The Chorus Music Club Society • Page 99

On The Bench. (16)
@Dirty Sanchez
@primavera
@nohandstoholdonto
@ComedownMachine
@Colin Your Enthusiasm
@manoverboard365
@Wall Of Arms
@shanerockey
@electro haikus
@bradsonemanband
@dadbolt
@angrycandy
@DesolateEarth
@LuigiPeppercorn
@carrytheweird
@Raditz
@mattfreaksmeout

Are any of you wanting off the bench for next week’s session?

 

Sign me up for this round, ol' buddy!

 

I'm in for another round.

 

Sure!

 

Hi all! This is my first round in the club, and I was paired up with @js977 who suggested these two gems. Also, please note this is the first time I've ever reviewed an album, so bear with me!!



More Than Life - Love Let Me Go (2016 - Holy Roar Records)
First off, this album is everything that melodic hardcore should be. The songs have depth, strong and meaningful lyrics, great melodies, and just enough experimentation to give it something unique while holding on to those "old school" post-hardcore vibes. "Scarlet Skyline", the opening track, has a great build up at the beginning creating a live feel as if I were at one of their shows then transitioning into a punch-in-the-face wall of emotional hardcore. Though the band uses classic hardcore elements in their songwriting, such as the "hardcore/punk beat", 2-steps, and the breakdown beat. Guitars, however, go beyond just chugs and octaves. I was very pleasantly surprised by the use of reverb and delay effects, harmonics, and intricate lead parts which add to the aforementioned depth to the songs. This formula is continued throughout the album giving it a very cohesive feel.

That being said, the hyper-cohesiveness is also a weakness to this album. The songs all sound very similar and the entire album could pass off as one very long song. Each song follows the same formula, there is no variation in vocals, the guitar leads are all very similar, and the buildups all sound sort of the same. This doesn't mean that the songs aren't good, because my head has been bopping through each listen, and the passion and intensity makes up for the lack of variation. A couple stand-out points which break away from the formula are in the intro to "Daisy Hill" and the instrumental break in "Black Eyed".

All in all, I am very happy to have been suggested this album and I am sure I will be revisiting it. I can't foresee myself seeing this as an "all time favorite" but it's a good listen if I'm in the mood for some melodic hardcore or just want something to listen to in the background while I'm at work or driving. As much as I hate to classify an album as a "will listen to in the background", it's albums like this that allow me to forget about the staggering commonalities in each of the songs. Overall, I'd give it a 7/10.



Icarus The Owl - Rearm Circuits (2017 - Blue Swan Records)
To be totally honest, I thought I was going to hate this record, especially since the first impression of the More To Life album felt much more positive than this albums first impression. However, with each additional listen to Love Let Me Go, I liked it less and less, whereas I enjoyed Rearm Circuits more and more after each listen. At first I thought it was going to be some cheap Dance Gavin Dance or Enter Shikari knockoff but man oh man how I was wrong. When I first started playing it, I thought to myself, "Okay, here are the noodly guitars, here is the singer who sounds like they're in a pop band, ughhh let's get through this" but the singers voice is perfect for this style of music, the musicianship is out of this world, and it left me thinking, "this is really fucking good."

The high points of this record are a little all over the place -- by which the production, flawless. Songwriting, perfect. Cohesiveness while maintaining individuality between each song, spot on. Where I was really impressed was the changes in time signatures in "Ghosts of Former Lives." Though it made it hard to bop my head to (unless I do it in 16ths), it left me with a big smile on my face. Each song sounded different from the previous one while the band is still able to maintain their identity was another very high point for me. You have "Coma Dreams" which is a very chill "cool I want to smoke to this song" sort of feel, you have "Do Not Resuscitate" which took me in a time machine back to 2008 (in the best way possible), the use of the keys and weird time signatures in "Dimensions" made that one probably one of my favorites on the album, and it closes out with "Shadowboxing" which is a really great closing song.

Rearm Circuits just goes to show that you can have an album with pop sensibilities while also maintaining a strong sense of technicality. I will absolutely be putting this in my rotation - 9/10.

 

This isn't my bonus, but I'm finally getting around to a review of the album a week prior.
@nohandstoholdonto had me listen to Weatherbox - The Cosmic Drama.



Though this album is raw, the lyrics and impassioned delivery of the singer did draw me in. The album alternates between stripped-down acoustic numbers and surprisingly muscular full-band tracks. I was initially drawn to the more musically developed songs, but there is almost always an inherent charm to a songwriter delivering a message with nothing but their words and a guitar.

I found that in a lot of the songs, the singer picks up on a strange phrase and repeats it several times. Phrases that a lot of other artists would perhaps even hide in their songs to avoid creating an almost painfully bare connection with the listener. While this album is probably not something I will return to often, I feel like I "got" it and would love to hear more thoughts from others who have also heard it.

 

This is a weird record but it's like at the very least tied for their best work with the follow up. It took me a while to get it -- I think I initially felt it was a bit of a disjointed listen because of the shifts from full band to acoustic, but I don't feel that way anymore, and the songwriting is so strong that it overcomes any sort of aesthetic problems like that. I'm curious, did you listen to the original version or the Topshelf reissue? There's some differences in the tracklisting

 

Um... whichever one has Get Yours as a bonus track at the end.

 

Thank you for listening, and super glad you found anything to like about it. I promise I will get to yours, just might be some time.

OG tracklist all the way. I sent them a download of that one since it’s not on streaming services at all atm.

 

That's the move for sure, didn't know the original wasn't on streaming and that really sucks tbh but I get it

 

Cliche and melodramatic as it may sound, that album seriously changed my life. That said, it’s almost impossible for me to truly articulate what exactly compels me to it. It feels like the truest expression of Brian’s psyche—philosophically, emotionally, etc.—and it’s such a beautiful thing to glimpse into for me.

 

It's good! It is definitely an emotionally true piece of art. Very raw, very soul-on-your-sleeve.

 

Well done reviews, man, and glad you liked em!
The lead guitars on LLMG blew me away when i first heard em. The record actually came out in 2010 though. I think they repressed the vinyl in 2016.
As for Icarus, this was the first record of theirs i liked all the way through so i wanted others to hear it. The first song’s easily the weakest imo so I’m glad we both stuck it out haha They really nailed the math/pop balance if anyone else is into that.
I’ll have your reviews up soon!

 

I will be posting the next sessions pairings later tonight. Keep in mind we will be testing a new 10 day session format by popular user demand

 

Not just yet, I won't be able to get involved until New Year is out of the way, busy family times.

 

I'm probably gonna get my reviews for the last session in later, been utilizing this weeks break to just listen to them more

 

Gonna be a few sessions before I’m able to jump back. My tour lasts until mid-January and then I have to work extra hard to make up for that time lost. I’ll probably be back in February.

 

Thanks! Looking forward to your review as well.

 

Already?! I thought the next session was going to start right after 1/1. Oh well, I'll still get my last write-up posted sometime tomorrow :)

 

It’ll technically start then. But I’m just gonna post the pairings tonight so people can brainstorm

 

100 pages!

 

56 for me

 

You're doing it right!

 

For this holiday bonus week, I was introduced to a couple of bands that I had never heard before at the recommendation of @Nate_Johnson.

Emarosa – 131


I’ve seen Emarosa mentioned plenty over the years, but never took the time to check them out until now. A little research reminded me that this band is best known as a post-hardcore act that previously featured Jonny Craig on vocals, which explains why I never took the time to listen. However, I was pleasantly surprised with this album from the moment I hit play. It seems that the band has pivoted toward a more alternative rock sound with their new vocalist, and the result is a set of energetic rock anthems that align pretty closely to my tastes. It was not a shock to see that Casey Bates produced this, as the sound has a lot of similarities to Gatsby’s and some of the other bands that have worked with Bates in the past.

Pretty much every song here has a triumphant vocal hook that is delivered confidently and skillfully by Bradley Walden. I would say that the first half of the album grabbed me a bit more than the back half. It’s kind of tough to pick a favorite song here because most of the tracks (including each of the first six) grabbed me to some extent during the time I’ve spent with the album so far. I would say “One Car Garage,” “Miracle,” “Cloud 9,” and “Young Lonely” may be the standouts at this moment. I love how the final track “Re” mixes up a bunch of musical and lyrical motifs from throughout the album. It’s very well done and reminds me of the outro tracks on the last few Marianas Trench albums. I’m glad that this band is now on my radar, as I will definitely be checking out the next album they release. I also intend to go back and check out Versus, their other album featuring Walden on vocals.

I See Stars – Phases


I had never heard of this band before, but Google Play categorized them as “electronicore.” I was immediately caught off guard by the piano, strings, and delicate clean vocals on the first track “Murder Mitten” (especially with that track name). The unplugged motif continued on the second track with acoustic guitars and what sounds like bongos and tambourines filling out the rhythm section. The sixth track “Latch” sounded super familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on where I had heard it before. I knew something was fishy when I got to track eight, a pretty faithful rendition of Hozier’s “Take Me to Church.” As it turns out, this is a remix album which contains unplugged versions of some of I See Stars’ popular songs along with four cover songs (Daughter, Disclosure, Hozier, and The Outfield).

I’m not usually a huge fan of remix albums, and I think as my first introduction to the band I would have preferred to check out one of their main releases to get acquainted with their signature sound. However, all of these songs are pleasant enough listens and seem to work pretty well in an unplugged environment. The cover songs were nice to inject some familiarity into my listen, but overall I didn’t feel like they brought particularly new or original perspectives to the songs. This album was a nice easy listen and makes me interested to hear what the band sounds like in their usual element.

 

I’m really glad you enjoyed Emarosa and Bradley is an amazing vocalist.
I should have prefaced the fact that the I See Stars album was a remix or stripped down one. I think it’s a really great project, especially coming from a band labeled as electronicore and shows just how talented they are and that they don’t have to hide behind their sound. Check out Treehouse by them when you get time. It goes in the same direction as Phases but is a full length album and the first to not feature any heavy vocals or a ton of breakdowns.