"I've got the worst hangover from you"

Beneath It All (EP) by Hey Monday - Oh where to begin... I suppose I should start with my initial reactions to the single I Don't Wanna Dance when it was released in the summer (or perhaps when I first heard it performed at Warped Tour.) My initial reactions to the song became my general feeling for the entire EP, mainly the question what happened to one of my favorite pop-punk bands? The punk has been left with Hold On Tight, instead the band taking the word "pop" to heart with six songs so produced it's hard to believe there is even a band involved. It could all be done with computers as far as the casual listener can tell, which leads me to wonder where the direction of this once promising band is heading. While the songs are catchy, and the lyrics have a few decent moments (see Wondergirl) they are sadly forgettable, and have lost the spark that came through in their first album. No more guitar riffs and gone are the duets between the punk spark of the music and lead singer Cassadee Pope's sweet and strong voice. Now it seems Hey Monday has fallen victim to overproduction and cookie-cutter, radio friendly tunes that just don't hold the same appeal earlier songs like Homecoming, Candles, and Josie. All in all, the EP is generally alright, as long as you are looking for a pop record with dance ready songs. But don't turn here hoping for a punk pop band, because the latter is all that seems to be left.

Key Tracks: Wish You Were Here, Wondergirl

Currently Listening To: "Summertime" by My Chemical Romance from "Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys"

a taste of what's to come...

in an effort to encourage myself to keep up with this blog, i made a list of the albums and things i wanted to review on here. maybe if i actually post it that will help even more. so here is my master plan list.

Newer:
The Summer Set “Love Like This”
30 Seconds to Mars "This Is War"
Hey Monday "Beneath It All"

The Maine “Black And White”
Set Your Goals "This Will Be The Death Of Us"
Anberlin "Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place"
VersaEmerge "Fixed At Zero"
"Eclipse Soundtrack"

Older:
The Maine “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop”
Four Year Strong "Rise Or Die Trying"
The Rocket Summer "Do You Feel"

Other:
Favorite Albums
Favorite Songs
Music Videos
Live Concert DVDs
Live Concert Music Videos

"Cause i know what's best for me"

Guaranteed To Disagree by We Are The In Crowd – Over the summer I really got into this band and this album. They are from Poughkeepsie, New York and feature duel vocals from both a guy and a girl. Although Jordan Eckes does have a pretty good voice on his own, it does get overshadowed by his counterpart Taylor Jardine, who revitalizes the genre as a female vocalist who invigorates their songs. Tay has a voice that although does not sound like Hayley Williams of Paramore, does have the same powerful and intriguing quality. She definitely drives the songs vocally with Eckes playing off her with opposite lines. The album itself is a short EP of only seven songs, six of which are some of my favorites in the pop-punk genre. Having the two vocalists portraying two different sides of the story in each song sets the band apart from the other similar artists, which is valuable in a genre that consists mostly of similar sounding male singers and songs about love and heartbreak. The first track Carry Me Home opens with Tay’s voice over a swelling chorus, starting the EP off with an energetic and enthusiastic pace that sets the tone for the rest of the tracks. The real gem on the EP is the second track Never Be What You Want, which has lyrics that take on an empowering stance on Jardine’s part. Coupled with impressive pop-rock music, the album continues with a similar formula that hits on most marks. And of course Mike Ferri, Cameron Hurley, and Rob Chianelli make up the rest of the band and impress on the music. These songs really got me through the summer, and they really do boast some impressive melodies. The only song on the album that I'm not particularly fond of is We Need A Break which is an alright track but to me just doesn't quite live up to the lyrical content of the rest of the EP. Overall this well-rounded and very enjoyable EP from a promising young band. After seeing them play Warped Tour this summer, I will definitely be attending their live shows in the future. Keep your eyes out for this group - they are definitely going to gain some serious attention soon.

Key Tracks: Carry Me Home, Never Be What You Want, Lights Out, For The Win, Calendar Pages

Currently Listening To: "We All Roll Along" by The Maine from "Can't Stop, Won't Stop"

so this is how it goes...

hey so i have definitely been a failure when it comes to keeping up with this blog. truth be told, i have recently become addicted to tumblr and thus spent a lot of my blogging time there. none of that is like this with the music reviews, so i definitely need to get back on track here. since i last posted i have gotten a lot more new music and discovered some older stuff too. here is the plan: work on putting up a good amount of reviews and getting myself back in the album mindset. i have made a list for myself of the albums and subjects i would like to touch base on to help me get back on track. so i may have a ton of updates in a relatively short period of time. let's get this going!

<3