Ricky's Music Reviews. (Double New Review 5/22~!)

[mrfabulous]

REVIEWS TO COME:
THE CAMBIATA. into the night.
LYDIA. illuminate.[/i]


REVIEW ARCHIVE:
Page 1.
SILVERSTEIN. a shipwreck in the sand.
ANARBOR. the natural way.
AS TALL AS LIONS. as tall as lions.
CINEMATIC SUNRISE. a coloring storybook and long playing record ep.
BRAND NEW. the devil and god are raging inside me.

Page 2.
THE SOUND OF ANIMALS FIGHTING. lover, the lord has left us...[/i]
SPARKS THE RESCUE. eyes to the sun.
FORGIVE DURDEN. razia's shadow
THE CAMBIATA. to heal.
THE CAMBIATA. the cambiata.[/i]
___________________________________________________________________

So, lemme give this whole music review thing a shot for 4PP. If they're good enough, I may end up submitting them to different sites for publication.

My first review for this site will be for....


SILVERSTEIN. a shipwreck in the sand.

BACKGROUND.
Silverstein is a post-hardcore outfit from Ontario, Canada, that formed in 2000. They're currently signed to Victory Records, a notorious underground label for giving bands such as Aiden (ugh), Hawthorne Heights (groan), and Atreyu the kick start to popularity. While not as popular as these bands, Silverstein is among the best of their roster, releasing three CDs under the label and rigorously touring in between each record.

Silverstein's a band known to teeter and totter back between metal and hardcore, not having enough of one or the other to really be defined as such. Driving guitars and drums lead this band, with Shane Told's vocals soaring 'n' roaring over pulsing beats. At times it's relentless.

I used to be incredibly biased with this band. I jumped on the bandwagon with their second CD, Discovering The Waterfront. It's easily their best to date, but I almost stoped caring entirely with the release of their next disc. Arrivals And Departures was incredibly bland to me, paling in comparison to the prior. But boy, do they come back in a big way.

OVERVIEW.
A Shipwreck In The Sand is a concept album, talking about a doomed voyage - a captain sent to find new land and resources for a dying country is overthrown by its crew as delusion and paranoia sets in. Meanwhile, a broken family struggles to stay together as their house is burned to the ground.

The album is divided into four Chapters. Each section of the album holds up nicely, having their own level of intensity and lyrical tales to tell.

SOUND.
Silverstein is in their element with this record - while not having the math tendencies that made DTW stand out so much, it certainly is a step up from AaD. The songs gallop along at a fast pace, as heard in one of the disc's strongest tunes, 'Broken Stars', before crushing into a breakdown that is its foil. The songs flow nicely together with the help of producer Cameron Webb.

Guest vocals include Liam Cormier (Cancer Bats), Scott Wade (Former VR band Comeback Kid), and Lights. Their voices are inserted nicely into their indivdual tracks, with Lights playing the biggest role as the wife of a man who burns his house down ('The End'). Vocalist Shane Told couldn't sound any better on this record. Both his clean and scream vocals have vastly improved, making him a forerunner in a sea of whiny, nasally, feminine singers.


WHAT SUCKS ABOUT THIS CD.
If there's anything Silverstein's not known for, it's their lyrics. The band write songs like a 14 year old Hot Topic fan writes livejournal entries. A recurring theme with them with each record is daggers - they talk a LOT about those. Not much to say other than they suck. x3

FINAL REMARKS
Overall a solid disc. Despite the lyrics, the sounds is big, heavy, and intense - what I've come to expect from this band. In a sea of Skylit Drive/Escape The Fate soundalikes, this band rises to the top of the post-hardcore/metalcore scene.

RATING.
7.9/10

www.myspace.com/silverstein

RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE.
A Skylit Drive without the wussy sounding lead singer/screamer.

so what do you think? This is the first time I've used such an organized format for a review, but I can post others if you guys enjoyed it. ^^

[Oreo]

So I used Songza to listen to "Broken Stars."

I laughed at how the FIRST line mentioned daggers. XD

The song was kinda catchy, Drums are mediocre, lead guitar part was alright.. interesting at least. Melody and progression was predictable, but it wasn't too bad. I like the change at the scream. I'm not a big fan of screaming, but the thing I do like is that, though I don't like this part at all, you can at least half-understand what he's saying before you cheat and look at the lyrics. Ending was dumb. Should have re-vamped or something; maybe go back to the melody. I feel like the song wasn't finished.

The lyrics to this song really are poop, but I wouldn't mind listening to a couple other songs. I can see it growing on me pretty easily.

As for your review; nicely done! I liked and enjoyed reading it, and I like that you aren't afraid of criticizing it. I think you should add a portion where you mention the songs you think are worth listening to, like "track 2 and 5 best exemplify this. Track 7 is my favorite." or something like that. That way readers can listen to the better tracks without having to hear the whole album and get disheartened. . ..

Or something like that. I would like to read more reviews! Do it!

[mrfabulous]

Cool. Thanks for reading. ^^

[mrfabulous]

This next review is for a disc that was released last summer that I was asked to listen to by AbsolutePunk. AbsolutePunk is this big site that's got the first and last word on anything that's considered punk, emo, rock, metal, and everything in between. An incredibly reputable source.


ANARBOR.the natural way.

Anarbor - The Natural Way
Record Label: Hopeless Records
Release Date: August 19, 2008

Pop: the most subjective genre in the music scene. Whether it’s questioning the next Top 40 hit or put next to its contrast, punk, there are more and more counterparts to this ‘style’ popping up every day. But when it comes to pop-rock, the game changes entirely. What defines the ‘pop’ in a song? Is it how catchy is? Is it the ‘get up and dance’ lyrics that seem so unfitting for the song itself? Thankfully, with the Arizona-based Anarbor, we needn’t worry about the pop side of this pop-rock band, for the band is way more on the rock side of the otherwise boring foil.

This is evident on the band’s label debut, The Natural Way, which was released under Hopeless Records last year. Once the opening track "Love Instead" comes driving in with a subtle sense of aggression, it is clear the band’s dual guitars are the driving force of the band, with solid riffs and melodies that have a rock 'n' roll twang. Paired together with lead vocalist Slade Echeverria’s refined yet soulful vocals, they form the perfect mainstream rock band. Even on the ‘poppiest’ track, ‘Passion For Publication,’ Echeverria croons and grits through, spouting regrettably forgettable lyrics with a voice that is in league with, but far surpasses, the mainstream ‘rock’ bands heard on the radio.

Though the band is not entirely original in its approach, Anarbor certainly heaves a breath of fresh air and shows what pop-rock can really be – balanced without being too sweet or too rough for any sensitive ears while still maintaining its original style. Hopefully this will convince you to go out and get both this EP and their most recent release, Free Your Mind, which came out no more than two weeks ago. From what I've heard, it’s shaping up to be another solid disc.

RATING.
7.6/10

TRACKS TO CHECK OUT FIRST.
'Love Instead.'

RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE.
The Years Gone By; All Time Low; Cute is What We Aim For

MySpace.

[Wednesday_R]

Hmmm.
If you're into post punk/hardcore stuff, check out Blood Brothers' "Crimes" or "Burn, Piano Island, Burn" albums.
Yessir.

[mrfabulous]

Oh, Blood Brothers. That voice. Ugh.

[Oreo]

I liked Love Instead a lot! And I also listened to Passion for Publication 'cause I'm into the pop-happy-dancy sound, but you are absolutely right. It's still very rock and pretty original. I like it. I might listen to a few more from the ep before I decide if I want to buy it, but it's sounding good so far! Thanks again, Fab! =)

[mrfabulous]

AS TALL AS LIONS. as tall as lions.

As Tall As Lions – As Tall As Lions
Release Date: August 8, 2006
Record Label: Triple Crown Records

One thing you might notice from what little material I’ve posted here is that I dwell heavily on the voice. To me, a song can sound fantastic, but be absolutely destroyed by shitty vocals. And even then, the voice does not work without a set of lyrics that draws you in makes you care about the story being told. Arguably, the voice is the most important aspect of a song. Then again, Explosions In The Sky is a fantastic band, so I could be wrong.

But I digress. I have a CD to convince you to buy.

I could spend pages talking about the big, gorgeous sound on As Tall As Lion’s self titled sophmore disc – the twinkles and gentle reverberations (‘Love Love Love’), the almost groovy beats (‘Song For Luna’, ‘Milk And Honey’), and the guitars that crash like a raucous tide (‘Be Here Now’, ‘Ghost Of York’), and I have every right to. But it is the voice of Dan Nigro that shines the most.

His voice is unique, a feminine godsend that’s suited just right to portray the gentle, passionate feel of the record. Whether belting simple yet effective metaphors – ‘Love’s not a grave/it won’t decay on you…’ on the show-stopping ‘Love Love Love (Love Love)’ – or cooing a gentle uncertainty (‘Maybe I’m just tired/tired of never knowing…’ he gently laments on ‘Maybe I’m Just Tired’) The ten tracks are like love letters, and they couldn’t have had a better poet.

This record is spoken not with lyrics from the mind, but overflowed through the hearts of three talented musicians. It is, without a doubt, one of the best records of 2006. Keep it in your focus, your love and affection. You won’t regret it.

BEST TRACKS.
'Love Love Love (Love Love),' 'Stab City,' 'Milk And Honey,' 'Maybe I'm Just Tired,' 'Song For Luna.'

OVERALL RATING.
9.4/10

The band's myspace.

RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE.
A happier Lydia, Coldplay

[mrfabulous]

A review I did a while back. For EPs, I like to do track-by-track analysis.


CINEMATIC SUNRISE. a coloring storybook and long playing record ep.

NOTE:
this is a review of the RERELEASE. The two extra tracks will be mentioned and reviewed.

OVERVIEW
Let’s play word association; Craig Owens. Ring a bell? He sings in a little band called Chiodos, known for their grandiose, harrowing music, and seemingly bipolar transitions from Jekyll to Hyde and back, from high-pitched yelps and pleas and piercing screams, to a more pathetic-sounding, smaller, prettier voice. Most people don’t know, but outside of this Jekyll and Hyde is third side – emo-pop. Owens and Chiodos keyboardist Bradley Bell started Cinematic Sunrise back in 2005, releasing a demo known as “I’ve Seen Lovers Dancing In Windows.” On it were a few songs in their most primitive form. The final versions can finally be heard on A Coloring Storybook… one of the best EPs, if not releases of the year.

I was pleasantly surprised when I popped this disc open – coloring pencils, along with a storybook black and white for the imagination to fill in, were enclosed with the disc. Now, coloring is the shit, of course – but what of the music?

Well, this is another side entirely, from “I’ll stop stabbing when you screaming” to “You make me glow.” And it is well worth the suspicion.

SOUND.
Pulling A Piano From A Pond is a fantastic opening to the disc. Owens laments about a relationship that seems far-gone, but is a lot closer than the subject of the song seems to think. He asks, “Wait until tomorrow, you’ll see that I’m worth waiting for…” This lyric leads into the magnificent chorus, as Craig’s trademark dynamic, falsetto voice soars over a beautiful piano and running-but-not-really-sprinting-guitar and drums. It’s one of the strongest songs on the disc. (RECOMMENDED)


We now slow down into Goodbye Friendship, Hello Heartache, which completely contrasts the first song. Here, Owens doesn’t want anything to do with little miss Ex. A slower, more thoughtful song in its impression, but its lack of lyrical and musical diversity really sets in the back of the bunch. Despite this, it’s still a good track.

Umbrellas And Elephants, a show-stealing song, this is the most vocally heartfelt track. The song talks about an escape Owens would make when he was a kid – hiding in his parents’ car when it rained. (“And you can hear it, pitter patter on the rooftops, you can listen to the rhythm of the raindrops…”) You can really tell through Owens’ strong voice he really cherished the time in that car, listening to the rain, and it really creates a sense of nostalgia.
(RECOMMENDED)

Our Honeymoon At Weston Hills is the fourth track. I found it ‘meh’ at best, for it suffers from the same mistake as Goodbye Friendship – it sounds like he wrote a song for Chiodos and shuffled it into an awkward track that sticks out in all the wrong ways. It sounds pretty, but it still makes me cringe.

The Wordless is the first Cinematic Sunrise song ever written, and it shines as the corner stone of the record. Owens once again flashes his studio-voice with exceptional talent and cunning, especially on the line, “…that you felt the same way too!” All in all, a great track with wonderful composition. (RECOMMENDED)

You Told Me You Loved Me is perhaps the cheesiest of all cheesy ‘I Miss You Please Come Back’ love songs. A breakup leaves Owens in shambles – corny ones. “Miss your voice, and your touch…and tonight, I stand alone.” He whimpers. This is the only considerably ‘bad’ track on the disc. PASS.

Crossing Our Fingers For The Summer sheds some light after the last track leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It’s fun sounding, but Owens really limits himself vocally, making him sound almost bored with the lyrics. While first-time listeners will assume this, its just simply not true, and he can do so much better. It's as if they were told to write a poppy song - trading a keyboard for a synth.

However, all things are forgiven with the final track, If Lilly Isn’t Back By Sunset. This song is my favorite on the disc, and the most-listened to in my iTunes account. A beautiful quartet of violins opens us up before a wave of cuteness crushes any bad things to say about the record. “You make me, you make me glow!” Owens declares amidst the waves. That alone is one reason to go back and give the CD another listen.(RECOMMENDED)

OVERALL.
Overall, it’s a fantastic debut, and with these mistakes and achievements in mind, one can only anticipate with incredible impatience the full-length. I know I will.

SCORE.
8.3/10

[mrfabulous]

EDIT: Image added to the CinSun review. :3

I'll have a few more up by this weekend.

[mrfabulous]

Here's a look at what to expect reviews for:

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE. feels.[/i]
BRAND NEW. the devil and god are raging inside me.
THE SOUND OF ANIMALS FIGHTING. lover, the lord has left us...[/i][/s]

[mrfabulous]

BRAND NEW. the devil and god are raging inside me.[/i]

“I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND.
I AM JUST A MAN THAT KNOWS HOW TO FEEL.
I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND.
I’M NOT YOUR LOVER.
I’M NOT YOUR FAMILY.”
- Sowing Season, Brand New

I had doubts about this record. When I first professed interest to a friend about it, she rolled her eyes and said it was terrible. “It’s like listening to a grown men cry and slam on their instruments for an hour.” She gave me her copy. “Have fun, I guess.”

I cried the first time I heard this record.

She was right. This is a record that you could technically mistake for a broken man crying and howling into a microphone and the band slamming on their instruments in a brutal outlet of emotion.

But it’s a f**k**g masterpiece.

There’s a good reason why would a band make such a dark, deep record – all five members had a significant number of family members and loved ones die on them between their last record, Deja Entendu and the writing of this one. When funeral homes become common to the human psyche, the result can be surprising.

The twelve tracks rely heavily on echoing, looming, almost creepy guitar effects (see ‘Welcome to Bangkok’ and the acoustic effort ‘Luca’) of Vincent Accordi and Jesse Lacey. The two work like clockwork, an almost natural feeling to the many differing riffs, distorted and disdained. There’s almost a sense of shame to their sound – almost as if the songs were never meant to be played…almost as if this record wasn’t meant to happen.

Jesse Lacey is a force to be reckoned with on this record. He is the driving force of the band – his lyrical talent is unprecedented. ‘Jesus Christ, that’s a pretty face/the kind you could find on someone I could save/If they don’t put me away….well/It’ll be a miracle’ kicks off the track ‘Jesus’ with an airy murmur. ‘What did you do those three days you were dead/’Cause this problem’s gonna last/more than the weekend.’ His solemn coos and unyielding scream – not the screamo screaming, but a legitimate, agonizing scream, that draws the most emotion out of the listener.

I could go on and on about Jesse Lacey. But that’s more of an individual experience, should you buy this CD.

However, be warned.

This is not a happy record. This is not a record for anyone who’s into a good time with music. This is not a record for the fans of Your Favorite Weapon or fans of the notion that music should always be a good time. This band is beyond that. They’ve become something more.

This is a record to feel something to. For as long as there is good, there shall be the bad – so why not make it f**k**g horrible?

SCORE.
10/10.

RECOMMENDED IF YOU LIKE.
mewithoutYou, emotion at its rawest.

[Wednesday_R]

Sounds artsy - I like artsy.
I'ma check that one out.

Edit - 1:34 into Welcome To Bangkok, I am sold sir.

[mrfabulous]

*Fabby has gained +2 Charisma!*

[mrfabulous]

New review tonight.