Delyric Oracle Vanilla Sky

For The Fan Presents:

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.

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.

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.

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