Alright I’m not gonna do a big review here but I’ll talk a little bit about the two records that were assigned to me by @JediMasterKevo182 Hawthorne Heights - Hurt I remember listening to the silence in black and white back in high school and being really hyped on this band. Silver bullet was totally my jam! (Even though I liked the demo version more). I probably grew out of that album/band right before the released their second lip and decided not to listen to them. Listening to this ep I was really shocked by how much this band has grown. The production is way fuller and the song wrong is way more cohesive than anything I had heard previously. There were a lot of moments that reminded me of bands I love like Silverstein and yellowcard and it seems like they have pushed away from force screaming in every song. I’m pretty excited for the new record now next week! 3.5/5 Starset -Vessels This is a long expansive pop rock record that mixes in post hardcore and electronic influences. I found that I was taken out of the album often by the autotune effect on the vocals which made it hard for me to connect with the music. I think this band is at their best here when they dive into the heavy and experimental elements of their sound. If they went in that direction more I could see myself enjoying their records more in the future. I’d be admis if I didn’t mention the the closer rips really hard and was absolutely my favorite track on the album. 2.5/5
Glad you enjoyed something about both, especially with HURT bringing you back to them in time for the new album!
The second record of three I was assigned by @anonimito was Thirteen Senses- Crystal Sounds I had never heard of this band, but I really enjoyed the album cover. If we were judging albums by their cover it'd be incredible. While we're not judging them by their cover, the content was really enjoyable as well! The album starts with the title track "Crystal Sounds" I really enjoyed the start of it with its heavy synth and pounding bass, reminiscent of the 80's. There was a part where the singer sang "ahh ahh ahh" where it reminded me of Nightman from Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia, which isn't the singers fault of course haha. When he went higher with the vocals it sounded like the space between Chris Martin from Coldplay and Jònsi from Sigur Ros. The record continues strong with "The Loneliest Star" whose Chorus sounded like it'd fit on a a Coldplay radio hit. The next track "Home" was so catchy that my 6 year old son was singing along by the end of the first chorus! One of my favorite tracks on the record was "Animals" Vocally and musically it reminded me a lot of Radiohead, which anyone who knows me knows that is a huge compliment! The track clocks in at almost 7 minutes but it doesn't seem to drag at all! The same can be said for the record as a whole, which is one hour and 4 minutes but does not feel too long. Towards the end of the record was the gorgeous acoustic track "Send Myself To Sleep" which was one of the highlights of the record. "In The Crowding" was a gorgeous storytelling song, with fantastic lyrics, and heavy orchestration in the song. It was also heavy in piano, and guitar solos. It was the type of song that takes you on a ride, and I felt like it would've made a good closer to the record. Based on the epic sound of it, the actual closer "Reputation" did seem a little underwhelming. It was still a great song, it just seemed to pale in comparison to the song before it. The Chris Martin comparisons definitely echo through the whole record, with other occasional influences shining through from time to time. There were many songs that had an orchestra component to the songs, which is always a beautiful addition to any record. My one complaint with the record is that it did feel very top heavy, where the catchiest songs and the ones with the biggest hooks started off the record. I was extremely impressed to read that this record was recorded in their own studio and self-produced, as the records production was absolutely fantastic! Thanks for for great recommendation @anonimito ! Favorite tracks: "Crystal Sounds" "The Loneliest Star" "Home" "Animals" "Send Myself To Sleep" "In The Crowding"
Awesome review! It looks like you were listening to the "deluxe" version, which makes your "top-heavy" comment totally make sense to me. When I think of the album itself, I only think of tracks 1-10, but I do still really love the bonus tracks, especially the ones you pointed out! I'm thrilled that you (and your son) enjoyed it! By the way, "Animals" is my top favorite by them, ever.
I was already planning on reviewing it. My life is a bit “hectic” but things are slowly falling back into place.
Lol Dude is obviously just messing Remember that everything on the internet should be read in Chandler's voice