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Album Review: Beach House – Depression Cherry

By
Luke Spencer
-

Baltimore’s soft alternative darlings Beach House bring down the tempo with their fifth full album Depression Cherry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgNmk-4402k

https://vimeo.com/137295594

 

Text Review:

Some alternative and soft rock groups can create the perfect serenity through their music.  Whether it’s through a combination of vocals and acoustics or the incorporation of synthesized keyboards and guitar feedback, there have been full soundtracks and dreamscapes created by some fantastic musicians.

Beach House have been at the forefront of this dreampop/soft-alternative experience since their 2006 EP.  Every time they have released a full album since, their LP’s have made it to highest of end of year award lists on multiple outlets including Pitchfork, NME, Billboard and Amazon.

One of the most distinguishing features of Beach House’s music is that only occasionally do you hear a song come to a complete end.  Victorica Legrand and Alex Scally explained it best on an interview with NPR saying that they want their music to always fade out.  In a sense, the song feels like it can go on forever.  This even comes across in their live performances where a song will fade unto quiet and then turn into the next son on the setlist.

After many successful albums comes Depression Cherry, an album that has been advertised online and promoted as a more simplistic version of what Beach House can create than in the past.  When asked by FactMag about the songs and lyrics throughout Depression Cherry, Alex Scally said: “I don’t think that the songs on this record are like the ones on our previous records, personally. They could have never existed on the previous records… (but) Anyone’s entitled to any of these things that they want to feel.”

In many ways Beach House’s music is something you have to hear to understand as it is not the typical stage format and classic band dynamic.  Depression Cherry was announced earlier this year and with the announcement came the album’s promoted single “Sparks”.

In many ways this is instantly definable as a song from Beach House by just about anyone who has heard one of their albums before.  When I first heard Sparks a few months ago I didn’t know what to think of it with the consistent static feedback and what sounds like 56k dial up sounds.  It’s not until the Legrand’s vocals start that you understand how everything fits together.

The rhythm of the synthesized drums helps carry Legrand’s whispery vocals into something peaceful.  This song takes time to grab your attention and set an atmosphere as it starts more jarring than inviting, but after about 90 seconds you understand what Beach House was going for.  And in many ways, that ideology describes many Beach House songs.

Listening to an entire album from Beach House can sometimes seem like an extremely odd experience.  While the track list goes on, you may drift off and wonder how long you’ve been listening to a song or when the tracks have changed.  But by the end of the album, you think about how fast everything just flashed by.

PPP feels like a timewarp to the days of peaceful 60’s songs played outside.  The acoustics and piano are incredibly fluid and never take too much focus from other elements like the vocals or overall rhythm.  The pace of songs like PPP and Beyond Love on this album represent just how slow Beach House can take their music, while songs like Blue Bird and Sparks show how they can drive more of a pulse based rhythm, all without raising the vocal range.

There is an appreciation for soft alternative like this that prove creativity can carry a song in unique ways.  Even if not every song on Depression Cherry leaves a permanent mark, there are several moments in this album that make you want to come back.  The good not only outweighs the bad, but also makes you appreciate what is so good about music like this.

Describing Beach House to someone who hasn’t heard it is a lot like describing what salt tastes like to someone who has never had salt.  Once you have experienced it, you remember it forever.  And while Depression Cherry does have songs that fall by the wayside, there are tracks here that you’ll keep with you as go to songs for quiet moments for the rest of your life.

Overall, Depression Cherry should satisfy the longtime fans of Baltimore’s darlings and should also satisfy new comers who are interested in what Legrand and Scally are capable of.  While it may not be their greatest accomplishment, the talent still shines through their work in this album.

Photos: FOO FIGHTERS

By
Luke Spencer
-

Photos of the Foo Fighters live on the Break A Leg tour!  All photos were taken by Luke Spencer at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in St. Louis, MO on 8-19-2015.

The curtain dropped and the Foo Fighters went straight into Everlong.  After the first song, Dave said they had a LOT of songs to play and they rocked for almost two hours.  Just about every favorite song from everyone in the massive crowd was covered.  There was no photo pit, but I still got to get some photos of King Dave on the throne.

My personal favorite moment was when Dave asked for the crowd to respond if they had seen the Foos live before.  After that, he asked if it was anyone’s first time.  After about 1/3 of the crowd responded to that, Grohl’s response was “…WTF guys?  We’ve been doing this for 20 years and you just get here now?!”

There isn’t much else I can say to do this show justice.  Do what it takes to see the Foo Fighters live.  Click on any pic below to view the gallery!

Interview: ROYAL BLOOD

By
Luke Spencer
-

Mike and Ben take some time during the Break A Leg tour with the Foo Fighters to talk about the writing process, sitting in parliament, and apology to all future fans!

https://vimeo.com/137107451

Photos: ROYAL BLOOD

By
Luke Spencer
-

My photos of Royal Blood in St. Louis, MO!  All photos were taken by me on 8-15-2015.

Royal Blood opened for the Foo Fighters on the Break-A-Leg tour (get it?).  The crowd was MASSIVE and people waited in the rain and sat in the mud while watching Royal Blood play at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater.  They won over many fans with their performance as most people were blown away at the seamless talent they showed while transitioning between songs and they even treated the crowd with a few new ones.

Click on any picture below to view the gallery!

Album Review: Disturbed – Immortalized

By
Luke Spencer
-

After almost five years Disturbed return with their new album they kept secret from everyone, including their families and diehard fanbase.

https://vimeo.com/136384907

 

Text Review:

It can be difficult to keep quiet about upcoming projects if you are in the music business, especially when you need to promote your upcoming work.  Word of mouth and advertising is what can make a huge difference in sales and in an age where free streaming music is at everyone’s finger tips, promoting your upcoming work can be the difference in a big payout and a seven cent royalty check.

Even bigger names in the industry are becoming victim to situations like this.  However that did not deter Disturbed when keeping quiet on their first album in over four years.  Immortalized was recorded and finished back in January but not a word was said until this summer.  Their first album in over four years had been kept a secret from even the most diehard Disturbed fans.

And What’s even more shocking is that Disturbed had started writing and working on Immortalized in January of 2014.  Not even friends and family were informed of the future release.  In a quote from Draiman on Loudwire, he stated that “We wanted to return when we collectively had that fire underneath us. We missed it so much that we could tap into this energy and deliver the right album. We did it on our own terms.”

So even in the midst of different ventures and side projects by Draiman and company, the actual announcement of new material and the release of the first single The Vengeful One caused a social media spike from every music outlet and from millions of Disturbed fans who have been waiting for the follow up to 2010’s Asylum.

With the promise of rejuvenation and a fire underneath them, The Vengeful One was the first look at Disturbed after their longest hiatus to date – and with it we got Disturbed in their full glory and unique style.

The Vengeful One in every way was the best choice of a song to give longtime Disturbed fans and introduce new listeners to their sound.  Draiman’s vocals are patterned and elevated with the perfect timing and delivery with the guitar riffs carrying the song from beginning to end, and some absolutely brutal – high-paced drum bashing from Mike Wengren.

The familiarity of Disturbed is something that rock fans have become accustomed with since the year 2000.There are some bands who you can describe as sounding like one another, but then there is Disturbed who are their own entity.  A song like the Vengeful One is proof of that with the build in intensity behind Draiman and the lyrics that make you feel like a Greek deity or supervillain when you sing them.

What may surprise people who are not Disturbed fans or may feel they only have one sound, Immortalized has a surprising range in style with upbeat tracks like The Light and the cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence.

Disturbed have been known to cover songs before like Shout and Land of Confusion, but with The Sound of Silence it truly feels like this was as personal of an experience for the band as it was for the original writers.  The solemn piano notes and the quite opening that leads to slowly added strings and acoustics all with a surprisingly calm and paced Draiman is something that is hard to do justice by just talking about it.

There are a few dips in the album that take you out of the experience, but Immortalized will prove something too many Disturbed naysayers who claim that EVERY song of theirs sounds the same.  While their style is unique and therefore their sound will feel very similar when comparing various songs, this album has proof that the band not only has the talent and ability to do whatever they want, but that they can do it any WAY they want.

In the eyes of their fans Disturbed can do no wrong, while in the eyes of their detractors every song will sound identical.  Regardless of which side of the fence you are on, Immortalized has proof that they are capable of varying their sound while still staying wholly faithful to the sound that made them famous.

Overall, Immortalized continues the tradition of Disturbed’s no non-sense intensity and creativity in providing music that will make mother’s cry when they find their children listening to it.  While not every song is perfect, this album is definitely worth listening to and finding the hidden gems that only a band like Disturbed is capable of.

Album Review: Bullet For My Valentine – Venom

By
Luke Spencer
-

Venom, the fifth full album from Bullet For My Valentine, is promised to be the best metal album of 2015. Does the music live up to that hype?

https://vimeo.com/136114958

Album Review: Frank Turner – Positive Songs For Negative People

By
Luke Spencer
-

Frank Turner returns with a motivating sound in his sixth studio album Positive Songs For Negative People.

https://vimeo.com/135533625

 

Text Review:

Frank Turner has gained worldwide recognition and appreciation for his folk rock that incorporates quick acoustic guitar riffs and incredibly written lyrics.  Over the past few years his name has been a consistent go-to artist for many alternative fans looking for introspective lyrics and the perfect song to match any specific mood in one’s life.

There are musicians in the world who thrive for making the next big fight song or the next popular catch phrase chorus.  Then there are people like Frank Turner who are destined to never stop writing stories about broken hearts and bad luck.  So after so many years of songs and touring the world while being synonymous with alternative and folk, in comes a new album title that may offer something different.  Positive Songs For Negative People.  If this album title is an indicator of the direction for this new album, then it could be a great uncharted territory and something unique.

When the album was announced, Frank Turner said that “I’m very excited to finally be allowed to bring you all more news of my forthcoming new album. Positive Songs For Negative People is a record about defiance, about picking yourself up when you’re down, and the title reflects that.”  Regardless of whether you prefer the original writing style and sound that made Turner famous or are looking for a newer direction, you have to admit that there is an interesting idea here along with the appeal of music to help motivate you.  Again, with Turner making music to match a mood in your life.

As far as Frank Turner’s quote about writing music for people who pick themselves up when they are down, The Next Storm might as well be the title track.  The message is clear with lyrics like “But I don’t want spend the whole of my life inside/I wanna step out, and face the sunshine”.  Musically I feel like the song takes a while to pick up but finally finds a good rhythm after the first chorus.

As far as singles and album highlights go, this song is ok.  The problem with a track like this however is that once you hear it and if you’ve heard ANY of Turner’s past works, you know that the man is capable of more than a song like The Next Storm.  It is not bad in any way, but it feels like something is missing and there is a constant reminder that it could be better.

While there are songs on this album that feel like they need something more or are missing that extra punch or hook, there are the tracks with an amazing flow and lines that only someone like Frank Turner is capable of thinking up.

Mittens in EVERY WAY is a better track to feature off of Positive Songs For Negative People and not only carries the theme of the album but represents Frank Turner’s style and delivery much better than the first single.  The passion in his vocals when singing the chorus and the imagery of reading thousands of postcards all just adds up to this great build with the piano and percussion.

There are several songs on this album that leave a lasting effect the second you are done listening like Mittens and Get Better.  On the opposite side however are tracks that fail to hit the mark.  The issue isn’t that they lack quality or feel rushed, but that there is an underlying feeling that you can’t escape the knowledge that Frank Turner has done better than this in the past.  The saving grace are the tracks hit the target and leave a permanent mark.

Frank Turner has earned his recognition and success through the traditional way of touring the world and continuously writing.  Creating an album with a different theme also adds levity to his resume of talents.  But if time has proven anything, it’s that Frank Turner does have moments where his genius doesn’t shine in every song.

Overall, Positive Songs For Negative People is an album that is definitely worthy of belonging in Frank Turner’s discography and once again continues his record of great writing, but with every great track is one that doesn’t land.  While die-hard fans may be satisfied, new listeners may want to dig back into his album list before jumping into this one.

Tickets for Rock Allegiance on sale NOW!

By
Luke Spencer
-

Tickets are on sale now for the inaugural Rock Allegiance Festival in Philadelphia, PA this October. Tickets are at a discounted price until this Friday when the price goes up. If you are able to attend this festival then buy your tickets now. This one should be worth it when you are getting 20+ bands including Rob Zombie, Korn, Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, Bring Me The Horizon, in This Moment and more ALONG with gourmet food trucks.  Get your tickets early – save money – enjoy one of the best one day festivals this fall will offer!

 

You can get all the details here = http://rockallegiance.com/tickets/

 

ROCK.ALLEGIANCE.v8-ON-SALE

Album Review: Black Fast – Terms of Surrender

By
Luke Spencer
-

St. Louis, MO’s Black Fast come forth to prove that great metal can come from the most unlikely of placed with Terms of Surrender.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-dUYVSpNLo

https://vimeo.com/135134916

 

Text Review:

Any rock and metal fan who grew up in St. Louis can confirm that St. Louis, MO is not a rock market.  In a city where either rap or country reign supreme depending on territory, it can feel like you are on the outside if you prefer any type of music besides pop-country and rap.

But somehow, even in a market where your genre isn’t on top, real musicians with passion can rise like beautiful roses growing out of manure.  And out of a big city where pop-country and rap are promoted by dozens of radio stations as opposed to two rock stations, rises a young group of well-trained musicians named Black Fast who are determined to shred the world apart.

These four men now signed with eOne have a lot to their name in a short time and without even their first fully released LP.  In 2013 metalsucks.net named them as one of the best unsigned bands and their self-released EP even gained year end nominations.  Combine these accolades with the fact that Black Fast have a guitarist and bassist with legitimate jazz degrees and you can understand just how much potential there is in Black Fast.

My first experience with Black Fast didn’t come through traditional FM radio though but though Liquid Metal.  They have been highlighting the new album’s promoted single To Propagate the Void and also the upcoming album release.  For a SiriusXM radio station that is known for cranking out the classics of metal on an hourly basis to take time and highlight a new group is huge.

While discussing the new album with Pure Grain Audio, vocalist Aaron Akin stated that: “I was excited, I was confident in the songs, and wanted to make a statement. Now, after having some time to chew on it and digest, I am extremely proud of the way this record turned out.”

Going back to Terms of Surrender’s first single, this was the introduction to Black Fast for many people who were listening at the right time.  And now that everyone is capable of hearing it, it’s the best first impression any metal band could ask for.

Everything about this track is brutal.  It defines what thrash metal should be. From an intense opening to raspy and consistently good vocals to AMAZING guitar solos to a never ending drum rhythm, TO Propagate The Void not only delivers what metal fans crave but also showcase just what these men are capable of.

And what’s better is that To Propagate The Void is the standard that is consistently met throughout the rest of this album.  Eight out of nine tracks on this album all reach over four minutes and not one second is spent as just a space to get from point a to point b.

Now that Black fast have their music in the public and available for purchase, this is the moment where people can find songs like The Coming Swarm and I Conspire, actually purchase the music, and then revel in the fact that there are still metal bands capable of producing this high quality and creativity at a younger age, especially in a generation where mixing effects and radio formulas are the norm.

Just like To Propagate The Void, everything connects, the vocals are on point, and the guitar work is absolutely fantastic.  It’s extremely hard not to get sucked into songs like this.  You can instantly see these guys playing their hearts out live on stage while listening to this song and at no point does the adrenaline slow down.

Terms of Surrender have every single element that you can hope for with a new band to get behind and a new album to purchase.  The tracks go deep, there is variety in the guitar work, passion in the performance, and every second of this album feels like it’s four men putting everything on the line to prove they have what it takes to become something in the music world.

It’s hard not to get excited when a new band is found that not only are starting things off on the right foot, but you find out about them right when the train is leaving the station.  In the case of Black Fast, it’s a train that has potential to melt the tracks and plow through the metal community.

Overall, Terms of Surrender delivers on every aspect of thrash metal you could ask for.  There is instrument work to behold and admire and vocals and rhythm that will make you happy to blow out every speaker you own.  If enough people buy into and support Black Fast starting with this album, then they could be around for a long time.

Album Review: Saint Asonia – Saint Asonia

By
Luke Spencer
-

Former members of Three Days Grace, Staind, Finger Eleven and more join together to form the new super group Saint Asonia.

https://vimeo.com/134806244

 

Text Review:

Back in 2013 a shockwave was sent to the rock world when Adam Gontier, the unique voice of Three Days Grace, announced that he would be leaving the band.  While fans of Three Days Grace were waiting to hear who would replace the vocals of one of Canada’s better rock imports, there were others who wondered where Gontier would venture to.

It wasn’t until almost two years later that we found out that Adam Gontier would return as the voice of a new band, and also that it would be the proverbial super-group featuring former musicians of bands including Staind, Dark New Day and Finger Eleven.

Saint Asonia marks the next supergroup to instantly grab rock media’s attention to see what will be delivered.  While supergroups aren’t always the success that a name like Audioslave or A Perfect Circle have, the potential of already successful musicians combining to produce something new is usually a promising experience, even if short lived.

The difficult task ahead for Saint Asonia will be to find a new identity outside of their former bands and sounding different from the music played previously.  In a quote from Gontier describing the album as diverse, he stated that:

“it’s got a bit of a metal vibe to it, but it’s definitely different than both Staind and Three Days Grace…It’s some of the heaviest stuff that I’ve ever written…but it’s also got a couple of the lightest, a couple of straightforward, acoustic guitar and vocal tracks.  It’s kind of all over the place…”

Now that almost two months have gone by since mainstream rock radio has been playing the first track by Saint Asonia, it’s safe to say that the new project has gained attention and also gained anticipation on what the band can deliver.

Despite the previously read quote from Adam Gontier, the song Better Place undeniably sounds like it could be placed in a Three Days Grace album.  The main difference though is that the guitar solo and chords are fantastic and do NOT take away from the singing.

The first time I heard this song I wasn’t blown away, but I later found out that the radio version I had heard was slightly shortened.  Listening to it in full as the album opener greatly improved my opinion and experience of the song.

While Gontier’s previously read quote said the album is “all over the place”, I personally think it’s the quieter more acoustically focused tracks that Saint Asonia shine.  While some of the harder riffed songs can sound a bit similar after the album continues on, the slower and more paced songs like Leaving Minnesota and Waste My Time are the ones that REALLY stand out as new material and something different.

While the album opener Better Place set a standard of what to expect for the harder sound, Leaving Minnesota ends everything very introspectively with a gorgeous melody.  Lyrically it’s easy to sing along with and you can hear the emotion in the vocals.  The acoustics are amazing and everything flows together.

Saint Asonia in many ways feels like a good group.  There is a drive here from musicians that love what they do.  Even if some of the harder tracks do sounds similar when compared back to back, it’s hard to deny that there is value here for a new project from the key members of many other successful bands.

It may not be clear how long Saint Asonia will last as a band or what the future plans will be after their self-titled album, but as for now, it’s something to enjoy.  It’s something people can get behind.

Overall, Saint Asonia offer a variety of hard and soft with very familiar musician styles.  If you loved Better place then you will enjoy this album, and if you in any way miss the days of Three Days Grace with Adam as their voice, then you NEED this self-titled release.

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