Okay. So I'm not the much the kind of person to download music from an incredibly talented band, but The Ghost Inside promised us, the fans, an early 2010 release for their new album Returners. What did they do? With a fully recorded and completed album, what's the next step? Hey, let's just delay the release until June! To build hype? Who knows! Sorry guys, Fact released an album in April '09, announced a new full-length in October '09, and had it released by January '10. That's the kind of efficiency in delivery that bands can learn from. Bitterness aside, I was left a stunned frullet upon giving the album a listen. And I can confirm that I will, without a doubt, even having downloaded a high-quality leak, DEFINITELY be purchasing the album (and some merch).I adored their first album Fury And The Fallen Ones, and I highly doubted, along with nearly any band that's ever existed, that TGI would be able to surpass the soaring levels of musical perfection their debut reached. However, my expectations of the album climbed higher and higher with each new track added to their myspace, until after the 3rd addition I was questioning my lack of faith in these guys. When I had heard the album had leaked from a couple of friends, and all their ranting and raving about it's exceptionality, I couldn't resist. And boy, did the album deliver. There's a definite progression from their previous release, they've moved on from their comfortable niche of balanced chug-n-melody and instead Returners contrasts these elements of their unique brand of hardcore.
The result is a sort of combination of Misery Signals-esque melodic guitar work laden with (dare I say it) Bury Your Dead-style breakdowns. This album seems to be TGI's take on the material of another one of their similar artists, For The Fallen Dreams. FTFD fans may cry, but it appears TGI have beaten them at their own game (and that's no easy feat). The vocals are harsher, the chuggy chuggier, the melody melodic-er and the mood of the whole album a little further on the serious side. The band have definitely matured, and heck, I'll reluctantly admit IMPROVED. And when the album drops on June 8th, I'll ensure that I have a copy waiting with my name written, scrawled and engraved all over it.
Last week it went to ex-pop-punk band Junction 18. Being unknown their material is impossible to find, and when you do find it the prices are redonculous. I managed to find their EP Heroes From The Future and along with their prior full-length This Vicious Cycle the J18 crankin' was underway. The band has long-since gone, dropping off the face of the earth having never, or so it seems, travelled beyond the USA, or even their hometown in Boston. They barely gained a foot in the door in the early days of pop-punk with their song "Granite Street Knife Fight" featuring in a few compilations and appearing on the soundtrack for the PC game Skateboard Park Tycoon World Tour. Which is a shame, because they're the first band that comes to my mind when I think "legit pop-punk". They're soppy. And mushy. And emotionally-driven. And melodic & catchy. I would personally consider them a guilty pleasure but there's nothing to feel guilty about, these guys truly do illustrate the nicer, poppier side of pop-punk without the fame-chasing and money-grabbing that is commonly associated with it.
This week it was delivered to locals of my hometown Auckland, In Dread Response (this was not purposely synced with NZ music month). They're a heavily melodic death metal band whose music often leaps into the minimalistic, atmospheric style of post-metal. They're one of the few non-core metal bands I will actually listen to, since they plus epic melodies and shredding and minus the retarded facade most metal bands put on of beards and that "I want to eat your kidneys right now" glaze over their bloodshot, darting eyes... they aren't serial killers is the main point here, though I can't verify that. If you like metal, you'll like this. If you like a little metal, you'll like this. If you don't like metal, surprise yourself.
Weekly "this artist keeps me sane" goes to Banner Pilot. The only album of theirs I have is their 2006 EP Pass the Poison, and boy is it gold. They've since released a couple of full-lengths and signed to Fat Wreck Chords but I'm yet to dive into the newer material. They play a heavily melodic style of punk rock (notice a common theme in my music taste?), not too different from old-school pop punk acts, yet with this album they still retain a gritty style through the DIY-quality recording, gravel-choked vocals and up-tempo songs. I once saw them described as "punk-rock for pussies", and in a harsh and crude sense that is true. If you're one of these "up the punx oi oi oi" kinda people then Banner Pilot are not for you. However, if you enjoy your music played with a little more emotion and maturity then these guys will be right up your alley.