Rocky Loves Emily - Secrets Don't Make Friends (Album Review)

So, Rocky Loves Emily is a Christian power pop band from Sterling Heights, Michigan formed in 2008 and signed to Tooth & Nail Records. So far they have released 2 EP's which were the independently digital only release "The What What What EP" in 2009 and "American Dream" EP which was their first physical release and their first off of Tooth & Nail. Then on April 24, 2012 they released their first full-length album "Secrets Don't Make Friends" off of Tooth & Nail. The line up of the band has changed a few times since the initial formation of RLE. but the personnel of the band in Secrets Don't Make Friends consists of Pete Kalinowski on drums, Andrew Stevens on guitar, Brandon James Ellis on vocals, Stephen Hull on bass/keys, and Sean Kick on guitar. This album is a crazy power pop album with some pop-punk and pop-rock influences. This album is for fans of bands like Never Shout Never, Mayday Parade, Forever The Sickest Kids, or We The Kings. Lyrically this album features the classic pop-Esq themes with a 'boy meets girl' mentally, except for the album closer, 'The Root Of All Evil', which features very meaningful lyrics, you can listen to it by clicking on the song title. As I have listened to this album a good number of times I have to give it an overall rating of
3.9 Out Of 5 Stars
because of the fact that that even though they grew up a lot on this album lyrically and musically in comparison to their past EP's but it still featured songs like their lead single and title track 'Secrets Don't Make Friends', which was my least favorite song on the album, with simple and corny lyrics and generic pop music. Don't get me wrong I love power-pop but it can get really repetitive, like a lot of this album did. My favorite song on the album hands down was 'Be Mine Tonight' which they just released a music video for. This song really sums up what RLE is capable of, with fast catchy Melody's and had a nice pop-rock sound to it also the lyrics basically kept with the same theme but without being to mundane. The album had some songs that were really fast and poppy like 'I Don't Like You' and 'Drivin' Me Crazy' but also had slower more mature songs like 'Dream' and 'Oil & Water' and also had more pop-rock songs like 'Guilty, Guilty' and 'It's Not Me It's You'. If you like Rocky Loves Emily please support them by picking up their album at your local Hot Topic, like I did, or other record stores, or you can also buy it through Amazon.com by clicking right HERE. That's all I have for this album, be sure to tell me what you thought of the album through the comments below, and until the next review
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The All-American Rejects - Kids In The Street (Album Review)

On The All-American Rejects' 4th full length album, they stepped up their game. AAR started their band in 1999 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They have released 3 full length albums prior to 'Kids In The Street', which were 'The All-American Rejects' in 2003, 'Move Along' in 2005, and 'When The World Comes Down' in 2008. All of their releases, excluding their self-titled album which was released off of DreamWorks, were released off of Interscope Records. Kids In The Street was released on March 26th 2012, through Interscope/DGC Records. AAR's line up has been generally solid through out the years, their current line up has remained the same since their album Move Along, which consists of Tyson Ritter on lead vocals & bass, Nick Wheeler on lead guitar, Mike Kennerty on rhythm guitar and Chris Gaylor on drums. Kids In The Street is 43:12 and has 11 tracks in the standard edition and has 15 tracks in the deluxe version which consists of one new song and three demos. The album did fairly well on the charts with peaking at #18 on the US Billboard Top 200 and #10 on the US Billboard Rock charts. The album so far as spawned three singles which were Beekeeper's Daughter, Kids In The Street, and Walk Over Me. After listening to this album like 100 times and weighing all the pros and cons of this album I have decided to give it an overall rating of
4.7 Out Of 5 Stars
I a giving this album this high of a rating because this album was very hard to find a major flaw in it. I tried to stay away from comparing this album to their older, more 'poppy' sound because this album really created a new face for The All-American Rejects. Although I have always loved them, they still had that very radio pop sound quality in their songs which gave them their mainstream success. Kids really opened them up to more things since they are expanding their sound to a more alternative rock and less of a pop rock. Now I can't say this is their best album, because of Move Along but this CD came as close as ever. Tyson really changed everything from his writing and singing to just his overall appearance. He really shows himself maturing and really growing up overall. The album still features really catchy songs like The Beekeeper's Daughter but also featured really alt rock tracks like Kids In The Street and Walk Over Me and indie rock tracks like I For You. I feel the best track on the album is the opening track 'Someday's Gone', because of the fact that it shows the biggest change in not only their sound but also their writing ability. If you want an album that is catchy and everything else that an album can be all in one, you can pick it up at a record store or even a Wal-Mart, like I did, or by clicking the Amazon.com link to buy a physical copy with some of the strangest album artwork i have seen in a while. Make sure to comment on your thoughts on the album on the bottom of the page. That's all for this one, and until next time
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Skip The Foreplay - Nightlife (Album Review)

WE ARE... SKIP THE FOREPLAY!!!!! The opening line of the intro of the album, 'ST4P', which got any listener pumped for one of the most brutal electro metal albums ever. Skip The Foreplay is a band who really gets to the point in their lyrics and in their musical presence. Nightlife is their debut album and it is released off of one of my favorite record labels, Epitaph Records. Aside from their fairly offensive album cover, this album was vey properly done, and it seems as this band is going to be a force to be reconed with in the metalcore scene even though STF is know as an Electro Metal group. The band consists of Marc-André Fillion on vocals, Chuck Pilon on lead guitar, Mathieu Maltais on rhythm guitar, Julien Guy-Béland on bass, Marc-André Lemyre on drums, and Jean-Michel Aumais as the bands DJ. If you can't tell by their names alone, STF are from Montréal, Quebec, Canada and have been around since 2010. Nightlife is their first full length album but they did have an EP in 2010 which only had three of their songs on it, which all of them made it on to Nightlife. All the music on the album as original material accept for the final song on the album 'Champagne Showers' which is a LMFAO cover. Dispite very ridiculous song titles like 'Dinner With Snooki' and 'Date Rape Predator' this album did not feel like a debut album. Even though this band still has much room to grow, it felt like they knew what they were doing on this record, and I believe that is why such a major label like Epitaph would sign them so soon. Lyrically they deffinattly they need to grow but as for musically and Fillion's vocals were spot on and his screams were as good as any seasoned screamer. The bands music was anything but sloppy, they felt so together on this record. Going over everything about this album I am going to give it an overall rating of
4.1 Out Of 5 Stars
 Because of the fact that even when you wheigh all of the factors that made is album great you can't overlook things like their amature, even though sometimes comical, lyrics and corny voices and skits between songs. If the band is able to improve their writing, this band is in the running for being my favorite metalcore band. It seemed that every song was crazy catchy and melodic, with the screams being spot on, and they put in the techno parts in the perfect places. My favorite song on the album hands down was 'Destination Nowhere' and is the song you should check out by using this Link to YouTube. They have also two music videos for their songs 'DJ', which has some of the mosy catchy parts in the entire album, and 'This City' which featured Alex Erian (Despised Icon), Jonathan Cabana (Blind Witness) and Tyler Hoare (Blessed By A Broken Heart). This album was 100% worth the buy, and I strongly suggust picking it up if you are a fan of bands like I See Stars, That's Outrageous, and Dream On Dreamer.You can pick up this album at your local Best Buy like I did or you can order it off of Amazon.com using this LINK.  This is all I have for this review, so until the next one,
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The Real McKenzies - Westwinds (Album Review)

The Real McKenzies are a band who mix punk with bagpipes to create an amazing genre of music, known as Celtic Punk. This is their 8th full length studio album, and their 4th release off of Fat Wreck Cords. They started their band in 1992 out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Since their start they have had numerous line-up changes but the personnel on their most recent release Westwinds is Sean Sellers on drums, Mark Boland on lead guitar, Kurt Robertson on guitar, Gord Taylor on guitar, Paul McKenzie on lead vocals, and Justin Burdick on bass. The album consists of 13 tracks and a length of almost 45 minutes. The album was released on March 27, 2012. The album for me was a different experience, I didn't really know what to expect being that I had never before really listened to bagpipes before. This was the first album I bought, or even listened to for that matter, by The Real McKenzies but I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. I think I loved that album a lot based on the pure rough voice that the lead singer, Paul McKenzie, has. The band I feel has two different sides, one side where it is a fast paced punk record, like songs like 'Fool's Road' and another side where the album is extremely relaxing.like the pipe only instrumental song 'Francis Fraser' or 'The Tempest'. After weighing the pros and cons of the album I am giving it a rating of a
4.2 Out Of 5 Stars
because even though a good portion of the album I enjoyed, there was still a part of me that was questioning every song. The lyrics on the album can be meaningful and powerful and on the other hand, some songs lyrics sound purely fantasy like the song 'Barrett's Privateers'. Most songs on the album were fairly enjoyable, but my favorite song on the album hands down is 'My Head Is Filled With Music' because of the fact that I think that song combines many of the amazing factors that make up this band into one song. You can listen to the song HERE. I purchased my physical copy of the album through amazon.com, and you can do the same using this LINK. Make sure you support this band if you like them, they have been around for 20 years and they still need support thought buying CDs or merch and going to venues. That's all I have for The Real Mckenzies 8th studio album Westwinds, and until the next one
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Metallica - Beyond Magnetic EP (Album Review)

Metallica, one of the biggest highest ranked metal band, or at least have been for over 30 years. They formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1981. They have released 9 studio albums, 4 live albums, 11 DVD's, and this is their 6th EP. The band has had a fairly strong line up, excluding their bass player, consisting of James Hetfield on vocals, Lars Ulrich on drums, Kirk Hammett on lead guitar, and since 2003, Robert Trujillo on bass. Beyond Magnetic was released digitally on December 13, 2011 but was released on CD on January 31, 2012. The album was produced by Rick Rubin who also produced their previous full length album Death Magnetic in 2008. The EP was released off of Warner Brothers Records, only has 4 tracks but still is almost a half hour long. The EP did fairly well, peaking at 29 on the US Billboard Top 200. The track listing for the album is 1.Death Train (6:59) 2.Just A Bullet Away (7:12) 3. Hell And Back (6:58) 4.Rebel Of Babylon (8:02). I included the length to show how long all of these songs really are. Most times the longer the song, the more repetitive it becomes, which is exactly what happened on this EP. Most likely because of the repetitiveness and lack of lyrical writing ability on this album I am going to give this EP a

2.8 Out Of 5 Stars

because of the fact that even though I genuinely liked their 2008 release Death Magnetic, and this EP, which was just a collection of songs that didn't make it on to the full length. My favorite song on the EP was Just A Bullet Away because even though it was filled with much repetitive sections, it still featured very strong vocals and amazing guitar solos, which I believe were the best on the 4 track album. You can listen to the song Here. If you are a Metallica fan and haven't either bought the album off of their own website, at best buy or any cd retailers, you can always buy it off of amazon.com using this LINK. This is all I have on Metallica's most recent release, and even though many die hard metal fans most likely wouldn't agree with me on this review, but still

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Eve 6 - Speak In Code (Album Review)

Eve 6 is a three piece band from Southern California who started their band in 1995. Speak in Code is Eve 6's 4th album released following their previous releases: Eve 6 in 1998, Horrorscope in 2000, and Its All In Your Head in 2003. Speak In Code is the bands first album in 9 years after their breakup. The band consists of Max Collins on lead vocals and bass, Tony Fagenson on drums and keys, and Jon Siebels on guitar and backing vocals, who are all founding member of the band and appear on every album to date. Max writes all of lyrics for the band and it was produced by Don Gilmore and mixed by Don Gilmore and Chris Lord-Alge. The album was released on April 24th, 2012 through Fearless Records, the bands first release through this label. So far they have released 2 singles off of this album which are Lost & Found and Victoria, and they have released a music video for Victoria. I have always been a huge Eve 6 fan so when I heard news of the new album I was super stoked being that their self titled album is hands down the best pop-punk album from the 90's. So I made sure I pre-ordered the physical album, I didn't get any packages, because I am not really into all of the extra stuff, I usually just want the CD. My biggest fear was that Eve 6 would go off of their track and try new stuff, not that there's anything wrong with bands doing that, but I was just looking forward to some classic Eve 6. Any I was not disappointed. While they did not create something crazy out of the ordinary, they also did not create Horrorscope Part 2. They did something that I think every single comeback needs, a classic sound mixed with new elements, which is something they pulled off almost seamlessly. So after listening to the album like 100 times I am going to give it a

4.8 Out Of 5 Stars

because of the fact that after 9 years of not recording any new Eve 6 music they return with a new breed of Eve 6, an almost more mature version of their self titled album, which if I reviewed it, would get a 5/5 stars. I feel that the album was a powerful mix and mash of 12 songs that were new sounding mixing with older sounds while still keeping with the mix of pop punk and alternative rock. I think that my favorite song on the album was the opening song 'Curtain' because it made me feel nostalgic and hope for the new sound Eve 6 is making. You can listen to the song 'Curtain' Here. Also If you haven't picked up the new album which can be so easily done Here. So if you like catchy alternative pop-punk rock with powerful lyrics, with a singer with a different yet amazing voice with an experienced band backing him up, then I strongly encourage you to pick up Speak In Code by Eve 6. That's all for now so until next time

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Fun. - Some Nights (Album Review)

Fun. is a 3 piece band who has virtually came out of nowhere, or so the general public thinks, but Fun. as you may know released their first album Aim and Ignite in August 2009, which charted really well, but did not get as much commercial attention as their sophmore release Some Nights. Fun. formed in New York City in 2008 as the new band formed by lead vocalist Nate Ruess, Jack Antonoff doing the guitars and some vocals, and Andrew Dost doing the rest of instruments including drums, bass, guitar, vocals, piano, and synth. They were created after the members other bands depleated. So in 2009 they released Aim and Ignite through Nettwerk Records. After a few singles and a extremely good critical response, they signed with Fuled By Ramen in 2010. Their album Some Nights was featured as one of AP's Most Anticipated albums of 2011 although it was not released until Febuary 21, 2012. Before the album was even released they were a huge sucess after releasing their first single 'We Are Young' which was featured in Glee, numerous commercials, 90210, Chuck, and many others. Some Nights, although only 11 tracks totaling over 45 minutes, has done amazing critically, basically running off of their single. It peaked at the US billboard 200 at #3, on the rock charts #1, and on the Alt charts #1. This indie-power-pop album was produced by Jeff Bhasker, who has produced albums for artists such as Jay-Z, Drake, and Adam Lambert. I loved this album from start to finish and even after I was done listening cause you will never get Fun. songs out of your head. I am going to give it a
4.7 Out Of 5 Stars
because, not only do I love the album, but it was #1 on the VH1 Top 20 Countdown for 4 weeks straight, eventually broke by Gotye. The album is just one big ball of indie pop from begging to end and in such songs like We Are Young and All Alone showcase Nate Ruess's almost perfect voice hitting every note right on key. The lyrics on the album were not like you average pop band which is what seperates them from the rest of mainstream, because their lyrics can be deep and thought prevoking like in One Foot or Some Nights (intro), and they can be uplifting and inspirational like in It Gets Better or All Alright, but most of all they have a simple catchy curous that will get stuck in your head for days like in songs like We Are Young and Some Nights. The album was one of the most perfect pop albums of the year if not ever. My favorite song on the album is Some Nights which you can hear Here. It has a strong mixture of powerfull pop-rock and catchy mainstream pop sounds. I want you to go out and buy this album, if you like fun. or are a fan of musicans like Never Shout Never, The Script or even Circa Survive. You can pick it up at your local record store or by clicking this link to Amazon.com. Thats all I have on this one so, until next time
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