Well I owe my reviews to these two great guys @skurt and @bree1981 Pianos Become the Teeth – Keep You recommended by @skurt I heard a lot of great things about this band but somehow never had the chance to check them out. And it was a huge mistakes because this record rocks! It has this moody post-rock guitar sound that I really like. The singer’s voice is both cold and emotional and gives me chills. I couldn’t find some standout “hit” song but this time it is not bad because this record works perfectly as a whole. It gives you really interesting out-of-this-world experience. I think it will be one of my must-listen winter records like some albums by The National. It even reminds me of The National a bit with it’s atmosphere. It’s like if The National based their sound on some emo records not on post-punk. Now I will definitely check out other records by PBTT. And I already can’t wait for their new album because new singles are amazing. The Riot Gang – Ice Age recommended by @bree1981 Well this one is funny. Brian from Scotland recommended me the band from the city I’m living in Russia. That’s insane that he knows this band and I suppose it means that he is 100% cool punk guy. Because I personally never heard about The Riot Gang before. It is also funny because my band and TRG play in the same clubs. This album is fast straightforward pop-punk with some hardcore elements. It may lack the cool poppy choruses I usually like in pop-punk but the energy is crazy in a good way. Some songs sound like 00’s New Found Glory, some sound like some hardcore punk like modern Black Flag. But all the songs gives you this unique non-stopping energy only punk music can give. I think I should go to their show because it must sound insane live. And it makes me proud that local bands can rock this good. I would recommend this album for all punk fans. If you need some head-banging mosh-starting blood-boiling stuff than it must be it.
You were supposed to be with Skurt this round as we discussed a couple days ago I thought. But bachna works too
@thenewmatthewperry recommended Trap City by Taking Names to me a few weeks back. Things happened and I put my music discovering on hold. I am ready now. It was a short (only five songs) but really enjoyable album. I would have liked maybe a slower song in the mix, but maybe they are not the type of bands to do slow jams. Since it was only a EP, I was fine with it. It was filled with catchy moments and the instrumentation was really good. My standouts were Say Anything and So the Legend Goes. 4/5
Both is fine since i've already listened to the album @skurt rec'd a few times already. I'm back with a vengance y'all.
Duuuude!! I’m really excited you dug this record. I think it’s a special album that doesn’t get enough attention. Also I don’t know if you felt this way, but because of how cohesive the album is, it doesn’t feel as long as it actually is to me. Like there are a few songs that have seamless transitions that make the overall experience seem to go faster. But yeah, super glad you enjoyed it!!!
@Wall Of Arms and I traded recommendations and they gave me pleasure and honor of reviewing: Shame: Songs of Praise (2018) Dead Oceans Disclaimer: This album is currently my AOTY and the one by which all other albums will judged against. This is a monster of an album and one everyone in this group and on this site should check out. These young guys (in their later teens and early 20's) have the potential to be huge. Shame is band from Britain out of South London that can best be described as Post-Punk but also incorporate some elements of indie rock, hardcore and even black metal. They named their album after the oldest running show on the BBC, Songs of Praise, which is very religious, traditional and conservative. They bring to mind bands like Gang of Four, The Clash, The Fall, Fucked Up and Frameworks with hints of Beck and other indie rock peppered in. Throughout the entire record, there is this conflict between the beauty the band creates and front man Charlie Steen's vocals and it works perfectly. Album opener, Dust on Trial, is the darkest song on the album and opens with Steen singing in a deep register with the rest of the band playing this jarring music behind him that brings to mind black metal act Atriarch. The band then takes off with the first single off of the record, Concrete, with Steen trading a call and response with bassist Josh Finerty: "Do you feel alone?", "Well sometimes I do" and brings up not being able to truly figure out who you are when you are young and questioning everything around you. Steen is an incredible lyricist at such a young age. In songs Friction and Tasteless he brings up the socio political climate and gives a big middle finger to the social apathy going on in the world right now. In a recent interview, he elaborated that many lyrics stemmed from our current President of the United States. "Well do you ever need the needy? Do they ever tug on your heart? Or do you determine the person in question is simply worlds apart?" Much of the record is centered around this theme, while the last song on the record, Angie, sees the band slow things down showing that they can actually break out of their hard exterior. This song was instantly my favorite upon first listen and hits close to home for us audiophiles with the topic of suicide and the loss of someone that meant so much to us. Every time I hear the lyrics it brings a tear my eye: Chorus: "I'll see you soon up where you lie, under the moon, above the sky" Please check out this record and I cannot thank @Wall Of Arms enough for recommending it. Favorite Songs: Angie Dust on Trial Friction Tasteless One Rizla Concrete RIYL: Frameworks, Gang of Four, The Fall, Beck 10/10
Right. A day late a buck short, but here are my reviews for @fame: Braid - Frame & Canvas I had listened to Braid a couple of times before, but only their most recent album, and to be honest, I enjoyed it, but It never really had me hooked enough to go back to it all that often. I also never felt compelled enough to go back and listen to their earlier catalogue, but right now I'm wishing that I had! Reading a bit more into this album, it appears on many a top Emo album list, and its easy to see why. There are plenty of influences in here which can be heard in a lot of more modern emo acts. I've never really dug into the 90s emo scene (aside from maybe American Football LP1), but I can definitely see myself diving in after listening to this! I'm going to give this an 8/10. I Hate Myself - Ten Songs Right, so I had never heard of I Hate Myself, so I did a little bit of googling, and saw that when they released their first few EPs they didn't even give any of the songs or albums titles which I thought was quite quirky and cool. Also this album called 10 songs actually has 11 - Jokers! Anyway, onto the music. I really enjoyed this album. The music has a really raw, DIY sound - loud crashing drums, heavily distorted guitars and a pretty ropey vocal performance - and I loved it, that's all I really have to say - haha. I will definitely go back to this record. 9/10. Sorry I couldn't express in more words, but music writing is not my forté - I'm a numbers guy ;).
good job writing the report(s). glad you liked them! i'll try have my reviews in for you by the end of the day
Honestly, this has been my favourite interaction so far and why I love this club/community. We've been chatting back and forth the whole week and recommending each other a bunch of stuff whilst discussing our albums. It made me so happy to hear you not only like this album but love it. I was worried it could be quite polarising with how British it is, so to hear it's been the opposite is just the best. Thank you for spending time with it and loving it.
It is the same for me as well. I love chatting about and exploring new music from the other side of the world that may not get the exposure they deserve.
Let's keep up the chats, excited to hear what you think of other stuff I've sent over - when you have the time of course and got plenty more too. Cheers again mate.