Posted in Indie Rock

Review: One Hundred Year Ocean – “Where Were You While We Were Getting High?”

One Hundred Year Ocean – “Where Were You While We Were Getting High?”

OHYO Cover

Released: July 8, 2013
Label: Broken World Media
Purchase: Digital | Pre-Order Vinyl Available Soon

One Hundred Year Ocean officially today release their new four track EP Where Were You While We Were Getting High?. Oasis fans unite! Based out of Willimantic, CT, OHYO is the solo work of Derrick Shanholtzer-Dvorak from TWIABP. The band is “usually made up of close friends and weirdos” and creates an indie rock emo sound with musical influences such as Modest Mouse, The Hold Steady, and Cursive. The EP was recorded by Chris Teti at Silver Bullet Studios in Burlington, CT and mastered by Jon Markson.

The first track on the EP titled Hospital Town, is a slower paced with a long repetitive intro leading to melancholy filled lyrics thematically about giving up. The refrain “I hope there is a hell / and I hope we don’t forget to lose it all” gives off an eerie tone with a slight glimmer of hope. Soco Amaretto Bud Light Lime, the second song, which I hope is in reference to the Brand New track, picks up the pace of the EP. Quick twinkly indie melodies and two verses containing philosophical questions and obscure nature imagery portrays the adeptness of this outfit at songwriting. The track then leads nicely into a Modest Mouse sounding instrumental bridge with a medley of  synthesizer, guitar and percussion before closing out.

In Apples, the trumpet leads the start of the track with the drums and guitar following. For some reason, I just love OHYO‘s use of the trumpet in this EP it just seems to fit seamlessly. Lyrically, I really hope the band members don’t drink each other’s urine, but if that’s the secret behind these songs, then maybe more bands should be drinking each other’s piss. Despite the short length of this track, just above one minute, it’s one of the more cheery numbers with lines such “Don’t worry about the rent, this month isn’t over yet.” and “We were electric like the summer / And I said to my brother / ‘Next Halloween let’s be each other and stay that way forever'” providing a sense of optimistic realism.

The last track, Magnetic Curses is a personal favorite on the release, combining the beloved trumpet and Derrick Shanholtzer-Dvorak’s lyrical mastery. With a crescendo leading to “So where is our hope? / Or when do we get paid? /’cause I’ve been so broke” and a wail of emotion, it brought me back to that tear-jerking scene in 50/50 where Joseph Gordon-Levitt loses it in the car. This song is self-deprecating just without the humor, but it speaks to the listener and creates the mood that not many other genres can.

With more mature songwriting and a refined sound, delving into various corners of indie, emo, and pop Where Were You While We Were Getting High? is definitely worth a listen and is one of my favorite releases this year so far. Streaming now on their Bandcamp with pre-orders of a one sided 12″ available later from Broken World Media pick this album up. There is a name your price basis download here. For more information check out their Facebook and catch them on their US tour starting in August.

Standout Tracks: “Soco Amaretto Bud Light Lime”, “Magnetic Curses”

9.0

Track Listing:
1. Hospital Town
2. Soco Amaretto Bud Light Lime
3. Apples
4. Magnetic Curses

Review: Nations Afire – “The Ghosts We Will Become”

Nations Afire – “The Ghosts We Will Become”

 

Nations Afire

Released: July 2, 2013
Label: Hardline Entertainment
Purchase: Digital | CD

Nations Afire, an ensemble composed of music veterans from the groups Rise Against, Death Stereo, and Ignite, have recently released their debut album, The Ghosts We Will Become. No stranger to their music scene in California, the rock band seeks to spread their sound to a national–and global–level.

And perhaps that goal isn’t without reason either; with strong riffs and vocalist Nik Hill’s powerful, rough vocals (somewhat reminiscent of less nasal-y version of Alter Bridge‘s Myles Kennedy’s singing voice) that blend together well, nearly every song in the album possesses the headbanging energy people want. The songs without the hard rock gusto are no slouch either, instead choosing a more emotional approach, from comparatively heavy Nine Lives to entirely acoustic Even The Blackest Heart Still Beats.

Certain parts of the album, however, are weak. “I am an army coming through/I am a zombie over you/I can’t believe it, I want it so bad” in I Am an Army feels almost half-assed, and the opening line “And the wolves cry out again” in Wolves’ chorus seems to always drop the energy of an otherwise consistent song. Another issue with The Ghosts We Will Become is that it sounds too similar to the punk rock and hard rock scene. The beginnings of I Am an Army and One Perfect Day, for example, sound just like an intro from a song by Rise Against. The lyrics also read similar to Rise Against or Anti-Flag. Although the sound itself is more than satisfying, there aren’t any curve balls or segments that stand out as unique, which makes the album sit in the shadow of already established bands of the same genre.

Nevertheless, as a band’s debut album, The Ghosts We Will Become is a very strong start, and it is a positive indicator of Nations Afire’s talent and where it can go from here. As long as the band continues to develop their own sound and find its niche in the wildly popular rock genre which they jump into, it will no doubt end up in the spotlights.

7.5

Standout Tracks: “Occams Razor,” “Even The Blackest Heart Still Beats,” “Pick Up The Pieces”

Track listing:
01. I Am an Army
02. The Ghosts We Will Become
03. Nine Lives
04. One Perfect Day
05. In Absentia
06. Occams Razor
07. Even the Blackest Heart Still Beats
08. Pick Up the Pieces
09. Break Your Fall
10. The Legacy We Leave
11. The Concussionist
12. Wolves

Watch: Pixies – “Bagboy”

Bagboy
Pixies, the Boston-based pioneers of alternate rock, have suprisingly released a new track accompanied by a music video titled Bagboy. This is the first original track released since 2004, after their decade long hiatus. Touring on and off since their reformation, it’s nice to see that the band is continuing to record and produce new music. Despite the departure of co-vocalist and bassist, Kim Deal, the track has female vocals in it, and has the same vibes as many of the earlier Pixies classics lyrically and instrumentally. You can download the song for free below, and watch the music video.


 
Frontman of Pixies, Black Francis stated about the new song, “The lyrics, coincidentally, were composed at a Starbucks Coffee in Harvard Square in Cambridge, about a hundred feet from where, 25 years ago, I composed some of the lyrics to an old Pixies song called ‘Break My Body.’ Twenty-five years later, some Starbucks in Harvard Square…I thought that was kind of interesting. The music for the song has been around for a few years. There are some demos I made with Joey and David a few years ago in Los Angeles, related to a film idea that still has yet to see the light of day, although work on the music continued. So a lot of the musical idea had been kicking around for awhile. It’s pretty simple, kind of a blues-based, two-note kind of thing, really.”

Listen: Gogol Bordello – “Lost Innocent World”

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Gypsy Punk band, Gogol Bordello, is set to release their sixth album Pura Vida Conspiracy on July 23rd. Gogol Bordello is not your everyday band. Rising from the New York underground scene, frontman Eugene Hutz hoped to mix his Gypsy heritage with an energetic punk style. Gogol Bordello has a very wide range, they can bring an electrifying stage presence or turn the volume down a bit and play a sweet acoustic set. Whether you feel like moshing in a giant pit of sweaty bodies or just head bobbing in the back, you’re bound to have a good time. I’ve found that the album work doesn’t always convey the intensity that they can bring to a live concert but the message the band hopes to convey through their work is always refreshing.   If you even slightly dig their recently released single “Lost Innocent World” it’s worth the effort to see them live.  Their summer tour dates are available through their website. You can also stream “Lost Innocent World” and “Maladrino”  below. Even if you don’t enjoy the music, you have to respect a man with a wonderful mustache.

Watch: Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know?”

Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys are set to release their fifth album entitled AM on Monday, 9th September 2013. The album will be available on CD, Vinyl, and digitally, with pre-orders available now from Domino Records. The album was produced by James Ford and co-produced by Ross Orton at Sage & Sound Recording in LA, and Rancho De La Luna‘s Joshua Tree. The album was engineered by Ian Shea and mixed by Tchad Blake. The first single off of the new release titled Do I Wanna Know?, a psychedelic rock number, is available to watch below and purchase from iTunes.


Tracklisting:
1. Do I Wanna Know?
2. R U Mine?
3. One For The Road
4. Arabella
5. I Want It All
6. No. 1 Party Anthem
7. Mad Sounds
8. Fireside
9. Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?
10. Snap Out Of It
11. Knee Socks
12. I Wanna Be Yours