You see, thanks to social media, I can pollute your eye-holes with what I think of the things I am polluting my ear-holes with while polluting my mouth-hole with yummy, yummy beer. Also, while looking into the albums coming out today, I discovered that there was very little to offer. Basically I was limited to shitty, shittier, and holyshitwhyisthisevenathing (Yaw-seh!).
So when a band I had never heard, Isn't It Always?, of followed me on the Twat-Box, I jumped at the opportunity to review a group that was not out there in a big way and whose name was a complete sentence.
Adorable furry things always win me over... Also, umbrellas. I fucking love umbrellas.
Anywho, I said, hey, let me review you; they said, hey, here's our stuff and suggested Sam Adams Octoberfest as a nice accompanying drink. So yeah. Go Twitter. I'm really excited for this one, so on to the review!
Album:
Alcohol:
"Ghosts At Play" opens the disc with a nice drum fill into a solid guitar riff. I really like the sense of urgency of the music under the flowing vocals. The production is of lower quality, but credit to the mix as the music stands out just as much as the vocals, and although the vocals are good, the guitars are TOTALLY stealing the show for me thus far. The little breakdown part is cool. Into a driving part. The outro is cool with the drop out ending.
"The Hazy Days" comes in with anything but haze. The guitars continue driving through the verse before opening up a bit in the chorus, and I'm getting the first real hook of the album here. The guitar interplay is just lovely in the bridge part. And though the choruses are rather static, they maintain a hook while the rest of the song progresses around them. Cool track.
Growing out of another abrupt ending is "Exhale" with again, some beautiful guitar work. And the coupling of the driving distorted guitar and the loud clean--ohmygod! That drop out was cool as hell! The movement of this track is awesome, and I like the flowing vocals over driving instrumentals again, that drop out was cool. I can dig this tune a lot. First none abrupt ending, and you always have to love the feedack fade out.
"We Are One" comes in semi-heavy, and settles into killer rhythmatic work int he verse before kicking into a chorus that again makes me melt with the guitar work. Seriously the pacing and writing musically is great. The vocals seem a little blah at this point simply because of the power and craziness of the the instrumentals, but with that being my only real complaint thus far, I'm feeling good about this disc.
"When I Was Invincible" comes in driving and settles into another really cool verse. The chorus is cool and the vocals are starting to get out of the constant flowy feel, and the drop out to open the chorus shows a nice bit a grit. Nice punkish music break into a pretty guitar line. rop out chorus. Into a final chorus with some nicely done duel vocals. ending with a pretty harmony and oh yeah, more feed back. =)
And bursting out of that is "Don't Quit On Me" At this point, I'm feeling a pttern. And while patterns on albums are usually not so good, this album is full of songs with so much variance within each. Like. Every song takes you in ten different awesome directions. Seriously, in this song alone, I'm getting some TBS, some Blind Melon, some Say Anything, and a fuck ton of awesome. Pretty Ending.
The eponymous track opens with the coolest opening set of riffs of anything. Ever. Settling into A cool verse, and this is my high point on an album that is full of nothing but. This is a rather straight fowrwad track by comparison to the rest of the album so it may be that that is catching me so much at first listen, or it may be that the beers are getting me all compliment happy. Either way. I dig this track.
Another cool opening on "Symphony of Epiphony" and although, I do love this album,a nd this song is good, I do find this title a little pragmatic. It's okay, though, I guess guitars ARE a stringed instrument. =P Seriously, If I experienced syle and tempo changes physically, my neck would be broken and I'd be lying on the ground dead. This album would have killed me with it's sheer awesomenees. This album is put together beautiffully.
Ooo... Acoustic open to "Utopia" and this is our first truly lowkey track. Little weird part there I'm gonna chalk up to editing, but good tune. And hearing vocals with out the crazzy instrumentals makes me feel better and better about them. Good placement of this tune, and good choice to leave it voice and guitar, these vocals needed a true spot to shine.
Closing the album is "The Pendulum Effect". Openingslow, but pressing. Oh, sexy vocals riht befoer the chours. I felt a build, but not quite the payoff I was hoping for. The bass also has been quiet but ever present here, and--oh, nevermind, my EQ was fucked. My bad. Bass is awesome, and probably always was. This song is cool, and fitting-ish as a closer, I enjoy finales more than heartfelt closers, but there is still time here, and that drive into the solo part could be--Drop out into the corus was cool as hell. The chorus was eh, but bring it back to give a heavy punctuation on this album that flat out changes the hook on that question mark into a straight line.
Final Thoughts:
Good disc. Like. I was hoping for good things, and Isn't It Always? delivered great things. And for $4 on band camp, if you don't own this album, you are wrong. Buy it. I'm about to.
-Badhorse
Another cool opening on "Symphony of Epiphony" and although, I do love this album,a nd this song is good, I do find this title a little pragmatic. It's okay, though, I guess guitars ARE a stringed instrument. =P Seriously, If I experienced syle and tempo changes physically, my neck would be broken and I'd be lying on the ground dead. This album would have killed me with it's sheer awesomenees. This album is put together beautiffully.
Ooo... Acoustic open to "Utopia" and this is our first truly lowkey track. Little weird part there I'm gonna chalk up to editing, but good tune. And hearing vocals with out the crazzy instrumentals makes me feel better and better about them. Good placement of this tune, and good choice to leave it voice and guitar, these vocals needed a true spot to shine.
Closing the album is "The Pendulum Effect". Openingslow, but pressing. Oh, sexy vocals riht befoer the chours. I felt a build, but not quite the payoff I was hoping for. The bass also has been quiet but ever present here, and--oh, nevermind, my EQ was fucked. My bad. Bass is awesome, and probably always was. This song is cool, and fitting-ish as a closer, I enjoy finales more than heartfelt closers, but there is still time here, and that drive into the solo part could be--Drop out into the corus was cool as hell. The chorus was eh, but bring it back to give a heavy punctuation on this album that flat out changes the hook on that question mark into a straight line.
Final Thoughts:
Good disc. Like. I was hoping for good things, and Isn't It Always? delivered great things. And for $4 on band camp, if you don't own this album, you are wrong. Buy it. I'm about to.
-Badhorse
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