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Indie Pop Rock That Excels At Being Indie Pop Rock | Posted April-16-2013
Love and Fear continues the love motif We Shot the Moon has been using for the past couple of albums. This album is more about how love drives out fear. The lyrics do a good job in telling us this theme. The music itself surprised me in that I was expecting another generic sounding pop rock album but, while it has trace elements of that sound, it's ultimately overshadowed by the indie pop sounds and fits in well with the album as a whole. This band has a strong future ahead and this album has gotten me intrigued as to what they come up with next.
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Average Pop Rock With Standout Lyrical Work | Posted April-13-2013
When it's all said and done, The latest album from The Afters sounds like your average run-of-the-mill pop rock album. The lyrics are strong and the only real highlight of the album. The days of Never Going Back to O.K. are long gone.
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Solid Arena Rock | Posted April-04-2013
Lights Out comes to us a few years after Silverline's defining EP Voices in the NIght and it delivers more of what made that EP great. Honest lyrics mixed in with a strong rock sound. While I feel that Voices is the more memoriable project than this album I wold still listen to this and enjoy it just as much.
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Good Blending of Rock Genres | Posted March-29-2013
This Beautiful Republic's second (and sadly final) album strives to give us an amalgam of sounds spanning the entire rock genre. Some hit and some miss. There are songs that sound like something you'd hear on any mainstream radio station and yet there are songs that get really heavy musically. Ben Olin does a good job in trying to match these different tones vocally. The lyrics remain honest and true which is a good thing.
This Beautiful Republic mixes their sound up a bit in this album. Some of it, like the heavier songs, works while other things, like the more radio friendly pop rock songs, don't quite work. But I do admire the fact that they wanted to change their sound up a little and experiment with different rock genres. It's also a bit of a bittersweet moment in knowing that this is the final album the band will ever put out. I wished they were still around to show me what was up their sleeves for a potential third album but, alas, that will never happen.
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Rock N' Roll Honesty | Posted March-29-2013
This Beautiful Republic's debut album delivers honest lyrics mixed in with a pure rock sound that has a wide appeal. Lead singer Ben Olin's voice is easy on the ears and fits in well with the sound the band is going for. It's a great album that manages to rock out while delivering an honest message about how we need to change the way we view ourselves.
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More Melodic Then Previous Albums | Posted March-29-2013
With Redeemer, Norma Jean delivers a mre melodic album that still contians the things that make the band who they are. Cory's signature scream is on fine display, the instruments produce brutal metal sounds like clockwork, and the lyrics have the same punch as they always do. What makes this album more melodic then previous albums is that there is more of an emphasis on singing vocals. They're pretty good and keep in line with the melodic tone of the album. While fans of the band might be a bit put off by the direction they chose to go here, Redeemer is still a fine Norma Jean album that does deserve at least a listen.
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Laying Down the Foundation of Norma Jean | Posted March-28-2013
While Norma Jean's debut album laid the groundwork for what they were about, this album solidifies it. Even though the controlled chaos is more toned down here, the band still manages to deliver a brutal, yet odd sound with a bit of melodic work thrown in. This album also loses the live raw quality in favor of a more produced effort, which I'm fine with. O God, The Aftermath takes steps to differentiate Norma Jean from former lead Josh Scogin's The Chariot in honing the chaos while still delivering a unique sound and they do a pretty good job of it.
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Norma Jean Debuts With Gusto | Posted March-28-2013
Norma Jean's debut album sets the groundwork for what the band would offer us in the then future. Corey's signature scream, the odd syncopation with the instruments, and the brutal sound that would carry them through the Solid State years. This album also seems to be influential in the way it was recorded. The band decided here to record the album live and without the use of computers, something the band The Chariot would later do for their debut album. Recording this way makes the album feel raw and unique. This album is a great and unique way to get your band's name out there.
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While the Members Stay the Same, the Sound is Wildly Different | Posted March-25-2013
This album showcases a very different Hawk Nelson. After Jason Dunn left, guitarist Jon Stiengard stepped up to fill the void. This version of the band is a very poppy, radio-friendly band now and I feel like it's going to take some time to get used to this new direction. While most of the songs on this album sound like standard pop rock radio fare, there are some songs that have that old Hawk Nelson punk style to them. On a positive side, Jon's vocals are supurb and feel like a natural continuation for the band.
While Made may showcase a different Hawk Nelson and have most songs sound standard for radio rock, there are enough elements I liked to make this album worth a listen.
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After a Somber 2012, Heath McNease Starts 2013 On A Lighter Note | Posted March-25-2013
Heath McNease had a very busy 2012. He released an acoustic EP and 2 full-length albums. All of these releases showcased the more serious side of his music so it was well deserved that his first release of the new year (at least that's what I'm assuming if he does indeed release more albums during the year,) be a mixtape that doesn't take its lyrics seriously at all. And it's a fun listen. Heath proves that he can rap with the best of them as he manages to take beats of rap songs he probably grew up on and matched the flow with his own lyrics perfectly.
If you're looking for the lighter side of Heath McNease, this mixtape is right for you. Plus, it's free on his bandcamp page so you have no excuse to get it.
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