Max Specht, Author at Driven Far Off

The Spores – Doompop

March 2, 2009 By Max Specht 1 Comment

Artist: The Spores
Album: Doompop
Label: SideCho Records
Purchase: SideCho Records Store
Release Date: October 14th, 2008

Overall: 8
Music: 8.5
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 8

Doompop? Is it the cool new term to describe someone’s shoes? a new brand of lollipops? Or the latest album from The Spores? The answer would be the latter (although those lollipops sound pretty tasty), Doompop is the latest release from the band The Spores, it’s a genre defining record that meshes cool beats, strong lyrics, and catchy hooks for a one night stand on an apocalyptic dance floor.

The album begins with the instrumental “Blood Red Rose 2″, starting of the album with tapping mechanical drums until the techno breakdown lets you know what the album is all about. It’s very much a chaotic feeling listening to Doompop, but its the sort of “organized chaos” you just can’t help but embrace and lose yourself in.

Doompop retains a very cool, slick sense in every way. From the instruments, right down to the vocal delivery it’s a very cool affair. Right from the beginning, the sex-on-the-dance-floor sentiments exude on “Ghost Town”, or the roughly sensual vocal implications of “Faster Master”, it is an album that doesn’t falter in it’s ability to exude a strong sexuality to it.

Even though at times their are reflections of other female fronted acts in The Spore’s music (Metric, Shiny Toy Guns), for the most part they are able to stay original in their composition of songs, melding the real instruments (“The Spinning Wheel”) with their obvious techno persuasions (“Won’t Save You”). They create a great balance between what’s real and what’s not, adding great effect to the album as a whole.

Something that needs to be noted about Doompop is that, at its heart it is a very pop like record, filled with great vocal hooks and easy to access lyrics. While the atmosphere created in something very dark and chaotic, it’s hard not to get lost in it and truly enjoy what is happening. It showcases a spastic change from genre to genre throughout that makes this release something new every single time. All you can do in the end is embrace the chaos, and enjoy the ride.

Thursday – Common Existence

February 25, 2009 By Max Specht Leave a Comment

Artist: Thursday
Album: Common Existence
Label: Epitaph
Purchase: SmartPunk
Release Date: February 17th, 2009

Overall: 9
Music: 9
Lyrics: 8.5
Production: 8

Thursday is the kind of band that was a front-runner in the scene for the longest time, constantly churning out genre defining albums that one would have assumed would make them a household name. While they received positive reception by everyone across the board, and amassed a devout following of people, Thursday was one of those bands that were constantly on the verge of breaking big while just not sky-rocketing to the heights people expected of them. So around May 2007, they dropped all touring plans and left their label in search of something more. After one sort of live album, Kill The House Lights Thursday are back in full force, with a new record label (Epitaph) and a new record, Common Existence.

“Resuscitations of a Dead Man” pounds right through the beginning of Common Existence, with wails of urgency courtesy of Geoff Rickely this song sets the tone for the entire release. Echoes of urgency, danger and intensity throughout makes this a great introductory track.

Something Thursday have mastered, almost to the point where it is an art form is the scream. A well placed scream can be everything for a track, it can propel the intensity from a two to a ten in a matter of seconds. Songs such as “Circuits of Fever”, with it’s ambient vocals followed by slightly muffled scream, along with some of the best instrumentals on Common Existence, make this track stand out. This is easily one of the best examples of a well-placed scream in music today.

Another great example of Thursday’s musical prominence, is the powerful, acoustic song “Time’s Arrow” which is held up with powerful lyrics and strong production, which make it a moving track. This shows that Thursday are just as skillful at slowing is down, as they are at turning it up that extra notch (see: “Unintended Long Term Effects”)

Common Existence is a remarkable tour-de-force of powerful lyrics, clever instrumentation and devotion for music. Each track echoes with meaning, passion and catchiness. Whether it be the dark screams in “You Were The Cancer”, or the light “ooo’s” of “Circuits of Fever” that catapult this album into a league of it’s own and push Thursday into becoming even more prolific then they already are.

Track Listing

1. Resuscitation Of A Dead Man
2. Last Call
3. As He Climbed The Dark Mountain
4. Friends In The Armed Forces
5. Beyond The Visible Spectrum
6. Time’s Arrow
7. Unintended Long Term Effects
8. Circuits Of Fever
9. Subway Funeral
10. Love Has Led Us Astray
11. You Were The Cancer

Michael Zapruder – Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope

February 12, 2009 By Max Specht 6 Comments

Artist: Michael Zapruder
Album: Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope
Label: SideCho Records
Release Date: March 24th, 2009

Overall: 9.0
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 8.5
Production: 8.0

Nowadays, it’s becoming harder and harder to find a musician that deserves to be called a “song writer”. With hooks becoming more and more necessary for success, the true artistry behind music is being sacrificed to those who are masters of alliteration and clever metaphors. Gone are the days of meaningful lyrics draped with light but powerful instruments. But every now and again, we find someone who does deserve this title, someone who puts together an album that is thought out, planned and meticulously carved into a piece worthy of great praise. This brings us to Michael Zapruder’s album, “Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope.”

“Happy New Year” leads the track in with light piano and mildly electronic drums that introduce us to the world to Michael Zapruder. This song brings us right in with very catchy instrumentals coupled with sentimental lyrics, that along with Michael’s stream of consciousness type lyrics bring us full-force into this album.

Whether it be the Arcade Fire-esque “Ads For Feelings”, the beautiful piano in “Can’t We Bring You Home” which propels straight to an older time in the basement of a pub somewhere in downtown New York, as Michael softly croons the title of the track with light strings howling in the background. Whether it be the acoustic tinges of “Harbor Saints”, which just makes the listener feel good. It’s all to apparent that “Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope” is a CD that makes you feel as if you are the only person that understands it, yet you want all of your loved ones to hear it and love it just as much as you.

The thing that makes this album stand out amongst it’s contemporaries, is that it feels as though every single note, every single lyric is thought out and meticulously crafted into one beautiful composition of music. This album could be life’s work that is how well put together it is. It feels as though it has taken years to get it out to people, because every second with it is appreciated and lovingly taken care of.

In conclusion, “Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope” is a very diverse and well approached and implemented piece of work. It basically defines all that is right with music right now, and should serve as a precedent to any other potential artist out there as how to execute a great record. This album deserves all the praise in the world, it has no flaws as each moment is enjoyed and cherished. This album needs to be heard by everyone you know, for music’s sake.