Artist: Every Avenue
Album: Picture Perfect
Label: Fearless Records
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date: November 3rd, 2009

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

A little more than a year ago, Ever Avenue began turning heads with their debut album Shh…Just Go With It. Their standard pop-punk fare was super sweet and sugary with hooks, but couldn’t seem to hold fans over for very long leaving people craving more after a brief sugar high. Now they are back with their second album Picture Perfect, looking to shake things up and turn the volume up higher than ever.  Read more...

Artist: Blessthefall
Album: Witness
Label: Fearless Records
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date: October 6th, 2009

Overall: 8.5
Music: 9
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 8

A band losing a member can often spell disaster, or a new beginning. In the case of Blessthefall they lost their lead vocals in the form of Craig Mabbit (now of Escape The Fate), but rather then call it a day as a band they were able to replace him with Beau Bokan on their sophomore release Witness. And the final product is a band reinvigorated, with more energy then ever the ability to rock out has been amplified to a new degree.  Read more...

 

Artist: Breathe Carolina
Album: Hello Fascination
Label: Fearless Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: August 18th, 2009

Overall: 6
Music: 6
Lyrics: 5
Production: 7

The opening riffs off of Breathe Carolina’s sophomore album (debut for Fearless records) Hello Fascination mark a step in a different direction for the band. The implementation of real instruments in their music, moving away from the strict electronic beats of their debut It’s Classy Not Classic. Already there is a sense of hope for a band that has garnered nothing but hate from bloggers and critics around the internet, but it’s hard for a band to go from hated to loved in one day.  Read more...

Artist: Cobra Starship
Album: Hot Mess
Label: Decaydance Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: August 11th, 2009

Overall: 7
Music: 7
Lyrics: 5.5
Production: 8

Cobra Starship have been on their way to becoming what they are for a while now, so it should come to no one as a surprise that their third album titled Hot Mess is a melting pot of electronically layered pop-punk with lots of attitude and neon. While this album will garner so much hate it is unprecedented by any other band in the scene with such a career, it is still an album that has its moments and shines through at just the right times.  Read more...

Artist: Owl City
Album: Ocean Eyes
Label: Universal Republic Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: July 14th, 2009

Overall: 7.5
Music: 8
Lyrics: 7
Production: 8.5

Maybe it’s getting to hard to make music nowadays, it seems that any kid with a laptop can make beats in his basement and croon some sweet nothings (complimented with auto-tune of course) and can snag himself a couple of bucks and some groupies. This genre is littered with so many bad acts that it is even hard to acknowledge the ones that do it well. Enter: Owl City, the one-man band that uses all of these characteristics in a hated genre with good results (he’s your girlfriend’s favorite band you know?)  Read more...

   

Artist: Hot Chelle Rae
Album: Album Sampler
Label: Jive Records
Purchase: iTunes

Overall: 7.5
Music: 7.5
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 8.0 

Hot Chelle Rae are not afraid to say what they are all about if the first track off their album sampler is any indication. “I Like To Dance” bursts right out with slick guitars and a bouncy rhythm that echoes a very clear sentiment in the chorus, “I like to dance / So if you do just get on the floor / forget the romance / this is what music was created for”. This radio-ready pop hit is the anthem for every single hipster wall-flower to hit the dance floor and it works! shiny rhythms and endearing vocals help propel it to future hit success.  Read more...

  

Artist: After Midnight Project
Album: Let’s Build Something To Break
Label: Universal Motown Records
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date: August 11th, 2009

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

It seems that lately the “scene” is littered with to many bands not caring about the message behind their music, it’s all about partying and dancing the night away. Most of the time this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it can give birth to some quality tunes, but every now and again music with “meaning” is important to listen to as well. This brings us to major label signees After Midnight Project and their latest release Let’s Build Something To Break.  Read more...