Album Reviews

As with the sound of plane landing in the background of the bass line and drums to “Listen Up!,” Linus has arrived! It’s been a five years since the release of “The Construction” and I’ll have to say, this sounds like a completely different record. Not only has the band gone through member changes, but have also moved forward with their sound and style. Gone are the days of jangly guitars and...   Read this feature »

For the last few days I’ve been listening to Kilroy’s tracks almost non-stop. Kilroy’s style of playing is very interesting, unlike anything I have ever heard before. Their genre of music is difficult to pin down, but is best described as a mix of Classic Rock, Punk, and a bit of Blues. Not that unusual of a mixture but the way they combine it all is astonishing.The first song on their EP is...   Read this feature »

Garagy, catchy and swanking is the best way I could describe The Jump Offs “Self Titled” CD. Horrah! Finally, a breath of fresh air in local bands rockin’ the 808! I’ll say that, not only is their Self-Titled a very fun listen, but addictive as well. If there was only a way I could crush, liquefy, and syringe these guys into my thigh, then Happy New...   Read this feature »

Busekrus – Welkin We all know who Busekrus is...but what the heck is a Welkin?  The internets says that Welkin means “The vault of Heaven,” or “sky.”  After listening to the album a few times, I realized that Busekrus the band is clearly taking it to mean “The sky is the limit.”   The album was released on local label Pass Out Records...   Read this feature »

Stone Groove Family and Gritty Fifty Recordings have cooked up a full meal of local rap for you with the Mixplate Mixtape.  Head chef, REPO, sent the Zine a copy of the release just in time for our deadline and we are glad he did.  It is a 21 track monster of a mix tape featuring a good diversity of local producers and MC's.  REPO says the name...   Read this feature »

Photo by Justin Leong      Josh86 has been a figurehead in The Scene for years now with his bands Black Square and The 86 List and the group Unity Crayons.  I have had the opportunity to hear him play solo a few times here and there, and it was always a rare and impressive experience.  The Zine was lucky enough to get its hands on a...   Read this feature »

SLO-MO "The Blue Tape"The Blue Tape arrived in The Zine's mailbox earlier this month out of nowhere.  Slo Mo's previous mixtape "Move In Silence" was a great local production that had lots of character and established him as one of the island's real "heavy hitters" when it came to rap. Since then, it is my understanding that he has re-located to Northern Skrillafornia (California) and has only...   Read this feature »

Amitystreet - "Here Nor There" One of the first groups that sent the Zine music for review was Amitystreet. Here we are 3 years later with a copy of their new 6-song EP that was released on May 8th. I caught up with Jason about the album, the band's new members, and what the band is doing to support their new disc. The lineup for Amitystreet has changed a few times over the...   Read this feature »

Ill Valley brings that Island Back Yard Party Feel       After Ill Valley won The Zine's battle of the bands back in October, we booked them for a hip-hop show the following month.  At the show, I got a promo copy of their newest album "Fertile Sound" and couldn't wait to see how their studio sound compared to their crowd-moving live sound.  Turns out, they are one and the same!  In...   Read this feature »

MOAR MUSICExplode NOW!Upstanding Youth's new album A SENSE OF URGENCY wakes up the local ska/rock sceneby Shawn DavenportThere is a panic among people these days that is characterized by everything from wireless network advo's to all of the lame "solutions" that important people keep waving around for all of our countries' "issues."  Musicians and music critics alike are shrugging their...   Read this feature »