Jimmy Eat World – Invented Review

Predictable. When seeing a Michael Bay movie you know that:

a)Shit is going to blow up
b)There is going to be more CGI than regular actors
c)It’s going to suck

The same goes for a Jimmy Eat World record. You are going to find ten or so tracks that blend melodies and emotion into either a rocking track or a pop sensation. This has been the basic formula since their “Bleed American” album that truly put them in the international spotlight. Their latest album doesn’t break the mould, still providing layered rock anthems and emotionally charged songs to the masses. Interestingly enough the songs that try to capture the “old” rock sound of the band, the “Salt Sweats” or the “Futures” of the album are the ones that fail to propel Invented to full potential.

Leading single “My Best Theory” sound great on its own, but when listening to the album in its entirety it fails to pack the same punch. The same stands for “Higher Devotion” that tries to lure you into a hook here and there but fails to capture attention. Then the album takes a turn with track 5 “Movielike”, a point of the album where everything just works. The driving beat of “Coffee and Cigarettes”, the layered guitars in “Littlething” the minimalistic “Cut” and the full rocking “Action Needs an Audience” gel together so well that you forget about those first 4 tracks that kicked things off.

Jimmy Eat World always end their albums with a strong finish and “Mixtape” is no exception to this long standing tradition. A fitting end to an album that could have been great, but the first four tracks just really let it down. Unlike other Jimmy Eat World albums listeners won’t get instant satisfaction on a single listen; repeat listens on the other hand allow this album to grow and flourish.

Predictable. That word sums up the delivery and execution of Invented. Yet it is still a testament to the song writing and lyrical abilities of Jimmy Eat World that even though they are predictable, they can still release a compelling record.

2.5/5

Anberlin – Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place Review

Anberlin have always been one of those bands who were on the verge of breaking out. Their brand of “Christian” alternative rock that was formed off the back of punk sentiments stands leagues ahead of other successful bands such as Taking Back Sunday or My Chemical Romance, yet they never broke through the barriers to mainstream success. Their ability to mature and progress their sound on every release since their breakthrough album “Never Take Friendship Personal” has garnered them a strong following, and the trend hasn’t been broken on their most recent release “Dark is the Way, Light is a Place”. Replacing the standard pop tones with something darker and more personal, Anberlin have delivered their most interesting album to date, yet that doesn’t mean it is their best.

Opening track “We Did This To Ourselves” comes out swinging with a gut wrenching lead riff that sounds like it belongs on a Story Of The Year record rather than Anberlin, keeping the tradition of starting their albums with a bang. Stephen Christian’s vocals soar during the chorus and bridge and leave you wanting more. Thankfully the album isn’t short of the rock numbers; “To The Wolves” and “Closer” all have that sing along quality that pulls amazing responses at live shows. The layered guitars during the verses of Closer are so slick before leading into a bellowing chorus that is classic Anberlin.

The rest of the album on the other hand is relatively uncharted territory for the band. While they have experimented and proven their worth on slower tracks on previous albums, this time around the band have really pushed their limits in what they are capable of. “You Belong Here” really shows off the wide range of Stephen’s voice. “Take Me As You Found Me” shows the intricacies between guitars that are often overlooked in the harder numbers, and stand out song “Down” is a slow building, multi-layered track that features violin, piano and shakers.

It’s always nice to see a band try something new rather then releasing the same album time and time again. Anberlin have really stepped out of their shells and have released a darker, edgier record that somehow manages to be uplifting as it discusses the journey of life and death. While I applaud them for trying, and succeeding at creating a number of fantastic soft songs, they tend to leave the album feeling a little bare. When you open up with a rocking track like “We Did This To Ourselves” you are amped and ready to go, yet the album offers little in the way to keep that energy rising. A great album that once again puts Anberlin light years in front of their peers, but just needed a little extra oomph to keep it going.

3.5/5

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Crocodiles – Sleep Forever Review

Sophomore releases following a highly successful debut are often stressful, strung out and highly confined efforts trying to bow down to the pressures of new found fame and to please critics. Thankfully Crocodiles’ have not fallen victim to this pressure, following up the aggressive Summer of Hate with a darker, more progressive album in Sleep Forever.

Gone are those simple and catchy hooks. replaced with a more mature and cohesive product that is far more fulfilling after repeat listens. As an offset to the new sound, the album is less accessible which is sure to segregate fans of their first release.

Mirrors opens up with a slow build before shattering into a musical wall of sound filled with crunchy guitars, and eventually culminating in reverb laden vocals that lift the song into more of a shoegaze territory than garage rock. As you move deeper into the LP you are greeted with a more psychedelic sound on tracks like “Stoned To Death” or “Hollow Hollow Eyes”. The addition of the rough organ that would sound right at home on something by The Doors really adds a new element to the organized chaos that presents itself.

Things slow right down on the the romantic “Girl in Black” which sits nicely in the middle of the album. It is soon followed up by the glossy, surf inspired “Hearts Of Love” which is the most out of place, yet catchiest track on the album and “Billy Speed” which has a rock swagger that is totally infectious.

Regardless of tone, sound or style all of these tracks share the same point of reference; death. The album is rather dark and gloomy, yet manages to steer clear of that worrying “emo” territory. A decent effort from an interesting band, which shows potential in their particular take on the “Garage Rock” genre.

3/5

Little Red – Midnight Remember

Little Red seemed to come out of nowhere during the sweltering summer of 2008. Their infectious melodies, classic rock and roll sound and pop filled lyrics seemed to strike a chord with critics and punters alike, clearly cementing them as the hottest thing to come out of Melbourne. It would have been easy enough for Little Red to release a similar record and let the fanfare roll in.

Instead, Little Red’s follow up record “Midnight Remember” has completely changed the dynamic of the band; gone are those 60’s rock influences (for the most part) to be replaced by a modern indie rock sound, full of sparkling guitars, tightly precision drum beats and a more electronic sound. While this is a huge departure from their debut, it still has that Little Red feel to it.

Get a life opens with a swell of floating keyboards, sparkly guitars and vocal harmonies to die for which sets the tone for the rest of the album to come. Soaring arrangements that transcend into something much more than a simple pop song, Midnight Remember is simply an album that creates a huge sound. Whether it’s the disco infused “Forget About Your Man”, the anthemic “Rock It” or the swirling “Slow Motion” Midnight Remember creates a compelling listen.

But then the album takes a turn for the last handful of tracks which creates a stark change in sound, and some of the most exciting tracks on the album. The big band arrangements on “Place Called Love” sound like something you’d find in an underground club during the 50’s, the stark “Follow You There” that builds and swells until it erupts into an overflowing sonic experience and the album closer “Chelsworth”. Even with such a turn in sound it doesn’t feel out of place, rather an organic extension of what the band was trying to achieve.

Such a departure from an established sound can often be a risky venture, but thankfully it has paid off with Little Red. Creating something that is so different from their debut, yet still managing to keep that unique sound Midnight Remember is such a giant leap forward for this relatively new group. Contender for Australian Album of the Year? I would give them my vote.

4.5/5

The Birthday Massacre – Pins and Needles Review

Dark tones, catchy hooks, 80’s sounding synth and industrial tones is what Canada’s The Birthday Massacre have been all about since their debut in 2002. The band return off the back of the 2007 hit Walking with Strangers with a new offering entitled Pins and Needles. Offering more of the same and never really rising to the occasion, you have to ask yourself why?

The “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality has lead to 11 tracks of monotonous synth tones, predictable guitar work and essentially the same album that was released in 2007. The only real difference is that Pins and Needles lacks the soul that Walking with Strangers possessed.

It’s not a bad album, and for people who have never heard of The Birthday Massacre it’s well worth checking out. Current fans of the band however will find an album that isn’t horrible, but certainly isn’t memorable at all.

2.5/5

Grinderman – Grinderman 2 Review

A dark dingy club at three in the morning; the bartender is about to call last drinks and you have your eye on someone who is standing in the corner just as legless as you are. Then all of a sudden a band takes the stage and starts playing filthy rock meets blues riffs, describing the very scene you find yourself in. This is the picture that Grinderman 2 paints when you first put the album onto your playlist.

Nick Cave has become famous the work over for his various projects yet Grinderman offer something a little different than The Bad Seeds or The Birthday Party. The album opens up on the dark bluesy filth that is “Mickey Mouse and the Goodbye Man” and sets the tone for what is going to follow. Filled with messy and rock filled riffs, driving bass lines and dark lyrics the band manage to create an album full of more sex, more drugs, and more rock & roll than a band half their age.

A joy to listen from start to finish with memorable tracks such as Heathen Child, Kitchenette and the driving opener Micky Mouse and The Goodbye Man, Grinderman 2 will leave you feeling dirtier than a one night stand from the dark dingy club on the wrong side of town.

4/5

Linkin Park – A Thousand Suns Review

“Hard Rock” guitars and mediocore hip-hop influences is what built Linkin Park‘s popularity with their debut Hybrid Theory and the follow up Meteora. They tried that whole “we’ve evolved” angle on their next album Minutes to Midnight which didn’t sit well with fans or critics. Now they are back with a new release “A Thousand Suns” and these two words will paint an accurate picture of the album: Utterly woeful.

The “Hard Rock” (and I use that term EXTREMELY lightly to begin with) is gone, replaced with programming layers with minimalistic guitar tones. The harsh vocals are gone, the hip-hop influence has also taken a wayside and what listeners are left with is a set of tracks that lack soul, appeal and talent.

Linkin Park were never a band I liked, but this latest release makes me want to listen to Justin Beiber over these guys. There is no saving grace on the album, not one song that stands out as a lonely pillar of salvation.

0/5

Howl- Brothers in Violence EP Review

Howl are a band to keep an eye on. Rising to prominence thanks to winning the Triple J Unearthed High competition in 2009; an initiative to discover Australia’s best High School band the band has matured and released a new EP to the masses. The Ballarat six piece have been working hard since winning the competiiton, and are currently touring the nation supporting Aussie heavyweights Children Collide.

The EP opens up with the frantic “It Was Never Fun” starting with a solitary bass line before exploding with rich guitars, retro keyboards and the strong vocals. Follow that up with “Brothers In Violence” and the dirty distorted bass and desperation in Michael Belsars voice as he climbs to new heights.

“The Only Reason You Came” has a driving bass and drum effect as once again Belsar tries something different, reaching a falsetto range that is pitch perfect for the song. The ending track “Cabin Fever” is the highlight on the EP, bringing with it a banging tune that is keyboard heavy and will be stuck in your head for days.

The EP starts out frantic, ends frantic and never loses pace. Even though all the songs are balls to the wall indie rock, the EP still manages to showcase the diversity in the band; creating a number of different sounds while never truly veering from the intended course. A solid indie rock EP that only confirms that Howl deserve respect.

4/5

A Toast To The Future…

Kind of an ironic title for the first track you’ll hear when pressing play on Emarosa’s latest effort. Their self titled album is the bands sophomore effort, following up their previous 2008 release “Relativity”, which was a bit of an up and down album, that slowly plateaued as you listened on. I guess it should have been expected. Given that Jonny Craig had only just joined the band (replacing ex frontman Chris Roetter), and only had a mere 2 weeks to write the entirety of album. This time around, a real sense of progression has been made.

Not only has their sound matured and become a lot more structured and fluid, but also lyrically, the songs are far more mature and well written. All factors pointing to the extra time the band had to fine tune everything and make an album that really is them. Filled with plenty of emotion, hooks and turns. Listeners will surely find themselves not only relating to the lyrical content featured, but also getting caught up in the feeling the actual music presents.

Another big thing that will be noticed, between the two albums, is a bit of a difference in Jonny’s vocals. Everyone knows the man can sing, hitting notes that a lot people can only dream of. However, it’s not something he’s overcooked on this album. It’s used in vast more effective ways. A more chilled approach can be heard throughout the album. As the man said himself; “Everybody knows I can sing; I don’t need to belt out notes 24/7 to prove myself”.

This effort see’s a far more cohesive end product, which openly and honestly, doesn’t feature a bad or boring track at all. This really is one of the most complete albums I’ve personally listened to in ages. With this approach these Kentuckians will surely be toasting long into the future kids.

4.5/5

Jukebox The Ghost – Everything Under The Sun Review

Ah pop-rock, your high spirited jingles about cars, girls and asking if we can “shake it” have been the staple of mainstream radio stations for years. While your predictable qualities are more often then not the reason why I avoid you in the first place occasionally something different comes along that will steal my heart for a while. Jukebox The Ghost have done exactly that with their second LP “Everything Under The Sun”.

The album opens up with an over the top pop number in “Schizophrenia” that sets the tone for what is to come, a fun and whimsical album that is full of great hooks and occasionally some contemplative content. Highlights on the album include “Empire” with verses that will get stuck in your head for days and some great little vocal quirks that are catchy and will make you want to sing along. The album ends on the brass filled “Nobody” which puts the album to a fitting rest and will immediately call you back for further listens.

For those who think Ben Folds is a throw back to teenage nostalgia and that Billy Joel is great in an ironic fashion then this album is not for you. If you want a taste of happy-go-lucky pop that has more substance than your average Train or Jesse McCartney offering then Jukebox The Ghost certainly do deliver.

3.5/5

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