Review: The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues

Drew Beringer Mar 15, 2008

Whenever the discussion of underrated bands comes up, I always automatically think of The Hush Sound. It’s hard to get attention on a label stacked with more popular acts like Panic At The Disco, The Academy Is, and Cobra Starship, but The Hush Sound would rather not cater to the teenage girl scene. With the release of their third album, Goodbye Blues, the Chicago quartet furthers themselves from the Decaydance sound, as their brand of mature, piano-backed pop have flourished into a more refined sound.

Produced by Kevin Augunas (Cold War Kids), Goodbye Blues is a more focused effort, displaying a good balance of quirky, upbeat pop tunes and piano-driven, heavy ballads. Vocalist and pianist Greta Salpeter definitely carries this album, as you hear a lot of her throughout. Her vocal delivery has improved from Like Vines, as she demands more of your attention on each track she appears. She welcomes you to the listen experience with “Intro,” as heavy piano keys paint the mood. Two of the catchier tracks follow, first single “Honey” and the foot-stomping “Medicine Man” (which should have been the first single; hopefully it gets second single treatment).

Drew Beringer Feb 17, 2008

Over the past few months, we’ve seen notable metalcore front men try their hand at quieter and gentler side projects, such as Keith Buckley and Josh Scogin, of Every Time I Die and The Chariot fame, respectively. But, if this is to become the new trend, we should give credit to City and Colour, the side project of Dallas (city) Green (colour, get it?), for spearheading such endeavors. Most famous for his work as the lead man in Canadian rock act Alexisonfire, Green is now making waves in the States with his solo work on his Vagrant-debut, folk-inspired Bring Me Your Love.

Already a star in Canada, his debut album, Sometimes, garnered a plethora of critical acclaim and awards from our northern brothers. While Sometimes wasn’t widely available in the U.S., it still made a modest splash with American fans. Now, with the backing of Vagrant, Bring Me Your Love is the first City And Colour album to be released on American soil and aims to be a big hit with many in the scene.

Drew Beringer Nov 2, 2007

Not going to lie, it was kind of strange listening to a new Armor For Sleep record and not hearing vocalist/guitarist Ben Jorgensen sing about sleeping, dreaming, or dying. Instead of writing another concept album, Jorgensen penned lyrics about a culture that’s dependant and obsessed with celebrity news and reality television, among other social commentaries, for the band’s major label debut, Smile For Them.

When the band first began the writing and recording process for Smile, they moved out to Los Angeles with a pre-arranged producer, courtesy of Sire. Unhappy with the results, the band packed up and restarted the process in their hometown and brought back Machine, who brilliantly produced their 2005 record, What To Do When You Are Dead. The end product is twelve tracks that seamlessly flow between post-hardcore and pop, resulting in what may be Armor For Sleep’s most rockin’ record to date.

Drew Beringer Oct 29, 2007

Are albums this good supposed to be this depressing?

Saves The Day’s sixth album, Under The Boards (which is the second album of the band’s planned trilogy), dives into brain trust’s Chris Conley’s mind, which we find is a very dark place. While the first installment of the trilogy, 2006’s Sound The Alarm, was all fire and brimstone, Boards focuses on picking up the pieces.

With the help of Marc Hudson and Eric Stenman, the band produced this thirteen-track trek through despair, and the title track, which opens the album, immediately lets you know what kind of journey you are in for. Paced by a simple guitar riff that crawls underneath your skin, Conley’s vocals are on point, as he painfully begins to pour out his innermost feelings. The track then segues right away into “Radio,” an upbeat song with an undeniable catchy chorus. “Can’t Stay The Same” slightly reminds me of “Anywhere With You,” with how the verses lead into the chorus, while “Get Fucked Up,” a mid-paced track about attempting to get over someone, is beautifully depressing.

Drew Beringer Oct 23, 2007

And the record begins with a song spoken by Satan.

Okay, so that’s not as catchy as the line that began 2004’s superb …Is A Real Boy, but Max Bemis ups the ante with the 27 song, double disc major label debut In Defense of the Genre, an album that blends chaos, attitude, insecurity, and about two hundred guest vocalists into an epic portrayal of and journey through Bemis’ thoughts. In what may be the most anticipated album of 2007, Bemis did not copy what made …Is A Real Boy so good. Instead, he channeled even more quirkiness and brutal honesty into his writing that exudes a sense of confidence not heard on previous Say Anything records.

Drew Beringer Sep 25, 2007

If I were to use a simile to describe the Foo Fighters, I would definitely exclaim that they’re like a fine wine. With the release of their sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace, the Foo is a band that just gets better with age. Produced by Gil Norton, the same man who produced the defining record of the Foo’s career (1996 The Colour And The Shape), Echoes is a hauntingly beautiful display of how good this band is.

Don’t let the opening track (also the first single), “The Pretender,” fool you, Echoes is not as rip-roaring as that track is. This is very recognizable on “Let It Die,” a song that repeatedly tip toes the line behind quiet and loud. The verses are paced by the gentle strumming of the guitar, while the bridge and ending feature Dave Grohl yelling his lungs out. And this particular song is what Echoes is in a nutshell. We still have the hard-hitting and fast-paced music that we all know and love about the Foo Fighters, but, overall, they show a mellow demeanor throughout the album.

Drew Beringer Sep 13, 2007

The majority of movies that make a lot of money at the box office are followed up with a sequel: Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Star Wars, etc. New Found Glory, a band that has already accomplished many things, are trying to make this concept work on record. So, the Coral Springs, Florida, quintet hopped into their De Lorean, signed with the label who jump started their career (Drive Thru for this one record deal), and created the sequel to the fan-favorite 2000 EP, From The Screen To Your Stereo.

This time around, NFG recorded an entire album’s worth of covers from famous movies, such as Donnie Darko, The Breakfast Club, and Napoleon Dynamite. The album also features a large list of guests, featuring the likes of Chris Carrabba, Max Bemis, Will Pugh, Patrick Stump, Adam Lazzara, Sheri Dupree, and Lisa Loeb. The end result is eleven covers that perfectly display the band at their finest: energy, fun, and full out effort. The production of Thom Panunzio (whom produced 2006’s Coming Home) and the band is nearly perfect. You won’t find a better cover album on the market.

Drew Beringer Aug 22, 2007

oppa and Momma DuPree have got to be some of the proudest parents around. Their children have just released one of the better albums of 2007. Hailing from Tyler, Texas, the four DuPree siblings (Chauntelle, Sherri, Stacy, and Weston) and one DuPree cousin (Garron) make up Eisley, one of the finer piano-rock bands making music today. In 2005, they released Room Noises on Warner/Reprise Records, which was received warmly by critics and fans alike and generate some buzz for the quintet. While it was nothing outside the norm of the genre, it was good for what it was. Now in 2007, Eisley have just released their second album on Warner/Reprise, titled Combinations, which proves to be their best work to date. Produced by Richard Gibbs, the ten track album clocks in just under 40 minutes, with no track going over 4 minutes. Each track is composed beautifully, mixing pop sensibilities with bolder moves and noises that help take Eisley outside the constraints of the genre.

Drew Beringer Jul 23, 2007

Everyone wants to be a pop punk superstar. There are those who embrace it, while others despise it, but secretly wish to be it. With all the success that Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and their peers have had, it comes as no surprise that many new bands try to emulate it. All Time Low, June, and countless others have tried their hand at it, with mixed results. Enter Scenes From A Movie into the pop-punk arena. If you took Brendan Urie’s vocals and dubbed them over Fall Out Boy’s Take This To Your Grave, you would end up with The Pulse, the debut album from the quintet. What it lacks in originality, it makes up with catchy hooks, infectious melodies, and an energy many bands in the genre lack these days.

Drew Beringer Jul 15, 2007

Music brings out all sorts of different emotions in us. And when an artist or band can convey all those emotions into their music, something special is created. It touches you, inspires you, and you can’t get enough of it. Finding albums that can achieve this can be a daunting task, but with the (early, digital) release of their fourth album, In Our Bedroom After The War, Stars have damn near perfected it.

With previous releases such as Heart and Set Yourself On Fire setting the bar for Stars, In Our Bedroom After The War continues that progression and takes it even further. The chemistry of vocalists Tourquil Campbell and Amy Millan is stunning throughout the album, as each voice is always complimented nicely by the accompanying instrumentation. Such beauty is achieved on the track “The Night Starts Here,” with Evan Cranley’s bass grooving over Pat McGee’s steady drumbeat as Chris Seligman’s keys bring a sense of enchantment over the song.

Drew Beringer Jun 26, 2007

How do you follow up a concept album about a man losing his sanity and going on a killing rampage? Why, you write an album about drinking, suffering, and despair! At least that’s what Boys Night Out did with their third album on Ferret Records. The self-titled album follows up the band’s 2005 moderately successful concept album, Trainwreck, and it takes parts from that album and 2003’s Make Yourself Sick to piece together Boys Night Out. This album features the addition of guitarist Andy Lewis, the departure of Kara Dupuy, who played the synth and sang on Trainwreck, and the return of original drummer Ben Arseneau. What we find on these eleven Lou Giornado-produced tracks are intensity, catchiness, and repetition throughout.

Drew Beringer Jun 11, 2007

Straylight Run has always frustrated me. Ever since hearing those 6 self-released demos in 2003, I have been waiting and waiting for this band to awe me, to release a great record. But 2004’s self-titled release, which had a handful of great songs, was too produced and unfocused, while 2005’s EP “Prepare To Be Wrong” was a step in the right direction, but too short to have any lasting impact on me. But with their second full-length (and major label debut), Straylight Run have finally wowed me.

The Needles The Space displays the new musical direction Straylight Run have gone in. Instead of drowning their songs with piano-heavy melodies seen on past releases, they experiment and dive into using different instruments to create a fuller, richer sound than ever before. Produced by the band and engineered by Bryan Russell and Mike Sapone, Straylight Run achieves the sound they’ve been aiming at throughout their career. While some fans may complain about the production (similar to how many complained about the brilliant production on Thursday’s last release), it is the sound the band wanted, and if the tracks were produced anymore than what they are, I believe it lose the luster and impact each track possesses.

Drew Beringer Mar 20, 2007

Over the past few years, many lead singers from various bands have started up their own solo project, and while it’s not a new concept, it has been gaining steam recently in the scene. From Dustin Kensrue to Gabe Saporta, some have had great success (Chris Carrabba and Ben Gibbard) to not so much (Claudio Sanchez). Regardless of end results, though, many artists still try their hand at the solo career. The latest to try his luck is Underoath drummer and vocalist Aaron Gillespie, who will be releasing his solo debut, Southern Weather, under the name The Almost through the collaborate efforts of Virgin and Tooth & Nail Records.

Drew Beringer Feb 6, 2007

“I can’t, can’t wait/till you see, see, see/what death and disgust/have done to me.”

The above lyric, which appears on Bayside’s third full length album, The Walking Wounded, can sum up the majority of thoughts and emotions the band are portraying to the listener. For those of you living under a rock, Bayside’s drummer, John “Beatz” Holohan was tragically killed in a van accident Halloween 2005. With such a traumatic experience looking the band in the face, it would have been easy to quit and go numb to the world. Instead, they kept Beatz in spirit, and became a better band. The hard work pays off onWounded, as the Long Island quartet (vocalist/guitarist Anthony Raneri, guitarist Jack O’Shea, bassist Nick Ghanbarian, and new drummer Chris Guglielmo) has never sounded more intense and on point. Working with them again are Shep Goodman and Kenny Gioia, both of whom produced 2005’s self-titled effort, and they helped made the band’s sound tighter and angrier.

Drew Beringer Feb 4, 2007

During the month of March 2006, hardcore punk veterans Lifetime signed to Pete Wentz’s Decaydance label and were to release their first album in 10 years on that label. To all the fans who have stuck with the New Jersey quintet, this was the worst thing ever, the biggest sin, the ultimate contradiction. Their precious band was to release their album on a label that caters to the teen girl crowd? Erroneous! Erroneous on all counts! Despite vows from the band and Wentz that nothing was going to change, many fans still remain skeptical. Now after months of debate and message board banter, Lifetime have released their long anticipated fourth LP, Lifetime. After a few seconds into the first track, “Northbound Breakdown,” we are all assured that nothing has changed.

Review: The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues

Review: City and Colour – Bring Me Your Love

Review: Armor for Sleep – Smile For Them

Review: Saves the Day – Under The Boards

Review: Say Anything – In Defense Of The Genre

Review: Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace

Review: New Found Glory – From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II

Review: Eisley – Combinations

Review: Scenes from a Movie – The Pulse

Review: Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War

Review: Boys Night Out – Boys Night Out

Review: Straylight Run – The Needles The Space

Review: The Almost – Southern Weather

Review: Bayside – The Walking Wounded

Review: Lifetime – Lifetime