Arjun Core Review

For The Fan Present

Arjun “Core” Review

We’ve covered some unique music on For The Fan, but this may take the cake folks. Arjun releases the record “Core” and blows everyone away with precision guitar work, eclectic bass lines, and genre shifting that is going to cause your head to explode. Turn the blender in your brain on to 11 because you aren’t going to be able to peg this as just one type of record, it’s all instrumental, all done with expertise, and there’s not one wasted second or moment on this release. It’s an iconic record that is going to live on as more people pay attention to how well this is layered.

Blood Sugar Summer “The Most Photographed Woman On The Planet”

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Blood Sugar Summer

“The Most Photographed Woman On The Planet”

Blood Sugar Summer mixes one of the most compelling soundscapes with lyrics that will floor you. Their latest track “The Most Photographed Woman On The Planet” really shines light on a tragic tale. There’s an evolution of sound that comes through here. You will find that it’s beautiful throughout, and it focuses on transitional moments, so you aren’t getting anything that is droning or repetitive. It’s eclectic, it’s a sonic boom of lyricism mixed with an aural effect that just works.

Blood Sugar Summer Haunted

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Blood Sugar Summer “Haunted” Single (2014)

There is a lot of music that comes out today and you don’t get to hear it. I don’t like that notion, so I try my best to look for all sorts of new acts, good music, and even publish my playlists daily through last.fm. Upon coming across Blood Sugar Summer, I recognized one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. It’s with the release of “Haunted” from their upcoming record, that I realized the duo of Benjó James and Jack Wilson may very well be my new favorite artists.

Nina Kotova Plays Profoundly Beautiful Cello Music on Her Latest Release of J.S. Bach Suites

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Nina Kotova "J.S. Bach The Cello Suites" (2014) Review

When it comes to classical music, you most likely know the big names from the past. But did you know that there are a lot of contemporary players, soloists, conductors and more that are creating beautiful music? That’s what you get when you listen to Nina Kotova’s latest record of J.S. Bach Suites for Cello. I was completely stunned with this release as I didn’t expect it to be as transformative as it is. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best release I’ve heard all year, and that trumps nearly every single record I’ve reviewed to this day.

Mouth of The South Struggle Well

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Mouth of The South “Struggle Well” (2014) Review

Facedown Records has been making some serious moves lately. They put out a ton of records in the past decade, and for those that have grown up with the hardcore scene in the 909 area code of Southern California, you know very well what they are all about. The label is one of the tried and true staples of hardcore and metal-core and release after release they have been pushing forward no matter what. I’m impressed with their longevity, and their latest string of releases are incredible, including the latest release from Mouth of The South.

Delyric Oracle Vanilla Sky

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Delyric Oracle “Vanilla Sky” (2014) Review

There are so many hip hop records released through the year that it becomes difficult to get to all of them. Some stand out from others, and if you focus on the independent world, you really get art in the form of music. That’s what you get when you finally sit down to hear Delyric Oracle. On the release of “Vanilla Sky” you’re treated to a modernist effort, one akin to the art that you may not understand, but you will definitely call talented and unique. The delivery here is one that you’re going to stand back and just wonder, it’s the type of work that makes you think, because it’s different, refreshing, and downright unique.

Broken Bells After The Disco

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Broken Bells “After The Disco” (2014) Review

I’ve been lost in a sea of freelance writing. No one tells you that being a freelancer will require you to work 10 – 14 hour days, 7 days a week. But the one thing about working for yourself, or rather on your own is that you can listen to music all day and night. It’s a dream, it’s a gift, but the work is a curse because it’s a far cry from what the 9 to 5 world gets paid. Fulfilling, yes, but that’s for another time. The latest release from Broken Bells is a mix of melancholy tunes and creative combinations that trumps their debut record by a huge leap, in my view. “After The Disco” was released recently and while pop radio is going to miss playing singles from this record, fans will once again tune into some of the more interesting music coming out of the musical landscape right now.

Statistics Often Lie

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Statistics “Often Lie” (2005) Review

The sound of the underground was brewing some incredible music in the late 1990s and through the early half of the 2000s. Statistics was one of those bands that was producing some incredible recordings, and yet didn’t get the mainstream success that other bands seemed to get. On the Jade Tree label, they were able to create a lot of good music, and only now are people starting to realize it in many ways. For fans of indie, shoe gaze, and guitar driven rock music, this sits well with the rest of the collection. But for those that are looking at this genre for the first time, you’ll be astonished by what Statistics puts together on their 2005 release “Often Lie”. It’s a mix of 9 tracks that will go from the heights of independent rock to the lows of emo and indie.

Atmosphere Southsiders

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Atmosphere “Southsiders” (2014) Review

Slug is back and this time he shakes off the dust that plagued his last release and brings back the incredible rhymes that came through on “When Life Gives You Lemons…” In fact, it was that previous album that garnered so much critical acclaim for Slug. The introspective lyricism, and the forward thinking thought process of an alternative rapper shines through on “Southsiders”. He finds a way to complicate the task through eclectic soundscapes and delivery in what you would expect from Atmosphere. The record starts off with an instant classic, “Camera Thief”, which bridges the gap from “Shoulda Known” and “The Family Sign”.

Army of The Pharaohs In Death Reborn

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Army of The Pharaohs “In Death Reborn” (2014) Review

It’s interesting to see how underground hip hop has evolved. Groups and rappers that are outside of the mainstream have found a way to put pencil to paper and create lavish landscapes of poetry, and no one listens. No one online seemed to be talking about the drop of one of the best hip hop records of all time, that’s right, of all time, and it’s not coming from Eminem or Jay Z. Drake and the rest of the boys that are making big money on lackluster vocabulary, need to step back and let Army of The Pharaohs start to bring forth a new era in rap. On this year’s release, “In Death Reborn”, the group ties together all the loose ends and knocks down the most vocabulary words you can possibly think about into a stellar example of how you rhyme just about anything with extended verses.

Taking Back Sunday: Happiness Is

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Taking Back Sunday “Happiness Is” (2014) Review

I was in high school (I know that dates me), when I first was introduced to Taking Back Sunday. I hated them. I was really into hardcore, and they didn’t offer the hardcore leanings that I was into at the time, and despite my protest, their first album grew on me. I was hooked with the choruses that would just not stop, and soon I was singing along in their emo drenched rock fusion of alternative guitars and whining….I mean singing. When they hit the ground running, they had a string of hits and a ton of tours opening up for much heavier bands. The scene was hot in Southern California, and when they came through with Thursday, I was there rocking out.

Emmure: Eternal Enemies

Emmure: Eternal Enemies

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Emmure “Eternal Enemies” (2014) Review

There are a lot of hardcore and metalcore acts that are touring the country right now, and one of them hit the road with contemporaries on the “Mosh Lives Tour”. I went to see it go down, and realized that I’m too old for it. Plus, I didn’t have a camera, no smartphone, nothing, so my experience was definitely one of pure sight and sound. The headlining act was none other than controversial metalcore 5-piece Emmure and they tour the house apart with extreme force of sound. Victory Records has been counting down the days of this release and it finally hit the stores and the pre-orders shipped. The release of “Eternal Enemies” not only presents one of the heaviest chapters in the band’s history, it very well could be the best produced metalcore, deathcore buffet you’re going to listen to this year.

Reeve Oliver: Touchtone Inferno

Reeve Oliver: Touchtone Inferno

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Reeve Oliver “Touchstone Inferno” (2007) Review

Dogwood was a Christian punk rock band that seemed to be hitting their stride in the 2000’s, and that may not make a lot of sense to most music fans out there, especially if you weren’t keen on Tooth and Nail’s mad dash to sign any act that had a regional following in this scene. Well, Dogwood had a guitar player named Sean O’Donnell and he went on to create a band called Reeve Oliver. This band is one of the best pop punk rock acts that you probably didn’t hear about, and it’s sad.

Throwdown: Intolerance

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Throwdown “Intolerance” (2014) Review

In the past Throwdown were darlings of straightedge hardcore with metallic riffs. However, around the time Eighteen Visions and other bands on the Trustkill Records label started getting famous, they altered their style to be more “commercial” friendly. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean they got a lot of radio play, but the sound was less militant, and more strategic in the hardcore bounty that they were trying to get a shot at. If you heard one Hatebreed record, for instance, than you know what the shift in sound was likened to. For years, I didn’t like the releases, and out of the blue, they come out with a record that returns to form and still rocks heavy, with “Intolerance”.

Saving Grace: The Urgency

Saving Grace: The Urgency

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Saving Grace “The Urgency” (2014) Review

Artist: Saving Grace

Album: “The Urgency”

Release: 2014

Genre: Metal/Hardcore

Facedown Records has released some of the most iconic records from the world of metal, hardcore and punk. I’ve been a fan since I was a teenager, and even booked some shows with their bands back in 2001 – 2003. The label has gone through transitional stages, with some bands not hitting me as hard, and then they picked up the pace and started signing some incredible bands and putting out albums that completely change the way I’ve viewed their roster. One such signing is that of Saving Grace. The previous releases rocked, but nothing compares to this latest record from the band.

The Upsetters: Super Ape

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The Upsetters “Super Ape” (1976) Review

Artist: The Upsetters

Album: “Super Ape”

Release: 1976

Genre: Dub/Reggae

When you talk about reggae with most people, they just know one name, and that’s Bob Marley. Yes, his contributions are grand, and yes, he’s worth noting, but there’s more to the style than just the one man. For instance, today we are going to take you back to the hot summer of 1976. August 1976 to be exact, when a group of studio musicians got together to form a dub reggae record known as “Super Ape”. The cool cover art aside, the album has been touted as one of the best dub albums of all time, and even included in one of those nifty books that chronicles the best albums you should hear before you kick the bucket.

Esoteric and Stu Bangas: Machete Mode

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Esoteric and Stu Bangas “Machete Mode” (2013) Review

Artist: Esoteric and Stu Bangas

Album: “Machete Mode”

Release: 2013

Genre: Hip Hop/Rap

A lot of the best music isn’t heard, or even seen. If you read independent hip hop media, however, you may hear about some of the better options. However, while mainstream media talks about only the artists that are signed to big labels or friends and family of Dr. Dre, Eminem, or any number of established stars from the past, there are some that are just working hard to come together and create rhymes that are just eclectic to say the least.

Disclosure: An Introduction

For those of you were also too cautious or lazy to input your credit card information into Google Play, let me just say that it is completely worth it. I now introduce you to ‘Disclosure’, an up and coming Electronica artist that I am now listening to on repeat.

They made a few splashes in the UK since the sibling duo started in 2010, but garnered more attention with the release of the hit single "Latch" featuring the talented Sam Smith in 2012. Signed to PMR, they released two more singles which are included on their debut full length album titled "Settle" just released in June of 2013.

If you really want to get down with your bad self while jogging around the block or cleaning the house, take a listen to their album and when the person you’re sitting next to at a red light stares at you for party rocking in your car, just know that they are the ones missing out.

Especially check out the tracks: Defeated No More and January 

Check out their website: http://disclosureofficial.com/

Their single "Latch": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93ASUImTedo

KMD: Mr. Hood

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K.M.D “Mr. Hood” (1991) Review

Artist: K.M.D.

Album: “Mr. Hood”

Released: 1991

Genre: Hip Hop/ Rap

Murs and Fashawn: This Generation

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Murs x Fashawn“This Generation” (2012) Review

Artist: Murs and Fashawn

Album: “This Generation”

Released: 2012

Genre: Hip Hop/Rap