Paramore's Self Titled

It's time! After a four year hiatus Paramore is back in black, or orange... The official release of Paramore's self titled album is this Tuesday but the band decided to release all four sides of the album on their site for the last four nights. After listening to side D tonight I felt I needed to give my critique. 

 Given that the Farro brothers are no longer in the band and the fact that they added a lot to Paramore's niche sound, this album is a lot less rock and a lot more pop than normally considered. They have ditched their emo upbringing for the time being and have traded it in for a pair of roller skates and a blow pop.  This album exudes a lot of upbeat, happy, and carefree bubblegum pop-ness to it. Knowing that Williams grew up listening to pop and really cherishes her 80s icons, you can hear how fun this album was to make. It feels light compared to their normal heavy beauty. Knowing its been awhile since their last release and how much  the band has gone through losing the Farro brothers, this album looks, feels and sounds like a good clean fun breath of well deserved fresh air. The album stands as a moving on and a looking forward attitude that the members often try to project in interviews and on stage; move forward, think positive, do what you love and try not to put others down in the process.

This album more so represents Hayley particularly I think more so than any of the others. Her background, her sense of style and her interests come cascading through the speakers. I will dare to say that I think this album is the auditory form of how she dresses. I kept thinking, "This sounds like her clothes..." while listening. If you're a Hayley fan you will understand this. A few songs really represent Jeremy and Taylor as well. Jeremy can be heard in the glimmering distortions and effects, where as Taylor really shines in the songs closest resembling their older stuff, songs like Proof, Now, and Future.

Hay Hay's voice has grown leaps and bounds and it's 110% evident. She has so much control and strength in her voice and shes not afraid of it. She's not pushing herself the way she has done in all of her albums, she's comfortable and you can really hear the strength shes starting to cultivate.

This album includes a lot of new things for the band. This album abandons most of Paramores go-to beats and tries on new simpler upbeats. They also have experimented with a plethora of background effects. This album has a lot of what I like to call "Pumped Up Kicks," sounds and effects that you would normally hear in Vampire Weekend, Discovery, or M83, which makes sense because the producer of the album has worked on many of those as well. In addition this album has a lot of "interludes" on it. These are completely unlike Paramores former sound in every way. They are all acoustic ukulele songs that bring back that old fireside-chat-radio-tube sound. They are classic, nostalgic, yet fresh and lovely. It's really nice to hear Paramore do something like this for a change. 

This is a breather album. This is something very "spring." It's new, simple, happy, light, and you can dance in your underwear to it with your best friend.

Album comes out on Tuesday. All of the songs can be heard on youtube by searching for the audio with the song name.

So get tah dancin'

E. Von Dahl Killed The Locals

The Storyboard is a good friend of mine's band. In fact, I guess I reserve the right to call all of the members  my friends, because honestly that's what they have all become. Their music is more on the indie side of things, it's got a dark alcoholic vibe though, highlighted by lighter fun songs, with a twist of horror movie and 80's film references that all comes full circle to melodic, 6 piece love songs. The best thing about them by far is the diversity of instruments they have on stage and the great one liners throughout the whole CD. It's something for every one in the indie fan base. They just released their full album on itunes not too far back and they have plenty on the way. Check them out! 

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Booking

Kenny Custom man, what can I say. This kid is sick. His rhymes are well thought out and eloquently executed. He doesn't rely on bashing, cursing, speed or up-selling his ego to get his words to appeal. You can tell he's doing this for a deeper cause and it's bigger than anything you can buy or bang or smoke. He literally spits the truth and his old school sound as a backdrop compliments nicely. If your looking for a wholesome, more substanced rap with a bit of a soulful sound try him on for size.

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The Storyboard's Album Is Out!!

Upcoming indie/folk band out of nothern VA The Story Board just released their first studio album a few days ago.  I'm so excited for them. Go check them out and support if you love them.
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Good luck gents,

There's A NEW Mars Volta Song Out!

Check it!

Foster The People Fans

Finding some really good music on youtube right now.
Youth Lagoon, Princess Chelsea, Wolf Gang, Walk The Moon, Ron Pope, Neon Indian, Arsenal, Oh My!, The Honey Trees, The Art of Sleeping, Radical Free, Paper Lions, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Perishers, Memoryhouse, We Are Trees, White Flight, NonTiq & Those Dancing Days

Check em' all out. Similar to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Foster the People, The Shins, & Grouplove.

Enjoy, sorry this isn't more detailed.

Attack Attack Is...Not The Same?

Believe you me, despite my dislike of preachy lyrics, I was very excited to listen to the new Attack Attack album released earlier this week. Listening to the first few seconds of the first song I thought, "God damn are they god." Their sound somehow seemed to grow even tighter and their epic heavyness to their songs even bigger and bolder. Then The screaming settled in, "That's different. Is this the right band?" With the change of the logo and the completely serious and grimy artwork I thought I could have mistakenly listened to the wrong band. Nope, it is definitely them guys.

Things that I noticed immediately were different:

-Screamer

-Singer

-Techno interludes and break downs almost non-existent

-Funny titles GONE

-Lyrics not about jesus

-Sound darker

-Rooted more in metal and punk than hardcore and pop

I'm really kind of upset. I never got the chance to see them live and now the sound and line up is so different. They're practically a brand new band. I decided to do a bit of research to see what the hell happened to my crabcore saviors.

Bare with me, this cuss is harder to figure out then calculus. All of this information came from the know all of the internet Wikipedia, the only trusted source on the web, duh. Okay so let me break this down for you guys.

The first, and in my opinion best, full length album Someday Came Suddenly (2008) consisted of members Andrew Wetsel (drums), Andrew Whiting (lead guitar), Austin Carlile (Screamer), Johnny Franck (rhythm guitar/ lead clean vocals), Caleb Shomo (keyboards, synths).

Attack Attack - Stick Stickly 2008

So Austin Carlile gets fired, mistake one. They hire Nick Barham who takes over screaming. He was in the band for like 6 months, mistake two. He was never recorded on any album. Caleb stepped up and started screaming.

Austin Carlile (former singer/screamer?)

So then for the recording of the second self titled album Attack Attack (2010), the line up is recorded as Caleb screaming and playing synths, and Franck on vocals and guitar as usual. I went back and listed to this album while writing this post and I can admit that you can hear some of the changes. I only listened to Smokahontas about a billion times and the album as a whole still retained that techno-fun-rap-poppy singing-ness that the former had, just in less dosage. I guess i figured the screamer was just working on his range, not realizing it was a completely different screamer.

Attack Attack - Smokahontas 2011

Caleb Shomo (current screamer and keys)

Third mistake, Johnny Franck leaves the band to discover god or something. So now the band is forced to find a new singer again. I'm assuming that Caleb recorded screams, clean vocals, and keys on the new album This Means War (2011), I couldn't find much information on that. However, for touring reasons the band has replaced Franck with Sean Mackowski who fills in rhythm guitar and clean vocals while touring.

   Johnny Franck (former rhythm guitarist and singer)

So now, the line up is completely altered from the first album. In my opinion the quintessential element of a band that must stay the same is a singer and or screamer. You can generally replace instrumentals without being able to tell a dramatic difference, but singing and screaming to a band as unique in sound as Attack Attack  is detrimental. Certain critics have commented that on the self titled album Calebs screams were deep and almost disturbing to now on This Means War (2011) they are higher pitched. I don't hear it. To me his screams will never resemble those of Austin's. 

Attack Attack -Wretched 2012

Band Members:

Current

Andrew Wetzel - drums, percussion (since 2005)

Andrew Whiting - lead guitar (since 2005)

John Holgado - bass guitar (since 2007)

Caleb Shomo - lead vocals (since 2009), programming, synthesizers, keyboards (since 2007)

Former
Johnny Franck - rhythm guitar, clean vocals (2007–2010)
Nick Barham - lead vocals (2008–2009)
Austin Carlile - lead vocals (2007–2008)
Ricky Lortz - rhythm guitar, clean vocals (2005–2007)
Nick White - bass guitar (2005–2007)

Touring
Sean Mackowski - rhythm guitar, clean vocals (since 2010)

The first album is crabcore gold in a bottle. This last album however, has no oomph! They are turning into every other cliched hardcore band. Attack Attack used to be hilarious. They had serious lyrics, stupid and humorous titles (Bro, Ashley's Here), great rap intros ("Attack Attack where you at? 2008! hahaha"), and amazing electronica and keyboard break downs and solos. Not to mention their ridiculous invention of the "crabcore dance" (those guys must have thighs, glutes, and quads of steel). The meshing of techno rifs with the double bass and elloquent screams was what set Attack Attack aside from all other bands in the genre, love em' or hate em' you could dance and trash grab to em'! It's what made them famous and the lack of it is what will lead to their demise in mainstream hardcore/metalcore.

I for one am really dissapointed in this new sound of drab hardcore they have going on. There's nothing fun about their music anymore. Their singing parts have become seldom in the last album and their keyboard solos are almost nonexsistent. No more are the slow electronic songs with poppy upbeat breakdowns leading into the best three sounds ever struck. They are still talented no doubt, but they have lost their way as a band and it's very evident. They don't know who they are anymore, they have thrown away what sets them apart from other bands and they are quickly fading into the abyss of once great and unique hardcore music groups grasping for anyone that allows them to still tour.

I ask of you Attack Attack, where is my unknown rapper telling me I'm listening to a second wave of your greatness? Where are you're thoughtless and meaningless titles that I once so looked forward to reading? Where are the techno tracks that I can just skip ahead, and drive like a maniac to? Where are the sick beats interrupted with hardcore/techno break downs, base and double kick? In this new age of dubstep how are you not fitting in seamlessly to a new version of hardcore? Where is your prior genius and why has it been stifled? You have all the resources to grow within your original sound, so grow! Stop unplanting your seeds and joining an over populated garden. Find a field filled with epic beats and super sonic break downs and destroy it with your epic talent. Flourish my little crabkins flourish!
 

I want crabcore, I want clapping, I want chanting,  I want distorted autotuned voice being interrupted by base, and I want techno! So slop it on guys, you have your work cut out for you!


Time will only tell,

HEY MARS VOLTA FANS!!

AT THE DRIVE IN IS GETTING BACK TOGETHER!!! Rumored sometime early next year. I'm so excited. One armed scissor is one of my favorite songs and I loved them before I understood and came to love THE VOLTA! I so can't wait to hear the new stuff, given last time they did anything they were all on drugs. This new sound better be just as good, but honestly HOW COULD IT NOT?

Lastly,
Dear Cedric please love me.

His eyes are like ghost prophets, that's the only way I can describe them. If you haven't seen Mars Volta or At The Dive In live then WHAT S WRONG WITH YOU? And if you've never heard of them it's time to do some googling.
GO SEE THEM LIVE, it changed my life.

Source: reblogged from yelyahwilliams.tumblr.com

Rolling Stone Post

At The Drive In Tumblr

Hollerr city in squalerrr!

I sell comics baby!

If you haven't heard of Courage My Love yet, you're  missing out. They are the new, fresh, young thang in the canadian music scene. I just found out about the trio a few days ago. I was at a friends house and he played their song I Sell Comics and told me the story of the band. He had a few details wrong, but we still love him for being such a new music buff. 

I Sell Comics- Courage My Love 

The group started in early 2010 with  twin sisters Mercedes Arn-Horn (Vocals/Guitar) and Phoenix Arn-Horn (Drums/Vocals) as well as David Blake-Dickson (Bass/Screams). The under 20 three piece has a pop/punk sound similar to that of Paramore and Versa Emmergae, vocals reminiscent of Evanescence, and guitar work hinting at Avenged Sevenfold/Bullet For My Valentine. They are a perfect mesh of metal, pop, and punk. The sound is surprisingly professional for how young they are. While their sound is heavy and tight, the vocals complement the guitar work and frame the song very well. 

Anchors Make Good Shoes (If You Have Issues) - Courage My Love

The group is making it look easy as they rise to fame. I assume they will be huge within the next few years. The female front and drums is a very new difference that sets them apart from most bands of their generation. They get their influence from bands such as Paramore, Anti Flag, Rancid, and Cancer Bats.  The twins write the lyrics and David usually supplies the song names. For their age they're pretty amazing. They just released their first EP entitled "For Now" which you can purchase on itunes or through their website. In addition to playing their first warped tour the up and coming super stars just filmed their first video for the first single off their first EP! 

Barricade - Courage My Love

Despite their age Courage My Love is not afraid to follow their big dreams. As if all of their new spotlight wasn't enough responsibility the trio has also started their own record label. That's right! Homeskool Prom Records is the newest affiliate under Warner Canada. 

It seems that these spring chickens have all the recipes for success they need. Plus can we just talk about how absolutely adorable they are? I wish them all the best and hope to see them on tour soon! Check them out and spread the word if you like what you hear. For more information go to Courage My Love's Bookface, Myspace, Twitter page, or Youtube channel. 

Also on the up&up, not necessarily from canada:

Never Means Maybe (Hardcore)

The Amity Affliction (Screamo)

Victory, Sweet Victory (pop/rock)

Darling Parade (Chick Lead)

Word bird,    

B.O.B.

I was kind of late to jump on the B.O.B. train. I downloaded his stuff a while back and listened to it a few times through some months ago. I liked a few songs that stuck out but not the album in it's entirety. I wanted to change it up tonight so I put him in the ole' cd player on my way to Starbucks. The intro song, "Don't Let Me Fall" immediately struck me. The lyrics are very humbling and positive/hopeful all while being very honest. I viewed the song as an omage to his journey as a rapper as well as a message to his fans. He got himself where he is, fans keep him from falling back down. I quite enjoyed it. 

I'm not a huge fan of the music video so I chose to post lyrics. My favorite lines are, "Now I'm in your house, now I'm in your stove, now I'm everywhere your ipod goes." "Cause I put my pain, my heart, my soul, my faith in this." "It's easy to see I was made for this, from the womb all the way to the grave I spit just show ya'll nigga's what greatness is. Yeah, I'm talking very lucid, like making movies. To picture my life boy, ya' need a higher resolution. I used to cut class in the day then runaway at night, now I'm ruler of the upper-class and I don't even write." 

I love when rap is fittingly combined with the electric guitar. The guitar coming in around 40 seconds just makes the song. I love the idea that by being an artist you go everywhere an ipod goes. That's such a cool concept its like you are constantly in billions of places at once changing millions of people's minds/moods. Very inspiring to me. So inspiring, that I think I'm going to attempt to relearn some chords and make a few indie mockups of songs such as this. I'm not the best singer, but I'd like to find a voice for songs that leave me with lasting feelings.  I also would like to get my wits about me on piano. I smell a side project while attending university this upcoming semester. 

My other favorite on this cd is "Past My Shades". I like the subtle confidence of this song. Everyone is trying to place you in a category and figure you out at all times, but they can't even see past your sunglasses. It's humorous and singing about sunglasses instantly makes a song cool. I love the jam band sound as well, the whole song has an effortlessness about it. If you haven't purchased or downloaded B.O.B's album, Adventures Of Bobby Ray, you may want to give it a listen, it's pretty worth it.

"It's easy to see I was made for this,"

In the mourning

ITS HERE they are so cute. I like the acoustic version much better than the single. 

paramore.net for details.

Random video friday!

I like how the song married the two sides of this argument with the video. 

I hate the 80's and everything that goes with them, but this video was nice. 

I never understood how someone that speaks a different language could sing perfectly in english. This girl is great though. 

I love this cover. KARMIN IS AWESOME

Still torn between genius and stark raving lunatic. She either shows too much of her personality or hasn't shown any of it this whole time. I can't decide. She's like the world's biggest kid. She gets to have playtime and dress up every day. How the bloody hell does any one dance in heels like that. Lastly, I think baby gaga should stop singing and just start making her own series of huge production valued movies about her shutter island climb in the record industry. She's mental. She loves it.

Til' tomorrow,

Any Paramore fans?

Just a little news update. If you don't already know, Paramore has a new album coming out expected this January. They have released three singles thus far, Monster released in September, Renegade released in October, and the latest Hello Cold World early November. The next single out is December 5th called In The Mourning. Don't go racin' to itunes just yet, you won't be able to purchase anything there yet.

Paramore is doing something against the grain, which I love. Instead of making these anticipated singles available on itunes, they are only releasing their singles to "The Singles Club" which you can sign up for on their websites. This enables fans to have the first and direct access to their songs before everyone else. It's pretty awesome. I just downloaded all of the songs using utorrent, which I highly recommend.

Not to fear, the whole album will be up on itunes when it drops this January. I'm a little in love with quirky little front woman Hayley Williams. She's super fun, super honest, completely herself and a positive young lady. Not to mention the rest of the now three piece Taylor and Jeremy are super talented and the band as a whole is very tight and together. The only thing left for Paramore is... more! They only prove to be getting bigger and better. I wish them all the luck in the world. They are some of them most deserving people in the music business. I look forward to the album and whatever else the touch this year! For more info check out Paramore's website

Check out the video for Monster.

Listen to Renegade

Lyrics 

Listen to Hello Cold World 

Lyrics 

I keep listening to Hello Cold World in my car on the way to work. At first I scrunched up my nose at this song. I thought it sounded more on the poppy side. But after givin' it a right listen I found I quite liked it I did. The lyrics are really positive and have a great message behind them.  

Listen to the acoustic demo In The Mourning

(Here's a leak I found of the acoustic version)

Lyrics  

 "Get out and go and get it!!"