Label: Frontiers Music s.r.l. Release Date: February 16, 2024 Rating: 98% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur There are bands from my ‘youth’ that never really got their due and one of those bands I feel were overlooked through my formative years was Honeymoon Suite. I cut my melodic rock teeth on songs like “New Girl Now,” […]
![MUSIC REVIEW: HOUSE PARTIES – Side Effects [EP]](https://100percentrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/422944705_954813019511009_5605587793600987576_n-300x200.jpg "MUSIC REVIEW: HOUSE PARTIES – Side Effects [EP]")
Label: Equal Vision Records Release Date: January 19, 2024 Rating: 91% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur The day in the office always dictates the music I play. Meetings and deadlines call for upbeat energetic tunes and the latest from House Parties fits perfectly. The short EP is packed with a power pop punk hybrid sound that […]
Label: Arising Empire Release Date: January 12, 2024 Rating: 96% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur It has been just shy of 8 years since I last reviewed anything from Emil Bulls. The XX album struck me and the latest release has done that in spades. From the first note until the last, this disc is full […]
MUSIC REVIEW: BUFFALO CROWS – BLOOD Independent November 2023 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 94% On a dark desert highway, far from the reach or interest of commercial radio, live the outcasts. The bands too heavy, too bludgeoning, too individual, too goddamn REAL for any but the true believers. Buffalo Crows are one such band, a […]
Once again, it is that time of the year where I attempt to rank all of the great releases (both full length and EP) as well as live shows of the year… and not just the rock ones (as my palate is all over the place sonically) that I had the time to check out. […]
SHANE PINNEGAR’s BEST MUSIC OF 2023 1. Extreme – Six Nobody expected an album this good, of this searing intensity, from a band who hadn’t been a full time thing (let alone bothering the charts) for almost thirty years – but here we are, and their recent Australian live shows were nothing short of incendiary. […]
Label: Miron Music Release Date: December 8, 2023 Rating: 88% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur The Trudy has been around in one incarnation or another since 1979. How have I missed them so far? Disc opener “Dawn” is a short instrumental that leads us into a handful of songs that are as immersive as they are ethereal. […]
![MUSIC REVIEW: WORLD’S FIRST CINEMA – Palm Reader [EP]](https://100percentrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Worlds-First-Cinema-Palm-Reader-Artwork-300x200.png "MUSIC REVIEW: WORLD’S FIRST CINEMA – Palm Reader [EP]")
Label: Fearless Records Release Date: October 6, 2023 Rating: 90% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur World’s First Cinema wasn’t on my radar until their latest EP was brought to my attention. The sweeping sound of the songs that leaned into and blurred the lines between pop, punk, rock, and EDM struck a chord in me as […]
![MUSIC REVIEW: TAYLOR ACORN – Certified Depressant [EP]](https://100percentrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cfd294_019bdf3c9d584398a9769463e3df4c0emv2-300x200.jpg "MUSIC REVIEW: TAYLOR ACORN – Certified Depressant [EP]")
Label: Independent Release Date: September 22, 2023 Rating: 100% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur Going through the list of releases that struck a chord with me through the year, but hit when my professional time was at a minimum, so trying to get to them before year end. One at the top of the list is […]
Label: MNRK Heavy Release Date: November 17, 2023 Rating: 100% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur I love it when an amazing debut album hits my email but hate when it is so late in the year. Why you ask? I didn’t get to listen to it more. The debut from Dogma is one such release. This […]
Label: Sharptone Records Release Date: November 10, 2023 Rating: 89% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur One cannot live on hard rock and metal alone. At least I can’t. I dig a lot of different music mixed into my day and shuffle that constantly runs in the background of my daily life. The latest from Broadside is […]
Label: Foghat Records Release Date: November 10, 2023 Rating: 90% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur Some legends never seem to die and Foghat is one such legend. Doing what they do best – playing and recording some of the best blues out there today – founder Roger Earl and crew have crafted a disc full of […]
![MUSIC REVIEW: LUNA AURA – The Fiction [EP]](https://100percentrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/yahHa-iQ-300x200.jpeg "MUSIC REVIEW: LUNA AURA – The Fiction [EP]")
Label: 3Cheers (Independent) Release Date: September 14, 2023 Rating: 86% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur Luna Aura dropped a cool EP mid September and these five tracks give us a cool glimpse into her artistry as well as her influences. Disc opener “Money Bag” has a sweet garage band sound wrapped around her fuzzed guitar sound […]
Label: Silver Lining Music Release Date: September 1, 2023 Rating: 100% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur I love it when I listen to a band new to me and it strikes a chord. The latest offering from Soen did exactly that. This 10-track collection of tracks are powerful rockers that run the gamut of sounds and […]
![MUSIC REVIEW: SEVENTH CRYSTAL – Infinity [EP]](https://100percentrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/148986-300x200.jpg "MUSIC REVIEW: SEVENTH CRYSTAL – Infinity [EP]")
Label: Frontiers Music s.r.l. Release Date: November 3, 2023 Rating: 85% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur Melodic rock is always a sweet spot for me, and the latest from Seventh Crystal is no different. This EP gives us enough ear candy to keep us happy until the next EP or album of material. Title track and […]
Label: Fantasy Records Release Date: October 27, 2023 Rating: 90% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur Isn’t Taking Back Sunday one of those bands my son listened to in the early 2000’s? I seem to recall buying him CDs and even taking him to a concert or two. So why am I reviewing them now? Because they […]
Label: Double Helix Records Release Date: October 19, 2023 Rating: 88% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur I have to be 100% honest… Survival Guide is nothing that has ever hit my radar, but I will say I am glad I took this disc for a few spins, as it’s ethereal rock vibe wrapped in a poppish […]
SINGLE REVIEW: ROSE CARLEO BAND – LINE ‘EM UP Independent October 2023 Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar 95% It’s actually harder to review a new release when you know the artist, and are an acknowledged fan thereof, so in the interests of full disclosure, let’s get this out of the way: I’m an unabashed fan of […]
![MUSIC REVIEW: LAYE – Losers [EP]](https://100percentrock.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/312946-300x200.jpg "MUSIC REVIEW: LAYE – Losers [EP]")
Label: Sony Music Canada Release Date: September 22, 2023 Rating: 95% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur There seems to be a lot of really good pop rock crossing my inbox lately and when it comes to the latest EP from Laye, I was happily surprised after listening through. Disc opener “I saw god” is a cool piece […]
Label: Independent Release Date: September 29, 2023 Rating: 90% Reviewer: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur Nikki Stringfield has unleashed a solo record unlike most from other six-string slingers… she takes the lead behind the guitar and the mic. Disc opener “No Surrender” is a cool launch pad for the disc that features solos, pings, squeals, some chugging […]
