The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 211

It’s gone to your head. You are referring to yourself in third person!

 

Welcome to our ranks man. Feel free to scroll through some pages and read some reviews to get a feel for it

 

that gin blossoms album is a classic

 

He's so amazing he is three people, takes that many to contain it.

 

Dude thats insane! All these bands we both know and love that we prob didnt think anyone on Chorus would know about!

You def need to check out Caught by the Window if you can find it! Alright which showed up on Into the West was actually on caught by the window initially. What did you think of Wooden Bones? Have you heard it?

 

One of the many joys of the CMCS, connecting fans

 

I had all three albums on CD at one point but I admittedly only listened to CBTW two or three times. Never hit me like Into the West did but I should give it a better shot.

Wooden Bones was cool but not as consistent. The first four tracks are amazing.

 

@anonimito and I traded and he gave me:
Vertical Horizon: The Lost Mile (2018) Outfall Records

I think most people have heard of Vertical Horizon from their 1999 smash hit, Everything You Want, off of the album of the same title. I know for me personally, I had sort of forgotten about them after that radio single. They were sort of lost in the mix amongst the large number of bands that were emerging in the pop rock category. Third Eye Blind were releasing their incredible first record and Smash Mouth was devouring the airwaves with "Allstar". With that being said, if I knew then what I know now, I would have continued to listen to them and follow them. Gone is the rock edge of that album but they still comfortably sit in the pop rock genre but more subdued and could even be classified as mild EDM. They have not exactly had the most consistent lineup and can be likened to Senses Fail with the only original member being front man, Matthew Scannell. This is their 7th studio album and is honestly a good record that would fit comfortably in today's scene.

Lets get one thing out of the way: Matthew Scannell has an incredible voice. It is warm and welcoming like that of Andrew McMahon and reminds me a lot of Phil Collins.

The album as whole has a very positive message of overcoming adversity. This is evident from the very first track, I'm Gonna Save You. With lyrics such as:
"Whatever may come, whatever may go,
No one can stop this, nobody knows..."

I always thought of Vertical Horizon as a Christian band but whatever the case, Matthew writes very uplifting lyrics that inspire you. This is the overall theme of the record.

The track selection for the album is interesting in that as it goes along you start to lose a lot of "real" instruments and are replaced with keyboards and electronic beats. It is not a bad thing and doesn't take away from how good the songs are but it is just an interesting choice. Although, closing track Save Love is a sort of a ballad and immediately brings in this beautiful piano with Matthew singing over it and then introduces these faint electronic beats. I actually do prefer the front half of the album more so than the back half with the exception of the last track.

My other criticism with the record is that a lot of the tracks do tend to blend together but the songs are very catchy and makes them instantly accessible. I will definitely be listening to this album quite a bit but it is not perfect.

7/10

RIYL: Pop Rock, Early 2000's era radio bands, EDM

Favorite songs:
I'm Gonna Save You
More
Out of the Blue

 

Yeah Wooden Bones was definitely not as strong but pretty good. Like you said first four tracks but also the last two tracks are really good!

 

just wanted to say that this review is freakin awesome, and I'm super grateful it exists!

 

Thank you sir, I can say the same about your album! It was a privilege writing that review

 

Nice job, Nate! Your favorites and mine overlap quite a bit, but I also really love "Now." It took a while to grow on me, but now (no pun intended), I think it's my top favorite.

And I'm pretty sure VH isn't a Christian band; at least I've never personally viewed them through that lens.

Again, great review! Glad you enjoyed it!

 

Thank you! In regards to them being a Christian band, I think it was more along the lines of how uplifting his lyrics are. He definitely doesn't have any worship lyrics but you can see what I am saying. After this album I need to check out the other albums.

 

Oh, I see! Yes, I get that. Even with some deeply depressing topics, he can put a positive spin or at least make you feel good when you hear the lyrics.

Nice! I'm really happy to hear that!

 

Vertical Horizon had a really great string of hits in their heyday. Everything You Want, Best I Ever Had, and You're a God were all A+ singles and all off one album. Underrated band I need to look into more still.

 

Definitely check out this album.

 

Time for my first review on this thread! @JediMasterKevo182 gave me two albums last week to spin. Here's my review for the first. Second one coming tomorrow most likely (sorry for the delay!). Bear with me everyone, it's been a while since I've written reviews, so I'm going to need time to get into the swing of it :)

Bring Me the Horizon - That's the Spirit

This album was not what I expected from Bring Me the Horizon. I had never listened to the band before this album was chosen for me, but I had a general impression that BMTH was closer to a metalcore band than the arguable alt-rock feel of this album. What I discovered, after digging deeper, is that That's the Spirit is a marked departure from the band's past albums and is a whole new sonic direction for them. In recent years, I have gravitated towards pop and indie rock music primarily, moving away from the post-hardcore, pop-punk, emo-leaning music that I embraced in high school. But I always hold such a level of nostalgia for that time, and have been dying to re-explore what has been up with the "scene" in the years where I stepped away, and this album represented a good opportunity to do that.

The album kicks off with Doomed, which is a powerful and atmospheric starting point for the album. The pre-chorus is heavenly and the entire song got me so pumped on this album. Talk about a fantastic first impression. Happy Song follows and immediately gets stuck in your heard with the sing-along cheer-style intro. Again, from what I expected of the band, this was not a song I expected to hear on this album. But it's infectious and memorable, and totally up the alley of my high school self, so I dug it. Throne is a decent, if forgettable, track. Oli's vocals are strong here and he sings with conviction, but the song doesn't grab me until the bridge. The song's bridge really stands out to me and knocked me off my socks. Coupled with the increased intensity that Oli shows in the final chorus, the song ends on such a great note.

True Friends - what can I say? It's a jam and the perfect example of how a heavy band can come up with something memorable if they embrace a bit of their pop side. By the end of my first listen to the track, I was already singing along to the chorus - the perfect sign of any memorable song. Following such a high point, I was worried Follow You would get lost in the fray. But FUCK does that chorus get me. Coupled with the nice electronic flourishes underlying the song, this song is powerful. The lyrics really remind me of my last relationship a lot, as well, which punched me in the gut. Such powerful words.

I will follow you, 'cause I'm under your spell
And you can throw me to the flames
I will follow you, I will follow you

What You Need breaks up the flow of the album, in my opinion. It's horribly generic, which is unfortunate considering how much I enjoyed the songs leading up to this one. As seems to be a theme on this album, though, the bridge is solid and drew me back in when I was ready to write the song off, so that is a testament to the band's solid songwriting. Entering the album's second half, Avalanche kicks things off on a strong note. The pre-chorus and chorus are so powerful in their simplicity and how the more understated nature of the pre-chorus leads into the powerful chorus. This play between more subdued moments, and powerful punches to the gut, also make the final chorus and outro powerful. Thumbs up. Run is an enjoyable track, but likely one I won't go back to very often individually. In the context of the album, though, it keeps things rolling.

Drown kicks off the home stretch on That's the Spirit with an anthemic and rousing track that seems destined for arenas. When the choir comes in, during the chorus, I got chills. Really solid track. Blasphemy falls a bit closer to What You Need, in my opinion - a bit generic, on the whole, but it is undoubtedly catchy. The chorus doesn't do much for me, but I enjoy the slow fade out at the end of the track. A decent track, but one I won't likely come back to very often. The album ends on a high note, though, with the track Oh No. I love the choir of voices that back up Oli during the chorus - it gives the chorus a livelier feel. And I'm a sucker for a well-placed saxophone, so I enjoy what the sax and trumpet add to the last stretch of the song. I expected the album to end on a bit of a higher note, I must admit. Oh No doesn't build to a cathartic point of release, like I was hoping, but it does end the album in style.

Overall, I really enjoyed this album. The album's first half is undoubtedly its strongest, but regardless it is a cohesive album throughout and leaves me with a positive impression. It's an alt rock album with solid pop sensibilities and, as such, is something I can see myself going back to again in the future. I am excited to see where Bring Me the Horizon go with their next album. Given this solid foundation, I wouldn't be surprised to see them be the next mainstream crossover success, similar to Twenty One Pilots. I know the band is already huge, but I think there's a lot here that speaks to their potential to achieve even more widespread mainstream acclaim.

8/10

Fave tracks: Doomed, Happy Song, True Friends, Follow You, Avalanche

 

That Bring me album is definitely rather different from their previous material, it very much divided fans. I can't help but feel like it lost their individuality personally.

Good review though and I think it's interesting to see where they go next, they have been absolute astronomically big here in the UK for a "heavy" band for a while now.

 

Great first review! I personally love Sempieternal and how experimental it was.

 

Great job man!! Glad this album sat so well with you. I love this album, and you seemed to pick out all my favorites. True Friends and Follow You are my top 2.

I’ll be getting to yours tonight; I meant to do them yesterday but I didn’t sleep well the night before and was kind of not in any mind shape to write a review lol

 

I have always loved the singles from Vertical and was curious if any of their albums were worth a listen - nice review!

 

There For Tomorrow - A Little Faster (Hopeless Records; 2009)

Last week @nickyeatworld sent me over this record for my assignment.

I've always been curious about There For Tomorrow, they came up around a time when I was heavily engaged in the "scene" but for some reason I never got around to listening. My impression of them before even listening to the record was that of a band signed to a pop/punk label (Hopeless Records) that never quite fit the mold (i.e. Meg & Dia, The Spill Canvas, Mae, and the list goes on). They released two full length records on Hopeless (A Little Faster in 2009 and The Verge in 2011) and seemed to slowly disappear before officially disbanded in 2014 after the release of their Nightscape EP.

The album opens with "The Remedy" which immediately gave me an Anberlin Dark Is the Way, Light Is A Place-era vibe and sounds like the group is going for rock radio. The guitars are catchy, the harmonies are on point and the singer's voice is inoffensive - the perfect rock radio combination. "A Little Faster" follows a similar path to "The Remedy" and it isn't until the third track "Wish You Away" that I begin having any investment. The chorus melody clicks and I'm officially along for the ride. "Backbone" follows with the best riff on the record. Other highlights include "Just in Time" and "Burn the Night Away", both slower numbers with the former mixing in some electronic touches while the latter's acoustic plucking in the verses sets it apart from the rest of the record.

Overall I can understand why this band never exploded. They have a nice pop/rock sound that seems to be making a bid for radio but with too much of a "scene" vibe to cross over to the average radio listener. They are best when incorporating different elements and dynamics into their already polished sound and worst when they coast through tracks with by the numbers blasting choruses and the singer's sometimes over the top melodies.

5/10

Favorite Tracks:

Backbone
Just in Time
Burn the Night Away

 

@iCarly Rae Jepsen recommended Jane's Addiction's Ritual de lo habitual.

I'd only previously heard "Been Caught Stealing" and "Stop", and kind of thought that's what the band sounded like. I was wrong.

I read on wikipedia that the first half of this album was basically just rock songs, similar to the two singles. But that the back half of the album was dedicated to lead singer Perry Farrell's friend who had passed away from a herion overdose at the age of 19. Farrell had also battled herion addiction, so I'm sure this death hit him extra hard. There's also a track in the later part of the album (Then She Did) that is about Perry's mother's suicide when he was only 4 years old.

I'd never known the background of Perry Farrell, but hearing about all of this, definitely made me appreciate the music/lyrics more than I would have had I not known anything going in. You can feel the emotion in some of these songs, and the musical experimentation on Three Days.

Three Days was easily the highlight for me, with Then She Did coming in close behind.

This album was apparently a lot more influential than I had realized. I knew Jane's Addiction was a popular band with a few hits, but I didn't quite understand their impact on music at the time....

and

I don't think I'm really a fan of the radio hits, but the deeper, more diverse, personal tracks on the album were pretty great and I'm glad to have found a new appreciation for this band that I had no clue about.

 

@SamLevi11 @Nate_Johnson @JediMasterKevo182 Thanks all, appreciate the kind words.

I'll definitely have to check out the past BMTH albums when I have some time - I definitely want to hear everything that led to That's the Spirit. I have a feeling their earlier albums will be the exact type of music that high school me would have stanned for lol.

 

I have Everything You Want and it's definitely worth the buy.