Category Archives: Record Review

“The Tempation of St. Anthony”

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From their upcoming April 2nd, release, My Shame is True,  Alkaline Trio just released their second single, “The Tempation of St. Anthony”.  Unlike their last full-length, This Addiction, “Tempation” leans more toward the dark and ironic, favoring a sound last heard on the bands fifth studio album, Crimson.  “Temptaion” starts off small and builds to a big chorus with haunting harmonies and Trio’s signature drum fills.  It’s all more of the same in many ways, but after the crazy detour that was This Addiction, more of the same is more than welcomed.  My personal favorite moment of “The Tempation of St. Anthony” comes in the nightmarish bridge; starting with a pensive bass solo that fades into singer Matt Skiba’s wailing, “You haven’t lived till you’ve seen suffering like this.”  It’s predictable, maybe, but ultimately, just perfect.

In a recent Billboard interview, here, Skiba talks about writing this and other songs, and suggests some of the bands’ best tunes write themselves.  That’s fine with me, really.  As long as they continue writing, I will be a pair of ears eager for listening.

Yellowcard, When You’re Through Thinking Say Yes.

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Ahhh Yellowcard.  You supplied the soundtrack to my Senior year of high school, “Ocean Avenue” became an instant classic for emo-kids everywhere, and then you faded away into the abyss of pop-punk.  When so many other bands were trying to cash in on the trend you stuck to your guns.  Sure your follow-ups were never as successful, and most of America would call you a one-hit-wonder, but all that is about to change, mark my words!

With the release of their seventh studio album, When You’re Through Thinking Say Yes, Yellowcard is back in full force, and ready to dominate a genre that’s been lacking substance for a long while.  Courtesy of Hopeless Records, When You’re Through Thinking Say Yes hit stores last Tuesday and has made quite a splash in a mere seven days.   Channeling everything that made Ocean Avenue a smash hit, Yellowcard proves with this record, they’re nowhere close to finished making waves.

The album’s first single, “Hang You Up” is a bit of a ballad, but still manages to retain the band’s signature energy, and knack for wordplay (the hook is, “this is a black and white of you I found, I hang you up and then I pull you down”).  When You’re Through Thinking Say Yes opens with the stunner, “The Sound of You And Me”, which we’re betting will be a summer-love single, and doesn’t slow down until “Hang You Up” comes in on track four.  Listeners should check out “With You Around” for a poppier song complete with a shout to Audio I.V. faves, Saves the Day, and stick around for “See Me Smiling”, a deeper cut with everything you loved about Ocean Avenue, and nothing you hated about Lights and Sounds.

If you’re jonesin’ for a little video action from these guys you won’t have to wait too long.  Next Tuesday you can catch the premier of the official “Hang You Up” music video on all MTV networks.  But, until then, When You’re Through Thinking Say Yes should be on the short list of new releases to explore this weekend.

Happy Friday!

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TBS comes full circle.

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My friends at OnThatNewHit just alerted me of this little gem!  Emo, alt-rockers Taking Back Sunday have just released the first single from their much-anticipated forthcoming album, which will hit stores and iTunes this summer.  The track, “El Paso” is a lot harder than the pop-inspired fluff of TBS’s last record, hook is still strong and lyrics like, “you’ll never give what you get” are reminiscent of the band’s early releases.  No info yet on the direction of their new album, but here’s hoping it’s full of tracks with as much energy and intensity as “El Paso”.

Check out OnThatNewHit’s coverage of TBS and “El Paso”, here and listen to “El Paso” below!

Love.It (Lovett)

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Not that this band NEEDS me to push their music…founder and namesake Ben Lovett has to be well connected.  After all, he’s produced records for Audio I.V. faves Hot Water Music and Heartbeats, AND written over 12 film scores in the past few years. As the singer and songwriter for what he calls a ‘traveling circus’ of musicians, Lovett has created a sinister stew of indie-folk/rock with the band’s debut LP, Highway Collection.

From the record’s opening “Woo!” of “The Fear”, Lovett takes you on a journey to a simpler time, where melodies whirl around you like a warm summer wind, and genre lines blur into the hot hot heat of sun-baked asphalt.  Start to finish, Highway Collection screams “Road trip!”  Channeling folk-rock legends like Dylan, Petty, and Browne, each song is infused with sincerity, a subtle grit, and signature ease most bands struggle to capture to tape.

Standouts include would-be-single, “Heartattack”, the quirky, “Same Old Song” and closer, “Ghost of Old Highways”.  New listeners should also check out the Steam Punk video for “Eye of the Storm” which features an extended cut of the song, and some pretty amazing green screen work.  (see below)

After a pretty solid debut at this year’s SXSW festival, it shouldn’t be long before Lovett is making splash nationally.  This is a record everyone should listen to at least once, but I’m warning you now, once you hit the gas on Highway Collection, there’s no turning back.