This best of list was put together by the AbsolutePunk.net staff in 2011. It used an old system for ranking albums, but has been brought over to Chorus.fm for posterity.
Read More “AbsolutePunk.net’s Top Albums of 2011”
There is nothing more fascinating in music than watching a band progress before your very ears. It’s even better when a band’s progression coincides with that band’s improvement. And I can’t believe it, but The Maine has improved a whole ton in a year and a half. I don’t think that a major label can ruin a band by itself, but Black & White, The Maine’s debut for Warner Bros., was a complete dud. Pioneer won’t be as friendly to a mainstream demographic, and maybe that’s one of the reasons why the band decided to release the record itself.
Read More “The Maine – Pioneer”
Fun. will release Some Nights on February 21st. The album art can be found in the replies.
Read More “Fun. Track Listing & Album Art”
Andrew McMahon discusses Jack’s Mannequin’s third record People and Things, viewing life from a day-to-day perspective, writing for Hollywood, and being caught in between the mainstream and indie.
Vocalist Mindy White chats about the making of States’ debut full-length, how she first got started with the Copeland guys, and her up-and-down past in Lydia.
It only took five minutes to prove that Marianas Trench were the real deal.
The opener to the pop-rock quartet’s sophomore effort, Masterpiece Theater, was breathtaking to say the least. “Masterpiece Theater I” presented everything to love about the genre – soaring harmonies, memorable instrumentation, and hooks to go crazy for. The band’s prime selling point took place within vocalist Josh Ramsay, who gave unreal performances on nearly every song on the album. Marianas Trench had something special going for them, and it was easy to say that their follow-up had a lot to live up to. In company with Masterpiece Theater’s incredible solidarity, it also ended up selling platinum (in Canada), with numerous platinum and gold singles to go along with it. That alone sets the bar enormously for the highly anticipated Ever After – and it’s the band’s best offering to date.
Read More “Marianas Trench – Ever After”
There’s a certain pocket of bands writing really good “rock” music these days. Maybe even “alternative” for the sake of genre-specific argument. For the sound I’m speaking of, I’ll define “rock” music as that of the genre most of us grew up with when the radio wasgood. Whether it was Nirvana, Tool, Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, etc. – we knew there was beauty and thought between the layers. Every now and again a band will come along that will paralyze us with a sound built on grit, feedback and cryptic auras stacked like a triple pane glass wall thickly layered in percussion, deafening guitars and a guilt-ridden, beautifully sparked voice. All of these thoughts were running through my head the first time I heard O’Brother’s debut full-length, Garden Window, and they continue to do so.
Read More “O’Brother – Garden Window” Fun.’s new album is called Some Nights and arrives on February 21, 2012. An acoustic performance of “We Are Young” featuring Janelle Monáe can be found here.
Read More “Fun. Album Title and Release Date”
Yellowcard saw a triumphant return into the music industry earlier this year with its fifth studio record, When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes. The album blended characteristics of the group’s breakout Ocean Avenue and its more ambitious Paper Walls, all the while making the bold point that they weren’t just back, but back with a new focus and hunger.
As is becoming something of a trend for Hopeless Records’ roster, we now get the opportunity to hear the entirety of When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes in an acoustic form. However, as is fully apparent from opener “The Sound of You and Me,” much more effort and time was put into this project than one might originally expect from the idea. Ryan Key’s normally high-flying vocals are kept slightly in check to match the stripped down instrumentation, but he still remains the backbone of Yellowcard’s instantly identifiable sound.
Read More “Yellowcard – When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes (Acoustic)”
Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman and Anberlin’s Stephen Christian converse about musical inspirations, writing when depressed, and not wanting to be placed in a box.
Read More “Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Stephen Christian of Anberlin”
Frontman Dustin Kensrue offers a behind-the-scenes look into the writing, mindset, and theology behind Thrice’s Major/Minor album.
You’d never picture the guys in MUTEMATH to be dark wizards, but after listening to Odd Soul numerous times, I’m just not so sure anymore. It’s plain as day to see that the band is using horcruxes, as they have divided up their Odd Soul into separate different genres to reach musical immortality.
So while my analogy may have been totally lame, you cannot deny that there has always been some sort of uniqueness about MUTEMATH. From their energetic live show to their fantastic music videos, you rarely hear or see the band to the same thing twice. And that’s what makes Odd Soul one of the best albums of 2011 – it’s MUTEMATH reinventing themselves while remaining true to their roots throughout the thirteen track LP.
Read More “Mutemath – Odd Soul”
If Evan Weiss isn’t a household name within the scene yet, he will be soon. The singer/songwriter’s resume includes two very ambitious projects – one album featuring a song for every week in a year (52 Weeks) and one collection of twelve songs that represent twelve different cities (Twelve Towns). He’s already impressed critics and fans alike, and that’s even before you sit down with his first true full-length album, the aptly titled Proper. While the majority of Weiss’ discography is of the soft, acoustic variety, his No Sleep debut is stuffed with twelve energetic and poignant tracks, all in its full-band glory.
Read More “Into It. Over It. – Proper”
It’s almost like this review doesn’t have to be written. A shiny, freshly made batch of 11 pop-punk songs recommended for people who love pop-punk songs.
Or, in other words, a new New Found Glory record. Recommended if you like: New Found Glory.
Perhaps the most consistent band in the history of a genre they helped make extremely popular, New Found Glory’s seventh studio full-length, Radiosurgery, is exactly what you think it is. It’s 11 (actually, 10) wonderful gems meant for playing: 1. With the windows down; 2. With the volume turned up; 3. During the summer. Predictable words about a predictable record.
If I sound like I’m criticizing Radiosurgery, I’m only doing it half-heartedly. Aside from the question mark of Coming Home, New Found Glory has very rarely tweaked its style since its 1999 debut, Nothing Gold Can Stay. And why would they ever change? Creeping up on the 12th anniversary of that first release, New Found Glory has already almost doubled the timeline of relevancy compared to many of their peers. They’re one of the most-loved band in the genre and 12 years is a lot longer than the number suggests. Fans have loved every NFG album and have come out in droves to seem them perform live. Radiosurgeryisn’t going to change that.
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A few years ago, a lot of positive reviews for pop-punk records talked about how the record in question was a change of pace; a break from the then-unfortunate norm of neon clothes and auto-tune. That tone began to change – slowly at first, then with increasing speed. Something of a “golden age” emerged, and whether you want to thank Run For Cover and No Sleep Records or any of the other numerous amazing independent labels that have been the behind-the-scenes faces of this movement is your call. But my point remains: For avid music listeners, for the users on this website, and for the college-aged generation across the country, these record labels and a tight-knit scene of bands stretching from Gainesville to Boston to Los Angeles to, um, Oregon, loomed into the spotlight. Their shadows overtook and made irrelevant the neon and the auto-tune.
Read More “Transit – Listen & Forgive”