Driven Far Off

The latest on the indie, alternative, and rock music scene including news, music, contest, interviews, and more. Best described as your favorite place to find new bands.

After Midnight Project – Let’s Build Something To Break

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Artist: After Midnight Project
Album: Let’s Build Something To Break
Label: Universal Motown Records
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date: August 11th, 2009

Overall: 8
Music: 8
Lyrics: 8
Production: 8.5

It seems that lately the “scene” is littered with to many bands not caring about the message behind their music, it’s all about partying and dancing the night away. Most of the time this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it can give birth to some quality tunes, but every now and again music with “meaning” is important to listen to as well. This brings us to major label signees After Midnight Project and their latest release Let’s Build Something To Break.

From the beginning of the album it might be easy to write the band off as another 90’s revival band, with crunching guitars and rough vocal delivery. “Becoming” and the Linkin Park vibes of “Scream For You” exemplify this sound, which at first can be fun songs to listen to but lose their charm after multiple listens.

Although the first impression of this band might not be the greatest out of the box, the rest of the album really shows how impressions can change. The rest of the album is filled with surprises musically from a band that could have been stuck in a rut of a genre. Some songs rock harder then ever (“Come On Come On”), while others turn the speakers down and allow for a slow song to melt out (“Gone To Long’).

Let’s Build Something To Break is an album that keeps surprising the listener, where it may start off slow but it ends with a bang as there are twists and turns resulting in a concise yet genre-blending effort by the After Midnight Project. There are definately pop/mainstream chops being shown in songs like “More To Live For” and “Fighting My Way” (the latter being a strong power-ballad, hard to pull off). It’s obvious these guys are on the fast track to something big and this album will take them there.

CunninLynguists – Strange Journey Volume One

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Artist: CunninLynguists
Album: Strange Journey Volume One
Label: Bad Taste Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: June 31st, 2009

Overall: 7.5
Music: 6.5
Lyrics: 8.5
Production: 7.5

Some of the best hip-hop and rap music has always come with the strangest tongue-in-cheek references and storytelling, that really makes it stand-out and individualize concepts and a certain style in music. But there is a fine line between charming obscurity and a gimmick, and to balance the ability to still be “serious” artists and have an “odd” image to ones self is something that the rap group CunninLynguists do very well on their mixtape Strange Journey Volume One.

One of the best example of the odd storytelling found on Strange Journey Volume One would be best shown in the track “Nothing But Strangeness” that balances a powerful flow of lyrics with great storytelling, shared between changing vocal dynamics that keeps it fresh and continuously entertaining.

While some songs are like the aforementioned relying on some odd lyrical references and stories that make it more funny then serious (See: “Never Come Down (The Brownie Song)”), some songs are able to remain serious and powerful within the confines of the CunninLynguists world. “Move” and “Inverse” are both songs that feel powerful and grand without ever going over the top, while “Don’t Leave (When The Winter Comes)” is a depressing ballad that shows off their ability to get melancholy and appeal not just to novelty rap listeners looking for a good story and a laugh.

The mixtape nowadays in rap music is a joked about format, something that is filled with tags and lacks quality and originality. While the CunninLynguists are really changing the game in any way they are helping to keep an older style of music fresh. WIth ever-changing vocal dynamics and older styles of flow and lyrical content (not much about chains and cars on this one), they are staying true to themselves while keeping the listener on one strange journey.

Set Your Goals – This Will Be The Death Of Us

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Artist: Set Your Goals
Album: This Will Be The Death Of Us
Label: Epitaph Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: July 21rst, 2009

Overall: 8.0
Music: 8.5
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 8.0

It seems to be that the band Set Your Goals aren’t at all intimidated by other bands in the “scene”. They have taken all the neon-clad, faux-screaming hipsters and blown them all away with just the opening guitar off their latest album This Will Be The Death Of Us. It seems as though they are out to prove that punk-rock is still very much alive in the hearts of listeners.

The album opens up with the title track “This Will Be The Death Of Us” that pounds along with racing guitars and drums, complimented by well-placed gang vocals that make the song an intense affair and a definite sign of what to expect from the rest of the album: Fast, intense and passionate.

Set Your Goals have the formula for making a strong punk record down pat. If it isn’t present in the anti-establishment jam “Look Closer”, that pulsates with furious guitar parts and strong lyrics. Or the anthemic vibe of “The Fallen…”, with great dueling vocals and delivery that makes the lyrics more powerful then paper could provide. Switching gears and next you thing you know the album provides the pop-punk faithfuls that are afraid of head-banging to much with songs like “Equals” and “Summer Jam”.

It’s obvious that Set Your Goals are demanding some attention with This Will Be The Death Of Us. The lyrics are becoming more powerful and anthemic while not being afraid of turning the volume all the way up to 11 (See: “Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man”). There are (and should be) a lot of people turning their heads to see the heavy tunes Set Your Goals are churning out on their way to the top. All the bands that are popular with techno beats right now should watch out for these hardcore saviors.

The Higher – It’s Only Natural

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Artist: The Higher
Album: It’s Only Natural
Label: Epitaph Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: June 23rd, 2009

Overall: 8.0
Music: 7.5
Lyrics: 6.5
Production: 8.5

The Higher are a band that have shown consistent efforts ever since there debut Histrionics, which cemented them as a band that could compete with all the other pop-punk bands out there. They proved themselves to be a step above the rest with there infectious melodies and impressive vocal range (courtesy of Seth Trotter). Now they are back with their third album, It’s Only Natural. Can they prove themselves to be the mainstream sensation that they have set themselves up to be with their previous albums? Or will they fall just below the bar of hitting it big this time around?

Those expecting “Histrionics: Part Two“ will be disappointed, because it is obvious that The Higher have moved on from the kind of songs that made them known in favor of tracks that have a slicker sheen to them (production-wise), and a much more pop oriented sound (in their melodies and lyrics alike). While some songs do harken back to the days of old (“Beautiful Coffins”) most other tracks embrace a different sort of sound that leaves the days of Histrionics in the dust whilst creating an evolution of On Fire (“Play With Fire”).

One thing that It’s Only Natural is helping to do is re-define what catchy is, as The Higher are going about many different ways to deliver a catchy hook or chorus throughout the album. While some songs are bursting at the seams with large choruses (“Story Of A Man Obsessed”), some dance around with electronic impulses and rhythms to get down with (“The Black Dress”), and some move at a fast pace and consist of clever catchy sentiments (“Undertaker”). 

In the end, It’s Only Natural falls short of being like the old days of The Higher. They have defiantly moved on to becoming more pop than rock, and aren’t afraid to show it. The lyrics are less then what they used to be, and their melodies have morphed into something more electronic and less rock (trading their old style for a more boy-band format of harmonies, see: “Other Options”). It’s a love/hate phenomenon that will make this album divide their fan base so drastically. Change is natural in music, and this album will prove whether or not The Higher’s old fan-base is ready for change as they become an emerging pop band of 2009.

A Skylit Drive – Adelphia

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Artist: A Skylit Drive
Album: Adelphia
Label: Fearless Records
Purchase: Official Online Store
Release Date: June 9th, 2009

Overall: 8.5
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 7.0
Production: 8.0

Lately it is becoming more and more apparent that screamo is a dying genre. Bands are either abandoning it in favor more more harmonized vocals (ex. Alexisonfire) or are turning it into a mash of electronic blips and novelty lyrics (ex. Dot Dot Curve). Screamo is in a state where it needs saving, and their are few bands that can do it. A Skylit Drive’s sophomore release, Wires…and the Concept Of Breathing helped put them above the ranks of all other screamo contemporaries with their intricate melodies and intense singing/screaming trade-off. Now with their latest release (and their first with new label Fearless Records) Adelphia, they are setting themselves to become the band that helps put screamo back on the map and influence legions of bands to bring it back once more.

Adelphia begins with the ominous tones of “Prelude To A Dream”, that lead into a throttle-ing guitar riff and hard-hitting screams. This beginning track could have been very easily written off as just another band in the scene’s attempt at being edge-y, but the thing that sets A Skylit Drive apart is their fusion of screaming with vocally acrobatic melodies over top of constant riffs that are above of what most other bands are doing as far as intricacy and creativity are concerned. It’s a track that pushes the limits of adrenaline on one track and just how fast they can get the listener’s blood rushing in three and a half minutes.

While Adelphia doesn’t necessarily re-define the band and who they are in comparison to their previous effort Wires…And The Concept Of Breathing, it is another testament to their sound and helps fortify who they are as musicians before they are able to move on in order to discover the limits of their sound. It is an album that doesn’t re-invent the wheel that is their sound, but keeps it spinning faster then ever.

Some songs on Adelphia hit harder then ever (“Eva The Carrier”), while some change timing and pace so spontaneously it is hard to believe all the sounds can co-exist in one track (“The Boy Without A Demon”), and some even show off A Skylit Drive’s slower more ambient side (“Air The Enlightenment”).

It is obvious that more and more bands (as well as fans) are turning their backs on the genre of screamo, and worse bands are taking their place and turning what was a respected sound into a novelty. A Skylit Drive are pushing forward in keeping it alive and respected at once. They have proven with their tight musicianship, impressive vocal range and lyrics that are above average compared to other bands (the ones that make death threats and talk about dying non-stop). It is hard to say whether this album will put them on the map, but it will gain them entrance into many people’s ipods.

Gene Dante and The Future Starlets – The Romantic Lead

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Artist: Gene Dante and The Future Starlets
Album: The Romatic Lead
Label: Omnirox Entertainment
Purchase: iTunes, Amazon, Amie Street
Release Date: February 3rd , 2009

Overall: 8.5
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 8.5

Who said glam rock was dead? If Gene Dante and The Future Starlets are evidence of the state of glam rock then it is obvious that it is alive and doing very well for itself. Their latest release entitled The Romantic Lead shows off just how they are as much of a throw-back to an older genre as they are innovators in music.

The album starts off the David Bowie-esque “A Madness To His Method”, which steadily makes it’s way through a heartbeat-like drum loop into an air-y calling of “I am gorgeous / I am without disease”. The opening track melds the grandeur of glam while still staying within the structure of rock and roll music. 

The album’s grand elements don’t stop there though, songs like “Brian, My Darling” has such strong broadway delivery you’d think you were visiting the great white way. While “The Dreamers” dances around just as well as any power ballad a pop-star of yesteryear could devise.

While some songs have a punk-y flair to them (see: “Purity Of Intent”), others flaunt a charming radio-ready pop charm that make them prime for the billboard (see: “C Star”). Most of all, just as the title implies, each song carries with it a very sexual and romantic sound. Whether it be found in the delivery of the tunes, or the light and fun riffs found throughout, it’s obvious that Gene Dante and The Future Starlets have no problem taking the first step in a relationship.

The Romantic Lead works just as well as an homage to a genre past as it does in creating a new fan base for a genre revitalized. Perhaps it is about time glam comes back to the fore-front, and with charming, catchy tunes that deserve to be blared from every car along the interstate in the dead of summer, Gene Dante and The Future Starlets might find themselves right at the front of the rush.

Birthday Boys – Bad Blood

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Artist: Birthday Boys
Album: Bad Blood
Label: Unsigned
Purchase: Official Site
Release Date: July 7th, 2009

Overall: 8.5
Music: 8.0
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 9.0

It is odd to imagine any band beginning their album with a haunting chain gang chorus introduction, it is perhaps a concept lost on many bands in the scene nowadays. But for the Birthday Boys and their latest album Bad Blood, it is an idea that works and fits their sound to a T. 

The aforementioned song is the introduction track “Making Room For Grace” on Bad Blood. Grandoise vocals, punchy delivery, and gritty guitar work exemplify their appeal to all different kinds of listeners, making this track a great start for anybody looking to find their next favorite band.

Painted all over Bad Blood are many different shades of a band. Whether it be showing off their screamo chops in “The Drug”, or their pop-punk-ish charm of standout track “Let It Die” which echoes the statement “I can’t wait to get in your head”, until it becomes a reality for the listener. Although someone could jump to conclusions and say that the Birthday Boys don’t know who they are just yet while bouncing through genres, it just as easily shows their versatility and ability to stay the same band while seamlessly searching through sounds and hitting hard each time.

The time when the Birthday Boys really shine is when they slow it down a bit as well though, songs like “Baby Come Home” – while the title implies a bad Buckcherry b-side – is a song that remains on the somber side of the scale, while still rocking just as much as heavier tracks like “Vigorous Fiction”. Also the final track “Barfight”, which is easily one of the best tracks to end on, seeing as how it ends on the same haunting note the album began with. Chilling lyrics and a haunting melody that drifts through until the final echoes of the track bring the album to a close. 

Bad Blood is an album that is rough, gritty, while being a great time. Birthday Boys bring with them a very candid honesty that makes them a joy to listen to. Knowing when to rock and when to slow it down is very important in music, and it seems as though this band has the ability to know how to pace themselves. 

Taking Back Sunday – New Again

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Artist: Taking Back Sunday
Album: New Again
Label: Warner Bros./Victory Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: June 2nd, 2009

Overall: 10.0
Music: 10.0
Lyrics: 10.0
Production: 10.0

Taking Back Sunday have been through a lot since their release of Louder Now: they have lost a great guitarist/co-vocalist in Fred Mascherino, on top of the luke warm reception from fans and critics alike to their major label debut (the previously mentioned Louder Now). Now with a new guitarist and a fresh batch of tunes, Taking Back Sunday are back to prove that they are better then ever and ready to become the mainstream heavy hitters they deserve to be with their new record New Again.

The album gets right on track with the title track “New Again”, which opens with a catchy bass groove and leaps into a powerfully catchy chorus that echos the sentiment “I am/Ready to be new again”, and from the confidence in vocalist Adam Lazzara’s voice it seems that it is a very sincere statement by the band.

The entire album is filled with different leaps and bounds in influence and song styles that make it feel like Taking Back Sunday aren’t afraid to step outside the “emo” boundaries that critics have laid out for them. Whether the evidence is found in the U2 influenced, arena rock melodies of “Where My Mouth Is” and “Capital M-E”. Or the aggressive tendencies of songs like “Lonely, Lonely” (notice the snarl in Lazzara’s voice at times) or “Carpathia” that leave any indication that their songs fit into the stereotype of the “whiny emo band vocals” in the dust.

It might be hard for older fans to accept who Taking Back Sunday are becoming, a band that is fully prepared for the limelight and aren’t afraid to grow up and become more mature with their musicianship (See: “Summer, Man”). There is something very charming and respectful to be found in seeing a band moving on from what they know to discover who they are becoming.

Maybe that’s why it seems all to appropriate that “Everything Must Go” acts as the final track on the album, it sums up everything Taking Back Sunday are leaving behind to become better at what they do. Whether it be in the guise of a relationship, it feels as though it is an ode to who they were and proving that they aren’t afraid to move on. And for that, I applaud Taking Back Sunday for being able to take chances in order to become better, New Again is a great summer album and shouldn’t be leaving anyone’s musical rotation any time soon.

The Friday Night Boys – Off The Deep End

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the-friday-night-boysArtist: The Friday Night Boys
Album: Off The Deep End
Label: Fueled By Ramen/The Party Scene/Photo Finish Records
Purchase: Fueled By Ramen Webstore
Release Date: June 9th, 2009

Overall: 9.0
Music: 8.5
Lyrics: 8.5
Production: 9.0

Pop-punk is a genre where it’s to easy to get written off and compared to another band, and to hard to stand on your own. This leads us to The Friday Night Boy’s debut album on Fueled By Ramen Records entitled Off The Deep End. This title is all to appropriate for what The Friday Night Boys are doing, they have already dived into a genre that is so filled with no-name, flavor of the week bands and positioned themselves at the fore-front of the genre.

Off The Deep End starts off strong with the track “Permanent Heartbreak”, this is the perfect track to start the album off with as it features everything The Friday Night Boys are good at doing: anecdotal lyrics, catchy rhythms, and an incredibly powerful chorus that begs to be screamed at concerts nationwide. It’s a recipe for success and one that the boys have spent no time perfecting in their own unique way (See: “Hollow”’s guitar riff and “Molly Makeout”’s chorus) with electronic beats and an impressive vocal showing from singer Andrew Goldstein.

At each and every turn of the record there is more reason to fall in love with the sound shown. Whether it be the quaking bass of “Suicide Sunday”, or the blistering electronic beats of “How I Met Your Mother”, each and every track brings its own hook or special something that makes it different from the other tracks and solidifies the ability to dance around the genre every which way.

Even when they slow things down like in the song “Finding Me Out” and “Can’t Take That Away”, and “The First Time” it’s all to obvious that the boys themselves hold with them a certain charm that makes them accessible to mostly everyone. Even though the occasional shameless plucking of heart strings is something you may have to hear, it’s all apart of the grand package.

While it might be easy for critics and haters alike to write off the Friday Night Boys as just another one of those bands that are here today, gone tomorrow. It is very plain to see that they have a lot to bring to the table as far as music is concerned, they are keen artists with a knack for catchy riffs, melodies and hooks galore. It will be beyond interesting to see where they take there music from here, seeing just how deep they can go.