Wage War : "STIGMA"

 

I have seen this band's name over the years and always assumed they were a hard-core band that sounded more like Hatebreed. Perhaps they did at one point, but judging from their 5th album, they are closer to Slipknot. I can hear how they are popular on stages of festivals like Welcome to Rockville. They are punchy enough to convince you they are a metal band while working off grooves that sound like they are Slipknot b-sides, completer when the chanted hooks.  It might seem really heavy when they lean into breakdowns unless you already listen to bands like Harms Way or 200 Stab Wound. They take a jarring turn to a more Sleep Token-flavored form of radio pop on "Magnetic". This album is really produced and is littered with electronic embellishments that sound like the best days of Myspace. 

"Nails" starts off with a Ghostemane-like vocal. At first, I thought it was a guest spot, but then read the press release where the band said they were giving their take on underground rap, meaning they were ripping off  Ghostemane. They also claim this song has their heaviest breakdown ever, so I am guessing the bar is low for that one. " Blur" makes it clear these guys are young enough to have grown up thinking Linkin Park is iconic, rather than a boy band with guitars. 'Tombstone' is a little darker, and storms into the heavier side of what the band does which is more in league with Slipknot. Not the heaviest song you will hear this week, nor the most original, but it is catchy enough for you to bob your head to it. 

The band claims it is their take on 90s industrial metal, which means the only 90s industrial album they have ever heard is Static X, which shines through on "Happy Hunting". 3TEETH does this sort of thing much better. I might be cynical about this, but to be fair these guys do not suck either, they are just doing a good job at what other artists already do better, but if you are 16 you might not know any better. This is also the same age when little girls might think a song like "Hellbent" hits hard. It sounds like pop country going pop-punk. But this album is well-produced so they sound good doing it. 

I guess it's the fact these guys are from Ocala Florida, the land of the Skunk Ape, that brings the subtle country influence to the surface. for a song like "In My Blood". It tries too hard to be an anthem. It hits me as cheesy and I am sure there are hundreds of kids on the internet who know nothing about music, ok, I am downplaying this numbers-wise, but the point is they would try to defend this.  The last song is closer to Sleep Token pop again, and if they are willing to rip off Ghostemane they would not blink at jumping on the Sleep Token bandwagon. Once upon a time, I would not even be bothered with something like this, but last year the Pierce the Veil album rocks my fucking socks, so I give bands a try I might otherwise scoff at, in hopes to find a gem like that. I will give this album a 6.5, as it tries a little too hard and seems to be more marketing than metal, but kids are dumb enough to dig it. It drops on Fearless Records on June 21st. 

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Dead Pony : "Ignore This"

Pop music and rock music have been merging more in recent years. This Scottish band does so to the extent of bands like Holy Wars or Poppy. Though these Scotts are perhaps a little more fun-loving and less angsty in their expression of this. Nu-metal helped open the doors for this sort of thing as Linkin Park was a boy band with guitars, and Limp Bizkit's Peak found them rubbing elbows with Carson Daily on a regular. It certainly is this band's strength, when they do rock out their singer's voice puts her in close company with 90s bands like Veruca Salt as she packs more sugar than spice. The guitars are mixed with more mid-range than metal, and the overall mix holds more common ground with pop than packing a punch. 

The guitars get a slight boost going into "About Love" before ebbing down to give the vocals more room for introspection. This song also retains the 90s feel heard in the previous song. Their guitarist seems to take over the mic for interludes, and the occasional intro. His voice is much less interesting than Anna's. "Cobra"  has a more upbeat bounce, it sounds like most of the crunch it lacks is a production choice, as I can hear where this might rock out more live. The post-production choices on the vocals are where this producer's true talents lie as it is an area where this album shines. "Mana" maintains their high energy style, with the guitars giving her vocals plenty of room to do their thing. They are successful in tapping into a fountain of youth to channel their inner teenagers. 

"I might die" is a power ballad with a touch of grunge. Her vocal harmonies are the song's strong point."Rainbows" is proof, that I can like music that is not all that dark. It works as a fun pop song just fine. There is more sex injected into the attitude of "Bad Girlfriend" though the chorus of "X-Rated" is more infectious. Her girl crush anthem is pretty cute and marketable. There is less charm to the more filler feel of "White Rabbit", which feels like it's ground we have already covered. "Faces on the Wall" circles the same drain. It's not bad just more of the same. I will give this album a 9, it's fun and works for what they are doing, not the hardest rocking album of the year, but plenty of fun. 

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the Struts : "Pretty Vicious"

 

If the members of INXSs and Buckcherry got together to form an AC/DC tribute band the results would not be unlike what goes down on the opening track to the Struts new album. They lean more towards the INXS side of this equation on the title track, which also sets its sights on a less rock and more pop-minded sound. It has more of its own thing going than the title track. "I Won't Run" has a more casual feel to it's relaxed radio rock feel. It does owe a little more to the 80s in some ways. The lyrics are not the strongest we have heard from these guys so far. It is well produced but plays it too safe by falling too neatly in the middle of the road with the vocals are the most redeeming element. In many ways, this mix reminds me of the new Menzingers album. 

The soulful vocals to " Hands on Me" have an anthemic pop-rock radio feel. The guitar solo is more of an accent as they are quick to follow a formula. It would only take aa little twan to make this pop country. The guitars sit back in the mix more than what you expect a rock album to sound like, well at least around here. There is a hint of barroom blues on the more Rolling Stones like "Do What You Want". Though the danger the Stone had has been compressed out by studio plug-ins/ The brightness of the mix, also conveys the overall celebratory feel of the album."Rockstar" is almost like Cheap Trick but even happier. This formula becomes really tedious by "Remember the Name". 

The power ballad "Bad Decisions" is a little more effective for this kind of arena rock ."'Better Love" feels more like Duran Duran.  The guitar playing on this album is pretty decent. These guys are not shabby musicians. "Gimme Some Blood" is another more soul-driven ballad. They rock harder than Duran Duran. on this one putting them closer to say the Black Crowes. The album closes with another ballad this one the least impressive as it has more of a Paul McCartney feel. I will give this album a 7.5 as it's a little to formulaic and happy for me ,but it is well done and they have the sounds slickly dialed in. 

Sleep Token : "Take Me Back to Eden"

 My prediction for band most likely to break big into a more mainstream audience goes to this band. Much like Ghost they mask up with more pop hiding under their disguise than metal menace. Though these guys crush Ghost with their guitar tone. The vocals are soulful enough to show Sam Smith how it should be done. The chug has more tension of the second song with shows this pop take on post-djent is pretty much nu-metal with a fresh paint job. By the end of the song he tells a baby about being their man, which pretty much blows their cover as anything but a pop band, however people are so stupid it won't stop them from thinking these guys are something they are not. 

The ways the guitars come in on "Granite' makes me wonder if the Scooby Doo gang unmasked these guys they would discover that it was Issues all along, who were using this guise to avoid being cancelled and they would have gotten away with it if it was not for those meddling kids. Lyrically things are a little more interesting on "Aqua Regia". They play the first metal song of the album on "Vore" . The screamed vocals are not the reason this is a metal song, but they help. It is more a matter of aggression. The sung vocals could have worked over it if they are able to muster something beyond the Weeknd in terms of angst. When the singing comes in on this song it is not clear that is the case. To honest the more pop infected sound might have been more effective in terms of songwriting, as this carries a more homogenized metal sound to it. 

"Ascensionism" flips the formula around. The song starts off as a ballad that if you heard out of context , you might assume was Sam Smith. Then they build it back up into something metallic before getting into their feelings again.  'Are You Really Ok?" could be any rock ballad on the radio from the late 90s. There is perhaps the most believable shade of emotion to the vocals of "the Apparition". The mood gets more upbeat with "DYWTYLM" which the kids of Tik Tok should dig. "Rain" find the formula of pop produced power ballads with a Joji feel, getting stale. The title track is somewhat disjointed, there are sounds they used just placed where it seems like they should go with no feeling directing them. They are a little too light hearted on the last song for my personal tastes  , I will give this album an 8.5. It's well made, and well written pop, with impressive vocals, but I do not feel the kind of soul that I want from my moody rock, which keeps me from not feeling their funk, though I will see if it grows on me. 

You Me At Six : "Truth Decay"

These guys are still keeping their Myspace page going with the big arena flair of their anthemic brand of pop punk. At this refined stage, it is more like a pop rock band that remembers what emo used to be. All things late 90s are seeing a come back to the time is right for these guys. It seems the British were late to the game when it comes to this sort of thing, so they never let it go to pick it back up The choruses are to be bright and happy for me, in terms of my personal taste but they do it well. They even have a song called "God Bless the 90s Kids", They touch the bounds of what I can endure in terms of the pop nature to what they do with the song" After Love in the After Hours". The hooks are along the lines of what bands like Coheed or even Paramore refined.

When they lean into their pop sensibilities it plays to their favor on "No Future? Yeah Right".  The chorus could hit in a tighter manner, but the song is more effective than most. The way the song builds at the end reminds me of nu-metal. "heartLess" finds the songwriting dialed in to where it needs to be. This proves to make it the best song so far. Is it more pop minded? Sure, but do what works, as it seems true to who this band is. "Who Needs Revenge When I've Got Ellen Rae" sounds like Fall Out Boy when we get to the chorus, which leans the song in the direction of your more generic music in this sonic sphere. "Breakdown" finds an almost hip hop feel crawling into their formula. It does show how close nu metal comes to crossing over with this sort of thing when it builds. 

At times they do give the verses room for melody to breathe in an interesting fashion, but it typically gets mucked up when the chorus tries to hard for an audience on the radio that has aged out. "mydopamine" sounds almost like a Weezer song and proves the point I just made in terms of who their target audience may or may not be. This continues to plague the album, as the major chords, yearning for airplay, carry the songs with more of a skip in their step than what sounds good to my ears. Adding electronic elements favors "Ultraviolence" by casting more of a shadow over the mood. In doing so they place themselves in a  more effective creative climate. They allow the mood to simmer down a bit to close the album out. It almost feels like one of Halsey's more inspired moments.  I will give this album an 8, it's well done but works off too many safe radio ready formulas.

Morrissey : "I am Not a Dog on a Chain"

Morrissey came out of the past decade unscathed  by the  witch hunts, and showing no signs of having to censor himself from being himself here.  I was unsure about the electronic beat leading into the song but once the vocals come in then things fall in line with what you might expect from Morrissey. The chorus is very solid. Lyrically it is as biting with lines kill yourself, then for god's sake kill yourself" . The electronic elements stick around for "Love is On it's Way Out". Here he laments about the sad rich shooting down elephants & lions. This rings true with his values. The harp sounds are a little odd. Guitar is not playing much of a role on this one until the end of the song. His trade mark croons sounds good on the first two songs, so I am pretty confident this album is going to find him vocally in fine form. There is marginally more of an organic sound on "Bobby , Don't You Think They Know?" . This son is at first funky until it breaks down into a piano part. It's one of the more interesting arrangements I have heard him employ in some time.

The title track is alright , but not as impressive as the first three songs, though lyrically this song is great in it's message to doubt the media. There is a happier tone to "What Kind of of People Live in These Houses". Lyrically it is more skeptical .The chord progression moves almost like "Sweet Jane", but layered with a country guitar over it. There is a softer groove to " Knockabout World" to compliment his smoother vocal line,  The Spanish make it sound like off Broadway pop from the 70s . Moz's voice sounds good, but he is not really testing his range and keeping everything in a more casual mid range.  Lyrically he is pretty consistent. There is a more 80s like pulse to " Once I Saw the River Clean", this recalls the Smiths more than any other song on this album. I could hear Billy Idol singing over this track. Think "Eyes Without a Face".

"The Truth About Ruth" finds him singing with a more hushed tone. This might be the biggest dynamic shift in terms of the vocals on this album. Things get perhaps the weirdest I have ever heard Moz go on "the Secret of Music". It is barely held together as a song, but you have to respect him for going so far left field this late in the game. There is a lazy pace to " My Hurling Days are Over". The guitar is sparse with Moz's voice holding things together. The instrumentation slowly builds around him until kicking in half way into the song. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me. As far as post "You are the Quarry" Albums go it's up there with "World Peace is None of Your Business".

Issues : "Beautiful Oblivion"

 I really love those Punk Goes Pop compilation albums , where Myspace emo bands cover mainstream pop songs. This band is like the culmination of those. Anyone with ears  can hear with this album how pop and djent are next door neighbors. I like this guys voice, but I also like pop music. I consider this a pop album that happens to have a metal production quality to the guitars.This demands as much head banging as the last Justin Bieber album. For a pop album this is ok. I do not like the turn to a more Bruno Mars like sound on "Find Forever" as I think it loses what makes these guys work. Perhaps they are trying to jump on more of a Panic at the Disco style. If you do not think they are going to jump on the first bandwagon that passes then you are delusional.

"Tapping Out " almost works perfectly with it's hooks and groove under they go into harder vocals which at this point is like fucking some dude in the ass for an hour then he tells you he actually straight.It is hard to take that seriously. When they fully commit it's fine and honest in fact the novelty of hearing this kind of music performed with actual instruments is novel enough. By "Without You" if it was not for the more rap flavored delivery then I might not be able to tell this song from the others. "Rain" is a fitting title as it begins to feel like they are just treading water and stuck in a place we have been in for the first 5 songs. They also show the bridge between nu-metal and djent at several times on this album though one of the pronounced moments is on "Second Best". If Incubus still tried to fool themselves into being a rock band the results might be similar.

The drumming and the time signatures suggest that these guys might be into proggy metal as they pulls off everything really well and I am sure they are impressive live. Lyrically vapid in a way that is more fun in the more r&b places. Not all of the hooks are flawless as I think they could be should they buckle down and really fine tune the songs, the execution is so dead serious and spot on they get away with it. "Flexin" sounds like a harder groovin Justin Timberlake. "No Problem" doesn't work as well, though it doesn't suck. The ballad that follows this is pretty uninspired and doesn't play to any of their strengths. I will give this album a 9 as it continues to grow on me.

Sleeping With Sirens : "How It Feels to be Lost"

This might not be my thing, but it is well done. Their singer has mastered singing like a teenage boy waiting for his nuts to drop. Despite this they have some catchy melodies. With his  voice it's hard to not think of them as pop. In fact the only experience I have with these guys are those "POP Goes Punk" albums. They are more pop than punk. The singer of Good Charlotte is  on the second. That should tell you something. They are probably better than Goof Charlotte even with the adolescent vocals. However if you have ever made fun or Taylor Swift or Miley Cyrus and think these guys are any where close to being metal, you are fooling yourself. They are closer to Miley than Slayer by a long-shot. The catch here is like pop music.

I think this guys voice is eventually rub me the wrong way after another song. This is well produced, except for the fact, that despite having the Myspace emo cock rock guitar sound dialed in. They are crisp but not heavy. They need more low end. Like all good pop music these songs are in the three minute range. They might pull out a stompy riff here and there, but their purse still falls out of their mouth. Despite how cheesy it is the chorus to "Agree to Disagree" still works for me. If you think Poison is metal, I can see where you might get confused and think the same thing about these guys. You will also win first place as the best demo bottom for the fisting contest next year at Frolicon. They get moodier on "Ghost". This is a good one for cutters. By the time we get to "Bloodlines" what they do begins to get stale.

They try to make some wanna be hardcore. You can not fake the funk. It was good while it last , not the album begins to run out of gas. Electronic elements guide their way back to the more sugary pop sound. I think this side of them is better than when they are trying to be harder, as it sounds more genuine. "Another Nightmare" is a good example of how this works in their favor. The tone of "P.S I Miss You" is a little different shade of emo, yet it does not dramatically stand out as the song plays it pretty safe.  The dichotomy of their urge to convince you they are heavy and their teen pop works better on "Medicine". When they texture things with almost dub step sounds , it actually works pretty well.

Had to still to the last song twice before I paid any attention to it. Sure it has an acoustic strum, but really sounds like every thing else and kind of falls flat on me. I will give this one an 8.5 despite trying to hard to be heavier than they are not what they do is well done and if you are a fan of this band they have given you what you more than likely want from them. If you listen to more pop than emo then you will dig these guys. 

Puppy : "the Goat"

This band from Britain takes me back to the post-grunge wave of metal bands trying to figure out how to blend the two. This is pretty cool until it gets to the chorus , then it's almost too blatantly power pop. But the verses are cool enough to make me more forgiving. Vocally they remind me a little of Ghost, but their have a better guitar tone and the music fits the vocals better. "Vengeance" is even more up beat , almost to the point of being happy so I obviously don't like it as much. There is a really fine line these guys walk, there is more power in the chug of "Poor Me" that balances out the sugary vocals. Some riff have a more nu-metal stomp to them. The nu-metal bounce starts off "Just Like You". The verse riff is a more stalking staccato.

"And So I Burn" is not much different than the other songs. The verse has a tension that makes it more interesting than the formulaic chorus. Here is another lesson in a press release that made me what to give it a shot, as this was supposed to be grunge. It's like metal like. Even a band like Pearl Jam comes across as being heavier as the emotion they are putting into the music is more explosive, most grunge was pretty dark as it was made by heroin addicts with metal health issues. These blokes sound pretty well adjusted. The riff to "World Stand Still" at first reminds me of Ratt, before getting more Nu-metal in it's groove. Then it's melody reminds me a little of "Every Thing Counts" by Depeche Mode.

They get heavier with the thrash leading into "Bathe In Blood" . Then it gets into the same formula as most of the songs. While it's poppier "Night Walker" just flows together well and is catchy. The vocals shift and more of a Foo Fighters feel on "I Feel an Evil' that makes me think of Atomic Bitchwax. It does break down into a heavier riff. "Handle Bars" is more in the realm of Myspace with the smooth sugary vocals off setting them. The album ends with the marginally darker "Demons". I think this song displays while there is a somewhat similar dynamic as Ghost these guys are better song writers. Lyrically there is a contrast with the cotton candy tenor of the vocals. They have formula that generally works for them. The first song lured me in, but by the end the formula is some what predictable , but the same thing could be said about Ac/ Dc. I'll round this down to an 8, which is still better than Ghost does.


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Ghost : " Prequelle"

Everything following this band's first album has fallen flat. It's not been metal, which isn't the main problem. The main problem is the fact that it has sounded like Abba covering Blue Oyster Cult. Yep some real Satanic shit if you are a fucking pussy. So "Rats" the lead single off this album was encouraging as it sounds like they are now trying to rip off "Bark At the Moon" era Ozzy. The reverb on everything and the beefed up bass tone. Original...no, an improvement...yes. The more aggressive bass playing compensates for the wimpy vocals. "Faith" finds us not as lucky. The guitar has a little more beef to it than the previous albums, but not enough. Their fetish for keyboards is certainly not the band's strength, but they manage to compensate for it on "See the Light". It starts off more long the lines of Air Supply, but the guitar chugs in to save the day.

One of Ghost's biggest problems is they just are not as dark as they need to be. This is high lighted on the instrumental "Miasma". The heaviest guitar riff on this song could have come from a Ratt album. Ratt is actually more aggressive even on "Way Cool Junior". But if your gimmick centers around being evil then guys you gotta be darker than this/ The 80s continues on "Dance Macabre" which is like when the Scorpions sold out.. As cheesy as that is, it's an improvement over their past two albums. Lyrically its a catastrophe, but I'm trying to like this as much as I can. Somebody needed to throw the keyboards out of the god damn window and they might have stood half a chance. Lucifer tries to whisper silently in your mind on "Pro Memoria" but this piano filled travesty mucks up those sentiments. It's like a Styx song I would fast forward.

They return to the cock rock riffs going into " Witch Image" before wimping out with some real pansy shit leading into the chorus, that is like a Europe power ballad and I start waiting on the final countdown for this song to be over. It's a real shame as they get off to a much better start on this album, but have started to flush all that down the toilet. I'm not sure what is with the shitty instrumentals where they are trying to be Queen, but the second one is no better than first. The keyboards continue to be too happy. The end the album pretty limply. It's a piano driven power ballad. The vocals do benefit from better production this time around. However even with the studio's bag of tricks that are still weak and the ballads only point this fact out. This song is down right terrible. So say it sucks a dick, would make fellatio seem less masculine and leather bars are way more butch than this bullshit. I think giving this album a 5.5 is pretty fair since only the first half is worth a shit. If you think this is metal, the world doesn't need you and I encourage taking the needed measures like walking out into traffic as it is what Satan would want.

Reckless Love : " InVader"

I grew up listening to cock rock. So I have been there and done this.  With band's like Vains of Jenna in early 2000's it threatened to make a comeback, but that had the breaks put on it and even Buckcherry has since been forgotten. These guys are making a more blatant pop stab at the genre. It's more like Pop Cock or even Pop Tarts here than Motley Crue. They have some arena gang vocals and shred solos. The song writing feels like Def Leppard, who is fun music, so these kids are onto something. My only qualm is the sheen of sterile plastic that gelds some of the sleeze from these songs. I can't complain with the Britney Spears influence that surfaces on "Monster", because I don't hear much fusion of boy-band pop with 80s hair metal.

It makes sense that they hail from Finland which is the same country that brought us the love metal of H.I.M. So if you took all the goth out of H.I.M and replaced with Britney Spears you would have these guys. Granted a sound that is not for everyone. The lighter tone to "Child of the Sun" is too One Direction, even with the few tastes of Aqua like Euro pop that are thrown in."Bullettime" finds the closer to the Sunset Strip circa 89. Def Leppard still being the most obvious influence despite the slick chorus.  The keyboards that open "Scandinavian Girls" sets the tone for them to head into a much poppier place. Lyrically it touches on the place spoken of in Spinal Tap... the fine line between clever and stupid. The odd coupling of pop dynamics works for them on "Pretty Boy Swagger". This formula really varies on a very fragil song by song basis , as the balance of pops tips the scales on "Rock It " and it doesn't work as well.

Some of the elements are in place on "Destiny" but then they go and blow it on the chorus. However  if you are a typically a fan of Steel Panther, then it might work for you. But the production strikes me as being a bit Linkin Park. They hit their most metal moment on "Let's Get Cracking", but then the chorus is too happy which is the same reason, I'm not the biggest Van Halen fan either. I can also hear some Ratt mixed into the vocals, but the Van Halen wins this tug of war. The riff to "Keep It Up All Night" sounds like it could have been played by Zakk Wylde, but the almost Jap-pop glee of the chorus flushes  any hope down the toilet. Sometimes this hybrid works, but it's more often too happy for me than no I'll give it a 6.5.

Up From the Underground : Dimestore Prophets' "Be Yourself"

When this album came out back in April it was much more suited for the summer months to come, in October it's a little more upbeat than what I would listen to but I'm sure these guys do well on the college circuit . Dimestore Prophets hail from Moses Lake Washington they released their newest effort " Be Yourself" back in April they believe in honing their sound onstage , in the past three and half years the band has played over 200 shows up and down the Pacific Northwest, that has included opening for the likes of The Verve Pipe and Indubious. Reggae is an element of what this three piece does, but it's an undercurrent to their jangling throw back to the collage rock of the late 90's. I'm sure the sound these guys kick up does well on college campus' that particularly 420 friendly. There are liberal doses of Blues Traveller and the Spin Doctors, stuff that I wasn't fond of back in the day, but now when it comes on there is certain nostalgia that prevents me from turning the dial.

They do conjure up more balls as certain passages find more grit. The singer has a decent pop inflected voice. You can here the jammy side of the band that I am sure is a larger part of their sound on stage than in the studio, where it seems like they are using a measure of restraint to keep from taking off. The Hammond organ gives songs like "Good Lovin" an almost Black Crowes flavor, but singer Ray Glover's addiction of pop, comes across more like Jason Mraz.The drummer and bassist are pretty impressive in the manner they bring a much larger rambling sound to these simplistic songs. Glover also starts throwing in some sparse soloing, that has a really good tone, for what these guys are doing. The guitars on the album are largely strummed acoustics, the electric guitar is more of an accent. When the chill out into a slower pace it feels like Jimmy Buffet or Zac Brown.

As the album progresses the reggae influence creeps out more, it also bears some pop country elements.If these guys had grown up in Venice Beach or South Beach, the reggae element might be more convincing. "Sunny Day" is the closest these guys come to playing authentic reggae, the are still a few blunts short of Sublime or even the Police. Though some of the punches that come up mid way into "Sunny Day" would not be out of place on "40 oz to Freedom". The album sounds good from a production standpoint. Ben Smith at Synergy Studios in Seattle certainly did these guys a solid and captured some really crisp organic sounds.

Listening to this band you have the feeling that any one who knows them is going to tell you "the albums don't do them justice, you really have to check them out live." I have heard that countless times and might have even said it once or twice myself, but in the case of these guys I have a feeling it's true. Musician's have an adage that you must always play in a way that serves the song, this is true unless you are a better musician than you are a song writer then you need to make the most of the moments you create. Most of these guys' best moments are happening on stage, so when they buckle themselves down to write three or four minute radio songs,  they are losing a lot in translation. This is not to say these are bad songs, it just seems if they had cut loose and jammed out more in the studio it would have probably been a more authentic representation of what I imagine these guys sound like if they are pounding out the kinda mileage playing dives on the road. If you are missing your days getting stoned at the beach this past summer when the first frost of November sets it then this is a good album to have on hand.

Up From the Underground: Monks of Mellonwah -"Turn the People"

This is the full length follow up to the "Ghost Stories" e.p. the Sydney based band released last year. All three of those songs reappear on this album with "Ghost Stories" and "Vanity" leading off the album, but it doesn't take long for the band to shift from the soul inflected alt-rock we were introduced to last year, as the electronic syncopation and the floating vocal line of "Tear You Hate Apart" reminds me of Depeche Mode.

It should come as no surprise to regular readers here, that I prefer when they take darker turns and find the falsetto vocals to have a more alluring quality than the more standard pop vocal, that almost borders on having a Justin Timberlake tinge of r&b to it."Tear You Hate Apart" give me hope for the rest of the album as I think it's stronger than the song's from the "Ghost Stories" EP.

A dancier more soulful return the older sound occurs on "Pulse" though to the band's credit their grooves are darker and more electronic, they shed the late nineties Incubus feel and move into an almost more Daft Punk territory musically, which should have a longer shelf life. The darker disco groove of "Alive For a Minute" shows their bass player really has a gift for holding down their songs with catchy low end. Here the singer uses it to indulge his Micheal Jackson flirtations. This doesn't lend much credibility to any pretense of being a rock band,but these guys are talented song writers.The do give Muse a wink or two on the rock climaxes they do launch into.

The opening riff to "Escaping Alcatraz" sets it up as pretty dynamic rock song. The singer has pipes, but not the grit of a rock singer.This is not to say that this won't still fit on modern rock radio like Maroon 5 and Muse. They find more unique musical sparks on songs like the title track, where they are just writing good songs rather than placing the emphasis on rocking.The solo that explodes out of the title track like Jennifer Batten on Dirty Diana, lends enough rock to th song without overdoing it.

It is on songs like "Downfall" where the blend is a little more awkward and if the rock elements weren't given such a college try and the band allowed themselves to go where their strengths seem to lie. Even the more fluid swagger of  "Afraid To Die" seems to know which muscle to flex and when. The melody is given precedence and that is where is bands works best.If some rock comes about as a happy surprise , because that is where the song wanted to go then the end results speak for themselves.

There is a "Dust In the Wind" feel to the balladry of  "I Belong To You". I think this proves they work best on the move, with a beat to propel them. If they were going to do a ballad I think something more like a "Purple Rain" would work better for them. They take another swing at a slower pace on " Sky and the Dark Night pt 2 Control". It's darker and with a more creeping pulse to it more along the lines of the Police meets 30 Seconds to Mars. The vocals are allowed to be soulful with out tripping over themselves and their taste for rock gets satisfied in a more fitting portion.

There isn't a "bad" song on this album, just songs that capture what these guys to best better than others. I think these guys are ready for the masses with this. There is a market for this sort of thing, and if you are a fan of Muse and have some "guilty pop pleasures" on your ipod then these guys are worth your time, they are capable musicians with an excellent sense of catchy melodies.          

Up From the Underground: Arc&Stones

This E.P.  from the New York band is the surprisingly  soulful "Silence".  It's  90's  vibe  brings to mind a wide array of bands who once used a similar vocal approach, Maroon 5 the most recent of these . However, Arc&Stones don't have the Stevie Wonder funk going on, and more of grunge leaning, so think somewhere between Sevendust's more acoustic based moments and Chris Cornell solo work but with none of his Robert Plant worship.

One similarity to Temple of the Dog era Cornell, is they are quick to head to the balladry. The second song of this e.p."Say Goodbye" is piano heavy until it goes to the bridge where the guitars sweep in. The vocal trills might be appreciated to some one with a secret love of radio pop. The most "indie rock" element of this band is their guitars which use ample effects. The chorus of this one busts into some unexpected  cock-rock lite, none of the Motley Crue grime, think Sixx A.M. very slick and f.m radio ready, when radio was a thing. I guess in today's terms they would pop up on your Chris Cornell Pandora station.

It stays on the middle of the road side of power ballads, by the third song , I wonder if these guys area Christian rock band , if not its a market they need to explore or add a slide to make this cross over into country markets. There isn't enough raw blues to this to appeal to the Jack White fans who even they might suspect this of being a Christian band. The singer is really missing his calling as an American Idol contestant.

They switch up the guitar tones to try and make me eat my words, but it really reconfirms my suspicions, they need to develop a drinking habit or some vices next time they head into the studio. Because rock is like funk in that you can't fake. They are talented players sure, and if they weren't trying so hard to convince themselves they are making pop music they might write a decent song or two. It's like buying a pair of 500.00 dollar per-distressed jeans, they are not going to feel the same because they haven't been worn in by hard work .

They close it out with "Rise", I appreciate the production of this one the most and there's a solid groove to it, this seems to be the direction they have been trying to achieve most of the album. Granted it  rocks  like watered down Shine Down, but is more honest and sounds like an actual rock band. They played their first show a year ago so they still have some more blood, sweat and beers to fully find themselves.