We Are Augustines - Rise Ye Sunken Ships (2011)

We Are Augustines - Rise Ye Sunken Ships (2011)


1. Chapel Song (3:09)
2. Augustine (4:15)
3. Headlong into the Abyss (4:30)
4. Book of James (5:01)
5. East Los Angeles (3:00)
6. Juarez (4:20)
7. Philadelphia (4:18)
8. New Drink for the Old Drunk (3:55)
9. Patton State Hospital (3:21)
10. Strange Days (3:02)
11. Barrel of Leaves (3:08)
12. The Instrumental (3:51)



It's hard to put a finger on just the type of music that We Are Augustines puts forth in their debut album. Their band name and album title is reminiscent of an Oi band like The Dropkick Murphys, but when I listened to them, the lead singer Billy McCarthy's voice almost sounds like it has a Scottish accent, which gave me a We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit vibe, except, the band is from New York. So then I just stopped thinking about it and realized that, whatever they sound like, they're good.

The album is fast paced, with loud music, and McCarthy's voice almost has that distant, echo-like feel, not unlike The Gaslight Anthem, which makes it feel like you're listening to it live. It's great party music and, unquestionably, great drinking music. It's not until track five, East Los Angeles, until the album slows down and has a little change-of-pace. But the entire album is emotion-packed and should make you feel something.

Billy McCarthy, Eric Sanderson and
Rob Allen of We Are Augustines.

The first half is much better than the second, but that's no slight because the first half is damn good. Once you listen to Chapel Song, you'll immediately know what you are getting, and in slightly different ways. The next track Augustine has a chorus that sounds oddly similar to Hungry like the Wolf by Duran Duran, which is only a good thing. 


Favorite tracks: Again, Chapel Song kicks the album off the right way, and it only gets better. Headlong into the Abyss may be my second favorite track, but it's clear that the album revolves around The Book of James, which is the band's most complete song. While the album is mostly fast-paced rock, the one real ballad on the album is Barrel of Leaves, which showcases the band's softer side.

Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding (2011)

Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding (2011)

1. Four Letter Word (4:15)
2. Millionaire (3:17)
3. The Roller (3:38)
4. Beatles and Stones (2:57)
5. Wind Up Dream (3:29)
6. Bring the Light (3:40)
7. For Anyone (2:14)
8. Kill For a Dream (4:42)
9. Standing on the Edge of Noise (2:52)
10. Wigwam (6:32)
11. Three Ring Circus (3:18)
12. The Beat Goes On (4:48)
13. The Morning Son (6:08)


Beady Eye is the reincarnation of Oasis, minus Noel Gallagher. After Oasis split in 2009 following Noel's departure of the band to pursue a solo career, remaining members Gem Archer, Andy Bell, Chris Shamrock, and Noel's younger brother Liam Gallagher kept playing music, and that's how Beady Eye came to be.

The members of Beady Eye.

Fans of Oasis should enjoy Different Gear, Still Speeding because, frankly, most of them sound like Oasis songs. The Roller sounds like it was actually a song on an Oasis record, though I can't put my finger on which. However, the album comprises a lot more fast-paced rock than many of Oasis's songs, and it's missing the slower anthems that Noel used to writer so well, as he proved with Wonderwall. But it's an unfair comparison to make.

So for those who were saddened by Oasis's disbandment, just envision Beady Eye as the same band, and pretend that they just out out a decent album. In all seriousness, though, the tracks carry themselves well enough. The first half of the record is mostly straight up rock, with Liam Gallagher's distinguishing vocals leading the way, but the final songs do slow down a little bit, giving it a nice cohesion. All in all, it's a good listen.

Favorite tracks: Again, The Roller stands out. But For Anyone is a very pleasant and smooth sounding pop track that almost sounds Beatlesesque. Kill For a Dream is one of the first songs that slows down, and then the album ends with two ballads The Beat Goes On and The Morning Son, the latter of which is a lengthy epic of a ballad.

The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart (2011)

The Head and the Heart - The Head and the Heart (2011)


1. Cats and Dogs (1:55)
2. Coeur D'Alene (4:22)
3. Ghosts (4:18)
4. Down in the Valley (5:03)
5. Rivers and Roads (4:44)
6. Honey Come Home (3:21)
7. Lost in My Mind (4:19)
8. Winter Song (2:43)
9. Sounds like Hallelujah (3:10)
10. Heaven Go Easy on Me (5:40)




The self-titled debut album by indie-folk pop band The Head and the Heart has 10 tracks, and each of them are spectacular. Though the band's ambiance is light and breezy, the material is quite deep and sometimes even morbid, but sung in a very optimistic and heartfelt tone by lead singer Josiah Johnson. His voice is, for lack of a better word, very pleasant to listen to.

Johnson, Thielen, Jonathan Russell,
Chris Zasche, Kenny Hensley and Tyler
Williams of the Head and the Heart.

The band has six members, including Johnson, and the lone female member Charity Rose Thielen contributes vocals on a couple tracks, including Rivers and Roads, adding a nice blend. The album begins strong, and I love the segue between the last minute of Coeur D'Alene into Ghosts. It really sets the tone for the rest of the album.

The songs are not only deep in meaning, but composition as well. Just when you think a song is following a basic scheme, it evolves into a much denser and elaborate track. A very musically in-sync group, many of the tracks even incorporate humming, rather than actual lyrics, which only serve to enhance the overall product. The music is as smooth as can be -- just give it a listen and find out for yourself.

Favorite tracks: It would be easy to say "all of them," but my personal favorites are Lost in My Mind and Down in the Valley. They are just so easygoing and simple and you can really feel the vulnerability and human element in the lyrics. Honey Come Home is also a beautiful song about being in love.

A Silent Film - The City that Sleeps (2010)

A Silent Film - The City that Sleeps (2010)

1. Sleeping Pills (4:03)
2. Julie June (4:13)
3. Thirteen Times the Strength (4:01)
4. One Wrong Door (3:43)
5. Lamplight (3:54)
6. Gerontion (3:00)
7. Feather White (3:35)
8. You Will Leave a Mark (3:40)
9. Highest Regard (4:05)
10. Ghosts in the Water (4:55)
11. Aurora (4:16)




A Silent Film is a four-piece indie alternative rock band that hails from England. The City that Sleeps is the band's debut album, and after giving it a couple of listens, there's no denying that they debut with a bang.

The band is pure rock, and you'll have no problem hearing that electric guitar, the fast-paced drums, and even the piano during all the tracks. However, each track seems to almost focus on a different instrument. Some highlight the guitar, others the drums and others the piano, making for a nice mix.

Robert Stevenson, Karl Bareham, Ali Hussain
and Spencer Walker of A Silent Film.

Although, if there is a criticism, the band is almost so consistent that the first few tracks almost mesh together without much disparity, and it isn't until the fifth track, Lamplight, when you hear something a little different. But that's certainly not to say it isn't bad. After that track, though, the album certainly picks up steam, and only gets better with every song.

I couldn't help but draw comparisons between lead singer Robert Stevenson's vocals to that of English counterpart Matthew Bellamy of Muse. Not to compare the two by any means, but Stevenson shares Bellamy's powerful vocal ability to not only mix his range between low and high notes, but to sustain the notes for a long period of time. Indeed, the sixth track, Gerontion, easily sounds like it could have been a Muse song.

Favorite tracks: Track nine, You Will Leave a Mark, has a furious beat to it that will make it impossible to not bob your head to while you listen, and Highest Regard features an awesome guitar solo towards the end. The final two tracks, Ghost in the Water and Aurora, are hauntingly bone-chilling ballads, the former of which is introduced with the delicate playing of the piano. The last two tracks also serve to showcase Stevenson's extremely appealing vocal abilities.

Horse Feathers - Cynic's New Year (2012)

Horse Feathers - Cynic's New Year (2012)

1. A Heart Arcane (2:48)
2. Last Waltz (3:57)
3. Pacific Bray (2:49)
4. So Long (3:45)
5. Where I'll Be (3:12)
6. Nearly Old Friends (4:15)
7. Fit Against the Country (3:29)
8. Better Company (4:37)
9. Bird on a Leash (3:12)
10. Fire to Fields (4:03)
11. Elegy for Quitters (1:44)
12. Summer for Capricorns (3:13)



An indie folk quintet from Portland, Oregon, Cynic's New Year is Horse Feathers' fourth studio album. Though the music contains a variety of instruments, it remains mellow and controlled throughout. Lead vocalist Justin Ringle's soft and somber voice accompanies the sound nicely, and is very easy to slip into without even knowing what exactly he's saying. Ringle started the band around 2004, and since its inception, has featured a rotating cast of supporting musicians. Currently, the other band members include Nathan Crockett, Dustin Dybvig, Lauren Vidal and Angie Kuzma.

Horse Feathers circa 2010

The incorporation of string instruments like the cello, violin and banjo will appeal to those who enjoy other folk musicians like Mumford and Sons or Trampled by Turtles, but Horse Feathers has their own unique sound. The whole album has a very autumnal feel to it, and will present a very soothing listen during any and all circumstances.

Favorite tracks: It's always enjoyable when the first two tracks on an album blow you away, and "A Heart Arcane" and "Last Waltz" do just that. They don't even give you a chance to dislike the record, and they give you a sense of what their music is all about. "The Last Waltz" opens with a riveting violin solo that is so perfect it's almost bone-chilling to listen to. Additionally, "So Long" is easily the catchiest song on the album as a result of a well-constructed hook.

Jack White - Blunderbuss (2012)

Track Listing

1. Missing Pieces (3:26)

2. Sixteen Saltines (2:36)

3. Freedom At 21 (2:52)

4. Love Interruption (2:38)

5. Blunderbuss (3:06)

6. Hypocritical Kiss (2:50)

7. Weep Themselves To Sleep (4:19)

8. I'm Shakin' (3:00)

9. Trash Tongue Talker (3:20)

10. Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy (3:03)

11. I Guess I Should Go To Sleep (2:37)

12. On And On And On (3:56)

13. Take Me With You When You Go (4:10)

Coming off a celebrated divorce and about four normal-sized careers worth of achievement, Jack White found himself in his Third Man Recording Studios in Nashville, TN stood up by RZA.  Being the inclined business man that he is, White seized the opportunity and the resources and did what he more or less has not stopped doing since his first act (the Detroit-garage-punk duo The Upholsterers) in 2000 started making glorious, in your face blues-based rock music: he began to record.

And let there be no mistake about it, he'd be going this round with guitar in hand.  Jack White's first ever solo album Blunderbuss is the cumulative result of this first session.  It starts with Missing Pieces a paced, up and down groove backed by organ.  There's some sharp lead guitar followed by a competitive reply on the keys in the bridge.  And if it hasn't been apparent by the lyrics thus far that he's addressing his divorce (with Third Man recording artist Karen Elson) in the opening track of this pun of a solo album, we hear some honest reflection in the final verse: 

Sometimes someone controls everything about you

And when they tell you that they just can’t live without you
They ain’t lyin', they’ll take pieces of you
And they’ll stand above you and walk away
That’s right and take a part of you with them

From there we're back in high school, listening to the likes of boy on girl crushes among stickered lockers in the second pre-album released single Sixteen Saltines.  Its simple and heavy riff has become the recognizable signature of the compilation.  Sounding like something off a later White Stripes album, it's all Jack as he inquires "Who's jealous who's jealous who's jealous of who".

Followed at number three on the tracklist is Feedom At 21 which might have the most engaging hook on the record, sure to have concertgoers' heads undulating to its rhythm.  Jack basically raps the lyrics - Bob Dylan would be proud - about a strong independent and possibly satanic woman of the 21st century.

White and Amanfu

Love Interruption, the first single released and the first hint at the time of what a Jack White solo album might encompass, is a simple, expressive and righteous diddy with backing vocals by a new player in the equation, Ruby Amanfu, a member of the female band he tours with.  Whereas in The Dead Weather Alison Mosshart's vocals were often eerily mistakable with Jack's, Amanfu has her own distinct echoing vibe that complements the hell out of what Jack has to say.  The woodwind, my guess an oboe, present with its repetitive sequence is a nice touch too, reminding us of the vast instrumentation on The White Stripe's 2005 album Get Behind Me Satan.

In Blunderbuss, the album-named track, Jack's vocals are featured more than anywhere else.  There's a delightful country morning sway of strings supporting his soft[er] croons.  In Hypocritical Kiss, more accusatory rhetoric at perhaps, a past lover, is accompanied with piano in the foreground and plenty of cymbal clashes.

That covers the first half of the album, which offers a completely different menu than the latter. Consisting of unforced and seemingly more intuitive passages, it's no wonder these were in the lineup's beginning, the only natural place for what one must proverbially remove off one's chest.  The second half of the album is about having fun and a heavy return to the Blues.  I'm Shakin' is pure conviviality, a goofing off tune with a noticeable mispronunciation of "nervous" as "noyvus".  What's great about White is that he gifts us with his guitar shredding even in songs like this.  Attendees of his live shows are even more so in his debt for this particular generosity.

Hip (Epononymous) Poor Boy is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and definitely the standout of the second half.  Light-hearted and playful its simultaneous self-deprecating lyrics betrayed by optimistic playing that seems to be saying "the tricks on you" can not help but uplift anyone within its reach.

The album concludes with some goodies like On And On And On, sounding like a manipulation of three or four Beatles songs in one and the last track Take Me With You When You Go, which relies on a mellifluous jazzy riff, with violins chiming in and out.  Halfway through it re-directs you to a funky rock sound with Jack backed by female vocals taking helm.  There's the given guitar input that every White fan expects and it makes for a satisfying close to the album.

Blunderbuss is a dichotomy in the same vein that all vinyls, the medium of audio White most promotes, come with two sides.  It is for every fan of Jack White's past projects, especially for those of The White Stripes who may have felt withdrawn from The Dead Weather given White's percussive role.  For the music fan who is not as familiar with daunting anthology of White, Blunderbuss is as good a place to start as any so long as you don't wait too long to start - for he's likely to come out with his next production by the time you hit the home stretch.

LISTEN: Blunderbuss on Spotify

WATCH: White Performing at Webster Hall - April 27, 2012

Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light (2012)

Spiritualized - Sweet Heart Sweet Light (2012)

1. Huh? (1:01)
2. Hey Jane (8:51)
3. Little Girl (3:43)
4. Get What You Deserve (6:47)
5. Too Late (3:45)
6. Headin' for the Top Floor (8:22)
7. Freedom (4:31)
8. I Am What I Am ((4:37)
9. Mary (6:11)
10. Life is a Problem (4:02)
11. So Long You Pretty Thing (7:49)




Sweet Heart Sweet Light is the seventh studio album by Spiritualized. Though the band members have changed over time, the lead singer, named Jason Pierce, has remained the one constant. In Sweet Heart Sweet Light, Pierce wrote every song on the album.

Jason Pierce

The music on Sweet Heart Sweet Light can best be described as spacy dream pop, not unlike Free Energy (though a little less upbeat) or MGMT. The mood of the music is introspective and nostalgic. As a recovering drug addict, you can really sense the sincerity and regret in Pierce's voice with every song.

Favorite tracks: "Too Late" and "Freedom" are very nice ballads that are fun to listen to on a rainy day. Whereas "Hey Jane" is a monster of a track that almost feels like two different songs. The first half is like fast-paced Strokes song, and the second half is a melodic mix of Pierce and background singers. But there isn't really one song on the album that will let you down.