The Early Strike – Ten Outta Ten

The Early Strike – Ten Outta Ten
2010, TRB Entertainment

Southern California pop/punk quarter The Early Strike have created a lot of buzz the last few years with appearances on the VANS Warped tour and sold out shows throughout the south and southwest.  Today, The Early Strike drops their sophomore album, Ten Outta Ten into the teeming mass of American pop culture.  Working with producer David J. Holman (No Doubt, Bush), The Early Strike have captured the youthful energy and dynamic sound of their live show on Ten Outta Ten, along with dynamic dual-vocals of guitarist Ryan Shaw and bassist Brit Joyce. 

Ten Outta Ten opens with “Real Man Show”, a marginally catchy pop/punk number that shows off the dual vocal approach in grand style.  Shaw sounds like your standard issue alt-rock hero on the mic, whereas Brit Joyce has a slightly brassy and untrained but ultimately enjoyable.  “Reality Check” is something of a social rock reveille; a call to arms for the truth.  The Early Strike shows a distinctive pop sensibility that’s infectious and fun.  “Party Up” is catchy, a double edged message about living the wild life.  “Shut Up!” is pure relationship dysfunction captured in song.

The Early Strike drop a positive social message in the midst of “A’s And B’s”; a catchy number about not giving in to peer pressure and standing up for yourself.  It’s a well-written tune that’s as catchy as anything and highly enjoyable.  This one has real chart potential.  “I Am Gay” could be interpreted as a declaration, or simply a joyous realization of an unexpected attraction.  Either way this song will get inside your head.  This is another number that could find The Early Strike climbing the charts.

It might have been a good choice for The Early Strike to pare down Ten Outta Ten to an EP entitled Six Outta Six.  The last four songs, and the faux-commercial “A Kind Word” don’t measure up to the first six tracks, sounding more like decent but unmotivated filler tracks than the pure pop/punk joy The Early Strike achieve on the first half of Ten Outta Ten.  The Early Strike is a band who is going places; it wouldn’t be surprising to hear The Early Strike crossing over into the pop radio realm in 2011 and climbing the billboard charts. 

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Early Strike at http://www.theearlystrike.com/ or www.myspace.com/theearlystrike.  Ten Outta Ten is available digitally from Amazon.com and iTunes.

Never Shout Never - Harmony

Never Shout Never - Harmony
2010 Loveway/Sire Records

Never Shout Never returned recently with their first full length album, Harmony. The band with roots in Joplin, Mississippi garnered a lot of attention with 2009’s Summer EP, earning features from outlets such as Billboard Magazine, Alternative Press, AMP Magazine and MTV’s TRL. Harmony finds Never Shout Never exploring new sounds, choosing a more acoustic folk/rock path than you might expect from their post-punk roots.

Harmony opens with the title track, a highly simplistic and redundant folk/rock track that is likely to have some commercial appeal. The acoustic arrangement here is appealing, but the repetitive nature of the song is likely to grate on a few nerves. "This Sh!t Getz Old" is a highly infectious bit of acoustic pop music that is so catchy you'll overlook the banal lyrical constructs it contains. "Cheatercheaterbestfriendeater" is a calling of accounts for a digital age; a somewhat clinical yet emotionally mature review of a shallow ending to a shallow relationship. "Lovesick" may be the emotional epilogue to "Cheatercheaterbestfriendeater", written with a flair that suggests someone's been listening to 1960's cabaret music rather than the current crop of pop songs. It's a well-constructed song with a great melody and a catchy but quiet feel.

"Piggy Bank" sings the praises of being with someone who appreciates the simple things, particularly when the simple things are all you can afford. It's a highly catchy tune that will have your toes tapping even if the rhyming scheme is occasionally on the far side of awkward. "First Dance" features some impressive vocal harmonies and has the sort of pacing and feel that leads to chart success. Rapid-fire lyrics in the verses resolve into a chorus you'll be humming in your sleep. "Trampoline" is about the building tension of a fledgling relationship and the stops and starts brought on by a prior bad experience. The arrangement is highly inventive and illustrative of the way such relationships might run; a surprisingly subtle bit of song craft. "Sweet Perfection" is a fun little country-style romp that attempts to convince an intended paramour how wonderful things might be. It's a charming tune with real life and is perhaps the most likely track on the album to be on continuous repeat on your MP3 player. On "Sellout" Never Shout Never take themselves and the music industry to task for the tendency to place image over music and creation; the sort of song a major label wouldn't have allowed even five/ten years ago. In the age of "independent" labels established with the financial support of the majors it's only a little less surprising. The song works, but does have a whiny quality to it that will turn some off.

Never Shout Never hit the big time and make a sudden left turn musically, sticking to mostly acoustic folk/rock songs on Harmony. The result is generally very good and occasionally stunning. Never Shout Never does occasionally suffer an awkward moment in their lyrics, but bulls their way through like it doesn't matter. The music tends to be so catchy and/or memorable they are probably right. Never Shout Never, in essence, takes several giant leaps forward artistically with Harmony, overcoming the sort of sophomore doldrums that afflict many bands with blunt acoustic force. The band has its idiosyncrasies, but there's something in the chemistry of Never Shout Never that makes you want to overlook the small blemishes; like that one friend in every group that's a little off-kilter but no one has a bad word to say about. Never Shout Never will sneak up on you and have you hooked on their melodies before you know what hit you.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Never Shout Never at http://www.nevershoutnever.com/ or www.myspace.com/nevershoutnever.  Harmony is available from Amazon.com as a Deluxe CD, Standard CD, Explicit Download, or Clean Download.  iTunes has the album in both Explicit and Clean versions.

Stimulator - Lovelier In Black

Stimulator - Lovelier In Black
2010, Stimulator Records

Stimulator has an identify problem. Vocalist Susan Hyatt and guitarist Geoff Tyson play with sounds and styles the way a cat plays with its prey: you never know from which direction they will strike or how hard. What is clear is that Stimulator is capable of rocking hard but can also take on light pop airs that lend themselves too much dancing. This poly-stylistic approach is why Stimulator has done everything from open for The Go-Go's and Duran Duran to stealing the show at the Vans Warped Tour. Stimulator's third album, Lovelier In Black, finds Hyatt with a new hair color and a new attitude, exploring the darker elements of life from a highly personal perspective.

Lovelier In Black starts out strong. "Untouchable" has a big, heavy rock sound that's highly produced. The vocals are buried too deep in the mix, but the heavy rock/electro-dance hybrid sound is novel enough to capture the attention of radio program directors. "You Think You're Sorry Now" is more of a dance tune with big guitar. The vocals are buried deep within the sound mix, obscuring Susan Hyatt's voice, but there's real pop sensibility to the song even if the construction is a bit on the cookie-cutter side of things. "Lovelier In Black" is an enjoyable anti-ballad that's built around modular vocal harmonies. It has a great melody and shows off Hyatt's voice in a positive light.

"Me & My Rhythmbox" is full of innuendo and serves over a heavy dance beat. It has the sort of sound that does well in the dance clubs but isn't terribly musical. It's a sign of what's to come as Stimulator falls into a rut of innuendo and cooked up dance beats with lots of guitar for the next five songs. "Chasing The High" turns the corner a bit and the closing number, Sonny & Cher's "Beat Goes On" is stellar, but most listeners will have tuned out by then.

Stimulator has a gimmick; it's one that will likely work for them to some extent. Vocalist Susan Hyatt is solid, but the songwriting is generally no better than average, and the band substitutes sound for creativity across most of Lovelier In Black. One can't help but wonder if there isn't more beneath the surface of Stimulator. It may be vital to the band's future.

Rating: 1.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Stimulator at http://www.stimulatortheband.com/ or www.myspace.com/stimulator.  Lovelier In Blackis available from Amazon.com as both CD and Download.  Digital versions are also available from iTunes.

Pierce The Veil - Selfish Machines

Pierce The Veil - Selfish Machines
2010, Equal Vision Records

San Diego post-hardcore icons Pierce The Veil return on June 22, 2010 with their sophomore album, Selfish Machines. Produced by Mike Green (Paramore, Set Your Goals), Selfish Machines represents artistic and personal growth for the band that rose to national recognition on the basis of their 2007 debut A Flair For The Dramatic and lauded slots on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour and 2009 Taste Of Chaos. After touring non-stop for two-and-a-half years, Pierce The Veil took some time off last year to write. Selfish Machines represents the fruit of their collective labor, a breakup collection of twelve highly personal and dynamic songs that cements Pierce The Veil's reputation as serious rockers and establishes them as a serious songwriting collective as well.

Changing directions for a band is always a risky venture. Some fans will turn away, new ones will come, and the term "sell-out" is thrown around far too liberally in a business where the point is to sell tickets, CDs, downloads, etc., but change is a part of artistic growth. Pierce The Veil accomplishes change in multiple directions on Selfish Machines, some more successfully than others. Opening with "Besitos", Pierce The Veil takes us on a wild ride full of big sound and high emotions. Incorporating piano for the first time broadens the band's sound spectrum, and "Besitos" has a dynamic level that will play well to radio. "The Boy Who Could Fly" has a heavy, melodic sound that is very appealing with hammer-on guitar work worth of a Van Halen. It's a dazzling musical display. "Caraphernelia" is a bit more generic, adhering to the sort of sound propagated by modern rock radio.

"Fast Times At Clairemont High" is a great tune, featuring piano (again) and a sing-along chorus that should make this a concert favorite. "Bulletproof Love" is a song of heartbreak that's very radio-friendly. Pierce The Veil makes a lyric stretch here with a big, melodic chorus. One of the complaints about the "new" sound is vocalist Vic Fuentes’ tendency to sound whiny on some of the slower vocal lines. This is most apparent on "Stay Away From My Friends", a power ballad pleading for his ex-girlfriend to stay out of his inner circle. "I Don't Care Contagious" captures all of the anger and recklessness of a post-breakup self-destructive streak. Pierce The Veil loses momentum with "Disasterology" and "Million Dollars Houses (The Painter)", with Vic Fuentes sounding more like Blake Lewis than a serious vocalist on the latter. The band closes strong, however, on "The Sky Under The Sea", returning to the big rock sound that helped them be in a position to create a second album.

Selfish Machines succeeds more often than it does not, but in expanding their musical reach, Pierce The Veil needs to take into account the limitations Vic Fuentes has as a vocalist. This is not a knock on Fuentes; almost every vocalist has limitations or least styles or parts of their range they don't sound as good in. Fuentes manages to be featured in a few uncomfortable spots on Selfish Machines, but the overall impression is a good one. Some growing pains are expected in a band's sophomore effort, but Pierce The Veil appears to be weathering band adolescence nicely.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Pierce The Veil at http://www.piercetheveil.net/ or www.myspace.com/piercetheveil.

           CD                      Download

                     iTunes.

Please note that the Amazon.com prices listed above are as of the posting date, and may have changed. Wildy's World is not responsible for price changes instituted by Amazon.com.

Review: Meg & Dia - Here, Here & Here

Meg & Dia - Here, Here & Here
2009, Sire/Warner Bros. Records

Meg (vocals/guitar) and Dia Frampton (lead vocals) are the prime movers behind Meg & Dia, a quintet with roots in Draper, Utah that's quickly on the rise. Laced with candor, charisma and wit, Meg & Dia's music has a tendency to strike deep chords with listeners. Meg & Dia spent over two years on the road in support of their debut album, Something Real, culminating in supporting roles on the Vans Warped Tour and with New Found Glory. Upon returning to the studio to record their follow-up album: Here, Here & Here; Meg & Dia found that their worldviews and perspectives had been irrevocably widened by their time on the road.

Meg & Dia get down to the basics on Here, Here & Here, a title drawn from a quote by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart explained that the key to composing is the head, the heart and the ear. Meg & Dia make great use of that advice starting with the opening number, Going Away. Going Away has an anthem-like feel; it's a monologue about the necessity of moving on to new phases of life when they call and the human need to bring the past with us. It's a strong track with a catchy chorus that has decent radio potential but has more of a soundtrack feel to it. Hug Me is a song about trying to overcome bad programming and finding your own way in a world full of messy emotions you don't know how to handle. Meg & Dia hit at a lot of truths here in a strong rock arrangement featuring rapid-fire lyrics. The emotional whirlwind continues on What If; addressing someone's controlling behavior in a relationship and the way it has backfired, in retrospect. The chorus on this song is pure gold.

Inside My Head sounds like it should be a soliloquy from a musical production. It represents the inner life of a victim of abuse who has escaped the physical abuse but still suffers from the mental and emotional impacts. This highly melodic tune is very well written and carries a lot of emotional weight, particularly, perhaps, for those who have lived through similar situations. Black Wedding seems like a certain hit at College Radio and beyond, mixing dark subtext with a highly catchy, unforgettable arrangement. Bored Of Your Love plays on the concept of someone who stays in a relationship for the simple fact that it's easier than leaving even though the heart and mind have already left the building.

The Last Great Star In Hollywood is not only a great Rock song but also incisive social commentary on the negative effects Hollywood has on our perceptions of beauty and matters of important. Agree To Disagree is a song about licking your wounds and waiting for the right time to respond. It's written as a feel-good hoe-down but is intractable in its strength. Meg & Dia take a rueful look back at an abusive relationship that the narrator has finally escaped; the song is a healthy expression of all that went wrong that turns into an angry and cathartic outburst. Maturity and grace temper anger until it burns over and melts through the emotional wax of healing. Kiss You Goodnight is a song of succor, protection and peace. All the turmoil that has come before leads to a moment of peace; a place where the wounded protect the wounded. There's a rough beauty here that is loosely tangible and compelling. Meg & Dia conclude with Here, Here And Here; a song about healing and the catharsis of writing and playing music. It also plays as a parable for life; reminding all who would listen that we all already possess the tools to build our lives.

I was not familiar with Meg & Dia prior to receiving Here, Here & Here in the mail, but I have to say the album is a compelling and necessary listen. Listening to Dia Frampton's voice is like waking up from a dream to realize you weren't, and the band is as compact and creative as you could ask for. The songwriting is solid at worst, and outstanding for most of the album. Meg & Dia are on tour in support of Here, Here & Here. Make certain you see them when they come to your town, and check out the album too, while you're at it. It's definitely worth all the spins you'll give it.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Meg & Dia at http://www.meganddia.com/ or www.myspace.com/megdia. You can purchase Here, Here & Here as either a CD or a Download from Amazon.com.

Review: Never Shout Never - The Summer EP

Never Shout Never – The Summer EP
2009, Never Shout Never

Joplin, Missouri’s Christopher Drew is the creative force behind Never Shout Never, the latest in a long line of MTV-friendly post-punk pop bands to hit the national stage. With media features by outlets such as Alternative Press, Billboard Magazine, AMP Magazine as well as a 2008 performance on MTV’s TRL, Never Shout Never is nicely positioned for a big year. The Summer EP, recorded in early 2009, was recorded by Forrest Kline of HelloGoodbye and mixed by Jon Kaplan (Good Charlotte, LL Cool J, The Starting Line). The EP also features a cameo from Limbeck’s Patrick Carrie (I Just Laugh).

The Summer EP opens with Happy, a bright and cheery acoustic pop song. Drew has a distinctive voice with a strong and clear falsetto sound. The song itself is very catchy. I Just Laugh is a catchy brand of folk/geek/pop that will keep intruding into your head. On The Bright Side is highly quirky and highly infectious. This is one of those songs you just have to sing/hum/whistle/tap along to. You won’t be able to help yourself. Losing It is the best composition on the album; a wonderful pining love song that will be familiar to anyone who’s lived through adolescence. You’ll also want to check out the other two tracks, Hummingbird and Simple Enough.

Never Shout Never is the sort of different that will get significant attention, similar to how the Counting Crows first caught on when they came on the national scene. Vocalist Christopher Drew has the advantage of sounding like almost no one in pop, although comparisons could be made to John Ondrasik and Adam Duritz. The Summer EP will do great things for Never Shout Never. Expect to start hearing that name a lot more in the not-too-distant future.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Never Shout Never at www.myspace.com/nevershoutnever. You can purchase a copy of The Summer EP at Amazon.com. Never Shout Never will be part of mtvU’s Sunblock Festival Tour along with Boys Like Girls and Gym Class Heroes this summer, as well as playing on the SmartPunk stage on the Vans Warped Tour from July 20 – August 9, 2009.

Review: The Darlings - The Darlings

The Darlings - The Darlings
2009, The Darlings

Coming out of the same South Bay (Los Angeles) music community that produced Black Flag, the Descendents, the Circle Jerks and Pennywise, The Darlings carry a distinct punch-to-the-gut toughness that has always gone with Punk Rock. DIY to the core, The Darlings have already put in road time as part of the 2008 Vans Warped Tour and in support of acts such as Social Distortion, Bad Religion, Guttermouth and the Circle Jerks. Currently on tour with Pennywise to promote their debut EP, The Darlings, the band hopes to be taking the first step toward joining the pantheon of great South Bay Punk bands.

The Darlings opens with Captivated, a crunchy pop rocker in the style of 3 Doors Down. It's in this kind of granola rock state that the Darlings seem to live; edgy enough to make it to the modern rock play lists but earthy enough to be considered cool by folks who keep "Modern Rock" at arm's length. It's Gone has a lively, radio-friendly air about it although it gets a bit repetitive in spots. Lacerate is probably the strongest track here, with a distinctive 1980's pop/rock sound and a strong vocal line. Dead Light, What Lies Below and Cruel World are all fairly average for the genre. The closing track, Love Story, has real potential, but gets stuck in a bit of a rut. It's a song about love wrapped around a well-meant but blatant innuendo that's neither subtle enough nor well-embedded enough to be considered sweet.

The Darlings have a sound that commercial radio will jump all over. The songwriting is decent and shows flashes of being something more but is perhaps a bit too forced to flow freely. The Darlings is a good start; it won't knock your socks off but you'll pull this disc out and play it once in a while.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Darlings at www.myspace.com/thedarlings. You can purchase a copy of The Darlings at www.cdbaby.com/cd/darlingsmusic.

Review: TAT - Soho Lights

TAT – Soho Lights
2008, Red Wagon

London, England’s TAT is a power trio led by the incomparable Tatiana DeMaria on vocals and guitars. With a distinctive rock voice that can smash-and-grab you or and melt butter on successive lines, DeMaria might be one of the best new female rock vocalists of the last few years. Add in Nick Kent on bass/vocals and Jake Reed on drums/vocals and you have a powerful power trio that mixes Classic, Punk and Melodic Rock sounds and strong harmonies. TAT’s debut album, Soho Lights was good enough to land them a spot on The 2009 Vans Warped Tour. They’ll be coming soon to an amphitheater near you. Be ready.

DeMaria has a penchant for lyrically dense, vocally dynamic songs that sound like they should be impossible to sing; DeMaria makes them look/sound easy. As a vocalist she has it all: Great tone, tremendous breath control and an ineffable front-woman quality that you see in big name artists such as Gwen Steffani and Chrissie Hynde. DeMaria could front most any band or go solo and make it big. In TAT she has an incredibly tight and talented rhythm section and backup vocalists who fill out the sound in dynamic and impressive fashion. Soho Lights opens with Road To Paradise, a lyrically dense Punk/Mod anthem that you won’t be able to get out of your head. Sympathetic Lies has an almost wall-of-sound quality in what I can only describe as a melodic Punk tune.

Pessimist may be one of the more amusingly pathologic songs on the album (“I’ll sit on your face and say I love you and leave you the next day for someone reminds me of you”). The energy here is off the charts. I Don’t Want To (Love You) is DeMaria at her most amazing, running off several phrases in a row, seemingly without a breath, without ever losing her sound or tone. A-maz-ing. Here’s To You is a pitch-perfect representation of ambivalence that features one of the best bass lines you’re likely to hear. Sandra D is an interesting bit of self-affirmation in song, while Take You Home pays tribute to Nirvana in sound. The album closes out with Live For Rock, which deserves to be the anthem for the next generation of rock/punk musicians. This is what Rock N Roll has always been about.

Wow. TAT will seriously blow you away. Soho Lights isn’t perfect, but even on the few more average songs the energy level is anything but. If you’re going to the Vans Warped Tour this year, make sure you check out TAT’s set. TAT alone might be worth the price of admission. In the mean time, be sure to check out Soho Lights. Rock is back, and its name is TAT.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about TAT at www.myspace.com/tat or http://www.tatness.com/. You can purchase a copy of Soho Lights at Amazon.com, or you can purchase the download through iTunes. You can catch TAT live as part of the 2009 Vans Warped Tour between June 26, 2009 and August 23, 2009.

Review: The Riverboat Gamblers - Underneath The Owl

The Riverboat Gamblers - Underneath The Owl
2009, Volcom Entertainment

Denton, Texas based The Riverboat Gamblers come blasting out of the Lone Star State with some of the most honest and pure punk/pop/rock of the year to date. Their debut album, Underneath The Owl mixes that punk grit and toughness with a strong commercial leaning and big hooks. The result is an engaging album that is likely to do great things for the bands’ long term prospects.

Underneath The Owl opens with DissDissDissKissKissKiss, with guest Todd Congellier). Its a highly kinetic performance that has strong roots in punk rock but maintains a tenuous hold on pop song structure. A Choppy, Yet Sincere Apology follows; a peppy, poppy rock song that's good for dancing (preferably pogo-style). The Riverboat Gamblers are punk band with their feet firmly in the pop world or they are a renegade pop band constantly on the verge of flying off the handle and slam dancing the crowd. Underneath The Owl is that sort of listening experience. The energy here is incredible, the songwriting is average but you won't care as you're swept up in the raw testosterone and vinegar The Riverboat Gamblers deal in. Alexandria is a lively listen with some strong pop sensibilities, and Sleepless has the incessant, angst-filled energy that is missing from so much of modern rock. Other highlights include Keep Me From Drinkin', Steer Clear and Victory Lap.

The Riverboat Gamblers may not win any prizes for intellectual songwriting or pithy nuance, and I doubt they care. They'll just crank it up to eleven and blow the bloody roof off and dare you to keep up. Underneath The Owl is good time Rock N Roll for the masses. This is a highly commercial release that the Pop and Rock world won't see coming. If you're looking for fun, call The Riverboat Gamblers. They won't let you down.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

To learn more about The Riverboat Gamblers, check out http://www.theriverboatgamblers.com/ or www.myspace.com/theriverboatgamblers. You can purchase a copy of Underneath The Owl at Amazon.com or wherever music is sold.