She Wants Revenge - Valleyheart

I've always liked She Wants Revenge. Yes, they sound like Interpol. Yes, they're dirty. But the music has always been catchy and so I've found enjoyment in the band.

The band's third full-length, Valleyheart, is a departure in sound from the band's first two albums. And I say departure lightly. The music is similar but the feel is really different. She Wants Revenge always had a great sexually driven driver. Lyrically and musically the band created this great sexual tension. And while that sexual tension was lessened on the band's second album, This is Forever, it was still present. On Valleyheart it's gone.

That's not to say that Valleyheart isn't a good record. Just that it's different, almost sweet. Take the World has some dark undertones and creates a nice texture for the record to come. It's a hint of what the band has done in the past but clearly points in a new direction. Kiss Me is a super upbeat love song. Up In Flames has a familiar feel with a swing vibe.

Where the album really plays with my head is the first single, Must Be the One. It's an absolutely fantastic song, but it's so different for She Want Revenge that I had to listen to it twice my first time through the album. Not Just a Girl is another solid pop song. Reasons is another song that flirts with the band's old sound without fully engaging in that sexual tension.

It took four years for She Wants Revenge to follow up This is Forever and the band matured a lot. Valleyheart is really different but still She Wants Revenge and it's still a great record.

Cave In - White Silence

Cave In’s White Silence wasn’t one of my most anticipated albums of the year only because I didn’t know Cave In was releasing an album in 2011. So catching the release date on the PRP got me pretty excited. Cave In has always done what they want and they always deliver something different on each record. Whether it’s their hardcore masterpiece Until Your Heart Stops, their experimental rock album Jupiter, or their two alternative records Antenna and Pitch Perfect Black, Cave In has always put out solid records.

The band’s reunion ep, Planets of Old, was a perfect combination of everything Cave In had done in their career and it was some of the best music the band had ever released and I had high expectations for White Silence.

The problem is Cave In does whatever they want and they’ve gone too far with that idea on White Silence. The line between experimenting and making quality music has been blurred and it’s almost completely disastrous.

The title track kicks the album off when a pretty unbearable noise/rock sound that’s so odd I thought it was a joke at first. The production seems low budget and I was waiting for the real track to begin. So much so that even when the song ended I though for sure that Serpents was going to be the first real track on the album. And Serpents is better, but it’s clear that Cave In is going somewhere… else on this album.

Sings My Love is more in the vain of Planets of Old and it’s also the best song on the album. The guitar lines are great, the hook is memorable, the vocals outstanding. It’s the only song on the album that holds any semblance to anything remotely Cave In. And even then the song takes 3 and half minutes to kick in and get started. Vicious Circles is a cool stoner metal type song. I like the song but like every other track on the album, it takes you by surprise.

And those are the only two songs worth noting. The album is all over the place in a bad way. Cave In really lost me with White Silence. 6 spins in and I’m just still so disappointed in this album. I don’t even think this album is a must have for die hard Cave In fans like myself.

The Meltdown 31

Summer Show featuring music from MxPx, The MIghty Mighty Bosstones, Fugazi, and Pax 217

So Far Away

I'm heading to Florida for the next week and so the music blog is being shutdown until I get back. Don't rock too hard while I'm gone. I'll be back to posting Tuesday May 31th.

Free Music Friday: Red Cord Records - Heavy Summer Meltdown

The label sampler is a great thing. Back in my high school days I would spend the $2 to get an album with 22 artists for me to discover and check out. It was an easy way to find out about new bands and new music.

Well cds are dead (expect to people like me who complain about the lack of music stores and buy all our cds online) and in place of the cd sampler is the free download mp3 compilation, of which I am also a fan.

Red Cord Records is a label I am just discovering with this sampler. It's a name I've seen but never checked out. Red Cord is a label for fans of metalcore/hardcore/metal. The label hosts bands like Phinehas, Your Chance To Die, and Not One is Upright. I've been spinning and digging the sampler and I look forward to checking out more from Red Cord Records.

You can download Heavy Summer Meltdown here: http://www.hailsandhorns.com/news/red-cord-records-heavy-summer-meltdown-comp-free-download/

A Storm of Light - As the Valley of Death Becomes Us, Our Silver Memories Fade

I know people who read this blog would agree with me that metalcore is played out. We wish a movement of Christian stoner/doom/sludge metal bands would emerge in the current scene. But since it hasn't happened, we'll (I'll) continue listening to mainstream stoner metal.

A Storm of Light has been around a couple years and features former members of Neurosis and Red Sparowes. As The Valley of Death is the band's third full-length record. And if you have any remote interest in doom metal, you should pick this album up. Think along the lines of a less evil sounding Neurosis.

As soon as Missing kicked in, I was hooked. A very driving song with a sick guitar solo (and I love guitar solos). As the Valley never gets too heavy, relying on strong riffs, good melodies, and strong musicianship to carry the album. While not as proggy as Mastodon's Crack the Skye, it's a good reference for the textures on As the Valley of Death.

I don't know how this album compares to A Storm of Light's previous albums but on its own merit, it's a killer record. The solos are solid, the songs are strong and never too long. If you're in need of a good doom metal record, I recommend picking this one up.

Face to Face - Laugh Now, Laugh Later

Punk isn't a genre of music that's bee popular of productive lately. The same bands continue to make record and play Warp Tour. One time punk giants like Green Day and Blink 182 have abandoned their punk sound altogether. It's hard to think that there was a time when pop punk bands like New Found Glory, MxPx, and Good Charlotte dominated radio airplay. Punk gave way to emo and for the last ten years rock music has tried to find some footing and gain ground in a music scene that's constantly changing.

But change isn't always good and the punk bands that have lasted have made sure to keep it simple, and keep it good.

So Face to Face is back after 9 years with Laugh Now, Laugh Later and the band picked up right where they left off. You could insert Laugh Now, Laugh Later anywhere in Face to Face's discography and it would fit perfectly.

Top to bottom, Laugh Now, Laugh Later is a fun record. A great punk record from a great punk band. Face to Face knocked it out of the park on their return.