Review: Trophy Scars - Never Born, Never Dead

When first listening to Trophy Scars fresh summer EP, Never Born, Never Dead, I found myself making strange connections between the music and the classic Mafioso film The Godfather. There was a cinematic entrancement about the way the music flowed and how the writing climaxed just at the right moment like a true theatrical masterpiece. Lead man Jerry Jones’ olive oil voice and New Jersey charm conjured images of the wedding scene at the beginning of Coppola’s film when Johnny Fontane sang to a group of swooning Italians, all the while the Don was peering through the window of his empirical perch, making deals to kill men and redeem tragedies. It was the contrast between the sophisticated and traditional Italian life on the outside, and the brutal reality of the business within the house that made the Corleone family truly intimidating – artists of deceit and trickery. That same style of a fresh shine on the exterior, but with a savage interior, was brilliantly utilized on Never Born, Never Dead as it tells stories of love and death; vengeance and cruelty.

Review: Andrew Jackson Jihad - Knife Man

For all intents and purposes, Andrew Jackson Jihad should not be taken seriously. Their music is sporadic and stripped down, their writing blunt and estranged, and lead man Sean Bonette’s singing is, at best, unbearably whiny. With all of these elements that should make for a disaster, why on Earth is the final product so enamoring? For the average music listener, Andrew Jackson Jihad’s freshest release, Knife Man, might very well be the worst piece of music in existence. But beneath the seemingly dreadful exterior features, there lies a brutal honesty and a mutual understanding between writer and listener that latches onto those who can catch onto it. Songs like track six, “Distance”, which begins with a vulgar display of candid shamelessness, show a side to this punk-folk group that most bands are terrified of revealing – a human side with a beating heart and steaming emotions.

A Thrilling Night with Faux Reality

It was another electric night in Old Town on Saturday night when Mead’s Corner hosted a handful of local performers to strut their stuff for the coffee shop community. It is no simple task performing for an apathetic group of hipsters with varying degrees of odd haircuts and thick rimmed glasses that would make Rivers Cuomo embarrassed to see. Perhaps that is a plausible excuse as to why each group, leading up to headliners Faux Reality, had a nervous twitch in their smile as they took the momentary attention of the room atop the brightly lit stage in the musty establishment. There was a rich scent of coffee and egotism as sound checks occurred and equipment was prepared for the night. As the crowd began to shuffle their Vans and Converse into the room and down into their respective seats, the first act took stage for what was inevitably going to be a memorable night, for good or for worse.

Review: I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business - Gold Rush

Ace Enders’ moniker for his solo work, I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody’s Business, has never been more appropriate than on his newest release, Gold Rush. The record follows the expected and perfected pattern that Enders is known to utilize, with soft acoustic strums and upbeat drumming to lay the ground for his smart and personal lyrics, but now his words take on a slightly more sour and self-conscious tone. It is clear from the first verse of opening track ‘Gold Rush’ that he has come across a new stage in his life. He croons with a misleading sweetness, “after the gold rush, didn’t think I’d be alone/so alone,” and in just a few words, he gives the listener the smallest taste of what’s to come, setting the tone for the remainder of the album. His love for that clashing contrast between light and dark is the key factor in what makes Gold Rush such an affecting and interesting album, making it a fantastic addition to his already immense collection of memorable records.

Review: Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room - Hurricane Season

For the majority of his magnificent and extensive career with Alkaline Trio, Dan Andriano has been providing soundtracks for the lonely and angst filled teens and adults alike across the world. As the bassist and secondary singer/writer of the group, he fueled the fire that Matt Skiba ignited, giving the group a backbone and a necessary variance in its style. While Skiba was a fan of a direct punch to the gut with his writing and musicianship, Andriano chose to be a more brooding and atmospheric performer. His songs were gloomy and honest, but not overwhelmingly so. Beneath the dreary aesthetic that he presented himself with, there was still a light of integrity that kept his writing from becoming monotonous and stereotypical. With this background, it should come with no surprise that when he eventually released his solo work nearly two years in the making, that it should not only match his previous work, but in some instances one-up it. With the fresh and appropriate moniker of Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room, he releases his emotionally demanding LP, Hurricane Season, which pulls no punches and conceals no secrets of what’s been running through Andriano’s ever intriguing mind. 

Song of the Day 53: Kid Cudi - Day n Nite

Hip-hop is kinda cool sometimes.

Song of the Day 52: Bowerbirds - House of Diamonds

It's that time of year when I retreat to my room for hours upon hours and rarely see sunlight. As horribly unhealthy as I've become, I'll always find solace in the fact that music never quite pulls the plug on me. Fairly often I find music that clings to me like ants to the soda I never cleaned from my hardwood floor. And more often than not, I find that music to be indie-folk. Indeed I've grown quite a love in my heart for the whimsical and care free music that blooms beneath the bridge of the mainstream. Bowerbirds' little unknown bit of joy, Upper Air, is precisely what I need these days, and 'House of Diamonds' starts it off humbly and effectively. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Song of the Day 51: Tim Neuhaus - As Life Found You

Tim Neuhaus is one of those fantastic little gems that pops up when you aren't looking. The video for his song 'As Life Found You' is both clever and sincere, accentuating the tender nature of the music. It's simplistic, but evolves beyond its structural boundaries when paired with the brilliant composition of the tale in the video. This might be one of the few instances when a music video adds onto the enjoyment of a song for me, and I recommend everyone give it a view. Tim Neuhaus hasn't quite hit the crescendo of his career, but promises to be something worth looking for in the future.

Song of the Day 50: The Doors - The End

It's difficult to believe that music recorded forty-five years ago can still be full to the brim with life and relevance. 'The End', an apocalyptic fever dream of a song by the worshiped psychedelic-rock group The Doors has somehow kept its claws sharp and planted in the psyche of anybody that has heard its haunting rhythms. It crawls at a nightmarish pace, randomly breaking into spouts of explosive rage, then pacifying itself back down to a stalking creep. Every time I hear it, I'm taken to the opening of Apocalypse Now, where Michael Sheen is shouting belligerent and drunk in a bloody mess. He said that while filming that scene there wasn't any sort of script, but rather he was expelling his inner demons. I think Jim Morrison may have had a similar mindset when writing this song.

Song of the Day 49: La Dispute - Sunday Morning, at a Funeral

Since the release of their groundbreaking full length LP in 2008, La Dispute have focused their efforts on smaller, more concise pieces of music. A series of spoken-word EPs and two splits with two different bands over the past three years have kept their name alive and fuming with buzz as well as helped them perfect their sound and slowly progress as a band. 'Sunday Morning, at a Funeral' comes from their most recent split with Koji, and is a perfect snapshot of what their sound has become over the past years. Instead of telling a grand story over 13 tracks on an LP, they've instead started telling quick and substantial tales over single tracks. Like I say with every La Dispute track I hear, they're slowly becoming a force to be reckoned with. 

Song of the Day 48: Heavens - Annabelle

If there's anything that can be said about Matt Skiba and Josiah Steinbrick's project, Heavens, it's that it could take the listener to a different place and time. Their debut LP, Patent Pending, sunk the listener into a sort of ethereal darkness where each song swayed and groaned to reach its ultimate destination in that dreary part of your brain. 'Annabelle' captures Skiba at his best, using his ability to craft catchy choruses and imagery akin to that of Edgar Allen Poe to ensnare the listener while still giving them a reason to keep listening. It's not music for a party, but rather a funeral. 

Song of the Day 47: Kanye West - Champion

When Kanye West isn't being an egotistic psychopath, he's usually making some damn fine hip-hop. His music has slowly progressed from his humble days of self-conscious tunes about college and the struggles of the real world, to the now triumphant and success fueled tracks about just how gratuitously rich he is. 'Champion' from his third LP, logically titled Graduation, is an inspiring track that brilliantly samples Steely Dan to create one of the catchiest choruses that West has produced. The song reeks of ego but never quite reaches an obnoxious level, instead feeling more inspirational than boastful which makes it one of his best.

Song of the Day 46: Manchester Orchestra - Deer

Let's get back to this, shall we? Manchester Orchestra's fresh release, Simple Math, sways between tragic and fascinatingly melancholy as it explores each up and down that comes with depression. It begins fittingly with 'Deer', a song that sets the tone with reverberating atmosphere and dream-like flow. Lead man Andy Hull alone and deprived of human interaction as he pleads into the mic with a fragile tone that lends itself to the atmosphere perfectly. Simple Math is an album worth a spin that hits magnificent highs, but never quite sustains them.

Short Story: Beauty Supreme

So here's a really old story I wrote for a contest. It's fairly depressing, so if you're in a good mood I advise you look elsewhere. Enjoy (or don't).

Review: La Dispute/Koji - Never Come Undone

As strange as their pairing is, La Dispute and Koji have an incredible chemistry on their recently released split titled Never Come Undone. For every strained and powerful chord struck on the two tracks composed by La Dispute, there is a matching moment to be found on Koji's half of the record. La Dispute start it off with the story told by 'Sunday Morning, at a Funeral' which shows them at a less intense - but equally emotional - composition than what is seen on their previous releases. Lead man Jordan Dreyer holds a fragile tone over the equally breakable instrumentation to create a cold atmosphere layered thick with imagery which is all but second nature for the group. The contrast between this somber track and their immense full-length Somewhere... displays the group's ability to both maintain a certain atmosphere, but not necessarily adhere to a predetermined aesthetic. This remains true on the next track, an acoustic version of one of their earlier hardcore tracks, where they strip away the screams for a slow flowing rhythm to accentuate the emotion contained in the original. While not the most substantial addition to their library, La Dispute's portion of the split is fulfilling at best, if not only for the first track.

Review: The Unthanks - Last

It would be near impossible for a critic to take one glance at The Unthanks' 2011 release, Last, and not use any form of the word 'misery'. To avoid any further tiptoeing, I'll come right out and say it: Last is a truly miserable album. Sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank, who make up the backbone of the group, are self-professed connoisseurs of gloom, and they've rightfully earned that title. The very moment the first note of "Gan to the Kye" strikes your ears, you're immediately immersed in the minds of The Unthanks. They welcome you with a foggy atmosphere constructed of Tim Burton-esque landscapes created by the myriad of instruments and haunting vocalizations that capture a cripplingly somber tone in seconds. Throughout the record there are stories of loss and gain, death and life, and most prominently regret. It may sound all too familiar for anybody with a niche in this brand of music, but it comes with a fresh feeling of inspiration and dedication to story telling.

Max Bemis and the Painful Splits 2 Review

I was always under the impression that Max Bemis was the epicenter of everything that made Say Anything so fantastic. However, since the release of his recent solo albums under the moniker of Max Bemis and the Painful Splits, I've begun to rethink that stance. Instead of these records being a chip off the old block with biting lyricism and energetic cynicism, we're greeted with what appears to be the appearance of Bemis' awkward alter ego. It began with the self-titled LP in 2010 -- an undeniable disappointment, but overall not an entirely terrible effort for Bemis dipping his toes in the water. The music was a lo-fi, acoustic jumble of a record with the overarching theme of 'keep it simple, keep it safe,' with the lyricism never stretching beyond the boundaries of Bemis' latest works. Since then came the sequel with a name as simple as its contents, Max Bemis and the Painful Splits 2.

Song of the Day 45: The Dillinger Escape Plan - Jim Fear

Awesome song, awesome band, Saturday night, too lazy to write.

Song of the Day 44: Touche Amore - Tilde

http://soundcloud.com/deathwishinc/touche-amore-tilde

Ever since their collaboration with La Dispute last summer, I've been super pumped about what's to come next from Touche Amore. They're among the best in the Hardcore genre right now and are worth keeping an eye on for anybody interested in this kind of music. Their music is concise, clever, and addicting and they know how to work an audience like seasoned veterans. Check 'em out.

Song of the Day 43: Tyler, The Creator - Blow

Excuse my laziness but I’m in not feeling too well in the writing mood. Tyler, The Creator is fucking awesome, enjoy.