Album Review: Stitched Up Heart - Darkness

We talk often about bands that are doing interesting things with their music, but not so much about bands that are doing interesting things with their music. The world we live in now is not one where every album follows the same path or marketing, promotion, and release. There are a lot of ways of getting your music to the fans, and we get an interesting example of that from Stitched Up Heard with this release, which has been in the making for half a year.

The band has been releasing singles, roughly one per month, for that long, with the vast majority of the record already listened to be many of us before we get to this release date. That makes for an interesting experience, hearing a record taking shape slowly, being intimately familiar with the music when sitting down for the first time to hear the record as a whole. I can't answer the question of whether it was an effective strategy from a marketing perspective, but I can give my own take as a fan. We'll get to that at the end.

But let's talk about the music. Stitched Up Heart is giving us a record that is modern rock, but also a diverse ride through many of the things that phrase entails. The record kicks off with "Lost", which I really liked as a single, and which works beautifully as an opener. The riff is huge, the sound is heavy and modern, and the hook is pure ear candy. It's excellent modern rock with the perfect blend of heaviness and melody.

That describes the majority of the record. If you think of New Year's Day's album from last year, you'll have a pretty good idea of what Stitched Up Heart is doing. They aren't pushing things as aggressively, which makes this record easier to digest and enjoy. Mixi's the star of the show, with her passionate vocals driving the strong hooks, and a tone that plays well against the guitars. Her voice is beautiful without losing its power, which isn't all that easy to achieve.

"Problems" is the catchiest song of the bunch, with a groove-heavy riff, some skittering effects on the vocals, and a chorus that could be a modern pop hit. It's them taking the Billie Eilish formula, and turning it into heavy rock instead. I didn't hear the song that way when it was first released, but in time I started to see it differently, and now it fits into the album in a way I wasn't expecting. There are a few of those effects and production tricks scattered through the record, which ground everything in the here and now, which you can interpret how you want.

The biggest detour is "Crooked Halo", which leaves rock behind for an approach that is almost entirely pop, the dark and quiet kind of modern pop, to be precise. It's my least favorite song on the album, which is otherwise stacked with track after track delivering hooks the crowds will be singing back from the pit on tour, but it does serve as a pivot point where the album can take a breather and keep our ears fresh.

It feels like I've been waiting forever for this album to arrive, and yes, it was worth it. Stitched Up Heart have given us a fun, vibrant rock record that has both broad and deep appeal. I think it's as good a record as the mainstream rock scene is going to see this year, but I have to address the elephant in the room. By releasing so many songs over such a long time before the album dropped, there's less excitement in hearing the record as an entirety. It wouldn't have been better if I heard every song fresh at the same time, but it was a bit odd hearing an album I already knew so much about.

If you haven't been following the singles, then you're in for a treat. "Darkness" is this year's "Breath In Colors" (from Forever Still); the album that makes modern rock sound beautiful, emotional, and really damn good.

Album Review: Silverstein - A Beautiful Place To Drown

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, which is essentially a way of saying everyone tends to get stuck in a rut at a certain point, and anything new is merely the sunlight beating down on us while we're down in our hole. There is some truth in that, but not always. As a music listener, I do tend to stick in my own box, but there are always new wrinkles to explore, and new paths to explore. Last year, I did that with Dream State, who were the first band associated with post-hardcore I found myself enjoying. And it's in that spirit I now take up this new Silverstein album, a band I haven't had the opportunity to listen to before.

It was by happenstance I came across the singles for this record, "Infinite" and "Bad Habit", which both struck me similarly to that experience I had last year. Silverstein is a fusion of punk, pop, emo, and perhaps even a bit of post-hardcore, which is not a sound you would expect me to gravitate towards. And yet, those songs had a wonderful blend of aggression and melody I couldn't deny. And so, here we are talking about the full record.

I know this comparison isn't particularly apt, but this record seems to me to be a better interpretation of what we heard Blink-182 trying to do on their most recent album. They are taking the power of punk, but tilted in a more mature direction. Whereas Blink didn't have the ability to pull that off without resorting to some wise-ass trolling, Silverstein throws in the occasional harsh vocal and breakdown to emphasize the depths they are pulling these songs from. Doing that while still keeping the songs energetic and catchy is a nice feather in their caps.

"Infinite" still stands out as the song you need to hear, because the slightly slower pace heightens the drama, and makes the harsh vocals stand out from the band's fury. It's exactly what you would expect from a band celebrating their twentieth anniversary; a song that knows how to put the band's pieces together for maximum impact. "Shape Shift" follows in similar fashion, and as much fun as the more up-tempo numbers are, it's when they throw more of their emo influences into the mix that the album hits its greatest strengths. That more emotional delivery has teeth to it, and it really gives us something to latch onto.

I also find the AFI vibe on "September 14th" a welcome surprise, and not just because of how far that band has fallen in recent times. It's a throwback to a moment in time I can remember, and hadn't thought much about recently. It's funny how something so simple can take us back like that.

Silverstein might be a bit outside my normal listening, but it's worth it to take risks now and again. "A Beautiful Place To Drown" is an album with a lot going for it, for several different audiences. We don't always get a lot of examples of how teenage music can grow, evolve, and mature as we get older. That's what this record is. The roots are obvious, but the branches have reached far above the soil, trying to grab the heavens. Silverstein have bridged the past and the present, and it's something quite lovely to hear. I'm glad I found myself taking this path.

Album Review: Harem Scarem - Change The World

It's not too often a band that's been around for decades blows you away, or makes their best record. Usually, whether they've run through their best ideas, or we're just tired of hearing their particular sound, the back half of an artist's career doesn't leave the same impact. It does happen, though, such as how I'm the one person out there who says with no hesitation that "Peachtree Road" and "The Captain & The Kid" are Elton John's best records. I seem to be alone out on that limb. It happened a couple of years ago with Harem Scarem, who released "United", which was a masterclass in melodic rock, nearly the album of the year, and quite possibly the best album of its kind in recent memory.

That means the expectations for this follow-up are sky high. It's probably unfair, but since the bar was set by them, it's what we're going to work with.

I'll spare us all the drama. Is this record better than "United"? In a word, no. However, not being better than the best doesn't mean you aren't still great. And this record is still truly great melodic rock.

Harem Scarem have great vocals and great songs, full of big melodies and immediate hooks. Melodic rock has never been a popular subset of the genre, but with songs like this, I'm not entirely sure why. This sound is engaging, welcoming, and charming. It's like arena rock, if you dial down all of the phallic bravado that populated the worst of those bands. Maybe it's a problem that Harem Scarem are making music for adults, rather than teenagers and frat bros, but that's why it's great. They aren't pandering for popularity, they're making music for people who want to hear good songwriting instead of angst and gimmickry.

Harry Hess has a perfect voice for the style, comfortably melodic with just a hint of grit to keep everything from getting too polished. He delivers hook after hook with the confidence of knowing his band is firing on all cylinders. There's a lot of melodic rock being made, but not much of it is this good, and not much of it has its own identity. Harem Scarem doesn't sound like the conveyor belt bands that take their songs from the communal pile. This is clearly a Harem Scarem record, and that goes a long way to making it just that much more enjoyable.

Comparing the two records, "Change The World" is a bit softer, with guitar playing that pulls back a bit from the fiery licks that "United" featured. Relaxed is a word I often thought of listening through these songs. The band has already proven themselves, so they aren't trying to stretch any boundaries or sharpen any axes. That's just fine, but it does mean this record has a touch less spark and bite to it.

But that's not a criticism, merely an observation. Making the exact same record again and again gets redundant, so having a slightly different tone lets this record stand out as its own entity. This isn't "United" part two, no matter how good that idea might sound. "Change The World" isn't trying to be that, which I consider a good thing, because as I said before, measuring up to that bar was always going to be impossible. While I would still point you to the previous record first, "Change The World" is melodic rock at its finest, and a hell of a follow-up.

Album Review: Allen/Olzon - Worlds Apart

We have seen in recent years a number of albums that pair two singers together, ostensibly as a way of trying to shoehorn two fan-bases into buying a single record. That's fine, but there's a simple fact that gets ignored by a lot of these things; a duet needs to have a purpose. One of two things has to happen for these albums to not be wastes of time. Either the two voices need to be different enough that one could not bring both elements to the music, or the songs need to be written from two perspectives. The latter never happens, so we'll focus on the former. There have been a lot of these records (Leone/Conti the most egregious) where the two voices were nearly indistinguishable, but even from the start of this mini-genre, it has been an issue.

Russell Allen and Jorn Lande's initial trilogy of albums paved the way for all of this, and while there is much to love about those records, I would be lying if I said they didn't fall victim to the same problem. Both are fantastic singers, but they are similar enough that either one of them could have sung the entirety of those records with practically no difference to us, the listeners. That's what makes this record so interesting to me, as Allen and songwriter Magnus Karlsson are paired with Anette Olzon, who brings a completely new and different sound to the songs. It's refreshing to hear duets that sound like duets again.

Magnus has written a lot of albums, and lately I will say I haven't been overly impressed by them. I think this is mostly due to the choices of singers, whether the guests on his solo albums, or the pairing with Ronnie Romero (who I find tries way too hard). Allen and Olzon are world-class vocalists, who both happen to have stronger appeal for me, so the melodies sparkle just a bit brighter with their voices. They don't try to push the aggression of the metal, letter Magnus' guitars do that, while they boost the melodic quotient. That's exactly how it should be.

What these two can do that a lot of these albums can't is blend their voices for the choruses. Both the title track and "What If I Live" do this, and the sound becomes deeper and more substantial for it. You can hear both of them, and the way they fill out the spectrum is one of the lost arts of metal. I absolutely love that sound, and those songs.

I have no trouble saying this is the best album Magnus has written in a long time. In fact, this is the first one in ages that reminds me of his glory days (the first two Allen/Lande records and Bob Catley's "Immortal"). It's beautiful, melodic metal at its absolute best. There's a sense of class to this that we don't always get. The cover artwork plays up the demon and angel theme, but that's not what this record is about. They are a yin and yang, but neither one is trying to bring us to the dark side. This entire record is centered on bringing us joy, lifting us up above the fray. That's exactly the sort of feeling we need right now, and damn if this doesn't deliver.

If I'm being honest, there is one criticism I would offer. The album's eleven songs only feature five in which the two singers share the stage. While their solo songs are just as good, I would have loved to have heard even more of them singing together.

When this record was announced, I was intrigued by the pairing. Now that I've heard it, I'm delighted by it. Allen/Olzon has more than lived up to the hype, giving us a fantastic melodic metal album, and if the world stays as it is, perhaps one of the best records 2020 will have to offer.

Bloody Good News: There's Self-Awareness, & Then There's Dave Mustaine

Our Top Story: Emmure vocalist Frankie Palmeri has addressed his own career in a moment of self-reflection, saying "I emotionally and spiritually reject almost every lyric I’ve ever written. It all stems from material pain, a fragile ego, a inability to cope. It’s unfortunate anyone has ever identified with any of what I’ve said in my music."

After that created confusion, he clarified that he doesn't regret writing any of his songs, but he no longer identifies with the person who wrote them, or the feelings captured within them. He went on to say that being around people who don't listen to metalcore (though this extends to much of metal as well) opened his eyes to the "unnecessary onslaught of bullshit emotions" it entails.

I don't think I've ever listened to an Emmure song, so my interest in this topic isn't about Frankie at all. I'm intrigued by the larger question; what do we make of music when it's rejected by the person who created it? We don't have a lot of examples of artists rejecting their own work, partly because many of them aren't self-aware enough to criticize themselves, but also because they don't want to do anything to impact the ability to sell the music.

Hearing someone you look up to telling you enjoying the music you've connected with is unhealthy is not something to be taken lightly. A lot of modern rock and metal is swamped in pain and anger, and there are serious questions that must be asked about how much we can absorb before it becomes dangerous. Music can be a catharsis, a means of getting the negativity out of us, but it can also reinforce it and drive it deeper. We, as listeners, have to know ourselves and be able to tell what the music is doing to us, and where the limits are. I'm not comfortable saying many people, myself included, can do that. It's one of the reasons I try to avoid music that is actively miserable. I didn't expect to hear that thinking mirrored by someone who made that sort of miserable music.

It's a rare moment of existential reasoning I didn't expect to come, and am rather shocked by. We don't get much deep thinking from heavy music, and even if I will never be swayed to listen to Emmure, I appreciate the attempt to start a deeper conversation surrounding the music we listen to. It's needed.

In Other News: The good news is that Dave Mustaine is doing better in his battle against cancer. The bad news is that means Dave is now going to start talking again. In some of his first comments since returning to the road, Dave has not only shoved his entire foot down his throat, but he has reinforced every reason I've considered him one of metal's biggest assholes.

Talking about an incident in 2012 where he accused President Obama of staging the Aurora massacre, among others, Mustaine excused his behavior by saying "I have no regrets. If you weren't there, you won't know what happened. We were in Asia and soon discovered that the guy doing our monitors really wasn't a monitor guy; the first two shows had been disastrous. We got a local guy to help us and it was a fucking mess. Naturally, I threw caution to the wind and we knew we couldn't take the gig too seriously."

Yes, Dave Mustaine is defending his false allegations that the President of the United States faked murders by saying he was upset his sound on stage wasn't good enough, and that he was just joking.

I don't say this lightly; Fuck Dave Mustaine.

Humor is subjective, sure, but there is nothing funny about accusing people of heinous acts, or even crimes. It is a sign of a severe personality disorder that Dave would consider that an appropriate response to a gig going poorly. He's deeply insulting on two fronts. First, his comments are an indication that he didn't give the people who paid good money to see him that night his best effort, which is insulting enough. Second, he passing the blame for his actions onto a member of the crew. No one made him say those things other than himself. No one planted the seeds of conspiracy theories in his head other than himself. No one told Dave to be an asshole, and a possibly racist asshole at that. He did it all on his own.

We aren't all going to agree on politics, but there's a world of difference between have a policy discussion and accusing those on the other side of committing ghastly crimes. But we know who Dave Mustaine is. He has a long history of saying deeply offensive things, making it quite easy to connect the dots between him and racism (he said he knew President Obama wasn't born in The United States - a racist statement), him and sexism, and various other issues. You would think that being nearly 60s years old, and having just faced his own mortality, Dave would have grown up at some point. But he hasn't.

Dave Mustaine is still the same as he ever was; a person too dumb to realize he's not smart. Every time he opens his mouth, he taints Megadeth's legacy even more than the last twenty years of albums have.

The Spider Accomplice Say, "Enough"

It's hard to find your path in these times. There are myriad ways of making your way, and there are no sign-posts anymore to guide you on which will get you to your destination, because at this point all roads lead where you want to go. They may not always be clear, and the footing may be precarious, but the world is now filled with wormholes allowing us to extend our reach anywhere and everywhere. That helps bands like The Spider Accomplice, who can make music free of the shackles that come with chasing the old way of doing things. Even their own old ways, it turns out.

For 2020, the band has a new edge and a new approach. I won't be reviewing an EP from them, because instead I can tell you what they're doing more regularly, with singles being released every so often to ride the crest of the wave. Today, we have the first of those songs, and given that it's an election year, we might all be saying, "Enough!" before too long. (The exclamation point was mine, obviously)

The band is leaning into the territory their last EP pointed us towards, a heavier sound that is a bit darker, and certainly heavier than the majority of what they have done so far. If you remember me raving about their song "Swallow", consider that the blueprint for what they are doing on "Enough", but with less sheen, and more of an influence from 90s rock and metal.

Arno's haunting guitar melody is reminiscent of HIM's "Wings Of A Butterfly", and when he dips into some shred coming out of the choruses, it's just enough (Bad pun, sorry) to flash that this is a new day for the band, without going over the top. Likewise, the piano that enters during the bridge is a moment I imagine being perfect for a Smashing Pumpkins-esque feeling. Every time out, The Spider Accomplice has given us something new and different, and that continues here.

We may not be living int he darkest timeline, but sometimes it feels that way, and "Enough" is a song to get us through that. VK has said that she writes depressing songs for Arno's happy music, but not the two of them are both watching the sun go down, and I have to say it hasn't changed the band's appeal to me. The dichotomy (What's with all the puns?) was wonderful, but so too is hearing VK belting out a song that's more searing, and needs more venom. I won't call it a coming out party, since she has delivered a lot of great performances, but it is something we haven't quite heard before. Her pink visage stands out even more against this musical backdrop.

Different can be scary, but it can also be good. The Spider Accomplice is spinning a new web now, but don't be afraid. It's more than enough. (Seriously? More puns? What's wrong with me?)

"Enough" will be available February 28th. Pre-save the track here.

Album Review: Demons & Wizards - III

It isn't often that dream scenarios come true, and when they do, it often turns into a debacle. The thing we don't always take note of is that just because two artists are great, and might wonder what they would sound like together, doesn't mean that the end result is going to be any good. In the case of Demons & Wizards, it was one of those occasions where everything did fall into place. That first record is one of the more important power metal records of its time, and it stands up as a great piece of work, a perfect fusion of Iced Earth and Blind Guardian. And for those of us like me, who don't like Matt Barlow's voice much, it was even more important.

Fifteen years after their second album, Jon Shaffer and Hansi Kursch have gotten back together for a new outing. Album number three comes after so much has happened to each of them that it's almost difficult to imagine what to expect from their collaboration. There's only one way to find out.

The album kicks off with "Diabolic", which was the first song released to whet our appetites. It stretches eight minutes, building slowly, falling back to the start just when it feels like the song is about to hit its climax. There's very much a prog vibe here, with the hook being subdued compared to the main guitar lead, and two minutes of atmospheric scene-setting tacked on to the end. It was an odd choice for a first single, and is a curious way to open the album. After fifteen years of waiting, I was expecting them to come out of the gates swinging, but that's not what the song is about.

What's interesting about the record is that it almost doesn't feel or sound anything like Demons & Wizards. Jon Schaffer's trademark chugging rhythms are used sparingly here, leaving most of the record to sound like Blind Guardian playing old-school classic rock. That has plenty of curiosity appeal to it, but it's not at all what I would have equated with this project. "Invincible" is a strong song, and Hansi delivers a suitably huge chorus, but there isn't a drop of power metal to be found in it, which is what this band was founded on. I know that people evolve with time, but given the gap between albums, there was no warning the shift would be so drastic.

The most striking feeling I get through the majority of the record is that it feels.... tired. Hansi tries to muster some anger in his delivery, but Schaffer's music doesn't give him much to work with. The rhythms are less intricate than before, the playing lacking a heavy right hand attack. And with the tempos slowing down, that gives the album a very plodding feeling that only plays further into the lack of energy throughout it. "Timeless Spirit" is trying to be an epic that builds from acoustic guitars into a massive wall of melody, but then it spends the last two minutes rehashing the coda in a way that doesn't add anything but frustration. The song hit its climax, but they insist on sticking around for far too long afterward, which weakens the power of what they had accomplished, which honestly wasn't that much. Hansi is more respected than Ripper Owens, but the song is a pale imitation of "The Clouding" from Iced Earth's "Framing Armageddon" album.

In fact, you could say this whole record is like a pale imitation of a Demons & Wizards album. The ingredients are there, but they don't come together whatsoever. The second album brought plenty of questions, but it still had strong songs. This album just doesn't. Schaffer's music is the blandest it's ever been, but Hansi's melodies aren't any better. It's so much a wash of backing vocals with no tune to them that it all fades into a gray fuzz as the hour drags on. Take away those layers upon layers of Hansi's voice, and this record would have nothing to offer.

I wish I could say something snappy here to sum things up, but it's hard to have much to say when the predominant experience an album gives you is boredom. There's your takeaway.

Album Review: Framing Hanley - Envy

It seems like there's a never-ending supply of bands getting back together after years apart, which surprises me, since it's harder than ever for bands to get attention and make money. I'm left wondering if they are regrouping because whatever issues they might have had are behind them, if starting new bands is too hard, of if they know they don't even need to work hard on new music to get their old fans to continue attending shows, which is where the real money is. It's hard to tell when intentions are good, and when something is merely the easiest path forward. I won't try to speculate which is true for Framing Hanley, but this is their first album since breaking up, which leaves me curious.

Listening to "Bubbles", what I'm hearing is a more guitar-based version of the current pop/rock sound. There is a slinky guitar riff in the verse, but the majority of the song is a repetitive attempt to be pop with overlapping vocals that don't really add up to a whole lot. Why that is the starting point of the record is confusing, since the following song, "Misery", has a similar build but a far stronger, bigger, and hookier chorus. If anything, I sort of hear a bit of "Songs About Jane" era Maroon 5 in it, especially the falsetto notes that dot the melody. It may not be the most current of songs, but it's good, which is more important.

Past that, the record settles into a groove where the songs combine slight djenty riffs with emotional vocals, and that results in a record that is able to sound dark and brooding without getting too dour to sit through. Being on the right side of that fine line is the difference between making a record that is weighty, and one that you can't wait to be over. There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel, or else there isn't any reason to keep going. I've heard more than enough bands that don't get that message, and turn their music into aural misery.

As the record unfolds, Framing Hanley brings to mind several bands from the past. There's the aforementioned Maroon 5, but there's also "Puzzle Pieces" and "The Way Down" with a definite aura of classic-era Fall Out Boy, and the closing "Counterfeit" and "Baggage Claim" that are pulled from the "Futures" era of Jimmy Eat World (one of the best, most underrated albums ever). They reach back into the past and pull out threads of sounds we don't get to hear anymore, as bands have moved on to newer and less interesting, directions. The record isn't a throwback, but there is a bit of nostalgia that comes through, at least for me.

Mainstream rock hasn't had much to offer in recent years, with tons of generic bands rehashing the same old thing again and again. Framing Hanley is different enough to stand out from that crowd, and there are some very good songs on this record. It's the sort of album that requires a second thought to understand the nuance of the approach. That might make it unlikely to catch fire in the mainstream, where first impressions are vitally important, but it means "Envy" is more interesting than whatever Theory Of A Deadman, or whatever they're calling themselves these days, is putting out. There's something here, that much I know.

Album Review: We Sell The Dead - Black Sleep

I grew up in the late 80s, so every weekend I was watching reruns of The A-Team, no matter how many times I had already seen them. I must have heard Hannibal Smith say, "I love it when a plan comes together" a thousand times. It's true, and that quip is what comes to mind when I think about We Sell The Dead's first album. No, not because it's true of it, but because it was the complete opposite. The band formed around a multimedia gimmick and songs about Jack The Ripper, which I found to be in poor taste, poorly executed, and rather a mess. The visuals were amateurish, and the songs weren't a lot better. It was biting off way too much for a new band that hadn't even figured out who they were yet.

So for album number two, all of the pretense has been stripped away, and or the better. As the singles were released, each one made me do a double-take, asking if this was really the same band. It is, but they are a completely different beast this time, and it's all for the better. By going back to the basics, We Sell The Dead have taken giant steps forward.

For this record, the band has stripped back their sound to be much more of a classic rock band, leaving behind the gimmick of their debut. This is for the best, as it plays into their strengths. Apollo Papathanasio is one of the best singers in hard rock/metal, and doing anything that distracts from him delivering strong hooks and melodies makes no sense to me. For the first time since leaving Firewind, he finally has a vehicle that puts him in the best light. Many of the projects he's been associated with either pushed him to be someone he wasn't, or didn't have the songs needed to be a true showcase. These men, coming together, have found a creative well.

The record kicks off with "Caravan", where the band is at their heaviest, with hints of plodding doom and middle-eastern melody. It's interesting that the songs biggest moment isn't the hookiest, which plays with out expectations in an unusual way. That song sets the stage for the three songs that were previewed prior to the album's release, "Across The Water", "Black Sleep", and "Carved In Stone". Those songs are three shining examples of melodic hard rock, with great guitar solos and harmonies, a massive blend of guitars and organs, and Apollo delivering unforgettable melodies. It's when he gets huge, catchy melodies that the breathiness of his voice is best used. He can make the stickiest hook still sound heavy, just by virtue of his tone. "Carved In Stone", in particular, might end up being one of the best songs of the year. It's that good. Seriously.

When we get to "Hour Of The Wolf", the groove of the guitar riff is pure In Flames (to be expected, since Niclas Engelin has spent time as a member), which gives us a neat window into an alternate world. Plenty of people complain about In Flames these days, me among them (not because of the change, but the lack of quality on certain records), and that song in particular is what In Flames has been trying to be all these years. Hearing it in this context, it's bloody great.

This album doesn't have the same drama or cheese factor that the "Dracula: Swing Of Death" record did five years ago, but I get a similar feeling listening to it. This is still music written about death and darkness, but it's done with lush melody and a sense of panache. How else do you describe the guitar figure that opens "Nightmare And Dream" that has a bit of The Munsters theme to it? In a way, We Sell The Dead are mining the same thematic territory as Ghost, but they do it with less obvious pop overtures. They are still a hard rock band through and through, but the appeal is the same. And similarly good, to boot.

I think this record is a good lesson that sometimes less is more. We Sell The Dead tried too hard on their first record, and now that they are focused on just writing great songs, the results are so much better. They have quickly shifted from being a curiosity to being a heck of a band. "Black Sleep" is a great record that is the best record of the month, and will be a contender at the end of the year. Make sure you give it a listen. I don't think you'll regret it.

Album Review: BRKN LOVE - BRKN LOVE

The complaints have been going on for almost as long as I can remember that rock is dying, and there isn't a new generation of bands coming up to carry on and sustain the genre. That's true, but for multiple reasons. There is a deficit of great new rock bands that have the kind of mainstream appeal to bring rock back, but the ones that do exist also can't get any traction because the old guard refuses to retire and go away. When you still have bands of guys near or in their 70s trying to act the part of rockers, the money all flows to them, and they make rock seem so much less cool than it really is. That's how Imagine Dragons gets to call itself rock. If the current, weak-ass form of The Who are rock, who says that hard pop can't be too?

So now we get yet another band trying to be the next rockers to break on through. Recorded live to tape, BRKN LOVE (spelling like that pisses me off) tries to find the balance between polished and edgy. That's a tall task to take on with a debut record.

I appreciate the sentiment of wanting to make a more old-school record, but not everything from the past is worth replicating. The guitar tones throughout the record are fuzzy, and often washed in the mix, leaving the record almost sounding like your ear is partially plugged up. The parts that are supposed to sound heavy don't, because the guitars have enough fizz on them that the notes blend and dissipate. I have never thought fuzz was heavy, and I still don't when I hear it here. These songs need more bite on the guitars.

"I See Red" sounds very much like it could be a Daughtry song, including Justin Benolo's vocal tone, except for the guitars sounding like they were ripped out of an early Queens Of The Stone Age record. I don't think they were going for a hazy, inebriated stoner sound, so softening the edges of their axes renders them Nerf. But it gets even worse on "Shot Down", where the guitars are so fuzzed-out and clipping in the mix that I turned it off right after the first chorus. That wasn't momentous enough to make it worth listening to more of that painful production. A digital recording can sound just as bad, but at least it would have given them more options for cleaning it up after the fact. That song is unacceptable. It's better than Baroness' "Gold & Grey" (the new standard for shit-sounding music), but not by much.

As the record keeps going, I'm struck with a feeling that I know exactly what the band is going for, and can't identify exactly why it fails. They want the ramshackle feeling of the first Foo Fighters record, but they don't have the charm and the songwriting to shine through the rough edges and make the investment worthwhile. Last year, we got a very similar feeling record from Feeder, except they had several gloriously memorable songs, and their scruffy production was warm and soft, whereas BRKN LOVE's is brittle and harsh. Instead of a fog wrapping around you on a chilly day, they are the cold slap of a wind chill when the mercury can barely be seen. It isn't pleasant.

There are some solid songs, and some indications that the group could get better in the future, but this record also tells me they have serious decision making issues that need to be addressed. I really like "Toxic Twin", and a couple other tracks, but when they have intentionally made the music so difficult to listen to, I can't help but take it personally, like they don't want me to listen to them. I can't think of any good reason otherwise to make a record that doesn't try to put its best foot forward.

So that's the story of BRKN LOVE. They have some good songs, but I just don't want to put myself through listening to this record, not with the alarms it sets off in my migraine-prone brain. This is probably a better record than I'm making it sound, or than it sounds to me, but I have to be honest.