creative commons album

MaelStröM: Let’s dance to … forget

In the mood for a little dance-athon in your own apartment? MaelStröM's Let's Dance to... could work as your soundtrack. Filled with techno, industrial rock sounding tracks, it's enough to induce some rhythmic body spasms voluntarily or involuntarily. Let's dance to... features 12 eclectic, industrial rock songs with a touch of pop that's enough to probably make Trent Reznor even listen twice.

The Sway: Going Blind EP

An almost guaranteed Top 10 indie pop rock band. Thirteen years after they parted ways, The Sway, reunites to give this whole music thing one last swig. And from the looks of things, they have succeeded. They went on hiatus again for two years after this mini reunion and as of April 2010, they were back in the studio penning tracks for a new album. For the meantime, the band definitely left something great behind for their fans to enjoy, Going Blind. This is actually a 3 song EP that would make even current so-called "indie pop rock bands " a run for their money. Their indie rock sound is definitely worthy of praise, not to mention a slot in the iPod.

Louis Lingg and the Bombs: Long live the anarchist revolutionairies!

With a long name and 27 rockin tracks, Louis Lingg and the Bombs certainly makes their statement heard. Louis Lingg and the Bombs is a French punk rock band that will make The Sex Pistols and other 70s style punk rockers beam proud. Long Live the Anarchist Revolutionairies! is the band's first full feature album. It compiles 27 upbeat, rockin' tracks that time warps listeners back into the height of punk rock music. The album is a fun way to spend a great Saturday evening, partying with friends.

Mudskills: Mudskills

Rock alternative indie rock that comes in fast and hard. Apart from a short bio and the name of its band members, information about this band is a bit elusive. Essentially, Mudskills is made of Eleonora Rocca on vocals and guitar; Mirko Deiana on guitar; Marcello Pabiri on drums and Allessio on bass. On certain instances, they are joined together by Andrea Puddu on drums and Emanuele Orru on bass. Mudskills is a hard rock act that showcases plenty of grunge influence. Although it's not entirely a gem, the album does hold some noteworthy tracks that any grunge lover would enjoy. It's worth checking out if you have a taste for loud rocking tracks.

Screenatorium: Blue Morning EP

Acoustic downtempo beats that makes you wish trip hop reigns supreme once again. Screenatorium is like the long lost trip hop band that should have come out of the 90s; back when it was still the heyday of trip hop music. Not to say that their style is outdated, but it certainly brings back a lot of 90s trippy bands to mind. Screenatorium is a French band primarily headed by composer and musician Djeh. He enlists the help of Nawelle Saidi and Nelly Burn on vocals as well as Niet who serves as official graphist. Their mellow music definitely sparks interest and is perfect for a relaxing afternoon filled with mood music.

Part Rocket: Sparks and Beams

The closest to an instrumental "summer pop" record you will ever get. Part Rocket makes you wish it was summer all the time. Sparks and Beams is a four track EP that creates the perfect compliment to beautiful summer days at the beach and those interesting summer nights. Comprised of a lot of band members, Part Rocket has had rave reviews for their work, including being described by Quench Magazine as "impressively diverse... combines industrial, emo and prog influences to great effect, creating something entirely of their own."

The Scare Bears: Zombies Are Everywhere

Be warned: contains gazillion explicit content, tons of metal, punk rock and lyrical comedy. From the funky video game intro in Girls Don't Play, it's hard not to laugh and enjoy listening to The Scare Bears. Their music can best be described as a cross between loud metal, electronic and comedy. Most of the tracks do contain heavy cursing and cussing as well as overall dark content. If you don't mind it, you'll definitely enjoy listening to Zombies are Everywhere. The album is made up of 16 tracks with quirky titles like Banana and Dumpster Diapers. If you like heavy but fun rock and don't have a big problem with cussing, then this album is worth checking out.

Leslie Hunt: Your Hair is on Fire

Season 6 Top 24 American Idol finds music off Idol stage. For Leslie Hunt, American Idol was certainly quite an experience. Reaching the top 24 was definitely was a dream come true for this new mother. Despite being voted off, Leslie continues on after stepping off the Idol stage. Your Hair is on Fire is Leslie's first album and from the way it sounds, it seems that she's definitely grown as an artist and musician. The album is filled with jazzy, alternative pop tracks that boasts of Leslie's powerful and slightly raspy vocals.

Andrew Lawrence Jackson: The Last Romantic

Andrew Lawrence Jackson’s "The Last Romantic" conveys quiet but subtly strong provocative emotions through the words and melody of each track. Not that Jackson has become predictable, but this album has all his usual overarching themes of life, love, and dreams. And then Jackson uses his own good vocals as a bonus element. The influence of the 80's electro beats is apparent in the album, as much as Jackson’s distinctive way of neatly expressing an otherwise messy pile up of thoughts and emotions in one’s over-analytical romantic head. Standouts in this album are “Your Dreams,” “Return To Love,” and “The Last Romantic” for its haunting melodies that linger in the air long after the song is over. That Jackson can put up a one-man show as singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist brings out the best in each track as he knows which instruments best highlight the subtle points of each song.