Cinematics, the debut full-length from Tampa-based theatrical pop rockers Set It Off, may be one of the most diverse albums of the year. Having wanted to go for a more orchestral feel, listeners can expect a dramatic sound filled with perfected musical craftsmanship in each track.
With his debut LP It’s Not An Excuse, It’s A Reason, Marcio Novelli proves that great music isn’t written with intentions to impress the masses, but as a personal anecdote by the musician. Recorded in just two weeks and produced by Jim Wirt (Incubus, Jack’s Mannequin), Novelli’s debut is a revival of simple pop rock with meaning, the kind that has been fading out since 2005.
The first challenge of properly absorbing Benjamin Gibbard’s first solo album Former Lives: separating the Death Cab For Cutie and Postal Service versions of Gibbard from the solo one. The new album is more gritty and acoustic than his former beloved gentle indie catalogue, true, but Former Lives needs to be experienced in its own right without any shackles of the past.
Please Remain Calm stands as an anthem for a lost generation. In a time of questions and heartache, Hostage Calm rises to the occasion to capture the story of the youth in a dwindling nation.
In an age where sometimes it seems that computers have replaced instruments and auto-tune has replaced voice lessons, from time to time it’s best to go back to the basics of raw simplicity – to show off your untainted, unrestricted talent in a stripped-down and intimate way. Joshua Michael Robinson’s Intentions does just that, combining powerful lyrics with modest instrumentals that really shine the spotlight on his distinctive voice.
The Classic Crime’s independently-released Phoenix embodies melodic rock intensity with its driving beats and epic build-ups, but also manages to tone down the energy at key points to flavor the album with softer emotion precisely when required.
With their self-titled EP, Sparks The Rescue have taken everything that was great about their last album – the catchy lyrics, the progressiveness of their sound, that “get up and dance†attitude – and fused it with their old school style to create an unforgettable seven-track compilation sure to get you off your feet with their first independent release since parting ways with Fearless Records.
Fresh from the golden state, Silver Snakes are joining a wave of contemporaries who are putting the rock back into punk rock.
For his forthcoming fourth album The Midsummer Station, Owl City’s Adam Young did something he has never done before: he collaborated with co-producers, co-writers, and other artists. The album is a culmination of crisp, finely-tuned vocals, and explosive pop tunes that will delight the moment they hit.
Winds Will Change makes it apparent that although happy pop music isn’t what Beckett does best, he still has it in him to provide music with deeper subject matter and more impressive musicality.
