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Due to overwhelming volume, OpeningBands.com regrets that is not accepting CD admissions at this time.
| by phil prather (AnalogBoy) / nicole gleeson (Nicoleluvsu) | |
1. The Letter K
2. Conquering the English
3. For the Person Who Has Everything
4. Later that Same Day
5. I’ll See You When I’m a Robot
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Band: Sherlock
CD: Sherlock |
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Review #1 - Nicole Gleeson
Sherlock came into existence less than a year ago, in the spring of 2004, when the original duo of Derek Porter and John Scott began sharing a life long passion of theirs: music. When they realized their common interest could turn into something serious, they joined with drummer Ted Rundquist and later Chad Molloy on guitar to finalize their line-up.
The demo was released in Mid-October of 2004, before Chad had completed their set. At this time, Sherlock had only performed live a total of six times. This makes the demo substantially more impressive, since the band, as well as each of its members, is so young.
The first track "The Letter K" sets the mood, giving the listener a peek at what is to come. The introduction gives us a peek at some melodic layering of each of the three main instruments. We get a glimpse at John and Derek's vocals and how they use their unique voices in an alternating pattern. In the third track, entitled, "For the Person Who Has Everything", John tells us to "Slow down, give it a rest, you're not changing anything". These lyrics contrast with the loudness of the guitar riffs. At this point, even if you don't know the words, you may still find yourself humming the melody.
The track on the disc that stands out the most has to be the fifth track, entitled "I'll See You When I'm A Robot". It has a lengthy introduction, which accentuates each of the guitar parts. The vocals enter with "This is serious" during the middle two minutes of the six minute song, setting the stage for the boys to express their view of what they have become. They end the masterpiece with a two minute breakdown, where each band member's individual musical talent is showcased.
Overall this demo by Sherlock really caught my attention. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys listening to great unsigned or local bands, or bands influenced by artists ranging from At the Drive In to The Beach Boys, with vocals modeled after Counterfit.
You can check out some great pictures of these hot boys at: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/tbrassf2/recordatio/bands/sherlock/index.htm
Review #2 - Phil Prather
Coming from Decatur, Illinois, Sherlock brings their own brand of energetic indie-rock to the table in this first release. With influences ranging from Jimmy Eat World and Green Day, to Cursive and The Mars Volta, Sherlock comes up with a sound that seems to be all their own. Each song on the EP has it's own flavor and it keeps the listeners attention.
The fast pace and occasional screams in "The Letter K" make for a good start to the album, and the one minute piano/synth interlude that leads into "Conquering the English" proves that Sherlock knows what they're doing, and that they do it well. Two singers switch off on lead vocals constantly during each song, and while one sings lead, the other usually provides backing vocals for the other. The female backing vocals on "Later That Same Day" are pleasant, but with three or four voices singing at once, it's a bit confusing to make out what's being sung. While "I'll See You When I'm a Robot" makes for a nice jam or breakdown song during a live set, having it drag on for six minutes seems to be a bit much. Long length aside, it's a good song that makes for a good close to this release.
For a first release, this is a great start for any band. Sherlock clearly knows what they're doing and they should keep up the good work. Be sure to keep a look out for these guys in the future, you can also check them out right now at www.sherlockrock.com.
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| by casey best (happyhobo) / dan schreiber (franzDan) | |
1. Deathmobile
2. Operation: Love
3. Democrazy
4. Never Gonna Buy It
5. (r)Evolution of the (he)Art
6. Hug a Republican
7. When We Unite
8. Note to Self
9. Maybe You Believe
10. Wait and See
11. (The Present)
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Band: Theory of Everything
CD: 'Evolution of the 'Art |
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Review #1 - Casey Best
I recall a member of Openingbands once paraphrasing a quote along the lines of "music should never be harmless." Music is a powerful force, and whether lyrics are about political action or lost love, it's capable of imbuing an artist's personally held beliefs with a universal appeal. Champaign-Urbana's very own Theory of Everything definitely focuses it's lyrical sight on the "political action" edge of the spectrum, writing songs that are about as harmless as a lion. An angry lion.
Comprised of local talents Darrin Drda, David Tcheng, Paul Kotheimer, and Kevin Colravy, Theory of Everything has musical talent to spare. Each song is different from the one before it--the album can go from rock to funk to folk faster than you can say "misunderestimate." The third track, "Democrazy" is basically impossible to describe, with a fast pace, fantastic bass, and underlying brass section. The incredible thing to note with ToE is that no matter the genre, the band sounds right at home. Listeners of every taste are sure to find something they like on the album.
However, it's not likely that listeners of every ideology will find something they like. Believe it or not, with song titles like "Hug a Republican" and "Democrazy," 'Evolution of the 'Art has a very liberal message. This resonated well with my own personal tastes, but it's not a stretch of the imagination to think that conservatives would dislike the ideas expressed on the CD. Even these critics, however, would be hardpressed to deny the cleverness of the lyrics. Instilling a political message while keeping a sense of humor, "Hug a Republican" contains lines like "sometimes those superpatriots just make me want to gag / when innocents are dying and they're flying little flags." The delivery is especially funny because it's not in a morose folk song; rather, it's set to a happy country tune. Personally, I strongly recommend the CD and would suggest going to www.darrindrda.org.
Review #2 - Dan Schreiber
I'm not a Republican, and this is supposed to be about music not politics; but I am getting less and less impressed by bands that are trying to promote a political agenda through song. I know that we are in a college community and people are understandably liberal and into being active and trying to change stuff, but come on! I just want to hear a catchy tune; not be barraged by yet another liberal singer/songwriter complaining about the Iraq war. Don't people write about love and breaking up anymore? I mean what the hell, seriously, it's ridiculous, but let me analyze their music now.
Theory of Everything does play well, which makes it hard to view this album as yet another whiny piece of liberal propaganda. They are very eclectic, I like the flugal horn, but not the other brass and soulful saxophone. They also remind me of Modest Mouse because of this, but then, maybe it's just the brass backing. Darrin Drda, who apparently sports the badass tat on the cover of the album, is an accomplished singer, and the rest of the band is pretty good too. The melodies are immediatly catchy and full of plenty of really good hooks.
Their lyrics are funny but shallow. "Hug a Republican" is very funny song; my favorite line is "they might be quite reluctant/ cause they'll wonder if you're gay." But, it gets somewhat old after about five listens, since it and some of the other songs are more like novelties than serious songs; there is just nothing really to digest. "Deathmobile" is another song like this, its a funny song about SUVs but its really more of a novelty. Other songs are more serious, but then I can't really get into the lyrics, cause its just about you know, disliking Bush and stuff.
Basically my main problem with this band is that the songs are catchy and enjoyable to listen to, but they don't really have too much power, and can't really be taken at more than face value. I wish that bands like this sung about different stuff instead of just Republicans; they could go for a Tom Lehrer approach and sing about how to divide numbers in base eight, or you know more like They Might Be Giants, and sing about particle men or something. They could still sing deliciously off-kilter songs, but for god's sake, STOP SINGING ABOUT REPUBLICANS, they suck, everyone already knows that, move on.
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| by joseph m. pence (notaninja) / jessica cochran (lemmingcontrol) | |
1. Waiting for a Sign
2. G.S.D.O
3. Holy Interface
4. Taste is Talent
5. Immaterial
6. Loving Every Minute
7. Mount Hope
8. Trees
9. Blunted
10. G.S.D.O (slow)
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Band: Wetcat
CD: The Paramecium Kite |
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Review #1 - Jessica Cochran
Wetcat's album The Paramecium Kite is not the average fare that we usually get to review at Openingbands. It is not ‘indie rock.'
The album consists of ten tracks of electronic music, ranging from dissonant industrial sounds to synth pop. The Paramecium Kite on the whole is very melodic, not just the droning bass beats that some of you may associate with electronic music. There are vocals in every song, but most of the time, they have been so distorted it is impossible to know what the lyrics are. This does not detract from the songs though; it just adds another melody instrument.
This album is very well put together. It sounds professional and the songs don't get boring. I don't claim to be an aficionada of electronic music, but I really enjoyed The Paramecium Kite, and I would highly recommend it. If you want to check out some songs, go to www.wetcat.org, and check out the mp3s.
Review #2 - Joe Pence
When robots and aliens gather together for sex/interface, Wetcat is their Al Green. No, I'm being totally serious here. Wetcat, alias Gavin Suntop, alias Disco Gavin from Charleton Heston and the Damn Dirty Apes way back in the proverbial day, is at the forefront of some bigtime sensuality except this shizz is not exactly of this same dimension.
"Waiting for a Sign" starts the degaussing with a glitchy 303-beat and hip-hop rapidfire rhyming, leading up to a solo for what sounds like a crazy electric clarinet parsed in a non-Western tonal scale. "G.S.O.D." is grinding industrial roar with the four-alarm dissonance of darkwave paranoia upfront. "Taste is Talent" pairs up a whobbling bass backbeat with scratches and a horns sample that sounds like it was ripped off with class from a 20-year-old Amiga. Then there's the warm Moog-like patterns of "Loving Every Minute of It," which sits just on this side of sincere simplicity from dadaist oddity. "Mount Hope" has its morose drum vibe, its irresistible line "Count Dracula's gonna smack you up," and -- holy shit, is that a guitar?! The multivariate, multifarious components extend even into Suntop's verbal melodies, which range from wacked out yet suave Bowie-esque spoken-word whispers to streams of detached, autotuned vox ex machina, to libertine vocoder-laden harmonics.
This is some serious leftfield. This is Charlie Clouser remixing Autechre for the ill-referenced and a cerebral headjacking for the uninitiated. But if you don't mind your mind turning to moosh, you tune in and realize Wetcat's songs are so many layers of offguard and off-kilter that they become greater than the sum of their many strange parts. Just don't stare at the music too long.
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| by scott woods (Monophonic81) / travis wayne hurt (FIELDOR) | |
1. Here Comes Your Boyfriend
2. Jumpin’ Around
3. Hot
4. X-Communication
5. What You’d Like
6. Confident
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Band: The Buckners
CD: See You in Court |
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Review #1 - Travis Hurt
After going to the website of The Buckners (www.thebuckners.com) I have decided that they are indeed named after Bill Buckner. I decided this because all of their shows are indeed in Massachucettes, which is where Boston is which is where the Red Sox play, which is the team that Bill Buckner lost the 1986 World Series for. Bill Buckner took the blame for the futility of the Red Sox until this past November when they won the World Series. I will now go on with the actual review.
Most of the songs actually remind me of Nerf Herder, especially the second song "Jumpin' Around". I only tell you this because depending on if you hate or love Nerf Herder you will know whether you should keep reading or not. This record is nothing groundbreaking, but seriously what is these days? The guitars while not horrible, are nothing very complicated.
That being said, all of the songs are very catchy, and if you listen to it more than once they will jump around inside of your head, or in your dreams, or you will catch yourself singing them while bathing or making love to yourself or someone else even. Also, the actual quality of the recording is above most things that we review at this website. No instrument dominates another, and the record flows nicely.
The CD packaging is interesting also, mainly because the inside features drawings of old Supreme Court justices pointing, sneering, and pounding their fists. They are all sporting wigs, and one even has a nice beard. The names of the band members are under these drawings, and I hope to God that they actually look like this.
Overall I think this CD is worth a listen. It is only 21 minutes long so if you hate it, you have not wasted much of your life. You can check out some mp3's on their Web site www.thebuckners.com or you can purchase See You In Court for only $5.
Review #2 - Scott Woods
The Buckners hail from the same state as political has been John Kerry. Maybe he could pick up a copy of their album, See You In Court, to help cheer himself up. It is slightly edgy pop with whimsical lyrics. This was by no means the greatest album I have ever heard, but each time I listened to it I found myself humming the songs hours later. You know that is really annoying, but you also know that means these guys are doing something right.
With lyrics including "Here's comes your boyfriend, dressed up like a girl again" and "He's got a date with the special someone and she is know to have some fun" you know you aren't jumping into the deep end of the thought pool here. However, the lyrics don't really matter. It is really just about having fun. So stop analyzing things, Freud.
The production quality of this album is superb. All the instruments are balanced perfectly and the vocals are crisp. There are some effects in certain songs and these don't even come off as too engineered. The inside cover art is also very entertaining, caricatures of the band members as old school judges with the big sheep wigs.
With only six songs, I hesitate to call this a full album, but it is still worth checking out. If anything, listening to it once will drive out whatever other song you have stuck in your head at the time. Visit their website www.thebuckners.com for more info.
WARNING: Typing "The Buckners" into google will send you to www.thebuckners.co.uk, a webpage devoted to Katia and Vince Buckner. They are a lovely couple who met on IRC and fell in love and apperently travel the world and take lots of pictures. And they have a website all about it. It is so cute, I shit myself.
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| by scott woods (Monophonic81) / phil prather (AnalogBoy) | |
1. Aberdeen
2. Easter Never Came
3. One Last Time
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Band: Farewell to February
CD: Basements of Broadway |
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Review #1 - Scott Woods
Farewell to February is a four piece bucket of finger lickin' rock from Indiana. On their website, conveniently named www.farewelltofebruary.com, they list some of their influences as Sublime, Alkaline Trio, and (ATTENTION: C-U HIPSTERS!!) Hum. I personally have never heard Hum, but all you greasy freaks out there in town talk about them all the time so you may want to pick up this EP and give it a spin.
This three song EP shows a lot of talent from a group that does not look to be too old. The guitar lines are crisp, the bass is solid, and the drums are tight. Farewell to February has managed to capture that sound of being heavy and light at the same time. They are like a sumo wrestler petting a kitten. You'll understand what I mean after listening to their song "One Last Time". The bass and drums rock heavy in the back while the vocals fly over everything.
The EP itself shows many signs of heavy engineering on it. All the vocals sound processed and the levels tend to fluctuate to help accentuate different parts. At times this can be distrating, as in the previously mentioned track "One Last Time" when at times the drums seem to be off in another room buying a Coke.
In all, this is a very good effort for an EP and I would look forward to them coming to the area. Also, their website, again www.farewelltofebruary.com, has many songs for you to download if you want to get a taste of it yourself.
Review #2 - Phil Prather
Don't let the name fool you, Farewell to February is not another cliché emo band, but in fact they have a much heavier hard rock sound that one could compare to Tool or Chevelle. Basements of Broadway is a short three-song release, but it is professionally presented in a nice cardboard CD sleeve with nice artwork, complete with band and recording credits. It's nice to see a band that takes even a small release seriously.
The songs themselves are fairly well written. "Aberdeen" could easily be confused for a Chevelle song if it were to be heard on the radio. The lead vocals are ran through some kind of computer effect. The vocals fit in well with the music, but it would be nice to hear the vocals without effects. FTF might need to pay royalties to Taking Back Sunday for the opening to "Easter Never Came," but it could go unnoticed. It's actually fairly radio friendly; with a more upbeat tempo. The only thing that might keep it from being on the radio would be the repetitive chorus, "I know, I know, I know." The last song, "One Last Time" could appeal to fans of (more recent) Incubus, but maybe that isn't a compliment.
It's hard to remember any of the songs after hearing them, but that's coming from someone who isn't a fan of any of the mentioned bands. The best things that Farewell to February can do are to keep up their work, and step out from behind the computer vocal effects. Listen for yourself at www.farewelltofebruary.com. They could really get somewhere in the business if the nu-metal movement ever comes back.
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| by nellie waddell (farmernell) / phil prather (AnalogBoy) | |
1. All That We Needed
2. Revenge
3. Take Me Away
4. My Only One
5. Sad Story
6. Breakdown
7. What More Do You Want?
8. Lazy Day Afternoon
9. Anything
10. Sing My Best
11. Faster
12. Last Call
13. Hey There Delilah
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Band: Plain White T's
CD: All That We Needed |
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Review #1 - Nellie Waddell
I was pretty excited at the prospect of reviewing the new Plain White T's album, All That We Needed. I liked what I had heard of the Chicago fivesome's first album Stop on what was then the Planet. My excitement ended when I actually heard the CD. The first two times I listened to it, I was at work. I noticed and appreciated the energetic start of the title track when I first inserted the CD and hit play. I started doing my job and suddenly track 13, "Hey There Delilah," was coming on with a friend saying it was his favorite song on the album. What had happened to the other 11 songs? That's right, All That We Needed is one of those records—the background noise, totally forgettable album. There's nothing technically wrong with it; it just doesn't have anything captivating.
Okay so maybe I was overly occupied with my job to pay proper attention to the album. Listen number three: I slipped the CD into my computer and tried again. I still liked "All That We Needed." Second track, "Revenge," wasn't so bad. Then it happened again; the different songs started blending all together and not sounding too different. A few of the songs have catchy choruses, but mostly I couldn't keep focused on the majority of the lyrics. The percussion dominated my listening experience and always kept my toe tapping, but that's not enough for me to consider it a good album. You can make up your own mind by checking out www.plainwhitets.com and clicking where it says "listen."
Review #2 - Phil Prather
The Plain White T's return to the scene with their long overdue follow-up album to their 2002 release Stop, with All That We Needed. The album brings back the same sing-along lyrics about love, hate, frustration and just being lazy (see "Lazy Day Afternoon") that the Plain White T‘s are known for. If you are not familiar with the Plain White T's, imagine Jimmy Eat World with a broken heart, upbeat attitude, and a more radio-friendly style of songwriting. Between Ariel Rechtshaid (Armor For Sleep) producing and Lou Giordano (Taking Back Sunday, The Ataris) behind the mixing board, the sound quality is practically perfect.
Due to some personnel changes over the past few years, the Plain White T's sound has made some changes. The bass-lines are much stronger and drive some songs more often than others ("Revenge," "My Only One," "Anything"), thanks to new bassist, Mike Retondo. The drum beats are faster, harder, and more complex due to new drummer, De'Mar Hamilton (Knockout) behind the drum kit. The guitar riffs don't have the same edge to them as they did on their previous album, it may be due to the departure of former guitarist, Steve Mast. Tim Lopez does a fine job of singing and playing guitar, but he doesn't quite fill Masts' shoes.
The high energy chorus of "All That We Needed" is a great way to start the record. Tom Higginson sings, "I might be a fool / You might be one too / Maybe we're all that we needed / Two wrongs don't make a right / But I don't care tonight / Maybe we're all that we needed." "Take Me Away," "Breakdown," and "Last Call" are all well written tunes that will have anyone singing along within seconds. You might want to skip over "Lazy Day Afternoon" and "Faster," because both songs are practically forgettable in the first place. The main guitar riff in "What More Do You Want?" will have you dancing around or playing air guitar. (Don't ask me why, it just happens.) Plus with lyrics like "Tell me what's wrong / Tell me what's right / Tell how you want me to do it tonight," it's hard not to sing along. After all the love, hate, and frustration throughout the album, the acoustic ballad, "Hey There Delilah" brings the album to a soft and warm comforting close.
When all is said and done, the Plain White T's still do what they do best. They create great sing-along power-pop/rock that a lot of people can relate to. It's hard to match up to a great album like Stop, but the T's took a step in a new direction, but it's not very far from where they started. The catchy and heartfelt lyrics, countless vocal harmonies, groovy bass lines, and the same style and presentation the Plain White T's are known for are all here, this album really is "All That We Needed."
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| by nellie waddell (farmernell) / phil prather (AnalogBoy) | |
1. My Everything
2. Wasted
3. Ocean Size
4. Uncomfortable
5. Too Many Nights
6. Damaged
7. Behind the Mask
8. I Want
9. Iron Fist
10. Walk Away
11. Faith
12. Stalker
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Band: Goldfinger
CD: Disconnection Notice |
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Review #1 - Nellie Waddell
Disconnection Notice is the first Goldfinger album I've listened to completely. I liked it the first time and keep liking it more every time I play it—except "Behind the Mask." It was okay the first few times, but I can only listen to sound bites of PETA's president describing a slaughterhouse so many times. "Iron Fist" is the other political track on the album. I'm not a big fan of political music, but I enjoy this anti-Patriot Act song.
After 10 years together, Goldfinger succeeds with Disconnection Notice where many other pop-punk/power-pop albums fail; the 12 tracks don't all sound the same. There's the two political songs I already mentioned, upbeat songs you would expect from Goldfinger like "My Everything" and "Wasted," and one all-out goofy track, "Stalker." On "Ocean Size," Bert McCracken (The Used) vocally goes where Goldfinger's John Feldman only dreams of. If you don't like one song, it won't last long. The longest song is 3:38.
If you're looking for another "Counting the Days," you might find it in "Wasted." Goldfinger has no tour dates currently scheduled, so picking up their album is going to have to satisfy you for now. And I think you will find Disconnection Notice satisfying.
Review #2 - Phil Prather
It's been three years since Goldfinger released their last album and this one was well worth the wait. Disconnection Notice contains probably some of the best songwriting in Goldfinger's career. The album has songs for any Goldfinger fan, whether you like the ska-punk with a hint humor from Goldfinger and Hang-Ups, the upbeat tempo and sing-along songs from Stomping Ground or the edgy and political songs from Open Your Eyes. There is something for everyone on this album.
"My Everything" starts off the album and is the heaviest song of the album. One might compare the song to something Rise Against would play, but don't worry, you can still tell that it's Goldfinger. "Uncomfortable" and "Behind the Mask" both feature a horn section, which could make fans of older Goldfinger albums very happy. Political messages are the main ideas behind "Iron Fist" and "Behind the Mask", both are well written songs and don't simply preach to the listener.
Fans of Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" will probably enjoy "Damaged." The song follows a similar slow marching beat and depressing theme. It is in no way a rip-off of the Green Day song, but a similar style of song. Don't fear that Goldfinger went and got all political and sad on you, they still have their sense of humor. "Wasted" and "Stalker" will have people singing along or laughing at a first listen. "Wasted" features a mandolin, provided by Flogging Molly's Robert Schmidt. It adds a nice touch, but probably isn't needed to make "Wasted" a good song. Bert McCracken of the Used lends his signature screaming vocals to the background of "Ocean Size," which fit in nicely in comparison to John Feldmann voice.
Goldfinger didn't overdo anything on this album; they knew where to add a guest vocal or a hand clap into a song. Of all the Goldfinger albums that I own (I own them all), I probably like this one the best (with Stomping Ground coming in 2nd). Goldfinger put there old and new qualities into this record. It's definitely worth picking up. After your first listen through the album, you'll remember one line for sure, "I wanna marry my stalker."
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| by casey best (happyhobo) / chris earnhart (Pocket) | |
1. The Mods Go Mad
2. Stiltwalker's Local no. 119
3. A Postcard From The Sea
4. The Conversation
5. Happiness
6. Now You Know
7. El Shocko
8. Medicated
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Band: Bloodthirsty Lovers
CD: The Delicate Seam |
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Review #1 - Casey Best
Bloodthirsty Lovers may hail from Memphis, but they certainly sound like they hail from whatever planet spawns bands like the Flaming Lips. With ambient guitars and droning repetitive percussion, The Delicate Seam sounds like an album that you know you've heard somewhere--probably in a movie soundtrack--but just weren't interested enough in to research fully.
It's not that their songs are bad; on the contrary, songs like "The Mods Go Mad" and "Medicated" are great. "The Mods Go Mad" moves slowly with hazy vocals and echoing guitar, occasionally snapping into a more typical song form with clearer vocals and distorted melodic guitar. "Medicated" features more of the dreamlike pace of most of the CD, but with a female vocalist whose voice plays excellently against the instrumentation.
My biggest problem with the album is that it's that kind of "check out how we're playing unique music with ambient guitars" that you've probably heard before. My personal favorite song was "Happiness," as it stands out from the rest of the tracks with it's 2:42 length and decent pacing. To be fair to Bloodthirsty Lovers, I'm just not a huge fan of their style of music. I'd suggest anyone who's interested to judge for themselves and go to www.bloodthirstylovers.com.
Review #2 - Chris Earnhart
The great thing about The Delicate Seam is that I read the lyrics page and did not understand a line, but when I listened to the music, I felt like I really got it. I was surprised to find that this is their first album, as it is just all around well done.
I tried to pin them down to a genre or band-look-a-like to more easily define them, but I had troubles. I feel like those who enjoy bands like Deathcab for Cutie or Interpol will definitely enjoy this album. But even some who don't like those bands might still like the Lovers, because they don't really sound the same.
For example, "El Shocko," feels like a combination of old 50's rock complete with backup singers and a piano, but they add distorted vocals. "Stiltwalker's Local no. 199" uses rolling guitar and steady drum beats to conjure up the image of men balance-walking around on stilts. In "A Postcard from the Sea," the vocalist dominates the music and makes the narrator's tale seem like a restless dream, which is exactly the point. In spite of the diversity, the whole album has a great flow, and I don't skip songs.
This would go on my list of highest recommendations. Unless you are looking for straight old-school rock, then check these guys out. You can listen to their whole album from their website www.bloodthirstylovers.com(though it doesn't seem like the quality is quite as good). Or, I can do you one better: They are playing next Friday (4/8/05) at the Highdive with Magnolia Electric Co. for $10.
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| by megan kniepkamp (megnak) / jack marck (canopyplayer) | |
1. Ego
2. Speak and Spell
3. Another Mission
4. A Blaze
5. Night and Day
6. Dragons
7. Winners Win
8. Thugs
9. Fin
10. “Art”
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Band: The First Second
CD: The First Second |
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Review #1 - Megan Kniepkamp
The First Second is a Montreal-based duo comprised of Stacy Burns on guitar and Jessejames Locorriere as lead singer. Eric Tschappeler accompanies on drums and other percussion and a variety of other musicians also appear on the album, but from the website it is clear that Burns and Locorriere are the heart and soul of the group. This 10-track self-titled CD is their debut recording as The First Second.
Fortunately for me, while working on this review I had a three-hour car ride to devote entirely to this CD. Unfortunately for them, I have to admit I was completely bored after about an hour. Locorriere's vocal quality is reminiscent of Godsmack's Sully Erna. It's a nice sound, but he doesn't have much variety and is a little monotonous. This is layered over a collection of deliberate and repetitive guitar, bass guitar, and drum lines. These lines seem to be interesting the first couple of times, but after a minute or two of the songs, they get pretty tedious. Added to the mix are various strings, especially violin, which are very nice and add interest overall, but which don't really seem to mix with the rest of the sound. The result is a CD with very little cohesion, and after the first listen I found myself hitting the "next track" button halfway through a song over and over again.
Respect is due to Locorriere for the clarity of his vocals. Throughout the disc, each and every lyric is clear and easy to understand. Unfortunately, that's where the clarity ends. Maybe it's just me, but the songs just don't make much sense. I got the feeling throughout that they were aiming for a Nirvana-like depth, but the storytelling is missing. There are catchy passages and a few phrases which made me think, but I just wasn't drawn in. After a few tracks, they all started to blend together a little, and as a whole it got to be more boring and depressing than interesting or poetic.
This is not to say that The First Second are lacking in potential. I think that with a little work, the band could grow and go on to release some very good music. All of the musicians are talented, Burns' voice is interesting and entertaining, and they seem to enjoy making music together. In time, I think I could come to like the First Second, but I don't think I would widely recommend this particular album.
Review #2 - Jack Marck
A band hailing from Montreal, The First Second released this as their debut album.
I couldn't listen to this cd all the way through the first time I popped it in quite simply because it was irritatingly depressing. The music is very dark but well arranged (the strings might be a bit overdone but not overtly so) and the lyrics tend to be very bleak. That said, there are people out there who really like this kind of music, and I think it's done very well. As much as I disliked the music, I did feel very strongly about it and music is supposed to move you somehow. This cd is very powerful. The interplay between the music and lyrics is very natural and organic, both working together to paint a very grim picture. Life isn't always happy, and if you like music that reflects the less happy aspects of our imperfect world, this cd harshly examines the less social human traits.
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| by nathan schwalm (mythox007) / joseph m. pence (notaninja) | |
1. In die Einsamkeit
2. Touch Me
3. Ohne Dich
4. Truly Living
5. Deliverence
6. Whatever Makes You Happy
7. Under My Skin
8. Love Is In My World
9. Feuerengel
10. Wonderworld
11. In the Darkness
12. I'm Alive
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Band: Girls Under Glass
CD: Zyklus |
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Review #1 - Joe Pence
This one time I watched this one version of the silent horror Nosferatu that, other than being inappropriately hosted by David Carradine, was notable because it had a soundtrack by Type O Negative "influenced by the movie." The soundtrack didn't follow the onscreen sequence of events much, and gradually became totally distracting and was detrimental to the flow of the movie. When I listened to the latest album from prominent German industrial group, Girls Under Glass, Zyklus, I immediately felt it would make a much more appropriate choice for inclusion with the movie Nosferatu. Industrial enthuisists might be disappointed, this is a very prosaic and midtempo electro-rock sound, there's no sampling and little over-the-top vocal theatrics, but this album evokes tons of atmospherics that fit seamlessly into the Dracula mythos. Allow me to elaborate:
"Whatever Makes You Happy," the hypersimplistic ballad set to growling, multidirectional guitars, and a burst of chorals could be the innocence of true love between Jonathan and Mina Harker. Jonathan heads off to meet the mysterious Count, stopping by night among the torchlights of the suspicious villagers to the somnabulistic dub of the eery song "Under My Skin." "Ohne Dich" has a chugging murderous bass that could track the stagecoach as it winds its way up the haunted Carpathians, Harker in tow. The song "Touch Me" could be Dracula's confrontation with his castle-guest, howling guitars and a shadow-work of synthesizers following the phantom's steps down the passageways. Dracula's true nature could be made manifest in the coffin-rising in the heightening appegiatos of "Love is in My World." "Feuerengel" with its crackling fury could highlight Dracula and the plague as they arrive at port to ransack the city, and "I'm Alive," with its Exorcist-like chimes and conclusive buildup could mark the remission and inevitable destruction of Dracula at the hands of Mina Harker's sacrifice.
Or maybe not, it's only a suggestion.
One additional note -- Girls Under Glass's songs are sung in both German and English, with each language more or less reserved for two sets of differing emotions. Their harshest songs in German remind me of Megaherz or Rammstein in their snarling hooks, their most meditative in English remind me of Black Heaven, only with less characteristic EBM-chirping. If you have a chance, check out Zyklus, it's lowkey but never passive, and it has a thematic magnitude that deserves greater appreciation, or atleast some appropriate visual counterpart... and I don't mean David Carradine.
Review #2 - Nathan Schwalm
Here's a new album from a band out of Hamburg, Germany. Their music is best described as melodic Goth. rock/ darkwave group. There is a hybrid of German and English tunes with 3/4 of it in simplistic English grammar. What makes this interesting and different from other darkwave/ gothic groups are in the lyrics. All of the lyrics contain some positive messages of hope and love (this is NOT a Christian rock band though) in the dark overtones with it's charm of romantic wording and looking on the bright side of dark times. Strange, yet cool for a band in comparison to groups like Die Warsaw, Deadsy, and Rammstein.
Now, my least favorite aspect of this album are the lacking of originality in the music compared to the unique lyrics. All of the songs tend to sound similar to each other of the extent that there is no distinctive difference between songs like "Ohne Dich" and "Whatever Makes You Happy" during the 50 minutes of music presenting here. I guess the group wants the safety net in similar tempos, style, and ideas. As for me, the lyrics are rather good but the music is just plain bland and boring after repeated listens. Hopefully, their approach will be better on the next album.
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