Review: Sexstone - The Painful Side Of Truth

Sexstone - The Painful Side Of True
2009, Sexstone

Madisonville, Kentucky isn't the first place that might occur to you as home of a vibrant Indie rock band, but Sexstone hasn't come this far by being typical. Without a wealth of known clubs to play, Sexstone has created their own, renting out Elks Clubs, VFW lodges and whatever other space they can find while putting a lot of time performing for benefit concerts for various charities. Sexstone has quickly built a rabidly loyal following and is looking to expand their fan base outside of their home territory. Led by singer Steve Bauer, Sexstone has recorded and released their full-length debut album, The Painful Side Of The True.

Sexstone gets off to a great start with Thank You, a sardonic rocker about the end of a relationship. The theme here is universal and should speak to most, while the tune has a catchy beat and strong melody. Theme sounds like a soundtrack piece from a teen comedy, sung by the poor lost soul who never, ever gets the girl. Things trend progressively downhill from there, with Sexstone relying on repetition and emotional weight to drive the music. This combination tends to way it down instead. One highlight awaits those who dig deep into the album however. Wait For Me (Soldier's Song) is a lament and prayer about a life that will pass him by back home. Written from the perspective of a deploying soldier whose wife is pregnant, it’s an acknowledgement that he's going to miss out on a lot and a plea for it all to slow down and wait until he gets home. Wait For Me is an amazing tune. From the high to the low, Sexstone falls to You Know. The writer's depressed; the songs depressed; I was depressed before the song was over. Even when the big guitars kick in the energy just isn't there. Sexstone closes out with two average, easy to overlook tracks: Screaming Daylight and Lift. The former is flat and the latter simply fails to stand out in any remarkable fashion.

Sexstone possesses some real talent, but you have to work through a lot of average material on The Painful Side Of True to get to the gold music nuggets therein. Wait For Me (Soldier's Song) is special, and Thank You is decent, but the rest of the album is mired in mediocrity. Bauer's got an intriguing voice that wends its way through the songs presented here, and the musicianship is strong. Take some time to check out Sexstone. I don't know if they have it 100% together yet sound-wise, but they're definitely on the way to somewhere.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Sexstone at http://www.sexstoneband.com/ or www.myspace.com/sexstonerocks. You can purchase The Painful Side Of True as either a CD or Download from CDBaby.com. You can also download the album from iTunes.

Review: megaphone - Exit Silent Mode

megaphone - Exit Silent Mode
2009, megaphone

megaphone are the reigning princes of Orlando, Florida's Hard Rock scene, regularly outdrawing other local bands and even gaining opening spots for artists such as Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Everclear, Seven Mary Three and Edwin McCain. Their debut album, 2005's For Crying Out Loud had several tracks featured on MTV's Made and garnered radio play across Florida. While For Crying Out Loud was representative of the band, their latest album, Exit Silent Mode more accurately captures megaphone's live sound across 12 songs and a number of searing guitar solos.

Exit Silent Mode opens with Write It Down, sounding like a cross between 1980's Pop-Metal bands like Ratt and Poison mixed up with a bit of Modern Rock ala Three Doors Down. Big Hooks and a fat guitar sound over a driving beat make this a treat for the ears. Gravitate is manna for hard rock fans, kicking serious axe while holding tight to big Pop hooks that will send you spinning. This has become megaphone's biggest song live and is worth the price of admission. The Sin has a Jersey feel, reminiscent of Glen Burtnik's writing with Plinky. My Favorite Disaster finds megaphone reaching for the commercial lynchpin; this is Modern and Pop Rock radio fodder. It's not as dynamic as some of the heavier material, but proves megaphone can play on the big stage. What If is a big rock anthem with a chorus you won't be able to shake that challenges listeners to let go of petty concerns and grab on to what's real.

Whisper and Uncelebrated continue the migration to a more Pop sounding Hard Rock that enters the Bon Jovi of the late 1980's territory. We Were Young sticks with the mellow Hard Rock ethic before megaphone amps things up a bit with Making Sense, which may be the best tune on the CD. It's not a complicated tune, straightforward in composition with big hooks, good harmonies and a fast-driving rhythm that would play well to radio (Modern Rock and Pop). Exit Silent Mode closes out with The Last One, a dark and mildly ominous tune sketched in minor keys that reminds listeners that no matter how much time you think you might have the end could be right around the corner. The song challenges you to step up and "go for broke". It's an interesting composition, not really typical of the sound presented by megaphone thus far on Exit Silent Mode but not out of character with it either.

megaphone is an interesting band. Walking the line between 1980's glam and the current trend in Modern Rock isn't all that unusual, but megaphone has the panache of the former and the clean lines of the latter, which is the reverse of what many bands do today. The material on Exit Silent Mode is mixed with a lot of ups and downs, but megaphone has the personality and panache to carry the weaker songs. When everything is working, megaphone approaches greatness. How this plays out over time is anyone's guess, but suffice it to say you can't go wrong with megaphone or Exit Silent Mode.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about megaphone at http://www.megaphonemusic.net/, where you can purchase a copy of Exit Silent Mode. You can download the album through iTunes.

Review: Officer Roseland - Stimulus Package

Officer Roseland - Stimulus Package
2008, Officer Roseland

Take a bit of Beatles style pop sensibility, the testosterone-laced flamboyance of Cowboy Mouth and a little trash/punk attitude; mix it all up and let it simmer in the underground Philadelphia Punk scene and you get Officer Roseland. Ironic and wry in an in-your-face fashion, Officer Roseland offer up their cure for what ails you with 2008's Stimulus Package, their fourth release.

Dan Daidone (bass/vocals); Brian Jones (guitar/keys); John Ilisco (drums) and Rob DiJoseph (guitar/bass) mix it up on Stimulus Package, running between highly precise pop/punk anthems and reckless rockers straight from the mosh pit. The CD opens with We Want Your Money, a tongue-in-cheek diatribe on the "selling out" side of the music business most bands deride from the stage as the practice from the souvenir booth. Up next is Modern Rock extravaganza Spiders, sounding a bit like Three Doors Down crossed with Matchbox 20. Exploding from the genteel disposition offered on the first two tracks, Officer Roseland blows up in pure punker glory on That's Armageddon. These first three tracks offer an excellent triangulation of the depth and breadth of Officer Roseland's style. It's not so much that Officer Roseland can't pick a direction; they just refused to be tied down into one sound.

Cracked Harmonies has a great minor key twilight sound to it that keeps this driving rocker coming back into your head, whereas Don't Even packs a testosterone-laden punch ala Cowboy Mouth's John Thomas Griffin. Other highlights include the frenetic The Day B4 U Almost Died, Letting You Go and Bloo Bloo.

Officer Roseland knows how to mix it up in the mosh pits as well as on the big rock stage. Stimulus Package is full of humor, strong melodies and punker attitude tempered by a strong pop sensibility (most of the time). Stimulus Package is a highly enjoyable listen that I imagine could only be enhanced in a live setting. This is good time Rock N Roll.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Officer Roseland at http://www.officerroseland.com/. Officer Roseland will pay you to download Stimulus Package from their website. We’re not kidding…

Review: EB11 - One Decision

EB11 – One Decision
2006, EB11

Tenerife, Spain’s EB11 has a second home based in Miami, Florida. This two-hemisphere quartet lists references including Three Days Grace, Metallica, Dream Theater, Green Day, Nirvana, Three Doors Down and Pink Floyd. Their sound is straight up modern rock. Their 2006 EP, One Decision fits right into the Modern Rock mold.

One Decision opens with Myself Again, an energetic rocker about running away from change. She is a radio-ready wall-of-sound rocker with real commercial potential. The best track on One Decision is Be The One. EB11 comes off sounding a lot like Better Than Ezra in a catchy song full of great hooks and transitions. One Decision closes out with the martial rhythms of Going On. This one is a little more typical of the Modern Rock genre but still quite catchy.

EB11 gets better as One Decision progresses, and the EP is definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about EB11 at www.myspace.com/eb11music or http://www.eb11music.com/. You can download One Decision from iTunes, Napster or Rhapsody.

Review: One Step Away - One Decision

One Step Away – One Decision
2008, One Step Away

Andover, Massachussets quartet One Step Away has taken the Boston music scene by storm, winning the Boston Music Festival’s Alternative Rock genre in 2008. Led by the lyric rock lead vocals of Adam Carrington, One Step Away blasts away with a heavy rock sound that borders on Prog and 80’s hair-metal sounds with big guitar solos, big choruses and an arena-ready sound. Their debut release, One Decision, debuted in December of 2008, just seventeen months after the bands inception.

One Step Away opens up with In This Moment, a wonderfully musical and melodic hard rocker that contrasts the melodic musical chaos of Terrence Healy’s guitar work and the lyric nature of Adam Carrington’s voice. This is an incredibly dynamic rock song that will grab you by the shirt and won’t let you go until its done. Over The Edge is a big, bruising guitar rocker that sounds like Metallica with Slash sitting in. Run Away is a driving rock song that’s perfectly positioned for Modern Rock and Hard Rock radio formats. It’s the most blandly commercial song on the EP but still a pleasant listen. The Space Within is amazing introspective and reserved in comparison to the first three tracks, and displays some of the range One Step Away possesses.

One Step Away is a rising dynamic force in Boston. It’s easy to see how they could be the next big thing from the Boston scene to rise to national prominence. Time and sales will tell, but One Step Away looks to have a very bright future. One Decision is a great intro.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about One Step Away at www.myspace.com/1stepawayband or http://www.onestepawayband.com/, where you can purchase a copy of One Decision.