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Circa Survive – Blue Sky Noise

April 18, 2010 By Max Specht 1 Comment

Artist: Circa Survive
Album: Blue Sky Noise
Label: Atlantic Records
Purchase: iTunes
Release Date: April 20th, 2010

Overall: 9.0
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 9.0
Production: 9.0

After a few years, and a couple side projects, Circa Survive are back with their highly anticipated third album Blue Sky Noise. Following their previous record On Letting Go, it seemed like the only place to go was up for the band, but does the new album live up to the expectations that the band set themselves up too?

One of the complaints that could have been made about Circa Survive’s previous records was that they didn’t stray far from the alternative rock sound, playing with the same old ideas of needling guitars and drawn out melodies. It was something they were (and are) great at, but it could only be done so many times. Blue Sky Noise takes a different turn with the bands sound, with a much more decidedly rock vibe to it. Whether it be the intense (and I do mean intense) screams on “Get Out” or the rocking guitars of “Fever Dreams,” the expansion of their sound is a welcome edition to their catalogue.

That’s not to say though that the entire album is all new, there is still plenty of the old Circa Survive that people have loved since day one. A song like “The Longest Mile” really calls to the bands earlier material, or the haunting echoing sounds of “Glass Arrows.” Blue Sky Noise is as different as it is the same, and many diehard listeners will most likely respect this from the band.

The last thing about this album, and the most controversial, would Anthony Green’s voice. It’s really a love/hate affair with all listeners, and this album will only spark more debates over whether he has a place in music. His voice has easily gotten more gruff and it’s harder to hit those really high notes heard on previous affairs, but it does add to the intensity of their sound. While at other times, when Green is singing in his lower register, it amounts to some of the best songs on the album (most notably “Frozen Creek” and “Spirit Of The Stairwell” which are both beautiful). His voice is most definitely an acquire taste, but those who like it will love it this time around.

All in all, Blue Sky Noise is a welcome addition to the Circa Survive’s discography. This album won’t grab you right out of the blue the moment you hear it if you are a casual listener, but you’ll find it growing on you listen after listen. The band has acquired a certain explosive, yet subdued sound, that most other bands don’t have (or can’t control) which makes them very special in their own right.

Cobra Starship – Hot Mess

September 3, 2009 By Max Specht 2 Comments

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.

Unfortunately there’s no excuse to make a song like “Nice Guys Finish Last” passable as a legitimate Cobra Starship tune (especially the opener), it leads the album off on a bad foot as it sounds like a rejected Britney Spears song (Blackout, not Circus…). Already one might be contemplating their purchase of the album.

The aforementioned track is probably the only one that really brings Hot Mess down to any bad level. The rest of the tracks are either great, good, or just kind of a letdown. Nothing else really screams terrible or bad. Songs like “Pete Wentz Is The Only Reason We’re Famous” and “Move Like Your Gonna Die” pay tribute to the sounds of their debut and sophomore album (more guitar and fast pacing) that make them shine on an album filled with electronic beats.

But the songs that do rock with a more mechanical song are also good. The falsetto led chorus of “Living In The Sky With Diamonds” feels good and dances along at a nice pace (also with probably the best lyrics on the album), and “Hot Mess” is anthemic in nature and really calls for some hardcore chanting at the chorus (don’t pay attention to the use of the word “boo” though).

It seems that Cobra Starship are genuinely happy with where they are at in music. And it just so happens that they are reaping the benefits with the lead single “Good Girls Go Bad” being played on radio stations nation wide. It’s good to see Gabe Saporta finally getting the attention he deserves, he’s come this far and the mainstream is his to call home now. While the lyrics aren’t really up to snuff most of the time, and the music can be overly obnoxious, it’s a fun record with catchy songs and a good time to be had.

You Bring The Talent

January 23, 2008 By Bryce Jacobson Leave a Comment

UBER.com, in conjunction with A&R Worldwide’s MUSEXPO, Atlantic Records, Peer Music Publishing, Rebel Group/ADA Distribution and The Agency Group, announced the launch of the online music talent search, You Bring The Talent.

The winning musician/band will receive:
-An EP deal with Atlantic Records
-A music publishing deal with Peer Music
-A Booking Deal with The Agency Group
-Distribution through ADA from The Rebel Group
-A Showcase at The House of Blues in Hollywood, CA

HOW TO ENTER:
1) Sign up on Uber.com and make sure to check the Musician box on the form (this will allow you to add your music to your page.)

2) Gussy up your page with photos, music, your bio and make it all fancy-like, which is super easy on Uber.

3) Head over to the You Bring the Talent page on Uber and grab the embed code for your Voting Module, so you can pop it on your Uber page, or anywhere else you want people to vote for you.

WHAT TO KNOW:
1) The contest is open until March 31st, so there’s plenty of time to sign up and get people to vote for you.

2) Your fans can vote ONCE EVERY 24 HOURS.Ã‚ That’s right–all of your friends and fans can vote for you once every day, so let people know at your shows and on your website (where you can definitely put up your Voting Module.)

3) Think about this — If you’ve got 1000 MySpace friends and half of them vote for you three times a week, that’s 15,000 votes.Ã‚ Not too shabby.

4) You can check out the official rules here.

Funeral For A Friend – Tales Don’t Tell Themselves

May 19, 2007 By Paul Bruens 4 Comments

Artist: Funeral For A Friend
Album: Tales Don’t Tell Themselves
Label: Atlantic Records
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: May 15, 2007

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

First off I have to say that what I’m going to say about this album many may not agree with. If you are listening to Funeral For A Friend for the first time I’m sure you will like this album, if you are an old fan you will probably be pissed off because it’s nothing like “Causually Dressed In Deep Conversation” and “Hours”. Honestly “Hours” was just leading up to this album with the gradual change in style. There is no screaming at all in this album, which is what many people enjoyed to hear when listening to this band. “Hours” had some screaming but not too much, in this album it’s just completely mainstream rock. This album is actually a concept album about a fisherman lost at sea and trying to find his way home. Every track on this album is arranged in such a way that you can feel the intensity of the story that the band is telling through the music. This is one of the most well put together concept albums I’ve heard in a while.

The album begins with the single “Into Oblivion (Reunion)”, which has a main purpose to show the introduction to the story. Immediately you can tell from this song that the band has developed into a more mature rock sound than previous albums. The song has an anthem type of sound with soaring guitars in the chorus. This song also has strings and guitars in the verse that just cruise along with the lyrics. “The Great Wide Open” is more a rocker type of song. Then there is “The Diary”, which could easily be the next single, and has more of a pop rock feel. “On A Wire” is one of the slower songs, and is a type of ballad with a emotional hard-driven chorus. The “All Hands On Deck” songs are a bit more lively than the rest of the songs, and you can definitely tell how these tell the exciting parts of the story. “Out Of Reach” is definitely one of the faster songs on the album, and gives off a somewhat similar sound of their previous styles of music. The album finishes off nicely with “The Sweetest Wave”, which is a quite lengthy song with a little bit of strings and piano. The song starts off slow but has a hard hitting face paced sound differing from any kind of music ever played by the band.

I’ll say it again, this is a good album. Everyone should definitely give this a listen, if you don’t like it immediately just give it time. I honestly can see this album getting popular and very big. This will be one of the better albums released this year, and also one of the most hated and criticized albums due to everyone judging this music compared to previous Funeral For A Friend releases. Disregard the older cds before you listen to this and come into it like it is a whole new band and take it for what it is, a conceptual album that tells a story with 10 catchy well written rock songs.

Standout Tracks
“Into Oblivion (Reunion)”, “The Diary”, “All Hands On Deck Part 1: Raise The Sail”

Tracklisting
1. Into Oblivion (Reunion)
2. The Great Wide Open
3. The Diary
4. One A Wire
5. All Hands On Deck Part 1: Raise The Sail
6. All Hands On Deck Part 2: Open Water
7. Out Of Reach
8. One For The Road
9. Walk Away
10. The Sweetest Wave