reviews

so i've been reviewing music lately on a facebook group be kind: review. anyways for those of you who don't read that group (you totally should it's got some good stuff on it) i'll post reviews here for you.

this is ivy league -self titled

this is ivy league self titled is a masterpiece in my eyes. the music is perfect, poppy but still somewhat technical. duel electric and acoustic guitars with irresistible melodies with the occasional horn thrown in gives it a nice 60's feel. plus the production is much better on this than on the ep so it gives the older tracks a fresh take. the lyrics are what really sticks out on this to me, very smart and the hooks in each track are just perfectly excuited.

I can't phrase this record enough its just brilliant well crafted pop almost that of belle and sebastian with the again mentioned 60's pop vibe to it. it's a breath of fresh air for indie rock in general and compared to what alex and ryland are doing in cobra starship. it's one of those albums you got hear to fully understand its greatness.

Final score: 9.5/10

Songs to check out:
The richest kids in town
London bridges
Love is impossible

jaguar love -take me to the sea

heres a short back round story on jaguar love. when the blood brothers broke up last year two bands formed, jaguar love (johnny and cody) and past lives made up of the rest of the blood brothers (jordan, morgan, mark) plus the original guitarist (devon). the thing that made me excited to hear of the two bands is the directions they would take. it always seemed to me that johnny is what kept them experimental and avent-garde, while jordan kept them in the hardcore realm with frantic noises and tons of screaming. to me that balance what made the blood brothers so special and great.

on 'take me to the sea' the experimental-ness that i expected from johnny is there, in a way this what i think a followup to the last blood brothers' album would be. it's going off into the indie/expermintal/with a touch of screaming sound/yet at some points is super poppy sounding. its super synth heavy in parts that gives it a dance rock groove with great bass lines and blood brother-esq guitar playing. johnny's vocals are right on and high as ever, which more singing than screaming but just as intense as ever. lyrically, its again what i expected weird weird lyrics that paint a strange picture.

all in all if you've followed the blood brothers since 'burn piano island burn' and saw the path they were taking and noticed the rift between johnny and jordan sound wise this album has no surprises... its exactly how you thought it was going to sound. which by no means is a bad thing, stick to a sound you are good at. johnny gave you what you wanted and he delivered it well.

final score 8/10, i know i'm going to get into more after a few listens, plus i'm seeing them in august.

songs to check out:
'bats over a pacific ocean'
'highways of gold'

reggie and the full effect -last stop: crappy town

i got the chance to see reggie and the full effect with midtown and my chemical romance (which james is now a member of.. how ironic) opening and a little 15 year old me just didn't get it at all. i didn't get the costumes, i didnt get what james was all about. but when i hit about 17 i heard reggie again and fell in love with the humor and music in general i finally 'got it'.

the title of reggie's latest ('last stop: crappy town') album does have a kinda cheesy title but then again looking at full effects back catalog cheesy is just okay and appropriate ('mood 4 luv' anyone?).

with that said nothing is cheesy about this album at all. no more jokes no more techno songs (or songs about getting to the choppa, food, lochness mosnter, etc etc), but james really has pushed himself on this album as a song writer and musician in general. the opener G (all of the songs are letters to make it like the subway system in brooklyn) sets the tone of the whole album: snyth heavy almost metal than pop punk. its not all heavy though a few songs have an electronic feel but again as the theme to the album is, its dark sounding. the thing i like the most about this album is the interludes it has. it makes the album flow nicely it makes it very atmospheric. i think its a shame that vagrant waited almost 3 years to finally release this, i hope that dont scare james off from keeping reggie alive, another thing is it was rumored that this was supposed to be a double disc with the other classic sounding (goofy) reggie songs... i wonder if that will surface anytime soon...

all in all this album does pick up where the last album 'songs not to get married to' left off in the sense that it had some heavier songs, but james' raw emotion on this is what sets crappy town apart from sntgmt. i think if you can look past reggie's past this album is a post-hardcore-metal-snyth rock jem, and yes you should take james seriously as a very talented musician and not some kinda joke. i cannot wait to hear these songs live in september on the farewell tour.

i give it 8.2/10

songs to check out:
G
F
R

perfect sound video soon? hopefully.

posted by nicholas b. @ 5:19 PM

busy busy busy

i've been super busy with work and stuff, which is alright but no time to really get anything done.

although i've been thinking of ideas to help chris with, on his skate movie, and i must say i got some good ones...

and justice is playing in saratoga sept 13... that is just going to be mind blowing. i'm quite excited.

posted by nicholas b. @ 5:03 PM

dirty maneuver trailer

check it out here with the latest from the rated gnaR films

posted by nicholas b. @ 1:46 AM

denver/chicago/home/vermont, day seven: where you want to be

(1149am eastern time) i am on my first plane right now, and i'm going to chicago and not charlotte. i'm looking at this map of where w are right now... which the plane is going right down the state line of nebraska and kanas. it's pretty cool it says how fast we are going (542mph) how cold it is outside of plane (-60c) etc etc. the airport this morning was HUGE headache. why you ask? well i'm on a united flight right now and i was not supposed to be on. for some reason i dont know we are on a different flight and going to chicago. as soon we we got into the airport my cousin (who was waiting for his flight to vancouver) says we got to change our tickets etc, so we do no big deal. well here comes my favorite thing security... they do it in this huge opening the side of a food-court in a mall. of course because we changed our tickets we had to get super screening, i had to go though the puff machine that checks for bombs and stuff and have some dude search my bag. i myself did not get checked so i was cool with that, and my belt is safely tucked away in my bag. anyways the people at security screwed up my dads ticket and punched the wrong one so once we made it to the gate he had to get 'checked' again. my family is all in a tizzy over all of this crap going on my aunt and uncle are going to be separated on the plane to chicago to albany and everyone is just super tense with each other. anyways the bright side to being on different planes is i'm 'supposed' to get back into albany at 4 opposed to 6, so i can go home and not have to have chris get me in albany to go brattleboro to see devon. honestly i've been looking forward to it since i got to colorado. i'm supposed to get into chicago at like noon central time, with only like an hour layover, which is going to rule. anyways ill write how the next layover is in chicago.

(157am) chicago was fine for me, my aunt and cousin had to get on a different flight which got into albany earlier tonight i think.

anyhoot i got into albany at like 415, back to saratoga at 530ish and was off to vermont with chris at 6. we got the show at about 8 and let me tell you devon ruled/was a super cool guy.

no details i need rest.

what a crazy week its been.

posted by nicholas b. @ 1:59 AM