Toxicana, You Feel Like Rain, and Dead as Dillinger

Artist: Toxicana
Song: Vicious Cycle (from the CD Pandemia)
Heard by: Rafael Gonzalez, San Diego
Basically, the music was pretty good, the lyrics made sense, and there was a good coordination between the music and lyrics — everything sounded great. For a local band, they could be famous. It’s comparable to Incubus. It’s more like alternative. The lyrics grabbed my attention because it relates to a story about what we go through in daily life. I’ve heard some really crappy songs on the internet and the radio, but this is some pretty good stuff. They totally expressed themselves and who they really are. I play guitar myself, and I like to express what I feel. I would give them an 8 or 9 out of 10.

Artist: You Feel Like Rain
Song: Spaces (from the CD You Feel Like Rain)
Heard by: Randy Wilson, East Village/Downtown
It’s got a little bit of an “indietronica” sound. I don’t think it’s really a genre that exists yet, per se. The recording kind of had a Postal Service vibe to it, mixed with more of an underground rave sound. It was an instrumental. Being someone who rides their bike around a lot, I feel like this is something I’d listen to on the way to work. I could also imagine listening to this with my girlfriend late at night on 94.9’s Big Sonic Chill [show]. I’d be interested in hearing more music from this artist. It’s definitely something that stands out from the everyday bump and grind.

Artist: Dead as Dillinger
Song: One-Eyed Jacks (from the CD Cowboys and Serial Killers)
Heard by: Angel Turgot, El Cajon
I liked it. It’s got kind of a ’70s classic-rock sound, which was good. They have a sound that’s pretty much their own. I was following the music more than the lyrics. The outro was a little too long. You think the song is going to stop, and then it rambles on a bit. If I had to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it about an 8. Based on that one song, I think they could have a pretty strong local following. As far as radio play, it needs a little bit of tweaking and maybe better production. I could see that song in a rock club but not so much a dance or techno club. It was upbeat.