• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

May 2025

• Laurenne/Louhimo: Falling Through Stars
• Rock Out: Let's Call It Rock N Roll
• The Flower Kings: Love
• Maestrick : Espresso Della Vita: Lunare

March 2025

• W.E.T.: Apex
• Alliance: Before Our Eyes
• Ginevra: Beyond Tomorrow
• Phil X & The Drills:
  Pow! Right In The Kisser
• IQ: Dominion
• Heart Line: Falling Heaven
• Gotthard: Stereo Crush
• Defender: Dying To Live
• Streetlight: Night Vision

February 2025

• Robin McAuley: Soulbound
• Perfect Plan: Heart Of A Lion
• Craig Brooks: Desolation Freeway
• Mantric Momentum: Alienized
• Pattern-Seeking Animals: Friend Of All Creatures
• Crazy Lixx: Thrill Of The Bite
• Ginger Evil: The Way It Burns
• Dream Theater: Parasomnia
• Tyran: Tyran's Oath
• Saber: Lost In Flames

January 2025

• Wildness: Avenger
• The Ferrymen: Iron Will
• Labyrinth: In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye
• Bonfire: Higher Ground
• The Big Deal: Electrified
• Landfall: Wide Open Sky

December 2024

• After Lapse: Pathways
• Illusion Force: Halfana
• Powell-Payne: Voilá

November 2024

• Sunstorm: Restless Fight
• Storace: Crossfire
• Voodoo Circle: Hail To The King
• Lionville: Supernatural
• Starchaser: Into The Great Unkown
• Empires Of Eden: Guardians Of Time
• Lonerider: Down In The Dust
• Seventh Crystal: Entity
• Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill For A Climber
• Beardfish: Songs For Beating Hearts
• Impellitteri: War Machine
• Brothers Of Metal: Fimbulvinter

[ More Music Reviews ]

Love Crushed Velvet: S/T

Melodic Rock

3.5/5.0

Independent/Self-promotion
Website Facebook Twitter MySpace
by Craig Hartranft,  07.11.2011

Singer/songwriter A.L.X. comments, concerning his band Love Crushed Velvet, "We feel that our sound isn't easily placed into a convenient category." Being a veteran of the New York indie/alternative scene, he has the luxury of being both deliberate and evasive in making music. Throughout this self-titled LCV offers catchy melodic rock with pop accessibility. Wanderings through 80's rock, maybe some latent New Wave touches, and definitely some modern alt rock independence mark these tunes.

Letter, Goodbye Goldblatt, and Love Crushed Velvet sound like a mash up of U2 and Billy Idol washed through some Depeche Mode, with catchy melodies and a tight groove. Later Famous and Problem Child offer quirky neo-wave pop rock with equally provocative lyrics. LCV gets heavier on Puttin' On Weapon, with dense riffs and synths. With the possible exception of Famous, any of the first five songs are perfect for alt rock radio.

The rest of the songs turn to unexpected moderation, listing between lightness and melancholy. It's not that Burning Embers, Bright Summer, Willie B, or Heatwave are poor songs; they just don't have the charm and inspired innovation of the others (especially against Famous and Problem Child).

If anything, Love Crushed Velvet's debut is interesting, and singer A.L.X. is likely right: there's not necessarily a category for their sound, except the larger one of melodic rock. Love Crushed Velvet is worth exploring.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

If anything, Love Crushed Velvet's debut is interesting, and singer A.L.X. is likely right: there's not necessarily a category for their sound, except the larger one of melodic rock. Love Crushed Velvet is worth exploring.

Alphabetical Index

Here's a fun fact about Swiss legends, Gotthard: their last 16 releases, excepting their debut album, went to number one in their home country, making them one of Switzerland's most successful acts and ... [ Read More ]