Advent - Naked and Cold
I've had this CD for a couple months because my friend/Bishop fill in guitarist Mike Rich plays guitar for them. It's amazing. My favorite song off of it is "Nothing". Its really fast and super heavy. The drummer is so good and the guitars sound amazing. The vocals on it are so pissed sounding with a little bit of added distortion. Kind of reminded me of old On Broken Wings vocals the way it's recorded. This is obviously way better. The recording quality is really clear and well done. Definitely check this band out.
All Time Low - Weightless
I used to love everything this band put out. But I was really disappointed with this release. Its really over produced, a lot different than the old stuff, not as good. I couldn't get into it. The songs just seem boring to me. Its a lot poppier than the other stuff too. I mean like cheesy boy band pop. The first single they released was "Weightless" and its probably the best song on the CD. Its the only song that really catches my attention. It sounds like the band Boys Like Girls and Hey Monday mixed together. Pure crap. Sorry, not digging it.
Between The Trees - Spain
It feels like this band didn't release anything for a few years. I liked the first album a lot. I saw them live with Mae a few years back and couldn't wait for the new album. Finally its here. It's a bit different than the first one, more mainstream rock. But I still really enjoyed it. I like the piano on the CD the most I think. There are a couple slow songs where the piano is showcased a lot. I can't really narrow down a favorite cause I like a few of the songs equally. It's probably between "One Last Time", "Story of a Boy", and "Changed By You". But "We Can Try" is really good too. Definite radio rock. The singer has a really good voice and I like his lyrics a lot. I probably like this album about the same as the first one.
Bishop - Drugs
I'm not really going to review my own bands CD, but check it out.
Broadway Calls - Good Views, Bad News
I played with this band at a house show in Iowa a few years ago and they were pretty cool dudes. Since then they have obviously gotten a lot bigger. They sounded so good for a 3 piece too. This CD is a lot of fun. This band is one of those bands that you go to shows and everyone is singing along having a fun time. Its a lot of singing along and stuff like that. Just some fun punk stuff. Nothing crazy original, but still good. I like the first CD a little better, but this one is still enjoyable.
Cartel - Cycles
This band has slowly lost its appeal to me. The Ransom EP was awesome, Chroma was just as good, the self titled had a few good songs on it, but wasn't as good, and now this CD just sounds like a continuation of the not so good songs on the self titled. The singer has such a good voice and the stuff can be catchy, but its the same thing we heard on the last CD. Nothing ground breaking, just straight forward pop-rock. I gave the CD a quick listen and nothing caught my attention. Nothing stood out. Its not bad, just not amazing.
Converge - Axe To Fall
I'll probably get shit for this, but I really don't care. I think its funny how people talk so much shit about bands like Have Heart and Guns Up! for being "hype" bands, yet I think Converge is the same way. They have a lot of good stuff, but this new CD isn't even that good, and the last 2 songs are terrible. They need to stick to the stuff they are good at. The first couple songs are good, but its repetitive, and I don't like that you can never understand a word the singer is saying. I'm all for artistic stuff, Ceremony is one of my favorite bands, but nothing about the vocals on any of the Converge CDs do anything for me. Everyone sucks Jacob Bannon's dick like he's some God, maybe his art is cool, but I don't like his vocals. Sorry. The music is always good, they are all talented musicians, but its a straight "hype" band. People get into it cause its Converge and cause its been around forever. You can call Have Heart a "hype" band, cause they are, but at least they have some really good lyrics and understandable vocals in their songs. I rather listen to that then some dude throwing up for 40 minutes.
Copeland - You Are My Sunshine
I love everything this band does. It took me a little to get used to how much they have changed since the first album, but once I started to listen to them more, everything else grew on me. Its so relaxing and pleasant to listen to. The vocals are very soothing and the music is melodic. Lyrically, they are amazing and always have been. Live, they are very tight and sound amazing. They do something a little different with every CD but they never veer too far from what they are good at. My favorite song on this CD probably has to be "Chin Up". I also like "Should You Return", which is the first song on the album, and "The Day I Lost My Voice". I love music with good piano in it. Piano to me, is one of the most beautiful sounding instruments when played the right way. Its one of the few that you can play by itself with just vocals and still have an amazing song. Imagine just drums and vocals, or just bass and vocals. Doesn't work. But piano and acoustic guitar do. Even though I play drums, I can appreciate some good drumless songs.
The Dangerous Summer - Reach For The Sun
One of my favorite albums of the year. Its so catchy, I love all the music, the drummer is amazing, the singer has such a good voice (he sings on one of my bands songs on our last EP), and the lyrics are awesome. My favorite song is hard to narrow down, but its gotta be between "Symmetry" and "Northern Lights". "Symmetry" has some of the best lyrics on the CD, its a mid-tempo song, and I love the chorus. I feel like I can relate to it a lot. "Northern Lights" is a love song, slow, easy to understand the meaning behind it. Its very emotional and driving and you can feel that in the singers voice. The words, "I swear to god that I love you, cause I can't I can't explain this" hit straight home. To me, love is unexplainable. You can name a million reasons, but it just won't do the feeling justice. I feel like anything I say about this album won't do it justice. So just go listen to it for yourself.
A Day To Remember - Homesick
Everything this band did prior to this was pure garbage. So I automatically wrote this album off thinking it would be just like the rest of the CDs. It wasn't till I heard the cover that they did of The Fray song that I took a listen to the album. The album starts with the stupid break down chant thing that is so fucking cheesy. The singer has a good voice though, much better on this CD than all the other ones, probably because of the amount of producing and auto tune they used. But I have to admit that some of the parts are catchy. I love the sidekick breakdown. The idea of it sounds so dumb, but they do it and it sounds awesome. Who even thinks of that? The last song on the CD which is the acoustic song has to be my favorite. No breakdowns, and the girl on it from Versa Emerge sounds awesome. Plus I can relate to the songs subject of touring and missing someone back home. Oh and Vincent from The Acacia Strain sings on one song, so that automatically makes it good.
Ericson - Self Titled EP
This band is not very big and I don't even remember how I found this EP, but I am so glad I did. Its amazing. They are a simple "emo" band with mostly slow to mid-tempo songs. I love the lyrics and the music is good. "The Rain" is my favorite song by far. Its basically about having sex. I'm not kidding. More like making love but still, you can definitely tell what he is talking about. But its done in a classy way. The first song, "Summer's Gone", is also very good. I think my favorite thing about this band is the lyrical content. I like the meaning behind the songs and I like how they have such catchy melodies. I wish they toured more because I would love to see them live.
The Ethnographers - Self Titled
This band is pretty new, I've only had the CD for a couple weeks. It reminds me of Eisley. The band has a couple girls in it, its very indie sounding, but its really good. I like the singers voice. The songs also don't all sound the same. There is a lot of variety on the album. The CD starts out with a couple whispering to each other about not being able to sleep and telling a story, kinda cheesy, but it works. It kicks into a driving short intro. Then the second track, "Fine and Dandelions", is very Eisley sounding. Multiple vocals and a lot of those "lada dadas", "doodoos", and "heys". My favorite song on the CD is called, "Avec Moi", and its about being zombies. Interesting. But super catchy. If you like indie stuff, check out this band. Its a good mood setter.
Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
I don't listen to this band much anymore, but they are still awesome. This CD is not much different from what they have always done, but its still good. I haven't listened to it much, so I don't have much to say about it. I'm sure when I have more time, and I actually sit down and listen to it, I'll be able to say how good it is. I have skimmed through it, and already know it will be. So just assume that it is and check it out if you haven't.
Every You - A Change Of Scene
This is a local band from South Florida that has only been around for a few months, but they already have a promising future ahead of them. They made the trip up to Maryland to record with the same guy that did The Dangerous Summer's album and to be honest, they sound almost identical. The vocals are really close. Both have a deeper raspy voice, which I like, and the style of both bands is very similar. This is just a simplified version of The Dangerous Summer, which is not a bad thing. Still really good. My favorite song is probably "On The Other Side". The chorus is awesome and I like how the second verse has the driving bass drum. I was jokingly asked to play drums for this band on the recording, now I wish that I had. If I wasn't tied down at this job, I'd try to approach them about it. Last I heard they didn't have a set drummer. Oh well. I guess I missed my chance.
Final Fight - Half Head Full Shred
I like this band a lot. Its fast melodic hardcore. I love melodic hardcore. They remind me of my friends from Tallahassee called "No Excuses". Check out both those bands if you haven't heard them. I actually heard a band in Australia cover one of the songs on this CD and was really impressed. My favorites on this one are, "Dinosaurs" and "Rage". I like the beginning of "Rage" a lot. It's got a really cool drum beat, good guitar riff, and bass line. It goes into a cool melodic fast part and then slows down again for the end of the song. Check out this band if you are into melodic guitar riffs and fast drums.
Fireworks - All I Have To Offer Is My Own Confusion
Some of the best dudes in music. So much fun to hang out with. I toured with the guitarist years ago when he played bass for "Let It Die" and he mentioned something about his pop punk band that was at the time just starting out. Little did I know it would become as big as it is now. They deserve it. They've been busting their asses touring and working for it. This CD is not as pop punkish as the EP but its still awesome. Super catchy. I'm really excited to see them down here in a few weeks. The shows are always a ton of fun. Lots of sing alongs and what not. Get into it.
Hey Monday - Hold On Tight
Fuck this band and everything they do. Did not work for any of the shit they were handed. Their first tour was with some huge bands. The singer of this band completely fucked over some of my closest friends after they got her where she is. Do not support them, they don't write their own music, and she is a selfish person.
Hit The Lights - Skip School, Start Fights
This was the first release without the original singer, and I think its way better than the first CD. The songs are so catchy and I think the new singer has a better voice. He's the original guitarist in case you didn't know. You can hear him doing back ups on the first album. I can't narrow down any favorites cause I like a lot of the songs on this CD. The guitar work is awesome. The riffs they wrote are all really clever, and the more you listen to the CD, the more of the little stuff you notice. Lots of chugging, harmonics, and really catchy hooks. Unlike Cartel who came out around the same time, this band has gotten better and continues to impress me.
Hit The Lights - Coast To Coast
This CD came out not too long ago and the Further Seems Forever cover of "Snowbirds and Townies" is worth checking out if nothing else. It's amazing. There are 2 new songs and then some older ones done acoustically. Its good. These guys are really fun too. Good people and really down to earth. I met them through the Fireworks dudes and have hung out with them the last couple times they were in town. I like it when bands are good musically, and have awesome people in them too. Makes me want to support them even more.
It Prevails - Capture And Embrace
This band's first cd was really amazing. It's exactly the kind of melodic hardcore stuff I like to listen to. This new album adds a lot more singing and it sounds awesome. The dude has an amazing voice. The music is better too. I think I like this one better than the last one.
Mayday Parade - Anywhere But Here
It would've been close to impossible to have anything come close to how good A Lesson In Romantics was, and it shows with this release. Its alright, but not even close to how awesome the last CD was. Being down 1 singer and song writer took its toll.
New Found Glory - Not Without A Fight
This is my favorite band so I will most likely never dislike anything they do. This CD isn't the same as the stuff they usually put out. It seems like they change their style a little bit every CD. Its never bad, just never the same. This one is a little more chuggy. Kinda tries to be like Four Year Stong/Set Your Goals. You can tell that touring with those bands influenced the writing a little bit. Its still catchy and there are a bunch of really good songs on the CD. I just hope they don't head more in that direction. I love the old stuff they used to do. I hope they stay in that genre.
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
I have liked Paramore since day one. I don't really care if that makes me a nerd. They are good. The first CD was amazing. The second one was alright. But this new album is probably my favorite of the 3. It seems like they went away from the gimic of the last CD and just wrote some good music. This CD has a lot of different styles on it. It'll go from having some really good pop punk stuff to some chill acoustic stuff. I like Hayley's voice. It's got that raspy sound that I love. I listened to it for like a week straight before I listened to something else.
Poison The Well - The Tropic Riot
It took me a while to get used to how much this band changed. I loved The Opposite Of December. Its still by far my favorite CD by them. So when I heard all the newer stuff, it kinda bummed me out for a while. But now when I listen to it, I have more of an open mind, and I can get into it way more. It's really good stuff. I have realized that bands change over time no matter what. Nothing will ever sound exactly like the last CD they released. So I just go into listening to a new CD not expecting it to sound like what I have usually heard. It usually works out if its good stuff. This CD is good. If you listen to it not expecting it to be like their first couple albums, you will be pleased.
Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
I have 3 CDs by this band, this being the 4th. All of them are awesome. The first one is the demo I think. Not many people have it. The second one is The Redder, The Better EP which is amazing. Then the full length which was great. This new album is pretty good, but once again, its hard to compare to their earlier stuff. I think this is a little more simple, sounds like they didn't take as much time to write it. Its not bad, but its not as good as the last few releases.
Reign Supreme - Testing The Limits Of
Saw this band live with The Carrier a couple months ago. It was awesome. Really energetic. This album is hard. Get into it.
A Rocket To The Moon - On Your Side
Super catchy pop rock stuff. The EP they released before this was awesome. This album is really good too. I like the new version of "Dakota" that they did. All the rest of the stuff is new. Its all pretty good. I like "Annabelle" a lot too. The title track is good too. I like all the songs with piano. Seriously, piano should be my second instrument.
Save Your Breath - Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy
Such a good band. From overseas. Found out about them from the split they did with Fireworks. This whole EP is amazing. Its upbeat, lots of good guitar riffs, catchy stuff. I wish they were from the states so they could tour more. Looking forward to hearing a full length from them.
Set Your Goals - This Will Be The Death Of Us
Surprisingly, this CD isn't that bad. The first couple things this band put out were really good. But I felt like Mutiny was whatever. But this album is pretty good. Minus the part with Hayley from Paramore rapping. I think that shit is terrible and wish I had never heard it before in my life. There are some corny parts on this CD. But most of it is alright.
Shai Hulud - Misanthropy Pure
Amazing. This band is so talented. Everything they put out is awesome. "Set Your Body Ablaze" is my favorite song on this CD. The end of it is the heaviest thing ever. It makes me want to jump on top of people and run around like a crazy person. I never want to do that. But this album is insane. I love how it goes from all these melodic guitar riffs to heavy parts. The drummer is amazing. This band has been around forever and never stops doing amazing things.
Suicide Silence - No Time To Bleed
I never listened to this bands first CD, but when I heard this album I was very impressed. Very good metal. I like the singers voice. I like how the CD sounds. It's fast and heavy. Sounds really pissed. Lots of technical stuff but then has the simple heavy stuff too.
Swamp Thing - In Shame
Really good fast hardcore band. "Crush" is my favorite song on the CD. If you like Trash Talk, this band sounds like them. Check it out.
The Swellers - Ups And Downsizing
The title track on this CD is my favorite. Lots of melodic stuff. Super catchy. The singer has an awesome voice. "Welcome Back Riders" is a really good song too. All the songs are pretty good. Good mixture of tempos. They just did a tour with Paramore so maybe they will blow up. Good for them.
Thick As Blood - Embrace
So heavy. This band has grown into a mature band. I can't believe how well they are doing. Very much deserved. They have worked their asses off. A few member changes, but the core of the band is still there. I remember watching these guys roll up to shows with us, 8 kids getting out of a Jeep Cherokee. Now they are a solid 5 piece. This CD has so many good songs. They sound really tight live and they are all awesome dudes. Support this band. They are a bunch of fun to hang out with.
Title Fight - The Last Thing You Forget
One of my favorite new bands to come out. The 3 songs I first heard from their myspace had me hooked. Waiting for the release of this full length. Those 3 songs are on here along with some awesome new stuff. The recording quality isnt that great, but it works for the type of band they are. They are a lot of fun live.
Trapped Under Ice - Secrets Of The World
Another one of those hype bands, but this one is actually really good. Really heavy stuff. The singer sounds like he raps, its fun. The music is good too. Great guitar riffs. "TUI" is my favorite song on the CD. Stay ColdAH.
50 Lions - Where Life Expires
Great band from Australia. Find out about them from the split with Down To Nothing. Loved those 3 songs. This album isn't really the same. Its still good, but it sounds like a different band. I don't know if its the same singer either cause he sounds way different. I liked the other sound better. This sounds more like the stuff thats big now. Trapped Under Ice sounding. I wish they would've stayed more like they were. But it happens.
1994 - Self Titled EP
This band is awesome. They apparently changed their name to just Ninety Four. Just found this out. They are a band from Atlanta. This EP is so good. Really catchy pop punk. The new stuff they are writing doesn't sound the same. Not as good. Sucks cause the EP was amazing.
So those are the albums that I felt like I needed to mention that we have missed out on during the past year. I am going to review a couple others pretty soon also. Brett will hopefully have some time to write his reviews for the past year. And hopefully this time we actually keep up with this thing. Be back soon.
