Sometimes a band comes along and blows you away with their unique sound, live performance, and generally nice disposition. When you've found more than one of these types of bands, you know that you've stumbled on an array of gems. Now that 2014 has come to a close, I've found five albums that fit that description and, as such, have earned constant spins on my iPod, iTunes and Spotify.
Issues – "Issues"
2014 was a break out year for metalcore band Issues. They went from opening for A Day to Remember and Bring Me the Horizon to headlining the Journeys Noise Tour this past December. They also released season two of a web series they are part of called "Flippen Real World: Issues" on YouTube about their tour. They've done all this in only a two-year existence. They break genre boundaries in all the best ways: from their relatable lyrics to singer Tyler Carter's out-of-this-world voice to unclean vocalist Michael Bohn's screams to Scout spinning on turntables, there's something for everyone here. From the album's opening song, "Sad Ghost" to the encouraging "Never Lose Your Flames" to the no-nonsense attitude of "Personality Cult" to heartstring pulling ender "Remember When", every song is well-done and will have you tuning in to listen to this album over and over.
Of Mice and Men – "Restoring Force"
I don't remember if I was introduced to metalcore band Of Mice and Men's music through friends telling me about them or by seeing them on tour with A Day to Remember, but I am so glad I was. Not only do they put on a killer show, but their newest release "Restoring Force" became an album I listened to (and still listen to) nearly every day. It started when they released "You're Not Alone" as a single on YouTube. After that initial "yeah, I like this song" feeling, I knew I'd discovered something special when I found myself listening to it three times in 5-10 minutes almost every day.
When I saw the announcement that they had another new song, "Bones Exposed", I was excited to click the new YouTube link. The same thing happened with that single. What pulled me in to this single was, in large part, Tino Arteaga's monster drumming.
Secondarily, it was the raw energy contained in every element of the song. Based off the strength of those two singles, the minute "Restoring Force" was being streamed in full online, I was eager to listen to the rest of the album. It quickly became a must have album for me and I eventually bought it. The album starts off with the powerful "Public Service Announcement" and only lets up for a moment with slower songs such as "Another You" and "Space Enough to Grow".
"Public Service Announcement" is a song that goes off on people who assume they know everything about a person who lives his or her life in the public eye, which is a theme that runs throughout the album. The slower songs, however, differ in lyrical content and do well in highlighting Aaron Pauley's gorgeous clean vocals. Though Pauley has been touring with the band since 2012, this is the first album he's recorded with the band on. His vocals give the band that something extra that pulls the listener in. His voice also provides a nice balance between unclean vocalist Austin Carlile's screams, especially on "Another You" and "Would You Still Be There".
The lyrics on "Restoring Force" are all pretty strong, but "Another You" is on a different level. The song's lyrics, especially the chorus ("Say anything/that can make this all okay/take it away/take away all of this emptiness I feel/'cause I will never find another you"), just crawl into your soul and take up residence there. According to their Genius site, "Another You" is about "losing someone you love, and being able to move forward and live on, even though you miss them. About keeping their memory in your mind, but not letting grief overtake you and hold you back from going through life", a hard hitting topic for many listeners. On a lighter note, their music also inspires creative uses of their more serious songs as in this fan-made Vine called "The Moth Pit", which uses the beginning of track five, "Glass Hearts" in it.
Set It Off – "Duality"
It's only recently that I've discovered the greatness that is Set It Off. A friend of mine asked if I wanted to go see Black Veil Brides, Falling in Reverse, Set It Off and Drama Club in December and since I like Black Veil Brides and they're one of her favorites, it was a no brainer saying yes. The same friend also played Set It Off's stuff all the way up to the venue and I found myself really liking it, which only made me more excited to see them play. They ended up being my favorite act of the night and I thought it was really cool that singer Cody Carson came outside to meet fans after the show.
Now onto the album: "Duality" is full of clever, catchy songs that have dark, theatrical edges to them. Take, for example, "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing", which puts its own twisted spin on nursery rhymes: "Ba ba black sheep, have you any soul? No sir, by the way, what the hell are morals? Jack, be nimble, Jack, be quick. Jill's a little whore and her alibis are dirty tricks…"
Another example of this is lead track "The Haunting", a song that, according to Carson's commentary on Spotify, is about a two-timing ex-girlfriend: "Love's so alive, but it died in its sleep. And now that it's dead, I live in your head and I will haunt your f'in dreams. No one will love you like I did, will treat you like I did. So go on, wear that scarlet letter…". Set It Off was also recently announced as the headliner for the Glamour Kills Spring Break Tour, with As It Is, Against the Current, and Roam, which is sure to be a good/fun show, so be on the lookout for a date in your town.
You Me At Six - "Cavalier Youth"
I was turned onto You Me at Six back in 2013, ironically after I had just missed them because I had gotten my friend and me lost (damn GPS) on the way to the Spring Fever Tour. I made a point to check them out after that show and discovered a new favorite band in the process. They've always been a solid band (their 2012 release "Sinners Never Sleep" still gets a ton of play in my iTunes/car stereo), but there's something more found in their newest release, "Cavalier Youth". I was fortunate enough to see them on their headlining tour back in October – singer Josh Franceschi is so energetic onstage and really wants to get the crowd into it/make sure they're having fun. "Cavalier Youth" is a great album not only because the songs are so well put together but because they can be reproduced and sound even better live. They were so good, in fact, that I made sure I didn't leave the venue without buying "Cavalier Youth". I figured if it was that good live, I needed it in my music collection. The song that really turned me onto this album in the first place was "Room to Breathe" followed by "Fresh Start Fever".
After I bought the CD, I connected with the way Franceschi chose to sing/exaggerate the words "why" and "goodbye" in the chorus of "Love Me Like You Used To", the opening guitar and drum effect in "Forgive and Forget", and "Be Who You Are", a nostalgic song about that's possibly about first love (among other things) and is accompanied by a beautiful acoustic guitar, simple drums and even a triangle toward the end.
Air Dubai - "Be Calm"
Air Dubai blends rap, R&B, and rock, mixes it up, and turns it into a hybrid called "dark pop". The balance between rapper Julian Church's voice and singer Jon Shockness' vocals is straight ear candy. Synths from Michael Ray to Nick Spreigl's drums to Lawrence Grivich's great guitar work shine with the relatable, pop-y and sometimes-dark lyrics. There's certain artistry to lines like "Pen and a pad/withering in my thoughts/but the ink is running off/leaving nothing but a blank page" and "I'm saving my heart if you say that I got it for sure/petty thieves will take it and cop it for more/than what the worth is/but it's worthless without your name still engraved on the surface", especially when the music highlights the lyrics so well. Add in the fact that they're dynamic live performers and you have a recipe for something that commands and captivates your attention.
2014 was another great year for both music lovers and independent musicians alike. Hopefully 2015 will yield even more gems just waiting to be discovered.
