The Music Spectrum First Anniversary:Free Bumper Stickers and CD Prize Packages!

In celebration of the First Anniversary of Music Spectrum, you can get a free bumper sticker and a chance to win CDs. Thank you for reading these music reviews and telling your friends to check out the site. You’ve made this small blog become an incredibly fun project, researching and describing some of the best music out there. Thanks for helping us recently pass the 8000 hit mark!

Email to Win CD Prize Packages and Music Spectrum Bumper Stickers
Thanks to Music Spectrum supporters Liz Winchester (Red Haired Girl Publicity) and Americana Media Productions, the first eight people to email me will win a CD Prize Package and Music Spectrum bumper sticker for free. Liz has provided postage for 8 packages to help with my costs.

So email NOW! List your top choices off the Giveaway list below, and you can get yourself so great CDs including one or both of Americana Media Productions clients, Matt Angus Thing and Slant 6 Cowboys.

Sanctuary Records Group
Morrissey
Morrissey wastes no time in launching into a railing, electric attack on his own homeland in the second track, “Irish Blood, English Heart.” Where “America is Not the World” is from the torchy side of the album, a mellower sound matching the pink hues of the CD cover, “Irish Blood, English Heart” is the tommy gun-slinging Morrissey of the front cover photo. With Morrissey attacking the United States and Great Britain, why not also take on Jesus Christ? Track 3, “I Have Forgiven Jesus,” is one of the most honest conversations with Jesus I’ve seen in song for a long time. (full review)
Wu-Tang Clan
Autographed Buddahead posters
And even more from Sanctuary. . .

Black Potatoe Records
Matt Angus Thing
Political Pop builds from swirling slide guitar to a rocking chorus. . .swings with blues rock. . .is soul-infused rock. . . jams just enough to escape a pop rock label. (full review)

95North Records
Slant 6 Cowboys
Folkster Greg Brown has joined the jump-country-blues band BR5-49! At least that’s what it sounds like as the Slant 6 Cowboys open up on their new self-titled album. Don Whitcher’s voice smokes just enough to call Greg Brown to mind. . .The band move that country blues with a twang—slide guitars, mandolin, banjo, and dobro. It’s railroad, wagon train, county fair music that blows the top off the sideshow stage. (full review)

Ardent Records
Skillet
Skillet is a distinctive sound, though, and their live sound helped clarify how they are unique. The bass of lead singer John Cooper and the drums of Lori Peters keep everything a bit off kilter while still charging forward. Cooper adds off placed beats, and so does Peters, even while she’s attacking those drums like a banshee. (full review)
Jonah33
Todd Agnew

Wampus Multimedia
After Hours: A Tribute to the Music of Lou Reed
…includes a great version of “Vicious” by Okapi Guitars
Arms of Kismet
Mark Doyon keeps coming back to a basic sound: a voice like Tom Petty with the guitar leads to back it up. Following where Petty has already gone, Doyon has that same wide ranging rock which can go from rootsy to keyboard/programming heavy to slide guitar country-style. (full review)

Transmit Sound
Jay Farrar – Live EP
Farrar is a ghost of a troubador, haunting barrooms, auto repair shops, back alley BBQs, and old men’s chess games in the park. His voice invokes grease, gutters, eerie streetlights, musty basements, and underpasses. Yet, he also speaks peace into the violent scenes, love and beauty into darkness, and hope into trouble. (full review of the live album)

Email and win CDs and a bumper sticker!

Zip Records
Hearing releases from Zip Records is like going to Coca-Cola World in Atlanta, tasting the Coke from other places in the world. It’s all called Coca-Cola, but the formula subtly changes to suit the tastes of certain countries. Zip Records lets you step up to the drink dispenser to taste rock in its subtle variations around the world.
Pineforest Crunch - Sweden
Rubinoos - San Francisco, CA
Clocks - Wichita, KS
Pop Goes the Sound, Volume 4 compilation - U.S., U.K., Japan, and Holland
(review of Zip Records)

Bardic Records
Sleep Station
A concept album of sorts bringing back the feel of the 1940’s and World War II, Sleep Station’s album, After the War, is emotional folk-rock.

Redeye Distribution
David Garza
Slides and bounces with the jazzy infection now heard also in Jason Mraz and Sondre Lerche. There’s Jazz-influenced Rock, but around every corner you’ll find Hip Hop hints, rap-sing tendencies, and some arty takes as well.

Elevate Records
Fusebox
Fusebox makes worship music electrifying, rocking, funky, and still very much a concert-type experience. (full review)

Cross Driven Records
Daniel’s Window

Email and win CDs and a bumper sticker!

Warp Records/Lex Records
Two Lone Swordsmen

Provident Group
Peace on Earth - Christmas instrumental collection

Narnack Records
Yellow Swans

Luna Chica Records
Burrito Deluxe

Spiritone Records
One on One - collection of Wisconsin singer-songwriters

Carnival Recording Company
Craig Dillingham
Country from Texas striving to sound like “I’m at your house at two in the morning, sitting on your couch singing,” says Dillingham.

Son Records
Son Records samplers
As Son Records’ artist Pitman raps, “Why don’t they write decent songs anymore?/You know, like Duran Duran did. . .No, people need to think about lyrics like me. . .Get to your local independent record shop and ask them, ‘I want to hear something interesting, educational, funny’.” (full review)

Music Spectrum Bumper Stickers
Mail in a self-address stamped business size envelope to get your free Music Spectrum bumper sticker. Slap this sticker on your bumper, cubicle, computer monitor, guitar case, or wherever it’s legal, and spread the word about a great source for music reviews. Send your SASE to: Music Spectrum, c/o Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1712 Menasha Avenue, Manitowoc, WI 54220. (USA residents only. Other countries, please email me to find out how to get your bumper sticker.)

To see the first Music Spectrum posting describing the Spectrum and its connection to the Smiths’ The Queen is Dead, click here.

To see the list of all regularly contributing labels, please click here. If you know an artist on one of those labels that you’d like to see reviewed, please email me and let me know.