I am thrilled and bored. I'm unskilled, adored

This was a recommendation from someone on a forum. I went with the first album anyone mentioned. 

I’m gonna start things off with a somewhat surprising fact: I’ve never really listened to Sonic Youth. Sure I’ve heard of them and heard a song here and there, but never in my life have I been exposed to a whole album. I’m excited because they have been on my to-listen list for a good while and for whatever reason I was never compelled to look into it. I honestly don’t know what their biggest albums are, or what their hit songs were, or anything about the band. One song in and I already recognize what is essentially the vocal melody from my favorite Yuck song – Operation. I am immediately bombarded with sounds I’ve heard before but never knew where they originated. This is why I like going back to listen to (relatively) old music – finding out why groups I know sound the way they do, what they were fans of, and what they thought needed perfecting.

They turn up the noise and the punk sound on the next track and then things get more drawn out and experimental. When they get noisy it’s not droning, and it keeps a sense of melody most of the time. My favorite instrumental jam segments are on The Sprawl and ‘Cross the Breeze. They’re epic, beautiful, powerful, and very well balanced. There are however times when they seem a bit directionless and the dissonance goes on too long like in Total Trash, and I wish they’d just move on. The longer songs do wind up going back to being cohesive in the end. That’s pretty much the construction of the whole record and the band’s sound in general: fast-slow, structured-experimental, catchy-noisy. Each songs is dynamic and easily distinguishable from the others.

The guitars and drumming are the stars of the show here, but the basswork is mighty fine when it manages to stand out. The build ups, which usually occur during transitions from noise back to the previously established song, are some of the best parts of the album. One of the bigger problems I have with these guys is I’m really not a fan of the majority of the vocals. They’re fine in small doses but there is no variation and most of the time they’re just boring and intentionally monotone. It does sound cool sometimes but the album is so long that I found myself getting tired of the style maybe halfway through.

Even without reading about them or anything, the importance of the album in music’s history is not lost on me, and it’s easy to see how influential these guys were. It’s clear they played a key role in not only shoegaze’s formation, but modern indie rock in general. The real important thing is that this stuff absolutely holds up, but I feel like I might appreciate what it led to more than the album itself. I’ll keep listening. 

If I was in my 20s in 1988 I Imagine I’d be inclined to give this a 10, but I can’t help but feeling like I’ve heard advancements in their sound, so I’m giving this a boring score of 7.

Surprise! Album leaked, and I’m so glad it did. 

Mars Volta fans are funny people. We come in many forms and we all have different favorites but we’ve all got one thing in common: we’re all assholes. It comes with the territory - The Voltas themselves said in an interview once that they were out to make the most obnoxious sounds possible (I think this was for Bedlam). While everyone has different favorites, the consensus is that by the time they got to Octahedron, they were a shadow of their former selves, the magic was gone. I am inclined to agree with that idea, but because that album was just weak, not necessarily because they changed their sound. Noctourniquet moves even farther away from their cacophonous pedigree and into the realm of relative normality. That’s right; there are “traditional” songs here that could probably be enjoyed by an “average” person. There are only two songs that clock in at 6 minutes or more! If you can’t handle that, you are going to hate this album and you are probably a bigger asshole than me.

There are a handful of classic Mars Volta moments on the album, like the awesome solo on Molochwalker, but for the most part this is uncharted territory for them. The first thing I noticed was how differently Cedric sings/handles his part of the songwriting. His presence is more commanding here than ever before, there are ton of really creative melodies here that are so strange and yet so beautiful. I never thought I’d say it but in some songs they actually stand out the most. I feel like they’re supposed to though, since the music is not composed or mixed like it was on past TMV records. The drumming is less spastic, the guitars are less abrasive and disjointed, and instead there are these weird electronic freakouts that are a double edged sword.

Said electronic bits show up mostly on the first half of the album. For the most part I dig them, but sometimes they seem to interrupt what the song already had going instead of working with the song. Some of the more subtle ambient electronic noises definitely fit and they are expertly layered. That reminds me, I hope I didn’t make the music sound too tame or accessible, because rest assured these are still really weird songs that pack plenty of surprises. They change things up considerably between tracks but there’s a consistent atmosphere throughout the whole package that I think works quite well. It’s got this really unsettling nature to it. The chord progressions on some of these tracks (especially the slower, quieter songs on the second half of the album) are phenomenal and definitely fall outside of what I would have previously considered Omar’s comfort range.

Again, I’m a fan of their other stuff, but it’s also incredible easy for me to be critical about it. They’re just a polarizing group. This continued shift in sound from Octahedron has proven to be a good thing. This ain’t The Mars Volta you already know and love. There’s less masturbation, more melody, emotion, and self-control. In some ways it’s like they’ve grown up, but at the same time it’s almost like they’ve taken some steps back.

I think this album deserves a 7.5/10. I can’t stop listening to it, but I can’t predict how I’ll feel after I wear it out.

Oh did I say I was going to do this daily? WOOPS.

Raised By Swans is primarily an indie rock band but they constantly flirt with post-rock and shoegaze to shake things up and craft a sound that is their own. This album is extremely haunting and beautiful, as the album art hints at. Anyone who has seen Grave of the Fireflies has already had a reaction to the cover. Those of you who haven’t, get on that pronto, but be ready to cry. I found myself drawing a lot of parallels between Grave and this album.

For the most part, Codes stays slow, but there are some tracks like There is No Escape that kick the tempo up. Raised By Swans are masters of the melody – the vocals are absolutely stunning on pretty much every track. They’re smooth, unobtrusive, and really set the mood. The lyrical content seems to deal with love and loss, primarily. The basslines on this album are top notch, and keep us grounded while the guitars float off into the sky. So while the band is solid, the album clocks in at just over an hour, and that can be problematic if you aren’t in the exact mood for this music.

That becomes all too apparent towards the end of the album on Imagined Life. Tracks like that just don’t seem critical and maybe should have been cut from the final version of this release. I’m wary of using the word “filler” hear because I don’t really want to insult it; it’s a pretty song and it fits the album. Not long after is what I would probably say is the track that stands out the most: Scent. This may be the high point on the whole record. It starts out with their signature slow burn post-rock intro but builds up into a shoegazey chorus with this crazy falsetto and gorgeous imagery.

You wouldn’t put Grave on at a party, would you? Actually that might be a really awesome party if everyone knew about it and there were no surprises. Well the same goes for this music. There is a pretty well-kept balance between slow and fast here, so if you’re feeling it, you’ll have a good time and likely form a strong connection to it. There isn’t room for much middle ground. This is a very personal record that demands to be taken seriously. I think it works very well, you might find yourself bored and desiring of something easier to listen to. With that in mind I do recommend checking this album out.

I’m giving it a 7/10. 

Couldn’t help but get personal on this one. I have no idea if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

A few years ago I was introduced to emo. I, like most people, had no idea what it actually was. I thought it was something like Fall Out Boy that low IQ high schoolers listened to. I have since atoned for those sins. I can’t really remember what my first exposure was, but I’m pretty sure it was Grown Ups. It was around the time I had really begun to explore my punk roots deeper than ever before, and I was just getting over a phase of listening to a TON of prog rock. Emo combines the two in a way I previously thought impossible. In a lot of ways, Grown Ups is the perfect band to me. I love music with great instrumentals and I love punk of all forms, so imagine my excitement when I figured out the two were not mutually exclusive. I started with More Songs, so I don’t have any connections to the Songs EP that some swear by. I mean, they’re just poorly recorded versions of the songs on the full length…I get that we lost stuff like the cough on Three Day Weekend but get over it.

For those of you who are not familiar with Grown Ups, they have this mathy pop punky emo sound that is actually pretty unique. Everything they draw from is well established and yet nobody sounds like Grown Ups. Their music is instantly recognizable by their intricate twinkly guitar work, amazing drumming, catchy hooks, and personal, occasionally abstract lyrics that are straight out of a stoner’s diary. If you can’t get a sound going in your head with those adjectives, I don’t blame you. You have to hear it.

Onto the album itself: More Songs is 10 songs long and they don’t necessarily have any specific order to them; in fact for a long time I had an unmastered version and the song order was screwed up and when I downloaded the correct finished version I hardly noticed a difference with the order. Some songs are better than others, but their formula never gets old and there really is plenty of variety to go around. On your first listen you may disagree, the songs may run together, but keep at it. They can be pretty overwhelming. They were a bit abrasive at first but the more I listened the more I realized the vocals fit the music perfectly. So there you have it: perfect instrumentals and vocals that fit perfectly. What more could you ask for?

I have a strong connection with this album but my experience has not been all good with Grown Ups unfortunately. A few friends and I drove several states away to a music festival (stay sweet fest) to see many bands but Grown Ups were definitely #1 on my list. They didn’t show up and it was heartbreaking. Turns out they had a habit of doing that and broke up shortly after releasing their awesome EP Hand Holder. My theory was just that they were too high to care about leaving their house(s). I guess I can understand that, but I hope someday they get back together or at least their members join other bands and keep making music because they are all extremely talented. I would have liked to see them live at least once before they dissipated, but I guess I’ll have to settle for listening to More Songs alone in my room and watching videos on youtube.

This album gets a 10/10 and for those of you that didn’t know (all of you), my tumblr’s name comes from a Grown Ups song.

Comin atcha sober this time although to be honest it’d be more appropriate if I wasn’t for this one!

Contrary to what you may have heard, Darker My Love is not an African American porn title, but a psychedelic bluesy rock band with just a hint of Sabbath that lays down some seriously awesome music. I found 2 a few years back and it’s been one of my favorite albums to come back to since. It never really gets old, and it’s something that really should be explored. 2 is a more refined version of their sound on their S/T album and nothing like the one they released in 2010. I was really disappointed in that one, in my opinion a complete 180 was the last thing they should have done.

The album starts off strong with one of the more straightforward rockers Northern Soul, which lets you know exactly what you’re in for – catchy guitar hooks, upbeat drumming, warm chaotic solos, and plenty of fuzz to go around. After a few more hard-hitting and rather traditional psych rock songs, things start changing. The mysterious and jazzy White Composition marks the turning point. This is a good time to point out that the lyrics on this album are totally insane. I have no idea what he’s talking about but it’s beautiful. The next few songs are more drawn out; with tremendous build ups and more diversity than in the first five. The climax of the album is found in All The Hurry And Wait. If I was to liken the album to an acid trip this would be some sort of crazy epiphany you’d have a few hours in. In this case the epiphany is that it’s time to come back to earth and get back to rocking

The distortion and fuzz are turned up to 11 for Waves and Talking Words before leaving us with the final track. It’s a very unsettling piece. It’s the come-down, the realization that things are getting back to normal and the crazy shit you just heard will not be present in whatever you decide to listen to next. Shame that that includes their next album.

So while every individual song is as good as the next, I have a great deal of appreciation for the structure of this record, and I find it hard to listen to one song without continuing with the rest of the album from then on. It’s surprisingly accessible and I highly recommend you give it a listen.

8.8/10 because arbitrary fractions in rating systems are far out. 

I’m pretty drunk and it’s late so forgive me if this is redundant and brief.

Every now and then you’ll come across a band that sounds nothing like anything you’ve heard before - a perfect mix of genres and influences that had never quite been combined in such a fashion before. Post-rock/screamo is hardly unexplored territory, but Barrow blends the two, along with post-hardcore, emo, and plenty of other elements so seamlessly that you wonder how exactly it hadn’t come together like this in the past. If I seem too hung up on genres and labels, It’s merely because I revere them so much for the dynamic qualities on this album.

Being Without is a beautiful, emotional, calculated, and compelling experience, devoid of artificiality and brimming with originality. Every song has a completely dynamic structure. They move seamlessly between post-hardcore, screamo, post-rock without seeming unfocused or cluttered. The band manages to do something that is truly amazing – they switch from screamed vocals to cleans without sounding corny or overly poppy or saccharine. You’ve heard it before, probably in a generic metalcore song, but Barrow does it right. It doesn’t feel forced, it makes sense within the song’s structure. The music moves in perfect synchronicity with the vocals, and the result is moving.

Musically, the band is incredibly talented. They are truly at their best during the slow, post-rock passages (like An Absent Crown, My Diadem) in my opinion, but they’re no slouches when intensity picks up and the inevitable build-up comes to fruition and things pick up. This all may sound inaccessible and overwhelming, but I think if you just give them a listen you’ll understand. These guys are criminally underrated in my opinion, and it’s insane that this is only their first effort.

I’m giving this album a 9/10. It’s been in heavy rotation since I found out about it and there are no signs of that changing.

Hi there. I’ve decided to review an album a day this week to

a) work on writing skills

b) force myself to get better at analyzing music while attempting to put my feelings into words

c) to do something. I have never really done this before.

Anyway here goes day 1 with hardcore outfit Ceremony:

With their last release, Ceremony moved away from their established sound. This is Ceremony stepping even farther away from that comfortable schtick of fast, short, hard, angry fuckfests. This album is a step into another realm – the realm of 80’s hardcore. It’s a polarizing step to say the least. I’ve talked to people who hate the new direction and want violence violence  instead of something new, and I’ve also talked to people like me who never really understand why people disagree with a band changing its sound on principle alone – that is, before even hearing it or giving it a chance. The most important thing to consider when judging this album is definitely whether or not Ceremony has made something that is more than the sum of its influences.

To start off, I wasn’t too impressed with Hysteria, which was released as a “single” I guess shortly before the album leaked. It’s not a bad song, and I definitely like it more now that it’s an opener supported by the rest of the album, and not the only thing I have to go on. There’s quite a bit of variety on this album, and anyone who’s heard anything else by these guys will be surprised at how calm and restrained they can be. While there are plenty of in your face guitar solos and fast songs, they get downright groovy on a few tracks like Brace Yourself. Like many old hardcore albums, the basslines are catchy throughout the album, and rather prevalent in the mix. They really draw you in .The drumming on this album is fantastic as well, and there are parts like on Nosebleed where the rhythm section plays so well together and I couldn’t help but start bobbing my head.

The vocals are honestly the weakest point on the album. I like his voice, but some of the repetitive songwriting elements and voice effects just seemed to get in the way of a few songs that would otherwise be nearly perfect. This is most obvious in Community Service, which I consider the weakest track of the bunch. True to the genre to be sure, it just got a bit old sometimes. The lyrical content is rife with social commentary, which naturally fits the music quite well. I felt like the length of the album felt right, though sometimes it felt a bit long by the time the second to last track came around as it’s my least favorite. Overall I found myself getting lost in the music and not thinking about time, as the songs flow well into one another – creating a cohesive package that does indeed work as an album.

While Zoo probablywon’t be changing anyone’s minds about punk rock, it’s an awesome throwback to the hardcore punk of old while still managing to work in a unique voice of its own. They’re doing what they want, and not what their fans want, and anyone bashing them for selling out or going soft should definitely rethink their shit. Nobody wants to yell “pack your fists full of hate” at 30 years old.

I’m feeling a safe 7.5/10 for this. While I won’t have it on repeat, I’m definitely going to keep listening to it and I can’t wait to see where these guys go next.