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.

The Meltdown 30

New music from Blindside and Moving Mountains

Swimming with Dolphins - Water Colours

When I first read that Tooth and Nail had signed Swimming with Dolphins, my only thought was that T&N was trying to capitalize off of the popularity of Owl City. Finding out that Adam Young was once in Swimming with Dolphins only confirmed my belief. Now I enjoy Owl City and I like the Postal Service. It's not like I don't like electronic pop music. But my expectations for Water Colours were low. And when I heard the album's first single, Sleep to Dream, they remained low.

Water Colours is better then I had expected... At least to start the record. Holiday is a great opening track. Super upbeat and catchy with a great hook. Just a really infectious song. Easy has a nice synth line but there's not a lot to song that grabs you and makes you want to listen. Sleep to Dream has grown on me a little but its super 80's lead synth intro just doesn't make sense to me. Diplomat is upbeat and makes me think of sunshine and skipping through the park but in the end, the hook just isn't catchy enough.

The rest of Water Colours is pretty forgettable. And that's the problem with Swimming with Dolphins, they're forgettable. Minus Holiday, there are no great hooks on this album. A couple of decent melodies but the songs are empty and just don't have that charm or poppiness needed to make Water Colours a good record.