Wildy's World Sunday Singles: Revis Mindwalk Blvd Hollie LA

Revis - Save Our Souls
2011, NRG Artists

L.A. rockers Revis will be charging up the New Orleans film festival this fall with the song "Save Our Souls", written for a documentary of the same name documenting the burlesque scene in post-Katrina New Orleans.  Recently released on Revis' album Do We Have To Beg?, "Save Our Souls" is a tasty blend of hard rock and pop, Edge-friendly but with enough pop sensibility go mainstream.  Vocalist Justin Holman has that front-man thing, with a charismatic voice that reaches through the speakers, grabs hold of you and lets you know you better listen. 

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

 www.revisrocks.com. 

 iTunes

Mindwalk Blvd - Reach / Bite My Tongue

2011, Mindwalk Blvd

Boston-based teen rockers Mindwalk Blvd return this spring with two singles, "Reach" and "Bite My Tongue", the first new material since we first heard from the band two years back.  Bigger, more mature and full of a new confidence, Mindwalk Blvd expand their sound by reduction on "Reach".  The melodic, acoustic-based power pop song features strong harmony vocals.  Lead vocalist Ian Hayes has definitely grown into his voice, which is powerful but full of nuance.  There's definitely more of an alt-rock commercial edge to this tune than in the band's past work, but the transformation stays true to their progressive rock roots.  "Bite My Tongue" is a progressive-rock anthem with big pop hooks and distinctive triadic harmonies.  There's an introspective feel hidden inside of the heavy rock approach that's appealing, and Mindwalk Blvd effectively blends the non-traditional segmentation of progressive rock with a modern alternative edge.

Mindwalk Blvd continues to develop their sound in impressive fashion.  The little boy next door has grown up, and he swings a mean guitar.  "Reach"/"Bite My Tongue" is an impressive pairing.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

http://www.mindwalkband.com/

Reach:      Amazon.com       iTunes

Bite My Tongue:    Amazon.com     iTunes

Hollie LA - Hard 2 Get
2011, Unlocked Records

LA pop chanteuse Hollie LA returns with two singles for the first half of 2011.  "Hard 2 Get" is a song of sour grapes from one who played hard to get and now finds the roles reversed.  Driven by a big, bass-filled dance beat, this is fairly straight-forward commercial dance pop.  Hollie L.A. has a nice, powerful alto voice that shines even in the midst of a sugar-drop pop song.  "Poison - The Remix" is a bit more driven; dance material with a heavy bit.  This isn't quite as catchy or fun as "Hard 2 Get", but Hollie L.A.'s voice is worth sticking around for.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

 www.holliela.com

 Amazon.com 

iTunes

Hollie LA - Poison (The Remix)
2011, Unlocked Records

Hollie LA's "Poison - The Remix" is a driven, heavy dance number with techno/house ambitions.  The song itself is formulaic dance pop, fluffed up with drums and bass.  Forgettable in and of itself, the song is made memorable but Hollie LA's voice.  In this day and age, it's hard to know how much of that is Hollie LA and how much is computer chip, but if that voice is for real then Hollie LA is using a wonderful instrument to create fluff.  This sort of voice deserves a lot more exposure than it will get from "Poison".

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

www.holliela.com

Amazon.com

iTunes

The Wildy's World Top-40 Of 2008: #13-19

Ah yes, the dreaded end-of-year lists have begun. Not being able to resist the call of annoying pop-culture end of year lists, we here at Wildy's World thought we'd tear our hair our trying to present you with the top 40 albums we've reviewed in 2008. The albums had to be released in 2007 or 2008 in order to be considered, and a total of 537 albums were in the mix. This means the forty albums we'll present over the next 10 days comprise the top 7.5% of submissions in 2008!Each listing will give a very brief statement about the album, and the artist name/title will serve as a hyperlink to the original Wildy's World review, where you can also find links to the artists' website and links to purchase their CDs.

And the tensions builds as today we are covering #'s 13-19. #1 is on the horizon...


#19 Gena Perala - This Ain't Pretty

Gena Perala combines the lyrical oomph of a Bruce Coburn or Springsteen with the post-Ani DiFranco sense of pop/folk/punk songwriting style. This Ain't Pretty is gritty and tough and distinctly beautiful (without being pretty).

#18 Mindwalk BLVD - Paint The Seconds

A progressive rock power trio whose oldest member is a green 16 goes on to nearly win a spot opening for Yes on their 40th Anniversary Tour. If the tour hadn't been cancelled due to Jon Anderson's health problems you'd already be hearing these kids everywhere. As it is it's just a matter of time.

#17 The Break And Repair Method - Milk The Bee

Matchbox 20's Paul Doucette comes out from behind the drum kit on this sparkling solo-debut. With the help of folks like Nina Gordon, Moon Unit Zappa and Matt Beck, Doucette has crafted one of the stickiest sets of melodies of the year.

#16 Beware Fashionable Women - Beware Fashionable Women

Barenaked Ladies style kitsch. Beach Boys Harmonies. Dick Dale style guitar and an edginess reminiscent of The Clash. This is the gloriously improbable package offered up by Beware Fashionable Women. One of the most pleasant surprises of 2008.

#15 Alyssa Graham - Echo

An artist who could have been a star in any era, Graham shows a love and respect for the history of jazz while adding a modern sensibility and appeal. Echo is the sort of album that gets the ear of musicians, many of whom may line up to work with Graham on future projects.

#14 Dare Dukes - Prettiest Transmitter Of All

Dukes is a musical story-teller, nay, a troubadour who finds the most unusual angles. Pulling the humor from life rather than poking fun, Dukes can make you laugh about a story while feeling the underlying angst all in the same song. A songwriter's songwriter.

#13 Reid MacLean - Bright Fading Star
MacLean is a sublime story teller with a near-perfect pop sense. His ability to connect to the listener is insane, and the list of contributors for this album will show you how much respect he already has in the music world.