Circa Survive are streaming their new album, On Letting Go, on their MySpace page. On Letting Go hits stores this Tuesday on Equal Vision Records.
Pierce The Veil Debut Available For Preorder
On June 26th, the debut album from Pierce The Veil entitled A Flair For The Dramatic will be available in stores & online. Pierce The Veil is currently on tour with Alesana, A Day To Remember, and Dance Gavin Dance playing songs from the upcoming record. Click here for dates.
The Fall of Troy – Manipulator
Artist: The Fall of Troy
Album: Manipulator
Label: Equal Vision Records
Purchase: SmartPunk
Release Date: May 1st, 2007
Overall: 9.0
Music: 10
Lyrics: 8.0
Production: 9.0
It’s almost seven thirty in the evening and my feet are cold after walking outside without any shoes on. The house is silent and empty, like a pirate ship sitting at the bottom of the ocean. The sun is disappearing and the glow from the television is radiating into the living room. My headphones are placed over my ears and the sudden ensemble of a three-piece band enters my left and right eardrum. I am now descending into a brightly lit cave with a new sensation of musical brilliance sitting in the center, waiting to be discovered.
Records tend to be overly anticipated and when the record is released, everyone is let down and left in a state of perplexity. The Fall of Troy created a name for themselves with the impressive guitar work, catchy chorus, in your face screaming, and melodic screaming. With two releases under their belt, the band has a cult following with message boards overflowing with speculation and gossip from fans of all walks of life. “Manipulator†was a familiar word in the fans’ vocabulary and the hype was overpowering. The record was released and the hype was over. “Manipulator†is a work of masterpiece that is both career-defining and impressive.
The Fall of Troy still incorporates their familiar elements, but they have progressed, matured, and overall grown as musicians. It’s as if the band decided to throw all the genres this world has seen into a bag, shook it up to make sure a mixture is created, and spilled the contents on the recording equipment. There is everything from a little jazz to fast-paced, catchy melodies that will wrap its arms around your memory for weeks.
“Manipulator†is a progression of The Fall of Troy’s last two releases, but also showcases what they are capable of. The heavy parts are heavier. The melodic parts are catchier. After listening to the record, you begin to realizing that a band doesn’t need eight members to have a full-sounding record. The Fall of Troy has three solid members. Three members that are above most bands in talent and creativity. The singing has improved and is a lot cleaner. The screams have a wide range and are a lot heavier. Some lyrics will make you laugh, other lyrics will make you sit down, reread them, and think about what they mean.
The Fall of Troy has become one of those bands that fans can easily identify because of their unique sound. The band is ahead of the curve and doing something most bands are too terrified to do. The Fall of Troy is making the music that they want to, but also putting every ounce of creativity into the riffs, beats, yells, and singing. “Manipulator†is a perfect example of what music should sound like, with enough experimentation to drown the state of California.
The Fall of Troy’s “Manipulator†is impressive, first-rate, and shaping out to be a cult classic. The songs are catchy and diverse, leaving you wanting to replay the entire record all over again. “Manipulator†is like the Chipotle burrito you eat after eating peanut butter sandwiches for eighteen years straight. Refreshing and so filling.
Track Listing
1. Cut Down All The Trees And Name The Streets After Them
2. The Dark Trail
3. Quarter Past
4. Problem!?
5. Semi-Fiction
6. Oh, The Casino!
7. Sledgehammer
8. Seattlantis
9. Ex-Creations
10. Shhh! If You’re Quiet I’ll Show You A Dinosaur
11. Caught Up
12. A Man A Plan a Canal-Panama
Equal Vision Signs Pierce The Veil
Equal Vision Records has signed San Diego based Pierce The Veil. The bands debut album, A Flair For The Dramatic, is due out June 26th.
Track Listing
1. Chemical Kids and Mechanical Brides
2. Currents Convulsive
3. Yeah Boy and Doll Face
4. I’d Rather Die Than Be Famous
5. The Cheap Bouquet
6. Falling Asleep On A Stranger
7. She Sings In The Morning
8. The Balcony Scene
9. Drella
10. Diamonds and Why Men Buy Them
11. Wonderless
Tour Dates
5/06 – Tucson, AZ – The Rock – 6:30pm
5/07 – Albuquerque, NM – Subshine Theatre – 7:00pm
5/09 – Tulsa, OK – The Hive – 6:00pm
5/13 – Joplin, MO – The Foundry Music Theatre – 6:00pm
5/14 – Kansas City, MO – The Grand Emporium – 7:00pm
5/15 – Wichita, KS – Eagles Lodge – 7:00pm
5/20 – Lewisville, TX – Fat Daddy’s Sound Shack
5/21 – Tulsa, OK – The Pink Eye – 6:00pm
5/22 – Joplin, MO – The Foundry Music Theatre – 6:00pm
5/23 – St. Louis, MO – Creepy Crawl – 6:00pm
5/24 – Omaha, NE – Sokol Underground
5/25 – Madison, WI – Club 770
5/26 – Toledo, OH – Headliners – 5:30pm
5/27 – Buffalo, NY – The Buffalo Icon – 6:00pm
5/28 – Utica, NY – Skate-A-Rama
5/29 – Allentown, PA – Crocodile Rock – 6:00pm
5/30 – Providence, RI – The Living Room – 7:00pm
5/31 – Nashua, NH – Nashua VFW – 5:00pm
6/01 – Torrington, CT – Sons of Italy – 6:00pm
6/02 – South Hackensack, NJ – School of Rock
6/03 – Wilmington, DE – Harmony Grange – 6:00pm
6/04 – Virginia Beach, VA – Club Relevant – 6:00pm
6/05 – Charlotte, NC – The Casbah at Tremont Music Hall
6/22 – San Diego, CA – Soma – 7:00pm
Circa Survive Download; Pre-Order
Circa Survive‘s new album On Letting Go is due out May 29th on Equal Vision Records. You can get a free download of a new song titled “In The Morning and Amazing” here (right click save as) until Friday. Check out the new pre-order bundles for the album here.
The Fall of Troy Album Art, Release Date
The Fall of Troy will release their new album, Manipulator, on May 1st through Equal Vision Records. Check out the album art below.
Equal Vision Gets New Website
Equal Vision Records has updated their website with a new design. Check it out for the latest news from the label and its bands.
Dear and the Headlights – Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
Artist: Dear and the Headlights
Album: Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
Label: Equal Vision Records
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: February 6, 2007
Overall: 7.5
Music: 8.0
Lyrics: 7.0
Production: 7.0
I was interested in Dear and the Headlights after hearing a song or two on their Myspace, but when I got their album I felt like would be unable to review it because it was quite difficult for me to pinpoint their sound. Their sound shifts from song to song, sometimes soft-spoken and soothing “but with synth instead of piano “like Copeland (e.g. “Oh No”), sometimes more like the peppy indie rock of Rooney (e.g. “Sweet Talk”), sometimes reminiscent of alternative bands like Coldplay or British pop-rockers Travis (“Happy in Love”), and sometimes ringing in my head like Straylight Run (“I’m Bored, You’re Amorous”) or even at times like Dashboard Confessional (“Run in the Front”) “mostly due to vocal inflections common in the sub-genre.
Musically this album can be filed neither under emo, despite aforementioned vocal stylings calling various emo bands to mind, nor indie rock. While pop-punk influences are clear, for the most part, guitar riffs are strong and varied making the entire album an interesting listen. Before putting the band’s variation to words, I was disappointed by the unreliability in style. However after a few listens and an attempt to describe the sound on Small Steps, Heavy Hooves, I’ve found that Dear and the Headlights essentially deliver a well-rounded, mainstream album.
Tracklisting:
- “Oh No!” (4:14)
- “Sweet Talk” (2:56)
- “Hallelujah” (4:09)
- “Happy In Love” (3:45)
- “I’m Bored, You’re Amorous” (4:00)
- “Grace” (4:05)
- “It’s Gettin’ Easy” (3:32)
- “Paper Bag” (3:53)
- “Skinned Knees and Gapped Teeth” (3:35)
- “Run in the Front” (4:22)
- “Mother Make Me Golden” (4:12)
- “I Just Do” (3:43)
- “Midwestern Dirt” (6:46)
Olympia to release Emergencies
Damiera – M(us)ic
Artist: Damiera
Album: M(us)ic
Label: Equal Vision
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: January 23rd, 2007
Overall: 7.5
Music: 7.9
Lyrics: 8.0
Production: 7.9
I rewrote this review over and over again about 4 times, each time feeling just as boring and dumb as the last. I don’t know if it’s the album or I just have writers block for this band. I’m going to try something different, making this review very short and to the point.
M(us)ic is a very good album. It’s subtly catchy, its technical, but most of all it shows the potential of this band. I think Equal Vision wanted to cash in on this band’s already good album (by re releasing it) without paying for a new studio album yet. Smart move on their part, I just can’t wait to hear the next album from these guys because I think the way â┚¬Ã…”Over Itâ┚¬? progressed from a very punk band into pop punk I think Damiera will become more accessible and people will really be able to get into them.
Vocals are awesome, and music great, my only thing is that the album can get repetitive at times but that, in my opinion, wonâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t deter most people.
Tracklisting
1. Immure
2. Lessons
3. M(US)IC
4. Via Invested
5. I AM Pulse
6. Ember Eason
7. Departures
8. Flora: Yield
9. Broken Hands
10. Obsessions