Remember when...

Forgive Durden - "Razia's Shadow"
Release Date: October 28, 2008

Forgive Durden first appeared on the indie scene with their release of Wonderland back in 2006. The band felt great about the record and loved the music they created, but poor record sales and personal issues between band members were discouraging until three of the four members left in 2008. The only member who remained was vocalist Thomas Dutton, who, at the time, was writing a musical for the band's next album. Dutton felt defeated, but stuck with his ideas and began working with his brother on getting an album released. Together, they wrote and composed Razia's Shadow: A Musical. With no band and minimal experience with instruments, the pair opted to use software to create each track.

As far as vocals go, Thomas Dutton has one voice, and there are over a dozen characters in the story. Guest vocalists were essential to make something interesting. So he asked a few friends to lend their vocals for the album, and almost everyone that was asked accepted. Dutton really chose an amazing line-up from the Alternative/Pop/Rock music community. Some are on the album solely for their talent with singing - Lizzie Huffman, Max Bemis, Chris Conley, to name a few - but some were selected for simply being unique. Shawn Harris plays a demented, evil doctor, and while not vocally pleasing, the voice he creates really gives him a creepy personality. Aaron Weiss was not asked to do vocals, but instead plays the role of the narrator, boasting a really great storytelling voice. He's very sincere; each word is packed with strong emotions. Hearing a new voice on almost every track is refreshing and pleasant and helps break the monotony of a single vocalist.

The song composition is great and really helps set the focus on the vocalists, but nothing really stood out on the album. No two songs sound the same and I guess the uniqueness is something to appreciate, but I can't help but imagine how the record would've sounded with a few powerful guitars or something. I think that's the biggest problem with creating music through software. It takes much more effort to make something big when you're not playing the instruments yourself. Not bad enough to call it a disappointment, but there's definitely room for improvement if Dutton ever decides to create a sequel.
 
The storyline in Razia's Shadow is complex and somewhat confusing, but if you follow along with the CD booklet and listen to the entire record a few times, you should be able to pick it up. Initially we follow Ahrima (Dutton), an angel who's tired of being ignored for all the good deeds he does. He meets the love of his life, Nidria (Huffman), who comforts him and recognizes his genius. The love of Nidria is enough for Ahrima to forget his problems, until he meets an evil spider named Barayas (Bemis). Barayas tells Ahrima the only way for others to realize his potential is to burn down the city. By doing so he'll finally be recognized, even if he's seen as a villain instead of a hero.

Ahrima goes through with it and burns down everything they'd ever created. The townspeople are frightened and banish Ahrima to live on his own in the Darkness while the rest find a new place to live. Ahrima separates the world into two halves, the Light and the Dark, two sides destined to fight each other until an ancient prophecy is fulfilled. The story then skips forward 100 years to Ahrima's great-grandchildren. I've rambled, but it's really something you need to completely experience. It's not perfect and it won't make you a fan if you don't like Forgive Durden's sound, but for those who like the music, the storyline is an awesome addition that can really get you thinking and make you enjoy the album that much more.

It's not your ordinary album and it's understandable that most people probably won't get into it. The album is definitely best when listened to in one run, so if you find yourself on the fence, just try the whole thing. The genius is not in the strange idea or crazy melodies, but in the lyrics and lessons that Razia's Shadow will teach you.

Remember when...

Jonny Craig- "A Dream Is A Question You Don't Know How To Answer"
Release Date: August 18, 2009

I'm going to begin by saying that I've got serious bro-love for Jonny Craig. I first heard of the guy when he began his run with post-hardcore/screamo band "Dance Gavin Dance" and have subsequently followed him to his new band "Emarosa". I appreciate the music of any band he's in just because I believe he has one of the greatest voices I've ever heard from anyone.

Needless to say, I've been waiting with great, great anticipation for this album since it was first announced months prior. Jonny stated he was recording a solo-album as a side-project with Rise Records as his label, but that's about all we heard until four weeks ago. He's shown his voice can be very versatile, doing guest vocals for an assortment of bands of many different colors and flavors. Fans of Emarosa and old Dance Gavin Dance alike were more than ready for a solo effort from Jonny.

The album is entitled A Dream Is A Question You Don't Know How To Answer. It contains ten tracks and has a run time of 33 minutes. Songs focus largely on Jonny's vocals and an acoustic guitar, though each song has a variety of instruments to keep the music interesting.

The disc starts with the song "So Many of Us Hide Our Black Hearts", an unfortunate negative for the tracks yet to come. The sound is rough, Jonny's vocals are off, and it comes off as unfitting for a Jonny Craig track. This poor start is identically recreated with another "filler" song on track eight, which runs two minutes and just doesn't seem like something Jonny Craig would do.

Suffer past the minute-long intro track to hear "Istillfeelher Part III", a song that shows Jonny's true style. Jonny's smooth vocals are combined with an equally soothing melody, accentuating Jonny's powerful voice and telling a story of an old lover or dear one. The ride doesn't stop with the next track, "What I Would Give To Be An Australian", and continues all the way to track five, "7 AM, 2 Bottles, and the Wrong Road". Jonny doesn't throw any curveballs with these songs: admittedly, some tracks sound similar, but there's plenty of differences from track to track to keep you interested and excited for many playthroughs.

Track six is where I was blown away. "The Garbage Pail Kid Gang Bang", as strange and disturbing of a title as it is, is an excellent track. Jonny's vocals are catchy and slick, the guitar is funky, and Jonny repeats "Before you open your mouth, let me make it clear: I can't be brought down while I stand so high...where's the lesson in this?". It's an amazingly constructed song, and one that's going to be put on repeat for some time to come.

Track seven and nine are much like two through five: great music, though nothing that'll give a blind man sight. The album closes with the song "Children of Divorce", one of the greatest pieces I've ever had the pleasure to listen to. Jonny is much more serious and distraught, and the song seems like something he really feels emotionally attached to. It's a song of a couple who became a pair too fast, only to realize they didn't really love eachother after they create a child. Jonny sings, "Sadly enough, this song's not to hurt you, just to show the world that I'm free." It's beautiful, and the song alone is completely worth the $12.00 pricetag.

Remember when...

Jason Mraz - "We Sing.  We Dance.  We Steal Things."
Release Date: May 13, 2008

The funny thing about music these days is that it seems one hit single is all that's needed to launch a successful career in the industry. Any well-known artist will make a million dollars off of a track with their name on it, and because of this I find I'm extremely critical of any song I hear ten times in one hour on the radio. When I first heard Jason Mraz' single "I'm Yours" I liked it, but I ignored his album because I felt it would be the only song worth listening to. It's a trick I've seen all too much with modern music: release one song the public will love, sell millions of mediocre CDs for twelve bucks each.

Jason Mraz classifies himself as an MC, mainly for his ability to spit out tongue-twisting lyrics rapid fire. It's one of his claims to fame, and it's very prevalent on his 2001 album Waiting For My Rocket To Come. I really don't care for it. It's unique but lacks any positive musical quality and I'd always find myself skipping tracks where the focus is set on his word flow. When the time came to take a listen to We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. I was very unenthusiastic.

My initial negativity may have something to do with it, but I was blown away by the album. What I expected was overdone love ballads with terrible lyrics and Mraz' "boop-boppidy-boop" beat boxing solos. While we still need to put up with the beeps and the boppidies, the album focuses on lively melodies, strong vocals, positive messages, and a style I've seen come from nobody but Mraz himself.

The album begins with "Make It Mine", an extremely funky track that really sets things off right. You'll hear a soft guitar playing in the background, but instrumentally the focus is on a few trumpets present at different parts of the track. Mraz doesn't do anything major lyrically or vocally in the verses and bridges of the song, but redeems himself in the chorus, when he sings "I don't want to wake before the dream is over...I'll make it all mine." This lyric prepares the listener for the rest of the album, which for the most part stays extremely positive.

The album rolls on with "I'm Yours", the track that's likely responsible for most of the record's sales. It's a slow love song, and Mraz accentuates his boopidy-boppidies multiple times (this time with a doodja-doo-doodja spin), but it's not bad. The beat is smooth and each verse flows pretty nicely. Besides, it could be worse: what if it was a love song featuring a female vocalist with a groany voice and sappy "other people don't understand" lyrics? What if it was like the next track, "Lucky"?

The song has absolutely no progression and shows that Mraz still isn't perfect. In fact, he uses the exact same formula in the songs "If It Kills Me" and "A Beautiful Mess". The song "The Dynamo Of Volition" shows he's still wants to show the world he likes to rap, but unfortunately it adds another song to my "skip" list.

Thankfully, these are the only negatives on the album. Mraz boasts his great song writing in songs like "Love for a Child" and "Live High". Lyrics like, "When you're young, it's okay to be easily ignored...I'd like to believe it was all about love for a child," remind me that he can still write a great song. Even songs like "Coyotes" and "Butterfly", which don't have any lyrics that really stand out, feature that Mraz-style funk that make the songs exciting and enjoyable.

The song that stands out most to me after multiple listens is "Details In The Fabric" featuring James Morrison. It's the slowest song on the album, but amazingly positive and very high-quality musically. Mraz and Morrison both sing, "Hold your own, know your name, and go your own way...if your shocked it's just the fault of faulty manufacturing."

We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. is a great record. It's a bit disappointing that I was only able to enjoy eight of the twelve tracks, but eight tracks is enough to justify twelve dollars. Mraz shows that he can pull off anything from funky/smooth trumpet rock to slow acoustics with powerful lyrics, and the variety of the album is something not seen in most records today.

Remember When...

The Orphan, The Poet - "In Brevity"
Release Date: June 29, 2009

Alternative Rock/Indie three piece The Orphan the Poet released the first EP back in June, and I remember listening to one or two tracks before forgetting about it.  I figured I'd give it another listen.  It took more than one listen for me to find my thoughts, though: While there are a few interesting lines and some nice parts on this album, I don't think I'll be putting In Brevity on repeat anymore.

The first two tracks, "Archetype" and "Texas or Bust", aren't bad songs, but they're a bit disappointing. There's nothing that really stands out in either track; they're just generic Alternative/Punk Rock. Both songs really remind me of Amber Pacific. The song structure in "Archetype" is a bit notable, though. It starts out like an average song for the genre, but as it gets closer to the end, the song changes sound completely into some sort of 20 second heavy metal breakdown. It then returns to normalcy for a few more seconds, and then there's about 20 seconds of acoustic music. It's interesting and different, but ultimately not enough to save the song.

The third track, "Kingdom", isn't impressive musically, but the lyrics are phenomenal: "Tyrant, breathe me in. Know my movement. Trace a line across, just keep your faith when maps can be so deceiving." I love the word choice, because while this may sound like a story of man against man, the rest of the lyrics slowly reveal that this "tyrant" is a woman that the speaker is in love with. It's basically a song about rejection, and the lyrics are extremely well done. In its whole, though, "Kingdom" is a pretty poor track. The vocals seem out of place at some times, the guitar work is plain and uninteresting, and the verses are drug out much longer than need be - it's a very, very slow song.

The stand-out track on the album is "To Those Called Icarus", and it's pretty phenomenal. Echoing vocals and the smooth guitar work help put the focus on the vocals. The singer has a very serious and sincere tone as he tells a story of non-conformity. Men build walls to keep their bad deeds in, but the speaker begs for a ship to sail out with the sirens, inevitably to his death. The guitar work and drumming aren't bad, they're just not special. Admittedly, the instruments could use some pizazz, but the song as a whole is nice and memorable.

The album unfortunately ends as it started, as the track "A Kite's Lament" isn't really amazing. For the first time on the album, there's an acoustic guitar that actually sounds extremely nice. It's present in most of the song, with the exception of the chorus, which goes back to a normal, mediocre electric guitar. This song also contains a mini-bonus track that I found more enjoyable than the song itself. A creepy-sounding piano accompanies what sounds like the vocalist through an old-timely filter. He sings about snakes and I'm sure the entire thing is a metaphor, but I didn't quite understand it. All I know is I absolutely love the final lines: "How could you see my skin only for it's scars? I see us for who we will be, not only who we are." The bonus song is very Envy on the Coast and I liked it.

All these small additions and little gimmicks couldn't really make the album for me, though. Sometimes I hear some Saosin or Envy in the music, but the sound quickly changes to that mediocre Alt. Rock sound again. I wouldn't recommend buying it, even for fans of the genre, but if you're interested you might give them a listen. This is only the band's first release and it's a simple five track EP; I'm not sure how they'll handle a full-length, but they have enough talent to make me interested. Maybe next year.

Remember When...

A Skylit Drive - "Adelphia"

Release Date: June 9, 2009

If I seemed a bit bitter with my review of Wires...and the Concept of Breathing, it's because I listened to Adelphia right after it, and so I already knew they wouldn't be fixing everything I had hoped. I like this record, and I'm not going to call Adelphia "WATCOB 2.0", but in the next few paragraphs there's a good chance I'm going to criticize it for similar reasons.

Let me start with what A Skylit Drive did better with this album: There's a much, much bigger difference from song to song. Most tracks seem to have their own substance, and this album feels like a good ten or eleven songs. Compare that to WATCOB, which felt like perhaps four really long songs. They do a lot more instrumentally here, and everything sounds cleaner and more crisp, which only helps separate it from other tracks.

Lyrics are a bit more notable on Adelphia, word choice seems more interesting and the story in each song seems to be presented much better. I'll also admit that Jag does give a little more thought into his words at some points in the album. During "Children of Adelphia", I hear the sincerity in the lines "First to the sea/Then to the sky/It's beautiful, I know you'll like it." and that's great. The problem is, it appears to be just coincidental: "The final piece that I need is that spark in your eye/Where did it go?," is a great lyric, but Jag sings it as if he's reading it off of a sign or something. I'm not ready to fully appreciate A Skylit Drive because they don't seem sincere about their message.

The biggest stand-out on Adelphia is probably "The Children of Adelphia". It has the whole package: great, heavy screams, a light-hearted chorus with a sing-a-long section, some nice synth bits, and some pretty good lyrics to boot. "Thank God It's Cloudy Cause I'm Allergic to Sunlight" and "Eva the Carrier" are pretty weird songs, but listening to the entire length of both tracks is a satisfactory experience. I absolutely love the synth that appears about half-way through the former. There's still a filler song, "Words End in Whispers Not Bangs" and most of the songs I didn't list aren't amazing, but worth a couple of listens.

Adelphia isn't a masterpiece, but it does show some progression in A Skylit Drive's sound, and I'm interested to see what the band comes out with next year. This album doesn't remind me of any other post-hardcore record and for that I praise it. Fans of the genre are probably safe in going out and buying this one, but if you're on the edge you can give parts of the album a listen. Maybe if the guys enroll Jag into a few storytelling classes, we'll see a stellar third full-length release next year.

Remember When...

A Skylit Drive - "Wires...and the Concept of Breathing"

Release Date: May 21, 2008

I first became interested in post-hardcore band A Skylit Drive with their release of this album, Wires...and the Concept of Breathing. I had heard good things about their previous EP, but when I looked at reviews online I found terrible review scores and disappointed listeners. People criticized the band's new vocalist and a seemingly over-produced sound. Naturally, I ignored it...Until a year later, when I stumbled upon the album yet again and decided to give it a listen.

WATCOB begins with the track "In the Beginning There was Void". While A Skylit Drive is by absolutely no means the pioneers of the filler track, bands who feel the need to bump up the number of tracks on their album really get to me. Being the first track, it really started me off in a negative mindset.

In an attempt to wash off this mediocrity, however, A Skylit Drive jump right back in with the track "Knights of the Round". The song features everything A Skylit Drive has to offer - deep, powerful screaming, a catchy chorus with clean vocals, interesting lyrics, and great song structure. After twenty listens I still have to sing along to, "I don't think you know, I don't think you know." "Knights of the Round" is, in my opinion, the best and most unique track on WATCOB, and the band would benefit more by sticking to its style.

Unfortunately, WATCOB shows its true colors starting with the third track. No other song really feels special or different, and if I wasn't extremely focused while listening I don't think I'd be able to tell you where one song ends and another one begins. There are a few good lyrics and a handful of catchy lines in other tracks, but the middle section of the album really drags, only to slightly pick itsself back up at "Ex Machina" onward.

While I appreciate singers with great vocals, I'm somewhat annoyed when they don't use their talent to its full potential. Jag, the band's lead vocalist, has a good clean voice, but he doesn't put emotion into his words. He just has the one same pitch throughout the majority of the record, and while I like it, it definitley gets old fast. Luckily, there's a decent amount of screaming mixed in so it's not just vocals, but the album would probably be worth more listens if it didn't feel like Jag was reading the lyrics off of a piece of paper.

I feel WATCOB is a good attempt from A Skylit Drive, but I think they can do so much more. The album is very enjoyable on the first and second listens, but the more you listen the more you realize how plain the album is. I wouldn't recommend paying full price for this album, but the band's probably worth at least one listen to the song "Knights of the Round."

Remember When...

Dance Gavin Dance - "Happiness"

Release Date: June 9, 2009

I didn't enjoy Dance Gavin Dance's self-titled album.  Downtown Battle Mountain was an outstanding album, and I think a lot of credit can go to vocalist Jonny Craig.  He's a great singer.  The step from DBM to the self-titled didn't feel right, though.  New vocalist Kurt Travis just couldn't bring the experience Craig did, and production on the album just felt rushed.  I was unenthusiastic about Happiness, to say the least.

If the self-titled album was a step back for Dance Gavin Dance, Happiness is five steps forward.  Kurt Travis seems to finally feel at home with the band, and while he doesn't sound one bit like Jonny Craig, his unique and catchy voice matches the band's new sound almost perfectly.  The new technical and funky feel present on Happiness actually seems better suited for Travis; Jonny's voice would almost seem out of place.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference on the new album is the song composition.  Instrumentally, nothing seemed to be overlooked this time around and the band isn't just making noise anymore.  Technical guitars and other sounds blend together to give the album a sort of funk that was much needed.  The more heavy parts give drummer Matt Mingus some time to shine, and are usually accompanied by screamer Will Swan.  When the focus is on Travis' clean vocals, the band gets a little more melodic and trippy, and the result is fantastic.

Dance Gavin Dance has never been a band that is strong lyrically, though, and that's very noticeable on Happiness.  There's nothing thought-provoking or interesting, and sometimes the lyrics flat out ruin the song.  Think "Don't Tell Dave", where the chorus consists of simply, "So glad you made it, did  you bring your friends x3, it's a party baby, hope it never ends x3."

If Dance Gavin Dance could release an album with excellent lyrics I think I'd have a new all-time favorite record.  It seems to be the only thing holding them back - both vocally and instrumentally they're outstanding.  While it's interesting to think of what the band would sound like today had Jonny Craig, Jon Mess, and others not quit, I believe Happiness shows that it doesn't matter.  The band has obviously found their sound with what I believe to be the best Dance Gavin Dance album to date.

Remember When...

Say Anything - "...is a Real Boy"

Release Date: August 3, 2004

I don't believe there's a better way to start off this blog then by looking back at Alt. Rock/Punk band Say Anything's first full-length adventure into the world of music. "...Is A Real Boy" is an album that oozes feeling, an album filled to the brim with clever metaphors and witty one-liners, and an album absolutely no fan of the genre should go without.

"And the record begins with a song of rebellion," says singer/song writer Max Bemis, right before the rough guitar intro into "Belt". Blatant as it may be, it cleverly informs the listener of what to expect not only for the duration of the song, but for the entire length of the one hour record. Lyrics of rebellion, sarcasm, narcissism, love, and hate are the foundation for IARB's story. From fake friends and ex-girlfriends to rejection from record companies and bitterness towards fans, Max Bemis' story of life and music is as sad as it is interesting.

Along with lyrics and vocals, Bemis played every instrument present on IARB, aside from the drums. Though the style of music changes from song to song - think of heavy/punk guitar-driven jamming in "Belt" to acoustic love song "I Want to Know Your Plans" - the superb song structure and unique sound remain present throughout all thirteen tracks. Max does an excellent job giving each song it's own personality; small touches like the technical guitars in "Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat" and the vocal "Bop" harmony in "The Futile" really add to their song, despite being simple and not incredibly noticeable.

Though I feel every song on IARB is superb, there are a few tracks that really stand out to me, even after my hundredth listen. "Woe" is delightfully sarcastic, with the lyric, "I can't get laid in this town without these pointy fucking shoes," getting me every single time. "Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat" also boasts some great storytelling. Max shows a gradual slip out of reality with the lyrics, "I watch my cousin Greg watch MTV inside his home/I watch this dude, each night, same table/I watched my neighbor's son play with his shotgun in the street." And don't worry: even if you're someone who pays no attention to lyrics, IARB will not disappoint. The melody and presentation of songs like "Alive With the Glory of Love" will surely make you sing along every time.

I can't promise that you'll absolutely love Say Anything, nor can I say you'll definitely want to drop $12 on IARB. Fans of the Pop-Punk/Alt. Rock genre and those who have a huge sense of rebelliousness at least owe "Alive With the Glory of Love" a listen. I did (almost five years ago) and the album's still on repeat today.  IARB is Say Anything (and the punk rock genre as a whole) at its absolute best.