“Maple” may just be one of the most annoying openings for a CD; the repletion and brash arrangements that are such a hallmark for the track do maintain some semblance of a melody, but it is lost in much of the track’s chaos. Continuing with the incredible amount of repetition for “It’s The Wine”, Pattern Is Movement seem to be expressing themselves in a seventies vein, almost as the Kinks…
Moving into their first track “Non Servium” with a generous helping of Radiohead and a brooding style of indie rock, Pattern is Movement start out their disc with a solid-sounding but weak-experimenting first track. The inclusion of strings to counteract the snarky tone of the guitar is a welcome change from banality, but the track still leaves some longing in the hearts of true musical swingers. Lacking a definite bass…
“Strength” shows Patten’s appreciation of bands like Creed and Nickelback, and while Patten’s instrumental approach does not touch much in the way of rock (the track blends together piano and keyboards), the intensity of Patten’s vocals cannot be denied. There is more than a fair share of blues in the aforementioned set of vocals, perhaps giving the tracks on this album a more timeless sound. “Remember When” is a much…
“Screaming Man” mixes together Rise Against and Against Me! to come up with a style of punk music that is heavily grounded in the “true” emo genre. Couple that sound with a guitar line that seems most proper in Queens of the Stonie Age tracks, and “Screaming Man” is a track that is dense to an almost-Rush degree. Partisan is not a band that is happy continuing the existing order…
The vocal-heavy style of Paths of Possession during their “Darklands” is a marked departure from a lot of the death metal bands currently out; one can actually understand what the hell that George is singing, and for that thanks need to go out. In much the same way, the guitar work done by Jay and Jack is clear enough to make this a brutally honest brand of metal; they do…
Why has Patent Pending been under the radar for so long that I’ve never heard of them? The first track on “Save The Children”, “Los Angeles” is a tremendously sped-up pop-punk track that does everything that the band wants to do in three a half minutes. If the album was just this single individuals would be happy, but Patent Pending through their infinite kindness has decided to cut another fourteen…
The energy in which Partyline starts off their “Zombie Terrorist” reminds one of early California punk rock, all the way through “Ignition”-era Offspring. The tracks on “Zombie Terrorist” are able to add to each other by working all in the same level. The guitar in “Party-N-Animal” is nearly the same as it is during “Zombie Terrorist”, but the lyrics and the overall approach of the band vary slightly with each…
The promo sheet mentions that Elvis Costello was a major influence on the leader of Particle Zoo, Jeff Devito. The first track of “Loneliness and Strangers” “Girasole” is the perfect example of this, as Jeff’s vocals mix in with synthesizers that would work as perfectly as on any Red Hot Valentines song. In much of the same way as the earliest Elvis Costello albums, tracks like “Freaky Fat Tuesday” really…
Starting out with a nuanced brand of acoustic rock in the vein of Jeff Ott’s solo work, Mike Park continues eir own “For The
This album was another one that I was a little worried about reviewing, as I heard the Dave Matthews-style guitar that opens up the disc, “Supposed to be There Too”. Still, after keeping this disc on repeat in my stereo for the last week has opened my eyes. Dealing incredibly heavily with racism, and hate in general, Mike Park’s For the
Beginning the disc out with a continuation of the title, Park’s “The Ghost You Are” winds down into a signal that disappears from the radar after being so strong just a few seconds before. While each track is skillfully layered by the musicians of Park, the truth is that a simple three-chord vein of punk bubbles just below the skin. The blond from this vein bubbles up at times during…
After having a long career working with Lobster Records, I can honestly say that they have done a lot in their half-decade of existence. From their earliest days with Mock Orange and Joystick, Lobster Records have continued to put out the finest quality of pop-punk and post-punk music. Such is the case with the new Park disc, which has gained some serious fans throughout the numerous punk webzines. However, instead…
Totally inoffensive mess between emo and pop-rock, removing all the energy behind Sum 41 and Billy Talent and mixing it with The Darkness and The New Radicals. Each track is extra-ordinarily antiseptic, sounding more applicable in a hotel elevator than a rock radio station. This lack of power is painfully evident in a track like “Rebel Radio”, where the power of “My Sharona”’s guitar attack is mollified, being mixed with…
The vocals of Hayley really obscure some of the best instrumentation that Paramore can muster, especially when the band opens the disc with their “All We Know”. What is most interesting about “All We Know” are the almost-perfectly sequenced drums of Zac on the track, which are so impeccable that individuals will think that a computer created them. When Paramore creates tracks like “Pressure”, one knows that they cannot be…
From the brooding piano line that starts off “Don’t Belong”, one knows that this is going to immediately be another classic album by Paradise Lost. The use of string-like sounds over the piano further gives the track a fullness that is completed only when the vocals kick in a minute after the track starts. Mix an ample amount of radio-friendly metal with interesting arrangements and a heaviness previously unheard in…
The sedate sounds of Lisa Papineau remind listeners of The Postal Service. The mixture of ghostly vocals with a slightly more upbeat electronic instrumentation provides an interesting style that is still vibrant and fresh. This bit of sedate sound disappears completely by the time that Lisa comes up with “Shucking. Jiving.” In a sense, I would have to tie Papineau’s work to that done by acts like the Propellerheads and…
Paperface occupies that wonderful position besides popular-emo and the brand of indie-rock popularized by acts like Weezer. Tracks like “Company Soul” do not have the emotional intensity present in current emo, but have a brooding nature to it that belies the feel-good arrangements within. There are hints of acts like Counting Crows in tracks like “Loser’s Game”, where Paperface come forth with a richly-arranged sound that tends to be a…
Hey its country emo! For all those trailer-trash dwelling preteen girls that want to cry without having the parents having them listen to Travis Tritt and Brooks & Dunn. John’s vocals have all the twang of a John Nolan (formerly Taking Back Sunday) and Claudio Sanchez (Coheed and Cambria) and the twinkling piano lines are reminiscent of a Brand New. However, and why a musically acceptable label like Kill Rock…
The Paper Champions – Weekend of Compromise / 2004 Reason Y Records / 13 Tracks / http://www.thepaperchampions.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 28 September 2004 In a school of bass playing that comes directly from Geddy Lee, Jason’s bass lines to open up “Weekend of Compromise” are intricate, setting the tone of the track as well as providing an emotive force behind the track that just wouldn’t be the same without…
The noise that starts off the title track puts The Paper Champions into a very Green Day-esque sound right off the bat that drastically changes as soon as the “Station” is turned on the first segment of the track. There are still some comparisons that can be made to Green Day, as the vocals in both bands seem to converge on one point. Billie Joe Armstrong is only one influence…