While everyone will likely be dusting off those old Third Eye Blind CDs in anticipation of Halloween weekend, here are a few more recent CDs worth a spin.
Brand New
Daisy
Grade: 4 1/2 stars
Regulars of the alternative music scene have long recognized Brand New’s attention to detail — to see what I mean, just listen to Deja Entendu with a pair of headphones. For the Long Island quintet’s third studio release, frontman and lyricist Jesse Lacey largely turned the writing reins over to the band’s lead guitarist, Vincent Accardi. The result is an edgier, brooding sound that features more of Lacey’s throaty shrieks and musical undertones reminiscent of The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. With each new record, Brand New’s sound has evolved, and Daisy is no exception. Lacey and Co. spent a full year recording Daisy, and that same meticulousness is present on their latest release. Though, with standout tracks like “Sink” and “You Stole,” one wonders why the group included the indecipherable, reverb-heavy “Be Gone.” Yet that minute and a half remains the only blemish on another Brand New masterpiece.
He Is Legend
It Hates You
Grade: 3 stars
Fans of He Is Legend will have a hard time recognizing the Southern post-hardcore group on their latest effort — though that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise from a band continually reinventing itself. Gone are the staple howls of lead singer Schuylar Croom that characterized 2004’s I Am Hollywood, and while the new 12-track release avoids the monotony of Suck Out The Poison, It Hates You doesn’t have the extraordinarily creative songwriting or energy found on their first full-length album. Alas, the group’s hiatus will delay fans from seeing where their next effort will go anytime soon.
The Friday Night Boys
That’s What She Said EP
Grade: 3 1/2 stars
When it comes to the slew of new pop-punk acts flooding the alternative/punk scene, it’s sometimes difficult to tell which bands are just the latest gimmicks and which have some real talent. The Friday Night Boys, to their credit, appear to fall into the latter group. Hailing from Fairfax, Va., the quartet’s five-track EP delivers a standout effort that flaunts smooth vocals and an upbeat sound that caught the ear of All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth. (That’s saying something, right?) Each track demonstrates the group’s talent for writing memorable lyrics and songs that manage to vary widely instrumentally. The creativity involved with the EP’s title, however, is a whole other story.
Closure In Moscow
The Penance And The Patience
Grade: 4 stars
It may have cost each member of the Aussie five-piece their set of wheels, but the gamble to hire a producer for their first EP paid off handsomely. Closure In Moscow — the progressive rock outfit from Melbourne — has been hailed by many in the alternative world as the next big thing, and after listening to their six-track “albumette,” it’s no wonder. Having drawn comparisons with Saosin and The Mars Volta, Moscow offers stellar guitars and electronics, dynamic drumming and awesome choruses that demonstrate lead singer Chris De Cinque’s incredible vocal range in The Penance And The Patience. CIM is simply a can’t-miss.
Eye Alaska
Yellow And Elephant EP
Grade: 2 stars
Eye Alaska’s debut release might be best compared to a salad, but the indie/new wave group from Orange County can’t seem to make up its mind what kind of salad it wants to be. The six-track, 22-minute EP — a mismatch of R&B, progressive rock and electro-dance pop — builds on a promising start with the piano-driven “I Knew You’d Never Fly” and “Roll Right Over,” yet by the album’s close (the lyrically and musically uninspired “Cheetah And The Tiger”), the lack of musical direction becomes too much.
Joe Pfister is a senior majoring in English and political science. Want to talk music? E-mail him at [email protected].
