Ballroom Boxer: Hearts are wild

Ballroom Boxer’s new EP Hearts are Wild is a refreshing take on pop rock. The Boxers hail from Chicago and have produced a feel good summer EP best enjoyed cruising Lake Shore Drive with a group of friends. Lead vocalist Mike Altier has a great voice for rock and brought to mind Joey Ramone and Paul Westerberg. Altier has a knack for writing catchy pop hooks and along with some fine musicianship , this EP offers a melodic, tight batch of tracks. “Genuine July” is an infectious rocker with driving guitar work and a tight rhythm section. “Last cig” is a breakup song featuring some quality harmonies and driving percussion. What really works well on this EP is the craftsmanship, length of the tracks, and content of hooks.  “Hearts are wild”, a track describing first love in a relatable way displays an effective chorus. “Lost in somebody” is the standout single on the EP and contains a great pop hook along with superb vocals and ample guitar work. This track sounds like a hit and should be blowing up in this writer’s opinion. The only misstep on the EP is the superfluous “Feel the wave” , with its lesser quality of production and lack of a real hook. Although I did enjoy a great guitar solo towards the end of the song, the track seems a little out of place on this EP. Overall, I feel that Ballroom Boxers have crafted an excellent little EP with some energetic rockers sure to place indie rock fans longing for guitar licks and rock vocals.

http://soundcloud.com/ballroomboxer/tracks

Oh No Not Stereo: InCaseOfStaresUseFire

Los Angeles pop/punk band Oh No Not Stereo shows up strong and ready to rock on their LP InCaseOfStaresuseFire. Independently released and well promoted, the band offers 10 slabs of positive ,melodic and anthem orientated  rockers that are tailor made for modern rock radio, clubs on the Sunset Strip as well as larger venues ala’ the Warped Tour. Comparisons that come to mind for this writer include recent Foo Fighters as well as Get Up Kids and Fall Out Boy. ONNS, a duo on their recordings, consists of Skylar Nielsen and Mykul Lee, who are both multi-instrumentalists. Their versatility, ambition and experience certainly present themselves well on the new LP with a BIG, solid shine. It’s an LP filled to the brim with propulsive rhythms, soaring vocals, energetic guitar solos and solid production. The subject matter is pretty standard however. Breakups, makeups and lost love are well worn themes in this genre, but it sure sounds like ONNS is having fun putting their own spin on these topics and their enthusiasm travels throughout the LP. Opener “Behind closed doors” kicks off with a guitar assault and then morphs into a catchy melody with some added instrumentation. Although I was hoping for more of a payoff in the chorus, it is still a decent rocker. Vocal harmonies were very tight throughout. “Big hero from a small town” and “Carnivores” are both solid anthems with pleasing hooks and I would imagine they encourage some excitement at a live show. The former contains some nice builds and dynamics as well as polished piano work. The later reminds me a bit of recent Green Day which this writer happens to enjoy. “Brighterside”, a well paced ballad, focuses on the failures we all encounter but the realization that we must overcome obstacles we create ourselves. “Can’t hide out forever” has a great opening riff ala’ Judas Priest, and some fine guitar work throughout, as well as a solid melody that invites repeat listens. “Heartless”, this writer’s favorite track on the LP, has a catchy melody, great hook and stood out as the most likely track to hit it big on college radio. “Make my move”, with its theme of regretting lost love, has some great guitar work to bring home its point.  “She’s electric” and “Static friction heart” both excel as energetic rockers. “Time to let it all go” also has a catchy melody and some super piano work. ONNS is certainly geared to continue their rise in the ranks of pop/punk enthusiasts with the new LP and this writer looks forwards to their success.

Emina Rock

What first struck me when diving into Vienna Austria recording artist Emina Rock’s album was the power of the lead singer’s voice. A combination of hard rock wails and bluesy soul stood out on the first listen.  Amazing power and control along with a vulnerability makes it quite appealing.  I would compare the voice to Amy Lee, Johnette Napolitano or Gwen Stefani  on certain tracks. Soaring vocals really shine on this album. Overall, the vocals along with the searing guitar work and driving percussion create instant comparisons to Ritchie Blackmore era Deep Purple, early Whitesnake or perhaps April Wine.  All quality references, albeit not hugely trendy these days, in my prospective. “Action Girl” has a catchy chorus and driving bass line. It reminds me Concrete Blonde. This was my favorite track on the record and I really like the pop rock style shown on this track.  These songs are focused primary on relationships and love gone wrong which has certainly been mined for years in this genre but remains interesting here due to the blend of hard rock/ pop styles as well as some scorching guitar licks and more than a dose of attitude. Tracks such as the driving “Speeding on the highway”, “That’s why I’m screaming” and the suggestive “Bitch” are certainly empowering while conversely “Carry me” seems to have a Christian rock message though it could be this writer’s interpretation.  I felt the track “I don’t need words” works well as a power ballad and the vocals are particularly strong in a Amy Lee sort of style.  Nice acoustic guitar work on the pretty “I’m leaving” and “Carry me”. I think the record has a good mix of rockers and ballads which help keep the listener interested. The lead vocalist’s style would lend itself even better to pop rock. Overall the style feels a slight bit dated on some tracks but the production on the record is very professional and I could certainly imagine hearing some of these tracks on modern rock radio.

http://www.emina-rock.com/