Modern Baseball - Your Graduation from "You're Gonna Miss It All". Run For Cover Records Modern Baseball have relatability down to a fine art. Their debut album, the critically acclaimed and generally amazing Sports, perfectly translated the emotions of your average 17 year old into a set of emo tinged, 90s-esque pop rock tracks. Hearts were won, angst was shared and Modern Baseball found their niche as a band who could cater to all sub-genres - the only listening requirement was a functioning set of human emotions. A year later, the PA band have returned with the announcement of a new album "You're Gonna Miss It All" and a new single, "Your Graduation". Now it's time to see whether Mr Brenden Lukens and his merry men are as talented as it seems or if Sports was just beginners' luck. Well, if "Your Graduation" is anything to go by, Modern Baseball are keepers. Less than three minutes in length, the lead sing...
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Dance Gavin Dance – Acceptance Speech 08 October 2013 Rise Records Rating: 8.7 FFO: Post-hardcore, which apparently isn’t over. Written by Ben Curttright After the 2011 release of Downtown Battle Mountain II , Dance Gavin Dance was a band in disarray. DBMII had seemed like a turning point for Dance Gavin Dance, as both original vocalists were back for the first time since the original Downtown Battle Mountain . It turns out, some things just can’t be recreated, and DBMII turned out to be a bit of a joke. Though the trio of screamer Jon Mess, guitarist Will Swan, and drummer Matt Mingus seemed enthusiastic to work together again, it was clear that vocalist Jonny Craig wasn’t taking the project seriously, and his second stint fronting DGD didn’t last. After Craig’s first departure, the band remade itself behind Kurt Travis. Could Dance Gavin Dance do the same again? Surprisingly, yes. New vocalist Tilian Pearson (ex-Tides of Man) was never g...
Atlas - With Love, Evelyn McHale 16 July 2013 Self Released Rating: 6.7/10 FFO: Anberlin, Conditions, Balance and Composure by Joseph Francolino Atlas ' newest release was recorded under the tutelage of Portrait Recording Studio's Chris Badami (best known for his work with The Early November & Hidden in Plain View) and it feels as tho this album pays homage to the era in which those bands began. A few songs even dabble in the practice of inserting audio clips into instrumental parts which is something that was all the rage back in the day but had died out for some time(as it should have) after it became an overused gimmick. A few newer bands have been pioneering the comeback of this such as Their/They're/There and Tiny Moving Parts and the snippets that Atlas use are pretty tasteful and do add to the songs nicely. Mixing Post-hardcore with a modern alt rock sound, they create something to be proud of sonically. All the songs are well put to...
Haverford – Spirit Bear 03 September 2013 Self-released Rating: 8 FFO: The Early November, Transit, Balance and Composure by Ben Curttright Spirit Bear by Haverford It’s understandable if your Internet browsing or show-hopping hasn’t yet led you to Haverford. The Long Island five-piece only entered the scene a year ago. But, what a year it’s been. Since releasing their first EP, Wisdom Lost, in September 2012, Haverford have been featured on several splits and compilations alongside bands like State Lines, Captain, We’re Sinking, and Dowsing. The next natural step is, of course, a full length, and Haverford have answered the call with Spirit Bear, a remarkably mature album from such a young band. Immediately, the notion of Spirit Bear as a complete album shows itself through the ambient lightness of the intro track, “Anxious”, which features sliding, tapped guitar, slow drumming, and ethereal, building vocals. Several more traditional songs follow the intro. The...
Ghost Thrower - Halloween In Brooklyn Self Released September 08, 2013 by Brian Nissen Ghost Thrower by Ghost Thrower Ghost Thrower has always achieved a great blend of punk, pop punk and our old melodic hardcore favorites (Split-lip, Dag Nasty, Rites of Spring...you know the ones), but with this track they don't give us just more of the same. The musical fragment that first piques interest on "Halloween in Brooklyn" is the week head-voiced melody sung over the strummed chords. The great counter melody that comes to support after the initial 8-bar motive assures that they are serious about maintaining a vigilant ear from the listeners and not satisfied with just a pique of interest. They are also more aggressive in showing their emo upbringing through this intro and even more so through the sad sounding vocals of the bridge. Emo they are not, though. Rather, they accentuate the drawn out vocals that are heard in ...
Old Gray - Everything I Let Go and The Things I Refuse To Release Date: 22 August 2013 (Europe) Record Label: Dog Knights Productions Rating: 7.8 For Fans Of: La Dispute, Saetia, Merchant Ships By Mark Garza For a lot of people, Old Gray is one of the first bands they listen to when they start getting into emo, screamo or “skramz.” Old Gray has had a history of solid releases, never failing to leave an impression and get listeners enthusiastic over this oftentimes newly found genre of honest, passionate music. Though Everything I Let Go and The Things I Refuse To was a hit or miss for many and came out a year ago this November, it remains one of my favorite EPs of 2012 that remains true to Old Gray’s sound while exploring newer, darker territory. Everything opens with a spoken word piece courtesy of Charlie Singer that, whether because of the striking delivery or the words themselves, leaves a stout sensation of loss and regret, of defeat and concessi...
Crywank - Memento Mori Self Released Stream "Memento Mori" by Kelly Doherty To go into a Crywank song without expecting earth shattering sadness, is a little bit naive. Two albums and a collection of demos in, it's clear that Crywank aka James Clayton, isn't going to turn into a posi-core project any time soon. Yet despite this, I hit the play button on Crywank's new song "Memento Mori" without so much as preparing a box of tissue or bracing myself. So, here's a warning, get ready to get sad. From the opening lyric of " everyone I love is gonna die and I will die as well ", "Memento Mori" is a rawly emotional song from the point of view of the everyman. Quietly questioning coming to terms with mortality, Crywank manages to, yet again, capture the private late night thoughts of an insomniac and play them out on record. Whilst his introspection entirely lacks subtlety, its bluntness makes for a painfully easy to relate...
Football, etc. – Audible Release Date: 13 August 2013 Record Label: Count Your Lucky Stars Records Rating: 9.5 Far Fans Of : Dowsing, Everyone Asked About You, Joie De Vivre By Ben Curttright It’s been two years since Football, etc. released The Draft , and now, the Houston-based trio is back. Their sophomore LP, Audible , contains more sweet melodies, more twinkly guitar, and more American football references. I don’t mean the band American Football, though Football, etc. was certainly influenced by Kinsella emo. For reasons I don’t quite understand, Football, etc. exclusively name their work using arbitrary football terms, leaving us with song titles like “Hut 1” and “Extra Point”. But hey, I don’t judge. At least, not based on song titles. I judge based on musical proficiency, songwriting ability, production quality, catchiness, and the awkward, wonderful feeling that I get when I hear things like the crescendo at the end of Mineral’s “&...
Crash Of Rhinos - Knots Release Date: July 22, 2013 Record Label: Topshelf Records Rating: 8.4 For Fans Of: Braid, Nai Harvest, Prawn By Brian Nissen Knots by Crash Of Rhinos Starting immediately with the opening track, “Luck Has a Name”, Crash of Rhinos make it hard not to be mesmerized by the compelling automaton-like conformity that the two guitarists, two bassists and drummer achieve. Staring into this cleverly crafted machine, where each turning gear knows its role and executes it perfectly, can take you further into the music than the punk-like energy or the sincerity of the vocals ever could alone. Here are call and response melodies, like in the middle of “Luck has no name”, performed with candid communication that feels like honesty you only share with your closest friends. As it is that time spent together creates this open communication between you and your best confidantes, we can assume that time and many late nights were put into practi...
Robins/Baltimore Cuts – Best Friends Split Release Date: August 27, 2013 Sorry Girls Records Rating: 9/10 For Fans Of: Grown Ups, CSTVT, Dikembe Written by Ben Curttright The Best Friends split EP is the first official release by Philadelphia-based Sorry Girls Records, though they have put out some of Baltimore Cuts’ demos over the past few months. And, for two new bands on a new label, Best Friends is an extremely well put-together release. The A-side of the split features two new songs from Robins. “Welcome to Future City”, the opener, is emo punk at its finest; the guitars would sound at home behind clean vocals, but matching them with rough screaming instead makes for a unique feel. The ending of “Welcome to Future City” is too hardcore breakdown-esque for me, but the quality of “That High, That Quick”, their second song, more than makes up for it. “That High, That Quick” has a much more upbeat punk feel, though the cleverly tapped guitar in the verse kee...
State Faults - Meteor No Sleep Records State Faults' new single, "Meteor", is an interesting proposition. Teaming together panicked screams and somewhat math-y instrumentation, the track is a masterclass in how to make your listener feel like the world is ending. The band themselves explained "Meteor" as trying to convey a panic attack through music and, by jove, they succeed. Despite its brevity, "Meteor" suggest we should be very excited for the band's upcoming No Sleep Records debut. Johnny Andrews' strained, incoherent screams sound almost painful and, whilst it isn't exactly pleasant, his vocal performance is the reason people scream over music. With earphones in, his screams block out the world and leave you exhilarated and, possibly, a little angrier than you were before you pressed play. The instrumentation isn't quite as all-consuming, however the band strike a chord with their somewhat discordant but not incred...
Pentimento - Any Minute Now Paper + Plastik Records After a short clean guitar intro, the band Pentimento on their new single "Any Minute Now", which was released exclusively on Absolutepunk.net, establish a Boys Night Out or The Junior Varsity feel...wait...actually, it sounds oddly similar to The Junior Varsity's "Get Comfortable" from their album Wide-Eyed. From the bouncy guitars and drums to the melody and even the timbre of the vocals. Oh well, that's fine I guess. Those bands' clever mix of emo and post-hardcore never really got over-used, so a little revival of their particular sound might be welcomed. The chorus somewhat forsakes that and takes a more generic Jimmy Eat World type alternative rock sound with a simple melody and driving chords. Sounds like a great combination of bands to be compared to, but there are a few flashing red lights on...
Balance And Composure - Reflections Hassle/ No Sleep Records Alternative or post-metal sounding guitars, reminiscent of Deftones, on their new track Reflections, make it clear that Balance and Composure mean to be more than just an alt.-rock band that plays sad songs. Heavy guitars have always been a part of their vocabulary, but now the guitars seem to be supporting the sound with more than just volume dynamics. They give off a new sense of seriousness that compliments their style of emotive music very well. All the while, maintaining their sound is as simple as adding in the occasional twinkly guitar and having the vocals carry the hard hitting lyrics with tarry in the pitch. There is a lot of room to maneuver with the post-metal sounds, so if Balance and Composure are looking to explore it and merge its sounds more than they have before into their already distinct style, the upcoming release could b...
Late Night Beers - Waking EP Release Date: 05 June, 2013 Record Label: Self Release Rating: 8.5/10 For Fans Of: White Lodge, emo goes indie Buy It Here Waking by late night beers _________________________________________________________________ New Jersey's Late Night Beers aren't quite like most other emo bands. Whilst they maintain the wonderful miserablism and sadness that we all know and crave, they present us with an alternative proposition. That proposition in a lovely strain of Smiths-onian indie rock which runs throughout the veins of their modern emo sound. Does Morrissey fronting Dowsing sound good to you? Well, it's time that you listen to Waking, the new three track EP from Late Night Beers. Despite the brevity of the EP, Late Night Beers already come across as a band who know what they're doing. Throughout the three tracks on here, we're introduced into the pretty...
Smalls - Expecting The Worst Release Date: June 03, 2013 Record Label: Self Release Rating: 8/10 For Fans Of: The Wonder Years crossed with Paramore Buy It Here Expecting The Worst by Smalls. _________________________________________________________________________________ Smalls are a four piece pop punk band hailing from Los Angeles. Expecting The Worst is their debut release. Throughout the course of four tracks, we're introduced to a refreshing take on pop punk. Rather than throw their lot in with any particular wave of the genre, the band steer clear of breakdowns or synths and have achieved a sort of timeless pop punk band feel. All of this centred around powerful but likeable female vocals, and Smalls are onto something big here. The songs themselves perfectly display just how good these guys are. Opener, "Lizzie" is relentlessly...