Driven Far Off

The latest on the indie, alternative, and rock music scene including news, music, contest, interviews, and more. Best described as your favorite place to find new bands.

Birthday Boys – Bad Blood

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Artist: Birthday Boys
Album: Bad Blood
Label: Unsigned
Purchase: Official Site
Release Date: July 7th, 2009

Overall: 8.5
Music: 8.0
Lyrics: 7.5
Production: 9.0

It is odd to imagine any band beginning their album with a haunting chain gang chorus introduction, it is perhaps a concept lost on many bands in the scene nowadays. But for the Birthday Boys and their latest album Bad Blood, it is an idea that works and fits their sound to a T. 

The aforementioned song is the introduction track “Making Room For Grace” on Bad Blood. Grandoise vocals, punchy delivery, and gritty guitar work exemplify their appeal to all different kinds of listeners, making this track a great start for anybody looking to find their next favorite band.

Painted all over Bad Blood are many different shades of a band. Whether it be showing off their screamo chops in “The Drug”, or their pop-punk-ish charm of standout track “Let It Die” which echoes the statement “I can’t wait to get in your head”, until it becomes a reality for the listener. Although someone could jump to conclusions and say that the Birthday Boys don’t know who they are just yet while bouncing through genres, it just as easily shows their versatility and ability to stay the same band while seamlessly searching through sounds and hitting hard each time.

The time when the Birthday Boys really shine is when they slow it down a bit as well though, songs like “Baby Come Home” – while the title implies a bad Buckcherry b-side – is a song that remains on the somber side of the scale, while still rocking just as much as heavier tracks like “Vigorous Fiction”. Also the final track “Barfight”, which is easily one of the best tracks to end on, seeing as how it ends on the same haunting note the album began with. Chilling lyrics and a haunting melody that drifts through until the final echoes of the track bring the album to a close. 

Bad Blood is an album that is rough, gritty, while being a great time. Birthday Boys bring with them a very candid honesty that makes them a joy to listen to. Knowing when to rock and when to slow it down is very important in music, and it seems as though this band has the ability to know how to pace themselves. 

The Matches: A Retrospective

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“Do you belong to a song?/Does it drag you along by the tongue at the top of your lungs” – Salty Eyes, The Matches.

And so we say goodbye to another band that have made the music scene what it is today, The Matches. Today they announced that they are going on hiatus, which is the nice way of saying that they are breaking up while remaining on good terms. And so we have a catalogue consisting of the some of the best albums out there for us to live with that make The Matches who they are (were?).

[Read more…]

Taking Back Sunday – New Again

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Artist: Taking Back Sunday
Album: New Again
Label: Warner Bros./Victory Records
Purchase: Amazon
Release Date: June 2nd, 2009

Overall: 10.0
Music: 10.0
Lyrics: 10.0
Production: 10.0

Taking Back Sunday have been through a lot since their release of Louder Now: they have lost a great guitarist/co-vocalist in Fred Mascherino, on top of the luke warm reception from fans and critics alike to their major label debut (the previously mentioned Louder Now). Now with a new guitarist and a fresh batch of tunes, Taking Back Sunday are back to prove that they are better then ever and ready to become the mainstream heavy hitters they deserve to be with their new record New Again.

The album gets right on track with the title track “New Again”, which opens with a catchy bass groove and leaps into a powerfully catchy chorus that echos the sentiment “I am/Ready to be new again”, and from the confidence in vocalist Adam Lazzara’s voice it seems that it is a very sincere statement by the band.

The entire album is filled with different leaps and bounds in influence and song styles that make it feel like Taking Back Sunday aren’t afraid to step outside the “emo” boundaries that critics have laid out for them. Whether the evidence is found in the U2 influenced, arena rock melodies of “Where My Mouth Is” and “Capital M-E”. Or the aggressive tendencies of songs like “Lonely, Lonely” (notice the snarl in Lazzara’s voice at times) or “Carpathia” that leave any indication that their songs fit into the stereotype of the “whiny emo band vocals” in the dust.

It might be hard for older fans to accept who Taking Back Sunday are becoming, a band that is fully prepared for the limelight and aren’t afraid to grow up and become more mature with their musicianship (See: “Summer, Man”). There is something very charming and respectful to be found in seeing a band moving on from what they know to discover who they are becoming.

Maybe that’s why it seems all to appropriate that “Everything Must Go” acts as the final track on the album, it sums up everything Taking Back Sunday are leaving behind to become better at what they do. Whether it be in the guise of a relationship, it feels as though it is an ode to who they were and proving that they aren’t afraid to move on. And for that, I applaud Taking Back Sunday for being able to take chances in order to become better, New Again is a great summer album and shouldn’t be leaving anyone’s musical rotation any time soon.

The Friday Night Boys – Off The Deep End

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the-friday-night-boysArtist: The Friday Night Boys
Album: Off The Deep End
Label: Fueled By Ramen/The Party Scene/Photo Finish Records
Purchase: Fueled By Ramen Webstore
Release Date: June 9th, 2009

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

Pop-punk is a genre where it’s to easy to get written off and compared to another band, and to hard to stand on your own. This leads us to The Friday Night Boy’s debut album on Fueled By Ramen Records entitled Off The Deep End. This title is all to appropriate for what The Friday Night Boys are doing, they have already dived into a genre that is so filled with no-name, flavor of the week bands and positioned themselves at the fore-front of the genre.

Off The Deep End starts off strong with the track “Permanent Heartbreak”, this is the perfect track to start the album off with as it features everything The Friday Night Boys are good at doing: anecdotal lyrics, catchy rhythms, and an incredibly powerful chorus that begs to be screamed at concerts nationwide. It’s a recipe for success and one that the boys have spent no time perfecting in their own unique way (See: “Hollow”’s guitar riff and “Molly Makeout”’s chorus) with electronic beats and an impressive vocal showing from singer Andrew Goldstein.

At each and every turn of the record there is more reason to fall in love with the sound shown. Whether it be the quaking bass of “Suicide Sunday”, or the blistering electronic beats of “How I Met Your Mother”, each and every track brings its own hook or special something that makes it different from the other tracks and solidifies the ability to dance around the genre every which way.

Even when they slow things down like in the song “Finding Me Out” and “Can’t Take That Away”, and “The First Time” it’s all to obvious that the boys themselves hold with them a certain charm that makes them accessible to mostly everyone. Even though the occasional shameless plucking of heart strings is something you may have to hear, it’s all apart of the grand package.

While it might be easy for critics and haters alike to write off the Friday Night Boys as just another one of those bands that are here today, gone tomorrow. It is very plain to see that they have a lot to bring to the table as far as music is concerned, they are keen artists with a knack for catchy riffs, melodies and hooks galore. It will be beyond interesting to see where they take there music from here, seeing just how deep they can go.

Hello Operator Interview – May 13th, 2009

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Hello Operator are an up-and-coming band from Canada that have been making waves with songs like “Chasing Sattelites” and their latest single “Take Me Away”. Their infectious synth arena rock is one of the catchiest in music right now. I recently got the oppurtunity to ask Evan (Keyboards) about their upcoming tour, a new album, and Trent Reznor.

Keys N’ Krates Interview – May 14th, 2009

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Keys N’ Krates are a group who have proclaimed that they have “Re-Invented The remix”. I recently got a chance to ask them a few questions about their live show, touring, and “Yo Gabba Gabba”. Here’s what they had to say.

 

 

 

Please introduce yourself and your role in Keys N’ Krates?

This is Matisse the  co-creator, keyboardist, and mic man

How did you get started, what is the origin behind the group?

Basically Flo was working in the dj world and wanted to work more
closely with musicians.  I was coming off a lot of experience working
with bands and musicians but really wanted to cross into the Dj world.
We both had this idea about what could happen if you mixed djing with
live music in a club setting.

We had a mutual friend who introduced us.  We started jamming out and
vibing with each other and realized we had a lot of good ideas.  I
told my long time friend and drummer Adam Tune about the project and
he thought it was dope and joined in as well.  We locked ourselves in
a rehearsal room for 6 months and came up with our first live remixing
show.  The idea has been evolving ever since.  Even we don’t know
where we will end up.

Your myspace prominently displays the message “we re-invented the
remix” could you please elaborate on that?

 We combine sampling, turntablism,keyboards, and drumming to produce
remixes and we do it all 100% live.    We remix old tracks known or
unknown and repackage it to the masses with our own spin on it. The
fact that we are performing it all live has never really been done
before.  Hence we re-invented the remix.

Which of your remixes do you enjoy the most, or found particularily
interesting in one way or another?

mmm my favorite live remix of ours right now is our alliyah -one in a
milli remix.  There are a lot of cool musical elements we brought to
that track.  The way we flipped the beat and added the middle build up
section to me is siccckk.  I’m also a fan of our live remix C.E.O.  We
took that one and turned it into this epic almost movie soundtrack
arrangement.  The crowd always rocks out to it when we do it.

How do you feel thus far about your tour and the crowds you’ve been
performing with?  
I love touring. Love it!
 Some people get sick of it but so far I can’t get enough of it.   I
live to be on the road.  Even love the food.  The crowds have been
good to us where ever we end up.  Screaming and dancing like they’re
at a rock concert.
What can people expect from your shows that they wouldn’t find at just
any other club show?
 Our musicality for one.  A lot of bands start
playing live and kinda learn their instruments as they go.   All of us
are very good at our individual instruments and we take pride in
putting together a musically challenging performance. 

Also we have a lot of fun while we’re on stage and get really into
what we’re doing.  I think our fans pick up on that energy and that
gets them partying even harder.

If you had the ability to collaborate with any contemporary artist who
would it be?  
Y’know its funny but  I would really like to remix
Alicia Keys.  That’s just me though as a  fellow pianist and singer.
If you could be responsible for any one hit wonder in history, which
would it be?   
I would’ve wanted to produce the song Baby got Back by
Sir Mix a lot.
That song is the shit and I’d still be getting royalty checks haha
What is one musical trend or fad that you can’t stand and why?

Aaarrrrggghhh  Twitter and the music industry.

I have an account and I can’t stand the damn thing.  I mean who cares
what the hell I’m up to everyday.  Seriously?  Its an unfortunate evil
that we have to use it online.   I know some people are gonna fight me
on that.   But what is this thing and why do people find it
entertaining to read someone else’s pointless updates about eating
eggs in the morning?  I mean what the fuck is a twitter anyway?
TWITTER me?  C’monnnnn

On the group’s blog, JR Flo mentioned that he would want to be on the
show Yo Gabba Gabba one day, if you had the oppurtunity to be on the
show what subject would you want your song to be about?

If I was on there my song would be teaching kids about the dangers
of eating KFC.  I’ve eaten a lot of KFC in my day and kids let me warn
ya.
But…I….can’t……STOP.

Who are some other people in your genre of music that you feel are
talented and about to break?  
I don’t really pay much attention to
what other remixes are out.  I kinda just listen to good music.  I do
pay attention to other Canadian artists. Obviously Drake is gonna be
big.  I’m a fan of Zaki Ibrahim as well.
Thank you very much for taking time out to do this interview, any last
words for our readers at Driven Far Off?   
Yeah, Don’t do drugs.
Thanks goes out to Jesper for arranging the interview and Matisse for taking time out to answer the questions.