500 Word Review: Dwellings “Foreverest” – Single

On November 25th, Modesto, California based post hardcore band, Dwellings, released the follow up to their debut single “Lemonade” with the release of their latest single, “Foreverest”.  For those of you who have been following the page you will know how excited I am to hear new material from this group.  Their debut single was nothing short of phenomenal, and based off that performance alone, I honestly believe that this group is the future of the post hardcore sub genre.  That being said, I was extremely excited to hear new material from this group because I’m still curious to see how their sound will develop throughout this debut EP.  This new single, “Foreverest”, definitely varies significantly from their debut release, “Lemonade”, however there are still consistent themes heard on both tracks that give listeners and fans of the group a sense of what this up and coming band will sound like!

As stated earlier, there are multiple clear differences that you can hear between the tracks “Lemonade” and “Foreverest”.  For starters, “Foreverest” is somehow even more melodic than the anthemic track, “Lemonade”.  To be clear, this is not a negative quality, but it is still a surprising feature, especially when considering how harmonious multiple sections and choruses were on “Lemonade”.  The guitar work is simply graceful and does a great job with complimenting the superb songwriting and vocal performance heard on “Foreverest”. However, the most significant and enjoyable difference between the two tracks is how the overall sound of the track ,”Foreverest”, is more unique to Dwellings.  As much as I love “Lemonade”, there were multiple instances where the track sounded a lot like previous Dance Gavin Dance releases.  “Foreverest”, on the other hand, sounds more unique to Dwellings and their specific style of songwriting, and in the process, shows off their own personal take on post hardcore.  The influences from DGD and other well known post hardcore bands can still be heard, but Dwellings’ personal and recognizable sound is without a doubt the most prominent aspect heard, and in return gives their fans a better idea to how their sound will develop and become even more unique with future releases.  “Foreverest” will probably be the most melodic and slowest song heard on the upcoming EP and it gives the project a good range from higher energy,  in your face songs to slower and even more emotional tracks.

However Dwellings, like most other major California based post hardcore acts, still show some examples of similarities to Dance Gavin Dance in this new track.  These similarities are not a bad thing, or show lack of creativity, but demonstrate how they are able to take this modern style of post hardcore and transform and mold it into their own unique sound.  The first similarity a listener familiar with DGD will hear when listening to “Foreverest” is that this song is heavily influenced by Dance Gavin Dance’s third full length studio album, “Happiness”.  “Lemonade” featured elements from both “Happiness” and “Acceptance Speech” (the fifth studio album by the Sacramento based band), but “Foreverest” appears to just draw influence from “Happiness” alone. This is not a surprise to me since they have already shown signs of writing in a similar style to “Happiness”, and Dwellings’ bassist, Anthony Pacheco, has even stated that this DGD record is his favorite to date.  That being said, it now seems obvious why “Happiness” and “Foreverest” might sound somewhat similar.  “Happiness” is one of, it not my absolute favorite, DGD record as well, so Dwellings’ use of mixing in elements from this legendary record is something that I definitely approve of.  These elements, which include everything from the sincere, emotion filled lyrics to to the slow, yet melodic song structure can be directly compared and sound similar to songs like “Happiness” off the album of the same name, but can also strengthen their own songwriting by combing their favorite moments from “Happiness” and their own personal songwriting sound.  However, it is important to note that all of Dwellings’ material has been recorded by Josh Benton, who used to play guitar for Dance Gavin Dance and now records some of their releases like “Tree City Sessions”, and has been mastered by Kris Crummett, who recorded most of DGD’s full length records and other releases by notable California based post hardcore groups.  Because of this, some of aspects of Dwellings’ material might be similar to DGD solely because their production process is almost identical to Dance Gavin Dance’s.  Regardless of where they take influence from, Dwellings is making some serious progress at becoming the next legendary post hardcore group.

In conclusion, this is another solid track from soon-to-be household name, post hardcore group, Dwellings.  My anticipation for this debut EP continues to grow with every single released and I simply cannot wait to see what they put out next.  I give their second single, “Foreverest”, and 8.9/10.  The release date for the EP, “Lavender Town”, hasn’t been posted yet by the band, but when it does the staff at Erik’s Album Reviews will be the first ones to share it with you!  Check out the review for their debut single, “Lemonade”, below and give the latest single, “Foreverest”, a listen and let us know what you think!

“Lemonade” Review:

Album Reivew: DWELLINGS Lemonade – Single

“Foreverest”:

The Thursday Ten Segment To Return Next Week

Over the last two weeks we’ve been very busy at Erik’s Album Reviews, and because of this, we have unfortunately missed two “The Thursday Ten” segments in a row.  I know this can be very frustrating to our readers and in order to make this up to the dedicated readers and followers, we’ve decided to post 20 album ratings next week rather than the usual 10!  We hope this extra content can make up for a lack of posts recently and we will definitely be releasing more reviews and music content in the upcoming weeks!  We greatly appreciate your patience during the busy weeks and, of course, we are very thankful for your continued support!

Track(s) of the Day Tuesday: COLUMBUS Raindrop and BALANCE AND COMPOSURE Reflection

Last week I totally forgot to write a post for Track of the Day Tuesday so, like what I’ve done in previous weeks where I missed a post for Track of the Day Tuesday, I’ve decided to discuss two songs that you absolutely need to check out today.  These tracks are Balance and Composure’s “Reflection” and Columbus’ “Raindrop”.  These two bands have made a significant impact in the pop punk/alternative rock genres and are slowly becoming some of my favorite acts in the punk and rock scenes, despite the fact that I just started listening to these bands this year.  Columbus and Balance and Composure have multiple prominent differences in their music that makes them extremely distinct from one another, but what they do have in common is phenomenal material that I guarantee you will definitely enjoy.

Balance and Composure is one of those artists that I have heard a lot about over the years but have slept on until recently.  Even though they often tour with some of my favorite pop punk bands of all time, I still neglected their material and put off listening to them until this month.  And of course, like with most bands I put off listening to, I realize I have been missing out on great music and instantly regret not giving them a listen when I first heard about them.  My reasoning for finally giving them a shot is due mostly to the fact that their two iconic albums, “Separation” and “The Things We Think We’re Missing” (which is the album that features the track “Reflection”), were recently repressed and released on cassette tape.  “The Things We Think We’re Missing” has actually never seen a cassette tape pressing, but “Separation” has seen one pressing over three different variants years ago through Lost Tape Collective that quickly sold out.  Due to the fact that Balance and Composure tapes are pretty rare I decided to finally give them a listen to see if it would be worth it for me to buy myself a copy.  I’m extremely glad I did because they are one of the bands I cannot stop listening to lately!  I haven’t really given “Separation” an in depth listen, but what I have heard so far from “TTWTWM” is simply amazing.  Balance and Composure does a perfect job with mixing my favorite elements of alternative rock and pop punk together to form outright beautiful music.  “Reflection” is a perfect example of this and is easily my favorite song that I’ve heard so far from Balance and Composure.  I definitely plan on checking out more of their discography, especially their 2016 release, and if you are not familiar with their material then definitely check out their track “Reflection”!

Columbus on the other hand is a pop punk band that I have been a huge fan of for the last few months.  I discovered Columbus when I was bored last spring and decided to search through different tabs on bandcamp.  I ended up stumbling upon their 2015 release, “Home Remedy”.  After hearing the first track off this EP, “Downsides of Being Honest”, which features guest vocals from John Floreani of Trophy Eyes, I instantly got hooked on Columbus and I have since become a massive fan of the Australia based band.  Right after I discovered Columbus I saw their announcement that they were recording their first ever full length record.  Excited to hear new material, I continued to stay up to date with the group until the release of “Spring Forever”, their debut LP.  Even though I’ve only listened to the record once through, I can definitely say that it is a great album and is full of amazing Columbus songs.  Their sound changed slightly, exemplifying a more calm pop punk sound that Blink-182 fans will instantly become addicted to, but overall this new record still sounds like classic Columbus that their fans have grown to love.  I will say though that none of the songs top my favorite track by them, “Downsides of Being Honest”, but this does not mean that the 2016 album is anything less than superb.  However, what “Spring Forever” does have is an amazing new track titled, “Raindrop”, that is accompanied with one of the saddest and most powerful music videos I have ever watched.  I don’t want to spoil too much about the music video, but the symbolism and plot development of the main characters and how it aligns with the lyrics heard on the song allow the video to get progressively more sad until the absolutely heart breaking ending the music video has.  Emotional music and videography is one of Columbus’ strengths and it is showcased in the outstanding track “Raindrop”.  It is essential that you watch this music video today and give this great up and coming band a listen as they would greatly appreciate your support!

This has probably been the lengthiest Track of the Day Tuesday that I have ever written.  However, the two groups mentioned are so significant and important not just to their respective sub genres, but also to me as a fan, that I think a lengthy post like this is completely justified.  The two tracks, “Reflection” and “Raindrop”, which you need to listen to, are attached below.  I’ve also added the link to buy the Balance and Composure cassette tapes for any fans of the band that would like to buy their own copies and I’ve also added the link to Columbus’ bandcamp page where you can download “Home Remedy” and any of their past material for free.  Give these tracks a listen, let us know what you think of the two songs, and be sure visit the site often this week for more music content!

Columbus bandcamp:

https://columbusmusic.bandcamp.com/

“Raindrop”:

Balance and Composure Cassette Tapes:

http://merchnow.com/catalogs/balance-and-composure

“Reflection”:

Vinyl and Cassette News: Between The Buried And Me Release 7″ Record For Their Cover Of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”

In case you missed it, last month Between The Buried And Me announced that they would be releasing their cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” on 7″ vinyl.  The record, which has the track “Vertical Beta 461” on the b-side and is also their version of Paul Waggoner’s “Boot Dagger Boogie”, is the latest vinyl release from the North Carolina based prog metal band.  The EP was first released as one of the items received from buying a VIP ticket to one of the shows on the Between The Buried And Me and Devin Townsend tour.  The latest BTBAM project has since been released to the public, and can now be purchased on vinyl.

After listening to the two tracks I can actually say that I enjoyed the cover EP.  Usually I am not a fan of covers of any Queen songs, but BTBAM did a great job of mixing in their signature sound to write this cover that I actually found it to be pretty enjoyable.  Also, if you didn’t know that “Vertical Beta 461″ was a reworked version of a Paul Waggoner song, then it would be easy to think that this track is a brand new Between The Buried And Me song.  The instrumentation and vocals heard on this cover are so similar to the unique song structure and sound heard on past BTBAM projects that its hard to distinguish that they didn’t actually write this song.  In conclusion, both of these tracks are great and I highly encourage picking up a copy of this 7″!

The link to purchase the vinyl 7″ is attached below with the stream of the EP.  If you are unfamiliar with BTBAM I definitely recommend listening to literally anything from their discography.  Between The Buried And Me is one of the great modern progressive metal acts and if you like any artists in the prog metal scene, then you need to give Between The Buried And Me a listen.  As stated in earlier blogs, a ton of posts for vinyl and cassette news will be released this week so be sure to check in frequently for more updates about vinyl and cassette releases!

BTBAM 7”:

http://www.merchconnectioninc.com/collections/between-the-buried-and-me/products/between-the-buried-and-me-bohemian-rhapsody-7-vinyl

“Bohemian Rhapsody” Cover:

“Vertical Beta 461”:

Vinyl and Cassette News: Panic! At The Disco’s “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” To Be Repressed

2016 has seen some huge vinyl represses this year, but this repress is probably the most significant repress we will see all year!  Las Vegas based rock band, Panic! At The Disco, will be repressing their iconic debut album, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” this month.  Their debut record, along with their sophomore and third full length records, “Pretty. Odd.” and “Vices & Virtues”, will get represses this year as well after years of having previous presses completely sold out.  Panic! At The Disco’s first three records are some of their most successful and popular releases to date and it’s no surprise that their previous pressings of these records are extremely rare and hard to find online.  Almost all of these previous pressings have been resold for at least $100 and some have even seen sales close to $400!  That being said, this repressing of Panic!’s first three records gives collectors and fans of Panic! At The Disco the ability to finally purchase a copy of these great records for an affordable price!

Even though each of the albums mentioned are extremely limited on vinyl and in high demand from fans of the band, “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” is still the most significant repressed album all year.  “AFYCSO” was the record that launched Panic! At The Disco into their massive successful career that we see today, and the record is widely received by fans as the group’s greatest record.  It also has the most previous pressings than any of the first three albums and has also been sold for as much as $399 on Discogs!  I personally never thought that “AFYCSO” would ever be repressed again due to the fact that there were already multiple pressings made for the debut album that are often resold on various websites.  However, this repressing, like mentioned earlier, gives fans a way to get a copy, whether or not they own a previous pressing.  Even though this repress will add more vinyl copies of the album to the vinyl and cassette market, I still think that older pressings will still have ridiculously high prices and the demand for these copies will still be great, similar to how certain Circa Survive pressings are still high in price and demand.  If you are one of the people who are still looking to get any copy of this record on vinyl you need to purchase this as soon as possible as this pressing will definitely sell out and could also be added to the list of expensive resold Panic! At The Disco records.

If you are looking to buy a copy online then check out the links I have posted below to srcvinyl and my favorite store ever, Bullmoose Records, who are both selling copies of the Panic! At The Disco records.  Again, and I cannot stress this enough, these represses will absolutely sell out so now is your chance to pick up a copy at a normal, affordable price, especially if you don’t care what pressing of any of the records you can get.  I also attached the full stream of “AFYCSO” for those who want to give the classic record a listen!  We have a lot more vinyl and cassette news to share in the upcoming week so make sure to visit the site to see more updates about the vinyl and cassette market!

srcvinyl:

https://www.srcvinyl.com/searchanise/result?q=panic+at+the+disco

Bullmoose Records:

http://www.bullmoose.com/search?Q=panic+at+the+disco&As=true&As=false&Cid=18&Pf=&Pt=&btnsearch=Search

“A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out”:

500 Word Review: “Nails/Full of Hell Split EP”

Recently, grindcore and powerviolence legends, Nails and Full of Hell, released a split EP together.  The split EP is the first release since Nails’ “hiatus” and is also the follow up to their amazing full length record, “You Will Never Be One Of Us”, which was released earlier this year.  Ever since this split EP was announced I have been extremely excited to hear it, despite the fact that I had never heard of Full of Hell before.  I was also especially excited to review this project since I have never reviewed a split EP before or any project from either group!  The split EP itself features one song from Nails titled, “No Longer Under Your Control”, and two songs from Full of Hell titled, “Thy Radiant Garrote Exposed” and “Bez Bolu”.  However, even before hearing a single track from the split, I was almost certain that this would be one of the best EPs I listen to this year.

If you know anything about grindcore, especially the two artists featured on this split, then you will not be surprised to see how short this split EP is.  With a total playing time of just short of 4.5 minutes, the Nails/Full of Hell split EP is one of the shortest split EPs I have ever heard and will easily be the shortest release you hear all year.  And again, if you are familiar with grindcore, then you know that the short compositions are chaotic and intense to say the least.  However, this split between Nails and Full of Hell is far more than just chaotic, it is unrelenting, brutal grindcore and powerviolence from start to finish that perfectly fits the gorgeous EP artwork.  When listening to the sole Nails track on the split EP, “No Longer Under Your Control”, it is clear that the songwriting heard is very similar to their previous album, “You Will Never Be One Of Us”, with only a few exceptions that allow the split to differ from the 2016 full length release.  For example, “No Longer Under Your Control” is slightly less aggressive than “YWNBOOU” and is also more melodic with some riffing mixed in with heavy chugging sections, that happen to be a staple for “YWNBOOU”.  The vocals, lyrics, and solo heard on “No Longer Under Your Control”, however, are practically identical to what is heard on the 2016 full length release, which is actually a good thing.  The only negative aspect heard on this Nails track is the production quality.  The production quality is muddy, and by being slightly worse than what is heard on “YWNBOOU”, it fails to correctly exemplify the brutal, raw sound that makes Nails’ music great.  However, this production quality does not take away from the fact that this track is absolutely stellar!

As I mentioned earlier, I did not know anything about Full of Hell prior to this release.  After listening to the split 7 times through I am extremely glad Full of Hell was included in this split because I have really enjoyed their two tracks on the release, “Thy Radiant Garrote Exposed” and “Bez Bolu”.  Like Nails’ sole track, these two tracks are short, fast aggressive, and hard-hitting, addictive grindcore songs.  The sludgy, overall production and tone heard on the guitar and bass tracks accompanied by perfectly mixed vocals result in two phenomenal tracks by Full of Hell.  In fact, these songs are so well written and well recorded that I actually might like these songs more than the sole Nails track heard on this split!  I plan on checking out more of Full of Hell’s discography and if the rest of their material sounds like the songs on this split then I could definitely become a fan of them!

In conclusion, this a great split by Nails and Full of Hell.  In fact, this split EP gives Nails the potential to become the first band/artist to have both an EP and an album make it onto the EPs of the Year list and the Albums of the Year list on Erik’s Album Reviews in the same year.  The aggressive, chaotic sound heard throughout the release is near perfect grindcore that is brief yet masterful, and above all, unfathomably brutal that leaves the listener feeling like they got hit by a bus. I give the Nails/Full of Hell split EP a 9.0/10 and you need to give less than 5 minutes of your time to listen to and truly experience this remarkable split EP, regardless of your opinion on grindcore and this form of extreme music.  I’ve attached the soundcloud stream of the split EP, along with where to order the 7″ vinyl, below for anyone who wants to give it a listen and I’ve also posted the original post I wrote when Nails and Full of Hell first announced the release.  We’ll have a lot more reviews to post in the upcoming weeks so make sure to check back into the site to see what we review next!

Split EP Announcement:

Breaking News: Nails Will Release a Split 7″ With Full of Hell This December

Split EP on Vinyl:

Nails / Full Of Hell "Split"

Full Split EP Stream:

Breaking News: Deadmau5 Releases New Album “W:/2016ALBUM/” And His Single “Ghosts N Stuff” Goes Platinum

Yesterday, electronic music titan, Deadmau5, released his latest album, “W:/2016ALBUM/”, through his own label, mau5trap.  The 2016 record is Deadmau5′ latest full length album and release since 2014’s, “while (1<2)”.  The album was released with hardly any promotion, and practically had a surprise release, but so far Deadmau5 fans have welcomed the new release with positive feedback and reviews!  Personally, I’ve only heard a track or two off “W:/2016ALBUM/”, but what I have heard is extremely promising and leads me to believe this latest Deadmau5 project could be his best release in years!  The release features a different sound from Deadmau5 that includes a significant amount of experimentation, different from his previous releases, while also showcasing the classic synth sounds and recognizable beats that make Deadmau5′ material iconic and timeless.

In other Deadmau5 news, Deadmau5′ most successful single, “Ghost N Stuff”, recently went platinum according to RIAA.  The single, which features vocals from Rob Swire and is featured on the highly praised album, “For Lack of a Better Name”, is one of the most well known Deadmau5 tracks.  The best part of this news story, however, is that according to RIAA “Ghosts N Stuff” went platinum  on Halloween this year.  Out of all the days in the year for a track titled “Ghosts N Stuff” to go platinum, Halloween has to be the best day for the track to do so.  Regardless of the well fitting date to go platinum, “Ghosts N Stuff” is still a fantastic electronic song and the fact that it is now certified platinum is a huge accomplishment!  Congrats to Deadmau5 for the remarkable feat and hopefully more singles of his reach this notable level of success!

Even though I am crazy behind on album reviews, I definitely plan on completing the review for “W:/2016ALBUM/” in the near future.  For the meantime check out the stream of the album below and let us know what you think of the latest Deadmau5 record.  Be sure to check back in for more reviews and music content and let us know if there are any records that you want us to review in the last few weeks of 2016!

Vinyl and Cassette News: Burial’s “YOUNG DEATH / NIGHTMARKET” Accidently Gets Released Early On Vinyl

In case you missed it, Burial, the legendary English electronic producer and recording artist, recently released his latest project “YOUNG DEATH / NIGHTMARKET (HDB100).  The short EP, which was officially released only a few days ago, features an experimental ambient sound accompanied with reverb filled synths and multiple, altered samples that give the project an overall sound unique to Burial himself.  This new EP is very fascinating and is both relaxing and compelling, causing the listener to feel at ease yet never lose interest or focus on the material.

The release itself is stellar, and I will most likely follow up this post with an official review of the project, but the most prominent news to come from this release actually isn’t about the material, but how it was distributed.  Days before the EP was supposed to have a surprise release, it suddenly surfaced on Discogs.  Stunned, Burial fans quickly reacted to this update and wondered if this was a legitimate, new release from Burial and where they could get themselves a copy of this record.  It was soon realized that the Discogs update was made in response to a Toronto record shop, called Sonic Boom Records, accidentally selling the release early on Black Friday.  Sonic Boom Records, who received the new 12″ records by mail, assumed the new release was a Black Friday secret listing and because of this 5 copies were accidentally sold to Toronto customers.  This project, which was eventually officially released on Burial’s official Bandcamp page on November 28th, is the first solo project of 2016 by the British artist.  Once the vinyl EP was officially released it quickly sold out on Burial’s site and has since been selling extremely fast at local record shops in both North America and Europe.  There are still numerous places that have a copy left to purchase, including the 53 individual listings on Discogs selling the 12″ for as little as $8.57, however this record will definitely sell out completely eventually.

If you are an electronic music fan you need to listen to this release.  In my opinion, this will most likely be one of the best EPs you hear all year.  If you are unfamiliar with Burial this is a very good place to start, however his discography is extremely immense and filled with great material, so checking out any release from the South London based artist is highly recommended.  The link to purchase the 12” vinyl record from Discogs is attached below along with the full EP stream.  Give it a listen, check out the other electronic reviews and music content posted on this site, and be sure to visit often for more electronic, vinyl, and cassette news!

https://www.discogs.com/Burial-Young-Death-Nightmarket/release/9412422

Vinyl and Cassette News: Erra’s “Impulse” Now Available On Vinyl For the First Time Ever

Alabama based, prominent metalcore group, Erra, have recently announced that their debut LP, “Impulse”, is now available on vinyl for the first time ever! The record will have two separate variants, with one variant being Purple and the other Black.  Unfortunately, the exact amount of how many copies of each variant were made has yet to be released.  Regardless, this recent pressing means that it is now possible to own every Erra full length album on vinyl!  Although, there is a very good chance that these variants will sell out fast so be sure to add this to your collection today!

“Impulse” is a massive milestone in the history of Erra as a band and its significant impact on the group’s legacy can still be seen today.  Not only did this record help connect Erra to its current fan base, but it was also one of the first releases to feature Erra’s signature style of progressive metalcore.  “Impulse” would also help pave the way for the group to write one of its most successful releases ever, “Augment”, which was the 2013 follow up to “Impulse”.  Without this album, Erra’s career and importance in the extreme metal community would be drastically different.  Because of this, it is fair to say that this record is a phenomenal release and if you have never heard it before now you can hear it on the greatest format to listen to music!

The link to the “Impulse” records through Merchbucket is attached below along with a stream of the album itself.  Make sure to check back in this week for more vinyl and cassette news!

http://www.merchbucket.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCH