music monday – february 15, 2010.
February 15th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Happy Day After Valentine’s Day!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and that all of your gifts were fantastic. I also hope that all your planning and hard work to make the day/evening special, was all worth it and that it was the best V-Day any of you ever had, because mine was. So clearly, I’m in a pretty good mood today.
On to the music.
I spent a little bit of time looking for some new hardcore bands to listen to and these are the ones I found. There might be a regular/non-hardcore band in here…maybe.
We Came As Romans – iTunes suggested that I listen to We Came As Romans and I was like, “Whatever iTunes, you don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just a computer program and don’t know what I want to listen to”, but little did I know, iTunes knows me very well.
We Came As Romans is a hardcore band from Troy, Michigan [because being surrounded by lakes and having lots of snow makes you so metal]. They’ve released one full length album, To Plant A Seed [2009], and two EPs, Demonstrations and Dreams. I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to their EPs yet, but their album is really well recorded. They aren’t just an angry hardcore band, they actually have a relatively positive message [their lyrics aren't about death, is essentially what I'm getting at].
I think you’ll enjoy them if you enjoy music.
Motionless In White – I found Motionless In White as a suggestion from my girlfriend’s iPod [and from my iTunes...odd]. I wasn’t really sure what to think when I first heard them because I didn’t really think I liked them. I gave them a few minutes and a few songs and realized that I’m totally okay with what they as a band produce.
Motionless In White is a Screamo/Hardcore band from the Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania area [much like Vice President Joe Biden, and no one gets out of there alive, except Joe Biden]. They have released an EP, The Whorror, and a full length album, When Love Met Destruction [2009].
Before Their Eyes – Once again, I found Before Their Eyes thanks to iTunes [their is a pattern here]. I listened to a bunch of 30-second snippets of their songs and then decided “Hey! I’ll go ahead and download one [or all] of their albums”…so I did. I really love their music. I really like the way that their singing vocals mesh so well with the screaming vocals. The melodic singing doesn’t sound out of place, it sounds like it belongs where it is.
Before Their Eyes is a hardcore band from Findlay, Ohio. They have released two full length albums, Before Their Eyes [2007] and The Dawn of My Death [2009]. They have another album due for release on March 9th titled Untouchable.
August Burns Red – I might have to say that August Burns Red might be my favorite of this list [other than We Came As Romans...but it is definitely between ABR and WCAR]. August Burns Red has something about their music that really makes me want to keep listening. Even their name has an awesome story behind it [their old singer's crazy ex-girlfriend, named August, set his dog, Redd, on fire]. I downloaded their albums and pretty much listened to them all day.
August Burns Red is a hardcore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They have released two EPs, August Burns Red EP and Looks Fragile After All EP, and three full length albums: Thrill Seeker [2005], Messengers [2007], and Constellations [2009].
I highly recommend August Burns Red to anyone who enjoys a good hardcore band, or just a good band in general.
I hope you enjoy my choices for the week.
Cody.
the return of chiodos.
February 4th, 2010 § 1 Comment
What a way to start February.
Other than the incredible amount of snow that Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and pretty much all of south-eastern Virginia got [there were 7 inches of snow at Virginia Wesleyan], the month looked like it was going to be a little boring.
But fear not music lovers, it was announced yesterday that Chiodos is returning to the studio this month…
So basically when I heard this, I pee’d a little from my level of excitement.
A blessing and a curse.
This was possibly the most exciting thing I’d heard in a while [except for the previously mentioned snow]. Chiodos hasn’t released a new full length album since 2007 [Bone Palace Ballet], which was a wonderful album by no stretch of the imagination. Prior to that was their 2005 release of All’s Well That Ends Well [which has the song "There's No Penguins In Alaska"...which is perfect].
So naturally, if you’re a fan of Chiodos and their work, you’d be excited to hear about them releasing a new album after three years of nothing…right?
Oh wait, Craig Owens is gone.
A bit about Craig Owens.
Craig Owens was the lead singer of Chiodos for about eight years. He was also in The Sounds of Animals Fighting [I'm not sure if I like them] and a band called Isles and Glaciers [which I'm about to look up].
So what does that mean??
This presents what I like to call: The John Elway Paradox.
The John Elway Paradox is what happens when the face/leader of an organizations leaves and you are left with a hollow shell of what used to be an incredibly powerful organization [see: Tennessee Titans post-McNair & George, Denver Broncos post-Elway & Sharpe, and Mayday Parade post-Jason Lancaster].
Now I understand that you can’t legitimately base the quality of an entire team/band/organization due to the efforts of one or two people…but sometimes that is all you can do.
Lets take a look at Mayday Parade as an example.
This will be a look at the band with Lancaster and without Lancaster. It is arguable that Lancaster had little to no presence on A Lesson In Romantics but I find it hard to believe since he left the band after the album was recorded in the studio.
Anyway.
If you listen to any song from A Lesson In Romantics, there is something there that you can’t quite explain [I like to call it passion] but when you listen to Anywhere But Here, which is a good album in it’s own right, but it lacks something that the other albums [A Lesson In Romantics and the EP Tales Told By Dead Friends] had.
I said all that to say this.
After John Elway left the Broncos, they sucked…for a few years. After Steve McNair left the Titans, they sucked…for a few years. After Jason Lancaster left Mayday Parade, they weren’t as good…which will change.
The thing about good organizations is that even after the loss of a frontman or a spokesperson or a touchdown earning machine..they recover.
Back to Chiodos.
So after taking the scenic route in this blog post, I finally arrived at the main point I was attempting to make, that being…
Yes, Craig Owens is no longer a member of Chiodos and yes, their next album might not sound the same since he was, in a lot of opinions, “the face” of Chiodos, it will be okay because their new lead singer could be awesome.
There has been no mention of who the new lead singer is, just like there is no potential release date for the new album, although I’m going to ballpark it around…October or November of this year. They also have a new drummer, by the way. His name is Tanner Wayne and he is the drummer from Scary Kids Scaring Kids.
That’s about all guys…I’m nervous about this album but I will remain nervously optimistic.
Thanks for tuning in.
Cody
listen to what i listen to – january 18, 2010.
January 18th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Familiar territory.
Well I decided I might as well start doing the whole “Music Monday” thing that sweeps the internet every week. I’m going to tell you what I’m listening to, and why you should join me in listening to them too. So, I’m just going to jump right in to it now.
Here are my picks of the week:
Fall Out Boy – I’ve been listening to them off and on all week, they’ve felt more catchy than before and I’m totally okay with my decision to start listening to them again, especially since Folie á Deux was a perfect album in every use of the word. I saw Fall Out Boy live in 2007 when I worked a summer job at a concert venue in Virginia Beach. They played “Beat It” and I died a little. A love was born that night [between FOB and myself].
Bayside – I would listen to Bayside all-day-all-night if I could. They are one of my favorite bands as of late. Shudder was probably one of the best albums of 2008, and possibly one of the best albums of the decade. I used to listen to Bayside when I worked at the beach this summer, which is where I really learned about their music and how much it inspired me to get stuff done.
Explosions In The Sky – I saw one of my friends on Facebook talking about Explosions in the Sky and then I remembered “Hey! I love them!” so I got to work downloading all their albums and enjoying listening to their lovely music. Their music makes me feel really mellow and it always improves my mood during a really bad day [fact: I used to mow grass to their music].
Motion City Soundtrack -It is no secret that I love Motion City Soundtrack [just read the post about their new album]. I find their synthesizers and catchy lyrics fantastic and marvelous. I’ve been listening to Motion City Soundtrack since I got their new album a few days ago and it has essentially been on repeat. Go grab their albums [most notably Commit This To Memory and My Dinosaur Life].
Alesana – Alesana has one of the greatest acoustic versions to one of their songs ["Apology"] and I love the way they tell epic stories over the course of their albums [much like The Decemberists do]. Their new album [I'm reviewing it tomorrow] is their best yet. I actually have a playlist of just Motion City Soundtrack and Alesana going now [all of their albums] and it has been keeping my ears occupied. The stories they tell are always dark and epic, and I’m loving every second of their new work.
Polar Bear Club – I read about Polar Bear Club in two different magazines, Alternative Press and AMP and decided that since their name was perfect and possibly the coolest thing ever, I would listen to and love them. Well…I was only half right. While their name is incredibly awesome, I’m not quite sure that I like them as a band yet. They are labeled as a hardcore band…but they sound a lot like Anti-Flag to me [except without the pretentious anti-government sentiments]. Supposedly Polar Bear Club’s new album has a more hardcore feel to it…so we’ll see what tune I’m singing next time.
Well that is it for the week. Hope you enjoyed my picks. If you have any suggestions, let me know and I’ll give them a listen.
Cody.
My next post…
A review of the brand new Alesana album, The Emptiness.
tunetastic tuesday – october 20, 2009.
October 21st, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Welcome to the first edition of…Tunetastic Tuesday!!! [and applause and cheering ensued]. This is essentially the same thing as the “iPod Suggestions” and “Ear Candy” sections…but I changed the name and the format. Enjoy the tunes…and the mix at the end! 
#1. “Laser Canon Deth Sentence” by Dethklok off of Dethalbum II. Now, you are probably thinking one of two things. Either a.) Who the hell is Dethklok? or b.) Why do you have a band from an animated cartoon series on Adult Swim on your blog? Now, these are both legitimate questions. Dethklok is, in fact, a real band [now] and they produce awesome music. I downloaded Dethalbum II and practically pooped my pants because it was so good. It doesn’t sound like clips/scenes from the show anymore, it sounds like actual music.
#2. “Don’t Bore Us, Get To The Chorus” by Emery off of I’m Only A Man. I love Emery. There, I said it. This song is really great, for one reason and one reason only: the song is about wanting to do someone. That is the whole premise of the song. Doing it, with someone that you just met. It isn’t creepy at all…its sexy.
#3. “Days Like Masquerades” by The Academy Is… off of Lost In Pacific Time. LIPT is the EP that The Academy Is… released for the AP Tour Fall Ball. I’m not going to lie…the EP is really good. I mean, I was already a fan of their music, but I did not like Santi that much. LIPT is just a pretty solid 5-track album.
#4. “The Few That Remain” by Set Your Goals off of This Will Be The Death Of Us. I love Set Your Goals…I did not however, love their new album [This Will Be The Death Of Us] until I heard this song. This song features the wonderfully talented [and adorable] Haley Williams, of Paramore. This song is just a really good song.
#5. “(I Used To Make Out With) Medusa” by Bring Me The Horizon off of Count Your Blessings. I’m going to say this now…there is a chance…a very large chance…that you’re not going to like this song or this band. They are very hardcore…very hardcore. This is one my favorite songs by them. I enjoy their music by the way, just in case you were wondering.
#6. “Perfectionist” by Asher Roth off of Asleep On The Bread Aisle. I figured that since this year’s freshman class doesn’t quite remember how popularly awesome “I Love College” was, I would reacquaint the world with Asher Roth. Yes, his album is still wonderful. Yes, he still loves college. And yes, he is quite the perfectionist. This song is such a great little tune, I enjoy it a lot.
#7. “Now That We’re Done” by Metro Station off of their self-titled debut album Metro Station. I heard this song once and went “AHHHH! I love this song now!” and now I listen to it all the time…because I rock? Yes, because I rock. [For those of you who didn't know, the lead singer of Metro Station is the brother of Miley Cyrus...how awesome is that?]
#8. “Fix You” by Coldplay off of X&Y. This album, is probably the best album by Coldplay. This song seriously makes me weep when I hear it…ahhh, I’m tearing up just hearing the song in my head now.
I hope you guys like the songs. To hear them all…click the link right below this sentence.
Tunetastic Tuesday – October 20, 2009 Playlist
Cody.
songs you should have on your iPod – august 26, 2009.
August 26th, 2009 § 1 Comment
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I just got back to Wesleyan and I’ve been trying to get my routine set and I finally have some time to write.
Here is this week’s picks.
#1. “About A Girl” by The Academy Is… off of Fast Times at Barrington High. I really like The Academy Is and I just picked up their two most recent albums (FTABH and Santi) and I’m pretty pleased with them. This song just makes me feel good for some reason. I think it reminds me of myself a little bit or atleast who I used to be, but I’m not entirely sure. —> Download!
#2. “Hold Me Down” by Motion City Soundtrack off of Commit This To Memory. I saw Motion City Soundtrack at Warped Tour back in 2006 and they were wonderful. I sang this song for an audition and I’ve loved it since I heard it. It has always kind of spoke to me. You know, the way some songs just mean a lot to you the second you hear them? Well that’s how this song is for me. —> Download!
#3. “Summersong” by The Decemberists off of The Crane Wife. The Decemberists are the epitome of folk/indie band. I love that their songs always have interesting stories behind them (their new album, The Hazards of Love is one big story). “Summersong” has good instrumentals behind the vocals (which are also wonderful). —> Download!
#4. “Papercuts” by Gym Class Heroes off of The Papercut Chronicles. This is the first song I ever heard by GCH and I really like it. It’s also always kind of made sense to me, I can kind of relate to it. —> Download!
#5. “The Writhing South” by Say Anything off of …Is a Real Boy. Say Anything fantastic as a band. …Is A Real Boy is probably my favorite album from them (though a new one is due for release this year). I think you’ll like this song, even if you don’t necessarily like the South (it has nothing to do with the actual South…that I can grasp atleast). —> Download!
#6. “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” by Jay-Z off of The Black Album. I know this song is just an interlude, but this is pretty much my favorite track from this album. Jay-Z is my favorite rapper ever. Hands down. No questions asked. —> Download!
#7. “Safe To Say” by Vanna off of A New Hope. I got turned on to Vanna by my girlfriend and I really like them. (I’ve been getting in to a lot of hardcore music lately). Anyway, A New Hope is the best album by them in my opinion. (if you disagree, leave me feedback.) —> Download!
#8 and #9. “Hot Water On Wool” & “Hot Water On Wool (Reprise)” by Dance Gavin Dance off of Dance Gavin Dance. This is one of their better songs and as to not leave you wondering how the song ends, I posted the song AND the reprise. You’re welcome.
Song —> Download!
Reprise —> Download!
#10. “Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis” by Brand New off of Deja Entendu. Brand New is another band that Kelly got me interested in. Deja Entendu is an album I can listen to from start to finish without skipping a track. It’s really pretty grand. —> Download!
Well that’s it for this week. Now that I’m in my rhythm for the semester (hopefully), I’ll try to be writing more faithfully. There should be a lot of new things occuring from now on, so look forward to that.
Cody.
My next post…
Learn how you can buy band merchandise…FROM ME! Get excited.
Shockhound.com
warped tour 2009.
June 25th, 2009 § 2 Comments
Now, I’m going to safely assume that all of you know what the Van’s Warped Tour is. And if you don’t, you’re either a.) an old person, b.) a middle-aged person without a teenager, or c.) deaf. But for those of you who are young, hip, non-auditory challenged individuals, you should be very excited for Warped Tour this summer.
The tour officially starts tomorrow [June 26th] and goes on until August 23rd.
What I want to do here, on this post, is detail some bands you should make sure to see while you’re at the show. [Note: All the bands do not play at every tour stop. Some drop out of the tour and some are added to it to make up for the loss, so this is a list of bands you should make sure to check out, online if n0t at the concert.]
Here goes:
Anti-flag: Anti-establishment, angry caucasian punk music. I haven’t had a chance to listen to their newest album [The People Or The Gun] but the album before that [The Bright Lights Of America] was one of my favorite albums of 2008.
Website —> Go!
Bayside: An alternative/punk band from New York. Their drummer was killed in a car accident involving the entire band back in 2005 [very sad]. I listen to their music at work a lot and I’ve grown to enjoy them, you will too.
Website —> Go!
Dance Gavin Dance: A hardcore band from California. Their newest album [Happiness] is probably the best one I’ve heard from them. Every album they release gets better in quality. [They are actually one of the only reasons I really want to go to Warped Tour since I've seen most of the bands before].
Website —> Go!
Escape The Fate: A post-hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Recently lost two members [guitarist Omar Espinoza due to being punched in the face by fellow band member Max Green; lead singer Ronnie Radke because he is a screw-up and couldn't stay out of prison]. I think you’ll like them [if you're in to hardcore music] since they aren’t mega-loud nor do they have an intense amount of silly yelling. It’s nicely done.
Website —> Go!
Flogging Molly: Irish American punk band from California. I’ve been a fan since the moment I heard Drunken Lullabies [their second album]. They’ve kept the same members for the entirety of their career and that is pretty impressive. They put on a pretty good show so you’re sure to enjoy.
Website —> Go!
Forever The Sickest Kids: A screamo/powerpop[?] band from Texas. Their debut album Underdog Alma Mater was released in 2008 and is also on my list of top albums from 2008. They have a kind of…techno-y feel to some of their songs. You’ll like them, promise.
Website —> Go!
He Is Legend: A post-hardcore/metalcore band from North Carolina. My friends and I used to drive down the road blasting He Is Legend and I would try to do the screaming parts [yeah I'm lame, whatever] and I always failed miserably. Their music is really good [they have a song about Romeo and Juliet...or maybe it's just Juliet] but regardless, their music is good.
Website —> Go!
Madina Lake: An alternative band from Illinois. One of my favorite songs from 2007 was “House of Cards” from From Them, Through Us, to You. I think you’ll like them, so look them up.
Website —> Go!
Scary Kids Scaring Kids: A post-hardcore/indie band from Arizona. I missed the chance to pick up their recent self-titled album but instead picked up The City Sleeps In Flames [2005] and really enjoyed it. Not all of the songs on there are perfect but there are a few that are pretty exceptional. Check them out.
Website —> Go!
Senses Fail: A hardcore band from New Jersey. They have impressive guitar skills and I like the vocals they produce. They also have a song titled “Ali for Cody” off of Life Is Not A Waiting Room [and I'm just a sucker for stuff with my name on it].
Website —> Go!
Streetlight Manifesto: A ska/punk band from New Jersey. I have never been a huge fan of ska music [that many people on a stage with that many instruments seems like an orchestra rather than a band] but I’ve always kind of like Streetlight Manifesto [and their name is awesome]. I really think you’ll like them if you give them a chance.
Website —> Go!
A bit of disappointing news [to me atleast] is that Mayday Parade will not be on this year’s Warped Tour…which really sucks.
Perfect timing for this post: A Warped Tour Track Pack was released for Rock Band on Tuesday [June 23rd]. It features five songs:
1. A Day To Remember – “The Downfall of Us All”
2. Chiodos – “I Didn’t Say I Was Powerful, I Said I Was A Wizard”
3. Underoath – “Reinventing Your Exit”
4. Escape The Fate – “The Flood”
5. Bad Religion – “21st Century (Digital Boy)”
Grab that up people.
Well that should about do it for the bands I recommend. If you know of any that are going that are good that I should educate myself with, send them my way please. Thanks. For more information about the tour such as dates, other bands playing, and non-profit stuff going on —> Warped Tour!
Cody.
15th Anniversary of Warped Tour
