The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 426

The Swellers - Good For Me



Hailing from Flint, Michigan, The Swellers were an alternative rock band formed in 2002 by brothers Nick and Jonathan Diener. The bands break out followed their 2005 debut, and the band would put out two releases before signing to pop label Fueled By Ramen. “Good for Me” was their second release on FBR, and also features some of their biggest songs.

Musically, this album doesn’t really push any boundaries, remaining in the relatively standard alt rock/pop punk wheelhouse, however all the songs are perfectly crafted, and there is definitely the influence of bands such as The Gaslight Anthem being introduced into the band’s sound compared to some older songs I listened to.

Pretty much every song on here is really solid, from opener “Runaways” to closer “Warming Up”. There’s a few songs in particular that stand out, and in fact my favourites came one after another. Fourth track “Parkview” is a slightly more melodic track that covers the post-breakup self discovery phase, with some enormous hooks as Nick sings “you can watch me shoveling snow, clearing a path so I'm not walked on anymore. I guess tomorrow it could melt but I'm not sure, maybe I'm paralyzed, haven't stood up for myself in a long time.” It’s a hugely anthemic song that is only eclipsed on the album by the following song “The Best I Ever Had”. This is a song that seemingly looks back on teenage years and recounts the discovery of both music and love. Every single line in this song is immediate, and it was an obvious choice for a hit single.

There are only one or two points where I can see people having issues with this album. One is that it is fairly straight forward and relatively simple, but I think to over complicate these songs would be to greatly detract from them. Another is that Nick Diener has a slightly blurry enunciation, and so it can take some adjusting. He’s hardly Tim Armstrong but I can understand it could be an issue for some people.

Overall this was a hugely enjoyable and easy listen and I will almost certainly return to this band more as a result.

8/10

Cheers to @ugman_2000 for another good rec.

 

Awesome review mate, I feel fairly similar to you on this one. It’s a really great record but nothing groundbreaking. They are some killer hooks on this though.

The Best I Ever Had is a worldy of a song though, it always ends up on any pop-punk playlist I make. Outside of TBIEH my fav tracks are probably the first 2.

If you’re going to dive in more to their back catalog Ups and Downsizing isn’t probably the next best place to go. Tbh though they never released a bad album imo.

 

This week @Petit nain des Îles gave me

Madina Lake- From Them, Through Us, To You

Madina Lake is a band i have heard of before, and even almost seen live, but never actually took the time to listen to. After hearing this album, I can say that was a huge misstep on my behalf. This album is great, and not to mention the true crime concept story within the album about the disappearance of a girl in the fictional town of Madina Lake (I am a true crime sucker, so that had my interest instantly). This was double as soon as you hear the album’s creepy intro, which really set the mood for this concept.

There were spots of this album that in one moment reminded me of Story Of The Year or Finch, and then in another song may remind me of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (that’s a blast from the past isn’t it). On paper that combination doesn’t sound like it would fit, but it really does. Songs like ‘True Love’ explode and take you by surprise in the best way possible, while the album has some more somber moments through. The vocals are nice, and the occasional unclean vocal is like the garnish on top of the meal. I didn’t dislike a single song on this album, with True Love being my favorite of the bunch. ‘Here I Stand’ and ‘River People’ are also notable songs for me, though as I said there’s no bad songs here!

This is super catchy pop punk with a dash of post hardcore, and most people who know me know thy is a huge sweet spot sound for me, and this album assuredly hit the spot. I’ll be revisiting this one for some time I am sure. The flow of the album moves really well, and listening for the clues on what happened with the concept album disappearance was an added treat through the songs. 9/10 album for me.

top tracks:
True Love
Here I Stand
River People
House of Cards
One last Kiss

 

Great album. Loved it growing up and One Last Kiss, Adalia and True Love are songs I got SUPER into.

Shame they never managed to write anything that came close to this. They're decent live, or they were the two times I saw them anyway.

 

If I recall correctly all of their albums were concept and that could be part of their low popularity. Although, Starset is very popular right now. Maybe it’s a just a matter of timing and Madina Lake were ahead of their time.

 

wat

 

Damn autocorrect lol fixed

 

Hey, it could have been "cornball"! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Happy you loved it @BTDandFeelingThis ! The comparisons are spot on and I always felt like if it had been released just a few years earlier, it would have been considered a scene classic. I don't know what edition you've listened to, but the bonus tracks are pretty good as well. Escape From Here in particular is another highlight.

I agree with @SamLevi11 about the rest of their discography though. Attics To Eden is mostly good and I appreciate how they added pop and alt rock influences without compromising their signature style. World War III was hit or miss and sounded like a band that was losing the plot. They would get further into (dated) electronic rock on one side, and try to recapture the feel of that debut album on the other side... and they missed the mark. It's a very "I'll believe it when I see it" situation, but I'm curious to hear their eventual new stuff once it comes out.

 

@Chase Tremaine gave me Maggie Rogers album Heard It In A Past Life. This album reminded me of Florence + The Machine a bit. It had a few standout tracks to me such as Give A Little, The Knife, On+Off and Back In My Body. Although there are only 12 tracks on this album my only complaint is that it felt like there were like 17 lol. A bit drawn out in my opinion. Her voice is really pleasant and if you're looking to just relax and listen to something good then definitely check out this album if you're into that. Thanks for the recommendation Chase. It was a good listen for me!

 

No new pairings this week?

 

Sorry! I’ve been out of town. I can post new pairings tonight when I get back.

 

I’m going to post the matchups since @Nate_Johnson is busy. Here are next weeks pairings:

@Michael Schmidt & @ugman_2000
@BTDandFeelingThis & @Chase Tremaine
@GBlades & @disambigujason
@summertimejesus & @cshadows2887
@edisnfg & @troyplaysbass
@Petit nain des Îles & @Micool1
@nickyeatworld & @Patterns in Traffic
@Nate_Johnson & @SamLevi11

 

@Chase Tremaine i DMEd you in our usual twitter convo

 

I'm a bit busy and will have my review posted tomorrow or perhaps early Monday morning. For the first time, I'm listening to the previous albums beforehand and I'm liking what I'm hearing so far. What did you to contribute to the one you gave me @BTDandFeelingThis ? I'm so curious to hear it!

edit: Referring to Out Of Service, just to make that post less confusing lol

 

Helped in small ways along the production way and I do a spoken poem on the album

 

@SamLevi11 and I have decided on our trades.

He will be listening to:
Sights & Sounds: No Virtue

I will be listening to:
State Faults: Clairvoyant

 

Man I wish I could listen to Clairvoyant for the first time again

 

This week I had the pleasure of listening to Cory Wells’s The Way We Are, recommended by @GBlades. Yea I love this record. I remembered his name getting some good hype on release week and meant to the check it out but didn’t get around to it, so I was excited to give it a listen. It was very immediate for me, the kind of listen you hit play on again. Apparently Wells was in Movements and various metal bands before going solo/acoustic, and I’m glad he did because the dude’s voice is a big selling point for me. Sounds like a bit more aggressive version of the guy from Night Riots over more Frank Turner-y instrumentation. Some pretty heavy and raw lyrical themes. Acoustic guitar dominates but still hits some full band strides. All that said, the biggest selling point here are the vocal melodies. Some of the catchiest choruses I’ve heard this year but still enough edginess to satisfy our more alternative leanings here. The run of songs 2 thru 5 is insanely good. It’s not groundbreaking music but it’s poppy/alternative/acoustic/whatever done really well. Give this a listen y’all.

recommended songs: keiko, wildfire, harbor, broken, end of a good thing, walk away

 

Glad you liked it! It's such a hard-hitting acoustic album that really kicks you in the teeth. A lot different from what he used to do. Could have been better but it's not the worst! On to the 3rd week in a row with you now I'll have my review up later today/tomorrow morning!

 

The album reminds me a lot of a stripped down Trash Boat. Very good!

Also, HUGE Dashboard Confessional vibes on Keiko.

 

Oh yeah, I see the Trash Boat and Dashboard influences! I think the album only came out a few weeks ago but I've been listening to it a lot.

 

State Faults: Clairvoyant

No Sleep Records (2019)

You know that feeling when you have all these emotions that you can't quite describe and/or translate? Be it anger, sadness, anxiety, depression, fear, etc.? This is exactly the output that California band State Faults gives us on their newest album, Clairvoyant. This is the first album from the band in over 6 years and the band has a lot to say. I was able to briefly speak to them and in their own words: "The album overall is a call for love and peace on earth. It's about shedding the manufactured politics, religions and bigotries and to come back to humans taking care and supporting humans no matter race or gender expression". I have heard the band referenced as "spiritual" and I can absolutely see that in this album. Maybe the band came out of hibernation because it's 2019 and things in the world are in such disarray and the word "HATE" is stronger than ever. I am happy they did, because people need to hear this album.

To try and pigeon hole this album into one genre would not even scratch the surface of how diverse it is. The album starts with this almost trance-like sound, then almost exactly on the minute mark, goes into melodic hardcore with front man Johnny Andrews' razor sharp vocals. These vocals are primarily the standard throughout the album but the band has a fantastic sense of space and dip into beautiful post rock/metal interludes with some lighter singing sprinkled in, which don't stay long. I love post metal/rock with it's ability to create an atmosphere and this album does just that.

With that being said, the band is only a three piece and they sound MASSIVE. Their drummer can seamlessly transition from fast to slow in a heartbeat while the bass work keeps everyone on point with numerous transitions that occur throughout each song. The songwriting is so intricate and reminds me of mathy Emo at times mixed amongst the chaos. I discover something new every time I listen.

The album is only 36 minutes and a lot happens in that time, never feeling dull at all. I will mention again that to try and label this in one genre would be near impossible and that's ok! I love diverse albums that challenge you. Overall, this is a fantastic album that sits right in my current musical taste and I have nothing bad to say about it. I would recommend this for everyone but I know it's a hard pill to swallow, especially due to the vocals.

RIYL: Converge, Page 99., Saetia, Emo-violence, Post Metal, Screamo

This will most definitely end up on my EOTY list.

Favorite Songs:
Dreamcatcher, Pt. II
Olive Tree
Baptism
Contaminature
Cemetery Lights

Thanks @SamLevi11 for a fantastic recommendation!

 

Bloody hell you move quickly! Glad you enjoyed it though, it's definitely my favourite or second favourite heavy record this year.

 

Morning by Out Of Service is making me so nostalgic right now. A throwback to when I first discovered emo a decade ago. Excited to check out and write my review for the new one later.