Considerable Jesus -- For Fun and Prophet

Now I don't know about you, but if there's one thing I like, it's a snappy title for a group and/or a disc. For Fun and Prophet isn't really a new release, as it came out in 03/04, but as NBC used to say, if you haven't heard it, it's new to you!
This is a pretty amazing disc. It combines elements of electronica, spoken word, your basic backbeats, and a hint of experimental body cavity searching. It does a wonderful job of "moving" from beginning to end. The sound is always shifting ever so slightly from track to track, and while there are a few tunes that share a common sound, they are never back to back, so at most you might think to yourself, "Oh, there was a song earlier that sounded similar."
The first few tracks are of the slow to mid tempo variety, with my personal favorite being Aches and Pains. Maybe it's because I can really relate to the subject. There were quite a few tracks that really got my attention, and deservedly so. Considerable Jesus is/was a group not afraid to go almost anywhere on one single release.
The first few tracks have some electronic overtones, with some slightly altered vocals, and the middle leads you to some spoken word pieces. The highlight for me was a reading of The Hollow Men by TS Eliot. Everything else was a very close second.
The success in this lies not just in the quality of music and lyrics, but in the fact that in this day and age of the 99 cent itunes single, a band can create a disc designed to take you places. Unlike mainstream bands who work to stick their soon to be #1 hit at the top and fill the rest of the space with dreck, bands like Considerable Jesus work very hard to put out something that is quality through and through.
I hardly need to mention the A grade this gets, do I?
Of course, many thanks to Erika at acidsoxx.com for bringing this sort of release to my attention. She's the best!

Hello Daylight -- Gemma

And now for a much delayed review from another Acidsoxx release! This morning in my early Saturday stupor, I decided I was much overdue in reviewing discs, so I popped in one of the remaining Acidsoxx releases that they were very kind in sending. From what little research I've done, these all seem to be new and/or up and coming bands. Hello Daylight is no exception. Since I like to Google the occasional band, as well as the wandering cheerleader, I thought I would check them out, and all I could find was their home page which doesn't really say much. What it does say seems to be in Italian, so it wasn't really much help.
What does this have to do with the music? Well, nothing, actually, but since Erika went to the trouble of sending a sizeable collection for review, I thought the least I could do was offer some extra information on these bands.
Hello Daylight is another synth heavy group with a very strange theme behind this disc. I'll say simply - urethra. It's not overt until the end of the disc, but by god it's there all right! Most of the tunes are slow to mid tempo, and it's not uncommon for the synth to drown out the vocals, so I'm sure I missed quite a bit. This disc really didn't hold my attention the way I hoped it would, but I managed to make it through the whole thing. It's got a peronality all it's own. In some cases it makes me think of taking The Creatures and mashing them up with Love and Rockets. You get some funky loudness that occasionally takes you where you want to go. Some of the cooler tracks on here do a nice job of enticing you in with a soft mellow opening, only to travel to a place where your hair becomes disheveled and your pants wind up around your ankles. As soon as you pull them up and smooth out your hair, you're back! Unfortunately, in the end, this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but I think this is another group that could find a strong following, especially if you like a little electronica and synth in your music.
My first grade of the new year... C