Twin Forks - Twin Forks

I've always been a huge fan of Chris Carrabba. I was upset when he left Further Seems Forever (which he's rectified), but I still loved Dashboard Confessional, maybe even more than I loved Further. And Twin Forks is no exception.

Twin Forks is Carrabba's new folk outfit. And it might be his best work since "The Moon Is  Down." It's his most emotive work since "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most." Twin Fork's debut LP is honest and reflective, while managing to be fun. It's almost as if the record is meant to be listened to on vinyl. It's split into two sides.

The side is fun and upbeat, full of great singles and sing-a-long choruses. Can't Be Broken takes a second to fully come alive as a kick drum and mandolin lead the build that explodes by the time the chorus kicks in. The hook gets into your head and by the second time through, you're singing right along. Which is the way all of Chris' great songs have been. A fun upbeat song about finding real love. Cross My Mind has car commercial written all over the intro (in fact I'm sure I've heard it on tv), but in a good way. Like if you heard it, you'd want to find out what the song was.

Back To You is my favorite track from side a. It's a big fun party of a song. It sounds like Chris is truly enjoying himself making music, more than he has in years. Kiss Me Darling is more reflective in sound. The wanting for a kiss and missing your love. It's like the opposite of the lyrical content from "The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most." Scrapping Up The Pieces feels like a great Irish drinking song. You gather around the bar with your buddies and belt the chorus out as Chris leads the band. Something We Just Know closes out side a with more of a stripped down sound. Random yells and shouts in the background help create this good times, fun atmosphere.

And then side b starts. Side b is more reflective and introspective. The opening guitar strums on Danger might seem upbeat but it slowly comes back down to some palm muted plucking for the verse. It's a great song, pleading with the ones you love to be safe, to make sure they get back to you without being harmed. The hook on Plans is simple, but it's absolutely beautiful. You can feel this pained longing on Done Is Done, and the chorus rings with such beauty that you want to put yourself in Chris' shoes to truly understand what he's singing about.

Who's Looking Out is the final song on the album. It's a question. Who's looking out for you now? It's a great song that leaves the interpretation up to the listener as to the context of Chris' question.

Twin Forks debut LP is beautiful. It's perfect. As a long time fan of Carrabba's work, this might his best work ever. This is an album worth owning!

The Overseer - Rest And Let Go

I loved The Overseer's debut, We Search We Dig.  It was a perfect post hardcore soundtrack. So I always get nervous about the follow-up to an album I love. What does the band do next? Do they build on the foundation they laid? Or do they tear it down and start over to deliver something new and unexpected?

Rest And Let Go dives further into the sound on We Search We Dig and improves upon it. At times the album is sinister and dark, yet there's a switch and you'd swear Freddie Mercury had taken over duties as the frontman, only briefly, only to get thrown around in a whirlwind of sound and brutality moments later. There are beautifully melodic moments that showcase a range, musically and emotionally.

Fragile Wings opens the record ferociously. A lot like We Search We Dig, it has similarities to what Underoath was trying to accomplish on Disambiguation, only The Overseer does a better job at pulling it off. Tense, ambient, restrained verses before the chorus hits with the intensity of an angry dog. The tension betweens the verse and chorus creates this beautiful balance. Paper Thin Houses hits with more punk intensity.

The Structure/TheFoundation is a beautiful song. There's no interplay between heavy and ambient. No tension. Just a beautiful song. For those worried that there may be a lack of "heaviness" need not worry. Finer Fiend's opening riff is nice and pounding, while the lead line creates a contrasting balance, necessary for what The Overseer is accomplishing. Finer Fiend is where we find the ghost of Freddie Mercury poking his head in. The song never loses it's edge, but has a great ebb and flow. The counter play on Rest And Let Go is the best I've heard in years.

Deluded is another valley. A slow building, minimal track that plays with some interesting tones and sounds, all the while slowly coming to a false crescendo. Uprooted might the heaviest track on the record. Not the most intense, but the guitar riff is sludgy and dirty.

Rest And Let Go is my favorite record Solid State has released since We Search We Dig. From start to finish it's an interesting record, sonically and lyrically. The Overseer should be proud.

John Mark McMillan - Borderland

There's something special about John Mark McMillan's music. From minimal and haunting, to bluesy dirty guitar, to full blown worship, listening to John Mark is an experience that leaves one moved.

Borderland is crisp and clean when compared to John Mark's previous two records. It's more of a "mainstream" record... But it's not. It's all John Mark McMillan. As an artist who's never fit in the CCM/Worship genre (even though covers of his song How He Loves have been made popular by countless artists) and who hasn't quite gained indie rock "stardom", Borderland continues to walk the line.

Holy Ghost is a simple song, piano and vocals before strings, a children's choir and minor percussion blend in at the end of the track, opens the record. Love At The End is dark. Not gritty and raw, but dark in tone and theme. The video for the track accentuates the dark vibe. Guns/Napoleon (despite what it's name may suggest) is a more upbeat track that brings some balance to the record. The first single, Future Past, is a song made for churches and corporate worship. Not in a bad way, but in an honest, heart wrecking, you want your church to be singing this song on Sunday mornings kind of way. Borderland is similar to the rock tracks we heard on Economy, without the raw bluesy sound, which is ok. Still a great song! Heart Runs is another song that you want to hear Sunday mornings. Passionate worship that breaks the norm.

There's a lot of things I like about Borderland. The songs are still compelling and heartfelt. It's a beautiful record. But I loved the rawness and heart I felt in The Medicine and Economy. While the passion is there, there's a depth to the music that seems missing. Borderland feels like it's made for a slightly different audience. Don't get me wrong, Borderland is great and it sounds like John Mark McMillan. It's just different enough that it doesn't strike me as a wow record.

The Meltdown 2.30

The Meltdown - The Meltdown 2.30


New music from John Mark McMillan and The Overseer. Plus tracks from The Ember Days, AP2, and Plankeye.

The Meltdown 2.29

New music from Mike Mains & The Branches, Everything In Slow Motion, Kye Kye, For Today, and Five Iron Frenzy.

For Today - Fight The Silence

I thought Immortal was For Today's best work yet... But I didn't love it. Immortal was heavy but the band added some great melodic elements and lost a lot of the bass drops that have become standard metalcore fair. The guest spots from Tommy Green and Sonny Sandovol gave the album an extra dimension and For Today was expanding their repertoire. But the album wasn't as compelling as the band's previous effort, Breaker. Breaker had a passion and a vibe that made it special. Immortal felt like it was lacking something and as great as it was, I just didn't connect with it.

Fight The Silence might be For Today's most accessible and "mainstream" record yet. It's a little more in the vein of what we've come to expect from bands in the metalcore genre. But... I find it more enjoyable than Immortal. Fight the Silence is For Today, in a good way. The album's heavy with great clean choruses and catchy hooks.

Molotov starts with the muffled, eqed guitar riff/drums opening that I've heard a million times before the bass drops and the songs kicks in full. But when the first hook hits, the riff and groove push the sing-a-long nature of the track is great. Fight the Silence is a great anthem that speaks out against human trafficking. It's one of For Today's best songs ever! Pariah is the heaviest song on the album. No clean vocals and an excellent mini solo in the middle of the track. Reflections is a beautiful melodic moment that's a nice respite coming out of Pariah, without being an awkward instrumental that's often used in the genre.

Call To Arms has some of the best guitar work I've heard from For Today. Intricate and interesting riffs happening underneath the breakdowns. One Voice is a great song about standing up for your beliefs and not backing down from your convictions. Hated By The World is a melodic punk feel that's totally fresh and new for the band.

Fight the Silence is still heavy, but something in the production makes it feel like it's For Today's least heavy record to date. It gives it that "mainstream" metalcore vibe.

It might not be anything new or groundbreaking, but For Today has recaptured what was so great about Breaker. Fight the Silence is an anthemic record with tons of heart, passion, and conviction.

Mike Mains & The Branches - Calm Down, Everything Is Fine

Calm Down, Everything Is Fine is great! Beautifully crafted indie pop songs that strike a wide range of emotions.

As much as I loved the band's debut full-length, Home, Calm Down is a stronger record. The focus is more pop oriented and the songs reflect a maturing. But the band's signature quirky style rock and roll is still at the center of the album.

Played It Safe is a short crescendoing intro with a beautiful melody line that reminds me of some of Sunny Day Real Estate's great songs. That gives way to Everything's Gonna Be Alright, a summertime pop/dance jam. Upbeat and bouncy with a great hook and a guitar line that would make Maroon 5 jealous. By My Side, Noises, and In The Night bring the great rock sound that the band popularized on their debut. Slow Down is an acoustic ballad that sounds like a less cheesy Hey There Delilah. Take It All is another fun summer time car ride jam. Stones is a beautiful piano ballad. The title track closes the record, and it's a mini rock opera. The twists and turns create an interesting soundscape and journey.

Calm Down, Everything Is Fine is one of the best record I've heard so far this year. It's a true pop gem. Fans of the band's previous work as well as fans of Lovedrug and The Arcade Fire will love Mike Mains & The Branches.