Review: A Day to Remember – For Those Who Have Heart

AbsolutePunk Jan 23, 2007

A Day To Remember are sure to incur a number of haters with their pop-laden pit core. Over the years, there have been many bands try the sing/scream route and while a number of have gone onto scene stardom (Senses Fail, Finch, Hawthorne Heights), more have fallen flat on their face. So many, that labels began to shy away from signing such bands for a just long enough period of time for us to forget how tired we were of that sound. Thankfully, I’ve forgotten how tired I was of that sound and Victory doesn’t give a shit what people like me think anyway.

AbsolutePunk Jan 21, 2007

Please Come Home is the freewheeling solo debut of Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue. Kensrue’s folk-country labor of love has finally taken shape with a minimalist 8-song release featuring Thrice axe-man Teppei Teranishi and the band’s guitar tech, Chris Jones.

The album kicks off with a double-time acoustic number called “I Knew You Before.” Kensrue sends a scathing message with sharp lyrics aimed at the degradation of women. Interesting fare, for sure, and it proves quite the compelling opener for Please Come Home. The title track is a rather unexpected ballad that stands proud although at times seemingly scattered. The arrangements feel a little off until Kensrue hits the chorus for the first time, and then he finds his groove. “Blanket of Ghosts” is the surefire sleeper song on the album. Sounding as though Kensrue decided to channel Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, the song meanders along with an organ-heavy accompaniment (courtesy of Thrice’s Teranishi). Many listeners may skip this song, but it reminds me a lot of Duritz’s “A Long December,” with its slick lyrics, extended solos, and pleasing tone.

AbsolutePunk Nov 18, 2006

Just about every band out there ends up with a song or two expressing a deep-held desire to spread their wings because they are jaded with the current state of affairs. Sugarcult’s third album, Lights Out, is jaded and yearning for more, which is ultimately what their fans may feel upon repeated listens.

Sugarcult have always relied on squealing instrumentals sure to get fans jumping around and singing along, even if the music falls squarely into the pop-punk category. Lights Outis no different, although the tones are just a little bit darker and Tim Pagnotta’s vocals just a little bit rougher than we have heard before. The title track is merely a shout-along intro to “Dead Living,” which will get you well acquainted with the overall sound of the new CD. Glossed production brings the manic-depressive “Los Angeles” to the forefront of the CD in all its shimmering glory and radio readiness. Sugarcult has always stood on the strength of their singles, and as the second single, “Los Angeles” will help them try to return to the mainstream. Following quickly is “Do It Alone” (the first single from Lights Out, conveniently), which provides a more upbeat song reminiscent of Start Static. The chorus repeats a bit too often, but it is certainly sugary and memorable.

AbsolutePunk Oct 23, 2006

You may love to rip them for what you perceive their image to be. But there’s one thing you can’t take away from the powerhouse known as My Chemical Romance: This is a group of talented musicians with a vision that refuse to apply the brakes to their imagination, creativity, and ability.

The New Jersey quintet – singer Gerard Way, bassist Mikey Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, drummer Bob Bryar – has pulled out all the stops for The Black Parade and has released anything but a sequel to their last material. The 13-track (14 if you want to get technical and include the “Hidden Track”) effort will leave you with a feeling like that of being in a theatre on Broadway, watching dancers and singers bring to life the latest Andrew Lloyd Weber tale.

AbsolutePunk Oct 23, 2006

Maynard James Keenan would be proud.

Being the new millennium and all, alternative music of today has strayed from the place of where alternative music came from in the early 90s. Bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Tool stood as monuments for how rock and roll would be angrier and more personal, intuitive and unabbreviated. On Vices, Dead Poetic have certainly bottled that charisma and whittled away any form of screamo critics thought they were. Capturing themes of—you guessed it—vices, the lyrical development of Vices strains through sexuality, pride, vanity and ultimately redemption.

AbsolutePunk Oct 18, 2006

Every so often, a band comes into the music scene and establishes an enigmatic relationship with their fans. Not in a Radiohead-esque way, but they look just a little bit deeper than everyone else and their fans grow fiercely loyal, just as the haters ruthlessly defend their feelings. Copeland is one of those bands. Three original studio albums into their career on The Militia Group, each has been an exercise in creativity, expansive songwriting, and flamboyant musical excess. Eat, Sleep, Repeat, despite its mundane title, is the pinnacle of the band’s career so far, and both sides of the scene will be coming to blows for years over this CD.

AbsolutePunk Oct 7, 2006

Justin Timberlake obviously missed the whole “quit while you’re on top” lecture. Too stubborn to exit the public after his stint on the Mickey Mouse Club with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and JC Chasez, Timberlake recruited a juggernaut boy band which danced and moaned their way to the fastest selling album of all time, 2000’s No Strings Attached. Still craving an artistic outlet, a few more heaping piles of cash, or perhaps simple celebrity, Timberlake embarked on his solo journey after ‘N Sync’s 2002 demise. Rather than subtly testing the waters of solitude, the former paragon of all things squeaky clean and role model-worthy made ferocious waves everywhere by inundating fans and detractors alike with both a redeveloped persona and revamped sound. Conquering the masses with his debut chart-topper Justified, which sold a towering 7,000,000 some-odd copies worldwide left J.T. feeling unfulfilled still. Enter FutureSex/LoveSounds.

AbsolutePunk Sep 28, 2006

And if we had the power 
to bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on the door

John Mayer aims straight for the heart with his poignant fourth studio album, Continuum. The anti-war anthem and lead single “Waiting On the World to Change” gives listeners, both old and new, an idea of how far Mayer has come. To be frank, this is no “Your Body Is A Wonderland.” With Continuum, Mayer broadens his fan base by infusing a very blues and R&B-influenced sound. On the next track, Mayer strips down the soft-pop sound and builds “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” around an effervescently jazzy guitar piece. He has proven both his durability and versatility as a songwriter with Continuum. Mayer designs each melody delicately in order to best capture the listener’s heart; this stellar CD should attract an amalgam of old and new fans.

AbsolutePunk Sep 26, 2006

Last summer, my friend Scott Weber told me I must get into mewithoutYou—that they are a pivotal band, creative and non-linear—every five-dollar word Pitchfork Media would use to worship a Sufjan Stevens or Mogwai album. Putting it nicely, I thought they were rather over-the top and boring at the same time. Where were the driving choruses and upbeat melodies? I mean you have to have one or the other right? Fast forward almost a year later and I’m singing their praises, first acknowledging the pure poetry of their art—from there it was all butter.

AbsolutePunk Sep 11, 2006

The idea of a summer record invokes for most people thoughts of an album such as New Found Glory’s Sticks and Stones, The Beach Boys’ Sounds of Summer, or who knows… maybe Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up The Sun” is the only smooth jam on your iPod “summer love” playlist. Either way, when sound waves and heat waves collide it’s the fair-weather combination of energetic melodies, warm tones, and lifting progressions that we love to turn up while we roll the windows down. This being the case, As Tall As Lions’ self-titled full length, in all its murky, ambient glory, would appear very much a fish out of water as an early August release. Who’s the genius over at Triple Crown who thought we would take Head Automatica, Gym Class Heroes, and Hellogoobye out of our stereo for this semi-challenging, mostly somber, and generally soft-tempo collection of songs? Well, whoever he or she is, they deserve a promotion, for As Tall As Lions is perhaps the most awesomely anti-summer album of all time.

AbsolutePunk Aug 28, 2006

There have been few inaugural full-length releases in the recent modern rock mire that could be considered anywhere near as “make or break” as Saosin’s self-titled Capitol Records debut. While it is largely indisputable that the band’s game-changing breakout EP, Translating the Name, was a high water mark in its own right, it had the benefit of making impressions without the complication of prior expectations and the proverbial “hype.” However, with the passage of time, the residual fame from that release has begun to wear thin after three long, empty years. A crappy (though supposedly wrongly-released) EP two years later did little to reinforce fence fans’ confidences, but a bevy of high-profile tours and festival appearances have kept the bottom from falling out on Saosin, despite the defection of one of the scene’s most prolific frontmen, and other lineup changes from the white EP’s revered roster.

AbsolutePunk Aug 8, 2006

Gatsbys American Dream’s new record reads something like an open letter to the music industry. It’s blunt, angry, and to the point. The disc might as well be a picture of a middle finger pointed directly at…well, you can put it together. The band’s 2006 follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed release Volcano finds the band recreating their sound once again. The addition of keyboardist Kyle O’Quinn adds a new dynamic to the band, the production is far more raw, and backing vocals are now done by guitarist Bobby Darling and bass player Kirk Huffman instead of lead singer Nic Newsham. Nic’s vocals are far more aggressive on this record, as it conveys more raw emotion than ever before. Gatsbys seems to have completely strayed away from the slower, methodically technical side that popularized the band on 2003’s Ribbons and Sugar. Instead, this self-titled release offers up songs that are generally faster-paced and contain a groove vibe to them. Many of the songs flow with incredible bass lines and gang vocals that make this the most danceable Gatsbys record yet.

AbsolutePunk Jul 6, 2006

Pop-punk never has been and never will be a genre to converge on innovation. Regardless of how much the purists, nostaligsts, and old-time Drive-Thru loyalists might argue for the accomplishments of their once-favorite acts, those days of novelty have since passed. With those claims already staked out, hordes of visitors have arrived in a quest to find their own stamp of land in this crowded settlement, doing so with an homage to their predecessors, but at the same time working to establish a proper identity in a sweet sound all their own.

A cursory glance through the latest offering from All Time Low, Put Up or Shut Up, reveals an act that kowtows in such a style, with more than a passing resemblance to bands like Fall Out Boy, The Starting Line, and Cartel. In reality, however, that is an overly simplistic conclusion to reach. Sure, thematically, the band does not establish itself as a wholly disparate entity by any means, but that is not the name of the root game here, really. All Time Low most certainly gives the “what’s up?” head-nod to the scene heavyweights, but tosses in plenty of proprietary flair to earn due respect.

AbsolutePunk Jun 27, 2006

Ever since the demise of first-generation Further Seems Forever and the beginning of what could be called a legendary project, Chris Carrabba has established himself as the giant teardrop with a guitar and fans have either loved him or hated him for his heart-on-sleeve approach. But as the evolution of most musicians, Chris took his solo endeavor further, adding a full band to his last release, A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. While the success of that release was wavering and short-lasting, his first full-band studio record Dusk And Summer requires the same close watch.

AbsolutePunk Jun 17, 2006

Chasing the safety of their last release, Underoath have returned with Define The Great Line, an album that undeniably marks the transition of how accessible metalcore can be. After two years of extended touring, the Florida sextet joined co-producers Matt Goldman (Copeland, Cartel) and Adam Dutkiwicz (guitarist for Killswitch Engage) to create a release that would showcase both talent and growth. Pleased with their six-man lineup and indie label Tooth & Nail imprint Solid State, Define the Great Line is undoubtedly a record that shows how masterfully a band can be both delicate and brutal with the same sound. Three apparent differences arise in this transition record: bottomless metal influence, the depth and variety of vocal work and excessive percussions.

Review: A Day to Remember – For Those Who Have Heart

Review: Dustin Kensrue – Please Come Home

Review: Sugarcult – Lights Out

Review: My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade

Review: Dead Poetic – Vices

Review: Copeland – Eat, Sleep, Repeat

Review: Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds

Review: John Mayer – Continuum

Review: mewithoutYou – Brother, Sister

Review: As Tall as Lions – As Tall as Lions

Review: Saosin – Saosin

Review: Gatsbys American Dream – Gatsbys American Dream

Review: All Time Low – Put Up or Shut Up

Review: Dashboard Confessional – Dusk and Summer

Review: Underoath – Define the Great Line