Quickie Reviews: December 2013

Life is fast. Keeping up with it is hard. We drop the unnecessary pretention and filler in our reviews so that our readers can enjoy what little time is left on this planet. Have an album submission? Email it to us at RoosterMagazine@gmail.com.

LOCAL

Inner Oceans / Self-Titled EP

Even though the debut EP from indie-rock outfit Inner Oceans is only 3 songs deep, the strength behind it is a force to be admired. The self-titled work is a capable jump off of the blocks for the relatively freshly assembled band. We’ll call the strongest track “Ready Your Ghost” simply what it is – raw, loud, strange and beautiful. It’s musical morning sex.

H*Wood / Doubt Kills EP

H*Wood is a fine artist indeed. He’s a conscious emcee with a penchant for fusion. “Doubt Kills” is one of those albums that can go just about anywhere at any time. It’s a lyrical ride on the backs of electronic dance beats, pop-centric rhythms and even tosses in more traditional hip hop stylings in the title track.

INDEPENDENT

Bubba Sparxxx / Pain Management

From the man who delivered us all the 2001 smash hit, “Ugly,” comes a new album plump with the same tactics that first put him on the map more than ten years ago. “Pain Management” is a serious merging of rock, hip hop and country inspired songs. Bubba never left his roots, and that’s commendable. Let's hope it comes with a reunion tour.

AWOLNATION / Megalithic Symphony Limited Edition Deluxe

Buy, buy! Sale, sale! Fancy words, fancy words! Clever ways to make you buy things you really don’t need, amiright? So we were skeptical at first when we saw the “Limited Edition Deluxe” nonsense. Disc one is the original studio album. Own it! Disc two, however, is where it gets interesting. Plenty of remixes and unreleased work to justify the buy.