Welcome Home - Neverender 2009

Welcome Home played live off their newly released 'Neverender' concert series. Check out how intense that solo section is - when Claudio starts headbanging like he's got no neck bones and Chris Pennie lays down that sick double kick riff, it'll get your heart pumping even if your heavily sedated on horse tranquilizers. I don't know about the extra percussion section, but this clip still makes me down to grab Coheed's latest DVD release. Available in a 2 disc  set and a special edition that contains like 20 discs, it was released March 24th. The band dedicated individual nights to playing whole albums in their entirety, and the whole set spans their 4 record career. More info here ---> Coheed and Cambria 

"Welcome Home" - Live from Neverender DVD

Canada Rules!

It really does, and I think all the anti-canuck sentiments we have flying around are really just jealous attempts to counteract the awesomeness that is Northern America. Case in point - Braintoy (you thought I was going to say something cliched like Arcade Fire or maple syrup or Tim Hortons, weren't you?! Ha!)

Braintoy is not some new Nintendo DS game, but a 4 piece hailing from Toronto, Canada. Vehicles, a strong contender for a slot in my top 20 releases of 2008 is a great prog rock record - accessible due in part to its energetic and soaring vocals and solid instrumentation (which you would expect from any prog band worth their pretentious song titles and epic(ly long) songs. The title track is an excellent introduction to the band, one that is sure to keep you interested and get you excited to see what else these Canadians are capable of. 

Listing influences like Porcupine Tree and Tool, one can trace the bands idols to their brand of post rock - the atmospheric stylings of Steven Wilson and the simple yet effective guitar lines of Adam Jones seem to be channeled, but in a way that is uniquely Braintoy - there's no blatant plagiarism here, just a familiarity that will comfort listeners and solidify Braintoy's place among the contemporaries they so revere. 

Check out the title track, Vehicles, on their myspace and check out the next big Canadian export. (a whole post on a Canadian

 band without any jokes about the Canadian accent!) Sounds you'll hear: Tristan Green's awesome vocals, keyboards, some electronics, punchy distorted guitar, a calm number named Banyan Tree and just proggy goodness (but not in the 'Camel' sense mind you - I'd say its more along the lines of a Coheed and Cambria sans the mighty Claudio Sanchez's vocals and sci fi concept story.) Either way, I'm having a hard time describing them, so do me and yourself a favor and check them out!

Check These Guys Out!

Just some stuff I've been listening to lately. 

1) Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground

From Seattle, and listed as Alternative/Experimental/Lounge, I'm making my way through their self titled as I'm typing this up, and I still don't know what to make of the band, much less write something clever about them. Saying that members from Gatsby's American Dream were involved piqued my interest, but if you're expecting the catchy but non-conventional pop/punk stylings of GAD, you won't find it here. Except maybe the quirkiness of the aforementioned band, one easy way to describe these guys is fresh! A pleasant surprise. Strong vocals and song writing will keep you interested. Imagine if Panic At The Disco were successful at trying to do it is they do.

2) Demians

Nicholas Chapel just seems like a guy who's so sure of himself and what he's good at and I'm not the only one to notice. Steven Wilson, of Porcupine Tree fame seems to think so, and the one man machine that is the French outfit Demians succeeds in creating an amazing, emotional and just damn good debut in Building an Empire. Prog rock that isn't boring? Oui, s'il vous plait!

3) Anberlin

Looking at the past couple of entries, it's no secret I dig these guys. But check out the myspace if I haven't persuaded you to do so yet- you can peep their rerecording of their song Feel Good Drag, which features on the recently released New Surrender. A great way to sum up what's good about the band - besides being a  strong track, this track represent how the band utilize strong song writing and instrumentation to breathe life into an older song that could've sounded stale if just plucked from their back catalogue - just like they do to the pop punk genre they unfortunately are grouped into.

4) The Riot Before

It seems like there are a lot of soulful, impassioned white dudes around these days. But instead of losing its appeal with the whole 'folk-punk!?been there done that!' schpiel, The Riot Before squeak by and put a smile on my face. With the word on the street being they sound like Against Me! and The Gaslight Anthem (and I'm inclined to agree), I could see these guys blowing up. I can't believe they're not from Gainesville! 

5) Emarosa

Energetic, fast, with amazing vocals make this hard for me to pass up. With Jonny Craig and his godly pipes searing through walls of quick picked riffs and hard hitting chords. You may see it all over Hot Topic and in scene kids Ipods, but don't let that deter you from enjoying a great band.

6) Lisa Hannigan

I just picture the streets of Dublin teeming with red-haired, Guiness wielding musicians singing gaily, arm in arm. Sort of like a scene straight out of a Disney flick (don't pay attention to my warped mind, I don't understand it either). You may recognize Lisa Hannigan's name from another famous Irish musician, the ever-melancholy tear jerker Damien Rice. Up until his latest release, 9, she graced his songs and added a beautiful, haunting contrast to his sincere and pained voice. But enough about him, because Miss Hannigan's ethereal voice definitely holds its own on her debut release Sea Sew

7) Thursday/Envy

NJ and Japan may not have very much in common, but these two bands seem to be on the same page with this 7 track EP split. With equally strong showings from both sides of the world, the bands create atmospheric post rock with exciting, crushing vocals (especially Envy!) Lots of moments where you're mouth will hit the floor and stay there, which is saying a lot for an EP