The Story So Far - The Story So Far

For a band that is at the fore-front of "pop-punk", The Story So Far has done a lot more growing up than most of the other bands in the scene. They have continually matured and tightened up their sound with every release, and their latest self-titled album is no exception. While a portion of the young boys they were with their first album still remain, the band has begun moving into heavier and darker sounds as well as shifting away from the high school nature of their lyrics and more into the 20-somethings era the band members have entered.

Some of the songs sound fairly similar to records they have put out in the past ("Mock", "Scowl", "Stalemate"), but even then, these songs contain a new heaviness that was not at the forefront of their music. Other songs such as the opener "Smile", "Heavy Gloom", lead-single "Nerve", and "Distaste" are among the grittier songs on this record. It's not so much as there has been a dramatic change in their sound; it's the fact that they have more weight to them, and there's a bit more variety in the way that they approach each song. They utilize different ways of beginning songs and instrumentation. A notable example is the drum lead "How You Are", which includes guitar but is very much more influenced by the way in which the drum patterns (which also incorporate some new ideas the band hasn't really used before) vary. Another example of variation is the slow tune "Phantom", showing the influence their latest acoustic Songs Of - EP and their 2013 single "Clairvoyant". The haunting "it's hard to attract you" over the non-overdriven guitars and the lack of drums creates a very vulnerable sound that is rare for TSSF. It's easily one of the best and most powerful songs on the record, creating some great contrast and really demanding the listener's attention. "Heavy Gloom" is another song that attracts attention to the difference in sound and mood. It's got some of the aspects of TSSF's familiar sound, but it also feels different, in a way that's hard to explain. Especially the bass that is present in the introduction, that is something that is not common in their previous work.

The changes within this band are not obvious; they're deeper than the surface, they take time to pick up on and process. With the first few listens, this album feels considerably like their previous records. But after the initial listens, the sound starts to seem different, the tone has changed, the lyrics are not the same old drama. Sure, Parker still sings about girls and being cheated on and being away from home, but he has approached it differently. He doesn't talk about it like a 17 year old boy who is discovering love and girls and the trouble that follows. He talks about it like a 22 year old man who is trying to figure out what love is and who the right girl is for him and where home is and who he is. He has evolved his lyrics just as he has matured as a person. That is what sets this record apart from the previous records. That is what reveals the potential of this band.

Rating: 4/5
Recommended: "Smile", "Heavy Gloom", "Nerve", "Phantom"

Blurryface - twenty one pilots

twenty one pilots rise to fame has been one of great interest to watch. Surprising in any way? Not particularly. This duo exploded in 2013 and 2014, due to their unique sound, endless energy, incredible humility, and commitment to their music and their fans. They combine genres and tackle topics and ideas not common for a majority of artists. Their label debut, Vessels, was an experience of its own. Jumping from heavy to soft, gritty to polished, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun poured their heart and soul into this album. With the announcement of their second album for label Fueled By Ramen, it led to speculation about the sound and direction of the band for the future. The eyes of the world were now on the band; how would that impact the way that they wrote music?

It didn't. In any way, shape, or form.

Sure, you could say being in the spotlight changed them in some way. But at their core, they have stuck to the ideas and focus with which they have always tried to uphold in the band. And so, I present Blurryface.

If there's a song that encompasses the spirit of this album, it's the opening track "Heavydirtysoul". It kicks off with a combination of different genres, flowing from pop to hip-hop to a bit of EDM and some alternative thrown in. It spans the genres and is also not defined by any of them as well. That is exactly what this album is about. While most of the songs can be limited to one or two genres, it is hard to categorize the album as a whole. You have songs like "Stressed Out", "Fairly Local", and "Doubt" that are hip-hop oriented and "Tear In My Heart", "Ride", and "The Judge" that are alternative based. Even then, however, there are influences from other genres in all of these songs. Reggae can be found throughout the entire album, pop influences shine in moments here and there, even dance and EDM show up at points. "Lane Boy" is a combination of reggae and eventually drums and bass, as unlikely of a pairing as that is. It's ideas and aspects like this that show the creative and independent nature of the band is well alive, kicking, and not going anywhere soon.

It's an incredible experience to listen to from start to finish, not only musically but lyrically. "Stressed Out" is one of the more relatable songs I have heard in the recent past for 20-somethings. Lines like "between student loans and tree house homes, we all would take the latter" and "used to dream of outer space, but now they're laughing at our face, saying 'wake up, you need to make money'" hit home for those of us who are finishing up college and trying to figure out what to do with our lives and all the responsibilities that have begun to build up. "Tear In My Heart" combines the current state of radio and music with the idea of finding true love and being alive and unique. "We Don't Believe What's on TV" challenges the notion of what we're told in the media and what it means to pursue our dreams and be ourselves. "Fairly Local", "Polarize", and especially "Goner" wrestle with the evil we have within ourselves and becoming better people. "Goner" in particular is one of the most moving songs on the album, shifting from Tyler's almost-whispers and the piano to raw screams of "don't let me be gone" and crashing drums and guitars. "Lane Boy" tackles the music industry and the notion of a "perfect song" and the defining nature in which the people operate, while even admitting that some of the songs on here might be a bit too polished. It's a wide range of topics that are all attacked in generally unique ways

The album also varies in the moods it goes through, which is something that adds to the listening experience. You have heavier and darker songs ("Fairly Local", "Doubt", "Stressed Out"), but at the same time you have the lighthearted nature (captured in "Tear In My Heart", the piano and horns influenced "Not Today", and the ukulele driven "The Judge"). There is no stagnant aspect of this album. Nothing is the same, nothing settles for one thing that works. twenty one pilots pushed to remain unique in their sound and approach, and they very much succeeded in doing so. Cheers to overcoming the sophomore slump (even though this is technically your fourth album).

Rating: 4.5/5
Recommended: "Stressed Out", "Ride", "Lane Boy", "Doubt"

Blink-182: Watching A Trainwreck

This post means a lot to me. And it both saddens and angers me that I have to write it in the first place. These are grown men that I'n writing about, grown men that have produced some of the music that was most significant to me in my formational years of high school. The music that got me through the good and the bad, that made me feel like a rebel when I clearly was not. Blink-182 did the same thing for countless teenagers who felt angst and emotions and rebellion. Their break up in 2005 was far from clean, and I know that their reunion in 2009 was an exciting new beginning. However, it appears as though the band will always have a dramatic element to it.

Since January, the band has been appearing in the news due to (what appeared to be) sudden fighting within the band. Tom was out, but he said he wasn't out, but Travis and Mark said he was, and a replacement was found, and Tom is releasing things on his own, Travis saying Tom should man up, and-

The above paragraph is complete garbage. This is not how grown adults act. This is how children act, children throwing tantrums and name calling and passive-aggressive bullshit. It's disrespectful to the band members, it's disrespectful to their legacy, and most importantly, it's disrespectful to the fans. Yes, sometimes people don't work together anymore. Sometimes they just need to part ways and move on. But there are much better ways that the current situation could have been handled. The members of Blink-182 could have sat down and talked about this like adults. They could have parted ways amicably.

However, as much as I'm disappointed with them right now, this is only fitting for them. This is, for the most part, how you would expect them to act. Sad as it is, it's all that is going to happen for now, until some sort of communication begins between both camps.

A final note; in a recent interview, Travis talked about the possibilities of recording new music with the current fill in member for Tom, Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio. He said "If we did make an album with Skiba, it would be unreal." This, while I'm sure is an exciting possibility for the current operating members of the band, makes me nervous. Tom may be making some stupid or childish decisions at the moment, but Blink will always be Tom, Travis, and Mark. Skiba filling in for a show is perfectly fine, but to have him join the band and still call it the same band isn't nearly the same, and especially seems a bit like rubbing gravel in the open wound. Fans are still hoping for some sort of resolution, and Travis appears to already be looking towards the future. That in itself is fine, but an album without Tom is not the same Blink of the past. And that is something to keep in mind, something the band members need to be very aware of.

So this is my plea to Tom, Travis, and Mark: get your heads out of your asses, stop standing with your backs to each other and your arms crossed, and sit down and figure things out. I don't care if you don't resolve your issues and the band is still not together, but be men about it. Have some respect for each other and for your fans.

American Beauty / American Psycho - Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy has had quite a curious career. Rising rapidly to stardom in the mid 2000's, slowly fading away with a well publicized hiatus, recording a comeback album in secret and exploding back onto the scene with Save Rock and Roll, and now this; American Beauty / American Psycho. The follow up to a dramatic change in sound succeeds in cementing the new pop-oriented aspect of FOB, but without destroying their integrity as artists. They figured out how to be culturally relevant without selling out. It's quite the feat in this day and age. And I know people will argue that they did sell out and they've changed and "I want the old FOB back, true fans will agree". It's quite obnoxious, hearing that not only about FOB but the multitude of bands who mature as people and surprise surprise: their sound changes as well. It's the natural progression of bands. They have to move forward, otherwise to be stagnant is to fade away and die. Fall Out Boy understands this, and thus you have AB/AP.

The 11 track album moves even farther from their days of "Sugar, We're Goin Down" and "Dance, Dance". Drum tracks, synths, and even vocal effects are found throughout. The majority of these tunes are much more pop influenced and radio ready, moving away from the hip-hop tone that was prevalent on SR&R. Songs like "The Kids Aren't Alright" and "Fourth Of July" utilize pop norms aspects to make them feel ready to blast in a car ride, as well as the already heavily played "Centuries". "The Kids Aren't Alright" plays out like a ballad, while "Fourth of July" plays on a clever idea of two lovers being like fireworks "that went off too soon" to paint a catchy, yet tragic love story. Songs such as "Uma Thurman", "Irresistible", and the title track run in a similar vein in terms of radio readiness, but utilize quirks to make them unique. "Uma Thurman" samples The Munsters theme song as well as referencing Pulp Fiction to keep things interesting. "Irresistible" mixes a horn line with hip-hop drum tracks to make your next pump-up jam. "American Beauty/American Psycho" goes off into its own genre, delving into futuristic sounding hyper-rock that gets you on your feet and on edge, something quite unexpected yet quite welcome. The entire album is full of unique aspects, from the Nightmare Before Christmas-tone in the low "na na's" found in "Novocaine" to the Indian synth/guitar parts of "Immortals", which also made its way into the soundtrack for Big Hero 6.

What I'm trying to get at is that Fall Out Boy is experimenting. They're trying new things constantly, and they aren't slowing down anytime soon. They have discovered an aspect of music making that they love, and that's the kind of passion that doesn't go out because people don't like what they hear.

Rating - 4.5/5
Recommended - Fourth Of July, Irresistible, American Beauty/American Psycho

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy took the world by storm last year, and they show no signs of slowing down. "Centuries", the latest single from the band, is in the same vein as Save Rock & Roll, combining pop-sensibilities with hip-hop laced beats and FOB's signature touch. Patrick Stump's vocals are as top notch as ever, soaring to great heights in the anthemic chorus while maintaining an angry gritty tone that packs a punch. The instrumental combines sounds both familiar and unfamiliar, mixing traditional drumset with low-booming bass beats and snare drums that feel like something you'd hear on a song from the latest Lil' Wayne song, especially in the pre-chorus interlude (which is one of my favorite moments of the song. The entire song has a sense of swagger that was found in hints and moments in their last album, and it makes for a fantastic listening experience. Not to fear though; the new elements don't drown out the old with the guitars are still roaring as always.

What's important about both Save Rock & Roll and "Centuries" is that Fall Out Boy is doing what they want and going for it, without fear of pleasing everyone. Despite their new sound, FOB is in fact rock & roll because rock & roll is not a specific sound, even though that's what it has become. The concept is about doing something that is risky and exciting and that is exactly what FOB is doing. So rock on boys, you're doing a fantastic job.

Rating: 9/10
Related: Panic! At The Disco, Twenty One Pilots, Imagine Dragons

Intentions - Brave City

Brave City: the hometown band with vision for bigger and better things. Intentions is the start of something big for this group. With only 5 songs, Brave City shows their potential and variety with a multitude of different sounds and vibes that are explored throughout this album. Their lead single "Avalanche" (for my detailed review of that, click here ) was just a taste of their hard work and dedication, and those aspects of the group are very present in these new songs.

The album kicks off with "Sweet Teeth", full of gritty guitars and passionate vocals. It has a nice mix of a faster tempo and a dark nature that doesn't get the listener down. I especially enjoy the build in the bridge, which erupts powerfully with cries of "I don't wanna hear about it" and "What do you want, do you want from me?" interweaving as the band's dual vocals shine through. The contrasting nature of the gritty almost screams with the more traditional, smooth singing further pushes the passion behind the track. The next song, "You, Me, and A Ghost" starts with an extended instrumental intro, but then surprises the listener by going from a more relaxed verse to a chorus that almost sounds happy, like Brand New from "Your Favorite Weapon" era.  One of the best parts of the song is the outro, which is a solid breakdown that'll make you want to get on your feet and jump around or nod your head along. Their strongest song, (in my opinion), is their lead single "Avalanche". The dual vocals shine their brightest here, with Garrett Jackman and Danny Pruit in a constant exchange of back and forth singing. The instrumental is on point, clean and crisp as it takes you from pulsing verses hinted with synths to overdriven guitars and crashing drums leading ann impassioned chorus.

Not all of their songs follow in this same vein, however; "Coming Home" is a stripped down song that utilizes clean guitars and quiet vocals to create something with unexpected maturity and depth from a band who is just getting their feet on the ground. It builds into something bigger, but does not lose the sensitivity and vulnerability created by the first half of the track. The gang vocals about 5 minutes in add another layer of depth to the song, and truly give it a beautiful sound. It is very 30 Seconds To Mars "This Is War"-esc. Their album closer "The Great White" is not necessarily a mellow song, but it is at a slower tempo and plays less on their aggressive sound found in the other tracks. It is a steady build, which they seem to do quite well, and is definitely memorable, lyrically. The line "I've got no skin, but it still crawls for you" is genius in my mind. I love how catchy and eerie and even relatable it is. This song may be longer at 7 and 1/2 minutes, but it's definitely worth the listen.

All in all, another solid piece of work from a band who is on the edge of bursting out and becoming bigger than playing local shows in the Bay. Despite the limitations of home-studios and a lack of access to huge resources, this CD has come out like something that bands with much more experience would create. Brave City, a job well done, and the best of luck to as you continue to do great things!

Rating: 9/10
Recommended: Avalanche, The Great White, Sweet Teeth
Sounds like: Brand New, Manchester Orchestra, 30 Seconds To Mars

Lowborn - Anberlin

While I may have not closely followed Anberlin from their beginnings, I have become quite familiar with their music in the last couple of years, and I was just as heartbroken to hear about their decision to say farewell as a band at the end of 2014. However, it meant that they were going to put out one final album, and the anticipation couldn't be higher for the last release from a fantastic band. Despite a delay, the final effort from Anberlin encompasses who the band was and who they have become.

Within the 40 minutes and 10 songs, Anberlin has managed to put out some of the most sonically diverse and lyrically deep music they have ever done. They move from each end of the spectrum, with songs like the explosive opener "We Are Destroyer" and the scream filled "Dissenter" to the electronically driven "Birds Of Prey" and bittersweet closer "Harbinger". The album is a ride of emotions and sounds, and a worthy end to an incredible career.

The album kicks off with "We Are Destroyer", an energy driven monster of a song that tricks you into a false sense of serenity with the electronically lead intro that drops into roaring guitars, blistering drums, and passionate vocals that set the bar incredibly high for the rest of the record. The chorus gets your blood pumping like an anthem, with lines like "We could lose it all" and "We are the destroyer" making you want to raise your fist and shout it right back. This song is one of the best blends of electronic and rock elements that Anberlin has yet to put out in a combination of smooth and polished moments with raw rock n' roll. Later on in the album, "Dissenter" focuses more on the second element, with almost all screaming vocals in a move that is quite unlike anything the band has done. While it has a lot of energy like "We Are Destroyer", it is harnessed in a much different fashion and serves as a perfect mosh-along song. The bridge provides a more familiar soundscape for Anberlin and some striking contrast to the rest of the song. I was quite surprised by the ferocity and intensity of the song at first, but after a few listens found myself very easily getting into the energy of the song. "Velvet Covered Brick" is also on the more edgy side, with overdriven guitars leading the charge into a song that is familiar territory for Anberlin. The more mellow verses are actually my favorite parts of the song with a pronounced bass line and Stephen's almost sultry vocals floating over the other instruments.

Anberlin definitely explores their softer side within their last musical effort as well. "Birds Of Prey" is a hauntingly beautiful peace of music that mixes electronic/almost dance elements, gritty rock instruments, and polished vocals into one of the most unique songs of the album, and possibly of anything Anberlin has done. The lyrics are spot on as well, exploring an element of love and breakups that is common, but putting it in such a different light that it feels like something completely new. Lines like "Regret is nothing more than a lover's disease" and "memories circle like birds of prey, waiting for the right mind to drive insane" are on point and very much relatable, creating an instant emotional tie to the song. "Armageddon" is another song that utilizes a lot of dance-type sounds and is a bit more relaxed, but does build into a heavier section near the end. It has a sense of mystery and almost sensuality to it, thanks to the subtle synths in the background and the aggressive yet smooth guitars and steady beat that leads the verses. The chorus, however, fully embraces the aggressive undertones and erupts into an epic and passionate confession of "starting my own Armageddon". "Losing It All" is another softer song, but not in the same sense as these other two tracks. It is upbeat, but it takes on a lighter tone in terms of the instrumentation. Acoustic guitars, a piano line, and less aggressive drumming lay the groundwork for a more sensitive sounding piece. It is also, lyrically, a song of hope, which gives it a more positive vibe that you could almost call happy.

Two of the lead singles, "Stranger Ways" and "Hearing Voices" were songs that took a little while to grow on me, but they did and now they're some of my favorites from the record. "Stranger Ways" is on the calmer side, but still somehow manages to build without really hitting a peak moment. It doesn't erupt into crashing drums and stadium guitars; instead, it swells into something powerful that isn't loud. That is something the band should be immensely proud of that, for it is a rare feat to achieve. This was also one of my favorite songs, lyrically, because it felt personal and seems to be about a broken love, which is something that most people can relate to. "Hearing Voices" takes a different path instrumentally, with overdriven guitars and tribal-sounding drums. It is also a much faster tempo, and the band capitalizes on this. The chorus feels ready to be played in front of huge crowds, with anthem-like vocals and the drums and guitars working together to create a huge sound. I also really liked this one lyrically, for it's one of the few songs where Anberlin is very up-front about their faith. Lines like "Can't escape the ghost when the ghost's not dead" and "Everyone wants to know God, but they want to live like he died" are some of my favorite by them to date. 

I always pay close attention to album closers, because I feel that they tend to encapsulate the entirety of the album and perhaps even offer a view of what is to come next from the band. The latter aspect isn't quite so applicable in this case, but "Harbinger" certainly does work as a summing up of Anberlin's album, and perhaps even their career and time as a band. Haunting is a very appropriate word for this song, but bittersweet is a close fit as well. The chorus line "We'll live forever, forever, forever
(I don't wanna go now, but I know I've got to)" hit me hard when I finally understood what it was talking about. This song is truly a farewell from the band, a final salute to their fans and a kiss goodbye. When you realize that, the lyrics become exponentially more powerful and it leaves an impression that is hard to ignore.

All in all, this was some of Anberlin's best work, if not their best collective work they have put out. As a final effort, it was spot on. They picked their exit, and they made it an incredible piece of art and music. They set the terms for their ending, but it's just the beginning of everything that is to come in their lives. Thank you, Anberlin, for all that you've done. The music you've made, the shows you've put on, and the lives you've touched. I will see you one more time in October.

Rating: 10/10
Recommended: We Are Destroyer, Harbinger, Hearing Voices, Losing It All, Armageddon