The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 356

Great job! So glad you enjoyed the album and that the songs helped you out this week. I've lived and breathed the whole album, and it's really cathartic for me too. "Friend to a Stranger" and "When She Loves You" are maybe my top 2, but I honestly love the entire album.

Sorry to hear that you had a tough week! I'm so glad that you've found some reprieve from daily life here. Take care!

 

@Bad Frequencies and the rest of the admins will tell you that we are a family here and this really is a special place. I think that is because these reviews help us discover something about each other and ourselves. We are very happy to have you and keep up the great work!

 

Thanks @Nate_Johnson everyone I’ve had interactions with on here has been super awesome

 

Awesome review mate, I quite liked the tonic album @anonimito gave me so I’ll have to give this a try. I hope things get better soon for you, this thread def helps distract me from shit going on day to day and I’m thankful for that too.

 

Thanks I appreciate that! Definitely check it out. If you haven’t listened to head on straight by tonic you gotta check out that album too

 

@ugman_2000 you need to get on the Trash Boat train if you haven’t jumped on already.

 

I haven’t checked out the new one yet. I thought the last album show’d good potential but overall I didn’t fall in love with it.

 

And now for my two reviews (from 2 separate weeks) for @edisnfg!



stroke 9: Nasty Little Thoughts

My enjoyment of 90s melodic rock prompted @edisnfg to recommend this album, so I was really excited to check it out!

The instrumentation was awesome - I just loved the guitars and drums! As I had hoped/expected, the guitars reminded me of Tonic (my favorite band) and other favorites!

To no one's surprise, I haven't yet caught the majority of the lyrics, but I enjoyed those I did hear. The vocals were also really great! I hear a bit of a similarity to Kevin Griffin's (Better Than Ezra) vocals at times. Also, the melodies were fantastic and catchy!

No major critiques here!

"Letters" serves as a fast-paced, energetic opening to the album. From the opening guitar parts, I could tell I'd really enjoy this album - I was instantly reminded of Tonic, Collective Soul, and Vertical Horizon. Parts of the track also have a Barenaked Ladies feeling, too. Good stuff! "City Life" has some really cool guitar effects - nice! It's a slower track compared to the opener, but it's still energetic enough to get you moving. The pace of the vocals during the verses made me think of Something Corporate/Jack's Mannequin at times, which was really cool and unexpected. "Little Black Backpack" is another slower track (almost a ballad during the verses), with some awesome drums and a really great vocal performance. These melodies are beautiful. The guitars during the bridge are awesome! "Tail of the Sun" is a change of pace, complete with acoustic guitars and shakers. It's a nice chill track, but it still has relatively fast vocals, which (along with some of the melodies) is again reminiscent of Something Corporate. "Washin' + Wonderin'" (this is the track that gives the album its title) brings back the peppy pace from earlier on the album. It's pretty catchy! "Make It Last" has some really cool drums and rhythms! The melodies are really infectious, too, and this is my top favorite on the album. There are some real Vertical Horizon-esque guitar moments on this track - too awesome! "Are You In This?" is another midtempo track with some cool guitars. "Not Nothin'" almost has a bit of a reggae feel to it at times, along with some really interesting guitar parts. "One Time" is another track with a lot of cool guitars. "Down" is a slower track, with really lovely melodies and awesome rhythms - it's a real standout for me! I really dig the bass on this one, especially. There are also some Vertical Horizon-esque guitars here and there, too. "Angels" is another slower track, and it reminds me of Avion for some reason. Very nice! The guitars during the bridge were stellar! "Tear Me in Two" closes out the album with another slow number that utilizes some Vertical Horizon guitars. I also heard some effects that made me think of some of my favorite Better Than Ezra tracks - very cool!

Verdict: 10/10

Favorite tracks: Letters, City Life, Little Black Backpack, Tail of the Sun, Make It Last, Down, Angels, Tear Me in Two (yes, over half of the album!)

Reminds me of: Tonic, Vertical Horizon, Better Than Ezra, Collective Soul


(Thanks for sharing such a cool album, @edisnfg! It's exactly what I want to hear in an album like this.)









Dynamite Hack: Superfast

@edisnfg also chose this album based on my enjoyment of 90s/early 00s melodic rock. I was hoping that it would be just as enjoyable as the previous week's recommendation! (It was!)

The instrumentation was great again, especially the guitars and drums! I also loved the use of piano on the final track.

I'm still working on catching the majority of these lyrics, too, but I enjoyed most of what I heard. The vocals were also fantastic! His voice reminds me of Ryan Star quite a bit (and I love his vocals). Also, the melodies were often very catchy!

No major critiques here! A small issue is that I'm not too sure how often I'll revisit this album, since I'd need to be in a certain mood for it. While in the appropriate mindset, though, it's great!

"Switcheroo" opens the album with some really awesome guitars! It's a pretty energetic track and a fun way to start the album. I just can't get over the guitars! Something about this track makes me think of the band Fastball. "Anyway" gives me Jimmy Eat World vibes for some reason. I also hear some Tonic in the guitars, which are fantastic, again. The bass stands out quite a bit during the bridge, too. "Alvin" has a nice back-and-forth feeling between the chorus and verses. Also, the guitars remind me of Collective Soul. "Dear Kate" is the track that gives the album its title. It's quite energetic and catchy. "G-Force" has some really cool effects (it changes ear channels during the intro, which I usually enjoy) and is a slower track. It's a much simpler track compared with those that precede it, but it's a nice breath of fresh air. The guitars during the bridge were amazing! "Wussypuff" is a track where I can really hear the similarity to Ryan Star's vocals. It's a faster track, with some awesome guitars - it's my top track on the album! "Blue Sky" has some acoustic guitars, which is a cool change. I'm reminded of "Deluxe"-era Better Than Ezra by this track - awesome! "Slice of Heaven" has some really powerful guitars and drums. This is a fun rocker of a song! It also reminds me of Bush a bit. "Granola" feels a tad manic at times (I mean, it ends with "cha cha cha!"), but it's a good track. The bass is fantastic! "Boyz in the Hood" is an acoustic cover of an NWA track. I'm not a fan of the lyrics, but I expected that. I can appreciate the music, though. "Pick Up Lines" is a really energetic, fun track! I again really hear a similarity to Ryan Star, here. The drumming is fantastic, too! "Marie" has some really great guitar work and effects. The drumming is also huge! "Anyway (Mellow Version)" closes out the album (though I suspect this is actually a bonus track) with a really pretty acoustic version of one of my favorite tracks on the album. Aside from the use of piano on this track, the other major change is that there are female vocals on this track. She has a lovely voice, and this song is a big standout for me. The beautiful melodies really get to shine in this version. It reminds me of Five for Fighting - good stuff!

Verdict: 9/10

Favorite tracks: Anyway, Alvin, G-Force, Wussypuff, Blue Sky, Slice of Heaven, Pick Up Lines, Anyway (Mellow Version) (yes, over half of the album)

Reminds me of: Collective Soul, Fastball, Jimmy Eat World, Tonic, Better Than Ezra, Bush, Five for Fighting


(Thanks for sharing another great album, @edisnfg!)

 

The 90’s are alive in the CMCS! Great job @anonimito!!!

 

Your reviews are fantastic! I'm so glad you enjoyed both albums as they are both 2 of my favorite albums as well.

 

Superfast was one of the first albums I ever owned after Dynamite Hack's "Boyz-n-the-Hood" cover was heavily featured on my local rock radio station in 2000 (not really proud of that now but I thought it was cool and edgy when I was 13). I did revisit it a year or so ago for nostalgia's sake and found that some of their stuff is pretty good. "Anyway" in particular is a great song.

After this album they broke up until finally releasing their "lost album" in 2011. In 2015 they released an EP that leaned in a more country/folk/acoustic direction.

At one point I read a few articles/interviews about the band and it sounds like the relationship between the two main songwriters was super volatile and they had polar opposite ideas of what they liked in their songs. It explained a lot about why Superfast is so varied and somewhat disjointed in some ways. Also explains why they broke up for 10 years after that album haha

 

Here's a bonus review for @Bad Frequencies!



Senses Fail: If There Is Light, It Will Find You

I knew from reading the thread that this is a well-loved new album from a band I've never listened to. Needless to say, I was excited to see what it's like!

The instrumentation was fantastic! For me, this is the kind of album (pop punk) that needs awesome guitars and drums - and it definitely delivers!

As usual, I haven't caught most of the lyrics yet, but I can tell that these lyrics are extremely emotional and meaningful. I look forward to understanding them better with future listens. The vocals were also really great! His voice reminds me a little bit of Tyson Ritter (All American Rejects) and Jason Vena (Acceptance) at times. In addition, the melodies were incredibly catchy - just great!

No major critiques here! There's a bit of screaming (for which I have a low tolerance), but it was fine.

"Double Cross" opens the album and really hits the ground running! The stellar drumming and guitars immediately hit you and indicate what the album will be like as a whole, musically. There's a bit of screaming on this track, but it fit well on the track. The bridge is my favorite part! "Elevator to the Gallows" keeps up the pace, with some guitars that remind me of Search the City. The harmonies on this track are really awesome, and the melodies (especially during the chorus) are wonderful. This is a top track for me! (Again, there's a bit of well-placed screaming on this track.) "New Jersey Makes, the World Takes" is another fast-paced track. The guitars are especially impressive here! Also, there's a little bit of screaming on this one. "Gold Jacket, Green Jacket..." has some awesome drums! This is more of a midtempo track, and is a nice breather after the run of songs that came before it. This one is so catchy - I love it! "First Breath, Last Breath" is an incredibly emotional track (I could tell that after only picking up half the lyrics) that is so heart-wrenching. There's a bit of screaming on this track, too, but it really fits with the emotional weight of the song. "Ancient Gods" is another midtempo track, with big drums. The verses are my favorite part, along with the prechorus. "Is It Gonna Be the Year?" picks up the pace a bit, and the guitars shine from the first few seconds of the track. There's a bit of screaming on this track, but the vast majority of the vocals are "clean." The chorus is especially catchy, and I also love the bridge! "'You Get So Alone at Times That It Just Makes Sense'" has some more huge guitars to back some reflective and personal lyrics. Again, this track has another fantastic bridge! "Orlando and a Miscarriage" is, as the title suggests, another very emotional and personal track, lyrically. Like on "131" by Emarosa (one of my favorite albums), the pain is palpable in the lyrics. Musically, the track is really fast-paced (with a few exceptions) and the drums are especially great! "Shaking Hands" is a much slower track, with a really reflective feel to it. These are some really heavy lyrics, once again. It's a gorgeous track, though. "Stay What You Are" picks up the pace again, with some awesome guitars! The "light" sounding music backs some pretty intense lyrics, again. The title track closes out the album with more incredibly emotional lyrics that really hit hard. There's a bit of screaming on this track, but that's to be expected with the weight of the lyrics. The drums and guitars are really fantastic - I love the chorus!

Verdict: 10/10

Favorite tracks: all of them!

Reminds me of: everything I enjoy about pop punk, blink-182, Acceptance, Story of the Year, All American Rejects, Search the City


(Thanks for sharing a really awesome album, @Bad Frequencies!)

 

Excellent review, I knew this one would go over well with you

 

BONUS REVIEW TIME!


So @anonimito and I decided to do a bonus trade this week and he gave me an album by JOME called Tunnels. Let me start by saying I was blown away by this album immediately. This album is a pop/electro masterpiece. Not really my style of music so saying that is even a surprise to me but I can't stop listening to this album. From the opening track "Hollow" to my favorite song on the album (and maybe my favorite song of the year so far) "Thread" all the way through the other 8 tracks, I found myself wanting to hear this album again and again. I don't normally re-listen to albums all that much because I'm always trying to listen to something I haven't heard but this album is a definite exception. The album just flows so well and is light and bouncy and poppy. JOME has released a few more track since this album came out and they are just as good as the songs on this album. If you like electronic/pop/r&b this album is 100% worth checking out. As soon as i'm done typing this I'm going to listen to it again and probably again. Thanks again @anonimito trading with you has been awesome and I'm sure I never would have heard this album if I didn't join this Club.

RIYL: I cant even think of a band that sounds like them to be honest. It's just awesome so listen to it please!
Fave Song: Thread and then a tie with every other song on the album

CHECK IT OUT

 

I forgot about Stroke9! Wow. Blast from the past

 

Awesome review mate, @anonimito gave me this album a few weeks back and it’s turned into one of my favourite recs from this thread. It’s such a great album and really good to put on as something to chill too.

I’m really looking forward to their new album whenever that’s due. If you don’t know yet, they dropped a new track the other day and it’s awesome.

 

@anonimito recommended this one to me too. So gooood

 

Happy bday to our fearless leader

 

Awesome review! So glad you liked it! I love this album a lot, too - it does have a way of making you want to put it on repeat!

 

Oh yeah I'm excited for the new album! i listened to all the new tracks last night and they're as good as the songs on Tunnels

 

Thanks again for the rec!

 

Review: Panic! At The Disco - Pray for the Wicked
Release Date: 22nd June 2018

I was given Panic at the Disco – Pray for the Wicked by @Nate_Johnson . Like most people, I’ve listened to PATD since around 2005 when A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out debuted. Brendon Urie has such a unique voice that I was engrossed by the sheer musicality of it when I first listened. Forward to 12/13 years later and Pray for the Wicked is a fantastic growth in every aspect for this band and Brendon himself but I still feel myself connecting with the artist. Brendan debuted in the musical Kinky Boots during the writing process for this album and the Broadway influences just ooze right out of this record.


This album is definitely more orchestral than previous iterations, possibly due to the influences of Broadway, and you can tell write from the get-go that this will be something that you could watch on stage. There’s sass, there’s drama, there’s dancing in your room wishing that you were Billy Elliot with Electricity playing in the background.

Intro song (Fuck A) Silver Lining hits you with horns from the very start. I wasn’t sure what to expect when the first lyrics are the title however Brendon has grown vocally and this was overlooked quickly. Although this isn’t the same Panic that I was used to when I Write Sins first came out, Brendon manages to fill the room with Patrick Stump-esque melodies that get right in your head. I found myself tapping my feet to the title lyrics by the time the 2nd chorus hit. Brendan does most, if not all, instrumentation on this album. Musically, this is the most ambitious album from Panic but by the end of second song, Say Amen (Saturday Night) I found my inner self dancing on the train to work belting out the album title lyrics with the horns.

Brendon manages to take you along a musical journey and although this is not a concept album I found myself engrossed by the story that it tells. Brendan finished the previous song with a high pitch and continued to impress me with the range that he offers. Favourite song on the record, High Hopes, showcases Brendon’s musicality with piano backed vocals to group vocals singing:

“Had to have high, high hopes for a living
Shooting for the stars when I couldn't make a killing
Didn't have a dime but I always had a vision
Always had high, high hopes”

This built up to a drop that went straight to my “it’s Saturday night, best get motivated” playlist.

When King of the Clouds opened with such fantastic, yet chaotic, group vocals from Brendan I knew that this was going to be eclectic. The Overpass feels straight out of the 2nd Act opening of a hit musical and I found myself grabbing the nearest cane and taking to the streets filming a video walking down the middle of the road and imagining a group of people dancing behind me mouthing:

“Meet me, meet me
At the overpass, at the overpass
Sketchy girls and lipstick boys
Troubled love and high speed noise”.

Closing track, Dying In L.A., is opened by a piano driven ballad which tells the story of Brendon’s journey to stardom. There’s a sense of power from Brendon that shows that he is proud of his rise yet knows that he can do more before becoming just another artist. There are strings that soften the tone of his voice yet these hits hard when the closing number kicks in and the tension rises. The album stops and you are left struck by emotion like the end of a book that does not yet have the sequel written and ended on a cliff -hanger.

There is no intention that Brendon is slowing down or stopping any time soon. The progression from emo-rock to pop-rock is influential and truly is a testament to Brendon Urie and Panic. I can only imagine what the live show will be like. Full of energy and sparks that match the tone of the record, bright and vibrant. This was a creative, frantic album but I recommend this to anyone who wants to have a pretty damn good listening experience and unprecedented dance-off during. Panic have never sounded like their previous albums yet always stayed true. Thanks to @Nate_Johnson for the recommendation, this is one for the ages.

RIYL:

Fall Out Boy
Forgive Durden – Razia’s Shadow
Baroque vocals over horn driven rock
Dancing in your underwear at 3am wishing you had your own role in a Broadway musical – May or may not have happened.

 

@Nate_Johnson , i'll have the other review up later on. It's just after 4am here haha

 

Great review! This album is fantastic.

 

Great review and I had a great laugh at your RIYL! I look forward ward to your second review.