The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 247

Clause: you have to listen to Hawthorne by the end of Saturday night

 

Weekend is super busy with family and kid stuff, I can't promise by the end of Saturday but I can by Monday probably.

 

Fine I will accept. I will review The Used Monday night if you’ve listened (I’ll still listen this weekend though)

 

My Clause:

You have to be wearing a Slayer tee shirt, hyped up on Mountain Dew....and in space. I know you are dedicated and can make it happen!

 

I also like Hospital and Earthquake a lot. In fact, I think The Bird & The Worm is easily the worst on the album.

 

Worse than Liar Liar Pants on Fire? Hmmmmmm

 

Oh god I forgot about that song. At least that song is meant to be stupid, TB&TW is just terrible but without the self-awareness.

 

Sure is!

 

Another addition to ‘Release Day Reviews’ tonight.

 

I'm on track 2 of my rec for this week and I can already tell @anonimito hit this one out of the park. Serious jams

 

What is it?

 

I am gonna try get a review up on one of my recs tomorrow. I am absolutely in love with this album. Like, it's my favourite album this year by a distance.

 

I have no idea what this could be

 

Jome - Tunnels

Actually reminds me quite a bit of SYML. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you'd dig it.

 

Nice! Speaking of SYML, seeing him next Thursday! Pretty stoked for that.

 

Awesome, let me know how it goes!

 

We're talking about the Brian Fennell (of Barcelona) ambient/electronic project, right? If so, yes, definitely! I love both projects very much! Have a great time at the show!

 

So stoked that you like it so much! @Nate_Johnson also really enjoys it!

 

Yo sorry to my partners who I've been late with recently, the last month or so has been super busy

 

It’s fantastic!

 

Yes!! and thanks will do!

 

Hello Chorusians, and welcome to another edition of

CHORUS MUSIC CLUB SOCIETY Release Day Reviews

Hawthorne Heights- Bad Frequencies (April 27, 2018)


Hawthorne Heights is back, though in reality they never left. This post hardcore, alternative, pop punk band from Dayton, Ohio has always been a band that I could admire. After their first two albums hit main stream, the band has been through many rises and falls; but one thing has always been persistent and that is their honesty to their music. This band is a band that has always been genuine to both their music and their fans, making the music that they want to make and appreciating those who have stuck by them through everything. Known for their catchy tunes, their ability to shift between the softer melodic anthems and their aggressive side, this band has always done what they loved and have worked towards making music to express their emotions, their lives, and their experiences. If you were one of those fans that only know their first two or three albums, you have missed out on a lot of great music; but there is no better time than the present to pick up on them. Now, back with their first full length release in 5 years, Hawthorne Heights is rejuvenated and has put their best foot forward to release an album that really shows what this band can do with their newest release, Bad Frequencies.

Its known around this website that I am a huge fan of their 2015 EP HURT, and have said how well made that EP was. This album is the next step, and this showcases a band firing on all cylinders and working with everything they have. Taking their sound from the early 2000s and growing it to 2018, this modern version of Hawthorne Heights is nothing to sneeze at. As soon as the album begins with the reflective and evocative intro track 'In Gloom', you are on board for the ride and not one song on this album feels out of place or like a filler song. Each song serves a purpose, and the band sounds better than ever. Musically, the band sounds at the top of their game on this, breaking outside their comfort zone on more than one occasion and pulling it off fantastically. From the bubbly earworms of 'Pink Hearts' and 'Starlighter (Echo, Utah)' to the more heavy yet catchy sound and lyrics of 'Just Another Ghost' and 'Push Me Away', you can tell that this band has worked hard to make this best album they possibly could. Musically, the guitars are crisp( JT Woodruff and Mark McMillon), the bass is on point (Matt Ridenour), and the drums are expertly thumping (Chris Popadak). Vocally, both lead vocals by JT Woodruff and the aggressive screams of Mark McMillon carry the songs extremely well and sound at their peaks. The lead vocals are well refined, and the aggressive vocals are natural and compliment the songs they are used in.

Songs like 'Crimson Sand' and 'The Perfect Way To Fall Apart' showcase how Hawthorne Heights have grown as a band. The guitar hooks in the former are some of the best I have ever heard in one of their songs and the gang vocals just make you want to chant with them, and the riffs and vocals on the latter are sure to please and having you belting along. They even branch out into the darker, more experimental sound with the haunting title track 'Bad Frequencies', which starts with mellow and moody vocals in a lower tone and a soft plucked guitar for the first half of the song with some of my favorite lyrics on the album, before exploding into McMillon's crown jewel showing of aggression as he takes center stage for the second half of the song. Lyrically, the band has grown on this album as well. There seems to be running themes of reflection, love, loss, and the realization of how you became what you are today. As always, Woodruff is excellent at painting lyrical images in your mind and telling a story with each song; look no further than 'The Suicide Mile' and 'Skylark' for examples of this and does well to show how the band has managed to advance their sound while still keeping a grasp on who they are and where they want to go. Songs like the title track, 'Just Another Ghost', and 'Crimson Sand' are emotionally heavy lyrically, and once you relate to them you are going to want to sing along.

This isn't the same band that wrote 'Ohio Is For Lovers'. While that song is a milestone in their beginnings, the band has grown and matured. Looking forward to the future while embracing the past is something they have done extremely well on this album, and as mentioned before is a notable part of the lyrical themes of the album. This is an earnest and talented band that deserves much more recognition of their talents, and this album is a powerful and well crafted work that could bring that to them. Bad Frequencies is Hawthorne Heights at the top of their game, and whether you are old fan, a new fan, or someone who wants to give them a shot; this album has something you are going to love. Pulling out all the stops and bringing their 'A' Game, the band has delivered something special. Its too soon to judge if this is my favorite album by them, but I am willing to say this is one of their best, if not the best, sounding album they have done. I highly recommend checking out this album; these 13 songs are something to look forward to hearing, seeing live, and this album is a definite contender for my Album Of The Year choice. This is going to be an anthem for the spring and summer night drives, that is certain. There is not a bad song on this album, really. The band never left, but Hawthorne Heights is back.

Stand Out Tracks: Crimson Sand, The Perfect Way To Fall Apart, Just Another Ghost, Bad Frequencies, Skylark, Starlighter (Echo, Utah), The Suicide Mile, Pills.

10/10

 

So, I've talking in veiled terms about this for a few days but here is the first of two reviews this week.

Thanks for @bachna84 for a fantastic rec.

Spanish Love Songs - Schmaltz

Sometimes you can tell you’re going to like a band within the first few seconds of hearing them. It happened with Green Day’s “American Idiot” when I was 10. It happened with Motion City Soundtrack when I heard “Hold Me Down” roughly 10 years ago. It’s happened countless times since. But as you get older, it seems that it happens less and less. In the last five years, I can count the number of times it has happened on one hand. Modern Baseball for instance, watching the newly released video for “Your Graduation”, or The Menzingers, and hearing “Good Things”, or The Hotelier, when I heard “Your Deep Rest”.

Whilst I wouldn’t class this in the same league as those bands yet, this is absolutely a feeling I experienced hearing Spanish Love Songs for the first time. It was after midnight, I had work the next morning, and I had just heard the new Hop Along single. I was feeling like hearing something new and so I thought back to my recommendations, and remembered this band. I YouTubed them and stuck on “Joana, In Five Acts”.

Hooked.

The album itself opens with a faint. Nuevo is mostly just singer Dylan Slocum and an organ, as he sings about going to concerts as a man no longer in his teen years. The song ends with a flourish as the band comes in and then straight into track two, which shows the direction of the album. It’s pop punk seen through Americana, with the most obvious comparison being The Menzingers, but there’s also elements of The Gaslight Anthem, The Smith Street Band and more.

Whilst the album opens well, track three is where it really hits its stride. “Bellache” is a bass heavy rock and roll banger, with sing along elements, and fun dynamics. In the bridge we catch the main selling point of this band, the lyrics, as Slocum sings “I’ve been dreaming in languages I don’t understand, I’ve got spirits watching over me, they refuse my filthy hands. I’ve been coming to terms with our life, and how we’re all gonna die the same; Forgotten in a year by the ones we love on a Tuesday morning.”

Track five is easily the highlight of the record, and is called “Otis/Carl”. With an intro reminiscent of The Menzingers’ “Lookers”, this song deals with Slocum losing a close friend, and his inability to truly let himself grieve. It’s a really heart-breaking track that mentions his friends love of Otis Redding several times, each time more affecting than the last. “We never held a funeral 'cause of the consequence they bring. Letting go is never easy even when you’re empty and alone. I hope they played you Otis Redding, I hope you heard me hum along, as those arms of yours went down, into the dark.” Not only is this the bands best song, but it’s one of the most emotionally affecting songs I have heard all year.

The pace doesn’t let up though, and “The Boy Considers his Haircut” is another highlight, and a song about self-improvement, as Slocum says “'Cause I’ve lived my whole life so afraid of getting hurt that I’ve never really been hurt”, a line that resonated far more than I imagined this album would.

Track eight is the aforementioned “Joana, In Five Acts” and is a hugely enjoyable and emotive piece of punk rock that is about losing another person, and ends with Slocum semi-screaming “So why’d you leave without me?!” It’s a passionate song that connects everything I love about music, passion, fun, pace and emotion all in one.

The album ends how it started, with a slower number, this time the organ is replaced for an acoustic guitar, and it brings the album to a close in a peaceful yet meaningful way.

Spanish Love Songs are a band I have never encountered before, but already I consider myself a big fan. Not only is this my favourite recommendation so far, it may be my favourite record of 2018 so far. It definitely has a sound similar to The Menzingers, and that may cause detractors due to the similarity, but the music has meaning, passion and tons of fun, and it’s definitely in contention for my album of the year.

Recommended Tracks: Otis/Carl, The Boy Considers His Haircut, Joana In Five Acts
RIYL: The Menzingers, beer, emotions, fun

9.5/10

 

Really great write-up! I’m glad this album has connected so well with you :)

@Larry David introduced them to me and I feel like it’s my duty to spread the word!

They’re a really special band!

 

I'm glad people are starting to listen to this band