DUZZITROCK

_  A band that teased us with their EP (Last Days of Rome) then left us wanting for more for more than a year, Daytrader finally released Twelve Days, their first full length album. Heartfelt lyrics and infectious melodies, this is an awesome LP that I’m planning on buying (even though I got sent a free copy for review) just so I can support the band!

The opening track Deadfriends is probably my favorite track and by far the most recognized in my memory from listening to it so many times!

The first single Firebreather, at least to me, mixes modern day rock tunes and a classic rock sound and vocal style reminding me of Stereophonics (which isn’t classic rock but they definitely embody the sound).

The fast paced Firebreather lets off into a slower song called Skin & Bones. Though Skin & Bones is one of the less fast paced song on the album, it’s still rife with heavy focus on guitars competing with emotional lyrics that at one point quiet into an angst ridden voice singing “It’s a lie” over and over until going back into the chorus.

Overall they encompass a lot of styles including straight up rock, classic rock sounds mixed throughout, emo, and even some more pop rock. The singer’s style is full of sincerity putting more weight behind songs that already make you feel. I like every single song and I’m excited to hear more from the band, I just hope they don’t make us wait so long again – then again, I’d rather wait and have amazing music than have another band peddling sub-par music in order to keep in pace with a demanding music industry.

_  I was writing while listening to the 6 track EP ‘We Are Not Humanity’ by Hollow Earth and I was wondering “when does this track end?” Checking the music player I was already on track three. Which could be taken as me getting into the music (which I did, these guys are awesome) but at the same time it’s more me being left with an unfulfilled feeling. The length of the first two songs added together are shorter than the third song. With similar sounding music and seamless transitions, the first three tracks all felt like one long song. It wasn’t until the fourth track ‘There Will Come Soft Rains’ that I really heard some diversity.



The band became a thought in 2010 and after a year they finally made the band a reality. In only months they completed this EP and with a release date set at April 17, I can already say though this EP progressed a lot faster than a lot of bands, the music is completely solid. It’s an awesome album and I think this new band Hollow Earth will go over well with fans of hardcore music.



You can listen to a couple songs from their upcoming EP on their facebook page

http://www.facebook.com/HollowEarthInc?sk=app_123966167614127

_  Belle Histoire’s EP “I Can Tell” recently came out and it’s taken me a while to come out with the review for this. While this was released through InVogue Records this album is a big step for the label in a direction their not used to. While we’re used to hearing a lot of heavier stuff released through InVogue, this is an Indie EP on the softer side of upbeat.

When the first track came on, titled Stay A While, I’d like to say I loved it right away. To be honest though I hadn’t heard this band before so I didn’t know what to expect. The sound that came out of my speakers was so different than what I was expecting I stopped listening to it right then. While singer Jane Smith belts out lyrics beautifully there’s something about the way she sings the majority of this song that just completely annoys me, yet the more I listen to it the more I find myself repeating it because it’s still a very good song.

Aside from that first track, I’ve absolutely adored the other three songs. While the band is classified as Indie, you can hear a big dose of Soul in the second track, Be Alright. One song I particularly enjoy is Sailing Ships because of the male/female duet they get going on.

Jane Smith is a fantastic singer, she’s able to hit a huge range of notes and really shows off that talent throughout the songs. Listening to all four songs, you can really hear the range from the band. While this is the band’s first release through InVogue, it feels like it’s just a sample for what’s to come. Fortunately they’re hitting the studios in March and planning a full length release for Summer 2012. 

_  While the debut of San Diego, CA quintet Secrets was only released January 17, this is a band I can see leading the pack when it comes to the hardcore music scene.

When it comes to what CDs I review, I’ve begun to neglect a lot of the more hardcore ones I get sent, because after a while they just start to sound the same and I hate writing a review that I could just copy and paste from the last band.

The Ascentby Secrets is a unique piece of post-hardcore music. With moving and passionate, talent filled clean vocals and screaming worthy of any metal band; the vocals really are solid from both ends. This band does a great job of putting vocals to music, with great drum beats and fantastic sounding guitar, none of it gets overpowered or drowned out, which blends into an amazing sound.

Filled with amazing hooks and breakdowns, this band’s also got an amazing beat which can’t helped but we noticed from the start with opening track Genesis. Just with the synthy drum opening you get more of a dance club feel than something from your typical post-hardcore album. The synth drums are abruptly cut off though with a scream of “I am your enemy” and from there you get sucked in, it’s hard to stop listening to this song after only one song.

As far as lyrics and general sound goes, I think 40 Below is my favorite track. The clean vocal chorus with an almost pop-rock sound blend’s perfectly with the pissed off screaming verses that comprise the rest of the track.

Listening to this album, I think making music comes easy to a band like Secrets, with a style and cleanness often unheard of for a debut, The Ascent is an amazing CD that’s hard to stop listening too. I’ve listened to it 3 or 4 times through in one sitting before, not counting the times I’ve replayed a song right after it has finished. Not one song on this CD is a dud, and I will definitely be looking forward to more from these guys in the future. You can catch them on tour with Sleeping With Sirens, Abandon All Ships, and Conditions this March. You can find the dates on their facebook page, www.facebook.com/secretsofficial.

_  While this band is currently working on a full length, the Dreamcatcher EP released by Valise in 2011 is a good look into the changing music scene. This up and coming band mixes some upbeat pop with laid back vocals. With not label to call their own, it’s hard to expect such a spectacular sound as the one you get from Dreamcatcher.

The short four song EP opens with the title track Dreamcatcher. The ethereal track captivated me upon listening it, it really drew me in. They provide seamless transitions throughout the song, and one they seem to be particularly talented in is going from slow to fast and back again and making it all flow so nicely.

Heartbeat has more of a rock feel than the other songs on the EP, yet at the same time it keeps completely to the same sound as the other tracks. This song seems to have more solid vocals than the other songs, and I think that’s what gives it that more rock feel. The vocals in the other tracks seem a lot more … floaty.

Chains goes from the slow verse to the faster more powerful chorus, the transition is made all the more beautiful by the music. This song seems to just have so many things going on at once, my ears strain to hear all of it and I find myself playing it over and over again just so I know what’s going on. But it sounds wonderful, it’s not a random clashing of noise and instruments, it’s a beautiful mixture of music to create the sound that is Valise.

The EP is brought to a close by Scary in the Dark. This isn’t a song I’d expect to hear on the radio, but it’s a song that I’d expect to be a hit, if only people heard it.

It seems no one’s really heard of Valise. Aside from this short EP, I haven’t heard of them either. This isn’t some mainstream band and with their Indie genre I can’t imagine seeing their shirts at Hot Topic or hearing them played on the radio. This is the kind of band that’s going to get famous because they play great music, and it’s still so early into their career that we can expect a lot more to come. The only problem is getting the word out, give this band a listen and if you like it check them out on facebook, see them when they play in your town, and tell your friends about them.

http://www.facebook.com/ValiseMusic

I wasn’t even finished with the first song on The Days Ahead, the new EP by The Scene Aesthetic, and I was asking myself, “Why aren’t these guys signed yet?”

When the Seattle, WA duo started playing together in 2005 it was to make music. Not for fame or fortune, they made music for the sake of music, and I think that shows in the sound. They don’t have a record company telling them how to sound or pressuring them to pop out album after album.

Back in the distant days of Myspace, these guys built themselves a following, prompting them to share more and more of their music, and inevitably a full length album was created. After a two year hiatus in which Eric Bowley left for Argentina on a two year mission, they reformed and released another EP. Now, December 2011, they’ve released their newest masterpiece, The Days Ahead.

The seven song pop/rock EP is very vocal oriented. While there are catchy, hip shaking beats, a lot of the emphasis is put on the singing, and I’m not the only one listening to this that can’t help but sing along. This is a great EP for anything really. I’m sitting in my room alone, listening to it and feeling perfectly content, but I can see myself playing it at a party or just popping it in my car stereo and listening to it on my way to work.

From opening track to closing track, it’s really just full of sweet songs. It’s not mushy enough to push the gag reflex, but to fill you instead with a feeling of contentment in the enjoyment you have just sitting back and listening to music.

A Little Bit More is a fun track, and don’t get on me for this one, but I can see this being on a rom com soundtrack. It’s upbeat, and sweet, the chorus makes me smile, sing, dance, and look like a loser but I’m ok with that because it’s just that great of a song.

The final song, Everybody, felt like a goodbye song. Not goodbye for the band in this case, but obviously for the EP, perfect way to close the album. I hate it when the final song gets you amped up for more and then BAM, first song again. The repetition of the final line, “Oh I’m just glad that I have you, and I know that’s never going to change,” really just brings back that feeling of closure and contentment.

This is one of those bands that I have a problem with, my problem is that I haven’t heard of them before, and if I had it was something that just didn’t stick. The music is fantastic and I can see these guys being a huge band, the only problem I see is that people haven’t heard about them, or at least heard their music. So I’m asking my readers to send this band to your friends, and ask them to send this band out to their friends, word of mouth and social media sites can do wonders. I can’t wait for these guys to release more music, and I hope you guys enjoy this CD.

A band that’s been around for just over a decade, A Loss for Words recently released their newest CD titled No Sanctuary. Just hearing that this band is a pop punk band, you’ll probably already have an idea of what they sound like. I’d just like to tell you to get that idea out of your head. While these guys do have a distinct pop punk flair this album more than anything sounds like a pop rock album with hints of that punk sound they’re known for.

Opening the CD is Honeymoon Eyes, which is possibly my favorite song on this CD, certainly the one I’ve listened to the most. It’s a fun, upbeat song with catchy lyrics that linger in your head even after you’ve finished the album.

Title track No Sanctuary opens faster and more hardcore than the other songs on the album. About thirty seconds in though, the screaming lets into clean vocals, before going back to more yelling and screaming. Even with this change in sound it’s still a solid song. The clean vocals open the chorus, leaving you dancing and singing along.

The slow song, Jetsetter, is a really pretty song. I was actually just listening to this CD as background music but it grabbed my attention as singer Matt Arsenault crooned the word “Unbreakable” which is undeniably one of the most noticeable parts of the song. Only passed by, “I only wish you could be here now.” It really is a beautiful song .

The thing with this CD is, I really loved all the songs on it; Pirouette, Raining Excuses, and Wrightsville Beach were some of my personal favorites.

No Sanctuary is a high energy album, throwing out fast paced guitar and drums to catchy beats, I can honestly say there isn’t one song on this CD I don’t like. The only way I can see people not liking this album is if it’s not their proscribed “genre”. But if you like rock music with awesome beats and catchy chorus’ I’d definitely recommend you check out this CD.

 All Get Out, an indie rock band from South Carolina, released their debut album September 20, 2011. This album (titled The Season) was released by Favorite Gentleman Recordings, a label founded by members of Manchester Orchestra.

A CD years in the making, The Season’s anticipated release was not a letdown. In a day in age when bands pop out CD after CD it’s not often when you get the gems that have effort put into them. Some of the songs on The Season were written back as far as 2007, that’s four years ago! While I admire the dedication and time put into this record, I do hope that future albums don’t take as long to make.

The opening track, My Friends, actually has a great pop punk sound to it. Going right in to upbeat guitar and drums the song is hard to not just dance to. It’s a fun song lyrically in the sense that only the second time listening to it, it had me singing along to the catchy chorus.

Singer Nathan Hussey can’t keep the emotion out of his voice when he sings, title track The Season is a song that really grabs your attention because of this. “Oh my god, feeling like I’m going to die,” right before an emotion, pain filled chorus. This is a brilliant song. When it first came on I was like, ‘Eh, don’t get what all the buzz is about’ but very quickly the song demands your attention and it’s not long at all before you can see why it’s such a great song.

Another noticeable song is called Let Me Go. This is THE slow song, because we all know every CD needs a slow song. As probably the most vocally focused song it really brings out the meaningful lyrics. This is a song you’d probably never hear on the radio (Thank god) but at the same time I think it’s a song people would love to listen to.

My honest opinion about this CD; I can’t believe it’s a debut! This band has a familiar, but not outplayed, sound. Listening to this CD I kept getting lost in the music, not realizing half the CD had passed so quickly. That’s why I’m getting this a month out after it was released, I ‘ve listened to it a dozen times and didn’t know what to say. If I gave stars (which I don’t so these don’t count) this CD would be a 9/10 and that’s only because I don’t believe anything could probably be perfect enough for 10/10. Even if you don’t go out and buy the CD I definitely think you should give these guys a listen.