Sell Out Records - A Music Review Blog

The Goo Goo Dolls "A Boy Named Goo  Let’s rewind to the year 1995. It’s the year that I purchased an alternative rock record in cassette form that would end up breaking over time. It was none other than the Goo Goo Dolls release “A Boy Named Goo” . The band was riding high on the release of “Naked”, but I picked up the record when I first saw the movie “Angus”. If you remember that movie fondly, you know that these guys had a track on the record that would go platinum. Right? I think it went platinum, I’m not sure. Whatever the case is, “A Boy Named Goo” is a strong contender for the best alternative record of 1995 in my opinion. It embodies the slick production, and killer guitar work with distortion, solos, and vocals that were prominent at the time. Even though I’m not a fan of the band’s work past this album, this record had me tripped up and my cassette tape was on replay non-stop. The opening track alone is enough to get any rock fan interested, as the guitar work is s...

So, The Electrets woke me up from a daze on Twitter with the release of their new music video! If you don't remember The Electrets , then you aren't reading my blog, idiots! I reviewed their stuff HERE . Check out the video below, go follow them on Twitter, and wake up to one of my favorite up and coming bands since I first discovered The Donnas and desperately tried to marry a member. I was a weirdo, I'm sure.

The So So Glos performed live for KEXP and here's the video of it, listen up idiots. Look, if you have a few bucks, why not pick up The So So Glos record HERE?

In a landscape full of poorly constructed music, and icons that have no real musical prowess, artists are sometimes relegated to doing things outside of the norm. Tiffini Truth is an example of  what true artists can do, pushing the elements of art, design, video and sound. With her latest “Industrial Blues Grinder”, she completely turns the world upside down with a flow of art that will shock you to your core. That is not a bad thing, it’s an absolutely beautiful thing, and it most definitely woke me up. With the first single, “Sinner” she introduces you to the sounds, lyrics, and visual performance that most will not be ready for. Not since I first saw Karen Black’s videos in a “Disinformation” DVD have I been so intrigued. The juxtaposition of Tiffini Truth’s images define so many underlying messages. Whether you take them as religious or you take them as something else, you will be hard-pressed not to be moved, and perhaps even fall in love with the imagery. She uses all ele...

Face to Face is one of my favorite punk rock bands ever formed. Their documentary really showcased how hard their life was trying to put out music. “Big Choice” was an incredible release at the time, and it sounded like it was recorded in a cave, but who cares, it was fast, it was punk, it was catchy. It was put out in 1994 and was originally released through Victory Music, not to be confused with Victory Records. The band put this album out eventually got put out through A&M Records, however it was an awful experience. The record has a lot of great songs, and for being a sophomore record, still rocks as hard as it did when I first heard it. I bought the cassette tape when I was a kid. I used to listen to my Walkman non-stop. Regardless, this record is awesome, and it features some of the best hits from the band. Songs like “A-Ok”, “You Lied”, “Disconnected” and “Bikeage” all point to greatness. The re-recorded “Disconnected” is sometimes heard on rock radio, to this day. The...

In our latest feature for you cheap ass music fan, like me, I found one heck of a release. It’s from 2001 and it’s one of my favorite rock records that should’ve gotten way more attention. It’s from the band Rival Schools, and it’s called “United By Fate” . Now, if you were a fan of Anime and video games as a whole, you will remember the short lived series, or at least the fighting game that was on the Sega Saturn. Aside from the reference to obscure video games and anime, the band put out one cohesive album that is more so enjoyable as a whole than it is by just 1 or 2 singles. They call this genre post-hardcore, but I don’t know if I would claim that. The guitar work is far more intricate than just punk or hardcore, and there’s not a ton of yelling or anything like that. The band formed in New York and quickly became a part of the hardcore scene since the members were all from bands that I grew up with, throwing fists in the air. Bands like Gorilla Biscuits, CIV, and Youth of To...

I wrote a quick review over at For The Fan Blog about Brother Ali’s 2007 record “The Undisputed Truth” . On that record came one hell of a track called “Uncle Sam Goddamn” and it’s an intrepid look at our country. I say our country, even though I am Mexican born because I became a citizen in 2001. This video is one of the coolest pieces of protest music and hip hop. Brother Ali goes through a track of content that is so confident and relevant that I wanted to bring a spotlight to it. In this first segment of Sell Out Records’ Video Spotlight, which will get updated every other day or so, I present you with the 2007 single from Brother Ali. Check it out, and please buy the album by clicking here . Support the artists, this blog, and your love of music. Have a suggestion, comment, or want me to feature your band? Drop me a line, visit the links, and join me on facebook. Thank you.

Always being on the lookout for new music brought me to a Facebook post about an upcoming hardcore and metal show that is coming through my town. One of the bands playing the showcase of immortals is the band Palace in Ruins. They label themselves as a Christian hardcore outfit from Los Angeles, and I immediately thought about my previous experiences with this genre. I used to even have a record label with bands like Drawn Close, Engraved, and others that would play in the scene. That’s past, and this is the present. Palace in Ruins released an ep entitled “Great Depths” and comes out swinging with a wall of metallic overture. They mix metal and hardcore with tinges of death metal to an overall interesting device. On the track “Guidon” they scream and sing through moments of true brutality. You get the waves of metallic fury with lyricism that is empowering for any hardcore fan. But they are not just satisfied with flowing through the same old trudging lineage, they push through wi...

Mid City legend, Murs, has once again blew me away. He first blew me away in Definitive Jux when he appeared in a John Cena...no scratch that. I was impressed in the "Bad Man" video when John Cena showed up and threw Murs in a trash can after doing 16 bars on the track for the music video. Then again, I'm wrong, that was the "HUSTLE" music video. See, even I'm wrong a lot. Murs has gone through a lot of different business ventures, and put out on of the best records last year "Murs x Fashawn: This Generation" and once again impresses me as a blogger, business man and fan with the latest news. He is going to start a record label called Murs 316. Murs 316 is a project that will not have long term contracts, it will be a stepping stone for young rappers and hip hop musicians to rise up and get a shot at collaboration, working with, and dealing with projects alongside MURS. To introduce the world with what is going on, he has gone forward and made...

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I remember meeting The Grouch and Eligh in West Seattle, and they were amazing. They performed some of the songs off of "Say G&E" and were signing autographs, meeting fans and just being friendly. Today they released their latest music video and it features Pigeon John, and wow, another quality record is going to be ensuing from these brilliant mc's. You owe it to yourself to take 4 minutes out of your day to check this one out.

Neil Young and Crazy Horse by far outranks most other classic rock bands ever. I hate the term sometimes because rock is so much more than just a simple phrase or genre. Neil Young as a song writer has impressed me so many times, and if you aren’t a fan, you just might be after you hear this song. I admit, I didn’t hear this song until I was watching “Sons of Anarchy”. The show was having one of their amazing sequences where the main characters were reflecting on what was going on with emotions running high. The drama really goes into a tailspin at times with musical narratives and montages paving the way to tear jerking scenes, and well, “My My, Hey Hey” was one of the most compelling pieces I recall from the show, even if it was a cover. For those that haven’t heard the song, Neil Young and Crazy Horse released it on their record “Rust Never Sleeps” album. The 9 songs on this record come from 1979 and was originally released on Reprise Records. It’s a nice collection of rock mus...

Lorde "Royals" official music video has come out and while it provides a great little visual presentation to the already hit song, I had to post it here. I hate when rock radio plays soft music, disco, and rap, but this hit me differently. The first few seconds made me mad, then comes in the chorus and I'm hooked. "We don't care, we driving Cadillacs in our dreams..." and it's on repeat. I haven't heard a song with such a good hook in a long time, so you owe it to yourself to pick this one up while it's available. Click here to download "Royals" in mp3 format. Lorde is doing something good.