Music Review - Athletics

Athletics is a five-piece out of Oneonta, NY and might be the perfect example of small town meets big sound. With their latest upcoming release Why Aren't I Home?, it seems they have plans to bring back the good parts of post-hardcore and leave behind the corporate schlock we're being fed.

With an ambient air and soaring main vocals, Athletics' music is somewhat of a journey. Lyrically, they are relatable, in a way we relate to the language in our daydreams. The pounding cadence set by their drummer, especially on tracks like Jordan and the title track, remind listeners that it's possible to be hard and melodic at the same time.

This album is a next step from their EP Sleep Comes in Interludes which laid a brilliant foundation for Why Aren't I Home? to be built upon. The mixture of fast and slow, hard and soft, with pulsating guitars and occasional keys makes for an amazing listening trip that is, unfortunately over before you realize how far you've come. So then you really need to listen again. And there is no disappointment on the second trip through.

With any luck, I will get a chance to see these characters live in the near future, and I am sure their stage performance will overtake the awesome power of this studio effort.

Where to find them:

• UPDATE: Now available on iTunes and Amazon.com - GO GET IT ALREADY!!


• I was able to get an advance copy, but I'm sure these tracks will find their way to their MySpace page soon enough


• They are also on Facebook


• Their ep Sleep Comes in Interludes can be found here

RIYL: alexisonfire, The Stay Lows, The Appleseed Cast, American Football

Music Review - Far

Far is more than likely one of the most influential bands people have never heard. If you were into the sound of post-hardcore (read: emo) in the mid-90's however, you know exactly how much Far could bring to the sonic table and how upsetting their break-up in 1999 was. Luckily, Jonah Mantranga, Shaun Lopez, John Gutenberger, and Chris Robyn came to their senses and realized it was high-time someone came along in order to bring the music back in this world of Justin Beibers and corporate slap-patch bands.

And we are not dissappointed by their 2010 resurgence record, At Night We Live. This album puts together their biggest "hit" record Water and Solutions and their more grounded-in-hardcore earlier effort Tin Cans with Strings to You. The heart-felt lyrics and aggressive guitars alternate with a soft and melodic core that moves each song back and forth, like mid-90's emo kids on a club floor balancing precariously between the pull of their backpack and the weight of their horn-rimmed glasses.

It was with some trepidation I began listening to this album. After so much time, could Far continue to deliver the sounds of longing and aggression so many people enjoyed over 10 years ago? It seems not only they can, but they did.

In a world where it seems it is getting harder and harder to find good, well-played, well-made music, Far's At Night We Live gives us just what we need at the time we need it.

Where to find them:

• iTunes


• MySpace


• The Far website


• If you still have a decent record store

RIYL: Quicksand, Rival Schools, Onelinedrawing, Sunny Day Real Estate

Music Review - The Stay-Lows

The The Stay Lows spent the past two and a half to three years working on their latest CD, Signature Bridge, leaving many of their fans wondering, "Will it be worth it?" The band elected to answer that question with a live show, playing the album in its entirety, at Mohawk Place in their home of Buffalo, NY.

The answer: Yes...it was worth it.

With a blending of style that is best described as instrumental with occasional lyrics, the Stay Lows are a power house of amazing instrumentation and orchestration. On stage and, one can only imagine, in the studio, the band has the wherewithal to bring was needed into each song, but without overdoing it.

While seeing the band live brings out more of what they are trying to get across, the new CD Signature Bridge is definitely a good reproduction of the feeling of the Stay Lows live show. Once you get over the quirky song titles (e.g. Ugly Babies, They Smoked the Moon Landing), you realize that instrumental music (with occasional lyrics) isn't all pretentious art rock. It can be fun and fanciful, in the same way music is when someone sings on every song.

I listened to the CD while driving around in my car this weekend and found it to be a perfect soundtrack to what I was doing. The mix works well making sure everything from the guitars to the keyboards to the cello (yes, a rock band with a cello player) comes through and is balanced without any one instrument overpowering another. I would have liked to hear more drums though, but that's just me (read: drummer's bias).

In short, it may have taking awhile to get this album out of the studios, but now that it is, no one should waste anytime running out to get a copy.

Where to find them:

• at their website


• MySpace


• Facebook

RIYL: Mogwai, Sunny Day Real Estate, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, American Football

Music Review: The Helio Sequence

It seems once again Sub Pop records has their eyes on the prize when it comes to mining the dives and dirges of the Pacific Northwest to find the good music.The Helio Sequence is no exception. The two-man electronica-fied indie group has released a few albums under the re-invigorated Sub Pop and it's easy to see how they got there.

Blending an ever-present Seattle sound (e.g. Death Cab for Cutie not Seattle sound like fellow Sub Pop artist Mudhoney) with a feel more along the poppier escapades of France's Phoenix, The Helio Sequence brings a sensible balance to the indie rock scene. It's nice to see bands "getting away" with not writing dirges and yet still expressing some sort of feeling.

It is important to note, though, if you are looking for Death Cab type depth of lyrical content, The Helio Sequence is not the place to find it. Their lyrics aren't bubble-gum by any stretch of the imagination, but they do tend to leave you a lot of space to fill in your own reasoning and meaning. This is, sadly, something more corporate and radio-friendly bands have a problem doing. The Helio Sequence are well-equipped to use vague wording and still accomplish excellent musicianship.

Where to find them:

• Myspace


• iTunes


• The Sub Pop megamart!


• Your local record store (not FYE or any other corporate, soulless hell-ride in a mall)

RIYL: Phoenix, Death Cab for Cutie, Mogwai, Bright Eyes

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BONUS VIDEO

Music and Megaman - The Protomen Review

Who knew awesome rock grew out of Nashville, TN?

Enter The Protomen, an obscure band who makes their way through the world of modern rock by creating a continuous rock-opera-like set of songs based on (of all things) the MegaMan video game series. Think Coheed and Cambria but with less of the death and dismemberment. Their songs take a simple video game back story and make it into a dramatic life-story spanning battle of one scientist against the oppression of the corporate science used to enslave society.

One of the best parts of their style (if it can be called that) is its ambiguity. The Protomen seem to borrow from any genre that fits the feel of the story portion they wish to convey in the song. For example, on their first self-titled album, the song "Unrest in the House of Light" is a wild-west romp through the thoughts of Dr. Light, appropriate to the message of the song and the character singing, while "Breaking Out" from their second album, Act II: The Father of Death , is worth of the stage on Broadway with the best of modern rock operas.

Both albums tell a story almost reminiscent of early Springsteen (think Greetings from Asbury Park) and are a rollicking good listen.

It occurs to me, I may like them because I enjoyed the game when I was younger (and still do), but also because they add brilliant back story that simply can't be conveyed on the screen.

It should be added little is known about the actual band, save for the fact they dress in helmets and emulate the characters....and they're from Tennesee...

• RIYL: Coheed and Cambria, Old Springsteen, Rush, Arm Cannon


• Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


• Available at: iTunes, www.protomen.com, myspace

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Music Review: Voodoo Pharmacology

Voodoo Pharmacology is a six person group of multi-talented musicians who make their home base in Baltimore, MD. Calling themselves experimental music might seem pretentious to some, so to avoid the moniker, I would call them eclectic musical expansionists.

The group brings an uproar of sound and sight to the stage, and the performance is not toned down when it comes to their recordings. The songs on their EP Her Mirror Was a Window start a journey that roves all over the musical landscape. Electronica songs such as "01110010011000010110100101101110" seem to not clash but exude in to adjoining tracks. To say this album would be easy to find in the post-modern music bin next to Don Cabellero wouldn't be unexpected.

Between the melodic intricacies of the music and the sparse use of lyrics Voodoo Pharmacology weaves a musical tapestry that will get them noticed as time passes. Each of their recordings (which include Her Mirror Was a Window, The March Ides: Radio Testimonials of the Coming Apocalypse, and the self-titledVoodoo Pharmacology) is a testimonial to their tenacity to be music performers in a landscape of music moving more towards polished corporatism.

Fortunately for us, their are still bands like Voodoo Pharmacology, willing to take more leaps and break more boundaries. Drop by their website and grab their tunes and wait for them to come to your town. It will be worth it.

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As always, a video to accompany the post. Here's Voodoo Pharmacology jamming live in Baltimore...

Music technology and Hanging Out

Call me nostalgic, but some of the best memories I have from hanging out with my friends when I was young was listening to music as a group. Whether it was chilling in J's basement listening to his dad's Hendrix Band of Gypsies with a little DasFX added in, or hanging out upstairs at MJ, Dan, and Dave's house listening to Kill Creek and 10 Foot Pole, or listening in Super-Polo-Surround-Sound to the acoustic guitar track on Hum's 'The Pod', it was always fun, always meaningful, and always seem to strengthen the bond between all of us as friends.

Before I start the next section let it be known, I LOVE MY iPod. This is really about how you use it.

So my daughter wrote a list of 25 things about her on facebook. One of her things was sitting in the car with her boyfriend listening to music. Suddenly, it hit me. They just sit there, listening to music. Probably just the two of them, or at most a couple more friends (it's not a big car). Space is limited, and time. They listen to his iPod or her iPod. It can't bee too comfortable. Is it possible that the days have past when 10 or 15 people can share a musical experience? Can it be the magic of group listening is slowly draining from the world?

I can't say yes or no to this. Music is a personal thing, but it is not an individual thing. It's not meant to be held between your ears for you alone. I have some adapters to use my iPod in the car so everyone can listen, a couple in the house to use on old tape players, and Eric brought one to band practice so we can listen to his iPod or mine through the PA.

My point is this, listen to music with friends. If you have a song you can't get enough of, sit with someone and listen to it together, talk about it. Explore music!

It is the last magic left.

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This is an appropriate tie-in...here's Big Wreck with "That Song"