The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 232

Hey @Cody if you still fancy trading an album from where we missed ours last week I don't mind squeezing it in this week. Ping me a dm if you want to swap, no worries if you can't do it this week though.

 

No worries - I still need to do my write-up for you on Boston Manor!

 

@broken22 and I have come to terms for this upcoming session.

He'll be listening to Spanish Love Songs - Schmaltz

I will be listening to Hot Water Music - Exister

 

@Cody I can't DM you you know what to do

 

Myself and @nickyeatworld have traded for this week.

I will be listening to a band named FM static and their album Dear Diary.

He will be listening to Remo Drive’s album, Greatest Hits (not actually a Greatest Hits, for those unaware it’s just the album title).

 

@anonimito and I have agreed on the thing.

He gave me:

Conditions- Full Of War
House Of Heroes- Colors

I gave him:

Taking Back Sunday- Tidal Wave
Blink182- California

 

I'm writing about the House of Heroes album right now!

 

I was paired with @anonimito a couple sessions back and I would like to thank them for their patience! I try to be punctual, but sometimes life gets in the way. Without further ado...

House Of Heroes
Colors
2016



I was somewhat familiar with House Of Heroes heading into this session, but I had never gotten around to listening to their most recent album Colors. I recall seeing it on some 2016 year-end lists, but for whatever reason the album had passed me by. Colors is the sixth full-length album from the Columbus, Ohio band. I'm from Ohio so they already have that working in their favor. As far as genres go, House Of Heroes is a bit difficult to categorize. Overall I suppose it falls under the "alternative rock" umbrella. Their songs vary quite a bit from track to track, which is a good thing as it makes for an unpredictable first listen of the album and it's pretty easy to tell when one track ends and another track begins.

Prior to listening to this album, @anonimito told me that this was a concept album. I did a bit of digging (a very little bit...I just went to Wikipedia) and discovered that it is a concept album involving three fictional characters: Eric, Axel, and Joni. While these characters are mentioned several times throughout the album, it's more of a subtle concept that I'm not sure would be picked up by many people (including myself) on first listen. Anyway, this album opens with the brief intro track This City Is A Cage. I don't have much to say about this track, but it does a good job of setting the tone for the album and I liked some of the lyrics in it (love is a pain we choose).

The next track Colors Run is possibly my favorite song on the album. The vocals are impressive and the music is catchy and infectious. It seems like this would be a good song to listen to while driving around with the windows down (I didn't try this because it's still cold and snowing where I live). When I was listening to this song for the first time I thought that this would be a good one to recommend to @JediMasterKevo182 sometime, but I see that @anonimito just did that! I think this is a song that most fans of the genre would really enjoy. For whatever reason, I get some Taking Back Sunday vibes from it, but I'm not quite sure why. The following track Pioneer really shows some teeth in a manner of speaking. The vocals are a bit harsher than the first two tracks (not screaming, but just more aggressive) and there are some loud guitars. There is a repeated melody that is a callback to the previous track Colors Run which I thought was a pretty cool thing to do. I really enjoyed this track as well.

Rat is the following track and while I liked the song from a musical standpoint, I really didn't like the chorus very much. It's one of the fastest songs on the album so it stood out a bit there. I could see this being a fun song to see performed live though. The next track is We Make Our Stars which is a slower track, but after the 3 tracks before it I think that's a good change of pace. Through the first 5 songs the album seems to be very well sequenced. Feel is the next song and it's another one of my favorites on the album. It's another extremely catchy track and it has a pretty fast tempo.

The song God is the midpoint of the album and I can see this track either being a favorite or a turnoff, depending on the listener. House Of Heroes is considered by some to be a "Christian band" and some of their songs do have a bit of religious imagery. While this is noticeable in some songs, I don't think that it's so overdone that the album can't be enjoyable to people whose religious beliefs (or lack thereof) don't align with House Of Heroes. Anyway, God has a pretty slow first half, but the second half builds with louder drums and guitars. Personally, I preferred the second half, but if the first half was like the second half, the second half wouldn't have stood out as much (if that makes sense)!

Maybe I'm wrong, but to me it seems like the song God was a turning point in the album. The back half of the album is primarily slow songs/ballads (In The End, Crash, Shots Fired, Get Away) and I think that they possibly could have been mixed in to the rest of the album a little bit better to avoid the album being a bit uneven. It's a minor complaint though. I do tend to enjoy the faster, catchier, more upbeat songs, so it's no surprise that I did enjoy the front half of the album a bit more.

I'll briefly touch on some thoughts to the second half of the album. The song In The End (not a Linkin Park cover) gave off some Lion King vibes to me. Maybe it's the background vocals or maybe I'm watching too many Disney movies (or maybe a bit of both). Crash had some female backing vocals which was a nice change of pace. Matador is my favorite song on the second half of the album and one of my favorites on the album overall. Vocally I am absolutely reminded of Dustin Kensrue (Thrice). Shots Fired and Get Away are both ballads that do an excellent job of showcasing the vocals. The album ends with Colors Die Out which is a fine track, but not one of the more memorable songs on the album for me. Personally, I think that God would've worked well as a closing track.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable album that I'm sure I'll find myself returning to. If nothing else, several of the songs will work their way into playlists of mine I'm sure.

My favorite tracks overall are Colors Run, Pioneer, Feel, Matador, and maybe God (I still a bit on the fence whether I love this song or just like this song...but I'll still include it here).

I'd recommend this to fans of the alternative rock genre who appreciate solid vocals and catchy melodies. I can see fans of Switchfoot and NEEDTOBREATHE enjoying this album a lot. House Of Heroes is a bit more "rock" than either of those bands though.

On one last note, I looked up House Of Heroes on setlist.fm to see if they've been touring much recently and I see that they've only played one show (at least one show that was listed on the site) so they don't appear to be very active from a touring standpoint. What's a bit funny though is that the show they played was in Akron only a couple minutes of a walk away from where I work! I'm kicking myself now for missing the show even though I didn't know until this morning that the show happened!

Thanks for the recommendation @anonimito and I'm sorry again about my tardiness!

 

Awesome review, Bachna! No worries about it being a bit late!

A lot of our favorite tracks line up! I can see what you mean about the tempo of the second half of the album being too slow at times, but I think the plot sort of called for it. If it weren't a concept album, then I think they would have re-ordered it too. If you're interested in reading more about the story itself, I believe the link I DM'ed you should have a bit more detail.

So glad you enjoyed it!

 

@Nate_Johnson recommended I listen to Dessa - Chimes. I had heard Castor, the Twin when it came out but i never kept up with subsequent releases I guess cause at that time i was listening to such a high volume of music I didn't keep up with everything. Anyway, I was glad to see that I still enjoy her work! The production was interesting and I liked the spoken word-esque delivery. The lyrics were good too! They espesh stood out on Fire Drill:

"Funny, you don’t know the concessions that you’re making until you catalog em and by then they’re many and you’re battle-harened
Heat makes liquid of the asphalt
Keepsakes and parking tickets on the dashboard
I'm here to file my report as the vixen of the wolf pack; Tell Patient Zero he can have his rib back"

She has a knack for storytelling that's v interesting. I enjoyed the album.

 

I have 3 listens/reviews to catch up on. I'll get them today or tomorrow.

 

@Nate_Johnson where are all your road trip reviews?






Seriously though I hope you had an awesome trip and enjoyed some of the recs people gave you.

 

From @highfidelity203:
The Devil Wears Prada - Dead Throne
I was really skeptical about this to start, because I am not wild about his scream. But it started to win me over with "Mammoth", which is the best combination of brutal and catchy and then the total left turn of "Kansas" really grabbed me. I still wish I was more enthusiastic about the scream, since I prefer the instrumental passages and singing parts, but the music is too good to pass up.

From @Davjs:
Story of the Year - In the Wake of Determination
I actually just heard Page Avenue for the first time like a week ago, so this is a lot of this band in a small-ish window. Surprised how much more "metal" this album is than the one before it. It's both a positive and a negative. Some awesome riffs, but at the expense of some melody. And the lyrics seem a little more ham-fisted on this one. But it has some seriously loud and anthemic songs. And kudos to them for making an anti-homophobia song all the way back then. Overall, I liked it, just maybe not as much as Page.

From @JRGComedy
Bad Religion - Recipe for Hate
I totally get why this band is influential. I heard so many ripped-off song structures that were lifted from here. Not to mention the almost incongruously awesome 3-part harmonies totally presage stuff like Red City Radio. "Man with a Mission" is probably the best song on here for the little country touches at the beginning and the mournful vocal performance. It's just very solid writing throughout. Could use a little more variety, maybe. But I liked it.

 

Yeah, I love the message in "Is This My Fate", I thought they hit the nail on the head. I also love how the beginning sounds like a Metallica song That song and Our Time is Now are the two I wanted you to hear the most actually.

I'm not a huge Devil Wears Prada fan, but Dead Throne is probably my favorite by them besides the Zombie EP!

 

Wrote a brief thing on Cecil Frena earlier, gonna post it tomorrow when I've had time to give it another final listen.

 

Haha. I’ll post a rapid fire review of everything over the next week.

 

Haha - awesome!

 

Review time! Here we go!

@Patterns in Traffic

Radford- Sleepwalker

Even though this album came out in 2003, what are the chances I'd hear two albums in the same year with this album title? This is a very different beast than the Brian Fallon venture though, and that becomes evident the moment you hit play on this and the opening chords of 'Therapy (I Don't Need You)' comes roaring on. This song instantly had a ferocious bite of alternative rock, and kind of took me by surprise with how catchy the chorus was and how quickly it was stuck in my head. This song shreds, and with the layers of guitars and percussions in the back ground of this song, it instantly had me wanting to hit repeat upon first listen; a definite tell tale sign that the opening track has done its job of hyping you up. 'Dead Heart', the following track shows this isn't a fluke, these guys have an energy and passion in their songs that you cannot help but find infectious.

Its not all chords and fast paced though; lead single 'Fake A Smile' is very much laid back and mostly acoustic, except for some small bursts in the chorus. One thing became clear to me by the third track of the album; this band has a way with heartfelt lyrics. Not overly complicated or deep lyrics, they are to the point but very earnest and real lyrics. The chorus of this song goes "'Cause it's too late to say you're sorry, It's too late to understand, All the times you made me worry, All of the times that I tried to fake a smile." and instantly I could relate; very real words for a very sincere scenario that many of us have been in. The powerful lyrics of this album are best shown off in the ballad songs; one of these of special note is 'Out Of The Dark', yet another powerful acoustic song with heart wrenching lyrics. This album has a great balance and counterpart synergy, with songs like Out Of The Dark and Fake A Smile playing opposite to more rambunctious and energetic songs such as 'Easier'(Which has a VERY cool intro and melodic effect in the background) and 'Beautiful', but they work to create something special within this album as they play off eachother. Utilizing percussion, guitars, keyboards, drums, and powerful lyrics this album works well to be a great listen. Things end on a great note with the closing track 'Anything', which is a culmination of all of these components of the album together in one hell of a song. The lyrics in this song, and the whole album, paint the picture of a fractured man who lost in his relationship in a better ending and his journey to overcome it; and the music backs these lyrics up.

This album was a good listen, and a very emotional one. You can tell the band's songwriter was going through some shit when he wrote this album, and the work put into crafting these songs just makes it that much more powerful. I would recommend this album to people who are fans of alternative rock in general, and especially ones who like some powerful emotions in their songs. My standout tracks from this album are 'Therapy', 'Dead Heart', 'Fake A Smile', 'Out Of The Dark', 'Earier', 'Beautiful, and 'Anything'. This is the story of someone who lost at love, and is trying to rebuild himself; and it makes for a great listen.
8/10

Lovedrug- Everything Starts Where It Ends

I was thrilled when I looked up this band to find out they were from Canton, Ohio. As @bachna84 knows I am a sucker for bands that hail from my home state, so I was excited to give this indie/alternative band a chance. Being their sophomore album, everything I researched on this band stated that this was them coming into their stride and solidifying their sound and who they were as a band. As soon as I hit play, I was treated to something that sounded like a cross between Radiohead and Muse, which was not what I was expecting to hear. This album is a very angsty listen, riddled with lyrics and sounds demonstrating someone who is on an emotional spiral out of control. I will admit, the first few times I listened to this album I was not a fan of his vocals; but I consider it an acquired taste type of thing because it grew on me by the end of the second, into the third listen.

'Pushing The Shine', the second track on this album, shows exactly where this band shines. Powerful guitars, haunting echoed vocals, and almost rock opera like instrumentals create this big explosion of a song that feels much bigger than the track that opened the album. There seems to be a lot of that on this album, these mellow and methodically placed effects in the background of the songs, elements of both 80s rock and stadium rock songs, all rolled up into one big indie alternative rock package. This works really well in songs like 'Castling' and 'Bleed Together', which have a big rock song sound to them, yet managing to have a sense of groove and dance beat to their sounds. Lyrically, the songs touch on different emotions from highs and lows of life and love and inner battles; which work well in these groovy songs as well as in the more scaled back ballad songs such as 'Dancing' and 'Doomsday & The Echo'. Songs like 'Salt Of The Earth' (Which I recognized from the trailer for The Last of Us), are big and anthemic with pianos used to bolden the backgrounds of the songs, and using the instruments at hand to create a flowing song that can change from groovy rock to haunting melodic ballad; but they pull it off nicely.

This album was a good time, though I will say there were times when it didn't quite grab me especially in the first listen or two. This is one of those albums that may take a few listens to fully click with you, but when it does click with you its a good one that you will find yourself returning to and listening to as a whole album experience, not select songs like you can do with some albums. This one flows nicely together, and though it has its ups and downs is a good time. Stand out songs for me are Pushing The Shine, Castling, Bleed Together, Dancing, Doomsday & The Echo, Salt of The Earth, and the title track.
8/10

@Cody
(Sorry these are so delayed)

Judee Sill- Heartfood

Well...this one took me by surprise when I started it. I will be up front that I had never heard of her, so when Cody recommended Judee Sill for me, I had no clue what to expect. What I was treated to when I hit play was a mix of country and folk sounds with slight rock meets southern twang in 'There's A Rugged Road'. I had to research this woman and get prepared for what I was going to hear; and what I found was a story of a tragically short life, a rough childhood, heroin addiction, a stint as a friggin bank robber, and someone who bested it all to turn to their love of music and express their loss and regrets. This is something I found absolutely enthralling, so I was curious to continue my listen.

Second track 'The Kiss' is a very mellow, somber piano ballad of a song, a sharp turn from the country style folk song of the intro track; though it contains these holy images and soft undertones that form a beautiful sounding song. It has layers of complex sounds to it, and blending with her voice the song is a stand out point on the album for how hauntingly gorgeous it is. Once this song ends, the songs seem to incorporate more of the folkish twang sound that the intro track has, even introducing some mandolins into the mix for the subsequent songs. Its a bizarre thing really, when you listen to these songs they sound very simple. When the layers of soft touches (faint sounds of organs, mandolins, backing vocals) mix in and the lyrics are taken into effect, the simple sounds become a bit more intricate and expertly woven. The southern influences in the songs are not overdone, they actually enhance the experience of the songs, helping to create this gently uplifting sound to songs such as 'The Vigilante'. There is a lot of mystic nuances to the songs too, with lots of references to supernatural or religious figures, but the references are buried well within the songs lyrics as that they are woven into the mix, not slapped into your face in a blink and you'll miss it type song setting. There are some heartbreaking lyrics that are straight from the soul hidden in these somber songs, but the effects of the musical nuances Sill takes care to use will keep you in a light mood despite that.

This album isn't for me, and I don't see me returning to it all that often; but that isn't to say its a bad album by a long shot. As evident in my write up here, this album is a dang good one for this type of music. The stand out songs are 'The Kiss', 'The Vigilante', 'Soldier Of The Heart', and 'When The Bridegroom Comes'. This album was an experience for me being so far out of my wheelhouse, and even if it isn't something I will listen to all that often it has its charm. It was a good listen, and at 38 minutes its over before you know it. There is a remastered version of it on Apple Music, and it was all I could find. I am curious how the original work of this 1973 album sounds.
6.5/10

Nina Simone - High Priestess Of Soul

Taking it back to 1966 with this one! This was yet another album outside of my wheelhouse, and probably one of, if not the oldest full album listen I have ever had. This was a different experience, but that is what this club is all about, breaking your genres and experiencing new music. One of the things I could appreciate about this album as soon as I started listening to it was that this jazz album is a full band accompaniment piece, and that leads for some big moments and sounds through these songs. Another thing I liked about this album is that it seemed to branch into different genres. While always rooted in jazz music, there was influences of sounds from blues, pop, folk, soul and symphonic; making great use of the full band she had on this album to create something truly unique. This a contemporary album, and it kind of takes you back when listening to it. I may not have been around in the 60s, but I have distinct memories of my elderly family members listening to this type of music, or at least music that had this earnest feel to it.

Songs like 'Keeper Of The Flame' are crafted really well, mixing the orchestral instruments with Nina's voice rather nicely. Sometimes in instances like this, the backings are minimal with just her voice and soft nuances of instruments in the background to move the song along. But then you have other songs that have that big band feel to it, and really fit with the time of this album's release nicely. The songs kind of all flow together, but this is a good thing in an album like this, as in my opinion at least band albums like this are to be treated like big works of arts as opposed to individual songs. You have pianos flowing through the songs, percussion and jazz instruments, gospel like choir vocals in the background, all carried by Simone's powerful voice, and this works for some great transitions from a softer song such as 'Take Me To The Water' to a much more up beat 'I'm Going Back Home'. The music on this album is crafted really well, and whether it be soft, slow, eclectic and energetic; the songs flow really well and work wondrously with her voice.

This, again, was not something I normally would listen to. But, it was a unexpected and kind of refreshing breath of air to experience a full album of this style of music. Of course I had heard songs like this in movies and television shows, especially ones set in that time period, but I couldn't recall a full album of this genre of music and of this time piece that I had listened to myself, and it was different but in a really good way. I'd recommend this album to anyone who likes jazz or blues music, or anyone who likes big band style works. The stand out songs for me on this one were 'Keeper Of The Flame', 'Take Me To The Water', 'I'm Going Back Home', 'I Hold No Grude', and 'Work Song'. Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone two times, Cody!
7/10


@disambigujason

Destroy The Runner- I, Lucifer

Well, this was NOT what I expected coming from Jason! I was taken by surprise with how heavy the opening track 'Crumbs For the Murder' was. Me being who I am, I am always up for some Metalcore, especially if they include some melodic elements to the songs. This album was a ride of both aspects, I am happy to say that was something I feared would not be the case when I heard the first song; which leaned a lot more on the heavy side of things with a lot of screamed vocals except for some spots in the chorus. However, once that song (Which isn't a bad song) is done, the rest of the album becomes a much more balanced. Researching this band, I discovered that this album was their first with a new vocalist; so was this new vocalist what these guys needed to advance? I read that their album prior to this one was a lot more in line with the first opening track; which is something I don't think I would have enjoyed as much.

As soon as I heard 'Isabella's' I was much more optimistic about my experience with this album, and as the song played out and transitioned into 'Mr. And Mrs. Cuckoldum', I found myself on board for listening to the rest of the album with open ears; both of these songs had these great shredding guitars that at time would retreat back for the lyrics to take the forefront, before exploding into anthemic and catchy choruses that packed a huge amount of biting wallop. Sung vocals are dominate on this record, and there are some beautifully melodic moments such as the chorus in the latter song; it almost reminded me of As I Lay Dying in some places, if I am being honest. This is not to say that the heaviness of the opening track is absent from the rest of the album. It is sprinkled through the songs, giving each of these songs a right balance of melodic and heavy, and some songs such as 'Luxuria' actually lean more towards the heavy side than the softer sides of the album. Lyrically, this album has a large reference on faith and religious themes, but it does it in a way where it isn't abhorred 'christian' or over righteous, in fact to someone not paying attention you might not even recognize some of those themes and just relate it to every day situations and life; which is something I am quite fond of in this style of music where the artist gets their message across but does it in a way that is left open for interpretation. There isn't a preachy message or anything, just raw emotional lyrics about questioning ones lot in life and the role that a higher power could possibly play in a lost man's life. This is very prominent in the title track, 'I, Lucifer', which is a damn good song and full of stunning imagery.

This is a good album, and if you are a fan of bands like As I Lay Dying, this is an album you will want to check out. Full of shredding guitars, heavy drums, a vocal prowess that really works, and songs that have a very good balance of heavy and melodic, this album could very well be right up your alley. My stand out songs on the album are Isabella's, Mr. and Mrs. Cuckoldum, Luxuria, I Lucifer, A Pathetic Psalm, On Falling Leaf, and A Mountain So Big. This album is really well balanced, and has a great showing of raw emotional, personal inner struggles, well played guitar(Seriously there are some riffs and guitar shreds in songs like Psalm that are downright insane), and melodic aggression that its hard to not have a good time with this album if you are into melodic metalcore. If that sounds like your style and you haven't listened yet, I recommend you do so!
7/10

 

Awesome reviews! Glad you enjoyed Radford. Such a solid album from a band that really got no recognition. Your favorite tracks are the same as mine and I love how they have a mix of catchy, propulsive rock and softer, more heartfelt songs like "Fake a Smile" and "Out of the Dark."

I'm a longtime Lovedrug fan and Everything Starts is my favorite album of theirs. It's kind of a long album and I can definitely see the vocals being an acquired taste. I also think the album is a bit backloaded. Some of the more immediate songs are at the beginning of the record, but I think I've come to enjoy tracks 7-12 more than any of the first six tracks. Such a good blend of grungy heaviness and haunting beauty. The riff in "American Swimming Lesson"

 

I love Destroy the Runner and you got their best album IMO. Glad someone recommended it!

 

This week I've been paired with @mad and I've given them The Jezebels album Prisoner and they've given me Palehound's album A Place I'll Always Go. I've never heard of Palehound before so this should be fun.

 

It’s always fun when you get a band you have never heard before!

 

Boston Manor
Be Nothing.
2016



I was paired with @SamLevi11 this past session and was assigned Boston Manor's 2016 release Be Nothing. I had heard of Boston Manor prior to this session, but have never listened to any of their music. Boston Manor is a five piece pop punk band out of England and Be Nothing. is their first (and only) studio album. Prior to the release of Be Nothing. the band had released 3 EPs (which I still need to check out).

The albums opening two tracks Burn You Up and Lead Feet both are closer to the punk end of the pop punk spectrum. The vocals have a bit of a gritty edge to them and are remind me a bit of bands like The Menzingers and Polar Bear Club. The third track Laika is probably my favorite song on the album. It's a very catchy track and I enjoyed the lyrics on that one:

I'm so sorry that I'm leaving
You so little to believe in

The thing that stood out most to me about the following track CU (along with the later track Kill Your Conscience) was the instrumental outro to end the track. It's apparent that the people in this band are skilled musicians.

Another one of the highlights for me was the track Broken Glass. It's one of the slower songs on the album, but it really showcases lead vocalist Henry Cox's singing talent. A good portion of the vocals on this album are delivered with a gritty edge as I touched on before, but his more "clean" vocals are really well done here too.

Forget Me Not is another one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's another extremely catchy song with some more lyrics that I enjoyed:

I'm trying to remember
Forgot the date of your birthday
But I suppose it doesn't matter, you won't remember anyway

All in all, this was a solid pop punk album that I found to be quite enjoyable. It's all the more impressive considering that it's their debut and it will certainly be interesting to see what direction this band goes in. There's nothing extremely groundbreaking on here, but they do what they do very well and it's a fun (and quick - only 34 minutes long) record.

I'd recommend this to fans of The Menzingers and Polar Bear Club for the vocal similarities. Also, any fan of the pop punk genre would likely really enjoy this album.

If you are on the fence, please check out these tracks: Laika, Broken Glass, and Forget Me Not.

 

Very true. It's been the case for all of mine so far and I've had fun.

 

Glad you enjoyed it, you also picked out my favourite tracks. Forget Me Not reminds me of when my Grandma got dementia and is a song I hold pretty close.

Your review is coming up either tonight or tomorrow morning as it's 11pm here!