The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 373

Yes! I liked the last one

 

Did you get an advance stream just to review this in a forum post?

 

He sure did

 

*with the sound on

 

The Japanese version of that Foxing song is really cool. The English version is one of my favourite songs of theirs on first listen too.

 

I'm most proud of @teebs41 for writing a long review without using the word "slaps"

 

If he did, that is great and he did a fantastic job!

 

Lol yup, was honest about it too

 

@Patterns in Traffic assigned me All at Once by Paulson.



When Patterns assigned me this album, he mentioned that he was surprised this band never caught on more. He thinks they could've made a pretty big splash in this scene, and I can't help but agree. Sure, this album occasionally feels very familiar, and it reminds me of a lot of other bands, but what's funny is, most of my comparisons are anachronistic. It seems a little crazy to me that this album was released in 2005, especially concerning how fluidly the band incorporated many different types of synths into its brand of sometimes-dark, sometimes-quirky, sometimes-mathy alt rock.

To be fair, absolutely every member of this band is an asset. The frontman writes some killer melodies, and look no further than "Under Crowns" to hear how great the drummer can be. But it's the keyboardist, Mike Smeen, who really makes this band. 2005 was (if my memory serves me correctly) the time when more and more indie rock and scene bands were incorporating synth sounds in their music, usually as "electronic flourishes" or "accents" than as necessary pieces to the songs. And the synth parts always felt that way: awkward and out-of-place. Plus, many of those bands didn't have a member to play those parts live. It was hard to tell whether these flourishes were a band's idea or a producer's.

The opposite is true of Paulson. Smeen has an incredible ear for how to best accent each song with his keyboard work, and he has a strong enough arsenal that he's never really repeating himself, which helps color each track and keep things distinct, whereas without him, many of these songs would bleed together. Check out the album's perfect choice of a single, "Calling On You," where Smeen's bubbly arpeggios wonderfully complement the album's greatest display of melodic hooks.

Speaking of the singer, Logan Laflotte is an interesting character. Sometimes I love his voice, sometimes I hate it. Sometimes, he's a dead-ringer for Hoobastank's Doug Robb. At other times, his voice gets caught in his throat, Dave Matthews-style. What saves his performances is how deft his melody-writing is; he never really makes a bad choice. I never really took the time to dig into his lyrics, but it all sounded solid from my many listens through this record.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned "Calling" does stand out a little too well. Few other tracks here live up to that single's strengths, and the back portion of the album has a less impressive (albeit still pleasant) stretch, from "Not By a Long Shot" through "Just Shy." (It would be unfair of me not to mention how great of an ending "Just Shy" has, though, as it very gradually transforms from a heavy rocker into an acoustic track.) There was really no need for All at Once to be a 13-track album, but thankfully the albums saves two of its stronger tracks for the ending: "I Knew You When" and "What Are You?," the former being a particular highlight that really shoots some life back into the album's Side B.

Thanks for the recommendation, @Patterns in Traffic! The only thing I really hate about the album is the feeling of showing up 13 years late to the party. 9th-grade-Chase would've loved jamming this album alongside some Jonezetta, Monty Are I, Number One Gun, etc.

Favorite tracks: "Calling On You" / "Slow Down" / "Programs" / "Miami Current" / "Ultra-High" / "I Knew You When"

For fans of: Jonezetta's Popularity / My Chemical Romance's Danger Days / House of Heroes' Suburba / Hoobastank's Fight or Flight

 

Nice in-depth review! I agree that these guys seem like they were ahead of the curve as far as implementing varied and intricate synths into their music. I like your description of their sound, which I always found hard to pinpoint - "sometimes-dark, sometimes-quirky, sometimes-mathy alt rock" probably sums it up as well as can be expected.

"Calling On You" is definitely the highlight of the album and the obvious single. It was the first song I heard from this band and it became such an inescapable presence in my head I had no choice but to buy the album. I agree that there is nothing else on the album that reaches the high of that song, and I was a bit disappointed by that when I first heard the album in full. But the rest of the tracks really grew on me as the different styles and the hooks throughout sunk into me.

I would have never thought to make Dave Matthews or Doug Robb comparisons, but I can hear that at certain points. Laflotte definitely has an interesting voice that seems to take different shapes at different times throughout the album (sometimes within the same song). I could see how that could be grating, though I was never super conscious of it before now. I think your Jonezetta comparison is pretty apt.

Probably my second-favorite track after "Calling On You" is "Window Frames." It has this kind of dark, foreboding feel to it while also having some super sticky hooks. Always thought that was a really cool song.

PSA: This album was pressed on vinyl shortly before the band broke up and it's still available on red vinyl on the Cavity Records site for a cool $5. I picked it up about a year ago and it took about a month to ship because the label isn't really active anymore, but it's a great pressing and the album is bitchin' as hell (IMO).

 

Oh, and regarding the length of the album, they originally released this on a small label and it was 10 songs. Then Doghouse picked them up and re-released it with four new tracks added (including "Calling On You" and "Slow Down") and one track removed (the title track "All At Once," interestingly enough). So this is kinda sorta a "deluxe version" of the album if you will, though some of the songs that were added ended up being the most essential tracks.

The More You Know

 

Edit

Foxing - Nearer My God

The second half of Lambert slaps!!

The End

 

But does it bop?

 

Heartbeats BOPS

 

Everyone welcome our newest member! Want to know who it is? @figureitout

 

I was paired with @anonimito this week.

I gave them Godspeed You! Black Emperor- Luciferian Towers

they gave me Tides Of Man- Every Nothing

 

Sry I did that thing again where my partner didn't message me first and I forgot to ever message them lol. I'm a hot mess!! If people message me I respond v promptly but I am the worst at remembering to initiate.

 

Did new pairings get announced yet?

 

Later today or tomorrow. Was busy all day yesterday

 

CMCS > The Meg

;)

 

Save Face - Mercy 8/10


I've never even heard of this band until now. Save Face's sound is hard to pin-point. They're opening for The Early November now and I actually hear a big resemblance to them. They're alternative/pop-punk. There are some slow songs, some bangers, and some include screaming backing vocals. The album is longer than most of the genre with 14 tracks, but some are very short or interludes. The lyrics are run-of-the-mill for the genre; heartbreak, love, and loss. Nothing blew me away, but it's still very good. It will be on my AOTY list, maybe around my 11-20 range. Favorite tracks: Reds, Jonesin', and Heartache
Thanks, @bachna84 !

 

Nice review! Who gave you the album?

 

Ah, I forgot that. I edited it now.

 

That was going to be my first guess! Haha!

 

Glad you liked it! Plans may be my favorite song of the year so far!