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-

What I Can't Stop Listening To: Picture Me Broken

now playing: Picture Me Broken - Live Forever

Oh, hey, I actually have a blog. Yeah, so much for regular updates, I guess. What with my own flighty nature and an actual job getting in the way, I haven't had a lot of time to get out and discover new music, much less write posts about it. However, thanks to my good friend Jordan Munson, I do have some actual content. This is going to be a bit different from my standard WICSLT posts; it's more of a single-artist showcase than anything else.

Picture Me Broken is a quartet of high school kids from Redwood City, CA. Don't let their age fool you, though; these kids can seriously rock. They were recently invited to play the Warped Tour on June 27th, and not without merit. One listen to their big song, "Dearest (I'm So Sorry)", and it's clear that their comparisons to both Paramore and Scary Kids Scaring Kids are not without merit. I haven't heard guitar work like this out of a modern rock band in a long time. It's a real breath of fresh air. But that's not the only thing they offer. Layla Allman does triple duty, giving infectiously singable lyrics next to passionate screams and just a touch of synth for taste. In "Dearest" and "No Shame" most notably, the use of keyboards during the breakdowns just fits; she knows what she's doing.

Nick Loiacono, guitarist, brings another welcome surprise to the table in "Dead Serious", a bit of a stylistic departure into the pop-rock side of things and what I predict will be a runaway hit. The song features a bona fide guitar solo, which is an element all but forgotten in most modern music today. Loiacono shows impressive chops through their entire body of work. If it weren't for Allman's voice, I'd be hard-pressed to believe "Blind" and "Dearest" are by the same band. This is aided by the versatility of bassist Austin Dunn, who understands that not every bass line needs to be the root for three minutes. What interludes he takes are few, but they're evident and they work. And let's not leave the rhythm section out of it; with Eric Perkins on drums, switching from double-bass breakdowns to more standard classic rock rhythms effortlessly (again, listen to "Dearest"), the whole outfit really comes together.

Picture Me Broken is currently working on releasing their first EP, still untitled. While you wait, you can check them out on OurStage and give them your support by voting for them in the monthly contests. If that's not your scene, you can also find them on MySpace and Twitter. They might only have a few songs so far, but I'm picturing good things in Picture Me Broken's future.