Kyle Corman of Staten Island band, Kick, is putting together a great show at the Full Cup on May 22nd.
The "Take Back the Island" show will be $8 and is featuring a good mix of acoustic and rock acts. The Facebook event can be seen here.
A'tris Song of the Week Project
Unfortunately A'tris took the week off for this video, but I do have the videos for the last two weeks. Enjoy!
Incognito & Depalma
I.D. has some great things in the works. Check these three fliers for their upcoming shows and album. Also, check out their single "Greys Turn Blue." Debut alum coming out in May on Romolus X Records.
I did a phone interview with lead singer and guitarist, Gregory Dunn of Moving Mountains (MovMou). We chatted all things MovMou, as they are embarking on a new tour and are anticipating the release of a new album Waves.
Moving Mountains, not meant to be inspirational but implied, initially started as a school project by Dunn and drummer, Nick Pizzolato in 2005. "We would hang out, write music and record it. It was basically high school experimentation," said Dunn. Little did they know that after the tracks they recorded leaked on the Internet, a sensation was born. "It was sort of an accident. There were no shows and no band. People just really liked it." Eventually they completed the band with Frank Graniero, guitar/vocals and Mitchell Lee, bass. In 2007 they released Pneuma, which was later re-released in 2008 by Deep Elm Records. The follow-up effort to this was Forward, which came out just before the end of 2008.
MovMou's sound is a clash of genres. They combine the post rock of bands like Taking Back Sunday and Brand New, but with the melodicness of a band like Thrice. "We combine the aesthetics of music," Dunn said. "...elements of punk and hardcore bands-with the aggressiveness of post rock." He also describes the writing process as a little bit challenging and interesting. "Our demographic covers a few different scenes, but it's better this way," he says.
After finding their burst of Internet success, Moving Mountains found themselves being hunted down by mainstream acts for touring. "It's so weird and it never gets old. At the end of the day we are a bunch of fan boys just like everyone else," said Dunn. Right out of the box, MovMou was asked by Thursday to join them on tour. "We get to tour with people who inspire us. It obviously made me pee my pants," he said with a laugh.
The first tour they embarked on was the "Say Anything Tour." Dunn describes it as a "real kick in the a**." They realized as a band that this was how things were going to be, and this is what it's like to play in front of 3,000 people. "I was just thinking, how did I survive? But in the end, we came out a better band."Dunn recalls the moment he realized that all this was real, "It was a sold out show on the tour. I just had this surreal out of body moment. I was like, holy sh*t, I'm playing in front of a couple thousand people. It was perfect."
In talking about the new album, Waves (set for release May 10th 2011) Dunn says of the album "It's very much the same as everything we've done. The only difference between this and our previous works is that we are older." They produced and recorded themselves, and describe it as still Moving Mountains, but more of a "live record." "We wanted to make a record that we could play naturally on tour. The influences are two years of being on the road. I'm 22 now, I see things differently, my style is different," Dunn said. He promises the album is way more rock, more aggressive, and straight forward-"As real as possible."
So what does the immediate future hold for Moving Mountains? This summer they will be doing two months of Warped Tour before hopefully doing their own tour in the fall. "We would also like to tour out of the country, go to Europe and Australia in 2012," said Dunn. From his own experiences people in Europe are more receptive and open to new music. They are starting to make more ties overseas and hope to make the jump. "Next year we really want to devote our lives to doing it."
Soldiers Can’t Dance, an indie rock band from Kildare, Ireland, has been creating quite the buzz on YouTube and on Facebook.Their current line up is: Conor Cuffe(Vox/Guitar), James Kennedy (Vox/Bass) and Luke Fitzgerald (Vox/Drums). These guys have been together for less than a year, and with Conor’s gritty vocals and fun leads, their sound could easily be compared to bands like Vampire Weekend or Two Door Cinema Club.
Recently, SCD have recorded a self-titled four song EP.Though the tracks were not mastered (but still sound pretty damn good), the trio wanted to see how people would receive their music.“We started the band in June 2010 and we're loving every minute of it,” said Conor. “[James, Luke and I] were all in college, but decided to give a band a go for a year and see where it takes us.”
Soldiers Can’t Dance’s EP launch is on May 28th at Whelans Music Venue in Dublin; so if you’re from Ireland, definitely check these guys out.
Journalist, entrepreneur, DAPS writer, Indie Hulk, former DJ of the Mighty Vin Show, and artist?... Vin Forte just doesn't seem to get enough of taking advantage of everything the web and media has to offer. A personal friend of mine, Vin is definitely a great thinker and someone full of creativity. It's no wonder that his latest project VF_DOS_ has intrigued me so. In this project you'll hear many different sounds, samples, and elements of familiar things mixed with his own twist.
His new EP, Blue Shirts dropped on 4/20, but I assure you this is just coinsidence to "Weed Day." So if you are looking for easy to listen "vibe out" music that is both simple and creatively diverse, download your free copy of Blue Shirts on the Bandcamp below. Also be sure to check out Silent Scores and Dethroning Alex Kidd, with the later being a deconstruction of the music from Sonic 2, crazy stuff.
How did you come up with the name VF_DOS_? It's a play on the MS DOS operating system. I'm still old enough to have just made the generation that had to use a ton of DOS prompts instead of the standard GUI interfaces of today. What's the inspiration behind your music and what started you on it? My inspirations came from getting to know a bunch of bands on the SI scene and seeing how creative they were while still being very good. Creativity comes with a price and these guys were people who seem to put it all on the line. Bands like Les Vinyl, the Wahoo Skiffle Crazies and solo artists like Matt Wilson, Kilgore Trout Is Dead are only a scant few examples of the people putting it all out there in their own way, but owning their material of quality in a way that is so goddamn inviting and rewarding. So I guess my music, in a way, is an extension of the local bands who have influenced me; In some small way they created this. Sorry guys.
Photo by Mike Shane
What are your musical abilities and how long have you been experimenting? I will be the first to claim I have zero musical ability. I've been experimenting since 2008 and have thrown a ton of sh*t (and I mean SH*T) on the internet and up until very recently it's all just been me figuring things out, and seeing what I can really do. I found a nice groove where one day I just said "OK, I'm a subpar musician on any scale, but I feel like I have a knack for piecing together hooks and making it work, so I'll zone in on that." I knew that I had enough wherewithal to be able to create a decent hook, so I would do that and focus 100% on figuring out how this big bag of hooks could be made to work together. If you had to classify your genre, what is it? Instrumental music for people to throw on and chill to. Not mood-music, per se; more something that I hope people will respond to with a gentle head-nod and a polite "this I like." What are the tools/instruments you use to make your music? Before the studio-produced EP, I just made stuff in my room at odd-hours with a lone guitar, samples, pieced-together drum loops, found sound, and a large collection of electronic loops and effects. I took way too long making [these effects] using just my mouth breathing into the mic or a handclap that I then warped into an electronic mess or a random widget in my room that I could get to make a noise and then altered it to my liking. With the studio EP I said "OK, the time seems right." I finally felt comfortable with whatever little ability I may or may not have and wanted to do something where I could go crazy, but in my new honed-in mindset. I wanted to play with the big-boy toys and have everything I could ever need at my disposal to work with and I got to; bass, guitars, organs, bells, keyboards, anything I wanted to play around and experiment with. Joe Pecora, an amazing producer who runs his own Red Room Studio out on Forest Ave in SI, really bought-in to what I wanted to do and understood the polished-but-frayed sound I was going for. Then Pat Given, from Les Vinyl, came in to lay down these amazing drum tracks after they were all otherwise finished and they both took everything I was looking to do and elevated it to a level of professional and awesomeness I never thought it would reach before. Where do you plan on taking it, and do you have any goals? I have no goals really. This whole thing is a giant vanity project. It's really just music for me. I just hope that enough people are like me and would appreciate such music.
Did you ever think of having someone use your beats for a song, like having someone rap on them? Ever since I started calling on Pat to come in and lay down drums, I don't have any need to make beats. But, by all means, Pat is a great hip-hop drummer. If anyone wants to use him for a project, I'll gladly give you his info. How does the song making process work? How long do they generally take? It depends. I'm always adding and tweaking things. I might say something is finished and then keep toying with it for another 3 months. But I will say that this EP is the first thing ever where I'm like "This is IT. This is definitive." Have you ever teamed up with anyone on a song? Not yet. I'd love to team-up with someone on an instrumental, bring their ideas into the mix and make something crazy. Anything else you want to add? I'd like to cover the earth with a fresh-baked yummy dessert.
Where did you get the emcee name Playdough from? It's just a play on my government name. What's the transition of going solo like after spending all those years in Ill Harmonics? The last ill harmonics albums was years ago and I had already put out a few solo albums at that point. So there's nothing new about what I'm doing now. I never really felt like there's been a transition. What do you like better, solo or group work? Solo work is easier because there's only one person calling shots. I do like working with a crew because everyone plays their own role and does what they're good at. Do you consider yourself a Christian rapper, or a rapper who is Christian? I've answered this question so many times. I don't care what people call me or what I do. The music that I make would be exactly the same no matter what someone wanted to classify it as. I don't understand why someone would care which one of those 2 choices I'm considered to be. My music is my music and it sounds like that, regardless of what it's called.
What do you say to people, who say you've changed or cover topics that do not fall under the list of ok "Christian" things to talk about, like money or arbitrary things like saying "freaking" in a verse? I love God and my music is about me and my life so my faith definitely makes it's way into my music. People don't tell me that my topics have changed so I've never been asked to answer that. I don't have a list of things that are okay for a Christian to say or not say and I've never considered the use of the word "freaking" meaning I'm changing something about my music. I've always written music about my life, so nothings changed. I use money everyday and so I wrote a song about it. Why is this new record the album that you most wanted to make, and why did it take so long for you to create it? This album took a long time for me to make because I wanted to write it to reflect different parts of life I go through. I wanted to write in different peaks and valleys of where I was at to get that into the songs. Similar to how Psalms has all kinds of different day to day life of David. Sometimes he struggled and sometimes he was strong. Victorious and guilty of bad decisions. It took me a while to live it and make it. What new styles have you introduced on this album, how come you never "Hotdogged" before? There are different tempos for me so I get to rhyme a little faster on songs. I also slow it down and rhyme over more southern style drums. I got to play with different rhyme patterns and cadences. I have a lot of live instrumentation on this album and tried to sing a little more on certain songs. Getting out of my comfort zone a little so that I could show my versatility and do something that people have never heard me do. What went into selecting the guest rappers on this Hotdoggin?
I love Gift of Gab and have been a long time fan of his Blackalicious and solo albums. I've always wanted to work with him and thought he'd sound perfect on this project. He killed it. Freddie Bruno did a really strong hook for me on the song he's on. He's one of my favorites, too and was a perfect fit for what I was looking for. If you could work with any rapper ever on a song, who would it be? That's hard to answer because I'd want someone specific for different reasons. It would really depend on the vibe of the song.
What's the illest rhyme you've written?
There's too many to mention. Who are your biggest influences as far as rapping, and what's on your most played on your iPOD? Big influences would be Method Man, B-Real, Black Thought, Mos Def, Common and De La Soul. My iPod is all over the place. Coldplay and The White Stripes are probably 2 of the highest in plays. What do you think about mainstream Christian rap like a Toby Mac, KJ-52, John Reuben, as opposed to the underground like you, Mars Ill, etc? I just look at it as a style of music. Those guys work hard and do a different style than I do. There's a larger number of people that prefer there style of music. People that like the style that I do usually prefer my music more. Just different types of music at the end of the day. Anything else you want to add? Thanks for checking out my stuff. My website is www.iamplaydough.com. You can get all my music and show dates from there. Thanks for covering my music. LOVE!
Hotdoggin is definitely that a true lover of underground hip-hop need to explore. It features all of the raw and gritty of non mainstream rap, and a good mix playful wordplay and witty catchy songwriter. Every rhyme is carefully thought out, and Playdough broaches on every subject from faith to having a girl and some money. Even the interludes between the songs feature interesting samples and cuts of classic sound clips.
The tracks "No Angel" and "The Business" are the definite single worthy songs off the album with strong hooks and even stronger verses. "Say Sum", "Frank & Beans", and "Sunset" have killer beats that would stand up well by themselves. The guest emcees on the album also compliment and strengthen the album as they perform impeccably as well.
The rest of the album is just solid straight up hip-hop from play to stop. Playdough really brings credibility to positive rap music by continuing to produce classy joints, creative witty rhymes skills, and catchy sing along hooks over great beats.
Hotdoggin track listing with production credits: 01) Nunya - Prod. by Harry Krum
02) Rhymer Reason - Prod. by Beat Rabbi and Harry Krum
03) No Angel - Prod. by Sivion and Harry Krum
04) Elizabeth Shue -Prod. by PicnicTyme
05) The Business - Prod. by Freddie Bruno
06) Say Sumn - Prod. by For Beats Sake and Harry Krum
07) My Cadillac - Prod. by Blaze Won and Harry Krum
08) Franks & Beans with Gift of Gab - Prod. by For Beats Sake
09) 1 Day - Prod. by Harry Krum
10) Hotdoggin - Prod. by DJ Bombay
11) Singleminded Female - Prod. by Freddie Bruno and Harry Krum
12) So What with Freddie Bruno - Prod. by Harry Krum
13) I Got It Like - Prod. by Harry Krum
14) Ya Heard with Mr. Dibbs vs The Black Keys - Prod. by Mr. Dibbs and The Black Keys
Everyone Dies in Utah is making headway with their newest release Seeing Clearly, recently dropping on March 1st. This six piece hardcore/electronica band getting noticed for their unique twist on the post hardcore genre by fluidly adding digital sounds and computer generated beats and rhythms and vocals. The following interview was conducted with drummer, Justin Morgan and bass/vocalist, Justin Yost. The following interview will be in the next issue of Broken Records.
You guys were one of the winning bands for the Ernie Ball Warped Tour challenge. Was winning that competition a key component on your success? We actually won the challenge two years in a row. It was an amazing experience and opportunity that we all feel gave us much needed promotion as well as a great time with fans and friends.
Where do you draw your influences from? Musically, we all listen to bands from all over the musical spectrum such as: Enter Shikari, The Dangerous Summer, Enigma, and pretty much anything in between. We all have our tastes in music and we bring them all to the table in every song that we write.
Does adding the electronica/techno infused beats throughout the music change what people would typically classify a "hardcore band?" Some would say yes, others would say no but we don't really use the electronic sound to be "genre defining." We use it more as a instrument to help create the feel and emotion that we try to give off in our songs.
Why did you go that route, and are there other dimensions of music you guys will be exploring in the future? Originally, we didn't use electronics. But as we progressed, we realized that it can be marketable if used the right way; it was potentially a great addition to our music.
On your Myspace, you talk about wanting your music to be inspirational. Have any fans openly spoken to the band about the impact EDIU has had on their lives from a musical standpoint? Yes! We have had fans claim to feel many different emotions after listening to our debut album, "Seeing Clearly," such as sad, happy and every emotions in between. We had a particular fan tell us she cried when she listened to the last song on the album, "Simply Me," for the first time which is actually a great thing to hear for us. It makes us feel as though our message is being heard.
What was it like finally dropping this debut record and how has the response to it been so far? The anticipation was almost too great but now that it has finally dropped, we've had great reviews and responses and we couldn't be happier about it.
What do you think is uniquely different about your album compared to some of your peers? We're not going to sit here and say that you're going to love our album more than our peers album but we will say that we wrote it from our hearts. We wrote it out of experiences that we've had that can relate to one another and the strongest messages we had to give, we actually repeated a few times throughout the album so our fans, and friends would truly understand our meaning.
Bed, Bath, & Beyonce...please explain. The name doesn't relate to anything in all honesty. We try to be positive people but that doesn't mean that we don't like to have fun and enjoy life. We like to joke around and have a lighthearted time with our fans. The name just goes to show that we really don't need to be serious all the time to write meaningful music.
Why do so many people die in Utah? Honestly, we have no idea. None of us have ever even been to Utah so we're not entirely sure. The band name actually just came from a statistic saying that Utah had the highest death rate of all of the states at one point, henceforth, Everyone Dies In Utah.
What is in the near future for EDIU? We have a few tours coming up during the summer stretching from the west coast to the east coast and almost everywhere in between. We're excited to get out there and play with some awesome bands, meet tons of awesome new people, and ultimately, share our love for music with the world. We also have a music video for our single, "Bed, Bath, & Beyonce," that is scheduled to release on AP's website April 21st and we're super stoked for that.
Anything else you want to add? Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to give us a chance. It truly does mean the world to us. Come out to a show, pick up a record, and come give us high fives! And of course, don't put twinkies on your pizza!
Every once in awhile I do an interview that makes me say, "Wow thanks for being so cool, honest, and open." This is definitely one of those. Readers, this is Tiger Darrow. She has an amazing voice and is also a talented violinist, cellist, guitarist, and pianist. Oh yeah, did I mention she's an actress too? She has done work in the Spy Kids Series, and recently did the musical score for Machete. So read through the interview and learn a little more about Tiger. Scroll to the bottom to check out her musical links and IMDB page.
I see according to IMDB your actual name is Jacqueline. Where'd the Tiger come from?
When I was little, I really wanted to be a veterinarian. When I was looking through a National Geographic magazine (I totally had a subscription, no big deal), I decided that I really loved tigers and thought that it would be really cool if "Tiger" was my name instead of "Jacqueline." I was three years old when I made that decision and it stuck! I’ve used it professionally, and personally, ever since.
How did you get into acting? How did you get into music?
My parents met while working on a play together, and my mom was an acting teacher for several years at the State Theatre in Austin. I was exposed to the acting world REALLY early on. When I was about seven years old, my mom asked me if I would like to try acting. Up to that point, I had been doing a lot of dance (Irish Dance, tap, ballet) and had played violin for a few years. I've always been open to trying out the different areas of the arts (and I still am), so I said yes and signed with her agency, Acclaim Talent. I've gotten to work on tons of great projects and I’ve met some really amazing people through all of the film work I've done.
As far as music goes, I started playing violin when I was about two years old, but I always told my parents that I REALLY wanted to play cello. We decided to hold off on the whole cello thing for a while, which worked out just fine because I didn't really get to work on music as much when I started dancing and acting. My uncle, Allan Hayslip, got me my first guitar when I was about seven. I took a few lessons, but didn't really start songwriting until I was twelve. I moved to Dallas when I was 14, and I had written enough songs for an album, so I sat in my grandparent's living room with my laptop and a condenser mic and tried my best to get good recordings of all of my songs. After I had everything recorded, I released my self-titled, debut album. Since then, I've learned so much about writing, recording, and engineering that I'm a little embarrassed about that first album...
How are acting and music similar, how are they different?
Acting and music are both performance-driven. Just as an actor on stage or film must embody their character, a musician must "sell" his or her songs when he or she performs. In order to connect with your audience, or have an impact, your audience has to believe the story you're telling them. It doesn't matter if you're acting, singing, or playing an instrument. You have to LIVE it for those three and a half minutes. You're in a vulnerable position in both situations because you're putting yourself "out there" in such a way that people can openly criticize you. You really have to be strong for that. Really, their only difference is that you don't particularly need to be able to sing for acting. I think it’s helpful to know a little about acting when performing music.
What is your style of music, and who is/are your musical inspirations?
To be completely honest, I don't think I know what my style is yet. It keeps evolving. I like to think that the songs I write are produced in a way that enhances the story I'm trying to tell. For example, the song "Machines" from my album You Know Who You Are is very slick and borderline "electronica" because I wanted the song to have a mechanical feel. However, my song "Takes Time" is very stripped down and less produced because I wanted it to have the exposed, vulnerable feel of a broken heart. I get musical inspiration from everyone and everything around me, but specific musicians I draw my inspiration from include Danny Elfman, Imogen Heap, U2, Regina Spektor, and MuteMath.
Say you have the chance to share a song with anyone in the world. Who is it and why?
I think I’m already sharing my music with the people who I want to share it with: anyone who listens. Every song I write is about something or someone that/who is important to me, so every story is relatable. What I love more than anything is hearing that my music has, in some way, helped someone or moved someone, so I try to share it with everyone I can.
Tell me a little bit about your new albums, and why people should listen to you?
My new albums are pretty different from each other. Hello was co-written with and produced by Cary Pierce. I did everything on You Know Who You Are completely on my own (writing, recording, engineering, etc). While Hello is more easily classified as "pop," I'm not sure about the genre of You Know Who You Are because it's a crazy meshing of different styles. Some people have referred to it as my "experimental" album because I played around with all sorts of different genres. What I'm really proud of in my music is that what I write is genuinely from my heart. The idea behind You Know Who You Are is that every song was written about someone in my life, and if they were to listen to the album with that in mind, they could figure out which song is about them. Because of this, I like to think that my music is easy for people to relate to. I would love for people to be able to use my music as a source of inspiration to help them get through difficult times or celebrate happy times.
How do you know Mason Taylor of A'tris and what was the experience like of working on a song with him?
I met Mason in 2008 at a songwriting workshop at Berklee College of Music and got to see A'tris perform as a part of the program. After that, we became friends on Facebook and emailed back and forth. I made a silly little video of a cover I did of "Automatic Doors" and Mason sent back a cover of the song I wrote for Born Free Foundation, "Beautiful Release." After exchanging a few more covers, we decided we should collaborate, so he sent me an A'tris's "song a week" song, "Letter From Home" for me to play cello and sing harmony on. After that, we collaborated on the cover A'tris released called "A Million Hungry Eyes" by Jonathan Seet. I love collaborating with other artists because you never know how your ideas will mesh with the other musician's. While you can hear each musician's influence in a collaborative effort, the sound as a whole is new. On top of that, A’tris has been very supportive of my music and gave me a lot of artistic freedom when recording my parts of the songs we worked on. I love having that freedom within collaborations.
Where do you hope to be in five years time?
Hopefully, in five years I will have finished my undergrad work, and maybe I’ll be playing shows all around the country or scoring films. I’m going to NYU's Steinhardt School for music composition and theory in hopes of having a focus on film scoring. The scoring that I got to do for Machete was such an awesome experience, I would love to work on more projects like that.
If you had to live without being involved in movies or being involved in music, which would it be?
That's a really tough question. I'm going to New York University for music composition and theory with a focus on film scoring, so I can't really imagine not being involved with both music and film in some sort of way.
What is your coolest film experience, and what does your acting future hold?
I've gotten to work on a lot of really cool films, so I'm not sure I can choose one particular experience that especially stands out. I’ve been involved with Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids series since I was eight years old. He’s a huge inspiration for me and I’ve learned a lot about the film industry and the hard work and drive it takes to accomplish your dreams from him. He, his crew, and the studios created a great environment to grow up in. It allowed me to learn from an early age how to be professional, but it also encouraged my creativity. I give Robert Rodriguez and Troublemaker Studios a lot of credit for who I am today as a professional.
Now I do whatever acting comes my way, but I'm not necessarily "pursuing" acting work as much as I am my music.
What's been your biggest rock star moment as a musician so far, and what's a goal/dream of yours?
Recently, I got to open for Erykah Badu at a fundraiser for my high school, Booker T. Washington HSPVA. The concert was set up in our brand new theater and her engineer ran sound for me, so it sounded so full and rich. The audience was amazingly responsive. That night, it was just me with my guitar, so I was a little bit nervous, but once I started playing, I was so comfortable with everyone in the auditorium, even though I couldn’t see them. I’ve had some awesome shows, but this was especially memorable.
As far as dreams and goals go, at some point, I would LOVE to collaborate with U2. I really appreciate the thought they put into their music and I love their sound, not to mention how powerful Bono’s voice is. They’re a band I really look up to. I wore my “stand up to rock stars” tank top until the letters faded. I need a new one!
If you could give one piece of advice to young people interested in the arts, what would it be?
Being successful in the arts takes a lot of patience and a lot of hard work. I've learned that one really has to be open to taking criticism and experimenting. I've also learned that it's good to try to go out of your comfort zone in your art to see where it takes you.But most of all, it really all takes time. Success doesn’t come over night. Just like everything else, you get out of it what you put in to it, so if you’re willing to work hard and give it your all and understand that success is not an instant thing, you’ll probably be happy with your results.
Anything else you want to ad or talk about?
Yes! I'm really excited to announce that I have a gig in New York at The Bitter End on June 16th at 8 PM. It'll be my New York debut, so I'm really looking forward to it! You can find information about tickets here:http://www.bitterend.com/or call(212) 673-7030.
Ten After Two is an upcoming band that just released their debut album, Truth Is..., March 29th on Rise Records. Forming in May 2009, TAT balances the familiar line of screamo/hardcore, with melodic break downs and poppy harmonized choruses. Notably different about this post hardcore band is all sense of the generic as they masterfully create music that has to this point been worn out. Hearing new bands reinventing the envelope is not only refreshing, but hopeful as well.
Truth Is... encompasses the more mainstream elements of Underoath's They're Only Chasing Safety, while distinctly setting a tempo and style that is their own in a growing scene. With alternating high and low screams, it makes the heavier parts standout more than just blatant mono sounding aggression.
Listening through the album, definite single worthy songs are "It Threatens", "Yes", and "Believe Me". "Yes" features lots of moving intricate parts with aggressive driving vocals. "Dead After Dallas" and "Satan's Slumber Party" are darker songs that really showcase deep screaming vocals and a darker musical style with almost blast beat like death metal riffs.
The title track "Truth Is..." is a great melodic song with a spectacular climax that leads right into "Interlude in D Minor". From here the end of the album features alternations between fast, slow clean, and punkier parts along with some digital sounding parts in "Sight At Sea".
Overall this is a fantastic album, and a great debut for Ten After Two. They are sure to turn heads with this album and are definitely taking music in the right direction. Be sure to catch Ten After Two as they go on tour for The Artery Young Guns Tour with The Air I Breathe, Scarlett O’Hara, The Plot In You and Lions! Tigers! Bears!
