Covers

Hey everyone. And by everyone I mean those few people who actually read this damn thing. And by few people that read this damn thing I mean that guy who was just randomly searching for a band I mentioned on the internet and found my blog and said "Heh, that's cool" before moving onto the next website and not bookmarking me. That bastard.

But it's really no big deal. This is kind of a way for me to channel my thoughts for awhile and do something creative in my set-in-stone life. It's nice to be able to express myself through a means that really is different from the everyday routine. Yet by allowing myself this it also creates a bit of an expectation. An expectation to actually make myself to sit down and write something new and fresh every week so that I can keep my readers entertained. And by readers I mean myself and that bastard.

I guess it's the same way for bands. At the beginning it's fun, a way to express themselves and let loose. Spread a message and share feelings. Yet everytime they are forced to go back to the drawing board to write some fresh material, it gets harder and harder. This creates an interesting gap between musical passion and it actually being their "job". Then something frightening starts to occur, because when that passion is lost, there are times where the uniqueness and thrill of the music starts to go with it.

It's a wonder that more bands haven't tried covering things. It satisfies the fans of the band by giving them more material to salivate over, as well as giving the band themselves the new perspective of taking something already established and changing it around enough to make it something truly their own. It's a new challenge that can hopefully open the eyes to see what others have done in the past, as well as possibly breaking through barriers that had been pigeonholing a band into a certain genre. This is the sort of progression that bands need to see to stay relevant, as well as keep from becoming stuck in a routine.

If a cover is done right, the song should become a completely seperate entity. For example, when Johnny Cash did a cover of Nine Inch Nail's song "Hurt", people began to forget that it was even a cover at all, some going even as far to as claiming falsly that NIN's version was actually the cover. Then of course Christian hard rocker's RED covered "Ordinary World", the classic from Duran Duran, and brought in a sadness that wasn't really prevalent in the original, while still keeping close enough to its roots as to not forget them.

Some songs were just made to be covered over and over again. Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen has been covered by hundreds of artists over the years (most famously by Jeff Buckley), and has stood the test of time as one of the greatest songs ever written. This version is done acousticly by Alter Bridge's lead singer Myles Kennedy, and is my personal favorite.

Remixes are another thing entirely. I was never sold on them until recently, when Radiohead offered up their entire new LP to electronic artists to be remixed as they pleased. The results were astounding. I recently discovered that a song from last week's blog post was remixed by Polaris at Noon, to astounding results.

Are there any covers you guys adore? As always, please feel free to share anything with me as I would love to have any feedback at all. I'm on twitter @calebuseswords and feel free to add me on facebook. Oh, and if that bastard comes back, f#$%ing bookmark me.

Use Your Words

Back again. No need to explain absence, seeing as it was as a result of laziness more then anything. So recently I made a twitter (follow me if you like @calebuseswords), and I noticed that I could include a blog/website in my biographical info. Thus, I'm back here and hoping to be around for awhile. My first post in my great return will be the first in a series of excursions into the land of lyrics. I'm gonna call it Use Your Words.

First, I'll talk about man I've been whoring out for the past couple of weeks who mixes brutal honesty with subtle imagery in a way I really didn't think was possible. Hailing from Australia (another great Australian!), Paul Dempsey is the lead singer of a band called Something about Kate, and has also released a rather successful solo effort. Each song on his debut LP is tremendously well-written, but there are just some moments that stick out far above the rest. One of my favorites is from the debut single from the album, that blatantly spells out emotions we've all felt at one time or another.

"Cause I know no quicker way, dear

To the shiny gates of hell

Than a room full of handsome devils

Comparing everything to everything else

They just keep coming on

Like a driverless train

I can think of nothing adorable to say

It's half past the hour, looks like rain

Do you like me? Can I go now?"

Of course, it's not always about emotion. Sometimes bands like to tell a story. With lyrics typically resembling poetry, La Dispute has some of the greatest single song stories of the last several years. With the release of their most recent LP Wildlife, La Dispute has added several of these such songs to their repetoire, and none is more abrasive and jarring then the epic King Park. It tells the story of a drive by shooting gone horribly tragic when the gunman misses his mark and hits an innocent bystander. The climax of the song sends chills down my spine every damn time I hear it.

"Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?

Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?

Can I ever be forgiven cuz I killed that kid?

It was an accident I swear it wasn't meant for him!

And if I turn it on me, if I even it out, can I still get in or will they

Send me to hell?

Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?"

Last but not least is Thrice. Thrice has always been terrific with their songwriting, and Major/Minor was no exception. The standout track, Words in the Water, speaks in a metaphor of being drowned under the weight of something bigger then yourself. Upon the resolution of the narrator's perdicament, he details the feelings of the removal of his strife.

"I felt white and black reverse

And the lifting of a curse from my heart

Then like one receiving sight

I beheld a brilliant light in the dark"

Rise Against - Endgame Review

After a very long hiatus from the world of blogging, I feel I should step up to the challenge and try once again to help people drop the terrible music infesting their lives and show them to the world of good tunes. I will be changing my setup a bit from the previous incarnation, hopefully allowing me to add more to my repertoire. I will be posting a new blog post each week (or close to it) which will contain either a) a review of a recently released album, b) an introduction to a new emerging band that you have most likely not heard of, or c) address a music based argument/misconception/idea that has come to me recently.

As always any feedback is appreciated, and any ideas for reviews (or anything else for that matter) would be sweet.

This week I’m going to start with a review of Rise Against’s newest LP, called Endgame.

When it comes to a band like Rise Against, it’s a pretty decisive split between those who enjoy their old sound versus their new sound. With every subsequent album released by the band, they move in a more mainstream direction. Appeal to Reason saw Tim McIllrath adopting a “nicer” vibe, leaving the screams of past albums for a much catchier, smooth-edged vocal delivery that was only hinted at previously. As the follow up to Rise Against’s most successful album, The Sufferer and the Witness, Appeal to Reason was seen as a bit of a disappointment to longtime fans. So with the release of Endgame, their new LP, the question was would Rise Against go back to their origins, or forge ahead in the realm of the mainstream?

Well, it’s been made pretty clear that no retracing of steps will be happening here. Throughout all of Endgame, McIllrath’s vocals are almost identical to that which laced its predecessors. It’s due to this that Endgame seems to be a lot of what we have already heard before. As with Sufferer and Appeal, the vocals are really the focal point of each song. The chorus lines are still very catchy, although maybe not as much as in Appeal, and tend to stick in your head for days after listening. Yet without the change of pace presented by McIllrath’s former delivery style, each song starts to blend together, leaving us without any clear distinction between them (although, there is a good bit more screaming here then there was on Appeal). This also causes some of the passion of previous releases to be lost, making some of the sentiments displayed in the lyrics seem less impactful.

That’s not to say Rise Against doesn’t mean everything they say. Each album they try to tackle some of the issues of the time, standing up to the man as it were. It’s through these avenues that Rise Against show that they aren’t giving in to the music industries demands. In “Desparity by Design”, they attack those who have received a hand up in life with really working for it, asking “Is this a handout undeserved or a just reparation?” Then in “Make it Stop (September’s Children)” they take a stand for the LGBT community by calling for an end to the hate based on sexual preference and (in a very emotionally powerful move) list off some of the names of young men who committed suicide due to the bullying.

Guitar work and drumming have remained a constant throughout the years for Rise Against. Both keep a fairly constant, frenetic pace throughout the album, which helps up the tempo and excitement that is lost through the slower, steadier vocals. Sometimes certain riffs come off as copies of previous ones, leaving us wondering if the idea train might be slowing down a bit, yet it’s not enough to detract from their infectious nature.

Rise Against’s Endgame may not be what older fans of the band are looking for, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad album. Song after song is well constructed to do exactly what Rise Against wants: call attention to something important in the world, and give us something to sing about along the way. While it may not stand out among one of Rise’s best releases, it’s definitely another solid one from the quartet that leaves us with enough good material to merit a few occasional spins in the stereo.

Recommended Tracks:

This is Letting Go

Disparity by Design

Satellite

3.5/5

Bullet for my Valentine - Fever Review

Great lyrics. Fantastic emotion. Gorgeous orchestration. These are all the things that Bullet For My Valentine has NEVER had. If you go into Fever, the new album by this Welsh quartet, and expect any of these things, then you have never heard an album by this band before. There definitely are a few standard contents that many have come to enjoy from a BFMV record, yet with the release of their previous album Scream Aim Fire a lot of those things were dropped. Now, with Fever, even more have been lost and we are left with a shell of what was once a very entertaining band.

First of all, don’t by any means think they have lost their ability to play their instruments. Paget, the lead guitarist, can still hold his own among the top guitarists in mainstream metal. Unfortunately, his riffs are often the only things that keep the songs afloat. That’s not to say that the rest of them are mediocre musicians, it’s just that they don’t do anything to stand out. In songs like Fever, the only part of the song that is the least bit interesting is the guitar. This really isn’t a step too far from the norm, but there is one thing noticeably missing from most of the album’s songs, that made BFMV at least a decent band.

Matt Tuck, while his clean vocals have been vastly improved, all but abandons his scream. Not only that, but the other members of the band have grown much more silent as well when it comes to their chipping in with a wail. This is what made BFMV fun. It wasn’t music to sit back and contemplate the deeper meanings of; it was music to bob your head to and workout to (and possibly try to pump yourself up to before a swimming race to). Yet, with the loss of this facet of their music, they become completely boring. They lose any edge they had, and fall down into a realm of complete mediocrity. In songs like A Place Where You Belong and Bittersweet Memories, BFMV tries to slow it down, and utterly fail to produce anything worthwhile. Not only can Tuck not carry these songs just on his vocals, but the with the slowdown of the music, it further proves that they can’t seem to fit any emotion at all into their music anymore.

The entire first part of the album, minus The Last Fight, which upon first listen disappointed but has a catchy enough chorus to make it a highlight of the album, completely falls flat. Song after song opens with a promising guitar riff, and then follows with a lackluster verse delivery and a chorus that tries to be epic and soaring, yet is just lackluster and cheesy.

I would be lying if I didn’t say that there were in fact parts of this album that I enjoyed. Three songs caught my attention, yet they were all back-to-back at the end of the album. Dignity hearkens back to The Poison’s Tear’s Don’t Fall in it’s screaming of the pre-chorus, which seems to give BFMV some of their edge back. Then, with the promising Begging for Mercy, the screaming comes back full-fledged, and allows at least for a momentary flashback into what BFMV used to be. Even Tuck’s cleans in the chorus are good, making the song the album’s second best. Clearly the album winner is at the tail end, with the scream-laced Pretty on the Outside. This song has most likely the best lyrics BFMV have ever written (which really couldn’t have been that hard to do) and also has by far the best hook of the album. The passion returns, if only for a brief moment, and shows that possibly not all hope is lost on this band.

Overall, Fever is a disappointment to any fan of Bullet for my Valentine, or melodic metalcore for that matter. Almost all that made this band a fun and enjoyable listen is gone, left with only a small glimmer of hope at the end of the record. Maybe they are satisfied with producing average records for the rest of their recording days. However, a lot of their fans won’t be.

2.5/5

Recommended Tracks:

Pretty on the Outside

Dignity

Begging for Mercy

Ouch, that Hurt!

These puns with the titles are getting out of hand. Sorry for the lack of updates over the last couple of weeks, been really busy. Over spring break, I went and saw Red (go back about 2 posts ago) and walked away with 2 water bottles and I shook the lead singers hand. It was awesome!

Anyway, with the sad, boredom inducing school year about to come to a close, I’ve turned rather emo. Yea, I said it. I’m tired of being here in this tiny room doing work all the time. I MISS FREEDOM! So why not listen to some music that reflects the depression within?

Hurt is a perfect band to do so. A more dark, depressing band you will not find. Yet, my god, the emotion they fill each song with and the passion they put into it will blow you away. There musical sound closely resembles that of the popular hard rock on today’s radio (the good stuff, Shinedown, Alter Bridge, etc.) when they’re heavy, and when they’re soft, they are as progressive as they come.

Yet the music really isn’t what makes them special. Sure it matches the vocals and lyrics, but these both outshine the guitars and drums in a way that I thought previously unimaginable. J. Loren, Hurt’s lead singer, is one crazy motherfucker, and his music reflects that. Whether singing in a low, almost whisper-like voice, or yelling at the top of his lungs, Loren takes your music listening experience to whole new levels. Then when he stops, he picks up his violin and adds an entirely new dimension to each song.

Another reason why Hurt is truly capturing my attention as of late is their wonderful lyrical songwriting. J. Loren gets most of the credit here too, as he is the main lyricist. Most of the songs tell a story, a story that can be followed from record to record. Think about famous storytellers like Johnny Cash, and bring them into today’s classic hard rock, with much more dark stories, and you have Hurt. Some songs, like Rapture, tell stories of family life gone horribly wrong. Others tell of relationships destroyed due to unfaithfulness or lives torn apart from wrong decisions, like Pandora. This is what sets Hurt apart from anything you’ve ever heard.

Similar Bands:

Take Shinedown and Tool, and meet in the middle.

Songs

Rapture

Alone with the Sea

Let's go to the Karnivool!

Well, obviously my statement was a little early about the Canada thing. They are truly the dominant ones in the hockey world. But who cares about hockey anyway?! That's right, no one. Regardless of the sports world, I'm excited. After a crazy weekend at State College (State Patty's day is the greatest holiday ever), we've only got one more week 'til spring break. THANK GOD!

Over spring break I'm not going anywhere though. Which sucks some serious ass. But hey, what are you gonna do? Maybe I'll go to see a Karnivool. HAHA WHAT A TERRIBLE JOKE! No, but seriously Karnivool is a progressive rock band out of the down under. With their first album, Themata, Karnivool made a name for themselves by creating a very "epic" and exciting sound that really hadn't been delved into before. Songs like "Cote" and "Themata" are the epitome of what Karnivool likes to accomplish through their music.

With their most recent album, Sound Awake, which just released in the U.S. a couple of weeks ago, Karnivool made an even bigger move towards the progressive side of things. Their bass got louder, their drums got more sporatic, and any semblance of the main stream rock song structure that they may have had before was completely thrown out. Songs such as Change and Deadman rank right up there with the best songs that Karnivool have released.

The music itself creates a very serene feeling. It seems to be a bit dark, yet there is a sense that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Karnivool is not an overly technical band by any means, but they sure do know how to play together. The lead vocals are also very well done, giving an overall happy feeling to the music.

Similar Bands:

Tool (ALOT)

Coheed and Cambria (Not much)

RED, white, and blue!

Haha, the bitches in Canada must be SOOO pissed at us right now....eh? We walk into their house and lay the smackdown on their mounty asses. If they weren't so passive I'd honestly expect some form of retaliation.

Anywho, a band that has been a long time favorite of mine is RED. They're a Christian rock hard rock band, and my oh my are they good. Utilizing strings to accompany their heavy sound, RED creates a sound entirely their own, and shows how good mainstream rock can be if its not diluted and repetitive (I'm talking to you Saving Abel, Theory of a Deadman, and Nickelback).

The lead singer Barnes' has a scream that gets you pumped, while he can also sing a slow ballad with so much emotion that you can feel it in your core. RED is easily just as good as 90% of the crap you hear on today's modern rock radio, all the while maintaining a very original sound that most haven't heard before.

Similar Bands:

Linkin Park

Breaking Benjamin

Recommended Tracks:

Out From Under

Ordinary World -