I loved Dynasty's debut record, Truer Living With A Youthful Vengeance. It was a great hardcore record!
Beyond Measure doesn't disappoint.
Beyond Measure is a hardcore record true and true. It reminds me of bands like Shockwave, N.I.V., Figure Four. Tried and true hardcore. Which seems to be rarer and rarer in the christian heavy music scene. Beyond Measure has a grittier feel than Truer Living, which I like. That rawness gives Beyond Measure a heavier feel. The songs pack more of a punch.
I don't have much else to say about Beyond Measure. Dynasty is one of my favorite bands on Facedown Records. It's hardcore through and through and I love that! Beyond Measure is great! Hardcore fans will love this album.
I really liked Red's last offering, Until We Have Faces. It was a solid hard rock record with super catchy songs. According to the interwebs the band's first two records were better. But I haven't given those albums a listen. So, Until We Have Faces will stand as a good hard rock record in my book.
All that to say I was pretty excited to give Release The Panic a spin.
Release The Panic is a more interesting record than Until We Have Faces. It has more layers and textures. Release The Panic breaks the usual hard rock mold and Red branches out in some different and interesting. I appreciate the artistry and the risk of stepping out. There are some great moments that are executed perfectly. But I'm still unsure of what I think about it.
Release the Panic (the song) and Perfect Life kick in strong. Both tracks are similar to what Red has done in the past but they feel like the band is having fun playing music. I wouldn't say that Release The Panic is a "happy" record but the songs just sound like Red is having fun making music.
Die For You, Damage, and Same Disease feel more like late 90's industrial tracks... Sort of. Die For You and Same Disease are extremely upbeat in sound, while Damage has darker undertones. It's a cross between 90's industrial and 80's new wave. Which I like. The songs are great and extremely enjoyable.
Then we get a handful of Red ballads. Hold Me Now, So Far Away, Glass House, and The Moment We Come Alive are all beautiful songs with great melodies. Michael Barnes' lyrics are beautifully touching. Each song feels like you could have a personal and emotional connection to it. There aren't many artist that can do that with track after track on the same album.
Release The Panic is something completely different for Red but has enough familiarity to it that fans won't feel left in the dark. It's an interesting mix of songs but I like that Red's passion and enjoyment for making music comes through on Release The Panic. It's endearing to be able to hear a band enjoying what they're doing.
I saw Spoken for the first time in 1999. The band had just release What Remains and at the height of rapcore, their Rage Against The Machine stylings hit on every level with me. And the band's sound has evolved (and my musical taste) I've always enjoy Spoken. From rapcore to hard rock to melodic rock band; each step and evolution hasn't hindered the band. Each album as solid as the last.
It's been 6 years since that band's self-titled last record. And a new album has been promised and talked about for the last couple of years and finally Illusion is out. I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew I loved the single Daggers that came out last year but the band had dropped that track from the record.
As soon as Stand Alone kicked in my jaw dropped. I don't think I've ever heard Spoken this heavy. I knew vocalist Matt Baird could scream but I didn't know he could scream and growl like this. Beneath The Surface keeps hitting right has hard, even harder than Stand Alone. It's an awfully impressive start to a record and it almost makes me happy Spoken took their time perfecting Illusion before getting it to the fans.
Through It All, the album's first single, is the perfect re-introduction of Spoken to the world. It has all the catchiness of songs like Promise but with a harder edge that just hints at some of the heavier elements of Illusion. More Than You Know and Remember The Day are classic Spoken ballads. Great melodies with strong hooks. Shadow Over Me kicks things back up with a riff that will melt faces. Baird shows off his range incredibly well on this track. From beautifully sung verse to a half growled, half yelled chorus.
The album ends that same way it began, hitting you hard, right between the eyes. The title track, Illusion, is a full on hard hard rock song.
Illusion is both the next progression for Spoken but also encompasses a lot of what the band has done so well previously. You can tell there's a new energy and passion behind the band and there's no stopping Matt Baird and the boys in Spoken.
Spoken might have never been the trendiest band in the world or most popular but they make great record after great record and Illusion is another notch in a discography that's already really impressive.
Loveless was one of those life changing moment records. Not in any sort of deep spiritual way, or even in any sort of musical sense. Ok, life changing might be a bit much. But Loveless ranks as one of my favorite records of all-time! My Bloody Valentine's 1991 sophomore LP is a shoegaze masterpiece and I don't think you'll find anyone who disagrees.
And now, over 20 years later we get the follow-up to Loveless. I was excited to listen to MBV as I started downloading the record, but that's also when the nerves kicked in. I love Loveless! What if MBV doesn't excite me that same way? What if the record is a huge disappointment? What if it sucks? What if it's completely different from what I wanted?
I hit play... "Just breathe"
So what does My Bloody Valentine sound like in the year 2013? Basically, exactly like they sounded in 1991. Which I love.
To be honest there was a part of me that hoped MBV would bit a bit of a modern day version of My Bloody Valentine. Something closer to Kevin Shield's song "City Girl" from the Lost in Translation soundtrack. But mostly, I'm happy to hear an album that sounds similar to Loveless.
As soon as She Found Me started playing, a smile hit my face. I knew this was going to be an amazing record. The lush rhythm guitar tone. The slightly off tone sound leads mumbling underneath. Shield's vocals barely audible over the music. The song, and most of the album, reminds me of songs like To Here Knows When and Sometimes. Super lush, light to now drums.
And that's the biggest difference between Loveless and MBV. Loveless had some tracks that smacked you in the face. When Only Shallow kicks in the drums explode onto your speakers. MBV on the other hand has no real "rock" songs. Everything is low key and chill. Sure, Only Tomorrow, Who Sees You, and New You have audible drums but they're more low key. Songs like In Another Way and Nothing Is are slightly more aggressive but in a weird Nine Inch Nails way.
MBV is not Loveless, but it couldn't have been. In many ways it's the perfect follow-up, the right progression in sound. It's great to finally have new music from one of my favorite bands. My Bloody Valentine is back! And they haven't lost a step.
The Ember Days have been one of my favorite worship bands for the last two years. Emergency was a gateway drug into the band's rich discography.
The band's latest, More Than You Think, is there best yet.
It's not only better than all their previous work, it's on a completely different planet.
The Ember Days have always been a great indie/worship outfit, but More Than You Think has a richer feeling to it. There's a painfulness in the songs that create a feeling of deep and honest worship that comes out of hurt and disappointment.
Janell Belcher takes over all vocal duties on More Than You Think. The simple guitar riff that accompanies her voice on Brothers to start the record is beautiful. Brother's doesn't build in a conventional sense and it barely builds at all but it feels bigger than it is. The payoff comes when Awake bursts forth. I'll Never Let Go tells the story of struggling through every day life and not letting go of the one constant. It's an absolutely beautiful song.
Songs like Make It Alright, Face In The Dark, and Frailty hit as desperate cries for help. It's some of the more beautiful tracks that the band has ever written. Real Jesus is a great declarative anthem.
More Than You Think is a beautifully moving record. The soundscapes are absolutely gorgeous but it's the heart behind the music. The Ember Days have delivered a worship record that feels deeper than most. The songs rink with a deep sense of longing and honest reflection on life when things aren't going great. It's a wonderful record, full of heart and soul. More Than You Think is easily The Ember Days best record yet.
Alert's Red Opus 45 was the record that got me into Humble Beast records and it is one of my favorite hip-hop albums released in the last couple of years. Red Opus 45 was a lush, full sounding, band effort. It was something fresh in the hip-hop scene. And I've been eagerly awaiting the band's full-legnth follow-up.
Of Vice and Virtue is a little disappointing. It's also great. But I'll get to that.
Where Red Opus 45 was a lush hip-hop soundscape, Of Vice and Virtue is scaled back. What I loved musically about Red Opus 45 isn't on Of Vice and Virtue. Not even close to it. So my first listen was disappointing. I had to set the record aside for a couple days and come back to it with fresh ears and not wanting to hear more of what Alert did on Red Opus 45.
What you find on Of Vice and Virtue is a strong lyrical atack. In simplifying the soundscape, Alert draws your attention to the lyrics. Vice Versa doesn't smack you in the face right away but the song builds and flows. The hook is catchy and the verses are blazing. The Villain vs The Virtue reminds me a lot of Mars Ill, which is totally cool. Caesar's hook is on point and powerful. "I've seen the Caesar's rise and Caesar's fall. There's only one God."
Kill The Elephants is my favorite track on the record. A killer guitar riff intro before busting into another catchy hook and strong groove. Damn is a great satirical track. The lyrics might be offensive to some but the point of the song is that we don't know God like we think we do and that God's judgement is real. It's an excellent track.
Of Vice and Virtue is a wildly original hip-hop album. While the fullness and lushness of Red Opus 45 is gone, the makes up for it in creative drum patterns and strong lyrics. Alert remains one of my favorite hip-hop acts.
