Local Spins

Fourbanger
‘Imagination Overdose’

East Valley pop punkers Fourbanger capture the sunshine and nihilism at the confluence of the once-divergent rivers that make up the band’s chosen genre.

Early on in the six-song disc (seven if you count the hidden track, a straightforward cover of The Outfield’s painfully cheesy “Your Love”), singer Kyle Huffaker intones “Good times are what we need!”

Closer to the album’s end, things aren’t quite so rosy, as he moans “If I die, so what?” Meanwhile, the band’s melodic and harmonized lead vocals are pure pop while the guitar-driven songs speed by at typical punk tempos. It’s all very well performed, but a decade on from Green Day's “Dookie” — the pop punk prototype album — it's nothing that hasn't been heard before and several times over. “Imagination Overdose” is not a good description of the music it contains.

Though Fourbanger are banging on all cylinders, it’s straight down a well-
beaten path. B-

Next show: CD release party 7 p.m. Friday at The Venue of Scottsdale, 7117 E. Third Ave., . $10, all ages. Admission includes copy of new CD.
Web site: www.fourbanger.com

— by Thomas Bond, Get Out

Stephanie Kniffin
‘Little Things’

Singer/songwriter Stephanie Kniffin’s “Little Things” is a nice slice of atmospheric folk rock in the Sarah McLachlan mode. Kniffin is in fine voice on the disc, her vocals alternately edgy and tough on the opener “Did You Get What You Came To See?” and tender and flowing on the pretty “Back Roads.” Kniffin's tunes get a big boost from genetic vocal harmonies provided by her keyboardist/guitarist sister Carolyn, whose gentle piano textures are a nice counterpoint to Stephanie’s capo-ed acoustic guitar work.

The best cut on the disc, the sparse “You Could Be The Man,” is a wrenching ballad that features the stinging line “Maybe she’ll believe you could be the man/you promised me you’d be.”
The CD suffers a bit from the sameness of the tunes, but overall “Little Things” is a fine record from a talented singer/songwriter. B+

Next show: 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Nello’s, 8658 E. Shea Road, Scottsdale, . Free.

Web site: www.stephaniekniffin.com

— by Chris Holly, Get Out

James Miles
‘Seven of Swords’

James Miles doesn’t have a lot of tricks up his sleeve on his second solo album “Seven of Swords,” but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Once the body behind the hardened guitar rock band Propeller, he’s shifted gears on this disc, embracing the pared down dynamics of his acoustic guitar and great internal instrument — his boyishly ambitious voice.

Miles dives right in, crooning breathlessly in true Elliot Smith-style on principal track, “Look You in the Eye”: “I’m crossing town with my head held down, ’cause I don’t know what to do/ Gonna walk real far, past the Emerald Bar, ’til I see your point of view.” Then he does one better and masterfully covers a previously unreleased Smith tune, “Hangin’ Out With Me,” matching the late songwriter’s ticklish guitar twang to a tee.

The soft truths evinced on “Nowhere is a Place” echo with knowing lonesomeness, like those written by Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen. Through and through, this is a sturdy recording of guitar-led gems that hint at an emerging songwriting talent. B

Next show: 8 p.m. Friday at Borders, 699 S. Mill Ave., No. 119, Tempe. . Free.

Web site: www.gotojames.com

— by Jenna Duncan, Get Out

Mourning Maxwell
‘Our Collective Voice’

Collecting elements of melodic rock, punk energy and a dash of emo angst, Mourning Maxwell raise a rousing voice on this seven-song disc. The band’s three guitar attack never comes across muddled as the musicians make room for one another while providing crunching power, there are even some dual lead lines.

Singer Derek Smith’s voice ideally suits the material; it’s strong but yearning and vulnerable at the same time — a nice combination of lyrics such as “Nothing says I love you like a razor blade pressed between your lips.” While the band’s songs are finely textured and pack a solid sonic punch, they’re somewhat indistinct.

In other words, Mourning Maxwell’s tight musicianship is more advanced than their songwriting at this point and when the disc spins to its close it leaves an impression of “Hmm, good band,” but not “Wow, I’ve gotta play this again.” That said, the band formerly known as Slowpoke show enough potential here to expect bigger and better things in the future. B

Next show: CD release party 7 p.m. Friday at The Venue of Scottsdale, 7117 E. Third Ave., . $10, all ages. Admission includes copy of new CD.

Web site: www.mourningmaxwell.com

— by Thomas Bond, Get Out