Rachael Cantu - Far and Wide

Written By: Heather Wysocki

Label: Self-Released - Rating:

Rachael Cantu has toured with BB King, sung with Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, and had music featured on prime-time television.
The girl is what Winston Churchill would call a riddle wrapped in a mystery, and what those of us from Boston, where Cantu started gaining musical cred, would call a wicked hot ticket.

It’s safe to call “Far and Wide,” the second studio album from Cantu, a hot ticket too, full of a myriad influences and emotions that range from cheeky to cheerless in one four-line bridge.
And though she looks more apt to open for Pat Benatar (she’s done that, too), Cantu will indeed begin touring with BB King in January. As odd as that sounds – a skinny white girl sharing the stage with the legendary bluesman – Cantu has the chops, plus the sexy Nina Simone growl and slight bird-flipping rebellion that made blues so subversive during its heyday.

With subversive meaning ‘not Britney Spears’ in modern music, this girl’s definitely a rebel. There’s no glitter here, no short skirts or come-hither lyrics, and a definite dearth of auto-tuning, but the lack of cellophane shininess and slick production values are actually refreshing.
Cantu’s first song, “Devil’s Thunder,” is an interesting choice, melancholy and slow, a musing on life and all its pitfalls, but maybe not the perfect song to represent the rest of the album, considering its upbeat-but-probing feel.

A self-taught guitarist from Orange County (note the faint hints of optimism), Cantu spent quite a bit of time in Boston, too (note the melancholy that anybody within 100 miles of Boylston Street starts to feel around Nov. 1), a mix perfectly represented on happy-when-it’s-raining songs “Eaten Alive” and “Thieves and Their Hands.”

Clearly, though there’s a definite darkness to all her love songs, Cantu has had a few happy moments in her life, as well. “Make a Name for Me and You” is a violin-backed masterpiece, the slight country twang not a drawback but just another layer of complexity. That one’s matched equally by “Genius and a Wizard,” an acquiescent love song with just-have-to-smile lines like “I’m a genius and a wizard/ but I ain’t got nothing/ on ya, honey.”

Really, it’s just so damn pretty, which is probably why producers chose to feature it in “Private Practice,” the “Grey’s Anatomy” spin-off known, like its sexier older sibling, for whispery-voiced, guitar-driven ballads set to scenes of lovemaking on gurneys and long gazes during coffee breaks.

In other words, the music is slightly clichéd, with just enough Emily Dickenson-esque playfulness to keep it too kitschy. “Far and Wide” really is the perfect accompaniment for the sort of TV coeds watch while devouring Ben & Jerry’s and espousing on the pros and cons of dating the quarterback.

Cantu’s music is universal enough for almost any girl to identify with – frankly, it’s difficult to think of too many of those swooned-over quarterbacks listening to this pop-lite confection – but quirky enough to attract the girls who grew up wanting to be Lisa Loeb.

What comes through most clearly, on both successful efforts like “We’re the Rebels” and not-so-standout “Blue House Baby,” is Cantu’s personality, which she makes no bones about. She’s funny like Tina Fey (a fellow sexy geek) but introspective like Loeb and other rah-rah female singer-songwriters Tegan and Sara, Bjork and Sarah McLachlan.

The perfect mix of sweet and standoffish, Cantu is a breath of fresh O.C. air in a land of Lady Gaga showmanship and Taylor Swift sticky-sweet. While it’s been done before, the earnest “Far and Wide” is honestly good.

Like Rachael Cantu? Try: Tegan and Sara, The Pretenders, PJ Harvey

The Drums – Summertime!

Written By: Justin Rands

Label: Holiday Records - Rating:

Are any of you still friends with the same people when you were in summer camp? I can’t say that I am. Too much time, too much moving, too much life has gotten in the way. Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham have done just that though. All while keep a their music dreams intact along the way.

After making and exhausting certain bands along the years (Goat Explosion, Elkland, Horse Shoes) the boys decided to start ‘The Drums’ based solely on synthesizers and guitars (two instruments they didn’t know how to play) which eventually led to their newly underground success (NME claims them to be the best band to come out of NYC in the past 10 years). Hyped enough for you? Good.

Putting their brains together Jonathan and Jacob learned as much as possible and constructed an six song album which can is described as a summery glitz post punk pop. Emphasis on Pop. A bit strange for an album this tame and innocent to be released in the latter part of this oh so happy year, but I’m sure there’s a reason for it. Maybe that’s where the punk fits in, I’m not sure.

The first song ‘Saddest Summer’ starts out fast. Hand claps, what! Sweet bass line, nice! “If you’ve got a boyfriend, well go kiss him, if you got a girlfriend, well go kiss her, cause she needs it, she wants it, yeah, he needs it, yeah, he’s gotta have it.” they yell manically as a fast guitar lick kicks in behind them. Super pop indeed. This track is filled with it and moves at a schizophrenic light speed.

Next song ‘Lets go surfing’ well, is about, going surfing. In NYC? Sure! The bass line on this track is pretty infectious but grasping onto the innocent ideals of the 50’s isn’t something that really makes me want to sing along with this whole thing. It’s all about what you like I suppose.

‘Make you mine’ carries the same message in the lyrics. Carried along with more hand claps Jonathan sings, “And I don’t know what to do, when I see you holding someone elses hand, and I don’t know what to say, I always sound so stupid. How am I gonna make you mine? How am I gonna make you mine?” Yes. We’ve all been there. It’s true.

This album isn’t going to excite the alternative crowd or hard punkers (it might, who knows) but will relate to the teenagers and early twenty crowd who might be feeling a lot of what The Drums talk about. You should listen to a few tracks either way, might be the type of innocence you’ve forgotten about.

Like The Drums? Check Out: Surfer Blood, The Pain of Being Pure at Heart, Fool’s Gold

LANDy - Eros And Omissions

Written By: Shaun McNally

Label: Nine Yards - Rating:

Indifference for Entirety - A review of Landy’s latest album ‘Eros and Omissions’

It’s a quiet night at home in downtown Los Angles. I’m at home sipping vino, when I slip into iTunes and peruse my options. Although I’m not sick of the thousands of choices right before me, I seem to be. I try something new. Double clicking on the first track of Landy’s latest ‘Eros and Omissions’ I walk over to the kitchen counter , in part of my eating-out-of-boredom ritual. The first track, ‘Just a Thought’ has started. It being the first track, is a prelude to the album, and an honest one. The vocals are a whiney, melancholic chant… “Love…….there is no love,” over and over, and this is how the album goes.

I stop ‘Just a Thought’ and listen to it again, it reminds me of something I can’t quite discern, maybe the children chanting gives me an essence of ‘The Wall,’ yet less eerie. I have stopped looking for food, I’m not hungry, mostly because I am preoccupied waiting for something to happen. The steady beat of the music almost like a heart ticking has left me expecting something…anything, to happen. The second track ‘Your Words Not Mine’ is ordered cacophony.It has the feeling of the first track, which after listening to the whole album has me in a realization that the every song has this “feeling.”

Maybe it isn’t a “feeling” but more of a “quirk”, either way every track after this follows with same “quirk” as an ingredient. Each song is the perfect addition to a soundtrack for a Wes Andersen movie, where the main character, in a melancholic state has a realization, good or bad. It doesn’t matter what the realization is.

The movie soundtrack feel ,may have a correlation considering the group fell into the hands of actor/director Adam Goldberg, known for roles in “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Hebrew Hammer,” and “ 2 Days in Paris.” According to LANDy’s Bio Letter , Goldberg began mixing tapes as early as 1990, then, his largest audience was his family. In 2002 he met Emma Kathan of The Black Pine, and as the bio says he became the fifth member of the band…or started a new one. Next he met Stephen Drozd of The Flaming Lips. Drozd composed music for 2005’s “I Love Your Work,” directed by Goldberg, and that’s how Landy began, somewhere between 2002 and 2005.

As I progress through album, I await a climax that never fully arrives. It partially arrives with the song “Day for Night.” This song is the most fun on the album, with of being at a carnival, you almost can dive in to it. I listen over the next few days, and I find myself growing detached and even alienated. There is no getting lost in this album, it is the opposite, the listener becomes more concoiously aware of every instrument and vocal, and it’s placement in the song. I find myself wondering if I can organize the music in my brain somehow. Each song has a beat that resonates like a countdown or the ticking of a clock, leaving the listener in a state of suspense that is never fulfilled.

‘Eros and Omissions’ is a thoughtful attempt at what the band calls “apology music”, but with little or no variation from song to song, it is difficult to listen to the album as whole. Maybe a mood of indifference would call for a session with the album in its entirety. Otherwise it’s safe to say that any three songs at random would accomplish what listening to the album would.

Like LANDy? Check out: Earlimart, Bill Callahan, Eels

Hurricane Bells - Tonight is the Ghost

Heather Wysocki

Label: Vagrant - Rating: 4 Guns

Buy On:


This is music to sink your teeth into. Music to fall in love to. Music to…
Alright, let’s just get this out of the way: a song by Hurricane Bells was featured on the hotly anticipated Twilight: New Moon soundtrack and in the very first scene of the obsession-inducing flick.

The only band on the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack not by indie wonders like Death Cab for Cutie or Muse, “Monsters” is a breathy, synthy masterpiece, perfect for vamp lover Bella’s melancholy drives around Forks, Washington.

But sorry: that song’s conspicuously absent from “Tonight is the Ghost,” which is unfortunate. However, despite what might be a pretty bad marketing choice, Hurricane Bells’ debut disc isn’t lacking a damn thing (sorry, Twi-hards).

Hurricane Bells is actually a one-man wonder band, made up of former Longwave singer/guitarist Steve Schiltz and his laptop, but “Tonight” features nuances and emotions galore, indicative of the musician’s time in a full-size band as well as a hint of excitement at getting to express emotions that might get knocked down during a traditional recording session.
“I Can’t Remember” is a freaky standout, with Flaming Lips-esque ‘la la la’ background notes and a gorgeous, Beck-ish vocal focus. Cheeky, but in a way that doesn’t irritate. And beautiful, too, in that unclear, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it way that forests and rainstorms and ocean waves have mastered.

This mix of pretty and sad continues throughout “Tonight,” with Schiltz masterfully combining his rich high-then-low voice with the stuff of ProTools dreams, his choice of guitar and keyboard sounds tricking the listener into thinking there really is a five-piece band behind the guy. (Don’t miss the all-instrumental “Tenterhooks,” which, while featuring an entirely different sound, harkens back to the best Led Zeppelin live tracks, when Robert Plant stepped away from the mic for a bit and let the rest of the instruments do the singing).

Jangling like the Strokes and moping expertly enough to make Morrissey jealous – check out “Darkness is So Deep” for the ultimate love child of the two – Schiltz brings a certain adultness to indie rock: there’s a Sartre-copping feeling that life sucks, but also the Toni Morrison-type conviction that every false step makes the next one stronger and more assured.

Sure, there’s an undercurrent of sadness, of never having gotten over The One or – hey, this is indie rock – of not getting to H&M in time for the Sonia Rykiel collection, but luckily Schiltz is aware that eventually, it’s time to draw the curtains and get over it already.

Which is exactly what he does in “Freezing Rain,” a song with a title that harkens back to that former emotional downturn but sounds, instead, like the perfect thing for John Wayne to listen to while galloping around Hawaii, a mix of high-steppin’ beats and what sounds, interestingly, like a ukulele.

At once as deep as a Cullen and as superficial as the kids who follow their story, it’s no wonder “Tonight is the Ghost” landed on such a high-profile soundtrack. Though, unlike the actual film it’s featured in, Hurricane Bells actually deserves the attention.

Like Hurricane Bells? Try: Bright Eyes, The Smiths, The Strokes

Hollands – Mother EP

Written By: Justin Rands

Label: Self-Released - Rating:

Why is it most of the good music keeps coming from New York? Do we automatically take groups from there more seriously because of all the history that’s come out of that town, or are they so progressive when it comes to music that we can’t help but claim new bands ‘the next best thing?'

I’m not sure, but Hollands and their new EP ‘Mother,’ have caught my attention. They’re new EP combines elements of folk, punk, and rock flawlessly but are still experimental enough to catch your ear in the six-song album that spans at a comfortable 26 minutes long.

Virtually unknown until a couple months ago, besides the underground fans of course, Hollands (John-Paul Norpoth and girlfriend violinist Jannina Barefield), have been playing non stop before and after their last EP, ‘Faces’ which was released in the latter part of last year. The two were actually in separate bands before they came together. (Jannina had been listening to John’s band for a while so the transition was pretty easy for her).

Most of the songs written on the new album are composed in John’s hometown of Stony Brook, New York, where he took a break from working construction in NY with his father to regain his focus on what he was doing with his life/music. At home he went on to complete the rough draft of ‘Mother’ with nothing more than a baby grand piano, a laptop, and a lot of mics.

The album opens with their main single “Air Conditioned Heart”, a poppy indie rockers dream. It’s packed with everything. What about a bit of floating twinkling in the background followed by a power chord and a nice rhythm guitar? Yup. It’s there. Sexual Lyrics? “Just suck my drentched lips, now call me a son of a bitch”, John moans. Add some pretty catchy drums, eerie effects, a mini guitar solo at the end of the song, and you’ve got the perfect hit single. Definitely the best track on the EP.

John’s baby piano comes into play on the next track, “Cheerio!”. A slow balled and his singing opens up the track. Guitar, a slow bass, and drums shortly follow hand in hand with each other and leads the rest of the track until its dreamlike end.

‘Lungs of Steel’ is another favorite of mine. Anytime you have a set of disco drums leading the track in the background with layered lo-fi guitars, and violin you’ll be sure to melt my heart, it works every time. Ask anyone who knows me.

I recommend this album to anyone. It’s a really put together nicely and is short enough to listen to over and over again without really getting sick of it. Maybe one of the most underrated EP’s of the year? Might be.

Like Hollands? Check out: Girls in Trouble, Inner Banks

Painkiller Hotel - Black Roses

Written By: Emily Cahill

Label: Rock Ridge - Rating:

The thing that is instantly exciting about Painkiller Hotel’s album Black Roses is the name. You like it, don’t you? It’s a heck of an image…where would you ever seen black roses? Maybe a funeral? So…is this album about a funeral? No, not literally anyway.

The thing that is instantly saddening about Painkiller Hotel’s album Black Roses is that it’s their debut, so there isn’t anymore of their music to buy just yet. Totally disappointing.

These guys, four of them in fact, from Illinois, are masters of imagery. Their lyrics, like their album name and like their band name (what is a Painkiller Hotel? Can I book a room for the weekend?) paint such a picture that you cannot help but get sucked into their world. Some is just funny and makes you laugh a little during the otherwise serious music such as “seeing you is intoxicating, yet I’m drinking alone,” in “How Was I Supposed To Know.” Those black roses from the title appear in the song “All I Ever Wanted.” It talks about a “soft-spoken” girl “digging a shallow grave/black roses on the stone” and things being “the end of the beginning.” The details of these lyrics are so effective.

Soft-spoken is so specific and full of intent—the easy choice would have been to call her quiet, but when she is referred to as “soft-spoken” a whole new, delicate connotation is applied.” The grave and black roses are disturbing in a way, but their macabre image brings about the idea of endings and changed, only enforced by the line “the end of the beginning.” This, of course, is a quirked take on the common phrase “the beginning of the end.” This thoughtful reversal of words adds great depth to the song and the idea of transition. “Brightest Flame” plays with the idea that it “seems like the brightest flame always fades so fast.” This idea is reiterated in “So Far Away” when it says “the brightest star is the most difficult to reach.” These images of the brightest things, the very best things allow the listener to follow along with the idea that the most intense of feelings are brief and hard to hold on to. It’s an interesting idea, romantic in it’s unfortunate existence, and expressed to very well by the images inspired by the lyrics.

The sound of Painkiller Hotel is great in that it is consistent throughout all the songs, but that each song is still so unique you can tell when the album shifts from one track to the next. Especially cool is the amazingly clear sound of each guitar string being played in “Lead Me On.” It’s like you’re sitting on the microphone. The rhythm is great all the way through and the music supports the vocals in a way that shows them off. The pace can seem slow in parts, but it’s effective. The songs would lose their meaning if sung any faster. Painkiller Hotel seems to have taken on many influences to create their own sound. In “How Was I Supposed To Know” the sound is reminiscent of some ‘90’s music that Ross and Rachel probably danced to in one of the episodes of Friends. Then in “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing” the vocals seem to slip into a blues-esque sound, immediately followed by a Middle Eastern intro in “Becoming Someone Else.” Painkiller Hotel proves that they have talent and depth by playing around with the strength of their sound. Songs like “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing,” “Becoming Someone Else,” and “Changes” have a stronger sound that mixes well with the softer sounds surrounding them.

The vocals are really the jewel of Painkiller Hotel. They are uniquely deep and gritty. The lead vocalist croons more than sings and it gives a whole different feel to this music when you compare it to other indie rock. In “Weakness” there is a whispery quality to the vocals that brings a whole sense of meaning to the song that a guitar or even great lyrics could not bring, no matter how hard they tried.

When writing these reviews I really try to keep my personal opinions out of it and give an unbiased critique of the bands I’m giving. Today, I am putting my personal opinion in. I am putting it in and saying, men of Painkiller Hotel, marry me! Marry me so I can wake up to your awesome sound everyday. No? Is that too crazy? Ok, maybe. Well, how about this: since I just wrote you a great review, how about you write me a great song? That way I can program it into my nifty musical alarm clock and then actually wake up to your awesome sound everyday. How about it?

Like Painkiller Hotel? Check out: Shawn Mullins, Better Than Ezra

RED - Innocence & Instinct

Written By: Ben Millikan

Label: Essential/Sony - Rating:

After listening to Red’s new album Innocence & Instinct, it has become more apparent to me that symphonic rock continues to find its way into the work of more and more prominent hard rock acts. This is somewhat amusing considering that it wasn’t too long ago that Metallica received some scathing criticism from a section of its diehard fan base for making a live record with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The mixture of classical music with hard rock/heavy metal isn’t that surprising (where do you think the diminished fifth came from?), but like all musical trends that get abused, the recent excessiveness of string patches in contemporary rock has become cliche.

Unfortunately, Red, a hardcore quartet from Nashville, Tennessee, relies on these synthetic strings far too often in their second full-length. Although the patches are complimentary to Red’s style, they tend to sound generic and repetitive in several songs. But then again, as guitarist Jasen Rauch explains, maybe the band’s excessive use of symphonic melodies behind walls of distorted guitars is part of the duality theme of the record: “Innocence & Instinct is about the duality of man. The album examines the fight between our childlike innocence and the instinctive side that makes us do things we shouldn’t.”

Despite the overuse of strings, Innocence & Instinct picks up right where the band’s Grammy-nominated album (End of Silence) left off with the opener “Fight Inside.” The song builds from a lush piano line into a head-banging, guitar driven breakdown. The song is really the epitome of the album with effortless transitions between melodic verses and aggressive, over-driven choruses. Once again, keeping with the theme of duality, RED vocalist Michael Barnes not only combines searing screams with the soothing melodies, but his schizophrenic lyrics portray an internal struggle that was inspired in part by the imagery of Dante’s Inferno. On “Death Of Me,” a frantic, bass-drenched jam, Barnes addresses the ambivalence of his own personal spiritual struggle: “You tear me down and then you pick me up / You take it all and still it’s not enough.”

Much like fellow Christian rockers Pillar, RED’s personal struggles are sincere and come across with plenty of raw emotion. Barnes’ self-narratives are empathetic and real; with a powerful story behind each song. In short, Innocence & Instinct is a blend of full-fledge rock and decent orchestration. A solid album, but next time around in the studio they should ease up a bit on the strings.

Like RED? Check out: Pillar, Three Days Grace

The Main Drag - You Are Underwater

Written By: Joe Cardenas

Label: RPL Audio - Rating:

The Main Drag releases a new album that is sure to satisfy your Indie-Pop/Rock cravings. If you're tired of all the hackneyed bands sounding the same then you're in luck because The Main Drag gives you a taste of orchestrated electronica too. Delicious synthesizers and trippy drums beats plague the album into a sound that can be obscure at times but catchy all the same!

The album opens strongly with a catchy guitar riff leading into a verse that is just exploding with lots of energy. The track eventually mellows out into a smooth chorus, the use of violin and strings is very calming and conjures images of psychedelic trips to space. You can just tell from the start that this band has a very Indie sound but shouldn't deter anyone into thinking that it's just a vague Indie album.

The next song 'Tricky Girl' is very different compared to the first track. The tone is much more electronic, the intro begins with an obscure synthesizer and follows with a painfully obvious drum machine. The emphasis of the synthesizer makes the sound a bit corny(especially with the la-la-la-la's) but the song is catchy none the less and perfect for whenever you're feeling silly. It's a very radio-friendly song but it felt like they were trying too hard to make sure it was catchy enough to hook listeners.

I think that the contrast between pop-rock and electronica is very well done here. The first two tracks really demonstrate the diversity of the sounds rendered in the album. And having them presented back to back was interesting. It was a bit unmoving but that's what I liked about it. The shift made me feel uncomfortable in the same way a piece of art does, a feat that is not easily accomplished.

The track 'Megatron' is a nice mix of rock and jazzy interludes. The part in the middle just reminds me of the ending to Gorillaz's blockbuster album Demon Days, but what makes it different is their transition into an upbeat pop-rock sound. The contrast of styles and genres are concurrent throughout the whole album and keeps the listener interested.

Hearing the album, you'll notice that the each instrument is very strong. The bass is deep, the drums are fantastic, guitars are catchy and the vocals enchanting. The lyrics are kind of hallow but they play their part in making the songs unique and catchy.

Unfortunately an issue has reappeared; like my last review I critiqued the length of an album because the ending felt abrupt. The same is somewhat true here although you get a lot substance for a short time, the album(excluding the bonus track which is a remixed song from their previous album) is only 26 minutes long. I felt like there could have been at least two or more songs but then again, i'm being nitpicky because it's hard to critique an album that is just all around good. So check it out! This is one album you will not regret listening to.

3.5 guns

Like The Main Drag? Check out: Modest Mouse, Bloc Party