By: Joseph VanBuren
Rating: 5/11 

Many bands have a trademark songwriting formula, and Brooklyn’s Up Died Sound utilizes one that is immediately identifiable to even the casual listener: intriguing yet simple guitar riffs + lo-fi drums + minimal vocal chants + tons of repetition = Up Died Sound. And though the equation is there, it doesn’t necessarily all add up.

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By: Ross Edwards
Rating: 8/11

Despite my initial reaction to a cheesy album title, Nick Kadajski’s 5 Point Perspective’s Remembering Things To Come reveals a unique jazz with a sharp edge, and an interesting melee of guitars, alto, bass, and drums. They are skilled technicians, no doubt, and with enough maturity to mix their sounds wonderfully.

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By: Faetra Petillo
Rating: 8/11

You know you are living in the digital age when a two to three person operation can sound like a ten piece band. For some, this conclusion stands as a dismal marker of the desecration of original heart-felt tunes, a music movement where the pushing of a button has taken the place of the strumming of a guitar. But for those people who think the electronic age can't have all the soul of the original rock song, I dare them to take a listen to Dinosaur Feathers who, for lack of a more appropriate metaphor, sound like what would happen if Animal Collective screwed a Beach Boy.

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By: Becky Firesheets

No sound engineer goes into the business to become famous.  The band onstage gets all the attention for an awesome show while the engineer packs up in the shadows.  “It sounded great!” fans often say to the lead singer.  But if there’s piercing feedback, an annoying buzz or a muddy mix, the engineer always gets the attention.  Rarely do we consider the constant tweaking of knobs at a typical show or the amount of hours put into mixing a solid album, yet we are quick to blame when something goes wrong.  But for an audio engineer, that’s just part of the job.  A good engineer makes the music sound great.  If the music sounds great, people should be paying attention to it, not to the dude in black hidden behind the board.  Pretty glory-less work.  But without a good engineer, a good band is worthless.

Jonathan Jacobi is a prime example of a good engineer.  Jacobi has been mixing bands since high school when he listened to a mic through headphones for the first time and knew immediately what he’d be doing with the rest of his life.  Based out of Tel Aviv, Jacobi focuses mostly on recording and mixing rock-and-roll but throws in a little funk and electronica from time to time.  And he’s not just good at hearing the technical side of things; Jacobi also knows how to listen to the musicians, to capture the sounds and vibes they want. 

Click here to read our Q&A and make sure to say "Thanks" to the sound engineer while you're out this weekend!

By: Joseph VanBuren
Rating: 6/11 

So, this is that screamo stuff the kids are listening to? Nobody knows what screamo really is (let alone the distinct differences between first and second wave), but if the defining characteristics are emotional music with lots of screaming, then Baltimore-based Piano Becomes the Teeth is a prime example.

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