The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 253

Skeletons is a bloody great album. I remember it totally reignited my love for Hawthorne Heights.

 

It really is. I fell in love with it instantly. Then again I like all of their releases lol

 

This week I was assigned Grayscale- Adornment by @SamLevi11. I had never heard of this band, and didn’t even recognize the album cover from avatars, etc.! Within a minute of putting the record on, I wish I had heard them sooner.

The album kicks off with “Let It Rain” which sounds like a pop-punk song that would’ve dominated my 6 CD changer in my first car when my friends and I would drive around all night blasting and singing along to our favorite songs. The singalong atmosphere continues with “Come Undone” which had a guest spot in the second verse and the bridge from Patty Walters from a band called As It Is (Who I’m assuming are also worth checking out) The next song “Slipping Away” reminded me a lot of early Mayday Parade, which is high praise, as they’re one of my favorite nostalgic listens. I could hear some So They Say influences in the song as well, another great pop-punk band who I’ve actually assigned in this Chorus Music Society to our very own fearless leader @Bad Frequencies ! The song “Atlantic” was one of the highlights of the record, where everything but the guitar cut out for the verses, before picking up in the pre-chorus, to another massive catchy chorus. “Forever Yours” was a gorgeous acoustic track that was a nice change in pace to the record. The verses especially really showcased how clean and crisp the singers voice is. The lyrics were very relatable to anyone who’s gone through a breakup that you never thought would come. (“Could never live without you, but I guess I’ll have to”) I could see this being a highlight at their live shows, maybe as the first song of their encore. The song “Beautiful Things” appeared to go in the same direction as the previous song, until it kicked in about 25 seconds into the song. It wasn’t an acoustic track, but it was a pretty straight forward alternative song, and less pop-punk than a majority of the record. I wasn’t sure what he meant by ‘Kelly Green’ in the song(apparently it’s a shade of green) but in doing some research I came across an interview he did for Alternative Press which added deeper meaning to the lyrics:

“Beautiful Things” is a dialogue between somebody wanting to take their own life and a close friend of theirs. It is a literal talk-off-the-ledge discussion turned into a song. Adornment has a very wide variety of emotions coursing throughout it, each song having a slightly different feel from the next.

The next song “Mum” was a real tearjerker. As someone who will never be ready for his parents to pass away, it’s always gut-wrenching to hear people singing about losing theirs. (See Touche Amore- Stage Four) The most painful lyrics to hear are at the end of the chorus “'Cause it’s been three years and I’m still stuck inside your wake. I sat by the door and I waited for you to come home, but you never came” “Fever Dream” was another slower, alternative song on the record, and it appeared to me at this point that the record is split into two pieces. The first half of the record is more a fun pop-punk record, whereas the second half of the record deals with more serious topics, and has more alternative slower songs. The next song Echoes(Carry On) did bring back the fun pop-punk song back for a little bit, and seemed more like the style of the beginning of the record. The next song "Slept" was another acoustic song that turned into a full band song about a third of the way through the song. It was a gorgeous song that felt like a penultimate track, even including a little guitar solo that led into the last chorus. The record ended with "If I Ever See You Again" which felt like a proper closing track from the opening guitar. This would make for a great closing track for them live also. This song ended the record with the fun pop-punk feeling felt mainly in the beginning of the record. It was catchy, even having some "Hey" chants after the first chorus. It was the second straight song to have a small guitar solo leading into the last large chorus to end the record. The record ends with the "Hey" chants again from the end of the first chorus.

I can see this being a great summer record for me, with the windows down playing loud. While the band didn’t attempt anything new or risky with this pop-punk record, it’s great for what it is. A fun, catchy record for night drives, and time spent with friends. I have to say they did explore some pretty heavy topics lyrically, between death and suicide, which was unexpected. I’ll be interested to see where the band goes long-term with their sound, as a lot of pop-punk bands expand on their sound, and sometimes completely change their sound over time. I’m interested to see if they continue on with the faster, catchy pop-punk songs, or if they continue going in darker directions musically, and lyrically. Thanks for exposing me to them @SamLevi11 !

Favorite Songs: Slipping Away, Atlantic, Forever Yours, Beautiful Things, Slept, If I Ever See You Again

 

Echoes has one of the best choruses of 2016 or 17, idr which

 

@Davjs and I traded this week and he gave me two albums (NOT FROM 2018 @Colin Your Enthusiasm)

First up:
Senses Fail: Life is Not a Waiting Room (2008) Vagrant Records

I am not going to write a ton about this record because as a whole I really didn't enjoy it. I think what I have come to realize is this: I like If There is A Light, It Will Find You and dislike Senses Fail. I liked the production and musically it was on point with the backing band being the strong point, although I am not really sure where Lungs Like Gallows came from as it almost sounds like and ode to hard rock with a hint of thrash metal. We are still talking about talking about Senses Fail right? Buddy just has these nasally vocals and when he screams it is cringe worthy. The highlights of the record are when he sits down and just sings as in tracks like Yellow Angels and Map the Streets. I don't want to go into the lyrics because they are also cringe worthy.

3/10

If I had to pick three tracks from this album they would be:
Lungs Like Gallows
Yellow Angels
Map the Streets

The next one that was given to me was:
Wolves at the Gate: VxV (2014) Solid State

Wolves at the Gate are a Christian metalcore band from Cedarville, Ohio. VxV is their second studio album. This album was actually really enjoyable except for one sort of glaringly obvious thing: the lyrics. If the fact that you missed that I said they are a Christian band AND they are on Solid State, the moment you hit play you will know. Throughout the entire record you are pounded with references to God and religious themes. I am aetheist but respect whatever the next person chooses to believe but this borders on preaching and is in your face. That aside, this record is fantastic musically and is a mix of metalcore, post hardcore and melodic hardcore, all genres I really enjoy. All the vocalists in the group are incredible and provide a wide variety of styles while musically the band is great and the production is fantastic. There are even certain songs that bring to mind Thrice when they slow things down such as The Bird and the Snake and The Father's Bargain. The only thing I didn't enjoy is the opening title track which is a broadcast from a church of some sorts and I tended to skip after the first listen. Overall, it's a good album that I am sure anyone who likes the genres mentioned would also enjoy. I am not sure how much I will spin it going forward but I appreciate the opportunity to check it out.

5/10

Favorite Songs:
Wake Up
The Bird and the Snake
Wild Heart

 

Apologies to @Kiana and @SaveTheEarth and @Davjs

I haven’t forgotten the reviews I owe you guys. Between the Hawthorne Heights VIP and my fiancee’s birthday the week has been busier than I thought! I will get them done before week’s end though!

 

JT playing at your wedding?

No worries mate, I'm late too :)

 

Hahaha I wish! ‘Somewhere In Between’ is being played there though, JT thought that was awesome lol

 

This Rad Horror EP rules!

 

You're welcome :) You play the other Life In Vacuum record yet?

 

What's your avatar from? I like it. The black and white aesthetic reminds me of this even though its not at all similar:

S/T - EP by Carrollhood

 

I’m about to put it on so I can listen to it on my way home from band practice.

Tonight we started writing a new song and i wrote a riff for it that was inspired by Life In Vacuum. Haha.

 

@Bad Frequencies Hey Kev can you take me out of this for next week. I'm going away on holiday cycling for a week so I won't really get a chance to listen to anything. I'll def be back the week after though

 

Love that you enjoyed the record. I always assumed the lyrics in the chorus of Beautiful things was "Cali Green", but apparently you are right, and Kelly Green means the shade of Green used in Irish flags and stuff. Seeing these guys for the first time at Slam Dunk in a few weeks and I'm pretty excited.

Personally I'm not a fan of As It Is but if you like the really poppy end of the genre, and you don't mind higher pitch voices like Kellin Quinn or Vic Fuentes then I could see you enjoying them too.

 

The new Andrew W.K. is pure awesome sauce.

 

I actually kind of love those motivational speaking tracks haha

 

Me too aha. It's amazing to me how he's been able to stick around ! He was just on Conan.

 

I'm adding Grayscale to my list of stuff to check out!

Also, I'll get to the Movements write-up today - I apologize for the tardiness!

 

i went and saw him when he was doing his motivational speech tour a couple years ago or something like that. it was awesome! got to hang out with him for a bit afterwards, and he had free pizza for everybody.

 

So are you saying he's as awesome as I think ! ?

 

way more awesome

 

Oh man, I wouldn't have guessed you wouldn't like it haha, sorry for wasting your time. I figured if you liked the new one, you'd an album with more of a mix of heavy and poppy. If anything, at least you can say that their guitar work is awesome now

Your favorite songs are some of mine as well. The Bird and the Snake has major Thrice vibes to me as well, so glad you thought so too. I always skip the first track as well because its only someone preaching and not a real song. This album has really grown on me though and Majesty in Misery and Relief have become two of my favorite songs.

You owe me a review? I don't recall lol.

Edit: I don't know why my Wolves at the Gate response is a hyperlink but I can't fix it lol

 

The Used

 

Ohhhhh yeah you are right, I forgot. No rush on that for real though, I know you take on so much around these parts.

 

Right so my Cocheau Twins review will be up this weekend, sorry for the lateness everyone, I have had an incredibly busy two weeks. I will then get on with my Julien Baker review.