Album Review: Blood Red Boots (self-titled EP)

Haling from Chicago, Blood Red Boots have a playful cocky tone, bringing out some notes of the 80s glam rock, pop-rock and the occasional country flair. Vocalist Keith Patrick in particular has a smile in his voice that is contagious.

Keyboardist Eric Hays shone through particularly strongly as did bassist Cyrus Johnson. William Heschl’s guitar work, however, needs some improvement, particularly in its coordination with the rest of the band and it’s precision.

Blood Red Boots have a lot of potential, but still need to hone their sound. While they are consistent, I’m not really sure they know what they are going for yet. They need to unify their sound and sharpen their personal sound.

Patrick experiments with a wide range of tones and pitches, some of which really worked (especially in “California”). However, there are places the vocals just go flat. I would encourage him to really focus on training his voice.

They strike me as fun live band–their love for what they do is audible in every track. It is clear they are enjoying what they do. These guys are at a very malleable stage of their development; I look forward to seeing what they shape themselves into.

Good luck, guys. 

Kill Hannah's New Heart for Xmas 9 "I've Waited My Whole Life"

If you’re from Chicago and haven’t been living under a rock, I don’t need to tell you that New Heart for Xmas is the little three day long party that Kill Hannah throws every year for their fans. I attended all three days on the Ultimate Fan Package.

Day 1: JBTV Studio Kill Hannah Practice and Q&A

Venue:

JBTV Studio

I’ve talked about  the JBTV Studio before. It’s an amazing little studio.

The Set and Q&A(5/6):

Whenever, I hear  the members of  Kill Hannah speak, I feel like I've just received a pep talk from Winston Churchill. In particular, Mat Devine has a knack for striking very honest, yet surprisingly universal notes when he speaks, weather it be answering fan questions or talking about his band and their experiences. Being the lead, Mat is the one who gets the most press, so it was nice to hear the rest of the band share their perspective. They are equally candid and insightful. The wonderful report  had  both with the fans and with each other was a joy to experience.

The set itself was lovely, as usual. It was also a lot of fun to see how they work and communicate with the people managing on the technical aspects of the show.

Day 2: Acoustic Set at the Crimson Lounge.

Venue:

The Crimson Lounge (5/6):

 The Crimson Lounge is simultaneously roomy and cozy. I am actually surprised I’ve not been there before. It’s beautiful, classy, and warm. The stage is actually fairly large for the size of the lounge and the system is actually quite good (especially for a bar). The posh atmosphere could be off-putting for some, but I found it welcoming.

The Set (4/6):

As a small person, I tend to hover toward the middle or back of a crowd to keep a better vantage point. For this set it was intimate enough  and not frantic, so I managed to be right up front and slightly off to one side. What an experience! It was a marvel just to watch a talented set of artists work. I could see  exactly how much skill Dan Wiesse and Greg Corner had just by watching their fingers.

The rapport  the band had with each other and the fans really shown through, the playful antics combined with moments of complete and deadly seriousness were a delight to witness. Devine's  constant efforts to make sure the fans all had a good view were simultaneously hilarious and incredibly endearing. He actually stood on his chair for about half the set and when the photographers were finished he invited the fans that were standing to one side of the stage area to come sit right in front of the stage.

I have gone on and on about how vulnerable divine is on stage, this  show was even more intimate. It was very much a show for his fans, for the KHK who's worked so hard to support them. This was ours as much as it was Kill Hannah's. 

Day Three: The Big Show 

Venue:

 House of Blues (previously reviewed)

Openers:

(Regrettably I missed the first opener, Blood Red Boots, and equally regrettably I caught the second opener, Action Blast. I will be reviewing Blood Red Boot's album in an upcoming blog entry)

Action Blast (2/6)

The two  points both go to the drummer who wasn’t half bad. The guitar work was passible.

I can forgive a band  for being young and untrained, or even just not talented, but there’s a certain attitude that happens, usually in mediocre bands,  that are low talent and high ego that I just cannot stomach. If you’re a nearly unknown band and you come in talking like you’re the biggest badest thing on the planate you make me scoff right out the gate. As a good critic, I  kept watching despite this and at least tried to pay attention until  their front man (in a misdirected attempt to get the crowd moving) declared "Silence is gay." 

I took out my crocheting at that point and wandered back to the bathroom where I ran into two more fellow KH fans that were quite literally hiding in the bathroom to escape the terrible music.

Dot Dot Dot (4/6): These guys were the  first surprise of the night. Their name has cropped up on my radar several times, but  I hadn’t had the chance to sit down and listen to any of their stuff until last night. I'd always heard that they weren't that good. I'm declaring whoever said that tone deaf. 

Lead man Adam Blair is  as flirty as he is confidant and  has an unquestionable charm. From  the  playful smile to the energetic guitar work and animated singing, Blair is quite the performer. His voice was what really caught my attention first. He has remarkable vocal control and a surprising range that you don’t hear on  his recorded work.

The biggest issue with the band was the huge talent gap between Blair and his band. Guitarist Rose Ana Laguana  was solid but  her counterparts were  just fair not good

Kill Hannah(5/6)

This is the show the entire Kill Hannah fan base waits for all year. It is always quite a party with theatrics and snow machines. 

I've griped before about how passive the Kill Hannah crowds are. They are normally a quite bunch, matching divine in his introverted manner.

I retract every gripe.

Never in my five years as a Kill Hannah fan have I seen the fans like this. It was not insane, nor has the band itself had so much force. It was unreal. From the first note of believer to the last line of Welcome to Chicago, Kill Hannah brought  a fire that blew all of this previous shows out of the water. 

First off, when Jonny Ratkey got back on stage with Kill Hannah, the crowd just about lost their minds. Johnny hasn't been an official part of Kill Hannah since 2008, but the fans love him. His appearance at New Heart For Xmas is always a sincere pleasure. 

If this show demonstrated anything is was that this band and the Kill Hannah Kolective are family. Between the showers of affection on stage and the gracious words the band spoke, it was clear  that, to borrow from something Adam Blair  said, this was a family reunion. 

But the music itself, was truly phenomenal. Kill Hanna was on the absolute top of their game, weather it was Dan Wiese and Johnny Radtke tearing it up on the guitar or Elias Mallin on the drums, the music was just flawless.

I'm missing someone.

Mat Divine.

I cannot say enough about how talented, vulnerable and all around amazing this man is. His voice was spot on last night. His energy  was explosive,  and that energy charged the fans, which in turn charged the band, creating an explosive, intense energy loop. 

I’ve also never seen them  attract such a huge crowd. I’m used to them selling out the metro (a venue half the size of The House of Blues, at most), but I’ve never seen so many Kill Hannah fans in one place before. I am proud.

It was one hell of a weekend. 

Afterman: The Book(Claudio Sanchez) Part 1

(6/6)
As I said, I'd been eagerly waiting for  Afterman:The Ascension since last march. And the album was brilliant as I expounded  in my previous entry.
Being a big fan of Coheed and Cambria and completely enamored with The Amory Wars  I splurged and got the Deluxe Edition of the album, which came with Afterman(The Book).

While those who ordered the Deluxe Edition got the music downloads right on the release date, the book itself took a little longer to ship due to quality control issues. And it was longer still before I could find time to curl up with the coffee table sized book. (I  was not about to throw that gorgeous book into a backpack and read it on the train.)

My gods that was worth the wait.

All of the things I extrapolated from the video log and my own wild-eyed imaginings were nothing compared to the sheer brilliance of the album along side the book.  Combine a brilliant album with a wonderful story steeped in metaphor and drenched in layer upon layer of music and meaning and you have something breathtakingly profound. Toss in a sprinkling  of the real life inspirations for the songs and you have a vulnerability that you don't see very often in the music world.
Music is so personal, and everyone takes something different from a piece, so it is easy for an artist to wave over the songs that strike a nerve. Author and front man Claudio Sanchez exposes the raw nerve without dwelling too deeply so that the story and experiences inform each other intricately.

I have never seen a piece like this before and I doubt I will again.

If you're a fan, find a copy of this book and throw on the album do it, it is beyond brilliant.

On top of all of the things I’ve mentioned, I would be doing the work a disservice if I neglected to mention the artwork. It is a perfect complement to the music, equally rich and complex. The use of color and contrast alone made my head reel. Every ounce of this piece is rich with subtleties, yet accessible to the new fans.

Coheed and Cambria --Afterman: The Ascension. "This is Our War"

5/6
I’ve been eagerly awaiting this album since its announcement, hell since the release of their B-side last march. I confess my love for the story and my unabashed adoration of the band my have colored some of my criticism

For those that follow the band, this is the first chapter of The Amory Wars  and a prequel to Year of the Black Rainbow (Which was a prequel to Second Stage Turbine Blade). I suspect author and frontman Claudio Sanchez wrote himself into a corner with No World for Tomorrow*. In an interview, Sanchez mention that when he was writing No World for Tomorrow, he wasn’t sure there would be a Coheed and Cambria anymore. Two albums and several tours later, I think it is safe to say they’re still around.

So, when you’ve ended a story, where do you go? There was nowhere to go but further back, to the very beginning.

The stories in Afterman: The Ascension are riddled with complexities that are absent from the plots themselves.  The two stories: That of Domino, a boxer who becomes corrupted by drugs and greed and the story of Sirius Amory, a man driven to the stars by hubris, who unknowingly finds the star system where the Amory Wars happens years latter. They are elegantly paralleled down to even the music itself. Each has a signature musical style. Domino’s story, the story of a man at the bottom of society is gritty, with noisy, distorted guitar work and loud, violent fret squeaks. Sirius Amory’s story on the other hand is filled with airy, spacious high notes and understated precision. The slick feel of corruption is palpable in both stories, and vile, yet unmistakably appealing. Like in other albums, each story has a signature progression that marks the change of characters.  Amory’s almost radar like ping, sits well along side the scraping screaming guitars of  Domino’s story.

Amory’s sound is quite a departure from Coheed and Cambria’s usual sound. As a fan, I was much more prepared for Domino’s sound—the rugged, growling is quite common place on their other work. When  the preview of he title track “The Afterman” was first released, I had to listen to it three times before I could make heads or tails of it. It was a completely different sound. I’d never quite heard anything like it before, from anyone, least of all Coheed and Cambria.

The composition of this album is simply perfect. The pieces of each story, and their contrasting sounds, balance perfectly only blending toward the end in a wonderful culmination.

I have raved about how expressive Sanchez’s voice is in previous reviews, I’m sure. He takes it a step further in Afterman: The Ascension It feels like he is two different people on this album, his acting is beyond brilliant. A maniacal, gremlin like sound hisses and cackles in Domino’s story where there is a wavering, haunted whisper in  Amory’s arc.  Sanchez’s talent for voice modulation further augments the juxtaposition of the two stories as well as their unmistakable parallels.

Brilliant album, though I was disappointed in how short it is, a mere nine tracks..  (A second half is due out in 2013). I am looking forward to their next show and February 2013’s release with great anticipation.

*The full title of the album is Good Apollo, I'm Burring Star IV: No World For Tommorow. However, it is most commonly referred to as simply “No World For Tomorrow.”

Album Review: Three Days Grace --Transit of Venus--

(4/6)
Transit Of Venus has Adam Gontier’s signature gravely sexy voice, but it feels a little all over the place. While verity is usually a very good thing, Transit of Venus lacks cohesion and feels a little too experimental and takes a few tracks to gain its momentum.

Lyrically, Transit of Venus is quintessential Three Days Grace; themes of past mistakes, bitter anger, and hope run thoguht out the album. I think Gontier has really found his niche between raw, emotionality and artistic word choice. Honest, pointed words coupled with that voice still bring a certain charmingly rugged feel

The music itself is rough in places. While the guitar work has never been more perfect, I find there is an imprecision in this album's sound. It feels like in it’s experimentation the sound lost its clarity. However, the timing within each track is solid when paired with the vocals. I am hoping they find their balance in the next album

Transit of Venus’ composition is really chaotic; while the closing track echoes the opening track very well the album feels conflicted, rather than varied. It is as though half of the album is the rugged, angry sound we are familiar with and the other is a hopeful, almost peaceful piece.

Overall, I still loved this album, Three Days Grace will always be one of my pet bands, however, this is decidedly not their best work.

Album Review: Mumford &Sons—Babel—

5/6

In keeping with Sigh No More, Babel hits hard against the heartstrings, yet has an unmistakable anger beneath the surface. Blending bluegrass with Scottish folk style, Mumford & Sons have a sound that is distinctive and a welcome departure from mainstream angst. There is genuineness to their lyrics and a precise, striking way of expressing repentance without submission.

Babel feels like a response to their Sigh No More. The themes of grace, and tenacity in the face of love continue into quiet retrospect and impassioned determination to survive the loss of love. It also possesses a maturity that the first album did not have.

The orchestration on this album is wonderful, with a precise understanding of where to raise a complex storm of music and where to drop down to the simplest cord progression, complementing the lyrics (or their lack) perfectly. This balance also makes the lyrics incredibly easy to hear, as often quiet is used to emphasize them.

Overall this album is passionate and evocative without being melodramatic. I loved it.

Nightwish with Kamelot at The Congress Theater

Venue: The Congress Theater (4/6)
The Congress hasn’t changed from previous reviews though I’m developing a fondness for her.
Kamelot (4/6):
I give Kamelot credit for taking on this tour as their new lead singer only started working with them in July of this year. It was quite the set, but I found they were not quite cohesive and their sound felt shallow. They had lovely female vocalists and the new lead singer Tommy Karevik was solid, but I found they lacked complexity and their energy was not great. Karevik gave it his all to his credit and the crowd responded to him nicely (no small feat for someone that new to a band).
Their drum work was also fantastic; it took me a while to figure out what exactly was causing the deep rumbling I heard during many of their songs. It was the dual kick drums drummer Casey Grillo played, which was amazing.
 Their core female vocalist Elyze Ryd*was amazing, though her mic was not working well so a lot of her soft low notes were not audible. She stepped up her energy when she came out to do lead vocals for Sacrimony

Then Alissa White-Gluz (Lead vocalist for The Agonist) the stage.

 All eyes were on her. She had a powerful combination of raw sex and presence. Her vocal range was unreal, not just in pitch, but in versatility. She used everything from vocal fry to soft melody. Her movements were inhuman, evoking raw animal energy. It was magnificent. If Kamelot had come out with that much energy initially, it would have made for an absolutely stellar show.

Nightwish (5/6):
I had high expectations for this show. They were exceeded with flying colors. I knew the male vocalist Marco Hietala was going to be fantastic as he is one of the founding members and his voice is well known in the metal world. He and Emppu Vuorinen (lead guitar) have been in the band since its formation in 1996 and their dynamic was just wonderful. Lead vocalist Anette Olzon was unexpectedly phenomenal as she is the cause of much dissent among the fans. I am in the minority among Nightwish fans as I peter Olzon’s vocals to Tarja Turunen’s (the former lead) While I can certainly see why fans who fell in love with Turunen’s voice would dislike the sound change, I find Olzon much more accessible and articulate. While she doesn’t have the range Turunen had, she has a better overall sound.

And that was just the vocals.
The instrumentation was amazing, just watching the drummer gave me goose bumps and the bass work was just pure art. Then there was the guy who played the woodwinds who was quite but amazing.

The set was well balanced containing a blend of their old stuff and their new work with a breathtaking acoustic session that gave me goose bumps.. Versatile, yet unmistakable, Nighwish proved themselves both innovative and cohesive.

I am over the moon about this band live their coordination and skill are hard to rival. The camaraderie between them shows the affection of a band that has been together for a very long time and the professionalism was wonderful. It really felt like Anette had been one of them all along. Marco even gave her a huge hug at the end of the show.

Siliversun Pickups with School of Seven Bells at the Aragon Ballroom: We are Ready For the Siege.

Venue: (4/6) The Aragon Ballroom
This old lady really stepped up her sound system for SSPU. I suspect it was because of Brian Aubert’s ethereal, yet badass, voice. Though the speakers did clip out several times it was worth it for the change in quality. With tweaking, I think the Aragon could really bring up her standard. They also installed more fans in discreet places. It was a much improved show.

School of Seven Bells (4/6):
School of Seven Bells combines an electronic sound with Celtic overtones (Wiki classifies them as “Shoegaze”). Initially it almost sounds like all of their stuff is remixed Celtic music, except that the lyrics are original and the under current is closer in flavor to EDM. Beautiful, lilting vocals mesh seamlessly with a fluttering baseline and heavy keyboard work. Another thing that made this band stand out for me was the fact that it was comprised of a bassist, a keyboardist, a drummer, and a vocalist. There was no lead guitar, which gave them a hollow, spacious sound. Live they also had good energy and a playful demeanor. While it was certainly clear that they were not used to having a big crowd and were more than a little nervous, they pulled through and did an excellent job.

Silversun Pickups (5/6):
I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this show, and this band for that matter. Between Brian Aubret’s ethereal, sharp edged vocals, amazing guitar work and flawless lyrics, he could have been a show unto himself. His energy was explosive, yet always managed to fit the mood of the song. I am, however, convinced if he were forced to sit still he might well explode. The bass work was, as always, phenomenal. What made it even more amazing is that the slight gal slamming away at the bass, and rocking out like the world was ending was their substitute bassist. Their usual bassist is equally small, and massively talent, but she’s just recently given birth to twins. (If you happen to read this, Congratulations, Nikki Monninger!) It is a rare thing to see a substitute or tour member of the band get any applause at all; Sara (whose last name I never caught) got enough applause to bring the show to a halt briefly. She was utterly fantastic, matching Monninger in both energy and style, while still bringing her own attitude to the table. I’ve never seen someone bring who was on par with the original artist like that before. Ace job, Sara, ace job.
And lets not forget their phenomenal drummer, one part Animal of Muppets fame, one part insane metal drummer, and 100% magical, (dude) absolutely killed the drum work. While I’ve always appreciated their drummer, this show brought a new appreciation for exactly how bananas this guy is. Phenomenal job.
The only complaint I had (and it is minor) was that I would have moved “Panic Switch” (their really big) song to the second encore as opposed to being before either encore. It was a positively spectacular, ridiculously long show, with a frenetic, passionate energy that is on par with the best in the business.

Album Review: Kyoto Drive -The Approach--

Kyoto Drive is an alternative rock band from West Midlands, UK. I picked them up when they shot me an email  (I suspect it was from my connection to the Matchstick Men) they have an uplifting, poppy sound and infectious, soft vocals and accessible lyrics. One of the things that struck me off the bat was the strength of their backup vocals and their knack for harmonization both vocally and instrumentally. Their sound is cohesive and just all around fun. Kyoto Drive's sound is also very polished compared to other young bands. It is clear they've taken the time to put that little extra bit of effort in to really make their sound clean.

Where I think they could stand improvement:

There were a few issues that stood out for me. The first is that the sound balance isn't quite right on the album; the vocals are a little muted compared to the guitar work. Both elements sound good individually; I would just like to see a little more tweaking the mixing phase.

I also found I couldn’t differentiate between their songs unless I really focused, while it is wonderful that they have found their sound, I would like to see more innovation and verity within the album.

The final issue I had was that they haven't really made their sound their own, yet (I say yet, because I'm confidant in their ability to do so) it sounds like a half dozen other alt-rock/pop rock bands out there. I can certainly see the potential versatility of their guitarist and keyboardist, however it does not appear on the album.

Overall, a fun band whose work I cannot wait to see start appearing on the radio over here in the states.

Here is a link to their latest music video Breathe

 The majority of their info can be found at the bottom of the vid.