Moving in Stereo vol. 10

music news column by darren paltrowitz

While the fourth quarter isn’t the time of year for record labels to break new artists, it is when a lot of new albums and videos are released. But here’s some “nostalgia” to kick off Volume 10:

5 Great, Overlooked Albums Of 2004: Candy Butchers Hang On Mike, Imaginary Baseball League Revive, Cake Pressure Chief, Fastball Keep Your Wig On, The Pettit Project cheeROCKracy

5 Unforgettable Performances Of 2004: David Lee Roth at Shibuya Kokkaido - Tokyo, Japan; Surferosa at Rothko - NYC, New York; Hey Mercedes at The Mercury Lounge – NYC, New York; The Figgs at Crash Mansion (CMJ) - NYC, New York; The Suburban Legends at The Downtown - Farmingdale, New York

…From The Island
A Long Island band truly on the verge of “the next level” is Tripside. With secure management from the Sanctuary Artist Management Group (Iron Maiden, Jane’s Addiction, Cave In) and booking handled by Fantasma, it’s no wonder the quartet recently showcased to labels at The Troubadour in Los Angeles. A follow-up to Take You Home, a new demo EP was recently finished with Alien Ant Farm drummer Mike Cosgrove in the producer’s chair…Featuring East Meadow native Jeffrey Dammit Tobias in the lineup, Ruin Everything! is the recently-released 10-song full-length from the Georgia-based We Versus The Shark. Fans of The Minutemen, Q & Not U and other experimental-yet-cohesive, DIY-styled acts may have a new favorite band; or at least 36 more minutes of interesting, distinct and unpredictable indie-rock to not be disillusioned about…Based in Staten Island with family ties to L.I., Seymour Glass has some bragging rights in their first album, Note To Self, coming out on 456 Entertainment; 456 being the high-profile record label venture of Carson Daly and Jonathan Rifkind. Beyond two week’s worth of dates with Kill Hannah, the four-piece also has an appearance on Daly’s late-night NBC series to its credit.

…From The Ex’s
Formed out of the ashes of The Anniversary along with members of Some Girls and Hot Rod Circuit, The Only Children sound nothing like any of the bands its members had played in. Instead, alt-country and roots-rock fans are targeted with Change Of Living, which was produced by 34 Satellite and Carrier visionary Marc Benning. From opener “Sky Begins To Storm” to closer “The Circle Will Not Be Broken,” this is an interesting listening-alternative indeed…With his former bandmates moving onto other bands – like Maritime – there’s definitely life beyond The Dismemberment Plan for Travis Morrison. Co-produced by the prolific D.C.-based Don Zientara and Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, Travistan features the creative-as-ever lyrics of Morrison paired up with a sound that alternates between “old” and “new.” Core fans of The Plan may have mixed views about this release, but its eclectic nature deserves attention…Although their pair of Thanksgiving weekend shows at Mr. Beery’s were not necessarily their last, various members of The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches have announced plans for new bands and the like. Four new ASOB-related groups to keep an eye out for are Bomb The Music Industry, Bashi-Bazouk, The Falcon and Wingless Angel, while keyboardist and backup vocalist J.T. Turret will simply be joining High School Football Heroes.

…From The Stereo
theCOLOURS are a U.K. trio that have earned spins on London’s XFM, positive press in NME and industry attention from Universal and Atlantic. Their two-song demo – featuring “Piano Song” and “Hazy” – shows plenty of influence from Mercury Rev, JJ72 and Coldplay, being sensitive and meaningful yet poppy…After months of sitting around mastered in a completed state, The Kites’ debut full-length Bump is finally being self-released. Full-length MP3’s can be previewed on the band’s MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/thekites…While re-recorded versions of hit songs tend to be watered down and lacking, Twisted Sister have managed to pull off a rare feat in re-recording a classic album with it being far superior to the original. Produced by bassist Mark Mendoza, Still Hungry is essentially a re-working of 1984’s Stay Hungry – as known for classics like “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” “I Wanna Rock” and “Burn In Hell” – with five previously-unreleased bonus tracks. The songs undoubtedly sound better with their louder-in-the-mix gang vocals and altogether thicker production, yet the expanded liner notes provide another reason to pick this up if you hadn’t picked it up in the first place.

If you have news to report for the next edition of Moving In Stereo, press releases and all other correspondence for Darren should be sent to darren.paltrowitz@gmail.com.

Copyright 2004 – Column used with permission from Darren Paltrowitz. All right reserved.

Issue 29, December 2004