sjs
3.31.2011
Pressed to Impress
Protest The Hero - Scurrilous
The third proper album from Protest The Hero, Scurrilous, is a logical progression for this shredfest group. It picks up where Fortress left off and furthers the band more and more from the days of Kezia. This band has with out a doubt left the idea of writing possible single worthy songs in favor of going with what makes them stand out. However, that is not to say previous singles lacked any creativity and intensity.
With that being said this is not a groundbreaking album by any means. There are the blazing guitar speeds, solid rhythms, and scowl and sing combo you would expect. This is what PTH does, and they do it better than anyone. The first half of this cd is somewhat identical to Fortress. Though, the previous albums were filled with two lead guitar players merely trading parts on and off, not really giving either a true voice that has changed. With Scurrilous Luke Hoskin assumes lead duties and Tim Millar handles the rhythm end, providing the first ingredient for a much larger record. The latter half of the record shows progression, and believable or not the songwriting has intensified. All care to marketable music or lyrics has been thrown to the wind and replaced with a devil may care attitude. I doubt you'd hear "Sex Tapes" on the Top-40 anytime with lyrics such as "The Jonas generation's got rings wrapped 'round their dicks..."
This album be seen as their best work to date, simply due to the fact each song is clearly its own. This is the most sonic and melodic difference in this age of the band. While the entire 45 minutes is not going to be the first time you hear what is offered, it will provide you with a very enjoyable, heavy, and technical album unlike any in this genre.
Enjoy Yer' Time With - "The Reign of Unending Terror" & "Tongue Splitter"
Rating - ****
RIYL - Protest The Hero - Fortress, The Human Abstract, Converge - Axe To Fall
sjs
Picky Tuesday
Better late than never....
Mona
If leon already has its Kings, then be introduced to its princes. Nashville's Mona is set to take over the radio with a set of catchy, indie rock tunes, and with a bit of Bruce Springsteen here and U2 there this a through and through rock band. One of labels most sought after acts, the past few months saw them sign a sizable deal with Island Records. They have had a swift rise to Indie fame having only been a band for a few years, and releasing only a 5 song EP, Listen To Your Love.
Their self titled debut is set to drop May 16th, and so the waiting game has begun. An array of performances at all music conventions from CMJ to SXSW has been peaking interest among the industry, it will take a bit more to sell the potential buyers. While yes they are a good band, who wrote 5 mediocre to good songs, will it stand out from their future peers?
Plenty of sign point to a continued rise to fame, with similar bands currently finding acclaim on radio. At the same time it may start to sink the ship of a genre that could over saturate itself. Tune in May 16th to find out.
Enjoy Yer' Time With - "Listen To Your Love" & "Lean Into The Fall"
RIYL - Kings of Leon, Early U2, Against Me! - White Crosses
sjs
3.30.2011
3.27.2011
5
Queens of the Stone Age - Go With The Flow
Silverstein - Medicate
Sylosis - Where The Sky Ends
Thomas Giles - Reverb Island
Alien Ant Farm - These Days
sjs
3.25.2011
5
All's Quiet - Fallout
Letlive - Homeless Jazz
Dillinger Escape Plan - Fight The Power
La Dispute - Said The King To The River
Hold Your Horse Is - Forgive And Forget
sjs
3.24.2011
Fresh Ink
Of Legends
This band is not for the faint of heart. Warning, if listening to Of Legends while driving you will want to run every other car off the road. There is no let up period. The band is consisted of members of former ones that have joined together, coming from various backgrounds. Vocalist Luis Dubuc is of The Secret Handshake, guitarist Jacob Belcher of Drop Dead, Gorgeous fame, the rest of the band Zack Ordway, bassist Elliot Coleman, and drummer Travis Orbin all come from Sky Eats Airplane. The group signed to brutal label Seasons of Mist after only releasing a 3 song EP, and now enjoy regular spins on BBC Radio 1.
The reason is simple, Stranded is an absolute beast. It could be called heavy as fuck and make perfect sense. Blasting through death metal, tech meal, and sludge with ease isn't something that could easily separate a band in this scene so this is not something new and ground breaking. However the chaotic vocals with jaw breaking riffs do stand above others and is something that has been missing in this genre. They are beginning to tour and should be getting their name out before long, so be on their side first.
Enjoy Yer' Time With - "Save The Humans"
RIYL - Converge - Axe To Fall, Mastodon - Call of the Mastodon, Botch
sjs
3.23.2011
5
Trap Them - Damage Prose
Of Legends - Save Humans
Mastodon - Mother Puncher
The Canvas Waiting - Chasing Color
Adele - Rolling In The Deep
sjs
5
Kvelertak - Ulvetid
Walk The Moon - Anna Sun
Broken Bells Meyrin Fields
The Strokes - Machu Picu
Syslosis - Empyreal
sjs
Picky Tuesday
Walk The Moon
My second selection for the weekly Pick Tuesday is rather different than last weeks... Walk The Moon is going to be big, very big. They have infectious melodies and indie swag, yes swag. From the actual music they produce to the video for what will be a hit single "Anna Sun", the band appeal to hipsters across the board. But they are so much more, because they are deceivingly indie, there are no typical sounds here. After half a minute of foot tapping you finally realize that they are not a rock or d'n'b band but so indie instead. So i guess that makes them more indie by not being indie,or not indie at all, or perhaps it ruins their brand? There are to many rules to consider in a hipster world.
The point is that this band is a crossover success, waiting to be played to the masses. It will be the guilty pleasure of some and the theme song of others. Their proper full length I Want! I Want! is available through Bandcamp for $9 until some label cashes in, so hurry and get it. After impressive SXSW performances it really is only a matter of time until the mail reaches their door. Anyone and everyone should check this out, swallow your pride and listen to music that makes you want to dance.
Enjoy Yer' Time With - "Anna Sun"
sjs
3.22.2011
3.21.2011
5
5 & Alive
Young The Giant - My Body
Boy & Bear - Blood To Gold
Water & Bodies - Celebration Song
Stranded - Death Eyes
The New Regime - Order Restored
sjs
Futurish
North Korea
Basement Tapes vol. 1 - 4/1/2011
1. Master Plan B
1. Master Plan B
2. Don't call us Joneses
3. Laced
4. My God Can Beat Up Your God
Fresh Ink
Defeater
There is a divergence in music right now. The poppy bands are getting poppy-er, the indie bands are getting indie-er, and heavy bands are just all over the place-er. Some bands are simply satisfied with doing what they want and damning the bullets. Defeater is no exception. With an obvious penchant for social themes and wearing the heart on your sleeve hardcore there is something refreshing with a band that can do it right. Anyone has gone to a local show and seen 5 or 6 bands play in a given night, but there's one that stands out amongst. Similar to bands such as La Dispute and Touche Amore, they are one of the few bands that can break out of the small time frame hardcore bands are thrown into.
Their latest release, Empty Days and Sleepless Nights, is a very very solid release by a young band, it is not for everyone however. It will appeal to people looking for another avenue of heavier honest music, but not much else. A band like this will never chart on the top-40 for Billboard, though will have an entire room on tour singing along to every word.
Enjoy Yer' Time With - "Dear Father" & "Brothers"
RIYL - La Dispute - Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair, Touche Amore - Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me, Every Time I Die - Hot Damn!
sjs
3.20.2011
Pressed to Impress
Architects - The Here And Now
Hailing from the UK is Architects, these fellows are not to be confused with other bands under a similar moniker. The Here And Now is their 3rd release and was facing an uphill battle int he wake of Hollow Crown, their 2nd release. This band has been kicking at the knees of the giants in the scene and with this release have decided to set their aim slightly higher between the legs.
Enjoy Yer' Time With - "Day In Day Out" & "Btn"
Rating - * * * 1/2
Pros - Dynamically heavy and at the same time accessible
Cons - Straying too far from the path detracts from a classic record
Myspace Facebook
sjs
5
Citadel - A House Divided
Saosin - Tillian Pearson Demo
Tyler, The Creator - Bastard
Wharf Rats - Capital Gains
Architects - Day In, Day Out
sjs
3.19.2011
3.18.2011
5
Sum 41- The Hell Song
A.F.I.- The Leaving Song Part 2
The Wonder Years- Melrose Diner
Manchester Orchestra- Simple Math
I Can Make Like Nobody's Business- You're Not So Good At Talking Anymore
bsg
bsg
3.15.2011
Picky Tuesday
Letlive.
Letlive. is today's hardcore done right. A perfect mix of aggression, message, and music are all there and provide a refreshing sound. Form the opening track you want to get up out of your seat and cause some damage to the closest thing to you. That's a record. Vocalist Jason Aalon Butler skips between melodic sing along to belting scratch your eyes out, mental screams. A rotating cast of musicians has finally stuck providing a wide range of musical prowess.
The band's sole release Fake History is the reason to still buy cds. Envoking the spirit of Glassjaw and sing along qualities of Underoath, it has a track for every sort of heavy music fan, proving singing and screaming can be done right today. The rerelease can be picked up April 14th from Epitaph records. Do it.
sjs
Picky Tuesday
Introducing a weekly theme of “pick of the week” fame, Picky Tuesdays will demonstrate all that our ears have been telling our subconscious to hum, tap, sing, play, dance, fuck, fight, and love throughout the week. So in red carpet fashion, here’s what has been making some vibrations in my ear drums this past week...
Dance Gavin Dance have been making some noise this past month for all the wrong reasons. Jonny Craig’s is a bad, bad person but as we’ve seen through how an abuser can make a cult following (Winning!), J Craig has put his mark on his best collaboration yet. Dance Gavin Dance is much more than their mullet sporting front-man and on Downtown Battle Mountain 2 they show off their musicianship. Jon Mess’s vocals rip apart his jumbled-thoughts and Will Swan orchestrates dizzying string motions (wrote all the guitar parts) all while Mingus and Lodge keep the pace. The product is a cohesive, melodic take on hardcore that will make you enjoy your time.
Dance Gavin Dance
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Dance Gavin Dance have been making some noise this past month for all the wrong reasons. Jonny Craig’s is a bad, bad person but as we’ve seen through how an abuser can make a cult following (Winning!), J Craig has put his mark on his best collaboration yet. Dance Gavin Dance is much more than their mullet sporting front-man and on Downtown Battle Mountain 2 they show off their musicianship. Jon Mess’s vocals rip apart his jumbled-thoughts and Will Swan orchestrates dizzying string motions (wrote all the guitar parts) all while Mingus and Lodge keep the pace. The product is a cohesive, melodic take on hardcore that will make you enjoy your time.
Enjoy Yer’ Time With “Heat Seeking Ghost of Sex”
5
Panic! At The Disco - Sarah Smiles
Transit- Hope This Finds You Well
Armistice- Mission Bells
Bayside- The New Flesh
Yellowcard- For You, and Your Denial
3.14.2011
Fresh Ink
Wolves At The Gate
I didn't think this type of music was still being produced, or at such a high level still. In a sea of hipster and electronic tinged waves Ohio's Wolves At The Gate provide a refuge. The post hardcore reminiscent of early Saosin and Uunderoath is something missing in today's playlists, either due to the passing of the scene or that nothing new has really been produced. WATG could produce a dose of life into the lifeless scene or just pass on a blip on a radar. Their sole release, We Are The Ones EP, contains a solid 5 tracks of guitar fueled music which provided this listener with a nod back to Thrice's Artist In The Ambulance. To say this is something original would be a lie, because it simply is not, but it is quality music nevertheless.
RIYL - Underoath - They're Only Chasing Safety, Thrice - Artist In The Ambulance, Saosin - Saosin
sjs
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