THE PROFILER: TOP 5 LOCAL ALBUMS OF 2010
NoStar | Blurring the Line | Eat Lightning | L.i.E. | John Kolbeck Albums aren’t dead. Sure, the way people listen – and purchase – music has changed dramatically over the last few years but, for many musicians, the album still means a cohesive collection of songs that represent a certain place in their life. While 2009 produced some excellent albums by a number of local groups, including Tara Scheyer, 2010 was not short on talent either. New albums by Carey Murdock and John Kolbeck touched upon acoustic and blues-based rock while Blurring the Line and L.I.E. showed the direction of Metal. Other groups like Eat Lightning have also been making a name for themselves during 2010, playing a lot of shows and getting their sound out there for public consumption. Here’s a taste:
Eat Lightning: I Saw the Light Not all that long ago, Augusta band Eat Lightning released a superb nine-song demo titled The Walls Have Mice and the Mice Have Ears. Now, this talented retroindie rock ensemble has come out with a new EP I Saw the Light. The EP begins with the poppy hit “Blue Friday,” much in the same sing-along vein as Eat Lighting’s other tracks. But, this is not a bad thing ... it is actually great! Here is a band that writes catchy pop songs that people can relate to, that people can sing along to, and that people can feel good about listening to in their bedroom really loud while dancing around in footie pajamas. Fans of Franz Ferdinand or the Pixies be warned, you just might have a new favorite band. The EP continues with a great 60’s style rock song called “Down and Out” that people might remember from the demo earlier this year. Very much Everly Brothers meets the Breeders with Buddy Holly thrown in for good measure. “Gloria!” is the next track and it begins with a haunting drum beat that fills the listener with anticipation before diving into fuzzed-out guitar and more sing-along lyrics. A moody, slow paced song with a great vocal harmony R & B breakdown about a minute and a half into
L.I.E. Missing Sock: Part One of Two Augusta’s very own who’s-who of Metal, L.I.E. has released a tight, well-produced chunk of progressive metal with their newest EP Missing Sock: Part One of Two. This fivesong album starts with the sing-along prog/ nu-metal track “Cross your Arms and go Outside.” The heavy sound continues with the electronic Terminator style “Draw the Sunshine,” a song that displays what L.I.E. is truly capable of as musicians. In this song, the listener can pick out multiple converging styles, culminating in a rocking ballad-style track that is reminiscent of System of a Down. There is the excellent, accomplished backdrop of music as well as the singing
the track, “Gloria!” sets the pace for “Honey Ryder,” a song one can guess was named for the infamous Bond girl. “Honey Ryder” is moody but a little more upbeat, very poppy bubblegum indie college rock goodness. The last half of the EP is composed of a more post-punk vibe, with “Lost,” garagey Ramones-esque “Runnin’ Around,” and what has probably become the band’s anthem, “You Want It.” I Saw the Light reintroduces us to our new favorite local band Eat Lightning, a set of talented musicians who know their oldies, who know their college rock and who know how to play one heck of a good show live. Find the EP on their Facebook page now or regret it forever. MYSPACE.COM/ EATLIGHTNINGGA
melodies and growling, angry traditionally metal vocals. A very impressive song. Next, fan favorite “Did not mean to inject you with AIDS” graces the album with one heckuva blistering attack. This song blasts open with a super fast, aggressive crust punk assault yet it doesn’t lack the sing-song chorus that L.I.E. are known for. And check out the guitar solo halfway through – sheerly amazing. The last truly metal track on the album, “Normal Rockswell” blends together an interesting spoken lyrical quality with heavy growling and ripping guitar. The final song, “Boring Movement in D Melodic Minor” is an instrumental piece that puts a metal twist on classical music. For fans who want a little more from their music, L.I.E.’s Missing Sock: Part One of Two takes what we’ve learned about metal in the last 40 years and turns it on its head. A wild mix of multiple styles, this EP shows just how far this band has developed in the last few years and it is truly something to behold. MYSPACE.COM/LIEMUSICGROUP
Blurring the Line: A Givin Rise to Beautality The new eight-song EP by Blurring the Line gives fans a chance to hear some of the hottest tracks by these Augusta metal natives. The metronomic beat of “Caustic Boy” starts the EP out with a slow, haunting buildup. This leads right into the title track’s wailing guitars that herald back to the glory days of 80’s metal. There is some great background growling and the lead vocals are clear, tough and very retro, yet very modern. It’s time to put the “Screamo” genre to bed, kiddies, real metal is back. “Tridon” hits next with a more melodic sound. The next track, “Amalgam,” starts with awesome slamming guitar and a Misfits-esque “whoa, whoa.” Again, this song takes old school fans back to their halcyon days, yet there is enough crunchy, progressive metal to please those who love it. Mixing melodic and harder metal, “Souls Adrift” shows a more versatile side to Blurring the Line. The melodic metal continues with “Bounded,” but the insane guitar work is back full force on the intro to “The Duality of Man.” This is definitely one of the hardest songs on the EP but also contains some of its best melodic vocals. The heavy-hitting full bass and powerful singing create a masterpiece metal song that is straight-up hard-as-nails metal. The EP ends with a gear-shifting bonus track. More melodic than many of the other songs, “Fallen” has a more early-90’s Grunge sound than many of the other songs, yet there is still a powerful underlying riff to the whole. Blurring the Line’s new EP A Givin Rise to Beautality takes everything we’ve learned about metal and brought it back, but stepped up the game with a progressive, melodic sound; very professional, very entertaining, but best of all, straight-to-the-bone nasty metal. MYSPACE. COM/BLURRINGTHELINE
Carey Murdock & NoStar: Baby, Don’t Look Down Baby, Don’t Look Down contains some of Carey Murdock’s newest and most musically inspired songs to date, including the slow-tempo and emotionally moving opening track “Gambler,” and some great guitar work on “Don’t Look Down.” Several songs provide Murdock’s signature uptempo country-rock feel, including “Baby My Heart,” “Silvergirl,” “These Things Will Drag You Down,” “Young Love,” and the incredible track “Nobody Like My Girl” that has some spectacular horn work. The closing track “Augusta” obviously stirs something deep within anyone who has spent considerable time in this town and grown to love all the intricacies of southern city life. With Murdock singing, playing guitar, and harmonica, Pat Blanchard on guitar and drums, and “Sparky” Sleister on saxophone, NoStar really outdoes itself this time around
with a well-crafted and truly beautiful piece of blues rock. Baby, Don’t Look Down is sultry, southern-fried blues interpreted through one of the finest musicians this town has ever known, everything coming together as a truly unique, innovative masterpiece. Anyone who doesn’t have this in their record collection will be missing something vital in their lives. And for a real treat, catch Murdock and the boys live, a performance that encompasses blues, rock, funk, and a little bit of everything else, too. Truly spectacular. NOSTARBAND.COM
John Kolbeck: Replace the Memory John Kolbeck’s second album, Replace the Memory has a more cohesive sound, sticking to more rock and alternative music. “It sounds like it came from the same place,” Kolbeck says. Keeping this in mind, the new album opens with “Come and Gone My Dear,” a rocking country-flavored alternative rock hit that shows Kolbeck’s roots in early-‘90’s rock yet demonstrates an updated alt-country pervasiveness. Some of the tracks on the new album hold more of a singer-songwriter feel, such as “Anyone,” while “Less and You Want More” rocks harder than some of the others. There is a definite overall personality to the album with his signature country-folk/alt-rock leanings, but the versatility of the tracks brings to light the different sides of Kolbeck’s soul. Other great songs on Replace the Memory include the moody “Less Now,” the rocking “A Stone’s Throw,” the radio-friendly hit “Beside You” and the country ballad “Take it Away.” MYSPACE.COM/JOHNKOLBECKMUSIC
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