Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours

Anyone who knows me knows I have a special place in my heart for 90s alternative music. Primarily the early portion - I talk a lot about the magic of 1991 / 92 (more about that at a later date)... but there was also something special about those mid-90's 'post-grunge' bands. For those of us who grew up with this music, any band that can capture that spirit without being a lame copy (Creed, anyone?) is always appreciated. I never really thought about Cold War Kids like this until their most recent album. They are taking the energy and vibe of the music they/I grew up with and filtering it through the indie rock sensibilities of bands like Arcade Fire.

From the get-go, Mine Is Yours pulls you in with plenty of vocal hooks and great melodies - augmented by your typical guitar/bass/drums lineup. The album really sank in with track 3; Royal Blue. It is based around a conga drum and bass loop, and builds from there. Its these moments - when their penchant for great melody combines with a solid beat and stripped down instrumentals - that the album shines, and makes it stand out as something more than just a rock cd. Sensitive Kid and its looped backbeat is another highlight for this same reason.

There is a great dynamic flow that runs through this album. There are great sing-alongs, solid guitar hooks, and more introspective moments. Unfortunately, the album falls off after track 8 into more generic guitar rock. Luckily, its easy to hit the fast forward button three times and arrive back at track 1.

If you too have your musical roots layed in the sensitive, ethereal bombast of the early and mid-90's, I think you'll like this release.

B+

The Decemberists - The King is Dead

This album is not for everyone, as I realized the other day. On first listen, the vocal hook of "Don't Carry it All" was enough to get my attention. I decided to put the album on in an after school session in my classroom. After a song or two went by, I heard; "Ugh. WHAT IS THIS?" My teen pop conneseuer, had weighed in.
The second track "calamity song" glows in the wake of R.E.M. with hints of Neil Young. Their previous album, The Crane Wife, was decent, but the seven minute songs left my short attention span wanting more.
Again, this album is not for everyone, just don't put me on that list. Plenty of catchy vocal male + female vocal harmonies to keep this on repeat for a while.

B+

Glassjaw - Our Color Green

In 1997, I heard about a band that were self proclaimed "jewish metal." Being just a year out of high school from a town that had maybe two jewish students, this was obviosly intriging.
The Sons of Abraham, were all 18-19 year old kids who could seriously shred. Double bass gallops, wild leads. Eventally, they retired their dradels and broke up.
The phoenix that rose from the ashes of their yamicas was a band called Glassjaw.
Glassjaw had the technical proficiency of "the sons" but added the element of melody. They also had the swagger of a wild frontman who had a unique voice, taking cues from Mike Patton and Chino Moreno.
After a few 7"s and eps, they released two solid full lengths. Then took a long break. That is obviously a majorly abriviated career summary.
A recently reunited Glassjaw, minus one guitarist, bringing them to a four piece, has recenly released an ep. This release has all the elements you would expect from glassjaw. The ep seems a little less serious and more about having fun and jamming than blowing minds. The songs are less catchy vocally, and based more on jams.
The ep also has an interesting audio mix. The bass is equal if not louder than the guitar, creating a fuzzier, more experimental sound. This seems like a good progression for the band. An element I appreciate from a new release.
Overall the songs are a nice breath of fresh air from the long haitus from one of the founders of the disgustungly misnamed emocore genre. Worth checking out. Not a groundbreaking release but worth a few listens.

B

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Iron & Wine "Kiss Each Other Clean"

I recently got the new album from Sam Beam and Iron & Wine, entitled "Kiss Each Other Clean". I want to publicly thank him for continually challenging me as a listener.

Throughout his discography, each album grows from the last to places that I would not have expected ("The Creek Drank The Cradle" -> "Our Endless Numbered Days" -> "The Shepard's Dog" -> "Kiss Each Other Clean")... Upon first listen(s) I don't love it, but the more I listen to it, it starts to grow and grow. This newest album is a challenging listen because there are so many different elements ("Me And Lazarus" employs acoustic guitar, saxophone, vibraphones, and DJ scratching, among others). These elements seem disparate at first, but once you hear it all a few times (headphones were especially nice) it all makes sense and becomes an amazingly creative collage. The only misstep is "Big Burned Hand", which is a bit too Dave Matthews-ey for me. It could have easily been replaced by any of the B-sides I've heard from the sessions.

This album is not what I would consider great 'quiet in the background' music (my first few listens were while doing other things). This record demands your attention and I love it.

Get it at your local record shop or online at iTunes or Amazon with stellar bonus tracks. For more great songs from these sessions, check out the "Walking Far From Home" EP.

I highly recommend it to anyone who loves good music and wants something that wont just wash over you then disappear into the ever present noise of life.

grade: A-

The Damned Things - Ironiclast

I glance over and this kid is taking huge strides while oddly holding his hands in the air. He is moshing in slow motion. Really slow motion, even making a slow motion-y type deep voice sound. "Who is this kid?" I ask to my friend who dragged me along to this hardcore show freshman year of college. "That's keith buckley" he responded.
Keith buckley, the frontman of The Dammed Things, started as a member of buffalo's madmen, Every Time I Die. After years of touring, he slow moshed his way into the attention of Joe Troghman from falloutboy and Scott Ian from Anthrax. With the addition of a few additional members, The Dammed Things have created an album far beyond my expectations.
With equal parts falloutboy bubble gum melody, Anthrax's power, and Every Time I Die's irony, they have created one of the best hard rock records of 2010.
After a year of let downs in the music industry, Ironiclast was a suprising finale to an otherwise weak music year.
On this record, if you are looking for a standout track, just hit random or shuffle and you'll find one.
Keith has come a long way from that hardcore show, and has slow moshed his way into a permanent spot in my cd player.

grade: A

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Many concerts and shows later, we're still friends.

Want proof of our music-induced-friendship? Here are some pics from over the years:

The good old days of Achilles park lodge shows. Rob playing guitar on the left, Todd singing along with Rory in the front.


At Darien Lake, in preparation for KISS. I honestly wish that this was a forum to show you all hilarious pictures from over the years, because there are so many more great ones.


Pearl Jam show 1. First row, directly in front of Mike McCready. We're kinda excited.


Pearl Jam show 2. The 2nd to last show ever at the Philadelphia Spectrum. Second row this time... Maybe we snuck into the front row.
The lady we asked to take our picture failed to get the HUGE sign on the arena advertising the show.

Two friends, first brought together by music.

We first met at a Standfast show in Geneseo. Soon after, we were unknowingly both thrusting ourselves into the insanity of the one year masters of Art Education program at RIT. We quickly bonded over our passion for music.

Rob: hardcore, metal, and KISS. Todd was always a bit more mellow... and Pearl Jam. We've both shared our passions and continue to widen each others musical pallets over the years.

We've talked about making a music review zine for a long time... We always discuss new releases and share our opinions with each other. And we both love making things... whether paintings, tshirts, mix CDs, stickers, or our own musical projects. Finally, we're making the zine happen... in digital form.

We hope that you enjoy reading what we have to say... and please add your opinions of our reviews and of the music that we choose.