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Brandee Nielsen, Believe (2011)
/ BelieveinChrist.net
After struggling with boldness for her Savior, and subsequently falling into a load of addictions, pop rock artist Brandee Nielsen refound her faith in Christ and started on her latest album, Believe. Some of Believe consists of songs that Nielsen rewrote to give them a clearer spiritual message, such as the album's opener, "I'm Alive." Speaking from her past experiences, Nielsen has an easy time crafting encouraging lyrics that remind us that Jesus is alive ("Behold The Barren Cross")...
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Pop / Alternative |
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Adam Wheatley, Beauty In The Breaking Down EP (2011)
/ AdamWheatley.com
Sometimes an artist's start can come in a completely unexpected manner. Such is the case for Tennessee pop/country artist Adam Wheatley. Wheatley was randomly asked to lead his church's youth group in worship one evening, and from there, he began to feel that his knack for music would take him places. After meeting a few other singer/songwriters in the surrounding area, such as Andrew Osenga from Caedmon's Call, Wheatley started...
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Folk Rock |
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Brightwork, Loving Rescue EP (2011)
/ BrightworkBand.com
Brightwork is a group of four guys who got together in early 2009 and have been relentlessly playing shows and recording albums ever since. 2010 saw their first official EP, and now they're back a year later with their follow up EP, Loving Rescue. The five songs show a talent for their respective instruments, but they also give off the feeling of "playing it safe." Brightwork's sound is somewhat of a hybrid of Jars of Clay, Nevertheless...
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Pop Rock |
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Don Ward, Broken (2011)
/ Facebook
Don Ward is a musician who has worked with quite a few big names in the music industry. He's either played with or recorded music for artists like Olivia Newton-John, Journey, CeCe Winans, Eddie Money and more. He's also a Grammy-nominated artist who has recently released his own solo album, entitled Broken, which explores some of his gospel stylings as well as a good portion of jazz. It's easy listening that makes for good background music...
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Gospel / Jazz |
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Aryn Michelle, Last One Standing (2011)
/ ArynMichelle.com
A self-taught and self-motivated musician from the middle of Texas, Aryn Michelle has been determined to make a name for herself in the music industry. She debuted in the industry when she released Lockless Heart in 2009 while still working toward a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. The next couple of years were kind to her, as she received lots of recognition for her music, including being a finalist in several different...
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Pop / Alt Rock |
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Five Smooth Stones, Beneath The Finite Sky (2011)
/ BeneathTheFiniteSky.com
Coming out of the Hereford Zone in Maryland, indie rock band Five Smooth Stones are familiar with playing shows for both large and small crowds. Whether it's a coffee shop or a semi-local festival, they've been there, done that. They put out a five-song EP in 2004, with their first official full-length releasing in early 2009. Still an independent band, this year saw their second full-length album, Beneath The Finite Sky...
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Rock |
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Keith Elgin, Keith Elgin EP (2011)
/ KeithElgin.com
Washington, D.C. worship leader Keith Elgin has been receiving accolades from the likes of Grammy Award-winning producers for his last two worship albums. In 2011, he's ready for his third release, a short, self-titled EP. The EP contains six songs, two of which are cover songs ("Stronger" and "Remain," originally by Hillsong and Starfield, respectively), while the rest are originals. The last song on the tracklist, "Our Hope Is In You"...
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Worship / Pop |
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Aaron David, This Is Me (2011)
/ AaronDavidMusic.net
San Antonio, Texas native Aaron David has been involved in church worship teams since the late 90s when he was playing keyboards for the youth worship team (while primarily focusing on another band called Dave Bell and the Lion of Judah). He soon moved up to leader of the youth worship team, then relocated to Houston in 2006 to lead the youth worship team at Lakewood Church, and shortly thereafter became the lead worshiper...
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Pop Rock |
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Eileen Howard, Make Over (2010)
/ Southsideharmony.com
Eileen Howard is an artist with over twenty years of music experience under her belt. Starting out as a garage rock artist, she soon ended up traveling the world singing contemporary songs for various audiences. Since 2002, she's been a recording artist when she released her first album, All Kinds of Weather. Nine years later, she's prepared her third full-length album called Make Over. Since her garage rock days...
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Jazz / Lounge |
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Vernon Little, A New Beginning (2011)
/ SonicBids.com/VernonLittle
New York-based pastor and hip hop artist Vernon Little has been involved with hip hop music since 1985. With a long history of the music under his belt, he's scheduled his latest solo album, called A New Beginning, for a November release. The first thing to say about A New Beginning is that you can definitely hear his 80s roots throughout, from the beats and music to Little's rhyme style...
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Hip Hop |
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After The Chase, You Are My Child (2011)
/ AfterTheChase.com
After connecting through the worship band they were both a part of (and subsequently marrying), Nathan and Jenna Strong are now the head of their own band, After the Chase. In 2004, the duo, and their accompanying band of musicians, released their first official recording as After the Chase, a self-titled full-length album. Another album followed in 2008, and their third this year. Entitled You Are My Child...
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Folk / Pop |
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Relevant Discord, Dual Singles EP (2011)
/ RelevantDiscord.com
Rock band Relevant Discord (aka, the one-man band headed up by musician Nick Depew) is taking a slightly different approach to releasing a full-length album. The full-length, called The Pathways of Brokenness, will be released in increments, starting off with two songs that are available on this dual-singles EP; the first song is called "The Days of Deferment" and the second is "The Refrain...
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Rock |
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KaelumWay, Pictures of Home EP (2011)
/ KaelumWay.com
Nashua, New Hampshire-based rock band KaelumWay is a fairly new band, but has already begun making an impact on its surrounding area. Opening for popular acts like Everyday Sunday and Cool Hand Luke, KaelumWay has increased their fanbase just in time for the release of their first album, Pictures of Home. It contains six songs, all of which can easily be classified as rock, though they do include some soft rock in the mix as well. Reading their bio, we discover that the band...
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Rock |
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Daylight Worship, We are Weak//He Is Strong (2011)
/ DaylightWorship.com
In late 2009, Canadian worshippers Daylight got together and recorded a seven-song EP called Behold The King, which they released October of that year. It wasn't great, but the guys in the band displayed their passion for worship and ministry through their songs well. This year, they have a new set of songs for everyone to hear, and it's their first full-length album, which they've titled We are Weak//He Is Strong. The biggest positive aspect of the album, as well as Daylight's music...
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Worship |
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Maywood, Maywood (2010)
/ MaywoodBand.com
With a heart for the lost and a passion for fellowship within the Christian community, Missouri natives Maywood released a full-length self-titled at the end of last year. They took a little pop rock, mixed it with some worshipful lyrics and composed twelve songs they're ready for the world to hear. The majority of Maywood is ready-for-radio pop rock music, with possible influences including artists like Jeremy Camp and Casting Crowns. The opening song, "Stereo Love," is an interesting track...
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Pop Rock |
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Mike Westendorf, Undefined (2010)
/ MikeWestendorf.com
Along with his title of Music Director for a college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mike Westendorf is also a Christian musician with four albums to his name. With his band of friends and fellow musicians, Westendorf has been releasing music since his 2004 album, Another Day. Six years later, he presented album number five, Undefined. Westendorf's overall style is pop rock, but it has a definite southern flair mixed in, with vocals that at times resemble Bart Millard (in fact, "Open The Door" sounds...
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Pop / Pop Rock |
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Ryan Shelley, Sights & Sounds (2011)
/ RyanShelley.com
Ryan Shelley's story is a very familiar one to a lot of life-long Christians. He always believed in God's existence, but as a teen, never really gave himself over to Him. Since finally experiencing His love and grace on a personal level, Shelley has taken to music to worship God. Along with four other band members, who sometimes accompany him in a live setting, Shelley has adopted a southern/country style of contemporary music. His second full-length album is titled Sights & Sounds...
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Worship |
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Heather Mangum, Heather Mangum EP (2008)
/ HeatherMangum.com
Heather Mangum is a singer/songwriter and worship leader from Los Angeles, California. With her official bio consisting of three quotes from adamant fans of her music and worship style, the rest of Heather Mangum's music life seems to be unknown to new listeners. We do know, however, that she is devoted to writing her music for Jesus and leading others into His presence through her songs. Her latest release is a self-titled EP from 2008 containing four songs...
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Worship |
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Seasons, A Moment Of Clarity (2011)
/ CDBaby.com
Only a year old, Australian rock band Seasons have worked really hard to write original music and build their fanbase. Sam Young and Pete Wright started with just their instruments, but soon realized they needed a vocalist to accompany their music. Their lineup became complete when they were joined by singer Hayley Jensen, who was no stranger to the music scene (she had a solo album to her name and had come in 4th place on Australian Idol)...
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Rock |
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Hostyle Gospel, Immortal Combat (2011)
/ HostyleGospel.com
Back in 2003, there was a hip hop group by the name of The Elite M.O.C. (Men of Christ) who was called to minister in central Illinois. When they moved on to other aspects of ministry, two members - Proverb and King Soloman - continued on in the hip hop world under the new name Hostyle Gospel. With the addition of Big Job, Hostyle Gospel became a three-man hip hop crew bent on bringing the gospel through what they call dynamic Christian hip hop. Their 2011 full-length release is a generous...
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Hip Hop / Rap |
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Dave Pettigrew, The Walk EP (2011)
/ DavePettigrew.net
Lots of artists in the Christian music industry got their start as the worship band for their home church, such as Casting Crowns and even Showbread. One such artist that is springing up from the New Jersey area is contemporary independent artist Dave Pettigrew. Having opened for the likes of MercyMe, it's safe to say that he's gained at least some recognition in his part of the country. His fifth release comes about a year after his last release, Solo Volume 1...
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Pop Rock |
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Compelled, The Fight EP (2010)
/ CompelledBand.com
Pennsylvania-based pop rockers Compelled have been glorifying God through music since 2004, when they started playing for their church. Five years later, the band put out their first official release, an independent EP called Taken Over. Then 2010 turned out to be a pretty big year for them; not only did they win the RevGen Battle of the Bands, which gave them the opportunity to actually participate in the RevGen Festival, but they also released a follow-up EP called The Fight...
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Pop Rock |
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Cooper Brown, Venture (2010)
/ Myspace
There is definitely not a shortage of artists coming from around the Nashville area. A lot of them remain unknown, but it has also spawned its fair share of popular artists as well. One relatively unknown artist that does deserve some attention is the pop rock/singer-songwriter Cooper Brown. Hailing from the nearby town of Jackson, Tennessee, Brown spent some time at Belmont University learning to be a songwriter. October 2010 was when he released his very first album, Venture...
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Rock |
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Reilly, Around The World (2010)
/ ReillytheBand.com
An independent, Philadelphia-based pop rock band, Reilly has made some strides toward becoming a more recognizable name in the Christian music industry. They've played big festivals (like Creation and Purple Door), played with big bands and appeared on a song with Lecrae and Flame in 2008 (a seemingly weird combination that actually worked pretty well for the song). In June 2010, they released their third album, Around The World. With some pretty talented musicians making up the band, Around The World...
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Pop / Rock |
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Day Seven, Decisions (2011)
/ DaySevenBand.com
If you're a musician coming out of the state of Georgia, chances are you're either a southern gospel group or a hip hop artist. That is, unless you're Day Seven, then you're a modern rock band trying to get their hope-filled tunes into the hands and hearts of others. They've recently released their first full-length record, Decisions. Musically, the album wastes no time getting into their brand of modern rock music. Decisions has its share of ballads and softer rock songs, but the majority of it is...
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Rock |
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ER, The Risk of Tragedy (2010)
/ Sonicbids
Drawing influence anywhere from pop to classical to techno, the three-man group ER from the state of Oregon plays more of a straight-up rock sound than you may expect. In the fall of 2010, they released their debut full-length independent album called The Risk of Tragedy. Though it's mainly straightforward rock, ER does utilize a couple different subgenres in their brand of rock. At times it's edgy piano pop rock, and other times it's just rock music. The piano does remain a constant throughout the songs, despite...
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Rock / Pop Rock |
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Dave King, Listening Through The Night (2010)
/ Facebook
A graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music as well as the University of Western Ontario (with a Honors Bachelor's of Music), Dave King is experienced as a classical pianist. He released his first album in 2010, calling it Listening Through The Night. The songs were birthed from moments spent calling out and listening to God even in some darker times. The overall style of this album is piano pop rock, with a bit more of a rock tinge here and there (such as in the song "Sanctify"). Though some of the instrumentation...
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Piano Pop Rock |
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Curtis Alley, Curse of the Reasonably Comfortable Chair (2010)
/ CurtisAlley.com
As a 33-year veteran of the music world, Curtis Alley has a lot of experience under his belt. His latest independent album, Curse of the Reasonably Comfortable Chair, happens to be his thirty-fourth independent album. It's a full-length record that spends most of its time drenched in a country/southern rock sound. There are a few other styles that show up here and there, like a bit of electronic flair in the drums of "Lightbox" and "Point In Time." The latter of the two makes for a good example of the weaknesses of the album...
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Southern Rock / Pop |
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Phillip Hogg, The Power Of Letting Go (2010)
/ MySpace
Kentucky musician Phillip Hogg is no stranger to music. He's been making it since he was twelve years old. He only has two albums to his name, though. The first came in 2003, an album called The Invisible Band. His follow-up is a lot more recent. The Power of Letting Go is his second venture and, like his first album, was entirely self-produced. In addition, Hogg is the only musician you'll hear on either of the albums. He shows himself to be pretty talented, managing to write and perform every aspect of the albums, and maintain...
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Acoustic / Rock |
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Chris Moerman, Sounds Like Sunset (2010)
/ ChrisMoerman.com
Having spent his younger years playing with different bands in his hometown of Adelaide, Australia, worship leader Chris Moerman only saw his first release in 2008. His second official release, and first full-length is called Sounds Like Sunset, and features production from former producers of both John Mark McMillan and Norma Jean. It's quite the difference in sound. Moerman's music is definitely on the McMillan side of the spectrum, however. Sounds Like Sunset features some ready-for-radio worship songs whose sound will instantly capture...
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Worship |
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The No Longer, War Stories (2011)
/ TheNoLonger.com
What do you get if you listen to The No Longer's newest full-length album? A little bit of everything that rock music has to offer (except the hardcore stuff). The No Longer mixes rock, funk, pop punk, grunge, classic rock, 80s metal and ballads into a full-length album called War Stories. Picture what it would sound like if Hyperstatic Union and Petra became one band, and you get the basic idea of what The No Longer sounds like. That being said, the guitars are the highlight of the album. While there isn't always something there to get excited about...
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Rock / Alternative / Funk |
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An Epic, No Less, We Are The Echo of Love (2010)
/ AnEpicNoLess.com
In 2010, electro pop worship group An Epic, No Less received a lot of buzz due to their upbeat sound on their short album We Are The Echo of Love (the fact that their album was available for free download helped too). Todd Larson and Daniel Chancellor are the two main members of An Epic, No Less, and they display their talent in the genre they call "gospelectronica." It's a pretty fitting name, except that there's no gospel anywhere to be found. It's really just electronic worship...
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Electro Pop |
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Tommee Profitt, I Know Your Love (2011)
/ TommeeProfitt.com
Having shared the stage with heavyweights like TobyMac and Family Force 5, young worship leader Tommee Profitt has had a good amount of exposure, despite being an independent artist. The first day of 2011 marked the release of his fourth independently-produced and -released worship album, I Know Your Love. It's got a lot of power pop, and a lot of anthemic worship tunes that will instantly grab the ears of many fans of the modern worship music scene. "This Is Your Day" and "Nothing Else Matters" are on the same playing field as Hillsong...
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Power Pop / Worship |
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Vanessa Jourdan, Beloved, Vol. 1 EP (2010)
/ Facebook
Pop artist Vanessa Jourdan has been playing venues in Southern California since the 2002 release of her independent debut album, Give Me A Stage. A couple albums later, and praise from local publishings about her debut and two following releases, Jourdan and her band have a new EP called Beloved, Vol. 1. The twenty minutes it takes to listen to the EP give a good glimpse at her talent in the singer/songwriter business. Very comparable to artists like Natasha Bedingfield (with the EP even having a bit of Billy Joel...
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Acoustic Pop |
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Dave Moran, Captured (2009)
/ DaveMoran.net
In the vein of 90s artists like Collective Soul, North Carolinian contemporary rock artist Dave Moran has unveiled his latest full-length record, Captured. His press kit mentions being classified as "hook-driven rock and roll," which is true to an extent. A few of the songs on Captured are definitely driving rock music. Opening track "Cardboard" starts with a guitar riff reminiscent of pop punk bands like Too Bad Eugene and Three Cord Wonder. The rest of the song takes its cues from other bands...
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Pop / Rock |
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DJ FreeG, Change (2010)
/ DJ-FreeG.com
Making his debut in the American music scene, German native DJ FreeG is here with his dance/hip hop album Change. The music of Change is techno and trance music that would fit pretty well within the confines of a dance club. There are lots of grooves, samples and plenty of the obligatory bass-snare-bass-snare most commonly associated with the genre. Most of the tracks do pretty well as far as creating good techno tracks, but I think Change would have been a better album without the vocals...
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Dance / Hip Hop |
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Corrin Campbell, Game Night (2009)
/ CorrinCampbell.net
After one EP and a single released through iTunes, Baltimore, Maryland pop rock artist Corrin Campbell & the Election are here with their first full length album, Game Night. Campbell and her band put a lot of emphasis on pop rock, with nearly all of Game Night having that familiar sound. It's pretty upbeat, with songs like "Find Your Way" and "Always Be" leading the pack. They do slow down for some songs as well, like the near-pop country sound of "Bounce" and their cover of OneRepublic's hit "Apologize...
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Pop / Rock |
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39 Stripes, Beyond Broken (2010)
/ MySpace
39 Stripes is a Florida-based (from the Tampa area) rock band currently signed to newly formed indie label, Hollar Records. The group follows in the vein of bands such as Red, Decyfer Down, and Since October with their new release, Beyond Broken. The first thing you will notice when listening is that the production value found on a major label release is missing; there are definitely times throughout the album when this is clearly evident. A closer listen will reveal that these guys are on the right track though...
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Rock |
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Jay Tholen, Control Me (2010)
/ JayTholen.net
Everything about the works of Jay Tholen is experimental. From the album covers to the themes, straight on down to the music itself. His projects range from albums like The Usurper Must Die!!! ("a nineteen minute avant-pop prog-hop onslaught of righteous rage") to The Great Hylian Revival, which uses music from the Nintendo 64 classic The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time to compose songs about Jesus. He puts out albums on a fairly regular basis, the latest of which is a full-length experiment entitled Control Me...
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Experimental |
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Matthew McMahon, Too Big To Fail EP (2010)
/ MatthewMcMahonMusic.com
A singer/songwriter from Washington, D.C., Matthew McMahon takes his love for Jesus and his interest in politics and incorporates them into the songs on his latest EP, Too Big To Fail. Strangely, for the part of the country he's from, the EP is a southern rock-flavored offering with a little bit of pop rock and a hint of gospel. It's not so strange, though, if you know that he spent a good half decade in Nashville where he worked on his music skills. The first track, "Too Big To Fail," is a southern rock song through and through...
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Southern Rock |
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Rand Winburn, I Can Be Anything EP (2010)
/ Rand's MySpace
Rand Winburn is the sole artist on the California-based Corgi Boy Records. His latest album for Corgi Boy is an EP entitled I Can Be Anything, an electronic album a la Joy Electric and The Echoing Green. In fact, replace Rand Winburn with Ronnie Martin and it could almost pass as a Joy Electric album (it's only missing Martin's signature vocals). While Winburn's vocal style is nothing like Martin's, they do seem almost out of place here. The music is rather well-composed, and his voice does fit the album on occasion...
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Electronica |
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Michelle Ruben, Until Tomorrow EP (2008)
/ MichelleRubenMusic.com
Whether you're a new Christian, you've been one for years, or don't know the first thing about Christianity, you undoubtedly have questioned God at some point. It's an issue that sometimes gets ignored. This is the reason behind indie pop singer Michelle Ruben's latest EP, Until Tomorrow. She asks questions about her mom's passing and about God's seeming distance. Overall, Ruben's music is very comparable to that of Rebecca St. James. It's very light pop rock with a miniscule amount of electronics worked into it...
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Pop |
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