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REVIEWS

CD and DVD reviews

Angel Paint, CPR

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June 19, 2013
Angel Paint, CPR

Chicago-based songwriter Jeanie B! is taking a respite from her acclaimed children’s music album making to reflect and revive, on her new album, CPR. Inspired by a series of personal obstacles over the past several years, the six-track EP confronts issues of separation, loss and love renewed. Jeanie wrote: “…having recently gone through a...
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Thomas Tha Franchise, Caffeine Dreams

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June 19, 2013
Thomas Tha Franchise, Caffeine Dreams

Coloradoan Thomas Tha Franchise makes music in such genres as hip hop, pop, and frat rap. He’s a rather untamed spirit, who’ll “get on random trains from time to time just to write songs.” The product of such ventures is his spankin’ new album Caffeine Dreams. The “Intro” track serves to welcome the listener....
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Mammothor, Mammothor

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June 18, 2013
Mammothor, Mammothor

  Combining years of musical experience, the members of Mammothor have played many popular venues around the country Melding a unique yet accessible blend of aggressive guitars, polyrhythmic beats, tasty keyboards, groove-ridden bass lines and infectious vocals, the Mammothor sound is a testament to how this Boston area band insists on shifting the face...
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Layers And Frames, Infinite Release EP

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June 17, 2013
Layers And Frames, Infinite Release EP

Layers and Frames is an act headed by Frederic Brewer, a French-American musician who served four years of Peace Corps duties in China’s Sichuan Province, where he released his debut album, Hubu. After his time in the Orient, he knocked around Europe, sometimes performing, other times seeking inspiration in the mystical psychology of Jung,...
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Joy Focus – “Love Song Cliché”

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June 17, 2013
Joy Focus – “Love Song Cliché”

“Love Song Cliché” is the new single from Illinois rock duo Joy Focus. Musician Rikk Currence and singer Holly Joy have been purveying their “kid tested & mother approved” music since late 2001. From this union have emerged three albums and seven singles, the latest of which is “Love Song Cliché.” It’s a pleasing,...
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Distoria, The Periphery

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June 17, 2013
Distoria, The Periphery

It’s Electronica-a-plenty on Distoria’s debut EP, The Periphery. Organic instrumentation finds itself bolstered with the aid of a plethora of machine-generated sounds: piano and accompanying MIDI; drum set and drum pad and a host of electronically laden sounds provided by audio engineer and bassist Mo Mezrich. The seven-track album is essentially electronic-driven Pop Rock...
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The Dream Logic, The Dream Logic

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June 17, 2013
The Dream Logic, The Dream Logic

Much in the vein of Medeski, Martin and Wood or Galactic; The Dream Logic has ushered forth a fusion album that seemingly says: “Genres, styles and classifications be damned!” Spanning myriad musical styles, the 13-track self-titled album effortlessly blends nuances of Jazz, Rock, Soul and Funk into an amalgam sound where the sum of...
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Straw Dogs, No Dividing Line

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June 17, 2013
Straw Dogs, No Dividing Line

With a heavy emphasis on songwriting, the Straw Dogs have released their new full-length, No Dividing Line—14-tracks of Americana melodies, vast instrumentation and anecdotal, deep lyrical matter. Four years removed from their last outing, Dave Von Beck took a different approach to the songwriting format by initially starting with stripped acoustic versions of the...
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Pedrick, Bitts and Walker, Three

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June 13, 2013
Pedrick, Bitts and Walker, Three

Jazz guitarist David Pedrick (a native of Pennsylvania) just released his latest album called Three. It features  David Pedrick – guitar, Mike Bitts – bass, Aaron Walker – drums and delivers 53+ minutes of classic improvisational Jazz.  This album is the result of an experiment to create a live and unrehearsed single work of...
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Laura Marie, The Season

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June 13, 2013
Laura Marie, The Season

Let’s be honest for just a second shall we. I get a lot of albums sent my way for review and I mean a lot. Most of them don’t do anything for me. They don’t always get happily placed in the CD player, but the ones that do usually get a three song stay...
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Mailman’s Children, Supply and Demand (EP)

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June 11, 2013
Mailman’s Children, Supply and Demand (EP)

This 4 piece Alternative Rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba call themselves Mailman’s Children. Their latest release: Supply and Demand is sure to be remembered as one of the more remembered modern Alternative Rock-Pop releases of our time from Canada. Its pure College Rock the way it used to be via full-tilt of playing, hooky...
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John Flynn, Heading For The Sun

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June 10, 2013
John Flynn, Heading For The Sun

Jersey native John Flynn stopped performing just long enough to lay down his debut solo effort Heading For The Sun, a nine-track album encompassing rock, funk & blues. Themes range from Woodstock nostalgia, to avoiding a night in the slammer, to the concept of home and how it transcends material acquisition. Regarding this last...
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Zappien, Zappien

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June 7, 2013
Zappien, Zappien

Every once in a while I’ll hear a band that truly defies convention in favor of something which I’ll call ‘art’. Zappien is one of those rare artists that have chosen art over commerce, and with unique results. Zappien’s trappings might be in a misguided critic lumping them into the ‘indie’ label, a term...
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Zookeepers Palace Releases ‘Red Sky Ruminations’

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June 6, 2013
Zookeepers Palace Releases ‘Red Sky Ruminations’

This 6 piece funk band from the LA area calls themselves Zookeepers Palace. Their latest release: red Sky Ruminations is sure to be remembered as one of the classic modern funk-Jazz-Pop releases of our time. Its pure funk the way it used to be via full-tilt of playing, hooky grooves and a top tiered...
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Mike Colin, Crystal Cage

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June 5, 2013
Mike Colin, Crystal Cage

A longtime fixture in his hometown’s music scene, Denver native Mike Colin is now releasing Crystal Cage: a ten-track album of alt rock with experimental tendencies. The track “Stepping Stones” is largely founded on an engaging guitar riff with high-distortion. “Let the Good Get Even” is a fine title for a song dealing with...
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LUTHER’S BLUES, WALTER TROUT & HIS BAND

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June 4, 2013
LUTHER’S BLUES, WALTER TROUT & HIS BAND

Journeyman blues guitarist Walter Trout has put together a tribute to blues legend Luther Allison for his 23rd solo release.  Walter had been a fan and even got to play with him once before Luther’s untimely death from cancer at age 57.  Walter has always been a master at taking his influences and putting...
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Charley and Jesi, Circus

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June 3, 2013
Charley and Jesi, Circus

BIO: Indie pop-rock duo that fuses folk and contemporary songwriting with soulful harmonies. They touch on all styles, fusing genres with each song. Their third studio album, ‘Circus’ was also recorded at the Village Recorder, with the exception of Voodoo Woman, which was tracked at Little Dog Records with Pete Anderson. A number of...
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Class Reunion, Life Goes

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June 3, 2013
Class Reunion, Life Goes

JAD aka Jonathan A. Demas and Shaggy Docious aka Mark L. Sanchez are back for another Class Reunion visit with their latest installment ‘Life Goes’.  This time around the duo is hoping for an even bigger turnout with their new release.  ‘Life Goes’…on for both JAD & Shaggy D as they hope that this...
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Cheech and Chong, Animated Soundtrack

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June 3, 2013
Cheech and Chong, Animated Soundtrack

  Cheech and Chong were, and probably still are, the kings of humor that’s often drug based and seems quite stupid, while having a definite intelligence to it. They poke fun at society and at themselves – or at least charactures of themselves. Well, really, they are characters who happen to share names with...
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Troy Lindsey, Live At Devil’s Gulch Drinkery

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May 31, 2013
Troy Lindsey, Live At Devil’s Gulch Drinkery

Live At Devil’s Gulch Drinkery is the fourth album from Troy Lindsey, the world-traveling sky crane worker who was long ago taught guitar by a Wyoming preacher and now records music at the drop of a crane in such venues as Moscow’s Red Square. Yeah, I think it’s a pretty colorful background, too. Anyway,...
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Maxim Senin, The Taming Of The Wolf EP

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May 30, 2013
Maxim Senin, The Taming Of The Wolf EP

Having relocated from Latvia to Long Beach CA, Maxim Senin is a software engineer who took a break from all his coding to put forth his debut EP The Taming Of The Wolf. Every perceivable sound here is made by Senin, who plays the acoustic guitar, piano, ukulele, harmonica, keyboard, and all percussions. Though...
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SOL, Senses

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May 29, 2013
SOL, Senses

One might expect 6 piece Funk-Rock band from Maryland SOL to deliver music that could be categorized as somewhat dated. I mean this is 2013 and before I even listened to a single note of music from SOL that’s honestly the impression I got. I expected them to be a kind of 70’s Rare...
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Ajay Mathur, Come See Conquer

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May 28, 2013
Ajay Mathur, Come See Conquer

Switzerland might be a strange place to birth an “Americana” artist, but Ajay Mathur’s “Come See Conquer” will undoubtedly have a few heads spinning in confusion… at first glance anyway. The good news is that Ajay’s e.p. is addictive and might make us all believers afterall. The songs are raw, combining world music, 50′s...
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International Nova, Point of No Return

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May 28, 2013
International Nova, Point of No Return

“Point of No Return” will be released in August 2013. International Nova is signed to Monarchy Records: A division of the Spectra Music Group. I suppose the first thing to mention here is that, the lyrics on some of this might not be for everyone. However, that could be applied to just a lot...
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Steve Ryan, Boundless Moments

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May 24, 2013
Steve Ryan, Boundless Moments

Inverting a quote from a 19th -century poet, Georgia native Steve Ryan is a “dreamer of music, and maker of dreams.” Picking up the piano as a child, then guitar & singing as a teen, he now draws on inspiration that enters his brain while dreaming or in full consciousness. Boundless Moments is his...
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The Black Clouds, Better Days

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May 22, 2013
The Black Clouds, Better Days

  Formed in 2004, The Black Clouds of New Jersey have been pouring some Seattle-ish grunge on the Garden State. Their latest release, Better Days, is a rockin’ howl of discontent. The “Intro” offers a melancholy but melodic electric guitar riff with some distortion. “No Reason” starts out with this guttural bass line, then...
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Steve Ryan, Boundless Moments

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May 22, 2013
Steve Ryan, Boundless Moments

For fear of being too cliché, lets just agree to agree that fortuitousness often goes to those who see moments and seize them. Such was the case when songwriter Steve Ryan was stood up at a studio by an artist he was to be working with. Left with a block of studio time and...
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Glen Naylor, “A Five O Clock Shadow”

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May 16, 2013
Glen Naylor, “A Five O Clock Shadow”

Coming from the southern part of Australia, Glen Naylor has released “A Five O Clock Shadow,” a song about the universally tragic theme of war casualties. Naylor knows about this subject far better than most: her own husband is a disabled combat veteran. Additionally, her father and grandfather fought in World Wars I and...
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Barbara Kiss, From Me To You

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May 16, 2013
Barbara Kiss, From Me To You

Barbara Kiss’ debut album on Roadhouse Records showcases a little something for everyone, especially in the pop and rock genres. Barbara is an upcoming artist from Hungary, which was surprising to me considering just how American the title track “Catch Me” sounds, like something Taylor Swift or Pink might record. “And You Are” jolted...
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Canary Burton, Piano Music from Cape Cod

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May 15, 2013
Canary Burton, Piano Music from Cape Cod

Drawing on her extensive background and jazz & classical influences, Cape Cod resident Canary Burton has released an album of piano music. Burton and her inspiration have traveled from Idaho to Wash. DC, before settling at the sandy tip of Cape Cod’s Wellfleet, where her melodies might summon the ghosts of shipwrecked whalers from...
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Flow Zen, Assorted singles

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May 14, 2013
Flow Zen, Assorted singles

California-based multi-musician Flow Zen is going it alone with five new solo tracks, spiking Dub Step with a range of elements from organic instrumentation to Hip-Hop facets, in what is an interesting experiment in electronic music. The drive behind the melding of genres is apparent on the bio page of his web site: “Genres...
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Gatsby’s Green Light, Annalee

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May 14, 2013
Gatsby’s Green Light, Annalee

Social awareness and anecdotal storyline come together on Gatsby’s Green Light’s debut EP, Annalee. The six-track album is the forerunner to the larger forthcoming full-length, Forever Smile. The vein of the album follows title character, Annalee and a host of characters she meets that prep her for her dual role of “Mother Earth and...
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My Secret Island, Evil Fire

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May 13, 2013
My Secret Island, Evil Fire

I said I was going to get to the bottom of My Secret Island on the last review (http://www.skopemag.com/2012/09/16/my-secret-island-i-miss-the-day-maxi-single), but I have to say that I’m still working on that.  Well, what I do have for you though is My Secret Island’s new single and video for “Evil Fire”.  Made up of Mark Van...
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AUTOMATIK EDEN, Self Titled

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May 9, 2013
AUTOMATIK EDEN, Self Titled

This is Automatik Eden’s latest self titled debut EP release released in 2013. 2 core members include: Multi-talented Members, David Crocco and Cela Scott Developed the Band While Working behind the Scenes with Top Acts from Eminem and Beck to Incubus Meet the Band: https://www.facebook.com/automatikeden Label: Music Connection Automatik Eden is one release that...
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Jiggley Jones, No Spring Chicken

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May 9, 2013
Jiggley Jones, No Spring Chicken

Music doesn’t have to be loud and insane in order to be awesome. The concept of rock is slowly changing and that’s the case in the sound of acts such as Jiggley Jones, where dirty is changed into clean, and noise disappears for something quite beautiful and inspiring. This can be found in “Baby...
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The Como Brothers Band, Still Waters

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May 9, 2013
The Como Brothers Band, Still Waters

They have already been helping and producing other artists without yet getting into the real big leagues. When a group does that, you can only expect awesomeness, and in the case of these two brothers, they’re no exception. When you look at these two guys, surely you may expect some cute boy band, some...
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The Weekenders, Don’t Plan On

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May 9, 2013
The Weekenders, Don’t Plan On

This might offend somebody, but sometimes the truth can hurt some people’s feelings; but here’s a group that could easily become the next big rock’n’roll band. “Yankee Easy Sugar” from The Weekender’s new album Don’t Plan On kicks off the record in a pretty interesting, powerful way. Their sound is almost like a combination...
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Rick Devin, Old School 2: Rock Hits of the 60s & 70s

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May 9, 2013
Rick Devin, Old School 2: Rock Hits of the 60s & 70s

Throwback, Tribute, Compilation, Cover album… whatever you may call it; the premise of contemporary artists doing songs from ago will always be met with mixed reviews. Some revel in a modern-day, revamp version of a classic; purists feel some things need not be tampered with. I approach each (and all covers) from the standpoint...
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Matthias Sturm, Luna Park

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May 9, 2013
Matthias Sturm, Luna Park

“Progressive Electro-eclectic” may be the most apt descriptor for Paris-based artist, Matthias Sturm’s latest outing. Laced with spots of modern day electronic psychedelica, Luna Park will indeed take listeners to the moon. Diverse instrumentation (live and generated), narrative style lyrical delivery and an eerie ethos to the tracks, makes this one far out and...
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Artist: Chance Hayden – Album: Family Tree

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May 8, 2013
Artist: Chance Hayden – Album: Family Tree

Most would agree most popular artists out there have something truly special to give to their fans. This goes above the typical attributes like raw talent, amazing songs, nice voice, or even a very marketable look, sound & image. There’s something truly infectious at the core of these artists that simply makes us feel...
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