Barenaked Ladies- Black
Maria- Vaeda- Strange- Blanco Diablo- Jenn Cleary
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Barenaked Ladies - All New Revue:
Live at the Glenn Gould Theatre
All New Revue is essentially just
the Barenaked Ladies performing their new album Barenaked Ladies Are
Me acoustically in a small theatre.
It has become a cliché to call this
band increasingly mature. They mix heartfelt lyrics with a little whimsy
for a pleasant listening experience. Performing acoustically suits them
very well. This live record may be preferable to the studio album. The
recording is crisp, clean and highlights each band members talents.
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The Black Maria - A Shared History
of Tragedy
The Black Maria hails from Canada and have
released their sophomore album. After several lineup changes the band pulled
it together this year to record A Shared History of Tragedy.
The band falls in line with bands like
My Chemical Romance, who add some mood and theatrics to the driving rock
tempo. Chris Gray has one of the better voices of similar bands.
The songs are piano heavy until the big
sing along chorus kicks in. Walk into any Hot Topic and you'll probably
hear a track from this album.
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The Strange - The Strange
The Strange is the kind of moody, piano-driven
band that could have a hit song if it was attached to a primetime network
drama.
Brent McKay's vocals are striking and Nathan
Murphy and Erik Nordin offer enough musical twists and turns to keep things
interesting.
At just seven songs The Strange
is a good little album that shows promise.
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Vaeda - State of Nature
Borrowing equally from the current emo-type
rock bands, as well as what is probably the original emo band, The Deftones,
Vaeda carve a metallic path through angsty lyrics. You can also hear elements
of grunge and some moody, gothic undertones.
State of Nature is a decent enough
conglomeration of the last 15 years of rock that continues to permeate
every new band's sound. Obviously aimed at the mall punk kids, it should
catch hold of a few pimply-faced girls.
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Blanco Diablo - Paper Poison Revolution
If this were 1987 Blanco Diablo probably
would have a few minor hits and be regarded as a thinking man's hair metal
band. That is actually not a bad thing as a few of the riffs on Paper
Poison Revolution are memorable and the band has the loud, power trio
thing going for them.
The songs get redundant after a few tracks
but the bar band vibe should translate well on stage where the band can
show off their obvious skills.
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Jenn Cleary - Breakin' Loose
Jenn Cleary is a bluesy singer/songwriter
type with a heavy dose of country twang. Her songs are quite good but her
bland voice becomes tedious quickly into the 12 track album.
The production is glossy and flat, sometimes
wandering into show tune territory. Roughen up the edges and she might
be on to something.
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