Mat Kearney - Just Kids

Young Love was a special record.

Before I talk about Just Kids I just want to throw that out there as a reminder. Young Love was special!

That is not my way of saying I hate Just Kids. But I loved Young Love. More than anything else Kearney had done previously. And Just Kids carries some similar vibes as Young Love.

And there are moments on Just Kids that I absolutely love! The album opener, Heartbreaker Dreamer is upbeat without going super pop. While the spoken word piece at the end of the track is a little long, I like the message Kearney is trying to get across. The title track is the standout on the record for me. It has that forlorn delivery that Keanrey used so well on his more singer/songwriter projects. The track isn't sad, but contemplative. It's one of my favorite tracks Kearney has ever released.

But the rest of the record just didn't click with me. Heartbeat, the album's first single, is very pop oriented. I've seen comparisons to Owl City and One Direction. I wouldn't go quite that far but I understand why people would make that leap. Moving On and Billon have a pseudo island feel to them. It's different. Let It Rain brings in that hip-hop infused pop sound that worked so great on Young Love.

And that's the difference. Just Kids is a pop record through and through! Young Love was equally as pop but it was more hip-hop influenced. Which is not a slight on Just Kids. It just means that as Kearney stretches and grows and tries new things, while mixing in the old, it's just not my cup of tea. Because I loved Young Love. And I haven't been a huge fan of or blown away by Kearney's previous work, it just means that I shouldn't be surprised that I don't love Just Kids. 3 out of 5 Stars.

The Meltdown 2.75

New music from LA Symphony, Social Club, We Are the City, and Wild Earth.

The Meltdown 2.74

New music from Mat Kearney, LA Symphony, Kevin Max, Eshon Burgundy, and more.

Thumper Punk Records to Release Angel City Cafe Benefit Compilation

Thumper Punk Records is pleased to announce the release of the “Angel City Cafe Benefit Compilation,” an album featuring 30 live recordings of fifteen TPR bands to raise money to support the great Christian music venue Angel City Cafe, in Bellflower, California (https://www.facebook.com/angelcitycafe1).  The release celebrates the 20th anniversary of Angel City Cafe, and its outreach ministry to the homeless and underprivileged. Angel City Cafe remains one of the few places where Christian artists share both their craft and their Message. It also provides jobs, and the occasional meal and shelter, for the local homeless.  It has roots in the community. It matters.  

Participating bands (donating two songs each) include The WAY, The Lonely Revolts, False Idle, Christ’s Sake, Saint Hooligan, Peter118, The Poor Geezers, Ambassadors of Shalom, ABSOLVED, The Hoax, Platoon 1107, A Broken Line, uniSEF, True Liberty and Living Fire.  Thumper Punk Records will be hosting its annual TPR Night at Angel City Cafe again this year on July 11, 2015.

All profits from this album go to Angel City Cafe.  Available for purchase in CD format from the Thumper Punk Records webstore (http://thumperpunkrecords.storenvy.com/collections/35134-all-products/products/12505005-angel-city-cafe-benefit-compilation), and digital versions are available now at the Thumper Punk bandcamp page (https://thumperpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/angel-city-cafe-benefit-compilation).

Judgement Day - The Altar EP

Let's just be honest. It's 2015. No one is really going to be breaking any new ground in the hardcore or metal genres. What's done is done. It's either good music, or it's not. Judgement Day's debut ep The Altar, is good!

In the simplest of of descriptions, The Altar is what I imagine Pantera would have sounded like if they were a brutal hardcore band. The Altar features some great guest appearances including the frontmen from Messengers, World Of Pain, and Bleeding Through. Each guest vocal adding a different depth and color to the songs that make each and every track on this all too short ep very interesting and different from each other.

Ago of Innocence's is a blistering opener for the ep. Chad from Messenger's vocals add a nice low guttural tone to Godfather's almost sing-songy yell. The hook on Seek feels like a classic Seventh Star chorus. Easy to sing and a song that would make it a great crowd song live. Vision of a Sanctuary simultaneously combines one of the most brutal breakdowns you'll ever hear with an angelic like vocal that creates a dynamic I don't think I've ever heard before. Rise is a pure circle pit song. Fast, short, and to the point. Get the crowd up and moving! The title track is the most metal song on the album (which makes sense since it features Brandan from Bleeding Through).

It's an ep that I wish was a full-legnth. Is there a better compliment than that? I just wanted more. I can't wait for more music from Judgement Day. 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

Aaron Gillespie - Grace Through The Wandering

There's instantly something more compelling and interesting about Aaron Gillespie's second worship full-legnth. I hate to say more honest, because I don't think there was anything disingenuous about Anthem Song. Maybe it's the maturity. Between fronting the Almost and leading worship, there's a comfortability that comes through on Grace Through The Wandering. There's a lyrical richness in certain songs on Grace, that moves beyond the typical congregational worship and into a personal outpouring. And I think that it the biggest difference between Anthem Song and Grace Through The Wandering.

Grace takes a while to really hits it's stride. I enjoy the first couple of tracks, but the artistry and more crafted moments don't appear right away. Wake Us Up is a nice opener. Upbeat, but not crazy. It's a very nice congregational song, which I have no problem with! You need those on a worship album and I would love to be singing Wake Us Up in my church. Gillespie's spin on Praise Him is nice. He doesn't stray too far from the original, but makes it his own just enough to give it a fresh spin.

A Love Like Yours was the first track to really grab my ear. From the outset, the instrumentation sets a different tone. The hook is simple and easy, but impactful. The bridge being the chorus of None But Jesus creates an almost dark undertone. It's a beautiful and interesting arrangement that creates this weird dichotomy in the song. It works and you can see how live it could hit with chilling and heartbreaking impact. Keep Me In shows off the musical richness of Grace Through the Wandering, another area where Gillespie has grown since Anthem Song. Like on Keep Me In, the usage of strings on In You There's Hope is understated and almost forgotten, but they add this beautiful texture, and even though it's only momentary, it's perfect! Gillespie's country spin on Come Thou Fount to close the record, while not my favorite version of the hymn, is a nice step to really push the bounds of what something traditional should sound like or feel. It's the artist coming out.

I enjoy Grace Through The Wandering, and like I said, I think it's a huge step forward from Anthem Song. But I don't see this becoming a "go to" worship record for me. 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

The Meltdown 2.73

New music from White Lighter, Eshon Burgundy, Rapture, and Sollunar.