Il Rumore Bianco "Mediocrazia"

Progressive rock has always been a unique form of music. I mean, that’s kind of what the term “progressive” means. In recent years there haven’t been really any progressive rock acts as much as there have been progressive metal bands. There is of course Dream Theater, and there is also Symphony X, Meshuggah and Mastodon all classify as progressive metal bands, but long gone are the days of Genesis and Yes, when you could be innovative and not have to rely on super heavy distortion and impossible guitar playing to be considered progressive.

The Bloody Nerve "Blue"

You may recall a couple of months ago, almost to the day, I wrote an article on a blues rock outfit by the name of The Bloody Nerve. They had released their three-track debut EP Red then and I had nothing but good things to say about it, only to find out soon afterwards that they were immediately working on a follow-up three-track EP called Blue. Of course, I had to get this EP to write up on again. Luckily for readers, I don’t have to go through the long introductory paragraph(s) this time around.

Ladies of the Canyon "Diamond Heart"

I first heard of Montreal’s Ladies of the Canyon from their cleverly placed YouTube advertisement a few months ago. Like everybody, I hate those advertisements, but I couldn’t help but find the song absolutely catchy. After a few times of hearing this commercial I finally decided to check them out so I went and looked for their new CD Diamond Heart (which I found out wasn’t entirely new anymore), to find it in the country section. I disagree with this placement and let me tell you why.

Boston "Life, Love & Hope"

I’ve mentioned this before on occasion, but Boston is one of the first two bands I ever listened to. Van Halen is the other of the two. So needless to say, I’ve had a soft spot for both bands my entire life. It just helps that both bands have made such terrific music. Boston always had a unique and somewhat difficult journey in making their music.

A Day To Remember "Common Courtesy"

The first time I heard of A Day To Remember was a couple of springs ago. I had gotten my tickets to see Rise Against live, and typically I’ll check out what opening acts sound like before seeing the band live, just in case. Thank God I did so. Immediately I was drawn to A Day To Remember. Just like I’m sure just about every fan the band has, I couldn’t believe the mixture of pop punk and metalcore. It was something I had wished bands would do so often but unfortunately to that point no band had ever done.