September 21st, 2009 by 
admin
Search for the Hidden Gem (2009 - vol# 13) By Mike Cavanaugh
Horns up for “Roadhouse.” R.I.P. Patrick Swayze.
Madina Lake
“Attics to Eden”
Style (Alternative / Rock Pop)
This is a typical alternative rock pop sound with quality musicianship, decent song writing, and is produced quite well, which I would expect since it’s produced by Dr. Dre. What I like most is that the songs don’t have that overly produced cymbal crashing sound that permeates most of the alternative airwaves, nor are the vocals yelled at me as if yelling makes the lyrics cooler and more palatable. The singer has good range and a voice that’s easy to listen to, which is another plus. I’ve listened to the CD a couple times and am not fully committed to one song for the mainstream commercial radio push but there are a couple songs I could see making their way into the smaller radio markets. Not a bad sounding CD for those into the Alt.rock pop sound.
Rating 3
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Avian
“Ashes and Madness”
Style (Power Metal)
Who’d have thunk Minnesota had a power metal band in its midst. This sound is definitely not for the ice fishing/deer hunting crowd of the northern states, and in fact had I not checked out the band’s MySpace I would have bet this was a band from northern Europe. Power metal has its point of acceptability and this surely isn’t it. The CD’s song concepts and flow from one to the next are poorly arranged. It honestly sounds like the band tried to write a concept CD, but with each song seemingly written just because they could, all that comes through is an over exaggeration showcasing musicianship. The singer can clearly hit high notes, but more character is needed if you’re trying to imitate Bruce Dickenson or Goeff Tate. As for the other players, because the singer’s voice is heavily on display and stealing the thunder with his high notes, the other guys are frankly performing in a back-up role. I honestly can’t see this stuff going over well in any bar, in the northern states or elsewhere.
Rating 1 ½ (make sure the ice is thick enough)
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Blind Boris
Self titled
Style (Indie / Bluegrass / Country)
First impressions say a lot but don’t always tell you everything. Take for instance Blind Boris’s CD. The CD came to me with crappy looking, cheap ass artwork, no CD title anywhere so I’m guessing “self titled,” audio levels too low and in the mud, and because of all this I’m already formulating a review that’ll blast this piece of shit off my desk. But luckily I always listen to a CD before I trash it, and although I’m put off immensely by just the packaging, as will many other music fans be, luckily the music, song writing, and performing are not befitting my disdain for the packaging. These songs are expressive, a spiritual journey given to struggle after struggle, characteristic of Americana songs telling of the long hard road, blending wonderfully the low-mid range gruff vocal and harmonies with an acoustic guitar and an electric one. These are the type of songs I love to hear in a smokey dive joint with beer bottle condensation rings decorating the bar, each song touching and heartfelt, each having an effect on the listener, each unlocking those longing and sometimes painful memories noting the path taken to get to this point.
Rating 3 ½ (spend some money on better packaging next time)
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Arkaea
”Years in the Darkness”
Style (Hardcore)
There are some clear vocal similarities within the choruses sounding an awful lot like Chester from LP. The CD I received is a promotional copy so for all I know Chester lent his screams. The vocals as a whole rip to the bone like a rusty razor with that typical in your face, spit spewing, veins poppin’ out the neck delivery with the pitch a tab higher than the atypical hardcore howler monkey, which does make the lyrics a bit easier to understand. After all, what good is writing wholesome sweet and loving hardcore lyrics if no one can understand them? Musically, the songs sound like they were written with purpose and some thought going through verse, bridge, chorus, and back again instead of being the usual ballistic hardcore machine gun version racing to the climax with no foreplay. The rhythms and beats in this set of songs are just as intense as the vocals, giving the whole CD a powerful core that live has the potential to fuel the pit. However, the Chester style choruses do start to wear thin by the end of the CD.
Rating 3 (How the hell do you pronounce that band name?)
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Michael Ubaldini
“Portable Record Player”
www.myspace.com/michaelubaldini
Style (singer/songwriter / rock and roll)
This one is completely missing the mark given the artwork and title, but bigger problems await within the music. For the record, I dig the photos and artwork related to the old portable turntable, but this concept only works well for an artist with deep expressiveness and excellent storytelling singer/songwriter ability. Ubaldini’s songs are neither deep or expressive, or worthy of bellying up to the bar to spin a yarn. Ubaldini, who has no redeeming quality as a singer let alone songwriter, has a whinny midrange nasally pitched voice that kinda sounds like a cross between Bob Dylon and Tom Petty trying to sing an 80’s techno alternative dance song by the Spazmatics. Five songs in and I’m painfully regretting the next 12, if I even make it that far. I’d have thought someone would have pointed out 17 songs is exceedingly too many unless they’re really good songs, or if there was talent desperately needing to be heard. Because really, why release 10 or 12 painfully awful songs when you can clean out the junk closet and release 17 horrible songs with a voice that not only will make the young girls cry but more importantly make everyone pay their tab and leave.
Rating 1 (only because I dig the artwork)
