Reviews

I’ll be up front about, and I think I can speak for hundreds of fans when I say that I really thought Sonny did a way better job than Matt ever will for From First to Last, but that’s not to say that their latest album, Throne To The Wolves, is bad, by any means. I just  get the sense that they’re trying to hard now.

FFTL started out rough and uncut with Dear Diary…, and then pretty much kept that notion going with Heroine. But then when Sonny left and Matt filled his spot, they seemed to transform in to a tidier band, with less screaming and less out-of-the-ordinary music, but instead played straight up alternative rock and roll. And now, after having plenty of time to think, with both acclaim and criticism, and a quick drummer change, they release this; a thumping, bumping collection of harsh libretto that intrigues me. It seems to me that they weren’t satisfied – or their fans weren’t — with the plain ‘ol music they produced with their self-titled release, so they decided to jack up their hard-core outfit. And I like it. It’s kind of typical, with scruffy screams for every second line of lyric, high-pitched whining, 30 second breakdowns, and bass-pedalling faster than one’s ear can handle, but that’s what continues the post-hardcore genre, and they fit the mold pretty damn good. Perhaps there’s something to be said about group chanting “Yah!”s and “OOh!”s? And, wait, what’s that? Did I just hear auto-tune? But, the question is, are they just changing for what their fans want, or are they still pumping out music they want to?

With all this to take in, it makes me start to wonder if they’re actually producing original music, or if they’re following the trend that every new 1 in 2 bands in the world is; trying to be too hardcore? In terms of comparison, Throne To The Wolves resembles Heroine the most to me, with the fairly equal combination of clean to harsh vocals and a lot of added electronic enhancers and fills, and for that I give them credit. That’s my kind of music. Truth be told, I kind of admire what Matt has brought to the band in the end.

As for a favourite song on the album, I don’t have one. All 11 tracks on the album pretty much give off the same, repetitive, monotonous feeling of making me want to mosh in my bedroom. Hell, there isn’t even a laid back, acoustic, soft track to sink in to; if anything, the electronic rhythms of “A Soft War” differentiate it from the rest of the album, but that’s just a carry-on, a filler. And that’s it.

I’m sure true From First to Last die-hards will love this new album, they’ll feed off it. You know, because IT IS FFTL. But there’s always haters; I don’t hate the album, but I’m not the biggest fan of it.

My Rating:  

Like sitting by the camp fire with a guitar, a drum, and anything else you can get your hands on, the calming harmony of opening track “Any Day Now” from Jon and Roy’s third official album leaves you in awe-state and dying to hear what’s next.

Victoria locals John Middleton and Roy Vizer, and their band, are following up to their critically acclaimed second album, “Another Noon” (2008), with a 14 track gem, “Homes”, dropping this April 13th. The combination of melodic strokes and cheerful whistling all chiming to the tune of reggae chords, African drums, and wise lyrics puts a new meaning to this genre of folk music.

Recently coming off of having their single, “Another Noon”, featured on a commercial for Volkswagen, the group seems to be putting an even greater effort in to exploring their plethora of musical variations. Perhaps it’s the recent expansion of their band, with Dougal Maclean on Violin and friend Ryan Tonelli on bass, that has helped them with the continued success and achievements, playing some of Canada’s largest music festivals, and having their music featured in movies and TV shows. Perhaps it’s the quaint and cozy atmosphere of Vancouver Island, where they spent countless hours recording the new album, that has kept them so lively in their music.

My song of choice from Homes has got to be “Giddy Up“, which seems to highlight the entire album for me, as well, reminds me so much of their previous works.

Bottom line, this album is simply wonderful if you’re in to softer, more melodic folk music, and I can see it possibly being an album anyone would like, even if the folk genre isn’t their cup of tea. Jon and Roy also make for a good live performance, and you can catch them live if you’re in the Victoria area April 1st, as they’re playing their CD release party at the McPhereson playhouse.

My Rating:  

Check out Jon and Roy

“I am here to tell you a story; a story that will torture your thoughts by day and poison your dreams by night,” the crude, ghostly voice states as violins screech amongst it, from the first track,  ”Curse Of The Virgin Canvas”, of 6-peice metal core outfit Alesana’s latest album, The Emptiness. The 13-track comeback album from the group is a must hear album for any screamo fan, as it highlights what the group is capable of.

It’s difficult to imagine that it’s been over 2 years since Alesana’s last album, Where Myth Fades To Legend, and they’ve come back with the full power of a harsh screaming and a symphony of madness. But instead of coming up with an entirely new repertoire to feed in to our ears, the band has simply emphasized what they’re made of; high pitched scream-driven cries of love and death.

In comparison with their previous music, The Emptiness is edgier, with, at times, recordings of what sounds merely like the cries of someone dying in a empty room, but also more powerful, in that there is a lot of percussion-driven parts and a faded strings section in the background to tie it all up. I’m left, at various parts of the record, feeling like I’m at the final scene of a thriller movie, with the orchestra playing and a spine-chilling prose filling my head.

One  must digress, however, to the fact that the record seems to have a lot of mechanics behind it, a lot of studio edited cuts; which brings the questions as to what some of these songs might sound like live. As part of releasing a good, full-bodied record, I believe it’s necessary to have the ability to perform the exact same song that’s found of the album—and with all the added harmonic sounds and the spoken word, who’s to say that Alesana will be able to keep the same dynamics as they’ve laid out in this album, while performing them on stage?

Nevertheless, The Emptiness certainly delivers with the same style of crunchy metal core that they defined for themselves in their previous releases. My track of choice from this album is “Heavy Hangs the Albatross”; it’s one of the slower tracks on the album, and sort of offers a little bit of a breather for me before rushing in to “The Lover”.

My Rating:  

Grab “The Emptiness” on iTunes today!

Stemming from the 18 year old brain of a boy who started uploading his music on MySpace, the lyrical bliss of Christofer Ingle Drew of Never Shout Never’s glistening voice has certainly evolved in his progression from a one-man act in to a full-fledged signed, touring, band. Along with the group, their all-around sound has evolved, especially with their latest full length release, “What Is Love?”

With getting ready to headline the 2010 AP Tour and seeing so much main stream publicity lately, it’s hard to believe that the sextet has found time to record and produce a new, full-length, album; but it’s certainly about time that we finally see one, as they’re stepping up from 4 EPs and a few singles—the string of 3- to 6-song releases was starting to get a bit tedious, and kept us dying for something we could actually listen to for more than 15 minutes at a time. Alas, the day has finally come. What Is Love? came out January 25th from Loveway Records, the bands own record company (which also includes his other hardcore alias, eatmewhileimhot)—but don’t get too excited just yet, as the album probably isn’t as exactly as you expected it.

Maybe it’s the cliché lyricism of an angsting boy, or the addition of more members in his group, but Christofer just didn’t do it for me this time around. I found that as I progressed throughout the album, I noticed a trend in the music: Christofer has a noticeably higher-pitched voice, as opposed to his older singles, almost a nasaly whine which gets on my nerves a bit. But hey, maybe it’s just me. You can decide for yourself. Also, did anyone else catch the choir-esque Beach Boys chant in “I Love You 5″?

However, I can’t be too negative, because the group redeems themselves more than a few times and displays a more finished product near the end of the album. Perusing the lyrics of “Past Times” implies an almost nostalgic feeling, and the meaning behind a bonus track, “Fifteen”, has real depth and meaning behind it. Lastly, my track of choice is, in fact, the title track, “What Is Love?” The single is a well-rounded representation of the album solely, and has a southern feel to it throughout. I’d say that it was a good pick to release as the single.

The album as a whole didn’t impress me too much, and I’d definitely say that Christofer and the group have a lot more potential. But in general, it’s good listen.

My Rating:  

Purchase What Is Love? on iTunes, or get the Bonus Track Version!

All throughout math class today I kept asking myself how I’d start this review, how I’d describe the interest I had for this album, and how I would sum up all the millions of words I could use to express my love for it. ”To Plant a Seed” is We Came as Romans debut full-length album, dropping today (11/03) from Equal Vision Records.

Stepping outside of 2 previous EPs in to a full album takes a lot of time and effort, and I wouldn’t really say that this album is a significant change in sound from their previous EPs, but it simply amplifies what exactly WCAR is capable of: making great hardcore music. Just when I thought we were starting to hit a musical median in the hardcore genre, “To Plant a Seed” managed to throw it all out of proportion, do us one better, then slap an almost theatrical synth melody throughout. This album, in my personal opinion, is — simply put — amazing, and is probably one of my favourite albums of 2009. Continue

Bands are created by the second nowadays, so it’s hard to make an impact. Anyone with a guitar, a drum set, a basement, and a friend can have a band. Oh hell, anyone with an iMac and a MySpace can have a band. It’s just that easy. And you’ll find that a lot of emerging artists tend to fall in to the generic high-pitched power-pop punk sound group (*Cough* All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, My Favourite Highway, Forever the Sickest Kids, The Maine; catch my drift?)

But the question is: does A Rocket to the Moon fall in that group? To be honest, I can’t really say; not because I’m a selfish music fiend, but because I’m on the fence with this one. My ears tell me to stop writing and conclude with the “Generic” stamp, but for some reason I keep typing. There’s just something there. Perhaps it the intertwining electronic intervals, or maybe it’s the one-octave-higher vocals; I’m not sure, but I like it.

Nick Santino really found a unique way to incorporate his choreutic voice in to the debut Fueled By Ramen records album, On Your Side – set to drop in stores and online October 13th. It’s almost like he set a goal to sound generic, and then kicked the goal in the head, so now it’s just knocked out for a while; so don’t worry, it’ll show up eventually.

On Your Side does sound pretty generic, as per the power-pop intro tracks, the occasional acoustic love song, and that catchy dance beat the persists throughout. I mean, really? What does this album have to offer that hasn’t already been done, and done again. The transition in sound since their first independent release hasn’t been too great, except for the fact that he has a band backing him now and he doesn’t use so much god damn auto-tuner.

And still, the lyrics have found a connection with me, somehow, in my head, and I admire the gutsiness of the album, seeing as it’s their debut full-length under a professional label. Who knows? Maybe this could take them further?

Take a listen to the album, and decide for yourself. There’ll obviously be those who are fanatics of ARTTM, but try to be honest with your self: is it really a good album, or is it just meaningless filler until the next pop-punk stars arrive?

Listen to the full album on Shockhound

(October 8th until the 13th)

I recently did an interview with Crash Coordinates, and now have the chance to review their new EP which is set to be released November 17th.

The band has a pop-rock sound and catchy songs.

The album starts off with the song “In Circles” (which you can listen to on the band’s Myspace). “In Circles” isn’t the most upbeat song on the album, but it’s sure to drag the listener in.

“The Scandal” is possibly the catchiest song on the album, and will definitely stick in your head for a while. While listening to “The Scandal”, I felt like I was listening to a Fall Out Boy song, and I think I can safely say this is my favorite song off the EP. For fans of Crash Coordinates, you might recognize the melody from this episode of CCPOV.

I think it’s kind of funny that “A Goodbye Song” is the third track, not the last track. This song is one of the more upbeat songs and features some pretty sweet guitar riffs and occasionally some keys in the background fromVincent Liou who provides the piano, synth, and percussion for the band. There’s even a really awesome guitar solo. This song makes me want to dance.

“Falling For You” is a kind of slower song, and much like “The Scandal” makes me think of Fall Out Boy. I really enjoyed the lyrics and a short guitar solo. This is definitely a love song I’d want sung to me.:)

“Use You” starts off with a bang. The song is also very catchy and a little edgy. Overall, “Use You” is an pretty good choice to close the album and features an edgy guitar solo towards the end before finishing with a short riff.

If you like pop-rock bands like All Time Low, The Maine, and Fall Out Boy, then “The Business of Making You Move” will make an excellent addition to your collect. I myself loved Crash Coordinate’s earlier release “Ansible”, and I have to admit, “The Business of Making You Move” seems more mellow and not as exciting, but is still a great album.

I would give “The Business of Making You Move” 31/2 out of 5 stars.

Now go preorder the cd!

I’ve been listening to this album nonstop for the past few days and I’ve finally decided to write a review. I haven’t really written reviews before, but I feel that I really must review this album.

Aim and Ignite was released August 25th (yeah, yeah I know, I’m a little late…) and is the debut album from the band fun. I think it’s fair to say that fun. is a somewhat new band, but they actually began recording the album in September of last year. The band consists of former Format member Nate Ruess, along with Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff.

Alright enough information about the band… on to the review! (I’m going to review track by track most likely…)

WARNING: This review will be filled with much praise for this amazing album!

The album starts off with a sort of odd track titled “Be Calm”. Don’t let the uncommon song scare you off, there’s many more great tracks to come! I would ALMOST compare this song to a Panic! At the Disco track considering it isn’t a song you’d commonly hear.

One thing I notice throughout the album, the band is backed by more than just the usual instruments found in a “rock” band. Brass and string instruments can be heard throughout.

The second track “Benson Hedges” was actually the first song recorded by the band. It opens powerfully with harmonic. almost choir-like vocals. I find this song makes me think of a classic rock band backed by newer poppy instrumentals (if that makes any sense!). The song is far from boring, and I have to warn you, it might make you want to dance.

“All the Pretty Girls”

My only complaint about this song, is it opens similar to the last song with the choir-like vocals. Although the string instruments at times might seem out of place, they blend well with the other instruments and vocals in the song. Towards the end of the track, the song slows down a little, but picks back up quickly. It isn’t one of my favorites on the album, but it isn’t bad.

The next track, “I Wanna Be the One (BaBaBa)” is definitely a love song. Despite the constant instrumentals, the song is a little slower.

“At Least I’m Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)”, is also probably one of the slower songs on the album. One think I really enjoy during this song are the group vocals. Throughout the song, if you listen closely you can hear steel drums which compliments the style of the vocals in the song.

Alright, I’ve been lying, “Light A Roman Candle With Me” is probably the slowest song on the album. It’s probably one of the cutest/dorkiest love songs I’ve ever heard. Yes, I did just call it cute! If you listen closely, you’ll hear the album title within the lyrics of the song… ‘at least we would know that the sparks didn’t glow/but we owe everything to ourselves to try/so we aim and ignite!’

The next track, “Walking the Dog” has to be my favorite. Most likely because it was the very first fun. song that I heard. The lyrics are extremely catchy, and if you don’t have at least one part of the song stuck in your head after listening, there’s probably something wrong with you! In my honest opinion, it almost seems of Montrealish, but that could just be me. And of course, the song features ‘nah nah’s’, what isn’t awesome about ‘nah nah’ songs?

“Barlights” is the third from last track on the cd, and it feels almost classic rockish to me. The backing vocals add a lot to to this song along with a trumpet.

Much like “Be Calm” this track, “The Gambler” almost seems out of place. It’s almost folky if you ask me, not to mention the violin/fiddle in the background. This band is really greate at “love” songs and I feel “The Gambler” although different, is a very good love song. The song talks about a more modern family, but it seems like an old folk song.

The last track. Although “Take Your Time (Coming Home)” is the longest track, I feel it is a perfect closing track. It’s almost like a review of the entire album with it’s different styles. I have to add, the backing vocals add a lot to this album.

The album is over.  The only things I find wrong with this album, is the similar beginnings of different songs, but overall I can honestly say that “Aim and Ignite” is an album that I can listen to in it’s entirety and not skip through tracks I don’t like. (hmm this was a kind of long review…) So if you’re into indie-pop-rocky music, definitely pick this one up!

I give it 4 1/2 of 5 stars!

Oh, The Used. What can I say about The Used? They’re a bunch of awesome guys that know how to make pretty awesome music. And with great music comes great albums, and that’s exactly what they’ve done here. They done made great music.

“Artwork”, The Used’s latest release, was dropped last week (August 31st) from Reprise Records. An interesting titbit: Rivers Cuomo, front man of Weezer, produced this album because The Used decided that they kind of liked Weezer’s “Pinkerton” album for it’s raw sound.

I want to start out with a comparison of their previous album, “Lies for the Liars”. I’m not really getting this whole raw feeling throughout this album, or at least not as much as I did with Lies for the Liars. To be truthful, Artwork might even be a little too soft for what I expected from The Used. It seems a lot more straight forward and dignified than the previous album, which, to me, was a lot more scatterbrained and sporadic. Is it just me? Maybe you think differently, but I definitely don’t get the edge from this work that I’ve got from previous works. According to Wikipedia and other sources, the band experienced a bit of a band member change when recording Artwork, as Dan Whitesides played drums for this album, as opposed to  Dean Butterworth, who played for Lie for the Liars. Perhaps that’s what lost the edge of the band for me?

Wikipedia also notes that Bert McCracken and the band are trying to introduce their own genre of music with Artwork, appropriately dubbed “gross pop”. What’s your take on this? Do you get a sense of gross-ness out of this? I don’t. Personally, it’s just another album under the post-hardcore genre, with absolutely nothing gross about it.

Nothing too new here, actually. I expected something a little more from The Used, perhaps even a little more aggressive? But I still respect the effort put forth in Artwork.

My Rating:  

Track Listing:

1. Blood on My Hands
2. Empty with You
3. Born to Quit
4. Kissing You Goodbye
5. Sold My Soul
6. Watered Down
7. On the Cross
8. Come Undone
9. Meant to Die
10. The Best of Me
11. Men Are All the Same

Get “Artwork” on iTunes!