The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 408

Album No. 11:



Trash Boat: Crown Shyness

This is the UK bands second album and sees them towing the lines between melodic hardcore, indie rock and pop punk. This album is a public service announcement for depression and came out at a time this past year when we were losing so many amazing people. This album takes you through so many emotions and shows how they can go full speed with opening number, Inside Out, then slow things right down with the title track. The album culminates with closer: Love, Hate, React, Relate which sees front man Tobi Duncan going through the emotions of loss. In an in depth interview, he elaborated on the fact that it is about his childhood pet that died recently but the song can be interpreted into anyone you may have lost and is a very powerful and emotion filled one.

I also thought this was really interesting and gives the album cover and title more meaning:
Crown shyness is a phenomenon observed in some tree species, in which the crowns of fully stocked trees do not touch each other, forming a canopy with channel-like gaps.

 

Finally got Sycamore on vinyl yesterday on Discogs. Paid too much for it (though to be fair it's the cheapest copy I've seen show up online in the past year or so) but I'm feeling good about it. Not a great time to be spending on vinyl with all the holiday shopping but I would've regretted it big time if I didn't grab it.

 

That’s awesome, it’s such an incredible album so I’m sure it’ll be worth it

 

Album No. 12:



Dream State: Recovery

Dream State is another band I had discovered this year through the Dreambound YouTube channel. This is only an EP but this Welsh 5 piece pack a punch in the 5 tracks. The band is spearheaded by front woman, Charlotte Gilpin, who reminds me a lot of Hayley Williams. The band in general remind me a lot of Paramore but with more bite, especially when Charlotte screams. I don't think I have stopped listening to this since I discovered them and I believe they are destined for great things in 2019! Also, I believe they recently signed to UNFD which is great.

RIYL:
Paramore
Post Hardcore

Also, I thought this was a great cover for a great compilation:

 

Dream State was one of my favorite EPs this year. Also a fantastic gym album. My EOTY is almost done, gonna hopefully post some writings soon.

 

Album No. 13:



Architects: Holy Hell

To anyone who knows me this album being one of my favorites of the year will come as no surprise. This album holds such a special place for me in so many ways. The loss of Tom Searle at the young age of 28 years old to cancer is heartbreaking. As a survivor myself, it saddens me to see that someone was not as fortunate and reminds me how lucky I am to be here. I give the band so much credit for pushing forward and welcoming Sylosis member, Josh Middleton, to fill the large gap left in his wake. This album is a very dark one and sees the band going through the motions of the grieving process and gives me goose bumps just to know that the band took the time to include parts of songs written by Tom in each song. I am sure he would be very proud of this record.

RIYL:
Progressive Metal
Metalcore

 

So glad you and this club showed me this band. I love this album

 

Great new song. A bit darker and heavier than their usual stuff but I love it

 

I'm answering you here instead of messenger, but I gave this a few listens and this is great! First song I've ever heard from them

 

Here's my top 10 for the year with mini write ups:

1. Thrice – Palms
Nothing new to say here, this is another great album from Thrice. They will never go back to the heavy stuff I love from them, but still putting out classics like Just Breathe and Beyond the Pines. This album is a great Journey going between synth heavy tracks, alt rock, indie and stripped down. They keep showing how they can do it all and I love them so.

2. Sevendust – All I see is War
I was lucky to get so many releases from my top 10 bands this year, and it gives me joy to see 7D still going strong! Every song is filled with their signature aggression music paired with Lajon’s passionate and soulful voice. Unforgiven, Dirty, Life Deceives You and Medicated are all classics already and there’s not a weak track here. So rare to see a band as old as them still strong, with this one being their best since Cold Day Memory.

3. Underoath – Erase Me
An album that had many long term fans torn, I was able to come at this with a different angle since On My Teeth was my introduction to the band I had slept on for whatever reason. During the roll out on this album, I caught up and fell in love with Define the Great Line and Lost In the Sound (their best). Maybe because I didn’t have the crazy expectations and didn’t have to wait years for this, I loved this album. I get it doesn’t compare to their other stuff, but why does it have to? On its own merits there is so much to love here. Spencer and Aaron nail the vocals and harmonies. The synth music adds so many layers to these songs and blend in so well while still being aggressive and heavy. Slow burns like I Gave Up and ihateit fit in nicely with bangers like On My Teeth, Sink With You and Hold Your Breath. Even the 2 radio rock tracks Rapture and Wake Me come out nice. Very impressed with how many styles are on this.

4. Even the Trees – If Only Every Day Could Be Like This
This has been talked about so much lately on this site and so glad it has, but what more is there to say? So much substance here and even as a long album at an hour and 4 mins, it never seems to drags. Everyone’s instruments are on point and I am in love with the singer’s voice and those screams!

5. Atreyu – In Our Wake
My least favorite album by one of my all-time favorite bands, I still have this album in my car since I picked this up in November from Target on release day. Every single time has a chorus so powerful and catchy from Drummer Brandon who is probably one of my favorite vocalist of all time. This album is sort of a spotlight on him while the band takes a back seat, and even though I love their heavier stuff more in the vein of Curse, Deathgrip and Long Live, this is a solid collection of songs that have stuck with me.

6. Royal Tusk – Tusk II
My first introduction to this band, I heard a coworker talk about it and decided to add it to my Spotify list. Just plain rock bands with heavy guitars is something that I find hard to come by and this is exactly what this is. Not a filler song on here and they hit a spot that I needed and found myself hitting the replay button a lot.

7. AFI – The Missing Man
Always an AFI fan, after Decemberunderground where their steam seemed to die down. I feel the songs on here are stronger than their last album Blood and I’m extremely excited for where they go next. Hard to describe why I like it so much, it’s all just so good!

8. Ice Nine Kills – The Silver Scream
My first and only introduction to the band, this album strikes all the right points with me and what I like about metal or metalcore (or whatever it is, I’m terrible at sub genres). Like most stuff, this was recommended to me by @Bad Frequencies and the awesome idea of a horror theme drew me in, but the music itself kept me coming back. Surprisingly my favorite track from it is from their non-heavy track A Grave Mistake, but I get my heavy fix from tracks like Thank God Its Friday and It is the End.

9. John Nolan- Abendigo
When I heard his solo album was coming out, I figured it’d have a more stripped down feeling then what this is. I was really surprised with how energetic and how much instrumentation is on this. Maybe most band’s side projects don’t end up amounting to much so expectations were low, but I was really impressed with this and makes me wish Straylight Run was still a thing.

10. Disturbed - Evolution
Since I got into the Sickness at such a young age, I’ll always have a soft spot for this band even though I haven’t been into anything since 10 Thousand Fists. I do always give each album a shot though, and they nailed their sound on this one. I know a lot of fans will hate it, but I love how many ballads and softies are on here. Nothing against the band as they are completely serviceable and the guitar solos are always fun, but David Draiman’s voice has always what has carried them and made them stand out. With the rock stripped down for a lot of these tracks, he has a place to shine. I assume the success of Sound of Silence led to this, but I’m glad it did!

 

Album No. 14:



This album has only been out for a day but it is just breathtaking. It takes the best parts of artists such as Copeland, Citizen and Heavy Things and packages them together to make a fantastic debut full length. The band had previously released an EP that was equally as amazing but this record takes them to the next level. The lyrical themes of the album are highly relatable dealing with finding your place in the world and questioning all the things you were taught and believed as a child. To top it all off, the band released the album on Rise. With that being said, I hope the band is truly supported by one of the biggest indie labels out there currently and doesn't fall through the cracks. With a great support slot on a nationwide tour they could pick up a lot of new fans.

RIYL:
Alt Rock
Emo

 

Really looking forward to trying this one out later today!

 

Album No. 15:



Even the Trees: If Only Every Day Could Be Like This

This is another record that has only been out for a little over a week but deserves a spot on my favorite records of 2018. Even the Trees are a Canadian band and this is the their debut full length. The album is a lengthy hour and five minutes but every second of it is worth your time and there is no filler. They are a post hardcore band and pay tribute to bands from the early 2000's era but also incorporate a lot of progressive elements. For a DIY project this album is impressive and the five years creating this masterpiece is well worth the wait. @Nick_ETT has been kind enough to shed a lot of light on the writing process of the album and gives it so much more depth.

Please check out the album thread and the bands Bandcamp page. Then go ahead and support them so they can come to the states and tour!!!

RIYL:
Post Harcore
Progressive Metal/Post Hardcore

Even the Trees - If Only Every Day Could Be Like This (December 7th, 2018) • forum.chorus.fm

If Only Every Day Could Be Like This, by Even the Trees

 

Album No. 16:



Four Seconds Ago: The Vacancy

Periphery has always been one of my favorite bands, not only because they are progressive metal but because each member is so talented and has an insane work ethic. They are never ones to sit idly by waiting for the next album cycle and always have their hands on something and it usually turns out fantastic. Four Seconds Ago is no exception.

Four Seconds Ago is the side project of Jake Bowen and Misha Mansoor. Jake Bowen is always known for his solo electronic side project and adds a lot of the "spacey" and atmospheric elements to the full bands output. Adding the brains behind Periphery, Misha, takes this project to a whole new level. It's almost like everything he wrote via guitar, he just transitioned to keyboards, synth and piano. It is amazing and although there are very few vocals, it's ok because the music is so atmospheric and dense it doesn't need it.

RIYL:
Electronic
Ambient
Atmospheric

 

I have been slacking on this for this week so here's my 5th AOTY post. In May, I asked for suggestions of the best albums of the year so far, and a couple stood out from the rest. One of them was The XCERTS - Hold On To Your Heart.



I didn't know who The XCERTS were before listening to this album. They are a Scottish Alternative Rock band. The album starts with a slow song titled The Dark that catches your attention immediately. Then it goes on to more upbeat tracks like Daydream and personal highlight Feels Like Falling in Love. And it's not an album that drags since there are only 10 songs and clocks in at 37 minutes. The entire album is good although I have a small preference for the front half. I should definitely check out their earlier material.

Recommended tracks: The Dark, Daydream, Feels Like Falling in Love, First Kiss Feeling, Show Me Beautiful.

Previous AOTY posts:
Fall Out Boy - MANIA: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 401 • forum.chorus.fm

Senses Fail - If There Is Light, It Will Find You: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 402 • forum.chorus.fm

Hawthorne Heights - Bad Frequencies: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 406 • forum.chorus.fm

Les Trois Accords - Beaucoup de Plaisir: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 408 • forum.chorus.fm

 

Awesome to see some love for this album. You should definitely dive into their back catalogue as they've not released a bad album and each album has a different vibe going on. I'd suggest starting with There Is Only You next though as that's a 10/10 album imo (and probably the most like HOTYH).

 

Here's another one of those albums that stood out from that batch. This time it's The Fratellis - In Your Own Sweet Time.



Just like with The XCERTS, I had no idea who The Fratellis were. As a big coincidence, they are also a Scottish band. As soon as I hit play, I was pleasantly surprised by this album. It's just a really fun Rock album from beginning to end.

Recommended tracks: Stand Up Tragedy, Starcrossed Losers, Sugartown, The Next Time We Wed, Laughing Gas, Advaita Shuffle.

Previous AOTY posts:
Fall Out Boy - MANIA: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 401 • forum.chorus.fm

Senses Fail - If There Is Light, It Will Find You: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 402 • forum.chorus.fm

Hawthorne Heights - Bad Frequencies: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 406 • forum.chorus.fm

Les Trois Accords - Beaucoup de Plaisir: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 408 • forum.chorus.fm

The XCERTS - Hold On To Your Heart: The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 408 • forum.chorus.fm

 

How's this thing working nowadays?

 

It’s sadly been defunct now since October, just not enough participation. Right now it’s being used as an AOTY and favorite of 2018 discussion thread

I’m currently trying to brainstorm ways to bring it back after the new year.

 

I think making it a book club thing could work

 

The ideas I have right now are:

1. Everyone listens to the same album by one person’s recommendation, which changes each Friday, and then gives thoughts

2. New releases every Friday get discussed and recommended throughout the following week after their release

3. Similar to the old formula, but more time given for writing, less focus on how much you have to write.

4. A hybrid of the previous two ideas. New release recommendations each Friday, but if there’s no new release you can recommend an old one.

I am wanting to do something great because the spirit we had in the old club was great, and those who stuck around had a lot of fun up until it’s retirement

 

I think whether it's a new release or not matters less than everyone doing the same album because tailoring recommendations to people stressed me out

 

Yeah I’m in favor of everyone doing the same album because I think it would make it feel more communal

 

I may end up doing that. Each week someone gets to pick an album, everyone listens to and gives thoughts. Also thought of perhaps giving them the option of recommending 2-3, but the people can choose 1 or more to do. Just to give everyone a choice on what they want to do based on their time available

My only reason for thinking new releases is because that’s the mentality a lot of chorus has, listen to as many new releases as they can. A lot of people said they fell behind here because they were too focused on new releases

 

I think one person (that changes weekly) recommending a couple of albums for the others to choose from each week would work. That way people would be less likely to be tied to an album/genre they dislike, which would encourage more positive discussion.

Also I think this thread always worked best with a mix of new and old albums, that way we still get to talk about some “classic” albums as well.