There’s a punk band out of Orange County called Chaser that’s been kicking around doing their thing since 2002. They’ve already released two CDs, and will be releasing their newest venture, The Big Picture, on February 16th.
The band went into this album with a brand new outlook on life. After becoming a father, front man Mike LeDonne found himself with a new, more positive spin on the world he lives in, and he carried that perspective throughout the writing process on The Big Picture. Every song gravitates around the concept of figuring out what really matters in life, and finding the silver lining in the storm clouds that too often darken our days.
The album opens with the title track, which lyrically sums up everything I just said about the album. Musically, this song also sets the stage for everything else you’re about to hear. It’s punk. There’s nothing new, nothing exciting… it’s just punk. Drummer Josh Millican falls into the punk-o-matic trap of using the D-Beat relentlessly throughout The Big Picture, and the guitar/bass riffs and solos (supplied by Cameron Denning, Nate Warner, and Jesse Stopnitzky respectively), although handled by obviously talented musicians, are interchangeable between songs. A couple of songs tried to trick me into thinking otherwise with inspired intros (the first ten seconds of “Actions to Ashes” wakes you up with a primal scream and some metalicious guitar shredding) but most of them, disappointingly, melted into cookie-cutter punk songs shortly thereafter. Although most punk fans will not be bothered by this, it made the album a bit boring for me to listen to.
Also lending to my struggle to pay attention to what was happening were the extremely tired sounding vocals. You come to expect a certain strength from your lead vocalist when listening to punk, and that is just not present on this album. Lines that almost beg for some punch, some excitement, (“No no no no never again” in “Nevermore”) fall flat and rob the songs of their potency. This could very easily be a problem that is nonexistent live, it can be hard to muster up that raw energy in a recording booth, but it hurts the album a great deal.
On the up side of things, which is what this album is all about, cookie-cutter does not necessarily mean bad. If you are a punk fan, and you are looking to expand your punk library, this album is probably a cookie that you will enjoy. As a bonus, you’ll be able to listen to music that doesn’t base its lyrical content solely on calling George Bush the devil. I was pleasantly surprised to hear a Ska breakdown in the middle of “In This Together” that featured a vocalist who seemed a bit more comfortable singing in a studio. (I couldn’t find his name specifically credited to the song, but I believe it is Jason Devore of Authority Zero. LeDonne has mentioned that they worked with a number of guest musicians on this album.) “My Promise”, an acoustic ballad that I can safely assume was written for Ledonne’s daughter, also provides a nice little breather, and ends with a phone call between the two of them that just might bring a tear to your eye.
All in all, The Big Picture fails to bring anything revolutionary to the table, won’t shock you with amazing vocals or deep, thought provoking lyrics, but wouldn’t be a bad addition to your punk library, if that happens to be a thing that you have. Look for Chaser to hit your town with Guttermouth. The tour kicks off on Februrary 5th in San Luis Obispo.
Rating: 
(1/5)
(4.5/5)
Released on October 6, 2009, Anywhere But Here is the third release from Florida-based group, Mayday Parade. Made up of Derek Sanders (lead vocals, keyboard), Jeremy Lenzo (bass guitar, backing vocals), Alex Garcia (lead guitar), Brooks Betts (rhythm guitar) and Jason Bundrick (drums, percussion), Mayday Parade formed in 2006 after the bands Kid Named Chicago and Defining Moment converged.
In “The Silence,” Sanders adds a nice effect with his vocals on the lyric “even though the world she loved, it won’t ever be the way it was” at the beginning of the chorus. It mirrors the instrumental back-and-forth of the notes in the background.
When I was sent Old Time Speaker by Bronze Radio Return, I’ll be honest, I had never heard of the band before. I had no idea what to expect from Chris Henderson (lead vocals, guitar), Patrick Fetkowitz (lead guitar), Matt Warner (keys, background vocals), Rob Griffith (drums, background vocals), Bob Tanen (bass, background vocals) and Craig Struble (harmonica) when I opened my iTunes and turned up my speakers one fateful afternoon.
