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Music Reviews

If you are in a band or know of a band who would like their music reviewed, click on the Submissions link to view the guidelines for submitting CDs or cassettes. I will also review MP3s.

Each week there will be a featured MP3 of my choosing. Please check back every Monday for a new song.

MP3 of the Week

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Click here to see a list of past MP3s of the week.

Note: bands are listed in alphabetical order.

Doll Factory
Tracks reviewed from the Doll Factory page on MP3.com.
CDs available at Disrupted.org.
E-mail: dollfactory@dollfactory.org

Hailing from Seattle, Doll Factory is the kind of rockin', usually danceable Industrial music that I prefer. The vocals alternate between strong and clear, and harsh and digitally manipulated, and the words remain completely understandable. The band is comprised of Garrick Antikajian and Chris Roy who have played together for more than 12 years in various incarnations of bands.

The first song listed on the site, Touch, starts out minimal, but quickly builds to rock anthem status, with vocals that remind me of Prick. There are also two remixes of this song, Touch (ill-starred), which is an enjoyable symphonic remix with great drum beats, and Touch (spider-like) which is more electronic. Beta is really great for a demo (previously unreleased) and River of Light is impressive all-around. I'd love to hear this one live. This song also has a remix entitled River of Light (reload). Wow! I really like this version too. Nettle is the harshest track of the bunch incorporating more guitars in an industrial-metal orgy of sound.

Doll Factory's site says they were expecting their first full-length CD to be released in late summer or fall 2001. It hasn't been updated since the Spring so I don't know what the status on this is. But from what I've heard of them so far, I will definitely check out future releases.

The Ideal Flaw
Tracks reviewed from The Ideal Flaw page on MP3.com.
CD For the End of the World available at MP3.com.
E-mail: idealflaw@hotmail.com

One man is behind the creativity of The Ideal Flaw, Aaron Evans. His music is hard to define because it does not fit within one genre. My best effort at describing it is ambient and classical-tinged alternative.

The first song on his MP3.com page is Black Box. Its ethereal melody with interwoven mandolin is the perfect match for the song's subject matter. The words are those of a dying man and the fleeting thoughts running through his mind. A Horrible World has a sound similar to the Cure and I really like the guitars. Everything Looks Better is a bittersweet song about reminiscing on the beautiful things in one's life. The middle-eastern instrumentation and classical arrangement of Loneliness and the interesting sounds on When the Sun Dies, showcase more of The Ideal Flaw's versatility.

I really like the song Waiting For the End of the World. It pulls together many types of instruments and has a sad, yet ultimately uplifting feel. Aaron told me, "Lyrically, it's about a man asking for one last Sin before he repents. But thematically, it's got some really optimistic views on the 'end of the world. It always bothered me that people saw the end of the world as this apocalyptic event, full of fire and death. I enjoyed the way someone like C.S. Lewis portrayed it, as a sort of celebration, a beautiful last bow before the curtain goes down. I don't know, it's an uplifting song, really. There aren't enough of those these days."

The last song on the site is called End of the World-ambient reprise that complements the previously listed song. I have also had the pleasure of listening to a new demo called Rosabella Believe that may be The Ideal Flaw's most ambitions work yet. However, Aaron felt he needed to do more work on it so it's currently not available. Look for this song and other new songs soon.

I suggested to Aaron that most of his lyrics appear to be about reflecting on the past -- either at the end of life, or at the dawn of a new chapter in one's life, and I asked him where he drew his inspiration for his lyrics.

"I write from the third person a lot, I tell stories and sometimes there is a message. I get a lot of ideas from books, documentaries and things I've read. I hope you'll notice, though, that I always tell the story from afar. There is a purposeful distance I keep from the storyteller and the action. Even if it's in first person. Things are never as morbid as the subject matter would suggest. I have faith that listeners are getting the celebratory vibes, and the humor in it all."

Check out The Ideal Flaw if you want to broaden your musical horizons and hear something new and innovative.