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  1. Another Voyage Review

    January 25, 2009 by J-Man

    Do you miss the Blink 182 glory days? Do you listen to “Take This To Your Grave” more often than “Folie à Deux”. Do you wish you had a shirt with a Cycloptopus on it?

    If you answered yes to any of these questions, than you might already be a fan of Another Voyage, a four piece pop rock band out of Easton, PA. These kids are out to have fun, and make sure everyone listening to them does too. Their music makes you want to dance with your friends, bob your head and sing along, and possibly experience a montage sequence of all the best things that happened to you in high school.

    Started back in 2007, Another Voyage is in a constant and steady state of growth. They just recorded there first demo CD last year, and have already opened for bands like Just Surrender, Sound The Alarm, Farewell, Patent Pending, and the Dangerous Summer. With the new year ahead of them, they’re looking forward to recording new material, playing as many shows as possible, and having good times worth writing songs about. Look forward to many good things from Eric, Todd, Anthony and Paul.

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  2. Munger

    December 18, 2008 by J-Man

    In West Chicago, there exists a band named after a man; a man with one of the most rock-worthy last names on the planet.

    The band is called Munger.  They will make fun of your cover band.  They will sing you a song about exacting revenge on friends who have betrayed them.  They will rock your face off.

    J. Munger, the lead singer and guitarist, has one of those “no one else sounds like this guy” voices.  I shouldn’t try to compare him to anyone, but I’m going to anyway.  If you mixed David Drayman, Brad Roberts, Billy Idol, Chad Gray, and Matthew Charles Sanders; you would end up with a really ugly freak of a man, but he would probably sound a bit like J. Munger.  His unique voice gives the band an amazing edge.  Along with it, he also brings head-bangingly powerful rock riffs, and some pretty solid solos to the table.

    Their bassist, Adam Flores, is active.  That may sound like a somewhat neutral statement, but I mean it in the most complimentary way possible.  Too often, bassists in rock bands will fall into a “play this note a bunch because it’s
    the key we’re in” rut.  I am always impressed with bassists who run active bass lines, and Adam does not disappoint.

    Of course, you can not have a rock band without a drummer.  Munger does not just have “a drummer”.  They have a good rummer.  In an industry where far too many percussionists get away with playing punk drums at different speeds, or relying on double pedals to do all their work, Dave Cogozzo breaks the mold beautifully.  He provides a great foundation for Munger, adding the beats needed to keep your head bobbing.

    Bottom line?  If you like rock music, you need to give Munger a listen; especially “Beneath”, as I can’t seem to STOP listening to that song.
    -Justin

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  3. The Friday Night Boys – That’s What She Said

    October 11, 2008 by J-Man

    I had never heard of The Friday Night Boys before being handed this album to review.  I walked into it with absolutely no expectations at all.  I didn’t even know what genre I was about to get in my ears.  Journey with me through “That’s What She Said,” TFNB’s new EP.

    Track 1 – Chasing A Rock Star

    We are greeted with a bouncy drum beat and a happy guitar intro.  Have we heard this song before?  Yes and no.  We have never heard this song in particular, but we have listened to Pop Punk before, so we have heard this intro before.  That’s ok though, you either like Pop Punk or you don’t (if you don’t, stop listening RIGHT NOW).  I do, so I listen on.  WHOA!  Shortest verse ever!  Twenty seconds into the song and we’ve already reached the chorus.  I’m bobbing my head, this music is super catchy, but these lyrics are inane.

    Chorus:

    “Chasing a rock star

    But where will you go?

    You’re chasing him too far

    The way you move so slow

    You swear you’re innocent

    But I know that you’ll regret

    Chasing a rock star now…

    Get over yourself”

    Ok, juvenile lyrics, super catchy music, song made up of mostly chorus.  I assume I’ll hear this on the radio tomorrow. Let’s see what else we’ve got.

    Track 2 – That’s What She Said

    Keyboard intro…  There is no keyboard in this band.  Drum machine drums…  Doesn’t this band have a drummer?   This makes me frown.  There’s a serious trend nowadays of over-produced music (too many vocal effects, hyper-sampled everything, instruments showing up on CDs that are non existent on stage).  It makes for great sounding CD’s, but it’s a pet peeve of mine.  I like listening to an album and knowing that this band can deliver the same sound live.  Anyway… moving on.  My brain goes into full “Pop Punk” mode and I’m not even listening to the lyrics anymore.  What was that!?  I rewind the track back to 2:30 to confirm that, indeed, there was a guitar sweep in that transition.  It was brief, but it woke me back up.  It’s followed by what I believe might be the 15th chorus in the song and a fade out.

    Track 3 – Celebrity Life

    Oh!  The guitar is doing more things.  The lyrics haven’t gotten any more intelligent, but this yet another catchy bouncy song that has me bobbing my head.  The guitar fills throughout have me smiling.  !!!!!  GUITAR SOLO!  An awesome one!  Where did that come from?  Now I’m paying attention again.  Enough to catch the last chorus about the girl who would do anything to get famous… Whoops.

    Track 4 – High School

    This title worries me.  My brain is threatening to tune out the lyrics again.

    End of chorus:

    “I guess graduating changes nothing at all…”

    Brain turn off.

    Guitar solo.

    Brain turn on.

    I don’t know if maybe I just haven’t been paying attention in the past, but I am not used to shredding solos in my Pop Punk.  I think this may actually be evidence of Guitar Hero affecting the way our music is made.  That is genuinely awesome.  What’s he singing about?  Oh, life being just like high school.  Next track please.

    Track 5 – Thursday Night Pregame

    Backstreet boys vocal harmony intro.  I’m smiling again.  The drummer mixes it up some with his beat in this song.  Is that some double pedal work I hear?  Again, my heads bobbing and I have no idea what he’s singing about.  This song “whoas” to a close, and I’m done with my Friday Night Boys experience.

    Final thoughts?  I’m absolutely and completely torn.  On the one hand, I like them.  I’ll be putting them on my Zune and listening in the future.  On the other hand, when my friends make fun of me for listening to music aimed at 14 year old girls… I’m not going to be able to argue.  If you are looking for deep, meaningful lyrics; this album is not for you.  If you are a fan of sing-a-long choruses and catchy music, littered with some genuinely surprising guitar work, give The Friday Night Boys a moment of your time.

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  4. Portishead’s album Third

    September 21, 2008 by J-Man

    Portishead’s album Third

    I have always been a big Portishead fan.  As a band, they always seemed to care more about making music than selling albums, and it was satisfying to see such an attitude be rewarded with success.  It has been 11 years since their last studio album dropped, and I am both relieved and excited to report that Third does not disappoint.

    When I first starting looking into this album, I was a little worried about what a decade long break could do to a band.  I was worried further by the fact that, alongside their long standing “Trip-Hop” branding, they were taking steps toward other genres like “Experimental” and “Art Rock”.  Usually when someone adds the title “art” to something that is already art, and then supplements that by telling you that it’s “experimental”, they are setting you up.  They are about to show you something terrible, and then belittle you for “not understanding” it.  When applied to music, this also frequently means that every song you hear is going to sound like one long intro and never really get started.

    Third, however, delivers a very artistic sound, using some experimental methods of writing and composition, without feeling pretentious.  It is definitely a departure of sorts from Portishead’s prior albums, but it falls right in line with their “making music because we enjoy making music” method.  I don’t feel like I’m listening to someone trying to be different.  I feel like I’m listening to a band who really isn’t concerned about whether or not their music is going to get played on the radio.  A lot of the songs almost feel… stripped down.  Like seeing a beautiful girl without makeup on for the first time; it’s a completely different kind of beauty; more raw.  “We Carry On” and “Machine Gun” give me this awkward feeling that there is something missing, but I couldn’t come up with something useful to add with a gun to my head.

    I did get the “this song isn’t really starting” feeling a couple of times, but it was fleeting.  On my second listen-thru of the album, I found myself getting so lost in Beth Gibbon’s haunting voice and lyrics, and the interesting things being done musically by Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley, that the songs seemed to bend and flow through each other, creating some sort of musical experience.  The music sometimes seems to consciously predict what you expect to happen, and then do something completely different.  The end of the first track, “Silence”, comes to mind, along with the odd drum cuts in “Plastic”.

    Alright, I’m starting to sound a bit like one of those beret wearing artsy fartsy types, and no one wants that.  Suffice to say, this is a great album.  Its simplistic departure from Portishead’s previous Trip-Hop sound sets it apart without disconnecting it from the bands roots.  Although I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me they “didn’t get it”, I think all Portishead fans will be pleased (and seemingly, already are.  Third has gotten rave reviews, hit number 2 on the UK  charts, and 7 on the U.S. Billboard 200). I don’t know if I’d jump on the “It’s their greatest album ever” bandwagon (I love “Dummy” too much) but Third is definitely worth picking up.

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