Album Review: Neverender - Night I

now playing: Coheed and Cambria - Everything Evil (Live at Neverender)

If you're not familiar with the idea of Coheed and Cambria, the simplest way to put it is that they are a concept band. Each of their four albums, beginning with 2002's The Second Stage Turbine Blade, falls in sequence, telling the story of Coheed Kilgannon, his wife Cambria, and their son Claudio. The Second Stage Turbine Blade specifically deals with Coheed and Cambria finding out that their genes house a deadly virus that, if triggered, could destroy everything holding their world in place. They have passed this virus on to their son, but his is a mutated strain with the power to destroy the entire Keywork, the main system of planets in this universe. Over the course of the album, Coheed releases the virus (catalyzed by a dragonfly's bite) and destroys the Star of Sirius that holds their current planet in its position, turning Paris: Earth into Silent Earth and leading quite nicely into the next album. It's really far more complicated than can be concisely expressed, but with help from Cobalt and Calcium, the premier Coheed and Cambria fansite, I think I can keep giving summaries of the story to precede the actual album discussion.

Neverender - Night I is simply The Second Stage Turbine Blade performed in its entirety. Admittedly, SSTB and the next album, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 are yet to grow on me as both Good Apollo albums have, so I don't think I can provide a completely accurate opinion on these two nights. But that isn't going to stop me! Claudio (Sanchez, not Kilgannon) is clearly very serious about his music, taking the time to ask the audience whether they want banter in between songs or simply to hear the album with no interruptions. (His reply to the audience after putting it to a vote? "You motherfuckers.") On a more serious note, Sanchez makes a clear point in the liner notes to say that he realizes this recording isn't perfect, but that he thinks it's better this way. I'm inclined to agree; a perfect performance of these songs would be unwanted, but by no means impossible. The greatest thing about live albums, I think, is getting the chance to hear how these bands sound outside of the studio. With Neverender as a whole, the band shows that yes, they know how to perform; I am firmly convinced, in fact, that the only studio magic on these albums is overdubbing, which is perfectly acceptable.

But more than that. The little imperfections show that Coheed and Cambria is a band that is not ashamed to be less than perfect. I like and admire that in live performances both on stage and in album form. It shows that the band can still take its music seriously without taking itself too seriously. (And once I get to some of the weirder things on the Good Apollo albums, you'll see what I mean.) It's not the only thing I like; in fact, I'm absolutely crazy about allowing the crowd to sing along. It brings these fantastic senses of nostalgia and involvement both at once. Neverender is full of these moments, but allowing the crowd to sing the chorus of "Devil in Jersey City" and yelling for the audience to join him in "Hearshot Kid Disaster" are the peaks of this night's performance for me.

I wish I could have written more about the specifics, but as I said, I don't really have any opinions on the songs themselves, so I can only comment on the performance. If I'm being completely honest, this album just sounds generic to me; I much prefer the exploration of themes and styles in the Good Apollo albums, which I haven't said enough by now, I'm sure. Check back tomorrow for my review of Neverender - Night II, a complete live performance of In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3.

100-Word Reviews: Heart Full of Fire

now playing: Brother Firetribe - Who Will You Run To Now?

Well, that took a little longer than I would have liked! But I am back 100% now, and don't think my triumphant return will only be heralded by a paltry 100-Word Review (even if today's selection is pretty great). Keep your eyes on this blog tonight for part one in my four-night review of Coheed & Cambria's live opus Neverender.

The unusually-named Brother Firetribe, side project of Nightwish's Erno Vuorinen, play what they call "tennis metal", which apparently means "as 80s as possible". Heart Full of Fire, released in 2008, wastes no time in showing all the best 80s cliches in one massive sonic blow to the head. Even though their songs would stand perfectly well in that decade on their own, that didn't stop them from covering Mike Reno's "Chasing the Angels" as icing on the neon zebra-print cake. Unfortunately, it covers the bad cliches, too; the overproduction makes the album sound overall overwhelming. Still, it's solid, feel-good metal.

Temporary Hiatus

now playing: Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Rewrite

Sorry for the lack of 100-Word Review yesterday, guys. It's getting to be crunch time around these parts, and a combination of papers, group projects, and more group projects is leaving me with less time than I would like for writing reviews. I'm going to call a temporary hiatus on posts here, but I should be right as rain again by next Thursday. Maybe even next Tuesday, if you're lucky. (But don't get your hopes up.) Until next time, keep your eyes on the skies.

100-Word Reviews: Light From Above

now playing: Odd Zero - Admire the Liar

Florida's Black Tide, showing some clear inspiration from Iron Maiden, put out Light From Above in 2008. This is another band that got a lot of their popularity from Rock Band; "Shockwave" and "Warriors of Time" are face-meltingly difficult on guitar and laden with more solos than I know what to do with. The whole album, save the cover of Metallica's "Hit the Lights", is like this, combining blistering guitar with thunderous drums and rumbling bass all over clean vocals that make you wonder just where these guys have been. Black Tide is playing Warped this summer; get tickets today.

Album Review: Swoon

now playing: Silversun Pickups - Dream at Tempo 119

I, like many others, first discovered LA's Silversun Pickups from their song "Lazy Eye" appearing in Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour. Two other songs from 2006's Carnavas, "Melatonin" and "Well Thought Out Twinkles", came out for Rock Band 2 shortly after; it was the latter that convinced me to give Carnavas a shot. It's not a move I regret in the slightest. When I found out that Silversun Pickups had another album in the works, I had to get my hands on it, and here we are with Swoon, their second full-length album, coming out on independent label Dangerbird.

It's clear from the first track that Silversun Pickups have spent the last three years working on their sound. While Carnavas had a few tracks that stood out, it never really clicked cohesively for me; Swoon, however, flows much better and is overall a much more accessible album. And yet for all that's changed, so much has stayed the same. For example, the strong bass lines that initially drew me to "Well Thought Out Twinkles" are still present, coming out most prominently in "Growing Old is Getting Old", "Catch & Release", and the first single, "Panic Switch". Vocalist/guitarist Brian Aubert seems to have taken his singing down a notch, though: He has strayed from this strange sense of androgyny the first album had and now sounds like something that would do well on alt-rock radio in the mid-to-late 90s. The good thing is that this works very well in making Silversun Pickups more accessible and can only help their popularity from here.

Perhaps the greatest feat is how this album manages to sound almost mercurial at times and still be suited for almost everyone. Aubert makes a sport out of toying with the listener, switching from fantastically calm to face-rippingly chunky and aggressive from track to track and often even in the same song. This is nothing new to the band, of course; I'm just glad to see that that hasn't changed. See, for example, "Growing Old", which starts serene and halfway through turns into a sonic assault in the best way possible. But that's not the only way Swoon handles slower tracks; in fact, if the song starts calm, most of the time it will stay that way. That's something I really enjoy, because I've been waiting for a great album to relax to for a while. Easily half the tracks on Swoon fulfill that criterion.

Still, there are a few caveats. Swoon has a couple tracks that fall flat for me ("Draining", "Substitution"); in these cases, the songs sound too little like Silversun Pickups' previous work, which makes them seem out of place in the grand scheme of things. In some places, the breathing is too noticeable, which can annoy me if I focus on it for too long. My biggest worry is that all the songs clock in on the high end of four minutes at the shortest. Listeners might feel weighed down by the album or think that some tracks are dragging.

If you're looking for a distinct maturation in Silversun Pickups' sound, Swoon is the album for you. If you've never heard a single Silversun song before, I have to recommend this album likewise. It's a great introduction to the band and it easily rises to meet the expectations Carnavas set. I am also nominating it for the Chillest Album of the Year. B+

Swoon comes out April 14th. Preorder it now on Amazon or iTunes, and don't forget to check out the band's site to see what they've got planned. If you got tickets to Coachella, you can see Silversun Pickups there; otherwise, they're currently touring London.

100-Word Reviews: Bang Camaro

now playing: Taxpayer - Creatures of Habit

Boston-based Bang Camaro are the cockiest of cock rock and I love them for everything they do. With 22 members, 70% of them vocalists, it's hard to take a step in Boston and not run into a band associated with them. But I think my favorite part is their touring policy: If you're in town and know the songs, you can rock on stage as a member of Bang Camaro. I got to see a performance with a smaller cast at the Rock Band release party back in 2007; it rocked my face off. I suggest you do the same.

What I Can't Stop Listening To: March 2009

now playing: Coheed & Cambria - Feathers (Glitch Mob Remix)

Now that this blog is finally starting to pick up steam, I've decided to include a new offering in this monthly article. It's an offering that requires its very own disclaimer, no less! I've decided to start providing a direct download of the songs mentioned in this article, to be found at the end of the article. Disclaimer: I have no vested interest, monetary or otherwise, in providing these links outside of exposing the readers of this blog to new music. I have acquired everything I provide legally and encourage others to do the same. With that said, here are the five songs I can't stop listening to for March 2009.

05) Coheed & Cambria - No World For Tomorrow (Live at Neverender)

When I first heard about Coheed's four-night epic telling of their story, "No World for Tomorrow" was the song I was most looking forward to hearing. Long-time readers should know I'm a sucker for crowd callback sections, and with the first line of the chorus as "Raise your hands high!", well. I might be a pretty bad Coheed fan, since I've only really gotten into their later stuff, but good or bad doesn't matter when you can get together with 14,999 other fans and, simply put, rock the hell out. I just wish I could have been one of the lucky few to see it live. But now that the CD/DVD set is out, I can be (sort of), and so can you. Pick up Neverender: Children of the Fence Edition on Amazon or just go for the DVD set if you don't feel like dropping $100.

04) Falconer - Lord of the Blacksmiths

I wrote a little about this song in my 100-Word Review of the album, but not as much as I would have liked. This song starts with a meaty riff that turns into high-speed guitar work, adds a fantastic bass hook in the chorus, and uses the double bass drums to accentuate the story of Hephaestus, godly armorer and lord of the blacksmiths. "But wait!" I hear you say. "That's not enough!" All right, how about a hammer striking an anvil in the last chorus? Does that drive the point home? I hate using this word because the internet has ruined its original meaning, but this song is positively epic. Enjoy it with me, won't you? Then check out Falconer's debut album on iTunes or Amazon.

03) Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker

I pose to you a question, dear readers. Pat Benatar: Great female singer of the 80s or greatest female singer of the 80s? There is a right answer, and it is of course the latter. Some might say "Love is a Battlefield" or possibly even "Hell is for Children" is her best song, but to those people, I say YOU'RE THE RIGHT KIND OF SINNER TO RELEASE MY INNER FANTASY! THE INVINCIBLE WINNER AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU WERE BORN TO PLEASE! As it should be obvious at this point that I have very little of substance to say about this song, let's just do the Amazon and iTunes plugs for In the Heat of the Night and move on, shall we?

02) van Canto - Fear of the Dark

With van Canto, I have possibly too much to say. Let's start with the obvious. Yes, this is a cover of Iron Maiden's "Fear of the Dark" as it first appeared on the 1992 album of the same name. What makes it special? van Canto is a band whose lineup comprises five vocalists and a drummer; that is to say, it's a cappella metal. I know, I barely thought it was possible, too, but these guys have filled a very selective niche very well. They have a few covers like this, including Metallica's "Battery" and "Wishmaster" by Nightwish, but most of their material is original. You can hear covers of Manowar, Blind Guardian, and Deep Purple alongside their original songs on Hero, available as an import on Amazon.

01) That 1 Guy - Buttmachine

This song by That 1 Guy apparently appeared on Weeds recently, but I don't watch that show, so I wouldn't know. I do know that he played a club in Boston recently and I am kicking myself for having missed it. That 1 Guy is a one-man band featuring Mike Silverman as That 1 Guy playing an enigmatic instrument known only as The Magic Pipe. Silverman constructs his songs as bizarrely as his instrument, and it works; "Buttmachine" is largely nonsensical, but still the greatest anthem to the gluteus since Trace Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk". His albums follow the same pattern: Songs in the Key of Beotch is one of the best titles I've heard, but The Moon is Disgusting is where you'll be able to find "Buttmachine" and ten other songs. Pick it up on Amazon or iTunes.

You can download all five of these songs here (39MB). I'd apologize for sendspace, but it's my only means right now. I'll be sure to maintain the link if it goes down.

That's all for March. April will bring reviews of Coheed's Neverender and The Ghost Hounds' Vintage Trouble; if we're lucky, we'll also see Drist's The Science of Misuse. Until next time, keep your eyes on the skies.