The Return of Yellowcard

Yellowcard

Yellowcard are returning from hiatus. The band is currently recording a new album with Neal Avron (who will be producing and mixing the record). Big enough news, right? It gets better. The band will be releasing the album on Hopeless Records in the early part of next year. No tours are currently planned as the band focuses on finishing up the new album. The band will consist of Ryan Key, Sean Mackin, LP, Ryan Mendez, and Sean O’Donnell. More news will be coming tomorrow – so keep your eyes peeled here.

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Review: Lydia – Assailants

Lydia - Assailants

There’s a lot of things I’d like to say about Lydia, but frankly I don’t think it’s any of your business. And that’s pretty much the point. Few bands create such personal connections within the framework of verse-chorus-bridge tunes. Luckily on Assailants, Leighton Antelman’s catharsis is strong enough for two. Here on the band’s final output, there is lots of reflection; a band doesn’t fall apart for no reason. But the logic within all this emotion is that we are included. The audience’s POV still reigns supreme. And I know that’s what I always say, but I always say it because I feel it’s the most important thing: we must be included. Lydia have written their final act, and we’re all the star.

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Review: All Time Low – Straight To DVD

All Time Low - Straight To DVD

In 5 years All Time Low has skyrocketed to the forefront of the scene, going from Baltimore high schoolers to world tour headliners in no time. Last year the band released their third full length, Nothing Personal, which had an expansive yet defined sound. The band took a step back from up tempo pop punk anthems and instead chose to take a step towards stadium-filling pop rock hits. While this transition may have alienated fans, the band still seems to draw attention and excitement from the believers. When “Weightless” was released last March, AP.net was flooded with mostly praise and love for the band. It showed the band could produce a larger sound and still be real with who they are. That was what this band has always been about, and they have never lost that. But with all the good there is always going to be the bad as well. No one is perfect and ultimately four guys can’t please everyone.

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Review: Fireworks – All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion

Fireworks - All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion

As I was strolling down the lonely search pages of AP.net, I came across the surprising, mildly disappointing realization that Fireworks’ All I Have to Offer Is My Own Confusion has yet to be reviewed here. Given the news of the phenomenal tour that Fireworks are going to kick off in late summer, I thought it appropriate to give one of the best debut pop punk full lengths of recent memory a write-up. Full of uplifting, earnest pop punk, Detroit natives Fireworks have nothing to hide. Taking after New Found Glory, their sound offers nasally vocals from Dave Mackinder which are kept afloat by furious instrumentation from Brett Jones, Chris Mojan, Kyle O’Neil, and Tymm Rengers. Mackinder’s distinctive voice and a style that yearns for stage dives have made Fireworks one of the central pieces in the group of young, up and coming bands that is sending shock waves through the pop punk circle.

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Review: Steel Train – Steel Train

Steel Train - Steel Train

Man it must be nice to be Jack Antonoff. Between a dalliance with Scarlett Johanssen and cult-like status in the super group Fun, the New York City-based frontman is also the brain trust behind burgeoning indie juggernauts Steel Train. Veteran performers of Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Coachella the quintet are a much-praised, must-see live act who made a sizable dent with their 2007 full-length Trampoline. This year’s self-titled follow-up is a harmonic collection of 12 veritable anthems. Soaring, transcendent and deeply felt, it’s as good a disc as any released this year.

The band sets the tone exquisitely on the triumphant opening number “Bullet,” a tightly packed, four-minute pop masterpiece. Anchored by Antonoff’s confident vocals, its rising chorus is arguably one of 2010’s finest moments. If album openers are supposed to be introductory statements, then Steel Train has indeed made the declaration of the year. For those still not on the bandwagon, it’s time to step on and start taking this band seriously.

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Review: The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang

Artform will never cease being a self-involved & possessive medium for any and all onlookers. One can’t help but draw their own experiences in order to relate to whatever it is they see or hear from any artist, whether it be a painter, musician or filmmaker. Part of including our own relation to a piece is referring to our historical worldview, always spotting influence & inspiration. A song lyric, a brush stroke or even part of a character’s outift — we’re bound to pick out what we recognize, making it easier as participants to relate to the artist’s motivation and our own perspective.

In five short years, New Jersey quartet The Gaslight Anthem have gone from punk rock bruisers to one of the most celebrated & prolific modern rock acts on the scene. Much of that success stems from the band’s ability to seamlessly weave influences into their music, both in terms of lyrical reference and overall sound. With their 2008 breakthrough, The ’59 Sound, music fans relished the opportunity to hear a large combination of influence from Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley, something that was heard not only through the raspy vocal charm of Brian Fallon, but also through a more traditional, old-school production (courtesy of Ted Hutt, who is also present on this record). Many of the themes and style were reminescent of 1950’s rock n’ roll, something the band used to their advantage. With their third full-length, American Slang, the distinction between individual art and influence continues to grow, offering everyone on board a chance to carefully sift through and pay tribute to the influential legends, all while concocting their own sound for the future.

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Review: Against Me! – White Crosses

Against Me - White Crosses

Beneath every great rivalry, there is always a line of mutual respect. For the most part. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning; Jack and Sawyer; Bill and Hillary Clinton. The only intense rivalry that raises a few questions are fans of Against Me. There are those who believe the band to be a shell of their former selves, and those who’ve grown right alongside them. It’s a fierce competition that is about as pointless as that time Emmanuelle Lewis and Gary Coleman were pitted against one another: there’s no clear winner, because they are both adorable!

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Review: The National – High Violet

The National - High Violet

At a gathering at my apartment this past Saturday, I was talking with a few guys about music and such when The National’s “Mistaken for Strangers” came up in the music rotation, prompting a story about how, at a Boston show a couple of years back, lead singer Matt Berninger downed an entire bottle of wine during the performance before proceeding to smash the bottle. I’ve never had the privilege of seeing The National live, and though that anecdote strikes up an odd image, it’s not entirely surprising. The band seems to champion that segment of folks stuck in the middle and damned to stay there, people who’ve left behind their days of chugging Keystone Light with their college career but whose daily trivialities still provoke the onset of that maddeningly irresistible urge to treat oneself to a hangover, people whose attachment to their office chair, frustration with company politics, and overexposure to ambient fluorescent lighting have initiated the slow but accelerating descent down that slippery slope toward sociopathy. And even if you’re the type to appreciate the humor that being surrounded by morons affords and can take just about everything with a boulder of salt, you don’t have to look far to find a real-life analog for The National’s protagonists, like just over the cubicle wall at the Paxil-popper in the next desk. Yeah, their songs are for that poor motherfucker. And even if you’re still in high school or college, like many readers will certainly be, listen up, friends– you might not relate now, but this is what you bastards have to look forward to.

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Review: Minus the Bear – Omni

Minus The Bear - Omni

Oooh baby, turn down the lights and turn up the bass. It’s about to get dangerously sexy all up in here with Minus The Bear’s latest album (and Dangerbird Records debut), the funktastic Omni

Basically, this is the story of how Minus The Bear got their groove back after the lukewarm reaction to 2007’s Planet Of Ice, arguably their worst effort to date. And from the very first notes of opener, “My Time,” you immediately hear the difference. Featuring a synthesizer barrage of noise, “My Time” is taking you into the bedroom and dimming the lights. “Summer Angel” is a little bit gentler than the preceding track, bringing out more of Minus The Bear’s smooth rock sound. Guitarists Jake Snider and Dave Knudson emphasize the dark and furious nature of “Secret Country,” as their guitar work lends to the controlled chaos that is the bridge. 

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Review: Coheed & Cambria – Year of the Black Rainbow

Coheed & Cambria - Year of the Black Rainbow

Despite how much I listen to music, talk about music, and read about music, every once in I while something happens that makes me realize that I don’t actually know anything. The most recent example of this is Coheed & Cambria’s newest release, Year of the Black Rainbow. The band’s fifth studio album and fourth for Columbia Records is the latest installment of The Amory Wars, a sci-fi storyline penned by lead singer Claudio Sanchez. The story actually begins with Year of the Black Rainbow, so this record serves as a prequel to Coheed & Cambria’s other four albums. I’m certainly no expert on the story of The Amory Wars, and truthfully I’ve only been a casual listener of Coheed & Cambria in the past, not listening to much other than Good Apollo Volume 1. But after spinning Year of the Black Rainbow a few times and immensely enjoying it, I headed over to my most heralded, reliable website for retrieving virtually irretrievable knowledge: Wikipedia. An hour later, I had read numerous articles attempting to describe The Amory Wars, researched releases of multiple comic book series and graphic novels associated with the storyline, and bookmarked links to purchase physical copies of every Coheed & Cambria record I was missing on Amazon. For the past eight years, this profoundly unique group have been telling a story that they created through their music, an absolutely genius and layered story at that, and I had been missing out completely.

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Review: Tigers Jaw – Tigers Jaw

Tigers Jaw - Tigers Jaw

Let’s face it, the only reason anybody knows anything about Scranton, Pennsylvania is because of The Office. In fact, without the adored workplace comedy, I would be pressed to say that I would even know that Scranton existed. By all accounts, Tigers Jaw are out to change that. With their own brand of punk-tinged indie rock, the group are out to prove that Scranton is more than just the vessel for a critically acclaimed sitcom.

On their Prison Jazz Records debut full-length, Tigers Jaw introduce listeners to a sound that seemingly has two personas. There is the stripped down, upbeat, guitar-centered indie rock that kicks off songs like album opener “The Sun” and fan favorite “I Saw Water”, and there is the slower, more thoughtful face that Tigers Jaw don sporadically throughout the self-titled record. The combination, reminiscent of early emo-punk outfits Saves the Day and The Get Up Kids, might not be anything new, but it’s still very much appreciated. 

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Review: The Menzingers – Chamberlain Waits

Chamberlain Waits

The 2010 comedy Date Night is about a couple’s wild journey into the city one evening where they continually run into obstacle after obstacle, essentially postponing their night of innocent fun and reigniting their love in the process. The 1977 comedy The Out-of-Towners contains a similar plot, however this time around, the couple are trying to survive the manic big city while sightseeing, eventually running into a slew of wacky characters all while reigniting their love in the process. Not quite the same, but enough for a viewer of both to notice the similarities.

The same idea can often apply to music. Despite the makeup of different individuals from different backgrounds, influence always tends to seep its way into just about any band’s music. It can be a positive and a negative. Positive, because it’s easy to relate to through familiarity; negative, because it can be skewed as plagiarism. The Menzingers are certainly not being accused of blatantly ripping anyone off, but on their sophomore release, Chamberlain Waits, the influences come up frequently, and it takes a bit of the sheen off the previous buzz that has been circulating over the band for the past year or two.

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Review: Four Year Strong – Enemy Of The World

Four Year Strong - Enemy of the World

When I initially contacted Universal Motown about an advance of Four Year Strong’s hotly anticipated major label debut, Enemy Of The World, they told me I was SOL. When I asked why, they told me that someone had stolen the master copy.

That damn monkeywizard

After reading his pathetic attempt at reviewing, I PM’d monkeywizard asking how I could obtain the new FYS album to give it the proper review it deserved. After a lengthy back and forth exchange in which he made fun of my 5950 hat collection and reminded me that Aaron Rodgers has never won a playoff game, he made it known that there was nothing I could do to get that master copy. Little did he know that I had some brand new Set Your Goals’ demos (monkeywizard’s a big fan). So in exchange for the demos (which were really just songs from New Again tagged as SYG tracks – monkeywizard is going to be pissed), I finally acquired the master copy of Enemy Of The World. After my first listen, I was floored. It was immediately evident that this album was built with machine guns, spiked bats, jagged rocks, and skulls. Oh yeah, I can’t forget about the wolves either. Enemy Of The World hits harder, runs faster, and operates more smoothly than its predecessor. Yes, the duel-vocals, infectious choruses, and delicious breakdowns are still present, only this time they sound a lot bigger. The production difference between this and Rise or Die Trying is dramatic. And you can thank Machine for that. He found the perfect balance between grit and gloss, as Four Year Strong have never sounded crisper.

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Review: Thursday – Full Collapse

Thursday - Full Collapse

Beautiful, echoing, ethereal guitar begins to filter through your speakers, slowing fading into your consciousness. A man with a slightly nasal voice, most likely in his early 20s, starts to sing something about a robot, and whether it dreams. After about thirty seconds of this repeating, with one final “Wonder what it dreams?,” everything disappears save feedback from the guitar. And then, almost out of nowhere…”Bap, bap!” The band springs into action with two hits of the snare. Guitarists Tom Keeley and Steve Pedulla’s parts twist, churn and intertwine as drummer Tucker Rule keeps a sort of off-tempo beat that leads into a drum role. Bassist Tim Payne remains a driving force, mostly following the guitar, but adding a necessary emphasis to the bottom part of the song. Then Geoff Rickly–for that is the name of the nasally man in his early 20s–begins to sing again: “Splintered piece of glass / Falls on the seat and gets caught / Broken windows, open locks / Reminders of the youth we lost / In trying so hard to look away from you / I followed white lines ’till the sunset / I crash my car every day the same way.” The song is “Understanding in a Car Crash.” The band is Thursday. The album is Full Collapse. The year is 2001. And something great is happening here.

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