Kill Hannah--Until There's Nothing Left Of Us

I’m going to start this off with a quote from Billy Corgan about Kill Hannah, "They may have a sexually ambiguous nature – like me. They may sing in a high nasal voice – like me. But unlike me, they are the future of Chicago rock." I don’t know about that last part, but the rest of it is completely true, if not more so. Mat Devine’s high-pitched voice could be confused for a singer of female persuasion, and the band’s matching eye liner and haughty poses reveal that their glam image has gotten, well, even glamier. Beginning life in a dorm room at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Kill Hannah has quickly risen to a larger-than-life position, in both looks and sound, and that expansive sound is celebrated in their third album.

Coming off as a less nocturnal Smashing Pumpkins or a more distorted Hole, "Until There’s Nothing Left of Us" is a powerful pop package. Songs like "Lips Like Morphine" and "Crazy Angel" could hold weight and pack a punch on their own, whereas softer and more sinister tunes like "Black Poison Blood" (note the up-beat titles) and the piano-solo "Scream" show that Kill Hannah can still win without heavily distorted guitars and a million other things spinning around your ears. With powerful instrumentals and pleasurably melodic vocals, Kill Hannah’s third release paints a whopping sonic picture and lives up to their image. Eye liner and all.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Petticoat, Petticoat

Ever gotten free gum from RadioShack? If you haven’t, you should check out Petticoat, Petticoat, because they have, and that gives them status over the rest of us gumless rabble. And don’t worry, that impressive fact isn’t the best thing about these guys (and girl), splendid though it is.

What is the best thing? It may be their lyrics, simple yet beautiful tales of love, trust, family, and home. "The easiest songs are the most beautiful," sings vocalist Kristin Messina in the opening track "It’s So Easy" and it could not be a better motto for the album. Many of the songs carry a loving feel throughout them (probably because they’re written from love letters) and dance on the edge of sappiness but safety remain impressive with songs of family troubles like "Love In An Alley" and ones of their hometown Lexington, Kentucky such as "China Plate."

The band began with leadman Dickie Haydon and his childhood friends (all on the same street) and moved through different phases of progressive, experimental, and pop rock, before finally landing on the genre blending sound of the present Petticoat. They edge in on country, especially to untrained ears, but delicately remain indie in a certain sense with songs like "Glittering Heels" that present catchy guitar rhythms and ethereal vocals. With instruments such as a harmonica and pedal steel, Petticoat also ventures out into rock-blues in "Crosshair."

After transitioning into the final form of Petticoat, Petticoat late 2005, the band headed off to studios with producer John Vice where they spent the early half of 2006 recording "Every Mother’s Child," their debut LP. Finished in May and released early summer, the album is a transparent and impressive view at Petticoat’s music. The band backed the album with a tour in summer, and hope to get out on the road again in winter.

Petticoat, Petticoat achieves an easy and bright sound that complements their natural lyrics perfectly. Any fan of softer indie or blues should check this Kentucky band out, RadioShack gum or not.

More information and tunes from the band can be found at their site: http://www.petticoatpetticoat.com

(Written for Shut Up Magazine)

Wolfmother

There is no pinball machine in the canyons of L.A. that Wolfmother has not conquered. There is no fish taco they have not devoured. There is no emotion they have not explored and poured out through their music, and with the Album of the Year award from Triple J radio network there is no doubt left in anyone’s mind that Wolfmother isn’t a beast of band.

The net result of years of jamming between a graphic designer, a digital engineer, and a photographer, Wolfmother rose out of the Land Down Under in 2004. After the success of their debut EP, Wolfmother was swept off on an international 6 month tour that would leave them not gasping for breath but thirsting for a full-length album. With that the group relocated to Cherokee studios in Hollywood to create an album for Modular Records that both captured the raw emotion behind their live act, and had a beguilingly short name.

Using L.A. as a major muse, Wolfmother began their studio time with 6 weeks of creativity, crafting "simple philosophies for complex times." The bulk of the time would be spent trying to capture the elusive emotion behind each song, and pigging out on fish tacos, the necessary fuel for Wolfmother’s experimentally progressive brand of rock.

The retro sound of Wolfmother is balanced on that obsession to find the emotion, not the perfection. One could easily throw their album amongst those from 20 or 30 years ago and not notice the difference, but instead noticing the regret for not catching those guys in concert. They mix the accessible pop influences of Led Zeppelin and The Doors, dash in a bit of edgy vocals similar to Black Sabbath, all with heavier punk influences of The Stooges, and even throw a little modern Boris in there for a power-heavy cathartic sonic ride.

It took but 2 weeks to capture what Wolfmother had created. Once released the album was welcomed into the Top 40 charts and was given the Album of the Year award by Triple J radio network. The band is spending the rest of the year on tour internationally, with a list of dates and shows longer than vocal/guitarist Andrew Stockdale’s hair (it’s long, believe me).

Almost artificially ripped away from the ‘70s, Wolfmother has created a vintage sound that pleasures both old and new fans of music. Their future looks almost as bright as their influences’ past, and I for one can’t wait until they throw another morsel of sonic delight our way, if their tour ever ends that is.

And through it all they remained the Pinball Champions of The City of Angels.

(Written for Shut Up Magazine)

Valient Thorr

Roll call!

Valiant Himself, check! Eidan Thor, check! Dr. Professor Nitewolf Strangees…OK, so maybe these aren’t the real names of Valient Thorr’s band members, so let’s get on to their history.

According to, well, "Valiant Himself," Valient Thorr began on the planet Venus several thousand years ago in his best bud’s garage. Ha, just kidding about that garage bit. Moving on, the band, unsatisfied with the Venus music scene, traveled across time and yes, space, playing intergalactic music fests and building their multi-species fan base before finally touching down on Earth in 1957. Picking out their new home in Earth-music’s greatest epicenter, North Carolina, Valient Thorr was robbed of it’s time machine by none other than Walt Disney. Forced to remain here then, the Venus hard-metal group passes the time until they can return home by doing what they do best, playing Viking Cock-Rock.

While bits and pieces of their history may just be fabricated, their music is defiantly not. Valient Thorr screams out its own brand of heavy-metal that incorporates influences such as Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, all of which are big hits on Venus. The package when totaled is a unique brand of southern metal, complete with scathing guitars and matching leather vests.

While landing in 1957, it wasn’t until 2005 that their debut LP finally hit Earth shelves, followed quickly by their newest album "Legend of the World" in 2006. They’ve been accepted into Warped Tour for the summer, where they continue to tour and support their newest record.

We wish them the best of luck getting back home.

(Written for Shut Up Magazine)

Petticoat, Petticoat--Every Mother's Child

The ethereal green grass and bundle of flowers in the guitar on the album cover describe Petticoat, Petticoat’s sound better than any words could. Coming out of Lexington, Kentucky, the five-sometimes-six-piece’s debut laces bright bouncy guitar work around simple-yet-sweet vocals that create an ambient sound that dances just out of reach of any effective description. That being said, I’ll try.

The opening track "It’s So Easy" could not be a better prep for what the listener is about to get. "The easiest songs are the most beautiful," sings vocalist Kristin Messina. Many of the songs are like this, lyrically simple, straightforward, and not surprisingly sweet (many of them come from love letters). Other songs, such as "Love In An Alley," deal with family troubles, and still others are influenced by their hometown Lexington. While much of this could come off as cheesy or sappy, it holds water as well and perks an interest, such as "Crosshair," ("I’ll be the crosshair to your gun") a metaphor-filled message of trust and guidance.

Instrumentally the album is modest, using blues instruments such as a harmonica and pedal steel to create a moving bright beat that’s best displayed in "We’re Gonna Be Poor." Petticoat, Petticoat shows maturity by keeping their instrumentals bouncy yet soft, creatively pulling them all back at times to display the lyrics, or adding a quick and impressive guitar solo. By not overdoing anything the album retains a comfortable balance that’s the perfect complement to the similarly styled lyrics.

Petticoat, Petticoat impressively shows off its singer/songwriter might in their debut album, keeping their music almost as pure as the bright green grass. Further growth in future albums should get you hearing Petticoat’s name more and more.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Rye Coalition--Curses

Remember the good old days when flannel was required attire to concerts and the musicians had unwashed hair down to their thrift store guitars? Otherwise known as the ‘90s, Rye Coalition evokes the spirit of this grunge-era in their new album Curses, and if the idea of re-evoking that spirit doesn’t send you cursing, this release may interest you.

Kicking off the album sounding like a mediocre AC/DC rip-off, Rye Coalition is a mish-mash of grunge and pop-metal, sounding like some unholy love-child of Guns ‘N Roses, Cheap Trick, older Pearl Jam, Screaming Trees, and even a touch of Mudhoney or Meat Puppets. The album is pure heavy guitar power chords backing non-stop screaming, with easy melodies and nothing too offending to the ear. Their sound touches on each one of their influences in such small but noticeable ways that they come off as that one band from so long ago that you just can’t put your finger on.

While this album may not have sounded all-together special back in the days it draws influence from, among dance-dance indie albums it is a fun fiery revisit to grungier times. It might even get you to break out those old Mudhoney tapes.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

The Bravery--The Bravery

Crashing out of the New York music scene in 2005 with their self-titled album, The Bravery perfectly represents the dance-influenced area of rock. Every song has the classic club beat to it, fast moving bass lines, and light guitar riffs. Intermixed with the classic rock instruments are many layers of electronic effects, along with the slightly strained voice of lead singer Sam Endicott. The songs, such as "Unconditional", also have selfish emo lyrics, riding smoothly through the sorrowful rhythms, yet the entire song comes together as one that anyone could dance to without giving thoughts to any deeper meanings. This style of masking deeply meaningful lyrics with bouncy pop tunes has been done before, and at times the mess of electronic effects and bass beats causes the listener to grab a bottle of aspirin, but on the whole The Bravery delivers a unique experience that shows the direction of which that area of rock is destined to go.

(Published at LosingToday.com)

Razorlight--Razorlight

Razorlight continues its own exuberant rock with their second release since the London group’s genesis in 2002. Melding the slick Brit-Pop sound of bands like The Rakes with the goofy dance-infected-indie trend of Franz Ferdinand and The Killers, Razorlight delicately balances on the line separating indie and pop.

The self-titled album continues in many of the places their highly-acclaimed debut left off. Bright and snappy post-punk licks dance around singer Johnny Borrell’s intrepid voice. More sharp speedy guitar work can be found as well, little quirky riffs that get into your head and stay there. Additionally, the drum and bass work provide a bouncy start-stop style that would get Razorlight onto any dance floor. More times than not though, the instrumentals are but a swell silver lining backing Borrell’s vocals. His rhythmic and interesting voice dominates most of this album, and it’s no bad thing. He has a pleasing and confident swagger, and makes rather uninteresting lyrics exciting by spinning them into crafty rhythms that twist and turn.

While the album is sluggish at places and a few lyrics disappoint (Who Needs Love?), the majority of the songs are a testament to the possibility that a band can intermix dance influences without selling its soul to the disco floor or losing quality post-punk instrumentals. Razorlight has made an appealing and slick album that might just get you moving.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Cerulean--No Sense In Waiting

There’s no sense in waiting until the end of this review to say it, these guys are good. Borrowing their name from an Ocean Blue album and taking their sound from influences like Echo and the Bunnymen, The Chameleons, and Catherine Wheel, Cerulean packs a punch in their third LP.

Their intro piece "Quiet Release" roars into a rich chorus early that lets you know right away what you’re in for. Cerulean blends post-punk with pop and even adds in a bit of dreamy shoegaze. The album’s namesake song features all of these genres, moving along with a fast-paced and pop melody, and ending with a Hendrix-meets-My Bloody Valentine solo. In addition, "Here Is Hoping" could fit in right at home on a U2 album with its ambient guitar pieces. With well placed climaxes and wonderful melodies, its hard not to move along to the beat.

While candy for the ear, Cerulean’s lyrics are a tad repetitive, with remorseful tones that at times edge in on lecturing, "Did you notice that all of your friends had given up and settled down did you notice at all? / And their failures were swallowed up, chewed on, and never ever said aloud because truth don’t belong." It goes on like this, and while some songs are motivational and try at being inspiring, Cerulean generally lacks any lyrical depth.

This is not a fatal blow though, and thankfully vocalist Rick Bolander is hard to understand at times, and as a result his voice just becomes another instrument in the blend. Cerulean takes the best of shoegaze and punk and incorporates it into a pop-able package that’s easy on the ear and gets you moving.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Juanita Family and Friends--Juanita Family and Friends

Get out of your comfort zone and see if your ear fancies some pure country tunes with Juanita Family and Friends. With the perfect band name for a county fair headliner, the Portland five-piece plays a stripped down version of country music, often with only a simple acoustic guitar backing Lana Rebel’s sweetly remorseful singing.

Juanita Family and Friends almost falls into the horrid country stereotype of back-to-back ballads of love lost to a slightly different rhythms. Songs such as "Tell Me You Love Me" and "Close My Eyes" become boring with their simple flat lyrics and slow-moving instrumentals. This almost works to their advantage however when a song like "Burn Your House Down" comes on, totally breaking away from the country stereotype with its pyro-based lyrics.

This debut album is a slow-burner however, and not much instrumental excitement is to be found. They do play well, however slow, and Rebel’s vocals are the perfect complement to backwoods melodies. Juanita Family and Friends are interesting because of their odd, unexpected, and often harsh messages which contrast sharply to other forms of country music. If you’ve steered clear of country music, try out Juanita Family and Friends’ unique take on the genre.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Butterfly Explosion--Untitled EP

Following up their 2005 Vision EP, Ireland rockers Butterfly Explosion has released more genre blending fun in a minimal package of five songs. Set to be released in August of 2006, the Untitled EP is just one more small taste of the blockbuster to come.

Butterfly Explosion plays with dynamics and tries to pack as much as it can into the simplest melodies. By using repetitive and simple non-effected guitar rhythms such as those found in "Next Year," Butterfly Explosion makes volume changes and distortion sound like a bigger deal than it would be in other songs. Slow climaxes as well build up to a final moment in the song, when all hell is seemingly let loose and a chill runs down spines. The final climax itself is not all that impressive, but when paired with the painfully slow build-up it's brilliant.

Also found in this release is "Car Park," another instrumental that tries to top the power found in their previously released "Vision" but falls just short. More vocal tracks can be found in this EP as well, shedding light on Butterfly Explosion’s simple song writing. Just as in the instrumentals, the vocals are kept simple and soft until a final climax when an ear, used to the quiet, is assaulted with which in other cases, might be moderately loud singing.

Butterfly Explosion shows again masterful technique in instrumentals and applies the same formula to their vocals, providing yet another ambient and softly powerful EP. Don’t miss this one.

(Published at LosingToday.com)

I Am The Avalanche

What influences an Avalanche? Tall boys, all you can eat buffets, shitty hotel rooms, and volcanoes reports I Am The Avalanche’s website. Piecing together the best of Long Island punk, the Brooklyn quintet has crashed their way into the punk-revival scene with their self-titled debut released in 2005.

The band began with the break-up of singer Vinnie Caruana’s band, The Movielife. "The Movielife got off the stage in front of 3,000 kids," remembers Caruana, "then two days later I was working construction." With the change Caruana moved away from New York to work with Head Automatica in San Francisco, and it was there that the first Avalanche songs were written.

"I wanted to write about the things that were really affecting me emotionally and were basically just killing me," remembers Caruana. Through the songs he was writing, Caruana was able to deal not only with the change of not having a band, but also with the loss of a long-term girlfriend. The lyrics of Avalanche in this way are filled with emotion, and read almost like a diary. Seeing the potential in the new songs, Caruana rushed back to New York to start his new band.

Caruana quickly gathered together Brandon Swanson, the guitarist from Further Seems Forever, Kellen Robson, the bassist from Scraps And Heart Attacks, guitarist Michael Ireland, and grabbed drummer Brett Romnes from Reservoir. This collection of veteran hardcore musicians provided the punk foundation for Caruana’s fragile emotional lyrics. They flew out to Seattle in April 2005 to record their songs.

The result was a visceral and driving assault of sound and emotion, blurring the lines between hardcore, punk, and emo. Purely punk songs like "I Took A Beating" are as hard-hitting as their name, filled to the brim with intensely fast and distorted instrumentals. Other songs, such as "Dead and Gone," deal primarily with the angst of lost love, and show Caruana’s relationship pains while still providing an impressive, landscape of sound. I Am The Avalanche’s best moments come when they blend the lines between hardcore and emo, such as in "New Disaster," a song filled with both paranoia in the lyrics and unforgiving instrumentals.

Next on the plate for I Am The Avalanche is finishing their nationwide trip with Warped Tour, and their own tour with This Is Hell and The Blackout Pact. No word has surfaced yet on when a follow-up to their debut might be released, leaving us all to patiently await what more the Avalanche has in store.

More information about I Am The Avalanche can be found here.

Sleeping At Last

"Our first thought was that it was some mean joke from a friend," begins frontman Ryan O’Neal. Sleeping At Last’s musical road could easily be a mean joke, just as their chance meeting with former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan could be. "[Corgan] offered to sort of take us under his wing," continues O’Neal, "his support shaped how we approach creativity." With Corgan’s blessing and help, Sleeping At Last signed with Interscope Records to launch their sophomore album "Ghosts" before jumping into a nationwide tour with Yellowcard, The Format, and Something Corporate. The roller coaster ride ended with a 75 day recording session for their new album, "Keep No Score."

"We approached this record more organically than anything else we’ve ever done before," and as a result the album moves smoother and carries much more weight than their previous releases. Whereas "Ghosts" felt like separate pieces are artificially pieced together, "Keep No Score" feels complete, with underlying themes of hope and immediacy, especially in the face of death. Also present are more hints of faith and heaven than in their previous work. "Our faith is a big part of who we are," O’Neal says, "but we’ve always intended our music to be for anyone that cares to listen, no matter who they are or what they believe in. Everyone hears a song in a different light."

"Big labels are going to have to change the way they do things. They don’t hold the cards anymore." Proclaims Sleeping At Last’s bassist Dan Perdue. In a surprise move before releasing "Keep No Score" the band broke with their label Interscope. "The music business is such a strange thing right now and to be able to remember why we create music and to have the means to go forward without the messes that can come from the business," explains O’Neal, "We couldn’t be happier."

Confident that they can achieve the same success independently, Sleeping At Last pushes into the latter half of 2006 with more touring, possibly with their close friends Switchfoot. "We’ve reached a place where we’re happier now than we’ve ever been before," finishes O’Neal, "What you’re hearing is exactly who we are and where we want to be."

More information on Sleeping At Last can be found here.

Pretty Girls Make Graves--Elan Vital

Almost digging themselves a grave from the get-go, Seattle-based Pretty Girls Make Graves kick off their Élan Vital album with "The Nocturnal House," a haunting and twisting melody, laced with a whistle. It’s almost their calling card, unusual interments thrown in at the most unexpected places. "The Magic Hour" is a song purely reserved for these sounds and instruments that didn’t make it in elsewhere, it is the most screwed up dream you’ve had with an exotic Far East parade thrown in.

Take away the whistles and elephant-call brass and Pretty Girls Make Graves blend the lines between experimental and traditional indie. Vocals can be bouncy and informative like in "Parade," an odd call-to-arms, or distant and haunting such as in "Pyrite Pedestal." The instrumentals remain simple, and touch on shoegaze influences in songs like "Bullet Charm," and most of the songs have minute-long outros of purely shoegazing solos.

While the repetitive shoegaze lines and over-effected nature of some songs lead to boredom, Pretty Girls Make Graves masterfully creates sonic landscapes with minimal effort, relying purely on strong vocals and maturely controlled climaxes. A slow-burner at times, a roller coaster at others, and exotic all the way through, Élan Vital is well-paced, haunting, silly, and bittersweet.

(Published at LosingToday.com)

Billy Talent--Billy Talent II

Before heading off on the summer-long Warped Tour, Toronto-based Billy Talent offered up their sophomore release, easily named Billy Talent II. Blending post-punk, pop, emo, and hardcore, Billy Talent may not achieve their uniqueness in a crowd of similar sounding bands like Sum 41 and The Offspring, but they do establish their well-earned place among them.

Billy Talent II fits in well with their Warped Tour peers, angst-ridden and bittersweet lyrics and themes are sung in a choppy, stop-and-go fashion over alternating somber and hardcore instrumentals. Songs are intense, like "Devil In A Midnight Mass" that kicks off with a dizzyingly fast guitar intro, breaking away to the fast, choppy lyrics sung on the edge of screaming. Billy Talent tends to overuse the power-filled screaming, yet this works to their advantage when they pull everything away for simple whispers before launching yet again into emotion-filled hardcore melodies.

Many songs do sound the same however, and follow a cookie-cutter format. Verses are softer more delicate, in comparison to the heavy-duty choruses, giving a fractured feeling. At times it’s difficult to remember if you’re listening to the same song from five minutes ago as well. Songs like "Worker Bees" and "In A Perfect World" save the album, providing ear-tantalizing melodies and screwing with their cookie-cutter song design.

Billy Talent effectively straddles the line between punk and pop, offering just enough in each category. Billy Talent II is a powerful album with some short-comings, but if the Toronto quartet keeps releasing material like this they’ll soon become a big name.

The Concretes--In Colour

Stockholm-based nine-piece rockers The Concretes have jumped on the genre-bending band wagon, and have mastered it, blending the lines between folk, indie, rock, and at times, cheesy ‘70s pop-duets. If you can get past that sentence, bravo. Sound weird? Probably because they are, but the Concretes’ music backs it up, even if it’s pretty weird too.

First and foremost The Concretes out-folk folk music. They’re bouncy, calming, playful, bittersweet, good-natured, and country-esque. "Grey Days" is a good example, with a quick-paced acoustic guitar backing vocalist Victoria Bergsman’s serene voice. The melody hits and a folk-like chorus is in to back Bergsman’s voice, strings are tastefully added, and one almost excepts to hear the subtle jug as well. Despite the playful nature of the songs, the majority of them involve down-trodden lyrics, usually involving failed romances, or lack-there-of. For example, a lyric almost missed in "Chosen One" goes "When it comes to love / It runs me over." The whole song is about the lack of the right person, and how will they ever find them? Not exactly a good theme when you’re instruments are playing a bouncy, lets-square-dance-style rhythm. Bergsman pulls it off though, and it adds a new dynamic to an otherwise one-dimensional band.

Just as they feel they need nine members, The Concretes feel they need nine dimensions as well, because it doesn’t end there. Genres start getting bent in songs like "A Way Of Life" which begins nicely enough with a Baptist-styled organ, which is then overlaid by a guitar solo in the spirit of Eric Clapton. Huh? This is where The Concretes are brilliant, in the songs and riffs where they blend folk and rock, and make it sound like neither.

The Concretes do fall a little however, "Your Call" sounds just like a Sunny and Cher duet, and again the struggling romance card is played, which by this point is getting old. Yet despite odd (and boring) moments like those, The Concretes effectively blend rock and folk in the spirit of The Elected and Band of Horses, yet with a more playful and bittersweet touch.

Scandinavian country music? Why not? As long as you have at least nine members that is.

Muse--Blackholes and Revelations

The international favorites Muse have outdone themselves on their follow-up to their 2003 release, Absolution. Where Absolution was heavily laden with romantic and emotional themes and bittersweet melodies, Blackholes and Revelations carries a different message, and that is politics. While, yes, there has been a bandwagon full of, well, bands, knocking about the political world in recent releases, Muse carries this theme to a new level of emotion, severity, and most importantly pairs it with instrumentals to match. The genius of Muse’s new release is that the instrumentals can be detached from the political garble, and they will still be powerful enough to impress any music fan.

Listeners are blasted with the harshest political message right from the get-go, so there is no doubt left as to where this album is going. "Take A Bow" is a dramatic attack on an all but unnamed political leader, "Corrupt, you're corrupt / Bring corruption to all that you touch / Behold, you'll behold / And behold them for all that you've done / And Spell, cast a spell / Cast a spell on the country you run." The song gushes with emotional rage, climaxing with a Queen-like guitar solo and the final unforgiving attack: "And burn, you will burn / You will burn in hell for your sins." More sinister messages like this can be found in "Exo-politics," "When the sickness fills the skies / It's just our leaders in disguise / Fully loaded satellites / Are taking nothing but our minds." The paranoia is carried a step further in "Assassin," a fast paced, hard hitting rock lick that sends a chill with its sinister message to "Destroy demon-ocracy," and that "The time has come for you / To shoot your leaders down / To join forces underground." For those looking for a harsh and uncompromising political message, you can’t get much better than this.

Enough politics. For those that enjoyed the dramatic and emotional romanticism of Absolution, Blackholes and Revelations will provide enough to satisfy what you’ve been craving. Common themes of regret, ambition, social paranoia, and love itself present themselves in such simple songs as "Supermassive Blackhole" ("I thought I was a fool for no one / But oh, baby, I'm a fool for you") to the more complex "Map of Problematique," ("I want to touch the other side / And no one thinks they are to blame / Why can't we see / That when we bleed we bleed the same.")

Powerful and haunting songs of inspiration and independence are here as well, and far exceed the political messages. The eerie and emotional "Knights of Cydonia" drops into a line of lyrics that feels naked, uncomfortable, exposed, but hopeful: "No one’s gonna take me alive / Time’s come to make things right / You and I must fight for our right / You and I must fight to survive."

Wrapping around and through these deep and controversial themes are impressive instrumentals. Many of the songs such as "Map of Problematique" and "Invincible" invoke memories of the fast-paced rock masterpiece "Hysteria" on their previous album. Muse also uses electric effects well around standard guitar licks and solos, and Queen is evoked when this is coupled with the independent themes of the lyrics. The piano parts that were masterfully used in their previous album are back as well, bringing the romantic songs to a new level and adding a complementary touch to harder instruments such as bass and drums. Most interesting though is the use of exotic influences, such as a Latin trumpet, Spainish-oriented acoustic guitar, and Middle Eastern strings in "City of Dellusion" and "Hoodoo." Muse intertwines this influence with hard-rock using tempo and volume changes, swelling for emotional messages with their rock gear and lacing it delicately with Middle Eastern strings or a Latin trumpet.

Muse has moved on to a new theme of lyrics and themes, while keeping in mind earlier themes of independence, romance, and remorse. If you’re not one inclined to listen to political mumbo-jumbo or be wooed by heart-filled ballads, Blackholes and Revelations still offers masterful instrumentals that are more than worth checking out. For both old, new, and soon-to-be fans of Muse, this will blow you away.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)

Catfish Haven--Please Come Back

The trailer-park named Chicago band Catfish Haven has made a splash in the indie scene there by incorporating indie trends as well as blues riffs and a country-feeling. The harsh vocals of George Hunter put an edge on an otherwise nostalgic and atmospheric album. Songs like "Please Come Back" implore simple yearning, and move into blues-influenced "You Can Have Me."

The instrumentals take a back-seat to the impressive vocals, which are the most striking about Catfish Haven besides their aquatic name (and the fact that there actually was a place called that). Hunter sings in a way that sounds like he desperately needs to clear his throat, yet this just adds more to the forlorn and hopelessly romantic feeling the album gives off. Lyrics like "Let me ask you a question / Have I ever made you cry?" are pulled off by this raspy voice. While boring and slow at parts, the album generally is a formidable debut, and speaks of the waves Catfish Haven has yet to make.

(Published at ComfortComes.com)