Nightmare of You has proven that practices makes for vast improve with their sophmore album, Infomaniac. The New York City-based indie rock band has created an album based on synergetic instrumental measures.

The background of the indie band’s musical influences of the Talking Heads and Supergrass surely rounds out the sophisticated sound Nightmare of You provides on the CD.

The first line that captured my ear is “Someday, but not today,” which is a laid back track that gives us the “struggling life experience,” which incorporates a tasteful guitar solo.

The soulful song, “Experimental Bed,” is lead in by a hip-hop drum beat and is accompanied by a classic rock guitar sound that leaves you wanting more.

From the tracks “Hey Sweetheart” and “Please Don’t Answer Me,” two songs that are precede the band’s debut album and have been fan favorites live for years that band shows they are just on the verge of what they can accomplish.

Overall, Infomaniac offers an artful and emotional ride with melodic guitars and dynamic vocals. Some might call this an ”indie rock” sounding album, but the bottom line is that this is a band who has taken a modern twist to classic rock in a good way.

The San Jose, Calif. based quintent has opened eyes and ears with their latest self-titled release. Already making noise with their first single, “You’re A Fake”, the band has hit the radio airwaves and have been touring in support of the album.

The album is filled with sing-along tracks that will have fans screaming lyrics during live shows.  

I Am Empire’s intro track, “Encompass”, sets the stage with an in your face guitar riff and trascends into an all-around rock track that will keep the lyric, “We are the lost and found…” in your head for days.

As mentioned, “You’re A Fake”,  blazes out of the speakers with lead guitar picking accompanied by a solid riff, which leads into the lyric, “Get up, Get up!!”. This song has just began to break out the band, and has lasting power.

Tracks such as, “Driver” and “Carry On”, show the full range of vocal capabilities led by Austin Lyons over layered guitar picking with effects and tribal drum beat (Driver).

The band throws in an acoustic song, “Found In The Ocean,” which shows the band’s instrumental skills and provides a great rock track, which breaks the mold.

After releasing their first album, Letters, the indie rock band showcases their talent, which has evolved to be the band’s best group of songs they have compiled on I Am Empire.

Los Angeles’s, Jay Nash’s, latest album, The Things You Think You Need , is a good representation of what you get when you juxtapose rock, folk, pop and a bit of country and then add a bit of poignant acoustic guitar in the mix. It is an effortless and easy album that is extremely likeable from the very first track.

The album succeeds in calling to a wide range of emotions, and the more cheerful tracks make for a good balance with the few somber songs, the former gaining an upper hand when determining the record’s overall mood.

The album displays Nash’s thoughtful lyrical ability which allows quiet moments of reflection and lamenting to coexist with more funky, playful offerings. With a vocal style reminiscent of both David Gray and Isaac Slade (The Fray), Nash’s soulful and seamless voice is the strongest when crooning his feelings of scorned melancholy. But he is also quite at home leading the more pop-oriented radio-friendly tracks, or even doing his best to channel Bruce Springsteen on track 6, “Hard Lesson.”

The one song that just doesn’t fit the mold of the album is on the last song, which is actually untitled. A more electronic feel combined with the haunting lyrics makes this a very short but ethereal track. 

The stark contrast in instrumentation makes this the most memorable and anomalous moment on this wonderful album. It leaves the listener with an unfinished, haunted feeling when Nash ends with “Open your eyes, you’re not alone.” 

The album, for the most part, has a fun and carefree vibe to it and it just begs to be sung along to. All the tracks are just ripe to get into your head and never leave, and I dare you to not tap your foot along to the music in the bluesy, speakeasy-like “Forgive Me.” 

This is one of those albums that is very easy to play on repeat. It quickly becomes like your favorite shirt.