Since their inception, Now Now have always been a band teetering on the brink of major success, but never have had quite enough pull to peak the edges of widespread notoriety. That all changed when Death Cab For Cutie guitarist Chris Walla took notice to the group and signed them to his label, Trans-Records. After label hopping through three EP’s, a full-length and a name change, the band trekked up to Canada to record their second full-length. Threads is the resulting record, a collection of tenderly concocted pop songs composed with a deliberate mind and a sincere heart, a record that finds the band reaching to the the peak of their young careers.

The formula hasn’t changed. If you loved them before, you’ll most certainly love them more now. Album opener “The Pull” displays the bands penchant for haunting hypnotic synth with vocalist Cacie Dalager leading in the track, armed with the vocoded recurring lines: “Find a thread to pull / and we can watch it unravel”. Dalager has always been among my favorite female vocalists due largely to the sensuality that always seems to drip from her soothing delivery. Songs like “School Friends” and “Magnet” cements her reputation, putting together some of the most heartbreaking moments she’s put to record to date.

Fans of the band surely have noted the marked rise in quality of their output starting with last years addition of guitarist/vocalist Jess Abbott. Abbott, who became a part of the band last year prior to the Neighbors EP, has brought in noticeable change, helping with songwriting and even sharing vocal duties with Dalager. “But I Do” shines as the most noticeable example of Abbott’s addition, as she provides complementary vocals to Dalager that make it seem they’ve been playing together for years.

It’s that sense of continuity that keeps Threads from going stale. From start to finish the album lacks any sort of filler, priding itself on quality over quantity (though I would argue clocking in with 12 songs it does both). In a recent interview Dalager said it best: “…everything about it was excruciating in a good way. Every little idea was worked to its best.” That attention to detail along with a growing sense of maturity is what will indefinitely set Threads apart as their crowning achievement moving forward, one that should fulfill the ears of longtime listeners and newcomers alike.

Threads is out March 6th via Trans Records. Preorders are currently available via iTunes

Visit Now, Now at their official website

In Simple Math’s 10 song, forty-five minute makeup, Manchester Orchestra rip through the most earnestly revealing and thematically fulfilling album they’ve put out during their still green career. Composed as a concept album documenting frontman Andy Hull’s near divorce with his wife, it’s hard to think of another time when Hull has made himself so deliberately vulnerable. The album’s confessional opener finds Hull lamenting “You’re probably too busy with your work. Or am I just excusing you for leaving me alone?” This theme of isolation is plays heavily throughout the album.

After the soft-spoken intro, the record proceeds to kick into overdrive, diving head first into a pool of grungy and dirty southern inspired rock reminiscent of much of 2009′s METN. “Mighty” boasts muted guitar riffs that swagger in place behind Hull’s biting melody while “Pensacola” has the albums loudest and most immediate moments, including a joyous bridge of drunken gang vocals, juxtaposed to Hull’s lyricism that laments the plague of disconnect affecting so many touring musicians and their loved ones whilst on the road. It’s easy to hear the fatigue in Hull’s voice when he admits “I’m tired of talking to a wall, when I could talk to someone else. I just got seven days without a word, and you’re with someone somewhere else.”

After the scathing first section of the record, Manchester Orchestra begin to explore more thematically brilliant composition. If there is one thing that differentiates Simple Math from it’s predecessors, it’s found in the fleshed out maturity displayed on songs like “Pale Black Eye” and “Virgin” which both showcase moments unheard in previous MO material. Whether it be the swelling string section that puts a forceful close to “Pale Black Eye” or the eerie addition of children singing the chorus of “Virgin”, Simple Math’s arsenal is laden with epic atmosphere and unabashed depth.

“Virgin” marks a sort of bookmark in the album, one of transitioning between the hulking hooks of it’s first half into a more reserved and premeditated form of attack. “Simple Math”, the albums first single is a ballad bordering on existential crisis amongst swirling strings and a feral finale which gives way to “Leave It Alone”. The track opens with Hull’s slightly distorted and dissonant vocals before crawling to a defeated and exhausted conclusion. “So take me or don’t. I’ve built up this kingdom you’d hopefully loathe. If we end up alone. A plague on my head and a curse in my home.” It’s the calculated self-awareness that Hull displays, which makes it crystal clear just how painful and exhausting Simple Math’s subject matter really is.

The record then wearily heads into the final stretch with “Apprehension”, a cryptic and masterfully written track which gives way to Simple Math’s end-piece “Leaky Breaks”. In the band’s previous releases, the album’s final spot has been reserved for the records emotive climax. (See “Colly Strings” and “The River”) “Leaky Breaks” is instead, a breezy and subdued closer which feels like the band taking a collective deep breath. Jonathan Corley leads the track with a floating bass line, walking on top of whimsical guitar. The song sounds vaguely like a nod to Modest Mouse circa 2004 if Isaac Brock turned in his lisp for a southern drawl. Ending on a tone of apprehensive finality, Hull leads the track home cooing farewell to the ground tread over the draining last fourty-five minutes.

With Simple Math, Manchester Orchestra have proven that they are no longer a band playing in the shadow of the music that influenced them, but a band that has exceeded the shadow of their influence. The dubiety of time will quiet any comparisons between Simple Math and it’s predecessors, and no comparison is really necessary. Simple Math stands up in an already flawless discography and marks another chapter in their bright, bright future. With such calm and confident poise, this band has finally stepped into the shoes they were always meant to wear and are poised now to sit at the top as the scenes’ much needed savior.

Virgin by Manchester Orchestra
Simple Math is out May 10th via Favorite Gentlemen
Purchase // Simple Math

Since I got my hands on Coloring Book i’ve struggled to listen to anything else. When I learned of the EP’s release I was tied up and unable to immediately listen. I asked my little brother who shares the same passion for things on the harder side of the spectrum to listen to it. After asking for his initial reaction, his meager response was:

“It’s unlike anything they’ve ever done, but I have a sneaking suspicion you’ll really like it.”

He was supremely correct on both counts. For a band that has been long known for their unrepentant ferocity, Coloring Book is completely void of the pressing screams or pummeling mosh-pit instrumentation they’ve become so well known for. Instead, the EP consists of a water-tight percussion section, slowly layered with jazzy-keys and euphoric atmosphere, coupled with intermittent glitches and lullaby-like interludes. Daryl Palumbo continues to impress as one of the most dynamic frontmen in today’s scene. His distinct delivery showcases the greener side of his pipes ranging from the pleading chorus of “Gold” to the timid and emotionally draining performance on standout track “Daytona White”

I’ll be completely honest, Our Colour Green was solid, but it left me definitely craving more material. I can’t say I feel the same after digesting on Coloring Book. While I certainly will be listening anytime these guys put out something new, this EP has me feeling strangely satisfied after such a draining wait.

MP3// Vanilla Poltergeist Snake
MP3// Daytona White

Over the past two years of running things here at BWC, I’ve been subjected to more music than I can handle most of the time. It’s a constant struggle trying to find a balance between delving through the constant stream of new releases and sitting down to actually enjoy the albums that catch on. However, every once in a while a band drops something on your ears that is so undeniably catchy and immediate that you have to shun everything else away in favor of it. That’s what Four Year Strong did to me with their latest release Enemy Of The World.

Enter in the lead track “It Must Really Suck to be Four Year Strong Right Now” a hard hitting and tantalizing preview of all the goodies that lie ahead, featuring one of the most infectious breakdowns throughout the whole disc. EOTW waste no space pummeling through the subsequent 10 songs, accelerating at an exhausting pace full of jabbing hooks and knobbed-up production that take it a step above any previous work from the bands catalog

Whether it’s the riot inciting chorus of “Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)” or the perfected building into maniacal shouts of “The Body That Pays The Bill$”, Four Year Strong prove that they already know what they do well, and with EOTW they have taken that formula and simply turned up the knobs beyond their breaking point. The combination of co-vocalists Dan O’Connor and Alan Day complement each other throughout, displayed beyond perfection during the call and return shouts of “Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride”.

While EOTW contains some of the most “brutal” moments in Four Year Strong’s catalog (see the raucous ending of “What The Hell Is A Gigawatt?”) it also contains some of the more poppier productions the band have put to disc. “Find My Way Back” and “One Step At A Time” both find the band restraining themselves (i use that term VERY lightly) to create immediate pop that still carries the band’s trademarked bite.

By the end of your first listen through Enemy Of The World, you may very well feel like you’ve just been hit by a truck, and trust me that feeling doesn’t let up any through repeated listens. Enemy Of The World is a defining album in the staling genre that it represents, and deserves to be treated as such. I’ve had many awkward moments sitting at red-lights while blaring these songs out my window, probably looking like a madman or somebody having a seizure to nervous onlookers, but I could care less because I love this album SO MUCH, and that’s the beauty of discovering these rarities. So join along with me, roll your windows down, turn it up, and sing along.

mp3// wasting time (eternal summer)
mp3// what the hell is a gigawatt?
purchase// enemy of the world
myspace// four year strong

Freelance Whales started in late 2008, which is quite an impressive thought to consider when listening to their debut. Weathervanes is a quirk-pop masterpiece, filled with a glut of instruments including harmonium, banjo, cello, and glockenspiel. Every year there’s always an album that seemingly comes out of nowhere to hit me like a truck; the dark horse album of the year. This is it.

The thing that makes Weathervanes so good is it’s unexplainable ability to combine the immediacy of it’s songs with a depth of songwriting that is unmatched by too many. The first week after being introduced to Weathervanes, it was the only thing I listened to. I took it with me wherever I went, all the while waiting for the eventual crash that accompanies a record that favors instant appeal instead of good songwriting. I thought this was THAT record, but I was wrong. Weathervanes is the best of both worlds; instantly addicting and positively refreshing with each listen.

Weathervanes is built like a truck. At 13 songs and just a tad over 45 minutes, there is not a second lost in it’s makeup. Even the three spacey interludes that divide the album into thirds are well put and attentive to detail. The first third of the record showcases it’s catchiest moments coming in the form of “Generator ^1st Floor”, “Hannah” and “Starring”. “Hannah” is arguaby the album’s catchiest number leading off with a thick synth and varied instrumentation, which later retreats in favor of the tune’s catchy word play; “Hannah takes the stairs/ And I usually take the elevator/ Every now and then she offers me a lemon now-n-later.” However, it is “Starring” that has the biggest potential for radio-ready single stardom, with a chorus that doesn’t stop at sticking to your brain, but is only content with making a permanent imprint on it.

When trying to pinpoint Freelance Whales, it’s hard to tell what influences their sound. While song’s like “Broken Horse” could easily be mistaken for a Sufjan Steven’s single, other tracks like “Generator ^ 2nd Floor” “Ghosting” and “We Could Be Friends” all draw influence from acts like Anathallo, Postal Service, or even The Arcade Fire. That is not to say that they sound anything like those bands, as “Weathervanes” content is all their own. This is the biggest thing that Freelance Whales have going for them. Unsigned, young and full of potential, their sound is not necessarily what’s popular right now, but they could easily change that. However, the best part about them is that they don’t seem to care about changing anything, but are merely content with impromptu performances in the subways of New York, spreading their sound the old fashioned way, through word of mouth and good old determined hard work. And if they can do that and keep their output as precisely magnificent as their debut, that’s fine by me.

mp3 // starring
mp3 // hannah
myspace // freelance whales
purchase // weathervanes

At first glance, everything about Small Black points to the assumption that they are doomed to be just another hot trend band that will burn out before they even have a chance to light. They hail from the hipster infested streets of Brooklyn, make generous usage of electronically fuzzed out lo-fi, and already have the lauded pitchfork stamp of approval. However, in contrast to many other bands who have experienced similar scenarios and failed miserably for it, Small Black’s debut self titled EP points to something definitively bigger than the sum of their parts.

The aforementioned pitchfork approved single “Despicable Dogs” is a glimmering start to the demure assaulting sounds of the EP, showcasing the band’s defiant ability of densely layering simple blankets of soundscape with melodic vocals which become a mainstay in the EP’s makeup. Meanwhile “Weird Machines” makes haste with an electrifying keyboard lead that takes the spotlight as the hazy background covers vocalist Ryan Heyners swoon in an blanket of atmospheric snow.

The EP’s middle piece “Bad Lover” gives you just enough time to bring yourself down from the euphoria inducing stoned cloud of fuzz to catch the EP’s closing one two punch of “Pleasant Experience” and “Lady In The Wires” which both subsequently squash any voice of unreason that states that these guys are not legitimate.

Small Black’s debut EP is everything a good EP should be. At 5 songs, it’s lean, mean, concise and void of anything remotely resembling “filler”. While it may not be the most groundbreaking stuff to come out this year, it’s certainly some of the best of it’s kind, something that the Brooklyn based duo should be very proud of.

DOWNLOAD:: Despicable Dogs [MP3]
DOWNLOAD:: Weird Machines [MP3]
Small Black at Myspace
Purchase Small Black EP

Artist: Atlas Sound
Album: Logos
Label: Kranky (US) 4AD (Europe)
Release Date: October 20

Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox is slowy turning into the kind of rare musical genius wunderkind that are unfortunately so few and far between. Through a slew of Bedroom Demo’s, discharged EP’s and self-indulgent full-lengths, Cox has cemented himself as not only a notable songwriter, but one that’s output is nearly as prolific as it’s contents. Logos, the fourth full-length released under the Atlas Sound moniker, is the summation of all of Cox’s previous work climaxed into a documented and focused collection.

“The Light that Failed” opens the album with a repeated acoustic guitar riff, backed by dissonant hisses and moans, capitalizing on Cox’s penchant for eerie minimalist layering which is followed by “An Orchid” a track that is just as similar to anything in the Atlas Sound back catalog. With that, Cox delves into a pool of psychedelic pop and ambient trickery. Logos’ lead single “Walkabout” lights the album on fire with it’s cameo by Animal Collective’s Panda Bear. The two frontmen switch off on the track’s vocal-duties which is backed by luminous and almost tropical instrumentation, making itself one of Logos’ brightest moments.

Elsewhere, Cox mixes simplistic bedroom acoustics with his ruminating vocal delivery on “Attic Lights” and delves into long-winded yet concisely focused shoegaze on “Quick Canal”. All of the previously aforementioned material is merely the the bread sandwiching the meat of the album. “Washington School” creates a bouncing wall of poppish euphoria to the tune of Cox’s reverbed vocals, while the album standout “Shelia” showcases Cox at his songwriting peak, boasting one of the catchiest three and a half minutes you’ll hear this year.

It seems that with Logo’s, Bradford Cox has finally left the confines of his bedroom to give his work the cliche’d “breath of fresh air”. The sound heard throughout Logos is both consistent and addicting, compounding soaring soundscapes with conservative whispers making Logos not only one of the shining moments of 2009, but arguably Cox’s best work to date.

DOWNLOAD:: Atlas Sound – Washington School
DOWNLOAD:: Atlas Sound – Shelia
Atlas Sound at Myspace

After a three year gap since 2006′s critically acclaimed “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me”, the group that have been subject to ridiculous hyperbole such as “America’s answer to Radiohead” are back with their fourth studio full-length, oddly entitled Daisy. Opposed to what the album name may suggest, there is nothing life-bearing or illuminating about it. Instead, Daisy continues on the disheartening path trodden by their former releases, and sometimes surpasses it. There are demented moments throughout that sound like a soundtrack to someone slowly delving into insanity, and maybe they are. Anyone following Brand New’s discography would easily note the progressive and intimately depressing nature of it’s content. If this is true, then consider “Daisy” the train finally coming off the tracks.

Frontman Jesse Lacey said himself in various interviews leading up to Daisy’s release that this record would be more raw and louder than anything previously released, a sound more indicative of the band’s live performance. The album opener “Vices” as well as “Gasoline” are both scathing examples of the new formula fine-tuned to perfection, featuring howling feedback, expertly syncopated to Lane and Tierney’s steady rhythm. Both songs sound like someone trying to intentionally break your speakers. “Sink” also plays the part featuring one of the most ruckus-inducing choruses that Brand New have penned to date.

However, as with any experiment, there are times when the formula goes terribly wrong. Lead single “At the Bottom” fails in attempting to be immediately accessible on an album that is anything but. Elsewhere “In a Jar” is a monotone lyrical disaster with verses that are as sharp as a dull spoon. The album’s second track “Bed” feels incomplete and raw, almost as if it wasn’t fully written before the band begun tracking. The trend is not limited to these, as lyrically Daisy leaves a lot to be desired.

In previous releases Jesse Lacey has been the penman, writing the majority of Brand New’s lyrics. For Daisy, it was noted that guitarist Vince Accardi had taken on the daunting task of wielding the pen for the majority of Daisy’s tracks and the change is painfully noticeable. Whereas Lacey has always been noted as one of the sharpest wordsmiths of modern times, his absence on most of Daisy’s lyrical credits is a blinding glare in it’s makeup. Daisy cements itself as the first album since their debut to make me actually cringe at some of it’s lyrical matter.

That is not to say that it is at all an utter failure. There are still moments reminiscent of the Brand New of old. From the halfway point of the enigmatic interlude “Be Gone” Brand New really hit their stride. Both of “Bought a Bride” and the album’s title track shine brightly, showcasing cryptic yet poignant lyricism that is unmistakably vintage Brand New. Where “Bought a Bride” contains some of the album’s strongest material lyrically, “Daisy” features eerie recordings and industrial nu-metal instrumentation that somehow actually works.

Throughout all the struggle and trial that is laced in Daisy’s tracks, the album closer “Noro” is the haunting culmination of it all. Beginning with a wall of feedback the track leads into a ghostly 90 second introduction of Accardi’s guitar work backing Lacey’s exhausted words. Much discussion has been made recently to whether this will be the final release for Brand New. While the response from the band has been somewhat mixed, if “Noro” is any indication, it could very well be the last closing song penned by Brand New. If so, it’s a hell of a way to go out. Before closing with the same hymn that opened the record, Lacey ends the track bluntly “I wanna burn down everything we’ve begun, I wanna kill it, eat my young” before fading out into a maniacal chant of “I’m on my way to hell.” To say that his closing words leave a cold, chilling atmosphere in Daisy’s wake would be a vast understatement.

Though the critical reception for Daisy has been more bi-polar than any release put out by the band, I can’t help but find myself on the fence. Daisy is a fantastic record, but ultimately fails to captivate on the depth of songwriting that has come to be expected from the band. While the run-time of Daisy is an acceptable 40 minutes, it feels more like getting filled up on junk-food versus a hot home cooked meal. This is not to say that Daisy is a “bad” record as many critics would have you believe. The band have stated that this was the record they had to write for themselves in order to stay together. If that is true, then consider Daisy a necessary evil in the legacy of Brand New.

DOWNLOAD:: Vices [MP3]
DOWNLOAD:: Bought a Bride (Acoustic) [MP3]

Myspace | Official | Purchase

When discussion arises on the most influential bands on the last ten years of modern rock music, Thrice is and should always be somewhere in the discussion. The band have both struggled and triumphed since their prophetic and strangely titled debut “Identity Crisis” in 2000. Since then, the band have endured the classic battle that so many bands face; growing and progressing as musicians while trying to maintain a solidified fan base.

It’s not an easy thing to do, considering the architecture of a musical landscape today, where chug chug riffage, auto-tuned lifeless vocals and bad haircuts are a mainstay in many of their predecessors catalogs. It seems that many of their fans would be content with a continual carbon copy of “The Artist In The Ambulance”. However, with the band’s sixth proper full-length (or seventh, depending on how you count The Alchemy Index) , Thrice had different and better plans, bringing forth ‘Beggars’, the album that could very easily go down as the best release of their careers.

Beggars is not the most intricate record, nor the most experimental release in Thrice’s impressive discography. However, the solidified composition and reserved greatness in every song on the album makes it easy to listen to and nearly impossible to forget. The masterful musicianship displayed by guitarist Teppei Teranishi is perfectly balanced in every aspect, lending way for the Breckenridge brother’s flawless percussion section. Combined, it’s hard to think of a time when Thrice songwriting prowess was more evident than now.

The album opener “All The World Is Mad” is a raucous introduction with a chunky distortion-layered bass leading way for Kensrue’s introspections on an inherently evil society. The one-two punch combo of this and follow-up track “The Weight” combine for the musically hardest moments on Beggars. It is immediately apparent in these songs that Kensrue has found his voice, and is at the top of his game both lyrically and vocally.

Kensrue has never been one to hide his Christian faith, and as with much of Thrice’s earlier material, it is put center-stage throughout most, if not all of Beggars. While Kensrue touches on issues that are relevant world-wide, he doesn’t preach for one second. Instead he let’s his impeccable storytelling do the talking, revealing hard-hitting truths about a “world gone mad”.

On album standout “Doublespeak” Kensrue laments the denial of the poor’s suffering while the rich prosper. Meanwhile the cold barren keys of “Wood and Wire” tell the tale of an innocent man on his way to face the death-penalty for “for a crime of which I’m innocent”, quietly referencing the death of the bible’s Jesus Christ. The allusions to the bible do not end there. On “The Great Exchange” Kensrue alludes to it, similarly as he tells the story of a sailor who takes part in a mutiny of his ship and sentences his captain to die. The ship later sinks and as the sailor is ready to be drowned by the sea, his mutinied captain reaches out his hand to save him, only to be drowned himself in the heroic act.

This kind of emotionally draining storytelling leads way to the album’s finale which is arguably the best song Thrice have penned to date. The album title track starts off with demure guitar and drums, and slowly builds into a grooving coda. In the book of Psalms of the modern bible, it references the tongue as a sharp sword. I can’t help but think of any other way to describe the song lyrically as Kensrue quietly takes shots at the rich politicians and corrupt businessmen of the world. However, he is not immune to the criticism, and he is fully aware as he sorrowfully repines

“If there’s one thing I know in this world, we are beggars, all.”

While Beggars contains some of the most lyrically complex themes that the band have written to date, it still retains it’s listenability by being up front and incredibly personal in the delivery of it’s arrangements. All of the band seem to have come together, hitting stride in perfect harmony. The result is the album of Thrice’s career, one that can be enjoyed equally by the die-hard fans still headbanging to the breakdown in ‘Paper Tigers’ and the intent listener, content with growing with the band as they better themselves on each release.

mp3:: thrice – beggars
myspace | official | purchase mp3 | pre-order

The album opens with “Be Calm” finding Ruess backed by a delicate string section before blowing into a dashing paranoid exposure on the lead vocalist’s mental struggles with the recent disbandment of his past. Ruess carries the same theme throughout Aim and Ignite, much similar to his recent project, always seemingly brinking on an emotional breakdown whilst somehow keeping his pieces somewhat intact. The nostalgia found throughout Aim and Ignite doesn’t stop there. In fact, it seems that nostalgia is the framework for many ofAim and Ignite’s lyrical themes. In “Barlights” Ruess is found reminiscing in front of a gospel choir of past times running through his neighborhood with old friends;

“Now all the barlights are blinking in time
to Mexican music, it’s taunting the pavement
and I feel alive.”

On the album’s first single “At Least I’m Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)” Ruess makes it readily apparent that he does not find full contentment in all of his past. The song finds the album at one of it’s catchiest moments, with a hollering chorus and cloudless blue sky instrumentation that borders on Jamaican Reggae masking it’s somewhat depressing lyrical content.

The rest of the album is held together by steady contributors like “Light A Roman Candle With Me” “Walking The Dog” and “Benson Hedges” which all stay true to Aim and Ignite’s vast yet concise assortment of sound, making way for the album’s standout track “The Gambler” which may very well be the best song that has ever been penned by Nate Ruess. Written from the perspective of an aging couple, (one could very well assume it to be Ruess’s parents) the song tells the tale of a life-long love from the time of their introduction to their seemingly warm ending. Backed by a moving piano and swooning strings, “The Gambler” is incredibly moving, due to it’s immaculate composition and emotive lyrical content.

As “Take Your Time (Coming Home)” closes the album to the tune of a euphoric bar-room brawl, it becomes clear that Aim and Ignite is a work that is sure to impress old fans as well as garner a substantial amount of new followers. The acclaim and growth that has followed fun in just a short year is well deserved. With it’s release, the band have done what many try so hard but fail to achieve; creating a balanced pop record that is steady and intricate while not taking itself so seriously that it becomes tiring or faded. After all, by the band name chosen by Ruess & Co. it’s easily apparent what the goal of this project really is…

fun.

mp3:: fun. – be calm
mp3:: fun. – i wanna be the one
purchase | myspace | official

show review – fun. @ avalon 5/13/09