The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 135

You could never disappoint me @Sheaver10

 

@Patterns in Traffic recommended the album Phantom Pop, by a band called Wild Party. I'd never heard of them before, and honestly I still know nothing about them, except for one thing: they write bangers. (Or maybe used to write? They don't have any new music since 2014.) I really enjoyed the album. It reminded me of a cross of the sort of melodies and vocal patterns used by Forrest on Would It Kill You? (Hellogoodbye), with music in the vein of a band like Neon Trees. It worked really well and very much brightened up my morning commute. They have the kind of songs you're singing along to by the end of the first time you listen to them. I'm really glad I heard this and will definitely listen to it again!

 

Glad you enjoyed it! I thought it might be up your alley if you like MCS. The WIKY comparison is spot on.

I downloaded the album from a leak site on a whim when it came out (I later bought it on vinyl). Had never heard of the band but thought the genre description and cover art looked interesting. It quickly became one of my favorite pop/rock albums of the past few years (along with WIKY).

I think they said they were working on a second album at one point, but they haven't updated their web presence in a few years now. I have to assume they broke up.

 

I'm not Fuck You Aurora anymore guys.

 

Room for another?

 

It's not my call but I don't see why not !

 

We sure do!! Welcome aboard!

 

Dope. Thanks haha

 

We are currently 4 Days Away from a session. Your partners for that will be posted tomorrow, so you’ll know who you’re trading with then!

 

Terrific, thanks!

 

Paper Rival
Dialog
2008



I took on a second partner this week and @Colin Your Enthusiasm assigned Paper Rival's album Dialog to me. I was not at all familiar with this band, but I've enjoyed Colin's past recommendations and our musical tastes overlap a bit, so I looked forward to checking this album out!

Paper Rival was a band based in Nashville that only released one full length album (this album) and broke up in 2008 shortly after its release. It really is a shame that they didn't release any material after Dialog, because this is a really good album.

Musically, this album falls in the broad indie rock/alternative spectrum. None of the songs are too aggressive, but that is certainly not meant to be an insult. For the most part, the music itself is pretty mellow and relaxing and it's something that I can see myself returning to a good amount in the future. I thought that the vocals were very well done and were somewhat diverse. A couple of the tracks (namely Bluebird and Cassandra, the latter of which was their only single) showed their country influences. I guess living in Nashville rubbed off on these guys. Those tracks reminded me a bit of Wilco. On the other end of the spectrum, some of their vocals reminded me more of Balance & Composure with a more raspy delivery that borders on yelling, but it's not really yelling.

Overall, this a very solid album that I would recommend to fans of Balance & Composure, Citizen, and Wilco. It's also relatively short (11 songs, 43 minutes long) so give it a listen!

My favorite tracks so far have been The Family Ghost, Keep Us In, and The Kettle Black.

@Sheaver10 I plan on writing about the other album you assigned me during my lunch tomorrow :)

 

Awesome write-up my friend. Glad you enjoyed it.

Some insight on this album, the song Bluebird is about someone Jacob knew (lead singer who use to have an account on AP btw) who killed his parents. It makes the song darker when you know that.

They named the album Dialog because they felt like the album was a conversation with the listener. Which you can see why especially in the song ''An Easy Belief'' (one of my all time favorite songs) when he asks the listener: Are you happy where you are in life? Are you happy where you are? The Lyrics on this record are a definite highlight for me. So strong throughout.

They were on Photo Finish Records which was still starting out at the time and only had Envy On The Coast and 3oh3! on their roster other than Paper Rival. Shame they never got the exposure they deserved. Saw them twice once with Manchester Orchestra and Colour Revolt and the second time with Owen. Great live band even more intense than on record.

 

Oh and Casey from The Dear Hunter directed the animated video for their song Cassandra.

 

This week I listened to Thx by Lomelda at the recommendation of @mattfreaksmeout. I had never heard of this band before, so I had no idea what to expect going in. Turns out this is a one-woman project from the mind of Texas songwriter Hannah Read. I’m very surprised I had never heard about this, because it seems to be the kind of album that would be highly appreciated here.

The songs on this album are beautiful and aching, intimate and expressive. Read’s lyrics paint vivid pictures of mostly empty landscapes, and they ask a lot of seemingly rhetorical questions. Read is confronting loneliness with her soft and lilting voice, and wrapping it up in sparse instrumentation and pop-sensible melodies. Her voice (or voices, as she is often singing her own harmonies, adding to the atmosphere of solitude) remains up front in the mix throughout the album, joined by percussion and guitars that do just enough to enhance its delivery.

There are moments during Thx that are truly transcendent. At the end of “From Here,” Read holds out a note with a growing intensity that commands attention due to its stark contrast to the rest of the album. A reverberating guitar melody dances around her single-note vocal and it’s a few seconds of pure bliss. A musical moment that isn’t virtuosic or particularly original, but the elements coalesce just right to make you feel the music. The mood, the voice, the guitar, the production. And then as quick as it appears it is gone, the tone returning to its lovely, delicate equilibrium.

These moments are where Thx is a huge success for me. I don’t know that any of these songs got stuck in my head in the time I’ve spent with the album so far (though some of them certainly have the potential to with repeat listens), but the whole thing is just so damn pleasant to listen to. It’s full of these small moments that make you feel something, and as a music fan there isn’t much more you can ask for.

 

Glad you liked it @Patterns in Traffic! That was a great write up. I'm very excited to see where she goes.

 

Alright who wants to review the new Mike Shinoda EP for extra credit this session? :D

 

Hook me up

 

It’s on Spotify and Apple Music.

 

Any good?

 

So good.

 

Careful

 

Over Again...ugh

 

LOL

 

This isn’t my official review but this EP is Mike Shinoda revealing how unsure of himself he really is and he feels lost without Chester. It’s also him admitting his guilt related to anything Linkin Park but at the same time feeling torn that he feels this duty to carry on their legacy.