Music Weekly

Enter by Russian Circles

This album is different than any of the others that I’ve posted in that it’s instrumental.  It’s not a classical instrumental, but a melodic and energetic instrumental complete with drums and guitar.  Russian Circles is a post-rock band, meaning that they use instruments associated with rock in a non-rock way.  This album has various passages, ranging from soft to ones with more of a metal sound to them.  I would recommend this album to anyone who likes metal, instrumental music, or other variations of rock.  There are no words found throughout the six-song album, but it’s worth listening to every second.

Track Listing

1. Carpe

2. Micah

3. Death Rides a Horse

4. Enter

5. You Already Did

6. New Macabre

Russian Circles on Last.fm

Our writers like to share their favorite music, why would they write here if they didn’t? We talked about something cool to do before the end of the year, and we thought of this. We each do our top two favorite albums of 2009. We considered doing the whole decade…but that would be too hard and it would have to be our top 50 or something like that. While we could have done it, it would have taken too long and we were running out of time. Alright, enough babble, I’ll start. 

Dylan’s Top Two 

The Dear Hunter – Act III; Life and Death 

Casey Crescenzo is right behind Claudio Sanchez when it comes to vocals. The third part of the story, it is full of emotion filled songs perfectly done by Casey and the rest of the band. 

Say Anything – Self Titled 

This was actually the first Say Anything album I’ve ever heard. I’m really happy I got it. There’s not really too much to say about it, other than Max Bemis is ah-maz-ing! They also released an acoustic version of this album, which for some reason I like more than the regular album. 

Red’s Top Two 

Thrice – Beggars 

So, I’ve already said that Thrice is my favorite band, but this album is truly amazing. They have once again shown that they can change their style and still sound awesome. I think you should all check it out. 

Mastodon – Crack the Skye  

This is another awesome album. I hadn’t heard of Mastodon until this year, and I decided to check out their new album. It has really deep sound and makes me think. I really like music that makes me feel thoughtful, and it sounds really awesome also. 

 Haley’s Top Two 

Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon: The End Of Day (Deluxe Edition) 

I chose this album as my number one favorite of 2009.  Listening from the beginning to end of the CD is hearing a story in five different Acts.  Kid Cudi’s lyrics are deep and thoughtful.  He opens up so honestly which allows himself to seperate from mainstream rap and give him a uniqueness that listeners can easily identify with and recognize.  I can’t wait to hear more from this kid from Cleveland. 

Metric -Fantasies 

Fantasies is the fourth album released by Metric and my favorite so far.  Emily Haines’ voice is stunning and beautiful as always, so full of emotion.  If you are new to Metric I recommend giving “Gimme Sympathy” or “Help, I’m Alive” a listen.

This week’s Album of the Week is special.  I am dedicating this one to “The Rev”, or James Owen Sullivan, drummer and back-up vocalist for Avenged Sevenfold and Pinkly Smooth.  He was found dead in his home this morning and natural causes were listed as the cause of death.  He was 28 years old.  The Rev left behind a wife, four band members, and millions of fans around the world.  You will be greatly missed…

R.I.P. "The Rev"

City of Evil was released in 2005 as Avenged Sevenfold’s third album.  It was their first album released with major-label Warner Bros. Records and their most popular to date.   City of Evil helped Avenged Sevenfold gain mainstream success… they went from side staging to headlining The Vans Warped Tour, along with launching their own concert tour called “Cities of Evil”.   The lead single “Bat Country” reached #2 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Charts and the band also took home the award for “Best New Artist” at the MTV VMA’s (Video Music Awards) beating out other nominees including Rihanna, Chris Brown, and Panic At The Disco.

City of Evil is by far my favorite album this band has put out.  It is metal to the core.  M. Shadows lead vocals give you goosebumps and threaten to shred your own vocal chords should you try and sing along.  The lyrics are clever and catchy, but still dark and poetic.  The accompanying instruments simply blow your mind away.  If by some miracle you haven’t heard this band yet, I recommend them for fans of Atreyu, Norma Jean, Bullet for My Valentine, or Eighteen Visions.  A few songs to download would be “Bat Country”, “Beast and the Harlot”, or “Seize the Day”.

City of Evil is only a taste of what this band has to offer.  If you like what you hear, I recommend also checking out their latest album (self-titled), or their older albums Waking the Fallen, and Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.

With Christmas today and tomorrow, I felt like being a nice person and telling the writers to go enjoy their holidays. So this post is all you’re getting today.

So have a very Merry (and safe) Christmas, and we will be back next week!

Crack the Skye is the 4th album by metal band Mastodon.  It has seven tracks, or if you get the special edition available on the Zune Marketplace, it includes a live version (so 8 total tracks).  There is also a special release due sometime this month (actually, I think it might possibly have already been released).

I don’t know about any of you, but I listen to XM Satellite radio while I’m driving my car.  My station of choice is Octane, which has hard rock/alternative music.  I heard the radio anchor talking about how awesome Mastodon was.  Later that day, I happened to go on the Zune Marketplace and I saw an ad for Mastodon’s latest album, Crack the Skye.  I decided to download and, and I’m very glad I did.  This album is really deep.  They have lots of complex things going on, but it just sounds so good.  I really recommend this album for anyone who’s into hard rock.  After I listened to this album, I listened to their older ones, but I have to say, this one is definitely my favorite.

Track list:

1. Oblivion

2. Divinations

3.Quintessence

4. The Czar (which is broken into 4 parts – Usurper, Escape, Martyr, and Spiral)

5. Ghost of Karelia

6. Crack the Skye

7. The Last Baron

(addition tracks include a live version of Divination, as well as Colony of Birchmen live)

Info on the special edition can be obtained here: Mastodon’s Website

I have been to handfuls of concerts in my lifetime but one of the most energetic and FUN bands that I’ve seen play live are Forever the Sickest Kids. 

If you are looking for a band with a ton of energy you can dance with, catchy and clever lyrics, and songs that will put anyone in a good mood– look no further.  Meet Forever the Sickest Kids from Dallas, TX.  The band is made up of six members and have been around since 2006.  They have had one album, Underdog Alma Mater in 2008 and four EP’s with the most recent being The Weekend: Friday which was released November 2009.  Underdog Alma Mater was also released as a Deluxe Edition (which I highly recommend) July 2009 which featured all of the old songs plus 17 new unreleased tracks and demos.

Forever the Sickest Kids were featured in issue 228 of AP (Alternative Press) as one of the 22 Best Underground Bands (Who Won’t Stay Underground for Long), and have played numerous dates on both The Vans Warped Tour and the Bamboozle Road Tour.  You also may have seen them on Late Night With Conan O’Brien June 12, 2009.  

Fans of Paramore, All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, Metro Station, or A Rocket To The Moon should thoroughly enjoy this band.  If you are looking for some songs to download, I would choose “Whoa Oh (Me Vs. Everyone)”, “Hey Brittany”, “She’s A Lady”, or “Phone Call” which are all songs found on Underdog Alma Mater.  My favorite songs off of their most recent release would be “Do or Die” and “Hip Hop Chick”.  Oh…and be ready to dance.

Forever The Sickest Kids

It was New Year’s Eve, playing rock band with my brother and his friends. Unlocking every song one by one… Then we unlocked this one song that I have never heard of. I knew we had to get past it in order to unlock more. It was that moment, that I discovered the band that has come to consume most of my life.

That band was Coheed and Cambria.

My first opinion, like others, was “I wonder how hot the girl is that sings this?” Boy, Do I laugh at that when I think about it now. The song was “Welcome Home” (off of the third album) and I never got tired of it. I went straight home from his house the next day, looked up information about the band and “acquired” every song they owned. (For you “legal” people out there, I have since then replaced everything I downloaded that day with the legal album, I have pictures to prove it). I started on the first song, first album. That album was “The Second Stage Turbine Blade” and it was the “raw” version of Coheed, I didn’t care for it at first so I skipped to the next album. My love grew the more I listened.

For those not familiar with the band, it consists of Claudio Sanchez, Travis Stever, Michael Todd, and Chris Pennie. All straight from New York, They began their life playing with bands like Thrice, Thursday and many others. Now they have played with bands like Slipknot, Linkin Park, even Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath with Dio instead of Ozzy).

Coheed and Cambria is not just a regular band in any aspect of their music. Every album is a section of a story. Every song has a different meaning.  That story? The Amory Wars. Want to learn more about the story? Hit up this Wikipedia link for more info.

I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to feature this band, and now is  better than ever. This past Monday, they Announced the fifth album, Also know as the “prequel” album (in reference to the story), Titled “Year of the Black Rainbow” Will be released in April 2010, along with a deluxe version that includes a 300 page novel that is co-written by Peter David. Pre-Orders Available at the end of December. I’m going to be first in line to order, how about you? More info here.

You can hit up this Wikipedia Link to read more about Coheed, pre-Coheed, and all of everyone’s side projects.

PS: For being my favorite  band, this article was really hard to write. The entire time I wanted to just type “Its Coheed and Frickin Cambria, ’nuff said”. and hit publish. If you guys like this article, please feel free to tweet about it, or just share it with your friends. Anything is much appreciated.

In October 2003, Arizona natives The Format released their first studio album, Interventions + Lullabies.  The album has 12 tracks, all of which were written by the band’s two members Nate Ruess and and Sam Means.  It is very possible you may have already heard some songs from this album.  “The First Single” was featured on One Tree Hill’s soundtrack and “Give It Up” was used on National Treasure.  The album is full of cleverly written lyrics and music that is upbeat and very catchy.  If you are a fan of Jimmy Eat World, Motion City Soundtrack, or The Shins, you will definitely enjoy this band!  A few of my personal favorites from the album (although I can’t say there isn’t one track I DON’T like) are “I’m Ready, I Am”, “The First Single”, “Tune Out”, “Tie the Rope”, and “Let’s Make This Moment A Crime”.

The Format announced their hiatus on February 4, 2008.

Interventions + Lullabies (Amazon mp3)

My introduction to Evaline (Turlock, CA) was on March 23, 2008 in Austin, TX at the South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival.  On a small stage at The Cedar Door, Evaline graced us all with their presence.  They demanded attention and not one person in the audience could ignore their performance.  I had never heard of them before (I will admit they probably sounded a whole lot better because I had a few too many Lonestars in me) but out of all the bands that played that night, I remembered Evaline.  This six piece group of twenty-somethings had energy.  Jumping off speakers, throat shredding vocals, crashing into microphones, swinging guitars, and African tribal drumming kind of energy.

When I got home I looked up the band.  I was surprised to see that this band was unsigned, and had only one EP to buy and download, and that was released in 2006!  The band, officially formed in 2001 under a different name, has a mature sound that says these six guys know exactly what they are doing and where they are going.  The EP Postpartum Modesty — A Portrait of Skin has only six tracks but packs the punch of any full-length album by Taking Back Sunday, The Used, or Brand New.  My number one favorite track and the one that I recommend to all my friends for downloading is “La De Da”.  A few of my other favorites are “Calm Touching” and “Postpartum Modesty”. 

It’s been three years and although there are no new releases, Evaline claims they are working hard in the studio writing and recording a new album.  On September 25, 2009 they posted in their blog that they were busy finalizing the tracks and narrowing it down to 14 so we should be seeing some new material from this band soon!

http://www.myspace.com/evaline

We here at music weekly care a lot about music so this really hits home. Music is one of the most powerful things one could have in their life, right there with family and friends. If you disagree, feel free to let me know why in  the comments, I’d really like to know. There’s really not too much to be said, other than if you follow this link, and buy something, two of the most influential websites in my daily life, Inside the Circle and ZuneSpring will donate 100% of the affiliate payout to the Mr Holland’s Opus foundation, and with your help, many children with the love for music, who would normally not be able to, will be able to follow their dreams. Click the picture to the side, above, or one of the links below for more information about #ZuneNation holiday drive . Zune owners aren’t just people who own the same type of MP3 player.. we’re one big family.

More info at…

insidethecircle.net

zunespring.com

Big props to Zune MVP Marques Lyons (insidethecircle owner, founder), and (hopefully) Future Zune MVP Travis Pope (ZuneSpring owner, founder) for setting this all up.

Important Update: If you do not want to buy anything from Amazon, but still would like to donate (anything is welcome and appreciated!) you could go here: http://www.firstgiving.com/zunenation and give a few bucks this Christmas.