The Meltdown 36

Special Post Rock Episode

Explosions in the Sky - The Birth and Death of the Day
Magyar Posse - Intercontinental Hustle
Russian Circles - Malko
Saxon Shore - The Revolution Will Be Televised
PG. Lost - Prahanien Cruelty
Giants - O Tide
Caspian - Moshka
The Sleep Design - All That Is Not Music is Silence
Mono - Ashes In the Snow
Hammock - Floating Away in Every Direction

Relient K - K is for Karaoke EP

What makes a good cover? Is it staying true the original? Is it completely transforming a song and making it your own? Is it just having fun with it?

Cover songs can be tricky, cover records can be downright brutal. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Some bands you know are going to kill a cover song (in a good way) and some bands you know are probably going to murder a beloved classic.

So when Relient K announced that they were doing a covers ep, I knew that they would probably do a great job with this. Their track selection was a good mix of songs and my hopes were high. And Relient K does deliver a solid ep.

Relient K kicks the album off with Girls Just Want to Have Fun, a throwback to their early years when this song was a staple in their everyday set list. Then comes a cover of Tom Petty's Here Comes My Girl and its solid. More of the type of song you'd expect the Relient K of the past couple of years to release. But not stay serious for too long the band then kicks into a cover a Justin Bieber's Baby.

And here is my issue with Baby. The song is already simple and catchy. It has to catch the attention of 10-15 year old girls and make them sing it to no end. And if you don't listen to the radio or don't hang out with people blast this song all the time, you can avoid it. But Relient K just plays the song as is, and it's still catchy and I have found myself singing Baby. Not cool Relient K. No cool.

We then get a fantastic cover of They Might Giants "Dr Worm". The cover of Crazy is solid but it vocally it sounds like an imitation of Adam Levine (who covered the song on the Voice about 2 months ago). The best song on the album is the cover of Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Relient K pulls it off so well that I'm kind of hoping for maybe more 80's inspired song writing on their next album. Surf Wax America ends the album. Another good cover.

If you like Relient K, pick this ep up. If you like cover songs, pick this ep up. If you like fun music, pick it up.

Falling Up - Your Sparkling Death Cometh

Falling Up isn't a band I've ever really liked. When I heard the bands first single, Broken Heart, I wasn't impressed and it seemed like some cheap Linkin Park imitation that I had no interest in. The second single, Escalate, while a better song, still didn't really click with me and so Falling Up went into the category of bands I didn't listen to. But apparently the years after their debut, Falling Up experimented with various styles of music and take on a more indie, electronic vibe. After a short break in 2010, Falling Up has returned with their independently released Your Sparkling Death Cometh.

I had no real expectations for this album, which is normally good. And to be honest, I was shocked listening to Your Sparkling Death Cometh. Because it’s actually pretty good. In trying to describe it to my brother I said Falling Up meets One Republic in space... But that's not really accurate.

Circadian opens the album with a subtle ambient keyboard layer, just hinting at the melody to come when the guitar and strings kick in. The chorus is big and catchy, a theme that runs on every track. Wonder has a great string section over a huge sweeping chorus. Blue Ghost is upbeat and has one of the less grand hooks. Still catchy but in comparison, not as expansive and epic. Diamonds is probably the most One Republic sound track on the album, but I'm not sure that comparison is far. Listening to Diamonds, you can almost see things happening in slow motion around you.

By the time Light Beam Riders starts, you begin to sense something very familiar in each track, a common bond. There's no a ton of variety song to song but I find myself not minding it so much. The songs are solid and Jessy Ribordy's melodies are so strong and catchy that it works. Oceans is another super spacey, lush, rich, full chorus. Mscron has a weird steel drums type snyth playing on the end of the track, that while an odd sound, is beautiful and fills the space perfectly.

The only track that disappoints is the album's closer, Slow Waves. A mostly instrumental ambient piece, with the vocals shoved way in the background. It doesn't ruin the record but it just seems... Slightly out of place?

Your Sparkling Death Cometh is one of the big surprise records of 2011 for me. Low expectations and having never given Falling Up a fair short, proved to be an advantage for this album because it hits my ears as something fresh for the band. Not a lot of variety song to song but if you like big spacey, epic, rock songs, this is a solid record for you to be checking out.

Classic Album: No Innocent Victim - Flesh and Blood

11 years ago Christian hardcore fans were given an anthem. While N.I.V. had provided great hardcore tracks with strong messages and great sing-a-longs like Stand and Pro-Kill track three on Flesh and Blood would provide an anthem that is still sung today and t-shirts and hoodies are worn proudly.

My Beliefs might be the biggest song in Christian hardcore to date. I imagine if you go to any Christian hardcore show in America you'll find someone in the crowd wearing their N.I.V. shirt with the words "I would tonight for my beliefs" on the back. I know I have mine.

I don't know if N.I.V. intended My Beliefs to become the anthem it did. The song is actually pretty biting.

"Some say that we should not be part of the hardcore scene
Whether you think what we say is right or wrong
This is where we belong
Never giving into pressure from the outside
Staying true to our convictions
Having been tested and tried
Hardcore family of equality?
No on viewed higher or less?
"doesn't matter who you are"
Unless it's Christ that I profess
I know you have stereotypes
Carved into your brain
Push them aside though we have differences
We have so much the same
I thought hardcore was about
Standing up for what you believe in
I thought hardcore was about
Standing up for what you believe in
'cause I would die tonight for my beliefs"

Regardless, I know I get pumped up when I hear this song and I know countless others do too.

Flesh and Blood was N.I.V.'s Victory Records debut and it delivered. Maybe nothing special or new in the musical department. Hardcore is hardcore no matter how you look at it. But N.I.V. were the leaders of the pack and Flesh and Blood was a big step up from No Compromise. A great hardcore record, featuring killer songs and providing an anthem for Christian hardcore fans everywhere.

The Meltdown 35

New music from Hands, Divide the Sea, August Burns Red, Friends, Call to Preserve, and tons more.

Free Music Friday: Josh Garrels - Love & War & The Sea Between

I first saw note of this album when my ex-girlfriend's step dad posted a link to it on Facebook. I didn't think anything of it. The album came up on Indie Vision and Radio U but it wasn't until yesterday when the review for this album went up on Indie Vision and it got a perfect 10 out of 10. So naturally, I had to check it out.

The album is absolutely beautiful. I dare say a better version of Jose Gonzalez... From simple vocal and guitar to complex and interesting instrumentation, Love & War & The Sea Between is just amazing. 18 songs, all good. Some of the 18 are short instrumental interludes but each one is a beautiful track, not a cheap device going from song to song.

I'm surprised at how good this record is but I love it. Not really my normal style of choice but the songs are so well done and so heartfelt that one can't help but like the album.

You can download Love & War & The Sea Between from Bandcamp http://joshgarrels.bandcamp.com/album/love-war-the-sea-in-between or from Noisetrade https://www.noisetrade.com/joshgarrels

August Burns Red - Leveler

August Burns Red are seasoned metalcore veterans at this point in their career. And to that end I will say I've mostly ignored them. I like the band. They're a metalcore band without clean vocals and that's always a plus in my book. I own all their albums. But they aren't a band I've ever really been in love with. Their brand of metalcore, while enjoyable to listen to, isn't anything new or exciting and I do honestly find most of their songs interchangeable with one another. I like the band, but I've never connected with ABR.

So I wasn't sure what to expect with the band's fourth full-length, Leveler. It sounds like August Burns Red. The songs play a little more straight forward then previous ABR records (less starts and stops, less rhythm and tempo changing). But overall, it's August Burns Red.

Empire starts with a riff that reminds me of Zao's Physician Heal Thyself before tearing off into a standard ABR metalcore track. Internal Cannon switches things up. There's a cool little Spanish guitar riff thrown in the middle of the track and it's an awesome new twist in ABR's music. Divisions is a pretty mathy track, the drums seem to be playing in their own time signature creating a cool effect.

I've always personally been a fan of the slower, mellower ABR tracks, so Carpe Diem is one of my favorite tracks on Leveler. Slow building intro, a doom esque breakdown. Salt & Light didn't really capture my ear until the track fades away and the clean guitar plays while Jake Luhrs screams behind it "We sing for you". Poor Millionaire's intro is what I feel has become a standard on ABR album, where at least one track starts with a drums only intro.

Lyrically Leveler seems pretty focused. The songs all carry a similar theme about moving forward in life, past the pain and finding redemption in God.

Overall Leveler is solid. A good record and ABR fans won't be disappointed. There are some really cool moments that I love but again, it's not mind blowing. Another solid record from August Burns Red but not enough to blow me away.

The Meltdown 34

A Special Shout Out to the Ladies featuring Sixpence None the Richer, Bloodlined Calligraphy, Over the Rhine, and Steph Modder.

Hawkboy - Hawkboy

For those unaware, Hawkboy is new project of Cody Bonnette and Aaron Lunsford, formerly of As Cities Burn. The band has been out on tour with Emery since March and have finally released their debut ep.

The new self-titled ep isn't much of stretch musically from As Cities Burn's final record, Hell or High Water. But it's also a further continuation in exploring deeper and deeper into more experimental rock.

Cody Bonnette hasn't lost is biting lyrical sense, which is flashes on the album's opening track Two Bit, a sarcastic song about getting left behind. Scoundrel is a mean sounding song, something Hawkboy does well. Mother London has a nice bluesy feel, that's a solid switch up from the first two tracks. Damnkneesya is a slow moving song that I kept waiting to build into some sort of crescendo that never comes. It doesn't make the song less compelling, just something I kept hoping to hear.

It's a great ep and I wish there was more. As Cities Burn fans will not be disappointed and those looking for solid, biting, sarcastic rock and roll will enjoy this ep.

Classic Album:Tourniquet - Vanishing Lessons

The year is 1994 and the start of heavy music in America has changed. Nirvana and grunge have taken over. The metal scene (both good and bad) that dominated the 80's is out. In 2 years Metallica will release Load and will have abandoned their metal roots.

The shift in heavy music would hit the Christian genre as well. Bride released Kinetic Faith in 1991, leaving their metal roots behind and embracing a mellower rock sound. Guardian would also slowly shift from metal to grunge and by the time 97's Bottle Rocket is released new fans will never know that Guardian was at one time, on par with bands like Stryper (who would also shift from metal to hard rock).

1994 saw the release of Tourniquet's fourth full-length record, Vanishing Lessons. Vanishing Lessons was a changing of the guard. Guy Ritter was out as vocalist, Luke Easter was in. Erik Mendez was no longer in the band and this would be Gary Lenaire last album with Tourniquet. More importantly, metal was on its way out and hard rock was on its way in.

Vanishing Lessons would be the bridge between Tourniquet's thrash metal sound and the experimental hard rock that would come on Crawl to China. Although there isn't much in the way of thrash or metal on Vanishing Lessons.

Bearing Gruesome Cargo kicks the record off and it's a killer song but right from the open riff into the chant vocals, you have a feeling that this record is going to be something different then you were hoping for and it is. Pecking Order has a metal feel but the technical side of the band is missing. Drowning Machine has a great solo and Pushin' Broom sounds like a Black Album b-side (only better). Vanishing Lessons is a hint at how good Tourniquet would become in 2000's. Acidhead destroys. Ted Kirkpatrick's drummer destroys on this track. K517 is basically a drum solo, so nothing to hate there.

While Vanishing Lessons is another metal band trying to find their way in 90's, Tourniquet, like all of them, would eventually make their return to metal. But you can't write off Vanishing Lessons as an awful hard rock album by a band that was once great. This isn't Load. Tourniquet still shows a ton of talent and skill on Vanishing Lessons. The solos are all solid and while it's not Kirkpatrick's greatest drumming output, he flashes his kill here and there. It's not a thrash record but I'd still call it metal (mostly). Plus it's our first introduction to Luke Easter, who does a great job handling the vocals.

Vanishing Lessons might be the beginning of Tourniquet's, brief, decline but it's still a pretty killer record.

Dynasty - Truer Living WIth a Youthful Vengeance

Declaring hardcore is back would mean that hardcore went away and that statement wouldn't be completely true. Hardcore has always existed on some level, even if the current heavy music trends aren't favorable to hardcore. While deathcore, metalcore, screamo, or whatever else you want to call the current scene of popular heavy music, if you dig around, there's always hardcore somewhere. As I've noted, Blood and Ink is doing hardcore extremely well, and extremely old school.

So what is it about Dynasty's debut, Truer Living With a Youthful Vengeance that makes me want to scream that hardcore is back? Well I'm not entirely sure. The record has an old school vibe and I was instantly brought back to the great Erie Pennsylvania hardcore scene of the mid to late 90's. Bands like xDisciplex Ad, Shockwave, and Dodgin Bullets all came to mind. My high school days come rushing back, and maybe that's why I want to declare hardcore as "back". Because Truer Living inspires a sense of nostalgia in me.

Truer Living is full of hardcore sing-a-long anthems but never over doing it on the gang chants. It's just fun, well done hardcore and it's hard to ask for more. While the hooks are instantly catchy and memorable, they do grow on you in time and after multiple listens I found myself able to sing along.

If Dynasty is the future of Christian hardcore, the genre is in good hands. A fantastic debut and I imagine these guys will find themselves on Facedown sooner rather than later. This isn't a record to miss if you're a hardcore fan.

Free Music Friday: Tooth and Nail/Solid State/BEC

Just in time for summer, Tooth and Nail is offering three new free samplers from all their labels (T&N, Solid State, BEC).

The Tooth and Nail Sampler has new tracks from Icon for Hire and Sainthood Reps. The Icon For Hire track (Make a Move) I like, even if it is a Paramore copy. The Sainthood Reps song is best thing I've heard from the label in a couple years. It also features music from Emery, Underoath, Swimming with Dolphins, Write This Down and more.

There are no new tracks on the Solid State Sampler and it even has the exact same Underoath and Emery songs that are on the T&N sampler. If you haven't kept up with Solid State the sampler is a nice showcase of the label but there's nothing new here.

I haven't downloaded the BEC sampler yet but if the hardcore and metal of Solid State and the punk/emo/alternative of T&N aren't your style BEC caters to a lighter crowd. More CCM, hip-hop, rock based tracks. The sampler looks like it features Bebo Norman, Manafest, Jeremy Camp, Kutless, and more.

Now to download these samplers, you do have to like the labels Facebook pages but it's a small and insignificant price to pay for free music. You can get all three samplers at http://www.freetoothandnail.com/

Divide the Sea - Fear. Anger. Strife./Friends - Better Off Alone

Blood and Ink Records are doing things differently. And in this changing music culture that's a good thing. Embracing the digital side of music and pre-releasing albums over at their bandcamp page and offering limited edition eps, vinyl, and cassettes (yes that's right, cassettes) Blood and Ink is a label that's think about their buying audience in this modern age of music. Because despite what I want, the full-length cd is a thing of the past.

So Blood and Ink has two eps available for your listening pleasure.

The first is brand new hardcore from Divide the Sea. In a culture where hardcore is dominated by over produced, triggered drums, gated guitars, bass drops, and super compressed vocals, Divide the Sea (and Blood and Ink in general) is providing something raw and real.

Fear. Anger. Strife is 3 songs of raw hardcore aggression. At times I'm reminded of Spitfire (Self-Help era). Each song is hard hitting, constantly moving and changing shape to keep the listener interested and engaged. It feels like there is actually 6 or so short songs happening when it's only 3. An enjoyable hardcore ep start to finish.

The problem is it's 3 songs and I keep the playlist on repeat. The tracks are so good that I keep wishing there was more. A good problem to have.

The second ep is Blood and Ink's newest signing, Friends. Featuring members of Dependency and Worker, these guys have put aside hardcore and have delivered a pop punk sound, that while not that original, is refreshing to hear. Their debut ep, Better Off Alone, which will be released on cassette tape (Seriously didn't know anyone made tapes anymore), is a nice intro to this new band.

Eat You Alive is a slow building intro that breaks in a sound that reminds me of the early 2000's emo scene (in a good way). Streetlights has a very familiar vibe with a catchy hook. Running Down Hills Fast is my favorite track. Just good, fun pop punk.

Two solid eps from Blood and Ink Records that should be check out for sure. You can download both at http://bloodandink.bandcamp.com/

The Meltdown 33

Music from Hopesfall, Switchfoot, Your Memorial, MxPx, and Norma Jean.

Owl City - All Things Bright and Beautiful

The first time I heard Fireflies I quickly labeled Owl City as a cheap Postal Service imitation. I don't know what changed but six months later when I heard the song something clicked and I fell in love with the song. Ocean Eyes was an enjoyable record but was missing something to my ears.

Adam Young has returned with All Things Bright and Beautiful and I was skeptical about this album. I had heard the first single Galaxies for two months on the radio before I found myself enjoying the track. And to be honest, I just wasn't sure if Owl City's brand of electronic bubble gum pop was going to be my thing.

There's something charming and really nice about most of All Things Bright and Beautiful. The Real World is a nice song, very similar to the songs on Ocean Eyes. Nice, catchy, solid. But Deer in the Headlights caught my attention. The synth line is a little stronger sound then most people will be used to hearing from Owl City. On top of that, the lyrics will grab you. Not because they're deep or meaningful, but they're funny. And I enjoy a funny song from time to time. Angels is, again, something unexpected. It's still a sugary pop song but the way Adam Young belts out the chorus took me by surprise. Dreams Don't Turn to Dust isn't a super special song but the hook is extremely catchy and the track is enjoyable. Honey and the Bee is more catchy pop music. Kamikaze is the first track on the record that I didn't enjoy. Galaxies has become one of my favorite songs at the moment, although it took a while.

But that's where the album drops off. The last 4 songs just don't have anything that grabs me. Hospital Flowers is just kind of dull, while the rap on Alligator Sky just doesn't do anything for me. It's weird. The Yacht Club isn't really catchy enough to grab me and Plant Life is just... boring.

All Things Bright and Beautiful is pretty good and despite it tailing off at the end, I think it's a solid record and a huge improvement from Ocean Eyes. The songs are mostly catchy and enjoyable and I think this album is worth a listen (unless you completely hate sugary bubble gum music).

Classic Album: Further Seems Forever - The Moon is Down

The Moon is Down... There are records that when you hear them they're perfect and no matter how much times passes or how many listens through or how much your taste is music changes, the record remains perfect. The Moon is Down is perfect.

Chris Carrabba gets praised for his Dashboard Confessional work but The Moon is Down is really where he shined lyrically and emotionally. Each song hitting your ears perfectly. From the complex drum work of Steve Kleisath to the interplay between Josh Colbert and Nick Dominguez's guitar, there's nothing wrong with The Moon is Down.

The title track kicks off the album with an anthemic like quality. The Bradley is biting, but beautiful. Chris' scream at the end of the song while he's singing his guts out... Just great. Snowbirds and Townies is a great song of lost love and Monachetti is another bitingly beautiful track. The one thing Dashboard Confessional always lacked Chris full throated screams. Madison Prep is one of those underrated songs. Enjoyed, just overlooked, and not talked about.

New Year's Project is the best track on The Moon is Down and it's the song that caught my attention and got me into Further Seems Forever. It's heartbreaking. The first time I heard Chris cry "I'm waiting to give you whatever the world may bring. I'd give you my life because I don't own anything" I lost it. The hook is so memorable and so desperate sounding... It still chokes me up.

Just Until Sundown is beautiful and Pictures of Shorelines might be the only pure rock track on the record. Wearing Thin is a beautiful song about redemption.

The Moon is Down was great when it first came out and listening to it always makes me wish Chris had never left band. But it makes me glad they're currently touring and hopeful for the follow-up album we never got.

Free Music Friday: False Idle - I Refuse ep

Indie Vision Music is currently hosting a free download of Thumper Punk Record's False Idle and their new ep I Refuse. It's solid, anthemic and reminds me a lot of the early 2000's Tooth and Nail punk roster. There are only four songs and you can stream the tracks on IVM's site (if you don't want to commit to downloading it). A great introduction to a new band.

You can download I Refuse at http://www.indievisionmusic.com/2011/06/07/false-idle-i-refuse/

The Meltdown 32

New music from Blindside, Emery, Death Cab for Cutie, She Wants Revenge, Moving Mountains, and more.

Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys

I'm going to make a statement and I know people will disagree with me but that's ok. I'm going to say it anyway.

Death Cab for Cutie can do no wrong.

I know there are people who didn't like Plans and you can argue that the band's debut, Something About Airplanes is a rough shell of what the band would become. But Death Cab for Cutie has always written incredible indie pop songs that I've loved. And while musically Codes and Keys is different, the band still cranks out great songs.

Home is a Fire is a nice start to the album. It sets a different tone out of the gate. While Death Cab is known for having a nice, slow, low key track to kick off their albums, Home is a Fire has a different feel, like at any moment it could break open into something big and dancey, but it never gets there. The title track is a pretty, piano pop song.

As a whole, Codes and Keys is more laid back, just chill. The switch from guitar based songs to keys and pianos is nice. It fits. The album's first single, You Are a Tourist is super catchy and infectious. The album as a whole is full of great songs.

My only issue is the album plays short. It’s such a good listen that even at 45 minutes long, when the album ends, I want more.

Death Cab For Cutie makes great music and releases great albums and this is another one.

Classic Album: Training For Utopia - Throwing a Wrench Into the American Music Machine

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There are certain records which challenge the listener. By which I mean, they rock and you love them but you never really understand the music. Throwing a Wrench Into the American Music Machine was one such album.

It's not like Training for Utopia were ever an easy band to listen to. Their most "accessible" work was the band's debut ep, The Falling Cycle. But TFU always delivered a brand of metal that was so chaotic and noise driven that even the biggest of heavy music fan would struggle to dig TFU. With Throwing a Wrench, the band really switched things up.

There's not a bar to measuring line for Throwing a Wrench. You might say one part old school Nine Inch Nails, meets any Mike Patton project, meets a blender and drill having sex.... But still sounding like TFU. And if you've never heard this album you're confused, and you should be.

50,000 Screaming TFU Fans Can't Be Wrong is a killer opening track. The static guitar chord being played over a spoken word collection of samples where the phrase Rock and Roll is a message of sin sent from the Devil himself is repeated over and over until Ryan Clark screams "Are You Ready" and he band explodes into a chaotic disjointed metalcore mess. It's a great song and probably the most straight forward track on the album.

But then things get odd. White Boy's Burden, The State of Wyoming Is Worthless, Burt Reynolds Vs Godzilla 1999, and Tennessee Midget are all just different tracks. White Boy's Burden is a techno thrash song, while The State of Wyoming is just weird and noisy. There's a level of math metal to these songs as each track has starts and stops, and calculated glitches that create a lot of textures and styling’s but it's hard for an average metal fan to really grasp and take hold of.

And then Training for Utopia catches everyone off guard with Everything Including the Stars in Falling (Baby), an acoustic song... Right smack dab in the middle of all this chaos and noise and randomness, is one of the most beautiful songs you'll hear. My 15 year old brain wasn't really interested in hearing an acoustic song on a metal record but even back then, there was something so appealing and nice about the song that I never skipped the track.

The best track on the album is the great New York City is Overrated. This track got me hooked on the album and is just a killer song with a great, easy to sing hook.

The guitar riffs are actually great, and the drums take on a drum machine quality on most the album, but there's a technical aspect that just works. Even now Throwing a Wrench can be a difficult listen for me but there's something about this record that just resonates as great with me

Free Music Friday: Echo Broke Alone - My Heart to Heaven

Coming back from vacation with a shortened work week, I didn't get to really spend a lot of time looking for a free album for this week. So I'm doing some self promotion. I know a lot of people who might read this will already have this album, but that's ok.

I released an album in 2010 called My Heart to Heaven and I don’t mind saying, it's pretty good. All ambient music in the vain of Stars of the Lid, Hammock, and Eluvium.

You can download it for free at http://noisetrade.com/echobrokealone (But you could always leave a tip if you feel so compelled to)

She Wants Revenge - Valleyheart

I've always liked She Wants Revenge. Yes, they sound like Interpol. Yes, they're dirty. But the music has always been catchy and so I've found enjoyment in the band.

The band's third full-length, Valleyheart, is a departure in sound from the band's first two albums. And I say departure lightly. The music is similar but the feel is really different. She Wants Revenge always had a great sexually driven driver. Lyrically and musically the band created this great sexual tension. And while that sexual tension was lessened on the band's second album, This is Forever, it was still present. On Valleyheart it's gone.

That's not to say that Valleyheart isn't a good record. Just that it's different, almost sweet. Take the World has some dark undertones and creates a nice texture for the record to come. It's a hint of what the band has done in the past but clearly points in a new direction. Kiss Me is a super upbeat love song. Up In Flames has a familiar feel with a swing vibe.

Where the album really plays with my head is the first single, Must Be the One. It's an absolutely fantastic song, but it's so different for She Want Revenge that I had to listen to it twice my first time through the album. Not Just a Girl is another solid pop song. Reasons is another song that flirts with the band's old sound without fully engaging in that sexual tension.

It took four years for She Wants Revenge to follow up This is Forever and the band matured a lot. Valleyheart is really different but still She Wants Revenge and it's still a great record.

Cave In - White Silence

Cave In’s White Silence wasn’t one of my most anticipated albums of the year only because I didn’t know Cave In was releasing an album in 2011. So catching the release date on the PRP got me pretty excited. Cave In has always done what they want and they always deliver something different on each record. Whether it’s their hardcore masterpiece Until Your Heart Stops, their experimental rock album Jupiter, or their two alternative records Antenna and Pitch Perfect Black, Cave In has always put out solid records.

The band’s reunion ep, Planets of Old, was a perfect combination of everything Cave In had done in their career and it was some of the best music the band had ever released and I had high expectations for White Silence.

The problem is Cave In does whatever they want and they’ve gone too far with that idea on White Silence. The line between experimenting and making quality music has been blurred and it’s almost completely disastrous.

The title track kicks the album off when a pretty unbearable noise/rock sound that’s so odd I thought it was a joke at first. The production seems low budget and I was waiting for the real track to begin. So much so that even when the song ended I though for sure that Serpents was going to be the first real track on the album. And Serpents is better, but it’s clear that Cave In is going somewhere… else on this album.

Sings My Love is more in the vain of Planets of Old and it’s also the best song on the album. The guitar lines are great, the hook is memorable, the vocals outstanding. It’s the only song on the album that holds any semblance to anything remotely Cave In. And even then the song takes 3 and half minutes to kick in and get started. Vicious Circles is a cool stoner metal type song. I like the song but like every other track on the album, it takes you by surprise.

And those are the only two songs worth noting. The album is all over the place in a bad way. Cave In really lost me with White Silence. 6 spins in and I’m just still so disappointed in this album. I don’t even think this album is a must have for die hard Cave In fans like myself.