Posted in Indie Rock

Breathing Blue Announce Barbeque In July

Breathing Blue, a 5-piece New Jersey-grown band that seems to be exploding all over the tri-state area, is throwing a party to celebrate summer with their fans. The “Breathing Blue Barbeque,” will take place all day starting at 2p.m. on Saturday, July 9th at local venue staple The Brighton Bar.

Ever since Breathing Blue released the Breathing Blue EP in June 2010, their presence has been increasingly well known in the alternative music scene. With numerous reviews and positive feedback on the band showing up in the press in places like Absolute Punk and Alter The Press , it can be anticipated that their catchy tunes and intricate guitar work will soon be showcased on rock stations across the nation. Popular tracks like “Sparkle,” and “Chase The World” draw listeners in with vocalist Justin Sanford’s rich lyrics and sound with strong guitar, bass and drums to back it up.

Breathing Blue is known for their unique style in thinking outside-of-the-box when it comes to self-representation. Any band can play a show, but they always stand out above the rest and take it to a new level, especially for this show by inviting other vendors like award-winning Bullfrog’s BBQ to provide tasty cuisine for the crowd during the show, serving more than your average backyard burgers and hotdogs. They’ve invited at least half a dozen other special guests to share the outdoor stage with them to rock this all day event, and when nighttime falls, the party will continue inside The Brighton Bar. Admission is $10; it is a rain-or-shine event, and is all ages to enter, 21+ to drink.

Breathing Blue’s EP can be purchased over at Amazon for just a taste of what their upcoming full-length album has to offer, and what to expect at the show. The Brighton Bar is located at 121 Brighton Avenue, Long Branch, NJ 07740.

Contest: Rise Against T-Shirt and Signed Album

To foster charity work in the community, Rise Against is holding a contest to find out what their fans doing to help out. The band will be selecting 50 of their favorite entries and donating a t-shirt to the Los Angeles Youth Network under each winners name. The winners will also receive a free t-shirt and signed copy of Endgame from the entire band.

To enter, visit our contest page here and fill out the information near the bottom of the page. The band will be selecting winners on June 23.

Free Download of The Kooks’ “The Saboteur”

The Kooks, who are returning with their third studio album Junk Of The Heart, announced earlier this week that they would be offering fans a chance to unlock a brand new song. Each tweet that contained the Twitter hashtag #junkoftheheart unlocked an additional 0.01 seconds of the song. Within hours, the new song, “The Saboteur”, was already unlocked.

You can listen to and download the new song now via The Kooks’ website here.


Review: Balance and Composure – Separation

Balance and Composure – Separation

Released: May 10, 2011
Label: No Sleep Records
Purchase: iTunes | Insound | Amazon

Fans of Balance and Composure have been eagerly awaiting a full length release for quite some time now. After releasing two mature EPs and arguably the better side of a split with Tigers Jaw over the last three years, Balance and Composure finally appeased fans with news of Separation, comprised of twelve tracks.

Upon first listen, however, it’s quite possible avid followers of Balance and Composure will be disappointed. Moving towards a more streamlined sound definitely contributed to a loss of “oomph” and raw emotion from the band’s music. However, this more concentrated approach does give Separation a sense of cohesiveness and focus, attributes vital to a successful album.

Separation excels most on songs where Balance and Composure’s 90’s influences are the most apparent. “Stonehands” delivers in this aspect, showcasing both emo and grunge influences, though vocalist Jon Simmons tends to sing a bit nasally especially on words with “long e” vowels. A better culmination of 90’s style and Simmons’ vocal performance is the title track. On the chorus, Simmons utilizes his perfected “sing scream”, a gritty yell, but with definitive pitch. It’s a technique Jesse Lacey of Brand New and Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra also use, though Simmons’ style feels more passionate.

As a whole, though, Separation seems like more of a turn towards alternative rock. While Balance and Composure do perform this genre with ease and more than competently (take the southern rock vibe of “Galena” or grit and angst of “I Tore You Apart In My Head” for instance), at times the record leans toward typicality, most notably on “Void”, an unfortunate pick for an album opener.

The loss of emotional immediacy might be due in part to the album’s generally flat production. Producer Brian McTernan’s past work has been inconsistent, dipping especially on Emarosa‘s latest self-titled release. WhileSeparation is definitely an improvement for McTernan, the drums sound tinny and lack tone and it’s nearly impossible to tell the band has three guitarists. The production just doesn’t feel as dynamic or raw as a band like Balance and Composure, one who thrives on straddling the crossroads of technicality and passion, needs to fully excel.

However, after multiple listens, Balance and Composure’s passion permeates McTernan’s iffy producing job. Tracks like album standout “Patience” exude intense feeling in the music. Balance and Composure mean every lyric, every guitar strum, every bass line, and every snare hit. Though perhaps Separation only fully demonstrates this with the listener’s patience (yes, I went there), the album isn’t a regression from past work. Balance and Composure is still miles ahead of most other bands operating in their genre. The reason?

Authenticity.

7.7

Standout Tracks: “Patience”, “Galena”, and “I Tore You Apart In My Head”