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LATEST ARTICLES - PAGE 8

Review: Frightful Places – Frightful Places

Adam Grundy

For those unfamiliar with Frightful Places, the emo band comes from the mind of Kevin Tiernan (Mighty Tortuga, Moving Brooklyn), and the self-titled EP tackles the theme of facing your fears head on. The set of songs was produced by Chris Teti, and it shows an artist growing gracefully in his thematic approach to songwriting. The EP was crafted during the pandemic and it showcases a reflection of an artist learning to take his direct influences and create something worthy of his own name.

The EP kicks off with the textured guitars of “Old Frame” that sets the stage nicely for the rest of the record. Tiernan sings over haunting guitars, “And now, a year/ A crooked frame hangs above the stairs / Windows open / ‘Cause I keep coming back / Like a ghost at the edge of the bed,” and its evident that he’s willing to face his fears with an open mind. The title track continues down the exploratory path with more picturesque instrumental parts that allow for Tiernan to hone in on the more atmospheric sections of the song. It’s eerily reminiscent of the vibe American Football went for on their latest LP, and hits its mark just as well.

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Review: Anti-Flag – Lies They Tell Our Children

Adam Grundy

The world can be a scary place. Wars have been going on since the beginning of time, and with the speed of the internet bringing information to our fingertips in seconds, it has become nearly impossible to block out all of the negativity in our lives. As a parent of three beautiful children, I have tried my best to shelter them from anything that could cause them any type of harm. With politicians in some states complicating matters by trying to re-write, or re-frame historical events in the way they see fit, it seems like a sense of urgency has been created to keep these people in check. Anti-Flag have returned at the perfect time with their 13th studio album, with the aptly titled Lies They Tell Our Children. The music that comes through the speakers sounds as passionate as these punk rockers have ever been, and seven out of the eleven songs found on the LP feature an outside collaborator. These contributions by their friends in other bands never seem out of place, and instead bring more voices into the “fight of our lives.”

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Review: Audioslave – Audioslave

Adam Grundy

When Zack de la Rocha left Rage Against the Machine the band was at a crossroads of where to turn to next. Veteran producer Rick Rubin suggested the band reach out to Chris Cornell (of Soundgarden fame) to pursue an exploration of the two powerhouse bands together as a new one. Cornell originally was planning on writing some material for a solo project, but he found the opportunity to work with the rhythm section of Rage Against the Machine too tempting to pass up. Audioslave was born as Cornell took the opportunity to sing over some song structures the band had laid out for him to sing over. Guitarist Tom Morello recalls the first jam session in detail as he said, “”He stepped to the microphone and sang the song and I couldn’t believe it. It didn’t just sound good. It didn’t sound great. It sounded transcendent. And…when there is an irreplaceable chemistry from the first moment, you can’t deny it.” This unique combination of Rage and Soundgarden would lead to a self-titled debut album that would go on to sell over 3 million units in the U.S. alone and establish this band in the forefront of Alternative Rock radio for the better part of a decade.

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Review: L.S. Dunes – Past Lives

Adam Grundy

In the music realm, labels and terms get tossed around way too loosely in order to try and quantify what is happening in a movement. From the early 00’s showing a boom in emo, to the “The bands” arriving around that same time, music critics and journalists like to make their mark on trying to pigeonhole different waves of music momentum. The term “supergroup” started when established bands would venture into other projects and explore their creativity in other ways. L.S. Dunes have been coined as a supergroup since they feature members of Thursday, Circa Survive, Coheed & Cambria, plus the mighty My Chemical Romance, so it’s hard to argue against the moniker. Usually when a supergroup forms, one band member tends to have their footprint more on the sound than others, much like how Audioslave still sounded Rage Against the Machine with a different vocalist. However, on Past Lives, this particular supergroup seem like they’ve being playing music together their whole lives, since the songs are well-constructed, balanced, and each band member utilizes their talent to put their stamp on it. While the introduction for L.S. Dunes came in the raucous lead single of “Permanent Rebellion,” a near-perfect punk rock track, Past Lives explores the depths of each band members’ creative abilities.

The album opens with “2022,” as lead vocalist Anthony Green wails, “I’m not afraid to try,” as a rallying cry for L.S. Dunes to investigate just where their musical adventure would take them. The songs on Past Lives are cohesive, yet each song sounds slightly different in its variation and song structure to keep things interesting. For example, on “Antibodies,” L.S. Dunes are able to build out a song based on lead guitarist Travis Stever’s spiraling riffing in the verses and choruses to allow for Green to sing his passionate lyrics with veteran ease. “Grey Veins” utilizes a great bass line from Tim Payne, while Frank Iero and Stever’s guitar playing complements the pacing set by drummer Tucker Rule. The band is fully aware of each others collective strengths, and they hone in on each of these parts majestically throughout the record.

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Review: Pinkshift – Love Me Forever

Adam Grundy

Music is a powerful tool, and sometimes you can pinpoint the exact moment when a band is poised for big things. I found out about Baltimore punk band, Pinkshift, in a similar way as most of us who visit this site on a frequent basis: by an insightful recommendation. Jason wrote about Pinkshift in a Liner Notes newsletter, and it piqued my interest in this band. Pinkshift does a really great job of combining anthemic punk rock with hardcore elements, paired with the pop sensibilities to add in flavorful hooks into the mix to keep the listener engaged and wanting to hear more from this sonically interesting artist whose music appears to spreading like a wildfire in the music community. Comprised of vocalist Ashrita Kumar, guitarist Paul Vallejo, drummer Myron Houngbedji, and bassist Erich Weinroth, Pinkshift are able to catch lightning in a bottle with the aggressive Love Me Forever that has the same potential for breakout success much like the early days of My Chemical Romance.

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Review: A Place To Bury Strangers – Exploding Head

Adam Grundy

The sophomore record from A Place To Bury Strangers called Exploding Head has received a vinyl reissue with nearly a full second album’s worth of bonus tracks tacked on to the end for your enjoyment. This “noise rock” band sounds crisp and full on the vinyl version that I’m listening to, and features some extensive packaging and other treats in this 13th anniversary deluxe set. When the album was released in 2009, it garnered mostly positive reviews, and it’s easy to see why. A Place To Bury Strangers channel the deepest, darkest parts of industrial rock in a sound that fans of NIN, My Bloody Valentine, and AFI would certainly enjoy.

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Review: Between The Echoes – Awake While Dreaming

Adam Grundy

When I last sat down to write about Between the Echoes, it was for their single “Phantom Limb” that featured Anberlin’s Stephen Christian on guest vocals. The band has since released their debut full-length record called Awake While Dreaming. The album features several twists and turns, much like navigating your way out of a labyrinth, and their ability to tell a story from beginning to end is rarely seen this vividly on a first album. Over the 14-track LP, that also includes three interludes to break up the sections of the album, Between the Echoes take the listener on a cryptic journey of self-discovery that is filled with plenty of youthful exuberance.

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Review: Trampled By Turtles – Alpenglow

Adam Grundy

Very few bands can last long enough to record five studio albums, let alone ten, in the brutal music business. The indie folk rock band known as Trampled By Turtles are circling the wagons on their victory lap for Alpenglow, their 10th studio album to date. This set was produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy with the majority of the 11 songs being written by lead singer Dave Simonett. This latest LP would be a great fit for fans of the quirky indie folk by The Decemberists, the working-man approach to songwriting by Jason Isbell, and the picturesque storytelling of Bob Dylan. Alpenglow is a stunning achievement for a band who continues to push the envelope of their creativity in new and interesting ways.

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Review: My Chemical Romance – Conventional Weapons

My Chemical Romance - Conventional Weapons
Adam Grundy

The circumstances that led to My Chemical Romance releasing a collection of scrapped album material, known now as Conventional Weapons, could’ve come under happier situations. However, shortly after the release of the album, that was spread out over five 7-inch records (called Number One, etc.) the band would shock their rabid fanbase and music fans alike by announcing their breakup on March 22nd, 2013. I vividly remember being cautiously excited when Conventional Weapons was first announced, because I’ve seen this formula all too well when bands suddenly release all of their previously scrapped material or extended B-sides before going their separate ways. MCR unfortunately would follow down this unfortunate path, and would not reunite until their announcement was made on October 31, 2019.

Conventional Weapons being observed as a compilation of B-sides, or scrapped material, is a bit unfair since this material flows well in the 10-song sequencing and many fans still consider this to be a “fifth” studio album from My Chemical Romance. The band has even continued to incorporate many of these songs into their setlist on their US tour, so one could argue that the band still believes strongly in these tracks as well. From the aggressive opening sequence of “Boy Division” to the closing bars of “Burn Bright,” MCR made sure their legacy was left intact on this record that has started to get more notoriety over time.

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Review: Chase Tremaine – My Heart Settled In The Middle

Adam Grundy

Sometimes you hear a great new single, and it makes you immediately clamor for hearing more from that artist. This is exactly what happened to me when singer-songwriter Chase Tremaine sent me over his new single called “Middle Of My Words.” The track features everything you’d want in a great-sounding alternative rock song: lush guitar riffs, smooth vocals, as well as few “studio tricks” to keep things moving on the right trajectory for an artist. Tremaine shared on Bandcamp about what inspired this latest EP: “Ironically, these three tracks are also taken directly from the middle stretch of my upcoming third studio album, Accidental Days. I decided to put this EP together after realizing that I would not be able to release Accidental Days in 2022 as originally planned. The full album is now due in early 2023, and I think this EP makes a fitting standalone project as I ask you, my friends, to wait a few extra months before getting to hear the full thing.” By crafting a three-song EP filled with so much promise and poise, Chase Tremaine is able to re-ignite excitement for fans of his music, while still teasing all of the new possibilities of what is to come on his third full-length record next year.

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Review: Team Goldie – “I’m Back / Big Riff” (Single Review)

Team Goldie
Adam Grundy

I’m excited to re-introduce everyone to Team Goldie (the solo project from Matt from the band Cassettes), who have released a dual-single called “I’m Back” and “Big Riff.” On the first song, Matt is able to channel the best parts of the pop-punk genre in a crowd-pleasing package. He sings about his memories of the past few years and does a nice job of keeping his spirits high in this period of time that was so hard for so many people. His infectious energy makes for a great-sounding single that should keep interest high in this re-launched project.

On the second single, called “Big Riff,” Matt turns towards more of a rap-rock approach in the same vein as Twenty One Pilots and Powfu as he oozes with plenty of swagger in a song that bounces along with confidence. The country-tinged riff in the background keeps things interesting as it sounds like a familiar song, yet different enough to make it his own. Overall, there’s plenty to be excited about on Team Goldie’s triumphant return to the scene.

Review: Amarionette – Gemini

Adam Grundy

On the latest full-length effort from funk rockers, Amarionette, they are able to hone in on their strengths and deliver another solid album entitled Gemini. They last made a worthwhile appearance on 2020’s Sunset On This Generation which was a nice mix of frenetic punk rock paired with slick pop-based hooks. Amarionette continue to explore a similar path on Gemini, while still leaving room for some experimentation. The Las Vegas-based band do their best to keep things interesting on this collection of 12 cohesive songs that are sure to make you believers in their brand of rock.

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Review: Taylor Swift – Red

Craig Manning

There are moments growing up that feel jarring and alien and terrifying for how wildly different they seem from everything else that came before them. Your first kiss; the first time you drive a car without anyone in the passenger’s seat; the first time you feel the buzz of alcohol; the first night in your college dorm room, knowing you’re in uncharted territory. These moments can feel like swimming off the deep end without a lifejacket for the first time, or maybe even like skydiving without a parachute. They’re exciting because of the unpredictability, because they feel dangerous. You don’t know what’s going to happen next, but you do know that you’ve just crossed some invisible line on the journey of growing up, and that you can’t turn around and go back.

On Red, Taylor Swift captured the unpredictable, stomach-dropping, dangerous rush of perhaps the most important growing up “first”: falling in love. The result was her best record, the greatest album released in the 2010s, and one of the most complete documents ever made about young love’s roller-coaster highs and crushing lows. Even good albums about love often cover only a fraction of what it’s like to go from strangers to friends to how-can-I-ever-live-without-yous and then back to strangers again. Even great albums about love might only paint with a hue or two from that expansive, explosive palette of technicolor emotion. On her fourth album, Taylor Swift painted with all the colors in love’s deep, endless rainbow – even if, at the time, she probably would have told you she was only painting with one.

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Review: The 1975 – Being Funny In a Foreign Language

Adam Grundy

The fifth studio album from The 1975 is a brilliant opus of endless musical possibilities. When the band set out to record this album, entitled Being Funny in a Foreign Language, in the height of the pandemic with veteran producer Jack Antonoff, the pressure couldn’t be higher on this English rock band to deliver the goods. While Notes on a Conditional Form was a mixed bag of stellar material, paired with some odd song sequencing, and a little too much filler, this album comes in and blows the door off the hinges with its ability to convey a wide range of emotions in an 11-song, concise artistic statement that never overstays its welcome. While listening to the record, you get the feeling that The 1975 were able to hone in on the best parts of their stylistic songwriting and bring forth the best version of themselves. Being Funny in a Foreign Language has all the makings of an album of the year, while still adding plenty of deep references for longtime fans of The 1975.

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Review: The Promise Ring – Nothing Feels Good

Adam Grundy

The sophomore album by The Promise Ring, called Nothing Feels Good, is largely credited for its influence in starting a wave of movement in the emo genre. The record has now turned 25 years old, so I thought it would be a great idea to revisit just what made this album so damn special. The album was produced by J. Robbins, and the cover art features a shot of Trimper’s Rides in the heart of the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. The album title also inspired author Andy Greenwald to use it for his great, comprehensive guide of emo music called Nothing Feels Good: Punk Rock, Teenagers, and Emo that I thoroughly enjoyed reading when it was released. What made The Promise Ring so endearing was their mix of power pop chords paired with a heart on their sleeves approach to their lyrics that led to several quotable moments within their songs. Nothing Feels Good is an endearing collection of 12 slick emo anthems that deservedly earned their time in the spotlight today.

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