ATP! EP Review: SAINTE - smile, and wave

Right away from the opening track, “Eyes Are Open,” you can tell that Tay Jardine is opening the next chapter of her life and is on a new musical journey. SAINTE is a fully realized project with Tay calling the shots and a whole color scheme concept to go with it.

SAINTE takes the pop side of We Are The In Crowd and cranks it up a few notches. You can definitely hear the remnants of the former band, but it’s the first step in what’s shaping up to be a beautiful transition. Jardine’s voice is strong and takes what could be just average tracks to the next level with the power of her voice.

Album Review: Daylight - The Difference In Good And Bad Dreams EP

‘The Difference In Good And Bad Dreams’ acts as a precursor to Daylight's full-length album being released towards the end of the year. With the four new tracks demonstrating a more defined and focused sound from this Doylestown, PA emo-tinged pop-punk outfit. A direction that diversifies their sound with a more melodic and grunge tinged approach, while still holding true to its roots.

Taylor Madison's gritty, powerful vocal delivery shines on ‘On My Way To Dad’s’, but it’s within the harmonies on the track where you begin to see their progression. And it’s this vocal interplay between Taylor and Jake Clarke which works so well on ‘Hungry At A Funeral’. Daylight certainly aren’t out to seek completely new directions, or throw a curve ball at the genre as a whole. However this EP demonstrates a band that is focused on perfecting a sound, rather than breaking ground. ‘Damp’ is full of grunge-tinged riffs that trudge through with just enough intensity to carry the angst, while ‘In My Dreams’ concentrates on a brooding melodic build. This approach brings a more atmospheric air to the sound, and expands on the more straight forward approach - giving the instrumentation room to breathe.

Album Review: A Word Like.Attack - Though We Aren't Birds, We're Still Given To Flight EP

Southampton's A Word Like.Attack fuse Post-Hardcore with Electronica, via various other musical niches. Luckily though, for those expecting something reminiscent of Enter Shikari's tried, tested and recycled formulae, then thankfully, you will be mistaken.

Ambition is never a bad thing, and in this (albeit short three track) EP, it is present in abundance. Opening track 'Good Luck In Your Future Endeavours,' is easily the strongest of the three songs, remaining edgy and aggressive, yet ultimately melodic. The band cite musical similarities to band including Deftones, and 65 Days of Static, however an attempt to pigeonhole such a band would prove a difficult task.

Vocals are quintessentially English, and at times in the vein of the now defunct Reuben. Musically though this is where any correlation between both bands ends.

Tracks revert from Electronica and Post-Hardcore with ease. Execution however is not yet on par with that of their contemporaries. Fusions between ambient, and hardcore are well documented, leaving A Word Like.Attack with a mammoth task to climb. That said, this EP (only the bands third) is still a very good effort from a relatively new band.

The Southampton five-piece are throwing generic conventions out of the window, and attempting to write their own rule book. While they might not yet be the finished product, given time, they could become very good indeed.

3/5

'Though We Aren't Birds, We're Still Given To Flight' is self released on July 20. More information is available on the band's myspace.
Chris Powers

Album Review: The Night Life Crisis - The Night Life Crisis EP

Manchester has always had a strong heritage of producing up and coming guitar bands. The Night Life Crisis are currently one of those bands.

This self-titled EP is 4 songs of jangly indie pop with 'Something About Chicago' kicking things off with its steady pace and light guitar riff.

Whilst 'You Can...If You're Michael Jackson' continues this trend, it also has a soft bridge with brilliant harmonies and having this being put alongside emo-like lyrics, makes the song a winning combination.

Track 3 is 'A Boy Who Likes A Girl', a slow, sad ballad simply about a boy who likes a girl. Despite the soft guitar parts taking over the vocals at times, the lyrics draw you in and with James Hernen strained vocals makes you feel his heartache.

The band end the EP on a more rockier note with a fast beat with guitar chords being used more than notes and a bass riff guiding the song through, up to a point where the band just let some steam off.

On the whole The Night Life Crisis showcase a style of music that blends emo lyrics with indie music. For some this may not be a good combination but for this Manchester 4 piece it works perfectly. Even though at first I was skeptical of the band but this EP is something that grows on you, if you give it the chance to. Along with tight musicianship makes The Night Life Crisis a band with plenty of potential, and definetly one to keep an eye on in the future.

4/5

More information can be found at www.myspace.com/thenightlifecrisis

Sean Reid

Album Review: The Vanity Affair - Love You More EP

Over the last year or so the so-called 'scene' has changed, bands singing about heartbreak and being alone has been replaced by those who just want to party and have fun. The Vanity Affair is one of those bands.

Despite the title of their EP 'Love You More' suggesting the band are like the aforementioned, this four-piece from St. Louis, Missouri have produced 5 catchy fun-filled pop-punk songs.

'Never Let You Go' brings the EP to life from the start, with its standard pop-punk tempo and lyrics directed at a girl. The track has a good vibe from the start, however it does sound a bit too much like Forever The Sickest Kids, but this does lose credibility to the track.

'Party Girl' continues the feeling good vibe with its memorable chorus of 'you make me want to p-a-r-t-y'. The slow breakdown and well-crafted structure makes it one of the more favourable tracks on the EP.

'The Score' sees the band introducing electronic elements and handclaps into play. The song is somewhat stripped down and atmospheric, with little use of guitar as synthesizers take over. It is one of the poppiest songs on the EP and its lyrical content adds to this with the positive line of 'let's dance tonight, come on come one, let’s make this right'.

The guitars surge back in on 'Top of the World', a straight up pop-rock song with a distinctive riff and harmless, honest lyrics. The EP ends with the band using electronic elements again and vocoder effect vocals on 'Take It Slow' but the band soon begin to rock out until they momentarily slow things down and then the pay off sees the band blending a variety of vocal harmonies and group vocals.

On the whole 'Love You More' is a good EP from a band with potential. However the downfall is that there are too many bands that are doing what The Vanity Affair are doing, and that is writing catchy, positive pop-punk songs. It's kind of disappointing that a band like The Vanity Affair will probably get lost in a mass crowd of bands that want to be next Fall Out Boy or All Time Low, as they have strong songs and have an enjoyable brand of music which plain, simple and harmless.

4/5

More Information about The Vanity Affair can be found on their MySpace.

Sean Reid

Album Review: MC Lars - The Green Christmas EP

Like a lot of bands and artists at the moment, humourous laptop rapper MC Lars has got into the Christmas spirit with his new EP "The Green Christmas".

The EP starts off with "I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas" with signature Christmas slieghbells before a punk rock chorus kicks in with guest vocals from Jaret Reddick from Bowling The Soup.

"Guitar Hero Hero (Beating Guitar Hero Doesn't Make You Slash)[feat. Parry Gripp & Paul Gilbert]" see's Lars taking his own comical spin on the recent Guitar Hero computer game craze with a simple Ramones-like guitar riff. Lars basically say's being good at computer games dosn't make you an expert in real life.

The synth-led "(Shorty Wanna Spend) My Stimulus Check" is next, a track which isn't that great and somewhat uninspiring. At times there's too much going on in the track with Lars's rapping, a bassy synth and electro drums.

Nevertheless the EP ends on a funny, high note with "I Want My Guns 'N Roses". A track which is your typical high-standard MC Lars track with various pop-culture refrences with Lars humourous lyrics and a parody of Guns 'N Roses guitar riff and Axl Rose-like vocals.

On the whole MC Lars has delivered his usual humorous and quirky outlook on pop culture and shows much promise for his new album out next year. He's someone who won't break any new ground but that's simply because he's someone who just wants to have fun and entertain.

3/5

Album Review: Cinematic Sunrise - A Coloring Book and Long Playing Record EP

"A Coloring Book and Long Playing Record" is the debut EP from Cinematic Sunrise, which features Chiodos frontman Craig Owens and fellow band mate Bradley Bell, on keyboards.

Like most side projects, Cinematic Sunrise is certainly to be compared to Owens’ and Bell’s daytime job. However "A Coloring Book and Long Playing Record" (why is it called a ‘Long Playing Record’ when it’s an EP?) is bound to be enjoyed by both fans and non-fans, as this record is more poppy and catchy with well written songs that include Owens’ distinctive voice, which goes well with riff-laden tracks like "Umbrellas and Elephants".

This record also includes the so-called typical ‘emo’ lyrics that you would expect to hear from Owens’ song writing and a band like this; just look at the band name! This brings a sense of predictability to the record. Whilst Owens’ high-pitched voice can become whiney and the song structure a bit predictable. This soon makes the EP dull and repetitive.

Nevertheless "A Coloring Book and Long Playing Record" is a good EP with stand out tracks being "Pulling A Piano From A Pond" and the conclusion to the record; a ballad called "You Told Me You Loved Me". However it is a basic straight rock record which will be welcomed with open arms by Chiodos fans, but the conventional sound will unlikely draw many new fans.

As a side-project it does differ from their better-known work, however does not make it good. It's basically a simple 'look we can be different' side-project, that will most likely be ignored. And anyway If you don’t like this record you can always enjoy colouring the artwork with the free crayons that are included.

"Coloring Book and Long Playing Record" is available now through Equal Vision Records.

Album Review: The Malheruex - Nightmares EP

The Malheruex are a five piece rock band from Los Angeles, CA who recently released their new EP called "Nightmares" and was produced by Jim Wirt, who has produced for bands such as Incubus and The Rocket Summer.

The band is made up of Chris Castillo on lead vocals, as well guitar, Adrian Ocampo (guitar), Omar Loera (bass), Carlos Sanchez (drums) and former guitarist and backing vocals performed by John Alaimo, who has since been replaced by Matt Siordia.

The 4 track EP starts off with title track "Nightmares" with it's riff-led guitar parts and straining vocals that are reminiscent of early Taking Back Sunday before going into a catchy chorus and that will probably stay in your head for a few days, despite the somewhat "emo" lyrics of "I will die for you".

"Flip The Switch" is a fast-paced bassy affair with subtle synth parts. However the vocals fail to grab the listener and just help the song move along. While track 3 is "Drowning In Numbers" is quite an angry track and you can hear the bitterness in vocalist Chris Castillo's voice . The track also sees the inclusion of gang vocals and comes off as a positive song.

The EP closes with "Dust" is a dark, eerie track with begins with a deep, heavy guitar before the band screams and shouts it's head off until Castillo's vocals bring some form of calm to the track with a well-paced melody.

On the whole The Malheruex write good, solid rock songs. However in this day and age, good songs unfortunately get you nowhere. Which is a shame for a band as talented as this, especially with well-crafted songs. It's disappointing that The Malheruex will probably put in the 'sounds like Saosin' bracket, in a time when a small band like this, struggle to get major exposure when they should be on the same level as the latter-mentioned band.

4/5

Links:
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Album Review: Portman - Remembering Fondly EP

Earlier this year a small band from the small town Stamford, Lincolnshire released one of the best UK independent releases of the year. The band in question are Portman and the album was "From Here To Your Eyes and Ears". Now just 9 months later the band are set to release 2 free EPs on Walnut Tree Records.

EP Review: The Jakes - Shake My Hand

The Jakes are an Indie Rock/Blues band from California. "Shake My Hand" starts off with "Garands at Normandie", a track that sounds fresh and blasts through the speakers with Sameer Gadhia's vocals being the highlight, as they are impressive and should be displayed in a Las Vegas show.

EP Review: Cut The Blue Wire - Revert, Restart, Reset

Cut The Blue Wire are Post-Punk/Electro band from Portsmouth. 'Revert, Restart, Reset' is the bands debut release via Alcopop Records.

The 6 tracks here begin with 'Everest', a thumping, riff-filled track with lead singer DD showcasing he's talents well here. 'Get Out Of The Road' is fast with a nice melodic breakdown and guitar parts.

The third track, 'All Of This Was Buildings' being a steady paced song, whilst 'Rockets Ready To Fire' is a somewhat bouncy tune with a chorus that will get the crowd shouting "wake up, wake up!" at the bands live shows. 'Race To The King' has a complex drum beat with a 80's-like synth bridge part before the track goes into a shouting chorus. The EP finishes with 'No Song Of Mine' with DD again showing his good vocal talents and with another excellent guitar riff from Andy Vincent, Cut The Blue Wire end their debut release on a high point.

On the whole 'Revert, Restart, Reset' manages to make Cut The Blue Wire stand out from a whole load of new and young British bands doing the rounds up and down the UK at the moment. With a collection of songs that are intelligently structured and well-thought out. They are a band that can be angry but at the same time catchy. It will be interesting to see what direction the band goes in the future, but with this near fault-less release, only good things can happen to this band.

4/5

'Revert, Restart, Reset' by Cut The Blue Wire is available now through Alcopop Records.

Cut The Blue Wire are touring throughout the UK in November.
Dates can be found on the band's myspace.

EP Review: Lights - Lights EP (Self Titled)

There's something special about solo female singer, Valerie Poxleitner from Toronto, Canada who goes under the name 'Lights', who currently has a self-titled EP available on Doghouse Records. But what it is that something special? Is it her sweet angelic voice complimenting her harmonic electro pop music? which she created in her bedroom. Well simply the answer is yes.

Lights is something I would not usually listen to but this EP grabbed me and made me feel good. With songs like 'Ice' and 'Drive Me Soul' being 1980's new wave-influenced sensations with Lights showcasing her superb vocals.

'February Air' is well-written and is reminiscent of Imogen Heap and Bjork and shows that Lights is an innocent and emotional person. 'White' is bouncy song with Lights' high-pitched vocals being layered on top of a guitar-driven chorus. 'I Owe You One' is a sweet electro ballad and the EP closes with 'The Last Thing On Your Mind' being a synth-heavy track filled with Lights' positive lyrics.

Overall 'Lights' fantastically showcases an independent pop female singer, who has the songs, vocal talent and looks to succeed. This collection of 8 songs will make you feel good and forget about your troubles. The only downfall of the EP is that at times, she reminds you of cheesy euro-pop.

For fans of: PlayRadioPlay! and Imogen Heap

More Information on Lights can be found here.

EP Review: Asteria - Asteria EP

Asteria are a 5-Piece rock band from Crown Point, Indiana. The band is made up of Terrence Kline (Vocals), Sam Henderson (Drums), Ryan Gullett, Seth Henderson (both Guitar and Vocals) and Brandon McQuen (Bass).