AFI and Avril Lavigne

I was again suffering insomnia like I always do and so I was listening to my I-Pod.  I was thinking to myself about what music I would like to blog about.  I was pondering about all of the great artists that I have and wondered if I had to choose just one artist from every letter of the alphabet what my favorites would be.  So I'm going to share them with you.  I don't have a lot of new music because I tend to follow my favorite bands around so some of this might be really familiar to you.  I just think that it is fun to go back and listen to the music that you kind of forget about.  So I have two choices whose bands or names start with the letter A.  I decided to go with one female and one male. I wanted to share two or three songs from each.  I wanted to do this because artists grow over the years and their sound can change so here they are.

Avril Lavigne.  Avril started singing in 1999. I remember the first time I heard Complicated.  I had to run out and buy that Cd.  I've been a fan ever since.  Avril sings songs with catchy melodies and fun pop music.  The first track that I want to share with you is Slipped Away from her album Under My Skin.  This song is  beautiful and meaningful in many ways.  Avril dedicated this song to her Grandfather after his death.  Please listen to it below.



The second track I chose is Alice.  Avril recorded this track for Tim Burton's film Alice in Wonderland.  I though that this track was an interesting twist from the song above.  This song is kind of loud and in your face but it's great.



The last track I would like to share comes from her latest album Goodbye Lullaby.  This CD is a little more mellow than her previous albums and so the music is about more serious topics.  I chose the song 4Real.  I like this song.  It has beautiful lyrics and Avril's vocals are fantastic.  I also really like that this girl can play her own guitar.  I hope you enjoy it.



For my other artist I choose the musical styling of AFI (A Fire Inside).  I must tell you that the first time I heard this group I wasn't really a fan.  We used to get into trouble playing this band at work because my boss hated it.  But the more I listened to it the more it grew on me.  The lyrics to these songs are actually brilliant.  I think that Davey Havok and the others who help him write their music are amazing.  AFI has been together since 1991.  They have replaced a few of their members over the years but have retained their original sound.  Here is Silver and Cold from their album Sing the Sorrow.  I love this song because of the great intro.  I love how they used the sound of the rain and then the soft piano followed by the guitar and the drums I also like that this is one of their songs where you can understand all the lyrics.  This is one of their slower songs and I think that Davey has a really nice voice and so it's nice to see that come out.



The second song I chose is Prelude 12 21.  It's just a really short intro or "Prelude" to their album Decemberunderground but it's so fun and catchy.  This song is a perfect introduction to this album.  Listen to it below.



My third choice for them is The Missing Frame.  This song is also on Decemberunderground.  I like this track.  I think that it is upbeat and has a great vibe.  I like the guitar and the fast pace of this song.  Keep in mind that there are so many great songs from AFI and if you like songs that are a little harsher in vocals check out their Cd's because they truly have something for everyone I just happen to like the more mellow of their songs.  Thanks for Listening and enjoy-Kristy

A Mass of New Music

Good afternoon everyone!  Since we've fallen a little a lot behind on all the new music we like, we are going to take this opportunity to roll them into one huge post.  We are passing all of these along because we discovered them on the various blogs we follow.  We are also nice enough to cite our sources even though it is not a legal requirement.  Gotta give some love to those blogs. 

Here they are in no particular order:

Trapt-This California hard rock band's self-titled debut album was something else and turned into a huge hit.  We have just discovered through The NewReview that they have a new album on the way.  The following song is a typical Trapt rocker that includes their trademark harmonic vocals with occasional screams.


Caligula's Horse-We heard about this group through No Clean Singing. This band crafts amazing jazz-fusion guitar work and chugging metal riffs.  Similar in some ways to Animals as Leaders, they play an interesting brand of jazzy shredding laced with melodic clean vocals.  Their latest album is available now.  Check it out below.


SPC ECO-This long-standing British shoegaze band have just released their spacy new album "Dark Notes"  The new song below features more of the same nu-gaze reverb we loved from their previous work, but adds to it with a more impressive array of mostly electronic sounds. From what we've heard so far it is even better than "3-D" was.  We learned of this new track through Sounds Better with Reverb. The new track is below.



Teen Daze-Dream pop rarely comes to life like it does with Teen Daze's latest effort, which we also heard through Sounds Better with Reverb.  As advertised, this song begins with spacy echoes amidst comfortable and recognizable electronic pop beats.  This band is one of the best dream pop artists around and it is easy to see why.  Listen to their newest track from their upcoming album "The Inner Mansions" below.


Causemos-We discovered this Finnish band's new EP from No Clean Singing.  This is a spaced-out progressive extreme metal band that we find to be quite talented.  Here, ambient atmospherics combine with subtle keyboard-fueled symphonic sections and chunky metal riffs.  The vocals vary from hardcore yelling to gutteral roars to soaring clean vocals all in the same song.  This happens to be a 'name your price' download from Bandcamp, so if you like what you hear, you have nothing to lose. Listen below.

Qurious-This artist, which we heard about from Sounds Better with Reverb, is an electronica outfit from Atlanta, Georgia.  Sometimes electronic music can get stale and repetetive if artists don't put enough effort into creating new and unusual sounds.  We like what we hear from them so far and will be eagerly awaiting the new album, "Void Vanishing" on November 20.  Listen to a selection from that album below.


As always, thanks for reading!

Falloch-Where Distant Spirits Remain Reveiw

Falloch's new album, "Where Distant Spirits Remain" was first presented to me as an atmospheric ambient metal album.  Needless to say, I was confused enough to go listen to a track from the album.  What I heard blew me away.

The description was more or less accurate, though I would take somewhat of an expetion to calling this band a metal band.  The music is mostly keyboard and guitar-based, fusing long, stretched melodies with soulful guitar plucking and the occasional pedal loop effect.  Many of the basic power riffs serve to accentuate the atmospherics and to draw in a sense of doom to the music.  Additonally, the band employs elements from post rock, folk, and black metal, at times mixing in flutes and strings to deepen the texture of the songs.

The vocals are a blend of looping solo clean singing and raw shrieks similar to the style of vocals that many black metal bands use.  They are powerful when they need to be and sorrowful when circumstances warrant.

Falloch's name was taken from a local landmark called the Falls of Falloch, which is a waterfall in Scotland.  Falloch hails from Glasgow.  The feelings this album evoke are of melancholic wind brushing over grassy rolling hills.  You hear tales of sadness and wonder, and dire fears.  In truth it is somewhat difficult to put into words every emotion this album carries. 

"Where Distant Spirits Remain" is an incredibly diverse album that can satiate cravings for numerous styles of music. I highly reccomend this music to almost anyone who enjoys thoughtful, challenging music that flies against the conventions of popular music genres.  Enjoy We are Gathering Dust below.  Thanks for reading and enjoy :)

Deftones and Verses new singles

Today I decided to review a couple of songs from artists that I don't normally listen to.  So the first song is from the band Verses.  I have never heard of them before.  As soon as the song started I was totally into it.  Sadly I have no information on this band. I know that they are a band from the UK and have a few songs available for download from I-Tunes. The website that I heard this song from says this is their debut song from their album Come To Life.  It comes out on the 10th I am really considering purchasing this album if the rest of the tracks sound like this one.  This song has a great guitar intro.  It has the great drum line that your favorite songs have and great intro vocals.  The lyrics of the song are great.  It's all about accepting the things that have happened to you because that is what makes you who you are.  Check out Who We Are from Verses below.  P.S. if you have any information about this band please let me know.  Thanks :)



The next song that I would like to review is Tempest by the Deftones.  The Deftones are an alternative band that came out it 1988.  This band has many different albums and you have heard a lot of their songs on movie soundtracks.  Tempest is a new single off of their upcoming album Koi No Yokan due out on the 13th of November.  This song has a great suspenseful intro.  It kind of beckoned me to listen to listen to it.  I did and I liked it.  This song has great guitar riffs and vocals from their lead singer Chino Moreno.  Check it out. 

Hammock-Departure Songs Review

Let me start off this post by saying that our thoughts and prayers are with the Haycock family as they endure their terrible loss.  Tim will be missed.

Now for the review.

When you think of Nashville, the first music genre you think of probably is not post rock.  That, however, does not mean that good post rock music can't come out of Nashville, Tennessee. 

The one, albeit minor, problem I have with post rock is that it is more difficult to distinguish one artist from another because much post rock sounds very similar.  That said, I am admittedly somewhat new to the genre, and therefore less seasoned in the stylings.  Hammock is an ambient post rock duo that mixes live instrumental music with some electronic beats and keyboard sweeps.

The music is like a journey to a faraway place you can only imagine.  Atmospheric ambient melody blends with spacey piano and violin interplay and sparse, minimalist vocalizations.  The vocals emerge in three or four tracks on the entire album.

Listening to this album is a chore, clocking in at a hefty near-two hours encompassing 19 mesmerizing tracks.  But like most post rock music, you have to know how to listen to it.  Find yourself a comfortable spot in the shade between two sturdy trees.  Relax and turn the radio up.  Then, let the melody transport you to a dreamlike realm shut off from the daily grind.  This is relaxation music, not elevator music. 

"Departure Songs" happens to be Hammock's first double album and their fifth overall.  Over the years they have polished and perfected their sound. I have been awaiting this album since word first surfaced that the band would be releasing a new album in 2012.  I'm happy to announce that it did not disappoint.  Instead, it impressed me further.  I encourage you to give this music as listen. 

As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

If You Were Here Thompson Brothers cover

For my post today I decided to blog about the cover to the 80's hit from the Thompson Brothers If You Were Here.  Most of you will remember this as the theme song to the movie Sixteen Candles.  I love this song.  It was released on the third album from Quick Step and Side Kick in 1985.  This British new wave band had a few popular songs and ultimately broke up in 1993.  If You Were Here is such a great song.  First of all the symphonics in this song are amazing.  I can't imagine this song any other way.  It makes this song sound so romantic, which is kind of funny because if you listen to the lyrics it really isn't at all.  That being said, this song is still an iconic hit from the 80's so please take a second and check  it out below.



When the movie Easy A came out I heard a familiar song.  The Cary Brothers covered If You Were Here for this movie.  The Cary Brothers started singing in 2003.  They have two studio albums but they focus more on getting exposure through hit films and TV shows.  They covered this song in 2010.  I like the cover of this song.  It starts out a little differently because they drop the symphonic part of this song but they make it work.  The vocals are louder and more in your face than in the regular version but I don't think that this is a bad thing.  I think for it being a couple of decades after this song originally came out that it's the best way to make it modern and more appealing to people who have never heard it.  So here is the cover to Thompson Twins If You Were Here.

Xandria-Neverworld's End

Symphonic Metal is a genre of music that has been toyed with for decades and to varied success.  Bands like Epica and Within Temptation made a big splash and for good reasons.  If you are a fan of Epica, chances are you will like Xandria.

Xandria is a German band who serve up generous heaps of symphonic 'epicness' and weave it with old school, thrashy metal riffs and operatic vocals.  Manuela Kraller does an excellent job providing the vocals, which mostly stay in a lower range.  She doesn't go too high or hold notes for too long, which makes for a rewarding listen.

I would almost consider Xandria to be rock.  They don't use harsh vocals, nor do they present a dark, somber, almost gothic atmosphere like Within Temptation.  What I like about this band is that they are neither over-the-top symphonic nor overwhelmingly metal.  They find the right balance between punchy, chugging metallic guitar riffs and soothing, atmospheric symphonic sweeps. 

When I first heard about Xandria, I was excited to hear an album by them.  I considered purchasing "Salome-The Seventh Veil," but decided to hold on for their new album, which was to come out within a few months.  A few months ago, "Neverworld's End" finally did come out.  I was once again pleasantly surprised, for the band had improved in both execution and production.  It was a good purchase, which may lead me back to purchasing "Salome." 

Take a listen to Soulcrusher below.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!