Posted in Reviews

Show Review: Electric Circus Shanghai

DSC_0322 copy

For electric music lovers, last weekend’s Electric Circus music festival in Shanghai, China was an unparalleled event. Located in the heart of the new Pudong region of Shanghai, this festival was China’s first ever large-scale indoor electronic music festival. In the roomy Pudong Exhibition Center, two different spaces were set up for a lengthy six-hour festival featuring dozens of acts and performances, including both local and international artists.

DSC_4446 copy

DSC_4436 copy

Throughout the night, the Shanghai crowd raved to the various DJs. With fans ranging from local EDM enthusiasts to international fans from countries around the world, by the end of the night, hundreds of people came to enjoy the music. Among headline artists such as Roger Sanchez, DJ Falcon, Surkin, and many more, the crowd at Electric Circus especially loved Swanky Tunes, a Russia based electronic music trio. Playing mixes of popular songs such as Sweet Nothing by Calvin Harris and Clarity by Zedd, as well as with some of their own music, Swanky Tunes got the crowd hyped up and singing along.

DSC_4459 copy

DSC_4466-2

To add to the circus-y vibe established by the name of the festival, costumed men, men on stilts, and acrobatic performers roamed the exhibition center. With great music, vibrant lighting, and an endless supply of pizza and beer, the Electric Circus music festival in Shanghai, China was a huge success, leading the way for more EDM festivals in China.

DSC_4470 copy

Track: CHAMP – “Burnt Alive”

CHAMP Press
Track: “Burnt Alive”
Artist: CHAMP
Release Date: February 18th 2014
Label: Fleeting Youth Records

Hailing from San Diego four piece outfit, CHAMP‘s single Burnt Alive lays testament to the re-emergence of catchy as hell garage punk bands e.g. The Orwells, FIDLAR, and Mumblr. The song kicks off with a little bass lick followed by frontman Joel Williams howling over fuzz drenched chords, “I don’t wanna walk down memory lane / it’s all the same / it makes me feel like nothing’s changed”. With arpeggiated riffing and thematically weary verses, you just can’t wait for the anthemic chorus paired tastefully with squealing feedback to kick back in. CHAMP’s debut self-titled album on February 18th will be released in both cassette and digital formats via Fleeting Youth Records. Pre-order the album here, and stream Burnt Alive below!

Rating: 9.25/10

Track: Mumblr – “Puke”

Mumblr Press
Track: “Puke”
Artist: Mumblr
Release Date: November 12th 2013
Label: Fleeting Youth Records

Four piece outfit Mumblr from Kensington, North Philadelphia play a genre of music that they dub “fuzz punk”. With the stylings of second-wave emo bands such as The Promise Ring and an early Modest Mouse alternative punk feel their track “Puke” off of their upcoming release is one hell of a listen. Rapid distorted guitar strums, clamouring drums, and frantic vocals combined with the refrain, “I don’t know anything why do you lie to me?” is a recipe for distress leaving you eager for more. Mumblr have combined both of their EP’s to be released on a lush red cassette titled White Jesus/Black God via Austin, Texas based Fleeting Youth Records. Stream Puke along with the entire release below and pre-order the cassette and digital album here. Follow the band on Facebook for more information.

Rating: 9/10

Review: The Swellers – “The Light Under Closed Doors”

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

Review: Yellowcard – “Ocean Avenue Acoustic”

Yellowcard – “Ocean Avenue Acoustic”

Yellowcard Ocean Avenue Acoustic
Released: August 13, 2013
Label: Hopeless Records
Purchase: Digital | CD

Pop punk band Yellowcard have been considered by many to be one of the most iconic pop punk bands of the new millennium, their powerful melodies and catchy choruses taking the country by storm. The same people almost all agree that their 2003 album Ocean Avenue is their most memorable work; songs such as Only One, Breathing, Back Home, and (of course) the title track itself topped the playlists of our childhoods. And to celebrate its 10 year anniversary, the band have decided to release a “re-imagining” of all thirteen Ocean Avenue tracks in a new acoustic album–a piece of art that invokes both nostalgia and innovation.

One of the most impressive features of Yellowcard songs has always been the inclusion of the violin (thanks to Sean Mackin), a long-considered classical instrument that meshed perfectly with the band’s modernized songs. Ocean Avenue Acoustic continues to masterfully use this amazing instrument, from the strong notes in the beginning of Believe and in the chorus of Breathing to the much more reserved but equally impactful tunes in Only One and Empty Apartment. All in all, the violin that got us loving Yellowcard in the first place does not disappoint in the new album and continues to add strength to each song.

Regarding the songs themselves, Yellowcard manages to create a new breed of intensity in some of their more explosive songs. The sound of the acoustic Way Away is just as enormous as its older counterpart, but in a different way; while there isn’t as much overwhelming noise that highlights pop punk, the speed and brawn of the acoustic instruments evoke a sense of desperation and excitement that is just as empowering as the feelings received from the original 2003 version. The same can be said for Miles Apart, Life of a Salesman, View From Heaven, and Ocean Avenue itself. And on the other side of the spectrum, emotionally riveting tracks such as Only One, Back Home, and Empty Apartment have become even more moving. Their softer melodies paint the message of their songs, whether it’s loss of love or the falsity of an expectation, in a way that feels even more genuine and true than before.

Holistically, Ocean Avenue Acoustic takes thirteen amazing songs and alters their sounds to make dissimilar but equally powerful songs. Not only do the songs lend heavy doses of nostalgia and remembrance for the songs that help define a decade, they feel refreshing and new when one listens to them. Overall, this album, being both the same and different as the groundbreaking album ten years ago of the same name, deserves a rating equivalent to the original Ocean Avenue.

9.5

Standout Tracks: “Back Home,” “Only One,” “Empty Apartment,” “Breathing,” “Miles Apart,” “Ocean Avenue”

Track listing:
01. Way Away (Acoustic)
02. Breathing (Acoustic)
03. Ocean Avenue (Acoustic)
04. Empty Apartment (Acoustic)
05. Life Of A Salesman (Acoustic)
06. Only One (Acoustic)
07. Miles Apart (Acoustic)
08. Twentythree (Acoustic)
09. View From Heaven (Acoustic)
10. Inside Out (Acoustic)
11. Believe (Acoustic)
12. One Year, Six Months (Acoustic)
13. Back Home (Acoustic)