Four Year Strong
“It’s not big and it’s not clever.”
We’ve all been told this numerous times, usually along with a disapproving speech following from some utterly inane and peculiar act of nonsense we’ve just committed. However, my response to this has always been: “No, but it’s fun,” and what’s true for life more often than not proves to be true for music as well. Bands like All Time Low and Mayday Parade are as disposable and lacking in insight as music can possibly get, but goddamn they’re fun to listen to. And sing to. And after a few drinks dance like a maniac to. The pinnacle of this sensation has always been the cover album. Two years ago it was New Found Glory with From the Screen to Your Stereo – Part II and now Four Year Strong are taking some time to entertain us, with this collection of covers of tracks from the ’90s (bar one sneaking in from the new millenium). I was discussing this album with a friend of mine, and she mentioned that the album felt uninspired to her. Now maybe I’ve not got the highest expectations, but when it comes to a covers album, I’m really not expecting to be inspired. I’m expecting a little bit of fun from a band playing around with some of their favourite songs from their youth, often just acting as a stop-gap because the new album is taking a little longer to write than you’d expect. In all fairness to my friend, she’s right. Anyone who likes their music full of subtle melodic layering, and deep poetic lyrics would do well to steer well clear of this release, but to be honest, I doubt many of those people will rank Four Year Strong particularly highly as a band anyway.
The covers themsleves are an interesting choice. Rather than go for the usual pop staples like Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory and so many bands before them, Explains It All instead chooses to aim for the more alternative selection, and as such, many of the originals may not be as well known. When I first saw the tracklist a few months ago I remember thinking I’d only heard of three of the songs: Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic,” Nirvana’s “In Bloom” and No Doubt’s “Spiderwebs” but Four Year Strong have pulled off the age old trick of picking all those ones you knew but you never knew you knew. Third-Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Absolutely (Story of a Girl) by Nine Days both leapt immediately back into my brain, and I could have sworn I didn’t know a single Del Amitri song until “Roll to Me” rolled along. Thankfully, for the most part, Four Year Strong have managed to succeed in keeping the spirit of the originals while staying true to their own sound. The slow intro to “Ironic” bounds effortlessly into a breathless chorus and second verse in true double-bass-pedal glory, while “In Bloom” sounds so much fuller than it ever did before.
The difficulty with any covers album is that inevitably not all of the songs are going to appeal to everyone. Even picking a genre of similar artists, each and every song will be picked upon by someone. From a personal perspective, my dislike of The Smashing Pumpkins means I could do without “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” and although I’ve never heard the original, “She Really Loved You” comes across as dull and generic. Similarly, some of the songs aren’t really suited for a Four Year Strong style cover, “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” being a prime example. “Fly” is also very nearly ruined by the ever-irritating Travis McCoy, and in truth, barely holds up in this new style, and “So Much for the Afterglow” comes across as much more derivative than it truly is. However, these few songs are offset by the remaining majority, which are fun, fast-paced and simple.
The strengths of the original songs have been maintained in the new versions here, but herein lies some of the difficulty. The only change that Four Year Strong have really made is generally to up the tempo. In some instances that’s enough – I never really liked “In Bloom” or “Spiderwebs,” but here they propelled into your ear-drums with such fury that the lifelessness of the original is soon forgotten. In general though, the similarity of the songs is stark, suggesting a worrying lack of creativity in the construction of the covers. This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. As stated above, the point of this album is as a bit of fun. There will be no support slot for Radiohead following this album (a fact which I’m sure will delight fans of both bands) and Conor Oberst is unlikely to come calling for tips on his lyrical content. Not everyone will like this album, and those that do won’t find themselves listening to it non-stop. However, when you’re in the right mood at the right time, you find yourself realising Four Year Strong have crafted 40 minutes of near consistent enthusiasm which can’t help but bring a smile to your face. So no, Explains It All may not be big, and it may not be clever, but it’s so much fun to listen to it really doesn’t matter.
Review By AbsolutePunk.net
Artist: Four Year Strong
Album: Explains It All [2009]
Genre: Post-Hardcore / Punk Rock
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/fouryearstrong
-Track List-
01. So Much For The Afterglow 2:50
02. Absolutely (Story Of A Girl) 2:55
03. Ironic 2:48
04. Bullet With Butterfly Wings 3:04
05. Semi-Charmed Life 3:29
06. Spiderwebs 3:03
07. Roll To Me 2:26
08. Fly 3:48
09. In Bloom 3:34
10. She Really Loved You 2:00
11. She’s So High
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Memphis May Fire
Memphis May Fire is a southern post hardcore band. Prior to “Sleepwalking” which is their first full length, they had released a self-titled EP. With a new album, and new musical direction, and a new singer, MMF is poised to prove that they don’t plan to blend in with every other band in the scene.
While promising, the self-titled was painfully by the numbers and left a lot to be desired. It did have a few things going for it, namely some decent instrumentation and a unique vocalist. It was hindered by it’s short length, predictable formula, and while often well done, the vocals could become grating, particularly in the clean passages. MMF also claimed that there was a southern edge to their music, though on the EP, this was hardly the case. With “Sleepwalking,” they take all of the promise from their self-titled, capitalized on it, and put out a surprisingly good release.
Although the vocalist is new, he certainly bears resemblance to the old one, with high pitched vocals that are well done and on key. The screams are vastly improved as well. This album also delivers on the promise of packing a southern edge. The guitars are distinct, varied, and stray far from the typical chugging of similar acts, and weave seamlessly around the other band elements with some excellent leads and melodies that are unmistakably southern rock tinged.
Opening with North Atlantic Vs. North Carolina, MMF wastes no time in showing off the fact that they know how to play their guitars. The opening riff carries the song into one of its poppiest moments, and the vocalist easily switches between singing and screaming, utilizing both at appropriate times with more than enough ability.
The album really hits its stride with You’re Lucky Its Not 1962, which showcases the band’s capability in playing harder rock right alongside the pop based songs. This is yet another song that has a hard southern rock feel to it. The song climaxes with a slow bridge that leads into an entertaining breakdown.
Quantity Is Their Quality is the seemingly mandatory “socially conscious” track that normally is the pitfall of an album, plagued with cheesy lyrics and preachy douche-baggery. The odd thing is, this isnt a pit fall… by any means. This is one of the best tracks. Starting out heavy and meandering out into clean vocals layered over tremolo picked guitar, which is carried to the end with a downtuned solo that stands out enough without overtaking the other instrument’s presence.
The Name With No Face is yet another highlight, boasting the most powerful and raw screaming on the album. When that’s paired with some nice guitar lines and an intricate solo, the song becomes built into possibly MMF’s best song to date. The clean singing meshes with the screaming in on-off fashion that somehow feels fresh and entertaining, despite its overuse in most other bands.
If Maylene and the Sons of Disaster’s new album was up your alley, then this surely will provide some entertainment. A huge improvement over the EP, and showcasing just how easily a mediocre band can turn into a force to be reckoned with in the scene, “Sleepwalking” is an essential buy for anyone remotely interested in this music genre.
Review By: Sputnik User
Artist: Memphis May Fire
Album: Sleepwalking [2009]
Genre: Hardcore / Rock / Post-Hardcore
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/memphismayfire
-Track List-
01.North Atlantic Vs North Carolina 03:43
02.A Giant in A Giants World 03:14
03.You’re Lucky It’s Not 1692 03:40
04.Ghost in the Mirror 03:54
05.Been There, Done that 03:29
06.Quantity is Their Quality 03:29
07.Sleepwalking 03:47
08.Destiny for the Willing 03:06
09.The Face with No Name 03:10
10.Speak Now, I’m Listening 03:41
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Saosin
Intensity. In some ways it’s wasted on the young. What have these kids got to be so intense about anyway? Or maybe it’s actually easy to forget that youth is the period that breeds the reasons behind the pains and troubles that carry most of us through the rest of our lives, and that this intensity is therefore valid.
Either that or it could be that it is rapidly becoming nigh on impossible to review yet another band of youths from the USA, intent on carrying their message to the world through the medium of guitars that teeter on the brink of truly rocking, yet ultimately err on the side of safety, without the review descending into a series of esoteric ramblings about the nature of the human condition.
In an attempt to return to the point, Saosin are actually an excellently produced, wonderfully polished outfit, who have created an album full of driving, guitar led melodies, wonderful harmonies, and soaring choruses. Within their genre and musical peer group they are faultless, but sadly this album seems to lack any of the qualities of true musical greatness or longevity.
Reviewed by Rich Edge
Artist: Saosin
Album: Self-Titled
Genre: Post-Hardcore / Alternative Rock / Psychedelic
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/saosin
-Track List-
1. It’s Far Better To Learn
2. Sleepers
3. It’s So Simple
4. Voices
5. Finding Home
6. Follow And Feel
7. Come Close
8. I Never Wanted To
9. Collapse
10. You’re Not Alone
11. Bury Your Head
12. Some Sense Of Security
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City Escape
If Closure In Moscow’s signing to Equal Vision and Parkway Drive’s international success wasn’t proof enough that Australian heavy music is on par with the rest of the world, City Escape’s new EP Avalanches is the final piece of the puzzle. Comprised of everything from jazz noodling, samples, prog/psych riffs and textures, and even the odd breakdown, Avalanches is impressive, unbelievably tight and boasts some formidable production values. Take note world, Australia is coming to get you and ity Escape are among the foot soldiers of the revolution.
Review by Rave Magazine
Artist: City Escape
Album: Avalanches EP
Genre: Rock / Post-Hardcore / Ambient
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/cityescaperock
-Track List-
1. Opener 0:32
2. When The Vultures Start To Circle 3:09
3. Black Satellites 3:34
4. Now, The Hard Part 4:53
5. Give My Remains To Broadway 3:46
6. The Deeper Water 4:17
7. Closer 1:26
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A Day To Remember
I know it’s difficult, but let’s try to be objective here. A Day to Remember is one of those bands who mixes hardcore with pop-punk in a way that makes music snobs cringe, and gets young kids screaming for more. I would probably fall into the former category, holding my ideals and musical integrity high while rolling my eyes at the next trend. But who am I kidding? I love a sunny chorus just as much as my young sister, and you just might too. It’s okay if you don’t want to admit it.
A Day to Remember has become enormous because of Homesick, selling out large venues and generating hundreds of thousands of MySpace plays a day, though that can be partially chalked up to their covers of “Since U Been Gone” (Kelly Clarkson) and “Over My Head (Cable Car)” (the Fray). So how did they get so popular? Simply by making an album that appeals to just about everyone.
Homesick begins with the album’s first single, “The Downfall of Us All,” containing an intro of the band doing an a capella breakdown, which gives way to a thunderous actual breakdown. It’s a little gimmicky, but at least they sound like they’re having fun.
From there, every song follows nearly the same structure:
- Verse with singing, maybe some screaming.
- Big catchy chorus with no screaming.
- Second verse, usually half-sung, then half-screamed and some guitar chugging.
- Big catchy chorus again, no variation from the first.
- Bridge or middle section, always a breakdown, at least some chugging.
- Big catchy chorus.
There are maybe three songs that stray from this formula, and when they do it’s still not very impressive. So we have an album that is committed to hitting the listener in one specific way, over and over, never bucking expectation. But don’t walk away from it yet. The undeniable quality of Homesick is its melodic competence. Jeremy McKinnon is a vocalist that can scream like a pro and still sing with the same assured talent, which makes for a slew of songs that stick like glue. “Have Faith in Me” sounds like their tribute to a band that surely influenced them (the guitarist has “BLINK182” tattooed on his knuckles, so take a guess), yet they’re able to make you forget that it’s a ripoff and instead implant that chorus right into your brain.
As someone who appreciates the hard more than the pop, I have to grudgingly conclude that A Day to Remember is actually at their best when they take the melodic approach. There are too many moments on Homesick where the heaviness and the hardcore feel out of place, especially in the pre-breakdown pit-call of “Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End,” where McKinnon orders you to “Disrespect your surroundings.” This sounds like dangerous advice, not just when at a show, but also if you’re in a children’s hospital or your grandma’s house. Vincent Bennett of the Acacia Strain shows up in “Welcome to the Family” to bring the vocal mosh, and that he does, but even then the point is lost.
A Day to Remember will continue their success, and rightfully so. Ultimately, musical creativity and underground cred mean nothing, dwarfed in the larger picture by a band’s drive to craft music that people like. These guys have struck gold, and when you strike gold, you have to keep mining until it’s bare. Keep those hardhats on, boys. You’ll need them.
Review by Elliot
Artist: A Day To Remember
Album: Homesick
Genre: Pop Punk / Post-Hardcore
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/adaytoremember
-Track List-
01. The Downfall Of Us All ( 3:29)
02. My Life For Hire ( 3:33)
03. I’m Made Of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of? ( 3:00)
04. NJ Legion Iced Tea ( 3:31)
05. Mr. Highway’s Thinking About The End ( 4:15)
06. Have Faith In Me ( 3:08)
07. Welcome To My Family ( 3:00)
08. Homesick ( 3:56)
09. Holdin’ It Down For The Underground ( 3:23)
10. You Already Know What You Are ( 1:27)
11. Another Song About The Weekend ( 3:45)
12. If It Means A Lot To You ( 4:03)
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