There are a bunch of albums coming out from some artists that I enjoy in the next few months that I wanted to briefly discuss. Mostly just analyze where they are at from the last record to the new release and how the band may or may not adjust.
Against Me!- White Crosses
Being a small time punk band from Gainesville, FL was tough for Against Me! for most of their career until they hit mainstream success with their last effort New Wave. I really got into this band after their last record and hope they can follow up with their aggressive punk mixed with rock n’ roll. The band returns with lot’s of pressure for a solid follow up as the band has just finished recording what is now being titled White Crosses but I have no doubts were in for a treat.
Atreyu- Congregation of the Damned
This band to me was my first real “Emo” obsession because they were super heavy but had awesome pop choruses that almost could be compared to a modern Bon Jovi. What I mean is Bon Jovi wrote some heavy licks in their early hair metal days but also had that pop mentality behind them the whole time. Their last release Lead Sails Paper Anchors had a mix of awesome and weak tracks adding up to a moderately good release that many fans were disappointed in. I hope the band can come back with a super heavy album along with that strong chorus line that they were known for in the past.
Between The Buried And Me- The Great Misdirect
I can’t believe I actually love this band and was surprised to hear people who didn’t really care for heavy music even like them as well. It’s hard not to when you hear such creative musicianship with very diverse singing and orchestrating. That last sentence may have sounded confusing but BTBAM are Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Metallica mixed with hardcore and folk which in turn you could say is Progressive or Experimental rock. Their last album was basically epic after epic of long instrumental songs with a mix of harsh and harmonic lyrics from top to bottom and I just hope they continue their experimentation with this release.
Lostprophets- The Betrayed
It’s been three years in the making of this album that is following a obscure and average release for a band I felt could do much better. I was excited about the release of their last album Liberation Transmission when it first came out and enjoyed most of the album but much of the songs on their really lack lasting appeal like the previous two. I’ve heard the single for their fourth studio release called “It’s Not The End of the World, But I Can See It From Here” and I am pleased because it sounds like a safe choice for a cover and I am expecting much heavier and older schooling sounding material on the album. I hope that my hopes aren’t up to high but apparantly the band scraped a lot of their material from the early recording sessions because they felt they were getting away from their roots, let’s hope they went back.
The Bravery-Stir The Blood
I really like The Bravery more then most of the bands that came out of that 2004 stint of 80′s alternative sounding bands and am glad to see they are still releasing good material. Their last album The Sun And The Moon had many single worthy songs and was a favorite to play this summer for some reason considering the album has been out for 2 years. Either way I am anxious to hear their blend of classic alternative and punk in this destined to be underrated release.
Vampire Weekend- Contra
I had already spoken about this during their artist spotlight a few weeks ago but I am overly excited for this indie follow up and can’t wait to play this album all summer long too. The album doesn’t come out till the winter but the new single “Horchata” is a nice sample of what is to come from the New York hipsters and hope it’s the transition song from debut to sophmore effort. I don’t really have any doubts for the Columbian University graduates because from what I’ve read about early listens, the album is a worthy follow up.
