Conditions - Full Of War

Oh...no joke this week...BUY THIS! PLEASE

It’s rare that an album comes out that truly changes my life. It has only happened three times to me in my life. The most recent one was in 2010, a band called Conditions released Fluorescent Youth. The album was one of the most well structured, and poignant albums I had heard in years. It was like the thoughts I wanted to say but were too scared to about society were talked about in every song. It was a perfect album in my opinion. One that made me realize that bands were still around to deliver great music with amazing, meaningful lyricism. Now, its three years later, and that band has finally delivered a follow up, Full Of War. My expectations were exceptionally high, and I was pumped that I would get another fantastic album. I’m glad to say that, while it’s not as exceptional in my opinion as Fluorescent Youth, Full Of War is a solid rock album that keeps me wondering why the hell this band hasn’t become big yet.

Here is why Conditions is my favorite band in music today. The lyricism the band emotes in every song is some of the most impressive work I have ever heard. They can take a bold topic no one wants to talk about, and totally make it work in a fantastic song. Take the strong “Descent Of Man”, which is a great song about what do you do if you know a guy who is taking advantage of someone he shouldn’t. The song raises questions about the state chivalry is in today, and what do you do if you are in this situation. Someone you know, doing such a terrible thing as taking advantage of someone. It’s questions like these Conditions aren’t afraid to tackle with their songs. It makes them brave, bold, fierce, and refreshing to listen to.

I’ll be honest with you guys...the song “Wonderful Lie” is an early front runner for song of the year to me. The song deals with the fear of growing up, and what happens to that confidence and happiness you had as a kid. It was so touching, and eye opening to me that it actually brought a tear to my eye thinking about MY own childhood. It made me think about how I used to be this super confident, happy kid who wasn’t afraid of anything. It made me think about how I am now, a guy who is super afraid of my future sometimes and it messes with his confidence. The song really made me contemplate my life, and it is now my anthem into trying to think more positive, like I did when I was a little kid.

It might seem like I’m gushing about this album, but I did have a bit of a problem with it. The first couple of songs, I was really frightened that I was going to be disappointed. The first two songs (“Walking Separate Ways”, “Skeleton”) are solid, but the next two (“Love Elusive”, “Best Mistake”) were kind of disappointing in how simple they were. The lyricism was good, but not amazing like the first album. Then “Love Elusive” started, and the album kicked it into high gear and never let up. It’s rare that the back half of the album is the stronger one to me, but once again Conditions make me drop my jaw in amazement.

The final verdict:  To the members of Conditions, singer Brandon Roundtree, guitarist Alex Howard, drummer Ryan Tinsley, and bassist Corey Thomas, you guys are truly my heroes. You make the music I wish I could make every day. Catchy, fun, and meaningful. Each song you make always has great lyricism that will make me think, and wonder why there aren’t more bands like you. While I didn’t enjoy Full Of War as much as Fluorescent Youth, it still is an amazing album that deserves you guys so much attention. So hopefully my review can give you guys some new fans, because you definitely deserve them. If you like rock or alternative bands, you are doing yourself a disservice to not at least check out Full Of War. The songs will make you dance, and think at the same time, which is never a bad thing!

FINAL GRADE:  B+

CHOICE CUT:  “Wonderful Lie”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy4y01fFvd0

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Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience

He looked at pop music in the last 2 years and said "Damn, I gotta fix this

Readers, it’s time to get the beat going, because Justin Timberlake is back! After the release of 2006’s brilliant FutureSex/LoveSounds, JT took a 7 year break from music to act in various endeavors. While I do like him as an actor, I was starting to get a little worried that we would never get another great album from Timberlake. Especially when pop music was getting worse and worse by the month. Then, to start the new year of 2013, we all got great news, JT was coming back with a new album, The 20/20 Experience. JT fans rejoiced, music critics nodded their heads in happiness, and Justin Beiber S%#T his pants in the fear that his crappy pop would be upstaged by true genius. I’m glad to say that while the album is flawed, The 20/20 Experience is the swift kick in the ass mainstream pop has needed.

So what do I mean by the swift kick in the ass? Well, think about most of the pop that is on the radio today. The songs are usually about one of two things:  partying, or love. The song topics are so generic that it baffles me to this day that it’s still the formula to get a popular song on the radio. All you need is generic lyrics in those 2 topics, good looks, and a decent producer to get a hit.

So here is why JT coming back is a very good thing. He went into this album with no goal, no focus. He just wanted to make an experimental pop album that he thought would be good. What came out was something just short of a soul pop masterpiece. The album starts with “Pusher Love Girl”, which opens with a wonderful orchestral opening that sets the mood for the rest of the album. As JT sings the first words, you remember what got him popular in the first place. This is a artist who is filled with soul, charisma, and talent. He kills it throughout the album with his singing, and elevates songs that most other artist would have messed up. Instead of being like most pop artist who just say, “I love you girl!” to a generic beat, Timberlake makes each song so soulful and romantic that you feel like you could easily play each song with your significant other to set the mood for a sexy night.

Half of this success is because of Timberlake’s second hand man with this album, producer Timberland. Timberland and Timberlake work so well together as every song is different and risky. One song could be a soulful love song like “Pusher Love Girl”, another song could be a mamba style dance song like “Let The Groove Get In”, or it could be an incredibly simplistic, but very effective love anthem like “Blue Ocean Floor”. Timberland and Timberlake balance all these different ideas and influences, but make them all work. It’s the type of bold risks that pop music desperately needs. Even though the lyrics are nothing new, all the songs feel fresh and new thanks to taking some awesome risks in terms of production of the album.

Now, there are some problems here. As I mentioned before, the lyricism is nothing new. Only one song really shines in term of lyricism (“Blue Ocean Floor”) while the rest of the album treads normal ground in terms of love songs. The other main criticism I have is the length of the songs. Besides “Suit & Tie” and “That Girl” each song clocks in around 7-8 minutes. I would understand this long running time if the songs flowed for the whole time, but they don’t. Most of songs feel like they are repeating themselves after 5 minutes of listening to them.

The final verdict:  While it has some problems, The 20/20 Experience is the kind of album that pop music needed. Its bold aspects in terms of production work, and Timberlake’s talent and showmanship makes the album a blast to listen to, even if the songs run too long. For anyone who is in a relationship with someone, or if you’re trying to get that crush you have to try to have a night of intimate fun, this is the album to put on. JT brings sexy back to pop music, after having a couple years of having pop music turn into an ugly animal

FINAL GRADE:  A-

CHOICE CUT:  “Blue Ocean Floor”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgNk_TV3otA

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The Story So Far - What You Don't See

 Huh...gotta be honest
this is a new one in terms of album covers....

Ever just have one of those moments in the cold, winter days? One where you are walking in the cold, looking up at the clouds and saying, "DAMMIT I WANT SUMMER NOW!" Well, I feel ya readers. I go to a school where lake effect gives me a S%$&ton of snow, and only one day a month of sun if mother nature is feeling nice. As you can imagine, my frozen members need a dosage of summer every once in a while. So, I turn to music to give me a bit of summer in the winter, specifically pop punk. Pop punk is the music of my summer days and nights. It's fun, upbeat, and the best ones are wonderful in lyricism. Think of this idea like a nice ice cream cone on a warm sunny day, and the lyricism is the sprinkles or icing on top. Why do I bring all this up? Well this week we got The Story So Far's second album What You Don't See. The band, who has been making quite a name for themselves in the pop punk scene, are known for being one of the upcoming powerhouses for the genre. So does the band fall into the sophomore slump, or do they deliver a exceptional follow-up? I'm happy to say they avoid the sophomore slump for DAMN sure.

This is the type of pop punk album I love. One filled with catchy guitar hooks, experimental instrumentals, and meaningful lyricism. You readers will hear me repeat these concepts, but it's the concepts that work in making me love an album. Lets start with the instrumentals. Catchy, dance inducing guitar hooks fill this album to the brim thanks to guitarists William Levy and Kevin Gayer. Whether it's a hook that makes you want to dance in the back of a car with the roof down in the summer, or one that makes you want to throw down in the pit, there's something for everyone here. I even tested this point on my girlfriend with the song "Framework". As she listened, she told me it was the type of beginning that sounds like a great song to dance to on a nice, summer day. And I'll be damned if she isn't right! It just makes you want to dance, and have fun. Then you look at a song like the opener, "Things I Can't Change". It's a song filled with wonderful, creative breakdowns that will get the pits started at Warped Tour this year for the band.

As for the rest of the band involving instrumentals, I love that each band member gets a chance to shine throughout the album. Drum solos by drummer Ryan Torf are fast and furious, and come in at great times in the songs. Bassist Kelen Capener even gets to showcase his quick fingers with some fancy bass solos, including the short but effective one in "Things I Can't Change".  I appreciate a band in pop punk who gets to show that each band member has some skills instead of a band who will just throw in a breakdown to keep the song progressing.

Now lets look at the lyricism. The lyrics are wonderfully executed in writing, and performance. While the lyricism is typical pop punk fare (break-ups, standing up for yourself), The Story So Far find a way to make it original and fresh. A great example of this is "The Glass" which is a wonderful song about someone leaving your life. It's a topic done before, but the song works thanks to the wonderful imagery conveyed convincingly by singer Parker Cannon.

The only problem I have with the album is that not every song hits. It's not that any songs on the album are bad, but some just weren't as strong as others for me. It's a shame that I have to say that, as the songs that do hit for me, hit really F$*%ing hard! They're songs that will probably make it onto my best of the year list in December. I just wish that every song hit like that to me, instead of about 3/4's of the album.

The final verdict:  What You Don't See proves that The Story So Far are going to be a pop punk force in the next couple of years. All the members are talented musicians who know how to make an album that can really appeal to anybody. It's catchy for the people who like pop, it's heavy for the people who like punk, but most importantly, it's fun as hell. I can guarantee that this will be an album that is blasting out of my car in the summer with the windows down. I hope that the band makes a lot of new fans on Warped Tour this summer, because they damn well deserve them.

FINAL GRADE: B+
CHOICE CUT: "The Glass"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-yt7yUNvlQ

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 Crown The Empire - The Fallout

Generic metal cover, check, evil looking font, check....

oh dear....

When it comes to releases by Rise Records, you will either get a great or S&#t release. If the album is produced by Joey Surgis, well.... you will at least get a great production! Sure, it’s in a sea of generic breakdowns, but you have to give the dude credit. I mention these two factors because we have the debut album from Crown The Empire from Dallas, TX. The album, The Fallout, produced by Surgis and released by Rise Records, is kind of surprising. No, it’s not the amazing album that is going to shock everyone, but… let me explain.

The band seems to bring a theatrical experience to the metalcore genre. Think Attack Attack! mixed with Panic! At The Disco.  If that idea makes you throw up in your mouth, jump ship now.  I won’t be able to convince you this is crap otherwise. For those of you staying, lets continue. The idea of giving a theatrical experience to metalcore is a good idea in my opinion. Yes, most bands use synths, but I will give Crown The Empire credit for making this their selling point. Using synths is one thing, but expanding on simple tech sounds to add an element to your atmosphere is something I can get behind! Most bands in the metal genre just use one synth or techno sound for the breakdown to make people say, “Awesome,” when the breakdown is generic and not that creative. The thing that makes Crown The Empire different is they add synths to use as an element in building an atmosphere for their songs.

Now, does the idea of mixing theatrical and metalcore elements play out in the album? Well, yes and no. Some songs use the idea to great extent. Songs like “The Fallout” and “Memories of a Broken Heart” show that the band can mix these two elements pretty well and have room to grow creatively. Unfortunately, most of the album suffers from the Rise Records effect, or the Joey Surgis effect. Whichever one you want to go with, I won’t care either way. The fans think it’s the same thing. This effect is the idea of generic lyricism and have breakdown after breakdown. As you can expect, this becomes monotonous and aggravating, especially after a strong opening with the first few songs.

Finally, we get to the last, and best, song on the album:  "Johnny’s Revenge.” I usually don’t point out a single song to form my thoughts on an album, but “Revenge” is such an important song to finalize my opinion for this album. It is exactly what this band has been trying to do the whole album.  Mixing theatrical elements Panic! At The Disco uses so well with great metal-core. The song opens with a jester-like fanfare that adds an element of creepiness to the lyrics. It’s hard not to get drawn in because the song is a great conclusion to make you think about the rest of the album.

Did the band finally nail what they were aiming to do at the end of the recording process, or was the label holding them back from making songs like “Revenge?” I wish I could answer those questions because it would have a big impact in how I feel this band in the long run.

The final verdict:  Crown The Empire has a great idea on their hands. Points in the album show they are capable of pulling off a new potential genre if they really push themselves. Unfortunately, a majority of this album was very generic and changed my opinion. Crown The Empire has potential to do something different, but I hope they realize this on their next album.

GRADE: C
-
Choice Cut: Johhny’s Revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-sJ30yOUdY

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