Track By Track on Punk Goes Classic Rock

now playing: The Outfield - Your Love

I still can't keep an update schedule, surprising no one. However, I recently became aware of the existence of the Punk Goes... series of compilation albums from Fearless Records. If you're unfamiliar with the concept, all you do is take the latest 13-or-so flavors of the week from the increasingly ill-defined punk scene and get them to record covers of songs that are distinctly not punk. Highlights of the series—and I use that word with varying degrees of sincerity—include Chiodos doing Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta" (Punk Goes Pop 2, 2009), Cartel covering "Wonderwall" by Oasis (Punk Goes 90s, 2006), and more or less everything off the 2008 album Punk Goes Crunk. Yes, that's a real thing.

2010's offering, Punk Goes Classic Rock, hits stores on April 27th. I can give my basic impression of the album with a quote from Adam West: "I love this song! And I love it when amateurs sing the lyrics! But I hate baseball cards." Which is essentially accurate, even the baseball cards part. However, I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't go track-by-track on this album and evaluate each cover. Let's get started, then.

01) "More Than a Feeling" by Boston, cover by Hit the Lights

The opening track is a deal faster, clocking in two minutes shorter than the original, and does away with the soft guitar intro we've come to know and love. In its place are drums that are mixed just a little too loud, extra-crunchy guitars, and the god-help-him-he's-trying vocals of Nick Thompson. Brad Delp he most certainly isn't, and it really comes out during the chorus. I can hear his voice straining to hit some of those notes, and honestly if he hadn't changed the melody of a couple lines, I think he would have had a much easier time with it. There's a questionable filter sweep over the drums coming back in after the first chorus, and throughout the song, the emphasis of certain lyrics has been changed—I suppose to make it easier on the performers. The solo's a little different towards the end, and right after that there's a decent a cappella section for a couple bars, but it's just too little too late. Not a good start.

02) "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones, cover by VersaEmerge

The synthesizer introduction is certainly interesting, and I like that Blake Harnage and Sierra Kusterbeck trade off vocals in the verses; it's an interesting male/female voice dichotomy. There's a lot of electronic influence in this cover: Synthesizer, incredibly fuzzy guitar, processed bass and drums. Keyboards and guitar riff simultaneously around two minutes in and keep coming back in and out of the verses. Once the song goes into triplets, there's a keyboard line that adds its own texture to the cover in a mostly positive way. It's busier than the original, but it does covers right. VersaEmerge makes the song their own while keeping the spirit of the original alive. Nice recovery, album. Let's keep it up, okay?

03) "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty, cover by The Almost

Damn it, album, what did I just say. This cover opens with drums panned all the way to the left for no discernible reason before messily turning to stereo. Aside from that gaffe, this song isn't too bad instrumentally. The problems enter in the second verse, when Aaron Gillespie tries to sound more intense. I can't really blame him; his previous experience is Underoath, after all. There's no screaming, thankfully, but he does attempt to put an edge in his voice that really detracts from something that's supposed to be a pretty chill song. He also adds "she" and "they" to the beginnings of certain lines, which I suppose is admirable; I too respect complete sentences. It's a small difference, but it's notable and it makes me remember how little Tom Petty had to try to make this song sound good. Gillespie comes across as trying very, very hard to turn this cover into an Underoath song.

04) "We Are the Champions" by Queen, cover by Mayday Parade

Derek Sanders, vocalist for Mayday Parade, does a pretty good Freddie Mercury at times. This cover opens quite nicely, really; Jeremy Lenzo's bass tone is great and Sanders is pretty mellow up until the chorus. But then the "choir" starts, and it's in quotes because it's really just gang vocals. I don't know who mixed this section, but fie on them. Like Brian Posehn said, it's four sweaty dudes yelling in a booth. And aside from that, Sanders' voice just can't hit the notes in the chorus, but he gets points for not changing the melody for his convenience. I can excuse bad Freddie impersonations, but I'm not that lenient on those who change him. Alex Garcia can match up to the guitar chops of Brian May, so I have no complaints there. What I'm still ambivalent on is Mayday Parade finishing the final line—I don't know if I like the resolution of one last "of the world" or if I want the original to remain intact. At least I'll have all album to think about it, because having more than one Queen cover would be silly.

05) "Rock and Roll All Nite" by KISS, cover by The Summer Set

I like The Summer Set. I think Love Like This was a pretty solid debut and I still throw on "Girls Freak Me Out" when I want to, as they say in the parlance, shake my groove thing. They're no strangers to covers, having done a great version of "Love in This Club" by Usher. And I think if they had had any other song on this album, they would have done an excellent job. John Gomez and Josh Montgomery turn the guitar line into something even more KISS than KISS, they've got all the breakdowns in the right places, the group shouting is blended nicely and actually works for the song; by all means, the instrumentation is great. But my issue is with Brian Dales, the singer. Dales' voice fills clubs; this song fills stadiums. He's just not powerful enough as a vocalist to pull something like this off. It's really a shame, because aside from that, this is my favorite cover on the album so far.

06) "Caught Up in You" by .38 Special, cover by We the Kings

I love .38 Special. If I had a time machine, I would go to August 1977 and pick up a copy of their self-titled debut, then head straight to 1981 and be first in line for Wild-Eyed Southern Boys. So I have high expectations for this We the Kings cover. And I regret to say that the song does not deliver quite as much awesomeness as I would come to expect. Travis Clark's vocals stink of autotune, especially in the second chorus, and even where he's not electronically helped, he sounds off. Maybe it's just his vocal style, but he sounds downright silly at times. In this song, though, my biggest issue is Hunter Thomsen taking the coward's way out with the ending guitar solo—by this I mean that there is no ending solo. I don't understand why, since the solo in the middle of the song is... well, it's capable, at least. This track is a disappointment.

07) "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" by Journey, cover by A Skylit Drive

Why is this song twice as fast as the original? Why are the drums so intense? Why do Michael Jagmin's vocals make it sound like the Alvin and the Chipmunks cover? And most importantly, why is there screaming in this song? I realize that A Skylit Drive is hardcore and all, but Cory La Quay needs to learn that some songs don't need screaming. "Separate Ways" is definitely one of those songs. I don't really have anything else to say about this. This is a bad cover.

08) "Your Love" by The Outfield, cover by I See Stars

This is the only song on the compilation that I wasn't immediately familiar with, so I did a little digging to get an idea of the original. And in the course of digging, I found out that Midtown did a cover of this exact same song on Punk Goes 80s! Running out of ideas, huh? I guess when Katy Perry does it, you need to reprise it to stay relevant. Devin Oliver's voice is pretty high-pitched, which (contrary to my normal opinion) works very well for this cover. On synthesizer, Chris Moore throws in a great electronic groove that for some reason wasn't present in the original. It sounds 80s as all get out. It's a bit more upbeat than the original, which could be jarring for the experienced listener, but right now, I think I like the I See Stars cover better than the original. At any rate, I definitely like it better than Katy Perry's.

09) "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult, cover by Pierce the Veil

You probably won't be surprised to discover I like BÖC, as well. I would have picked "Career of Evil" or maybe something off their self-titled, but at the same time, I'm glad Pierce the Veil went with something so mainstream. That means my more obscure favorites won't be affected. I don't necessarily like the heavier sound that guitarist Tony Perry and drummer Mike Fuentes contribute to this cover, but I could see myself getting used to it. Perry's guitar tone is much less psychedelic than the original in the verses, but the solo, helped with clever keyboard work from Vic Fuentes, brings it back together. And, of course, Mike Fuentes has more than enough cowbell for the entire class. But Vic Fuentes' vocals are just flat-out wrong for this song. He's singing too high and too nasally for a song about, well, death.

10) "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne, cover by Forever the Sickest Kids

My sister loves Forever the Sickest Kids; I am indifferent towards them. I do, however, think that "Crazy Train" is one of the hardest-rocking songs known to mankind. When your cover of it makes me think of Green Day's "Brain Stew" before Ozzy, you've done something wrong. But I have to give huge amounts of respect to Caleb Turman for attempting Randy Rhoads' enormous, legendary guitar solo and actually pulling it off. It's a little weird to hear Kent Garrison doing the bass line on keyboards through a filter sweep, but it's kind of cool at the same time. Jonathan Cook isn't quite Ozzy, but at least his voice isn't as high as some others; it actually fits the song, or as well as it can. The cover ends in a different direction, adding more programming and electronic bewitchery, but if it's only bad in the very beginning and the very end, maybe you haven't done that wrong after all.

11) "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard, cover by The Maine

Hair metal as a genre is very near and dear to my heart. What can I say? Working hard to have the best time of your life is a great message to me. The first thing I notice about this cover is that it's very well produced. Possibly the most important part of 80s production is intact: Enormous amounts of reverb on the drums. The Maine's singer, John Cornelius O'Callaghan V, sounds like a can of hair spray away from fronting his own hair metal band, right down to exaggerated attacks on certain words. I've never heard harder Ps. The guitar solo has hints of acoustic guitar in the background, though, and the style of the solo brushes too close to modern radio rock to be great. But overall, this is a faithful and solid cover, and I'm actually impressed by that. I mean, of course I am, because we all know what has nine arms and sucks, right? Def Leppard.

12) "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan, cover by Envy on the Coast

Oh, boy. I guess I can't blame Envy on the Coast for trying out this one. They've apparently got four guitarists, so that's four times the odds that one of them will be as good as Hendrix—because this is the Hendrix version they're covering, and don't let the original artist tell you different. I'm not sure what Ryan Hunter, Salvatore Bossio, Brian Byrne, and Chris Kerenan are doing with their guitars, but it definitely works out. There's an intense, heavy sound to this entire cover that puts it a step above the Hendrix version, if not in quality than certainly in uniqueness. Hunter has this harsh quality to his voice that isn't quite like Hendrix or Dylan. And for not having an official drummer, they manage to get by pretty well. It's a little like VersaEmerge's "Paint It Black" from earlier, where the band completely makes it their own. I could hear this on an actual album of theirs, and not just some compilation.

13) "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money, cover by Every Avenue

I don't know if I'd call this song classic rock, but I certainly don't mind its inclusion. Alongside the original, I have a couple a cappella versions of this from two different colleges, and I've liked it in pretty much every form. Every Avenue just sounds comfortable with this, like this is the kind of music they want to be playing. David Strauchman doesn't have to strain at all to sing, there's no audible evidence of autotune, and little touches of guitar from Joshua Randall and Jimmie Deeghan give the cover a character all its own. I wish I knew who the female guest vocalist was, because I would love to reprimand her by name. She gets a little too into her part and takes me out of the experience with some of her acrobatics. That's the only negative I can really list for this cover, though. You know, the second half of this album is pretty great.

14) "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, cover by NeverShoutNever!

...No.

15) "—what do you mean that's unprofessional? Oh, fine, I'll do a real review of this one. I think there should be some ground rules set down in the music industry, though. Rules for songs that should never be covered, ever. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is one of them. "Stairway to Heaven" is another, and yes, I'm looking at you, Mary J. Blige. "Free Bird" depends on the band. I could go on, but I won't. NeverShoutNever! is essentially one guy, Christofer Ingle, and a bunch of studio musicians. I'd be okay with this if Ingle weren't the one responsible for the vocals. The A section is absolutely terrible vocally. It gets a little better once we see the little silhouetto of a man, and then the guitar solo outward is downright listenable. But when I said that The Almost was trying too hard, I obviously hadn't heard Ingle yet. Though I can't be too hard on the kid; he does, like I said, get better as the song goes on. His vocals begin as indescribably bad and end up squarely in "I want to stone you and spit in your eye" territory. Which is an improvement.

15) "Dream On" by Aerosmith, cover by blessthefall

Whether you like Aerosmith or not, it's hard to deny that "Dream On" is a pretty solid song. And I've noticed that the dividing line on the "do you like Aerosmith?" battle tends to involve whether or not you can tolerate Steven Tyler's vocals. But now with Beau Bokan doing the singing, you don't need to worry about that! Now you can judge the song on its own merits. Compared to some other covers on this compilation, this song is sparse in instrumentation; drummer Matt Traynor only comes in when he's needed, and both Eric Lambert and Mike Frisby keep their guitars as atmospheric instruments more often than not—until, that is, the song brings in some synthesized strings and Lambert begins shredding over them. Most important to me, though, is that I finally got the choir I've been waiting for since "We Are the Champions": The song ends with the entire band singing the chorus in modest harmony. Bokan's voice takes a little getting used to, admittedly, but he's a lot easier to listen to than Steven Tyler.

That's Punk Goes Classic Rock on a track-by-track basis. As far as recommendations go: "Paint It Black", "Crazy Train", "Pour Some Sugar on Me", "All Along the Watchtower", and "Dream On". Tracks to stay away from at all costs include "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" and "Bohemian Rhapsody". The really good outweighs the really bad on this compilation, but they are both outweighed by the mediocre. If you're that hard-pressed for classic rock, just go listen to the originals. C+

Album Review: Halestorm

now playing: Coheed and Cambria - The Broken

Okay, I admit it. I can't keep an update schedule to save my life and I won't even pretend to anymore. But I still have a serious interest in writing about music, so this blog is totally not abandoned quite yet. Thanks to a new partnership with Typo Away, updates should be coming out a little more regularly, but don't get too excited. I'm still behind the wheel, after all; no promises. Now, let's get back into the swing of things with an album from a recent group that I'm enjoying quite a lot.

Halestorm, a semi-local band (from York, PA), came out with their self-titled debut in April of last year. When describing this album, I've often joked that it's eleven songs about having sex with the frontwoman, Lzzy Hale. That's not entirely fair; I'm pretty sure "Familiar Taste of Poison" is not, in fact, about shacking up with her. The other ten, though? Completely. It's this sort of ballsiness (ovarishness?) that I've found lacking in rock music as of late. With songs about exhibitionism, deflowering virgins, strictly sexual relationships, prostitution, and all manner of other euphemisms for the same basic concept, Halestorm takes the expectations of female-fronted rock music, ties them down to the bed, and makes like Kathy Bates in Misery all over them. It's refreshingly edgy without coming off as trying too hard.

But the concepts are only half the album. Halestorm isn't afraid to use the instruments and talent at their disposal to great effect. Nearly every song on the album has a bona fide guitar solo, something that has gone forgotten for far too long. Let's not forget the riffage in songs like "Dirty Work" and "It's Not You". The hard rock roots of the album bring with them a touch of atmospheric keyboard reminiscent of all the best parts of the 80s. Appropriate, as the current vocalist of Sixx A.M. co-wrote "What Were You Expecting", a track that brings the album back to its powerful core after a couple less-than-impressive ballads.

If there is any point where this album fails to impress, it's the slower tracks. "I'm Not an Angel" and "Better Sorry Than Safe" are good examples of power ballads, but it's clear the band isn't at their peak. Halestorm has definite strengths: Fast, hard-hitting rock songs. You won't find the next "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" on this album, but you shouldn't be expecting to find it. It's clear from the first lines on the album ("I'm in love with somebody / And it's not you") that Lzzy Hale isn't interested in sappy love songs. That's no excuse for calling a song "Bet U Wish U Had Me Back", though.

Halestorm can stand up against any 80s metal album with pride. If you know what you're going into, you'll be satisfied with this album. If, like me, you have no idea what to expect, prepare to be pleasantly surprised. (Personally, I thought I'd get a bit more power metal, but a tirade on album covers is for another post.) In a market stagnant with emasculated rock and roll, Halestorm resuscitates rock music, then gives it a sharp kick to the nards as punishment. Bravo, Lzzy. Bravo. A-

You can buy Halestorm from Halestorm's online store. Right now, the band's touring with Theory of a Deadman across the States and into Europe. In April, they'll be with Janus, Burn Halo, and Madam Adam. If this sounds like your kind of scene, check out the dates and buy tickets now.

Album Review: Dearest (I'm So Sorry)

now playing: Millencolin - Afghan

I wanted to do a full week of Sonata Arctica reviews, but it struck me about 30 seconds after I posted about The Days of Grays that Sonata only has six albums, and I don't know enough about their demos to do a full-fledged post. So let's keep on barreling through with what's next on my list, shall we? Incidentally, my list is pretty short, so I've decided to start taking reader recommendations. If I only review things I know I like, well, I'm not a very good reviewer, am I? Look for those to start up sometime later this week. Possibly tomorrow!

Long-time readers might remember me mentioning Picture Me Broken back in July, when I first discovered them. I've stuck with them since then, and I'm glad to say it's paid off. Thanks to OurStage, the band rose above dozens of other, lesser Bay Area bands to win a VMA as Best Breakout Bay Area Artist on September 13th. Rapper Kanye West later approached Picture Me Broken singer Layla Allman, saying that he would let her finish, but Gregg was the best Allman of all time. (No, he didn't.)

After their success at the VMAs, Picture Me Broken put out their first professional EP, Dearest (I'm So Sorry). The six-track EP features four new songs, as well as retooled versions of "Live Forever" and "Dearest (I'm So Sorry)", both available as demos via OurStage for some time. Let me talk about the re-records for a second before we go into the new stuff. "Live Forever" sounds harder and stronger, but I'm not sure if it's better. I'm still wrestling with the possibility that I might just be used to the demo. The melody and lyrics have both been tweaked, and the chorus now has keyboard overlaid (one change I do definitely like). I'm not sure how much I like the addition of more screams, even if it adds to the heavier effect. I don't think it will end well for Allman's voice if she keeps it up at that pace. In contrast, the title track doesn't seem like it had many changes made to it; I guess you really don't mess with perfection.

Most of the new songs show some fancy guitar work from Nick Loiacono (look to "Echoes of an Empire" or "Breaking the Fall"); "Echoes" also has a prominent bass line courtesy of Austin Dunn and heavy double bass from new drummer Connor Lung. Allman gets her chance to shine in the grim half-ballad "If I Never Wake Again", featuring piano and vocals and heralded by a gunshot. The band really brings it together cohesively in "Devil on My Shoulder", which opens with a drum solo before the main guitar and bass riffs kick in, then Allman joins the mix and the song just flows naturally from there.

When my biggest criticism is that a song I've grown to like sounds a little different, that's a good sign. If what I read on the Twitter is any indication, the band worked their asses off for this EP, and it definitely shows. The EP is available on Bandcamp. Buyers can download the 128kbps MP3s for free, but quality snobs and people who want to support the band can name their own price (starting at $5.00 for the album and $1.00 for each track) to get the songs in a bunch of high-quality formats. I won't say what I paid, but it was a decent amount and it was worth every penny. EDIT 9/30: If you're so inclined, the EP is now available on iTunes for $5.94. Picture Me Broken has already broken out of the Bay Area; with this EP, I think they can break out into the world. A-

Album Review: The Days of Grays

now playing: Sonata Arctica - Deathaura

You know, for how much I talk about how awesome Finnish power metal is, this is the first official time Sonata Arctica's gotten a mention on this long-dead blog. What a way to kick things off again, huh? Sonata's sixth studio album, The Days of Grays (Nuclear Blast), hit shelves in America today and I am more than ready to give it the review it deserves. And you know what? Come back every day this week for another Sonata Arctica album review.

It's been two and a half years since Sonata Arctica's divisive and controversial fifth album, Unia. The band took the progressive elements they'd been experimenting with for a few years and kicked them into high gear, culminating in an avant-garde explosion of sound with calliope and Hammond organs joining the regular lineup of bass, guitar, keyboards, drums, and vocals. Fans were not particularly happy, but I can save that explanation for another day. The Days of Grays retains the progressive elements of Unia, but brings along a darker tone, something more sinister and not quite heard of from this band until now. While their previous albums have opened with loud, heavy, hard-hitting tracks, "Everything Fades to Gray" is stripped down to the barest elements with nothing more than piano and strings (and the occasional tympani for effect). Orchestration is heavy on this album all around, in fact; four of the 13 songs feature strings, while the Finland-exclusive two-disc version contains seven completely orchestrated songs.

Just as the listener is getting comfortable, in comes "Deathaura", an eight-minute, multi-part suite showcasing guest vocalist Johanna Kurkela's gentle entry and the band's trademark thunderous sound only seconds later. This is guitarist Elias Viljanen's first opportunity to shine, having been added the band shortly after the release of Unia, and I am proud to say he does not disappoint. From there, the album transitions to "The Last Amazing Grays", the requisite "wolf song" and the first single. Despite the grim feelings the orchestrated bridge may convey, the message remains hopeful. Immediately following is the second single and easily the happiest song on the album, "Flag in the Ground". I can already see crowds of people singing along to this song, a triumphant anthem for love and the future.

Skipping ahead to the second half of the album, "Juliet" reminds the listener that vocalist and songwriter Tony Kakko is a terrifying person. Meant to be the end of a story introduced in their second album, "Juliet" details a stalker, having finally found his love, poisoning himself and expecting her to do the same. When he discovers that she is still alive as death overtakes him, he promises to come back as a ghost and haunt her until the end of her days. "As If the World Wasn't Ending", a few tracks later, seems to take the quote "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" to heart. A man has inadvertently caused the end of the world and spends the song pleading to his love to pretend that they aren't going to die, to enjoy the time they have left together. A darker tone indeed.

Of course, ten years of music haven't dulled Sonata's sense of experimentation. "Zeroes" applies various vocal effects and takes a more political tone, both of which are rather unexpected from a band that's been billed by some as "gay wizard metal". The chorus of "The Dead Skin" mentions human dismemberment (albeit as a metaphor). And then there's "The Truth is Out There", which -- yes, Virginia -- involves alien abduction.

Overall, The Days of Grays is an inventive album and an interesting exploration of just how far one band can push the definition of power metal. My major criticism is the average length of the songs; I fear touring with Nightwish may have influenced the band for the worse. Nothing drags, to be sure, but I fear for the commercial success of the album when half the tracks come in over 4:30. But pithy criticisms aside! I'm glad to see they're putting Viljanen to good use, as he certainly has the chops. Bassist Marko Paasikoski is further up in the mix in nearly every track, which I appreciate as a bassist. It seems others appreciate it, as well: The album sold in excess of 15,000 copies in Finland on the first day of release, reaching gold status in what must be record time. The brightest colors might fade to gray, but at this rate, Sonata Arctica most certainly will not. A-

You can buy The Days of Grays from Sonata Arctica's website. The band is currently touring the USA and Canada with Dragonforce, so be sure to check out the tour schedule and pick up tickets to the show nearest you.

Album Review: Oxytocin

now playing: Concrete Blonde - Probably Will

If you'd told me that a bunch of developers from Harmonix, the company responsible for Rock Band and the first two Guitar Hero games, were going to make a hip-hop/electronica album, I would have laughed in your face, then gone to see what the internet was saying about it. In fact, that is exactly what I did before running across Oxytocin, a 40 minute continuous mix of hip-hop and electronica tracks from eleven Harmonix developers, including members of That Handsome Devil and BQEZ. The best non-musical part is that it's being released on the internet for free in its entirety.

This may not entirely come as a surprise, but I do not listen to hip-hop, so it's difficult for me to judge this album against others in its genre. However, listening to some of the tracks, I find it hard to put this album into one definitive genre, which is both logical and for the best. Rob Lynch's "Cathode Ray" reminds me very much of Anamanaguchi, whereas "Do It For Me" by Nay brings me back to the happy hardcore heyday in the early 90s. "Subway Tale", crafted by M-Cue and Tarashi, definitely makes me think Gorillaz above anything else. To put it quite simply, even if it is a cliche, this album does have something for everyone. I went in not expecting to like it in the slightest, but I nearly stumbled upon a strange mix of Poe and Jack Off Jill with Ligery and Inner Dialogue's "Perfect", spoken poetry backed by synth and beats. Before I even knew the song was coming to an end, it was transitioning seamlessly into "Blow Away" by Patrick Balthrop, a song that would fit perfectly in a trance club's rotation.

I suppose with the diversity of the musical spectrum already covered, my only other comment would be on the fantastic production of the album. Even with songs that fall under incredibly different genres and styles, the mixing remains consistent and in some cases imperceptible. I suppose that's to be expected in a group with six sound designers and two producers, but it's still very impressive. The people responsible for Oxytocin set a goal to make a project that "wasn't rock based", and with just one listen of the album, it's clear that they met this goal. With all the rock bands Harmonix produces (Bang Camaro and the Sterns, to name two), it's easy to overlook those musicians that don't fall under that heading but still have just as much talent as their conventional counterparts. If Oxytocin is a way to test the waters, I'll definitely be keeping my eye on the website to see what else they've got planned. At any rate, it's obvious that Harmonix can produce more than just quality video games. A

Keep your eye on Oxytocin's homepage to follow news on what's to come and download the album in its entirety. While you're there, check out the individual blogs and Twitters of the members and clear your schedules for a couple of shows in June with all eleven getting together to perform live.

Album Review: Neverender - Night IV

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

While I'd love to continue the trend of going into the story, the truth is that not even the people at Cobalt and Calcium are all that sure what goes on in Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume II: No World for Tomorrow. There's a definite end, to be sure: Claudio Kilgannon finally confronts Wilhelm Ryan and ends the Keywork, as has been fated. But it takes the entire album to get to that point, so just what's been going on? Who is the Hound of Blood and Rank? Is the little back porch lady someone we know? And just what is the change that's finally come? Hopefully the upcoming prequel album will shed some light on this, but I'm not counting on it.

Neverender - Night IV is definitely my favorite of all the performances. It starts with the crowd screaming "Raise your hands high!" in the album's title track; that keeps up to the final strains of "The End Complete V: On the Brink", which does not go on for 18 minutes but is impressive nonetheless. Ever since I started listening to Good Apollo II, I knew that one day I would have to hear these songs live. It's the hardest-hitting of any of the band's albums for me, with "Feathers" (which took time to grow on me), "No World for Tomorrow", and the always popular "Gravemakers & Gunslingers" sticking out the most. I've already given my thoughts on "Justice in Murder" and "The End Complete" in other posts; even though it's live and I really do like live performances, I find it difficult to sit through 30 minutes of disjointed music. I feel at some points the audience does, too. If I could turn off this album after "Justice in Murder" (or perhaps "The End Complete II: Radio Bye-Bye", which I actually can stomach more often than not), I would gladly do it, to be honest. Despite that, Neverender - Night IV still stands as my favorite performance in this grand work. The crowd fills in the gaps more often than not, whether Claudio asks them to or he just runs out of breath. And I think at this point, we all know my thoughts on crowd vocals.

I've gained something from this series of reviews, I think. I've had the story of the Amory Wars explained to me in summarized form, yes, but this is the first time I've actually gone out and tried to comprehend just what's going on. And so far? SSTB is still a little incomprehensible, but I've developed a new appreciation for IKSSE:3 and even the latter half of Good Apollo I. I doubt Coheed's albums are ever going to stop growing on me, which means longevity in their future. And keep in mind that they do still have one more album to go: A prequel, taking place long before Coheed, Cambria, and Jesse existed as characters. If it keeps up this pace, I expect even better things.

The Second Stage Turbine Blade: B-; Neverender - Night I: C+
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3: B+; Neverender - Night II: B+
Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness: A-; Neverender - Night III: A
Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume II: No World for Tomorrow: A+; Neverender - Night IV: A

I'd like to thank Cobalt and Calcium for their analysis of the story of The Amory Wars. Coheed and Cambria will be playing a short tour in late May; you can find dates and get tickets on their official website under the Tour tab.

Album Review: Neverender - Night III

now playing: Coheed and Cambria - The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut (Live at Neverender)

Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness brings us into the world of the Writing Writer, who is responsible for penning the story we've been following so far in the previous two albums. (His world is possibly better known as our world.) The Writer is slowly going insane, tormented by visions of casting his ex-girlfriend into the ground, burying her alive. His visions continue in the form of Ten Speed, a demonic manifestation of a bicycle the Writer had when he was a child. Ten Speed brings the Writer to the realization that he's placed his ex, Erica Court, into the story as Ambellina. The only way to end the visions and regain his sanity, Ten Speed says, is to kill off Ambellina. Though the Writer initially resists, after realizing that he is the one in control of the story and he is more than able to kill whomever he wants, resolves to listen to Ten Speed's words and go through with killing the manifestation of Erica Court. Meanwhile, in the Keywork, Claudio Kilgannon begins begging to God, asking what he did to deserve this and just how he's supposed to accept his destiny. He and the Writer both come to the realization that they must end the Keywork to end the suffering, and as Claudio approaches the House Atlantic, the Writer approaches the Willing Well, a full-length mirror that serves as a portal between the two worlds. The Writer joins our battle, already in progress, and assaults Ambellina. Claudio attempts to use his abilities as the Crowing to stop the Writer, but is unable. It's pretty impossible to kill God, after all. The Writer explains his motivations to Claudio, and the album draws to a close with one final cut. Told you it gets confusing. Cobalt and Calcium, as always, has more on the story.

Neverender - Night III begins the parts of the Amory Wars story I enjoy most. My first exposure to Coheed and Cambria was "Welcome Home", appearing on Rock Band. It had been so long since I'd heard accessible modern rock with guitar work like that; I was immediately hooked. (In fact, I think that song is the reason I like prog as much as I do now.) Even if I initially thought that Coheed got royalties based on the number of words in the title, I picked up Good Apollo I anyway and never looked back. I didn't know about the storyline at the time; I just had a bunch of really great songs that didn't leave rotation on my iPod for months. Listening to the album performed live brings more nostalgic feelings, which are always welcome. And since I am so familiar with the studio album, the imperfections that add flavor to the performance are that much more noticeable. This is not necessarily a bad thing! I like getting to hear the band's mistakes. I'm still not entirely sure what happened in "The Lying Lies & Dirty Secrets of Miss Erica Court" that caused Claudio to start early and miss a couple lines, but there's a very human element there that you just won't get in a studio.

Something else you won't get in the studio is the technical proficiency displayed in the 18-minute jam of the final song of the night, "The Willing Well IV: The Final Cut". Unless you're some sort of combination of Jethro Tull and Peter Frampton, you won't be able to get away with dueling talkbox and theremin solos from Claudio Sanchez, guitarist Travis Stever, and a guest keyboard player on a studio album. And it would take some sort of love child of Keith Moon and Neil Peart to justify former Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie's blistering seven-minute drum solo. Overall, Good Apollo I is even technically amazing live. If IKSSE:3 is where the band started to hit their stride, Good Apollo I is a near perfection of their sound. I still enjoy Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume II: No World For Tomorrow better, but that's a review for tomorrow night.

Album Review: Neverender - Night II

now playing: Coheed and Cambria - Blood Red Summer (Live at Neverender)

In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 begins by taking us ten years into the future. Claudio Kilgannon has had time to grow, and Jesse, a character introduced as the Prize Fighter Inferno in The Second Stage Turbine Blade, has had equal time to grow his rebel army, with which he can depose Supreme Tri-Mage Wilhelm Ryan and Head General Mayo Deftinwolf and bring peace to the Keywork once again. If you think it's weird now, folks, just wait. One rebel, Sizer, is captured by Ryan's organization, the URA, and brought to the planet Shylos Ten, where he is tortured and left for dead. Claudio, waking from his ten-year slumber on Shylos Ten, meets Jesse, Sizer, and a new character, Ambellina. Claudio learns of his fate as The Crowing, the prophesied bringer of Armageddon. The four enlist the help of a freighter pilot named (surprisingly) Al and take his ship, the Velorium Camper, to the House Atlantic, Wilhelm Ryan's headquarters. Al hands them over to the URA, but can't bring himself to give up Ambellina and at the last moment helps the group to escape on Jesse's ship, the Grail Arbor, while he remains behind. The album closes with Claudio dreaming of what may have happened if he had been able to protect his parents the night they were killed. I'm actually leaving out some parts, so if you're curious to learn more, read up at Cobalt and Calcium.

With an instrumental flourish and thunderous applause, Neverender - Night II begins. Claudio Sanchez retains his astounding command over the crowd, not simply telling the story of Jesse in the title track but becoming Jesse, ordering the audience "Man your battlestations!" and receiving unwavering response. In fact, this night's performance is leagues above and beyond the previous night's with respect to audience participation. Even when Sanchez is left breathless, the crowd fills in the missing lines by heart, be it wordless vocalizations or Al's final words to Ambellina. Even though this album is not my favorite, I still find myself longing for the opportunity to have seen it live simply for the crowd participation.

As I listen to this live performance, and especially after writing out all that information about the story, I feel like this album is where Coheed and Cambria really began to hit their stride. SSTB was decent, but it lacked many of the things that I seem to identify the band with. Not the least of these things is the story itself. With a slew of new characters, conflicting motivations, and conflict in general, the songs in IKSSE:3 are strikingly diverse. This diversity draws attention easily and saves the album from sounding too generic, which was my major complaint with SSTB. Had the band's first album been my first experience with their music, I would have written them off as nothing more than generic rock. Fortunately, my first experience was with "Welcome Home", featured on Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume I: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness, which will be featured in tomorrow's review of Neverender - Night III.

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.

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.

Album Review: Give Me Back My Metaphors

now playing: The Sterns - Who Stole Your Drugs?

Okay, this one's probably cheating a little, since The Sterns' Give Me Back My Metaphors is a three-song EP, but I've been waiting for this release ever since I saw The Sterns live last October. Like I mentioned in my very first post, this quintet recently turned into a trio featuring the namesake Alex Stern on guitar and vocals, Emeen Zarookian on bass and vocals, and Zak Kahn on drums. I've talked with Emeen and Zak (the former is an employee at Harmonix Studios in Cambridge) and both of them seemed really excited to get this EP together. It doesn't take long to see why.

The title track opens with a killer bass line that moves seamlessly into the same kind of songwriting I've grown to love in this band. It's a sarcastic little song about a relationship, and it manages to rhyme "sympathetic" with "anesthetic". Track two, "Total Fitness", talks about a three-year affair between lovers who met at the gym and shows off some harmonies between Stern and Zarookian that remind me of the Police. And "Who Stole Your Drugs?" seems to be directed towards a couple different people who have done terrible things and blamed it on drugs. And how curious that those drugs are missing now.

Basically, what listeners can expect from this EP is more of a stripped-down sound, since their keyboardist is no longer there. But it's still the same Sterns from Sinners Stick Together; all the songwriting is in place (and has in fact improved), and the band seems just as psyched about these new songs as I am, so that's always a plus. I look forward to hearing the metaphors they've been holding back. A

Give Me Back My Metaphors is available on The Sterns' MySpace.

Album Review: American Soldier

now playing: Queensrÿche - Suite Sister Mary

I know this isn't Coheed & Cambria's Neverender as I said I would do, but thanks once again to my good friend Jordan "Hawk" Munson, Queensrÿche's latest album, American Soldier, was brought to my attention. I had to stop the Coheed review and do this instead. After all, I love prog, I love metal, and I love the 'Ryche. We'll return you to your regularly scheduled Neverender review sometime soon.

The biggest issue I have with any Queensrÿche release after 1990's Empire is that I will inevitably end up comparing it to the group's first concept album, Operation: Mindcrime, released in 1988. Mindcrime is my favorite of all the metal albums I own and I have said on more than one occasion that it is the greatest metal album ever made. I might be unfairly setting the bar way too high, but so far, I haven't heard a Queensrÿche album better than Mindcrime. Mindcrime II fell flat, and the less said about Q2K, the better.

And that brings us to Geoff Tate's latest brainchild. American Soldier is another stab at a concept album, this time with all the songs inspired by stories told to Tate by veterans. Sound clips of these stories are interspersed throughout the album in an attempt to evoke emotion. Unfortunately, it fails to do anything but bore me, quite honestly. Perhaps I'm not the intended audience for this album; perhaps I'm just too jaded at this point to care as much as I should. So the spoken word excerpts aren't for me. It's not like they're all the album is. Let's focus on the rest of the album.

It almost pains me to say this, but from the first couple songs, I could have sworn I was listening to a nu-metal album. If I took Tate's voice out of the mix, I could have heard any single one of these songs on top 40 radio five years ago alongside Disturbed and Slipknot. "Sliver", the opening track, even has channel-panning gang vocals, a mixed-down solo, and a breakdown. This, obviously, does not bode well for a band in the progressive metal genre. The first time I heard a song that could have stood up to the top 40 and shoved it down in an uncaring act of defiance, I was more than halfway through the album. Track 9, "Man Down!", has a powerful and bass-heavy leading riff that, unfortunately, disappears pretty quickly once the song gets going.

On that note, there are parts of songs that do stick out to me. "Man Down!" has the riff. There's a brief saxophone solo at the end of "Middle of Hell" that did surprise me, and the group chorus vocals on that same track definitely reminded me of the Empire era. By and large, though, the album is just bland. It's neither particularly good nor particularly bad, but it's certainly not the Queensrÿche I've come to know and love. If they really pulled all the good parts together, they might have enough for one song of their earlier caliber; two if they stretched it. If these guys plan to do another concept album, I'd like to hear a little less speaking and a little more "Speak". C-

American Soldier hits record stores on March 31st. You can pre-order it on Amazon or pick it up at Queensrÿche's official store. The American Soldier Tour kicks off on April 16th in Seattle; head here for tour dates and more information.

Album Review: Lullabies for the Dormant Mind

now playing: The Agonist - Void of Sympathy

It may not come as a surprise that I am not the biggest fan of genres that end in "death" or "core". Why, then, am I reviewing Canadian melodeath/metalcore band The Agonist's sophomore album, Lullabies for the Dormant Mind? Patience. I first saw The Agonist in 2007 as they were opening for Sonata Arctica. I didn't entirely understand why a thrash band would be opening for a power/prog band, but now that I've actually listened to The Agonist as they sound in the studio, I understand it a lot better. Everything sounded like noise during the live shows (and I'm sure the venues were at least partially responsible for this), including the melodic aspects that I didn't even know were there. The only thing that really stuck out was vocalist Alissa White-Gluz, and even then, it was because I thought she was trying much too hard to sound like Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy.

Still, they weren't terrible live, so I bought a little poster, hung it on my wall, and proceeded to forget about them almost entirely. Until, that is, a couple weeks ago, when my good friend Jordan "Hawk" Munson hooked me up with a prerelease copy of Lullabies. In preparation for this review, I took a listen to their first album, Once Only Imagined. I knew I had heard several of the songs on the album before, but none of them sounded the least bit familiar. I found myself actually enjoying what I was hearing, now that I was finally able to decipher melodies and hear White-Gluz's skillful growling and singing both. So many nuances are lost in a live performance.

And this brings me to the album in question. Lullabies for the Dormant Mind is positively riddled with such nuances that would be lost without an amazing stage setup. But let's start with the obvious, shall we? Just from looking at the album artwork, I guessed that bands like Nightwish provided at least some influence for the way The Agonist would sound on this album. It only took one track to prove me right; almost immediately, I noticed White-Gluz creating a delicate balance between Angela Gossow's rip-your-throat-out growling and highly melodic, occasionally operatic vocals that err more on the Anette Olzon side of Nightwish. The shifts between the two styles kept my attention and built some excellent tension; by the end of "...and Their Eulogies Sang Me to Sleep", I wanted to go out and break some faces -- and that's only the second track. But of course, White-Gluz can't do it alone; she's aided by bass-heavy drumming from Simon McKay, guitar that is at once both thick and melodious courtesy of Danny Marino (not to be confused with the equally thick but slightly less melodious football player), and nigh-virtuosic bass lines from Chris Kells. The lineup seems perfectly balanced.

But what's this? The subtle addition of piano and strings for flavor? No, that isn't quite enough. After all, the last album had that, too. What makes this album even more special? Refined? Dare I say... classical? Exactly that, of course. In the midst of ten other hard-hitting tracks that show off the instruments, we take a calming break for an a cappella rendition of Act 2, #10 from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Op. 20. This bold and frankly unusual choice showcases White-Gluz and White-Gluz alone as she harmonizes with herself and lets us know just how operatic she can get. The experimentation barely stops there, though. The bridge of "Waiting Out the Winter" is written in 5/4; "Martyr Art" opens in 6/4; "The Sentient" dabbles with 7/8 in places. In fact, with the exception of the opening track, every song on this album uses at least two time signatures. And the final track, "Chlorpromazine", contains a lengthy violin solo. The band isn't afraid to branch out in the slightest, and that ambition works out for the best. Technically, this album excels.

The last comment I'd like to make is with regards to the production. When compared with its predecessor, Lullabies is a sonic masterpiece. I'm actually frightened of blowing out my headphones if I listen to it too loudly. Every note comes through clearly. Not a single nuance is lost. But the most impressive feat I think this album has accomplished is getting me to listen to it. Normally, I can't stand to listen to songs with too much growling in them. What can I say? I like being able to sing along with what I'm listening to. Lullabies has found a fantastic way to bridge the gap and is an astoundingly accessible album. I'm almost worried of hearing how songs from it sound live; if there's the same degree of loss, I won't even enjoy hearing the songs I like performed ten feet in front of me. That's the main thing keeping this album from getting a solid A. Still, I'm impressed by this offering and I would definitely recommend it to a number of people, even if they don't enjoy this kind of music. I didn't at first, and now look at me. A-

Lullabies for the Dormant Mind is hitting shelves March 10th. You can pre-order the album from Century Media now. While you're at it, check out The Agonist's MySpace for a sample of what they can do. If you like what you hear, they're going to be kicking off a tour through Canada and the United States on March 13th. Dates are on their MySpace.

Album Review: Rock 'n Roll Children

now playing: Guster - Barrel of a Gun

The members of Finnish heavy metal group Sturm Und Drang are scarcely 17 years old, but they already have two hard-hitting albums under their belt. Rock 'n Roll Children (GUN Records), released on November 10th, follows 2007's Learning to Rock (Helsinki Music Company); comparing the two albums, it's apparent just how much the band's sound has evolved in so little time. Vocalist André Linman is getting more mature not only physically, but musically, as well, and the band follows. The licks are meatier, the drumming more powerful, and the bass lines more rumbling. Yes, compared to the album before it, it's really something special. But how does it stand on its own?

Those expecting influences from Dio from the title of the album would not be entirely far off. In several songs, I noticed inspiration drawn from Skid Row, Accept, Gamma Ray, Sonata Arctica, and of course, Judas Priest. This album certainly sounds like it could holds its own against the greats. However, like many songs from the era of 80s metal, every song on the album follows a fairly distinct formula with regards to construction. I don't think I could listen to Children on repeat for fear of getting bored. It's possible, though, that the band planned for this: At least half the songs sound like they were produced with explicit intent to perform live. These tracks are rife with call-and-response singing, choruses with memorable melodies, and extended solos to show off the band's chops. I'm going to count this as a mark for the album, even though Sturm Und Drang has only ever played one show outside Europe.

The other issue I have with the album is not something for which it is easy to hold anyone culpable. Linman sings in English, and while his grasp on the language is mostly natural, there are a few moments I can think of when his accent makes it hard to understand him. By and large, though, his singing has vastly improved from what it was on Learning to Rock. If the band gets a third try, I have confidence that he'll sound like he's been speaking English for most his life.

When compared with their previous album, Rock 'n Roll Children shows a marked evolution and maturity in the group's sound. As a standalone album, it's slightly more impressive. I have high hopes for this band. They get closer to falling into their own with each song they record. If they keep up this pace, it won't be long before these children become rock and roll men. B

You can import Rock 'n Roll Children from Amazon or download it on iTunes. Sturm Und Drang will be touring Finland through May starting on February 19th. Go here for dates.

Album Review: Folie à Deux

now playing: Fall Out Boy - Headfirst Slide into Cooperstown on a Bad Bet

Following hot on the heels of 2007's Infinity on High (Mercury), Fall Out Boy presented their fifth studio album Folie à Deux (Decaydance) in December of 2008. I'm not the first and I won't be the last to call Infinity a troubling change in the band's sound, which makes Folie all the more surprising. The band has struck exactly the right balance between the pop-rock anthems they've become known for and a new sound rife with stylistic experimentation and more guest singers than a Live Aid concert.

One thing Folie brings to the table is the hook, clear and prominent in every song. Maybe that's wrong -- maybe the hooks have always been there, but we've never been able to understand them. In between Infinity and this album, it seems vocalist Patrick Stump took lessons in diction. For the most part, the lyrics come out clear as a bell, leaving the mushmouth ways of being a little man who is also evil, also into cats far behind. This turns out for the better; lyrics criticizing emo bands and encouraging listeners to change their own lives wouldn't be half as powerful if they had to be checked and cross-checked with liner notes and lyric websites. And on the subject of subjects, the thirteen songs on this album seem to focus more on the tenets introduced by Ian Dury: Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. While still keeping a poppy feel, Stump wails about having an illicit affair, a Benzedrine addiction, and how nothing can damage his ego, all decidedly rock staples. And he does it all tastefully in a way that will leave you singing for hours.

In fact, the whole band follows Stump in much the same way. In the course of listening, I was taken through pop-rock, classic rock, club, charity chorus (think "We Are the World"), and cabaret, with some songs even showing distinct electronic and R&B influences. Through all these styles, drummer Andy Hurley consistently impresses, showing off his chops in every last song. Guitarist Joe Trohman adds powerful licks and finally gets a few solos, and yes, even bassist Pete Wentz gets his time to shine with the bass-driven "w.a.m.s.".

However, for everything Folie à Deux does right, there are a few things that detract from the experience. Though Stump sings much more clearly, he still suffers from occasional incomprehensibility, most notably when he switches to falsetto. And unfortunately, the liner notes are no help; most of the pages are almost entirely blank, with the only hint to lyrics being through a website given on the last page of the booklet that just redirects to the official fan website, where the lyrics that are provided are wildly inaccurate. While I'm sure the band has a good idea behind this decision -- something like letting whatever you hear be the "right" lyrics -- part of me wishes they had just printed the lyrics in black and white. I do realize that shows some incredible nitpicking, though, so it doesn't detract too much from my final score.

I would be remiss, though, not to mention the incredible amount of guest artists on this album. One track, "What A Catch, Donnie", is a veritable who's who of Decaydance Records. It features guest vocals from Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes), Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco), Alex DeLeon (The Cab), Gabe Saporta (Cobra Starship), William Beckett (The Academy Is...), and Doug Neumann (Doug Does Decaydance). The great Elvis Costello joins the chorus in the very same song. Urie also sings on "20 Dollar Nose Bleed" and DeLeon adds his voice to "Tiffany Blews". Rapper Lil Wayne adds a bridge to "Tiffany Blews", and even Debbie Harry of Blondie gets her piece, singing part of the chorus of "West Coast Smoker". Maybe this album should have been called Folie à Plus. A-

You can find Folie à Deux on Amazon or iTunes. Do your part to save the industry and start buying music again. Fall Out Boy will be on tour with Cobra Starship, All Time Low, Hey Monday, and Metro Station in April. Go here for dates and tickets.