Sell Out Records - A Music Review Blog

Leon Bridges Coming Home Vinyl LP (click here) Leon Bridges has put out one of the most soulful albums I’ve heard in a long time. But it wasn’t until I paid attention to “River” that I truly fell in love with the ideas pushed on the record. It’s in this song, that the nature of love is captured. But not just emotional connections with someone, but rather a larger scope. Obviously, music means different things to different people, lyrics can mean something but end up painting something else. For me, it is the structure of “River” that gets me every time. A simple man’s song turns into a beautiful, soulful institution. It’s not just about love for someone else, if you think about it. You can think about it in terms of God, losing a loved one, church, sanctuary, or just home. I recall that in 2011 when I stepped off an airplane headed home, divorced, saddened, and lost, a song could bring me hope. Little did I know that the soundtrack for that memory would be this. It’s in the lyr...

It’s seriously cold in Indiana. I moved from Los Angeles to this Midwest staple, and can truly say that it’s very cold. Whatever the case is, here’s another review flying at you, because I write for an audience of one or two. The band Cloud Nothings is a band that has come out swinging from the Midwest. They are from Cleveland and they play a brand of rock that you most likely want to say is “indie”, but it’s far better than that. The band has a way of making a post punk sound feel much more important. Perhaps it’s the drumming, the bass heavy rhythms and Dylan Baldi’s guitar work. Tie that together with the urgency of Jawbreaker’s debut, and you have one hell of a band. The opening track on “Here and Nowhere Else” should hook you, especially towards the end of the song where the drumming goes balls to the wall. There’s something incredible about the drumming in the opening track, and that pacing keeps things going through the rest of the disc. In this release from 2014, you are ...

The Almost "No Gift To Bring" EP - Available Here The year was 2008, and The Almost was splintered from the Underoath camp. This is a band that took a piece of Underoath and made a whole new rock and roll band. Now, with the release of this record, “No Gift To Bring” The Almost put on a showcase of holiday music that is nothing short of fascinating. The songs to me are sincere, and just beautiful. “No Gift To Bring” is a wonderful little record that features a whole heart of the Christmas season, especially if you’re of a religious inclination.

If it weren't for the 1990s alternative music scene, I wouldn't like music at all. Stone Temple Pilots were one of the many bands that I grew up listening to. It's sad to hear that Scott Weiland has died. I saw Stone Temple Pilots play the Harley Davidson festival in 2002, I think. I asked this girl out that turned out to be using me, and well with that I lost some friends that sided with her. There's no statute of limitations when it comes to these things. In honor of this day, and to just remember how powerful of a singer and person Scott Weiland was, I want to share with you this clip of Stone Temple Pilots from 1994. The band was scheduled to do the song "Unglued" live, and before they did so, they played a stirring rendition of "Christmas Time Is Here". R.I.P Scott Weiland. You'll be missed.

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.

I didn’t hear “Clarity” from Jimmy Eat World until I was a senior in high school. I was late on this record because I didn’t really explore passed “Bleed American”, which was getting a lot of radio and MTV play at the time. I recall Carson Daly saying that these guys were one of the hardest working bands in the United States. They were in fact opening acts for a ton of tours, and they were coming into their own with the release of the poorly titled “Bleed American”, which saw a few title changes, and even censorship thanks to 2001’s events. “Clarity” is one of the best independent rock records every put together. However, it fits into the “emo” and “indie” mold all the same. It’s like Death Cab For Cutie’s brother, or cousin. The band flows through long winded songs, creating over an hour of music with just 15 songs on the expanded edition. These are not short songs at all, and they play through a lot of instrumentation, and sometimes, it seems a bit long. That’s the key to the in...

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?

P.O.D. has been going strong for a long time. I remember hanging out with Sonny and the boys way back when they were playing shows up and down the West Coast with Dogwood. That’s a long time ago, and since then, the guys have been packing away some of the most powerful songs. This time around they have gone full tilt with a concept album called “The Awakening”. It’s equal parts metal, rap, hardcore, and reggae. The band has really fused together some of their best elements, and has really ramped up the production this time around. The band is absolutely at their most melodic, and urgent with this one. If you are a fan of the Deftones recent pushes, you’ll absolutely love this record, because it very much feels like a brother of Deftones and Incubus right now. From the start of the record, you are going to get hit with a reggae and hard rock blend. “Am I Awake” is a beautiful concept, with a mix of media sounds and the powerful elements that have made P.O.D. so poignant in the past...

Ditch the Drake, and Kendrick Lamar for a moment, and get your speakers turned up as loud as possible to hear 3 hip hop tracks that are absolutely grand. They are conscious hip hop songs that are going to talk about more than just drugs, women, sex. I know that many people won’t see this, but if you love hip hop and you want new music, here are 3 tracks that are going to absolutely floor you, because they floored me absolutely. Wow, where are these tracks when you need them in the mainstream? These are solid, listen to them, buy them, share them, let someone know! Murs “Surprises” My man Murs knocks it out of the park with this incredible offering. The chorus is amazing, and you’re going to be introspective upon hearing it. Murs delivers his signature rhymes, and “Ryan “Myagi” Evans drop some knowledge about this. Tedashii “Dark Days, Darker Nights” A man looking back at the heart break and lows that come with excess drinking, sex, and more. It’s rare to find rappers that flo...

There hasn’t been a lot of punk or even pop punk bands that have captured my attention quite as much as this band. Local Resident Failure first caught my eye because their drummer posts a lot of videos in which he drums full albums in various styles straight through. Well, the band has just put out one hell of a record and I don’t see a lot of people talking about it. “This Here’s The Hard Part” mixes everything that you could possibly like about punk and pop and throws into a blender of chaos. It’s a chaotic mix that is very well aware of how good music works. From the first track, “Around The World”, you get that angst, the honesty, and the incredible push forward of punk rock fury that you found when you first listened to Green Day’s “Dookie”. This record is by far the best testament of a lost 1990s or early 2000s record. You are going to listen to every single song over and over again like you did with Nofx’s “Punk in Drublic”. Mark my words, Local Resident Failure's ...

Screaming Females just blew away the Taylor Swift song "Shake it Off" with a stripped down, punk rock ethos filled anthem with a bass line that rocks and vocals that truly....well...shake things up! Check it out below: Now this is the best! What do you think? Drop me a line, I won't bite...hard. Screaming Females, wow.

He's better than your favorite rapper, he's the man, the myth, the legend, MURS! He just dropped a new record, I haven't reviewed it yet but will. He performed live for SKEE TV and this live video just dropped yesterday, but I forgot to post it up first. The following is MURS doing a track from "Murray's Revenge" the anthem, "L.A.", check his work out he's one of the best rappers in the game, and NO he's not talking money, women, and chains. - Get More Music - If you're going to buy music, and listen to the records I mention, please do so by checking out Amazon below. It helps me continue to build my collection, and it's much appreciated. Thanks. Amazon.com Widgets

Children 18:3 is one of the best trios of all time in the punk genre, according to me. I saw them play Tomfest in 2010, I think. They put on one hell of a show for a 3-piece punk rock band. They got a kickstarter for this record, and it is now out on Tooth & Nail Records. Their lead off single "Come In" exemplifies the talent and structure of their punk rock ethos. I recommend it, check it out below. More posts from me, Jorge Sell Out coming through, jerks. - Get More Music - If you're going to buy music, and listen to the records I mention, please do so by checking out Amazon below. It helps me continue to build my collection, and it's much appreciated. Thanks. Amazon.com Widgets

I am not a fan of David Letterman, but he has some great taste. How do I know this? Because he had Foo Fighters play the last show, and his favorite song is none other than "Everlong" Perhaps one of the greatest songs Foo Fighters ever created. 33 yeras is a great career. I didn't even last a few years in tech, so this is great. Plus I'm moving to Indianapolis. Whatever the case is, here is the performance of "Everlond" from the last Late Night With David Letterman broadcast. 33 years...geez. I can't even stay in the same apartment for a year. - Get More Music - If you're going to buy music, and listen to the records I mention, please do so by checking out Amazon below. It helps me continue to build my collection, and it's much appreciated. Thanks. Amazon.com Widgets

Panda Bear is the brain child of Noah Lennox. Don’t remember that name? Well, he’s the founding member of Animal Collective, and the guy has been pushing music for quite some time. In this release he takes a bottle, smashes it open, and then makes art of the pieces. I mean that in a musical way, as this is an experimental EP that delivers on all the right pieces, and creates an image of the artist that you are not going to find with other albums right now. “Mr. Noah” is an EP that is all over the place in consideration of arranging music. It doesn’t have a set genre, although the electronic vibe is definitely in place here. You get a mosaic of sounds when you listen, and it’s very creative, and personal on many levels. “Faces In The Crowd” stands out as my favorite track, as it goes up and down in terms of sound design and features some very interesting notes. I like the way it flows through the noise and comes together with vocals that are all but poignant, and saturated underneat...

Iakopo has just released and the artist took to Okinawa to produce the music video for the title track “One Forever”. When you hear love songs, you may immediately think of one genre, and one of your favorite singers, but every now and again a new artist comes through and shakes things up a bit with poetry, and musical taglines that are just compelling to listen to. Iakopo has painted quite the illustration with this track, giving all you guys out there a song to sing for your girl, or put on as background music to spark a bit of romance. This song has everything you could ask for in an honest look at love and appreciation for someone, as you hear the lyrical notes, and the musical elements. Acoustic guitar tones, simple percussion, and signature vocals put together a nice song that will have you flowing through feelings for that special someone in your life. It’s a good overall song, and the video is definitely in line with the lyrical elements and musical tones that...

There are a lot of country acts that try to put together music and most of it is awful. It’s one of the most oversaturated music genres, but when a star shines, they transcend the label and play music that is highly accessible beyond just the country moniker. That’s exactly what Doug Briney does on this record, which starts off with one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard in a while. “Super Country Cowboy” is funny, moving, and full of life. I found myself singing along by the second minute, and I’m not the biggest fan of country. There’s something to this, and I can even see myself doing a little dance to it in the shower, it has that kind of swagger, and yes, I amuse myself with these ideas. Briney’s flow of lyrics is iconic here, and it’s the type of song that is never going to leave your head once you start humming and singing along. From the opener that just rocks hard, you get 8 more tracks (9 total) of country music and rock and roll gusto. Doug Briney puts together stories an...

The Hiding is a band I recently caught wind of and was blown away by the layers of their music. They are an indie rock band that has a great sense of melody and rock enthusiasm, but it’s done with a soft touch, like a true artist. Their latest offering “Run City Run” is a song that certainly captures the emotional connections of the independent music scene, and the alternative world all in one. You get that emo vibe a bit, but it’s on par with bands like Lakes, Delta Spirit, Ocean Is Theory, Statistics, or even a bit of Mute Math to boot. There are layers here and that’s what matters to me as a music fan, you don’t just have one thing going on, you have several. Listen closely and you get the sounds of guitars, drums, bass, and perfectly timed and themed vocals. It’s a song that really catches you off guard as it moves through lyrical connections that you are going to find compelling overall. There are so many bands trying to do this type of music and failing to capture the element...

In the 1990s, soundtracks meant the world to me. Heck, they still mean the world to me, and you can usually find me listening to a lot of soundtracks to movies. As a former video store clerk, I live in the movies at times, and go through my life picturing the nuances that I go through in comparison to the glory that comes with the images on screen. Sometimes the soundtracks sell the movie, and in the case of Tamela D’Amico’s “Love and the Gun”, I’m once again enthralled with the music and must see the movie now. Tamela’s vocals amidst an orchestral backdrop lends credence to the fact that you can fall in love with a singer’s voice. That’s what happens when you listen to the song, as you are whisked away into dream land with Tamela D’Amico singing of love and more. This song is part of the “Rob The Mob” soundtrack, and the official music video showcases scenes from the film with Tamela’s vocals moving you through a variety of moments of the movie. It’s truly a visceral experience, o...

I’m floored. I hated when Relient K put out “Collapsible Lung” . It sounded awful to my ears, and I was running through a lot of heavy music. New releases from Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold, Korn, and so much more filtered through my playlist and I just didn’t like this record. Then on a hot afternoon, I gave it another try, and realized something incredible, this is by far the best Relient K record to date. I know, bold statement from me, but I really do feel it’s their best record and more people should be listening to it on a regular basis. I’ve seen Relient K in concert a lot. I saw them as a teenager, and I saw them a couple years ago as an old man. They’ve managed to create a good overall following and an incredible live show full of energy. Even though they have roots in the Christian market, they have completely eclipsed that label and are just all around great in terms of performance and song writing. With the release of this record, they turn on the pop sensibilities and cr...