| CD REVIEW Stereoflux |
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Band: Stereoflux This Corona based Southern California Alternative Rock act came together thanks to the 12-year friendship between frontman Aleks (lead vocals & lead guitar) and bass player Dave Ruiz. Both having had their share of problems with previous bands, they started Stereoflux as a project for pure fun and personal enjoyment! Things started getting together somewhere in 2005…when they found a third partner-in-crime with rhythm guitarist/ backing singer Morgan “Moe” Moranda, and temporary drummer Billy C. Holmes. Together, they finetuned the songs Aleks had already penned together, worked on a couple more he had up his sleeve, and (after being signed to the Zero Music Group in May 2006) entered Corona’s own The Alter Studios with engineer Chad (also co-producer with Aleks), recording the 14 tracks on this, their debut album, during weekends over a 2-month period! If I’ve got my info right, the album was eventually let loose on the world in August14, 2007…and that was following the earlier recruitment of new drummer Dan Hill (an expreienced musician also playing with experimental Rock band Sspiderworks and Jazz trio Like Minds) in March. Their music is perhaps best described by the words used in the bio we got with the promo, so…” Musically Stereoflux deliver a raw Alternative Rock sound, far from being polished or washy and always on the Hard Rocking edge featuring driving and smashing guitars and straight rhythms. Aleks’ melancholic vocals on top finishes the gloomy drawing of love, death, twisted lives and daily troubles…thus Stereoflux lyrically focus on the darker and seamier side of life…” Personally, I feel the guitars are perhaps too much on the sharp side most of the time. On top, Aleks’ “melancholy” is mostly voiced in a somewhat heady tone, adding to the overall sharpness of things…which starts working out somewhat disturbing after longer exposure! Which is a pity, because the underlaying Alternative Powerpop/ Rock tunes are actually good! Check it out for yourselves by surfing to myspace.com/stereofluxcom, where the band posted 4 tracks for you to…”enjoy”! Obviously, with the words just said, you can expect this album’s rating getting a serious beating overall (but rememmber, I told you that the tracks individually are really quite good, something which is proven by the band’s bringing of the album’s opening tracks “Photograph” (of which you also get a video)and “You’re Destroying You” in “unplugged” versions at the end of the album! 83/100 Tony. |