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Music
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Pimlico
"Rusted" (4.1 meg), "Apple Monkey Revolution" (2.8 meg) and "Carousel" (4.6 meg)
Genre: Rock
This new Indianapolis group combines pleasant melodies with a distinct Pearl Jam-meets-Zeppelin sound. (Just hear the hard edges of "Apple Monkey Revolution," which would be at home on No Code or Yield. But the group's softer side (for example, "Carousel") show empathy and compassion in a way that Mr. Vedder has yet to achieve. Pimlico is a group to watch. They can do nothing but get better, and they're already damned good.
LMNO
"Finite" (2.1 meg), "Run For It (Marty)" (4.4 meg) and "Rehab" (4.7 meg)
Genre: Rock
If you like your music raw, heavy and thoughtful, LMNO is for you. On the surface, they appear to be just another of the hundreds of metal-rap hybrid bands. But LMNO not only rocks harder than an F5 tornado, they provide a lot of food for thought along the way. Just listen to "Finite," which packs literally dozens of different sonic textures into a 2:17 song. Their music is full of indecipherable-yet-meaningful lyrics, just like any great band.
Fast John Scharbrough
"The Girl in 105" (3 meg)
Genre: Blues
There are shitloads of bluesmen out there these days, but Fast John Scharbrough isn't your standard 12-bar type of guy. His new album, "Fast John and the Ho-Dang Neighborhood," is full of the good old-time blues that are as infectious and toe-tapping as any out there today. "The Girl in 105" is a mid-tempo number about an apartment-dwelling girl that Fast John can't stop thinking about.
Brian E. Paulson
"Wavy Crazy Hologram" (3.4 meg)
Genre: New Age
This Indiana-based new age musician fled this state for more promising locales after a wave of indifference from the denizens of Kokomo greeted his sonic soundscapes. Too bad, because his music is as listenable and entertaining, if not more so, than any of the other artists in the genre today. This cut is taken from his new CD, "J.A.Z.," which is available through his website, http://www.music-for-the-soul.com
Destination: Earth!
"Theme From Destination: Earth!" (3.6 meg)
Genre: Surf-Spy
Four aliens. Five drums. Ten guitar strings. ONE INVASION! - The permutations are endless! You could call the music of these surf-spy-influenced aliens derivative, but you'd be a dumbass and nobody would talk to you. These guys, who hail from a spaceship called Centre Neptune, have obviously studied their Madness and Specials records with a special emphasis on Dick Dale. Having said that, their live show is as compelling and fun as any in the state of Indiana at this time, let alone the rest of the galaxy. This cut is taken from their new CD, "Trapped in Hyperspace with Destination: Earth!"
The Academy
"Let Her Fall" (3.1. meg)
Genre: DIY Pop
The bio for this Flat Earth Records band sums it up best: "Influenced by crystal-clear FM pop and intrigued by the ethics of punk, The Academy refuses to compromise on either front. Recorded primarily in a basement in the hills of southern Indiana, the band eagerly employed a patchwork of digital and analog synthesizers, drum kits and drum machines, guitars and hard drives. What emerged is a hybrid most appropriately labeled DIY pop."
Annie Lyon
"LSD Blues" (4.1 meg)
Genre: Electric Blues
This member of the Bob Slawson Band (you may have seen them around here lately) takes a solo turn with this track. Her raspy vocals evoke the great female blues singers of the past but adds her own contemporary touch. Slawson's guitar work on this track is impeccable. If you like what you hear, check out her other music at http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/18/annie_lyon_.html
The Almighty Remainders
"Ugly Side" and "Mr. Green"
Genre: Rock
This hard-edged rock band has a way with a hook. Just check out " Ugly Side," from the group's eponymously titled debut album. The guitar riffs are inventive and crunchy and a good example of why this group is on the rise.
Sweet Polly
" High School," "Jake" and "Hippie Song"
Genre: Punk
Sweet Polly is a punk/pop band that was formed by four friends in a small Indiana town in 1998. With influences ranging from the Ramones to Blink 182 to the Beach Boys, this group's music incorporates a bit of each influence into every recording.
Blaq Lily
" Promised Land," "World Without End"
Genre: Rock
They've been compared to the Cranberries meet the Corrs, but this Indiana group is much more than that. They've incorporated a diverse array of influences into their Celtic-flavored music.
ZERO260
"Make Things Right"
Genre: Alternative Metal
ZERO260 is an alternative metal band founded in 1986 and describe their sound as "Old ALICE IN CHAINS, old METALLICA and MONSTER MAGNET all put in a blender."
HARAKIRI
" Immortalized Through Infamy" (3.3 meg) " Brief Exercise in Programmed Isolation" (2.5 meg)
Genre: Hardcore
This band packs a harder sonic punch into its music than most local hardcore bands. Their sound could be described as a combination of Korn, Motorhead and some kind of music that hasn't been invented yet. These tracks are just a taste of what this talented group can do.
TOMBSTONE VALENTINE
" The Web" (5.0 meg)
Genre: Space-Rock
These local eccentics look as normal as normal can be. Some of them even work in the advertising business. But when they get onstage, they produce a sound that's as interesting as it is unusual. Think early Pink Floyd jamming, through a time warp, with the B-52s. They're big in Europe but are almost unknown here. Too bad.
CHASER BAND
"Hangin' With My Friends" (4.9 meg)
Genre: Rock
Back in the '70s and '80s, Indianapolis was awash in big-haired, loud guitar-based party bands. Clubs like the Enterprise and Bentley's would be packed six nights a week with equally big-haired women, who were driven wild by Zeppelin and Skynyrd covers. The Chaser Band combines the best elements of those days with a ballsy attitude and great musicianship.
AGGRIVATED MINDS
"Dope Related"
Genre: Alternative Metal
The Minds are a metalcore band that might remind you of KORN. The Minds' CD, Soul Vent, is one of the heaviest pieces of musical mucous I've heard in quite some time. Oh yeah. And they keep telling me that they need a drummer and they may just hit the road with drum machines if they can't find a drummer soon.
Saraswati
"Made Entirely Of Wood"
Genre: Math-Rock
Deliciously incomprehensible and mystic, "Made Entirely Of Wood" is the newest song from Indiana's premier math-rockers. "People can be frozen/ Hooked up to machines/ All the dials and readouts/ Won't tell what it means," the band sings, and while you believe them, you're not sure what they're talking about. It doesn't matter in the slightest. The guitar work is brilliant, the tempos are ever-shifting and precise and the singing is first-rate. Originally released as part of a compilation album, "Made Entirely Of Wood" is available for download exclusively at nuvo.net. While the song takes awhile to download - it clocks in at 6:20 and almost 6 meg - there's no better example of the genius of Saraswati than this brooding song.
The Ya-Yas
"Understand Your Call"
Genre: Math-Rock
I'd never heard of this local band when their CD-R arrived at our office. After a bit of investigation, I've still never heard of them. But this is a great song, with more than a hint of classic-rock influence, from the Robert Plantlike vocals to the guitar work, which reminds one of Neil Young. It could be a more well-known band in disguise. Could it be the US3? The Why Store? Who knows? More to the point, who cares? With music this good, you don't need to know anything other than it rocks.
Vinyl Shriner
"My Tattoo" "Next Big Thing" (3.5 meg)
Genre: Math-Rock
This band has to be one of the most underappreciated and underrated groups in Indiana. The band's rhythm section is tight as hell, the guitars are tasteful and the vocals are consistently great. This new song, exclusive to nuvo.net, is a plaintive song about the joys of body art. "Expressing myself/ At the risk of my own health," they sing, and it's such a good pop song, one might swear that Pete Townshend or Nick Lowe were present at the sessions. Their emphasis on well-written, well-played pop songs has made Vinyl Shriner a favorite live band and "My Tattoo" shows that they're good in the studio as well.
Perfect Nothing
"Anything Yet" "Pupil"
Genre: Math-Rock
One of the most inventive and accomplished Indiana groups of the last year, Perfect Nothing's contribution to the NUVO MP3 site is a rousing rocker fueled by a thrashing guitar line and crashing drums. Midway through the song, the group breaks it down to the basics, shifting tempo and feel. Much of their music sounds like the band is expecting the Apocalypse to break out at any moment and "Anything Yet" is no exception. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a local group with more energy and verve than Perfect Nothing.
Faytel
"Murda At The Break of Dawn"
Genre: Hip-Hop
The two women who comprise Faytel are first-rate rappers and "Murda At the Break Of Dawn" shows why. In real life, they're two of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. But on wax, they sound like the second coming of Mia X. "I get a chill every time I hear the door slam/ But I did the crime so I don't give a damn," they say at the beginning of the song, and it sets an ominous tone. The song is about the typical gangsta shit - robbing old folks and stealing cars and such - but their vocal style is anything but typical. Rappers D-Korr and N-Tyce make up a team in which both members play the heavy at times and in which both also exhibit a softer, feminine side. These two women are some of the best rappers that Indianapolis has to offer. The album on which "Murda" appears, Jussumfunc Ghetto Production, is available at all the usual outlets for local music and is well worth purchasing if you're into gangsta rap with an edge. The year 2000 should be a great one for these two talented women.
Paradox 44
"1 Second To War"
Genre: Hardcore/Metal
Much has been written in these pages about Paradox 44, the hardcore group from the Southside. But their music demands to be heard. Although many groups in their genre express anger and dissatisfaction with brute eloquence, Paradox 44's music is a sonic Molotov cocktail. "1 Second To War" is perhaps their greatest song, with its howling guitar riff and its fierce vocals from Mike V. The group owes more to Limp Bizkit than it does to Earth Crisis, but that's fine if you're not hung up on the hardcore label. In an earlier, more naive time, these guys would have been called rock and roll. Their music is heavy and fierce and full of anger and self-expression.
Rodnie Bryant and the Common Christian Mass Choir
"He's a Keepa"
Genre: Gospel
Just about every person with a voice and a calling has been making gospel music since Kirk Franklin stormed up the Billboard charts a while back. But Rodnie Bryant and the Common Christian Mass Choir are the real deal. "Just keep your mind set on Him," the choir sings, and it's a message that's applicable to every situation. The secular among us will notice the brilliant synthesizer lines and the on-time drumming while Christians will appreciate the song's rousing message. Tyscot Records has been releasing great Christian music out of Indianapolis for the past decade and "He's a Keepa" is one of the label's greatest hits. It will warm the heart of all who hear it.
The Mary Janes
"Better Way"
Genre: Americana
A song from the group's forthcoming album, Flame, "Better Way" is typical of the heartland music propagated by the Mary Janes: It's tuneful, thoughtful and surprisingly brash. The song begins with a howl of feedback and goes from there into a song that's almost Chrissie Hyndelike in its compassion and breadth. But the Mary Janes are not copycats of anyone, although their music evokes comparisons with many artists. They're startlingly original songwriters and performers who've been influenced by everything they've heard, whether it's the Velvet Underground or the Pretenders. Lead singer Janas Hoyt's sweet vocals are underscored by a hard-edged instrumental sound. This group is one of the best bands in Indiana, without a doubt.
Little Flock
"Angel Hits The Ground"
Genre: Rock
Somewhere during the 1990s, most bands got it into their heads somehow that rock and roll, the head-banging, beer-drinking kind popular in the '80s, had died when Kurt Cobain picked up his guitar. Luckily, Little Flock never got the message. Their music evokes the great hair-metal bands of the '80s, with their emphasis on songwriting and performing rock and roll anthems that are suitable for listening or dancing. Little Flock's members play rock and roll the way it used to be played. Sammy Hagar would be proud of them.
Holiday O' Fools
"Monkeysong"
Genre: Rock
Holiday O' Fools also knows that party rock never died, it just went underground for a while. Now that it's socially acceptable to listen to party rock, Holiday O' Fools is here to fill the need. Their "Monkeysong," from their excellent CD You Know You Want It, is a jaunty hip-hop-flavored ditty about - what else? - a funky monkey who drinks all the wine. It may not seem like much for a song topic, but once you hear the infectious beat, you'll be singing along with them, too.
Craig Laflin's Momentum
"The Boyfriend Song"
Genre: Folk-Rock
Laflin is an accomplished singer/songwriter with an extensive catalog of self-penned material, so it's a bit of surprise to see him covering a song - in this case, a song from local songwriter Murphy - but it's a pleasant surprise. Murphy's song is a throwback to the great pop music of the '50s and '60s and Laflin gives the song an impassioned reading. The cut comes from Laflin's vastly underrated 1999 album, Live from the Ensenada Room.
Burn It Down
"Kill Their Idols"
Genre: Hardcore
Led by music journalist Ryan J. Downey, Burn It Down is as authentic as hardcore music gets. Steeped in a long tradition of artistic integrity, Burn It Down doesn't play music as much as it melts any speaker bold enough to car
Lee Lewellen
Rudy Lee (2.4 meg)
Genre: Folk/Rock
Indianapolis singer-songwriter Lewellen is a performer who uses his voice and his guitar to tell interesting stories. "Rudy Lee" is a song from his album Puzzle Pieces, which is a solid recording full of heartfelt music from this talented musician.
f.u.z.z.
Shelter" (featuring the mud kids) (2.9 meg)
Genre: Experimental
f.u.z.z. is an offshoot project from the band formerly known as Echinacea. taken from their startlingly original debut album, "Shelter" is a sonic collage masterminded by Tyler of the hip-hop group the mud kids. The song features dream-sequence melodies and beats by Tyler, a brilliant rap by Russell, and f.u.z.z. singer Melissa's ethereal vocals.
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