The mixture of rock and emo music that Picket Line starts off their “Chapter: End” is probably the smartest move that the band can make with their opening salvo. By tying together the two most popular genres of music on the market, Picket Line have shown that they can reach a large segment of the listening audience. The music is not just done to bring listeners to purchase this album,…
“Electric Shock” has The Photo Atlas start like any number of dance punk acts that were on the lips of indie scene kids from 2003 on. In fact, the spastic nature of “Electric Shock” is reminiscent of The Rapture, even if the vocals attempt to go in an At The Drive-In direction. The Photo Atlas will be big when this album gets to the right people, but I don’t know…
Phoenix Mourning is an interesting signature for Metal Blade. The overall sound that the band puts forward during tracks like “Contrast” is a equal part blend of emo and Disturbed-like metal. The blend is not something that occurs frequently, and I’m not sure if I’ve heard a band at this level attempt something so daring. But, does this gambit work out, and is Phoenix Mourning an act that individuals should…
The dreamy pop of “Sister Risk” is a low-key entrance into the popular music world. The bass line might be pretty active, but the overall sound shows The Phoenix Foundation as a band that coasts on a certain inertia. The first few tracks of “Horsepower” shows much of the same sound; at least, at some point The Phoenix Foundation is constant in the style of music that they commit to…
“The Debauchery Continues” is only effort number two on behalf of Cleveland area rockers A Phoenix Down, but from the sound of the breakdowns and harmonies over this 7-track musical persuasion, they have me convinced that it’s time to hit big. First evidence to me is in the intro leading perfectly into what I would call the EP’s catchiest song, ‘On Stage or in a Bar Fight’. The intro/song combination…
I must say, I love it when discs are re-released that have been out of the purview of individuals for years and years. “The Wolfking of L.A.” is one of these albums, as John Phillips with tracks like “April Anne” play a contemplative band of pop music that plays on styles of country, rock and a myriad other styles in its ultimate creation of a distinct style. The use of…
There are so many albums that have came on the market in the last few months that do not look like the music that is ultimately contained within. What Person does with their “Entitled” is a liter version of techno than what was provided by Nine Inch Nails during their “Down The Spiral” album. “Fall of Perception” blends together pieces of the aforementioned Nine Inch Nials with acts as ambient…
For those individuals that were fans of nineties rock, Glen Phillips was at one point the lead singer of Toad The Wet Sprocket. Things change, it is a few years in the future and Phillips comes to “Mr. Lemons” with an opening track in “Everything But You” that washes over individuals. This track mixes the vocals of a Bryan Adams with a Stevie Nicks-like backing set of vocals and an…
Persephone’s Bees are from San Francisco, a city that has a storied musical history. On their “Notes From The Underworld”, Persephone’s Bees try to coalesce all the styles that have been present in San Francisco’s musical history. This means that a very psychedelic sound can mix with disco and nineties music in tracks like “City of Love”. The tracks on this album are all done with a greater fame in…
Even though Panic at the Disco’s Matt Squire was the individual behind the production of this disc, the style of emo music that Permanent Me plays is not the electro-punk-emo mix of Panic. Rather, it blends the 1998 pop-punk Blink 182 style with the guitar fuzz of acts like Appleseed Cast and Lewis. What results is something that is ready for all the radio station, whether they be college-based or…
Ola’s vocals on “Let There Be Morning’s” first track “Weekends” are simply fantastic. Spacey but not the mindless chatter created by acts like Coldplay, Ola’s vocals will draw listeners in from the first work spon until the last gasp of breath finishes off the disc. The twinkling guitar of a track like “Sway” really models itself on the vocals created for the track; this full sound (made even more so…
Pepper is a band that I reviewed a few years back. When I reviewed “In With The Old”, I found an album that was solid but one that did not push any new types of styles or approaches during its runtime. The disc’s first track (“No Shame’s” “Bring Me Along”) is a track that is insistent in its laid-back styling. The musical styles used during this track include the brand…
Fitting in with the laid-back California sound of 311 and Sublime, with Synchronicity-era Police and Bob Marley sound, Pepper puts this, their latest album, to the forefront. However, Pepper is one of those bands that are perfectly content following the wakes of a number of innovative bands, instead of trying to experiment and incorporate new sounds to their sounds. “Use Me” is the first single-worth track on “In With the…
People in Planes starts out “As Far As The Eye Can See” in a retro type of vein that luckily disappears after the opening section of the first track on the disc “Barracuda”. What is left, then, is a band that is reminiscent of both Interpol and Queens of the Stone Age. There is a southern-rock sound that permeates “Barracuda” that really distinguishes them from the rest of the retro…
Its some of the hardest-hitting emo music that I’ve heard since the new My Chemical Romance or Coheed and Cambria’s new CDs came out. However, what makes this disc so different from the two previously mentioned is the intensity in which it (through “You Are Loved”) holds. This mixture of masterful arrangement, solid musicianship, and an ear for pop-perfection is what makes People Chasing People such an impressive band. The…
A harder-edged punk band than most of the pop-punk that is coming out currently, The Pennyroyals seem more in tune with bands like Three Days Grace than Good Charlotte. In fact, the first track on “There Is No Revolution!”, “Better Than Me” is led by a harsh guitar attack and the perfect vocals of Mike. Skillfully mixing in synthesizer lines to their tried-and-true brand of rock , The Pennyroyals seemed…
“Revelation on the Radio” is an absolute epic track in the vein of Styx or Queens of the Stone Age. While rooted firmly in the rock genre, listeners can hear equal amounts of metal (Fear Factory) and even punk (Jello Biafra) present in Steele’s first cut. “Via Satellite” provides listeners with a tremendous amount of energy, as Steele’s vocals drive into listeners with all of the allure of a Tubronegro…
“Flesh” reminds me of a Devo track. The same sort of angular post-punk rock is present in both the classic Akron band as well as PepperDome, but there are noticeable differences between the former and the latter. Key of these would have to be an appreciation of all the music to come out after the former – hints of Gogol Bordello, Reel Big Fish, and even Against Me! can all…
“Old & Faded” is the first track on The Sunrise’s “Spread The Word”, providing listeners with a sampling of their own style of rock. This style touches upon seventies rock, gospel, R&B, soul, and does so while providing a message. “The Way To Live” provides this message of uplift and righteous living alongside guitar work that is simply fantastic. The overall sound of “The Way To Live” will garner fans…
The strings, guitars, and other ambient noises that begin “Search and Rescue” will immediately catch the attention of anyone in the room. The intensity of this introduction dovetails well into the meat of the disc’s first track, “Be Right Here”. Fans of a wide swath of artists, be it Hellogoodbye, Fall Out Boy, T-Pain, or even Matt and Kim will be able to dig this eclectic opening. The linking of…