Review Track by Track: My Chemical Romance - Conventional Weapons

Review: My Chemical Romance - Conventional Weapons

In 2010, My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero told fans that the scrapped album from 2009 will eventually be released, possibly as MCR's "final" release. It turns out fans did not have to wait very long. In September, My Chemical Romance announced they would release "Conventional Weapons", comprised of 10 lost tracks released through five 2-song EPs over a span of 5 months. After listening to all 10 songs (and considering the 4 tracks that made it to Danger Days) I can confidently say that My Chemical Romance threw away gold back in 2009.

Let's start off my review of "Conventional Weapons" by taking a look at each EP individually.

DISCLAIMER: I am calling this a record/album. I understand it is a compilation and technically not a record, but I am referring to as such anyway.

Album Review: Gorillaz - The Fall (2011)

 

Yup.  I'm pretty sure a lot of people just realized that last year, the Gorillaz came out with their 3rd album Plastic Beach and you must be surprised that there is NEW MUSIC still coming out from the band that's been touring since Plastic Beach came out.  Well, guess what?  There is.  Although technically this album came out on Christmas 2010, it wasn't available as a physical copy or released to the general public until April.  So what should you expect?

Album Review: Sparks the Rescue- Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With (2011)

If there were a Mount Rushmore of the men and women who have been most influential or successful in American film, Clint Eastwood would undoubtably have his mug etched in the stone. From signature lines in his cowboy movies to branching out on roles he made into his own, to becoming a wonderful producer, director, and writer, Eastwood has been around longer than most of our parents have been alive. Sadly, however, this review for Sparks the Rescue's second full-length album Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With, won't compare the band's versatility and inventiveness to Eastwood's sterling film reprtoire. Instead, Worst Thing can be closely examined using Eastwood's (possibly) defining film, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Album Review: Balance and Composure- Separation (2011)

Before I get into the specific, intricate ways in which Separation, the debut full-length album from Doylestown, PA's Balance and Composure is a soaring, magnificent modern-rock melting pot of sound, there may be an easier way for me to do it: go to the bottom of this review, and look at the "Recommended if you rock" section. The reason I had you do this is twofold: one, to draw your attention to the section itself, which will hopefully make you go buy the album, like, right now (don't worry, this review will be here later), and two, because I know what I'm doing. You may think I sound crazy, comparing it to two of the most-respected indie-rock acts today and one of the titans of the game for the last decade, but that is simply the lasting effect Balance and Composure are poised to have. The band's debut (and I can't stress that enough, this is their debut full-length album) shows that this is by far one of the most promising acts in however-you-label-it rock.

Album Review: Fireworks- Gospel (2011)

Developing and maturing as a band can be really, really tricky: on the one hand, you have bands like A Day to Remember, who seem to be on the cusp of abandoning their genericore breakdowns and accepting their destiny as the next great radio-rock band, but on the other, you have bands like Green Day and Against Me! who lose their creative flame and create albums that their fans can't even recognize as the same band they fell in love with many moons ago. Meanwhile, in the sweaty church basements and legion halls of America, Fireworks have been building their reputations as the next great five-piece pop-punk band, leading the charge for their pals (The Wonder Years and Man Overboard, to name just two) into a new pop-punk revolution. With the new, almost indie-leaning Gospel, their second full-length album, the band seem to be maturing immensely, but is it for the better?

Album Review: Manchester Orchestra- Simple Math (2011)

We know, we know: you're the biggest Manchester Orchestra fan around. You knew about them before Brand New scooped them up to open for them for just about every tour since The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me came out. You know all about Andy Hull's back story, and how emotionally connected he feels to his songs, and how he's the most under-appreciated man in indie rock right now. We get it, you've been there with the band since I'm like a Virgin Losing a Child. That's great. Now, let the rest of us catch up. For those of you whose listening to Manchester Orchestra has been passed over, compromised, or completely forgotten about, the time is now to get into one today's fastest-rising, most forward-thinking rock acts in the game right now. Make no mistake: Andy Hull Will not be ignored any longer.

Album Review: Panic! at the Disco!- Vices & Virtues (2011)

It's been three years since we last saw the dance-emo youngans of Panic! at the Disco, and that's probably a lot longer than the band probably wanted to wait to release their make-or-break third full-length album. However, the departure of key songwriter Ryan Ross and bassist Jon Walker left the band in a state of flux, as if the underwhelming and unexpected direction the band took on the Beatles-esque Pretty.Odd. divided the band's fanbase. Now, vocalist Brendan Urie and drummer Spencer Smith have found the stability the band needed, got a little older, and have a new album to boot. So does Vices & Virtues bring the band back to the days of the groundbreaking A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, or will they continue to toe the line between catchy and corny as Pretty.Odd.  so often crossed?

Critics be damned: this album is a return to form if there ever was one. 

Album Review: Silverstein - Rescue (2011)

The emo/screamo scene that once thrived in the mid-2000s is, for all intents and purposes, dead. Heroes like The Used and My Chemical Romance have strayed from the path, while screamo darlings like A Static Lullaby and From Autumn to Ashes have fallen by the wayside. Senses Fail is still trying to re-create their magic they found on Let it Enfold You, and Finch's Say Hello to Sunshine sent their career right back to obscurity after the undeniably great What it is to Burn shot them near the cusp of modern-rock success. And then there's the heartbreaking story of how Island Records completely mishandled Thursday. So, with all this negativity, one can easily draw the conclusion that the emo scene didn't produce a single band that was able to sustain a career without completely changing their genre/sound, falling off the map completely, or calling it quits? Fear not, for I give you Silverstein. After a lengthy deal with Victory Records (that they somehow actually fulfilled), the band have found a new home on Hopeless Records, and have released Rescue, their sixth (SIXTH!) studio full-length album. We all know its easy to stick to the same formula, but can Silverstein change up the pace a little bit and continue to be the sole keepers of the screamo faith?

Album Review: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (2011)

After 4 years we finally have the new album from the Foo Fighters! Now for those of you who did not hear, the Foos ditched the fancy studios and computers for Dave Grohl's garage and analog tape. Once I heard about this, it honestly made me skeptical of the album. I had semi-low expectations, and I really didn't think it would be up to Foo Fighters' standards.

Was I ever wrong....

"Wasting Light" has a very raw rock feel to it. They went back to their roots of heavy guitars and loud drums. Their last 3 albums (Echoes, In Your Honor, One by One) seemed to rely a lot on Dave's vocals. However this album is different. It's a trip back to the self-titled album and Colour and the Shape. I'm not saying the last 3 were bad albums (I actually really liked them), but the Foos went back to what they are best at: guitar-driven rock. When you listen to the record, you get the feeling as if the Foos had a lot of fun making the record.

The album shoots out of the gate with the first song, "Bridge Burning". The drums and guitar in the intro are some of the heaviest I have ever heard from them. But the song gives the album a fantastic start and honestly, it is one of my favorites on the record.

Despite being a very guitar and drum heavy album, there are some songs where Dave's vocal and lyrical abilities shine. Songs like "Walk" (my favorite on the record) and "Dear Rosemary" prove that Dave Grohl is still one of the best vocalists in all of rock music.

To sum it all up, this is an album that will surely be on a lot of Top Album Lists at the end of the year. There aren't a lot of standout, sure-fire "singles" on the record. You won't find "Everlong" or "Best of You" or "My Hero" on this record. But I feel it is one of the most complete albums they have ever written.

PICK IT UP!!!

This is my first ever album review. I would love to hear your feedback, both praise and criticism. Leave your comments!!!

-Mike Leatherwood

Album Review: Dance Gavin Dance- Downtown Battle Mountain II

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Member changes and comebacks are all the rage nowadays, but Dance Gavin Dance have run the gammut in that department for the better part of the last decade. With four full-lengths and an EP all released on Rise Records, the band hasn't seen the same lineup in any two of those releases, but that hasn't stopped them from making waves in the post-hardcore/experimental scene. While 2009's Happiness, which saw the band mature with the evolution of former frontman Kurt Travis, was what most would consider a breakout album, many DGD fans were still yearning for the band to return to the unmistakable and unique sound the band displayed on their debut full-length Downtown Battle Mountain. Only problem with that is that both vocalists who graced DBM (screamer Jon Mess and embattled singer Johnny Craig) weren't even in the band anymore. Not to fret, as the band announced in mid 2010 that they would be reuniting with Craig and Mess to record the highly-demanded Downtown Battle Mountain II. Two things were certain as the band went into recording for the album: one, that the pressure was on the band to deliver another scene classic, and two, there was really no way to predict what the album would sound like.

Album Review: Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding (2011)

Beady Eye?  Who the hell is Beady Eye?  If you're asking yourself that, the answer is simple.  Beady Eye consists of the former band Oasis minus Noel Gallagher.  After the split with Oasis, Liam and the rest of the Oasis gang decided to continue making new music.  Eventually they settled on the name Beady Eye (if they couldn't come up with a name before the album was done, they were going to settle on Oasis 2.0).

So finally, Beady Eye releases their first album, Different Gear, Still Speding.  Is their album a far departure from Oasis, or is it just Oasis 2.0?

Album Review: Yellowcard- When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes (2011)

Say the words "April 2008" to any Yellowcard fan, and you'll be opening a can of worms you wish you didn't come anywhere near. When the band said in an interview they were going on an "indefinite hiatus" after a short acoustic tour, it sent shockwaves of sadness through the hearts of fans the band once helped to mend with their uplifting, catchy blend of pop-punk and straight-up rick. Two years later, after they saw bands like The Maine, Mayday Parade, and countless others saturate the summertime pop-punk they revolutionized, the band were done focusing on their personal lives, and it was time to re-emerge and attempt to take back the throne they left vacant that fateful April. Now, a short eight months after the official announcement of their reformation (that was on August 1, 2010), the band have wasted no time in coming out with new material as a reward for their fans' patience. But is When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes going to be able to satisfy fans waiting over four years since 2007's Paper Walls, or will it just leave fans longing for the band's pre-hiatus glory days?

Album Review: Rise Against- Endgame (2011)

Complacency in today's music industry has become far too common, with far too many perfect examples: Lady GaGa's "Born this Way" is a Madonna rip-off; You can't listen to a Ke$ha song and tell whether it was on Animal or Cannibal; And then there's the whole over-saturated heap of junk that Nickelback loosely call a "career." The point is, when success is achieved, its really, really easy to get comfortable with where you are. Rise Against may have fallen victim to that horrendous disease, as Appeal to Reason was viewed by fans to be their least-inspired work. Sure, songs like "Savior" and "Long Forgotten Sons" were standouts that entered the band's already bolstered plethora of quality tracks, but the key criticism of Appeal was that the band was trying too hard to make a statement against the world. Now, enter Endgame: the return to form everyone should have seen coming.

Album Review: Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns (2010)

Linkin Park's newest album, A Thousand Suns, was one of the most anticipated albums of 2010.  Their previous release, Minutes to Midnight, was met with a positive reception, and a double platinum certification from the RIAA.  They also released a song for the Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen soundtrack "New Divide" which was also met with a favorable response.

So all signs point to this being quite possibly being the greatest Linkin Park album ever, possibly even surpassing Hybrid Theory, right?

Album Review: Cage the Elephant - Thank You, Happy Birthday (2011)

Cage the Elephant released their second album this year, Thank You, Happy Birthday.  I didn't really know much of Cage the Elephant except Ain't No Rest for the Wicked which debuted sometime in 2008.

Album Review: Bayside - Killing Time (2011)

You can say your favorite band has gone through a lot to get to where they are, and chances are you're right. But that's likely nothing to what Bayside have had to endure on the way to the top of the punk-rock scene. After a horrible van accident claimed the life of their drummer Jon "Beatz" Holoman, Bayside pressed on in his honor, and have put out solid effort after solid effort while tirelessly touring the globe to assert themselves as worthy of their self-proclaimed "Cult" of fans. While 2008's Shudder was considered by some to be their least-loved release (you can't call any Bayside release bad, after all), how would their new album, and first released on Wind-Up Records, stand up to a discography already lined with classic anthems?