Charly Bliss has released a video for “Scare U.”
Albums in Stores – Oct. 13th, 2017
Happy Friday the 13th. Today sees new releases from Stars, St. Vincent, and The Front Bottoms. If you hit read more you can see all the releases we have in our calendar for the week. Hit the quote bubble to access our forums and talk about what came out today, what albums you picked up, and to make mention of anything we may have missed.
Review: Jimmy Eat World – Chase This Light
I’m not sure I have ever anticipated a new album with quite the furor that I anticipated Jimmy Eat World’s Chase This Light in the fall of 2007. Futures had been a game-changer for me, the album that transformed me from a budding music listener into a voracious, lifelong die-hard. As often happens when you’re young, the three years that stretched between the October 19, 2004 release of Futures and the October 16, 2007 release of Chase This Light seemed to last an eternity. (I was 13 when the former came out and 16 for the arrival of the latter.) The wait was eased a bit by the 2005 release of the Stay on My Side Tonight EP, but the dark, moody nature of those songs only made me want a full-length. An album packed of songs like “Disintegration” and “Closer”? Count me in.
Chase This Light was decidedly not that record. Futures gave the band two basic paths forward. The first was to embrace the moody, late night autumnal vibe that manifested on songs like “Polaris” and “23.” That path evidently led to Stay on My Side Tonight, which was made up of songs the band had written for Futures but hadn’t finished or put on the record. The second possible path was for Jimmy Eat World to keep following their arc as a glossy studio band. They’d made Futures with Gil Norton, a well-respected rock producer known for making big, robust rock albums. Futures sounded appropriately huge, and there was some feeling—particularly in radio singles like “Pain” and “Work”—that Jimmy Eat World could be a massive radio rock band for the new millennium if they wanted to be. They could prove that “The Middle” wasn’t just a fluke hit.
Forum Members Compilation: Originals
Our music forum has put together a compilation of original songs. You can stream that below.
Fickle Friends – “Hard to Be Myself”
Fickle Friends have released their new song “Hard to Be Myself.” I’m more than ready for a full length from this band.
Sufjan Stevens – “Wallowa Lake Monster”
Sufjan Stevens has shared “Wallowa Lake Monster” from his upcoming outtakes album.
Julien Baker – “Turn Out the Lights” Video
Julien Baker has released a video for “Turn Out the Lights.”
‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Trailer
The trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been released.
Review: Circa Survive – The Amulet
By all accounts, Circa Survive shouldn’t be here. The band’s frontman, Anthony Green, sometimes can’t even believe that the band has survived all the demons and turmoil over the course of their career. But Green and his bandmates have continually persevered through it all, alive and thriving with their sixth full-length album (and Hopeless Records debut) The Amulet, the band’s darkest and most personal piece of art yet.
The hazy opener, “Lustration,” begins with Green’s familiar croon before erupting into an unshakeable groove provided by drummer Steve Clifford. It’s a warning of sorts (“Beneath your finger nails/they’ll find small pieces of stone/you’ll face the sun/cut with the pressure point”) mixed in with Green’s desperate pleas (“I don’t want to be the anchor on your chest“ and “I don’t want to see the moment you forget”). Elsewhere, the album’s ominous vibe penetrates on tracks like “Premonition Of The Hex” and “At Night It Gets Worse,” with the latter being a career highlight. Its glacial pace slowly picks up as the implied dread increases, leaving the listener feeling uneasy. We also get some of Will Yip’s best production work ever – the thrilling guitar riff that kicks off “Stay” is incredibly crisp and Nick Beard’s bass work across the record (especially on the Juturna-esque “Tunnel Vision” ) is thoroughly killer, providing the backbone to the vast majority of The Amulet. Colin Frangicetto and Brendan Ekstrom’s dueling guitar acrobatics are a pleasure as well – “Never Tell A Soul” never lets up the pace as Green tears through the chorus.
The Wonder Years Perform Acoustic Set
You can watch The Wonder Years’ acoustic set from this weekend on Facebook. The concert helped raise money for hurricane victims and ended up raising raised over $5,000. You can still donate here.
Bad Suns – “This Was a Home Once”
Bad Suns have released a new song called “This Was a Home Once.”
Anti-Flag – “Criminals”
Albums in Stores – Oct. 5th, 2017
Today sees new releases from August Burns Red, Gwen Stefani, Wolf Parade, and Citizen. If you hit read more you can see all the releases we have in our calendar for the week. Hit the quote bubble to access our forums and talk about what came out today, what albums you picked up, and to make mention of anything we may have missed.
Review: Sammi Lanzetta – For Avery
Sammi Lanzetta is undoubtedly a new, and welcome face in the rock scene. Her first song showed up on Bandcamp in May of 2016. “House Plants” instantly shows off what kind of artist she is, with a sound best described as “anxiety rock.” On her new EP, For Avery, we get a better exploration of this sound. The EP consists of four songs none run over two and a half minutes. Lanzetta gets right to the point and that gives the EP has a great flow.
“Circles” pulls no punches with its biting opening line: “Why are you such a misogynist? I would rather slit my throat than be stuck in a house with you.” Now, if that doesn’t tell you exactly what you’re diving into with For Avery, then I don’t know what would. While the lyrics bare it all, the music is painfully real as well. She sings about her fears, anxiety, and many more emotions in the relatively short amount of time of just four songs. “Anxiety Olympics” is completely upfront about being around other people her age and how she may pale in comparison. She wants to be better, but also doesn’t want it to feel like a competition. That just might be something we can all relate to, even for those of us who are competitive.
Artists Pay Tribute to Tom Petty
Quite a few artists have covered Tom Petty over the past few days, here’s some of the ones I liked:
- Against Me! – “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
- Miley Cyrus – “Wildflowers”
- Father John Misty – “To Find a Friend”
- Phoebe Bridgers – “It’ll All Work Out”
- Kesha – “Into the Great Wide Open”