On Your Side - A Rocket to the Moon

On Your Side is the debut album from A Rocket to the Moon. They had previously released several demos and EPs, with popular songs such as “Dakota”, “If Only They Knew”, and “Baby, We’re Invincible”.

When I listened to the album, one of my first thoughts was that it was more of a summer album and should have been released in June rather than October; it has the “cute” lyrics and light music. Unfortunately, that is not my heaviest criticism of the CD.

The CD starts off with “Annabelle” which has okay, but uninspired lyrics. Some of the notes sound harsh and the song is definitely lacking something. It then moves on to “Mr. Right” which I had similar opinions of. Next, is “She’s Killing Me”. By this point, I was starting to think the album was going to kill me. Then comes “On A Lonely Night”. Was this deja vu, or had I already listened to this song?

A Rocket to the Moon also includes their “new” version of “Dakota”. Something has definitely been changed, but not for the better. Next, “Life of the Party” began to play. I was relieved. Maybe, this would be the first decent song, despite the intro’s possible similarities to “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry. Then, the lyric “I thought I would drink you forever” pops out. Ummm.... bad metaphor. Especially when the line about the straw is included. So much for decent.

As On Your Side progressed, I wanted to listen to it less and less. It switches between country and not quite techno like schizophrenia. A Rocket to the Moon is clearly trying to sound like other popular bands of a similar genre. There are many similarities in lyrics to “Give a Damn” and the Maine’s “Everything I Ask For”. For example, both songs tell of a girl who seems to be perfect for the singer.

My advice? Save your money, or buy one of A Rocket to the Moon’s EPs.

-Brennan

Nothing Personal - All Time Low

Nothing Personal is probably All Time Low’s catchiest album. The songs are singable, get stuck in your head easily, and are great for concerts. But, like most albums, it has its ups and downs.

The majority of the songs have good beats and interesting lyrics. The album starts off strong with “Weightless”. Anyone can relate to the lyrics (“maybe its not my weekend, but it’s gonna be my year”) and the tempo is good. It then moves into “Break Your Little Heart” which keeps the upbeat tempo and it’s also the song from which the title of the CD comes. The next song is “Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don’t)” which is probably one of the best songs on the CD; it’s catchy and the beat is perfect for dancing. Another strong song is “Stella”, a song about being drunk on Stella Artois. “Stella” (perhaps unintentionally) is full of brilliant double meanings. The song “Walls” is perfect for concerts because its lyrics could work for a slow song, but its tempo is upbeat.

However, other songs are repetitive and over-edited. In “Lost In Stereo”, lead singer Alex Gaskarth repeats the title phrase too often. This wouldn’t even be so bad if the song were short; it is not, it is one of the longest songs on the CD. One over-edited song is “Too Much”, which is, in my opinion, the worst song on the CD. It is weak in comparison to the other songs. It sounds nothing like All Time Low or like the rest of the CD.

The rest of Nothing Personal is neither weak, nor exceptionally strong. “Keep The Change, You Filthy Animal” and “A Party Song (The Walk of Shame)” sound more like older All Time Low and are singable, but lack the catchiness to make them very memorable. “Sick Little Games” is good, but maybe slightly monotone, whereas “Hello, Brooklyn” is fun but gets a little strange when Alex Gaskarth begins to shout out random cities. The CD is finished up with “Therapy”. Similarly to “Too Much”, it sounds little like anything else on the CD. It’s an okay song, with the chorus being the best part.

-Brennan

Hello Fascination- Breathe Carolina

I've never been a fan of Breathe Carolina as I've always thought their music was musically challenged and over-rated. Hello Fascination changed that opinion. Titled after one of the songs, Hello Fascination shows people that Breathe Carolina can change their style and have a positive outcome.

Kyle Even and David Schmitt, the masterminds behind the album create lyrics that have hidden meanings. In "Dressed Up To Undress", you may be thinking the artists are creating a cute song to a girl about how she doesn't need to dress up for a date, or you could be thinking "This is just a nice way of saying "Let's fuck."
"I Have To Go Return Some Video Tapes" is extremely violent and angry. "[...]I want you to know I've been in your apartment. This is the instrument I split your head apart with. It's not the first time I've had the impulse. Unwrap your skin and axe off your limbs [...]"
Creepy, no?

I enjoyed this album and the catchy tunes Breathe Carolina concocted.

No Time To Bleed- Suicide Silence

No Time To Bleed was highly anticipated by Suicide Silence fans.
Following up The Cleansing would be tough, and I think Suicide Silence didn't disappoint, however No Time To Bleed does have its flaws.

In my opinion, No Time To Bleed really shows off the talent Suicide Silence has to offer. Mitch Lucker is an extremely talented vocalist, but shows his variety of screams in the very first song, which meant the rest of the songs had nothing new. All the songs start to sound redundant after only a few tracks. However, when listening to No Time To Bleed in moderation, it can be enjoyable.

Brand New Eyes- Paramore

"I was like, 'This isn't a feel-good song, because I'm writing about something I'm going through right now, and it's still painful, and I confused that with actually not liking the songs, when actually I was prouder of them than I've ever been before. They're heavier emotions for me... I'm still going through some of this stuff, and these songs are really healing to me." (Quote from Singer Hayley Willians)

Brand New Eyes shows fans the heartfelt side of Paramore, the side we saw some of in their past album All We Know Is Falling. Not only are there angry and passionate lyrics such as “The angles were wrong, now she’s ripping wings off of butterflies”, but vocalist Hayley Willams has exposed a whole new range of her voice. “All I Wanted Was You” and “Turn It Off’ show just how high Hayley’s voice can go. Paramore decided to name the record Brand New Eyes because of the decision to sees things from a whole new perspective. "Just trying to let go of whatever we might have struggled with the past and just see each other in a new way," explained Williams. In the first week, Brand New Eyes sold 175,000 copies and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2.

It's All Happening- Iwrestledabearonce

Being an influential band in the metal world and already having a four and a half star rating on their EP, Iwrestledabearonce had to step up to the challenge of making an even better sound when making their first full length album. Released on June 2, 2009, It’s All Happening combines the hardcore growls and screams we’re used to as well as technical riffs and guitar solos. Vocalist Krysta Cameron combines off pitch eerie singing sections in almost each song.

The first few times I listened to this CD, I thought that the off pitch singing added a really nice touch. Especially since Krysta decided to hit the right notes in th "Alaskan Flounder Baske"t. However, after listening to It’s All Happening many times, the continuous notes never matching the tone of the music made the songs annoying. “I'm Cold and There Are Wolves After Me” starts off with a beautiful, ominous singing part, but later in the song, she started wavering from the right notes. "The Cats Pajamas" contains a more melodic tune and sounds much better than the rest of her singing. It’s All Happening sold 4,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. It’s debut position was No. 121 on The Billboard 200 chart and landed No. 1 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heartseekers) chart.