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It’s the final Tuesday of October. So it’s review time!
SPECIAL REVIEW!
0. Frail Time – Kelvin T
(NOTE: This EP came out at the end of September. I was requested to review this EP by the musician himself, :iconkelvintang:.)
Ever heard of glitch-hop? Neither have I. Hong Kong based DJ Kelvin T’s newest EP, Frail Time, starts off on a weird note with “Drip” a five minute trap-ish song that sounds catchy, but at certain parts, it sounds like the beat can’t keep up with the synth. It repeats itself way too much and it should’ve been shortened. It’s too long to keep interest in it, and to quote himself, he says “And the waveform just…oh dear.” The rest of the album doesn’t seem to have any problems with tempo such as “Drip.” “APPRESS” is sick and catchy and “Glitchu” is awesome. However, the snares should’ve been tighter, it would’ve sounded so much better but it’s ok the way it is. The song “Glitchu” suffers from one small detail; it needs vocals. Believe me, it’s a sick beat and it would be perfect for Nicki Minaj or Die Antwoord. The final two songs “Savage” and “okok” are okay, they’re not amazing but they don’t suck. Overall, Frail Time is a decent EP from Kelvin T. It makes your head bob and it’s super catchy…most of the time. (SELF-RELEASED; www.soundcloud.com/kelvin-tang3)RATING: 
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: APPRESS
YOU LIKE? YOU’LL LIKE: Big Chocolate, Hudson Mohawke, XXYYXX
1. Between Bodies – The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die
On this atmospheric emo band’s newest EP, Between Bodies, it starts off on a great note. “blank#8" starts off a little bit sinister, mixing wind chimes with eerie melodies that blend into a more major-key, wide-open sound. And then Chris Zizzamia appears. This is the only problem with this album. If he wasn’t on it, it’d be 5 stars, but no! The spoken-word poet and artist is a major collaborator with the band for Between Bodies, and his screeds do not gel with TWIABP's soundtrack. His opening soliloquy on "blank#8" is laughable when he comes in. I screamed “Oh God” and began to laugh uncontrollably for a couple of seconds. Can we put a goddamn motherfucking muzzle on his fucking mouth?! He ruined this EP. The song then blends in with “Precipice,” which shows the band reaching Sigur Rós-like heights of orchestral layering and breathtaking beauty, which is drowned out by Chris’s poetic “philosophic words of wisdom”. His poems sound like a stoner who decided to write poetic, meaningful poetry after watching Clerks or a college-level educational philosophic movie. Hey buddy, just because you sound smart doesn’t mean you’re smart. To quote AP’s review, “While he's not always spouting obvious truths about mortality, his goofy delivery and cadence deeply and immediately incite all sorts of negative feelings in the listener: namely irritability and exhaustion, ruining whatever beautiful moment the band's developing below him. It's a pity, too, because Between Bodies seems to contain some of the band's best material to date, with interesting, tied-in movements within itself, but the EP's rendered largely unlistenable by Zizzamia's ravings.” The album does have a few bright moments, including the second half of “If And When I Die”; the indie-pop song “Thanks”; the acoustic track “$100 Tip”; and the EP’s closing song, “Autotonsorialist”. Zizzamia seems to only fit in on the song “Shoppers Beef”, but he barely fits in. Pray to God that this is a one-off. (BROKEN WORLD MEDIA; www.brokenworldmedia.tumblr.com)RATING:
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: Thanks
YOU LIKE? YOU’LL LIKE: Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate), Pianos Become The Teeth, Sigur Rós
2. Resurrection – New Found Glory
Imagine this: It’s late 2013; you’re in a somewhat successful band who was once signed to a major label and are going to release a new album soon. However, one of your band mates admits that he jerked-off in front of two underage girls without knowing they were kids via webcam. What do you do? Kick him out and base the entire event on your next record of course! Hence Resurrection, New Found Glory’s first album without Steve Klein and their first album as a four-piece. So what’s this album about? STEVE. Yup, nearly all thirteen tracks are about him “[manipulating] situations and weak minds to feed all [his] desires,” (“The Worst Person”). “Resurrection,” “On My Own” and a small majority of this album is about Steve being a disgusting, perverted, prick. However, there are some sad break-up songs that balance the album out. “Angel,” “Persistent,” and “Stubborn” are mostly about bassist Ian Grushka’s divorce, which played out on their last album Radiosurgery. They’re memorable and painful (not in a bad way, but in a sad way) to listen to, so you might need some tissues to dry your eyes. Overall, Resurrection is a decent album, throwing the band back to their “Drive-Thru Records era” roots. With the loss of a rhythm guitarist, Chad Gilbert’s lead guitar soars throughout the album, being backed up by Ian and Cyrus. Musically, it’s a fantastic record. Lyrically, it needs a lot of work. Steve wrote a majority of NFG’s songs, especially their big hits back in the mid 2000s. Whoever wrote Resurrection (it says NFG wrote all the songs, but fingers point to Chad and Jordan), they need more work. It doesn’t suck, but it’s not all that great. Wait two more years and NFG might write a better album. (HOPELESS; www.hopelessrecords.com)RATING: ½
SONG TO DOWLOAD: Ready & Willing
YOU LIKE? YOU’LL LIKE: Four Year Strong, Real Friends, 5 Seconds Of Summer
3. Keep You – Pianos Become The Teeth
There are days when you want to be with people and there are days when you want to be alone. There are times when smiles are real and there are times when they’re false. There are albums that are worth listening to and there are albums that should be forced to be heard. Keep You, Pianos Become The Teeth’s third album is a lyrical masterpiece. It’s full of emotion and you can cling onto every painful word that Kyle Durfey sings. This isn’t just an album to listen to, it’s an album that has to be studied and tested, just like a science project. I can’t describe this album perfectly. Look up the reviews on Alternative Press’s website and on Sputnik Music, those reviews go deeper than anything I could ever write. Keep You is a masterpiece that plays with your emotions from beginning to end, and I don’t think there’s a band out there that can affect you physically and mentally. If you want something emotional that comes from the heart, buy Keep You now. You won’t regret it. (EPITAPH; www.epitaph.com)RATING:
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: Enamor Me
YOU LIKE? YOU’LL LIKE: Ezra Joyce, Touché Amoré, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die
4. Coma Witch – The Acacia Strain
Massachusetts’ heaviest band is back. The Acacia Strain’s deathcore noise is still as incredible as it was back when they started. But wait! They hate being called “deathcore”. So instead, I’ll just say they’re “heavy”. There we go. Coma Witch is NOT for the faint of heart. It’s dark and it’s misanthropic, so if that bothers you, go away. The album is only for those with a strong center and disposition, and can appreciate the lyrics and themes for what they are, whether it is real or not. The first disc (I’ll explain later) has some very run-of-the-mill-like songs that I’ve come to expect from TAS. “Nailgun” and “Holy Walls of the Vatican” are some of the best songs on the first disc, while the other 8 songs are just filler. Now comes disc two, which has only one song, “Observer”. Holy shit, this song is AMAZING! This 28(?!) minute track is the band’s magnum opus. It may be brutal as fuck, but it’s a sad song. The pièce de résistance is about a suicide attempt gone wrong. Crickets chirp to begin the song, which then fades in to a brutal breakdown that lasts throughout the song. To quote Zachary Houle’s review “There is the sound of a car engine running in a garage, followed by the sound of breaking glass as our protagonist is rescued, followed by the sound of a heart monitor beeping as surgery is seemingly performed, one that appears to result in the coma of the album’s title. However, weaved through this are interludes and movements, making it very much in line with classic progressive rock. The Acacia Strain has never been known for its long songs, so this number is an incredible progression and risk for the group to take. It’s highly theatrical and dramatic, woven with spoken word bits, and is a prime example of how metal is closely linked with other genres of music, even classical.” Coma Witch contains some of The Acacia Strain’s best work to date, especially “Observer”. Buy it just for “Observer,” or even “Nailgun” or “Holy Walls of the Vatican.” (RISE; www.riserecords.com)
RATING:
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: Observer
YOU LIKE? YOU’LL LIKE: Chelsea Grin, Molotov Solution, With Blood Comes Cleansing
5. Hang – Lagwagon
When you think of punk music, you probably say NOFX, The Ramones, or The Clash. For me, it’s Lagwagon. Enter Hang, Lagwagon’s first album in 9 years. And believe it or not, it was worth the wait. Hang shows off some of the band’s best material in years. “Burden Of Proof/Reign” start off the album with its right foot forward and not looking back. The band even blends in some metal riffs, especially in “Reign” and “Made Of Broken Parts”. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg on Hang. The six minute (!) track “Obsolete Absolution” shows off Joey Cape’s vocal abilities, proving that he can blend in Iron Maiden vocals into a punk song. To quote punknews.org, “Hang is not the same record as Resolve, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Where the latter was a combination of raw emotion and somewhat reactionary, Hang is the product of a very experienced and talented band carefully crafting a set of songs. And they’re damn good. Add to the mix (no pun intended) the amazing production from Bill Stevenson and the Blasting Room and the final product is what any fan of the band will immediately love. If you disagree, take a few more listens, you’ll come around.” Hope is there, but you got to work for it. (FAT WRECK CHORDS; www.fatwreck.com)
RATING: ½
SONG TO DOWNLOAD: Reign
YOU LIKE? YOU’LL LIKE: Bad Religion, Handguns, No Use For A Name
Ten down, only two more months to go. See you all on the last Tuesday of November.
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CD Reviews (May 2015)
CD Reviews (April 2015)
