Stream: Linkin Park – “Guilty All The Same”
Posted by Alex Huang
Stream: Young The Giant – “Mind Over Matter”
FEB 4 – Ventura Theatre – Ventura, CA *+
FEB 6 – Fox Theater – Oakland, CA *+
FEB 7 – Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA *
FEB 9 – Soma – San Diego, CA *+
FEB 11 – Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ *
FEB 12 – Comerica Theatre – Phoenix, AZ *
FEB 14 – South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX *
FEB 15 – Austin Music Hall – Austin, TX *
FEB 16 – Bayou Music Center – Houston, TX *
FEB 18 – Jannus Live – St Petersburg, FL *
FEB 19 – Maverick’s at The Landing – Jacksonville, FL *
FEB 21 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC *
FEB 22 – Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA *
FEB 23 – The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD *
FEB 25 – Rams Head Live – Baltimore, MD *
FEB 26 – Tower Theatre – Philadelphia, PA *
FEB 28 – Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY *
MAR 1 – Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY ^
MAR 2 – House Of Blues – Boston, MA ^
MAR 4 – The Dome – Wallingford, CT ^
MAR 6 – Metropolis – Montreal, ON (Canada) ^
MAR 7 – Kool Haus – Toronto, ON (Canada) ^
MAR 8 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI ^
MAR 10 – Egyptian Room – Indianapolis, IN ^
MAR 11 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN ^
MAR 12 – House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH ^
MAR 17 – LC Pavilion – Columbus, OH ^
MAR 19 – The Midland – Kansas City, MO ^
MAR 21 – The Pageant – St Louis, MO ^
MAR 22 – Riviera – Chicago, IL ^
MAR 23 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI ^
MAR 25 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN ^
MAR 27 – Garrick – Winnipeg, MB (Canada) ^
MAR 28 – O’Brians Event Centre (formerly Odeon Events Centre) – Saskatoon, SK (Canada) ^
MAR 29 – MacEwan Hall – Calgary, AB (Canada) ^
MAR 31 – Winspear – Edmonton, AB (Canada) ^
APR 2 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC (Canada)^
APR 3 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC (Canada) ^
APR 5 – Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA ^
APR 6 – Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA ^
APR 8 – McDonald Theatre – Eugene, OR ^
APR 10 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT ^
APR 11 – Boulevard Pool at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV
* with Cayucas
^ with Vance Joy
+ with Tapioca And The Flea
Review: The Swellers – “The Light Under Closed Doors”
The Swellers – “The Light Under Closed Doors”
Released: October 29, 2013
Label: No Sleep Records
Purchase: Digital | Vinyl | CD
The Swellers have been a staple in the punk scene for quite some time now, famous for releasing their incredible 2009 album Ups and Downsizing. The Michigan outfit have been criticized a little on signs that they were following the trend towards pop, but their recent album The Light Under Closed Doors, released just last week, has put those suspicions back in the closet. The Light Under Closed Doors demonstrates that the sound that people fell in love with is still there–and still strong.
The album gives a lot to laud about. As per usual, the new album’s lyrics are just as defining as ever, employing the classic “internal tension and melancholy” theme with catchy hooks, inducing the pop punk-esque ambivalent beauty and angst that The Swellers have expressed so well in the past. The riffs and melodies are catchy and engaging–definitely something worth dancing to (or, for the softcore, bobbing your head to). The juxtaposition between (comparatively) slower, more melody-driven songs like “Friends Again (We Can’t Be),” “Designated Driver,” and “High/Low,” and more gung-ho, in-your-face tunes like “Call It A Night,” “Big Hearts,” and “Great Lakes State” are also great. Even the questionable quality of the album, usually a negative feature on a studio recording, seems to paradoxically add to the album, giving a feeling of homeliness and intimacy, as if the songs were being performed on stage.
To be honest, there really isn’t much that detracts from the album. Those unfamiliar with heavier genres could probably note that the “wave of sound” in The Light Under Closed Doors is overwhelming and too uniform; also, very staunch fans of The Swellers could, imaginably, compare this as still being in the shadow of Ups and Downsizing. However, as long as you’re interested in the overarching punk genre at all, you won’t regret taking a listen to this at all. In fact, you might just be like me and love it.
9.0
Standout tracks: “Big Hearts,” “Got Social,” “Call It A Night,” “Becoming Self-Aware”
Track listing:
01. Should
02. Big Hearts
03. Got Social
04. High/Low
05. Great Lakes State
06. Becoming Self-Aware
07. Friends Again (We Can’t Be)
08. Designated Driver
09. Favorite Tune
10. Call It A Night
Watch: TRC – “10,000 Hours”
UK hardcore outfit TRC have recently released a music video of one of their newest tunes, “10,000 Hours.” The song hybridizes vocalist Chris Robson’s rapping with heavy instrumental backing, creating a unique and refreshing blend of sound that all fans of heavy music should consider listening to.
Regarding the video and the meaning of the song, Robson says, “It was great to work with Daniel Broadley again, after the fantastic job he did on “We Bring War.” The tune is about the rule of success being 10,000 hours of applied effort, and was inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s book, ‘Outliers’. No matter what the distraction, we’ve kept pushing on with TRC. 10,000 hours equates to approx. 10 years, which is quite funny because TRC released our first demo 10 years ago. What’s even funnier, was the fact we recorded the band performance scene in the studio where we recorded that very first demo. Everything came full circle. It’s my favourite track off ‘Nation’.”
10,000 Hours is one of several tracks off their second and newest album Nation, produced in tandem with Steve Sears (Gallows, Lethal Bizzle). You can purchase Nation here via No Sleep Records. And while you do that, be sure to watch 10,000 Hours below:
Listen: Sleepwave – “Rock and Roll Is Dead and So Am I”
Regarding the free download, Chamberlain says, “I’ve been dying to share this music with the world and I don’t want kids to have to pay to find out what Sleepwave sounds like, so this one is free for everyone who has stuck it out with me- thank you.”
Alongside the free download, Sleepwave have announced four intimate shows this November. Tickets are already available online and can be found on the same page as the music download, while tour dates are listed below:
November 16th– State Theatre, St Petersburg, FL.
November 17th– Masquerade, Purgatory, Atlanta, GA
November 20th– Santos Party House, New York, NY
November 21st– North Star Bar, Philadelphia, PA
“We decided to play these shows in smaller, more intimate rooms,” Chamberlain says of the upcoming tour. “Before this record comes out and I’m back behind a barricade or on some festival, I really want to get in a room with some excited people, get face to face and meet every single one of them. Something special, something different, something to be remembered.”
If you were an Underoath or simply a fan of rock in general, be sure to download the song. Also like them on Facebook and subscribe to their Youtube channel! This rock duo have already started out strong and will no doubt continue to produce amazing tunes in the near future.