Review - Driving East (The Future of the Free World)

Band: Driving East
Album: The Future of the Free World
Label: The Militia Group
Rating: 2/5



After hearing Driving East’s EP I was pretty excited to hear what they could do with a full-length. Songs on the EP such as “Backseat” and “Come on, Come on” showed a lot of promise for Driving East and pop punk as a genre. Unfortunately Driving East’s full length, The Future of the Free World, fails to deliver.

The short 10 track album seems to be more of the same in a genre that is lacking creativity in recent days. Three out of the four tracks from the band’s EP made the full-length, leaving The Future of the Free World short on new material. “Backseat” and “Come on, Come on” are the strongest tracks on the album, but that’s already old news. Outside of those two, the songs lack originality and aren’t nearly catchy enough to warrant replaying the album.

The opening track “Away” is halfway decent and one of the few that I would have agreed to put on the record. The children’s choir call-and-answer with lead singer Barrett Mullins left me wondering “was that rad?” or “was that a little cliché?” The album also closes on an acceptable note with “Somebody Get Me Out of Here.”

Driving East has often been compared to Cartel, another Militia Group band of the past. Sadly, Driving East’s debut album doesn’t even come close to Cartel’s Chroma. I am a huge Militia Group fan and believe for the most part that the label can do no wrong. I’m sorry to say that this is one of the few albums Militia has put out that has failed to meet expectations.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US

I just realized that a year ago on this day I started Bang the Man. I have big plans for Bang the Man and I hope I get to spend more time working on the site this year. So Happy One Year to Us!

Panic! Honda

Panic! at the Disco has been announced as the headliner of the Honda Civic Tour which is scheduled to visit approximately 45 cities in North America this spring/summer. Some criticize Panic! for not having to pay their dues as a band since they got huge without really having to try. This tour will only echo those arguments even more so. Panic! was in attendance during the Ducks game this last Wednesday and interviewed with Billy Mac during the game. Billy Mac is a pretty good interviewer and Panic! gave him a horrible interview. They were just trying to joke around but it turns out that they aren't funny or at least not in this interview. I'm interested to see if their sophomore release will have the same response as their first effort.

Sony BMG Deals with Amazon

Sony BMG has come to terms with Amazon and has agreed to sell their catalog on Amazon's MP3 store. The reason this is a big deal is because Amazon sells their music in an unprotected format.

Interesting

I just finished reading the article on Jacks Mannequin over at Alternative Press. I always thought that the defining moment of weather Something Corporate would ever get back to together would be if Jacks did another album or not. It turns out that they are going to release a sophomore release. But at the end of the article both Andrew and SoCo drummer Brian Ireland said SoCo is not done rather "suspended animation." He went on to say that he is not creatively charged to record a SoCo record as of right now but he plans on working towards that one day. I am looking forward to hearing the new Jacks album but I am more intrigued to see Something Corporate get back together.

Review - Saves the Day

Band: Saves the Day
Album: Under The Boards
Label: Vagrant Records
Rating: 3.5/5

Saves the Day is one of the accomplished veterans of pop punk. The band has proven that, just like in a sports team, you need veteran presence in a genre to show people how things are done. On their sixth studio album, Under The Boards, Saves the Day shows all the rookies out there how to put together a pop punk record.

With the second installment of a three-album project, we find Saves the Day right in the middle of their journey of self-discovery. The trilogy gives Saves the Day that extra emo touch that will make fans fall in love with the group even more. As for the others…well the others probably won’t be listening to this album.

Under the Board has some moments that really hit. The track “Get Fucked Up” has lyrics and catchiness that can’t escape the listener. The piano and vocals on “Lonely Nights” gives the album a different sound and keeps it fresh. The opening track “Under the Board” is a great pick for any emo kid’s Myspace profile. As Chris Conley spills his emotions, you immediately feel attached. “Radio” is another standout track that has a classic upbeat Saves the Day feel to it.

On the other hand, the acoustic track “Stay” is on the repetitive side and leaves the listener waiting for the song’s tempo to pick up and go somewhere. It never happens. With this being maybe the only true hiccup in the album, these veteran rockers have put out a solid release.

Saves the Day fans should be more than satisfied with Under the Board. The album delivers some classic Saves the Day moments with some new ways of going about it.

Recommended Tracks: Radio, Under the Boards, Lonely Nights, Because You Are No Other

Review - The Classic Crime

Band: The Classic Crime
Album: Acoustic EP: Seattle Sessions
Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Rating: 4/5

So, let me set the stage for you. You are a hard rocking band that just put out your debut album on Tooth & Nail Records. You are starting to build a reputation around being a hard rock band. What do you do next? Wait a second… you want to release an acoustic EP? Well, at least that is what The Classic Crime decided to do with their latest work Acoustic EP: Seattle Sessions. It seems like a strange move but it may be the best decision the band has made yet.

Much like Dallas Green of Alexisonfire did with his acoustic side project City and Colour, The Classic Crime has shown a different side of their band with this EP while not making it a separate side project. Seattle Sessions should attract a wider fan base for the band by exposing the group’s more sensitive side. It’s kind of like Gatsby’s American Dream and Emery combined with a slower tempo.

As proven by the track “Wake Up (Shipwreck)”, the choruses on the songs can be a little cheesy and weak at times. All together though this was a solid EP that I would recommend checking out. The only set back may be that I prefer their sound on the EP to their debut album. Can the band ditch their debut sound and just run with this one? Either way they have grabbed my attention and I’m interested to see what they do next.

Review - Mt. St. Helen

Band: Mt. St. Helen
Album: Of Others
Label: Two Thumbs Down Records
Rating: 2.5/5
With four-year breaks in between each of the three records they’ve released, Mt. St. Helen obviously likes to keep their fans waiting for new music. With the long downtime between records and switching of record labels on each release, it’s been hard for the group to build any real steam. On their latest record Of Others the band comes together with a solid rock sound reminiscent of …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead.

The instrumentation on the record is a solid foundation to build a good rock album on. The vocals, on the other hand, don’t really compliment the rest of the band. Sure they’re decent vocals, but they sound exactly the same on every track. The lack of vocal dynamics and range come off bland. The vocals aren’t so terrible that they don’t work for some tracks such as “Massive Dosage.” On the track “City Of…” the band tries pulling off something different with an almost old school metal feel. The vocals are a little more fitting on this song too, but it still seems like the lead singer is only carrying one note.

This record was pretty straightforward and my analysis seems to follow that trend. Instrumentally, this record was pretty solid. Vocally, it struggles.

I would recommend this record to Trail of the Dead fans as long as they realize that the vocals wont have the same charisma.

Envy on the Coast Cancel Tour

Envy on the Coast has been forced to cancel their tour with Saosin and the upcoming college tour due to Ryan having a case of acid reflux combined with a polyp and burst blood vessel affecting his vocal chords. For now the First to Last tour is still on pending that Ryan is better. We wish Ryan a speedy recovery.

Hey guys...Brian here. I have a bit of bad news. The past week of shows have been super rough on Ryan and he's been struggling to get through our set. Not fun...especially since he holds himself to such a high standard of performance. Yesterday at the Saints and Sinners festival were the pinnacle of his problems, vocally, and he told us that he's in dire need of a doctor to see whats wrong with him. It turns out....a combination of things were wrong with his voice. A case of acid reflux combined with a polyp and burst blood vessel on Ryan's cords had been severely affecting his ability to sing. I got off the phone with him nor more than 15 minutes ago and I can assure you this was a last resort decision and he's super upset about it. We made a decision as a band to cancel the rest of our tour with Saosin and the upcoming college shows so Ryan can rest his voice and get better. As of right now the tour with From First To Last is still happening...provided Ryan is up to it. Thank all of you for coming out to the shows and for your continued support and to everyone who was plannning on coming to the upcoming shows...we're terribly sorry and we hate the fact that we would disappoint any of you. Hopefully we'll see you guys soon.

Love,

Brian, Sal, Jer, Dan, and Ryan

Radiohead sign with XL Recordings

Radiohead announced that they have signed with indie British label XL Recordings for the physical release of In Rainbows.