The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 174

Kanye West- 808s and Heartbreak
Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend
MGMT- Oracular Spectacular (kinda)
Portugal the Man- Censored Colors
Fall Out Boy- Folie a Deux

Off the top of my head

 

nah
heard it. liked it.
maybe
heard it, don't remember
heard it, it's fine.

 

If those are the big releases from 2008, that was a sad year.

 

He is a sheltered soul. That’s why he came here!

 

Well it's time to start writing reviews I owe to some great guys. This one is for @EmmanuelSCastle

Oso Oso - The Yunahon Mixtape




Do you feel nostalgic for some early 00s powerpoppy indie rock bands like Rooney or Green Album-era Weezer? If you do then this record is must-listen for you. It has everything to heal your soul without re-watching The OC for a ninth time. Even the word “mixtape” in the album’s name will remind you about happy summer days when every song wasn’t one click away and when making a compilation of your favorite tunes for someone was the way to say “i love you” or “you are my best friend”.

The sole fact that someone wanted to make album like that in 2018 worth admiration. But it is also really really good. Melodies are not stadium-size singalongs but they are simple and effective and warm like your favorite dog slippers. Singer’s voice is sweet and works perfectly while the musicians makes music so sunny that I felt summer breeze here in Russia in February.

It has enough musical references to show that this is music made by fans for fans. But it is so well-made that instead of looking for that references you will just lay back and enjoy this great music.

 

im glad you enjoyed this! i always think of the OC when i listen to this too haha. i think you really nailed this review, almost all of our feelings match up perfectly in regards to this

 

What an interesting Replacements album to start with. Quite different from the rest!

 

Yeah was a bit of an odd choice but I felt that one might be a better fit for him as it’s got more of a post-punk vibe going for it, plus it has much better production than the earlier ones. Also I wasn’t sure if he’d heard their classic albums or not. I really like DTAS, I think it’s got some of their strongest tracks on it to in Achin’ To Be, Anywhere's Better Than Here and I’ll Be You. Hopefully it doesn’t put him off delving further into their catalogue lol.

 

Yeah I'd never listened, whereas if Let It Be would have been recommended I'd have to reject as of course I know that record very well. Been enjoying spending time with DTAS and not knowing what to expect.

 

That's good I went with that one then, it was between Don't Tell a Soul and Pleased to Meet Me that I was thinking of giving you. I really like all the mats records though from their scruffy punk roots all the way up to their alt rock leanings on the last two. My favourites being probably Tim or PTMM nowadays but I feel the last two get overlooked a lot and have some really great songs across them.

I'm so glad I caught them on the reunion tour a few years back, I ended up going on my own in the end and was contemplating bailing on it but I'm so glad I didn't, it was so great to see those songs live. Pretty much a perfect set choice for me too on the date I attended.

 

So do new rounds start every Monday? Do I need my reviews in by Friday or Monday? I don't work on weekends.

 

Normally you should have your reviews up by Monday. I say "normally", because I never do.

 

Just don’t be consistently late.

 

I will now review the album @iCarly Rae Jepsen gave me last week.



That's right, I had never heard London Calling by The Clash. You can basically rec me anything and chances are I've never heard it. Ok, I was still familiar with some tracks from it (London Calling, Brand New Cadillac, Lost in the Supermarket, Death or Glory and Train in Vain), but the album is 19 songs long so that's still only a quarter I knew.

If you didn't know, The Clash is a Punk band. Whenever I hear the word Punk, in my mind I hear fast-paced political angry songs, but this album is so much more than that. It incorporates a whole lot of different genres, from Rock n' Roll to Soul, with hints of Ska, Reggae and Jazz, and of course Punk, to name a few. It made for a very interesting listen and the album didn't feel as long as it is. The songs are written around fictional characters in London and touch on a wide variety of social subjects.

Some favorites of mine, apart from the tracks I already knew, were Jimmy Jazz, Rudie Can't Fail, Lover's Rock, Revolution Rock. Like I said, I enjoyed it a lot and will definitely come back to it.

9/10

 

Nice write up man.

 

I'm getting progressively better!

 

Best band. I highly recommend the documentary The Future Is Unwritten too. To anyone. It closes with my favourite thing Joe Strummer ever said and is so relevant today:

 

I'll try to check it out when I have some time!

 

Lost in the supermarket is one of my all time favourite tracks by anyone. Awesome you liked the album so much

 

In the spirit of the recent tour announcement with Taking Back Sunday and Coheed and Cambria, I asked @JediMasterKevo182 if he had ever heard of opener The Story So Far and I almost fell over when he said no! Being the huge fan of pop punk that he is, I was truly surprised and took this as opportunity to do a trade. I gave him the most recent self titled album and he in turn gave me:

Hawthorne Heights: Hurt (2015) Cardboard Empire

Hawthorne Heights is a band that needs no introduction. They were part of second wave of big bands on Victory Records alongside heavyweights Thursday, Silverstein, Atreyu, etc. They were also a huge influence on the post-hardcore scene and throughout their career they have gone back and forth with this sound. They went through a period where they pursued a more rock oriented sound and even signed to a major label. This EP sees them revisiting their original post-hardcore sound. I believe a huge part of them trying to find themselves is the loss of rhythm guitarist and screamer, Casey Calvert who sadly passed away in his sleep while on tour for their second and arguably most successful album, If Only You Were Lonely. Mark McMillon provides screaming vocals on this EP and does a pretty good job of matching Casey. My biggest complaint about this EP and their current sound is the screaming. JT is an incredible vocalist and matches the sound they create so well and they don't need to add this dated screaming sound. With that being said, you could have missed their entire career after If Only You Were Lonely and this album picks up right where that one left off. Tracks such as The Darkest Times and Common Crook would fit perfectly on those two albums.

Ok, onto the review:
The album opens with There Was a Kid, Pt. 3, which is the third intro as part of their trilogy. I am not the biggest fan of intro tracks and this one doesn't change my mind. Lyrically, it paints a picture of a man (JT perhaps) that used to be passionate about something but now it just feels like work:

"There was a kid who was simply getting older
Fire in his heart had also grown a little colder
What used to be his love now turned into work
He had a devil on his shoulder that was causing so much hurt"

This song essentially sets the tone of the record but once again, I was not that impressed because it just felt like a lot of screaming and yelling, which is the weakest part of the band, in my opinion.

The Darkest Times follows and is a grower of a track but once it clicked it totally made sense and holds some of the most heart wrenching lyrics on the album:
"We're so much older now
It took awhile to figure out
The dark times pulled me under,
burned everything that I loved to the ground"

Lyrically, this album is amazing and holds so much symbolism. One of my favorite tracks and possibly favorite Hawthorne Heights song, Beneath the Silver Strand, represents the ocean:
...The silver strand, it seems so bright
It shines for miles and miles...

Kevin doesn't know this but I am obsessed with the ocean so I instantly connected with this song.

Side note: Kevin was kind enough to invite me to check out an intimate live online performance last evening and when they performed it acoustically, it made it so much better. I can't thank him enough.

One of my other favorite songs is the title track, Hurt, and holds some of my favorite lyrics on the album:
"Everything that ends will soon become new again"

This is the only song that doesn't have screaming and instead trades it up for JT and Mark echoing each other and brings to mind Blink 182. If they do this going forward, I am totally on board.

It is pretty clear I love the lyrics on the album, while my biggest complaint is the screamed vocals and the intro track. This is a great album to check out if you are a fan of their early work and goes by really fast clocking in at only 28 minutes.

Favorite tracks:
Beneath the Silver Strand
Hurt
Tail Lights

7.5/10

RIYL: Early 2000's post hardcore

 

Fantastic write up and you are very welcome for that invite, also glad you liked the ep.

I will note though Micah had left the band. Mark McMillon actually provided unclean vocals for this ep.

 

Ah, I will fix it. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

Actually, Lynyrd Skynyrd provided both unclean and clean backing vocals for this EP.

 

Alright, even though I said I wouldn't do this again I took on SEVEN albums this week. Again. I am about to try and write all seven right here. Right now. Seven albums, four users. Lets get this started.

First up, the comedic legend @JRGComedy

Bayside- Killing Time

Bayside was a band I was vaguely familiar with. I saw them open for Taking Back Sunday way back in the day, and I loved their live performance. This was one of those bands that I told myself "I am going to check these guys out after the show!" and then did not ever get around to it. This 2011 album had actually been on my to do list for a while, and now thanks to Mr. Comedy I have finally listened to it.

Musically this album fits right in with bands like New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, and that sweet spot of music I like so much, so it was bound to be a heavy hitter with me. Right out of the gate, the opening track 'Already Gone' had me in for the ride. This song was intense, starting with this ripping guitar shred that sounded like it was from a Tony Hawk Pro Skater game before unleashing with these lyrics of pain and spitefulness of being scorned and being filled with such anger you explode. Lyrics like "You, you never call, You never write me or nothing. I set myself up to fall, I was stupid then to try. And I’m living a lie, I’m in a fantasy world but the hero won't win this time 'Cause a pipe dream gets flushed away" its the kind of lyrics that make you just go "Been there before..." and its sung with such fiery passion that the song is an insane start to this album. This momentum carries into the second track 'Sick Sick Sick' and then the feisty third track 'Mona Lisa', which is a gold moment on this album in my opinion. The song is catchy as can be, with an awesome chorus and this upbeat sound but with these lyrics of a toxic love; and with lyrics like "Your beds been made, now go die in it." and "Youre the black ice on my road to wholesome" this song has this charming bitterness to it. I would be remiss if I didn't mention "The Wrong Way', track 7, as well. This song opens with this great riff that keeps up its pace through the song and erupts into this catchy chorus complete with gang vocals. Lyrically it again revisits the toxic love/terrible lover, but this song is BRUTAL with its lyrics about how evil the other person is. Probably my favorite song on the album and one I caught myself singing a lot. This album contains a lot of aggressive lyrics and equally aggressive guitars, and I love it.

This is definitely a high ranking album with me, and a band I need to check out more of. This album was filled with great rock, well sung vocal performances, and heavy lyrics sung in catchy tunes. If you like Alkaline Trio, Silverstein, TBS, and others in that area this album is for you. Stand Outs: Already Gone, Mona Lisa, The Wrong Way, On Life On Love.
8/10

Hostage Calm- Die On Stage

I have never heard of these guys before, period. But as soon as I hit play I could tell I was in for the genre I love just like I was with Bayside. Instantly this band reminded me of acts like All Time Low, Bleachers, and more. That beautiful pop punk sound you all know I gush over, so I was eager to check out this album.

The intro song was a fun way to open the album too; with this very upbeat song about love and wanting the other person to be free. The song was catchy, and had good melody; however the second track 'A Thousand Miles Away From Here' is where this album truly kicked off. This song is huge, with rocking guitars that kick off from the get go and do not let up, with these cool effect sounds intertwining with it during the choruses. This is a pop punk jam, and it was a slapping song. I caught myself grooving to it on more than one occasion, and I found myself wanting to repeat it as soon as it was done. That was something I found myself doing a lot of on this album though; with tracks like 'Fallen Angel' and 'Your Head/ Your Heart' being big names in that category. Musically these songs also make the wise choice of including keyboards and synths into the sound which only helps to enhance their sound. Even if you don't know the lyrics, these catchy beats of the songs will have you clapping along and bobbing your head. This isn't heavy shredding rock music, though it has its moments, but its more of a light pop punk rock that uses all of its instruments to weave a cohesive song together. 'Raised' is one of my favorite songs on this album, and includes all of these elements. It almost has a Jack's Mannequin feel in the intro, with some of the heaviest vocals on the album with some good ol gravely yell singing in the verses. The lyrics are simple with their message in this song of self loathing; "Every passion is a passing phase, the hell we raise. We wait for the static to come, no wonder we want to die young." are lyrics belted out sublimely in this song. '12/31' is a bit of a slower song, played acoustically and almost reminding me of Tigerlily by Matchbook Romance; and it has a nod to Auld Lang Syne; which I have mentioned before I will always award points to a song that does that.

This album was a good listen, but it was over too soon. I found myself not realizing that we had reached the end of the album sometimes by the time I was 3/4th through. Just like with Bayside, this fell into my wheelhouse. JRG knew what he was doing picking these albums for me. Standouts: A Thousand Miles From Here, Love Against!, Fallen Angel, Raised, 12/31
7/10

Next up, some curated choices from my good buddy for quite a while on here @js977

Crooks UK- Are We All The Same Distance Apart

Never heard of these guys. Yes, I know that's a common statement by me when opening these reviews, but its true. The second I hit play, I was hit with a much heavier sound than anything my other partners this week gave me. This alternative/pop punk band instantly reminded me of Silverstein or Sleeping With Sirens, and opening track 'Above Me' is an enticing introduction into this album. It is a certified banger as far as this genre of music goes, and really set the tone for the album that I was about to experience. With heavy hitting lyrics, a vocal performance of cleanly sung lyrics and belting from the throat cracking voice, and an outro to die for I was sold.

And then we hit the second track. This soft, smooth, almost poem like talk sing starts 'What Might Have Been' off rather somberly actually. This band seems to have this strength with these somewhat dark lyrics and sounds that are wrapped up in these explosive and triumphant guitars and drums that make for a passionate combination; and this song demonstrates those strengths in absolute spades. The lead vocals on this album are top notch, with his English accent adding to the passionate singing of these songs. The songs are captivating, and can flow together nicely; sometimes too nicely and make you forget you are on a different song. The beautiful and big rock sound explodes in some tracks too; like the title track which is my absolute favorite on the album with these roaring drums that are slammed leading into the chorus...and then it all drops and the lyrics are spoken in this creepy, echoing distorted voice. This band isn't afraid to try different things in these songs, and the vocals are bold while working well with razor sharp guitars to carry the songs to new heights; each song seemingly trying to top the previous track. 'A Few Peaceful Days' is another example, with dark lyrics saying "Don't You Tell me this is life!", and a declaration of refusing to accept the hurt and the stress of every day life and love. The lyrics on this album are worth reading along with while listening, something I don't normally do until a couple times through at least but I felt the need to do so on the second time with this album.

Intense, bold, and strong. These are words that describe this band and album. This album has a power, its a force to be reckoned with when listening. I will be returning to this one a lot I think, as even now I feel like I have room to grow with it. Standout tracks: What Might Have Been, A Few Peaceful Days, Dear Reader, Are We All The Same Distance Apart, From The Sticks To Bitterness.
8/10

Icarus The Owl- Rearm Circuits

"Can you hear my signal?! Because I don't think you do!" a line from the intro song 'Failed Transmissions' is belted out within the first minute of the first song of this aggressive rocker of a song that its hard not to have your attention instantly on this album. This is a progressive pop punk album, and its heavy hooks are bound to make sure you hear their signal. By the time you are on second track 'Dream Shade', and you are hearing these bitter and angry lyrics "God damn, you could take apart my soul. Rearrange it to better suit me, Rearm circuits, concentrate clearly. Memorize maze, the streets inside me" you know you are in for a twisted and captivating ride through this album. These are some sharp cutting lyrics through this album, with melodic and very grabbing soaring guitar work to back them up.

Clocking in at 47 minutes, this was one of the longer albums I checked out this week; but it did not feel that long at any point. This album hooks you in with its melodic guitars from track 1, and you find yourself in track 3 ' Ghosts Of Former Lives' before you know it. One of my favorite songs on the album, this track was a personification of the best parts of the album; shredding and melodic guitars, great lyrics in catching hooks, and even some chanting gang vocals that you find yourself wanting to sing along with even if its the first time you are hearing them. You have your heavy insane moments on this album, and then you have these straight out catchy pop punk tracks like 'Doublesleep', which is instantly a favorite and standout of the album as soon as you hear it; its one of those songs that just pop. The album has a unique sound to it, and its one that has surely been refined by the band. Every element they have working for them on this album stands out strong, and when listening to these songs in headphones you hear little nuances that you might have missed on your first time around. I love albums like that, and it makes these songs enjoyable in different ways each time. Anyone who checks out this album will have different favorites I believe, because these songs all flow so well together and each song has parts where you could fall in love with that track.

This is true all the way to the closing 'Shadowboxing', which is an absolutely beautiful closing track to this album. "So this is where the world ends? We are too beautiful to exist." is one of the lines from this song, and it croons over this picking guitar chime. It was a great song to end this album on; and a great album in general. I highly recommend this one.
Standout tracks: Failed Transmissions, Dream Shade, Doublesleep, Burial Vows, Shadowboxing

8/10

 

Next up is @Kiana , who made sure to take my wheelhouse of music and football punt it off to the side and over a cliff before giving me two albums that I would never have checked out before this club.

Demi Lovato- Here We Go Again

I knew who Demi was before this, but a week ago if you had asked me to name you one of her songs to save my life I would not have been able to give you an answer. This 2009 album that Kiana gave me was one that I had never heard of; and as soon as I hit play I knew I was in for something really different than my normal tastes. Pop music like this has never really been my thing, but as CEO of the CMCS I needed to practice what I preach and keep an open mind going into these albums.

The opening title track is an up beat, fast pop song that I am sure would have slayed on the radio (It may have and I missed it, if it did I am not surprised). One thing I noticed about this album as I listened through it was that she has a very talented voice, and that she manages to mix themes of fun and serious throughout these songs. She manages to take the extremely pop rock sound she is going for and make it her own, which is something I can totally respect. Songs like 'Every Time You Lie' is a very sincere song that is worth of respect because you can tell she is giving her all on that song, and there are quite a few like that such as 'Got Dynamite' and 'Remember December'. None of the songs are really 'super serious deep' or anything that is going to send shivers down your spine with its lyrics, but that isn't the point of this type of music. Its an up beat, fun sound that is light hearted. As far as pop music goes though, her lyrics aren't bad at all. I have seen far worse from the genre, so I will have to give her credit for that as well. There are some major hiccup songs on this album too though, with songs like 'Quiet' and 'U Got Nothing On Me' being skippable, and some of the drumming sounds likes its kind of lost in the background of the music.

This sadly is not an album I will return to; just because it isn't my cup of tea. That being said, I will in no way cringe my nose and turn my head away from the album, because in the realm of pop music this was good. It had some fun and catchy moments to it, it was a light hearted album and it passed quickly. She has some good vocal prowess to her, and the songs show honesty and sincerity in her writing. This is a good album, just not my style. I can totally respect it for what it is though, and will say that if this style of pop is your jam then I am sure you already know this album, or you should check it out. Standouts: Every Time You Lie, Got Dynamite, Remember December.
5.5/10

One Direction- Four

This is a day I never saw coming. A day where I listened to a One Direction album. I knew who they were, mainly because of the online chatter about them; and hearing some of their singles on the radio at my old retail work (And they were my least favorites on that radio station). But again, what kind of CMCS CEO would I be if I turned my nose up at something given to me in earnest by one of our esteemed members and its something she genuinely likes? Bring it on I say! This pop boy band was definitely outside of my comfort zone, and while I was worried about what I was facing when I hit play, I refused to back down from the recommendation even though Kiana offered to give me something else.

And then I hit play. I went into this with an open mind, and I told myself I would give this album and honest chance. The first song off the album is one that I heard on the radio at work, and from there on to me at least, a lot of it sounded the same. I will say that they at least try different things on this album than the common pop boy band usually does; but that wasn't enough to sit well with me. Where with Demi Lovado's album, despite being out of my comfort zone, there were some cool things she did and the songs were in earnest; these songs still struck the veins of the boy band lyrical themes and sounds for the most part. They seemed to branch away from the clichés a bit, but not far enough to actually be out of arms reach for them when needed. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was not something I probably will put myself through again after the two attempts through the album I went through.

I do like that they mixed some R&B and jazz elements into a couple of the songs, a couple decent bass lines and there was some experimenting; but unfortunately this album was on the other side of the world from anything that resonated with me. Sorry @Kiana , I did try to give this album an honest go at it. Forgive me, and I respect what you see in it but it was not for me.
3/10