Love is Noise- "To Live a Different Way".

 

Midway into the year, and catching up with some albums I missed out on earlier. It goes to show that with mainstream metal media, even a broken clock is right twice a day, as I stumbled across these guys thanks to a Loudwire article. Produced like a shoegaze album, but it has Myspace emo vibes at its beating heart. This is most evident in the vocals. The vocals are almost pop-punk on "Soft Glow".  A more nu-metal vocal pops up to give it a little more edge. Cameron Humpry is the creative engine of this project, and he seems to have a knack for blending all the right elements at the right time. 

There is a more 90s  alt-pop feel to "Take One Minute" that puts them in line to start gunning for the throne Turnstile is occupying this year. They are about as much of a metal band as Turnstile is a hardcore band. 'But the kinda sound like Deftones! " you argue. Well, Deftones have not been a metal band in some time. These guys are aware of Deafheaven, but not as committed to heaviness as they are. Which is fine, it's the media that is trying to position these guys as metal, not me. Then, as I type this, they make a more nu-metal stab at things for "Jawbreaker". It's much more Deftones influenced for sure. 

"Evelyn" sounds more like a Jane's Addiction ballad if Dave Grohl were singing rather than Perry. It works better than that sounds.  I guess this would be best described as nu-gaze, as it's shoe-gazing nu-metal, which is kind of what Deftones turned into. These guys groove differently. At times, on a song like "It Hurts to Know You're There,"  they bring Dredg to mind. The title track is the song to play if you are asked to sum up this band in one song. "Sunshine" really doubles down on the more pop-oriented aspect of what was a more subtle undercurrent til this point. 

There is a more dream pop strum leading into "Anemoia". The song wanders in atmosphere. "Mist" kind of works off the mellower, more atmospheric vibes established in the previous song, with the songwriting feeling a little more dialed in, slightly more 90s Brit pop. I like the vocal production on the last song, though they do double down on the power ballad mood. They jam off the atmosphere, and allow it to boil to more of a climax. overall this might not be metal, but this album is a great deal of fun, sounds great and they have a fine ear for songwriting with memorable vocal lines which most shoe-gaze bands just use as a texture. I will give it a 9.5, out on Century Media.

10.7

pst249

Bleed : "s/t"

This Texas band takes you back to the 90s in a weird, unexpected manner.  By unexpected, this does not mean I have not already seen the writing on the wall when it comes to nu-metal making a comeback. These guys just go about it differently. The flourishes of DJs spun, scratched ambiance at the edges of their throb point this band's sound in the direction of nu-metal. There is some darker tension to the grooves that the vocals coo over. The drummer is really slapping his kit as needed, and the electronic elements ebb and flow into their sound pretty seamlessly. 

They cost into more of an intense shoe-gazing for "Through the Cylinder". There is the bouncing stomp of the nu-metal that makes a slight return on the heavier riffs of "Killing Time," though the verses are more dedicated to melody. The screamed vocals are in the background, and just jump out like a man in a mask trying to scare you at a haunted attraction. This album is more atmospheric and moody than it is dark. By the time we get to "Marathon," the more Deftones-like formula leaves less mystery. "Cynical" finds the drummer locking into a more nu-metal vibe, with the vocals as the only element to break from that, though the guitars are not super low tuned and more of an ambient element than crunching. Though they do come together in the second half of the song to dig in before the bass line takes over. 

Things get heavier for the explosive moments of "Enjoy Your Stay". The drummer is pushing the song to where it feels like a car careening out of control. "Slip" finds the vocals getting into more of a pocket with the groove, though they are generally another layer of ambiance. There is an interesting breakdown, but the song is one of the album's more straightforward moments. Based on what I have heard of the new Turnstile, I can hear these guys being the less poppy alternative. Then the switch things up the most yet with "Shallow," which is a wise move as things were becoming a bit uniform. "Take it Out" is the most riff-oriented song of the album. I think the way this album is produced plays to the song's favor.  While they are doing a certain sound, they care about writing songs, and are different enough to stand out, this all boils down to a really fun listen that embraces nostalgia without being weighed down by it, I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me. 

pst195