For some strange reason, when I listen to Armen Martirosian I am drawn back to the first time I heard the band Enigma. It’s not that the music is the same, except that it has a nice cultural divergence that Enigma was always able to deliver. The difference is that this band is from Armenia and the tribal elements that emerge in the compositions are nicely woven into the landscape of the music. It’s a nice break from the traditional samples you get from other bands who just focus on the beat and leave out the fine art inherent in delivering a rich cultural experience.
I think I am going to get me a copy of this band’s CD to pop in my car and play at full blast while driving through the ghetto on a Sunday afternoon. It is my mission to bring some culture back to the American music scene. It’s not always about the screaming guitars. It’s not always about the lame lyrics. Sometimes, it’s simply about giving you the feeling that you are there that makes all the difference. And it can be hard to capture that feeling if all you listen to are bands who share your cultural perspective because they live in your small corner of the cosmos. So, check this band out and enjoy a change of pace for a while. You’ve earned it.

To check out Armen Martirosian, please visit,

http://www.myspace.com/martirosyan

Have you ever been surfing online, just looking for something a little, uhm’–out of the ordinary to take a gander at, and you accidentally find it? Well, that is what happened when I ran across the band Unexpect. Okay, let’s start with the disclaimer. Personally, this isn’t exactly my type of music per say, because it sounds a little like fantasy role playing put to a musical score. And for some reason, I think that is a little over the top for my taste. I mean, it felt more like what you might expect to catch at some fancy theatre, complete with costumes, fog generators, and a wicked cool light show spitting red and purple rays about the gathering of cult followers in the first row. Although, I like to sample music in the complete dark so I am undistracted by visuals, so that may have colored my perception of this band just a little here. But, I found myself reaching for the small bag of crystal dice on my shelf and rolling the two ten sided die to make sure that one of the growlers didn’t get an injury from straining his throat singing. He’s lucky, all my rolls were spot on, but I digress. I’ve often wondered how some singers train to keep that up–especially those who do regular performance for death metal acts. I mean, do they have high cost medical insurance to cover that sort of thing in case you strain your vocal chords? And is it just me or does everyone else have a problem understanding what is being barked out by people who sing like that? Under normal circumstances, when I run across a band that does that, I’m not certain exactly what the appeal is. But, this is one of the few bands that actually works it in quite smoothly into their act.

The performance is superb, tight, and amazingly different from anything I’ve ever heard before. I mean, you will be hard pressed to find a band that takes you as far out on a limb as Unexpect will do. When they ask you to borrow your head for the evening, they aren’t kidding. Just be sure to ask for it back when the evening is over. As I was listening along, I was greatly impressed with the vast array of instruments and voices utilized to engage the mind. The somewhat orchestral voicings and classical theme were a nice blend, but the guitar work and what sounded to me to be a violin at times really stole the show. Especially that guitar effect that sounded something like plugging an analog pedal in backwards into an old stereo, overloading the circuits, and running that sound through a Mooger Fooger ring modulator. Okay, the guitar players will know what i’m talking about when they hear it. *chuckle* So, check out this band and be sure to write me and let me know your thoughts about Unexpect. Oh, and my lawyers inform me that I have to say that you’ve been warned, Rock On!

To experience Unexpect for yourself, visit:
http://www.myspace.com/unexpect

Corey loves to hear from new fans of the site and even some old fans that have been reading his reviews for a while. Be sure to pop in to the Contact Us section of the site and send him a quick note to let him know what you think of the site, what band he should review next, or to ask some deep nagging question that keeps you up late nights surfing the web in search of an answer.