The 7" Club: Map/Gary Murrary - Friends Who Play Guitar

Map and Gary Murrary went on tour together. As a huge Map and LN fan I booked the tour and both artists played in my basement. Shortly after this tour the acts released a split 7" on Clerestory AV. The 7" features one song from each artist. Each song is a Starflyer 59 cover.

Side A is Map's cover of When I Learn To Sing. The original is a fun, upbeat pop ditty. Map takes a more quirky approach. It's indie rock at it's best. 

Murray tackles the slow, guitar driven Next Time Around. Murray's voice and style is the perfect fit for Next Time Around. Murray slows the song down and simplifies the arrangement so, like most songs from LN/Murray, we get this hauntingly beautiful song. (We'll talk about his cover of Girls Just Want To Have Fun later). 

Clerestory AV is now defunct, and they only printed 400 copies of this 7". I found a copy on ebay, but that's it. It's not available as a digital download either... So good luck finding this one.

Ambassadors of Shalom - Abdicate Self

A little rock and roll inspired oi punk rock. That's what Ambassadors of Shalom delivers on their Thumper Punk Records debut, Abdicate Self.

Abdicate Self is one of my favorite releases from Thumper Punk. It has all the fun of pop punk but the rock/oi influence keeps the record from feeling like you're listening to a pop punk record you've heard a million times.

Astray opens the record and it's a fun rock and roll song. Uptempo, get you moving in the pit song. This Ain't Home has a little more "punk rock" vibe to it. United We Stand has a great sing-a-long hook. Death By Love is a hard hitting track with a subtle reggae influence that adds a layer of depth to the song. Victory is a joyous and declarative happy song.

Ambassadors of Shalom have delivered an enjoyable record. From top to bottom Abdicate Self is hard hitting and enjoyable. Fans of Bad Religion and later career Ghoti Hook will find something to love on Abdicate Self. Punk doesn't have to be "pop" to be fun and upbeat!

The Meltdown 2.28

New music from Demon Hunter, John Mark McMillan, The Overseer, Twin Forks, & Mike Mains and the Branches.

The 7" Club: Joy Electric - Workmanship

Quirky synthpop. That's what you get with Joy Electric. His 7", Workmanship, he had a little more fun with his quirkiness.

Sheffield Youth is a throwback to the 80's synthpop movement in England, while Envelope Brigade and Wireless, From London (although Wireless is more "stripped" down). It's the instrumental interludes where Ronnie had some fun. Ohm I is a quick track that hits a fuzzed filled build. Mistook has some semblance of a song structure, but it's constantly being deconstructed. There's an a brief line of singing, but it feel like an added piece of instrumentation as it never develops. Either Or is more bleeps and bloops that sound musical. There's a melody line in there, that's very pretty, but the abstract sounds around it create a battle for you attention.

Fans of Joy Electric, or people just looking for a fun, quick listen should give this record a spin.

It looks like the vinyl is out of print, but I'm sure if you look hard enough, you could track down a copy. It is available on iTunes and other digital music services... But that's not the point.

LIV. to Release Debut Album "Be The Change" on March 18

OnTheAttack Records announces the debut album by LIV., called “Be The Change”, will be released March 18, 2014.

Hardcore that embodies the love, the passion, the sorrow, the anger, the pain, the struggle, and the promise of life.

Be. The. Change.

1. Livin’ In Victory
2. Make Moves
3. ‘Till Next Time
4. Roots
5. A Standard Issue
6. Rise
7. Miles
8. Be The Change
9. The New Revolution

Stream the song “Be The Change”

 
Preorder CD
http://ontheattackrecords.storenvy.com/collections/195540-all-products/products/5626384-liv-livin-in-victory-cd

The Meltdown 2.27

New music from Derek Minor, With Increase, Ethan Luck, Comeback Kid, and more.

With Increase - Death Is Inevitable

I'm an old school hardcore guy. No offense to the new guys, who are great,  they just can't compare with bands like Strongarm, Zao, Focused, N.I.V, etc...

For people like me,there's Blood and Ink Records. There albums are raw and harken back to a time when hardcore was simpler and the scene was less divided. If you played/listened to heavy music of any kind, you belonged. P.O.D. Living Sacrifice, Blindside, and Zao could all play the same bill and all belong together.

With Increase's debut ep, Signs Of The Time, was a gem. Raw and passionate. Death Is Inevitable picks up right where Signs left off.

Death Is Inevitable seems a little more connected and thought out. The songs work in conjunction with each other. It's a dark record, for sure. The lyrics tell a story of the need for God in this dark world and not being able to always stay on the straight and narrow.

The intro is a declaration of new life, but it's quickly choked out as Bones talks about the evilness in the world and the lack of strength to overcome it. The lead guitar riff that slams underneath Bones is ridiculous. Comatose falls right in the middle of the album It's a "ballad" and it's what looks like the turning point in the story. Comatose is a declarative need for God if we're going to be able to overcome the evil and temptations of the world. But Anathema's first line is "back into these ways I said so long ago that I would rise up against." It's the struggle of wanting to do good, but not doing good. It's a great picture of every man's struggle. Hell For Myself ends the record. It's the repentance. It ends with "Just give me another chance, I swear I'll make it right."

Besides being a great concept and strong lyrically, Death Is Inevitable is a brutally heavy hardcore record.

Blood and Ink continue to release great records, and Death Is Inevitable is the latest.

Saving Grace - The Urgency

Hardcore is back!

After a super impressive debut and a follow-up that didn't do a whole lot for me (The King Is Coming), I wasn't sure what we'd get from Saving Grace on The Urgency. What we got is the band's best record yet.

The Urgency is Saving Grace at it's most vicious. The album is raw and the title of the record gives you a sense of what is to come musically. The Urgency feels like the message Saving Grace wants to relay is urgent.

Where Unbreakable, and especially, The King Is Coming seemed to hold this deathcore influence in their brand of hardcore, The Urgency drops most of that. It's a rawer album than the band's previous two efforts. Yes, things like the blast beats on +0 seem over the top, it doesn't bug me.

Like A Trainwreck is just a stellar hardcore track. It has the same intensity fans got from Seventh Star. From top to bottom, The Urgency is unrelenting and hits hard. It's "tough guy" hardcore at it's finest.

Saving Grace has always delivered hard hitting records, but The Urgency takes it up another notch. Well done!

The 7" Club: The Crocodiles - Black Tar

Welcome to a new Friday feature I'm calling the 7" Club, where I discuss a 7" record that I love. Some might be hard to find (which is half the fun of owning vinyl anyway). All will be full of great music.

For the first week I've chosen The Crocodiles great 7", Black Tar.

Black Tar is The Crocodiles lone release. It's was a side project of Randy Rose (Mad at The World, Rose, Mothership). Black Tar was released by Velvet Blue Music and according to their website, you can still pick it up from them. ($3.50 for two songs. Well worth it!)

The Crocodiles were a pure rockabilly. Side A song, Grease, is a hard hitting rockabilly track. Side B, In Your Arms, has more of a swing/country feel. Both songs are great and fans of classic rockabilly will love this 7".

You can pick this gem up at http://velvetbluemusic.com/v3/releases.php?page=11

The Meltdown 2.26

New music from Copperlily, John Mark McMillan, Saving Grace, Ambassadors of Shalom, and more.

The Meltdown 2.25

New music from With Increase, For Today, Number One Gun, and Andy Mineo.

Andy Mineo - Never Land

I loved Heroes For Sale. It made me go pick up Mineo's Formerly Known mixtape. I was a fan.

Never Land is a bit of a mixed bag for me.

The title track opens the record and it's my favorite song on the ep. Never Land isn't a hype song, so it's a refreshing change from Heroes For Sale. It's an introspective track, with a strong hook from Marz. But on the flip side, Paisano's Wylin' does nothing for me. It's slightly annoying and doesn't feel like there's much substance to the track. You Can't Stop Me is a hype track and I enjoy it. At times it feels like Mineo has thrown in a  couple "huhs" to copy what Kanye's doing, but it doesn't really bug. It just sounds a little weird. The beat isn't my favorite that Mineo's ever used but the song is enjoyable. Rewind is a great song about going for your dreams and sticking with them, even when the going gets tough.

Never Land isn't my favorite release but Mineo, but it shows the dudes work ethic. Plus, it's a nice treat for the fans who just couldn't get enough after Heroes For Sale.

Copperlily - Love Is A Legend

Country/folk music is in right now. And everyone's side project leans that way. So naturally Tim Skipper's (House of Heroes) side project with his wife would be a country/folk album.

Not that I'm complaining... The debut ep from Copperlily is a beautiful reflection of the newlyweds love for each other and is great look at the stages of a relationship.

Map To Your Heart is a great song about the chase and pursuing the one you love. Color In You is about falling in love. Broken World sounds a little more Norah Jones than it does country (which I love) and it works. The song is about moving past previous hurts and wounds to let new love in. A Lot To Learn is about that... No matter the best intentions, there's always something new to learn about the person you're in love with. Tell Me is just a great great love song! The title track closes the ep, and Love Is A Legend is about how love is the ultimate legacy.

It's a bit sappy, but it works. Love Is A Legend is a great ep, full of honest and what feel like very personal love songs. I hope there's more to come from Copperlily.

Still Remains - Ceasing To Breathe

I wasn't super sad when Still Remains broke up. As much as I loved Of Love and Lunacy, The Serpent just didn't do anything for me. And if that was the direction the band was headed, than I could accept them breaking up.

But when the band announced their return, and that the line-up was the same as it was on Of Love and Lunacy, I was on board.

Ceasing To Breathe doesn't sound like Of Love and Lunacy. But it also doesn't sound like the Serpent. Ceasing To Breathe might be Still Remains heaviest work to date. But it still has the classic metalcore elements that the band was known for.

The riff that opens up the record on Bare Your Teeth is excellent and TJ Miller's vocals are vicious, showing off more range than he's ever had! Crone comes busting in as soon as Bare Your Teeth keeping the intensity up. The hook is more 'pop" than Bare Your Teeth's, but it's in the same vein that the hooks on Of Love and Lunacy were pop. Commercial friendly if you will. Beacon is more of a ballady metalcore song with a great melodic guitar riff driving the hook. Close To The Grave has a thrashy/punkness that's great.

From the album's opener to Bitter Shroud Repentance's closing note, Ceasing To Breathe is a heavy hitting record. No downers, no slow moments, no breaks. Still Remains has come back from the dead and are heavier than they've ever been. Ceasing to Breathe is a vicious record. Well worth the wait.

Kye Kye - Fantasize

I loved Kye Kye's Young Love. It was a brilliantly simple and understated, hitting on all the right notes.  The honesty and reflective nature of the lyrics helped carry the music, that at times was little more than a lone synth and drum machine creating an easy background for Olga's whispering vocals.

The first single from Fantasize was Honest Affection. And honestly... It didn't work for me the first time through. It took several listens of the track before I fell head over heels in love with the track. Which made me wonder how I'd feel about Fantasize as a whole. Was it going to take me weeks to enjoy the record? Would it be more of an instantaneous hit now that I've come around to what I might be hearing more of?

On my first listen through Fantasize, I thought Kye Kye did a great job. It was a fun, 80's inspired record with some killer tracks. But the more I've listened to it, the less impressed I've been. Don't get me wrong, the record is enjoyable and fun. And the 80's inspired dance tracks are great.

But the charm from Young Love is missing. There are moments that feel similar (Glass, Scared of Selfish, Dreams 2AM) but the lack a sense of innocence and vulnerability that made Young Love so appealing.

Honest Affection is the standout track on the record, in my opinion. Lush enough to create a beautiful layer underneath Olga's vocals. The's synth is driving the track but it's not pushing the song into a hole it doesn't fit.

People, Seasons, and Her, like Honest Affection, are these upbeat songs that carry a stronger 80's vibe. Softly isn't upbeat, but the guitar riff has 1980's something written all over it.

Fantasize is beautiful and well crafted. Kye Kye has gotten better as a band. And I know it's unfair to try and hold their new work to the previous work. But it's hard not to...

Fantasize is great... I just didn't click with it the same way I did Young Love.