Get an Earection!

Where did I go?

2011-07-13T19:44:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone,

Not sure who all is still around, but I hope the past few months have been great to you. So my last update was mid-April and it's now mid-July. Where did I go? Well, at the time, school had begun to weigh on me with a lot of projects, so GAE just was not fitting into my schedule. Around the same time, the band I had joined, Call It Fiction, began playing more shows and gearing up for tour. Then the school year ended and I had about a week off.

During that week, I thought about you all dearly, and I still do. There are so many records I wanted and want to share with you all that I have been jamming. But, that week passed and tour began. I spent most of the past few months on tour, and on my off time I was trying to make a little money and generally relax. I simply didn't have my focus here. I also got a great writing opportunity that came about.

In early June, Mike Shea of Alternative Press asked me to write a piece for him while I was at the letlive. show (great band, check them out), and I gladly obliged. Since then, most of my focus has been working on new ideas for them and touring. In fact, I leave for another short tour tomorrow. I'm really excited to be working with Alternative Press and hope to see my career there flourish more, so this has taken quite a back seat. I do miss reviewing records, and may pick it up here again, but it's hard at this point when bigger and better opportunities are on my plate.

So what's the plan for GAE? I guess nothing. The space will stay open and I may write something, but look for my work on Alt Press mainly. Here are my first two articles I did for them:

My First Tour: Call it Fiction

Please Stop: Five Annoying Social-Media Tendencies Bands Should Avoid

I'm working on several more for them right now, plus my first band feature. It's exciting times for me as a writer, and without GAE, none of this would have happened. This place will always be my home, and you will all be my best friends and supporters, even if we've never spoke. I couldn't be more grateful for this time we've had, and don't think that it's over here. Just...slowing down until I get myself comfortable again. I'd appreciate it if you kept GAE bookmarked for old times sake and gave me a follow on twitter: twitter.com/matrocksteady. Let's hang out online sometime. I hang out on Turntable.fm a lot lately, so hope to see you around. I miss you all. Keep it real.

-matrocksteady

INTERVIEW: Children of Nova

2011-04-13T14:59:00.001-04:00

Having gained a lot of momentum off of their 2009 EP, The Complexity of Light, the boys in Children of Nova are gearing up to record their follow-up, debut full-length. Hear about it and so much more below. Be sure to find them on Facebook to check out their tunes.

Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for me. What's going on in your camp? Anything exciting going on in your lives?
Right now we’re busy writing material for our upcoming debut full-length. We’re really excited to get our new songs out to our fans, as well as those who would not consider themselves fans of ours. We’re also working on a music video with our good friends in Mega64 for a song off our EP. A lot people requested we do one, so we figured it would be a nice treat as we transition from our EP, to our debut full-length.

In June, you guys will be entering the studio to record your debut full-length. Is everything written? What can you details can you reveal about the record?
As of right now, we’ve got about 10 songs nearly complete. Of course, nothing is complete until it’s recorded – so we’re sure those will change a little. We’ve got a handful of other ideas we’re working on as well. Ideally we’d like to have 10-12 songs on the album – and we’ll probably enter the studio with 15, and narrow it down from there. We want to be certain we’re releasing our strongest and most diverse songs. What we can reveal about this record is that you can expect to hear something you may not expect out of us. We have gotten a lot of feedback from our EP, both good and bad, and we have grown as individuals and as a band and we think our songs will show that.

The Complexity of Light had a very focused narrative and theme. Will the next record be as conceptual as this lyrically?
We did enjoy having the narrative aspect on the EP but it always reflected very real issues and influences in our lives and we feel this record will give listeners the best of both worlds.

You chose to record with Kris Crummett of Interlace Audio up in Portland who is known for his work on famous post-hardcore acts such as Dance Gavin Dance, Closure in Moscow and Tides of Man. What made you choose him as the producer and how is the relationship building as the recording date nears? What makes him the right producer for this next record?
He was recommended to us by our good friend Jeff Serafine (Hollywood Underground) and when we looked into his work we were very excited to work with him. We were lucky to work with Brian Grider on our EP, and we couldn’t say enough good things about that experience – but we wanted to put ourselves in a different situation this time around. One of the main reasons was Kris, along with Stephan Hawkes (they’ll be working on our project together) have worked with some of the best up-and-coming bands and we felt our style would fit nicely with the work they’ve already done. We were also attracted to Interlace because of the location, Portland. We wanted to remove ourselves from our everyday environment and comforts. Having the option to live in studio while recording in a completely distant home from where we’re at now really appealed to us. We’ve sent our demos up to the boys at Interlace and they’ve had the chance to listen to them and seem to be excited about it. We have only spoken a few times regarding the recording process and that’s really it. What makes this the right fit is they’re new to us, they’ve recorded some really great sounding records, and from what we hear they’re gifted in the area of pulling the unexpected out of bands.

A big part of this process has been your Kickstarter, which is still a website in its infancy itself. How did the idea of using Kickstarter come about and what has the process been like using it and promoting through it? You have already met your goal. How does that feel?
We heard of Kickstarter from our friend Derek of Mega64. We told him about the high cost of recording and he quickly responded by telling us a friend of his got his whole short film funded by using kickstarter, we were on board immediately. The process has gone smoother than we could’ve ever expected. We are trying to promote the site without being annoying, or sound like we’re begging as much as possible and so far we think we are doing ok. We are all amazed and motivated by already meeting our goal in such a short amount of time. We feel supported and excited to get this record out to those who are anxiously awaiting it.

Along with Kickstarter, Bandcamp is another independent website that focuses on the sale of music. These two sites are becoming a big deal to independent musicians as the industry continues to crumble. As tools for independent artists to run their own careers become more widely accepted, how do you, as a band, use them to your advantage?
We’re very happy such websites exist! We can’t wait to get our music up on Bandcamp. As soon as we have our new record done and the artwork to with it we’ll be proud members of Bandcamp, as well as happy veterans of Kickstarter. We’ll use Bandcamp to be a part of this independent movement and hopefully reach new ears. Our main goal w/ social networking sites, whether those, or any of the others – is to connect with our fans, or as we say, our family. It’s great to have an open line of communication with the people that care most about our music and band.

With such a generally bleak outlook for the music industry, what's your view on its future as a musician? How do you plan to sustain yourselves as professionals financially, but keep your integrity?
Our view on the future is to stay true to ourselves and continue to be conscious of our goals and what’s been successful for us up to this point and building off that. We are going to continue to work hard and build our fan base and hope that we get proper support. None of us picture ourselves one day on cribs showing off our variety of cars but we hope that we have enough stability to have a crib even if that means renting, which it probably does. Luckily you can’t torrent Rockband songs as far as we know so hopefully that will stand strong and continue to grow.

Do you guys play your own songs on Rock Band?
Yes. Are we any good? No.

If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
Teo: The power that lets me traverse into space.
Nick: Multi-Dimensional Travel.
Pozzi: Non-consequential Time Travel (anything I do would have no effect on the past or future).
Mario: Superman’s powers minus the tights.
Colin: The power to become any animal at anytime… because everyone wants a gorilla or tiger to talk to now and then.

Beyond being in Children of Nova, what do you like to do? Musicians are often lifted to a pedestal, but you're still humans. What do you do with your free time?
We spend a lot of time at work, and rehearsing. Outside of that we still kick it a lot with each other quite a bit. We’re pretty regular when it comes to our free time. We like to go to movies, eat epic food, get outside and hike, draw and paint, read books, work on puzzles, hang with friends – anything really. We’re easily amused and just try to have a good time no matter what.

After recording the record, what's the plan from there? What does the next year or so look like for Children of Nova?
Getting back on the road! We self-booked an entire national tour this last year, and we’re prepared to do that again.

That's all I've got for you. Any last words you want everyone to hear? Thank you so much for your time and I can't wait for the record to come out.
In closing we just want to say thank you – to you, and everyone and anyone that’s become a part of this family. We’re excited for what the future holds, and eager to get there. Onward and upward!

NEWS: A Lot Like Doghouse

2011-04-11T23:16:00.000-04:00

Hell yeah! The wonderful gentlemen in progressive post-hardcore act A Lot Like Birds have signed to Doghouse and are now managed by The Artery Foundation.

Signing to Doghouse felt like an out of left field choice, but I'm stoked they didn't pick a super predictable label (eh hem, Rise Records, eh hem).

NEWS: A Bunch Of Shit About The Wonder Years

2011-04-11T21:14:00.000-04:00

Hopeless Records pop-punk "saviors" released the title of their new record title along with the album artwork. It's titled Suburbia I've Given You All and Now I'm Nothing and will be released June 14th. Check out a new interview here.

And! A new song here! It's titled "Local Man Ruins Everything."

NEWS: Jonny Craig Out of Emarosa

2011-04-11T21:06:00.000-04:00

Well, looks like Jonny is out. Read the exclusive piece over on Alternative Press now.

This was definitely expected, to say the least.

NEWS: The Dear Hunter's Color Spectrum Up For Pre-Order

2011-04-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

Order this now. You aren't going to want to miss this. $80 for 9 vinyls from The Dear Hunter. Going to be the tits.

NEWS: New Memphis May Fire

2011-04-09T21:18:00.000-04:00

REVIEW: Asking Alexandria - Reckless and Relentless [2011]

2011-04-09T16:04:00.000-04:00

In the age of re-branded glam metal, Asking Alexandria's synth-laden breakdowns, faux string arrangements and aesthetic focus are taking over. Throw in the recent drug problems of their frontman and it's easily confusing figuring out what decade this is. Making it to a sophomore record being a feat unto itself, Reckless and Relentless sees a change in form, but not enough to save them from the pitfalls so many of these bands continue to see.

Predictably enough, opener "Welcome" slowly plays through a keys line with some synths and programmed drum lines as if to create some ominous mood for the impending heaviness that will come immediately at the beginning of the next track. Without fail, "Dear Insanity" plows open quickly and screams in your face quite recklessly. Every record from this scene goes from this section to the huge chorus, as does this one. Laced with huge, clean chorus' and mediocre breakdowns, no mold is broken or even cracked throughout. The radio-ready "Someone, Somewhere" is an entirely clean song with its motive unabashedly obvious. To somehow make up their lost scene points, the following tracks, "Breathless" and "The Match," wade through heavy breakdowns and low growls. The latter even has a completely unnecessary synthdown that builds into one of the most uninteresting breakdowns this scene has experienced.

They're continual leaning on the formulas and clichés laid out by their predecessors and peers continues to plague their sound. What could be a chunky metal riff gets tuned so low and overproduced that it loses its emotion behind a mirage of machinery. Backing off the synths and bringing the amount of production down may bring the sterility of their sound down and into real life to compete with real thrashing metal acts.

Not to shit on them completely, as an entirety, Reckless and Relentless shows a much more cohesive sound. It feels much more intentional and songs like "To The Stage" and "Closure" show potential at times. Even in its most cliché moments, Danny's cleans are a highlight of the record. There's a lot less "crab" to it and they're bringing themselves out of that connotation and sound. That being said, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Without any doubt, music like Asking Alexandria's sells to its audience well and a review won't stop that. But, if an ounce of integrity lies in their bones, hopefully some progress will be made if they continue to release more music in the future. As the new wave of glam continues to thrive, only hope can be had that it will progress to something better over time.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Attack Attack, Bring Me The Horizon, We Came as Romans

REVIEW: Morning Teleportation - Expanding Anyway [2011]

2011-04-09T02:55:00.000-04:00

After being taken under the wing of Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, Portland's Morning Teleportation are finally releasing their hyperactive, mental institute worthy, experimental debut, Expanding Anyway. Aptly described by the album title, the record is layered with expansion and progressive hints of musicianship and a youthful exuberance. With their feet in the waters of psychedelic, Expanding Anyway swerves like a drunk driver through danceable, catchy indie rock tracks and wacky prog guitar riffage.

As a series of yelps and indiscernible syllables open "Boom Puma," Morning Teleportation come off as certifiably insane from second one. From the tripped out guitar solos and fuzzy riffing to the thundering drums and dynamic shifts, the song gives off a solid dose of what the band has to offer. But tracks like "Eyes The Same" show a more restrained act with a straight up indie rock feel and "Snow Frog Vs. Motor Cobra" has some of their catchiest, danceable musicianship while keeping their experimentation top notch. The nine minute opus, "Whole Hearted Drifting Sense of Inertia," even begins to feel a little short as it plays with a plethora of instrumentation and catchy, wacky vocal lines. What tops their experimental ability, though, is "Banjo Disco," a song that's central focus is a banjo line, but use it to turn a folk feel into a danceable indie rock track.

If excess is the name of the game, consider Morning Teleportation the winners. From the aforementioned banjo, to horn lines, electronic dabbling and a theremin, Expanding Anyway layers on the craze with a lavish helping of extra awesomeness. But don't let that mean they are outlandish musical gluttons. The acoustic "Daydream Electric Storm" keeps things simple, as well as their more standard indie rock leanings on the title track and "Crystalline" to give something more digestible to tide the casual listener over.

Upon first listen, Morning Teleportation are not exactly the coziest band to cuddle up next to on a cold night. But after letting Expanding Anyways sink in, it's a record full of interesting, cacophonous quirks with a livelihood indie rock could use right now. They keep things unique, but also allow the songs to flow and breathe together as a cohesive unit. With Isaac Brock backing them pretty hard, this could be the start to a very fruitful career taking over.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Modest Mouse, Other weird indie acts I don't know or listen to

REVIEW: Kids Icarus - Kids Icarus EP [2011]

2011-04-08T19:34:00.000-04:00

As the new wave of pop-punk continues to flourish (and simultaneously drown), there will have to be a new mutation happen along the way. Somewhere in between pop-punk and post-hardcore is the mutated music baby that is Kids Icarus. Crushing, chunky guitar riffs and blistering drums meet catchy leads and melodies on their self-titled, debut EP.

Opener "It's On Me" takes a page right out of Four Year Strong's book and they copy their actions well. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, consider Alan Day flattered. The guest spot from James Carroll of Make Do and Mend on the track doesn't hurt either. Then comes a Half Hearted Hero pace on "Down and Out" and closer "Firework." The standout track is by far "Monster," though. It presents a stark contrast to the others on the record leaning more towards post-hardcore than pop-punk. It's a heavy track with interesting, yet catchy, leads and explores a more diverse dynamic than the others. Even as it sticks out in its presentation, it fits really well with the record and doesn't feel like the contrived "We were trying to do something different with this" track.

While not exactly the most innovative effort, the record succeeds in trying to bend the boundaries. For a debut record, their outlook is a great first step. It's catchy with memorable lyrics and the production is crisp. With only four tracks to base off of, it's only in good faith that we can hope there will be more progression to come and see them take hold of their own sound to push pop-punk continually forward.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Make Do and Mend, Four Year Strong, Handguns

REVIEW: Troubled Coast - Letters [2011]

2011-04-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

After several short releases including an EP and a 10", Troubled Coast's unique brand of melodic hardcore finally hits full-length status with Letters. Taking the reigns for themselves this time, Troubled Coast take a blend of melodic and post-hardcore to create a unique, dynamic experience throughout the record. While their previous releases were tied up in the strict limits of hardcore, Letters sees the band expanding their sound and creating their own niche.

After a thundering opening on the first half of "Amends," the song explodes with a call and response scream/gang-chant section before quickly subsiding. Along with the follow-up track, "Wolf Republic," Trouble Coast stick to their comfort, with both songs clocking in under the two minute mark. Even "It's Not Good For You" and "Drug Halo" both explore the known curves of previous releases, giving an even balance between their hardcore roots, and their expanding sound.

Completely absent from previous releases, though, are the multiple vocal approaches. The opening dual vocal lines on "Wolf Republic" and the Lifestory:Monologue talk-shout on "Me and My Shadow" and "Night Drives" are both new to the arsenal. "Feigned Belief" even dabbles in almost completely clean, melodic vocal lines at times. The expanding on the vocal front really opens up the sound on the record. Almost all of "XX/XY" is spent on the talk-shout, which also brings out a La Dispute feel to the song. The execution of these different styles doesn't come off as contrived or amateur, either. It's as if the ability has been hiding with them all along, and the band is finally stretching their arms.

But not only is their vocal sound evolving, the musicianship is coming with it. While they would thrash about on their previous records, there is some restraint on this that is pulled off well. The end of "Breathing" fades out into a piano line playing the melody. Their most dynamic track to date comes in near the latter end of the record, "Absent Father, Holy Ghost" which explores a slow, ambient entrance before laying down the heavy and fading into an acoustic section featuring some harmonica work. The slower ambience also shows up on "Me and My Shadow" a lot which is driven by a tripped out guitar line and slow lead line for most of the song. Once again, these new dynamics come out with ease and perfectly fit the flow of the record as if they've been waiting to pull them out since day one.

Not allowing one genre to stick to them, Troubled Coast's Letters is a great start to what could be a burgeoning career. Still young, this is nothing less than a promising beginning. With bands from "the wave" taking over, this band could be hopping on that wave soon enough.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Lifestory: Monologue, La Dispute, Make Do and Mend

NEWS: Sound and Fury Festival Line-up Announcement (1 of 2)

2011-04-06T13:04:00.000-04:00

The first set of bands for this year's Sound and Fury festival were released yesterday. This year's festival will be taking place at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, CA, just like last year. See the full released list below. Among them are Ceremony and The Suicide File, both of whom I enjoy. If you're in the Santa Barbara area, I'd definitely check it out.

Agitator
Alpha & Omega
Band of Mercy
Between Earth and Sky
Bitter End
Ceremony
Deafheaven
Down To Nothing
DYS
FocusedxMinds
Hardside
Harvest
Incendiary
Joyce Manor
Maker
Nails
New Lows
Power
Ringworm
Rotting Out
Sleepwalkers
Soul Search
Stick Together
The Suicide File
Take Offense
Venia
Violation
War Hound

REVIEW: The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - From The Stairwell [2011]

2011-04-06T01:44:00.000-04:00

Often formless and wandering like a lost soul, the jet-black ambience of The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble take the term cinematic to a literal level. Initially setting out to create original scores for silent films, From The Stairwell indulges in a dark metaphor of climbing a stairwell of unknown, and perhaps infinite, length with each song representing a new door being opened along the way with a unique mood inside of each. This European septet creates a dismal and chaotic world that absorbs an entire room with layers of intricate musicianship from all over the musical palette. Having spent their previous works in a bit of a structureless improvisation, From The Stairwell sees Kilimanjaro create their first intentional, cohesive, complex work, while leaving the improvisation to their alter ego act, The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation.

As dynamics come and go throughout the hour long escapade, Kilimanjaro continually evolve the mood incorporating a wide variety of instrumentation and technical approaches. Where some sections will create an eerie mood through soft piano strokes, others will have vocalist Charlotte Cegarra hazily croon in a haunting tone giving the song a poignantly human touch ("All Is One"). Others will utilize melancholic string lines and deep, droning horns to offer a new, yet equally elegiac, dynamic. Even "Cocaine" brings in heavy percussive, trip-hop influences with an industrial feel and highlights some of the best electronic dabbling on the record.

Taking cues from post-rock and ambient, Kilimanjaro transcend both of these in some ways utilizing atmosphere in a way that ambient never seems to fill in its wandering and creating moods heavier and more complex than most, if not all, modern post-rock. It's the focus on an emotional theme that drives each note and bleeds through every song giving a consistent, yet complicated narrative. Even in its emptiest of moments musically, the slow drone on closer "Past Midnight" drags the album continually up the stairs ending the album in a metaphorical catch-22: just as it opens.

While every review of these types of bands are filled with a bunch of cliché terms like "cinematic crescendos" and "large soundscapes" and "emotionally driving," there's something more here in Kilimanjaro's work. The aforementioned may apply, but From The Stairwell takes things to a new place with an unfamiliar and unique manner of setting the mood. It's time to head up the stairwell into its infinite possibilities.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Arms and Sleepers, Mouse on the Keys, Hidden Orchestra

NEWS: New City and Colour single "Fragile Bird" Stream

2011-04-05T12:30:00.000-04:00

Check out the soundcloud stream of a new song from Dallas Green's project City and Colour right here. It's definitely a different direction from the other stuff he's done. Let me know what you think of it in the comments.

NEWS: Remembering Kurt Cobain

2011-04-05T12:09:00.000-04:00

As a music legacy, I think it's appropriate to recognize that today is the 17th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. You can check out a scan of his suicide note here. RIP, Kurt.

Now here's the discussion piece: Do you think Courtney killed him?

NEWS: Stream Thursday's New Record No Devolucion

2011-04-05T09:29:00.000-04:00

Don't miss this! The new Thursday record is streaming right here. It comes out next week on Epitaph.

NEWS: One Day Without Shoes

2011-04-05T00:20:00.000-04:00

This may not technically be music news, but I think it's a cause worthy of your attention. It is currently April 5th in EST as I type this, so today is officially Toms' One Day Without Shoes event for 2011.

Basically, you walk around all day without any shoes/socks on to help start conversation about how so many children live without shoes in third world countries. There is a more detailed and official description of the event here that you can check out. I hope you will consider participating and supporting a great company and a great cause all day tomorrow. If you know nothing about Toms shoes, go here now to learn more and maybe pick up a pair of awesome new shoes!

Be sure to follow my twitter account if you want to see my updates as the day progresses. It's rainy and cold here in Cleveland, so it's sure to be an adventure.

REVIEW: Between The Buried and Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues [2011]

2011-04-04T21:33:00.000-04:00

Always known for their extreme take on technical and progressive metal, Between The Buried and Me's seventh release is a short, yet intricate, stint (in BtBAM terms, at least) of only 3 songs clocking in at 30 minutes. As their first release on Metal Blade, the pressure to impress is on as they may have the opportunity to rise to the level of fame they've needed since their inception. Basing the record on a complex, sci-fi oriented story line, The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues sees BtBAM at takes progressiv metal to a new level and hone their sound into a highly refined bullet headed straight for your temple.

What takes Hypersleep above their previous releases is its restraint. This is not to say there aren't juxtaposed genre shifts; just take a listen to the bridges of "Augment of Rebirth." Slide guitar, accordions and so much more. There is a solid use of these cleaner sections and the quirky instrument use BtBAM have come to have been known and loved for, but it is finally becoming a tamed beast. Most of the record focuses on wildly tearing apart time signatures and eating the souls of the weak with visceral screams from Tommy Rogers. With a strict narrative being followed, the music seems to follow in its footsteps, as it progresses through each song. The record's opener, "Specular Reflection," even has a recurring chorus line to give it a feeling of real structure unlike a lot of their songs that wander among many parts without ever returning to them.

There is something that feels empty on the record, though. In this restraint and solid songwriting, long time BtBAM fans may feel a bit shafted by now. Seven releases in, and Hypersleep really just "felt" like BtBAM. As if they were comfortable in what they were doing. It's like being 35 and buying a house and having a few kids and a dog. Everyone wants it, but once you notice, you sort of realize you've lost the spark that made you interesting. Hypersleep is very much a BtBAM record, and it's noticeable. Whether this is a bad thing or not is up to you, but I don't want a progressive metal band to start feeling comfortable and complacent in what they do.

What may be their most cohesive set of tracks to date, Hypersleep is nothing less than a success and it's full-length big brother to come has a high bar to reach over. But "progressive" is always a temporary state, and if BtBAM can't keep their own inventive juices flowing, they're just another mathcore band. Hoping for the best, this record is a great taste of what is to come, and they never seem to disappoint on continuing to push the envelope on each new record.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Rush, The Human Abstract, Cloudkicker

INTERVIEW: Half Hearted Hero

2011-04-04T20:49:00.000-04:00

Releasing their newest EP tomorrow, Running Water, I had the chance to send a few questions to the guys in Half Hearted Hero. Read on to hear about summer tour plans, new music (including a 7") and their take on digital vs. physical music.

Matthew@GAE: Thanks for taking the time to respond to a few questions, guys. How are things with you all? Anything exciting going on in your lives?
No problem, man! Things are pretty awesome with us. We stay pretty busy juggling school and the band – plus Clinton's running his own studio. Right now we're just waiting for summer so we can hit the road!

Matthew@GAE: You have a new record, Running Water, coming out April 5th. What was the writing and recording process like for this one?
Meyer wrote a good portion of the material on this one, including tracks like “Five Points” and “Mirrors”. I think the biggest change from our full length to the Running Water EP is the amount of songs we wrote as a band. We pretty much all had a hand in the writing process, especially on songs like “Samaritan Pact”, “The Wheels” and “Start Where You Are”. The recording process itself took quite a while. Working at Clinton's studio meant we had as much time as we needed, which resulted in us re-recording the entire album 2 or 3 times.

Matthew@GAE: Completely unconventional to pop-punk, the song “Mirrors” is almost an entire 6 minutes long, guitar solo and all. How exactly do you go about writing a 6-minute pop-punk track?
Well if you've heard our full length we're no stranger to 6-minute songs. I don't think Meyer set out to write a “long” song. I think that the song ends when it feels right to end it, and sometimes that takes a few minutes! The cool thing about that song is that it starts out with a catchy chorus, and has a pretty obvious verse-chorus structure, but after the solo hits it just keeps building, and really starts to soar. I think if that song were any shorter it would sound unfinished and lose that soaring feeling.

Matthew@GAE: What are some of the lyrical themes on the record and what do you hope people take away from it as a whole?
Lyrically, this record goes in a few directions, but some main themes are impermanence and camaraderie. A lot of times people try to hold on to things like possessions or houses or even memories like they’re extensions of themselves, but when it comes down to it those things don’t always last. The first half of the record definitely explores some of the frustration and loneliness that can come from trying to hold on to those things, but by the last song we just hope people realize that the most important things in life are good intentions and being open to share with others. Keeping those things in mind, a lot of good can come your way.

Matthew@GAE: You recently signed with Animal Style Records. How did that relationship start and get to the point with you signing to them?
I actually contacted Matt from Animal Style Records when “Defining. Refining.” was coming out. I wanted to know if he was down to press a vinyl for us. He told me he was interested but he had a lot on his plate. Then we ended up hooking up with our friend Kyle from Farewell Party Records in Rochester for the full-length. This time around, when we put up “Periphery” on our page, Matt contacted us saying he'd love to press the new album. I was pretty stoked. Matt has some pretty serious connections and has pressed a lot of incredible bands (Thrice, Daggermouth, Transit).

Matthew@GAE: If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
This reminds me of when me and some friends were talking about the worst possible superpowers. Some that were thrown around were like “The Green Thumb” who is essentially just a really awesome gardener. Or like, “Auto”, who is indestructible and immortal, except in a car accident. He can only die in a car accident.

Anyway, preferably nothing like those. Shapeshifting would rule. Or maybe controlling time.

Matthew@GAE: Looking back, your debut full-length, Defining. Refining., has been out for almost 2 years now. How do you view those songs now and how has the feedback been even this far after the release?
We're still really proud of that record. There are a lot of awesome songs on that album, especially in the second half. Certain songs bug the hell out of us of course, but that'll happen. Feedback has always been pretty mixed about that album. A lot of people seemed to think we were too “poppy” or “emo”. Others love it.

Matthew@GAE: Both your previous record and Running Water are being pressed on vinyl. With the decline of physical music being purchased, what attracts your band to the vinyl scene that seems to be reemerging?
Well, aside from the fact that vinyl and analog music just sounds better, I think the appeal of vinyl is that its a physical manifestation of the music you love. For me, I buy a vinyl when I'm like, “Dude, I love this band so f-----g much. I need something to hold onto that'll always remind me of how much this band rules.” Plus, vinyl is a lot cooler to collect than CD's since they are pressed in different colors usually in limited runs. There's a pretty legitimate community of vinyl collectors out there.

Matthew@GAE: What do you think of the digital music era?
It's tough man. On one hand, the digital era allows bands like us to get our music out there in a way no bands before the late nineties would have ever dreamed. On the other hand, piracy and illegal downloading means a lot of bands are just trying to break even on every release. Its a real give and take. On the whole I think its just something bands and the music industry are just going to have to adapt to.

Matthew@GAE: What’s the plan from here? Summer tour plans? What’s the next 12 months or so look like for you guys?
Of course we'll be touring this summer! We're setting up some east coast dates right now with our friends Kids Icarus. We'll be touring whenever we can, trying to get our music out there as much as possible. Other than that, we already have a 7 inch recorded and hope to have that out sometime this summer. AND we are working on new stuff too. That's right, get used to us.

Matthew@GAE: That’s all I’ve got for you guys. Any last words? Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to seeing you guys soon.
Thanks for the interview! We hope everyone enjoys the new EP and can't wait to get back on the road and play some music!

Be sure to pick up their new record, Running Water, on Bandcamp and order the vinyl here. Don't forget to look our for their summer tour, either!

NEWS: Josh Lyford Leaves Four Year Strong

2011-04-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

You can check out the tumblr post here. Here's the excerpt:

"Someone once told me, as you get older life gets more complicated, and while I always knew that to be true, I don’t think I ever really got the full brunt of that statement. There are the obvious things like love, money, taking on the duties of your parents to make sure you don’t stink or look like a pile of trash before you leave the house, but those are just more responsibilities. The true nature of that statement never rang with me until right now. Having gone through one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to. The emotional rollercoaster FYS has gone through in this past week will have a lasting effect on us. Having to even write this to you now, finding the right words, it feels impossible.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce, that our keyboard player, Josh Lyford and Four Year Strong are parting ways. It was one of the most difficult things we’ve ever had to deal with, but we believe it will be best for everyone.

Josh will continue on with his band Foxfires and focus more on his writing. Four Year Strong will continue on, focusing on upcoming tours and new record. Alan, Joe, Jake, Josh and myself still remain great friends. This isn’t the type of split where we all hate each other and there’s all this drama. We wish Josh all the luck and success in the world, he’s an extremely talented writer and we can’t wait to read what he writes next. Josh was special at what he did; he wasn’t just a keyboard player. There’s no way to replace what he did on stage or off. So we are not going to try. We are going to continue on as a four piece.

We would like to thank all of our fans in advance for your support, for all of us. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on this upcoming tour that starts in a few days, please come out and say hello.

- Dan, Alan, Joe, Jake and Josh."

I can't say I didn't see this coming if you heard their most recent record. What do you guys think of this move?

INTERVIEW: The Paper Melody

2011-04-02T20:18:00.002-04:00

Adding a progressive edge to pop/rock tunes, I had the chance to send some questions over to the wonderful members of up-and-coming act, The Paper Melody. Check out where they're headed over the next year, and be sure to take a listen to their new EP, The Nightmare Academy, over on their Purevolume page. The interview is with their guitarist, Anthony Reeder.

Matthew@GAE: Hey, guys (and gal). Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today. What’s going on in your camp? Anything exciting?
Hey guys! There’s lots of exciting stuff, actually. We're in the process of booking a tour and lining up a summer spent hopefully on the road. As always, we'll be writing music. We've had lots of ideas cooking for a while now, so we're anxious to finish and expand on those ideas.

Matthew@GAE: You guys are still a fairly new band, so what’s the story?
Well, I arrived in the band when it became named The Paper Melody, but Dan and Jill started the band under the name Brightest Light previous to that. Dan and I were friends from bands we had been in during high school, so we all kind of knew of each other. Dan and I had both been unhappy in our previous bands and both just wanting to play the music we wanted to hear. Jill knew how to play guitar and had always been around and familiar with the music scene, so when Brightest Light needed a bass player, Dan asked if Jill could step up and handle bass as well as vocals and of course she did. We have made a lot of lineup changes since then. We toyed briefly with having three guitarists, and have changed drummers a few times as well.

Matthew@GAE: Both the videos you’ve released have been very theatrical and really helped bring life to the song and it seems the response has been positive. How does the aesthetic side of being an independent musician affect you?
We're all huge fans of imagery and theatrics. We all really love the idea of music painting pictures and creating films in the listener’s mind (it's part of the meaning behind the name, The Paper Melody, coincidentally), so aesthetics is very important to us in a certain sense. We wanted to create an image or style that people would associate with our music and us. So far we've gotten amazing responses. We owe a lot of thanks to our director for the music videos, Raul Gonzo. He's worked closely with us for over a year now. He has really helped us create a unique image that we feel really represents us well and provides a nice background for our music to rest on.

Matthew@GAE: Being a smaller act at this point, how do you feel about the current state of the music industry and being a band that is just now entering it? How do you guys plan to integrate yourselves into it as professionals?
The music industry right now is pretty over-saturated right now and being in a band isn't looked at how it used to be by the industry big guys, or even by the kids, because there are now hundreds of thousands of other kids with the same dream. So for us as a smaller act, we only have a few things we really can use to help stand out in this sea of music crashing at the gates of labels/management and other music industry outlets. First, we try and create music that is different; something that is still appealing to the average listener, but something they may have not been exposed too. We are all very keen on the idea of professionalism as well. We treat the band as if it is a business that we are representing, whether it is conduct when dealing with venues, or simply arriving in a timely fashion for load-in. These two things are all the most important things to us, and that’s the game plan we've employed for working our way into the music industry.

Matthew@GAE: You ascribe yourselves the terms “progressive” and “experimental” on your facebook page. How do you go about incorporating your influences without feeling like you’re copping their style and continue to push the envelope?
There's a delicate balance between influence and plagiarism. My solution has always been having a diverse array of influences to start with. It makes it more difficult to just write what you're familiar with listening too, and the unique combination of influences usually provides for a new, different sound that pushes the envelope. I grew up listening to Blink-182 and other pop punk, so they're a huge influence, as well as the likes of Panic! At The Disco, and, of course, VersaEmerge. Jill loves Thursday more than anything, as well as bands like Muse. She also dabbles in classical stuff. Dan loves bands like The Receiving End of Sirens and Thrice. We all love Danny Elfman, too, so I usually tell people it’s our diverse taste that helps us feel like we create music that’s unique but not directly copying anything in particular.

Matthew@GAE: If you could have a super power, what would it be and why?
Telekinesis. I think this is because I always loved psychic Pokémon. Moving stuff with your mind would be amazing.

Matthew@GAE: Your newest EP, The Nightmare Academy, just came out a few weeks ago. What was the writing and recording process like? I know you worked with Blake from VersaEmerge. How did that relationship start and go throughout the process?
Nightmare Academy has been long in the making, you could say. We've had bits and pieces of those songs sitting in files on the computer or bouncing in our heads for a while now. We finally began piecing them together last fall. Our relationship with Blake started when we played a show with them in Sacramento. We opened for their headlining tour. We're all big VersaEmerge fans, so it was pretty awesome just to play with them. Blake contacted us a month later asking if we were interested in recording a few songs with him in his studio in Florida while he had some time off between tours. We couldn't think of anyone better to write/record with so we decided to take the leap and drive to Florida. Recording with him was amazing. We worked really well and shared a lot of the ideas. I know we all learned so much from him. It’s good to work with someone who can teach you a lot. I feel like the experience was worth so much in so many ways.

Matthew@GAE: How did the cover art come about and what emotions is it meant to evoke?
Well, it is the visual representation of the song “The Nightmare Academy,” which is about being trapped in a Nightmare you can't escape. We all had the idea of this Academy or school of Nightmares you can attend, so we crafted the imagery to go along with that idea. I painted something a while ago of a boy being pulled into his bed by the ghoulish arms from underneath and we all really liked it. Our good friend Raul Gonzo took that and ran with it, creating the cover art you see today, which we were all extremely stoked on. We thought it was just right for what we wanted the cover to convey.

Matthew@GAE: There’s a lot of programming throughout the EP. How does this get implemented into the songs? When in the process does it come along and how do you use it live?
We all love programming, so we wanted this one to expand a bit on the programming as compared to the last EP we put out without sounding like a jumbled mess. Programming usually comes early in our writing process and a lot of times we start from programming and build from there. However, in recording, programming is usually done in the later stages. We also sample the programming live. Our drummer listens to a click track in his headphones and they play through the front of the house. We rely mostly on monitors and our drummer for direction as far as playing the songs on time with the samples. It takes a lot of practice!

Matthew@GAE: It seems as though you are still without a drummer. Are you searching and what are you looking for in your drummer?
Yes, we are unfortunately still without a drummer, and yes we are still searching for one! We'd like someone who is fun, dedicated, and hardworking. We also need someone who can play to a click and has the ability to tour.

Matthew@GAE: What’s the plan from here? You’ve got two EPs under your belt, so where is The Paper Melody trying to head in the next year?
We definitely want to hit the road and do a few tours during the summer to try and spread our name and expand our fan base, so keep checking in because we might be playing near you soon! We also would like to put out another CD. We’re not quite sure yet if we're going for another EP or a full length, but definitely get some of these song ideas out!

Matthew@GAE: That’s all I’ve got for you guys; any last words? Thanks for taking the time to chat with me.
Like us on facebook, and follow us on twitter for more updates. It was my pleasure. Thank you for asking such awesome questions!

NEWS: Veil of Maya Robbed

2011-04-01T14:42:00.001-04:00

Looks like the poor guys in Veil of Maya had their 15 passenger van stolen along with their trailer in the Chicago area on March 30th. If you know anything, call the Chicago police and e-mail info@sumerianrecords.com. In the meantime, go buy some merch to help them out.

NEWS: Foo Fighters' Wasting Light FULL STREAM

2011-04-01T13:16:00.001-04:00

Check out the whole record below!

NEWS: Carousel Kings stream new song "Hands On Deck" all day!

2011-04-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

Pennslyvania pop-punkers Carousel Kings are streaming their new single, "Hands On Deck," on their facebook page until midnight. Check it out here! Don't miss out!.

NEWS: Affiance Premiere Video For "Call To The Warrior"

2011-04-01T11:09:00.001-04:00

Cleveland Post-Hardcore outfit Affiance just premiered their video for lead single "Call To The Warrior" off their debut full-length, No Secret Revealed. Watch the boys fail their own song on Rock Band and catch a few glimpses of the wonderful city of Cleveland.

NEWS: More New Foo

2011-03-31T21:37:00.002-04:00

Check out the third song Foo Fighters have released for their upcoming full-length, Wasting Light, due out April 11th. The track is called "White Limo." Check out the others songs too: "Rope," here and "White Limo" here.

REVIEW: Handguns - Don't Bite Your Tongue EP [2011]

2011-03-31T21:09:00.001-04:00

Signing to Pure Noise Records this past fall, Handguns' Don't Bit Your Tongue is their first release on the label. Adding a vital part to the growing eastern US pop-punk scene, their bouncy, upbeat, yet rough around the edges, take on the genre shines through on the record. It's a short stint, but not a moment is left to waste. Taking cues from the late '90s/early '00s pop-punk scene, Handguns bring a bit more punk to the table than some of their current counterparts.

You get several of their fastest tracks to date with opener "A Year In Review" clocking in just at 2 minutes, and "Sink Like Lead," which may be their fastest piece to date. The songs push forward with youthful abandon and an upbeat innocence -- the record is undeniably fun and catchy. "Best Excuse" slows it down basing it around a steady bass line and chunky palm mutes. The record only reaches over the three minute mark on closer "I Hope He Kills You," a track that covers their faster edge, but also the bouncy, pop-punk head bob chorus and has a slow burning bridge.

While a lot of modern bands overlook its usefulness, Handguns strength lies in its harmonies. "Best Excuse" and "I Hope He Kills You" hit their highest point as the vocals splits into two parts, giving the song a lot more body and intricacy. And while most of the songs focus on the trials of life ("Sink Like Lead"), there's almost always a positive outlook. The bridge of "I Hope He Kills You" even gives some light to the very frank title singing "I know that this seems bitter. it's how i get through these nights without you." Not only are the melodies catchy, but the themes are relatable and hit close to home for a lot of kids.

Pop-punk continues its rise, and Handguns are on the train to the top with what they're releasing. Two EPs of full blown pop-punk awesome is the first step, so keep your eyes pealed as they get themselves out on the road more and have a full-length in the works in the future.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Transit, Call it Fiction, Man Overboard

NEWS: Make Do and Mend Tour A Bunch With Really Awesome Bands

2011-03-31T17:48:00.000-04:00

The dudes in Make Do and Mend have got a metric ton of tour dates coming up with some really heavyweight up-and-coming acts. The Wonder Years, Living With Lions, Such Gold, Fireworks, and even a few dates with Hot Water Music. If any of these shows are coming near you, be sure to stop by; I promise you won't regret it.

April 8 - Lansing, MI @ The Loft *
April 9 - Ann Arbor, MI @ Metal Frat
April 10 - Covington, KY @ Mad Hatter *
April 11 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Dojo ^
April 12 - Dekalb, IL @ House Cafe *
April 13 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews *
April 14 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room *
April 15 - Wichita, KS @ Oz Cafe *
April 16 - Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep *
April 17 - Provo, UT @ The Death Star %
April 18 - Sparks, NV @ The Alley *
April 19 - Fresno, CA @ Starline *
April 20 - Stockton, CA @ Plea for Peace Center *
April 21 - Bakersfield, CA @ Jerry's Pizza *
April 22 - Las Vegas, NV @ Area 702 *
April 23 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction ^
April 24 - Tuscon, AZ @ Skrappy's *
April 25 - Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad *
April 26 - Midland, TX @ The Pine Box *
April 27 - Austin, TX @ Emo's *
April 28 - Oklahoma, OK @ Conservatory *
April 29 - Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music *
April 30 - Nashville, TN @ Rocketown *
May 1 - Birmingham, AL @ The Firehouse *
May 3 - Pensacola, FL @ Big Easy Tavern *
May 4 - Pembroke Pines, FL @ The Talent Farm *
May 5 - Jacksonville, FL @ The Pit *
May 6 - Augusta, GA @ Sector 7G *
May 7 - Raleigh, NC @ The Brewery *
May 21 - Louisville, KY @ Krazy Fest
May 22 - Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall #
May 23 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick #
May 27 - Seattle, WA @ Rain Fest

* w/ The Wonder Years, Fireworks, Such Gold and Living With Lions
^ w/ Fireworks, Such Gold and Living With Lions
% w/ Such Gold and Living With Lions
# w/ Hot Water Music, Fireworks and Hostage Calm

INTERVIEW: The Motel Life

2011-03-31T13:09:00.002-04:00

Having released their debut full-length, Retreat, last year, I had a chance to send a few questions over to the heartfelt indie rockers of The Motel Life. Their lead vocalist and pianist, Michael Escanuelas, was gracious enough to give some awesome information on where they're at and where they're going. Be sure to check them out on their Facebook page and pick up their record on their Bandcamp page. Great guys and great tunes. Don't let sleep on them any longer and check out the interview below.

Matthew@GAE: Hey guys, great to have the opportunity to talk with you. How are you doing today? Is there anything exciting going on in your lives?
Oh I’m doing pretty well. Currently trying to recover from a week of serious insomnia issues. We recently got word about doing some exciting shows in April that we are doing with the band Fun, so we got that going on. We’re basically preparing for that.

Matthew@GAE: It seems the past year since the release of Retreat you guys have exploded. But, you've been around since 2007. What's the story and how has the past year been as musicians?
I don’t know if we’ve exploded. We have really worked hard in the past year to get our name out there. Playing as many shows as financially possible and really trying to get our music out there. When we started this band, we were very much trying to find a sound we were proud of. I think we’ve been able to create something that really does make us happy and it’s great to see people noticing our work and actually liking it.

As musicians, the past year has really been an interesting ride. We’ve had some member changes and also had to deal with taking our band to that next level. We’ve had our ups and downs both as friends and musicians, but I think we’re headed towards better things, which reflects both in our music and how we work together. We’ve learned a lot of from working with each other for so long.

Matthew@GAE: The opening track to "Retreat" used a metaphor of "wooden hands" that really set the tone for the rest of the record. What exactly inspired this and what does it mean to you?
Well, “Retreat” was written with the theme of defeat for every song. The album is a very loose concept that just follows that theme. I wrote “Wooden Hands” as a reflection of what we wanted to do with this band at the very beginning, which was to create something new and different. We wanted to make an impact on people, and at times it’s hard to really look back at what you’ve done and feel accomplished.

The album took a lot of influence from the literary movement of the “Lost Generation” during the 1920s with writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald. That’s basically where the name “Retreat” came from. As artists or musicians, we have so many dreams and desires that you have truly understand the meaning defeat to make it out alive.

Matthew@GAE: What do you hope listeners get out of the album?
From a writer’s perspective, the main thing I want out of the album and our music in general is for people to find something in our music that they can relate to. We are pouring our souls into this project and when people find something that they like or can relate to, it honestly means the world to us. It’s like when you have a problem that consumes your life; it always feel better to know that you are not alone.

Matthew@GAE: It was recently announced in your "March Update" video that you would be releasing an Acoustic EP soon exclusively through kickstarter. What stirred the idea to have it be a kickstarter exclusive? What other details can you provide about its contents (# of songs, # of new/old ones, covers, etc.)?
The acoustic ep will be basically a sequel to what we released on our last tour. It will have about five or four songs and will include a cover, a couple of our own songs and a new song. We started the idea of a kickstarter because we wanted to reach places we can’t normally go to considering the status we are at. It’s expensive to take this band on the road for a long time. We put our jobs on the line and basically we go out there with the hope that the shows support us. We wanted to reach the east coast and continue what we love doing with the help of our fans. Of course there’s more than just the EP that will be included with the kickstarter. There are quite a few cool items that we will offer with it.

Matthew@GAE: With sites like Kickstarter and Bandcamp taking over the industry, do you feel a little more empowered as an unsigned band? What do these things do for you and how you operate as a band and what do you think of the current state of the industry?
I think that smaller bands really have a voice with sites like Bandcamp and Kickstarter. Basically promotion and distribution are in our hands and that has really put us in good position. We may not be able to accomplish everything that a label could offer us, but we are still able to gain a following our way and not at the hands of someone else.

The same goes for the music industry; the dream of getting signed to a major label is a scary thought with the current state of music. Nothing is easy in this business. You have to work your ass off. And if things do come easy, it always feels that it comes with a price. Doing everything on our own has given us better knowledge of the system and how things really work. Although it is not the case with everyone in the scene, but I feel that unsigned bands working for themselves are not as blinded by a shady record contract anymore.

Matthew@GAE: If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Probably flying. That would be cool to not use a car ever again.

Matthew@GAE: What's the best part about being in a band to you?
I would probably say meeting new people is awesome. It’s amazing to play shows talk to people after or play with other bands and we swap war stories. That feeling of a community is pretty awesome. It makes you feel like you’re really accomplishing something.

Matthew@GAE: With summer coming up, are there any tour plans in the works? What's the next step for you guys from here?
We do have some plans for a tour in the summer. Nothing is fully solid yet, but we plan on hitting up the east coast. That has been a goal for us for quite some time now. Going from there, we are writing new material, but do not know what we are doing with yet. The last album we did was really expansive for us, so we’re taking what we learned from that release into consideration with our next one.

Matthew@GAE: What is one thing you want to make sure everyone who reads this should know about you as a band?
People should know that our music is truly a reflection of us. We are not afraid to be honest with our art. Some of the best music comes just from pure honesty. We do not create to be famous, we just want to connect with people and keep doing what we love.

Matthew@GAE: That's all I've got for you. Any last words? Thank you so much for your time and insight. Always looking forward to more from you all.
Thank you for taking notice of us.

NEWS: Pull Me From The Gallows Tour

2011-03-31T02:08:00.000-04:00

The Human Abstract, Scale The Summit, This Or The Apocalypse, Letlive., Across The Sun, and No Bragging Rights. Commence creaming in your pants now.

5/13 Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
5/14 Mesa, AZ @ The Underground
5/16 Lubbock, TX @ Jakes Sports Cafe
5/17 Dallas, TX @ Trees
5/18 San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit
5/19 Houston, TX @ Numbers
5/20 Pensacola, FL @ The Handlebar
5/21 West Palm Beach, FL @ The Pit
5/22 Jacksonville, FL @ The Pit
5/24 Douglasville, GA @ The 7 Venue
5/25 Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
5/27 Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
5/28 Bronx, NY @ The Point
5/29 Manchester, NH @ Rocko's
5/30 Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
5/31 Toronto, ON @ The Wreckroom
6/1 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
6/2 Columbus, OH @ The Seven Venue
6/3 Toledo, OH @ Headliners
6/4 Joilet, IL @ Mojoes
6/5 St. Louis, MO @ Fubar
6/6 Omaha, NE @ Sokols Underground
6/7 Wichita, KS @ Eagles Lodge
6/8 Denver, CO @ THe Marquis Theater
6/9 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Venue
6/10 Boise, ID @ Mardi Gras
6/11 Spokane, WA @ The Hop
6/12 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
6/13 Portland, OR @ Branx
6/14 Los Gatos, CA @ The Venue
6/16 Camarillo, CA @ Rock City
6/17 West Hollywood, CA @ The Whisky
6/18 San Diego, CA @ Soma

NEWS: New Salvatore Bossio (ex-Envy On The Coast) Track

2011-03-30T14:34:00.000-04:00

Check out his website for more information on the new track, "Champions" and listen to the other two songs as well in the soundcloud player below.

Salvatore Bossio by robotjackie

REVIEW: Silverstein - Rescue [2011]

2011-03-30T13:24:00.000-04:00

Becoming a staple in the diet of any post-hardcore fan, Silverstein have returned with their fifth studio full-length, Rescue. Finally off Victory, it's time for them to hit the scene hard and get the recognition they've needed for years now. It fills all the necessities and expectations of a post-hardcore record: melodic chorus', gruff breakdowns, and adorable clean sections. But what has always set Silverstein apart since day one has been their punk and hardcore influences (on the re-release of Discovering The Waterfront, they covered Lifetime's "Rodeo Clown"), and Rescue sees this take charge a lot more. Coupling the signature sound they've developed with their punk background, Rescue is a full palette of beautiful colors, waiting to be painted on your ears.

Covering all their bases, "Forget Your Heart" and "Intervention" have the structure and dynamic of Silverstein songs you've been hearing since When Broken is Easily Fixed. Clean lines with a tinge of reverb and chorus, chunky, mid-2000s metalcore riffs, and the dichotomy of the sing/scream dynamic executed with precision. What "Intervention" brings to the table, along with "Medication" and "Burning Hearts," is the classic, fast punk d-beat to the rhythm section. It pushes the verses on at a quick tempo that requires a heavy amount of head bobbing, and perhaps a bit of air drumming. This direct punk influence laces into many of the sections flawlessly like Silverstein has never done before. The songwriting and transitions are the best they've had thus far.

Beyond the punk influence, "The Artist" plays out like a new-age hardcore track and features Brendon Murphy of Counterparts. On the harder edge of things, the intro to "Live to Kill" screams "We live to kill each other. We are the wealthy and the poor" completely a'capella that gives the opening some serious energy to feed off of. The dynamics are played well throughout by not clustering the melodic and harder songer together, but spreading them out giving it a roller coaster feel.

Unlike the newest wave of super over-produced post-hardcore acts, Silverstein's Rescue may have one of my favorite productions I've heard in years. The levels are perfect as the bass bleeds into the mix to uphold some of the heavier riffs, but is given room to move and be heard during the slower, cleaner part. The snare and bass contrast perfectly with neither sounding too crisp and the cymbals sustain out perfectly without overtaking the mix when they ring out or cut off too early when they need to be silenced. The guitars hold the thick crunch from their Orange and VHT amps known for that tone and are shaped nicely into the mix.

There's a very easy recognition of Silverstein's veteran status and that they're not going anywhere soon. Rescue reshapes Silverstein's best attributes into a post-hardcore juggernaut and continues to cement their lasting value and impact on modern music. While not the most progressive of pieces, the record is a testament to Silverstein's ability to reinvent themselves in interesting ways.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Senses Fail, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Emery

NEWS: New Mixtapes Song "Hope Is For People" Stream

2011-03-30T09:03:00.000-04:00

Cincinnati, Ohio pop-punkers Mixtapes are streaming a new song "Hope Is For People" on their bandcamp. Check it out below.

Hope is for People by Animal Style Records

Blog News: New Favicon!

2011-03-29T19:30:00.001-04:00

Finally got a favicon for GAE! It's a picture I had on my facebook for a long time that I knew I would use at some point for something, and I think this is the perfect place to put it. I'll be purchasing www.getanearection.com (and/or .net) this summer hopefully and get things really rolling forward more. Check it out!

REVIEW: Half Hearted Hero - Running Water EP [2011]

2011-03-29T19:24:00.002-04:00

Spearheading the new wave of Pop-punk, Half Hearted Hero's fast, skate punk tinged brand of positivity returns with six brand new tracks. Filled with some of the fastest and catchiest tracks to date, Running Water is one of pop-punk's funnest records this year so far. Continuing to dominate, Half Hearted Hero blast through the EP with a confidence, technicality and tightness not seen by the band yet.

The very first riffs of the record rip through at an extremely fast tempo, but also include some of the heaviest, and most technical riffs seen from them yet. "Five Points" sticks to what the band knows with fast verses, soaring chorus', and heavy bridges. It's the perfect welcoming track. The comfort stands throughout with their shining pop-punk feel, as expected, but don't let that mean they stick to their guns. "The Wheels" spends its last minute as an interlude of sort with really calming instrumentation before the totally un-punk six minutes in length track, "Mirrors." Only Half Hearted Hero could pull of a six minute pop-punk song. Guns high in the air, "Mirrors" attacks with reckless abandon filled with a legitimate guitar solo and epic, drawn out bridge. And let this guitar solo not go under-noted: it is very real, and very rock and roll. This isn't just a quick lead line to transition; this is serious shredding going on.

But not only is the musicianship the tightest to come out of them, the lyrical content and production are top notch. The record talks about not being alone on several tracks, keeping things light and focused on the positives in life. "Periphery" sings "You'll never be alone unless you have your doubts" over and over as the entire bridge and "Samaritan Pact" sings "There's too much beauty in this world to act like you can fathom it alone." Every song has their own real world, relatable feel to it, and the melodies are as catchy as the common cold. The production utilizes panning solidly throughout, so put some headphones on and hear both guitar lines rip through the songs and the DING of the ride bell to break sections apart in the right ear into some of the fastest sections on the record.

Catching the eyes of the pop punk fanatics since 2007's Home, Half Hearted Hero are continuing to cement their name as a notable act in this age of pop-punk with catchy, fast tunes that are sure to transition well live. Their strongest aspect is that their tunes are a high lasting value, and Running Water is no exception. Be sure to pick this up on April 3th when it comes out; pop-punk needs it.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Slick Shoes, Call It Fiction, New Found Glory

NEWS: I Call Fives Stream New Song "Too Much To Lose"

2011-03-29T19:24:00.001-04:00

Check out I Call Fives' new song "Too Much To Lose" below. It'll be coming out on their upcoming split with Rust Belt Lights that comes out on April 5th via Broken Rim Record. (via PropertyofZack)

NEWS: Death Ray Vision Bandcamp Debut

2011-03-29T18:43:00.000-04:00

Featuring members of Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall (a personal favorite), and Overcast are debuting a new from their debut EP, Get Lost or Get Dead each day of this week. Seeing as it's tuesday, check out the first two here or just check out the stream below. Be sure to check back every day for a new song.

Get Lost or Get Dead by Death Ray Vision

NEWS: Amazon Cloud Drive Opens!

2011-03-29T18:42:00.001-04:00

Amazon officially opened the doors to their online music storage host giving away 5GBs for free! Learn more and sign up here.

REVIEW: Long Arm - Branches [2011]

2011-03-29T18:42:00.000-04:00

As calming as an ocean breeze, but as choppy as a master chef's kitchen, Long Arm's chilled out downtempo brings in a heavy dose of jazz piano to set the mood. The record is filled with dreamy melodies and booming rhythm sections with a tinge of trip-hop all melded together into a playlist that would be used while floating down a lazy river on a Sunday afternoon. The Branches is the perfect descriptor because it is comprised of many different instruments and tones that all work together for one common theme, like the branches on a tree.

Splitting the record are the tracks that border more on trip-hop with the drums towards the front of the mix ("The Roots," "Key Door," and "The Branches") and those that are driven by a piano line or some other variety of instruments ("The Waterfall Inside Me," "Double Bass In Love"). This is not to discredit the other instrumentation on those tracks, rather that their focus is different in the mix. The former focus on a deeper groove and pulsate through their off-kilter rhythms keeping things interesting, while the later move in a more amorphous manner following the keys ("The Waterfall Inside Me") or a flute ("Double Bass In Love").

Beyond the obvious jazz influences, solid musicianship and calming feeling, the production and sampling is what takes The Branches to a higher level. The use of reversals, stutters, and chopping are flawless and keep the songs fresh through their, sometimes, six-minute lengths. "When Children Sleep" has all of the aforementioned, while "Double Bass In Love" has a layer of crackle in the back of the mix, reminiscent of a vinyl record being playing, giving it a very traditional/old school feel. The few vocal samples strung throughout are not a focus, but give life to the record. "The Branches" is features twice on the record: once with a complete vocal line making it a full-on trip-hop track, and instrumentally as the closer. Both give totally different feels, and rapper Teknical Development (of Obba Supa) delivers wonderfully on the track. His accent works to his advantage and his tone plays well with the melancholic tone of the song.

There are a countless number of producers out there, but Long Arm brings in a unique, jazz influenced feel to downtempo and uses instruments the every day hip hop producer wouldn't dream of. It gives an upper hand when sifting through the monotony of every other producer out there to hear Long Arm and immediately think of how it has a totally different feel than what's getting big out there. Having the chill factor on his side, along with a heaping amount of great musicianship and a knack for catchy, off-kilter rhythms, The Branches is a perfect jumping off point for this young producer.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
L'Orange, Treeclmbr, Kid Koala

NEWS: Stream New Balance and Composure Song "Quake"

2011-03-29T09:32:00.000-04:00

Check out an exclusive stream on Alternative Press of a new Balance and Composure song titled "Quake" off their upcoming full-length, Separation. Here are the lyrics that were provided to Alt Press:

"Can’t complain about everything, this one leaves me with a permanent stain all over me. I can’t take the way you look at me. Those eyes could never lie. The truth will find its way out. In time I’ll pour it out, until then I’ll keep you inside my head. Take a look at what’s beneath your feet, flowers that once made you smile have turned to stone now they’re grinding down your teeth. Walls around your mind can’t keep you safe, build them up with steel and stone and watch your soul escape. Get through today and know that you are secure. Get a grasp on the fact that this is what you’re here for. You can quake at the thought of it. Shakes you up quite a bit and all you do is think and thinking gets you nowhere. Just wait for clarity you say this will all make sense. Just stay here with me. I can’t take the way you look at me. Control, I have lost. There’s no sense in clawing myself out and I know you can’t live without taking all that’s left inside my head. Take a look at what's beneath your feet, flowers that once made you smile have turned to stone now they're grinding down your teeth. The walls around your mind can't keep you safe, build them up with steel and stone and watch your soul escape, away."

Great dudes. Great tunes. Get stoked on it!

NEWS: Death Cab For Cutie Premiere New Song "You Are A Tourist"

2011-03-28T23:02:00.001-04:00

Check it out below with an interview and head over here to check out the original piece.

NEWS: Trapped Under Ice Frontman Apologizes

2011-03-28T21:20:00.001-04:00

After allegedly beating up a fan (View the video here) while on their Rebellion tour in Europe, the lead vocalist of Trapped Under Ice released this statement on the matter:

"First off I'd like to say I'm sorry for not getting this done sooner. We've had very limited Internet access over here in Europe. There are a lot of things being said about the events in Essen a few days ago. Some are true some are not. I would first like to clarify that I didn't do what I did out of ANGER but what I thought was self defense. When I was knocked off the stage I hit my head, a lot of stuff after that is a blur. However it is clear that I took it too far and I'm sorry for that. Id like to keep the other parties name out of this, as I'm not certain if he is comfortable with being named. At end of the night I got the chance to apologize to him face to face and he accepted my apology. I think a lot of people may be unaware of that at this point. In any case, I'm very sorry to the other party involved. Im sorry to anyone who had to witness my stupid behavior. This is not typical behavior for me or my band. Don't feel discouraged to come out to the rebellion tour. Our actions do not represent the package. So again, I apologize."

Are you willing to accept his apology or does he join the ranks of Chris Brown and Ben Weasel now?

NEWS: Taking Back Sunday Premiere New Song, "El Paso"

2011-03-28T20:45:00.001-04:00

Check out the YouTube video below:

NEWS: Make Do and Mend "Oak Square" Video Premiere

2011-03-28T16:08:00.000-04:00

The gentlemen in Make Do and Mend are having their video for "Oak Square" premiere on this week's mtvU's The Freshman. Check it out below:

NEWS: Paper + Plastick Auction Test Pressings For Japan

2011-03-28T15:47:00.001-04:00

Vinnie Fiorello's (Less Than Jake) record label is holding an auction of some very rare test pressings to help raise money for the relief in Japan. It includes bands such as Farewell Continental, A Wilhelm Scream, and Make Do and Mend and goes to a great cause. Check out the auction here.

REVIEW: Jovian - Carnivore EP [2011]

2011-03-28T06:04:00.000-04:00

After their debut EP, Lazers, Jovian caused quite the ruckus online and then seemed to fall off the face of the planet. In our recent interview with them, it was revealed they did officially break up for some time. But, this past summer they began playing together again with one new member under the name Panama Red and Carnivore is the result of this. With bassist Boogie Lesse now taking over clean vocals and Kyle Steffan taking up the drum throne, Jovian have officially returned with seven hot, new joints. Carnivore shows a more focused band growing into their own shoes and continuing to push the boundaries of the quickly drowning post-hardcore scene.

While the dual clean/scream vocal approach becomes more watered down by the day, Jovian's seamless transitions between Caleb's gruff, shout-oriented screams and Boogie's soaring cleans reminiscent of PMToday's Connor Brogan are executed with precision and layer perfectly together. Their tones play nicely when their lines run into each other, and on their own stand their ground. The screams are filled with catchy rhythms and the cleans laced with memorable melodies to hook listeners in. The lyrical content ups the ante for every band out there with strong, unique metaphors and a willingness to call out the woes of modern society and inner struggle finding a place within it without sounding cliché. Boogie's melodies immediately stick with lines like "I don’t mind these lonely nights, a guilty conscious throws one hell of a fight" ("Carnivore") and "So place your bets. You call she checks. I’m going all or nothing" ("Time Bomb!"). Caleb's screams even have their shining moments with high articulation on "I want to rip myself open just to see what’s inside. If you’re asking me, yes, my sanity is fine" ("Fangs"), which sticks out in the mix really well and hits hard as soon as it comes.

As the vocals hold down the front of the mix, it blends perfectly with the technical, off-kilter musicianship coming from the other members. There's solid use of delays ("Pretend Listener") and stop-starts ("Fangs") along with ambient lead lines ("Bulletproof Tiger") to fill up the room during some of the sections. "Pretend Listener" even has a key change in it that flows fairly nicely, which was a nice surprise as most bands can't pull it off very smoothly in any sort of rock music these days. Over the course of the seven songs, Jovian really hits on a lot of different sections of metal and post-hardcore and the interlude track slows things down with a female/male vocal duo to calm things down before "Fangs" closes things off. No instrument is left out of the mix and their vast use of all the facets of their surrounding genres help pull Jovian above the rest in their songwriting. Even the breakdown in "Bulletproof Tiger" doesn't feel contrived and doesn't sit on one long chug-chug-chug note. There's a sense of urgency and tastefulness that never let's the songs rest or get too comfortable. It keeps things fresh throughout.

Still young and ambitious, Jovian's second release brings a whole new smorgasbord of treats to gorge upon. It soars up, and it drops low, but it never gets stale or bitter. Stepping into their own shoes, Carnivore poises Jovian to conquer modern post-hardcore and steer it in a new and fruitful direction.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Dance Gavin Dance, PMToday, Envy On The Coast

Pick up five of the seven tracks on Carnivore for free @ their bandcamp. Pick up the physical release March 29th for the full record.

NEWS: Warped Tour Documentary Trailer

2011-03-27T18:05:00.000-04:00

Music film documter Parris Patton, who also directed Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who, is releasing a documentary on Warped tour entitled No Room For Rockstars. You can view the trailer below. The DVD will also be packaged with a soundtrack of Warped Tour greatest hits and a "significant library of bonus content" according to its YouTube description.

REVIEW: Major League - Variables EP [2011]

2011-03-27T09:33:00.001-04:00

As the New Wave of Pop-Punk, aka Easycore, takes over, the bands are sure to come out in droves. Major League keep things fun and posi on their newest EP, Variables, and even make a Wonder Years reference ("Subject to Change"). The record is split into two with the first half being full band and the second being acoustic tracks. For such a short length, Major League succeeds in creating an entire picture and portraying the easycore ethos.

Each song presents its own distinct dynamic. "Subject To Change" brings the speed of skate punk while "Together and Tonight" is a mid tempo song with more focus on the chorus. "Need I Remind You" brings a dual male/female vocal approach and brings in a clapping section, which is always a winner, and "Seasons" doesn't use lead lines the way the previous did and has a much faster pace. The final track, "Seasons," even borrows the chorus line from opener "Subject to Change" near the end. While it all may have an upbeat feel, it's these underlying differences that makes each song hold their own weight.

They integrate easycore tendencies like posi-kid lyrics about getting out of a bad place ("Subject To Change"), Four Year Strong-esque fakedowns and entire gang vocal sections ("Together And Tonight") really well without becoming too overdrawn. Where some bands will drown in the clichés of a genre's normalcies, Major League keep things fresh while being able to stick to a single ethos. The entire record is something you can't resist singing along to, and not in a pop radio sense.

Currently available on their bampcamp for free, there's no reason to not be picking this up. Easycore is taking over, and Major League is coming with it. Nothing wrong with a little more posi in your life.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Handguns, The Wonder Years, Call it Fiction

NEWS: Irony At Its Finest

2011-03-26T20:59:00.000-04:00

It seems that the ex-owner of Napster, Sean Parker, is set to make a bid on Warner Music Group, which went up for sale recently. The label is home of thrash metal heavyweights Metallica -- the same band that poised legal action against Limewire back in 2000 that eventually caused the downfall of Limewire. Irony? Oh, yes, and sweet, sweet irony it is.

NEWS: Record Store Day - Complete List!

2011-03-26T19:51:00.001-04:00

Check out the entire list of exclusive Record Store Day releases here.

REVIEW: Arms and Sleepers - Nostalgia For The Absolute [2011]

2011-03-26T14:46:00.002-04:00

Being their 12th release, Nostalgia For The Absolute stands as an EP with a plethora of songs that come as quickly as they go. As mood driven as any post-rock album, Arms and Sleepers' ambient expedition is soothing and full of elongated phrasing. Sticking around the two minute mark for each song, there seems to be a lot to cover in such a short period of time.

The tone is dark, but never treads into depressing. It's like sitting at a window watching new snow fall while a quiet fire burns in front of you. The shimmering electronics on second half of "Crash" give a great opening to the mood throughout. Other tracks evoke an evolving mood with the trip-hop influenced "Lisbon" and the ocean sounds on closer "Rire Jaune." The record flows from the dismal to the optimistic. Some tracks veer off the path as they fail to develop any sense of identity like "Croix Rogue" or "Tonight We're Thinking Of You." They just seem to wander off and never become anything substantial to grasp.

Turning the emotional card happens around "Nova" when the second half of the record focuses on more grounded instrumentation and doesn't wander off into ambience as much (sans "Tonight We're Thinking of You"). "Quiet Camera" employs somber string lines and "Night" utilizes a reverse effect to set the mood to match the title. The flow from the more ambient to the upbeat comes naturally and shows Arms and Sleepers' ability to cohesively write pieces that go together. It turns over so suddenly, yet fits perfectly when "Nova" begins.

As most tracks only last a few minutes at most, each one is like taking a slow deep breath and exhaling to take everything around in. Nostalgia For The Absolute is a full-bodied EP that gives a solid glimpse into what the rest of this year's releases from them will be like.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
The Album Leaf, Three Trapped Tigers, L'Orange

REVIEW: Forus - We [2011]

2011-03-26T02:14:00.002-04:00

Fast. So fast. So fast and so melodic. Forus are a french skate punk ("Skatecore") band that bring forth an ultra fast, ultra technical approach to the genre. Faster than Downshift and more technical than Belvedere, We is Forus' first full-length record after releasing two EPs and a split compilation with 3 other bands. They shred through the songs like never before, and having a full 10 songs on one disc is more than a heaping of awesome.
While a full-length record, We is a bit of a cheater CD for long time Forus fans. The record is comprised of nine old songs, and one new one. Everything is rerecorded and sounds awesome, but if you've heard their old material, may feel like a used whore for picking this up unknowingly getting the same product you already had. It opens with their three tracks off of Coalition, the split they were on, followed by the entire Aaron's Revolution EP, and then the new song, "The Bottom Line."

The album rips. Any appreciation for old Rise Against, A Wilhelm Scream, or other melodic hardcore bands of that nature should immediately fall for this band. The songs never take a break, and when they do breath, it's only momentarily to build up into another super fast punk beat (bridge of "Watch Me Fall"). The bass guitar even gets a chance to tap on "The Unlucky Number." The musicianship is superb throughout as they cut through super shreddy, tapping sections and sing simultaneously as the drummer continues to keep a ridiculous pace the entire record.

The new song, "The Bottom Line," really delivers, though. As the first new song to come out of Forus since Aaron's Revolution, it opens with a nice build and moves into a shreddy solo and chunky, fast verse. It's one of their most melodic pieces to date, but still pulsates like you're running 100 miles an hour the entire time. Their progress is small, but it shows they're consistant and good at what they do.

Hopefully becoming the next Belvedere for the skate punk scene, Forus' We is the first step in that direction. It's faster than a 14-year olds first time with a lady and more technical than a neuroscience textbook. Keep up or get out. Forus are taking over at breakneck speeds.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Belvedere, Rise Against, Downshift, A Wilhelm Scream

(For the record, I'm giving this album a 3.5 instead of a 4.5 because I feel robbed of new tunes. I want more new material and felt this was a super cop out. Hope to see another release by the end of the year. These dudes rule.)

Warped Lineup 2011

2011-03-26T01:46:00.000-04:00

Biggest trolling ever? What do you think of the line-up? I may cry myself to sleep.

3Oh!3 6/24-7/6, 7/12-7/23
A Day To Remember Whole Tour
Against Me! 6/24-7/7, 7/19-7/31
Asking Alexandria Whole Tour
Attack Attack! Whole Tour
August Burns Red Whole Tour
Gym Class Heroes 7/21-8/14
The Devil Wears Prada Whole Tour
Jack’s Mannequin - 8/2, 8/3
D.R.U.G.S. – 7/7-8/14
Less Than Jake - Whole Tour
Madina Lake - 6/24-7/10
Miss May I- Whole Tour
The Wonder Years- Whole Tour
Yelawolf - 7/15-8/14
Eyes Set to Kill - 8/5-8/14
Family Force Five- 7/26-8/14
Lucero- Whole Tour
Simple Plan - 6/24-7/24
Enter Shikari- Whole Tour
Of Mice And Men- Whole Tour
Dance Gavin Dance- Whole Tour
We Came As Romans- Whole Tour
Go Radio- Whole Tour
Every Avenue-Whole Tour
The Word Alive- Whole Tour
Woe, Is Me- 6/24-8/4
Winds of Plague- Whole Tour
The Dangerous Summer- Whole Tour
Permanent Bastards - 7/15
Rapid Decline - 7/16
The Steelwells - 7/1, 7/3, 8/9, 8/10
Street Dogs - 6/24-7/30
Cold Forty Three – Whole Tour
Continental - 8/11-8/14
Demerit – 7/29-8/14
Gatsby’s American Dream – 8/13/2011
Good Guys in Black – 6/24-7/10
Machree – 7/28-8/3
The Sheds – 6/24-7/10
Veara – 7/26-8/14
Vonnegutt – 6/24-7/10
Big Chocolate - Whole Tour
DC Fallout - 7/9-7/21
My Arcadia - 7/21-7/27
Neo Geo - 7/29-8/14
Pepper - 6/24-8/3
Sick of Sarah - 7/12-7/28
The Narrative - 7/19-8/14
Windsor Drive - 7/3-7/17
Bad Rabbits - Whole Tour
Black Square - 7/29-8/14
Blood on the Dance Floor - Whole Tour
Mojo Morgan - 7/29-8/14
The Expendables - Whole Tour
The Menzingers - 7/29-8/14
The Suit - 7/7-7/20
Freshman 15 - 6/23-6/30
illScarlett - Whole Tour
It Boys! - 6/24-7/8
Larry and His Flask - Whole Tour
Shut Up and Deal - Whole Tour
Terrible Things - Whole Tour
The Black Pacific - 8/5-8/14
The Bots - 6/24-7/10
A Skylit Drive - Whole Tour
Big B - 6/24-7/24
Moving Mountains - Whole Tour
New Years Day - 6/24-7/10
Passafire - Whole Tour
Places and Numbers - 6/24-6/30, 7/6-7/10
The Acacia Strain - Whole Tour
Middle Class Rut - 7/21-8/14
Peelanderz - 7/20-7/29
Relient K - Whole Tour
River City Extension - 7/12-7/24
Stephen Jerzak - Whole Tour
There For Tomorrow - Whole Tour
Blacklist Royals - 7/2-7/28
Hellogoodbye - 6/24-7/10
Lionize - Whole Tour
Unwritten Law - 6/24-7/24
Abandon All Ships - 7/21-8/14
The Dance Party - Whole Tour
Foxy Shazam - 6/24-7/16
I Set My Friends on Fire - Whole Tour
MC Lars - Whole Tour
Set Your Goals - Whole Tour
The Aggrolites -Whole Tour
The Ready Set - Whole Tour
The Exposed - Whole Tour
Sharks - 6/24 - 8/10
Big D And The Kids Table- Whole Tour
Grieves With Budo- Whole Tour

First Annual Rise Records Tour

2011-03-25T20:41:00.000-04:00

Presented by Merchnow.com, the first ever Rise Records Tour kicks off this May. It features Memphis May Fire and Decoder with guests Ten After Two and Rise's newest act, That's Outrageous! Can't go wrong with MMF and Decoder. Both great bands. Check out the flyer and dates below:

Saturday May 07 St.Louis, MO FUBAR
Monday, May 09 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
Wednesday, May 11 Macon, GA The 567
Thursday, May 12 Pensacola, FL Grunge Bar
Friday, May 13 Tampa, FL Brass Mug
Saturday, May 14 Sarasota, FL The Nightlife
Sunday, May 15 Jacksonville, FL The Pit
Monday, May 16 Orlando, FL Backbooth
Tuesday, May 17 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern
Wednesday, May 18 Charlotte, NC Amos'
Friday, May 20 Linthicum,MD St. Christopher’s
Saturday, May 21 Philadelphia, PA Barbary
Sunday, May 22 South Hackensack, NJ School of Rock
Monday, May 23 New York, NY Studio at Webster Hall
Tuesday, May 24 Poughkeepsie, NY The Loft
Thursday, May 26 Buffalo, NY The Loft
Friday, May 27 Altoona, PA The Archway Center
Saturday, May 28 Columbus, OH Basement
Sunday, May 29 Joliet, IL Mojoes
Tuesday, May 31 Minneapolis, MN Station 4
Thursday, June 02 Omaha, NE Sokol Underground
Saturday, June 04 Salt Lake City, UT Avalon
Sunday, June 05 Boise, ID Venue
Tuesday, June 07 Seattle, WA Studio Seven
Wednesday June 08, Portland, OR Branx
Friday, June 10 Orangevale, CA Boardwalk
Saturday, June 11 Los Gatos, CA The Venue
Sunday, June 12 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction
Tuesday, June 14 Phoenix, AZ Nile
Thursday, June 16 Ft. Worth The Aardvark
Friday, June 17 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit
Saturday, June 18 McAllen, TX VFW
Sunday, June 19 Houston, TX Warehouse Live

REVIEW: The Paper Melody - The Nightmare Academy EP [2011]

2011-03-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

Laced with creepy string arrangements and an equally creepy album cover, The Paper Melody's second release, The Nightmare Academy, brings progressive sentiments to pop rock song structures. As it flows through heavy grooves and female/male harmonies, The Paper Melody don't let anything slow them down or become another drowning pop rock act like so many before them.

There are heavy chorus' and breakdown sections coupled with super catchy and melodic verses and a plethora of solid programming work. Each song plays well with bells, strings, and all other sorts of odds and ends of musical instruments. "Adam and Eve" has great focus on a back-and-forth use of their dual vocalist approach throughout, especially during the chorus. Its bridge shows a softer side, with a focus on the vocals and then leads into a quick section reminiscent of the beginning of an Isles & Glaciers song to follow into a string-laden breakdown to a final chorus. The title track really explores the darkest and heaviest side of The Paper Melody. It opens with a haunting keys line into a super chunky guitar riff. The verses, guided by Jill, even have a creepy, gritty melody to them. The quick tapping line on the guitar before the chorus deserves note, too, as it gives a solid entrance into the chorus, which is arguably their most memorable to date. The bridge is a huge, ambient breakdown with elegiac strings and a very gruff screaming section.

Produced by VersaEmerge's Blake Harnage, every influence on TPM are laid openly on the three tracks. The chorus of "The Nightmare Academy" sreams The Receiving End of Sirens, while the opening of "Pirouette Prisoner" sounds eerily like Panic!'s "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" introduction. And, without fault, female vocalist and bassist Jill Sullivan has a striking resemblance to VersaEmerge's Sierra Kusterbeck or, God forbid, Paramore's Hayley Williams. What is important in this, though, is how easily it all meshed together and without sounding like a copycat of the aforementioned acts. The Paper Melody hold their own ground and create a unique mood and experience with their tunes, not often heard in pop rock. Even the Tim Burton seems to push through the mix in the imagery portrayed in their artwork and music videos. It's all a wonderful mix of a hodge podge of artists.

While every young band tries to push boundaries, few actually seem to succeed. One of these is The Paper Melody. With this new EP under their belts and the right promotion (check out their newest, very cool music video for "The Nightmare Academy"), be on the lookout for the imminent rise of The Paper Melody to the front of the scene very soon.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Panic! At The Disco, The Receiving End of Sirens, VersaEmerge

Lemuria UK

2011-03-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

The wonderful Indie Rock outfit Lemuria just announced some UK dates. If you're across the pond from me, check these guys (and gal) out!

July 29th - Southampton, UK @ The Unit w/ Cheap Girls
July 30th - Kingston, UK @ The Peel w/ Cheap Girls
July 31st - Bristol, UK @ The Croft w/ Cheap Girls, Sundials
Aug 1st - Swansea, UK @ Sin City w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 2nd - Manchester, UK @ Star and Garter w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 3rd - Liverpool, UK @ Mello Mello w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 4th - Cork, Ireland @ An Cruiscin Lan w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 5th - Belfast, Ireland @ The Bunetee w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 6th - Dublin, Ireland @ The Mercantile w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 7th - Kent, UK @ Hevy Festival w/ Cheap Girls, Bouncing Souls, Dillinger Escape Plan
Aug 8th - Leeds, UK @ The Well w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 9th - Glasgow, UK @ 13th Note w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 10th - Birmingham, UK @ Wagons and Horses w/ Cheap Girls
Aug 11th - London, UK @ Islington O2 Academy2 w/ Cheap Girls

NEWS: Foo Fighters In Theaters

2011-03-25T15:21:00.001-04:00

The Foo Fighters documentary, Back and Forth, that premiered at this year's SXSW conference is going to be hitting select theaters starting April 5th. Check out the video and theaters below:

Hoover AL 8:00 RMP Patton Creek 15
Huntsville AL 8:00 PM Valley Bend 18
Mobile AL 8:00 Wynnsong 16
Montgomery AL 8:00 PM Rave Festival Plaza 16
Little Rock AR 8:00 PM Rave Colonel Glenn 18
Surprise AZ 7:00 PM UltraStar Surprise Pointe 14
Apple Valley CA 6:00 PM UltraStar Apple Valley 14
Buena Park CA 6:00 PM Krikorian Premiere Theatres
Chula Vista CA 6:00 PM UltraStar Chula Vista 10
Hollywood CA 6:00 PM Mann Chinese Theatre
Los Angeles CA 6:00 PM Rave 18 - LA (formerly The Bridge)
Monrovia CA 6:00 PM Krikorian 12-Monrovia
Pico Rivera CA 6:00 PM Village Walk 15
Redlands CA 6:00 PM Krikorian Premiere Theatres
Riverbank CA 6:00 PM Galaxy 12-Riverbank
Tulare CA 6:00 Galaxy 10-Tulare
Colorado Sprins CO 7:00 PM Chapel Hills 15
Fort Collins CO 7:00 PM Carmike 10
Bradenton FL 9:00 PM Carmike Royal Palm 20
Fernandina BeachFL 9:00 PM Carmike Amelia Island 7
Melbourne FL 9:00 PM RMP Avenue 16
Pensacola FL 9:00 PM Rave Bayou 15
Port St Lucie FL 9:00 PM Rave Port St Lucie 14
Columbus GA 9:00 PM Carmike 15
Conyers GA 9:00 PM Carmike Conyers Crossroads 16
Savannah GA 9:00 PM Carmike Wynnsong 11-Savannah
Johnston IA 8:00 PM Carmike Wynnsong 16-Johnston
Champaign IL 8:00 PM Beverly Center 18
Dekalb IL 8:00 PM Carmike Market Square 10
Peoria IL 8:00 PM Grand Prairie 18
Evansville IN 8:00 PM East 18 Evansville
Plainfield IN 8:00 PM RMP Metropolis 18
Manhattan KS 8:00 PM Seth Childs 12
Baton Rouge LA 8:00 PM Rave Mall of Louisiana 15
Birch Run MI 9:00 PM Emagine Hollywood 10
Grand Rapids MI 9:00 PM Celebration! Cinemas Grand Rapids - North
Lansing MI NCG Lansing Eastwood
Novi MI Emagine Entertainment Novi
Southgate MI 9:00 PM Southgate 20
Brighton MI 9:00 PM MJR Brighton Town Square 20
Sterling HeightsMI 9:00 PM MJR Sterling Heights Marketplace 20
Oakdale MN Carmike Oakdale 20
Warrensburg MO 8:00 PM Carmike University 8-Warrensburg
Billings MT 7:00 PM Carmike Wynnsong 10-Billings
Missoula MT 7:00 PM Carmike 10-Missoula
Asheville NC 9:00 PM Carmike 10-Asheville
Fayetteville NC 9:00 PM Carmike Market Fair 15
Hickory NC Carmike 14
Jacksonville NC 9:00 PM Carmike 16-Jacksonville
Winston-Salem NC 9:00 PM Carmike Wynnsong 12-Winston-Salem
Parsippany NJ 9:00 PM Parsippany
Las Cruces NM 7:00 PM Telshor 12 (Las Cruces, NM)
Carson City NV 6:00 PM Galaxy Fandango 10
Las Vegas NV 6:00 PM Rave Town Square 18
North Las Vegas NV 6:00 PM Galaxy Cannery 16
Brooklyn NY 9:00 PM Pavillion Digital Showcase Theatre
New York NY 9:00 PM Chelsea
Columbus OH 9:00 PM RMP Polaris 18
Mentor OH 9:00 PM Atlas Cinemas Great Lakes Stadium 16
West Chester OH 9:00 PM RMP West Chester 18
Stillwater OK 8:00 PM Carmike 10-Stillwater
Corvallis OR 6:00 PM Carmike 12-Corvalis
Center Valley PA 9:00 PM RMP Promenade 16
Charleston SC 9:00 PM James Island 8
Chattanooga TN 8:00 PM East Ridge 18
Dyersburg TN 8:00 PM Carmike 9-Dyersburg
Franklin TN 8:00 PM Thoroughbred 20
Johnson City TN 8:00 PM Johnson City 14
Knoxville TN 8:00 PM Carmike Wynnsong 16-Knoxville
Austin TX 8:00 PM Galaxy Highland 10
Edinburg TX 8:00 PM Carmike 20
Fort Worth TX 8:00 PM RMP Ridgmar 13
Houston TX 8:00 PM RMP Yorktown 15
Hurst TX 8:00 PM RMP North East Mall 18
Tyler TX 8:00 PM Carmike 14-Tyler
Provo UT 7:00 PM Carmike Wynnsong 12-Provo
Charlottesville VA 9:00 PM Carmike 6-Charlottesville
Fairfax VA 9:00 PM Faifax
Roanoke VA 9:00 PM Carmike 10
Gig Harbor WA 6:00 PM Galaxy Uptown 10

Big Surprise: Rise Signs Scene Band

2011-03-24T23:01:00.000-04:00

Rise announced the signing of That's Outrageous! (please don't forget the exclamation mark). Check out "#winning" below:

REVIEW: The Felix Culpa - Bury The Axe EP [2011]

2011-03-24T21:30:00.001-04:00

Re-releasing their highly acclaimed Sever Your Roots album on No Sleep Records, The Felix Culpa attached this nice, little EP to the end of it as a bonus. Standing at only 3 tracks long, their progressive indie stance continues to be solidified as it weighs in at a full 17 minutes. It wimpers like a burning candle and crashes like a violent wave all while encapsulating a dynamic and intriguing mood throughout.

As opener "Mallets" creeks open, the shimmering guitars and crash cymbal crescendos begin swiftly. It continues on as an instrumental piece that, by the the end of its six minute length, will never even be noticed as such. It builds perfectly and spends its last minute and a half in full-on rock-out mode to slide gracefully into "Towers." The vocal lines come in a bit quicker on "Towers" with solidly built harmonies to follow. There comes some deep, groovy bass lines and light hearted bells to piece it together. It's a slow burner, but really rocks as it continues on. "Spaces" opens with a catchy guitar line and moves into some acoustics and shifts between their heavy, super crunchy guitar oriented sections, and elegant, soft whispers.

Their songs are continually entrancing even in their weakest of moments, and their heaviest moments are delicately spread out and wisely executed. For as long as they've been making music, they continue to only get stronger and seeing them get the exposure they've deserved is nothing but amazing.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Rush, This Armistice, A Lot Like Birds

REVIEW: Roley Yuma - Sun Tea [2010]

2011-03-22T21:23:00.001-04:00

Quickly bustling open with "Native America," Dayton, Ohio's Roley Yuma comes off as a brash hardcore act that, without looking at the other song lengths, keeps it short and sweet. That is nothing but a mistake of an assumption. While Sun Tea opens in a hurry, it spends most of its time drifting from clean, Minus The Bear infected sections to rockin' and rollin' numbers like the eponymous "Sun Tea." A bit bi-polar in its approach, this particular brand of noise rock is infectious and confusing at the same time.

As "King Shit" comes in, the heavier side of Roley continues to tumble about with a psychedelic bridge to pop some pills and trip out to. But then "Hollowed Out To Float" comes in with clean guitar lines, as does and "Crossville, TN 1987," and a totally un-punk 5 minute song length. The slow tempo, the clean vocal lines, and the absence of any aggression are all a bit of a mood upset, but as things continue through "Approved Music" and "Polyglot Palindromes." The latter winds through 10 minutes of ups and downs, some syncopation, a trip-y noise section, and a huge, elongated build up reminiscent of a number of post-rock bands.

The noise/punk/indie continues on the second half of the record without fail, but keeps you on your toes, nonetheless. The angelic organ opening closer "Heavenly Hollow" gives a solid backbone to the song as it drifts the album off into the sunset. It's an interesting combination, to say the least.

Where Roley Yuma fails, though, is highlighted in the acoustic track "Sucked Off By A Sunbeam." Put bluntly, the singer can't sing. For the life of him. With all gruffness gone, there is a huge pitch problem the entire song that makes several cats clawing my eyes out sound more appealing. Reaching back to "Native America," the distinct melodic dichotomy of the two deserves a two fold criticism: First, credit is due for covering such a diverse spectrum of music throughout, but secondly that there is something to be said about doing what you are good at. For the record, that isn't singing soft songs like "Sucked Off By A Sunbeam." Luckily the final two tracks take back the thunder and drive home Sun Tea with a cooler dose of musicianship and some tripy stuff near the end of "The Good Book."

As quirky as the album is, Roley Yuma's Sun Tea is a worthwhile listen. It twists and turns more than a highway exit ramp and really wraps up a wide variety of influences into a neat little bundle of joy. Definitely a young and bold band with a lot of potential to use up.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
...fuck, I don't know.

Keith Buckley/Chris Dudley 1510

2011-03-18T13:34:00.001-04:00

Keith Buckley of Every Time I Die just uploaded a track he wrote with Chris Dudley of Underoath back in 2007 titled "1510."

REVIEW: Panic! At The Disco - Vices and Virtures [2011]

2011-03-18T02:36:00.001-04:00

Joining the ranks of Matt & Kim, The Black Keys, Tegan & Sara, and He Is We, Panic! At the Disco's return comes as a duo. Since the split with Ross and Walker, Urie and Smith are still yet to rejuvenate the ranks of Panic with new members, but this is not to their discredit. While Fever was intertwined with post-modern, whimsical lyrics and emo-pop musicianship and Pretty. Odd was a trip through the '60s, Vices and Virtues is a straightforward, unabashed pop/rock record with the theatrical tinges expected from a Panic! record. With the faux-Beatles monikor out of the picture and the exclamation point back where it belongs, Panic! don't grovel for their old fans to come back by reinventing their emo heyday, but opt to push onward with new experimentation and a sense of youthful exuberance.

Overflowing with huge dance beats and a plethora instrumentation, Urie's love for over-the-top dramatics is a constant theme in the way the music is presented. Whether it's the bells on "Mona Lisa," the strings on "Memories" or the xylophone on "Trade Mistakes," there is never a moment wasted to put another layer on top. One can never have too many "ooo" sections ("Ready to Go" and "Let's Kill Tonight") and handclap drum beats, either. Much of this may be accredited to heavyweight producers John Feldman and Butch Walker's hand in the effort, as both had a say in the writing and production of the record. The production alone makes it feel like the true successor to Fever. As to not discredit their sophomore attempt, the dreamy, acoustic ballad "Always" sways like the high points of Pretty.Odd. without falling into the deep end of '60s mania with a nice horn line and relaxing harmonies.

The vocal melodies and structures are too be expected, but they're still Urie at his best. With huge, catchy chorus lines and quirky verse melodies all over, one listen will have the hooks engrained for days. Even the staccato feel to the second chorus of "Sarah Smiles" marches forward with excitement leaving a lasting mark. Sadly, the lasting mark may not last as long as it could due to the fumble that is the lyrics on the record. It's not that they are bad lyrics, it's that they are boring and stock. The concepts are overdone and nothing feels out of the ordinary except perhaps "I'd rather be an cannibal baby. Animals like me don't talk anyway" on "The Calendar," which even ends with a smooth jazzy groove.

There's a lot to be thankful for with Vices & Virtues. Mainly that Panic! didn't continue to live in the '60s, but even more so that there is a real sense of sincerity that emanates from the record. Yes, it's a pop rock record. But it didn't sacrifice their musical desires to gain their fans back. It rocks, it rolls, it dances, it marches, it does it all and it does it well. Never as classic as Fever, but still a success, nonetheless.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
The Hush Sound, Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is...

REVIEW: My Heart To Joy - Reasons To Be 7" [2010]

2011-03-17T22:04:00.001-04:00

Right before their disbandment this past winter, My Heart To Joy released their final piece, a 7" titled Reasons To Be. Somewhere among the likes of Snowing and Hightide Hotel, they found a home in upbeat chaos. Laced with dirty, frantic guitar riffs and a melodic vocal dichotomy, their place between midwestern emo(tive hardcore) and pop punk is somewhat blurred.

As "Fairwell To A Raincloud" blasts open with a super catchy lead line reminiscent of the aforementioned midwestern bands, the lyrics open to meet with expectation with lines like "There is a light that keeps me from falling into a place where crowded memories sleep" reminiscent of exactly what defined the '90s emo-era. The following two tracks follow a similar structure and tonality, with noodley guitar lines and shimmering guitar lines. The lyrics even continue to follow in fashion with "Your lips pressed to my skin as you breath heavy through me" and "It's not the same without you" on "Taken With A Presence." As with any good 7", it always leaves a desire for more. Whether this is a good thing or not is arguable, but I'm a sucker for collecting them.

Always sad to see a band with such pazazz simmer out, but at least they went out with a bang. Another loss for the always amazing Topshelf Records roster, but don't disregard the record just because they're done. It's an exhilarating 11 minutes, to say the least.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Grown Ups, Snowing, Cap 'n Jazz

Dance Robot 2 1/2 Dance

2011-03-16T21:52:00.002-04:00

Live on The Daily Habit.

INTERVIEW: Jovian

2011-03-15T10:10:00.000-04:00

As a smaller act, Jovian's debut EP, Lazers, made some waves in the post-hardcore scene back in 2009. Shortly after it's release, the band broke up. Well, they have returned with new members, new music, and a new drive. Check out their interview below to hear about what's been going on in their world since then and where they're headed. And give them nothing less than a warm welcome back and look out for their new EP coming soon!

Matthew@GAE: Hey guys, nice to be in contact. How are you all doing today? Anything exciting in your lives?
We're doing great, thanks for asking! Just getting very excited about the release of our EP.

Matthew@GAE:Could you introduce the names and positions of everyone in the band for us and who is new to the Jovian line-up since you guys were last around?
Colin and Nick formed the original Jovian in 2007, then Colin left to pursue other musical endeavors and Caleb and Boogie joined Jovian to for the recording of Lazers. Then Colin came back to Jovian, along with Kyle, and we start writing songs again. So the current line-up is Caleb (Vocals), Boogie (Bass/Vocals), Colin (Guitar), Kyle (Drums), and Nick (Guitar).

Matthew@GAE:It seems you fell off the face of the earth after 2009's EP, Lazers, was released. What's the story there? What was the process like getting new members and starting the process of being a band all over again?
Yea, after the release of Lazers, we scheduled a CD-release show. Nick was running high-school track at the time, and ended up making it to the state championship, which happened to fall on the same day as the CD-release show. Nick then had a decision to either cancel the CD-release show or miss the last and biggest event of his high-school career. Everyone completely understood if Nick wanted to cancel the CD-release show, except one band member, and from there things kind of just fell apart pieces at a time.

After Jovian ended, Nick, Colin and Boogie kept playing music for a couple months around Louisville, but it was never anything serious and didn't last very long. So nobody was really doing anything musically for a while, until Caleb and Nick got together to work on some demos. Boogie joined back up on bass and took singing duties. Nick, Caleb, and Boogie recorded an early demo version of Time Bomb, and then Nick asked Colin if he wanted to come back and play guitar. He brought his friend Kyle that he went to school with and we began jamming and writing new material. With this new line-up, we knew we had something going so we stuck together, continued to write music, and now we're finally back and ready to release this EP!

Matthew@GAE:A huge part of your notoriety was your ex-vocalist, Seth, sounding like Jonny Craig, and his reputation seemed to also follow in that general direction. What was the split with him like?
All we can say is only positive things have happened in this band since the split.

Matthew@GAE:What was the writing process like in comparison to Lazers?
Lazers was basically just a bunch of songs Nick wrote, and now it is a collective effort.

Matthew@GAE:When and where did you go record at and how did that process go for you guys? How long were you guys recording?
We went to Earlygrayce studios in Louisville, Kentucky to record with Jordan Haynes. We recorded over the span of a few weeks, and being in the studio for that amount of time really helped us make everything turn out the way we wanted it to.

Matthew@GAE:Lazers' lyrics were all over the place, especially on the screams. How does Carnivore compare and what are some of the themes?
The process was a lot more personal for Carnivore, and had a lot to do with many of the things that were going on in our lives, the fears we have about growing up, things that everyone goes through. It has a lot of metaphors, so nobody should take Caleb's lyrics about eating people literally.

Matthew@GAE:How did writing the lyrics and vocal lines go? Did you two work together to come up with cohesive themes and structures, or were they done separately?
Since Caleb and Boogie live in different states, most of the lyrics were sent back and forth via messages and texts, and were compiled into cohesive ideas. Then, when we all got together Caleb and Boogie would work on the vocal melodies together. We recorded demo versions of the songs to send to Caleb so that he could work on them at home and send them back to us. It's an interesting process, but it works for us.

Matthew@GAE:How did the name and artwork for the record come about?
We thought that "carnivore" summed up the overall feel of the album, and it's also the name of the title track on the EP, in which a main lyric states, "Run for your lives, the Carnivore has arrived," and it just had a good ring to it. The artwork was done by David Carpenter, a long time friend of the band (who also did the artwork for the Lazers EP), and we gave him free reign to do what he wanted. He listened to our demos that we sent and let that influence his artwork. We are super pleased with everything that he's done.

Matthew@GAE:What are your live shows like now? Are you guys still playing Lazers material, or are you focusing on a completely fresh start as a band?
Well, our first show back was Sold Out! It was a really amazing feeling to come back into the game with such a receptive crowd. We aren't playing any Lazers material, but we have thought about it. We're just focused on making our live show something that people can be a part of, and it's definitely a lot more put together, almost professional if you will, than it used to be.

Matthew@GAE:What's the official release date of the EP? What's the plan from there?
The physical copy of the seven-song EP and the full artwork is set to release on March 29th, but you can get 5 mp3 tracks from the EP for free (or donation) on our bandcamp at:
http://jovianmusic.bandcamp.com ...from there we will be playing shows around our region, and we're trying to get a summer tour in the works.

Matthew@GAE:That's all I've got for you, any other words you'd like to add? Thanks for your time and looking forward to more work from you in the future.
Thanks for taking the time to interview us. We've got a lot of things planned in 2011 that we're looking forward to as well!

NEWS: Punctuated Tour 2011

2011-03-14T02:39:00.000-04:00

Panic! At The Disco, Fun., and Foxy Shazam are touring this spring. Fairly stacked line-up, if I say so myself. I'll be at the Cleveland and Columbus shows. Dates below:

May 22 House of Blues – Boston, MA
May 24 Terminal 5 – New York City, NY
May 25 Webster Theatre – Hartford, CT
May 27 Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
May 29 Pompano Beach Amphitheatre – Pompano Beach, FL
May 31 The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
June 2 Norva – Norfolk, VA
June 3 Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
June 4 The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
June 5 Sound Academy – Toronto, ON
June 7 House of Blues – Cleveland, OH
June 8 Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
June 9 LC Pavilion – Columbus, OH
June 10 Egyptian Room – Indianapolis, IN
June 11 First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
June 12 Beaumont Club – Kansas City, MO
June 15 House of Blues – Houston, TX
June 17 Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ
June 18 House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
June 19 House of Blues – San Diego, CA
June 21 The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
June 22 Warfield Theatre – San Francisco, CA
June 24 Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
June 25 Roseland Theatre – Portland, OR
June 26 Knitting Factory – Boise, ID
June 28 Odgen Theatre – Denver, CO
June 29 Sokol Auditorium – Omaha, NE

REVIEW: Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care [2011]

2011-03-14T01:56:00.003-04:00

As pure as a winter's snow, post-rock's forerunner, Explosions In The Sky, dips and dives through layers of shimmering guitar work and enigmatic crescendos. Sticking to their guns, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care is a testament to the lasting value of a classic approach to rock music. Continuing with their extended song lengths and emotional intensity, every post-rock cliché can rest on their shoulders and still not water down that they continually output some of the best soundscapes music has been blessed with in hundreds of years, and Take Care is no different. It bobs and weaves and washes over you like a cool shower on a warm summer afternoon before obliterating the mood into a million pieces, grabbing you by the throat and stabbing you in the jugular.

But enough of that artsy explanation. Explosions are back to run post-rock, and they turned on beast mode after a four year rest from releasing. It's subtle, it's heavy, it's generally amazing in every way imaginable and is nothing less than should have been expected.

Opening with an 8-minute, multi-crescendo piece, "Last Known Surroundings" brings with it a large, heavy drum beat mixed towards the front with a clap-sounding snare beat. The first 3 minutes are spent building up into an immediate release that focuses on the contrast of a warm guitar line and a shimmering lead that then begins the second build as the drums fill the space again. By the 4:30 mark, the third, ambient guitar line explodes and builds multiple times and the clean lines continue on with endurance. A sense of urgency begins to unfold as the drumming and guitar lines become fuller and moving at a more rapid pace and smaller percussion flutters throughout the mix. By the end of the song, the mellowed out ending comes as a relief and sets things up for "Human Qualities" to begin.

The build/crash that defines Explosions may be a classic approach, but this never takes away from their emotional depth. To survey only one song is an injustice to the narrative their records explore and to try to describe them separately is just as cruel to the writer as the reader. While each song has their own offerings, it's what they do as a whole that makes their records great. From the heart beat-like interlude of "Human Qualities" to the upbeat melodic structure of "Postcard From 1952," everything works in conjunction for a continually dynamic depth and temper. Take Care even dabbles in some sampling in "Let Me Back In" to create a very dour aura to close the record off.

There's something respectable about Explosions' continual no compromise attitude towards their music. They have never strayed from their comfort zone, which, while it could be taken as a mark against them, is instead a showing of their abilities to continually recreate new and interesting paintings with the same paint. Take Care, Take Care, Take Care is that next painting, and describing it as beautiful is the understatement of the century.

Review Rating

RIYL:
Do Make Say Think, This Will Destroy You, Mogwai

REVIEW: Rise Against - Endgame [2011]

2011-03-13T00:06:00.001-05:00

Having watered down their sound in the name of "maturity" and "evolution" as a band, Rise Against's last two records have sent them on a downward spiral according to many long time fans. Endgame is no different even with single "Architects" opening with a roaring guitar line and fast tempo. The song is nothing but a sly maneuver to dupe everyone into thinking they have returned to the sound that defined them and sky-rocketed them to their success. But no, melodic hardcore certainly has nothing to do with Rise Against at this point; Endgame is just another hard rock record where Rise Against continue to pander their sound and ideologies to a crowd to sell records. It works like a charm is the worst part.

After the blistering "Architects" opens the record, faith was momentarily restored as the fast paced drum beat, ripping guitar line, and McIlrath's mildly-coarse vocals slammed the track to the floor with a force not seen by them in years. McIlrath rips into Against Me!'s Tom Gabel and their song "I Was A Teenage Anarchist." It feels like Rise Against has come home. It's fast, it's loud, and it feels alive for once.

But the realness ends there and the record falls more than flat as it continues. Pop guitar licks and melodies course through each song and McIlrath's vocals continue to lose any passion or anger as they're cleaner and more produced than ever. "Make It Stop (September's Child)" borrows from Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and is layered with over-produced choir Ooooooo's and a mid tempo chorus. Hell, most of the record is spent at this barely-head-bob-worthy tempo that even pop-punk kids could barely get into. The songs continue to mush together as the guitars continue to be pushed back in the mix in favor of the vocal lines and drums taking up much of the space.

The lyrics don't fare that much better being littered with punk rock cliché topics and lyrics like "We won't back down, we won't run and hide" ("Satellite"). Not to discount the poetic justice McIlrath gives to the Iraq War on "Survivor Guilt" with a chorus that cuts straight to the point singing "Carry on don't mind me. All i gave was everything and yet you ask me for more. Bought your fight. Bought your light. In return I lost my life. What purpose does this serve?" There's no beating around the bush to the displeasure he, along with many americans, have with our growing in the middle east, and Rise Against are known, albeit a bit too much, for their political awareness and message. It's a song that carries a message a lot can relate to and is presented from the first person perspective of a soldier. Nothing but respect there.

Sadly, one song's message can't make up for an album's worth of mediocre musicianship and lack of anything to hold onto. Rise Against describe themselves and their musical direction best: "Whatever path you decide to lead, I'll follow." And they sure are following, alright. Following the radio, the money, and the record sales. As a Fat Wreck-era Rise Against fan, Endgame is another step in the wrong direction and continues to put them alongside Green Day, Against Me!, and AFI in terms of losing their direction for the worse.

Review Rating:

REVIEW: Erra - Andromeda [2010]

2011-03-12T21:57:00.002-05:00

Filled with youthful reckless abandon, Erra's debut EP, Andromeda refines the normalcies of modern metal like a line of pure Columbian cocaine. Not djent enough to be Periphery, progressive enough to be Between The Buried and Me, or -core enough to be any number of those bands, Erra are a hodge podge of everything around them. This somewhat works to their advantage, yet still ends up pulling away from the overall atmosphere of the record. Andromeda is a piece that wonderfully explores the bands abilities to stretch across the entire board of metal, but it is a notably young and mildly predictable attempt.

Opening with a 40 second breakdown and padding the track count with a similarly mediocre and cliché interlude ("Daughter of the Sky") is never to a band's advantage. Having almost quit right there, "Machina" happily enters the picture with complex, ripping guitar riffs and restrained, yet punchy drum lines. The growls are full-bodied and the technical mastery of their instruments is always apparent. There's nothing but talent surging through every track. "The Scenic Route" even showcases solid arpeggios, a'capella-scream--into-breakdowns, and punchy metal licks.

Everything you need in a successful metal record is there, but it just doesn't seem to pull through. It's the predictability of the instrumentation and monotonous vocal lines (both screamed and clean) that leave a sense of wanting more. Even the more technically inclined sections come off as contrived and the arpeggios are as cheap as a 2004 metalcore record. But there's a sense of youthful innovation and mild ingenuity that needs to be cultivated as they continue to write.

If there is one thing that should be done, it is not ignoring this band. Time and experience will do these guys wonders and I expect their next release to be nothing less than steller. Hopefully the musicianship cleans up and takes on its own voice more and the approach becomes more varied and intricate. Erra's Andromeda is a success in its own right and is a step in the right direction.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Periphery, As I Lay Dying, Cloudkicker

REVIEW: Go Radio - Lucky Street [2011]

2011-03-12T00:34:00.001-05:00

There's something captivating about the modern pop rock scene. It wouldn't thrive as well as it does for no reason at all. But that doesn't excuse releasing an hour long record full of it, as no matter how you cut or slice the genre, the slick production and soaring melodies get staler than month old bread after a half hour or so. This is the sad tale of Go Radio's debut full-length, Lucky Street. Jam packed with lead guitarist/vocalist Jason Lancaster's signature melodies and unique tone and backed by tight musicianship and great production, there's little to say went wrong from a theoretical perspective with the record. All the components are there and executed with grace. Pressing the play button is a totally different, unpleasant reality, though.

Not to pound this record into the ground, Go Radio knows how to write a pop rock tune and Jason Lancaster is nothing less than a genius. It's been evident since Mayday Parade's Tales Told By Dead Friends EP and that is not to be denied here. This is not meant to be some nay-saying party on a record that is going to be praised everywhere.

There is, however, something critical to be said about the record's execution and overall tone. It's long. A 53 minute pop rock record is long. No matter how amazing a man's voice is and how worthwhile the guitar licks can be, 53 minutes and 14 tracks of the same shiny production and suped up, soaring melodies gets a bit musty by the end. In fact, those are most likely buzz words used by other reviews to hype the record's and give it a reason to be "good" and worth a 4 star rating. But there is little substance behind that if there isn't any meat to dig into.

As an entire piece of music, the record falls nothing short of flatter than a recently paved street. It's not a record that can be drilled through in one take and feel satisfying like after eating a 12 oz. steak with a nice side of mashed potatoes. Lucky Street is a snack. It's the bag of Fritos you munch on the rest of the night a little bit at a time as you feel the urge.

So, as a reviewer, this leaves me at a crossroad: Do I give this record a 2 because it's not worth the full listen. I find the purist in me tugging at this. I love a full record and a band that can successfully put together an emotional piece that fills my soul in some metaphysical way. Or, do I give it the 4 like everyone else will, but for a different reason -- because taking each song individually, they have something worthwhile to offer and are totally worth the 3 minute investment.

If you scroll down, you'll see I'm giving it the 2. My rationale is that I believe Lancaster is more talented than this. I don't hear the worthwhileness or catchiness of "Three Cheers for Five Years" anywhere on this record, or their past two records. I hear a sense of selling his talents short with a few too many glittery melodies ("SONGS") and the forced ballad ("House of Hallways) that, while well executed, just doesn't feel all that alive. The opening of "Any Other Heart" holds Lancaster's signature accent with a chunky guitar riff and an awesome vocal line as he sings "This is my last remaining filter on my last remaining words," but the song then devolves into a cheesy pop piece expected from the likes of new All Time Low material. The chorus hooks in with a solid melody, but it just doesn't stick. As does much of the record.

To Go Radio's strength is always Lancaster's lyrics. The man's passion in his story telling may come off as cliché from time to time, but is often some of the most unique descriptors and topics out there. Particularly, the multiple versions of "Forever My Father," dedicated to Lancaster's late father, are nothing less than gut wrenching and beautiful. Jason sings "When I'm down and I'm forgotten, you'll forever be my father and I'll be saving tears in jars for this one" and brings every listener to a moment of pure desperation and weakness. The entire record is littered with these gems; it's modern poetry at its finest.

But here I stand, continually disappointed by a man's project that I eagerly anticipated after his departure from a band I also once loved. So while Lucky Street has its moments, it implodes on itself by lacking any real variation from the standard pop rock formula.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Mayday Parade, The Cab, All Time Low

REVIEW: Yellowcard - When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes [2011]

2011-03-11T17:53:00.005-05:00

Hastily bursting back on the scene to reclaim their pop-punk crown, Yellowcard's When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes goes straight for the throat as it opens at breakneck speeds with "The Sound of You and Me." With "Easycore" taking over a new wave Pop-Punk, the return of classic acts like Yellowcard and The Starting Line are showing the new kids on the block what their brand of pop-punk was all about, and toppling the new scene without so much as a hesitant breath. Their two and a half years off don't show a bit with a new batch of tightly knit compositions showing off the best of their abilities yet.

Finely puréeing the past 14 years of their existence and blending it with a few fresh flavors, Yellowcard's seventh full-length is the cocktail that leaves you hammered and wanting more before you realize you're already on the floor. Key's soaring chorus' ("Hide"/"Soundtrack") and Mackin's signature Violin lines give the familiar tastes from their back catalog, while Parsons drumming is as exceptional as ever. There isn't a miss in the flow of the record. Opening heavier with "The Sound of You and Me" and lead single "For You and Your Denial," the record dips down into the rockin' "With You Around" and ballad "Hang You Up" to cover all their bases. The former even gives a shout to Saves The Day in the chorus; a nod to their own peers and influences. Both these tunes even showcase the huge range of dynamics in guitar tone the record has to offer with the chunk in "With You Around's" verse and the tight leads in its bridge and the warm acoustics on "Hang You Up."

The best part is that by now, that's only 4 tracks in and the best is arguably yet to come. The second half punches through three pop-punk bangers, "Life of Living Home," "Hide," and "Soundtrack," before hitting the records second ballad at "Sing for Me." But it's not in this standard pop-rock format that the diamond of the record is found. It's the meat of each song and Key's lyrics that course through the record with a brutal sense of honesty that bring Yellowcard's return to the next level. Each song is laced with some of Key's best penning with lines like "Desperation kills but when its on your sleeve you wear it well" and "I don't hear music anymore. My ears are tired of all the pictures in the words." That's not to say there isn't a cliché pitfall or two throughout the way with "Save me from myself and be the soundtrack to the stories that I tell" and several more not worth recounting.

Every type of Yellowcard fan and those just coming on board will have something worthwhile to hold onto throughout this entire record. When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes is nothing less than a stand-out showcase of every talent they've been building throughout the years. A contender for AOTY and definitely in the top for what pop-punk and pop/rock will be seeing this year. Never underestimate the power of a little time apart.
Review Rating:

RIYL:
All Time Low, Saves The Day, Blink-182

NEWS: No Sleep Eargasms

2011-03-11T05:24:00.003-05:00

There are few record labels as a whole that I will drool over constantly. No Sleep is one of them. Every single release on this label is almost always gold. The bands are all hard working people with their hearts in the right place and the same goes for the owner, Chris Hansen. They just released a new limited time offer to "subscribe" to all of their releases this year. It spans from just the CDs to the CDs, 7", and 12" releases, as well. You can even get a jacket and 46x46" banner with the highest tier, which sounds amazing! The pricing is as follows:

USA:
All 2011 CDs - $95.99 + $26.90 Postage / Savings of $130
All 2011 CDs w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $119.99 + $26.90 Postage / Savings of $140
All 2011 7" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $49.99 + $20.90 Postage / Savings of $45
All 2011 12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $179.99 + $34.40 Postage / Savings of $130
All 2011 7"/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $219.99 + $38.30 Postage / Savings of $190
All 2011 CDs/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $264.99 + $38.30 Postage / Savings of $270
All 2011 CDs/7"/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $299.99 + $38.30 Postage / Savings of $330
All 2011 CDs/7"/12" w/ exclusive "Varsity" Jacket, exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print, No Sleep Banner - $319.99 + $38.30 Postage / Savings of $370

Canada:
All 2011 CDs - $95.99 + $31.40 Postage / Savings of $135
All 2011 CDs w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $119.99 + $31.40 Postage / Savings of $145
All 2011 7" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $49.99 + $28.90 Postage / Savings of $45
All 2011 12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $179.99 + $90.20 Postage / Savings of $180
All 2011 7"/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $219.99 + $100 Postage / Savings of $310
All 2011 CDs/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $264.99 + $100 Postage / Savings of $360
All 2011 CDs/7"/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $299.99 + $109.80 Postage / Savings of $500
All 2011 CDs/7"/12" w/ exclusive "Varsity" Jacket, exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print, No Sleep Banner - $319.99 + $109.80 Postage / Savings of $550

International:
All 2011 CDs - $95.99 + $73.20 Postage / Savings of $180
All 2011 CDs w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $119.99 + $73.20 Postage / Savings of $190
All 2011 7" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $49.99 + $65.70 Postage / Savings of $45
All 2011 12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $179.99 + $160.10 Postage / Savings of $250
All 2011 7"/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $219.99 + $177.30 Postage / Savings of $470
All 2011 CDs/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $264.99 + $177.30 Postage / Savings of $480
All 2011 CDs/7"/12" w/ exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print - $299.99 + $194.50 Postage / Savings of $720
All 2011 CDs/7"/12" w/ exclusive "Varsity" Jacket, exclusive Shirt, Coffee Mug and exclusive Screen Print, No Sleep Banner - $319.99 + $211.70 Postage / Savings of $800

If you are sleeping on this record label's bands (pun intended), kick yourself into gear and get on it. They're doing great things for the industry right now. Some of my favorites that they've released are: Into It. Over It., Koji, The Felix Culpa, and The Wonder Years. And that's only naming a few!

BUY THE SUBSCRIPTION NOW.

REVIEW: L'Orange - The Manipulation EP

2011-03-10T23:41:00.004-05:00

Lackadaisically swimming through a sea of jazz and hip-hop instrumentation intertwined with soothing vocal samples, L'Orange is best served in the dark with a heavy dose of being stoned. Like that first moment you lay your head down after a long day, The Manipulation EP is immediately soothing and let's all the stress fall to the wayside. Where a post-rock record will lull you into a comfortable sleepy daze, L'Orange's adventure into trip-hop will wrap you in a warm blanket, turn the fire up just enough to warm your toes, and be the interesting book being read while puffing on a pipe.

Highlighting its vocal sampling with "Rainy Night's" pitch shifted, catchy melody, "Mr. Lonely's" memorable lyricism from Bobby Vinton's original, and "The Void's" off-kilter editing, L'Orange makes no mistake of asserting his ability at the mixing board. The vocal chopping and sampling includes a wide variety of techniques that keep things fresh and alive by only dabbling in voices utilizing it as another instrument instead of a focal point. While mainly instrumental, it's these small introductions of vocal lines that keep the record afloat throughout without ever becoming overbearing and allowing the beat to flow naturally.

Separating L'Orange from a hip-hop producer is the jazz influence heard throughout. While many of the beats have a fairly straight feel to them, its the instrumentation that fleshes out each song in a fairly unique manner. "The Masquerede" has a huge drum beat with a soothing vocal melody following it with a little piano ditty pushing it forward in the back of the mix while "Let Me Explain" feels like it was ripped straight from a '50s swing number and given a hip-hop beat. Song lengths vary from the 1:30 to 3:30 range never staying more than they are welcome or letting a beat become overbearing or repetitive. There's even a nice inversion of intro/outro with the opening track named "Goodbye" and the closing named "The Epilogue."

While not every producer gets to be Dr. Luke, there's some amount of respect to be given to those just sitting at home doing their own thing and coming up with something out of the ordinary. L'Orange is definitely one of these producers, and only with more exposure can a musician with solid musical foundations get a farther reach. And hell, the record is free on bandcamp, so check it out and give a few listens; it won't disappoint.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Dan Le Sac Vs. Scoobius Pip, The Big Knife

NEWS: Sumerian: Stupid or Humorous?

2011-03-10T22:33:00.002-05:00

Earlier today, Sumerian Records took a wonderful moment to call out pirates of the new Born of Osiris Record, due out March 22nd, on Facebook for stealing the leak of their new record. But basically no one could find this leak. The status states:

"hey all you jobbers who like to steal our albums - word out on the ocean (pirates don't use streets) is that the BOO album has leaked.. perhaps the pirate ship will leak too and sink in to the sea. in any case, enjoy pirating the record and hopefully you guys choke on a cannonball. happy torrenting you cowards! -ash"

But, it gets so much better when you go down to the comments and see this:

So at this point, all I can think is "So...you're complaining about a self-induced leak, but you're telling people about it." I spend a few minutes laughing and continue to read. Then, this comes up:

Now I'm convinced that Sumerian are the biggest label trolls ever. Genius or stupidity? It got the band hype for their upcoming record on just about every metal oriented blog out there, so I'd think it's in their favor. It all gave a good laugh at the very least.

NEWS: The Pop-Punk Gods Shine Upon Us

2011-03-10T14:02:00.003-05:00

According to Fairweather's website and the above picture from that same post, the band has officially booked a reunion date. As for a tour or more tunes or anything else is still a mystery, but there will be at least one date played, and that's a start! Get stoked on it. If you're not, you obviously don't know what you're missing out on.

NEWS: A Panic! Overture

2011-03-09T21:53:00.001-05:00

There are new Panic! clips strung throughout. Definitely sounding like they went back to their Fever sound and I am not complaining one bit.

REVIEW: Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo [2011]

2011-03-09T17:02:00.002-05:00

With a little bit of awkward math and a large dose of marijuana use, 1963 and 1998 came out to 2011 in the shape of Kurt Vile's Smoke Ring For My Halo. Keeping true to lo-fi indie rock, Vile's fourth full-length is drenched in crisp acoustic guitars, chilled out, reverberated vocal lines, and and a sprinkle of alt. rock to keep things fresh. As each ambient line drones, a comfortable hammock of melancholy sways the record like a summer night's breeze.

What rocks the hammock hardest on this record is how stripped away it is in comparison to Vile's earlier, loop-laden back catalogue. Featuring the same accompaniment as his previous record, 2009's Childish Prodigy, The Violators, their presence is pushed to the back in favor of relaxed, finger picked acoustic pieces ("Baby's Arms" and "Peeping Tomboy"). The mood is fleshed out with an abundance of reverb all over the place and some light percussion throughout.

The layers of noise from previous works have been mowed down to give room for Vile's lyrical idiosyncrasies to flourish. Branching into corruption, society, and religion ("Puppet to the Man," "Society is my Friend," and "Jesus Fever"), Vile's convictions gush out in minor keyed melodies portraying a sense of cynicism and disdain for the world around him. A bit depressing, but also hard hitting with the reality factor. His voice even croons like a drunk Tom Petty or Bob Dylan tune. It never strains into a high register, but instead stick in the baritone range and flows gracefully as it reverberates through the speakers filling up the empty spaces in the mix.

Taking cues from predecessors like Elliot Smith and the aforementioned Petty/Dylan, Vile continues to change as a musician with each record. Never to let things get stagnant, Smoke Ring For My Halo is no different. The hammock may be shaken according to long time Vile fans, but don't let them fool you into sleeping on this record.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
Elliot Smith, Tom Petty, The Decemberists(? Sort of? hahaha)

NEWS: Pop Punk Candy

2011-03-09T12:49:00.002-05:00

I Call Fives and With The Punches are about to head out on tour together. Be there. I'll be playing the 3/20 date in PA with my boys in Call It Fiction. Check out the dates below:

3/19 - American Legion 1254 - Binghamton, NY
3/20 - Midtown Oh Five - Erie, PA
3/21 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
3/22 - Skid Row Garage - York, PA
3/23 - Keynote Cafe - Jeanette, PA
3/24 - Alley Katz - Richmond, VA
3/25 - The Auction House - Audubon, NJ
3/26 - Stirling Elks Lodge - Stirling, NJ

EDITORIAL: Fans Will Kill Corporations

2011-03-09T11:38:00.001-05:00

Any writer can whine about every aspect of the music industry falling on its knees and begging for mercy like a homeless child looking for food. From artists to producers to labels to writers, the market is overflowing and underpaying in all these areas. There could be interesting clauses about piracy statistics and half-baked solutions to the problem that are either idealistic or idiotic. But sometimes it's not about a fix. It's about moving to a new building and restructuring yourself from the inside out. This is what I see going on in the music industry right now. Two different websites are beginning what I consider to be a music revolution that will significantly change the way bands act: Bandcamp and Kickstarter.

Becoming what Myspace should have, Bandcamp's simple approach to selling and streaming music creates a great platform for growing artists to get their music to their fans quickly and in good quality. Not only is it easier than iTunes, but the quality is superior with the ability to download in both 320kbps and FLAC. Audiophiles around every scene are creaming their pants in joy. Digital music delivered straight to my computer, DRM free, in FLAC?! Sign my ass up. The most recent addition is what makes the site pull the carpet out from under Myspace: the ability to add tour dates. You can pick up a band's records, see their tour dates, and order physical merchandise all through their bandcamp page. This is exactly what Myspace should have been evolving into and didn't. Everything is minimalist and easily set up for bands to get their stuff rolling in a timely manner and can be customized to give them their own unique feel while still having the same, simple functionality.

Giving bands the opportunity to host their own fundraiser, Kickstarter is another up-and-coming website being utilized by local acts from across the nation to the likes of Ace Enders to fund their projects. In the same vein of simplicity, Kickstarter's goal is to place the power in the bands' and fans' hands (that's a mouthful). It goes something like this: Band has a goal. Band says "it will cost $XX" to complete. Band promises any number of things in return for different values of donation. If the funding comes through, the band gets the money, and the donators get what they paid for. No bullshit in between. It's non-profit and is helping artists do great things like fund tours, new records, buying new equipment/vans, and even repressing vinyls.

What do these two sites do that major labels will never be able to do? They give the power to the content producer (the band) and the consumer (fans) simultaneously. No "15% for person X, 10% for Y, and a cut of all your physical sales for Q" bullshit. There are songs and there is a button for downloading them. There is a fundraiser, and there is a button for donating. It's empowering. This is what the music industry needs. It will fuel those who are passionate to be involved in their product outside of sitting in a college town basement writing tunes to take it to the next level. More sites and causes like these will pop up, and it will hopefully hit more real world applications in the way venues and stores are run, as well. Music isn't dead, it's just becoming more personal. Corporations will lose control of the industry's heels as the fans take their place by funding what they want, when they want and how they want it. This is power. This is the future.

NEWS: Jonny Craig Owns Up

2011-03-08T21:40:00.002-05:00

Over on Absolute Punk, a statement has been released by Jonny Craig on his recent behavior. It reads:

"I want to apologize for my recent behavior. My actions regarding taking advantage of fans was inexcusable. I'm in the process of paying everyone back so please forgive me. My state of mind was completely shot and obviously my decision making skills were heavily impaired due to my drug use. I've since been in detox and successfully completed the treatment. I've learned a lot from this ordeal and I realized I've redeemed my second chance. I want to personally thank Eric at Artery and Craig at Rise for helping me through this emotionally and financially. I'm embarrassed with my past actions, I want to make amends to everyone I hurt. Again, sorry to all my fans, family, band mates and colleagues. I'm truly sorry. Now back to work...I'm looking forward to seeing all the DGD fans and their positive energy that they always bring to the shows. With that being said, the past will stay dead and let's toast to the future kids." -- Jonny Craig

The man may be a tool, and this does sound a little forced in its wording if you know Jonny's speech tendencies at all, but I can't help but feel for the guy. I do hope he stays clean and can continue to write music and better himself as a person and a musician. I'm not writing off his woes just yet, but I'm willing to let the man have a few grams of respect back (yes, that was a drug pun. Too soon?).

NEWS: A Lot Like Secret Demo

2011-03-08T17:48:00.011-05:00

A recent tumblr post appears to have a demo of a new A Lot Like Birds song. No name is attached to it yet, but take a listen here:

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

The post only says "shhhhhhh" and the intro is the same one as the previous release that turned out to be a Rick Roll. Looks like we've got our first A Lot Like Birds demo!

UPDATE 3/8/11 (10:04pm): The Tumblr seems to have been taken down at some point, but the audio file is still working here.

REVIEW: Mayday Parade - Valdosta EP [2011]

2011-03-08T13:34:00.002-05:00

There is something about pop rock tunes that make them more worthwhile when played acoustic. Perhaps its the, generally speaking, overproduction of full band pieces or the soothing melodies that feel more at home in front of crisp acoustic guitars. The Valdosta EP from the gentlemen of Mayday Parade is no exception. Including four reworked songs spanning their back catalogue and two completely new tracks, it's a worthwhile dive to take, but the magic of their heyday with Lancaster still lingers in a fashion that shows they may never recover.

The record opens and closes with their new tracks, "Amber Lynn" and "Terrible Things" respectively. The former consisting of lyrics and musicality heard by many others before them and what I'm sure is many more to come. The latter's cornerstone is a heavy piano line and beautiful poem telling a child about how he met the child's mother. Not only does Derek's vocal line feel at home, but his lyrics are top notch. While the theme may not be the most original, the execution is flawless as he sings "By the time I was your age I'd give anything/To fall in love truly was all I could think/That's when I met your mother/The girl of my dreams/The most beautiful woman that I'd ever seen." The emotion really sink deep in his crooning melodies. It's a beautiful track to end on, and gives a glimpse of hope for Mayday's future.

Sadly, the best track is still from the Lancaster days with "Jamie All Over." But, even that song falls on the lackluster side without his gruff vocals to compliment it. His parts get overrun by squeaky, overly emo vocal tones ruining the adrenaline of the original. The Anywhere But Here tracks are just as forgettable, and "Your Song," is solidly performed, but still nothing to write home about -- yet another Lancaster track that sticks out while the rest do not.

As the genre continues to eat itself alive, Mayday are quickly fading to the back. Hopefully more lyrics like those on "Terrible Things" will carry them up on their next full-length and the days of continual Lancaster reference can come to the end. Until then, though, they are just another band in the sea with little to offer that others don't.

Review Rating:

RIYL:
The Maine, Go Radio, Paramore

NEWS: Take Care, Take Care, Take Out Your Credit Card

2011-03-08T09:22:00.004-05:00

Explosions In The Sky's new record, Take Care, Take Care, Take Care, comes out April 25th in the US. Pre-orders are now up and can be placed here.

Any record that can turn into this is worth my $25. I'm such a sucker for good packaging for my vinyls.

GAE NEWS: For the record

2011-03-07T23:12:00.003-05:00

I'm not promising a comeback with that DGD review. I just really love Dance Gavin Dance and had to review it here for you all. I am working on things, though. I love you all a shit ton. GAE will forever be one of the most influential parts of my life.

REVIEW: Dance Gavin Dance - Downtown Battle Mountain II [2011]

2011-03-07T21:38:00.008-05:00

Coming full circle, the boys of Dance Gavin Dance have reunited five of the six original members of the band for the second incarnation of Downtown Battle Mountain. Jon Mess and Jonny Craig return to their vocal positions as well as the return of bassist Eric Lodge. This release has been nothing but a long time coming for fans everywhere, and it is nothing less than a filling meal. As visceral and technical as ever, there isn't a moment to waste on the record. Charging ahead with aplomb, Downtown Battle Mountain II takes 2011 by the legs and abuses it like a two dollar whore.

As Will Swan shreds up and down every single song with frenetic energy, Mess and Craig take charge with power and finesse unseen in them before. Mess' tone has been completely overhauled with a tighter, more melodic ability behind his screams. Jonny's power shines on "Thug City" and "Elder Goose," while his time in Emarosa pours through in lighter melodies on "The Robot With Human Hair Pt. 2 1/2" and "Blue Dream." Will Swan even makes several appearances rapping again on "Heat Seeking Ghost of Sex," "Spooks," and ". Without a permanent replacement in the second guitarist position, Swan's angular riffing pushes through the entire record. No matter where you are on the record, the chances of hearing two lead lines panned tightly to each ear is high. The tone takes a step back from the more experimental sounds on Happiness a bit in place of more traditional distorted shredding, but is not to be discounted completely as there is a bit of pedal board dancing on tracks like "Spooks" and "Purple Reign."

Mingus and Lodge hold their own to compliment Swan's feverish guitar lines. The bass lines slide perfectly into the mix thanks to another wonderful production by Kris Crummett. Never over powering or out of place, the bass grooves along giving a full body to the songs while Mingus drives them forward with his continually understated perfection. It's his ability to hold down the fort while simultaneously show off without making a scene that takes Mingus' abilities to the next level. "Blue Dream" asserts both of these qualities as Swan takes the pedal off the shred for a bit of experimenting to allow Lodge and Mingus to shine a bit more.

Coming into another dose of lyricism from the Mess/Craig camp is sure to split crowds in an instant. Whether its Mess' unintelligible lyricism that rubs those who want strict poetic beauty wrong or those who find Craig's clichés a bit too much to be worthwhile, there is always the other side adoring every line flowing from their mouths. Mess flares up the crazy a notch with lines like "What’s it like to be a marble? Did I get something in your eye? She’s a referee and I’m lethally overdosed on pumpkin pie" ("Pounce Bounce") and "I’m ballistically drunk. I’m a triumphant lump. I’m an instant glow ball coffee syrup florist filled gunk" ("Privilously Poncheezied"). The best line of the record does fall on Mess' lap during "Robot With Human Hair Pt. 2 1/2" as he shouts "If you can't read my text then get a mind-read phone." Craig continues to belt about women and his vocal abilities, as always, shine more than his lyricism. Lines like "So hide your face. Collect your things. This is what we call the walk of shame" ("Thug City") and "Oh, the bed flows as it rocks back and forth" ("Robot With Human Hair Pt. 2 1/2") fill up the majority of Craig's time on the record, not doing much at all to show his growth as a poet.

The return of the Downtown Battle Mountain-era Dance Gavin Dance is nothing but a controversy in itself, though controversy seems to be the name of the game with these boys. It's no matter, as the tunes jam harder than a diamond and continue to show an unmatched level of technical mastery. Haters can hate, but Dance Gavin Dance eats your shitty scene band for breakfast.
Review Rating:

RIYL:
Tides of Man, Emarosa, A Lot Like Birds

Ladle Fight on NPR

2010-11-20T14:59:00.005-05:00

Four eighth graders have been playing together for five years and they're actually talented. The article that was written to go with this sums it up any point I would have, so be sure to check it out. But seriously, listen to these kids. The vocalist on the first song is super talented and sure to croon the ladies as he grows up.

Ladle Fight from Jennifer M. Noll on Vimeo.

Jonny Craig - Live at Bamboozle [2010]

2010-11-20T02:13:00.000-05:00

Scene queen Jonny Craig has his pipes recorded live. A live record can show a lot about a vocalist. Even while the post-production can take care of some of the mess, you'll get the gist of how well they were singing. Live At Bamboozle definitely goes to show exactly how talented this man is. Alas, it also shows how sloppy and pretentious he is.

Opening with "I Still Feel Her Pt. 3," Jonny immediately messes up the words. He fumbles through the entire song, only singing the chorus correctly the entire time -- which, even then he sort of mumbles a bit on. His notes are perfect, though. The man knows how to belt with huge passion behind his voice. Nothing else can show you the sonic talent of a musician like a live record, and hearing Jonny live does his hype justice. These sentences can sum up pretty solidly his vocal performance throughout the record. He sounds nice, but often fumbles on his words. His back-up vocalist, Tillian Pearson of Tides of Man is just as on spot, and makes a solid pairing with Jonny because of their different vocal styles.

What creates a solid live record on the second half is the entertainment value of what happens in between songs. This is where Jonny falls flat. Anyone who knows Jonny's reputation, his self-loving nature is nothing new. Passion aside, the man is a tool. When he messes up "I Still Feel Her Part III," He gloats about it calling it "sick" and plays it off as though it was purposeful. He also sips champagne in some ironic, "classy" manner inbetween "The Garbage Pail Kid" and "7am," and is generally unentertaining with a lot of brief pauses in between his statements. There was just no substance to the content presented between songs. He did introduce the guys in Tides of Man who were his backing band, which was a nice gesture, though.

Jonny's live performance on record definitely does two fold: speaks wonders about his voice, but also speaks wonders about his personality; or really, the lack therof. For the music, take a listen. But his bullshit in between just isn't worth the record space.

Review Rating: C
For Fans Of: Dudes who drive in reverse
Contact: Myspace

This Hideous Strength - The Great Unimaginer [2010]

2010-11-19T21:42:00.002-05:00

Crushing the mediocre brutality of the bands that oversaturate deathcore and grind, This Hideous Strength weave a progressive instrumentation into a mouthful of heavy, technical riffs and deep growls. The Great Unimaginer does metal justice in just eight tracks.

Choosing not to bend to the will of their peers, The Great Unimaginer presents a plethora of musicality to please any metal fan's palette. "The Sleeper Must Awaken" creeks the record open with slowly building, but equally ominous clean guitar work, which crescendos like a post-rock tune and builds again, but this time into a heavier, screamed section. "Prophets" and "The Return" show the immediate versatility of the record. The former plows through a progressive feeling introduction, a small hint of grind, some steady heaviness, and then a well placed slowing of the tempo. It morphs into a breakdown, but the guitar does go through the motions of a chugga-chugga breakdown, and the bass comes through the mix nicely. The latter blisters open with grindcore antics, but completely about faces into a clean, jazz influenced section. The moment of silence in between is perfectly placed and doesn't disrupt the flow in its contrasting dynamics.

Not only is are their musical chops up to par, the record is an interesting lyrical affair. A bit brash towards theism, "Prophets" screams out "blood spilled in the name of God is blood spilled in the name of nothing." Not to pigeonhole them as some anti-theistic lyricists, there is a philosophical depth presented in songs like "The Architects of Truth" and "Until Perfection." "Architects" asserts the notion of relativity. The statement "we are the architects of truth" brings the idea that we are the ones who create it. The song screams that "death shall have no dominion" and that we are the "keepers of covenants." The concept of creating your own truths is presented in an artistic and abstract manner through its descriptions. "Until Perfection" brings forth the idea of a machine-like existence that is never ending. It screams "Our science is a loving god. Mutilate the flesh. Existence denis death." It seems to assert near the end a death-less existence with "no heartbeat, no breath." Not exactly surface level material, lyrically, which shows their appreciation for the art of poetry and deeper concepts.

Admittedly an acquired taste, This Hideous Strength are still a force to be noticed. With only an EP behind them, this debut full-length shows not only their capabilities, but that they have time and space to grow. It's only up from here.

Review Rating: B
For Fans Of: City of Ifa, Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya
Contact: Myspace

Sidenote:
These guys are the first band to ever find my opinion worth enough to send me a physical copy of their record. It may not have meant much to them or anyone else, but I really respect that. Not only does a record cost money to produce, but they were willing to ship me the physical production of it and I think that was super nice of them to find me worth that much of their time and their money. I don't ever need to get paid for something like this, but I feel like I just did. Thanks, guys. It really does mean a ton to me.

Wowza

2010-11-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Got super slammed with homework this past weekend. Just now recovering from finishing it all up. Expect new posts tomorrow. I love you. Touch my penis. Bye.

Kurt Travis!

2010-11-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

After his very public exit from Dance Gavin Dance (you really should read this interview if you haven't), there was a deafening silence on the music front for the man. He's supposed to be working on a new project with some other ex-members of DGD, but nothing official has been announced. This song just sort of popped out of nowhere yesterday. Definitely has a very lo-fi indie feel to it.

25 new ways to regress by kurttravis

We Were Skeletons - We Were Skeletons [2010]

2010-11-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

Technically inclined and viciously dynamic, We Were Skeletons' self-titled record is yet another reason to rejoice for the reincarnation of screamo. Holding onto the known frantic urgency of this scene, We Were Skeletons skate across the lines of Kidcrash and Pianos Become The Teeth with a youthful poise.

It quickly tears open, and songs like "Pudge Paws" and "It's Like Science" don't even have breathing room in between. Their influences stick out like a sore thumb; this isn't always to their advantage. But a track like "Her Stomach is a Lioness" slows things down for a hot minute, and then "Bruce Willis is Dead the Whole Time" shows off their ability to build up and explode. Over nine tracks they cover all there bases, but not always in the most unique way.

They have their talents and hearts in the right places, but there is still a need to take their music into their own hands as they continue. Giving it their own spice, the follow-up could very well blow the screamo scene out of the water.

Review Rating: B
For Fans Of: Kidcrash, Pianos Become The Teeth, The Fall of Troy
Contact: Myspace

Congratulations, you deserve a tribute record

2010-11-04T19:07:00.001-04:00

Bands that stand the test of time, or at least have heavy influence in their short time around, need some sort recognition. Often their music is universally loved by its respective scene's proponents. And sometimes a band does a cover record where they cover a bunch of bands that they like and those are cool, but I've always been partial to something a little different. These four records are records that give tribute to amazing bands. It's different artists covering the same one -- instead of the other way around. It brings a lot of different people together for the same project, and simultaneously pays homage to those who were worth our time all these years.

1. Carry The Torch: A Tribute To Kid Dynamite

I don't really care who you are, if you like punk rock, you think that Dan Yemin is a God. From Kid Dynamite to Paint It Black to Lifetime, the man knows how to do fast music correctly. He played guitar in KD, but you can hear his influence clearly when listening to their record. Kid Dynamite's legacy reaches pretty deep into recent punk rock history, and this tribute is more than deserved. You've got awesome up and coming bands like The Ergs!, Latin for Truth, Antillectual, and Fallen From The Sky just to name a few.

2. Tribute to Skatecore Builders: Belvedere

A little lesser known, Belvedere are an extremely prolific skate punk band. After the release of their final record in 2004, Fast Forward Eats The Tape, they evolved into This Is A Standoff. Since then, the online skatepunk community has kept their fame riding high and they now released this gem during 2010. It opens with France's Forus doing "The Bottom Line" from Belvedere's first record, Because No One Stopped Us, back in 1998. You've also got Play Attenchon, Main Line 10, and Japan's Waterweed paying respects.

3. A Tribute to Blink-182: Pacific Ridge Records Heroes of Pop-Punk

The line-up on this record is stacked. Four Year Strong, All Time Low, Echo Screen, Park, Sleepaway. And that's just the first volume! It was released in 2006, and the covers are actually pretty solid. Anyone around my age had to have been jammin' out to these guys, or least have since then and know their pop-punk legacy. I still jam to the All Time Low, and Four Year Strong covers from time to time.

4. Germs of Perfection: A Tribute to Bad Religion

If you aren't sure who Bad Religion are at this point, you're either far too young to know who they are, or you have lived under a rock. ...or you hate good music and need to go through intense shock therapy. What makes this cover record worthwhile is how many different types of artists cover Bad Religion. There's the alt. rock Switchfoot, indie rock Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, bluesy William Elliott Whitmore, folksy Frank Turner, and so much more. I am especially fond of seeing Polar Bear Club on this record. This record was also just released last month on 10/01/10.

Caravels - Floorboards [2010]

2010-11-04T01:37:00.003-04:00

Tearing through vicious crescendos and angry shouts all while laying down some technical clean sections for good measure, Caravels make another addition to the growing Ambient Hardcore scene. Floorboards takes cues from its scene neighbors in the likes of La Dispute and Touche Amore, but also strings in a number of cleaner sections and a vocal style reminiscent of Enter Shikari's Rou & Rory.

As "Iceland" opens quietly, it builds quickly into that well-known crescendo you hear in the aforementioned acts. As the vocalist enters the picture, things quickly become chaotic, and anger explodes everywhere. The guitars are sharp and heavy, with a jagged rhythm section backing. The snare is tight and the cymbals are dry with little sustain. Everything pierces perfectly through the mix without one part toppling over the others.

The lyrics are a superb supporting beam of the record. On "Greenland," he shouts "Turn back the hands of time. Anything for a chance to come alive; to return to what once we had called a life. Peel back these hands of mine and I'll make sure I never sleep again." And on "Buddy System," "We're all just a bag of bones. Haven't you heard the news? We're all ghosts of our former selves." These are just two short gems among the deep concepts explored. It's poetic without pretension where they talk about regret, fear, growing up, and so much more. The interlude track, "Sixty Acres" even uses a sample of Charles Bukowski's work in it.

Review Rating: B+
For Fans Of: Pianos Become The Teeth, La Dispute, We Were Skeletons
Contact: Myspace

Trophy Scars - Darkness, Oh Hell [2010]

2010-11-03T16:06:00.000-04:00

Known for their out-of-the-ordinary brand of punk rock, Trophy Scars are once again pushing the buttons of genre-bending with Darkness, Oh Hell. I'm just going to stick with "progressive" to stop from fiddling with all the fucking around they do in different influences. Where they used to just be an angry hardcore band, they refined into intelligent discourse and intricate musicianship. It's a trip of a record, and sure to ruffle the feathers of anyone who can't take the time to be invested in its depth.

There's a huge expansion using strings and horns consistently throughout. This isn't your regular "we're adding some extra instrumentation here" use of horns, either. It's tightly woven into the structure and adds a flair to the entire vibe. As dark and twisted as the entire record comes off, "Sauvez-moi De L'Enfer" gives the perfect, calming entrance. It's a double edged track where you are focused on the calmness of the piano, but can hear the faintness of growls in the background. Most of the record flows from one song to the next with ease, even the jarring entrance of "Nausea" after the introduction track feels right.

It's an evil record. And a weird record. But it's emotive and enthralling. It creates real atmospheres and invites you inside for a drink. Sit back, take a sip, and be sure to be paying attention.

Review Rating: B-
For Fans Of: Touche Amore, La Dispute, Jacobi Wichita
Contact: Myspace

Web nerds, I need your help

2010-11-02T22:49:00.000-04:00

Anyone know how to change that in the blogger xhtml? I definitely want it to be a boner.

Gives me the Lulz

2010-11-02T19:07:00.007-04:00

Whether you like ADTR or not, if you have a funny bone, you will find their video series on their upcoming full length hilarious. If you don't, you have the worst sense of humor ever. Here they all are, starting with their newest one:

Stream City - Hello Gravity (demo) [2010]

2010-11-02T17:54:00.000-04:00

Progressive isn't often a word associated with the punk community's sonic output. Most punk bands follow the same simple formula. This isn't really to their downfall, either -- what that scene does has worked for many, many years and always felt fresh somehow. But, Stream City have something new to offer: a violin. This isn't some Yellowcard pop-punk bullshit, either. It's a violin and a punk rock band. For only being a demo, these Danish boys sure do have their heads on straight.

The album covers all facets of modern punk. "The Magician" has a solid upbeat, head bobbing, jump around feel. "Cap Confusion" is 56 seconds of awesome with a super fast skatepunk approach. Then "My Only Friend" incorporates the head bob, the fast, skatepunk, some palm muted, a violin driven section, and some solid gang shouts. They reach around the entire spectrum to create the fullest punk experience you can get in 13 minutes.

Never fully believing I would actually label something as "Progressive Punk Rock" in my media player, I have. And it is a good day.

Review Rating: B
For Fans Of: Bad Religion, Belvedere, The Bouncing Souls
Contact: Myspace

Make Do and Mend - End Measured Mile [2010]

2010-11-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

As aggressive as a bear mauling a campsite, Make Do and Mend destroy punk rock and hardcore with a keen sense of melody and a vicious passion not seen often enough. There are hooks hidden in every corner, but tough guys won't shy away from James Carroll's throaty vocals. Emotionally transparent isn't a common term for punk rock, but End Measured Mile is nothing but.

Starting with the opener, "Unknowingly Strong," Make Do and Mend are unrelentingly unforgiving shouting, "You can lock yourself away, give up, forget, go back to sleep, or you can realize that there is so much more to life than yesterday." It's this positive, forward thinking attitude that makes the intricacies of their lyrics worthwhile. There's focus on living for a 40-hour work week and the paycheck it gives you ("Oak Square") and never regretting ("Keep This"), just for starters. There's also a perfect guest appearance of La Dispute's Jordan Dreyer on "Ghostal."

Don't let the emotion of the record catch you off guard, though. End Measured Mile is a ferocious record. The guitars are fat and the riffs are heavy. The short stint of "For a Dreamer" is testament to their hardcore roots with a super chunky, palm-muted guitar riff. But then tunes like "Thanks" are more along the lines of anthemic punk with a bob-your-head feel to it. "Firewater" even has some horns and strings on the bridge section. It's dynamic, but within its own realm of reason.

Review Rating: B+
For Fans Of: Touche Amore, Polar Bear Club, La Dispute
Contact: Myspace

Grown Ups - More Songs [2010]

2010-11-01T13:56:00.000-04:00

Blistering through noodling technicality and raw passion, More Songs brings the punk to emo. Somewhere in between complete throwback and refreshing uniqueness, Grown Ups are an odd bastard child of its respective influences. After 2009's Songs, More Songs brings 4 re-recorded songs and 6 brand spankin' new ones.

Most songs thunder through with a fury of double guitars panned to their respective ear buds and pounding drum beats. It's fast and raw. The tones are dry, and sustain is nowhere in sight on the drums and guitars. "Weed Science," "Three Day Weekend," an "Six More Weeks of Winter" all easily fit this shouting mold. It's rough and fast. But then a track like "Orange Cat" comes along a little slower and to not overdo their basic structures and dynamics.

For only nine tracks, the record can feel a little long at times. It leans on the same noodly, angry dynamic at almost all times, which seems a bit draining by the time "Are You Shitten Me?" comes up. It's well-crafted, but lacks that certain magic that takes a record from good to great.

Review Rating: B-
For Fans Of: Algernon Cadwallader, Snowing, Castevet
Contact: Myspace

The bane of music destroys "Teach Me How To Dougie"

2010-10-31T23:36:00.001-04:00

Rap music...

...just got worse

Yes, Brokencyde seriously made a song called "Teach Me How To Scream." Someone needs to be sacrificed.