The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 386

Bjork!!!

 

She’s in my top 5

 

I learned of her through this club in its early sessions (thanks @Mary V !) and I am quite pleased

 

I love MICF so much, so I’m happy to see it getting some love here. It’s my fave by them for sure.

 

Reading Festival Review (Friday Only)

So after seven years of camping, this year I decided to only do a single day at Reading Festival.

I started the day watching a band called Touts (6) on the Festival Republic Stage. If I’m honest, it was purely because my girlfriend needed the toilet and I had 10 minutes to kill. They seemed perfectly fine and got a decent crowd but it was hard to remember much about them. I then went over to the tiny outdoor BBC Introducing Stage, where a short secret set by The Wombats (7) took place. They played five songs to a decent sized crowd including the three singles from their first album. Opening with Kill the Director, and closing on Moving to New York, the band tore through the songs however they were hampered by a very quiet sound.

Following this I went solo to the largest tent to see SWMRS (7). They got a large crowd and played a mix of songs, from Miley and Palm Trees to new single Berkley’s On Fire. The crowd seemed into them and they were very good live, but you would suspect the crowd were predominantly there for the not-so-secret set to follow.

I had half hour to kill so I went to meet my friend near the mainstage and caught some of Waterparks (5). I make no attempt to hide how much I dislike this band. I despise some of their music and don’t like their asshole lead singer. That said, objectively they sounded okay live but nothing special. Just kind of standard catchy boy band pop music but nothing interesting.

Heading back to the NME Tent for the secret set by Bring Me The Horizon (8) who had a massive crowd waiting for them. They only played music from their most recent two albums from what I saw, but they were great live, and there was a massive pit that opened up during Can You Feel My Heart that swirled for much of the set.

I left early to catch Creeper (6) on the main stage and meet back up with my girlfriend. Similarly to Waterparks, they unfortunately didn’t make much of an impression on a stage full of people waiting for Post Malone. They put on a good performance as usual, but the crowd were dead for the most part and it made it without a doubt the worst time I have seen one of my favourite bands. Despite that, the music was still enjoyable.

I then left to meet two friends and caught two songs of the band Fever 333 (7) on the Lock Up Stage. Headed by Jason Butler, formerly of Letlive., the band were of course energetic and frantic live, it’s just a shame they don’t really have the material to back up such a performance so far. I then headed to see Fickle Friends (8) on the NME stage. They had a big crowd and played all the biggest songs from their debut album, with Swim and Glue sounding particularly massive. They were one of the surprise highlights of the festival for me and a band I’ll definitely see live again.

Back to the main stage, I went with my best friend to see Post Malone (7). He played all his big songs and gathered an absolutely monstrous crowd. Seriously, it was headliner sized, and everyone there was singing the songs back to him, but the set definitely felt a little flat at times due to a lack of energy. Despite that, his vocals held up well and Congratulations was fun live.

I then had a choice between The Front Bottoms in the massive NME tent and Trophy Eyes on the Lock Up Stage, two bands I love. I wanted to see The Front Bottoms but got outvoted 2-1 (my best friend was impartial). So off to Trophy Eyes (6) we went. Unfortunately, it was fairly universally agreed we made a bad decision. Trophy Eyes opened with Lavender Bay, a song I really enjoy, but the atmosphere felt flat and the performance wasn’t really there. They played only two songs from "Chemical Miracle" (Heaven Sent and Chlorine in the middle of their set) and those songs got a noticeably more interested reaction than any song other than You Can Count On Me. Looking at the videos online, The Front Bottoms meanwhile played an average setlist flawlessly to a HUGE crowd.

Back to the mainstage, The Wombats (8) played a long set throwing in all their big hits, with their songs from previous album “Glitterbug” getting a particularly large reaction from the crowd. It’s an album that boosted their career from being almost forgotten, to the mainstage of Reading and Leeds, and songs like Give Me A Try and Greek Tragedy show why. Newer songs Lemon To A Knife Fight and Turn were also highlights, as well as deeper cuts Tokyo and Jump Into The Fog.

La Dispute (8) were next over on the Lock Up stage and were a highlight of the day. Playing a setlist that took in songs from every era of the band so far, they seemed far more interested than their poor set a few years ago on the NME Stage. They ended with Said The King To The River, Such Small Hands, and King Park, and lead singer Jordan Dreyer ended up jumping on top of my in the pit as we all screamed the ending to King Park (“CAN I STILL GET INTO HEAVEN IF I KILL MYSELF?”).

Following them were The Used (10), a band I had never seen before but loved growing up. I had heard poor things about them live and saw a particularly awful video from Warped this year, but my best friend, his girlfriend and I all agreed they put on one of the best performances at Reading for years. They completely packed the tent to the point of overflowing, and they tore through a set of purely songs from the first three albums. Hearing songs like Taste of Ink, All That I’ve Got, and Pretty Handsome Awkward live was a great experience, and they ended on a mash up of Nirvana with their song Buried Myself Alive.

Nothing But Thieves (5) were over on the NME stage, and unfortunately bored me to tears. They sounded fine, and they got a half decent crowd, but it was just dull and I suspect that is more to do with the songs than their performance. Because of this I briefly went to see Underoath (6), who were fine. I only like one album of theirs anyway, but they didn’t get a very big crowd, maybe a half full tent.

Finally, the day ended with Fall Out Boy (10). They opened fantastically with Thriller, with Pete Wentz sliding down a large neon sloped screen during the intro, and their set was a good mix of their old hits, a few deep cuts such as Disloyal Order, and then their new album. I don’t enjoy the new music much at all, so it was interesting that they only played three or four songs from “Save Rock And Roll” and “American Beauty/American Psycho”. Songs such as Dance Dance and Thnks Fr Th Mmrs are impossibly big live, whilst even some songs I don’t really enjoy on record such as Centuries or Stay Frosty were lots of fun live. They also played Grand Theft Autumn (Where Is your Boy) and so I spent roughly three and a half minutes in absolute heaven.

The set was incredibly strong, and every member shined individually, with Pete Wentz attaching a flame thrower to his bass guitar, Andy Hurley absolutely smashing the kit, Joe Trohman adding noodle guitar all over the newer songs to add new dimensions to them, and Patrick Stumps spectacular vocals given room to truly impress. They even threw in their cover of Michael Jackson’s Beat It. As usual they ended on Saturday, and I think it would be hard for anyone to call their first major UK festival headliner anything but a massive triumph.

 

Also, myself and @GBlades have swapped.

I shall review WATERMEDOWN - The Same View With A New Light

They shall review Boston Manor - Be Nothing.

 

So last week I was paired with @figureitout and they gave me The Pauses - Unbuilding


The Pauses are an Indie Rock group from Orlando Florida, and from the intro of the first track I had no idea what I was about to listen to. The first few notes sounded like I was about to listen to a video game soundtrack, then the chaos ensued. Eventually Everything Connects is the name of this track and by the end of the song it was a true statement. Unfortunately, I was extra busy this week so I was only able to listen to this album once, and it was a very interesting first listen. This album definitely needs a few to take the whole thing in. It was kind of all over the place, but interesting in a weird way. The most interesting thing about this band is that they waited 9 years between albums, which is crazy to me, but maybe the needed 9 years to make this album because it was a weird one?! There are only 9 tracks on the album too so maybe they wrote one song every year? Anyway, if you like weird albums and weird indie music, check out this album, you might dig it!

 

Reuben
In Nothing We Trust
2007



I have been paired with @ugman_2000 a few times prior to this and one of the times (back in April) he assigned me Jamie Lenman's album Devolver. I was entirely unfamiliar with Jamie Lenman up until that point and when @ugman_2000 assigned Devolver to me, he also told me that Lenman has been in the group Reuben (which I was also unfamiliar). I enjoyed Devolver quite a bit and I made a mental note to check out his other solo album (2013's Muscle Memory) in addition to his past work with Reuben. I hadn't gotten around to any of that in the past four months, so I was happy to get the assigned Reuben's 2007 album this past session!

Reuben was a three-piece group from England whose music transcended a single genre. Wikipedia gives their genre as alternative rock, hard rock, post-hardcore, and alternative metal. I think alternative metal is probably the best single descriptor on that list. The aforementioned Jamie Lenman is the lead vocalist and he is also on guitar and piano/keyboard. Jon Pearce is the bassist and provides backing vocals, while Guy Davis is the drummer and provides backing vocals as well. In Nothing We Trust is Reuben's third and most recent (and possibly final?) full-length album, following 2004's Racecar is Racecar Backwards and 2005's Very Fast Very Dangerous. They have been on hiatus since 2008 and it is unclear whether there are any plans for Reuben moving forward.

Lenman's latest solo album Devolver was quite eclectic, and while I didn't find In Nothing We Trust to be as varied as Devolver, it was by no means paint-by-numbers. Opening track Cities On Fire has about a one-minute long intro and it features a good mix of screaming and singing. There is a quiet/loud dynamic that works quite well and is present in other songs on the album. I also really enjoyed the instrumentation on the track. Overall, it was a solid start to the album. We're All Going Home In An Ambulance is next and it's one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's quite chaotic at times and the screamed vocals reminded me a bit of Frank Carter era Gallows. After two songs I would say that if I had to classify this album it'd be something along the lines of "alt-rock with teeth" Suffocation Of The Soul is another highlight for me. It's the longest song on the album at just over 7 minutes. The sung vocals in the verses reminded me a bit of Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle, Puscifer). The music gets quite heavy just before the 4-minute mark of the song and again the instrumentation is just awesome. The last minute of the song is another instrumental highlight.

Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin features a couple guest vocalists, including Frank Turner, and on first listen I immediately thought that it could've been a relatively popular song on the radio. When I did a bit of research later on I found that it was, in fact, the second single from the album (although I can't say whether it was popular or not). The song is relatively straightforward and its chorus is very catchy (and very sarcastic):

I want to be
Just like you
Get myself a job
And a really cool tattoo

An Act Of Kindness is next and it's possibly the heaviest track on this album from a lyrical standpoint. Here are a couple excerpts from that song:

I'm trying to make up my mind
Madness or cruel-to-be-kind?
Your mother was sick or blind
When she gave her child away

But what she did
She did out of love
She must have meant it
As an act of kindness

and

"All of the things that you feel
They are a fucking disease" they said
"We diagnose it with ease" they said
"There is no hope of a release" they said

So you found yourself
Inside a prison with no escape
Tied to a gurney with thick red tape
Nursing a wound that is mother-shape

Crushed Under The Weight Of The Enormous Bullshit is another one of my favorite tracks on the album. Its lyrics touch on becoming jaded with the music industry and it makes me wonder how much that played a role in Reuben's extended hiatus. I also particularly liked the Every Time I Die and Glassjaw references in this track. Here are some of my favorite lyrics from this track:

So please give me an album
That I love straight away
That I don't have to grow in to
After constant play

See, I buy a lot of records
And take most of them back
'Cos I feel that disappointment
After just one track

and

Last band stole my heart
Was Every Time I Die
I loved every second
But now three years gone by


When I heard 'Worship and Tribute'
I thought my dreams come true
Listening to most other bands
It seems they all did too

Good Luck follows and musically it's the least aggressive song on the album. It also features a female vocalist. While not one of my favorites, it provides a nice change of pace to the album. Agony/Agatha is a relatively straightforward song and also fairly short, hovering near the three-minute mark. It includes some piano which is a nice touch and adds some depth to the track. Three Hail Marys is another highlight on the album for me. It's a long song at nearly 7 minutes and I get a lot of Trent Reznor vibes throughout the song in terms of vocals. The music in this track is especially awesome - particularly from 3:00 to 4:15 and in the final 45 seconds of the song. The band is really firing on all cylinders here and I love it.

The final two songs on the album wrap the album up quite nicely. Blood, Bunny, Larkhall is the shortest track on the album at only 2:40 and it features aggressive verses and sung choruses. The closer A Short History Of Nearly Everything features more of that quiet/loud dynamic that I mentioned early on. This song, like the rest of the songs on the album, feels like it has plenty of room to breathe so to speak and I like how the songs don't feel rushed. The final 30 seconds of this song in particular are awesome and the way this album ends makes me want to hit play on the album the second it's over.

I really enjoyed this album and I can see why Reuben is such a special band to so many people. At this time, I'd probably rank Devolver slightly ahead of this album, but that may be just because I've spent more time with that album. All in all, a superb recommendation from @ugman_2000 and I really am going to try to visit the rest of Jamie Lenman's catalog sooner than later!

I would highly recommend this album (and Jamie Lenman's 2017 album Devolver) to fans of alternative rock, alternative metal, and post-hardcore. Fans of bands including Gallows, Nine Inch Nails, Queens Of The Stone Age, and Deftones will likely be able to find things they love on this album.

The album is a bit eclectic, so I would recommend checking out the entire thing. It's a bit on the long side at 52 minutes, but I promise it will be worth it. If you don't have that kind of time then you should make time or at the very worst consider checking out these favorite tracks of mine: We're All Going Home In An Ambulance, Suffocation Of The Soul, Crushed Under The Weight Of The Enormous Bullshit, and Three Hail Marys.

Great recommendation @ugman_2000 !

 

Awesome review mate, glad you enjoyed it. Pretty certain you’ll enjoy both their other albums based off this review.

I think you absolutely nailed your description of the band as alt-rock with teeth. I do agree the album is quite long and can be off putting to some but it’s well worth investing time with it.

To answer a couple of other points:

Deadly Ninja didn’t do as well as the band hoped, it gained a bit of traction on the alternative music channels but nothing groundbreaking.

The band have split up and Jamie doesn’t want a reunion, after the split he disappeared for a while to do real life stuffs. He eventually came back around 2012/2013 and for a little while didn’t really play any Reuben songs in his solo sets (but he now does play the odd song per set). I wouldn’t say it’d never happen but from interviews he’s done it still seems unlikely.

You’re also bang on with the reason why Reuben split and Crushed Under The Weight is indeed foreshadowing that.

If you’re looking for a next place to go with Lenman I’d suggest trying Reuben’s debut Racecar Is Racecar Backwards. I almost rec’d you that instead of this one

Also as a long time Reuben/Lenman fan Devolver is also my fav by him (just)

 

Just because I love it, here’s the music video for Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin.

Also Frank Turner is in the video. As is Paul from the band Hundred Reasons (their debut is def worth checking out if you like UK alt-rock).

 

Racecar is a 10/10 album

 

Ideas Above Our Station is soooo goood

 

Yeah so many great songs on that album, I saw them play it in full a few years back and it was amazing.

 

Working from home today and giving my vinyl copy of Our Lady Peace's Gravity its first spin. I haven't heard this album in a long time, forgot how good it is.

 

Third Eye Blind - Blue (1999)



So for my first week participating in the CMCS, I was paired with @bachna84 and they gave me Third Eye Blind's 1999 album Blue.

The only Third Eye Blind album I'd heard previously was their self-titled debut, which is an album I absolutely love. I don't really have a reason for never getting around to any of their other albums, but I was happy to find early into my first listen that this wasn't just going to be a rehash of their first record.

That said, my first two listens were actually a little rough. For the most part what I was hearing felt pretty far off from the Pop/Rock catchiness I was expecting based on their first album, and songs like "The Red Summer Sun" and "Camouflage" just put me off and really disrupted the flow of the album.

Thankfully, after my second listen I decided to read up on the album. I had no idea about all of the dysfunction and conflict going on behind the scenes, but given everything happening within the band, the disconnect, and time restraints while writing and recording songs, it's not really surprising that Blue turned out to be kind of an erratic and disjointed record. Actually it's kind of amazing that anything good came of it or that the album even saw the light of day, given everything going on. Still, I'm glad I decided to give it a third listen after reading up on it, because at that point I found it easier to let go of expectations and just enjoy the album for what it was.

While there are still some musical moments and lyrics scattered throughout that I don't care for, and a couple of songs I straight up can't stand (the two previously mentioned), there are also plenty of hooks, dynamic guitar work, interesting vocals and resonating lyrics that make the album worth spending time with.

Album opener "Anything" was a highlight from first listen. I really love the energy it kicks off the album with, my only complaint being that I wish it were longer, as I think it ends a little too abruptly. That leads into the first half of "Wounded," which is probably my favorite 2:30 on the entire record. While I wasn't initially crazy about the direction it ends up going in for the second half, the song as a whole has since grown to become another favorite. "1000 Julys" is another I have to mention for winning me over after I realized just how much I loved the guitars and just the overall energy of that track, despite continuing to cringe at some of the lyrics. Honestly I would be happy just relistening to the first half of the album and leaving most of the rest, because the stretch of songs from "Never Let You Go," through "An Ode to Maybe" are all pretty great too, with "Darwin" being the only track on the back-half of the album I'm particuarly fond of. Which reminds me: I also read that the album's track order was mixed up on Spotify and other streaming services, so I tried listening in the original order but that didn't affect my opinions much. Overall I think it's a solid--though top-heavy--album, with at least half a dozen good tracks. Undoubtedly hindered by turmoil within the band, but still worth getting to know.

Sorry I ended up posting this an entire week later than I intended to, due to getting sick and being busier than expected. And thanks again, @bachna84 for the motivation to listen to this album that I should have checked out years ago!

Favorite songs:
Anything, Wounded, Never Let You Go, Deep Inside of You, 1000 Julys

 

I love all three of them but Racecar has my heart (and my avatar!).

Pretty much no chance of Reuben ever coming back but Devolver somewhat settled me down about that. Given Lenman basically wrote everything in Reuben, his solo material is probably a like-for-like substitute of what Reuben would be now anyway.

Not that I'm ever going to stop dreaming.

 

Thanks for giving this a listen! I definitely prefer their debut album, but this one certainly has some gems too :)

 

So today I'm getting married and 2 of my favorite bands/artists released albums today. So thanks to Alkaline Trio and Eminem for making today even better!!!

 

Congratulations!

 

Congratulations!!!

 

Goddamnit!->From Here To Infirmary->Maybe I'll Catch Fire->Good Morning->Agony & Irony->Crimson->This Addiction->My Shame Is True

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks Nate!

 

if we are doing rankings

From Here To Infirmary
Maybe I'll Catch Fire
Good Mourning
Goddammit
Crimson/Is This Thing Cursed
Agony And Irony
My Shame Is True

 

Halfway through Is Thing This Cursed and its probably between Good Mourning and Agony & Irony at the moment. Its really good so far though! wayyyyyyy better than the past 2 albums they put out thats for sure!