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.

Mr. Fogg – Moving Parts

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Artist: Mr. Fogg
Album: Moving Parts
Label: Kicking Ink Recordings
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date:

Overall: 7.5
Music: 7.0
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 7.5

Granted, most listeners have probably never heard of Mr. Fogg, but upon first listen one would immediately swoon at his sombre crooning over lovesick electronic beats. And while this Mr. Hudson sounding english heavy heart might be dismissed as just another flash in the pan, his songs bring to life a soundscape of emotion that others may lack, in his debut album Moving Parts.

The album is decidedly different from most others instrumentally, from the Owl City playful ticks of “Moving Parts”, to the almost Nine Inch Nails sounding harsh electronic snaps of “Keep Your Teeth Sharp”. All these different strokes that are painted in the music help keep the album from growing stagnant.

“Stung” is the highlight track of the album, with the echoed harmonies and the catchy chorus. The song brings together the entire essence of the album, what feels fleeting and distant is much closer after all in Mr. Fogg’s world. It’s an adventure of the soul, that feels connected and disconnected by the artists all at once.

While at times Mr. Fogg could be too comparable to other artists, it is just one hump to get through while listening to the songs. They are well put together, and most importantly sound genuine in their effort. Moving Parts will keep you in motion, no matter how sad things can get sometimes.

Before Their Eyes – Untouchable

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Artist: Before Their Eyes
Album: Untouchable
Label: Rise Records
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date: March 9th, 2010

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

For the many people that know who Before Their Eyes are, there are plenty more that have never heard them before. The band has just released their third album entitled Untouchable, and it seems now more then ever, are looking to find more people to listen to them and become fans.

The main difference that kept Before Their Eyes from reaching that pinnacle of success and exposure has always been a lack of one extremely catchy song. Their past albums have been solid, but didn’t have that extra push of a special song that would hook people in immediately. This album has one in the form of “Sing To Me”, which has a very catchy rising chorus and airy harmonies to round it all out. This song would be a perfect start to hear from this band, and could find its place on radio fairly easily.

Untouchable’s first half is also different for the band, with less focus on the screaming side of their sound. While the band has always been able to, and still can incorporate screaming with regular singing, they can pull off one without the other quite well. “Love Is Misery” and “Start With Today” are both examples of how well they can do this, as they lay off the chunkier side of their music.

When they do rock though, Before Their Eyes are very good at what they do. Amongst the monster guitar riff in the middle of “My Match, Your Fire” and the growls of “Hell Or High Water”, one could equate them to the crunchy hardcore of Cancer Bats. That is until they break out into falsetto melodies where they set themselves apart from the rest (“Rick Vs Nick” shows off the back and forth of melodies and screaming to a T).

Before Their Eyes have taken their sound to a new place, where they can experience success while still remaining true to their original sound. They are a band that can shred with the toughest, while still pen a charmingly sweet ballad (“Start With Today”). While the melodies can sometimes be to nasally, and they aren’t necessarily reinventing their genre, there is more good then bad which makes this a pretty strong affair.

Streetlight Manifesto Not Happy With Victory Records

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Seems like Streetlight Manifesto is very unhappy with Victory Records. Check out the message and free song download below.

“03.11.2010 | DO NOT SUPPORT VICTORY RECORDS (UPDATED!!!!!!!)
Hello there. Just a quick note from us:
If you want to support Streetlight Manifesto by buying a CD, shirt, hoodie, poster, etc etc, PLEASE do not buy anything from Victory Records or their website. Use our online store or come out to a show and support the band by buying merch there. We cannot condone or agree with the actions or ethics of our record label, nor do we want to support them financially through revenue made under the guise of helping Streetlight. Hey douchebag lawyers: This is not libel or slander. We’re just letting our fans know how best to support the band if they should choose to do so by buying stuff. That is all.

As a bonus, let’s play “GUESS THAT QUOTE”!!!1! Here it is:
“I absolutely believe that allowing people to cherry-pick the tracks they want from each album cannibalizes full-length album sales and is ultimately detrimental to the artists who created the music� It is important for people to experience the entire album. Not just a track(s).”

You probably guessed it, so we’ll just go ahead and give you your prize:
Another full, high quality mp3 from our new record! Apparently, Victory chose this as our first single for us, which we found out by seeing it iTunes. Awesome! Thanks guys!~

Here it is.”

http://streetlightmanifesto.com/news.php?a=front
http://www.streetlightmanifesto.com/mp3/julio.mp3

The Maine Tour Dates

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The Maine have announced a new set of tour dates.

Dates:

Mar 26 2010 Anaheim, CA – Hoodwink Festival (Everclear set) – The Grove
Mar 28 2010 Anaheim, CA – Bamboozle – Angel Stadium
Apr 10 2010 Atlanta, GA – Six Flags Over Georgia
Apr 11 2010 Nashville, TN – Rocketown
Apr 14 2010 Charleston, SC – The Music Farm
Apr 18 2010 Pensacola, FL – Phineas Phogg’s
Apr 20 2010 Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
Apr 24 2010 Pullman, WA – Washington State University
Apr 25 2010 Lancaster, PA – Chameleon
Apr 27 2010 Baltimore, MD – Bourbon Street Ballroom
Apr 28 2010 Erie, PA – Gannon University – Hammermill
Apr 29 2010 Pittsburgh, PA – Altar Bar
Apr 30 2010 East Rutherford, NJ – Hoodwink Festival – Meadowlands Sports Complex
May 1 2010 East Rutherford, NJ – Bamboozle – Meadowlands Sports Complex
May 2 2010 Providence, RI Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel

Anberlin Tour Dates

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Anberlin will be going on a short little tour starting in March.

Dates:

03/20/2010 – Biola University – La Mirada, CA
04/10/2010 – Erskine College – Due West, CA
04/24/2010 – Ferris State University – Big Rapids, MI
04/30/2010 – Messiah College – Grantham, PA
05/23/2010 – Rock On The Range – Columbus Crew Stadium – Columbus, OH

Veara Sign To Epitaph

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Pop Punk group Veara has signed with Epitaph Records.  The Augusta, GA based band recently wrapped recording on their new studio album, which is expected for release this spring. A new track title “We Have A Body Count” can be heard on the bands MySpace page. Check out more information below as well as some videos from the studio.

“Signing with Epitaph is something that we used to dream of,” says guitarist Bambrick.  “We cannot express how stoked we are to be signing with a label that we have been fans of for years. Epitaph has put out many timeless albums, and we are stoked to be a part of an awesome family.”