On their appropriately titled debut LP, Youth, Citizen unsurprisingly addresses coming-of-age angst – typical fodder for most young, earnest pop punk bands – yet somehow they accomplish it without sounding stale or cliche.
Say Anything treated New York fans to a special night of b-sides and deep cuts when the Rarities Tour hit Irving Plaza. Photos by Tanya Gelman.
Waiting For The Dawn can go one of two ways: shuffled in with your summer CD collection to be blasted while driving down the highway, or excavated for a vastly deeper meaning. The album is conscientious in its commentary; always offering nuggets of wisdom and fresh ways to revamp your worldview for the brighter.
Satori is an epic of an album spanning the depths of human emotion. The lyrics are compelling, the melodies are complex but catchy, and the musicianship displays pure talent throughout.
With their third effort J.A.C.K., Forever The Sickest Kids do away with their slew of co-writers and producers, yet the end product, while fun and enjoyable, seems to lack much direction.
Disclaimer: Whenever, If Ever is a love/hate record. If you “get it,†you will be completely floored by its use of vast atmospheric textures and timbres, as well as its nostalgia factor. If you don’t, it will be a whiny, fragmented, enigmatic record that will be a struggle to listen to.
Real Friends are one of those bands who, although their musical repertoire is far from extensive, have yet to put out a bad song. Their latest EP Put Yourself Back Together is no exception – but there’s no sign of the band pushing their limits or trying something new.
Liferuiner have decided to abandon their ties with old tracks like “A Ticket To The Pussy Crusher†and are trying to write honest, optimistic, and influential songs using key ingredients of melodic metalcore and straightedge hardcore: detuned guitars, predictable breakdowns, and lyrics pertaining to life’s inevitable struggles, hardships, and misery.
There’s familiar, comfortable classic rock, and then there’s edgy and energetic Bree, who brings a sharp feminine twist to the tried and true style of rock and roll. She sings with confidence and attitude, and adds an element of fierceness as bright as her red lipstick and flying V guitar.
Forever Halloween digs deep to unearth some serious human truths – and sounds appropriately mature doing so. The album boasts worldliness in comparison to The Maine’s earlier catalogue, and it’s evident from the authenticity of the collection how effectively the members have channeled their experience of growing up into their work.
