The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 427

Last week, @BTDandFeelingThis exchanged records and he gave me Burden by Out Of Service, a band you probably all have heard of at this point! I slowly got familiar with their music by putting on the EP and the previous album these last few days, and I'm a fan of it all.

Their emo infused indie-rock sound in general takes me back to the end of middle school, when I started diving into emo and post-hardcore, getting into the classics, and becoming an active user on ap.net. I heard shades of Brand New (which is kind of bittersweet in itself), The Felix Culpa, Straylight Run, and Emery's softer side on Morning. I'd say Burden shares a wider range of influences and pushes their sound into many different directions in comparison. Overall, the band sounds more confident and the growth both in songwriting and musical personality is noticeable.

For the most part, it feels more aggressive and darker, and early on, Sleep showcases that aspect very well with a tense build up and harsher vocals. Stories is probably my initial favorite as I'm a sucker for duets. I'm looking forward to hear more of Madeline Finn's stuff. I also appreciate the improved production with the little flourishes that add a nice atmosphere to a few songs, as well as the use of certain instruments. Name stood out with the use of what sounds like a flute to me. I'm a fan of the saxophone in Chemicals! I'm not used to hear it on this style, so this was a welcome addition.

I haven't got time to really delve into the lyrics, which is something I don't do until like... my fifth listen or something but I found a track by track feature I'm currently reading while making this post. I relate to the meanings a lot, having gone through a similar episode two years ago. I checked myself into a clinic with group therapies and all sorts of stuff, and the memories and the friendships I've made there changed my life forever.

Knowing this, I'm excited to revisit this album in a deeper way, and to hear where they will go from here.

 

I’m glad you liked it and I’m glad it resonated with you in the way it did

 

It was easy to write because of how good it is! What’s your other heavy album?

 

Knocked Loose. Seeing them again in 3 days and it's gonna be mad.

 

In general I haven't really listened to much heavy music at all this year.

 

Very good album! If you are interested hit me up for “heavier” recommendations.

 

@Chase Tremaine and I have traded

he gave me:

Architects- The Here And Now

I gave him:

Hawthorne Heights- Bad Frequencies

 

“The” Architects?!

 

Yeah, that's The Architects UK to you!

 

1. It’s Kevo so I have to give him a hard time!
2. Kevin, how much do I hype the band?

 

I'm more surprised by the fact that Kevo was able to find someone he hadn't recommended Bad Frequencies to yet.

 

That is VERY impressive!

 

Okay now I want to listen to that Architects album.

 

I was given, The Blind Hole by Dead in the Dirt from @swboyd last week. This album is an ass kicker, clocking in at 24 minutes for 22 songs, and released on Southern Lord Recordings. I'd say this falls into the category of hardcore punk; however, there are grind and power violence influences for sure. Definitely for fans of Nails or early Trap Them.

I was instantly hooked on this album and have been listening to it a lot this past week. Would have loved to have been able to get this on vinyl. That's my biggest complaint.

The most interesting and perhaps abrasive moment on the record is on the fourth song, "Strength Through Restraint". It's 85 seconds of mostly guitars ringing out haha. My favorite moment on the record is the back-to-back of "Vein" and "Pitch Black Tomb". Among all of the chaos on this album, it actually does a good job of mixing in some mellow moments that allow the listener to (briefly) catch their breath before the ass kicking continues.

I am going to keep this review brief, like the album. If you like really fast and heavy music in a gritty production style, this album is for you. There is not much middle ground with an album like this. It's either, "hell yes" or, "hell no". Thanks for a great addition to my future listening!

 

LOL, never change CMCS

 

I have been paired with @nickyeatworld two weeks in a row. This is the review for the first album he gave me two weeks ago.




This album is Whisper War, the first studio album by Las Vegas band The Cab. As soon as I hit play and One of Those Nights began, I knew it would be a fun album. First thing I noticed was that the singer sounded a lot like Patrick Stump and Brendon Urie at times on that song. Well I learned later that it was indeed them, providing guest vocals on a couple tracks. In fact, it was Spencer Smith and Jon Walker, from Panic! at the Disco at the time, who helped them get signed after the band gave them demos at a show.

From then until the closing track, This City Is Contagious, you get treated with a great amount of infectious choruses. For the last two weeks I found myself singing the chorus of Bounce, or the "Stop asking and keep dancing" part of Risky Business or other parts of the album.

One thing I wasn't a fan of was the autotuned/vocoder lines in High Hopes in Velvet Ropes. I thought it sounded weird in an otherwise great track.

Vegas Skies stands out near the end as the only time the pace slows down and goes into more of a ballad territory, a great one though. In fact, the finishing trip of Vegas Skies, Can You Keep a Secret? and This City is Contagious is probably my favourite stretch of the album.

This album will go down as one of the best recommendations I got as part of this club. A big thank you for this! I will definitely be checking out their second album.

Favorite tracks: One of Those Nights, Bounce, I'm a Wonder, Vegas Skies, Can You Keep a Secret?, This City is Contagious

9.5/10

I still need some time with the other album before reviewing.

 

Sorry this is late, but @edisnfg gave me Hello, Exile by the Mansplainers or Punzingers or something like that



This is a band that I have a semblance of care for, only because I respect the opinion of people on this site a lot. If the general consensus of Chorus is that an artist is great, then I'm going to care -- even though none of their past albums had any lasting effect on me.

I'm happy to report, however, that Hello, Exile really drilled itself into my subconscious quite quickly! There's nothing about the songcraft or the musicianship on the album that's particularly notable -- but it's all really solid and memorable. I never get bored while listening, and after 2-3 listens, I found myself singing along with almost every chorus. The album might be slightly top-heavy (some of the biggest impressions came from the first few tracks), but it really seems like this is a band that's finding their groove and sticking within a lane that works really well for them.

I remember when Pinegrove first appeared on the scene and people started throwing around language of the emo-americana hybrid, but The Menzingers seem to have really captured the possibilities of that combination in a more consistent and lasting fashion.

Thanks, @edisnfg !

 

Hey, I've never ACTUALLY given this album to someone before!!

...

I've just been TRYING to give someone this album each week, hahahah

 

Glad you enjoyed it. You should check out their song Casey it’s on the album On The Impossible Past, it’s my favorite song by them

 

This week @troyplaysbass and I were paired up
I’ve been given -
Work/Sleep by The Appreciation Post
and I’ve given -
Your Husband, The Ghost by Quiet Company

 

The Menzingers are life.

 

Holy crap, The Appreciation Post is a band I had been seaching for so long, what a throwback

 

They posted a bunch of old promo photos on Instagram last week, so I’m hoping they’re doing something again.

 

@ugman_2000 and myself are exchanging EP's because it took us a bit to connect. Figured we could do multiple listens on an EP easier than an album at this point. I will be doing Tender Defender's self titled EP. They will be doing Kill Lincoln's Good Riddance to Good Advice. Finally someone gets to do a ska album!