The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 321

Awesome! I plan to write yours on Monday :)

 

Nice job! I’m glad you dug it!

 

We still got plenty of miles in this bad boy

 

@bachna84 and I traded and he gave me:

Gatherers: We Are Alive Beyond Repair (2018) Equal Vision

Gatherers are a band from Bayonne, New Jersey and this is their third full length. They are essentially a post-hardcore band but incorporate this atmospheric post rock sound that contrasts light and dark. This light and dark being the stark contrast between vocalist, Rich Weinburger and the band. Rich brings these harsh vocals that pierce your very soul while the band has this atmospheric almost "wall of sound" that just entrances you and then somehow catch up with him and tear the beautiful canvas down after all the hard work they have put into it. These are some of my favorite post hardcore bands: the ones that tug at your emotions and keep you second guessing what they are going to do next. Bands that come to mind are Frameworks, Touche Amore, Casey and Pianos Become the Teeth and now Gatherers.

Lyrically, this album is very pessimistic in nature and matches the chaos coming from both Rich and the band. Rich further elaborated in an interview that the whole album has this idea of being completely unfulfilled, no matter how hard you try. The whole idea of the album is actually really interesting and paints these experiences from other peoples perspectives rather than it being more of a personal album. Lead single, The Floorboards are Breathing, was taken from the HBO documentary, One Minute to Nine, and is the story of a woman who was the victim of domestic abuse for years and one day snapped and killed her husband with a hammer. Every song on the album is some sort of abstract story about some else's experiences and paints the picture of how unsettling life can be.

"You pulled the hammer from the cupboard
In the Sunday best you’d wear.
You spoke your vows into a bottle
Stalked his footsteps up the stairs..."

This is such a dark and complex record. I have listened to it three times and I feel as though I am nowhere even close to cracking the surface of how dense and layered it is. I love the bands ability to shift seamlessly from chaos to beauty. On top of this Rich has a such a wide and dynamic vocal range: one minute he will be screaming like Sam from Architects and the next he will have these beautiful melodies reminiscent of Chino Moreno. That is another thing, the band reminds me so much of The Deftones and why they will always be one of my favorite bands. Both bands have this unique ability to find the perfect place between heavy and light music.

This is a fantastic record that takes post-hardcore to the next level and I know that a lot of people will enjoy it.

RIYL: Post-Hardcore, Post Rock, The Deftones

Favorite Songs:
Coat
The Floorboards Are Breathing
Lambs to the Chapel
Ann Liv Young

 

Great review!!

 

Thank you and thanks for the great recommendation.

 

So I’m bored, does anyone want to give me an album to review today?

 

Acceptance: Colliding by Design

 

^This + 1

 

Just put it on

 

I've been spinning it for about half an hour this morning! I use a slightly different track sequence, but it's stellar either way. Have you heard "Phantoms" by them?

 

The better track listing (in my opinion).
Thanks @anonimito

 

Acceptance: Colliding by Design



So @anonimito and @Nate_Johnson gave me this album as a quick first impressions review. I'd heard of Acceptance before but have never really given them a proper listen, I think I might have played Phantoms once back in the day but never went back to it. I had been meaning to check this album out actually after hearing the title track on Spotify after it came up after I'd listened to Conditions the last week, so good timing you two

On first listen this album pretty damn enjoyable, they sort of play a cross between emo and indie pop rock on this. Think if you mixed the late 00's emo sound with an indie band like Foals or The Wombats. The vocals a great, he has a very soothing tone to his vocals but can still nail the soaring melodies when needed. The music itself is what reminds me a lot of the indie pop rock I was talking about.

Anyways to the tracks all of them were very enjoyable on first listen but the ones that stood out to me were Colliding By Design which has a great chorus. Come Closer which definitely leans more on the emo aspect of their sound, it also has a great 80's sounding drum beat to it. The other track I loved was Golden which I thought was a great closer to the album.

To sum it up this album is a great slab of modern pop rock and I'll go back to this when I've got some more time.

RIYL: Good modern pop rock
Favourite Songs: Colliding By Design, Come Closer, Golden

 

Awesome review! You picked out two of my top favorites at first listen - nice!

@Bad Frequencies: I keep meaning to recommend this one to you, since you enjoyed "Phantoms." Soon!

 

Later this evening I will be bringing you a release day review (even if it’s one day late) Of:
Mike Shinoda- Post Traumatic

As well as two reviews given to me by @Chase Tremaine

 

Love the Colliding by Design talk! My #2 album from last year I believe

 

You can feel Anberlin’s presence all over this record with Christian back. Such a great album.

 

CHOURS MUSIC CLUB SOCIETY
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C̡̨̢̢̧̭̩͕̻̠̟͔̦̗̩̹̫̱̱͔̞̮̻̝̰͈̭͓̦͕̯̤̳̜̺̱͓̮̩͔͇͚̰͍̠̤͉̪̮̮̪͙̪͕̰̥͛̐̓̆̐̊̃̈̾̒͛̆͛̇͆̀̅͌̈́̌̋͊̇̿͆̈́̀͒̉̀̈̓͛́͛͘͜͝͝͠͝ͅͅͅH̨̨̡̧̛̜̥̟̩͚̻̜̜̫̺̹͚͍̖̱̬̯̬̥̜̝̱̮̖͎̺̲̘͕͖͍̳̮͓̺̯͖͙̲̺̰̻͉͍͈͓̲̫̰̙̦̺͖̝̯̺͙͚͈̼͚͎̯̮͗͋͆͑͛͆̀̉̄̆̈́̔͑̇͌̔̍́̍̉̽̑͛͊͂̐͛̓͛͛̑͊͊̄̆͆̀̀̏͐̄̀͋́̂͆̒̏͘̕̚͜͠͠͠͝Ǫ̨̢̧̛̛̘̲͖̖̤̝̺̖͍͚̣̱͖̳͚̮̟̗̣͖͉̩̪̱̗͔̹̠̣̗̩̖͈̼͇̥̤̤̫̹͔̬̦͕̞͙̤̦̼̟̦͍̺̪͔̮͚̣͐̍̔̽́̄̌̈̉͊̎̀͑̏̈́͆̄̈́̈̉̐̇̀̏̔̓̿̒̐̂̍̏̌̓̎̈́̓͊͊͑͂̈̍̕̚̚͜͠͝͝Ŗ̧̡̨̨̛̛̟̗̥͓̪̯̼̮͙̟̱͓̳̮̱̞͓͕͖̹̫̪͈̼͉̻̬̞̬̹͉͔̗̰͍͎̼̝̬̣͇̟̪̲̼̾́̎̆̋̑̇̒̈́̓̈́͐͑̓͛̋̆͌͋͒̆̓̃̅͒̄̎̋̆́͑̒̃̿́͑́̋͂̀̕̚͜͜͝͠͝͠͝͝Ư̢̧̢̧̛̰͎̰̟̠̗̲̳̟̜̣̻͍̟͍̤̣̠͙̘͖̤̯̪͕͙͔͉̯̻̪̼̟̯͚̜̙̠̘̦̣͙̰͚͙͚̪̺̞̠͓̭͇̑̽́̓͆̅͆̓̐̑̿̑̊̔̾̽̏̓̆̈́̌̍̈́̑͐͗̇̊̈́̈́̓̈́͊͌͆̀͒͑̾̑̎̓͌̉̇̐̓͌͐̀̌̈́̋̏̎̽͒̈́̑̋̓̔͆͑̚̚̚͘͜͝͝͝͠ͅͅŞ̛̛̪̬̘͍̤͓̰̲̖̞̮̭̮̪̗̲̭͇̹̱̼͑̅͒̽̍̍̊̾͂̓̐́̾̔̾̊̇̈́̄̇̓̑̾͛́͑̌̒̑́͛̅̈́͆̽̊͌͌̆͐̈̄̂̉̃͗͂̏̇̄̈̌̇́̎̋͋̈̊͗̌͊̽̚̕͠͠͝͝ ̨̧̧̛͈̤̬̬͖̫̝͉͓̠̯̠̘̮͇̳̤͔͍̱̼̲̻̹͇̤̙͈͇̹̘̭̥̬͚͙̰̬̦̰̥̻͓̹͉̞̥̊̎͋͆̈́̑̓̑́͒̈́̒̌͆̏͊̊̉̅̂͆̇͌́́̅͆̽̆̃̑̔́̾̚͘̚̕̕͘̕͜͜͝ͅͅM̧̡̡̨̧̢̛̛̹̖̦̘͍͙̰͓̼̭͚̖͍̱͍̩̰͙͔̬̮͙̬̩̻͇̰͓̥̮̟͉̘̙̯͚͓̣̜͚̥̬͖̲͙͚̬̰͓̥̓̐͛̐̿͋̔̏͆͌̋̊̈́͑̏͌͋̎̄͆̊́͑̏̈́̋̀͗̏̈́̀́̈́͊̇̿͊̐͊̇̑͗̀̎̍̐̓̌̅̚͜͜͠͝͠ͅͅƯ̧̢̧̢̨̡̧͙͇̱͎͓̗̼̦̲͚̘̪͍͕͉̥͓̱̻̪͓̟͎͈̦̠̤͈͇̜̼͇̻̹̰̳͓̣͖̍̌̄̇̈̈́́̀̿̂̌̀̎̽͒͑̓͋̍͗͒̍̃͗̌́͐̃͛̽̑́̐̍͐̽̃͘̚̕͝͝͝͠ͅŞ̡̨̛̛̛͔̺̤̮͇͓̼͕̪͔͖͉͓̙͍̲̩̯̰͍̱̱̮͕̮̲̹̥̞̥͕͙̩̠̯̘͚̩͎̯̗͍̥̯̺̤́͂̓͊̌͊͂̽̇̉̃̇̈̀̆̈́̆̋͂͛̊͌̂̑̄̇͋̀͑̈͗̿̎͂͛̍̌̍̏̔̊̔̀̔͆̅̂͐̈́̈́̔̀̌̒͑̌͛̂̋̊̔̕͘͜͝ͅͅͅI̡̡̡̢̢̛̛͔̣̳͉̯̖̪̳̫̻̬̖̭̖͉̬̟̻̺̹͍̘̞͗̒͌̌̏̑̽̄̏̆̿͛̋̽̀̅͂̂͑͛̊̆́̀͗̀̀̔̽̄̿̐́͐̾̋̉͒̈̋͌̓͑̌̽̀̈̌͛̈́͂͛̎͘̚͝͝͠͝͝͝͝Ç̨̨̨̛̦̦̟͕͔̲͍̖̘̮̙̗̺͙̞̣͔̩̼̠̝̯̦̫̩̺̻̥͓̭̜̫̮̘̠̬͍̆̎̎͛̓̔͊͗̈́͛̄͛̀̅͋̒͗̇̄͗̎̿̀̓̈̋̓̕͘͜͠͝͝͠ ̧̡̢̢̛̱͇̳̼͎͉̻̟͍̱̯͖̯̖͎͉̦̮̪̙͓͖͇̖̘͚̩̤͇̟̖͎̤̲̭̌̐̓͂̑͂̀͑̋́̀̏̊̏̃̄̄͂̍̐̑̈͌́͋͂͑͂̈̄̏̈̋͌̄́̿͂̎̍̓̃̒̃̍̍̀̀̑̋͆͒͘͘̕͜͝͠͝͝͝͝C̡̨̨̛̛̛̼͇̙̭̩̰͈̹̗͈͉̲̱̟͔͕̜͙̫͎͉̗͍̬̖̩̞̞̟̣͔̰͕̰̣̈́͋̇͌͐̍͂̓̔̐̑̆̆̈́͌͐̄͗̇̆́͐̋̾̍́̀͊̈̅͆̔̇̄́̑͋̂̈́̅̕̕͘͜͜͠͝͠ͅL̢̡̙̗̫̩͙̬͈̩͕͔̯̺͍͙̻͔̝̯̳̜̠̇̇̀͆̔̍͐̈̑̐͗̐̈́̉̌̓͛̋͗̉͛̾́͂̑̽̑̉͒͋̀̓̈́͆́̽̊́̔̂̈́͑̓̽̽͒̍͛͌̚̚͘̕͠͝͠Ư̢̧̧̧̨̧̨̛̛̭̙̪̗͍̫͎̬̤̭͚̝̩̩̝̪̯̞̺̣͙̗̤̱͙͈̗̪̝̹̫̻̰̪̠̝̦͇̳͓̫̳͖̜͕̣̤̰͓͓̟̳͕̰̗̼̭̻̬̏̑̏̓̀̆̑͌͛̈́͊̎̄̾͐̄̒̆͊͆̾̽̈́̈́̽̉̀̏̔̋͗͗̊̔͐͛̄̊̉͗̀̄́̓̎͘̕͘͘͘͝͠͠͠͝͠͠ͅB̧̢̢̢̢̫̘̜̳̹̰̘̙̻̻̠͉̫̩͍͉͎̗͔̬̠̯̺̝̖̹̫͈̱͈̳̞̬͂̂̓̂̒̌͂͛̆̋̏͛̓͐̃̇̉̀̈́̐̓̔͂̑̽̎̈́͛̔̊̂͑̾̄́͘͘̕̚͘͜͜͝͠ ̢̨̢̛̠̣͍̼̼̫̘̮̤͈͚͙͕̤̣̝͎̯͍̟͕̲̘̠͇̘̘̘̗̖̳̘̪̊̆̽̽̾̀̔̽̈́̾̒̆͋͒̌̿̌͋̓̾͂̎̉̓̐͌̀̈͆̔̎̀̐̂͆̍̽́̀̂́́͒̿̑̃̆̃̂͂̌͋̉͑̾̈́̃̚̚͘̚͘͘̚̚͘͜͠Ş̡̢̧̛̩̘͍͍̼̯̝̖̬̻̮͔͖̫̗̖̙͎̪̮̫̹̠͎̦͇̭̪͈̰̲̳̯̊̆͑̓͌̿̑̾̉̍͒̇͐̓̋̈͂̿̆̎̔̉͊̄̈́̓͑̂͐̄̈́͌̾͒̆͌͘͘̚͝ͅO̢̡̧̧̧̧̙͉͔͖̦̘̪̩̹͙̺̝̪̺̻̼͙̜͚̣̲̳̜̻̦̲̣̣͎͇͕̗̩̘̺̹̠̙̬̤̬̫̣͔͍̫̮̪͙͙̪̼̬̺̗̜̘̔̓͐́͆͌̆͒̌̊͐͋̋̿͂̒̿̕͝͝ͅͅͅC̡̢̢̢̧̛̬̳̮̫͈̩͕̰̮͕̝͉̱̪͕͕̪̟̯̙̤̗̳̣̳͈̹̗̫̥͉̫͉͓̼̹̥͔̻͙̖̞͍̠͈͈̜̲̫̪͕̯͈̮͎͌̀̅̆̾͆̇̆̐͂̒͋̓̇͋̇̍̆͊̅̑́͜͜͝ͅͅĮ̡̨̨̡̨̛̛̤͕̳̪̘̥͚̰̳̜̳̼͕̼̳̯̙̜̦̭̻̯̠̟͎̞̻̪͔͕͔̫͇̩̦̭̥̝̠̦̆̔́͐̈́̈́͊̿̓̂͑̊̂̌͊̋͂͊͗̑̐̂̆̕̕͘̚͜͜͝͠͠Ę̨̨̢̨̢̡̡̱̼̞̜͙̭̥̼͕͙̞̩̞͔̩̺̩̲̻̦̖̹̖̜̠̯͈͈͙͕͍͕̯͖̥͙̻͔̻͖̰̟͙̮̠͚̰̗̼̼͕̯̓̒͒̈̿̈͋̽̀̽̓̀̀͊͗̔̄̈̈́͗̍̆̍̽̐̐̔̽̈́̒̉̌̔̊̈́̆̈́͑͊̇̐̇̈́͆̽̀̚͜͝͝͝͝͝͝͝Ţ̧̨̛͔̪͇̖̝̹̼̙̰̠̜̲̖̮̦͖̖͉̪̳̲̅̀̆́̌̂͊̂̓̄͗̋͗̀͒͌͑̅͋̀̀͊̏̄̃͋͑̈́͆̄̓̾͛̓̾̂͒̊̒̎͑͋̆̄̃̿͊͗͛̉̂̇̉̒͋́͋̿̓͒̀̊̍̽͘͝͝͠͝͝ͅͅY̨̡̠̤̠̦͉̯͕̟̣̞̻̣̰̺̻̗̲̹̥̙̙̺̭͖͙̟̐̆͌̉͊́̔͆͑͂̽̾̾̽͛̋̊͋̍͗̓̽̉͗͂́͂̆́̉͑̋͘͜͜ͅͅ
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L̤̺̝͚̝͍̳̫̥͙͎̋̀͋͌̐͛͑̇̊͘͝͝Ö̭̦͈͍͖̬̲̬̮͇̤́̉̉͑̓̈́̽̚̕͝͝A̢̘̖̻̰͙̙̖͈̘̻͛͑͋̈́̌̇̇̚̕͘͘͝ͅD̻̖̞̭̣͓̺̘̫̣̻͈̈̊̌̅̍̽͗̈́̽͒̕͘Ỉ̟͍͇̳͎͖̪̣̣̗̼̲̍̍̇͒́̂͆̀͒͝Ñ̛͎͍̦͓̞͈̜̫̹̰̃̌̂͛̀́̂̀̔͜͝G̛̮̗͚̣͔̮̟̜̦̟͌͊̌́͗͒̒͆̕̚͜ ̧̖̥͍̳̲̜̘̯̜͍̝̔͊̐̃͋̅͊͛̌̈̃̓R͎͖͙̝̲̪̥̥͖̙̭̽͌̈́̌͊̀̔́̂̒̊̅Ȩ̙͚͚̖̱̤̻͖̗͔̂̂͒̓̒̌̓̽̈́̑͌̕͜V̡̫̟͚̥͓̬̭̻̤͍͇͑̃̌̒̌̋͛̒͝͝͝Į̧̙̙̝̳̣̲͕̰͓̌̉̎̍͛͐̍̈́̈́̈́͗͌͜Ȩ̧̛̖̭͕̫͍̦͙͓̤̞̇̓͆̈́̓̊͋̿̚͝W̨̛̬͖̙̹̞̼̙͇͖̪͐̾̀̾̇̓̉̈́̎̽̒



MIKE SHINODA- POST TRAUMATIC

Imagine losing someone so close to you that a big part of your life was affiliated with them. Imagine if it was sudden, unexpected, and shook your core. That was what happened to co-front man Mike Shinoda when Linkin Park's Chester Bennington tragically lost his battle with depression last year. Mike was faced with a very large part of his world shaken and coming unglued when Chester passed. Mike is also a very artistically oriented person, and when tragedy struck he took to painting and writing songs to process his grief and work through the emotions he was feeling. This album is the resulted of those writing sessions, and shows the unbalanced and destroyed mind of someone who lost one of their best friends, and it sure does cover all the stages of grief; those being shock or disbelief, denial, bargaining, guilt, anger, depression, and acceptance/hope. This album has all of those, and just like real life, they don't follow that order as it stays true to Mike's personal feelings. The album began as a 3 song EP that Shinoda released a couple months after Chester's passing, which are the first three tracks on the album. After that, he decided he needed more to attempt closure, and wrote a full length. This album is an emotional rollercoaster, and while its hard to listen to sometimes; it is also something that needs to be listened to, explored, and can be heart breaking and provide emotional clarity at the same time. Its beautiful and haunting all at once.

The first song, 'A Place To Start' sets the mood nicely, and is one of a soft and somber questioning of how could this happen and where does one move on from such a tragedy when their mind is a complete mess as result. The song, like many on this album, is lyrically heart breaking as Shinoda questions life and its fallibility: "Cause I'm tired of the fear that I can't control this, I'm tired of feeling like every next step's hopeless, I'm tired of being scared what I build might break apart, I don't want to know the end, all I want is a place to start" and the song fades into actual voicemails friends left him wishing him condolences in the wake of Chester's death. The song, and the voicemails especially, hit you hard and are a very rattling start to the album while Mike sings in a soft, low register voice that works very well for him.. The second track on the album, 'Over Again', was a personal favorite of mine on the EP and still ranks high for me on the album. This is the anger stage of the album, as we are shown his feelings of raw emotion when it feels like saying goodbye is a constant thing with no end. The song deals with how much of an emotional blow the Hollywood Bowl tribute show was, and how he almost lost it during the show multiple times. He also faces the anger over being constantly reminded of how this effects him and how closure seems impossible, as he states: "I almost lost it in middle of a couple songs. And everybody that I talk to is like, 'wow Must be really hard to figure what to do now' Well thank you genius, you think it'll be a challenge? Only my life's work hanging in the fucking balance. And all I wanted was to get a little bit of closure. And every step I took I looked and wasn't any closer 'Cause sometimes when you say goodbye, yeah you say it, Over and over and over and over" in some of the most passionate/angry rapping and singing in my mind that I have ever heard from Mike Shinoda.

I could go track by track and point out all of the hard hitting emotion filled lyrics on this album, but I won't; it would take a lot longer than any of you care to read and I also believe that it would ruin the impact of hearing the songs for yourself. I wanted to bring a few to attention though, just to show how much raw emotion this album has. The thing about this album is that while there are a lot of powerful, deep cutting emotions; this doesn't keep the album from being catchy, slightly poppy, and anthemic with its choruses. 'Nothing Makes Sense Anymore' deals with the amount of turmoil loss can cause in someone's life and how unsure it has made Mike, 'About You', which deals with how every song reminds Mike of Chester even unintentionally, 'Promises I Can't Keep' which deals Mike having to face carrying on without Chester in a life he had promised to be by his side, 'Hold It Together' which deals with him trying to keep his emotions together for his wife and family, and how the situation is brought up to him at random moments in life (such as a child's birthday party) and he has to hold it together...all of these songs are extremely powerful and yet the choruses are complete ear worms that will be stuck in your head and have you singing along. There are a lot of songs like that on this album. Its dark, and yet there is a sense of hope and light to it. It's heart breaking, but there is also a sense of fun. Mike Shinoda has managed to incorporate all of his talents into his grief as he explores his personal loss with this album. Chester isn't named by name in the songs but his touch on Mike's life is all over every song on the 16 track album. 'Ghosts' and 'Make It Up As I Go' are two more songs that deal with the heaviness of being haunted by the loss of a friend and having everything you thought was true torn from you; and trying to move forward in the uncertainty of it all which is another theme on the album: the unknown future, and while it seems impossible and the hardest thing imaginable, Mike is trying his very best to do it. 'Running From My Shadow' and 'World's On Fire' are two very powerful songs that deal with the shadow of loss and friendship surrounding your life no matter how much you try to escape it; and sometimes that can be something you need.

Musically this is a very interesting album. Through his grieving process, Mike uses a lot of influences from all of his past works. You can hear sounds from Linkin Park, from Fort Minor, and his past solo works all mixed into one. There is also a lot different, as Mike seems to be exploring and branching out working with composition that is fitting with what he is feeling. The songs have just as many nuanced components and powerful sounds as the lyrics. Some of the songs are filled with awesome beats, hefty sound effects and cool techno and electronica vibes. Others are filled with somber, ambient sounds that draw you into the beat of the song. Some are restrained, some are explosive; but they are catchy, poppy, powerful, dark, and everything in between. You really can hear all of the stages of grief through all of these songs, and it makes for an emotional ride for anyone who listens to it; especially if you were a fan of Linkin Park or if Chester's death hit you hard like it did many in the music world. Even if you weren't a fan of Linkin Park, this album begs to be listened to at least once for you to experience and appreciate what someone in a band can go through in a tragedy like this; something we are seeing a lot more of these days. Mike has always been a talented lyricist and very good with the rhythm in his beats and his rap flow; and that is something he uses to his advantage on this album. There are plenty of times where you will just feel like flowing along with him because of how good the beat is to the song and how great the words sound, and then it hits you what's actually being said and you get that punch in the gut. Or it feels expressive and you feel happy, and that's the power of music; something Shinoda does exceptionally on this album.

With the album having such a heavy background to it, its of no surprise that your first few listens will be listened to with that story in a mind. But we have all dealt with tragedy in our lives, most of all of us have lost someone close to them. These songs hold weight even in personalization, and can be a great solace to anyone who is hurting. Its not a perfect album, but with the basis of the album how could it have been? This isn't an album that someone spent in a studio for months with his buddies making 'the bands best work yet'. This is a man with raw emotion and grief that he needed to have an outlet for, and knowing the fans of Linkin Park were going through it to decided to put his best foot forward and share his grieving process with his fans. This is a great album, and is holding a high place in my albums for this year. This is a hard thing to do too, as this isn't your typical pop-rap album. Its an exceptional one, true, but the raw emotion of it, the themes, and the therapy session history of its creation gives it a power and strength that a lot of albums don't have. I recommend checking this out, as I said. If you listen to it, throw some headphones in, dim the lights; and be ready to have a real moment of clarity as you simply listen and feel the flow.

Stand out tracks: Place To Start, Over Again, Watching As I Fall, Nothing Makes Sense Anymore, Promises I Can't Keep, Crossing A Line, Hold It Together, Ghosts, Make It Up As I Go, Running From My Shadow, World's On Fire

 

@bachna84 second recommendation for me is:

Elder Brother: Stay inside (2018) Pure Noise Records

Elder Brother are the side project of Kevin Geyer (The Story So Far) and Dan Rose (Daybreaker) and this is their sophomore album.

Musically, the band sits somewhere between emo and indie rock and brings to mind an act such as Death Cab for Cutie with some nods to math rock thrown in. The whole album in general is very beautiful and flowing, taking its time to getting to the end of the song. There is a calmness to the whole album but then again, something never feels quite right and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. With all this being said, this is a negative of the album for me as well. At times, the songs can seem too long and drag on with repetitious sections that could be cut. Dan's vocals are fantastic and fit the beauty of the music perfectly while Kevin's guitar work is on point and I love when he throws in a distorted solo every so often.

The lyrical content of this album is something that has been a topic of deep discontent throughout this entire country, the opioid crisis, more specifically heroin. Dan Rose goes so far as to explain that it runs rampant in his hometown of Cape Cod. The album goes through the emotions of not only suffering yourself from this horrible addiction but the feelings someone would go through seeing a loved one or friend suffering and how they would want to be there for this person no matter what. This culminates in one of the last tracks in the album, Earthbound, where the addiction overcomes the person and they are laid to rest. It then closes with, I Don't Think it Stops, facing the harsh reality that this epidemic will not end anytime soon. The lead single, Weak Days, is a dark song and the accompanying music video is shown in black in white and depicts a person in the throws of withdrawal, looking back at his younger self and remembering how pure and full of hope he was. It ends with his younger self running away from his current self, symbolically showing him running away from his demons aka the addiction.

Overall, this is a very good album that requires a few listens to fully digest it. I will continue to listen to this for quite some time to continue to discover new things within it. It does tend to be a little "long in tooth" at times but this can be forgiven because it a beautiful album that just captivates you.

RIYL: Death Cab for Cutie, indie rock, math rock

Favorite songs:
Weak Days
Wish You Were Here
Earthbound

Thanks for another great recommendation @bachna84

 

Heard Wish You Were Here a while back and loved it. I really need to hear this.

 

Good job on another great review! I do agree that some of the songs are a bit longer than necessary, but overall I think it’s a pretty solid album.

 

I’ll most likely type up my review of everything in transit tomorrow!

 

Time for my last two reviews of the week!

These come courtesy of @Chase Tremaine

The Receiving End Of Sirens- The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi

Just last week, @circasurviver introduced me (and previously @Larry David) to this band; so when I was offered to listen to another record of theirs I figured it was fitting to see how the band progressed from that album to this one in such a short time frame. This album is much different than the last one, and yet at the same time its a perfectly understandable advancement from the previous album I heard. The catchy melodies and lyrics are still very much there, as well as plenty of beautiful moments. This album sucks you into the sound, and holds you there. Its a long listen, with 12 tracks and clocking in at 1 hour in length; but it doesn't feel that long. It is one that will take your time though, and make you feel like you are kind of stuck on a monorail. You are admiring the beautiful scenery around you and the location you are in, but you are not able to accelerate or slow down at your leisure; you are at the mercy of the vehicle you are stuck in. This makes for an interesting experience, but one that can sometimes leave you wondering how long its been since the last stop(song).

This is a much more subdued venture than the previous album, as well. The posthardcore sound is still very much there, and songs like 'Oubilette (Disappear)' are just as ambient and catchy as ever. This song in particular is catchy enough, and filled with some very great guitar lines and electronic nuances that create layers to the track; but then you reach the following song 'The Crop And The Pest', which is probably my favorite song by this band. Its extremely catchy vocally and lyrically, and the atmospheric sounds of this song just pull you into the moment of the song; the build ups are nice, the emotions of all the vocalists is powerful, and the screeching guitars behind the climbing vocals and beautiful chanting bridge are sublime. The vocal harmonies on this album are as great as they were on the last album, and sonically they are at the top of their game while the songs pull you in to this emotional wrecking ball that has your eardrums going in all sorts of directions. Its a bold album with a lot going on, and the nuances in the different layers of the songs is actually quite fascinating. Each time you listen to this album with headphones on, you will hear some different soft effect in the background of your favorite song that is creating something different on the bigger picture of the album. 'Smoke And Mirrors' is one of these songs; the screeching guitars and vocals are the focal point on your first listen with how aggressive the former is and how melodic the latter is.

But on subsequent listens you notice the harmonies, the drums, the soft delicate electronic touches in the background of the guitars, the heightening plucks of the guitars during the verses, and it just adds so much to the song, as it does on many tracks here. This is an album that merits repeat listens for that reason alone, and also for the build up. These songs build up on top of each other, each one stacking on top of the last as everything sonically builds up and permeates. 'Saturnus' with its insane out the gate intro, to 'Music Of The Spheres' with its soft and simplistic yet beautiful atmosphere as an instrumental, 'The Heir Of Empty Breath' with its ferocious sounds and aggression, all leading up until everything boils over and culminates in 'Pale Blue Dot'. This 7 and a half minute song starts out slow, but it builds and builds just like the album did until it becomes something absolutely and truly special that you just kind of have to hear to understand. Nothing I can say to describe how this song sounds about 4 minutes into it and on will do it justice. Epic and transcendent is about as close as I can come, and even then I don't feel that will properly describe it.

This was an amazing album, and something much more than I expected going into it. I was impressed with TREOS' last effort, but this one was just something in its own league and down right gorgeous. I would HIGHLY recommend this album, and I recommend listening to it on a starry night with little to no lights and headphones in. Its just something beyond words when everything on the album comes together. This is a journey, and sometimes while you are curious why the train is moving so slow; when the scenic route comes together everything just makes perfect sense.

Stand out tracks: Oubilette (Disappear), The Crop And The Pest, Smoke And Mirrors, A Realization Of The Ear, Saturnus, Stay Small, The Heir Of Empty Breath, Pale Blue Dot

 

Beloved(us)- Failure On


Another by @Chase Tremaine Venturing back into the world of post hardcore, this is a band I have never heard of. Understandable, seeing as how this 2003 album seems to be their only release and they didn't go much farther than making this album. This is enigmatic to me, as this album was a treat to listen to. Ranging from post hardcore to melodic, this band has a lot going for it on this album. Seamless transitions between songs, and the seamless mixture of their hardcore screaming vocals and the melodic clean singing of the band. The two rarely intersected with each other, as one would cut into the other. It was impressive, but at the same time I do wish you'd hear more of the two at the same time. There was a song or two that this does happen on though, and when it does happen it makes it all the more beautiful. Both styles of vocals are excellent, but when together they are something of wonder. Musically, these guys are very skilled too. The guitars were soaring and crunching, with moments that reminded me of early Silverstein or Alexisonfire with a dash of The August Burns Red.

The first song on the album, 'Failure On My Lips' is a definite good start to this album and one that dives right into things. Its relentless musically, with crunching guitars and soaring riffs. Both clean and unclean vocals play a role in this track, and the clean vocals shine on this one. The second track, 'Only Our Faces Hide' is the reverse; while guitar lines are stream along with double pedal drums rolling, the unclean vocals call the stakes the beautiful clean lyrics set and raise the bid to new levels. The screaming vocals on this track are insane, and they work so well in comparison to the clean that its hard not to love this song. The breakdowns across the board of this album are great, it seems to be their forte in these songs. the lyrics of this album are very well done, dealing with struggling with your inner demons, and instead of focusing on just one religion like some bands are want to do, they incorporate lyrical themes of fighting these demons from all religions so that anyone can listen to it and relate to the music; you wouldn't guess there were any religious overtones unless you looked hard at the lyrics. Songs like the closing track 'Insult To Injury', which is one of the songs where clean and unclean collided wonderfully, have uplifting lyrics about besting those inner demons and facing the nastiness that life can have. A light at the end of the tunnel, per say. The guitars on these songs, again, match well with this. In the soft and melodic vocals, the guitars are strummed and beautiful; and when the screaming breakdowns come in, they are heavy and chaotic. This makes for a great atmosphere for these songs, and are something that anyone who enjoys this style of post hardcore can appreciate. The bass is a bit drowned out by these guitars, but this is something that these songs still hold up without. At 10 songs and 44 minutes long, its not a quick or long listen; but these songs will catch and hold your interest very early on. There is something for every fan of the post hardcore genre on here.

I liked this album quite a bit. While sometimes the song structures are similar to each other, they are all good in their own rights to the point where this does not hinder the listening experience for this album. The vocals are superb, the guitars are kick ass, and the drumming is thumping. Its a fun time listening to this one, and after hearing this its a damn shame that these guys did not continue on with more music. I would have liked to hear a follow up to this album, as its definitely a gem. If you like post hardcore, The August Burns Red, or anything I described in this review I would recommend checking the album out as soon as you can. You will be glad you did.

Stand out tracks: Failure On My Lips, Only Our Faces Hide, Death To Traitors, Watching The Lines Blur, Inner Pattern, Aimless Endeavor, Allure, Insult To Injury

 

Great review! There is rumors of this band getting back together and writing a new record.