Along with my new music reviews, I have reviews for albums that were released last year, but I discovered them this year. (You can find those towards the end of the list)
 |
This Town Needs Guns: Animals Released: March 10, 2009 This review has been run into the ground, but If you like Foals, Minus the Bear, or just indie math rock you should give This Town Needs Guns a try. After hearing “Chinchilla” I immediately thought to myself, “This is what Foals would sound like if they had an emo-influenced singer.” That’s what I’ve always wanted. It’s awesome, 5 stars. It’s only $5.99 on iTunes and that price is well worth it for the exclusive bonus tracks alone. (My blog post with “Panda” music video) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Favorite Songs: Pig – Chinchilla – If I Sit Still, Maybe I’ll Get Out of Here (Bonus Track) |
 |
Closure In Moscow: First Temple Released: May 5, 2009 Every time my friend Ricky and I listen to this CD, he always says, “This sounds just like Mars Volta.” I can never tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing coming from him. I don’t really like Mars Volta, so I don’t know. Just listen to it. The instrumentals and vocals are psychedelic and funky which is different from what I normally listen to. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Kissing Cousins – Sweet#hart – A Night At The Spleen |
 |
Poison The Well: I/III, II/III, & III/III Released: May 19, 2009 You Come Before You is one of my favorite albums, but I have been disappointed by everything that has come after it. These EPs are OK at best. The songs drag and lack the energy of old PTW. I will probably never listen to them. ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ |
 |
Emery: In Shallow Seas We Sail Released: June 2, 2009 Finally a band has recovered gracefully after releasing a pretty bad album (In my opinion). I did not like I’m Only A Man at all, but this new CD returns to the sound I associate with Emery. Their sound has developed over the years, and after playing around with different styles, I think they got it right with this one. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Cutthroat Collapse – Churches and Serial Killers – The Poor and the Prevalent |
 |
Dance Gavin Dance: Happiness Released: June 9, 2009 It has been less than a year since their last album came out, which made me very skeptical. It took me a few listens before I could really understand how good this CD actually is. Its tone is different from their older stuff, but a lot of things that make the band great are still present. This album has moments of new-school hardcore, dance party jams, and plenty of heart-felt lyrics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Tree Village – Don’t Tell Dave – Happiness |
 |
Passion Pit: Manners Released: June 9, 2009 This was highly anticipated by ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Little Secret – The Reeling – Sleepyhead |
 |
Alexisonfire: Old Crows / Young Cardinals Released: June 23, 2009 This is the hardest review I’ve had to write so far. I would give any of Alexisonfire’s previous albums 5 stars without even having to think about it. They are some of my favorites. This one, I’m not so sure. The first thing any fan will notice is George’s voice is very different. Instead of his trademark scream, he goes with a more gravely and smokey growl. I can get used to this, but even the signature guitars seem lacking on this album. I enjoy the fun and high energy music they used to make. The soft songs don’t remind me of ‘Rough Hands’ or ‘Happiness by the Kilowatt’. They sound more like a B-side from the newest City and Colour CD. It took me a while to get into ‘Crisis’ so maybe I can eventually get into this CD as well. As of now, I find myself only mildly enjoying a few songs. I am hoping I just need to listen a little longer for these songs to really grab my attention. What incentive does this album give me to listen when I could listen to Watch Out or Crisis? ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Favorite Songs: Old Crows – Born and Raised – Young Cardinals |
 |
Ivoryline: There Came A Lion Released: February 5, 2008 My first impression of these guys was that they sound a lot like Acceptance and Anberlin mashed together. They have a refreshing yet familiar pop-punk/pop-rock style with lyrics filled with sincerity and self-reflection. They work very hard to make the music they want to make. I was looking for something to replace my need for Acceptance after their break up. This is what I was looking for. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Favorite Songs: Bravery – Be Still and Breathe – Days End |
 |
Hyper Crush: The Arcade Released: May 1, 2008 When I first heard ‘The Arcade’ I definitely played it out. I listened to it over and over. It filled my hip-hop/electronica/dance void for a while. (You may remember my blog post) There are a few really fun songs on this CD, but it fizzles out fast. Holly is hot. ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Favorite Songs: The Arcade – Robo Tech – Sex & Drugs |
 |
The Crosstown Rivalry: Pull Down The Sky Released: July 10, 2008 This band sounds like a poppier New Found Glory. It’s fun and they have a few breakdowns. That’s all. ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Favorite Songs: You Wish You Were Here – Who I Am And What I’ve Done (To Keep You Listening) – Everything Down |
 |
A Day To Remember: Old Record Released: October 28, 2008 Old Record is A Day To Remember’s first CD And Their Name Was Treason remastered. I like it because it sounds a lot like the music I used to listen to back in the early 2000′s. It’s their familiar pop-mosh sound with very emotional lyrics that they strayed away from in their newer albums. “You Had Me @ Hello” is a slow song that really hits you hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Favorite Songs: Your Way With Words Is Through Silence! – You Had Me @ Hello – If Looks Could Kill… |
Advertisement
Trust me, I prefer Crisis and I know how good it is. I’m still not saying Old Crows/Young Cardinals is on that level, just that I’ve accepted the album for what it is, albeit what it is is not their best. I’m just saying that I’m now at a place where I can listen to the album and not be annoyed the way I am when I listen to, say, The Sleeping’s weak-ass new shit.
I have given this CD a chance. I like these songs “Old Crows” “Young Cardinals” “Born and Raised” & “Emerald Street”. I like the last 1:12 of “Sons of Privilege”. The rest are just forgettable to me.
Why is the guitar so muted during the 2nd verse of “Young Cardinals”? That would be so awesome, if you could hear it.
The absence of an awesome ending track like “Rough Hands” or “Happiness by the Kilowatt” is a huge disappointment.
FYI Alternative2punk has a version that has better sound quality than the version you gave me and a bonus track. The bonus track is pretty cool.
Next time you listen to “Old Crows / Young Cardinals” all the way through, immediately put on “Crisis”. I think when you hear “Alright! This is from our hearts!” and that guitar kicks in you’ll be wanting so much more of that.
“Why would I listen to this when I can listen to Watch Out or Crisis?”
Because it’s fucking Alexisonfire and you fucking owe it to them to give it a chance! That’s what I did. Over the last few weeks, every time I’ve felt like listening to Crisis or Watch Out, I listened to Old Crows/Young Cardinals instead. It forced me to give it a chance and now I like it. Not love, mind you, but like.
…I do love Born And Raised, though.
This strategy doesn’t always work, but it at least makes you try. I tried forcing myself to listen to the last Say Anything, but despite how much I love …Is A Real Boy, I simply cannot say that I’m a big fan of In Defense Of The Genre. There are one or two great songs and a few good ones on there, but I can’t get over the feeling that had they focused on making one good disc without the support of SO MANY guest artists instead of two whole discs full of guest vocal masturbation, that album would have been waaaaay more solid (like their previous effort).
Oh, and the next time you decide not to give me an album to try out just because I may be disappointed by it, remember how much music I have on my iPod that I don’t even listen to.
Rian- Yeah, the snippet I picked for Closure in Moscow does sound less like Mars Volta. It’s a little more funky than most of their tracks. Maybe a bad choice for capturing the essence of the band, but that’s my favorite part of the album.
Hyper Crush gets a three star rating because I really do enjoy the songs I like on the album. I didn’t want to give it a two, that seems harsh. Poison the Well got two stars because I don’t really like it. I was going to give Alexisonfire four stars, but gets three stars because I want to like it so much, but it falls short for me. I have higher expectations for their music, and I may rate them a little harder than the others. I was disappointed, and the rating suffered. I will probably end up giving it four stars after a few more listens, but after like track 6, it is hard for me to keep going. I don’t think Born and Raised is that great. It might be the best song on the album, but what is that really saying? Whoa, was that your vein popping? Why would I listen to this when I can listen to Watch Out or Crisis?
OK, you got me all riled up. The bottom line is I haven’t listened to it enough for me to give a truly honest and experienced opinion. I will let you know how I feel about it after I can give a better review.
I know you like the self-titled less than the others. I agree that it is not as good, but it is part of a lost era of music and I like the roughly-recorded crazy hardcore sound.
I guess I don’t give you new music samplers because I don’t really get super amped about new bands anymore, and I don’t want you to be disappointed. Although, I did mention how much I loved A Day To Remember and posted a song from the new Four Year Strong on #musicmonday. Did you check those out? I will be more diligent in sending care packages in the future when I discover a hot jam.
Ricky- Thanks for your feedback. I’m glad I sparked your interest. Do you have more faith in Poison the Well than I do? I didn’t really like the new EPs, and my review for their new album will be on the q3 review. It’s not looking good so far. We’ll see!
P.S. – After listening to your music player, based on that one song snippet, Closure In Moscow sounds way more like The Dear Hunter to me than The Mars Volta.
Just the other day I listened to the new Alexisonfire album and finally came to terms with it. It’s no Watch Out! or Crisis, but I like it. You know me and my penchant for listening to entire albums in the background rather than honing in on every song and at least there’s no You Burn First to break up that flow. Honestly, I’ve never gone (lady) gaga over their first album, so I’d probably place this new one right alongside the self-titled.
…woah…was that a vein in your forehead popping that I just heard all the way from Baltimore?
Oh, and Hyper Crush gets the same rating as Alexisonfire? The new AoF may not be their best work, but Hyper Crush has one good song and one pretty good one. Even if half of Old Crows/Young Cardinals sounded like You Burn First, so long as it still had Born and Raised it would be better than The Arcade.
In closing, how come there are bands on here I’ve never heard of? I make you little downloadable music packages and bring flash drive-fulls of music to your house and you can’t even send a brother a text message that says “Hey Rian, I like this new band called Ivoryline. I’d give their new album ‘There Came A Lion’ like 5 stars or something.”? Are we even friends anymore? Jeez!
Good read, really well-written reviews of a bunch of music I’ve heard in your car over the past few months, and The music player is a dope addition. I’m gonna have to track down a bunch of these. I’m still not into Sleepyhead like you and Rian are, don’t hate it, just not my bag. I definitely want to hear the new Emery, This Town Needs Guns, Dance Gavin Dance, and Poison The Well. I’ll check out Closure In Moscow too, and it is a bad thing when I say they sound a lot like Mars Volta, cuz I like Mars Volta lots and no one can touch em.