Bandaids on Bullet Holes

After the demise of The Epoxies, one of the greatest New Wave bands, Roxy Epoxy decided to embark on a solo record that would go in a slightly different direction than what she did with The Epoxies. She started finishing several songs she had at different stages of completion. But upon doing so, she began working with various musicians on the record and, instead, decided to put together a new band. The new band's name is, aptly titled, Roxy Epoxy & The Rebound. And the album, Bandaids on Bullet Holes, which was released on March 10, is the result of this new endeavor.

Right off the bat, the album shows that it's much darker than anything Roxy Epoxy did with the Epoxies.
The album starts off a bit shaky,though, with "Walls." Although it starts off with amusing lyrics, it takes a drastic turn at 1:39 which changes the mood entirely. And, in my opinion, ruins the song by trying to be too Goth. Other less than stellar songs are "Dependence leads your fortune," "Fun," and "This Twist." The first is a combination of confusing lyrics and music that meanders about without any direction. The second and third songs have elementary-style lyrics and seem to just be filler on the album. Though, "Fun"'s lyrics are the stronger of the two. It gives us a look into the rigours of being in the music business, and she seems to question why she does it in the first place.

There are highlights on this album, though, and they're fairly strong songs. "The Spider and the leach" is a gritty song about a strange family. The Goth/New Wave-inspired track has one of the catchiest choruses on the album.
Another bright spot on the album which is in the same vein as "The Spider and the leach" is "Svengali," which is a tune about exactly what the title suggests, and it, too, has one of the catchiest choruses on the album. The spiraling sound on the guitar, the synthesizer, and the lyrics are what make the song one of the best on the album.
Another highlight, "Lola's Vision," is a track about being love-struck so badly that it seems that the world disappears and all that exists is the loved one. Like most of the album, it'll get you dancing from the start.

The strongest track on the album for my money, though, is "I Know I know." It's the best written song on the album, and it's the most radio friendly of any of the tracks on the album.
It's a New Wave/Indie-inspired track about love and if Roxy Epoxy & the Rebound were signed to a major label, I'm sure they'd get a top 10 hit off of the song.
It's that good.
The album closes with two punk tracks, "Unnamed," and "Watch me," both will get you dancing on the floor, particularly the former.

All in all, Roxy & The Rebound prove that the best music these days is not necessarily found on the biggest labels, or is shoved in your face 24/7.
But rather, you have to look for it.
Bandaids on Bullet Holes is a step forward and a natural progression in the genre that The Epoxies renewed interest in.
And although the music Roxy Epoxy performs on this record has slightly changed, it's still similar to what she did with the Epoxies.
It's safe to say that good New Wave music lives on with Roxy Epoxy & The Rebound. 4/5 stars

Roxy Epoxy (and the rebound)

Once upon a time, there was this band.
They were known as The Epoxies.
They played music that could only be explained as punked up New Wave goodness. They were highly underrated. They released two of New Wave's best albums and several EP's on various indie labels.
Sadly, they broke up earlier this year. I, along with many, many of their fans, was incredibly sad that they wouldn't release more music or have their music get the proper attention it deserved.

On the bright side, though, the lead singer, Roxy Epoxy, is releasing a solo record!
And judging from the demos and the songs from the album that she's been rotating on her myspace, it's gonna be fucking rad!

This is what she said in a blog on her myspace about the full length album:
"The artwork and masters are complete and sent. It looks like it will be released in March. We are currently planning a tour for March as well. More info as I get it. K?"
So I, along with a couple of friends and many of her fans, will be looking forward to listening to what she has to offer on her solo album come March. Judging from the label that she has listed in her myspace, and a blog I read about her sending the music there, it seems that she'll be releasing the album through Metropolis records, which is the label that released The Epoxies' ep "My New World." Upon the release of her album, Roxy Epoxy (And the rebound) will start touring California, with added tour dates as it gets closer to the start of the tour.

You can listen to some of the demos and a song from the album (she tends to rotate them, so it won't be the same one all the time) on her myspace here.
You can also check out her blog where she writes about her solo album, life, and everything in between here.

Does it offend you, yeah?

Already lauded by the British press, Does it offend you, yeah? is an Electro rock/New Wave/Punk band from Reading, England. Unlike other U.K bands, Does it offend you, yeah don't take themselves too seriously. On their myspace, they describe their sound as "an arcade machine thrown into a lake, A ZX Spectrum in a prison shower block (That soap on the floor…? it’s a trap)." If you haven't heard of them, their music can be described as a day-glo explosion of synthesisers and guitars that sounds like a bunch of horny robots and hedonistic humans trying to seduce each other.
The band is made up of four members: Morgan Quaintance (guitar, synthesizers), James Rushnet (lead vocals, bass), Dan Coop (Synthesizers), and Rob Bloomfield (drums). Their Justice/Rage against the machine/Devo-inspired songs on their album, You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, will be sure to hook you the moment you listen to them.

Take a listen to their latest single, Epic last song
or my favourite off the album, the Breakfast club inspired, Being bad feels pretty good.

Lights Out!

I was quite excited last month when I read that Santogold was releasing "Lights out", one of my favourite songs from her debut album, as her second single. Santogold, a Philadelphia native, has often been compared to M.I.A (who is also a friend of hers). But this song, in my opinion, proves that she isn't just an M.I.A carbon copy. It's quite different than most of the songs M.I.A has released, which aren't as mainstream as Santogold's music.
There has been a flurry of new acts who have brought back variations of New Wave, one of my favourite genres of music, and have added their own personal touch to it, most notably The Sounds, Black Kids, Bloc Party, Stereo Total, The Epoxies (who are one of my favourite bands, but who are broken up as of sometime early this year), and a few other select bands. The song, with its chunky guitars and synthesizers, harkens back to early '80's New Wave, unlike most of the bands that have had strong New Wave influences. It's sort of something The Cars or The Go-Go's might have done.

Anyway, here is the music video for the song.
It almost seems like it was shot in a hurry and doesn't look very creative even though they tried to make it that way with the different coloured walls and screens. I still like it, though. It's just not as good as I thought it might be.