Artist: Holy Land (Previously known as Spirit Animal)
Album: Real
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: I'm cheating a little today and purposely went and sought out something that was short, due to getting home a little later today. I also realize I am still a day behind. This is a demo EP by Holy Land, who was previously known as Spirit Animal, although there were already at least two bands with this name. It can be found on Spotify under Spirit Animal, the second one, and then down in the Singles section of that band. The bio for this band says fans of Trapped Under Ice, Expire, and Only Living Witness will enjoy this. Therefore, I will give this a whirl.
Initial Reaction: Starts off strong. Musically, this fits in to the bands listed above, I'm fine with that. Unlike the above bands, the vocalist's voice is boring, though. But, the breakdowny parts are just fine. The recording is pretty not great, though
Random Thoughts: It's got that modern, groove bounce sound going on that is all the rage these days. Again, I have no problem with this normally, but this isn't doing anything for me. If I had to guess, these dudes are probably either still in high school or just fresh out. They may get better down the line. There's swearing, mosh parts, and a vocalist that is not quite screaming, but also not quite singing. Also, there are guest vocalists. Justice from TUI and what I can only assume is the vocalist of Break Away. I only say that, because I haven't heard that band.
Final Reaction: It's not awful and maybe with some time, they'll get better and I'll like a future release even more down the road. It falls in line with some of the more popular modern hardcore bands coming out. But, I am not a huge fan of the vocalist. If this is their first demo, I'll give them a shot again the next time they put something out.
Final Grade: 5.0/10
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Day 56: Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron
Artist: Schoolboy Q
Album: Oxymoron
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: After getting duped by iTunes on the Pharrell "stream" (it's only 90 seconds of each song, of which isn't even half a song, and in at least one case not even a quarter), I've decided to review something that I can listen to the full thing. So, I'll do the new Schoolboy Q album. He is a rapper from South Central LA, he's been getting some hype based on his very positively reviewed first two albums. This one seems to be right in line with that, so here goes.
Initial Reaction: Looks like each song is produced by someone different. Alright, I dig the flow, the beats on this song are pretty great too. The song fits in nicely with a lot of the hip hop I've been listening to lately. As with all hip hop, I am going to need to relisten to determine how I feel about the lyrics, because there is so much packed into a song that I miss a lot of it the first time around. This first song was pretty cool, I'm buying in so far.
Random Thoughts: This song is produced by Pharrell, which normally means I'll like it, and really this doesn't disappoint. There seems to be a lot of good rappers, around their mid 20's, coming out of California these days. The guest on this song, Jay Rock is another one. Here's another one, Kendrick Lamar, on this song. Who I surprisingly liked on his track on Pusha T's new album. This song is great, I might have to check out Kendrick's stuff. I get a little weird feeling any time I see 2 Chainz listed on a song. I usually can't hang. And that really didn't do much to change my mind. I probably never thought that I'd be singing along with a song with lyrics "I just stopped selling crack today", but I sure enough was about 30 seconds go. Some of the stronger songs were towards the end of the album.
Final Reaction: Overall, this was a pretty damn good album. I am going to be revisiting this for sure. This was a quality hip hop album and this kid is still young and we might be looking at one of the next rappers that sticks around for a long time putting out quality album after quality album. I love going into things with no real expectations and walking away with something I plan on going back to in the near future for repeated listens.
Final Grade: 8.0/10
Album: Oxymoron
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: After getting duped by iTunes on the Pharrell "stream" (it's only 90 seconds of each song, of which isn't even half a song, and in at least one case not even a quarter), I've decided to review something that I can listen to the full thing. So, I'll do the new Schoolboy Q album. He is a rapper from South Central LA, he's been getting some hype based on his very positively reviewed first two albums. This one seems to be right in line with that, so here goes.
Initial Reaction: Looks like each song is produced by someone different. Alright, I dig the flow, the beats on this song are pretty great too. The song fits in nicely with a lot of the hip hop I've been listening to lately. As with all hip hop, I am going to need to relisten to determine how I feel about the lyrics, because there is so much packed into a song that I miss a lot of it the first time around. This first song was pretty cool, I'm buying in so far.
Random Thoughts: This song is produced by Pharrell, which normally means I'll like it, and really this doesn't disappoint. There seems to be a lot of good rappers, around their mid 20's, coming out of California these days. The guest on this song, Jay Rock is another one. Here's another one, Kendrick Lamar, on this song. Who I surprisingly liked on his track on Pusha T's new album. This song is great, I might have to check out Kendrick's stuff. I get a little weird feeling any time I see 2 Chainz listed on a song. I usually can't hang. And that really didn't do much to change my mind. I probably never thought that I'd be singing along with a song with lyrics "I just stopped selling crack today", but I sure enough was about 30 seconds go. Some of the stronger songs were towards the end of the album.
Final Reaction: Overall, this was a pretty damn good album. I am going to be revisiting this for sure. This was a quality hip hop album and this kid is still young and we might be looking at one of the next rappers that sticks around for a long time putting out quality album after quality album. I love going into things with no real expectations and walking away with something I plan on going back to in the near future for repeated listens.
Final Grade: 8.0/10
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Day 55: Drive-By Truckers - English Oceans
Artist: Drive-By Truckers
Album: English Oceans
Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2014/02/album-stream-drive-by-truckers---english-oceans.html
Pre-listening Notes: There are some people who are really, really into this band. I was given a free copy of Decoration Day back in the mid 2000's, and I enjoyed it. I downloaded and listened to Southern Rock Opera and The Dirty South, the albums preceding and succeeding that one and I enjoyed those less. I haven't listened to the other six albums they've put out both before and after the three I have listened to. The band is somewhere in between a indie rock band, a country band, and a southern rock band musically. Lyrically, they seem to focus on down home, southern themes. And that's about that.
Initial Reaction: This doesn't seem too drastically different than earlier stuff. It's got that southern rock feel, along with some country. This seems to be a little more upbeat and rocking than the stuff I remember, though. There were some lyrics about whores, happy meals, and meat being "just meat". There are some horns towards the end of the song.
Random Thoughts: They like to switch up the singers on these songs. I'm not sure which one is Patterson Hood and which is Mike Cooley, though. I know on two of the albums I had previously listened to, there was a third, Jason Isbell, who has since gone out on his own and left this group. I know that his songs on those two albums are my favorites. The next couple songs haven't been as rocking as the first one. This song just seems to be pretty country sounding to me. There isn't much new going on here, just some more of what I described above in the pre notes. My guess is if you liked the band before this, you'll like them with this release.
Final Reaction: Overall, this wasn't much different than I remember them being, but I also wasn't a huge, rabid fan like they seem to attract. It wasn't anything I'd ask someone to turn off, but it is also not something I'd buy a physical copy of. If you dig this band or southern rock, alt-country, or indie rock with country influences, then by all means check this out because I think you might enjoy this.
Final Grade: 6.0/10
Album: English Oceans
Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2014/02/album-stream-drive-by-truckers---english-oceans.html
Pre-listening Notes: There are some people who are really, really into this band. I was given a free copy of Decoration Day back in the mid 2000's, and I enjoyed it. I downloaded and listened to Southern Rock Opera and The Dirty South, the albums preceding and succeeding that one and I enjoyed those less. I haven't listened to the other six albums they've put out both before and after the three I have listened to. The band is somewhere in between a indie rock band, a country band, and a southern rock band musically. Lyrically, they seem to focus on down home, southern themes. And that's about that.
Initial Reaction: This doesn't seem too drastically different than earlier stuff. It's got that southern rock feel, along with some country. This seems to be a little more upbeat and rocking than the stuff I remember, though. There were some lyrics about whores, happy meals, and meat being "just meat". There are some horns towards the end of the song.
Random Thoughts: They like to switch up the singers on these songs. I'm not sure which one is Patterson Hood and which is Mike Cooley, though. I know on two of the albums I had previously listened to, there was a third, Jason Isbell, who has since gone out on his own and left this group. I know that his songs on those two albums are my favorites. The next couple songs haven't been as rocking as the first one. This song just seems to be pretty country sounding to me. There isn't much new going on here, just some more of what I described above in the pre notes. My guess is if you liked the band before this, you'll like them with this release.
Final Reaction: Overall, this wasn't much different than I remember them being, but I also wasn't a huge, rabid fan like they seem to attract. It wasn't anything I'd ask someone to turn off, but it is also not something I'd buy a physical copy of. If you dig this band or southern rock, alt-country, or indie rock with country influences, then by all means check this out because I think you might enjoy this.
Final Grade: 6.0/10
Monday, February 24, 2014
Day 54: Nothing - Guilty of Everything
Artist: Nothing
Album: Guilty of Everything
Source: http://www.npr.org/2014/02/23/279147672/first-listen-nothing-guilty-of-everything#playlist
Pre-listening Notes: There is a bio at the link above. I honestly don't know anything else about the band other than that my boy Dave loves Horror Show. So yeah, let's get back to being a hipster.
Initial Reaction: Opens up incredibly mellow, vocals are present, but kind low to fit into the music. Then it kicks in and I dig this part. I don't dislike the mellow parts, the vocal pattern for some reason reminded me of a part in Rocket Man. I just like it a lot more when the song kicks in and gets noisy.
Random Thoughts: The second song opens up a little noisier to start. The vocals have an effect on them that kind of makes them seem more distant. Alright, the song Bent Nail is a little more upbeat of a song. I like this one best, so far. This is good to just kind of sit back and relax to. I am kind of digging some of this. Outside of that one song, so far, there isn't a ton of variety here. It's still pretty good music that I don't have to give my complete, undivided attention to, but when I'm trying to listen to review it, I would like to be a little more engaging. The song Get Well mixes it up a little again. The vocals tend to get a little too stale to handle as the album goes on.
Final Reaction: Overall, this is alright. I could see myself listening to this again. I'm not going to go crazy over it and I couldn't see myself wanting to see them live, but as music to listen to while on the computer looking around at things or even playing video games, this was pretty solid.
Final Grade: 7.0/10
Album: Guilty of Everything
Source: http://www.npr.org/2014/02/23/279147672/first-listen-nothing-guilty-of-everything#playlist
Pre-listening Notes: There is a bio at the link above. I honestly don't know anything else about the band other than that my boy Dave loves Horror Show. So yeah, let's get back to being a hipster.
Initial Reaction: Opens up incredibly mellow, vocals are present, but kind low to fit into the music. Then it kicks in and I dig this part. I don't dislike the mellow parts, the vocal pattern for some reason reminded me of a part in Rocket Man. I just like it a lot more when the song kicks in and gets noisy.
Random Thoughts: The second song opens up a little noisier to start. The vocals have an effect on them that kind of makes them seem more distant. Alright, the song Bent Nail is a little more upbeat of a song. I like this one best, so far. This is good to just kind of sit back and relax to. I am kind of digging some of this. Outside of that one song, so far, there isn't a ton of variety here. It's still pretty good music that I don't have to give my complete, undivided attention to, but when I'm trying to listen to review it, I would like to be a little more engaging. The song Get Well mixes it up a little again. The vocals tend to get a little too stale to handle as the album goes on.
Final Reaction: Overall, this is alright. I could see myself listening to this again. I'm not going to go crazy over it and I couldn't see myself wanting to see them live, but as music to listen to while on the computer looking around at things or even playing video games, this was pretty solid.
Final Grade: 7.0/10
Day 53: New Lows - Abhorrent Endings EP
Artist: New Lows
Album: Abhorrent Endings EP
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: Here is another Boston band, this one hasn't been around as long as Converge, like maybe a little over six years at this point. I am not sure how many releases they have out, but I do remember a buddy playing me a track off their last LP and I remember liking it and it being heavy. The bio on the Deathwish site references Ringworm and early Bolt Thrower. If that is the case, I am going to love this.
Initial Reaction: Starts off with some bells and then kicks in real gritty. I definitely feel these influences, this is pretty heavy. Vocally, this guy seems to have a similar style to the Human Furnace, but maybe a little more subdued. That could just be the mix, though. The guitars have an old school metal feel to them, love the ending.
Random Thoughts: There isn't much screwing around in the songs, all five tunes clock in between two and three minutes. Nice slow, plodding riffs breaking into fast parts with barking vocals. That song, There's No Roses in the Rubble, was awesome. I really love the contrast between the slower parts and the fast parts. They flow together in a pretty natural way. The last minute of Carving Crosses is so freaking heavy. Oh man, the riff in the beginning of this last song, so good.
Final Reaction: Holy crap, how did I sleep on this band? This is so good, it's fast, it's heavy, it makes me bang my head, this is quality stuff. My only complaint is it's length, give me double this and this would have been a point higher.
Final Grade: 8.5/10
Album: Abhorrent Endings EP
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: Here is another Boston band, this one hasn't been around as long as Converge, like maybe a little over six years at this point. I am not sure how many releases they have out, but I do remember a buddy playing me a track off their last LP and I remember liking it and it being heavy. The bio on the Deathwish site references Ringworm and early Bolt Thrower. If that is the case, I am going to love this.
Initial Reaction: Starts off with some bells and then kicks in real gritty. I definitely feel these influences, this is pretty heavy. Vocally, this guy seems to have a similar style to the Human Furnace, but maybe a little more subdued. That could just be the mix, though. The guitars have an old school metal feel to them, love the ending.
Random Thoughts: There isn't much screwing around in the songs, all five tunes clock in between two and three minutes. Nice slow, plodding riffs breaking into fast parts with barking vocals. That song, There's No Roses in the Rubble, was awesome. I really love the contrast between the slower parts and the fast parts. They flow together in a pretty natural way. The last minute of Carving Crosses is so freaking heavy. Oh man, the riff in the beginning of this last song, so good.
Final Reaction: Holy crap, how did I sleep on this band? This is so good, it's fast, it's heavy, it makes me bang my head, this is quality stuff. My only complaint is it's length, give me double this and this would have been a point higher.
Final Grade: 8.5/10
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Day 52: Converge - Live at the BBC EP
Artist: Converge
Album: Live at the BBC EP
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: I love Converge. They have been one of my favorite heavy bands for going on 20 years now. I think I first heard them the year after I graduated high school when I got hold of the Caring and Killing Lost and Found cd. They have progressed a lot since then and have perfected a sound that is equally metal and hardcore, with some punk urgency thrown in on the fast songs. After putting a huge leap forward with Jane Doe, I feel like they have just gotten even stronger over the last four albums with their last full length being quite possibly their best album. This EP has three songs off of Axe to Fall and the closer from You Fail Me, redone at the BBC studios back from 2010, however this is just being released now.
Initial Reaction: This starts out with the super noodly Dark Horse, the opener from Axe to Fall. So far this is not drastically different than the original version. As it is a live, though the mix is pretty different, and the vocals sound much cleaner than on the record. This song is so awesome though. Axe to Fall was such a great album too, the songs got a little more blast in the punk urgency with that record.
Random Thoughts: The second song is the awesome and brutal title track from Axe to Fall. It's a quick hitter starting off fast and all yells, before hitting a pretty heavy breakdown for the last half minute, or so. The recorded version of that song has George from BLACKLISTED on it. It still sounds pretty heavy on this version. Then Damages, also from Axe to Fall slows it down a little with a minute and a half minute intro, before the vocals kick in. Finally, the album closes with a more electric version of the You Fail Me closer, Hanging Moon, which only has acoustic guitars on the album version, even though the song still sounds electric on that album.
Final Reaction: Overall, this was good. They chose four good songs, although I honestly don't know which four they could choose to get me to not like it. They don't sound too drastically different for there to have been too many negative remarks about this.
Final Grade: 9.0/10
Album: Live at the BBC EP
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: I love Converge. They have been one of my favorite heavy bands for going on 20 years now. I think I first heard them the year after I graduated high school when I got hold of the Caring and Killing Lost and Found cd. They have progressed a lot since then and have perfected a sound that is equally metal and hardcore, with some punk urgency thrown in on the fast songs. After putting a huge leap forward with Jane Doe, I feel like they have just gotten even stronger over the last four albums with their last full length being quite possibly their best album. This EP has three songs off of Axe to Fall and the closer from You Fail Me, redone at the BBC studios back from 2010, however this is just being released now.
Initial Reaction: This starts out with the super noodly Dark Horse, the opener from Axe to Fall. So far this is not drastically different than the original version. As it is a live, though the mix is pretty different, and the vocals sound much cleaner than on the record. This song is so awesome though. Axe to Fall was such a great album too, the songs got a little more blast in the punk urgency with that record.
Random Thoughts: The second song is the awesome and brutal title track from Axe to Fall. It's a quick hitter starting off fast and all yells, before hitting a pretty heavy breakdown for the last half minute, or so. The recorded version of that song has George from BLACKLISTED on it. It still sounds pretty heavy on this version. Then Damages, also from Axe to Fall slows it down a little with a minute and a half minute intro, before the vocals kick in. Finally, the album closes with a more electric version of the You Fail Me closer, Hanging Moon, which only has acoustic guitars on the album version, even though the song still sounds electric on that album.
Final Reaction: Overall, this was good. They chose four good songs, although I honestly don't know which four they could choose to get me to not like it. They don't sound too drastically different for there to have been too many negative remarks about this.
Final Grade: 9.0/10
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Day 51: Rust Belt Lights - Religion & My Ex
Artist: Rust Belt Lights
Album: Religion & My Ex
Source: http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/album_premiere_rust_belt_lights_religion_my_ex
Pre-listening Notes: I have been stoked to listen to this since the first song was put out to preview. I will try to remain as unbiased as possible, as they are local dudes. They are a super catchy pop punk, melodic punk, whatever punk we want to call it these days band. This is album number 2, they are on a better label and hopefully will get some push behind them because I like what these dudes do. I've heard about 4 of the songs already, so I am going in with some high expectations already, but I don't expect these guys to let me down.
Initial Reaction: First song opens with a song I haven't heard yet. Starts off catchy, the music sounds crisp, which I love. Vocals are not in that that typical whiny vibe a lot of bands in this genre try to pull off, and very few can. These guys have some background in the hardcore scene and the backing vocals show that at times. Great slow down break a little before the three minute mark. This song is coming close to the four minute mark, but did not get stale or boring. Awesome opener.
Random Thoughts: Ah yes! Old Ghosts, this song was one of the preview songs, and probably my favorite one that I have heard so far. That could also be due to the fact that I've listened to it the most. This song is another example of being able to write a longer song that is still interesting throughout. The tempo switches and catchy vocal patterns on this song make me want the song to not end when it gets there. The next song is another previously previewed song, Dead Letters. After an intro, the tempo picks up and the drumming on this upbeat song is awesome. There is a nice quick, little chug break in the middle. I'll never tire of Woah-oh's. They "gang" vocals on these songs are perfect! More chuggy parts on the next song. Zach's vocals are strong throughout so far in the first third of the album. I'm running out of positive things to say, but only because I like everything. Parkside was the last song that popped up for preview, so I've spent the least amount of time with it, but it's a faster, upbeat song, which was my second favorite of the early released songs. It's really catchy and has that more Lifetime/Movie Life faster upbeat vibe going on. Such a catchy end to this song, too. While the songs I haven't heard yet are awesome, and maybe familiarity plays a part, but Old Ghosts and Parkside are my favorites, halfway through. The second half of the album opens up with a four and a half minute song that has more of the gang vocals, and is a little more on the slower tempo side, but not too slow. Stay Young or Try Dying (great title!), ups the speed again, "East Coast is better" already solidifies the awesomeness of this. There is An Ocean brings me back to noticing the drumming, which is really great on this. Okay, so Haunted Streets starts off real slow and showcases Zach as a singer, the song kicks up the speed a little towards the end, after a drum buildup, but as far as slower songs go, this wasn't bad. The last of the preview songs is the penultimate song, and it's another really catchy song, that fits right in with the themes of the album as I have already addressed. I just figured I've basically mentioned every song at this point, might as well say something about all of them. The closer is a five minute song that starts off actually more upbeat then I expected when I saw the song length. It ends with a nice, driving, slowdown part. I kind of want to hit play again.
Final Reaction: Alright, I think I was able to do this unbiased, but really this is just awesome. This is the type of album, of this genre, that I could see myself listening to repeatedly even though it's not a style I go for on a regular basis. It has variety in the songs, the vocals are strong aren't just a whiny dude. There was a lot of things I liked about this. The music is great and the production really shows that. The vocals that I already described and lyrically it never feels that Zach's just complaining about girls and life, which is a trap a lot of bands like this fall into. I can only imagine that this is going to sound awesome live, too. This is a great record, from local dudes, who hopefully are going to get some serious recognition from this.
Final Grade: 9.0/10
Album: Religion & My Ex
Source: http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/album_premiere_rust_belt_lights_religion_my_ex
Pre-listening Notes: I have been stoked to listen to this since the first song was put out to preview. I will try to remain as unbiased as possible, as they are local dudes. They are a super catchy pop punk, melodic punk, whatever punk we want to call it these days band. This is album number 2, they are on a better label and hopefully will get some push behind them because I like what these dudes do. I've heard about 4 of the songs already, so I am going in with some high expectations already, but I don't expect these guys to let me down.
Initial Reaction: First song opens with a song I haven't heard yet. Starts off catchy, the music sounds crisp, which I love. Vocals are not in that that typical whiny vibe a lot of bands in this genre try to pull off, and very few can. These guys have some background in the hardcore scene and the backing vocals show that at times. Great slow down break a little before the three minute mark. This song is coming close to the four minute mark, but did not get stale or boring. Awesome opener.
Random Thoughts: Ah yes! Old Ghosts, this song was one of the preview songs, and probably my favorite one that I have heard so far. That could also be due to the fact that I've listened to it the most. This song is another example of being able to write a longer song that is still interesting throughout. The tempo switches and catchy vocal patterns on this song make me want the song to not end when it gets there. The next song is another previously previewed song, Dead Letters. After an intro, the tempo picks up and the drumming on this upbeat song is awesome. There is a nice quick, little chug break in the middle. I'll never tire of Woah-oh's. They "gang" vocals on these songs are perfect! More chuggy parts on the next song. Zach's vocals are strong throughout so far in the first third of the album. I'm running out of positive things to say, but only because I like everything. Parkside was the last song that popped up for preview, so I've spent the least amount of time with it, but it's a faster, upbeat song, which was my second favorite of the early released songs. It's really catchy and has that more Lifetime/Movie Life faster upbeat vibe going on. Such a catchy end to this song, too. While the songs I haven't heard yet are awesome, and maybe familiarity plays a part, but Old Ghosts and Parkside are my favorites, halfway through. The second half of the album opens up with a four and a half minute song that has more of the gang vocals, and is a little more on the slower tempo side, but not too slow. Stay Young or Try Dying (great title!), ups the speed again, "East Coast is better" already solidifies the awesomeness of this. There is An Ocean brings me back to noticing the drumming, which is really great on this. Okay, so Haunted Streets starts off real slow and showcases Zach as a singer, the song kicks up the speed a little towards the end, after a drum buildup, but as far as slower songs go, this wasn't bad. The last of the preview songs is the penultimate song, and it's another really catchy song, that fits right in with the themes of the album as I have already addressed. I just figured I've basically mentioned every song at this point, might as well say something about all of them. The closer is a five minute song that starts off actually more upbeat then I expected when I saw the song length. It ends with a nice, driving, slowdown part. I kind of want to hit play again.
Final Reaction: Alright, I think I was able to do this unbiased, but really this is just awesome. This is the type of album, of this genre, that I could see myself listening to repeatedly even though it's not a style I go for on a regular basis. It has variety in the songs, the vocals are strong aren't just a whiny dude. There was a lot of things I liked about this. The music is great and the production really shows that. The vocals that I already described and lyrically it never feels that Zach's just complaining about girls and life, which is a trap a lot of bands like this fall into. I can only imagine that this is going to sound awesome live, too. This is a great record, from local dudes, who hopefully are going to get some serious recognition from this.
Final Grade: 9.0/10
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