The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 276

@highfidelity203 gave me Spiritual Machines by Our Lady Peace
I was familiar with Our Lady Peace, obviously I know Somewhere Out There, this was a little different as it was a concept album
I really like Raine's voice
standout tracks- Life, Are You Sad,Made To Heal, If You Believe

 

Wow, so glad you like "Colors" enough to re-listen! And thank you for the kind words! Great job!

 

Awesome words there @bachna84 lot’s of things I agree with as to why this place is so great, particularly seeing so many people stoked on albums they’d not gravitate towards without the rec.

I’m proper stoked you loved that Jamie Lenman album so much. That was one rec I was nervous on when I handed it out because it’s such a hard album to pin down genre wise. FYI Deafheaven is still the album for people to beat for me in here, it’s phenomenal. I’m glad you dug the review, for someone who’s fairly new to reviewing stuff it’s the one I’m most proud of.

 

Right so I thought I’d put a few words about CMCS down as well.

First up I’d like to say that this place is by far the best thread I’ve found on here. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone in here. You’re all so nice and welcoming and it’s so cool to see people willing to give any album a try. It’s also really cool that we have people in here that like all kinds of different genres, it really helps adds something to this place.

It’s great seeing people really connecting with music in here, finding awesome new (and old) music. I particularly like it when someone hears a classic album for the first time and seeing their reaction to it.

Another thing I find so great is that even if someone doesn’t enjoy an album you all seem to at least find some positives to take from it which I think is super awesome.

I’ve had so much fun with this thing, as a 33 year old who’s never really been into writing it's been cool doing these reviews. It surprised me finding out I can actually (well kinda) articulate how I feel about these things lol.

I’d say I’ve enjoyed he majority of the albums rec’d to me but the two main standouts were Deafheaven (shoutout @bachna84 ) and Bleachers (shoutout @Larry David ) which couldn’t be further away from each other sound wise lol.

I won’t single out anyone’s reviews of my albums but it’s been great seeing people generally dig what I’ve been recommending, whether it being metal, punk, hip hop or pop. I think I’m right in saying I haven’t repeated a rec so far, so for fun I might see how long I can keep that up for.

I have to thank @Nate_Johnson for showing me this awesome place and whom I now regularly chat with on here. Between our chats we’ve each discovered some awesome new bands.

Finally a big thank you has to go to the super awesome @Bad Frequencies as he puts so much effort into this thread to keep it running like a well oiled machine. I think he’s positivity and friendliness is a big part of why this thread works so well, keep up the good work man.

Anyways that’s enough rambling now.

 

It's my pleasure to welcome you into this community and great to just chat about music.

 

How gut-wrenching was the "I wanted to stay" ending in "Claws In Your Back" Instant goosebumps!

 

Honestly, there's so many good moments on that record. A lot of really moving moments. Glad it has finally clicked for me!

 

Excellent write up man and thank you for the kind words

 

Essay

It is crazy to think we have come so far with this community. I was not here at it's inception but was lucky enough to casually stumble across it. I will admit that at the time of finding it I was about ready to give up on the site altogether because as many of you will admit, the community on Chorus is not always positive. I am so happy I decided to give it one more chance because this truly is the best thread on the site, and I attribute this to @Bad Frequencies unwavering positivity. The best part about the site is that I get to talk about something I love. Lets be real: as audiophiles we are nerds to the core. What other group of people can tell you who produced an album, what label it is on and what year it was released without blinking an eye? That is another aspect of what is so great about this community in that we never judge another person for what they like or dislike. I have laughed among this group, I have cried and I have discovered so much music that I would never have even touched.

I think my favorite part of CMCS is getting to meet so many amazing people, some of whom I talk to on an almost daily basis. We don't always talk about music but it's the glue that binds us and unites us. The other part of the group I enjoy is the music of course. I love reading the reviews and seeing everyone's experience with each one.

To pick two that were my favorite to review is very hard but I think the first will be reserved for @broken22 in his recommendation of T. Rex: Electric Warrior. It was such a bizarre recommendation but it was so perfect and truly challenged me. The second will have to go to @anonimito. From the second he has joined this club, he has challenged me as a person and my musical tastes. Him and I have done so much behind the scenes chatting it is hard to keep it all straight and I can say he is someone I now consider a dear friend. The album is not "officially" out yet but him introducing to me to Dominique Fricot has been amazing. It's not officially been reviewed yet but when the album gets here I will do so.

Asking me to pick my two favorite reviews that I gave someone is an almost impossible task. Instead, I will take the time to thank every person active and inactive for taking the time out of your busy lives to write a review, whether it's a sentence or a book. It is a pleasure to read them and see the growth in writing from so many people that have been here in the group for some time.

My favorite addition to the club has been:
1. Day one reviews: As someone that has done a handful, they are hard to do but I am sure have helped many people decide on if they want to take the time to listen to the album themselves.
2. Concert reviews: I have also taken part in the writing of these and I hope it helps people get a small taste of what it is like to see these bands we talk about on a daily basis.
3. Being asked to review records from some of our very own. Having the pleasure of reviewing records from both Out of Service and 20storiesfalling has been incredible. The talent among the people in these bands is out of this world.

I will end by saying that once again I feel so lucky to be part of this amazing group and can't thank @Bad Frequencies enough for creating it. Keep up the good work everyone!

 

Wow, what a great write! I can truly relate to how you feel about the CMCS. Thank you for the kind words, as well!

 

Amazing essay. I will say one thing I am loving is every essay seems to say one similar theme; the positivity in this thread. I always wanted this to be a place for fun and positive music conversation and I am so thankful for all of you who participate and allow it to be that and more

 

Another review, cheers to @Bad Frequencies for the rec.

Silverstein - Dead Reflection

Silverstein are a now veteran post-hardcore band hailing from Ontario, Canada. Throughout their career the band have released seven full studio albums, a "Short Songs" album, and released several noteworthy singles. Their strong presence within the scene to this day has allowed singer Shane Told to even branch out into podcasting, with his popular Lead Singer Syndrome show. Alongside this they have also been one of the most consistent bands in the genre, releasing strong album after strong album, and never relenting or showing their age.

Dead Reflection is their eighth full album, discounting Short Songs, and their second for label Rise Records. Opening with "Last Looks", the album opens with a riff heavy intro and some passionate screamed vocals from lead singer Shane Told. The chorus feels less anthemic, but it suits the dirtier production and overall angry vibe of the track.

It's a theme that continues with "Retrograde", the lead single, and tracks three and four, titled "Lost Positives" and "Ghost". "Retrograde" itself is one of the bands best songs, with a vibe similar to that of Counterparts, a melodic hardcore banger that blasts through the verses, with their own twist of a melodic chorus.

"Aquamarine" is the fifth song and it's the first glimpse into the second half of the record, as it's a song that heavily leans on the bands more pop influences. Despite this usually being their weaker side, this song works quite well and is actually one of the better melodic tracks on the album.

It's here that the album starts to slide. Tracks six, seven, and nine all felt like filler. A poppier B side to the album effectively meant that it lost steam. It's surprising then, that even on this weak run that a song such as "The Afterglow" is wedged in the middle, a song that truly smashes their pop sensibilities, and is easily their best pop punk track on the record.

Overall however, the album feels uneven. The aggressive melodic hardcore side feels fresh and exciting for the band, but they slip into bad habits and the B side to this album is full of sub standard pop tracks that don't suit the band.

It's possibly their weakest album since their debut, perhaps level with Arrivals and Departures, yet it still contains interesting tracks like "Retrograde" and "The Afterglow" that stand up to much of their discography. It's not a bad album, by the standards of many other bands it would still be a top album, but by Silversteins it feels a tad flat.

7/10

Recommended tracks: Lost Positives, Retrograde, The Afterglow
RIYL: Funeral For A Friend, Story Of The Year, Alexisonfire, Senses Fail

 

Last time I wrote a review for Silverstein was when I reviewed Rescue and Hopeless put me in their press release. That was a cool thing I still remember.

 

Great write up! Me personally it’s one of my favorite releases of theirs, but your three stand out tracks are my favs from It

 

I saw Sum41 last night, I got lucky and they played No Reason to open the encore !

 

Here is my essay:

I have had the pleasure of being a part of this Club since it's creation. I never thought I'd ever be a member of such a thing. I am a part of this community since the AbsolutePunk days, even though I never posted in the forums back then and stuck to the news post comments. When Chorus was born, I started becoming a little more active, but not by much, until the day a user named BTDandFeelingThis (aka JediMasterKevo, WolvesAreCircling182 or @Bad Frequencies) started a bracket in the Linkin Park thread in memory of Chester. I became one of the more active members in that bracket and subsequent ones (including 3 I personnally hosted) and I talked with him a little in private, exchanging some albums we liked. This brings us to the faithful night I was at a show by an incredible band called Thrice, when I received a message inviting me to some kind of Music Club. The concept seemed interesting and I joined.

Now here we are, 25 weeks later. Granted, I was benched for 3-4 of those weeks and I wrote more reviews late than on time, but it has been a great time. I got to discover some great albums and bands I would never have listened to otherwise. Everyone here is so kind and it makes it all feel like a big family. There are some threads where people start calling each other names for having different opinions, but in here you know you can say you disliked an album without being bashed by everyone else, because you know other people might dislike an album you love. And that's the magic of it all! It definitely is my favourite thing about the CMCS.

One of my favorite recommendations was If There Is Light it Will Find You by Senses Fail. It was a really great album from a band I wasn't really familiar with except for some tracks from different albums that were hit or miss for me, so I didn't expect to like it that much. I also think it is the best review I've written. Another favorite would be Marriage by Attack in Black, not because it's in my top favorite albums I've received, but because it was the first rec I got from a band that I had never heard about and it was a really good album. Honorable mentions would be the new Hawthorne Heights, new Underoath, Tears for Fears, Deftones.

As far as reviews of albums I gave go, I honestly have no idea which were my favorites since I don't remember the reviews themselves. But I know I loved it when people loved the albums I gave, like the Silverstein album I gave to @Davjs that made him seek out more albums by one of my favorite bands, or @Bad Frequencies who loved the Longshot album last week! It's just really fun to make others discover something they love.

Throughout those 25 weeks, some new things were brought to the table and my favorite has got to be First Day Reviews. It's really great to get those kind of First Impression reviews and get to discover an album at the same time as everyone else.

Even if we have lost a lot of members with time, I hope this Club continues to thrive for a long time. Thank you to everyone involved with the wellbeing of it all!

 

Another excellent write up. I am so happy this club is such a good place for you guys. Happy 25 week’s my friend, and here’s to many more trades!

 

ok this thread is getting weird now back to recs /s

 

Metal DOES NOT translate to warm and fuzzy?!

Do we need to call @swboyd to ruin the mood? Haha!

 

mewithoutYou
Catch For Us The Foxes (2004)

Alright, last week @bachna84 gave me a mewithoutYou record. I wasn't sure what to expect going in because I've never heard of these guys ! For whatever reason I thought they were a new band ha. The opening track titled " Torches Together " gave me some Rage Against The Machine Vibes with the vocalist delivery and the way the band jams ! The second song " January 1979 " is a song I'm not sure about, I feel like it's a style that's been over done. I wasn't a big fan of his vocal delivery on this track either, I felt like I was being Talked to ! The next track " Tie Me Up ! Untie Me " is a song I have heard numerous time, my guess is this was a song that was pretty popular amongst the bands fans. It's a pretty groovy song, the base lines are killer and it totally reminds me of the Clash ! Again, his vocal delivery really took me out of the song. I guess I'm not really a fan of that style, as the album went on I really couldn't find myself to get into it. I listened to this album for a week and a half trying to find myself to get into it and I'm struggling. For the record, I hate writing album reviews that aren't positive because I feel awful for not liking something somebody offered me. But, this album does have positives, one being that these guys are very, very sound musicians and you can tell they put there heart into what they do. They also have very positive influences in the Clash and Rage Against The Machine ! The production is also great, it's raw and doesn't cover anything up. I respect these guys and they are good at what they do and I see why they have a following ! I think I'll revisit it this again and see if I can get into it. I really wanna like it !

 

Also me and @JRGComedy are trading this week !

I'll be listening to: Bad Religion - The Grey Race
He'll be listening to: Mastodon - The Hunter

 

Thanks for checking it out! They are definitely a unique band and I can see how the vocals could be a turnoff to some. All of their albums are fairly different, so it's possible you'd connect more to some of their other work :)

 

It's weird, I have no idea why I thought they were a new band ! Lol.

 

Cool review. I have given this band a go twice. I listened to Ten Stories when it came out as I loved the idea and story behind it (A train carrying circus animals is derailed, the songs follow personified versions of the animals and what happened next). At first I found it underwhelming but oddly I went back a few days ago after years of being unsure and it suddenly clicked. I totally get the vocals being off putting, as they were to me too for sure!

 

One review to go btw, for 20 Stories Falling, and then I'm up to date somehow (this will be my fourth review in six days so you may have noticed some mistakes in them, be kind aha).