It Comes At Night Review | Decoded Movie Reviews

After 'Get Out' premiered in March I've been eagerly awaiting another thought provoking and terror-inducing horror film. While it may be a slow burn, It Comes at Night appears to be that film.

Larusso-Life In Static review| THE RETURN OF INDEPENDENT CLOSET

Hello everyone and get ready for the first 'true' Independent Closet on Youtube. As is becoming the norm I have included the video THEN the written review for whichever you prefer, please enjoy!

Video Review

Written Review:

Hello and welcome back to Decoded where we take your favorite content across all media, break them down piece by piece, and see what’s left standing. I’m Keith Legion and let’s launch into today’s Independent Closet review of Larusso’s 2014 release, Life in Static.

History:

Larusso is led by it’s creator and long time lead singer Aaron Condrat who established the band in the mid to late 2000’s in the Salt Lake City area with a few other friends who would later leave the project. This did not stop Condrat though as he continued with a rotating cast of musicians still continuing to release quality content over the next 5 years. It was not until a merging of the local bands “Mess of Me” and Larusso did the current line up stand where it is with Tyler ‘Fizzy’ Grundstrom and Justin Trombetti joining the band as bass guitar and drums respectively. While Condrat does play rhythm guitar and vocals as the music grew so did its complexity which called for the introduction of Nick Sasich on lead guitar. With the band completed assembled in it’s current state, a plethora of songs just ready to be recorded, and the fortitude to make sure they were at their best before release how does Life in Static stack up with the big boys?

The Singles:

Chase the Sun (Acoustic):

Now in press kits there are a few different songs included but going off official single releases we can see that the only two for ‘Life In Static’ are the acoustic version of Chase the Sun and The Voice. Before we dive into The Voice I’d like to offer kudos to the acoustic version of Chase the Sun as it is not officially on the album I have a hard time giving the album itself bo nus points for this song BUT it still has a great progression, instrumental performances, and emotive qualities that I feel the full band version sadly may have slightly squeezed out.

Now in terms of The Voice,

If you enjoy bands such as The Startling Line, Yellowcard, the latter years of Blink-182, or any of that genre of band this song will hit all the right beats for you. Condrat’s vocals cut through the mix just enough to give you a clear understanding of the image he is painting across the instrumental backdrop without hindering the instruments as the intro riff rings out with the constant cymbal taps. Then the song really picks up in the first chorus and it’s at this point that Trombetti’s drums get huge in the mix really adding diversity to the sound going forward in the song. This song is a perfect single as it gives you the best example of what Larusso can offer in this album without weighing themselves down in any pre-conceived notions other releases may have had.

The Rest of the Album…

It’s at this point i’d like to jump through a few of the standout tracks on the album as to navigate any potential listeners to the songs that may strike the best chord with them, yes we do puns here…

Set Phasers to Fun:

Now this song had me cracking up a bit at first. Not due to the song itself but due to the complete subversion of the title. I assumed this would be a fast and furious power-chorded Green Day song about skateboarding and having fun, a staple of punk-pop/00’s alternative. But is instead one of the better acoustic tracks on the album completed with a beautiful guitar solo before fading into a crowd that has been growing in presence since the song started. It has a very almost ukelele quality to the strumming pattern which is a relaxing  break from the rest of the album and allows for Condrat to really show off his vocal prowess with holding the melody on his back throughout the song. This is a great song and I’d highly recommend it as a second listen for anyone looking to dive into their catalog.

Take Me Away/Chemical:

I’ve found that sadly my happiest moments from this album are the slower striped down moments. That is meant as no insult to Trombetti or Grundstrum as they both do a stellar job holding the groove of a song and truly making it their own but the piano ballad Take Me Away and ending acoustic number Chemical were all very well placed on the album. It appears that as the album goes on it shifts from an in-your-face pop-punk album to a more spirited rock album leaving no stone unturned as Larusso is trying everything they’ve ever wanted to on an album and for a majority of the time this works. The risks are very real in this album and it would be much too easy to phone in it and say we are sticking to one type of song and one type of genre which I respect the band for not doing. The album ends with a duet between Condrat and Grundsturm chanting “I will become what I desire,” with a steady snare roll and claps to bring the album to a close with intimacy whether than a bombastic showpiece. This works perfectly and allows the listener to truly enjoy the subtleties of these music makers.

Conclusion:

In all, I would say Life in Static is a solid album that will bring in more listeners to this already great band from it’s wide range of content to the amazing mixing this album is very pleasing to the ear and something very easy to get so entranced in that you forget you’re already at the final song. I give Larusso’s Life in Static a high listen recommend, search this out on Spotify or Youtube.

Fever:

Oh you didn’t think we were done did you? Not by a long shot as the guys of Larusso decided to save the best for last and start our 2016 with a shot of adrenaline straight to the heart. Fever was released towards the back end of 2015 with a music video taking a few months to fully get produced making it’s way to the Youtube’s on January 19th 2016. This song is a day to night shift in Larusso. I could not be happier to report how great this song is.
Most musicians, as mentioned in the last review for The Weeknd album, have an issue with starting off soft and building upon that to crescendo to a big moment. While this may have a been a tiny issue with Larusso during Life in Static, Fever shows this band is constantly evolving it’s sound as this song hits hard and does not let up. The song feels like a true rock and roll song as the bass grooves along brilliantly in the background enhancing the tracks intense driven feel. Then the bridge happens… which offers a breath of air for the listener before drummer Justin Trombetti himself grabs the mic and brings the song back to it’s intense finale with that scream. I highly recommend buying this song as if this is any indication of the direction the band is heading they are about to have quite the bright future ahead of them.

The Weeknd Beauty Behind The Madness Review

DISCLAIMER: This time I'm trying something a bit different so let me know what you think. I will attach the video for those who are interested first THEN have the review laid out in text as in the good old days for those that prefer it.

Video Review

Hello and welcome back to Decoded where we take your favorite content across all media, break them down piece by piece, and see what’s left standing. I’m Keith Legion and let’s get started with today’s review of The Weeknd’s 2015 blockbuster album, “Beauty Behind the Madness.”

HISTORY:
Born February 16, 1990 in Toronto, Canada The Weeknd’s legal name is… oh lord I’m going to butcher this… Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. Abel adopted the moniker The Weeknd after dropping out of high school at the age of 17 where he and a crew-member “left one weekend and never came home.” Due to a Canadian band already having the trademark for the proper spelling, Abel needed to modify it so as to avoid legal issues.
Abel eventually met up with producer Jeremy Rose who created the first working rough drafts of the songs, “What You Need,” “Loft Music,” and “The Morning.” The project was inevitably scrapped once Jeremy rose walked away from the project but allowed Abel to keep the produced tracks under the condition proper credit was given. Abel then uploaded these songs to Youtube under his moniker The Weeknd which created quite the word of mouth buzz eventually reaching a blog that also prominently featured Drake’s songs.

In the timeframe of one year Abel would go onto release not 1 but 3 individual EPS titled House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence which received critical acclaim and grew Abel’s fanbase exponentially. Abel would eventually go on to put all of these EPS together, remaster them,  and release Trilogy on November 13th, 2012 which was certified platinum on May 16th, 2013 by the Recording Industry Association of America. Abel would follow this up by touring extensively over the next year and eventually squeezing in time for his first official mainstream album titled Kiss Land. Kiss Land was released on Sept 10th, 2013 and received mostly favorable reviews from critics debuting number 2 on the Billboard 200 being defeated by Keith Urban’s “Fuse” by a mere 95,000 copies. With one massively successful trilogy of EPS and a positive first mainstream release the stakes were set pretty high for 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness. So the question remains how does the sophomore follow-up compare?

The SINGLES:
Often:
A pretty solid intro to The Weeknd and single for the album. The single starts with something you will see across all of The Weeknd’s work. One a lot of reverb. These songs have an air about that screams mystery and distance while the other trope is The Weeknd’s random usage of Ooh’s in his songs to establish the melody. I would not take either of these as  a heavy criticism against the tropes though as these staples are probably why his songs are so entrancing and enticing. Now the song itself is pretty straight forward. The first verse has a message very reminiscent of the titular track “Kiss Land” from his first major release. The echoes here are that the girls will not be sneaking pictures and if what they’re looking for is something deeper than sex or no sex at all they should get going. It’s another recurring theme in The Weeknd’s song catalog but here he references the innocence of “good girl” wanting to get with him but naively asking if he does this “Often.” All in all a solid SAFE song off the album.

The Hills:

Now when I started listening to this album this track was one I had surprisingly not been bombarded by and the only way I truly knew it was anything special was when I was out visiting my big brother and under ‘bangers’ on his DJ setlist was this song. I’d actually probably have to agree with that sentiment of the song. Unlike a majority of the songs on the album such as “Can’t Feel My Face ” this song doesn’t start out distant and soft, from the get-go it is intense and a bit primal better so then the Kanye West produced “Tell Your Friends.” The song of course does back off a bit in the verse to allow for a dynamic dichotomy between verses and chorus. He almost murmurs the verses like he’s in a very drugged up state before launching in full-throttle in the opening line of the chorus. It works very well as even though it is a slow song from a music standpoint it feels very intimate and a must-buy for any music fan.

The Rest of the Album...
Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey):

Why is this song on this album? Honestly, on Spotify it evens uses the 50 Shades of Grey artwork instead of the official Beauty Behind The Madness artwork, so can someone please explain why it’s here? It must be because 50 shades of Grey was such a success that they banked on people wanting to buy the song twice but I’ll be honest this song is a dark mark on the album. In Songs such as Acquainted the only issue is a pretty generic backdrop for The Weeknd and the unnecessarily long ending that just goes on and on. But this song….. Let’s break it down.

Unlike The Hills it starts with a slow string section and basic beat holding the backdrop before The Weeknd starts singing what obviously sounds like a forced boqring verse. Yes there are a few fluctuations in his vocal delivery but take an honest listen and tell me this does not sound like the first time Abel is phoning in it. Then the super high pitch pre-choruses are a bit too airy and upfront to truly enjoy as if this isn’t a true The Weeknd song. Then we get to the chorus and guess what? Nothing changes except for a distant piano melody and an ending punctuation from the strings. This is a lazy song and you should avoid it at all costs.

Favorite Song:
In The Night and Shameless:
While I usually do one song as a favorite in these reviews I would like to throw out an honorable mention to “In The Night.” This song is the better of the Michael Jackson sounding tracks from the album, I’m looking at you “Can’t Feel My Face.” There’s just this liveliness and tour de force coming from the Weeknd through the whole song. From the opening lines to the chorus to the closing lines this song will get caught in your head near instantly if you give it a true listen.

Moving forward, let’s discuss Shameless….
I’m going to jump ahead before we talk about the full song. THAT SOLO IS AMAZING… I was not expecting such an awesome accompanying solo from any instrumentation on this album and then the electric guitar (or electric synth that has been mixed/crafted expertly) comes in and it’s game over this song wins the album for me. Now in terms of the rest of the song this is a very deep song in terms of the overarching main theme that is Abel Tesafaye. The whole song is about a girl breaking down after stating she does not want to be trapped in a loveless sex fest but now wants him back as he’s better than nothing. Abel uses this to strokes his ever-inflating ego in this song and shows his sociopathic tendencies as he berates the girl for being the cause of her own pain. Abel has promised her nothing but sex and no emotion which he has given in spades, any pain she is feeling is of her own accord for expecting more. The title is in reference to how he refuses to feel bad about any situations he has concocted as it’s not his problem but he will always be there for her if she wants what he does. It’s a brilliant character study and honestly a brave song for anyone to release as it does not paint him in any great light.

In all, The Weeknd delivers yet another stellar album, peeling back just enough layers to not make this album seem old and tired but also keeping around the tropes that made him famous in the first place. While I would not say this is risky at this point in his career I feel that he may have only one more album like this before fans are clamouring for more from this new superstar. In all I give The Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind The Madness” the rating of ‘Buy It’

Buy It: Real Life, Losers, The Hills, Shameless, In The Night

Hear It: Tell Your Friends, Often, Acquainted, Can’t Feel My Face, Dark Times, Prisoner, Angel

Trash It: Acquainted, Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey), As You Are

Buy It

Jon Bellion 'The Definition' INDEPENDENT CLOSET SPECIAL

Hello and welcome back to DECODED. This time we're diving into a bit of a minor musician in the independent scene who is slowly rising up in the ranks. This genius is known as Jon Bellion and I have the same feeling for his music as I did when listening to 21 Pilots album 'Vessel' this musician's next work will make them huge so don't miss out on the opportunity to enjoy tomorrow's star today in the review above!

P.S. I'd also like to make you aware of the new FB page we have available here. If you'd click the link and hit the like button we'd deeply appreciate it and plus it'll get you a few behind the scenes updates and

Decoded Podcast Episode One: The Fandom Menace

Hello everyone, as noted in the last update I have a created a podcast with a few friends to discuss the goings on in movies, music, and gaming. Please click the video above for part 1 and I will updated this post in the coming days for the other parts.

If you enjoy what you're hearing be sure to like, comment, and subscribe for more awesome content!

Update 1: In Part 1 Sean, Miguel, and I discuss Star Wars: The Force Awakens from it's kinetic plot to it's cyclical character arcs. Have your own thoughts on SW&? Leave in the comments sections below!
Update 2 &3:

*Full Audio Episode available at: https://soundcloud.com/thed3c0d3r
-Keith Legion

Just a Quick Update...

Hello everyone, just wanted to offer a quick update regarding, "Decoded." I am currently still producing content in the background but am changing up the format a tad bit to make it easier to digest. What I mean by this is I've never been a fan of the numbering scale of reviews. In our age, an 8 and 9 are subject to the reviewers own expectation of what that number represents, while a feeling of how to view the content is a l ittle more my style.

I've also been piloting a podcast over the last couple of weeks, due to audio issues it has prevented me from uploading it but I'm hoping to have the pilot episode up within in the week detailing thoughts on the new Star Wars and a few other happenings in the gaming/movie hemisphere. The next Decoded is expected to be released before the end of the year and will be about Jon Bellion's 2014 effort, "The Defintion" which I cannot wait to share with you all.

As always I appreciation your patience as we attempt to try new things out on the channel and can't wait to show you what 2016 has in store for the Decoded channel!
-Keith Legion

Fading West Never Sounded So Heartless...

History

Welcome back to the first 2014 album review here on Rock D3C0D3D. Today we will be taking look an Alternative Rock band that have their roots soiled in Christian Rock. That band of course is the "hit or miss" Switchfoot and their newest venture Fading West.


As many of you may know this San Diego originating band broke into the mainstream with their first full-length album The Beautiful Letdown in 2003 which included the megalithic hits "Dare You To Move," "Meant to Live," and "This is Your Life." While resulting in huge success for the band it also became a bit of their Achilles heel since a majority of their best known work is from that album alone, which with a band that is on their ninth major outing, can be seen as a tad sad. But lest we fret for a band that has been touring and re-engineering their craft for the better part of a decade. So there is something to be said for a band that has withstood the test of fame and has not lost a single original member or call a hiatus. With all that being said is the newest venture by the band an amazing reinvigoration, or is it becoming obvious they are simply spinning their wheels? Let's dive in and find out

The Review

 Singles:

  As of 2013 the band has released two singles for the album. The obligatory second track track, call to arms anthem, "Who We Are" and the lead off track "Love Alone Is Worth The Fight." Out of these two songs the only one I find any resemblance of heart and drive is the latter. 
"Who We Are" may leave a few with the theme of being yourself and knowing that yourself will pull you through any experience you come into. but dear lord is there no soul in it.I don't know if it's the monotone vocal stylings of Jon Foreman or the incredible amount of electronics in this song, it just feels like any call to arms message has been muddied out.

"Love Alone Is Worth The Fight" is a tad bit better as the vocal dynamics are very well established showcasing the range of emotion we are used to by Mr. Foreman. Sadly it never reaches the depth of vocal emotionality of their most well known songs, but it's a step in the right direction for the lead-off song on the album.

  Originally thought they were on a mountain but the surfboard would make no sense

The Rest of the Album...

Now, I don't want to dislike the rest of this album as it incorporates a lot of what I love in music. The unwavering ability to mix electronics instruments with live instrumentation, crowd chants, and in the rare song, an inane sense of what the song means to the writer. In this album though I feel it is the worst example of how to do an album, it is no means a good album but it is also not bad enough to create any sense of rage inside someone (unless you are a huge Switchfoot fan then you may feel yourself in either camp). The album itself is truly just an "okay" album, the worst part of it is when it ends one just sits there thinking, "Well I was a tad bored but at least I didn't hate it." One may be able to boil down the boring-ness of the album to the fact that what it is trying to be is already on the market and done SO MUCH better by those artists. The singles sound like they are channeling the likes of OneRepublic and The Script which is not a bad thing since Switchfoot has always been in that same genre as the two, though they do come off as the poor mans attempt to emulate.

Of course with all albums there are always going to be the good songs with the bad songs so we'll just quickly run through them as this album sadly is not warranting the energy to be ripped apart or put on a pedestal.



"Say Like You Mean It:" Brings the energy missing in the first few entries full force allowing the band to have fun at a higher tempo. The electronics are well used here to chop up the sound and keep the entertainment value high enough for a 3 minute song. The vocal mixing is quite superb as it creates a garage rock sound before bellowing down to a Beatlesque acoustic instrumentation ending.

"The electronics are well used here to chop up the sound and keep the entertainment value high"

"The World You Want:" A great song showcasing the emotional depth missing from the majority of the album and switches the sound to a Third Eye Blind send up. While a majority of the song has Mr. Foreman stay in his solemn singing tone, it allows for his backing vocals (as well as groups of chanting) to fully illustrate and dance in the background gaining momentum until the final chorus where he goes full force in classic Switchfoot style.

A majority of the rest of the album stays within the same tempo and dynamic range presenting one with a song that starts out its build from heavily compressed electronic drum sets to the full band entrance around the second verse/chorus. I am not stating that this is a bad album by any means but sadly in 2014 Switchfoot is not adding anything to the musical formula that we have not seen already. Maybe back in 2007-2010 this would have been thought of as a much more inventive/stylized album, but in today's world of ever-evolving genre bases, Switchfoot's Fading West falls short of the mark in every regard, not reinventing the wheel. Which is not a bad thing as Switchfoot fans may love the direction of the sound I was just expecting a little bit more from a band on their ninth album outing.

DECODED: 5.0 out of 10

As always please like, share, and comment below!

All the music covered above is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify for your listening pleasure.

BUY IT: Love Alone Is Worth The Fight, The World You Want, Saltwater Heart

 

HEAR IT:  When We Come Alive, Say It Like You Mean It, Slipping Away, Let It Out, Back To The Beginning Again

TRASH IT:  Who We Are, BA55, All Or Nothing At All

 

*As with all things, the opinions expressed our purely that of the author and should be taken as such. ** All images, music, and information used are for entertainment/review purposes. No copyright infringement intended.

Because the Internet...

 History

So, let's talk about comedy for a second. For those of you that have not seen the fantastic TV series "Community" I highly recommend picking it up as it is not your typical TV sitcom and has fun using its own brand of referential humor. I bring up this show as the character Troy is played by none other than Donald Glover or as it relates to this review his "alter-ego" Childish Gambino. Now after watching Donald play in Community and noting his other comedic works writing for "30 Rock" and his own sketch comedy group "Derrick Comedy." It is very important to note that going into this I did not expect much other than a few parody songs in the vein of Weird Al or maybe a few songs that were so overtly serious that one could tell it was poking fun at the whole hip-hop genre itself. While half of this ended up being true I must say that the album Because the Internet took my by complete surprise with its contemplative lyrics, catchy instrumentation, and dark undertones.

Now as a side-note this may be a tad different from a majority of my review as:
1. I do not usually cover rap
2.  I will delving in a little deeper into the context of the song more-so then often
It is because of these two factor that if you would like to know my quick opinion on Because the Internet I would say it one of the best albums  have listened to since Vessels by Twenty One Pilots and highly recommend this to anyone who can appreciate music as there is something for everyone to enjoy. For further song recommendation please check the Buy It, Hear It, and Trash It sections below. Now without further ado

The Review

 Singles:

Sadly another album on this site that only has one single at the time of review. The ninth track on the album entitled "V. 3005" is the lead of single for Because the Internet and it is a pretty solid "party" song. The song starts as a seemingly pretty generic love song about having a fun/partying but slowly devolves into Gambino's feelings on life from fake friends, master plans, and even sanity. The production design is quite great and my only problem with the song is that it was not released earlier in the year as it screams "summer anthem."

Seriously though... would it kill you to attempt a smile?

The Rest of the Album...

Now the album itself is broken down into introductions and chapters with a majority of the songs being proceeded with extensions such as I, II, or V. The beginning of the album "Crawl" and "WORLDSTAR" are juxtapositions of what to expect from the album. They show both the deep existential thought process and party boy repertoire that weave together throughout the whole album. It is here we should talk about the production work through the album as it is superb. The low bass notes do not blast too hard in the musical landscape as to wash out other more interesting effects and instrumentation, which has become a common complaint in a variety of hip-hop/rap.

While the album can be incredibly serious to a point of exhaustion, it does allow for a few moments of pure hilarity. The funniest/most tongue-in-cheek song on the album is "IV. sweatpants" as Gambino plays up his status as a rapper who has money based on his talents though a majority of people would awesome that all rich people are assholes. At first listen one could confuse the song for another anthem of how awesome his life compared to yours but its during the second verse that he actually stops the music to explain "Fiskers don't make noise when they start up... just so you know," that one can tell he's purely playing up the stereotype for laughs. It is a much needed song as after this and the first verse of "V. 3005" things turn the darkness up to eleven as Gambino lets us deeper into his psyche. 

This would be the moment that this album completely turned around for me as I was ready to give up on it from the first listen. This is mainly because I was not understanding the lyrical content Gambino was laying on the tracks and decided to give it two songs to change my mind. The next chapter starts with "playing around before the party starts" which is just a calm piano line with people talking in the background but it slowly mesmerizes as "I.the party" starts playing. This song shows Gambino still talking about how amazing life is but has a more ominous tone to it, eventually ending with him screaming, "Get the fuck out of my house," establishing that he is sick of the facade and the mask is coming off.

"II. No Exit" probably the song most repeated in my car as it is such a left turn from the rest of the album. It has this deep synth phasing lead, techno drums, and washy piano that just beautifully paints the picture of Gambino's look on life. The hook from Miguel is just amazing and fit perfectly within the rap verses Gambino throws up on the walls regarding his feelings at night time and inability to truly rest. "I. Flight of the Navigator" along with the a majority of the ending tracks scream a Kanye West influence without the feeling that Gambino is just ripping off his idol. The brilliance in "I. Flight of the Navigator" lies in the strangeness of its progression starting within a spoken word verse (auto-tuned to helium heights) before allowing Gambino to show off the vocals chop he's merely teased at this point. The song has a semblance of loneliness and helplessness as he croons out, "Just hold me close my darling," a sentiment that has been touched upon throughout the rest of the album but not truly delved into until now.

Actually I take it back... Let's go back to that other thing...

"II. Zealots of Stockholm" first, can you a cooler sounding name for a song? Second, this song is an amazing example of starting a song in one direction and ending in a complete other since it starts as Gambino spots a beautiful young girl in a club (in the most ominous sounding verse yet). It slowly transforms into a telling of his feelings on the world now-a-days mentioning topics including god, same-sex marriage, love, and 3D printed guns. This huge song culminates in a line about missing "heaven by two inches," the two inches referencing greed and lust.

The ending chapter of the album still holds itself in the deep thought of the previous two but instead of the darkened, eerie musical score, we are presented more pulse pounding songs such as "I. pink toes" and "II. earth the oldest computer." These songs are majorly rapped and sang by Gambino himself relying very little on vocal samples and allowing one to see his true merit in both lyrical and hook engineering. If one is looking for an intense club sounding ballad about living forever be sure to check out "II. earth the oldest computer" but, it's the finale that Gambino truly solidifies the album as amazing.

Where most artists may drop the momentum made throughout the past two songs Gambino takes a literal "breather" before launching into his thought process for walking away from the comedy he's been safe in. The song, "III. life the biggest troll" itself can feel quite monotonous at moments compared to the majority of the soundscapes found on the album but, once Gambino opens his mouth the emotion that he draws upon makes this song abundantly engrossing. He details his lack of understanding where the line is between himself (Donald Glover) and his alter-ego he's created Childish Gambino and does something that was sorely missing in "My Evil Twin" by Eminem. He contemplates why he made the choice to create the alter-ego within the content and even takes us what the music itself has done for him and is a song that definitely succeeds in providing a fitting finale for the roller coaster of an album that proceeded it.

In all, Childish Gambino's Because the Internet is an intense, thought provoking, and well crafted album that deserves to be heard. The retelling of  his stories of loneliness, self-doubt, and "putting up a front" are all something that every one has either been through or is dealing with. While I know rap is not usually the forte here at "D3C0D3D" with a new year comes new change and we're hoping to expand our horizons going forward. We hope you enjoy the first article of 2014 and look forward to seeing you next time!

**Quick Note: The transition songs such as "the library" will not be judged as they are considered party of the song they proceed.

DECODED: 9.0 out of 10

As always please like, share, and comment below!

All the music covered above is available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify for your listening pleasure.

BUY IT: The Worst Guys, Telegraph ave, 3005, No Exit, Flight of the Navigator, Zealots of Stockholm, Pink Toes, Earth: the Oldest Computer, and Life: The Biggest Troll

 

HEAR IT:  Crawl, WORLDSTAR, Shadows, The Party, and Urn

TRASH IT:  NONE 

 

*As with all things, the opinions expressed our purely that of the author and should be taken as such. ** All images, music, and information used are for entertainment/review purposes. No copyright infringement intended.

Independent Closet: TWICEYOUNG

History 

Welcome back To Independent Closet where we give the lesser-known artists a chance to shine. This week we're going to take a look at a Pennsylvania born trio going under the guise, TWICEYOUNG whom are a new up-and-coming act yearning for a chance to prove themselves. And prove themselves they did by originating the album Little Mind Alike in Harrisburg, PA with members Tyler Laspopoulos (lead vocals/guitar), Seth Lourdon (bass), and Zach Myers (drums). After finishing their first album they decided to expand their musical pool by moving to Nashville, TN where they currently reside. It's been a long time coming for the band to have a full lineup and release an album so let's explore Little Mind Alike.

Album "Review"

The album Little Mind Alike lets you know from the start what you are getting into, which is an ambient clash of indie, alternative, and a splash of classic rock. The best interpretation of the first song "Half Dust" is a song akin to Radiohead-esque vocals mixed with the instrumentation of a solemn Brand New single. The song does a great job showcasing the talents of guitarist/vocalist Tyler Laspopoulos, alternating between a somber vocal tone and airy falsetto with ease, a switch that is used frequently throughout the album. All in all it is a GOOD start to the album, allowing for just enough of a taste to wet our appetites for what is to come.

The next two songs entitled "Oceans" and "Acacia" are the perfect back-to-back pairing on the album growing on the ideas "Half Dust" started and running with them. Both songs have been released as singles with the latter (Acacia) having it's own very artistic music video I suggest checking out. The main sounds in "Oceans" are the largely-encompassing piano, sizzling strings/synthesizer, and dynamic drum work which allows the listener to truly hear the skill of Zach Myers as he switches from a heavy emphasis on the snare to booming bass in the matter of a verse/chorus length. This song is by far my favorite track on the album followed closely behind by the next official single.


"Acacia" is just a beautiful song. From the swelling piano and bells opening to the drum/piano outro it just capitalizes on what make this album so great. The song starts slowly (like a good majority of these) with only the piano, vocals, and a very impressive set of back-up vocals painting a vast landscape one can see when one close their eyes. From there the guitar swells in and it is time for this to start building to the pinnacle that is it's chorus which is well worth the wait. The chorus is a mix of vocals overdubs, piano chords, guitar slides, thundering bass, and quite the impressive drum beat that really finds itself incredibly engrossing/powerful despite the lack of dynamic change. This is another point of TWICEYOUNG that is impressive, the majority of their vocals do not change in terms of volume. Which Mr. Laspopoulos deserves a good bit of credit for not defaulting to a standard most singers rely on heavily which is screaming their lungs out. He has a way of conveying all of his emotions; the happiness, sadness, disappointment, and anger all by utilizing the instrumentation himself, Zach Myers, and Seth Lourdon throw onto the page, separating TWICEYOUNG from their contemporaries.

Linked the video for you. Go ahead... CLICK IT

The least impressive song on the album would have to be "Slow Down" which sadly follows both "Oceans" and "Acacia" and succumbs under the weight produced by the two heavy hitters. That's not to say it is a "bad" song in the slightest, I actually rather like the song but, it's here where first time listeners will notice the biggest problem on this album. Artistically Mr. Laspopoulos puts a good bit of reverb on his vocals which makes them sound very big and ambient but every once in a while his actually words are lost in translation because of this effect. I had to listen to songs such as "We Knew Her at Once" and "Slow Down" multiple times to fully understand the exact lyrics, which is true of most artists so it's not a complete loss, just a warning for listeners. That being said, "Slow Down" is probably the most vulnerable song on the album really only consisting of acoustic guitar, vocals, claps, and stomps which minimalistic approach helps it but as stated brings things down a few notches after the prior hits.


The last song I'd like to talk about is "Way Down" which at times sounds like a completely different band from it's intro echoing that of a slowed down Theory of A Deadman song and very clear vocals. Does this hurt the song? Not in the slightest, if anything it's nice to hear Mr. Laspopoulos' clear vocals really pierce through the soundscape and if anything should be done more in the future. The bass grooves a long which a great line that aligns perfectly with the drums before everyone picking up the pace to punch out an awesome chorus. The chorus (and subsequent bridge) on this song sound like a song just itching to be blasting from radio station to radio station across the U.S.

Conclusion

BUY IT: Oceans, Acacia, We Knew Her at Once, Way Down

HEAR IT: Half Dust, Brilliance

 

IGNORE IT: Slow Down

 

Band Page:http://twiceyoung.bandcamp.com/

Band FB: https://www.facebook.com/twiceyoung

Also available on iTunes and Spotify!

 

*As with all things, the opinions expressed our purely that of the author and should be taken as such. ** All images, music, and information used are for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.

Is Panic! Too Weird To Die Or Too Generic To Live

 Introduction

Meh. My thoughts when finishing the new album by Panic! At The Disco because unfortunately it does not live up to it's predecessors. While the band has seen many changes from it's original line up (most importantly the loss of bassist Jon Walker and main lyricist/guitarist Ryan Ross) it was nice to see Panic's lead vocalist and now lead writer Brendon Urie (along with original drummer Spencer Smith) was able to sustain such a behind-the-scenes change, releasing an album that many found to be superior to the 2008 follow-up Pretty Odd. But, let's take a moment to speak about not only "Pretty Odd" but the album that catapulted them into super-stardom A Fever You Can't Sweat Out Of.

The band formed back in 2004 in Summerlin, Las Vegas by Ryan Ross and Spencer Smith whom later invited Brent Wilson and Brendon Urie to join the band becoming nothing more than a Blink-182 cover band at the time. Eventually after hearing Brendon Urie sing during rehearsals, the band decided to change him to lead vocalist as opposed to current lead singer Ryan Ross. Focusing on making demos, as they felt the area they lived in would not be suitable for live performances, they ended up sending one to Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy who ended up signing the boys to his label named "Decaydance Records," a subsidiary of "Fueled By Ramen," in 2005. This also was the year the band released A Fever You Can't Sweat Out Of to massively positive critical acclaim. The album featured a variety of sounds from electronic dance fuck to Vaudevillian piano strings and accordion making Panic! At The Disco a household name.

The band went on to write three-fourths of another album but after careful examination decided they were unhappy with the style and the scrapped the ideas. This led to the band creating an album that was so opposite of their first effort it has a heavy split among fans, some feeling it's genius while others bash it stating there was nothing wrong with the old Panic! sound. This album was titled Pretty Odd and featured a very Beatles-esque sound with many woodwinds, acoustic guitar, and a variety on the singers allowing both Ross and Urie chances behind the microphone. After the mixed reception the band had a split with Ross and new bassist Jon Walker publicly leaving to make The Young Veins while Urie and Smith stayed together retooling Panic!. For times sake I will skip over their return in Vices and Virtues and dive right into their newest effort Too Weird To Live, Too Rare to Die.

  Welcome to Brendon Urie the one-man show

The Singles

Clocking in at just under thirty-three minutes Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! already has three singles released including the creepy serial killer inspired "Miss Jackson," the ballad-esque "This is Gospel," and their newest sex infused anthem "Girls/Girls/Boys." All of which are great songs but are very generic for the Panic! At The Disco fans have come to expect. "Miss Jackson" is a fun song if you can get past the semi-killer vibes. According to lead vocalist Urie it was about something that happened with him and how he felt when someone slept with him and disappeared without a trace the next day like he had done. This song in particular shows a huge disconnect from other songs that band has written in the past as it's electronics make it sound more like a new-age Fall Out Boy song (maybe rejected from Save Rock and Roll?). That being sad it along with it's follow-up "This is Gospel" do a great job of creating a pumped up electronic Panic! sound which unfortunately, cannot be said for the rest of the album.


"Girls/Girls/Boys" is the newest single released one day before the album flooded the internet and has quite the music videos for the ladies in the house (see below). The thing is you can hear the blatant 80's synth pop send up in this song which definitely is not a complete loss as the band is known for crossing over genres and decades. But the song itself does not have the energy of the past two songs, no matter how much Urie's belting tries to convince you otherwise. Aside from the cool synth line and groovy bass line there sadly is just not enough here to prove it deserved to be a single besides the success of their other sex-infused songs ("Lying is The Most Fun Girls Can Have Without Taking Their Clothes Off"). I may be missing the point with this bi-sexual decree of "Girls love Girls and Boys" but to me it just does not hit the mark other, much more deserving songs on this album have. Such as....

The Rest of The Album...

The rest of this album is best summed up through a few songs the band has written before. If you have listened to "Hurricane" and "Let's Kill Tonight"  from the album Vices and Virtues and liked them then you will like this album. If on the other hand you were like me and barely amused by the two songs, eventually finding them quite the watered-down version of Panic!'s sound, then you will you not like this album. The heavy hitters of the bad department are definitely the ill-fated Nicotine retreading over the commonly overused ground of a girl's love being an addictive substance and "Girl That You Love" which tries way too hard and sound like a  techno, synth-pop, Depeche Mode rip-off that does not lend itself any favors in an album filled with an homage to 80's synth pop. 

 

 The song may be absolute $h!t but this video is hilarious

The few stand-out tracks on the album are: "Vegas Lights" which is the pinnacle of this album's sound but  for some reason woks in a shameless sense; "Casual Affair" which offers a breathe of fresh air from the terrible "Girls/Girls/Boys;" and the ending track "The End Of All Things" which blends piano, strings, and vocals in a way I wish the previous tracks had as this sound would've suited Panic! much better. It's really the end of the album where I wish the album would've started as things start to pick up after "Girls/Girls/Boys" and evolve into what sounds like a Panic! album. But, sadly of the ten songs on this album far too many are meh or barely worthy of praise. It is for this reason I regrettably need to give this album such a low score.

Concluding Thoughts

I could sadly go on about how much of a disappointment this album was and where it could've done so much better but I will only leave with this: I was a huge fan of A Fever You Can't Sweat Out Of, feel that Pretty Odd is extremely underrated, and enjoyed the simple fun of Vices and Virtues from all of it's huge electronic sound scapes. That being said, this is overkill of electronics, though it could be that 80's synth pop is my least favorite genre of music, and really should've been shelved for the much more lively and better material we all know Panic! can provide. Next time we're flying back into my Independent Closet to listen to the debut release of TWICEYOUNG entitled Little Mind Alike.

DECODED: 6.5 out of 10

As always please like, share, and comment below!

BUY IT: This is Gospel, Miss Jackson, Casual Affair, Far Too Young Die, The End Of All Things

 

HEAR IT:  Vegas Lights, Collar Full

TRASH IT:  Nicotine, Girl That You Love,Girls/Girls/Boys

*As with all things, the opinions expressed our purely that of the author and should be taken as such. ** All images, music, and information used are for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.

Independent Closet: Broke City

Rules

Welcome everyone to a new experiment here at ROCK D3C0D3D! Independent Closet is a side project I have wanted to do for a quite a while that showcases amazing artists you have probably never heard of. Because this is a showcase, there will be a review of the work itself but grading will be change from a 1-10 scale to strictly BUY IT, HEAR IT, IGNORE IT as I feel it will better differentiate from the regular review show. But, before we start a few ground rules MUST be laid down.
1. Only one work from the artists can be reviewed.
This includes EP's, LP's, and full length albums so as to keep the artists featured fresh
2. All artists featured must NOT have a top 10 hit
I would prefer to keep it to local acts that have labored to create something mainstream music does not
3. One song MUST be a BUY IT and one song MUST be an IGNORE IT
This is too avoid favoritism in albums as a majority of these will songs from my teenagedom.
Without further ado though, let's dive into our first episode featuring the hometown heroes of Broke City from Salt Lake City, UT and their last EP entitled No Thanks For The Ride

History

 Now I was first introduced to this band way back in the summer of 2007 when they were guest instructors at a week-long summer camp for young aspiring musicians entitled "Jam Camp." This place was awesome and I had the distinct honor of having our band taught by their then bassist Dave Briggs. Sadly, Dave would later leave the band in the coming years but, for their 2007 release entitled The Answer, their line-up consisted of Joel Pack (lead vocals/guitar), "The Rob" Moffit (drums), and Mr. Briggs (bass). Watching this trio perform was definitely an awe inspiring moment as they belted out the songs from their first (and sadly only) debut album. 

The following year when we returned to "Jam Camp" Joel Pack and "The Rob" were very much still apart of Broke City creating songs for the upcoming EP we are looking at today. Finally after 2 long years of waiting Broke City was able to release No Thanks For The Ride as a six-track EP in 2009 to much of my excitement. Sadly though on October 9th 2010, Broke City played it's last show before calling it quits. Thankfully Joel Pack and "The Rob" still record music to this day and Joel has even become a producer in Utah under his studio "Rigby Road Studios." They created a band called Joel Pack and the Pops in 2011 and continue to play around the Utah circuit to this day.

Album "Review"

Now for myself the build up for No Thanks for The Ride was painstaking as the first song was teased on New Year's Day 2008. The Song was called "I Feel Alive" and my god does it pack quite a wallop. The song starts very melodically with Joel playing a piano part perfectly illustrating the cold winters day outside before the rest of the instruments launch in and create a powerful wall of sound worthy of knocking anyone off their ass. It is here I must say that "The Rob" is a fantastic drummer that not keeps the beat alive by the change ups he throws throughout the whole song, by also by the sheer mass of sound projecting out of his kit. This song is a must hear for anyone looking for something different but still in the realm of rock.

A few of my other favorites on the album are "A Life You Won't Miss" and "Failure" another two songs I was teased of throughout the years leading up to the eventually release of the album as both songs are filled with very thought provoking if not a tad depressing lyrics ("I woke today, all the colors of the rainbow bend in different shades of grey") and amazing musical craft man ship. Besides "A Life You Won't Miss" has a very clavier solo which is mind-blowing how well it works in a song about how the radio, movies, and TV have desensitized us into believing  it's the life we need. Well done Mr. Pack well done indeed.

The two songs on the album that will probably split the crowd of people. "Anything Stronger" is a great example of a rocking tune with a blues feel that I'm sure will take a few listens to get used to. "The Dark Passenger" though has slowed worked itself into my consciousness as my favorite on the album as the instrumentation and subtle vocal changes create an ambience that will really have you pounded your first in the air as you scream the chorus at the top of your lungs ("I'm not falling, I'm not drowning you're just trying to take control"). It's here I should note Joel's incredible control of his register as throughout the album he will change from belting at the top of his lungs to his soft almost falsetto sound in an instant.

"...an amazing finisher for a band that I am quite sad has come and past."

The one song that I found most artist though is "Snowed In" from the opening crushed almost 8-bit sounding drums to the solemn guitar part it creates a very different vibe than the rest of the album teasing us with a completely different sound. Of course being the magicians of sound they are the slowly build into the first chorus before flipping the script on the second verse going from soft and solemn to all out wall of rock that must be heard. This is definitely an amazing finisher for a band that I am quite sad has come and past.

While I am sad to see Broke City go I am completely confident that Joel and Rob are doing what is best with creating Joel Pack and The Pops and eagerly await a chance to listen to a full album by the bunch. Till than it's time to break down the songs on the album to which ones you should run out and grab and which you should avoid. Of course, I would like to state that this is a beautiful EP that any music fanatic should have in their collections but as are the rules here we go.

Broke City is available to be listened to here and on iTunes for purchase:  http://www.reverbnation.com/artist_87611/bio

BUY IT: "I Feel Alive," "A Life You Won't Miss," "The Dark Passenger," "Snowed In"

HEAR IT: "Failure"

IGNORE IT: "Anything Stronger"

*As with all things, the opinions expressed our purely that of the author and should be taken as such. ** All images, music, and information used are for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement intended.