I didn’t know what else to title this post, so Tuesday Reviews seemed to fit. Not sure yet if I’ll make it a regular feature, but I’m considering it. Just a quick note before I get into the reviews: I wasn’t able to make a podcast this weekend, because life is increasingly busy (I’ve been working two jobs for a month now, but I was still able to get 2 May ‘casts out). I’m going to aim to get something out this week as well as next week. Worst case scenario I’ll release two next week.
The Sovereigns – Pick It Up!
Genre: Ska / Punk
The Sovereigns are an interesting ska/punk band from Hamburg, Germany. Their short, 9-track album – Pick It Up! – was released in January, 2010. When I say it’s short, I really mean it: it’s only 20 minutes long, with most songs clocking in at two to three minutes. I just did a rough calculation of the average track length, and it’s something like 2:11.
The album is standard ska/punk fare. You’ll find fast-paced songs with a strong mix of guitars and brass instruments. Supposedly, the songs are about politics or something, but I honestly can’t understand the lyrics. That didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the music though, as I like some good fast-paced music to pump me up on various occasions. I definitely recommend checking them out at Jamendo. My favourite track has to be No One Can Win This Fight, followed by Sunday Jam.
The Rising Hope – Have a Rise Day
Genre: Punk / Ska
Released June 25, 2008, Have a Rise Day is a little disappointing. I was searching for bands similar to Streetlight Manifesto, Boxing Fox, and illScarlett, and my search led me to The Rising Hope. On the surface, they have all the “requirements” to fall under the Ska banner, but I didn’t get anything out of the album.
The musicians definitely fit together cohesively, but I feel like their sound is a sort of “been there, done that” with poor audio quality. 90% of the artists I’ve listened to on Jamendo have been able to put up music of excellent quality, and I think that’s my main beef with The Rising Hope. They may be talented musicians, but I can’t get past the audio problems. I do not recommend them.
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That’s it for today – I have a couple of other reviews waiting in the wing, but I’ll save them for another day this week. I seem to get a lot accomplished when Blogger is temporarily unavailable!
Alternative Airwaves 