Roncag
08-18-2006, 09:09 PM
Working with Decoy has given me the wonderful opportunity to listen to albums well in advance of their street releases. To support the bands and create interest in the upcoming albums, I will be giving brief overviews of the new releases I have received.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/mewithoutyou.jpg Mewithoutyou-Brother, Sister(Tooth and Nail)
Website (http://www.mewithoutyou.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou)
Mewithoutyou's 3rd album, Brother, Sister, has been dealt with very heavy expectations well in advance of it's release. Since touring with bigwigs such as Dredg, Coheed and Cambria, and The Blood Brothers, their once underground cult status has been elevated to a much more prominate standing, and with said placement the pressure to deliver has multiplied. Thankfully, the band delivers on all their promise and then some, developing their spoken word intensity and interweaving it with gorgeous indie musings and spacious post rock backdrops. Think Wintersleep, ...Trail of Dead, Minus the Bear, and The Ghost. Yes, some glorious amalgum of those bands would be fitting. Once again I'm floored by an album and a band I never expected it from. If the track, "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains," doesn't leave you a bit stunned, you've definitely come to the wrong place.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/twelvetribes.jpg Twelve Tribes-Midwest Pandemic(Ferret)
Website (http://www.twelvetribesonline.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/twelvetribes)
Twelve Tribes return with their second album for Ferret Records, following 2004's steller Rebirth of Tregedy. Their latest, Midwest Pandemic, is another solid effort from the Ohio natives. Once again they are ferociously tackling the nu-metal-core genre, with the occasional harmony shining through the near constant screams. While the album brings almost nothing new to the table, it's still a highly enjoyable album and very well crafted. The album is very much on par with their previous efforts, and should please fans of Bloodsimple, Unearth, and All That Remains.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/starflyer59.jpg Starflyer 59-My Island(Tooth and Nail)
Website (http://www.sf59.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/starflyer59)
After 13 years of making music under the same name, eventually your ideas begin to run a bit stale. Starflyer 59 are on album number 10, and while the talent and craftiness are still there for lead man Jason Martin, The Island evidently wants to leave us stranded. Once again the sound follows the path of those before such as Depeche Mode, New Order, and The Smiths and the shoegazing new wave vibe hardly seems unique anymore. The Island is hardly a bad album, but finds itself stuck in the middle between utter boredom and almost good. Such luke warmness hardly calls for repeat listens and seems destined to be disreguarded.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/battleofmice.jpg Battle of Mice-A Day Of Nights(Neurot)
Website (http://www.battleofmice.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/battleofmice)
Last week we covered the new albums from Made Out Of Babies and Red Sparowes and this week we are going to continue in the Neurot Records trend. Battle of Mice is essentially Made Out of Babies (singer Julie Christmas) and Red Sparowes (guitarist/keyboardist Josh Graham) combining forces to make an incredible record. The band is rounded out by bassist Tony Maimone (Book of Knots, ex-Pere Ubu) and drummer/producer Joel Hamilton (Book of Knots, Players Club, Glazed Baby) and they sound just like you'd expect, wonderful. Over the course of A Day Of Nights' 7 tracks and 46 minutes Christmas ushers in her inner screaming PJ Harvey as she howls over industrial ambience very comparable to ISIS, Pelican, and of course, Red Sparowes. It's an absolute climax to the ears and is certainly a must have.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/unwedsailor.jpg Unwed Sailor-The White Ox(Burnt Toast Vinyl)
Website (http://www.unwedsailor.net/) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/unwedsailor)
Seattle Washington post-rockers Unwed Sailor will be releasing their latest LP, The White Ox, on Burnt Toast Vinyl in November. Many listeners where taken back by last year's Circles Ep because of it's sprawling, drawn out temperament. However, on The White Ox we find the band much more tidy and epic, making the most of their minimalistic vision. It's short at only 34 minutes, but during it's scant span, it houses some elegant moments. Combining the layered moodiness of Mogwai with the surreal state of The Album Leaf, the album morphs into a dream-like state but does tend to drift. It's not the best the genre has to offer, but it's a more than pleasant ride.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/heislegend.jpg He Is Legend-Suck Out The Poison(Solid State)
Website (http://www.heislegend.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/heislegend)
I really don't see the obsession with Underoath, they aren't terrible, I just find them extremely bland. He Is Legend on the other hand, deserve all the praise and attention possible. Their debut full length for Soild State, 2004's I Am Hollywood, runs circles around everything Underoath have done, and almost every other band in the genre. Now, two years later, and following almost perfectly on the heels of their debut, Suck Out The Poison, has landed hopefully stealing some thunder from their inferior brethren. He Is Legend really outdid themselves on this album, perfecting their already addictive sound while adding a whole new demension of progressive southern metal. Somewhere between Thrice, Lamb of God, and Far-less is the sound that He Is Legend have landed on, and all I can say is my lord it's good.
--Adam Roncaglione
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/mewithoutyou.jpg Mewithoutyou-Brother, Sister(Tooth and Nail)
Website (http://www.mewithoutyou.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou)
Mewithoutyou's 3rd album, Brother, Sister, has been dealt with very heavy expectations well in advance of it's release. Since touring with bigwigs such as Dredg, Coheed and Cambria, and The Blood Brothers, their once underground cult status has been elevated to a much more prominate standing, and with said placement the pressure to deliver has multiplied. Thankfully, the band delivers on all their promise and then some, developing their spoken word intensity and interweaving it with gorgeous indie musings and spacious post rock backdrops. Think Wintersleep, ...Trail of Dead, Minus the Bear, and The Ghost. Yes, some glorious amalgum of those bands would be fitting. Once again I'm floored by an album and a band I never expected it from. If the track, "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains," doesn't leave you a bit stunned, you've definitely come to the wrong place.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/twelvetribes.jpg Twelve Tribes-Midwest Pandemic(Ferret)
Website (http://www.twelvetribesonline.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/twelvetribes)
Twelve Tribes return with their second album for Ferret Records, following 2004's steller Rebirth of Tregedy. Their latest, Midwest Pandemic, is another solid effort from the Ohio natives. Once again they are ferociously tackling the nu-metal-core genre, with the occasional harmony shining through the near constant screams. While the album brings almost nothing new to the table, it's still a highly enjoyable album and very well crafted. The album is very much on par with their previous efforts, and should please fans of Bloodsimple, Unearth, and All That Remains.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/starflyer59.jpg Starflyer 59-My Island(Tooth and Nail)
Website (http://www.sf59.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/starflyer59)
After 13 years of making music under the same name, eventually your ideas begin to run a bit stale. Starflyer 59 are on album number 10, and while the talent and craftiness are still there for lead man Jason Martin, The Island evidently wants to leave us stranded. Once again the sound follows the path of those before such as Depeche Mode, New Order, and The Smiths and the shoegazing new wave vibe hardly seems unique anymore. The Island is hardly a bad album, but finds itself stuck in the middle between utter boredom and almost good. Such luke warmness hardly calls for repeat listens and seems destined to be disreguarded.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/battleofmice.jpg Battle of Mice-A Day Of Nights(Neurot)
Website (http://www.battleofmice.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/battleofmice)
Last week we covered the new albums from Made Out Of Babies and Red Sparowes and this week we are going to continue in the Neurot Records trend. Battle of Mice is essentially Made Out of Babies (singer Julie Christmas) and Red Sparowes (guitarist/keyboardist Josh Graham) combining forces to make an incredible record. The band is rounded out by bassist Tony Maimone (Book of Knots, ex-Pere Ubu) and drummer/producer Joel Hamilton (Book of Knots, Players Club, Glazed Baby) and they sound just like you'd expect, wonderful. Over the course of A Day Of Nights' 7 tracks and 46 minutes Christmas ushers in her inner screaming PJ Harvey as she howls over industrial ambience very comparable to ISIS, Pelican, and of course, Red Sparowes. It's an absolute climax to the ears and is certainly a must have.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/unwedsailor.jpg Unwed Sailor-The White Ox(Burnt Toast Vinyl)
Website (http://www.unwedsailor.net/) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/unwedsailor)
Seattle Washington post-rockers Unwed Sailor will be releasing their latest LP, The White Ox, on Burnt Toast Vinyl in November. Many listeners where taken back by last year's Circles Ep because of it's sprawling, drawn out temperament. However, on The White Ox we find the band much more tidy and epic, making the most of their minimalistic vision. It's short at only 34 minutes, but during it's scant span, it houses some elegant moments. Combining the layered moodiness of Mogwai with the surreal state of The Album Leaf, the album morphs into a dream-like state but does tend to drift. It's not the best the genre has to offer, but it's a more than pleasant ride.
http://www.decoymusic.com/images/albumoftheweek/heislegend.jpg He Is Legend-Suck Out The Poison(Solid State)
Website (http://www.heislegend.com) :: Listen (http://www.myspace.com/heislegend)
I really don't see the obsession with Underoath, they aren't terrible, I just find them extremely bland. He Is Legend on the other hand, deserve all the praise and attention possible. Their debut full length for Soild State, 2004's I Am Hollywood, runs circles around everything Underoath have done, and almost every other band in the genre. Now, two years later, and following almost perfectly on the heels of their debut, Suck Out The Poison, has landed hopefully stealing some thunder from their inferior brethren. He Is Legend really outdid themselves on this album, perfecting their already addictive sound while adding a whole new demension of progressive southern metal. Somewhere between Thrice, Lamb of God, and Far-less is the sound that He Is Legend have landed on, and all I can say is my lord it's good.
--Adam Roncaglione