Our first week of staff recommendations is here. Have a look below for some of the great music we have been listening to.

Julie Watanabe

Skillet – I’m a shoo-in for Christian rock bands, and really, it’s not like I’m even Christian. The truth of the matter is that I’ve not always condoned some of the music-making decision’s Skillet have made over the past 10 years as a band. I mean, they’ll pulled some pretty disasterous electro-gothic styled mishaps in the past, and John’s voice hasn’t exactly been the poster-child of pleasing until now. Comatose is Skillet’s seventh studio album and first mainstream takeover. Think scratchy rock vocals via Papa Roach, punishing guitar gothic rock ala Evanescence, and the most hauntingly gorgeous male/female vocal harmonies you’ll recall hearing post-boy-band explosion. The first single “Rebirthing” sounds more polished than anything they’ve ever produced, but it’s also the most focused and cohesive Skillet have ever come across. Comatose hits stores two months from now in October, which means you’ll have plenty of time to play and replay “Rebirthing” to familiarize yourself with the band until the release.

MySpace | Pre-Order Comatose

Mike Duncan

The Invite – The Invite get my recommendation this week because of how far they’ve come since their last release, the Daydream EP, which was not too shabby to begin with. Their latest effort, A World Outside, is masterfully produced by Jay DeZuzio and marks their debut on indie label Red Blue Records. With this release I can only see The Invite going one way — the way towards widespread recognition from major record labels. Catchy choruses and poignant lyrics are all that emanate from this sweet-and-crunchy rock EP. The band’s first single, “Dear Journal,” really steps it up a notch, especially when lead singer Johnny Gates hits a series of notes lasting an entire nineteen seconds without taking a breath. Chances are you’ve never heard of The Invite, but chances are you hadn’t heard of your favorite band until they were already huge. There are no skipable tracks on this CD and I strongly encourage each and everyone of you to do yourself a favor and discover one of your new favorite bands. A World Outside is available through Smartpunk.com.

PureVolume

Bryce Jacobson

Forever Changed – It may seem strange to recommend a band that recently retired, but Forever Changed released one of this years best albums. Chapters is some of the bands best work and songs like “Never Look Down,” “All I Need,” and “Letting Go of You” not only pack a lot of power they are also filled with plenty of emotion. Julie pretty much summed up how great this album is in her review. Also be sure to check out their PureVolume page to stream some of their new songs and even download some.