burning twilight - more than your average christian hardcore

this band just goes to prove that trial, error, and prayer - mixed with musical talent, of course - are all you really need to create the perfect band.
burning twilight - with lead singer justin hamilton's beautifully smooth vocals mixed with two well-trained screams blend together in what seems to perfect harmony. just by listening to the first couple seconds of "redefining a shipwreck" and the first verse to "teach me to breathe", you can tell these guys are in it for more than just the metal.
the lyrics are painfully deep, forcing you to think instead of mosh. now, this isn't a bad thing; it just might cause some issues in a live show. or at least it would here in moshington.

these guys are definitely great musicians. it's really rare to see such a great group of musicians and songwriters together - especially in today's hardcore scene.
mixing brutal screaming with deliciously creamy singing, (see: "say to me, SAY TOO MEEEEEE") burning twilight for sure knows what they're doing.
they're in it for realz; saving lives through Jesus along with performing some of the greatest hardcore music I've heard in a LONG time.

make sure you check out their album, "a hope in imperfection" soon. i believe they're in the process of recording it, and it looks like they're having a few issues with computer errors...
PS: while you're at it, check out justin's solo myspace. he's got some amazing acoustic songs up, including a cover of the legendary gordon lightfoot's "if you could read my mind". 't'will make your eyes water, guaranteed.

fake problems - no problem at all

again a result of talking with hnnh about this blog, i got a suggestion to review the florida indie/punk band fake problems.

holy crap.

fusing an insane blend of melodic indie and anti-flag style punk with a voice that reminds me a whole lot of kel from kenan & kel, these guys make what would normally be the crappiest band ever INCREDIBLE.
these guys know what they're doing. and they obviously have a lot of fun with it along the way.

if you're into indie bands; they're what you're looking for. they've got the perfect "indie" lyrics with the right amount of musical attributes. they've even got a song about evel kneivel up on the myspace! how much better can it get.

the only issue i have with fake problems is it seems like in the background of each song it sounds like they've got some kind of party going on in the background... but parties are always fun, right?

so, as far as i can tell...
fake problems? no problem.

birthday massacre - msi ripoff?

so after talking about this blog and bands that i should review next, hnnh got me to check out the band the birthday massacre.
i took a good listen to the darn near 3000 tracks they have up on the myspace, and i began to realize that it wasn't just one song on repeat the whole time. now don't get me wrong; they're all great musicians(though horribly ugly) in their own rights, it's just they could use some help writing songs...

they've got tunes from all the way back to 2002 up here, and it's amazing to see that they haven't evolved one bit.
this would be a good thing, because that means they've been good enough from the start, but there's just two problems:
1.) all the songs sound EXACTLY the same.
2.) if it wasn't for the chick lead singer, they could be mistaken as a mindless self indulgence cover band.

it seems like - with the intros to a majority of the songs - that they're trying to save themselves from the fate of problem number 2 by putting out a more gothic metal feel to it; but as soon as "chibi" starts busting out her voice and the song starts getting lyrical on y'all, you can tell that it's just going to be the same as the last time.

nice try, birthday massacre, but originality counts to a lot of us. good luck though, considering you're currently on tour with msi!
if you like mindless self indulgence, you'll probably LOVE these guys... until the second song.

local showcase I - hail the gunfire

so i've decided that once a week (certain date not official yet) i'm going to do a review of a band from my hometown (spokane, wa) that's just getting there and aren't quite professional yet.
this week...

hail the gunfire

yeah. they're metal. surprise surprise. but these guys are actually quite refined, ya know?
reminiscent of bands like the agony scene and the devil wears prada, these guys deliver what every scene kid in this town wants to deliver: good quality christian metal.

consisting of six members and a photographer, it's hard to believe that these guys are actually this good; especially since they've only been officially a band since august '07 (and the photographer's pretty good too!).
of the two songs on the myspace, i particularly prefer the christ-waving anthem, "i'd buy africa..." where nate griffin's changes from somewhat-high-pitched to black-metal-low-pitched screaming are brilliantly positioned; and best of all - something you hardly EVER see in a hardcore band these days - the drummer doesn't overuse the double bass.
from what i can understand of the lyrics, "raaraa christ raaraa save me raaaaaaaaaa," it's about jesus. what a surprise.

i guess i'm kind of biased about this band because the bassist, brett daniels(i hope that's his last name), goes to my church and normally plays bass for the worship band. but i actually got around to listening to these guys, and they're actually pretty good. and i hate hardcore/metal/whatevercore bands.

if you live in spokane and you're looking to see these guys live, they're playing rawk final four round 3 this saturday, and if you ask me, this is gonna be the best round yet. with bands like starflight ambush and billy versus taking the stage along with hail the gunfire, it oughtta be nice to see who's going to win. i'll keep y'all informed.

3oh!3

where have these guys been the past EVER?
i just recently found out about them through my bud kamtin's band, the chain gang of 1974, a couple of days ago, he released a new song featuring nate of the band 3oh!3. naturally, i got curious and decided to check them out; 'cause you know, i like new bands, especially ones collaborating with artists such as tcgo'74.

what i found was an incredibly smooth blend of electronica, rap, and garage band style music. it amazed me how i haven't heard of these guys before; they're amazing!
if you're into artists like kanye, tcgo'74, cobra starship, or ima robot, you're in for a pleasant surprise with these guys.

unfortunately, i'm not on the right computer to webrip my favorite song off the myspace and put it up for download here, so i'ma just give you a link to their myspace to listen to their jams.
3oh!3

top 10 albums of 2007 (wayyy overdue)

Finally got around to this...

10.) My American Heart - Hiding Inside The Horrible Weather
TOTALLY different approach than Meaning In Makeup. It's just got such a Florida-rainy-day vibe to it that just all around makes you happy.

9.) Relient K - Let It Snow, Baby... Let It Reindeer
Y'all just HAD to know I was gonna put a Christmas album up on here. Normally I'm not a big fan of Relient K, but I LOVE this CD.

8.) Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
If you like Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins you're gonna LOVE this record. It's brilliantly put together, every song is in the right spot. And most of all, unlike a lot of indie albums, it doesn't get boring at all.

7.) Cobra Starship - Viva La Cobra!
"Holy crap Cameron, you're listening to semi-mainstream music!"

6.) Flight 409 - The Waiting EP
Incredibly incredible "generic" rock. I love these guys, they're even better live.

5.) Bjork - Volta
Come on, who doesn't love Bjork?

4.) Armor For Sleep - Smile For Them
Contrary to popular belief, Ben Jorgenson is a lyrical GENIUS. Just pay attention to what he has to say. This CD never ever ever gets boring(I've had it since 2 months before it came out) and all the songs seem to be in it's place. I also love the different styles of lyricism they use for each album. Definitely better than What To Do When You Are Dead.

3.) The Rocket Summer - Do You Feel
AMAZING musician. I can't understand how Bryce Avary does it. Check this album out for sure, especially if you're into piano-based Christian rock. =

2.) Sea Wolf - Leaves In The River
By far one of the best indie albums I've ever heard. If this is their debut and they're already this good, I'm excited to see what Sea Wolf's got in store for us later on.

1.) The Receiving End Of Sirens - The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi
If you don't already have this CD, GO BUY IT NOW. If you DO already have it, GO BUY MORE COPIES AND GIVE THEM TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS. It's so incredible. These guys pull off the "experimental" technique perfectly, without going too far, unlike some other bands with releases this year such as The Fall Of Troy and Minus The Bear.


If you want, feel free to write your version of the top 10 and some bands that you think should be on here and whatnot. I like hearing from you guys. :)

Close contenders:
Scary Kids Scaring Kids - Scary Kids Scaring Kids
Scouting For Girls - Scouting For Girls
Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures
Project 86 - Rival Factions