boogie
09. Lucy G
10. Mister Quincy
11. Midnight Drive

© MuzikReviews.com

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

Lullwater sites Drive By Truckers, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Classic Rock, 90’s alternative, Widespread Panic, Bob Marley, and Stone Temple Pilots as influences. I did in fact here all of those influences at one time or another in their music. It came as no surprise that I liked them the very first time I heard one of their songs as the only band’s music I am not familiar with at all is Drive By Truckers and I do like all of the other artists. Therefore, we got off to a good start once I gave this CD a spin.

John Strickland, who writes nine of the ten tracks (and co-wrote the tenth with Bret) in a heartfelt prolific way, has a rootsy and rough vocal style with a southern rock flavor to it. Being that they are from Georgia it does make sense why they sound like they do and one of their main influences is Wide Spread Panic (Athens, GA), one of my all- time favorite jam bands. It seems as though this band cannot lose for this listener.

Faithful Sinners is a solid debut and interesting enough the title track closes out the recording rather than opening it up which in this case does not matter because there is a lot of consistency throughout this CD and starts right at the beginning with “Worse By Better” which is a lament to a love that was never true. If you listen closely to the story of the title track, it is actually the perfect curtain closer. The storyline is about a grandmother crying to sleep at night because her husband is gone and she longs for the day to meet him again. Going further into the meat of the words the singer speaks of the evils and demons within and all the while counting the days that fate meets you at heaven or hell’s doors and your penance is then paid. Heady stuff indeed and the music always seemed to fit the story line as take your journey with this band.

When you take the time to hear the words you find that there are some heavy feelings going on about relationships. We all can relate to these topics but can never convey those emotions so powerfully as a group of musicians that are entirely in harmony with each other. This is how I view Lullwater…they are a band that follows their leader John Strickland, feels what he feels, and then translates all of that through the music. When all of this clicks for a band, it can be a beautiful thing. This is a debut album and this group of musicians should be very encouraged with the product they are delivering to the indie community.

Artist: Lullwater
Title: Faithful Sinners
Genre: Rock
Label: Independent
Website
My Bands Music Profile

Tracks:
01. Worse By Better
02. Amsterdam
03. Blind
04. Its Way To Me
05. Broken Wings
06. Said and Done
07. God Save The Girl
08. Searching
09. Take Away
10. Faithful Sinners

© MuzikReviews.com

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

Zito looks very intense on the cover and when you give the CD a spin, you find where that intensity is coming from; you can see it in his eyes and feel it all over his music.

Zito gets your attention and hangs on from start to finish on the album and some of the industries veterans like Benmont Tench (keyboards) and Hutch Hutchinson (bass) are right there beside him every step of the way.

Every track crackles with energy and hot-blooded emotion and Zito’s voice has just the right gravely tone to make it all sound like blues-rock should. An interesting version of the Prince hit “Little Red Corvette” makes you put on the brakes for a while but if you listen a few times, you can tell that he did his best to make the song his own and not imitate the originator in any way. Because of that, I respected Zito and he does do a nice job with it even if it sounds like an entirely different song.

The songs that come at you drenched in emotional sweat are “Holding Out For Love,” “Deep Down In Love” and the lead off smoker, “Love Like This.” Every track has the word love in the title and they all burn with the fire that only relationships can fuel comes as no surprise.

Zito has a commanding vocal style and he plays his guitar as if it was a weapon, some kind of sharp shooting messenger that fires at will with each note. He is clearly an accomplished musician that has finely honed his voice to play out the words to each song as if he is living it all right before you. This is blues-rock at its finest and no doubt one of Mike Zito’s best hours.

Artist: Mike Zito
Title: Today
Genre: Blues-Rock
Label: Eclecto Groove Records
Website
ECard

Tracks:
01. Love Like This
02. Superman
03. Holding Out For Love
04. Little Red Corvette
05. Universe
06. Blinded
07. Slow It Down
08. Today
09. No Big City
10. Deep Down In Love
11. Dirty Things
12. Hollywood
13. Time To Go Home

© MuzikReviews.com
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

I covered Fantastic Freak Show Carnival three years ago this month. I found that album to be a progressive rock-psychedelic gem and hoped folks would discover this multi-talented artist. His real name is John Basset in case you were interested.

Blue Sea Black Heart once again captured my imagination, made me smile from within and kept me coming back for another listen. This album while excellent is a step away from the 2005 version of KingBathmat. It is more commercially accessible if you will, with more catchy beats and grooves that seem perfectly fitting for radio play while all the while maintaining the foundation of rock and psychedelic tinged progressive music that pulled me in the first time around.

Basset played all the instruments apart from the drums on “The World Outside” which was played by Bernie Smirnoff, who plays in the live band. “Blue Alice” is a superb opener finding John in fine form musically and with a strong appealing voice that makes each word that he sings believable. Somehow, he manages to keep on that track throughout the rest of the album, mixing the entire lot with rockers and shining almost ballad like pop-rockers with influences of all genres rolled into a tight and effective package.

“Paper Bag” I found to most appealing to my ears…it is jam packed with rockin’ guitar licks and a bottom line that could not get any better, and in fact, the bass plays a predominant roll in the track at several points. Everything else in between is just as good. “Hello Algebra” closes things out; it is his throw in freaky Syd Barrett like prog-rocker that was reminiscent of the 2005 release. This leaves you wondering if he will revert to the more a straightforward psych-prog style next time out.

With fine a selection of eight tracks, KingBathmat has won me over again, particularly with the diversity he offered and his obvious talent not only for playing a multitude of instruments but his innate abilities to write a song that leaves a long lasting reminder in your musical taste buds.

Artist: KingBathmat
Title: Blue Sea Black Heart
Genre: Rock
Label: Independent
Website
Source Link

Tracks:
01.Blue Alice
02.Paper Bag
03.Play By The Rules
04.Murder In A Small Town
05.Brainwash
06.Somebody Else’s Child
07.The World Outside
08.Hello Algebra

© MuzikReviews.com

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck