Review Rundown: James Morrison, Seven Circle Sunrise, Fake Figures, Blessed by a Burden, Moksha
Here we are – No. 50. Can you believe it? The 50th
edition of the Review Rundown. Well, 49 down and a hell of a lot more to go –
it’s hard to believe that the RR has covered 245 records – but that’s in the
past because here’s five more. This landmark review rundown features reviews of
releases from James Morrison, Seven Circle Sunrise, Fake Figures, Blessed by a
Burden, and Moksha.
File Under: Soulful Singer/Songwriter
James Morrison – The
Awakening (Island): Though James Morrison came out guns ablaze, selling
over two million copies of his much-heralded debut Undiscovered, he’s talented enough that he left room to improve,
and though he didn’t exactly show that type of improvement on his sophomore
record Songs for You, Truths for Me,
he did so on his latest, the Awakening. One
area Morrison has improved is his songwriting, which leads to some of the
albums more heart-rending affairs (“In My Dreams,” “6 Weeks,” “Person I Should
Have Been”), the latter based on a poem inspired by his last conversation with
his late father. The Awakening also
offers up a killer single (“I Won’t Let You Go”) as well as some dance-able
upbeat tempos (“Beautiful Lie,” “Forever”), along with some lush, incredibly
vibrant production from Suede’s Bernard Butler. Though it’s a fairly enjoyable
release, the Awakening still is a
couple steps short of a great record. (www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com)
Grade: B-
Go Download: “Person I Should Have Been”
File Under: Modern Rock
Seven Circle Sunrise – Beauty In Being Alone: There’s some filler throughout the course of
Seven Circle Sunrise’s Beauty In Being
Alone, some less inspired rock outings that get lost in the shuffle like
too much of today’s mainstream rock (ahem Daughtry *cough*) (“Another Day,”
“After All,” “Praying for You”). “Nevershine” is beautiful, a piano-led track
dripping and oozing with potential and promise that shows frontman Veno Xavier
is anything but a system singer. There is a breadth to this rock throat, one as
powerfully emotive as it is gritty (for those astute readers , there’s a bit of
Liquid Gang’s Jose Maldonado in Xavier’s voice – 50 gold stars to anyone whose
heard of that band – if not, check out the album Sunshine). And speaking of potential and promise, those are two apt
words to describe the albums better half, those moments of hard rock bliss
fueled by driving guitar leads and charging riffs and solos (“Broken Man,”
“Dead Love Letters,” “Undone”). And it should go without saying, you want your
rock band to sound closer to Burn Halo or Rev Theory than Nickelback (unless
you’re a soulless shill like the latter). Any way you slice it, Beauty in Being Alone is a good record.
To arms rock fans, to arms, Seven circle Sunrise is a band to put on your rock
radar for sure, as this is a name you’ll want to familiarize yourself with
sooner rather than later, and what better a place to start that Beauty in Being Alone. (www.scsrock.com)
Grade: B+
Go Download: “Undone”
File Under: Supergroup Rock
Fake Figures - Hail
the Sycophants (Shillen Records): With former members of Hotwire, Atreyu,
the Iron Maidens, Scars of Tomorrow and SSNOVA within their ranks, it’s clear
that Fake Figures has the chops to put together some tight material, and with
their debut EP Hail the Sycophants, the
band peddles their wares quite obviously. With ex-Hotwire vocalist Rus Martin
at the helm, it’d be easy to think that Fake Figure’s sound would trend one way
rather than the other, and while there are some smatterings of Hotwire
influence (seriously, if you haven’t heard their album the Routine, you’re depriving yourself), things don’t play out
exactly as you assume. Hail the
Sycophants is easily summated in one track, the opening “Perfect No One,”
which explodes out of your speakers with high-powered shouting vocals and
driving guitars, which, well paired with boom percussion, makes for a highlight
track right off the bat. Yes, “Perfect No One” is a pretty spot on
representation of what the band can do when they kick it into gear, but Hail the Sycophants isn’t all bombastic
pomp and circumstance. The band can temper the pace and slow the heartbeat as
it were, as evidenced by the piano-led “As We Drift.” Keep in mind that not
only is Hail the Sycophants Fake Figures’ debut, it’s also just an EP, and
for as good as this is, it’s exciting to think about just how good this band’s
debut full length release will be. (www.facebook.com/fakefigures)
Grade: B
Go Download: “Perfect No One”
File Under: Stylish Metalcore
Blessed By a Burden – Addiction
EP (Standby Records): Aside from the ear shuddering drops into euro-dance
histrionics (“The Red Moon”), which do more to baffle than enhance (seriously I
See Stars anyone?), Blessed By a Burdens’ Addiction
EP is a rock, a dense slab of glammed up scene-core that plays like a the Oncoming Storm-era Unearth meets This is Love, This is Murderous-era
Bleeding Through love story, just with more cowbells, uh, waves of synth (“Confession,”
“Turn Your Back”). The front-running duo of the back to back “Testament” and “Inherent
Sins” dominates the Addiction EP,
showing early on that these boys mean business and are thoroughly taking care
of said biz via consistent throat shreds and some dynamic guitar play from the
bands noteworthy rhythm section. Another pleasant wrinkle to the Addiction EP is the closing “Passion and
Power,” a track led by some cleverly tucked away spoken word, a moment during
which the bands explains they are here to help where they can but they aren't
role models. Addiction gives the band
something to build upon but more importantly its good enough to get people
excited about their forthcoming full length. (www.facebook.com/blessedbyaburden)
Grade: B-
Go Download: “Inherent Sin”
File Under: Soul Funk
Moksha – Here to
Go: Here to Go comes out firing on all cylinders with two of its best cuts,
“the Seed” and “Real Show,” sounding like a mix of inspired Kara’s Flower-era
Maroon 5 and the Chris Nathan Band, with an explosive cornucopia of sounds as
layered as they are luminous. Deep seated grooves and sexy vibes abound
throughout Here to Go, though there’s
a somewhat subtle underlying jam band spirit that becomes more and more
prevalent by the time the tremendous “Real Show” concludes, before the band
completely flips the script on the following “the Measure of All Things,” a
track that sees the band fire off a bad impression. The soul-funk dramatics
don’t return until “Starswarm,” and when this tune hits you’ll see just how
much they’re missed, and just how good Moksha is in this arena. At times, the
band sounds like a jam band waiting to happen (“Into Thin Air,” “Bubbles”) and
a Dave Matthews shirt and a few bong rips away from appearing at the closest
frat party, which strips some luster from Here
to Go, but doesn’t completely derail it. “Awaken My Love” is just about as
badass as Here to Go gets, and if
this guitar riff doesn’t cause you to get your swagger on, nothing will. Here to Go is inconsistent, sure, but
when its good, when the band is focused and lets the bass drop, these grooves
are not to be missed. Don’t sleep on Here
To Go, hell, don’t even sleep on Moksha, because both exude talent. (www.mokshatime.com)
Grade: B
Go Download: “Awaken My Love”
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