So it is time for yet another installment of Artist Spotlight in which I write about a band I have been listening to frequently and tell you why you should listen to them as well. The Dear And Departed have been around for several years now and gained some more mainstream attention after being signed to popular indie label Equal Vision Records a little over a year ago. You may recognize to the left lead singer Dan Smith who has become known more for his career as a tattoo artist on the hit TLC show LA Ink, but don’t let that you fool you, he was doing this long before he was on the show. What first caught my attention with this band was that they stood apart from many of the bands on Equal Vision, a label who primarily focuses on experimental and hardcore bands. The Dear And Departed have crafted a sound that is primarily a mix of punk and early alternative and new wave rock that you can hear through their influences in AFI, Erasure and The Cure. The alternative and new wave influence is heard heavily in Smith’s vocals who I would compare to a later Robert Smith or Bernard Sumner of New Order, while the band has a punk sound of AFI or early The Cure. The band is about to release their second full length album on what I would guess to be Equal Vision records but no statement has been made yet as to whether or not this is confirmed. In the meantime I would suggest checking out their full-length Something Quite Peculiar and Chapters EP.
Something Quite Peculiar has many standout tracks for a first release and primarily it’s hard to get over the second track “I Will Love Again”, a song basically just as the title states about getting over a loved one who has left you. Although sad on some songs the poppy alternative tracks such as “Masquerade” and “Tonight’s The Night” lift you up from the sadder tracks with sing-a-long punk choruses and catchy guitar riffs. The most stand out song for me on this record is the slow duet with Dallas Green on “To Cut A Long Story Short” where both singers are back and forth on a beautiful slow but catchy song. The lyrics to this song are extremely sad but really give Smith justice for this genre of music when him and Green sing, “I don’t know where to begin, I’ve searched, Im digging within. All that I need is to be there standing by your side.” It’s probably safest starting with this album first and keeping an eye out for those tracks before moving onto their newest EP Chapters, which although similar does have some matured differences.
Chapters is a great move I think to progress into what will be their second full length release because it shows growth from the first release but also allows for that transition into the next chapter (no pun intended). Two standout tracks for me on this EP are the single “Matter of Time” which has a more alternative/punk pop feel that was noticeable on Something Quite Peculiar and the final track “There For The Taking.” That latter song is probably my second favorite track by them and it just seems like the perfect final song for the EP to leave fans excited for the next release. The song just leaves you open for lots of interpretation of what is to come from the band and from what has been said online, there are going to be some awesome guest vocalists on this next album. I highly suggest checking this band out through their Facebook page or website if you like alternative rock music. Don’t be surprised to see them playing bigger venues in the next year or two with Smith’s celebrity status from LA Ink and the great backing of his bandmates Darren Parkinson, Courtney Miner, Keath Moon and Jimmy Walsh. Check out the song “Matter of Time” below.
The Dear And Departed Facebook
@dearanddeparted
Come out and join the party for a good cause! With live performances by Milly Beau and Blackbells.
Also check out the event and register, Sea Paddle NYC its one of a kind.
This Friday night a Ogden van will be departing to the Seaside Music Festival at 7pm to see the amazing and extremely talented band Take One Car play their set at the Beach Bar. If you are interested in coming down to see this FREE EVENT, either post on the blog or contact me via my iPhone or @brentshibla for more details. All you need to do is scrap a few bucks together to chip in and Ogden Clothing is taking care of the rest. Only a few modest requirements needed and that is you need to like to party, enjoy good music and love Ogden clothing. If you have any questions about this please don’t hesitate to contact me ASAP because this van will fill up fast. For more information check the links below.
I’ve decided instead of just calling these album reviews I would just call these posts “Listen To This Album” since I only really like reviewing albums I deem worthy for you and not writing about some album that just plain sucks. This album Waves by Moving Mountains is no exception after I just stumbled upon them after my friend @jeffymatt_son posted one of their songs on my Facebook wall. The band has a very cool post rock/post hardcore sound that reminds me of Vheissu by Thrice and the musical stylings of Explosions In The Sky and Chemtrail. Now gaining in popularity Moving Mountains has recently signed to Long Island indie label Triple Crown Records and joined a great group of artists who have graced the label’s lineup. Although the band has been around for a few years they recently made a breakthrough in their careers with this beautiful new release, which has gotten positive reviews by most critics so I hope you enjoy this album as much as I do.
The opening track “My Life Is Like A Chase Dream (And I’m Still Having Chase Dreams)” is a phenomenal first track that is heavy at times but is more traditionally ambient throughout the song. The song opens up with the lyrics “You said it first, we’ll both end up in different places” a line that makes me think about growing up and how people can end up on different paths without really trying to leave each other. The lyric writing for this band is one thing that really attracts me to them so appreciate the words to these songs when your listening to this album, it makes it all more worth the while. ”The Cascade” is another beautiful song that is more post-rock with less heavy vocals like the majority of this album so don’t be turned off if you initially read about them being a little heavy. If I had to choose a perfect song to describe the tempo of this band and the flow of the album it has to be the song “Always Only For Me”, which is the song that was posted on my wall and turned me onto them actually in the first place. The song is heavy but comforting and the lyrics are just fantastic in the closing of the song “The sun could make and cast the biggest shadows over me. Over the places I hold in my thoughts. In my thoughts is where you’ll be.” Waves isn’t anything progressively new in the scene but if you enjoy bands like Thrice, Explosions In The Sky and early 2000 post hardcore bands than I suggest picking up this album immediately. The band knows what they are doing with this type of music and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them playing with bands like Thrice and Brand New this next year. Check out the song “Always Only For Me” below.
Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem just recently announced on his blog “Cassettes in the Mailbox” that he was at a secret location in the Jersey Shore recording 12 tracks for his side project The Horrible Crowes with long time guitar tech Ian Perkins. Fallon has said that the project will be a departure from Gaslight and will be a mix of influences from Tom Waits to Nick Cave, which to me sounds like a pretty interesting sound. Many of the tracks have recordings with Fallon playing the piano and other instruments that you normally wouldn’t see with his blues-punk outfit and to expect something different.
The group is currently hanging out in a place unannounced in the Jersey Shore but if I had to bet on at least two places they were definitely hiding I would say Red Bank or Asbury Park since he has quite a past in both places. The album doesn’t have a title or record label announced as of yet but I wouldn’t be surprised if the album ended up on One Side Dummy where Gaslight has released their past two albums. Just by hearing from the few blogs that Fallon has posted I’m really amped for this album and can only hope it is a departure from The Gaslight Anthem, since I’m not really looking for B-sides from American Slang on this one. This is a demo Brian Fallon did solo and he said it didn’t fit with Gaslight so I’m curious to see if it ends up on The Horrible Crowes album (fingers crossed).
@horriblecrowes
Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse just gave a tour of his Portland home as well as played a new song that is apparently on their forthcoming album produced by Big Boi.
It’s been about two whole years exactly since Manchester Orchestra released the amazing critically praised Mean Everything To Nothing. The band had obviously made it passed the sophomore slump and were looking towards a widely anticipated 2011 release, which had just been put out yesterday. That new album being Simple Math is a little different from their previous releases but nothing that would make you think this wasn’t Manchester Orchestra, if anything this could quite possibly be their best work to date. I have listened to the album at least three times straight through already and am even more pleased after each listen. Simple Math is filled with singles and will likely rival for album of the year in magazines such as Alternative Press and Spin. If you haven’t heard the Atlanta, GA based band than you need to pick up this album immediately, never mind if you haven’t heard their previous releases, you can easily transition backwards.
The album opens with a slower track titled “Deer” and it’s an ambient well written song that makes you think “Oh, going slower on this record?” Not quite, the song is great but immediately kicks into the more upbeat “Mighty” which is a key track in my book on the album. The following track “Pensacola” is probably one of the most solid tracks on the album and is most likely in my opinion going to be a single by them at some point. The song has great lyrics and really awesome keyboard parts that keep the song upbeat and fun to listen to. The fourth track “April Fool” got a little slack from two reviews I read but I absolutely love the song just because of the lyrics but it may be due to the fact that I was born on April Fool’s Day so I may claim this as my song. The staff favorite here at Ogden really digs the track “Virgin” and the song is a little different for Manchester Orchestra just because it has a chorus with kids singing along with lead singer Andy Hull and the obvious title track “Simple Math” gets us going as well. The album closes with the very fitting “Leaky Breaks” because it’s slow, poppy and very relaxing to listen to as a closing song. We really love Manchester Orchestra here at Ogden so you don’t have to take our word for it but if you really like good quality Indie rock this band is really where it is at. Check out the song “Virgin” below.