Review: Maggie Rogers – Surrender

Adam Grundy Aug 3, 2022

Her talent is undeniable. Maggie Rogers seemed to be destined for this type of breakthrough success after catching an early break when her song “Alaska” caught the ears of Pharrell Williams in a class he taught at her school in 2016. This would allow the floodgates to open with opportunities of major labels wanting to sign Rogers on the spot. Heard It In A Past Life, Maggie Rogers’ debut, would continue this breakthrough success with marquee support tours with Mumford & Sons, Haim, and Kacey Musgraves before doing an extensive word-wide headlining tour to solidify her status as a name to watch, and she would even get nominated for a Grammy award for Best New Artist along this same timeline. Since the release of her debut album, Rogers decided to go to graduate school at Harvard Divinity School, where she would graduate with a Master of Religion and Public Life degree. This worthy path back to education still allowed Maggie Rogers some time to focus on her music and record what would become the Surrender sessions with producer Kid Harpoon. This set is co-produced by Rogers, and it’s a remarkable achievement in her musical journey. With an album filled with great vibes, soul-wrenching lyrics, unique beats, and the songwriting chops similar to a young Joni Mitchell, Maggie Rogers has created the record she may have only dreamed of making in her youth.

Adam Grundy Aug 2, 2022

Andrew McMahon sounds like a man who’s been through some really tough situations. From a childhood filled with several moves to different parts of the country, to his dad’s battle with addiction, and his steadfast love for the music that got him through it all, McMahon crafts a tangled web of stories that he divides up into three book sections based on three pianos that have meant something to him at different points of his life and career. Three Pianos: A Memoir is a fairly quick reading experience, especially for those familiar with McMahon’s musical references in his bands of Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin, and lastly Andrew McMahon In the Wilderness. This only speaks to his ability as an author to convey such rich, vivid memories from an emotional standpoint that led him to be the man that he is today. As McMahon puts it in his memoir, referencing the transition between Jack’s Mannequin and the start of a new adventure in The Wilderness Years, “Starting over at twenty is easy. At thirty it’s a test of your mettle.” Battling through a leukemia diagnosis, to navigating through several starts and stops in his musical journey, McMahon never lets his difficult story seem hopeless. Instead, he provides a beacon of hope for others to keep pressing on when we reach our own breaking point.

Adam Grundy Aug 1, 2022

It feels great to have Anberlin back in the music fold. The band seemed very comfortable walking away from the music scene after the release of their last (and at the time, final) album called Lowborn and an accompanying farewell tour, yet fast forwarding to the band’s reconciliation in 2018, where Anberlin would perform several concerts and then in May of 2020, the band announced they would be working on some new music once again. Add in a few livestream concerts during the pandemic, and Anberlin regained their band chemistry and appear to be re-invigorated in the path that lies before them. This passion was felt first-hand in lead vocalist Stephen Christian when I interviewed him about Silverline. Hearing Christian’s take on how these songs came together with producers Tim McTague (Underoath), Chad Carouthers, and JJ Revell only brings further context to the rich tunes that came together on this EP.

Adam Grundy Aug 1, 2022

Every now and then you come across a band or a song that makes you feel fortunate to be a music writer. This feeling come in strongly with Between The Echoes and their new single entitled “Phantom Limb.” The track even features some guest vocals from Anberlin’s Stephen Christian towards the end of the song to add to the layers of complexity and conflict within the song’s lyrics. The band is comprised of Chad William, Katie Jean, Marvin Albert, and their unique band chemistry pays off majorly with a crisp pop-punk delivery. With a sound that drifts somewhere between the darkest parts of Finch, paired with the pop sensibilities of Broadside, Between The Echoes are well on their way to making the best use of their moment.

Adam Grundy Jul 22, 2022

On the third full-length record from Albany, New York’s alternative rock band called Coupons, they hone in on their songwriting and use the full power of their four band members to contribute to a record entitled Wasted Intimacy. With a sound that tows the line somewhere between Oso Oso, The Format, and Foxing, Coupons appear to be hitting the right groove in their collective approach to their music on this album. From the steady beat found on the opening track called “Mardi Gras” to the spacey closer of “Japanese Whiskey,” Coupons could be just the right band for this strange moment in our lives.

Adam Grundy Jul 21, 2022

All truth be told, I wasn’t an immediate fan of this little New Jersey band called My Chemical Romance that came storming onto the emo scene with I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. If I remember right, the first song that I ever came across from MCR was an MP3 of “Vampires Will Never Hurt You,” which coincidentally was the first single to be released from the set. Whether the song caught me in a bad mood, or the fact that the emo/screamo/punk rock scene was exploding with more bands and content than my ears or brain could handle at that time, My Chemical Romance never really got its due justice in my regular music rotation. That all changed quickly when I went to Washington, DC’s legendary 9:30 Club in the summer of 2002 to check out The Used. Luckily for me, I made the wise decision to get there early and see if the openers had anything worth checking out. The very first band to take the stage had bad haircuts, fresh faces, and a lead singer rocking a studded belt while donning a leather jacket. Little did I know, I would be watching my future favorite front-man in Gerard Way, and my future all-time favorite band in My Chemical Romance grab the audience by the throat and never let go in the the short 30-minute set that featured songs from Bullets.

Adam Grundy Jul 20, 2022

On the latest effort from singer/songwriter John Moreland, called Birds in the Ceiling, he remains at his most captivating version of himself as he sings in-depth poetic verses over a vast landscape of sound. The nine-track set was produced by Matt Pence (Jason Isbell, The Breeders), whom he also collaborated on the great LP5 album. Moreland sounds like a man who’s coming fully engulfed into the sound that he has carefully crafted over the course of his musical career, and he continues to win audiences over with his transcendent vocals and brilliant guitar playing. Much like LP5, Moreland is open to musical experimentation with ambient sounds and electronic beats in the background to bring further texture to the picture he paints on Birds in the Ceiling.

Adam Grundy Jul 18, 2022

Debut albums are usually a ton of fun to write about because they come with so much newfound promise and blissful ignorance, along with their lofty expectations in being a part of something bigger than themselves. Oakrest come shining onto the scene with their debut LP, Summer Sun, that is filled with vibrant guitars, smooth vocals, and an overall marketable sound. This Toronto-based pop-punk band appear poised for the next dramatic leap forward in their sound, especially after the glimmers of hope found in their first EP from 2019, entitled Annamaria Dr. The band is comprised of Jacob Szabo on vocals, Jacob Graves on rhythm guitar, Michael Van on lead guitar, and Chris Zoubaniotis on drums. With a polished pop-punk sound that strays somewhere between Seaway and Fountains of Wayne, Oakrest are coming straight for your pop-punk hearts.

Adam Grundy Jul 12, 2022

Taking a brave and bold step away from the production boards, Paul Roessler has made an album worthy of your attention in The Turning of the Bright World. Roessler has made a name for himself by producing records for bands like Tombstones in Their Eyes, Josie Cotton, and CrowJane, among many others, and he felt the timing was perfect to make his own creative stamp on the music scene using his voice as a beacon of light inviting listeners of all ages into his headspace. On the new album that released today, Roessler shared, “Each song has its own message, even if sometimes that message could never really be explained. I like those kinds of songs a lot. The music preached to me, and I did my best to deliver what it was saying.” With a steady heartbeat of purpose filled in each song, Roessler has taken full advantage of leaving his legacy through these songs found on this latest LP.

Adam Grundy Jul 6, 2022

Coming off of the release of their Roadrunner Records’ debut LP, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence, Daryl Palumbo and his bandmates in Glassjaw clearly were fed up with their partnership with Roadrunner, going very far in interviews to explain their disdain for their record label. The band entered 2001 secretly recording the follow up to their debut with producer Ross Robinson (The Cure, Slipknot), and would eventually shop the finished product called Worship and Tribute to several major labels before deciding to sign with Warner Bros. Records. When I first heard the new album, I can remember a certain buzz surrounding several punk websites and forums about this band named Glassjaw who were changing the post-hardcore game. This buzz and hype were certainly warranted with songs like “Ape Dos Mil,” “Cosmopolitan Bloodloss,” and “Pink Roses.” The energy was frenetic, the band sounded larger than life, and there was something immediately special about this group of musicians willing to put their best foot forward to avoid the sophomore slump. Worship and Tribute would debut at #82 on the Billboard 200, largely due to positive word of mouth and critical reception, and Glassjaw would find themselves on several key touring stints with festivals like Ozzfest, The Warped Tour, as well as partnering with Sparta, Hot Water Music, and a US headlining trek in October/November of the same year. Glassjaw were undeniable and they were coming straight for all of their doubters.

Adam Grundy Jul 1, 2022

The second full-length record from Patterns In Traffic is a lush, dreamy, and picturesque musical landscape through the lens of self-discovery. The band is the solo moniker of Kyle Simons, who wrote, performed, mixed, and mastered the entire LP by himself, which only speaks to his incredible dedication to his craft. The latest effort, entitled Lights and Reflections, is a nice mix of emo-tinged anthems that drift somewhere between Mae, early Jimmy Eat World, paired with the pop polish of Owl City. The promotional cycle for this record was prefaced by two EPs 2020’s Reflections and 2021’s Lights which have been combined with three additional brand-new songs to make the full artistic statement in Lights and Reflections. Patterns In Traffic are on the right course as Simons’ musical journey unfolds majestically from start to finish.

Adam Grundy Jun 28, 2022

It’s understandable if you weren’t able to fully connect or get into Coheed and Cambria before. Their dense stories about space odysseys and prog-tinged rock may have been a bit intimidating for casual fans to fully immerse themselves in. Luckily for fans who’d be willing to give Coheed another shot, Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind is easily their most accessible set of songs in the past decade, and would be a perfect re-launching point to dive back into the world that this band has created. And for the longtime fans who have been along for the ride since the beginning, there’s so much to enjoy on this new record that should reinvigorate interest in the space rockers for the foreseeable future. The new record was co-produced by guitarist, lead vocalist and band leader Claudio Sanchez, as well as Zakk Cervini (Blink-182, Simple Plan, Bring Me The Horizon) whose contribution helps Coheed and Cambria find the perfect balance between their trademark sound, paired with vibrant pop elements. While making an effort to expand upon the universe created in The Amory Wars story arc, Coheed have simultaneously made their best album in quite some time that demands your immediate attention.

Adam Grundy Jun 27, 2022

Living Things was the fifth studio album from rap-rockers Linkin Park and would find the band doing further experimentation with their sound, and would become their fourth straight record to debut at the top of the Billboard 200. The set was co-produced by Mike Shinoda and veteran Rick Rubin, whom had previously collaborated on Minutes to Midnight and their expansive A Thousand Suns records. In a lot of ways, this album is usually the one I reach for the most when I’m looking for a quick encapsulation of everything Linkin Park did in their storied discography in a singular record. For casual fans of Linkin Park, many state that Living Things is one of their favorites, if not the favorite in their collection, and it’s easy to see why so many would gravitate to the sound they went for here. It’s very accessible, doesn’t include any filler, and delivers more often than not in a rewarding and consistent listening experience.

Adam Grundy Jun 23, 2022

I’m not quite sure when my fondness for a band called The Used started. I seem to remember hearing about a hyped band, from an article in Alternative Press, where producer and Goldfinger founder John Feldman was gushing over this band that he helped get signed to a major label. The Used were comprised of lead singer Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Branden Steineckert and guitarist Quinn Allman, and their incredible band chemistry was able to capture early and inescapable magic on their self-titled debut. The first track that I ever heard from The Used was “A Box Full of Sharp Objects” from a Warped Tour compilation, and it became increasingly evident to me that this band demanded to be taken seriously. The lead single from their debut LP was an abrasive, wall of sound effort that captured a punk rock spirit paired with screamo vocals that many other bands would emulate later in our scene. The Used would go on to sell over a million copies in the United States and cement the band’s legacy as one of the emo/punk scene’s primary front-runners.

Adam Grundy Jun 21, 2022

The creative circumstances surrounding Our Lady Peace and their fifth studio album, Gravity, were tumultuous to say the least. Longtime guitarist Mike Turner was having creative differences with lead singer and band leader Raine Maida, and although he appears on nearly half of the songs on this record, Turner would eventually be replaced by Steve Mazur by the time the album was released. Maida was quoted in interviews by saying, “I don’t know if Mike was born to be a guitar player. The studio was a tough place for him and we were working too hard to make up for it – we felt like we were cheating ourselves. Four albums is way too fucking long to put up with that. I’m sure he’ll do great things, just not with six-stringed instruments.” Out of this conflict, however, would come some of the band’s best material since their landmark Clumsy record. Gravity was front-loaded with superb singles like “Somewhere Out There,” where the lyrics in the chorus inspired the record title, and crowd favorite, “Innocent.” By the time the promotional cycle had ended, Gravity would go on to sell over half a million copies in the U.S. alone.

Review: Maggie Rogers – Surrender

Review: Andrew McMahon – Three Pianos: A Memoir

Review: Anberlin – Silverline

Review: Between The Echoes – “Phantom Limb”

Review: Coupons – Wasted Intimacy

Review: My Chemical Romance – I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love

Review: John Moreland – Birds In The Ceiling

Review: Oakrest – Summer Sun

Review: Paul Roessler – The Turning Of The Bright World

Review: Glassjaw – Worship and Tribute

Review: Patterns In Traffic – Lights and Reflections

Review: Coheed and Cambria – Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind

Review: Linkin Park – Living Things

Review: The Used – The Used

Review: Our Lady Peace – Gravity