The Meltdown 58

The Top 30 Of 2011

The Top 30 Of 2011

It's that time of year again. After rocking a Top 25 last year I figured that was as high as this countdown would get but at the end of this year I ended up with 34 records that got 5 stars and so we have a Top 30 this year.

As always this Top 30 is completely biased and is really my favorite albums of the year, chosen on enjoyment, number of spins, and whatever other schemes I come up with to decide what album is better then another. So here we go!

30. The Hawk in Paris – His + Hers EP

The electronic side project of Dan Haseltine is full of catchy pop songs that didn't take long to find a place in my rotation. Put Your Arms Around Me is one of my favorite songs of the entire year.



29. Matthew Mayfield – Now You’re Free

Now You're Free was one of those records I downloaded on a whim from Noistrade and I'm glad I did. Matthew Mayfield delivers a record of solid, super soulful songs that are easy to fall in love with.



28. Ironwill – Unturned

Blood and Ink put out some amazing records this year! Ironwill's Unturned was my favorite release of the label's. Reminds me of the mid-late 90's Florida hardcore scene.



27. Dynasty – Truer Living With a Youthful Vengeance

Speaking of old school hardcore, Dynasty's Truer Living With a Youthful Vengeance is everything that is fun and good about hardcore!



26. A Plea For Purging – The Life and Death of A Plea For Purging

I've had some public beef with A Plea For Purging in the past and while the guys are amazing people, their music never stuck with me. The Life and Death changed all that. Best record of the guys career. Heavy, brutal, raw.



25. Believer – Transhuman

One of Christian metal's Big 4 turns their sound on it's head with Transhuman. Great prog metal record. And someone taught Kurt Bachman how to sing!



24. Sainthood Reps – Monoculture

Sainthood Reps is Tooth and Nail's best signing in years. If Nirvana had been from DC and then spent a couple years in New Jersey they might have sounded like Sainthood Reps.



23. Mat Kearney – Young Love

I've never really dug Mat Kearney. He had some nice songs but I wasn't a big fan. Young Love breaks free from a traditional singer/songwriter approach and plays with hip-hop beats. In changing up his sound a little but Kearney created a record of super catchy tracks that I love.



22. Sleeping Giant – Kingdom Days In An Evil Age

Sleeping Giant is one of the best current hardcore bands but I somehow always sleep on their albums. Well not this time around. Kingdom Days In An Evil Age is another great record from Sleeping Giant.



21. Deas Vail – Deas Vail

Deas Vail picked up where they left off with Birds and Cages and delivered a more mature record their self-titled album.



20. Hope For the Dying – Dissimulation

Hope For The Dying's Dissimulation is a crushing metal record that destroys whatever else passes for metal these. It's guitar solo heaven.



19. Maylene and The Sons of Disaster – IV

Maylene and The Sons of Disaster really threw their fans with a loop with IV. Leaving behind their heavy hitting southern metal with a slower, grungier sound that I absolutely love.



18. Hundredth – Let Go

To be honest the only reason I downloaded Let Go was because the video for the albums first single was inspired by the movie the Sandlot, which is awesome. The album is perfect for fans of hardcore/punk who like to sing-a-long.



17. Falling Up – Your Sparkling Death Cometh

So apparently ignoring Falling Up after their rapcore inspired debut album was a bad idea. The band has matured into a great ambient rock band. Your Sparkling Death Cometh came out of nowhere and was one of the great surprise records of the year.



16. Thrice – Major/Minor

Major/Minor was one of my most anticipated albums of the year. Thrice delivered. While I didn't enjoy Major/Minor as much as Beggars, it's still a killer record.



15. The Famine – The Architects of Guilt

Great lyrics, killer music, death metal at it's finest. It's sad that the Famine couldn't make it through 2011.



14. Close Your Eyes – Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts

Great band. Great record. That is all.



13. A Hope For Home – In Abstraction

Taking the epicness that was Realis and adding a post rock element, A Hope For Home continues to release great music.



12. Overcome – The Great Campaign Of Sabotage

Everything about The Great Campaign of Sabotage makes my heart happy. Overcome reunites and sounds exactly like they did in 97. I love it!

Overcome - Seeker Sensitive from Justin Koleszar on Vimeo.

11. Times Of Grace – The Hymn Of A Broken Man

Times of Grace is a tiny picture of what Killswitch Engage could've been. AT times Hymns of a Broken Man plays like KSE lite but there's more depth lyrically and the music is far less standard metalcore then KSE.



10. New Found Glory – Radiosurgery

Pop punk is not dead!



9. Blindside – With Shivering Hearts We Wait

Blindside returned in 2011 with a killer record! With Shivering Hearts We Wait is perfect. Couldn't have asked for a better album.



8. Oh, Sleeper – Children Of Fire

Children of Fire might be the most evil Christian record ever released. Dark lyrics, great music.



7. Lights – Siberia

In 2011 I built a subtle love for more radio friendly pop music. Lights isn't an artist you'll hear alongside the likes of Kesha or Katy Perry and musically Lights is more electronic focused but Siberia is a stellar pop record.



6. Eisley - The Valley

The Valley packs a lyrical punch, which is the biggest and most noticeable improvement for Eisley.



5. Moving Mountains – Waves

Thrice meets The Appleseed Cast? Kind of. Waves blew me away the first time I listened to it. Amazing record!



4. Kye Kye – Young Love

Young Love was out for almost all of 2011 and I only heard it a few weeks ago. Beautiful record that I'm upset I missed out on most of the year. Better late than never.



3. The Make – This Box

This Box is 5 songs of some of the best pop rock I've heard in years. Catchy melodies, great guitar lines, just all around solid music. If Aaron Rodgers likes the band, shouldn't you?



2. Emery – We Do What We Want

Emery usually delivers quality tunes but the move to Solid State seemed weird at the time and having lived with the record for months now is still a little perplexing. Either way, We Do What We Want is a stellar record that is both the heaviest album of Emery's career without losing any of the great melodic qualities that makes them such a great band.



1. Hands – Give Me Rest

Give Me Rest is perfect. Lyrically challenging, musically moving and interesting. Everything about Give Me Rest is awesome. As soon as it hit my stereo it was my favorite album of the year and nothing was unable to change that.

Saving Grace - The King Is Coming

Saving Grace impressed me with their Strike First Records debut Unbreakable. Just a solid heavy record and I loved it. I even said Saving Grace was a bright spot in a weak Christian hardcore scene. Now 2010 proved to be a great year for Christian heavy music but Unbreakable was the first one of the year.

The King Is Coming picks right up where Unbreakable left off. The King is Coming might actually be heavier. The title track launches the album off, an intro with the gang repeated phrase "The King Is Coming." Shekinah comes blazing in with blast beats fully loaded before jumping into a breakdown. While there are more breakdowns on The King is Coming, Saving Grace does throw in some pretty solid guitar solos. Which leads to my complaint.

Unbreakable seemed to be more hardcore driven. It was catchier with some killer gang vocals and felt more like a hardcore record. The King is Coming has a more metal vibe. Which isn't bad but the breakdown deathcore scene is pretty played out at this point and the minor deathcore vibes that were on Unbreakable run the show on The King is Coming.

Saving Grace deliver another solid record. And while it doesn't click on all my musical tastes, fans of the band's debut should be happy with this record.

Chevelle - Hats Off To The Bull

To quote my brother-in-law, "Chevelle is like the peanut butter and jelly of rock. You know exactly what you're going to get and you know it's going to be good."

While there have been subtle shifts in Chevelle's music the band has been pretty consistent over their career. Each album is full of enjoyable hard rock with catchy hooks. Hats Off To The Bull is heavier then the band's previous two record. While there are a couple misses on the record, most notably the album's first single Face To The Floor and the title track Hats Off To The Bull, the album is full of great rock songs. Same Old Trip, The Meddler, Piñata, and Clones are some Chevelle's best songs to date.

Hats Off To The Bull is, in my opinion, Chevelle's best record since Wonder What's Next. Great songs, killer record!

The Attending - Are You Watching Closely

I tweeted last week that if bands sound like a mid-90's emo band, I'm probably going to be a fan. I was speaking of The Attending, one of the newest member of the Blood and Ink Family. Well Are You Watching Closely is self-described as post-emo, The Attending channels everything that was good about The Promise Ring and the midwest emo scene.

Are You Watching Closely is the perfect blend of great melodies with just enough off rhythms for diehard fans of the genre. What the Attending do best is creating catchy hooks. They aren't just catchy and singable, but they ring as familiar, like a song you've heard before. La Jetee lulls you in slowly, catching your attention before Pin the Sidewalks and Smoke On A String (the best tracks on the record) kick in and steal your attention. As with most Blood and Ink releases, Are You Watching Closely is far too short but the songs are strong and catchy and hitting the repeat button isn't hard.

With all the great releases Blood and Ink has put out this year, Are You Watching Closely might be my favorite. The Attending do emo (or post-emo) right.

With Increase - Sign Of The Time

I've said all year that Blood and Ink Records is releasing the finest hardcore period. It rings true with my nostalgic spirit. The bands are raw and passionate and good. In a heavy music scene that's overrun with over compressed guitars, digitally sampled drums, and more breakdowns than anyone wants, the Blood and Ink is a breathe of fresh air.

Blood and Ink's latest band, With Increase have released an ep that will make any old school hardcore fan's heart rejoice. Sign Of The Time could very easily be mistaken for one of the classic Solid State spirit-filled hardcore albums. With Increase instantly reminded me of Unashamed and Focused. It's Florida hardcore at it's finest. From the vocals to the way the songs move, it's old school all the way without feeling dated.

Sign Of the Time is a passionate, aggressive hardcore record and my only complaint is that it's too short. This is an ep that you'll want on repeat for multiple listens.

Free Music Friday: Facedown Records Winter Sampler

Facedown Records have a new sampler out for your listening pleasure. This one features great new tracks from A Hope for Home, A Plea For Purging, We the Gathered, Saving Grace, and more. Not sure if downloading this sampler requires a Facebook like or not (as I'm already a fan of theirs).

You can download their Winter Sampler for free here: http://www.facebook.com/facedownrecordsinc?sk=app_213173445359798

Of Virtue - Heartsounds

Things I'm not sick of yet: Bands that sound like Misery Signals. Insert Of Virtue, a band Hands posted about this week on Facebook. I checked out 1 song and instantly downloaded the record.

Heartsounds is a fantastic melodic hardcore record that I honestly like more then We the Gathered's Believer and Your Memorial's Atonement. It combines the richness that Believer had with the melodic variation that was on Atonement.

An Absence of Clarity is an instrumental intro that's nice but just like the title suggests, is an absence of clarity. Great guitar riff that builds so nicely and perfectly that I was excited for the opening track but then the build just ends and the track is over. Damaged is a great song but could have been killer if the intro had been build into it better. Tracks like No Light and Isolation are really what help make this record stand out. It's just enough of a break from the hardcore onslaught without losing any intensity that give In Virtue a lift over some of their melodic hardcore peers.

If you love melodic hardcore, I highly recommend checking this record out. I'm super impressed with Heartsounds.

Kye Kye - Young Love

Kye Kye's Young Love has sat on my computer untouched for a couple months. While Relevant Magazine and other media sources talked about how great the record was, I ignored it. Until the other night when I finally popped the record on in iTunes and gave it a spin.

It took all of about 30 seconds for me to realize that I have been missing out on one of the best records of 2011. I can't believe this came out in January and I missed out on it all year.

Young Love is a beautiful pop record, with lovely melodies and catchy hooks. From low key simple refrains like the album's opener Reach and Peace Song, to more (slightly) upbeat tracks like Broke and Introduce Myself. Rooftops might be the best example of Young Love as an album. Super simple and catchy hook over an acoustic guitar with some electronic elements and strings swirling in and out as the track progresses.

Kye Kye have created what is instantly one of my favorite records of the year and I'm mad at myself for having missed out on it for so long. Great pop songs that don't get old.

A Hope For Home - In Abstraction

One of my big musical fears is when a band releases their follow-up to an album that had large critical acclaim and is one of my favorite records. When a band releases a masterpiece, fans (I) expect another masterpiece.

A Hope For Home's Realis is an amazing record. Every song on Realis was great and the album has a larger then life quality about. It's a sonically impressive record full of great dynamics. Loved it. So naturally I was a little worried about In Abstraction. How could A Hope for Home deliver a record that was even half as good as Realis?

With In Abstraction A Hope For Home made sure to not try and release a new version of Realis. Instead they have delivered a record that captures the heart that made Realis so good without returning to that sound. A Hope For Home continues their musical growth and evolution.

In Abstraction doesn't waste any time as Calm kicks right into the post hardcore A Hope for Home fans are familiar with but at over eight minutes long it doesn't take long for the song to move in different directions. Calm goes from post hardcore to a killer post rock song. Where Realis had a nice large sound and had a rich lush production, In Abstraction losses some of that lushness but has an epic quality that Realis didn't have. With the average song length being 7 minutes, it's easy for tracks to get boring but A Hope For Home have created enough space and give the listener enough dynamics and changes within the music that nothing is ever boring and the album is constantly shifting and moving in different directions that create a great listening experience.

The first two tracks feel like A Hope for Home but with a more post rock bent. Firewind and Weaves are real spacey and ambient tracks. Tides is an epic, slow building crescendo, while The House Where You Were Born is about as straight forward a rock song as one will get from A Hope for Home. Everything That Rises Must Converge is a super epic post rock track.

In Abstraction is amazing. A Hope for Home haven't outdone what they accomplished on Realis but reinvented, changed, and built upon everything good the band has done so far. A Hope for Home is one of those bands that doesn't disappoint and In Abstraction is a stellar record.

The Meltdown 57

Looking to spice up the Christmas music in your life? Well the Meltdown is here to help. Merry Christmas!

In the Midst of Lions - Shadows

In the Midst of Lions surprised me with The Heart of Man. And by surprised I mean I was surprised that I liked the album. Deathcore hasn't always found favor in my book but The Heart of Man just worked for me.

The band's new album, Shadows, is heavier, better, but doesn't connect the same with me. Musically I think Shadows is on point, but it doesn't have the same heart as The Heart of Man (no pun intended).

False Idols and the Call are the two best tracks on Shadows and they are the two tracks that kick off the album. The problem with Shadows is there isn't a lot of diversity between the songs and I feel like I'm listening to the same song over and over again.

Is Shadows a good record, yes. In the Midst of Lions delivered a heavy hitting album. But the songs just don't work for me the same way The Heart of Man did. Fans of the band will probably love this album.

O'Brother - Garden Widow

To be honest when I saw the cover art for Garden Widow, I just assumed O'Brother was going to sound something along the lines of mewithoutYou's It's All Crazy. Boy was I wrong. Thank goodness I was wrong.

Garden Widow is a fantastic post punk album that warms my little DC heart. It's the perfect balance of punk fury and passion with that hint of indie rock melody that made bands like Fugazi so great. The feedback and fuzzed out bass that kick of Malum had me paying attention right away. Malum is a build into Lo. Lo is a full on driving assault that reminds me Queens of the Stone Age. Sputnik is a slow, groovy track that will have you swaying and banging. Poison isn't my favorite song on the album. A real indie rock jam that's nice but just doesn't do anything for me. Lay Down keeps things low key and indie vibing but is a much stronger track then Poison.

The albums walks the line between post punk and indie rock perfectly. It's an album I downloaded on a whim and I really enjoy. Only one track that didn't work for me but the rest of Garden Widow is excellent. Great stuff from O'Brother.

Free Music Friday: Matthew Mayfield - Now You're Free

So I wasn't going to do a Black Friday edition of Free Music Friday but then I downloaded Matthew Mayfield's new album Now You're Free and I had to share. Now You're Free is a great record full of really soulful songs from a fantastic songwriter. Matthew Mayfield was the frontman for the short lived band Moses Mayfield. This isn't a record to miss.

You can download Now You're Free here: http://noisetrade.com/matthewmayfield

Eleventyseven - Sugarfist

When I first picked up Sugarfist, I had low expectations. My only other experience with the band was their debut single Myspace. It was terrible and seemed dated at the time (even though it fit with the whole emo/pop punk thing happening at the time). But Wasted was on Punk Never DIes and that song didn't suck and bands mature and grow and get better right? So why not give Sugarfist a spin?

Sugarfist is a little scattered... The first three tracks on the album are really solid musically. Wasted, Ghost, and Give It Up are great electro/pop punk upbeat songs. Maybe not anything special or new but the songs are good. But then things fall apart a bit. Silent Symphony is a weird, drum machine reggae beat driven track. It takes the electronic element to far and brings the energy way down. College Girls quickly brings the energy back up but then Quota quickly kills it. While the rest of Sugarfist is full of solid, upbeat songs, they start to run together and become one. Divers in a Hurricane is a stand out track in the later half of the record.

Lyrically Sugarfist is a little hollow but the music is fun and (mostly) upbeat. If you're looking for something fun, give it a spin.

The Meltdown 56

New music from Run Kid Run, O' Brother, In the Midst of Lions, Moving Mountains, and more.

Run Kid Run - Patterns

Run Kid Run has always been a band that's been hard for me to embrace. I was a big Side Walk Slam fan and Run Kid Run was always a reminder of what would never be again. Run Kid Run has always been a good band... Just not Side Walk Slam.

So I tried to put aside my bias when listening to Run Kid Run's new album Patterns. Patterns follows in the same line that Love At the Core did. It's a great pop rock album. Farewell to Old Self is a great quiet song to kick off the record, really showcasing how good a vocalist David Curtis is before busting into the uptempo Last Hurrah. Last Hurrah is the closest Run Kid Run has come to matching the fun and energy Side Walk Slam had. Back to the Basics, the album's first single, is my favorite song the band has written to date. Great hook that's easy to sing and super catchy.Daylight (the album's second single) and Sunburns also have super catchy hooks while Rely On Her is rocking anthem. My King ends the album on a wonderful worshipful note.

Overall Patterns is a killer record full of catch hooks and solid songs. The best album Run Kid Run has released yet.

Russian Circles - Empros

Rarely do bands of any genre get heavier with time. Most bands are looking to experiment more, branch out, and the idea that bands get heavier with age is a myth that all bands tell their fans with each passing album.

Russian Circles on the other hand are a band that actually has gotten heavier with each album. Maybe heavier is the wrong word but the band has moved from great post-rock band to an almost elite post-metal band. Geneva was an incredible step in Russian Circles expanding their sound and making their craft tighter and better then ever. So how would the band return? Where would Empros fit in a discography already full of amazing albums?

The answer is Empros would continue the evolution of Russian Circles. 309 kicks off the record with a killer face melting riff. Brian Cook's bass playing continues to be stellar and intriguing. 309 is the heaviest opening track Russian Circles have delivered yet. The track is heavy but really cold and I was afraid that I was trading a rich sounding record for a heavy sound record. Mlàdek quickly put those fears to rest.

Empros is the perfect combination of post rock epicness with a metal tinge. Every guitar riff is perfectly placed whether it's a mind shredding lead line or a delayed undertone carrying the melody. Brian Cook's bass lines fill each hole and gap perfectly while Dave Turncrantz's drumming is, as always, solid.

Russian Circles have delivered another great record and Empros is the best post rock album I've heard in 2011.

Free Music Friday: Breanne Duren - Sparks

I downloaded Breanne Duren's Sparks ep based off a facebook recommendation of a friend and fell in love with the album. Beautiful pop album with great catchy hooks. Love it. I was more surprised to see her on stage playing synths for Owl City this past week. Who knew? (Apparently a lot of people. Just not me).

You can download Sparks for free here: http://noisetrade.com/breanneduren

We the Gathered - Believer

We the Gathered are the newest band on the Strike First roster and probably the most impressive band on the label outside of Dynasty. We the Gathered deliver a solid record full of great melodic hardcore that often reminds me of Your Memorial.

Believer has a rawer sound than Your Memorial's Atonement. The drums are less processed, the guitars are richer sounding. Unlike Atonement though, Believer is more of a one note record. It's a good note and every song on Believer is good. While there's not a ton of musical diversity, there are some killer hooks that help hold each track as it's own entity and not an album of the same song. Idolizer, Antihero, and Undefined are great examples of strong hooks.

We the Gathered is a great young band and does bring something different to the Strike First roster. Believer is a solid debut with great songs.

The Meltdown 55

New Music from Run Kid Run, We the Gathered, Comrades, and A Plea for Purging.

Comrades - Collection 2010 -2011

I've heard about Comrades for a couple years but never got around to listening to the band (their former drummer is engaged to my ex-girlfriend's sister so). I was excited to see that the band had signed with Blood and Ink Records and couldn't wait to get my hands on some music. Comrades first B&I release is a collection of songs recorded over the last two years.

Somewhere between early Russian Circles and Gifts From Enola is where I'd place Comrades musically. A great young post rock act with tons of potential. There are great off beats and enough interesting rhythms to remind one of Don Cab. For people who aren't big fans of all instrumental music, there are enough moments with vocals to keep you happy. The vocals aren't sung or pretty, but more of a spoken word/yelled vocal. Answer Me This starts off with a simple riff and a questioning lyric before irrupting. Weights kicks off with a guitar vs bass call and response. Laura McElroy's bass playing on the album is phenomenal.

Collection isn't full of the most beautiful songs you've ever heard or the most interesting songs in the post rock genre but it's a snap shot at one of the great young bands in the genre and show a band with tons of potential for greatness. Best songs: Giants, Hammerhand, Fearless She, and Encourage Encourage.

Free Music Friday: Willows - Walk Home EP

Willows is a hardcore band melodic hardcore band from Salt Lake City whose new ep, Walk Home, is available as a free download. It's a great ep and fans of Blood and Ink and Facedown Records will love this band.

You can download Walk Home for free here: http://willowsut.bandcamp.com/album/walk-home-ep

Thank to Indie Vision Music for this tidbit.

A Plea for Purging - The Life and Death of A Plea for Purging

I've given A Plea for Purging a lot of shit in the past. The band has always written good songs and they're a great live band and some of the nicest guys I've ever gotten to meet. But their production (especially their drum production) has always kept me from embracing the band and being a big fan.

The band's fourth full-length, The Life and Death of A Plea for Purging, is by far the band's best and finest work to date. The album is warm and rich sounding, sonically huge. The drums are rich, the guitars are full sounding, the albums sounds great.

But even outside of the production realm, A Plea For Purging stepped up their game big time. The songs are just better then anything the band has written before. The Life and Death isn't an album full of breakdowns (something I've also been critical of before). The first three tracks all have a familiar vibe with former Plea songs but there aren't constant breakdowns and the overall quality is great. "My Song" on the flip side is one of the most melodic songs APFP has written to date (without losing any of their heaviness). Even songs like "Skin & Bones" and "Hands & Feet" don't feel out of place because of tracks like "My Song" and "Words Misread" have such a great melodic undertone that the softer songs work and keep a great dynamic shift song to song, keeping the album fresh.

The Life and Death is not only A Plea For Purging's best record to date, it sets them up not only as one of the top bands on Facedown but one of the top heavy bands in today's scene. The Plea boys should be super proud of this record. If you weren't a fan of Plea's previous work, you shouldn't let that keep you from picking up The Life and Death. One of the best records of 2011 for sure.

The Meltdown 54

New music from Sins, A Plea For Purging, As I Lay Dying, and Tiffany Thompson

As I Lay Dying - Decas

It's hard to believe As I Lay Dying has been around for 10 years. I remember hearing them for the first time on a Pluto Records sampler. To celebrate their decade of destruction As I Laying have release Decas, a special album for the fans that is just enough of a teaser and hold over until new AILD material is released.

Decas is one part new, one part covers, and and part remix. The new songs are great! Paralyzed might be the best AILD songs ever written. It's up there with 94 Hours, The Darkest Nights, and I Never Wanted (my personal favorites). From Shapeless To Breakable is in line with tracks from The Powerless Rise while Moving Forward is more like An Ocean Between Us. All three of the new tracks are killer songs.

We all know Tim can craft a killer cover song and there are no different. AILD does War Ensemble justice and tear Electric Eye a new one. The cover of Coffee Mug is great and straight forward. A 40 second song... Awesome! There is also a re-recorded medley of Beneath the Encasing Ashes that's equally as awesome.

Remixes of metal songs are always weird and awesome at the same time. Techno music with screaming vocals... It's always a unique sound. And these are no different. Each of the four remixes are different from each other and great in their own way.

Decas is something great for As I Lay Dying fans and a nice hold over until their next record drops.

Free Music Friday: Punk Never Dies

Who needs 75 tracks of punk/pop punk/post punk? Who doesn't? Indie Vision Music's latest compilation is a great punk rock journey that features unreleased and rare tracks from Ballydowse, Twotimer, MxPx, Watashi Wa, new songs from Headnoise and Eleventyseven, plus great new bands like Sins, Good Luck Varsity, and Addison. The stylings range from old school hardcore punk to newer emo punk and everything in-between. If you don't like every song, it's alright because there are 75 tracks and one could create there own cd of their favorite songs.

You can download Punk Never Dies for free here: http://www.indievisionmusic.com/2011/10/31/punk-never-dies-vol-1/

Life in Your Way - Kingdoms

I didn't listen to Life In Your Way until after their break-up. When I did finally pick up Waking Giants I kicked myself for not giving the record a spin sooner. So hearing that Life in Your Way had reunited and were releasing new music was great news.

Life in Your Way's return Kingdoms is actually three eps (Kingdom of Man, Kingdom of Darkness, and Kingdom of God). Each ep deals with a theme but they play as a collective album. Musically, there isn't anything super special here. LIYW plays a brand of metalcore that's been done over and over again. LIYW does it well and Kingdoms is an enjoyable listen but musically there isn't anything new or very exciting.

The best moment on the record is the opening track to the Kingdom of God, Induction, where Joshua Kellam declares that the Kingdom of God is for everyone regardless of ones past or present. It's a great moment and it stands out on the album and grabs your attention.

Kingdoms is a solid record by a good band. You can download Kingdoms for free at http://comeandlive.com/

The Meltdown 53

New music from Plumb, Life in Your Way, New Found Glory, and more.

Hammock - Asleep In the Downlights

Ever since I heard Kenotic I've been in love with Hammock. With every release the band solidifies themselves as one of the best musical acts going. The bands latest ep features 2 new songs plus two "remixed" versions of Chasing After Shadows b-sides. Asleep in the Downlights features the vocals of Steve Kilbey and Tim Powles from The Church. The new Hammock songs feature the vocals of Andrew Thompson and Marc Byrd.

4 songs, 4 different voices singing. The music is beautiful as it always is when it comes from Hammock. Asleep in the Downlights is another beautiful addition to the already brilliant career that has been Hammocks.

Free Music Friday: Jars of Clay - Gather and Build

It's not really a secret that I like Jars of Clay. Ever since their self-titled debut, I've always enjoyed what Jars of Clay was playing and their growth in sound has been perfect over the years (although it took a long while I get If I Left the Zoo).

The band is now offering a collection of songs called Gather and Build as a free download on Noisetrade. You can download Gather and Build for free here: http://www.noisetrade.com/jarsofclay

M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

M83 has always been a band that's been able to successfully change their sound and introduce new ideas. Anthony Gonzalez has taken M83 from an unknown electronic band to indie/shoegaze superstars. Each albums growth has been perfect, winning more fans and gaining well deserved popularity. So a double album isn't really a stretch for an artist who is always pushing themselves.

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming almost feels like a step backwards. It seems like a lot of the great shoegaze elements from Saturday = Youth are missing. Instead Hurry Up, We're Dreaming plays like an extended version of Before the Dawn Heals Us without any great songs. A lot of solid songs but nothing that sticks out. There's no Kim and Jesse, no Teen Angst, no Don't Save Us From the Flames. The album's first single, Midnight City, has a nice synth lead line but the hock falls short of ever being really catchy or memorable (although the Kenny G sax at the of the track is a nice touch). Hurry Up, We're Dreaming does continue to push musical elements, as the overall sound pushes the 80's/disco line even further then M83 has gone before.

The biggest problem is that there is so much music that the most solid songs get lost in the shuffle of these one minute musical interludes and songs that are ok but maybe should have been a b-side. I'm convinced that there's a good album in this two disc set but it's not my job to go through and put together the best tracks to make a better album.

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is a moment where Anthony Gonzalez's brilliance has gotten the better of him. Had he taken the best songs and given us one record, it probably would have played a lot smoother.

Close Your Eyes - Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts

Close Your Eyes is a band that makes my heart happy. Hardcore/punk fusion done well. I love it. I discovered We Will Overcome way too late but boy was I glad when I did. Positive punk infused hardcore has always been a favorite of mine and Close Your Eyes might be doing it better then anyone else right now.

Empty Hands and Heavy Hearts not only picks up where We Will Overcome left off but is a sign of major improvement and maturity. The songs are stronger, the hooks more memorable, the subtly variety more explored.

Hope Slips, Erie, Injustice, Keep the Lights On are all tracks that are great hardcore songs similar to old school Stretch Arm Strong and Comeback Kid, while songs like Empty Hands, Valleys, and Paper Thin all explore either more punk sounds or a more melodic sound that keeps each track fresh.

Close Your Eyes really upped their game and have delivered a great record. Close Your Eyes is proving themselves to be one of the best bands in the hardcore scene. Great songs, positive lyrics, all around good vibes.