Towers of London: Blood, Sweat & Towers
This is one of the most random ass CDs I have ever heard.  For better or worse, this sounds like a compilation of about 5 completely unrelated bands and I want to like it, I really do, but I just can’t bring myself to.  Now, I am all for eclectivity (sure, it’s a word), but when you get a little TOO eclectic, it starts to get on my nerves and gives me a severe headache. C



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The Bronx: Self-Titled
Wow, reading a book by its cover  really isn’t a good idea.  Judging by the cover of this album, my first guess was either monorock or emo.  After the subtle intro of strumming guitar synth of incoherent vocals, I was slammed against the wall the ferocity of guitar and screaming vocals.  The Bronx is definitely more Clutch than My Chemical Romance but they still need a tiny bit of work in order to rise to the standards or the former band, which is personally one of my favorite. B

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Meg & Dia: Something Real
Leigh Nash has now gone solo from Sixpence None the Richer and the cutesy pixie girl-fronted group genre is now missing a limb.  Not to worry, Meg & Dia are here to fill the void.  The somewhat catchy opening track “Monster” is a directly in-your-face rock ballad, well, as much as a couple of un-threatening school girls can be.  Unfortunately for this duo, they are not quite cute enough and the songs are not quite catchy enough.  Boo-Hoo. D+


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The Lordz: The Brooklyn Way
There is some kind of addicting quality to this CD but I can’t quite put my finger on it.  Perhaps it’s the appearance by Rancid’s Tim Armstrong or maybe it’s the non-country tinged track with House of Pain’s Everlast.  Or, perhaps it’s the amazing guest appearance by Bowling For Soup’s Jaret Reddick.  Or, maybe…just maybe, it’s the fact that The Lordz are able to actually hold their own on the rest of the tracks that fill out The Brooklyn Way. B+

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Dirty Pretty Things: Waterloo to Anywhere
A little bit Strokes, a little bit Libertines and a little bit…Rancid?  Maybe, if only in the lisp that the lead singer has.  Dirty Pretty Things actually is the new incarnation of the Libertines, featuring two of the members from the influential, though short lived, monorock band.  Although the monorock fad was pretty much killed by the emergence of emo )in this country at least), Dirty Pretty Things are definitely fighting to take it out of the brief coma.  B


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Jil Station: Still Love
First, let me start off by saying that Jil Station are not BAD as an indie band, but that’s all they are, an indie band.  Not even “indie” in the sense of bands like The Hives or Evanescence.  No, Jill Station are indie in the way that this CD should have never come across my desk unless I happened to see them at a small local club on a Friday night and they handed me their CD.  Sure, the band might get all the girls swooning at their shows in a small town, but, as far as professional sounding, original artists go, Jill Station needs to raise the bar not only a few inches, but a few feet. D+

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Jeannie Ortego: No Place Like Brooklyn
Ok, Brooklyn-themed CD number 3.  Lyrics like “I'm trying to make this bread, why you all in my recipe?” don’t exactly scream “great musician” but, namedropping and bad lyrics aside, Jeannie Ortega has the strong potential of being a club staple after some strong remixes if put in the right hands. C+




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Nina Gordon: Bleeding Heart Graffiti
The former Veruca Salt member has pretty much abandoned her girl-rock roots in favor of a more singer-songwriter vibe.  As someone who was never really a big fan of Veruca Salt, this doesn’t come as a big blow, but more of a warning to fans expecting something different.  With the name like Bleding Heart Graffiti, I half expected a more politically charged album than what I was given.  Instead, I was treated with a mellow, if not coma-inducing, pop album of near Sarah McLachlan standards. B

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