The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 358

Thanks for the review. I agree it's a grower and I'm hoping that the next album really showcases the bands talent but I do find myself not skipping a few songs when it comes on. Thanks for the great trades this week!!

 

I think you should give their first two albums a go, I think this was sort of a "testing the waters" comeback album, similar to when TBS did it. Their first albums are pure fire though.

 

Also myself and @summertimejesus have traded.

I will listen to Just Friends - Nothing but Love

They will listen to Trash Boat - Nothing I Write You Can Change What You Have Been Through

 

Would just like to thank everyone for allowing the participation. I know it's not much, 4 reviews, but listening to new music and writing (which will hopefully keep being more creative) has allowed relief recently when I've been at a bit of a low point and this has given me some time to myself to reflect on a lot.

Here's to many more and thanks for being such a fantastic community!

 

Thanks to @bachna84 for giving me Dollar Sign's This Will Haunt Me. Been throwing this on all week. Gives me a lot of Bomb vibes. Just a lot of stupid fun, would gladly go see these guys and drunkenly sing along.

 

Also I have Dream Wife on so another review today/tomorrow

 

Yeah my Slotface review should be up either today or tomorrow too Sam.

 

Alright, going to try and catch up on what I am behind on starting with one from leader @Bad Frequencies

Jack's Mannequin - Everything In Transit



To keep up with my trend, this is the first Jack’s Mannequin album I’ve ever listened to. I sorta knew what to expect, but at the same time expected more than what I got due to the love I’ve seen this group get.

During my listen throughs I make notes to go back to later to help me during my write ups. I literally had “reminds me of a knock off Something Corporate” written down. I went to Wikipedia to look up when this album was released in their discography and…. Oops. It is just a version of Something Corporate haha.

As I figured, this is their debut album. Kevo had shown me another song off a later album, Bloodshot, which was a lot more experimental and different, I liked it. I would normally give it more of a pass since this is their debut, but I’ve heard 2 really good Something Corporate albums that came out before, so Andrew knows what he is doing.

The album opens up with my least favorite track on the disc, Holiday from Real. The darker lyrics don’t really match with the upbeat music and everything about it just felt kinda half baked to me. Over all half baked is how I would describe most of this album. I can tell this is a personal album and you can tell with touches like the spoken word parts of I’m readyand whole last minute of the 7 minute two part closer.


I didn’t have a terrible time with this album though, I found myself getting into the song Bruises with each listen.La La Lie has a great intro that mixes piano and harmonica, but after wards I’m just not too much of a fan of the melody and where the song goes. It sounds kind of like the Plain White T’s to me, which is never a good thing.

Back to the good though, the song Dark Blue was almost an instant like and sounded more polished and catchy than most of what came before it. I would have released that as the first single and maybe moved it up earlier in the track listing. Miss Delaney kept things going, starting with a really cool electronic/synth intro that led into another fun catchy sing along song. Dark Blue and Miss Delaney back to back is maybe my favorite part of the album. Everything is thrown at the wall for the long two part closer MFEO, but it worked for me and appreciated it.

Honestly it might be because I’ve heard Something Corporate and Andrew McMahon’s solo albums first, but if I was going to listen to anything related it would be those two which I found much more enjoyable. Sorry for my first sorta negative review and I know it’s kinda just ramblings, but I did give it a lot of listens all last week and today. It’s just hard to explain why it didn’t land with me. I will give another album by them a shot as I think they’ll get better on future releases, I’ll just wait for someone else to rec it to me though! J

Highlights: Bruised, Dark Blue, MFEO pt 1 and 2

 

@summertimejesus glad you liked Rumors! It's been my one of my all time favorites since I was a kid, I heard it so much from my parents growing up. I dunno how I would react to it as an adult now because I've always just known their music from before I can remember. Great write up!

 

Just a heads up for next weeks pairing. Name change has been made! Previously: Kvothe. Might have been a bit too Rothfuss-y but was a good idea at the time haha

 

@xapplexpiex and I traded recently and they gave me:

Marilyn Manson: Mechanical Animals (1998) Interscope Records




Confession: I have never heard a Marilyn Manson album in full. With that being said, I am going to do a deep dive in his discography.

Mechanical Animals is his third studio album and follow up to Antichrist Superstar. I went into this album fully expecting to hear goth and industrial rock and was met with, in a nutshell: glam rock. This album is anthemic, theatrical and even pop! He hasn't lost the industrial rock sound completely but I would say this record is more in line with David Bowie than Ministry. Actually, this record isn't that far off from Rob Zombie's solo discography.

The album is fairly lengthy at an hour and 3 minutes and tends to get a bit "samey" towards the end but throughout the whole album I was nodding along thinking to myself: "I really like this!" Lyrically, the themes surrounding the album are fame and drug abuse with the song titles showing proof of that. The album is sandwiched between two song titles referencing the color white. (Great Big White World and Coma White) He stated in an interview: ""It kind of represents to me the numbness that I had. The numbness is manifested in drugs ... in all the people who want to suck the life out of you when you become a rock star." As I mentioned, the album feels very large and anthemic and this comes from the amazing production of The Dust Brothers.

I love the way album opens up with synths and heavy bass. This occurs throughout the rest of the album to varying degrees but the real treat is when Twiggy Ramirez comes in with his fantastic guitarwork. For live touring, they brought along guitar mastermind John 5. If you have not heard some of his solo work, drop what you are doing and go listen now! Go figure, he is actually a permanent member of Rob Zombie's band now. Most of the tracks have a very drawn out feel to them while every once in a while he throws you a curve ball, such as the single Rock is Dead, which feels like it could have been on Antichrist Superstar. I also love tracks like, The Speed of Pain, that are almost acoustic numbers and bring to mind Pink Floyd.

I won't break down the each track because there are 14 of them but this album is brilliant and totally blew me away. The production is perfect, the music is great and the sequencing is fantastic.
Thank you to @xapplexpiex for this cool recommendation that I would have never heard otherwise!

Favorite tracks:
Mechanical Animals
Rock is Dead
The Speed of Pain
New Model, No. 15


RIYL:
Rob Zombie
The Cure Rock
Industrial
Pink Floyd

 

WOW. What an awesome review. I’m really glad you enjoyed it as much as you did. If you liked this listen to Holy Wood and Eat Me, Drink Me. I’m impressed you did the research and dug into their interviews and discography in only a week.

 

Thanks! It really is a fantastic record I think
a lot of people in this thread will love.

In regards to the research, I forgot you are new to the group and don’t know me that well! It’s what I do!

 

Listening to the new album now for the second time today!!! What a joy of a record.

 

Alright everyone, its that time again!

@bachna84

Every Time I Die- New Junk Aesthetic (Deluxe)

Another chapter in @bachna84 's never ending quest to make sure I listen to EVERY album by this band (no pun intended). This is another chapter in the band's discography, and it has the ferocious aggression and guitars that I have come to know from this band. This album however, is a bit more of an in your face bash of a storm than say, their most recent release or so. The sheer aggression of these songs is ridiculous, such as 'Who Invited The Russian Soldier?' for example; a song that literally gets the blood pumping in just one of the tracks this one has to offer with its extremely groovy and hardcore riffs. The album title may refer to junk, but this album has none. All of these tracks have these quick burst of aggressive guitars that bring the band's songs soaring to ferocious heights. I have stated it before, this band is a bit outside of my comfort zone when it comes to the aggression. There are times when I want to listen to some blood pumping music like this, and other times I want more melodic. ETID can cross both borders, but usually sits in the former. That being said, its not enough to dissuade me from enjoying the albums.

After a slow and almost ambient start to the album with 'Roman Holiday' this album picks up and fires up on all cylinders; and if you want some cool sounding ferocity this will have it. Two of my favorite tracks on this album are 'Wanderlust' and 'For The Record'. The former has a bit of melodic vocals to it, and the latter is sheer force with some of the coolest headbanging guitar strutting that I have heard on one of these albums. Its in songs like these that Every Time I Die shows its prowess, and its really something. There are moments on this album where everything builds up and goes insanely over the top; Record being one of them, and then another one and probably the biggest example of this is 'Organ Grinder'. This song starts out with this deep, distorted sound before the crunching guitars crush in and the song sweeps you up in a damn tsunami. Yet, even as the screamed vocals and guitars keep pushing you, they manage to up the ante at one point in the song that just rips beyond words, and yet the song contains more. Another thing of note on this album is that there is a focus on some melodic hooks and vocals, this song being one of them. Its refreshing when the eruption this album is sweeps you up in its heat when these moments of melody break in and give you a slight reprieve to catch your bearings before everything takes off at breakneck speed again. Its something I can really appreciate. Every song on this album is passionate and full of energy. There is never a dull moment, everything is sonically well done and the production is nice on this album as well, leading to a very enjoyable listen. Between 'Host Disaster' and 'The Sweet Life' for example, you get what could have been typical rock bangers and have the levels upped to create something all their own, a perfect combination for an ETID song (In my opinion I am no way an expert on this band). I was told specifically to listen to the deluxe version of this album, so after the nice closer of 'The Sweet Life' I was treated to two extra songs; 'Buffalo 666' and 'Goddam Kids These Days'. These are some of the most aggressive moments of my listen; especially Goddamm Kids, but this song also contains one of my favorite melodic moments in the album too, with this cool switching between melodic singing and some of the best screams on the album with each line of the song. It definitely should have made the final cut.

All in all this was a good album, and another solid entry into the ETID catalog. With each listen of these albums I come to appreciate the sound this band curates a little more; its definitely something of their own that they have honed and crafted over all of their albums. The effort alone going into these songs is insane, and sonically the musicianship on the album cannot be denied. As I stated last time I reviewed one of their albums, this isn't something I will listen to on a daily basis. But when the mood hits, I can see myself busting this band out for some road rage induced jamming on the interstate.
Stand Out Tracks:
Roman Holiday, The Marvelous Slut, Who Invited The Russian Soldier?, Wanderlust, For The Record, Organ Grinder, The Sweet Life, Goddam Kids These Days

 

Mine won’t be as long as yours, but I’ll have both of yours tonight.

 

It's fine. There is no requirement for the length of the review.

 

Awesome review as always. This is probably my second favorite Manson album. First being portrait of an American family. I’ve seen him in concert a few times and it was amazing. Not sure how the show is these days though.

 

That reminds me, I need to finish Name of the Wind.

 

Here are a couple overdue reviews for @K0ta

Soccer Mommy- Clean

Here is an album that I have heard a lot of rumblings about amongst the chorus whispers, but never got around to listening to on my own terms. So when I was paired with K0ta and was given the chance to listen to it, I took it. What I was greeted with when I started listening to it was something akin to the diary of someone's feelings amidst a world of change and emotional trauma, plainspoken lyrics put to a dash of Americana and pop punk melodies. It was actually a quite refreshing sound. Vocally, this is a top notch album. I have mentioned before that I am a sucker for some good female vocals; and this is a gold mine when it comes to that. Her voice carries these songs really well, and the earnest an simple yet powerful lyrics do wonders with it in return. The moments of sadness and darkness that are splattered across this canvas are skillfully done. There is a bluntness to the lyrics you have to admire, and the mental imagery is painted so very well.

These songs are sung with such a dark ferocity that sometimes you have to go back and listen to it again just to make sure you heard the lyrics right. 'Cool' is this riffy song about wanting to have a heart of coal, someone who uses people like throw away toys; but it sounds softer. The song is followed up with 'Your Dog' which is this dark sounding, mellow and a stand against the view of a man owning a woman in the relationship as she sings with such fire "I don't want to be your fucking dog" and "I don't want to be your baby girl that you show off to the world when you want to feel something real.". The first time I heard these lines in this song I had to double take and listen again; they are sung with such sweet somber and yet such a heated strain that you can feel the pulling of your heart strings. There are a lot of moments like that on this album, and that is definitely a skill I will say that it has. Powerful, dark, moving lyrics are sprinkled throughout the album and tie the whole thing together. The guitars are soft, and sometimes moving such as in 'Flaw', but there's always a darker edge to them looming on the horizon as well. Take for example 'Blossom (Wasting All My Time)', its such a restrained song musically; just vocals and a soft strummed acoustic guitar with lots of moments of silence. There's also this darkness looming over the song in the lyrics as it speaks of the loss and regrets of a destroyed relationship that feels like a waste of time instead of spending her time with someone who really wanted to be there, and that she is done wasting time and moving on to the new. Its a stinging track, with this ambient and soft sound to it, and while the subject matter sounds like something you have heard before I can say you probably haven't heard it expressed like this many times before. Some songs like 'Last Girl' show the Americana influence, almost invoking the lyrical bitterness of early Taylor Swift mixed with the smooth music of Turnover and the vocal prowess of someone like Phoebe Bridgers. 'Scorpio Rising' is another one like that; this soft track of love leaving you for something new and having trouble letting go. Its somehow soothing even in its saddened state, and a lot of the songs on this album are like that.

I can see why a lot of people were into this album around here when it first came out. This is a bit outside of my comfort zone, but when you get something this special you kind of have to admire it. Sonically its pleasing, lyrically its dark and very blunt with some fantastic mental imagery, and I have to admit that Soccer Mommy is very talented. This was surprisingly good, and I would not be against checking out future releases from her. There is a sense of tragedy and yet a sense of hope in these songs, and its something that many can relate to, the messy disaster that you are left to clean up. This was a very good listen, and one that I am sure to return to.
Stand out tracks:
Cool, Your Dog, Flaw, Blossom (Wasting All My Time), Last Girl, Scorpio Rising, Wildflowers

Halfnoise- Flowers EP

Nashville represent! This here EP comes from the mind of Paramore drummer Zac Farro after he parted ways with Paramore back in 2010 (before returning to them recently). This EP is a quick listen, lasting only 20 minutes long and only containing 7 tracks. But what these 7 tracks have to offer in that quick amount of time is a lot. The opening track, for example, is some indie rock goodness with some extremely nice sounding bass and a sweet touch to it. 'She Said' is a bit more of a groovy track with some really nice soft guitar work to it and a very infectious beat to it. Its much different than his work in Paramore, and if I hadn't read that they were from the same minds I would have never guessed. The summery, flashy vibes of this EP are very creative and something that will definitely get you feeling the groove of the songs within moments of hearing them and enjoying the indie rock bliss that they have to offer.

The cool thing about this EP also is that no two songs sound alike. While there is a cohesive sound to these songs, each track gets out of its comfort zone and does something different than the last. 'All That Love Is', for example, sounds a lot different than 'She Said' which preceded it; its a very dance groovy track that almost has a disco beat to it mixed with some nice funky indie rock. The songs have a sort of psychedelic ring to them, and as they take you on the 7 track journey there is bound to be something that catches your interest. The drum work on these songs is complex and driving too, where a lot of times drums can blend into the background of a song these drums add layers and are sometimes the driving force. 'All That is Love' has that groovy, disco esque guitar, but the underlying drumming is a journey in its own right and something you will notice different things about on each listen to this EP. Its just a happy sounding collection of songs really, with all the worries you may be feeling in your day to day life seemingly washing away when you melt into these songs. 'Every Single Time' is another indie rock gem, with some of the best lyrics on this EP and again some very fine drumming; this is one of those songs that drumming seems to carry the song more than the guitars. The vocals on this track are also my personal favorite of the EP, and it was a song I found myself returning to frequently. 'My Girl' has an extremely cool intro, before mixing what almost sounds like elevator music with some cool techno drums into the background as it sings about love bliss that was almost there but just barely missed. 'Always Young' is a very nice closer, with a delicate soft touch to it that ends the album on a high note.

This is a very nice soothing EP, with some very nice instrumentation to it. The main focus of these songs is their experimentation into the summery and trippy indie rock sounds; half the time the vocals are irrelevant, for example. For what it is though, this album is a good listen. With there only being 7 tracks (6 since one is technically an interlude), I won't name stand out tracks; they all kind of were in their own way. This is a good one to throw on for a quick mental escape, and just kind of drifting off into the music as you listen with your headphones (Which I highly recommend).

Thanks for two albums I would never have thought to check out, @K0ta !

 

And to round out the night, here is one from @Petit nain des Îles

Enter Shikari- The Spark

I did not expect to be reviewing another Enter Shakari album so soon from the last one, but here we are. Enter Shakari is a band that really needs no introduction, and this album was a HUGE difference than the last one I reviewed and was definitely not what I expected. These songs are incredibly catchy ear works of pop alt rock bliss, with dashes of some nice heavier moments. 'The Sights' for example, is this infectious track that had me double taking; this was not the sound I was used to from this band, and I was convinced for a moment that Apple Music was messing up and that I had pulled up the wrong album. This was anthemic, poppy, bright, and catchy as could be. The album is experimental, it goes in directions that I didn't expect it to; and it works for the most part. There is a lot going on here, and each song seems to contain these layers of sound from different techno effects and synths that just create the foundation of something great. Its a naturally experimental album though, nothing feels forced or out of place, and there are as there was on the last album I reviewed, a lot of different components and genres blending together so effortlessly on this one; just in a different direction than The Mindsweep was. This follow-up to that album is almost seemingly by another band, the band definitely went in another direction with this album, and yet it still feels like them now that I have gotten a good grasp on the album.

The first three songs on the album, 'The Sights', 'Live Outside' and 'Take My Country Back' are insanely catchy songs, with an 80s techno hint to them (the latter almost has a Queen influence in certain places I feel mixed with a huge heaping helping of punk). There is also an energy to them that makes you want to get up and move, there were parts during Take My Country Back that I felt like I was running around in circles because the synths and the beat of the song was just so damn hyper (Until the bridge, but then it comes back). There are still bursts of guitars and drums on these songs, but the true sound here comes from the synths and electronics as well as the vocals. This is not a bad thing at all, though, as Enter Shakari clearly knows what its doing in this style. 'Airfield' for example is a piano ballad that almost has a Radiohead feel to it, which after the last few energetic and hyper induced songs comes out of nowhere but yet places so well in the track listing that it works with the sequencing. The finale of this track is incredible too, with the last minute or so of the song just being indescribable in its scope with its gang chanting vocals, soaring drums, and guitars building up around the pianos; and some very catchy repeated lyrics. The band has a strength on this album, very accessible and catchy hooks with electro pop rock sounds for days; something that I seemingly could not get enough of hearing while listening to this. There is some techno rapping again as there was on the last album, but this time around I did not find them as cringeworthy as I did on The Mindsweep. 'Rabble Rouser' is an example of this; I actually found this song incredibly enjoyable and catchy. The effects and backbone of the track are quite simplistic yet effective; and the vocals both rapped and sung are extremely catchy. There are parts on this album that can really only be described as electro mosh rock, and then youll find a song that is synth rock, and punk electro. This is a very diverse album with a lot of different sounds on it; and its incredible how well Enter Shakari is as that. The progressive techno music that you find on here takes breaks on tracks such as 'Shinrin-Yoku' and 'Undercover Agents', which by the way the latter has one of my favorite moments of this album in its intro, and is probably my favorite song on the album. Lyrically the album deals a lot with political movements, but also with loneliness, depression, and other forms of mental health; creating a unique experience when coupling the dark tones of the lyrics with the upbeat techno sounds.

This album was a bit more poppy than the other albums of theirs I have heard, and while it caught me off guard I ended up having a great time with this album. There is a lot of invention and creativity sonically going on here, and its a lot different than their early works, but that's ok. This is the most accessible listen of theirs I have heard, I can see a lot of people who were put off by their previous work liking this one, but as well as fans of the early stuff not exactly finding this to be their cup of tea. There are just some groovy and cool sounding songs on here such as 'The Revolt Of The Atoms', which is just a good time listening to and it just sounds so different that you cannot help but dig it. This is a very enjoyable listen with baritones and falsettos for days. I recommend this one, its a damn good time and its a great album to throw on in the car. Give it a check if you haven't heard it already!
Stand Out tracks:
The Sights, Live Outside, Take My Country Back, Airfield, Rabble Rouser, Shinrin-Yoku, Undercover Agents, The Revolt Of The Atoms, An Ode To Lost Jigsaw Pieces.

 

@highfidelity203 gave me Gimme Fiction by Spoon
I was familiar with Spoon and had heard at least one song off this album but not the whole thing
I liked the vibe on this, it was more rocky than I imagined

standout tracks: I Turn My Camera On, My Mathematical Mind,I Summon You, They Never Got You

 

A couple of weeks ago I was paired with @Chase Tremaine, who after much difficulty finding an album the other wasn't intimately familiar with recommended Mew's 2017 effort Visuals. I'm somewhat acquainted with this band, having listened to their albums probably once each. I remember enjoying their stuff, but finding it a bit weird for my taste and not going back to it. I'm glad that this recommendation forced me to spend some more time with the band, because I ended up enjoying this album quite a bit more than I remembered or expected.



Opening track "Nothingness and No Regrets" opens with some delicate vocals over music-box style instrumentation and synths flickering in and out. I always think of this band as experimental, and I'm always surprised to hear the high-pitched vocals that would sit well within the construct of many current indie/emo bands. This song has some really nice vocal melodies (both melody and voice reminded me of Mae at times) and adds some intricate drumming (drums in the verse go heavy on the toms and create a very cool feel). This is definitely more of a pop song than what I remember from the band, and I am immediately enjoying this direction.

More cool drums in the intro to "The Wake of Your Life," and this song has some more prominent bass which stands out well in the mix even if it's not doing anything groundbreaking. Nice and punchy. I wish I could get my bass to sound like that when I record haha. The interplay between the guitars and synth at the end of this track is awesome.

And then for something completely different..."Candy Pieces All Smeared Out" starts with a heavy distorted metal-ish riff. The verses brighten up into a more pop structure before the riffing returns in the prechorus. Then the chorus takes you off guard once again with a lush, catchy harmony. This is probably one of the catchiest melodies in the album, and the fact that it's nestled within this track surrounded by these dark, heavy riffs is kind of a microcosm of what this band can do. They experiment, genre-hop, and surprise the listener all within the span of one 4-minute track. And somehow, on this album, they maintain a sense of accessibility while doing it (I'm sure the band's other albums have accessible moments as well, but this album definitely hooked me more than their older material).

"In a Better Place" is a lighter, airier track with this beautiful instrumental outro that has some world music influences creeping in alongside a groovy bassline. Sounds like some hand percussion, horns, and woodwinds involved here. I dig.

The heavier guitars come back in "Ay Ay Ay" along with the driving, punchy bass and a ton of layers of vocals. Another really catchy chorus, and it's so surprising how the band can have these great hooks pop up seemingly out of nowhere from these kind of odd, challenging, and sometimes abstract sections within their songs. And surprisingly enough, it never seems that jarring. There were a handful of times while listening to the album where I just thought to myself "Oh, hey we're in a pop part." I started getting really excited to see how each song would evolve and where/when the hook would pop up out of nowhere to knock me on my ass.

The last few songs on the album don't feature quite as many left turns. I guess you could say they are more straightforward pop songs, but after setting the bar so high in the first half of the album they seem less exciting by comparison. These are still beautiful songs and not bad by any means! The band does keep one trick up their sleeve for the final track "Carry Me to Safety," which starts out a quiet and contemplative track before exploding into a cinematic soundscape halfway through. This carries through the end of the song as robotic voices and spastic horns join in the raucous-icity (yes, of course it's a word) before the record closes.

In conclusion, this is a pop album. But it's also an experimental album. And I would have thought those two sentences were incongruent, but Mew totally makes it work here by crafting an album of pop choruses surrounded by a ton of weird and unpredictable stuff. I must not have been paying much attention the one time I listened to this album when it first came out, because this is something I really wish I had noticed and spent more time with. There's a very good chance this would have ended up on my AOTY list last year!

 

Rock is Dead is probably my favorite Manson track.

 

Another review that is a couple of weeks overdue! @Jim Morgan recommended Don't Let Your Guard Down, the 2006 (and only) full-length album by Downtown Singapore. This is an alt/pop rock band that I had actually heard of, as they were local to Maryland around the time I was starting college and had copious free time to check out new music. I was also playing in a wannabe-Fall-Out-Boy band in the same area and hosting a college radio show, so there wasn't too much rock that got past me during this time. As I told Jim, I believe Downtown Singapore actually sent me a promo copy of their album back then so that I could play them on the air. Unfortunately, I don't think I ever listened to it in full (to be fair, I was receiving like 10+ CDs per week in the mail at that time). For some reason, this band always reminds me of Dropout Year, another pretty popular local band that sent me their album the same year. Anyway, enough reminiscing and onto the review.



The album begins with this big, spacey instrumental intro with some processed drums before launching into the 2006-era pop rock we all know and love. Prominent, high-pitched vocals with poppy melodies, big guitars, loud drums, and just a generally upbeat, familiar, and fun sound. This first track "The Charm Beneath Tradition" shows that Downtown Singapore has a bit of grit and heaviness that separates them from some other pure pop bands of the time. They definitely lean a bit more into the alternative rock territory.

Next track "What She Said" was the single from the album, and I'm pretty sure I've heard this song before. It has some great guitar work with some soaring lines and some really technically impressive stuff as well. The chorus is a real earworm after a few listens, so it's no surprise that this song was chosen to promote the album.

"Gator Sweat" features some double-kick drum that offers a taste of heaviness even if they don't embrace the metal influence completely. The title track has a nice impassioned hook that carries the song, and "Pose Up" cranks up the distortion on the guitars to great effect. The guitar leads and trading vocals evoke early Taking Back Sunday. "Teresa Rizal" surprised me with a five-minute slow, ambient track in the middle of the album. This track has a great atmosphere, with a lot of elements popping in and out of focus and everything drenched in a warm reverb. Halfway through, the music breaks through the haze of reverb and kicks up the energy for a climactic middle section before descending back into haziness for the final minute. These kinds of moody tracks display an impressive musicality from the band and prove that they are able to stretch and experiment with their sound to stand out from the many other similar-sounding bands of this time.

"Broken Arcade" is another more aggressive song that stood out to me with a more intense/strained vocal performance and lots of guitar riffing. This might be my favorite track on the album. "People for the Ethical Treatment of Artists" has a similar feel, and includes both guitar and bass solos, which scores it major points in my book. I'm a sucker for a buildup, and this track has a great one leading from the bridge into the final chorus with unrelenting drums.

Overall, this is a solid album with a lot of interesting influences and very promising songwriting and musicianship on display for how young the band members were at the time this album was recorded (at least I assume they were very young judging from the pictures of the band that Google dug up from around this time). I would love to hear what additional albums from this band would have sounded like, as I could see them embracing their heavier or atmospheric sides more and really creating something cool and unique. Unfortunately, this was their only album, and it isn't difficult to see why. While it does show great promise, it seems like every local band trying to make it in the scene around 2006 sounded very much like this. Listening to the album in full reveals the individuality of Downtown Singapore, but if someone just listened to the single "What She Said" they might immediately write the band off as a lesser or still-developing version of Daphne Loves Derby, Waking Ashland, or any number of other comparables. This isn't meant to come across as a knock on the band, but at this time Fall Out Boy (the scene version) were huge and the market was just saturated with bands that had this general sound. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to stand out in that landscape. It is too bad that the band did not have the opportunity to continue to hone their craft, because they sound like they could have created some really unique and interesting music by expanding their sound into one of the many directions that they hint at in Don't Let Your Guard Down.