Ten Year Vamp - Lust --- Win a signed copy!

Ten Year Vamp – Lust
2011, Ten Year Vamp

Albany, New York rockers Ten YearVamp would appear to be on an inexorable rise. For an Indie band working outside of the major label framework, Ten YearVamp has been extremely successful at getting their music placed/licensed, andhas even managed to chart in Billboard magazine.  The band itself is as tight as a wire, andlead vocalist Debbie Gabrione is the type of front woman who can captivate anaudience from the first note.  The band’slast album, 2009’s Don’t Act Like YouKnow Me, received top billing on year end charts, and had several tracksvoted best song of 2009 across the Mediaverse. Ten Year Vamp returned recently with a five-track EP entitled Lust, exploring the human conditions oflove in lost in highly catchy modern rock arrangements.

Lust opens with "Got 2 Me", an amped up love songabout the power of love to turn her head. The high energy rocker is full ofhonest vulnerability meshed with toughness that's appealing in a 1980's PatBenatar style. "Thinking Of Me" keeps the temp and energy going witha catchy rocker that seems ripe for use in a edgy romantic comedy. Gabrione'svocals are superlative as always, and you simply won't be able to sit or standstill. Ten Year Vamp slows things down a bit for "No Risk", apassive, maudlin ballad that overstays its welcome. The song is well-played,and the vocals are excellent, but the song seems sorely out of place here.Gabrione and company rev it up again with "Making Me Want You", aferal rocker full of love and lust. Amazing pop sensibility and fiery rocksound are perfect complements here. Ten Year Vamp wrap things up with"Don't Be Alone With Me", a solid rocker that fits in with thegeneral theme of the EP but doesn't have quite the same energy level.

Debbie Gabrione and Ten Year Vampare impressive as always. Her vocals are matched step-by-step by strong playfrom the rest of the band. Lust is an uneven experience, with Ten YearVamp running full throttle on three of the five songs presented here. Theslower moments don't reflect poorly on the band, but just don't seem to fitwell together with the other tracks.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.tenyearvamp.com or www.myspace.com/10yearvamp.  Purchase information is below, but if you are one of the first ten people to email Ten Year Vamp at info@tenyearvamp.com, with a subject line of "FIRST TEN", you'll win a signed copy of Lust!

  Amazon MP3            iTunes


Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

Raining Jane - The Good Match

Raining Jane - The Good Match
2011, Raining Jane

Los Angeles rockers Raining Jane has turned being Indie into an art form.  From 2004 to 2009 the band played better than 120 shows per year.  They've been regular tour partners with Sara Bareilles over the past ten years, and have been writing songs and performing with Jason Mraz since 2007.  Aside from their solo work, Raining Jane has played on a number of albums for other artists; most recently on Willy Porter's wonderful How To Rob A Bank.  Raining Jane has earned song placements on Grey's Anatomy and So You Think You Can Dance, and continues to dance right on the edge of national consciousness.  All that may change in 2011 with the release of Raining Jane's latest album, The Good Match. 

Raining Jane opens with the mid-tempo rock n roll love song "The Good Match".  The edgy, almost urgent feel of this song makes for a compelling introduction if you're not familiar with Raining Jane.  Either way, it's a great tune, and a great way to kick off the album.  "Oh Song" features an intriguing melody that wends its way through your consciousness.  There's a deep pop sensibility here in an off-the beaten path number that sounds like a cross between the Go-Go's and Wilson Phillips with a bit of Lisa Loeb thrown in.  "Storming" is a blue pop ballad that almost wants to be country; the cello adds an unusual dimension here that's appealing.  Chaska Potter's voice is absolutely gorgeous here.

"Wish You Were Here" is a haunting love song written to one who is far away.  The mix of longing, remembrance and hope evokes subtle layers of beauty as the emotions mix and roil in gentle waves.  "A World That's Made For Me And You" is a bright and airy, yet low-key pop song about the perfect place and the perfect love.  Raining Jane's vocal harmonies are absolutely enchanting here.  The ladies of Raining Jane side step into country-tinged folk pop with "Enough", featuring a slow-arching chorus that's unforgettable and vocal harmonies that can only be described as angelic. 

Raining Jane goes for gold with "Paper Cut", a silly little love song that gets stuck in your head and refuses to go away.  This low-key acoustic pop number will take you by surprise and stay with you for a long, long time.  "From Me To You" has many of the same qualities, although the theme is a bit more complex.  Once again, however, getting the song out of your head will take some effort.  Raining Jane's cover of Pat Benetar’s "Love Is A Battlefield" is tortured and dark; beautiful and tragic all at once.  Benetar sang it as an anthem, whereas Raining Jane presents the song as a dark, needful entreaty that slowly grows in confidence but never loses the sense of heartbreak.  Running Jane closes on a somber, hopeful note with the lyric beauty of "New Year", combining voices in a plaintive wish for goodness to become.  This quiet moment of reflection and hope for the future carries a plaintive beauty that leaves a distinct impression; you'll find yourself drawn back for more.

Raining Jane shows a distinctive ability to write gorgeous, substantive pop songs in folk/rock arrangements that make an impression.  The voices here are first class, and Raining Jane's chemistry as a band finds all the pieces fitting together as if they were never otherwise.  The Good Match is an inspiring listen; the sort that makes lifelong fans out of novices.  Don't miss this album.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Raining Jane at www.rainingjane.com or www.facebook.com/rainingjane.  The Good Match is available on CD through Raining Jane’s web store.