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The Blue Pages’ EP Nighthawke

May 22, 2010 by Anna

There’s no doubt about it, The Blue Pages are definitely working hard to make themselves known. The band’s constant touring and promotional efforts have earned them appearances with acts like Panic! At the Disco, A Rocket to the Moon, and Passion Pit as well as a few shows on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. With such a hectic schedule, it’s a wonder they even had the time to release their new EP Nighthawke.

This album will have you dancing or maybe just unconsciously bobbing your head to the infectious beats of every track. While their single, “Lil Mama” exudes energy and establishes the band’s lighthearted sound, I found myself more impressed by tracks like “Say it Again,” which illuminates lead singer Zac Barnett’s vocal capabilities, showing off his falsetto while maintaining the vocal intensity that drives the song. Barnett’s display vocal range accompanies quirky lyrics like “You know I’m sensitive…but we can’t get down with our clothes on.” Another stand out was “Slow Down,” a track with an intro that is probably the most interesting ten seconds on the entire album. However, while the song begins with a unique sound, it quickly transitions into having the same monotony in rhythm that characterizes the tracks before it.

All the songs on this album sound so much alike, it becomes difficult to distinguish one from the other. But whether you call it cohesive or lacking creativity, there’s no denying that this album is a fun and promising display of The Blue Pages’ musical abilities.

Rating: (2.0/5)

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Wakey! Wakey! Warms You Up Like Morning Coffee

May 22, 2010 by Steph

While some may say that this record is a little glossy, that it’s a bit too pop, I am of the firm opinion that there is nothing wrong with a good pop record. While “Car Crash ” is a little Broadway for my taste and the closing track, “Take It Like a Man” is a strange mix of genres, overall the album gives me the warm and fuzzies. Entitled Almost Everything I Wish I’d Said The Last Time I Saw You…, the record has a major theme of love lost, and who can’t relate to that?

The opening track “Almost Everything” starts with a tinkling piano, segues into thumping bass drum with strings, and then Mike Grubb’s bright vocals shine above the beat. The lyrics mirror the upbeat tune in their optimism, with the chorus repeating “See it feels bad now, but it’s gonna get better.” The album doesn’t breathe a boring breathe before launching into another hit. “The Oh Song,” is taken over by a pulsing bass beat with a grungy melody and, as you might guess, lots of “ohs.” On the softer side, Grubbs melts your heart with “Dance So Good” singing, “Sometimes I wonder how you stay so sad when you’re so beautitul.” (On a side note, Mike Grubbs, who happens to also be an actor on The CW’s One Tree Hill performed this song on the show last week. Does that make you love him more or less? I haven’t decided for myself…)

As for the rest of the album, this is not your typical piano-driven pop record. For example, the dancey piano in “Twenty Two” is complemented by whistles and “Feral Love” sings about goin’ crazy (in bed!). Each song surprises and enchants you with Grubbs’ sweet vocals and swelling piano. I have listened to this record about 5 times through and I’m not tired of it yet!

Rating: (4/5)

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The Morning Benders’ album Big Echo

May 12, 2010 by Anna

Let’s knock a few basics out of the way first: yes, this album was produced by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, and yes, the Grizzly Bear influence is quite obvious. Big Echo shows The Morning Benders utilizing Grizzly Bear’s hazy, organic sound in an effort to abandon the mediocre indie rock sound that embodied their debut album. Despite Taylor’s influence, The Morning Benders have managed to create an album that stands well on its own, allowing the band to establish its unique presence.

Big Echo opens with “Excuses,” a track that wastes no time introducing The Benders’ dreamy, yet larger than life sound. Its brilliant layering of orchestration and vocals conjures energy enough to make it an automatic favorite. The album continues to impress with the funky and catchy “Promises” which is memorable for its killer intro alone and later with “Wet Cement” in which the band perfectly juxtaposes sweet vocals with thumping percussion and bass lines. Just when listeners have found themselves caught in the dream-like haze induced by the previous tracks, “Cold War” changes the pace, boasting of an upbeat, feel-good sound complete with handclaps and a memorable chorus. However, the track’s high-energy quality is short-lived as the song quickly transitions into the more tranquil half of the album.

This latter half is undoubtedly less impressive as tracks like “Mason Jar,” “All Day Day Light,” and “Stitches” show the band losing direction, creating tracks that are more lazy than serene and lack melodies worth remembering. Despite the dragging feeling of the second half, it still contains the quirky quality that makes the album intriguing. Tracks like “Pleasure Sighs,” which uses abrupt pauses and excellent harmonies to create depth, and “Hands Me Down” which boasts of intensity from start to finish display the band’s innovative abilities. The album closes with “Sleeping In,” a song that embodies both the big sound of the album’s first half and the tranquil sound of its second. However, like many of the other tracks, the song transitions from quiet and dreamy to loud and distorted, making it quite predictable.

Despite a few misses in the second half of the album, Big Echo is a charming display of The Morning Benders’ musical direction. Its experimental yet logically orchestrated quality establishes the band’s ability to create an organic sound while maintaining a clean presentation. Big Echo is by no means the most brilliant work out there, but it is a commendable display of The Morning Benders’ huge potential.

Rating: (3.5/5)

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Say It Twice – EP

March 22, 2010 by Anna

Say It Twice has had its fair share of success since the release of its Jetset Trends EP on August 2007. It was named one of Alternative Press Magazine’s top 8 unsigned bands and top selling unsigned artist on Smartpunk.com. Past tours include Warped Tour, Bamboozle, and various others with bands such as We The Kings, All Time Low, Metro Station, and plenty more. Now Say It Twice is signed with Authentik Artists and is preparing to release its second EP on March 23, 2010, which is sure to maintain the band’s abundant flow of success.

The album begins with “The Road You Know,” a brilliant introduction to the fervent quality in lead singer John Schaefer’s voice that establishes the earnest and lively tone encompassing the tracks that follow. The song begins with remnants of a ballad as the quiet piano line takes backseat to emphasized vocals, however quickly escalates into an upbeat and danceable track that stresses optimism in the face of struggle. The song transitions perfectly into “Love Learn” which contains the same fusion of pensive lyrics and upbeat sounds as piano and restrained percussion embodies the verses, contrasting with the larger than life sound of the chorus. It serves as a clear indication of one of the band’s musical influences as the electric guitar line resembles tracks from Kings of Leon. “Speed of the Drum” is another display of Shaefer’s strong vocal abilities as his mesmerizing use of falsetto in the chorus embellishes its subtle harmonies. However, the band’s strong qualities lay not only in its vocals, but also in its percussion as “Getaway” introduces its drum line 40 seconds into the song, creating a heart-pounding rhythm that reinforces the song’s urgent nature. “Lies” begins with an atmospheric sound that is abruptly interrupted by high-pitched electric guitar and booming drums. It closes the album with the same subtle sound with which the song begins.

This album is a great introduction to Say It Twice for those who have not heard its first EP and guaranteed satisfaction for those who are already fans of the L.A.-based band. While it does lack innovation, it is an incredibly cohesive listen, displaying the band’s abilities both lyrically and musically as genuine vocals accompany lively guitars and percussion, showing that the band is definitely headed in a very promising direction.

Rating: (3.5/5)

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Electric President – The Violent Blue

March 5, 2010 by Alma

Electric President has returned with its third album and it’s a pretty solid piece of work. On a new label, Fake Four Inc., the indie group comprises two natives of Jacksonville, Flo., Alex Kane and Ben Cooper, these guys are ready to put themselves on the map. The Violent Blue is a cool, calm, intriguing mix of electronic instruments with a dash of folk rock.

The great part about this is that the record has many unique elements. The not-so-great part is that familiarity can also fade into the background. An example is the opening track “The Ocean Floor.” It’s a dreamy, wavy song with a lonely piano tinkering in the background. Almost like the sound machines that play ambient sound to lull insomniacs to sleep, sounds like whales calling pervade the song, painting a perfect picture of the sea. But, not unlike the ambient sound machines, it has a tendency to slip out of focus, not for lack of creativity, but maybe just because it’s that calming and familiar sounding.

The remainder of the record brings the same sense of uniqueness all the while soothing with a sense of ease. It is hard to focus on the lyrics. In every song songs they tend to melt, as if they are part of the music. The vocals maintain a floaty, high, echoy sort of sound, like a being higher than yourself is speaking to you, but you’re lost in majesty of the experience. In “Feathers,” the folky sound combined with a distinct rhythm of the tambourine, drums, synthesizers and guitars envelops the vocals. The same situation is in “Eat Shit and Die;” even with a title like that, it’s still hard to divert focus from the most rock-like rhythm of the music to the lyrics.

But overall, the music tends to stand out on its own, utilizing the juxtaposition of uniqueness and familiarity. Most tracks seem to go through a change, either featuring an, almost regal, burst of sound that grows in the song. Another signature is the layering of sound, beginning with a few simple layers then laying it on really thick with different instruments and sounds, giving the song a very full and rounded feeling.

An excellent example is “Nightmares no. 5 or 6.” Pushing the six-minute mark, this track starts with a strange drum line/army marching kind of rhythm, breaking into a pop/rock kind of guitar rhythm. Then the song breaks down to a single guitar with a toy-winding/building-with-tinker-toys sound effect. It then grows into a larger, fuller sound complete with electric guitar, ending with a lot of screeching instruments and feedback.

The coolest thing about The Violent Blue that Electric President seems to have a formula its follows, featuring the same or similar aspects in each track but doing it differently whether it’s with a different rhythm or instrument. It gives a sense of unity and cohesiveness to the record so that each track flows effortlessly. But, if you listen to it closely, there’s a lot of unique and interesting work. Great job, Electric President. This is a solid album that does something new and does it well.

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Jonah Matranga & Kevin Seconds Split 7-inch

February 25, 2010 by Steph

Jonah Matranga

The split 7-inch from Jonah Matranga and Kevin Seconds is an interesting mix of tracks. Both artists have an extensive music-making history. Matranga was part of the emocore rock group Far from ’91-’98 After, he released solo music under the name onelinedrawing until 2004 and now performs and records under his own name. Kevin Seconds founded the influential hardcore punk band 7 Seconds in 1979 and began releasing solo material in ’89. Kevin and Jonah released a split together before—last time was a 4-way split with Anton Barbeau and Kepi Ghoulie in 2002. It comes as no surprise that the two would want to release another split 7-inch together on Blacktop Records.

Jonah Matranga

The first track is quite a surprise. An electro-hip-hop track called “I’ve Always Wanted To Write A Song Commanding People To Dance!” by Matranga opens with the line, “Hey there little hipster boy, put away the flat iron and give me some joy.” The track is dominated by heavy electronic beats littered with catchy keyboard loops and Jonah’s filtered vocals singing a chorus of, “There’s a guy with a gun to your head that says you’re dead if you don’t dance.” While totally out ofcharacter for Jonah (as can be seen by track 2, a typical Matranga-style song), from this song you’d wonder if he weren’t DJ Matranga. Seemingly an indulgent and ironic song, the beats do command you to dance and with lyrics about guns, hipsters, and flat irons, there’s no reason for this song to be a “guilty” pleasure.

Track two, Matranga’s “Daylight” is a finger-picked acoustic guitar track with sweet, echoed vocals. It could be confused with a lullaby, except the chorus is strained and gives the song a sense of sorrowful urgency. A gorgeous sad song, Jonah has created the most opposite songs as possible for his half of the 7-inch. And excelled at both!

Kevin Seconds

Kevin’s two tracks are more straightforward. Folk songs through-and-through, “Grip On Yr Own” and “Life Unknown” are instant American classics. The latter of the two has hint of Irish influence as well, with similarities to Flogging Molly’s “If I Ever Leave This World Alive.” Both have great sing-along harmonies in the chorus’ and while “Grip On Yr Own” prompts a Do-See-Do and “Life Unknown” is a slower story-telling song, both seem to look at life with a big-picture perspective and obviously come from a place of wisdom and life experience, of which Seconds has plenty.

Kevin Seconds

The tracks on this 7-inch split are diverse and cover at least three genres with only four songs. While there’s little cohesion as an album, the songs on their own could make great soundtrack-songs for four distinct experiences. I recommend the album, but I would suggest sticking all the songs on separate playlists for optimal enjoyment.

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The Rocket Summer’s album Of Men and Angels

February 21, 2010 by Anna

Quick, think of one thing you don’t like about The Rocket Summer…it’s okay, I’ve got nothing either. How could I have anything remotely negative to say about a band (I use that term loosely as there is only one very talented guy behind it by the name of Bryce Avary) whose past albums had titles like “Hello, Good Friend” and “Do You Feel?” Judging from the feel-good album titles alone, The Rocket Summer is not your average pop-rock band. It aims not for fame and fortune but for a means to spread its message. While other pop-rock acts sing about romantic relationships and heartbreak, The Rocket Summer takes a more daring approach, offering tracks about appreciating life and self-awareness. The band aims to spread love and it does just that in Of Men and Angels, its latest album on Island Def Jam records to be released on February 23, 2010.

I love it when I listen to a song and it changes my perspective of life in a matter of 3 or 4 minutes. I love it even more when there are other songs just like it compiled into one cohesive and well-crafted album like Of Men and Angels. Bryce Avary truly outdid himself with this one, kicking off the record with “Roses” which boasts of excellent percussion and a larger than life energy that not only embellishes the encouraging lyrics of the track, but also establishes the album’s optimistic tone.

The album continues to impress with the mellow “Hills and Valleys,” which initially sounds like a ballad and quickly transitions into an upbeat track that highlights Avary’s growth as a vocalist and benefits from the lighthearted feel that handclaps create. But if this track’s gorgeous piano intro leaves you wanting to listen to something slow and sentimental, then “Walls” is the way to go. The Rocket Summer broke my heart with this track, in a good way of course. If not brilliant for the tear-jerking harmonies in the last minute of the song, then “Walls” is great for its perfect inclusion of strings and vocal urgency.

However, the most memorable tracks on the album are those in which Avary shows his quirkier side. The choir-like “oohs” and snaps that initiate “Nothing Matters” makes it an immediate favorite, but perhaps what solidifies its genius status is that it has one of the best lines in the whole album, “I know it’s not too sexy but I’m singing ‘bout the blessings we get.” If that doesn’t get a smile out of you, then “Japanese Exchange Student” will. A good artist is one that namedrops in a song and gets away with it, but an extraordinary artist can namedrop both Beyonce and Paul McCartney in a song and come away with a track that still has substantial meaning. While the song is lighthearted and silly with lyrics like “Be nice to the Japanese exchange student” and “I love the Japanese, those from Japan and overseas like me,” it inevitably holds a bigger message, like all the tracks on this record, to be accepting of others in general. How he managed to teach a moral lesson through such unusual means is beyond me, but that is the genius of it.

This album isn’t much different from The Rocket Summer’s previous work, but I suppose it’s as the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While it does have more spiritual and introspective influences, Of Men and Angels stays true to The Rocket Summer’s lively and optimistic style and shows that growth without abandoning musical and lyrical roots is possible. The Rocket Summer is all about feeling good and spreading love, so it goes without saying that I love the good feeling that I get from this album and you will too.

Rating: (4.5/5)

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Angels & Airwaves’ Love

February 18, 2010 by J-Man

LOAE?

When I heard that Angels & Airwaves was releasing another album, my immediate response was, “They’re still together? That’s a shame.” I’ve been incredibly disappointed with Tom DeLonge’s “I’m going to save the world” movement since the first time I got “The Adventure” in my ears. The entire project sounds like a crippled Blink 182, his pretention is so thick its opaque, and his hair is retarded. I mean seriously… what is going on with his hair.

Tom contemplates his horrible wig

Needless to say, I pressed play on the new album Love with very low expectations. Part of me was desperately hoping that I was going to be surprised by what I heard. That part of me was disappointed. About the album, Mr. DeLonge says, “Things happen unpredictably and take you to these epic soundscapes. It’s very much in the spirit of Angels & Airwaves, but it sounds way, way more thought-out and way more ambitious.” He is mostly lying. If you have listened to previous A&A albums, then you’ve already heard every song on this album. I guess maybe the words are different. He repeats every line a thousand times, so that he can stretch three minutes worth of writing into six minutes of song. There are ambient things happening, to try and justify his use of the word “epic”. Side note: never, ever refer to anything that YOU HAVE MADE as epic. That is a word for OTHER people to use.

They were serious when they took this picture

About halfway through the album, I happened across what I had read was the first single. “Hallucinations” sounded like everything else so I skipped it. Then the same song played again so I skipped it as well. I think it was called “The Moon-Atomic” this time. The next track was called “Clever Love”, and I waited for it to start for four minutes, then it ended. The next song was called “Soul Survivor (…2012)” and based on the title alone, I skipped it. For the last two tracks, I skipped immediately to the middle of them to see if anything distinguishable from the rest of the album was happening… it wasn’t.

Bottom line, this is an Angels & Airwaves album. It is what happens when an artist gets so much money that they no longer think they need to listen to what anyone else says. It sounds exactly like everything else A&A has done, and I guess you’ll like it if you’re one of those kids who takes the time to figure out how to type an upside down “A” when you type their name, but me and you probably won’t ever get along.

Still serious.

They also made a movie with the same title as this album. It’s about an astronaut who meets God after traveling through a wormhole. Also something about the civil war. Tom DeLonge has lost his mind, and I really hope it doesn’t adversely affect the next Blink 182 album.

Rating: (0.5/5)

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Motion City Soundtrack’s My Dinosaur Life is NUTS

February 12, 2010 by Steph

My Dinosaur Life is nuts. Clinically. With the lyrics of songs like “Hysteria,” and “Delirium,” and the horror-film style music video for the single “Disappear,” it’s hard not to wonder if Motion City Soundtrack has gone off the deep end. My Dinosaur Life, produced by Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, is the pop rock we love from MCS, but prepare for an album that’s a bit darker and a whole lot crazier than their previous releases (possibly due to drummer Tony Thaxton’s broken arm and long road to rehabilitation, not knowing when he’d be able to play and the coinciding pressure from making their first major-label [Columbia Records] release).

The album opens with a kindergarden-esque song “Worker Bee” in whose chorus, frontman Justin Pierre proclaims, “I’ve been a good little worker bee. I deserve a gold star.” Behind this elementary-school chorus, Pierre tells of a shitty year and demands, “I’m through with the old school so lets commence the winning.” Seems like a lot of us can relate to that about 2009.

After kicking off the album with an optimistic note, the band dives in to stories of self-doubt [“A Lifeless Ordinary (Need a Little Help)”], heartbreaks (“Her Words Destroyed My Planet”), prescription drugs (“Delirium”), and just being pissed off (“@!#?@!”). Tales of, presumably, their “fucked up” last year. Or maybe it’s just a year in the life of a dinosaur…

The single “Disappear” is a dark, heavy pop rock song backed by heavy drums and minor guitar keys. The lyrics seem to be the ramblings of self-deprecating loner, wrecked by some intangible “you” or maybe everyone as “you.” Justin Pierre cries, “I can disappear/ any time I want to, time I feel you/ shovel through my skin / I am with you till the end.” If you’re hoping to understand this song though the music video, good luck. It depicts a story of a bear-mask-wearing young girl at a lake house with her parents who spots a slime-faced man who chases the family, after which the girl walks away into the mist alone. Although a little puzzling lyrically, the song is catchy will be pulsing through your brain in no time.

Some of my personal favorites are “Stand Too Close,” “Pulp Fiction,” and the bonus track “So Long Farewell.” “Pulp Fiction” is probably the most similar to what you’re used to from Motion City Soundtrack while “Stand Too Close” is the mellowest on the album with some acoustic guitar and claps. “So Long Farewell” is a gorgeous track with falsetto harmonies and light acoustic guitar and drums.

My Dinosaur Life is crazy but grounded; it’s musically daring and emotionally provocative. If you’ve had a rough year, if sometimes you just feel nuts, or if you want to sing “You all need to go away, you muthafukkas!” at the top of your lungs, you’ll enjoy this album.

Rating: (4/5)

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