Review - Steel Train

Band: Steel Train
Album: Trampoline
Label: Drive-Thru Records
Rating: 4/5

Steel Train has always been a band that puts out unbelievably good music and gets little recognition for it.

I remember hearing the song “Alley Cat” off of Steel Train’s debut EP For You My Dear. The track pulled me in and proved that the album was worth buying. “Night Falls,” another track off that album, was the song that completely hooked me. Those accustomed to the band’s sound likely noticed a big change when Steel Train released their first full-length album Twilight Tales From the Prairies of the Sun. They strayed away from the acoustic base and Scott Irby-Rannier handed over lead vocals to Jack Antonoff. The full-band continues to allow Steel Train to be creative and expand their sound. Despite this, there is still a part of me longing for another brilliant song along the lines of “Night Falls.”

With their sophomore and newest album Trampoline, Steel Train’s sound has progressed but the change isn’t as drastic as it was between their first two releases. Trampoline still has a distinct folk-rock feel but this time around the band has added an indie pop dimension. It’s different and amazing. The opening track “I Feel Weird” has an upbeat tempo that hooks you from the very first down beat. The next track, “Black Eye,” is a good example of how the group’s back-up vocals work to develop and solidify all of their songs.

The band has a solid fan base but I would expect their music to draw a bigger audience. It could be because of their relationship with pop punk based Drive Thru Records. Steel Train might be one of the biggest bands in the indie world if they were signed to a label like Sub Pop. Either way, the band has returned with another amazing record and simply continues jamming.

I wouldn’t say that every song on Trampoline is an instant hit, but all the tracks are pretty solid. If you’re a fan of 70s rock, folk-rock, jam music or indie pop you should definitely give Trampoline a listen.


Recommended Tracks: “I Feel Weird,” “Black Eye,” and “Firecracker”

Review - New Found Glory

Band: New Found Glory
Album: From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II
Label: Drive-Thru Records
Rating: 4/5
Seven years ago New Found Glory released an EP titled From the Screen to Your Stereo. It was at a time when the band was just starting to gain popularity. The EP worked for the band because it took some really cheesy songs and made them fun. Big success came with the track “The Glory of Love” from The Karate Kid. Nowadays, New Found Glory is known as one of the creators of the pop punk genre. With their return to Drive-Thru Records comes From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II.

New Found Glory has perfected the carefree fun-in-the-sun sing along. The biggest difference from Part I to Part II is that this time around the band decided to feature other artists on a majority of the songs. The best features include Patrick Stump on “King of Wishful Thinking” and Lisa Loeb on her own hit “Stay.”

It’s pretty simple to decide if you like this album or not. If you’re a fan of New Found Glory’s other music you’ll also enjoy this album. Others that don’t love the New Found Glory vibe or aren’t into cover songs should take a pass on this one. But don’t criticize the album because you hated it before you even listened to it. Is that asking for too much?

Despite it’s good qualities, From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II does have some weaker moments. Johnny Cash’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” could have been better if the band had stuck closer to the original call-and-answer style of the song. Instead of having Sherri Gilbert (of Eisley) do a solo answer to lead singer Jordan, Jordan did the call and Sherri accompanied him on the answer. “Iris” came a little too close to the original and could have been catchier. All I can say about the instrumental “Amelie J'y Suis Jamais Alle” is that it was an interesting song choice.

The tracks on From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II are sure to spark some fond memories. Listeners will likely say, “Hey! I remember this song!” and have some obscure memory attached to it.

Once again, NFG has brought its fan some good clean fun.

Recommended tracks: Kiss Me, King of Wishful Thinking, Stay, Don’t You (Forget About Me)

The track list for From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II is as follows:

1. Kiss Me originally by Sixpence None the Richer, from She's All That
2. It Ain't Me Babe (featuring Sherri Gilbert of Eisley) originally by Johnny Cash, from Walk the Line
3. The Promise (featuring Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional) originally by When In Rome, from Napoleon Dynamite
4. King of Wishful Thinking (featuring Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy) originally by Go West, from Pretty Woman
5. Stay (featuring Lisa Loeb) originally by Lisa Loeb, from Reality Bites
6. Lovefool (featuring Adam Lazarra of Taking Back Sunday and Stacy Dupree of Eisley) originally by The Cardigans, from Romeo and Juliet
7. Iris (featuring Will Pugh of Cartel) originally by The Goo Goo Dolls, from City of Angels
8. Don't You Forget About Me orignally by Simple Minds, from The Breakfast Club
9. Intro (Amelie J'y Suis Jamais Alle) from Amelie
10. Crazy for You (featuring Max Bemis of Say Anything) originally by Madonna, from Vision Quest
11. Head Over Heals originally by Tears for Fears, from Donnie Darko