Cold filtering pop and modern rock to bring you the best of past,present, and defunct bands. Reviewing and promoting the best pop and modern rock CD's with links to song samples and videos.
Send suggestions or comments to dbrude@gmail.com
Dave's Take: I found the armchair cynics on one of my favorite music discovery sites www.alternativeaddiction.com. The song that had me playing it multiple times was "Suprise Ending." A song which bears resemblances to Nickelback, Default, and Seether type sounding songs with a little darker sounding guitars over the addictive prechorus and chorus lines that have lead singer Kenn Coutu doing his best early 2000's alternative growl in the prechorus before hitting the upper register in the chorus ala singers like Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida or Anberlin's Stephen Christian.
And I want you to say (this can get better) And I know myself (I can do better) And I want to say (this can get better) Better than it's been
'Cause it feels like it’s a movie about losing Only this time it's us And we're counting on a surprise ending Only this time it never does........ come It never does............................. come
Unfortuantely most of the rest of the songs on the 7 disc EP didn't have the same attention grabbing sound that "Suprise Ending Did" withBang being the only other song that kept my attention. Still those two songs were a good find for me.
RATING: 5/10 (One great and one good song...a promising start)
BIO:
"What is up with Victoria B.C these days? The birth place of such musical heavyweights as Hot Hot Heat, Nelly Furtado, and Swollen Member has done it again. Armed with a solid repertoire of songs that are undeniably well written and passionately executed, it could be said that Island favorites Armchair Cynics are standing on the precipice of huge success...maybe it is something in the water.
With the new line-up just over a year old, Armchair Cynics has already received some high honors for their accomplishments including winning BandFEST Vancouver Island (2002) as well as picking up multiple M Power awards (Best Artist, Best Male Songwriter, and Best Producer/Engineer ) for their debut album "Coffee Shop Confessions".
Sometimes the secret to success is as simple as the right combination of personalities and talents to create a band with distinct identity, a characteristic sadly lacking in popular music today. With the Armchair Cynics, all the elements are securely in place, creating the perfect conditions for originality, and even f*%@ genius.
Front man and founding member Kenn Coutu possesses a songwriting style encompassing all the emotional lyricism of Sunny Day Real-Estate and Incubus, with a vocal delivery reminiscent of Adam Duritz. The perfect compliment to Kenn's intelligent and passionate song-writing abilities is the thoughtful guitar stylings of Adam Sutherland, whose moody guitar licks and sound phrasing fill the space within each song. Engaging the listener even further is bass player Mitsubishi, whos technique is a welcome departure from the boring, hidden bass lines of the past.Combine those elements with the charizmatic , heavy hitting beat of drummer Ryan Rae , and you have a bomb thats ready to explode.
Since signing a recording agreement with the Vancouver based record label 604 in early 2004, the Armchair Cynics are perfectly poised to start conquering the world!
The band's loyal fanbase in Victoria is going to have to get used to the idea of sharing, as this is just the start for these extraordinary musicians..."
MUSIC SAMPLES/VIDEOS:
CLICK ON STANDALONE PLAYER TO PLAY
BANG VIDEO
BAND MEMBERS:
Kenn Coutu: Vocals,Guitar Adam Sutherland: Guitar, Vocals, Synth Aran Puritch: Bass Ryan Rae: Drums
Dave's take: I found a cool new band today on Alternative Addiction called Faber drive. They only have one full song, "Second Chance" from their upcoming album Seven Second Surgery that you can listen to right now and two 30 second snippets of other songs. Second chance is indeed the radio single and for good reason. Lyrically Second Chance sounds like an 80's ballad infused with the latest All American Rejects emo guitars while still giving a nod to the typical 80's ballad sound. It's a song that's kind of a guilty pleasure that you might not want to admit to your friends that you like to listen to it. The other two songs on their myspace page "24 Story" and "Sex and Love" are more unique sounding and up-tempo.
When Faber Drive decided to submit a song to Vancouver radio station 99.3 The Fox's battle of the bands last year, their goal wasn't to win the contest. They weren't even sure they were good enough to enter. In fact, when frontman Faber brought his band's CD to the station on the deadline day for submissions, he came close to giving up and going back home.
"I actually got back in my car and pulled away," he says. "Then I decided to go back, so I turned the car around and I got up in the office just before it closed and handed in the disc." It was the best move of the band's career. The station chose the song, "Sex and Love," as one of the 20 best submissions out of more than 500, then played the song on the radio in a head to head contest against the other qualifiers. Soon, Faber Drive (then called simply Faber) were in the top 10, and, after live competitions at local clubs, they won 1st place and were voted the best band in Vancouver.
It's easy to see why. "Sex and Love" is the kind of song that's equally enthralling whether blasting from car speakers, an iPod, a home stereo or a concert PA. A sinuous blend of bobbing basslines, passionate singing and "ba-ba-baaa" background vocals, the cut is pretty representative of the rest of Faber Drive's debut album "SEVEN SECOND SURGERY" (Universal Republic Records).
The first single "Second Chance" builds from a mid-paced tug-and-release verse into an exultant refrain that encapsulates the regret and frustration of backing out of a relationship prematurely: "Instead of holding you, I was holding out/ I should have let you in, but I let you down." And "Tongue Tied (Little Good Luck)" is a dynamic rock ballad about trying in vain to say the right thing at the right time. As "tongue-tied" as Faber is in the song, his yearning anxiety is matched with romantic optimism."We like to put hope into people," says drummer Red Bull. "We don't want to be one of those bands that has no message."
One of the most poignant messages on "SEVEN SECOND SURGERY" comes in "Sleepless (Never Let Her Go)." Initially, the track started as a self-loathing confession to a loved one, but Faber felt the message wasn't powerful enough, so he and the band rewrote the song about the horrors of domestic abuse. "It's from the child's point of view," says Faber. "It means a lot to us because it's a real issue. My parents used to fight a lot when I was growing up. They were never abusive, but it was hard, so I can imagine how painful it must be for kids from abusive families."
Before forming Faber in 2004, Faber taught guitar and drum lessons in Mission, British Columbia and wrote and recorded on the side. His first drum student was Red Bull, who took instruction for three years until he and Faber decided to form a band. "I remember when I first started telling people, my own brother said, 'Dude, you're crazy. He sucks,'" remembers Faber with a smirk. "And I said, 'I know but soon that’ll change. Just watch. He's really consistent and a hard worker.' And now, Red's by far one of the best drummers in Vancouver."
Around the same time as Faber started jamming with Red, the singer hooked up with Hinder producers Brian Howes and Joey Moi, who were blown away by Faber's acoustic demos. So, Howes asked if he could co-write with Faber and Moi offered to start preproduction. Then, Faber filled in the gaps in the band's lineup. Faber's brother recommended guitarist David Hinsley, whose aggressive playing style gives the band's tunes extra intensity. But at first, Faber wasn't impressed by Hinsley's performance.
"We jammed for maybe 10 minutes, and I said, 'Okay, I don't think you're really what I'm looking for,'" recalls Faber. "I walked out, and my brother called me and said, 'Dude, what are you doing, man? You gotta try him one more time.' So, I went over to Hinsley's house a couple nights later, and we jammed from seven ‘til two in the morning, and it was amazing, we totally hit it off."
Bassist Jeremy "Krikit" Liddle was last to join. Faber and Red saw Liddle performing onstage at an Easter Sunday church service and were impressed by his range and tone. So, Faber went up to him after the service and gave the bassist his phone number. "He didn't realize I was trying to get him to play bass for us," Faber says. "He thought I was trying to get him to come back to church more often. He was gonna stop going because he had started drinking and didn't feel it was right to be playing bass in church when he was partying at night. When he realized I wasn't from the church, he was stoked."
The band jammed with Liddle three days before the band's first gig. The bassist learned all of the songs quickly and pulled them off without hesitation. It was an auspicious beginning. Since then, Faber Drive toured Canada with MxPx, Hedley, Hurst and opened for Nickelback in Victoria before an audience of 10,000. "It was pretty amazing to play in a place that big and hear the crowd screaming your lyrics back at you," Faber said.
Faber Drive wrote "SEVEN SECOND SURGERY" over the past three years. Some tracks were penned in the back of a refurbished '70s school bus they took on tour with Hedley, others were crafted with Howes at Moi's studio. They recorded their first track with Moi, "Cement Head," in 2004 and over the next three years, returned numerous times to track the rest of the album. After winning the Fox Seeds competition, they changed their name to Faber Drive to avoid potential legal issues. One of the names they considered before electing Faber Drive was Seven Second Surgery, but they decided it made a better album title than band name.
"A seven second surgery is a quick fix," Faber explains. "A lot of bands come and go so fast, so this is a sarcastic way of saying that if you think that's what we are, fine, but we're gonna be around for a while."
With irresistible melodies, churning rhythms and thought provoking lyrics, songs like "Second Chance," "Sleepless (Never Let Her Go," and "You'll Make It" (about the world's struggle for self-improvement) invite comparisons to some of Faber Drive's favorite bands - U2, The Police, Def Leppard. But while some of the musical elements are familiar, "SEVEN SECOND SURGERY" is refreshing, expressive and life-affirming.
"Our music is everything to us," Faber says, “and through it we really want to make a difference and promote hope and say that we understand that life can be hard and unfair, but you can make it better if you so choose.”
Dave's Take:Today's band Diffuser is a lost modern rock treasure from early 2001. These New York natives released a second album after which got a little bit more corporate attention than this album but that album also got lost in the punk-pop shuffle even though their sound was clearly different from the Sum 41 and Blink182's of the world, at least on this first album. They have indie rock stylings with real rock sensibilities with the ability to create an addicting pop tune. The production is great as well, as the masterful Don gilmore (Linkin park, Eve 6, Lit, etc) worked his magic on this album. The true magic in this album was the overlapping of melody with discordance. Unfortunately this band decided to call it quits after their second album. Another review from the web sums up this album perfectly
" Browsing through your dictionary of innovative rock bands you can find Diffuser somewhere between pop culture and dissonance. Their major label debut Injury Loves Melody is a trademark of the band's ability to write honest, angular pieces of pure imaginative music while upholding strong conviction in their delivery. This album will take you on an emotional roller coaster through confusion, angst, and heartbreak."
"I am" and "Tidal" start the album off and set the trademark sound for the album: Very intriguing quick paces lyrics such as these from Tidal:
"Drink me like a dixie cup And throw me out with all the used love You think you might finally had enough I don't think you're ordinary Hopefully not temporary Quicksand is the water i am treading Here come the shakes Nothing is faded Another tidal wave of love has crashed on me" are backed by a combination of of one dissonant rhythm guitar accompanied and one melodic solo guitar always blending together perfectly. The third track on the album was the first and only single "Karma" a perfect modern rock by the numbers song where the lead singer says
"Sometimes you get you what you want sometimes you get need but you always get what you deserve"
"Tell her This" is one of two ballad type songs on the album with its slow verses and interesting lyrics
"Tell her this I don't dare to twist I ran through a confident fist Tell her that The gypsy was real December is what makes the toe cramps and stomachaches Hard to heal And it don't mean a thing If you can't try to be But you're always expecting from me Tell her this I'll never be rich And Christmas was always a bitch" "Losers of the Year" takes a a few listens to truly appreciate its trueindie sounding goodness with its slow whispering choruses
"Made some bad mistakes Those are the breaks I got a patriot high With some symbolic quakes Can't see the sun spots, through the domestic haze Can't hide the makeup, cause you never can see, never can breathe"
which then bursts into a full angst ridden shout: "Want out We all want out" over surprisingly good sounding discordant guitars :
"Leaving with a California Tilt" which is about a girl leaving for California as the obvious title suggests has one of the cooler choruses on the album in terms of pure guitar work which works with the rather simple lyrics.
If I could pick one song on the album that represents how great Diffuser is both from a lyrical and musical perspective it would be "The way That I feel." Check out these cool lyrics:
Raising stakes in the race, selling out so you don't get sold Something for nothing hasn't been left for me Tear away everything and I'm wearing memories Take a chance on a chance, try leapfrog with a unicorn Figure out when to shout when you sit on a corporate thorn I bet you sleep tight every night wondering If the one you've become is what you hated The more i gave, the more you take Why can't you stay?
Chorus What should I do (my time is wasted) Now that we're through (my time is wasted) One thing is true the way that I feel for youuuuuuu
Yea! have a drink on the fink 'till we kill off the disco fad Fuzzy dice mixed with ice, give it up for the other man I'm getting cold shakes from the state that I'm in Your getting colder, I'm getting older Stop the landslide The more i gave, the more you take"
The album rounds out with "Last Time I saw Memphis" "35" and "I Don't have the Nerve" definitely have that indie rock feel to them.
Diffuser came out with a second album called "Making the Grade" which had much more of a pop-rock sound to it but did not come close to matching this amazing debut.
MY RATING: 8/10 (Some songs are skippable but most grow on you the more you listen)
SOUNDS LIKE: SUGARCULT, MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK, ANBERLIN, BLINK 182, THURSDAY
Dave's Take: Smile Empty Soul which hails from Santa Clarita, California released their second official album Vultures, a few months ago. You can consider it their third album if you count Anxiety, an amazing effort which I think is their best album that featured one of their best songs "Holes", but was never officially released to the public due to issues with their label Lava. You can find it online, either for download or on EBAY, however, if you look hard enough. Though this album has some tracks I don't think it stacks up with their previous two efforts. In typical Smile Empty soul fashion their is a lot of anger, angst, and hopelessness present in the music and lyrics. The difference is that with Smile Empty Soul you are left with the feeling that they really believe what they are singing about and not just writing about it to sell a record. While most of the standout tracks are slower in tempo, "The Hit" is more of an up-tempo number which takes lyrical jabs at the music industry and landlords:
"Hey record company do you need a hit cause I need a hit too to keep me from hitting you just being in the same room with you makes me want to get high"
It sounds a bit poppy by their standards but it is definitely one of the songs on the album that gets stuck in your head easily and having it as the lead single makes a lot of sense. "Loser" is a typical self-deprecating angst ridden Smile Empty Soul type song that many people can identify with at one time or another.
"Give me something good and I'll fuck it up All my life I've tried but never had much luck To be happy but I guess it's just not meant to be I'm gonna die a loser"
"The Freaks are Coming" is possibly the best track on the album with its haunting verse structure and soft guitar picking that explodes into the crunchy chorus. In this song SES attacks parents sheltering their children too much:
"Never questioned anything about the way that you were raised Keep your life so plain, everything the same Every Sunday take your kids to church just like your folks did Don't let them complain and never go insane You're scared of the changing world round you But you know what to do [chorus] So lock your doors and shut the blinds Cause you know that the freaks are coming"
A few tracks later we get the dark but melodic "Here's to Another" that vies for the best track on the album. This song is one of their strongest lyrically as it deals with alcohol addiction.My two other favorite tracks are "Disease" and "Vultures" which musically are quite different but both deal with being fed up with world in different ways. "Disease" starts of with a very interesting rapid guitar strumming that runs into the beautiful angst ridden vocals in the chorus:
"As I hold you I'm drowning too I'll hide my tears To help you through But inside I'm screaming for some healing Never felt so empty And I'm telling you It's slowly killing me Bleeding for some meaning I need to know there's something more to living than this horrible disease"
The CD closes with the title track "Vultures" an acoustic song which happens to be my favorite on the album. The guitar strumming is simple but lovely and goes perfectly with simple but powerful lyrics. You can hear the pain in Sean Danielsen's singing on this track as he cries
"That's why I hate the smiles and I hate the flies That buzz around the bullshit I can't wait to die so all the mouths Of the vultures can be fed"
While this CD contains some of the more powerful Smile Empty Soul songs to date I still think it's their weakest effort to date. It's too bad their real second album got shelved as it puts this one too shame. Nonetheless this is another solid effort from Smile Empty Soul and is worth picking up are at least buying the better tracks.
OVERALL RATING: 7/10 (Too many mediocre tracks to give it a high rating)
SOUNDS LIKE: Saliva, Linkin Park, Three Days Grace, Alice in Chains
BAND BIO: Smile Empty Soul returns stronger & smarter than ever and ready to take their rightful place as alt rocks kingpins. Equal parts hardcore, punk, metal and melodic rock, this Southern California band doesn't shy away from any topic or pull any punches. Boldly going forth lyrically where even Captain Kirk himself would fear to tread, Sean Danielsen's lyrics deal with every hot-button issue you can think of - politics, drugs, the corporate poisoning of the music industry and so much more.
The band's new CD. VULTURES, shows Smile Empty Soul at their brightest and best. Young men in control of their own destiny, making the record that "represents (them) 100%. We did this one OUR WAY," says Danielsen.
After reaching the heights of the music biz with their #1 smash single, "Bottom Of A Bottle," in 2004 the band went on to play over 250 shows packing venues from coast to coast with everyone from Janes Addiction to Puddle Of Mudd to The Deftones. Gold record firmly in one hand and the might of their true conviction in the other, the band's unreleased music prior to VULTURES went about ruffling some fairly important feathers at some of our country's most influential religious and corporate organizations. The lyrical content of what was to be their first single (called "Holes") caused a 30,000 piece avalanche of protest-mail that scared their label and ultimately gave Smile Empty Soul their freedom back. It was a glorious emancipation, with fire and artistic credibility fully intact.
Smile Empty Soul is now Danielsen and bassist Ryan Martin along with two new members - guitarist Mike Booth formerly of the band COLD and drummer Jake Kilmer of the band THE FLIPPER BABIES. The band is stronger than ever, and ready to reclaim the chances that should have been afforded them after their first release.Their subsequent partnership with one of the fastest growing independent labels in the industry, Bieler Bros. Records - home to Skindred, Nonpoint and others - allowed the band to create freely, with the knowledge that their record company was behind them 100%. The resulting album, VULTURES, hit stores on October 24th. The album's first single, "The Hit" manages to be both a vitriolic stomp over the corpse of their former record company experiences, as well as an anthem for rebellion against the norm, bosses, nagging partners, and screaming landlords of our day-to-day existence. It gives a voice to everyone's frustrations.
On 10/18 the band embarked upon an extended bout of roadwork behind VULTURES. Don't expect the shows to be carbon copies of the album; more than ever SMILE EMPTY SOUL is bringing their ultra- frenetic approach to their live performances.
BEST SONGS: THE HIT, LOSER, THE FREAKS ARE COMING, HERE'S TO ANOTHER, DISEASE, VULTURES
Dave's Take: To be honest I have only heard snippets of a number of the songs on Honeycut's "The Day I turned to glass" but I saw them live at popscene-sf up in San Francisco in between 3rd and 4th street at a show that Sugarcult was headlining. Another review I was reading describes their sound perfectly: a combination of Gnarls Barkley and the Gorillaz. The track that really caught my attention live was Shadows. It has a very intersting bass guitar line with sort of an 80's synth feel to it as well. But by and large this band plays pretty cool jazzy and soul type music. You can find their album on Amazon or Itunes.
RATING: 8/10 (Not my favorite genre of music but they are very talented)
SOUNDS LIKE: Gnarls Barkly, Gorrillaz
QUOTES ABOUT BAND: "Honeycut will drop its debut on DJ Shadow's Quannum Projects label at the end of September: an excellent endorsement for a new group.The CD, The Day I Turned To Glass, is credibly eclectic without coming off disjointed as the band flirts with quirky hip-hop loops and balances on the edge of rock and soul." - SF Weekly "Only occasionally do you find a group or album that manages to incorporate diverse influences into a unique sound and still remain absolutely accessible, be it to the casual radio listener or the diehard record collector... the band weaves its way through soul, funk, rock, bossa nova, and electronica without ever stopping firmly on one, instead creating something that's very much their own.... giving Honeycut an almost unclassifiable vibe about them that makes them entertaining and danceable while retaining their musical integrity." - ALLMUSIC.COM
In a 40-minute set Honeycut appealed to every aspect of an unsuspecting crowd. Mixing Davenport's glam like performance and a vocal range that was equal parts slick and resonating, Salters beat out funky high-energy sounds on three keyboards. Sevener's live drum programming made the performance of the locally popular single "Shadows" feverish, audience members dancing in their seats as easily as they would in any club." - The Owl Magazine, (live review Apple Store SF performance) BEST TRACKS: Shadows, The DAy I Turned to Glass, Tough Kid, Butter Room
Dave's Take: I can't quite remember the series of events that led me to find the Sick Puppies on myspace but I'm glad I did. Their song "All the Same" was used in a touching video that displays all that is right with the human spirit.(See the video and story below). There have been over 7,000,000 views of the video! The song itself is a slow acoustic number for the most part that bursts into the emotive electric guitar driven chorus:
"I don't mind... I don't care... As long as you're here Go ahead tell me you'll leave again You'll just come back running Holding your scarred heart in hand It's all the same And I'll take you for who you are If you take me for everything Do it all over again It's always the same"
It's just a song that maks you glad to be alive. Two of the other standout tracks from their five song EP are "My World" and "Asshole Father" which deal with lonliness in two different ways. "My World" draws the listener in both lyrically with its "heart on your sleeve" lyrics,
"Welcome to my world where everyone I ever need always ends up leaving me alone another lesson burned and I'm drowing in the ashes kicking... screaming"
and its crunchy guitars. "Asshole father" like "All the Same" starts off with beautiful acoustic guitar plucking with the Shimon Moore melancholy singing:
"I waited for you yesterday I waited and missed the last train I waited to say that I’d fallen in love with your way I waited for you yesterday Eventually walked home in the rain I waited to see if you felt the same for me"
Then his anger and the quick staccatto electric guitars come alive in the chorus:
"But you don’t, and you won’t go against your asshole father Going broke, quitting dope for your folks why did I even bother? Why did I?"
"Deliverance" is more of a straight ahead radio friendly rocker but it still has a great sound to it. All in all the Sick Puppies leave you panting for more with their captivating lyrics, soaring heartfelt vocals and nice balance between acoustic plucking and a more straight ahead rock sound. Oh, and as an added bonus for the guys out there they have a cute female guitar player.
Sick Puppies are a guitar fuelled rock three piece band who now stand on the threshold of achieving their singular goal: the global release of the album they were born to make. The band carries an awesome presence on stage with a staggering sound fronted by the fretwork and awesome vocals of guitarist and singer Shimon Moore. Conspiring in the sonic stew that is the Sick Puppies is bassist Emma Anzai who has been justifiably dubbed “the female Flea”. Uniting the band in rock bliss is the airtight pummeling of drummer Mark Goodwin who is truly one of the hardest hitters around.
The band was born when the two greatest outcasts of Mosman High School met each other in the only safe haven either of them knew…the music room. Shimon Moore and Emma Anzai began jamming on Green Day and Rage Against The Machine songs until the urge to make their own sound took over and they began penning the loudest and most powerful songs that they could play. Just months later, the Puppies beat out 3000 other bands in a demo competition run by the only national radio network in the country. As a direct and rapid result the Puppies were thrust into the limelight, and with their first recording experience behind them.
The bands first year culminated in them being crowned the ‘Best Live Act’ at the Australian Live Music Awards. Since that time the achievements and highlights have flowed thick and fast, including tours with Good Charlotte and legendary bands Deep Purple and Midnight Oil during which many new audience members became converts and joined the ever expanding Sick Puppies fan base.
Amid the fanfare of all the Puppies achievements remained a burning desire to take their music to the next level. To that end a pact was made to take the band to the ends of the earth and back, beginning with the writing and recording of the songs that they knew would resonate with a worldwide audience. The band is currently in the United States making their record in Los Angeles, and the results speak for themselves. With a release pending later in the year, the Sick Puppies true arrival is imminent. Stay tuned…
BEST SONGS: All the Same, Asshole Father, My World
SONG SAMPLES/VIDEOS:
CLICK ON STANDALONE PLAYER BUTTON TO PLAY
ALL THE SAME STORY:
Sometimes, a hug is all what we need. Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whos sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.
In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.
As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring.
In the Spirit of the free hugs campaign, PASS THIS TO A FRIEND and HUG A STRANGER! After all, If you can reach just one person...
"I drink for the horror that I'm in for the good guys and the bad guys for the monsters in our bed Three cheers for tyranny unapolagetic apathy cause there ain't no way that I'm coming back again and through it all how could you cry for me......... cause I don't feel bad about it so shut your eyes kiss me goodbye and sleeeeeeee eee eee eep"
Never has a band made talking about death sound so good, as the above lyrics from "Sleep" do on My Chemical Romance's new album: Welcome to the Black Parade. If you're a modern rock fan then you're probably familiar with some their previous hits off their last album, "Helana" and "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)". That same sound is definitely present on this album. Like Green day, they have gone with the Rock-opera type album focusing on a central theme and borrow heavily in the sound department from arena rock bands of old. Not suprisingly, Rob Cavello who also helped produce Green Day's: American Idiot, also co-produced this album. The Queen references are so obvious that they don't need mentioning unless you've never heard of Queen before. My Chemical Romance does at least put their own modern rock twist on the sound.
Nowhere are the Quuen comparisons more obvious than on the intro song "The End" which clones Queen right down to the song structure: A slow piano intro with sing-songy lyrcis followed by an over the top bombastic chorus that sounds all too familiar to "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Now just because My Chemical Romance borrows sounds of old does not mean this is a bad album. Far from it. Like Cobra in G.I Joe pulling DNA from all of the greatest evil leaders of all time to create Serpentor, My Chemical Romance seems to extract the best of old 80's and 70's rock sounds and modernize it.
As the front cover suggests with its gothic skeleton, lyrically almost of the songs deal directly about death or dying. But the album does anything but make you depressed due to the way the songs are played.
In fact, the super catchy lead single "Welcome to the Black Parade", starts off slow and explodes into rapid pace yummy rock goodness, has some of the most upbeat lyrics:
"When you're gone we want you all to know We'll Carry on, We'll Carry on Though your dead and gone believe me Your memory will carry on Carry on We'll carry on And in my heart I cant contain it The anthem wont explain it"
After that track the album treads more on the ballad side of the road with superb tracks like "I don't Love You", "Cancer" and "Sleep", whose lyrics opened up this blog and my personal favorite track on the alubm due to the guitar work. Then there are the rockabilly sounding tracks "House of Wolves" and "Mama" that have Cherry Poppin Daddies bass type rhythms. "Teenagers" is hard to describe other than I'm sure I've heard the sound used somewhere before but just can't place it.
The album rounds out with another ballady type song "Disenchanted" with the following lyrics:
"If I'm so wrong How can you listen all night long Now will it matter after I'm gone Because you never learn a goddamned thing
It's just a sad song, with nothing to say About a life-long wait for a hospital stay And if you think that I'm wrong This never meant nothing tooooooooo you"
THe album rounds out with "Famous Last Words" perhaps the most straight-up rock sounding song on the album and some of the more positive lyrics on the album: "I am not afraid to keep on living I am not afraid to walk this world alone Honey, if you stay, I'll be forgiven Nothing you can say can stop me going home"
But it still ends with a bombastic chorus. So Welcome to the Black Parade definitely borrows from other bands sounds, almost unabashedly so but it works due to the great execution and consistent musical performance on each song. The lyrics are quite admittedly over-the top overkill but
OVERALL RATING: 8/10 (Heavily borrowed sounds but played extremely well)
SOUNDS LIKE: Queen( How many times do I have to repeat this), 80's rock,
BEST SONGS: Welcome to the Black Parade, I Don't Love You, Sleep, Mama, This How I Dissapear, House of Wolves, Famous Last Words
Dave's Take: Due to time constraints I have not updated this blog in about a week, but expect some awesome bands this coming week and today. The manner through which I learned about Last Winter is a bit embarrassing. There were a couple songs I heard on MTV'sLaguna Beach (yes I am probably dumber for watching that show) that I wanted to find out more about. Interestingly two of the former Blink182 boy and current Plus 44! members, Mark and Travis, are responsible for a lot of the music choices on Laguna Beach which explains why a lot of the bands they choose to use are from the modern rock genre. Well one of the bands I discovered was a band by the name of Last Winter, a relatively undiscovered, absolute gem of a band. Their music could be described loosely as "space-rock"; highly melodic atmospheric emotional sounding music. The CDTransmission Skyline starts off with a highly delayed, echoed guitar riff on the song "Girl Next Door" that instantly describes the sonic texture at work throughout the entire album even though that specific song is only available on the Japanese import. This song like a number of the songs focuses on love not realized:
"Just say you love me, just say you love me. I'll always be here waiting. You were always so much more than the girl next door. Just sew your arms around me know"
The lyrics are rather simplistic but they emotion and skill with which they are sung makes for up it. Just two songs later we get crunchier guitars on one of the signature tracks both lyrically and musically "Starlight Drive"
"Ignorant and dreaming on Starlight Drive. Ignorance is bliss now so let it go"
The next track is the beautiful "chasing light" with quick staccato guitar chords. What really makes this track is the vocal range displayed in the chorus "now I've given up. Wouldn't you. We gave it time but you took over. You'd say we wasted our time I gave you mine you left me nothing" "Summer in Illinois" is one of the weaker tracks but it gives way to "Vela to Norma" which is one of the harder rock songs on the album. The lyrics match the sonic mood of the album on this song as the lead singer Cameron sings:
"cascades burn as they light the way to open hearts. celestial eyes unfold. map the stars from left to right, miracle my eyes stay closed and i wait for so long a brilliant fading spinning off into the amber sky a gentle sting above horizons"
"Don't Forget to Write" is an acoustic song that I think anyone would like even if they didn't like the musical stylings used in the other songs. This is the song that I heard on Laguna beach and it fit in perfectly for the scene they used with the bittersweet vocals and lyrics:
"Im barely alive. Though miles may come between us. You're always and forever on my mind. When you go dont forget to write. You're the best that ever happened, I never would imagine you would change my life"
The balladish "December" once again uses imagery of the sky in the lyrics:
"The sky fell between my Young and careless eyes Braiding myself in The red December sky I remember Last December Memories never change "
Maybe Tomorrow, For all Times, and Autograph round out this amazing CD. Their sound isn't completely original but then again who is nowadays? I can't remember hearing a CD with such a prominent atmospheric space like quality to it that was done so well. What matters most is that the sound is amazing and present on every single song on the album.
SOUNDS LIKE: Mae, Story of the Year, Switchfoot, Forty Percent, Pulse Ultra
CD Rating: 9/10 ( About as perfect as you can get for a first CD)
BEST SONGS: Girl Next Door, Chasing Daylight, Starlight Drive, Vela to Norma, Don't Forget to Write, December, For All times
Dave's take: I'm really on a Christian music kick as of late as today we take at a look at another very new band from that genre: NEVERTHELESS. It's suprising that their label is Flickr records instead of Tooth and Nail, home to many Christian rock themed bands. The first track of their first album, Live Like We Are Alive, "The Real" is a song of despair yet also one of hope as Lead singer Josh Person proclaims:
"So it is sometimes That I feel this life Is far beyond repair But I know that You are there tonight (Tonight I won’t give up) Keep on breathing Don’t you let this take you down Don’t stop believing" The song itself starts off with instantly memorable upbeat quick paced guitar transitions. This leads way to very subtle mellow verses and back into a similar guitar laden chorus. However the problem is that the CD starts off with the best track and seems to go steadily downhill form there. Thematically though it represents this album to a tee. Most of the songs are about God helping one get through life despite hurt and heartache. Another standout track following this theme is "Live We're Alive"
"So here I stand. I’m ready for anything. Just a man, but I’m giving everything. We’re here only for a second and then we’re gone when we least expect it. So do more than surviveLet’s live like we’re alive!"
All in all a decent effort from a band following a familiar formula. It's too bad the second half of the album fell a little bit flat for me.
OVERALL RATING: 5/10 (An album good for buying the single tracks)
SOUNDS LIKE: Mae, Further Seems Forever, Needtobreathe, Sanctus Real
Dave's Take: I found the armchair cynics on one of my favorite music discovery sites www.alternativeaddiction.com. The song that had me playing it multiple times was "Suprise Ending." A song which bears resemblances to Nickelback, Default, and Seether type sounding songs with a little darker sounding guitars over the addictive prechorus and chorus lines that have lead singer Kenn Coutu doing his best early 2000's alternative growl in the prechorus before hitting the upper register in the chorus ala singers like Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida or Anberlin's Stephen Christian.
