All genres of music in some form have enjoyed mainstream success in varying degrees. But it seems like true punk has always avoided the mainstream eye. Yes, The Ramones and The Clash were big acts and Blag Flag had some minor mainstream success. And yes, we can't forget about Green Day. But pop punk has been the mainstream punk of choice. All the while, aggressive, fast, melodic punk hasn't gotten it's due.
And I don't expect True Liberty to get any either.
That's not a slight on True Liberty. The band is one of the best new punk bands I've heard in years and that fact will probably keep the band from major mainstream success. It's the man's fault.
Marked For Life is a fantastic punk record that smacks you around and is unapologetic about it. Right from the start with the proclamation "It's A Fist Fight in the Dirt" on the album's opener as the song swings into full on circle pit mode. Hell No doesn't hit with as furious a pace but the song ooze's punk attitude. Marked For Life is a great East Coast punk anthem that lyrically reminds me of the early 90's hardcore classics. Put It To Death is great declaration of freedom. Storm ends the record on a nice light acoustic vibe.
From top to bottom, Marked For Life is one of the best punk records I've heard in a couple years. Fans of Face to Face, Social Distortion, and Rancid will love this album
There are bands and albums we love and there are songs that hold special meaning in our lives but I believe that there are only a few albums that truly have an impact on us. Albums that shapes who we are or change how we view music. Albums that speak to our lives at the right time and become records we can't live without.
Sigur Ros' ( ) is one of those albums in my life. I remember hearing that record for first time. I don't know what makes a record stick with us that it impacts us each and every listen but there is something very moving and spiritual about ( ). The way the album moves and builds to a crescendo is beautiful and complicated and interesting. It's a great soundtrack.
The band followed ( ) with the incredible Takk. Takk had more flare and movement within the songs. It was like listening to a great marching band play beautiful music. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaus was the follow up to Takk and honestly was a little disappointing. The record had great songs and beautiful instrumentation but there was something missing. The songs didn't move and the emotional connection that the band's previous two records had was void on Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaus.
Valtari isn't a grand record. And I mean, it's not grand in terms of scope or sound. Sigur Ros scaled back their sound and it works in in the favor. While the rich instrumentation is gone, the band recaptured the lushness and subtle beauty that the opening tracks on ( ) had. The builds and crescendos never reach a full breaking point but flow and peak perfectly. Where ( ) crescendoed into utter chaos and madness for 70 minutes, Valtari takes each song as it's own.
The real focal point of Valtari seems to be Jonsi's vocals. And they should be. I think where Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaus really missed the mark was having Jonsi's vocals as vocals. Sigur Ros desires a lot of credit for doing something new and fresh and taking a chance and actually writing songs on Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaus. And the band did it well. But what really made Sigur Ros a compelling band was the nature that Jonsi's vocals were just another instrument and layer to the songs and Valtari gets back to that.
Valtari is scaled back instrumentation but it's still rich and lush in sound. Sigur Ros has simplified themselves and it works to the bands benefit. Valtari is a beautiful record that hits on a lot of the same musical themes that the first couple of tracks on ( ) did. Ambient, slow moving, beautiful. A great record from Sigur Ros.
If it's not broke, don't fix it. But sometimes a fresh coat of paint or new handles is needed. It's not a fix, just something new to freshen up what works.
That's how I would describe For Today's fourth full-legnth, Immortal. It's not really anything new and the band isn't treading new ground, just giving their sound a fresh perspective. It's 100% For Today but with a new coat of paint.
The intro, The King, has hints of the great spoken word pieces on Breaker. It's a great melodic instrumental piece with sermon clips cut in throughout. The track blends seamlessly into Fearless, the album's first single. Fearless picks up right where Breaker left off. The track is heavy and assaulting. The clean vocals on the chorus aren't really new ground for For Today but it feels like a fresh step for the band. Stand Defiant is probably the best example of the band expanding their sound. The track is heavy and feels like For Today but the hook of the song has a strong melodic hardcore feel to it. The guitar riff adds that extra element that makes it feel new and shows growth. Open Eyes is another track that showcases the band's melodic guitar side.
Under God is the most assaulting track on the album. The opening riff hits your like a motorcycle passing by and the back and forth vocals between vocalist Mattie Montgomery and Sleeping Giant's Tommy Green is great. The Only Name features Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D. on the hook and it's a nice vocal line that's a killer sing-a-long.
Immortal looses the bass drops that were all over Breaker. The album is still brutal and just as heavy as Breaker. So on that side, it's a better record. But... It's not. Immortal is a great record but Breaker just had something special and compelling about it that Immortal is missing. Immortal is a great record but it's missing that it factor that Breaker had to make it one of my favorites.
Again, Immortal is a great record and the musical progression from Breaker keeps For Today fresh and puts a great new perspective on their sound. For Today keeps getting better.
You know it when you're listening to something heartfelt. To music so pure and emotionally and passionately charged that you can't help but be drawn in. And that's exactly what you get on Tongue & Pen's debut ep, The Likeness.
The three song worship ep from one of Come and Live's newest acts is a raw and passionate album that draws the listener in. It's compelling and heartfelt worship. Rescue is a great opening track that draws you in and Likeness of a Peaceful City, the instrumental closer, still carries the passion. Even without words or singing, you can feel something deeply moving in the track. But it's Sons and Daughters that's the crowning song on this ep. The 6 minute track works on every level. Musically it moves and breaks, rises and falls in all the right place. And lyrically, it's a great worship tune, proclaiming "We are orphans no more."
Tongue & Pen have released a great worship ep and I wish there was more music from the band. This is the best record Come and Live has released this year.
Punk veterans True Liberty announce their latest and best release “Marked for Life” on Thumper Punk Records.“Marked for Life” stands firmly on the broad shoulders of their past releases, positively blasting classic punk and oi! sounds in True Liberty’s unique and uncompromising style.Firmly committed, spiritually driven, pedal-to-the-metal music overflowing with hooks, chords and thunder.
“Marked for Life” was produced by True Liberty and Todd Corvin, with digital mastering by Stephen Edgerton (Descendents/All). Cover art was provided courtesy of Dave Besanson Originals. Stout enough for fans of The Business, The Clash and The Ramones, but musically strong enough to be enjoyed by music lovers everywhere.
"Marked for Life " is available now for digital download from iTunes and all the usual suspects. CD pre-orders are available through Thumper Punk Records: www.thumperpunkrecords.com
Punk rock should be fun right? Well... Sometimes it should be fun. The latest band on the Thumper Punk roster, Jump Ship Quick, have found a balance of creating fun punk rock with politically and spiritually charged lyrics.
Musically Jump Ship Quick reminds me of Off the Record, The Smiley Kids, and Side Walk Slam. It's fun, upbeat, fast, just solid punk. But lyrically the band uses their platform to tackle issues like abortion, bullying, and church corruption. While punk rock as a platform to speak out isn't a new idea by any stretch, the Christian scene has never fully embraced using punk rock as a platform to tackle touch issues. It makes Jump Ship Quick standout.
It's a solid punk record and like everything Thumper Punk puts out, it puts me right back to junior high and high school watching G-Rock and skateboarding. Fans of Craig's Brother, Rise Against, and old school Tooth and Nail/Screaming Giant punk will love this record.
When To Speak of Wolves signed to Solid State Records, I was excited. The band's self-released ep, Following Voices, was a stellar post-hardcore record and I was excited for the band's full-length. But Myself < Letting Go didn't do it for me. The band lost their roots and fell into a standard metalcore/post-hardcore sound that just didn't work me. But a switch in vocalist had me interested in Find Your Worth, Come Home.
My first comment on the record: Gage Speas - WOW! To Speak of Wolves new front man is impressive. Dude has some pipes and is a monster frontman.
The overall new direction is heavy. It's actually the record I had hoped Underoath would make when Aaron left the band. Heavy, brutal, dark, hints of great melody. And this isn't a false heaviness either. No bass drops, overly compressed drums or guitars. The riffs are dark and dirty, the vocals are nice and aggressive, and Phil Chamberlin's drumming is on point. Everything about this record works.
But as great as the album is, the best moment is the last track. Rearview Memories features great spoken word pieces from Bree Macllister and Levi the Poet. The track is so moving and emotionally passionate during the spoken word pieces that I teared up the first listen through. When the band kicks in the song is every bit as heavy as the rest of the record but the spoken word pieces just add an extra element that make it such a fantastic song.
If you're like me and weren't a fan of Myself < Letting Go you should still check out Find Your Worth, Come Home. To Speak of Wolves have reinvented themselves and released and amazing record.
All things get better with age right? Ok... That's not completely true in all circumstances. But in the case of Adam Young and Owl City, it's a fact. Each album is a progression forward, an artist getting better and refining their craft. Shooting Star is no exception. It's by far the best collective music that Adam Young has released as Owl City. The four song ep makes me want more music from Owl City and just makes me an even bigger fan.
The title track and Gold kick off the record in electronic pop perfection. It's what Owl City has always done but just done better. Shooting Star is upbeat and catchy while Gold is a nice ballad. Dementia is the standout track of the record. It's an ode to Adam Young's love of pop punk. The song features Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 and is an electric guitar driven rock song. It's something Young has put into the band's live show but it's not been on a record. Fans of Owl City will probably scratch their head for a second but it shouldn't last long because the track is fantastic. Take It All Away is another great slow jam that closes out this ep.
Excited to have new music from Owl City and Shooting Star is the best thing Adam Young has done with his electronic pop act by far. A great ep.
I'll admit that even though I'm a huge Christian rock nerd, I've never listened to the Choir. I've known about them and I love Derri Daughtery's work in Lost Dogs but I've never gotten around to listening to the band. So my first spin of The Loudest Sound Ever Heard, I had no clue what to expect.
But the instant Strange Girl started playing, I knew I would be a fan of the Choir and The Loudest Sound Ever. Strange Girl has a great low key vibe, almost dreamy. The saxophone adds a great. soothing layer to the song. I wouldn't classify the song as shoegaze but it has elements that remind me of some of the less spacey bands in the genre. Cross That River's opening riff is almost exactly the same as Cush's The Clouds Are All The Same. That's not a compliant, just an observation. I love Cush's debut record and a track that reminds me of it is a good thing in my book.
Laughter of Heaven opens with Dan Michael's saxophone and the track moves like a great dance. Takin' The Universe In is like a fun movie score. It's very classic at times but has a nice rock sensibility. After All is a beautiful closing song that features Leigh Nash. The song is atmospheric and moves beautifully.
As an introduction to The Choir, I couldn't have asked for better. The album is both classic and modern alt-rock all at the same time. A fantastic record but the veteran band.
When I heard Rehab, I wasn't feeling it. There was something about the album that wasn't my brand of hip-hop. Like I've said about a number of records, it was for the kids. Needless to say I never listened to the record again. So when Lecrae release his new mixtape, Church Clothes, I wasn't super excited about it but at the same time I was ready to give Lecrae a second chance.
Church Clothes works for me. I don't know if it's a change in my perspective or a change in what Lecrae is doing. Working with different producers and artists helps. I was really excited to see 9th Wonder's name as one of the producers. The variety of producers and guest appearances creates an interesting mix of styles and keeps things fresh.
Given the variety on the record, there's something for everybody. Tracks like Church Clothes, Rise, Darkest Hour, No Regrets all standout to me and are favorites of mine, while songs like H Town, Black Rose and Special don't do anything for me. And that's ok. Because there's so many different things happening from track to track, it makes for a great listen.
The real star of Church Clothes is Lecrae's lyrics. From outspoken tracks declaring his faith to tackling deeper issues like church corruption, problems with the state of hip-hop, and more, Lecare brings it lyrically on every track. It's always been and continues to be Lecrae's strong suit.
Church Clothes is an extremely well put together mixtape that features tons of great producers, guest MC's and showcases Lecrae perfectly.
I can't say enough good things about Come and Live Records. The labels puts out high quality music and it's free! While not their entire focus, Come and Live has been providing great new worship music. The label is anything but stale and their two newest releases are no exceptions.
Least of These's new ep is a great example of honest worship. After an instrumental version of Amazing Grace, Grace kicks in with a solid riff but it's the chorus that pulls you in.
"Grace has washed my transgressions away."
The songs declares and the record is about how despite our short-comings, God has overcome for us. More Than Conquerors is a great title because the record reflects that. The album's closing track (and first single ) Filthy Man is a great example.
"What a lost man was I, stuck in my own ways What a lost man was I stuck in my What a lost man was I who was stuck in my own ways But I understand the cross, and what its done."
The record hits hard musically but there's an honest passion that bleeds through the music and in the lyrics.
We Are Creation is a little more "modern" in their sound and stylings but there's an almost haunting undertone at times. What I like about We Are Creation, that like their label mates Ascend the Hill, the band just flows in their worship. There are great moments where the songs just exist. Come and Awake isn't super complicated lyrically or music but it slowly builds and the movement of the track is so beautiful and moving... It doesn't need anything fancy because it just exists as a great worship tune.
Both albums are fantastic and you're bound to enjoy one if not both. More great, original worship music from Come and Live Records.
And Then There Were None was a metalcore band. Then they were an electronic rock group. Now they're an electronic pop duo called Young London. You follow that?
Young London is Matt Rhodes and Sarah Graziani. The duo's self-titled debut is a full on 80's and 90's electronic pop explosion. And for the most part, it's a successful endeavor. New Reputation kicks off the album and it's a mostly forgettable track. The song itself is fine but it's not a real attention grabber or high energy track kicking the record off. It's a solid song but nothing super compelling that makes you want to listen to more.
The album's first single, Let Me Go, is a song that grabs your attention. It was the first track the band ever released and it the song that made want to pick up the record. Killer hook, great melody, just a well done song. Celebrity is a bit more of a modern take on electronic pop. The song features Rome Castille and has a strong groove and another great hook. Be My Radio is a little weak lyrically but the song is fun and Young London's strong suit is writing hooks that get stuck in your head quick and Be My Radio is no different.
The rest of the album is full of hook heavy pop music but the songs just don't connect the same way Let Me Go, Celebrity, and Be My Radio do. Summer Valentine comes close but it just doesn't have the same wow factor as the other three tracks.
Overall a solid debut by Young London. A catchy pop record full of hooks that'll you'll be singing for days.
Mortification's place in Christian metal is secure. The band is one of the christian big four (Tourniquet, Believer and Deliverance) and among their peers the band's 15 albums over their 22 year career gives them a huge advantage over the three bands in the big four. While Believer has returned to life and continues to reinvent themselves, the band was silent for 15 years. Deliverance came to end in 2011 and the band was off and on for most of the 2000's. Tourniquet has been active but records and shows are few and far between.
Scribe of the Pentateuch is the band's new ep and more so than album the band has put out in the last 15 years, it's a return to the Mortification of old. But I'm not entirely convinced that's a good thing. Admittedly I wasn't a fan of Mortification until Hammer of God and the band's early death metal albums aren't my favorites. Plus I think the band's last two records (Erasing the Goblin and The Evil Addiction Destroying Machine) were two great records and Mortification had found a great balance between the power, thrash, and death metal.
The six songs on Scribe aren't full on old school Mortification but it's about as close as fans can hope for. The production is raw and gritty and feels like some of the older records. The clean vocals don't appear often but when they do, they come out of left field and feel weird. Steve Rowe's growling vocals on the other hand are solid and rich. There's been no drop off with age. Each track has a killer guitar solo (and we all know when it comes to metal, I love me the guitar solo). A couple of the edits and tempo changes seem a bit clunky and not well executed and it takes me a little bit out of the song.
The disc also features The Best of the 00's, a track from each one of the band's albums released post year 2000.
Scribe of the Pentateuch is as old school Mortification as fans could hope for. Some minor hiccups but overall, a solid death metal record.
The phrase you can't judge a book by it's cover keeps running through my head. Or maybe in this case it should be you can't judge an album by it's cover. A quick glance at the cover for Audrey Assad's Heart I thought to myself that I was about to hear some great new wave indie music that would include a ukulele. Basically I just assumed Audrey Assad would sound like Ingrid Michaelson.
Well Heart has some of those elements (no ukulele), it's not at all what I expected. Instead Audrey Assad offers an album of nice piano pop music. Blessed Are the Ones is a nice opening track. Very laid back and chill. It sets the tone for the record, that is honestly mostly filled with slow jams. The song was co-written by Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken and Webb's input really shines through. Even The Winter is another solid upbeat song.
To be honest though, my first listen through I wasn't really feeling Heart. It was fine but it just wasn't clicking with me. But then Won Me Over hit and it did in fact win me over. The hook on Won Me Over is the strongest on the album and the song just works on every level. It's an extremely memorable song that's going to get stuck in people's heads (in a good way). No Turning Back follows Won Me Over and again it's another song with a great hook that flows perfectly into "I Have Decided To Follow Jesus".
The best moments on Heart are the upbeat, super catchy pop tunes. The slower piano ballads are nice and their are quite a few of them on Heart but Audrey Assad writes and performs killer pop tunes and those songs make this a record worth spinning.
Marriages is a new musical endeavor from Greg Burns, Emma Ruth Rundle and David Clifford of Red Sparowes. I've never been a huge Red Sparowes fan but I've enjoyed every release the band has put out. Plus the idea of possibly more post metal in a similar vain is always appealing to me. The studio video looked interesting and I was excited to check out the record.
Kitsune is not at all what I expected. It's better. I had figured the band would sound something akin to Red Sparowes or Isis but Marriages is better. My first impression is an updated version Cocteau Twins. And I think that's just great. Kitsune is a shoegaze record through and through and it's done really well. Ten Tiny Finger is the standout track on the record. From the music box chime intro into the song crescendoing, back to the music box and then the song almost flutters to an end. The movement is like a ship being tossed at sea. Chaos from the inside but strangely beautiful to watch unfold. White Shape is more of what I expected to hear; straight forward post rock.
Calling Marriages an updated Cocteau Twins is really cheap and doesn't really describe all the complexities of the band's music. But it's a first impression comment that I hear on the first three tracks of the album. Yes, the post rock/post metal influences show up and the band pulls each note, each song off without a hitch. But it's the shoegaze influence that sticks out most in my mind.
Kitsune is a great debut and like most albums I really like, I wish there was more. It's the area where I wish the post rock influence shined more. The songs are great but I want longer songs or just more of them. It's far too short an album for me. Nevertheless, Marriages is a great new project and I hope there's more music in the band's future.
It's
All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright.
The
title for mewithoutYou's fourth full-length was like a four step guide to how
fans would react to the record. Like the twelve stages of grief.
It's
All Crazy was a record I had anticipated and was very excited about but it
turned out to be the most disappointed I've ever been in a record. MewithoutYou
has such a strong discography up to that point, each record just as good as the
last. Each showing growth and each was a progression of the band getting better
and better with each outing. It's All Crazy was not just a punch in the
stomach, but a knockout blow that leaves you in a coma. I know every band has
released an album that feels like your girlfriend is cheating on you but It's
All Crazy was more like finding out God doesn't exist.
Ok...
That might be taking it a bit far but you get the idea. And honestly, the more
I listened to It's All Crazy, the more I liked it. There are some great songs
on that album and the band deserves a lot of credit for stepping out of their
comfort zone and doing something completely new, original, and unexpected. And
it's that unexpectedness that made the record such a shock. When you're
expecting another killer post-hardcore album and end up with an
indie/folk/acoustic album... You can see where disappointment rears its ugly
little head.
Three
years, a minor break, lots of shows, and mewithoutYou is back with Ten Stories,
their first independent release. The best part about picking up this album is
one really has a clue what to expect. Where would mewithoutYou go musically on
this opus? Or maybe more to the point, where would Aaron Weiss go lyrically?
Ten
Stories is a balance of sorts. It doesn't feel like the band returning to their
old sound but there are elements that remind me of Catch For Us the Foxes and
Brother Sister. But that folk/gypsy/indie quality still seems to be the driving
force behind Ten Stories but the way the band channels that is completely different
from It's All Crazy.
February
1878 sets the tone of this record quite nicely. It introduces you to not only
the musical direction of the record but it sets the stage for the story Aaron
decides to tell throughout Ten Stories. The intro riff is biting and raw and
tracks moves at a steady pace, like a train chugging down the tracks. And
while the intro and first part of the track remind of Brother Sister, the song
changes tone and evolves. The middle section sounds like a full band version of
the Spider Chronicles. It's a balance that the album carries throughout.
Lyrically
the song sets the story. February 1878 is about a circus train derailment in
the Pacific Northwest that sets free the animals. The album tracks the
trajectory of different animals as they break free and are on their own.
February 1878 is the story but it's also about becoming so accustomed to our
situations that we become comfortable in harsh living conditions rather than
breaking free to find something new. The track talks about the tiger that stays
in her cage despite the ability to leave when the cage breaks open. The song
references William Blake's great poem "The Tyger."
Grist
Mill For Malady Mill has the whimsical nature that It's All Crazy had but
musically the song sounds like it could've been a track on Catch For Us the
Foxes. But I feel like that's about as "old school" as mewithoutYou
gets on Ten Stories. The rest of the tracks, as I said earlier, remind me of
It's All Crazy, only channeled and captured better. There's an energy on Ten
Stories, a reinvigorated passion. It's not that energy was missing on It's All
Crazy, it's just different on Ten Stories. Cardiff Giant is probably the best
example of what I'm talking about. Aaron's vocals go seamlessly in and out of
singing and his signature yelling/speaking.
What's
always made mewithoutYou special is the lyrically honesty and passion in
Aaron's vocals and I think more than anything else, that's what made It's All
Crazy seem so disappointing. But what makes Weiss such a great lyricist is his
ability to tell stories. Weiss and David Bazan both have an ability to tell
stories with their songs that his unmatched. The best songs on It's All Crazy
were the strongest stories (The Fox The Crow The Cookie, The King Beetle, A Stick
A Carrot A String). And that's what Weiss delivers on Ten Stories. Given the
record a concept and a story to tell was a brilliant idea. I know people want
some more honest spiritual lyrics and fewer songs about animals and
their parallels to every day life but that's Weiss has given us and he's
done it well.
From
setting the stage on February 1878 to the closer, All Circles, each song has a
deeper layer to it, a secondary meaning. Foxes Dream of the Log Flume is my
favorite song both musically and lyrically. It's just a smart song.
Ten
Stories isn't a return to an old sound but it's mewithoutYou continuing to
evolve and grow and get better. The band has shifted and changed it's sound in
some way on every record and Ten Stories is no different. But more than that,
it's just a brilliant record. Fans of the band shouldn’t be disappointed with
this record.
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