American Authors - Oh, What a Life Album Review

Origin: Boston, Massachusetts
Genre: Alternative rock/Folk rock
Record Label: Mercury Records

With their debut studio album, Oh, What a Life, comes Boston’s newest up-and-comers in the alternative rock scene, American Authors. In the seven years that the band has been together for, they have released one self-titled extended play, along with their recently released full-length studio album signed with Mercury Records. American Authors is undergoing a rapid climb to success, which allows their first album to be something unique and compelling to listen to.
          
The album starts out with the uplifting anthem “Believer”. This song is well-equipped with inspirational lyrics, and a remarkably catchy chorus that is captivating from start to finish. This is the type of song that one starts off their morning with in order to gain motivation for the day. This song epitomizes the mood of the entire album: energy and encouragement. The track also displays the lead singer’s rough and powerful male vocals that are an unexpected feature for each and every song. The well-received single of the album, “Best Day of my Life”, pairs fun and memorable lyrics with a distinct beat throughout the verses. This track continues the theme of happiness and reassurance, while providing an entertaining atmosphere to carry listeners well in to the summer months. It can already be heard in TV series such as “Glee” and “The Vampire Diaries”, as well as in several advertisements. An instant hit amongst the charts and a favourite of the critics, this song catalyzed American Authors’ launch to triumph.
          
Furthermore, the band demonstrates their diversity through the song “Love”. The track features electronic elements that is laced throughout, and also shows a more romantic side to album. It also supplies a nostalgic and youthful feel that allows the listener to reminisce about their first love. Finally, the album closes with the album-titled track, “Oh, What a Life”. In addition to “Love”, this song also shows the dynamics in the band’s music. With a more folk-rock vibe to the beginning and chorus, the song becomes an instantaneously compelling change of pace. The start contains a violin and banjo, while the bridge kicks up the original alternative rock feel. The chorus combines the previous folk atmosphere and becomes coupled with the band’s usual sound to create an unbelievably flawless ending to the debut album.
         
 American Authors created a diverse and uniquely uplifting album to announce a warm hello to music industry and their audience. The band’s high energy, rough vocals and motivational lyrics combine to create complete harmony in the debut album, Oh, What a Life.

Oh What a Life:  9.6/10

The Civil Wars - The Civil Wars Album Review

Origin: Nashville, Tennessee

Genre: Americana/Folk/Alternative Country

Record Label: Columbia, Sensibility Records

Band Members: Joy Williams and John Paul White

 

After months of being on hiatus, The Civil Wars are back in the music scene with their new self-titled album. This album features twelve incredible and haunting tracks that are each filled with a story. Although many bands fail to make their sophomore album memorable, The Civil Wars have beaten the odds and made a remarkable sequel to Barton Hollow.

 

The album kicks off with the track entitled “The One That Got Away”. This song provides a strong, distinctive sound that sets up the tone for the rest of the tracks. Williams takes the lead with powerful vocals that harmonize flawlessly with White’s lower voice. With added instruments, this song delivers an edgy tone that remains throughout the album. White takes the lead on the second track of the album entitled “I Had Me a Girl”. His low tenor voice combined with his high falsetto creates a masculine, commanding energy to the country-rock song. Williams adds a sweeter tone that evens out the track and adds balance.

 

To add diversity, the duo winds down for a softer, melancholy track called “Tell Mama”. Lyrically enchanting, this song is as moving as it is dark. Williams performs with a more gentle approach that allows the listener to drift away. My favourite track on the album would have to be “Devil’s Backbone”. This song is badass on all levels, and the combination of the drums and the power behind the vocalists brought this song to life.

Although The Civil Wars are known for their soft, acoustic-folk sound, they have been experimenting more with country and rock genres that make this album truly unique. Each song told a vivid story, and the lyrics made their self-titled album dark and mysterious. This, in my opinion, is their best album yet.

The Civil Wars: 9.1/10

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This Counts For Everything! - Believe EP Review

Genre: Alternative Rock
Origin: Gilbert, Arizona
Record Label: Independent
Band Members: Justin, Malik, Chris, Andy, and Colten.

From Gilbert, Arizona is an edgy alternative rock band of five male members. This Counts for Everything has just recently released their EP Believe. This short but incredibly loud EP has a lot to offer the listener with its fast-paced instrumentals and rough vocals.

The tracks featured on this EP include “Wash You Away”, “Believe”, “Sorry, I’m Not Sorry”, and “Here I am”.

Sorry, I’m Not Sorry:
The first track starts the EP off with a bang, with its fast-paced beat and higher vocals from the lead singer. The theme of this song is obviously about a break-up, as it paints the image of a bitter end of a relationship. The lead guitarist is captivating during this track, with a unique guitar solo at the beginning of the track to lead the way for the rest of the instrumentalists and vocalist.
Sorry, I’m Not Sorry: 9/10

Here I am:

This track gives the album it’s meaning with inspirational lyrics, lighter instrumentals, and a brighter tone to the lead singer. While this song is lighter and more joyful, it maintains its alternative rock feel. The lyrics are well-written, and provide a comforting, encouraging sound. This track allows the EP to have some diversity within the second song, and that gives the fans what they want to hear.
Here I am: 9.3/10

Believe (Acoustic):
The second last track that was shown on the band’s EP was an acoustic version of the title track “Believe”. This was the slowest and most honest song on this EP, and it was a charming break to the harder songs that were featured.
Believe: 8.5/10

Wash You Away:
With harder instrumentals and darker vocals, Wash You Away sets the tone for the EP. Unique guitar solos and bass lines hold this track together for the lead singer to keep control with his deeper tenor vocals. While the song has a Yellowcard vibe, the band puts their own spin on things with mixing a lighter chorus with a darker verse.
Wash You Away: 8.5/10

Overall, This Counts For Everything! delivers a fun and entertaining EP, while maintaining honest and relatable lyrics. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Yellowcard, Jimmy Eat World, and other bands of the pop-punk genre.

Believe: 8.8/10

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Friendly Savages - O, Joshua! Album Review

Genre: Indie Rock/Folk

Origin: Austin, Texas

Record Label: Unsigned

Band members: Josh Coulter, Scott Krenitski, John McDonald, Malcolm White, and Michael Summers

 

What do you get when you mix folk rock with four young men from Austin, Texas? You get the Friendly Savages and their new album O, Joshua! With quirky instruments, original lyrics and entertaining, talented male vocals, this band is gaining speed in the music industry. With a sixteen-track album brought to the table, this unsigned band has a lot to offer.

 

O, Joshua! starts out with one short, beautiful piano instrumental called “To an Asteroid”. Although it has a more solemn tone, the rest of the album maintains a fairly upbeat, rock feel. The instrumental was followed by the song “Counted Lost”. While it started out with gentle guitars and piano, it gained urgency towards the final half of this brilliantly-written folk piece. The lyrics contain optimism in dark times, and convey a sense of sanguinity for the listener. Additionally, “The Hold of the Lord on my Sparrow” is also filled with a rustic sound, as well as emotional lyrics and a fantastic combination of ringing banjo strings and heart-rending acoustic guitar.

 

The album isn’t just filled with solemn instrumentals and half-sombre, half-cheerful lyrics. Songs such as “The Escape” and “I Have Your Ghost” are energetic, bright songs that are fun to rock out to. A surprising twist was when a lovely female vocalist joined the lead singer in “The Escape”. With faultless harmonies, these two conquered the song and gave it a certain unexpected edge. “Her Locket on a Chain” let the lead take charge and show off his gleaming vocal abilities, and showcased a more bluesy sound towards the end with the combination of instruments.

 

Overall, the album portrayed the highs and lows of life. It showed a viewpoint from someone who has loved, lost, and found who they are along the way. Furthermore, it gave one the sense of hope in complicated times, and paired that emotion with the happiness that one can find. The emotions were well-planned out, as it went in a story-like chronological order. “Gold and Silver (Love is Lost)” ended the heartbreaking part of the album, and “For Grace (Love is Found)” started the more contented side of the story.

 

With a fine mix of acapella, instrumental, glum, and cheerful tracks, O, Joshua! has found a home in my favourite album collection. With brilliantly-written lyrics, sensational harmonies, and a well-thought out story line, Friendly Savages delivered near-flawless songs. This album contains all that one needs to start and end their day. It is highly recommended to take a listen, and be prepared to have your ears and mind rejuvenated.

 

O, Joshua! : 9/10

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Gianna Lauren: On Personhood Review

Album: On Personhood
Date: April 22nd, 2013
Genre: Ambient/Indie
Label: Forward Music Group
Origin: Halifax, Nova Scotia

From Halifax, Nova Scotia is the up-and-coming indie artist, Gianna Lauren. This Canadian vocalist is paired with multi-instrumentalists J.J. Ipsen, Justin Nace, drummer Marshall Bureau, and engineer Andy Magoffin. These ambient-rock style musicians come together to share the new album: On Personhood. The obscurity within Lauren’s emotion-filled, smooth voice harmonizes with the serene guitars and soft drums to make this album dream-like.

This six-track album delivers melodic, captivating vocals with sassy lyrics that make this album enchanting. Starting off the album is the song “Trouble”. The darkness of the track is accompanied with gentle, yet sturdy vocals and an attractive bass guitar rhythm that balances the rest of the instruments, and keeps the song interesting. The song maintains the mysterious, edgy quality within Lauren’s voice, which allows the listener to become instantly compelled. While this song seemed to be original and light, “Thread” and “Bitches Brew” appeared to be cut from the same cloth as the aforementioned song.  With dark tones, soft instrumentals, and sassy lyrics, the repeated sound caused this album to be somewhat predictable.

A pleasurable twist in the fairly predictable album was a song called “Anchor Down”. While Lauren stood by her easy-going vocals, the instruments hummed against the grain with an up-beat, relaxing island feel. The repetitive lyrics created a catchier, laid-back atmosphere throughout the duration of the three-minute song. With most of the song lyrics pertaining to love and its complications, this was a breath of fresh, sun-filled air that provided a rest from the gloomy sounds for the listener. A song on the album with a similar sound was “Ghosts”. Both songs were more cheerful than the rest, and they brought a form of diversity to the album that wasn’t existent before. 

Lauren’s sweet, sincere resonance added emotions to each and every song, but I still felt fairly unsatisfied with the album as a whole. It seemed to be lacklustre at times, and it was also deficient in diversity. While each tune developed a new emotion, Lauren’s vocals scarcely showed range, which left me feeling unfulfilled.

With a striking, sensual ambience, Gianna Lauren took charge of the music presented on her newest album. From start to finish, though it felt predictable and not very original, the effort that was put in was admirable. Lauren’s genuine vocals and purring instruments provided a soft atmosphere, which will take the audience to a new destination. Overall it was a pretty good album, but Lauren should focus on diversity for her next one.

 

On Personhood: 7.5/10

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River City Extension: Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Your Anger Album Review

Album: Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Your Anger

Genre: Indie Folk/Alternative Rock

Origin: Toms River, New Jersey

Record Label: XOXO Records, Anchor and Hope Music

Band Members: Joe Michelini, Mike Constaney, Dan Melius, Jenn Fantaccione, Nick Cucci, Patrick O’Brien, James Ramirez, Nicole Scorscone, and Sam Tacon.

From Toms River, New Jersey comes a unique and powerful band called River City Extension. This nine-member folk rock band has released one EP, and two full-length albums. Their first album, The Unmistakeable Man, received positive reviews from both Paste magazine and NPR. The band is composed of guitarist and vocalist Joe Michelini, drummer Mike Constaney, trumpet player Dan Melius, cellist Jenn Fantaccione, electric guitarist and vocalist Nick Cucci, keyboardist Patrick O’Brien, bassist and banjoist James Ramirez, additional string player Nicole Scorscone, and vocalist Sam Tacon.

This large and distinctive band had released their newest album, Don’t Let the Sun Go down on Your Anger, on June 5^th, 2012. The name derives from the verse Ephesians 4:26 in the Bible (rivercityextension.com).The album has been a success, as many music critics, such as Paste magazine and Alternative Press, have given high ratings and praised the sophomore album. The fourteen track album contains beautifully-written, soulful lyrics that will catch you off-guard. The lyrics are honest, and it shows the many different sides of life and relationships.

The album opens with a short, but incredibly sincere track called “Glastonbury”. The song combines heartfelt lyrics with poignant male vocals, and that style continues throughout the entirety of the album. The vocals change from male to female in numerous songs, which adds dimension and a softer feel to each track. The third track of the album, “Slander”, contains more imagery than the other songs, and also has a more audacious feel. The bass guitar, drums, banjo, and electric guitar arrangement in this song adds to the hurt-filled vocals to paint the portrait of betrayal that is being portrayed. The ninth track on the album, “Ballad of Oregon”, creates a lighter atmosphere. Although the song contains themes such as loneliness and getting over someone, it is also filled with hope. The song was featured on the MTV television series “Catfish: The TV Show”.

The album dealt with themes such as betrayal, break-ups, finding oneself, love, and personal/spiritual issues (rivercityextension.com). River City Extension captivated me with their enjoyable and complex instruments, but they made me completely addicted with their sincere lyrics and striking vocals. Don’t Let the Sun Go down on Your Anger is definitely one of my favourite albums, and I can’t wait to hear more from them.

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Your Anger: 8.89/10

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Passion Pit: Gossamer Album Review

Genre: Electropop/indie pop/indie rock

Origin: Cambridge, Massachusetts

Record Label: Frenchkiss/Columbia

Band members: Michael Angelakos, Ian Hultquist, Xander Singh, Jeff Apruzzese, and Nate Donmoyer.

Passion Pit was formed in 2007, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The band’s name is slang for how romantic drive-in movie theatres are for teenagers. The band is composed of the lead singer Michael Angelakos, keyboardist/guitarist Ian Hultquist, synthesizer Xander Singh, bassist Jeff Apruzzese, and drummer Nate Donmoyer.  

In July of 2012, the band had released their sophomore album, “Gossamer". The album featured twelve up-beat and catchy songs. At first listen, I found each song to be very joyous and lively. However, I later found out that although the songs may seem cheerful, they actually have a much deeper, darker meaning behind them. Angelakos has struggled with bipolar disorder ever since he was seventeen years old, as well as many suicide attempts. These issues became major themes in the album. Some of the other themes involved are financial hardship, heartbreak, sorrow, drug abuse and abusing others.

The first track of the album, “Take a Walk", became successful shortly after it was released, and was named the 3rd best song of 2012 by Rolling Stone. Other songs, such as “I’ll Be Alright", “Constant Conversations", and “Carried Away", have also become successful singles. The album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200.

Gossamer is unique with its mixture of captivating lyrics and high-energy beats, and it is definitely worth the listen.

Gossamer: 8.8/10

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Youngblood Hawke: Self-Titled EP

Genre: Indie rock/Maximalist pop

Origin: Los Angeles, California

Record Label: Universal Republic

Band Members: Nik Hughes, Alice Katz, Simon Katz, Sam Martin, and Tasso Smith.

Youngblood Hawke is an American indie pop-rock band from Los Angeles, California. This up-and-coming band is composed of drummer Nik Hughes, backing vocalist and percussionist Alice Katz, guitarist Simon Katz, vocalist Sam Martin, and bassist Tasso Smith. The band’s name derives from the 1961 Herman Wouk novel of the same name.

The band has released their first self-titled EP in 2012. The four-track EP contains the single, “We Come Running", which was featured on MTV. In a 20 questions (www.popmatters.com) interview with Sam Martin, he had described the band’s music as a “narration of their lives". They are currently on tour with Passion Pit.

"We Come Running": "We Come Running" is the first track on this four-song EP. The song features a crescendo in to heavier pop beat at the chorus, and a children’s choir. This song has catchy lyrics, a fun beat to dance to, and a strong tenor voice leading the way. The theme of the song is about taking chances, and not waiting any longer. And the music video is shot in the ocean with sharks, which is always fantastic ;D.

"Stars (Hold On)": "Stars (Hold On)" is the next track on this EP. This song starts off with some orchestral strings, and that element is laced throughout the entirety of the song. Once again, the children’s choir sings at the chorus, as well as other parts of the song. The theme of the song is to not give up, and that things will get better. While I really enjoyed this song, I am starting to notice a trend with the beat and chorus styles.

"Forever": "Forever" is the third song on Youngblood Hawke’s EP. The song includes guitars, bass, synthesizers and drums. It is one of two songs on the EP that doesn’t include the children’s choir. This song is a little different than the last two songs, as its verses are catchier than the chorus. The theme of this song is love, as well as not leaving someone. This song was used as the Starbucks Pick of the Week in September.

"Rootless": "Rootless" is the final track on the band’s debut EP. The song starts out with normal band instruments, including bass guitar and drums. This song also doesn’t include the children’s choir. The lyrics are filled with fun imagery and similes that make this song unique. The theme of the song is freedom, but also being pulled towards someone.

The Youngblood Hawke EP is filled with well-written lyrics, a fantastic children’s choir, sensational male vocals, and fun instruments that leave you wanting more. The full-length album is scheduled to be released this year, and I can already tell that it will be successful.

Youngblood Hawke EP: 9.6/10

Of Monsters and Men: My Head Is An Animal Album Review

Genre: Indie Folk

Origin: Iceland

Label: Record/Universal

Band Members:  Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdótti, Ragnar Þórhallsson, Brynjar Leifsson, Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson, and Kristján Páll Kristjánsson.

Of Monsters and Men is an up-beat folk band from Iceland. Their rise to fame began when the six band members competed in Músiktilraunir, which is an Icelandic Battle of the Bands, and won. In the summer of 2011, their first single, “Little Talks”, became number one in Iceland. The song eventually made its way across the globe, and it is now known and loved world-wide. In December of 2012, the song was featured in the singing competition, “The Voice".

Since then, the band has created one studio album, called “My Head is an Animal”. The album contains songs such as “Little Talks”, “Six Weeks”, “Mountain Sound” and “King and Lionheart”. The songs all carry different, unique meanings. While most of the album is upbeat, “Love, Love, Love" veers away from the original theme of adventure and joy. The song’s lyrics deal with heartbreak, and losing someone that you care about. The lyrics of each song vary greatly, and each one usually has to do with an adventure.

Since the success of “My Head is an Animal", Of Monsters and Men have been performing at major music festivals across the globe, including Osheaga. They are also scheduled to play at T in the Park in Scotland in July.

Of Monsters and Men will take you on a voyage that will keep you humming along well after you’ve listened to the entire album.

My Head is an Animal: 9/10

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The Civil Wars: Barton Hollow Album Review

Genre: Americana/Folk/Acoustic

Origin: Nashville, Tennessee

Record Label: Sensibility Music LLC

Band Members: Joy Williams and John Paul White

 

Joy Williams and John Paul White became a band known as The Civil Wars in 2008 after meeting at a writing camp. The duo became successful after their first single, “Poison & Wine”, was heard on Grey’s Anatomy. Since then, their songs have been featured on various soundtracks, such as The Vampire Diaries, Nashville, and The Hunger Games.

The band has recently released their first album, Barton Hollow, which features fourteen unique songs about the ups and downs of relationships. This album also features covers of “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5, “Dance Me to the End of Love” by Leonard Cohen, and “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson.

In addition to their covers, this album also has plenty of original and haunting songs, such as “Barton Hollow”, “Falling”, and “My Father’s Father”. They were also featured on The Hunger Games soundtrack, with their song “Kingdom Come”. They performed another song, “Safe and Sound”, with Taylor Swift.

The Civil Wars is hauntingly raw and beautiful, and their music will compel you within the first song.

 

Barton Hollow: 8.6/10

 

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