Boy Set Sail- We're Almost There

Boy Set Sail is a 4-piece pop punk band from South Wales. They've been making music since 2010, and released this EP this past summer on I Am Mighty Records. Boy Set Sail is Gareth Jones (vox, guitar), Chris Russel (vox guitar), Nathan Towell (drums), and Sam McManus (bass). RIYL New Found Glory, Take The Floor, Four Years Strong, The Rocket Summer

"Rewind" starts off the EP in the best of ways. It's very ADDICTIVE pop punk with a great beat and catchy melodies. The vocals are very classic pop punk vocals- cute and smooth, but still powerful. "Believe" has some awesome harmonies, and that's what sticks out the most to me on the track. I really like how well the instruments work together, it's a very well-oiled machine. "You Are" has some great lyrics and it's a great sing-along song. It's one of those songs you can just get into, you know? It's simple, but there's a lot to it. "All These Things" is my favorite. The music is interesting and explores with some different sounds, and it's a nice little "ballad." Lastly, "This Time Around" is an awesome way to close the EP. Like the rest of the tracks, it has a certain tone to it that you can't help but love.

Overall, We're Almost There is a great album. Boy Set Sail is a band to be looking out for, because they're only going to get better.

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Dan Webb and the Spiders - Much Obliged

If I could sum up the album 'Much Obliged' by Dan Webb and the Spiders in only one word, my job would be a lot easier. But, alas, I must use quite a few more words than that. I mean, not too many more words...don't expect that much out of me, guys.

Dan Webb and the Spiders are a punk band of sorts from Boston, Massachusetts (a state which has recently been a musical goldmine). The vocals kind of sound like if Tom Gabel and Tim Armstrong had their voices mixed together into some sort of gruff, accented hybrid. And the music pretty much varies song to song while maintaining to sustain this sort of antique quality to it. There's influences from all over the spectrum (excluding rap-metal, for some weird reason) that generally stick to a sort of pop/pop punk style as their primary sound. It feels like even when the rhythm section is playing a general punk type of song, the lead guitar does a lot to bring this classy feel to it, like in the song "Flyover Country". But there's also just songs like "28 Years" which just completely go for a strictly classy and bluegrassy feel and leave most of the punk vibe behind in the wreckage, while bringing along the gruff vocals for the ride.

Dan Webb and the Spiders kind of remind me of Signals Midwest from Ohio, and that's also pretty awesome. They also just have so much of their own sound being represented that I think it may be safe to assume that after listening to 'Much Obliged', someone could immediately identify a song as being by them without having previously heard the song in question. But hey, I also think my house is haunted. So you might not want to trust my opinion on anything. But, if you do happen to be one of the foolish/awesome few who trust my opinion on shit like this, you should probably take it to heart when I say that this album is fucking awesome and you should be getting your hands on it as soon as possible. Even if it's just your digital hands or whatever. They have a few of the songs up on their bandcamp page! That's pretty rad. But if you prefer your physical hands to their digital counterparts, you can order the vinyl from Gunner Records. It'll be one of the best decisions you've made this year; I guarantee it.

Check them out! They're awesome. Promise.

-Idle

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SWTHRT- Compact Disk

What started off as a senior graduation project for Becca High turned into one of the coolest bands I know... Becca (keyboards, vocals, percussion) and Karl Kuehn (guitar, vocals, bass, percussion) combine their indie, new wave, punk, and whatever else influences into making an interesting and fun sound for all to enjoy. It's also an interesting combination that we're seeing more and more often these days- the punk DIY work ethic and a shoegaze/indie sound. Based out of Southport NC, they released this album themselves on June 14th of this year. RIYL The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Joy Division, New Order, or the Cure.

"Good Omens" starts off with a great bass line. I love powerful bass- it makes me really happy. Then the rest of the music starts in, and I feel like I'm in a David Bowie music video. (For the record, I'd love to be in a David Bowie music video.) It's a really great song. Kuehn's deep voice mixes really well with the laid-back instrumentals of the sound, and I love when Becca joins in with a little harmony. It's a little repetitive, but it's interesting enough that I don't mind at all.

"I Am In Misery" has some really cool melodies to it. It's got some awesome lyrics, and as per the usual, I love the tone of the music. Not one of my favorites on the LP, but still a great song.

"Long Hair Don't Care" is a favorite for me. First off, that phrase always has and always will make me laugh really hard. Anyway, the song itself rocks. Do you guys know what swthrt sounds like? It's one part unicorns, one part smoothies, one part bass, one part treble, and three parts happy. I think that translates better than any lame adjective I could find on thesaurus.com. Really.

"Boys With Problems" is maybe my favorite. I'm not sure. It's up there, though. The lyrics are definitely my favorite hands down, and I really, really like the percussion in this song.

"So Dumb" is the catchiest song on the album. Possibly one of the catchiest songs ever. 

"Maggie Valley" is a nice little instrumental in the middle. It is very pretty. Also, is that a tambourine? I love tambourines. 

"Aloha Y'all" straight up reminds me of my friend Olivia. It describes every time we hang out pretty much spot on.. And so I think I like this song a little more than the others just due to personal reasons. However, I enjoy it a lot too. The percussion is really cool (as I keep saying over and over and over again...) and the melody is really soothing.

"Terror Dread" is a really cool song. It's very unique and it's a song that you can really just close your eyes and relax to.

"No Holiday" is a badass song. I love it. I love it so much. The melody = wonderful. I want to dance to it FOREVER.

"I Hate This" has more Becca-singing than any other song. And it's great. They harmonize really well and her voice is really soothing. The keyboards are addictive as hell in this song.

Lastly, "Sunroof" really picks up the energy and I love it! The lyrics are fucking great and the intro is amazing... Overall, just a big thumbs up.

Everything on this record is awesome.

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Ghost Knife- Kill Shelter, Yes!

Ghost Knife (includes members of Riverboat Gamblers, J Church, High Tension Wires) is a great new indie group that I've fallen in love with! Kill Shelter, their debut album, was just released today and it rocks my world, like badass musicians are wont to do.... RIYL the Thermals, Marked Men, Spits, Scared of Chakra, and the Weakerthans.

Ghost Knife surprised me. As someone who's been listening to the Riverboat Gamblers (Mike Wiebe) and J Church (Ben Snakepit, Chris Pfeffer), I was expecting more of a punk sound from these guys. However, that is not what I got. I was, however, correct in assuming that this band would be awesome. Ghost Knife is very indie/ pop punk on quaaludes. Not that these guys are on quaaludes- they're just chill... Anyway.

"Omnipotent" starts off on a great foot with a catchy and interesting riff and awesome vocals. I love this song. It's very dance-y, and it's got a sweet bass line. All the instruments play off of each other quite a bit, and I love it.

"Pixiedust" is very similar, but a slower song. This song makes me laugh, because when asked about Ghost Knife, Mike Wiebe said that he wanted to push away from the punk sphere towards a sound similar to "more laid-back stuff, like the Pixies." Get it? Pixies? Pixiedust? Really though, Ghost Knife has a very unique sound that's super addictive.

"Bahamas Breeze" is probably my favorite song on the album. It's very feel good, upbeat, & has some awesome instrumentals. It's a great song, and describes the overall tone of Ghost Knife very well.

Skipping down the album a little bit, we get a different sound from "...And That's How We Get Nitrogen", which is a lot slower and more laid-back than the rest of the album. It's simple, but still interesting. 

"Frustrated Maths" definitely makes me think of some classic rock greats. It's got a very 70-ish feel and the lyrics are BADASS. Love it.

The last song I'll touch upon is "Ulcers/Milk", which is probably the most interesting song on the album. It's a slow, almost-bluesy song with lyricism that makes me smile.

Normally, I like to just list the best songs on an album... But for the record, I loved every song on this piece of work. It was hard to pick which songs to mention, really. This album gets the bear seal of approval, or whatever the hell I give to good bands.

Learn more about the band. Also, buy the CD.

--Bear

Restorations - Restorations

Restorations are one of those bands that when you hear them you can automatically name 10 or 15 people you know that would dig the shit out of them. They're kind of like a blend of Against Me!, Gaslight Anthem, and bands that all the fans of those bands fawn over. Their songs sound developed, powerful, and like pretty solid rock anthems that are derivative of various punk subgenres (e.g. folk punk, orgcore, badass unicorn juice).

It's clear upon listening to their self titled full length that these guys are pretty damn good at what they do, especially the drummer...I fell in love with the drums on this album. Especially that "Canadian Club" song on this release; you can't listen to that song and then say anything remotely negative about the drummer on this album. The only greivance I have with Restoration would have to be the fact that the songs are pretty much all between 4 and 6 minutes. It's ridiculous. I felt like by time I finished the album for the first time, I had read the entire Harry Potter series. Or even every Star Wars comic series ever released. Shit, dude. I mean, if you're into long songs, you'll dig it. I know it's not really proper to use "you" in journalistic endeavors, but I don't care, man. Forget you!

This album pretty down and dirty in terms of demonstrating a shit load of variety. The album takes some drastic changes from time to time and has songs that I wouldn't even know how to completely classify. I mean, the most present genres would have to be punk, obviously, and alternative. I don't really know what else. It's just some good rock music, and I guess we're supposed to rock out to it or whatever. That's all that really needs to be said or known, so that's good. So I mean, if you're into rocking out to long songs written by great musicians in a style that's pleasant to your ears, you should probably get your hands on a copy of this release. If you're into slaying unicorns and drinking their blood, you're probably he-who-must-not-be-named. If you're a great wizard who once wore grey but now wears white, and you identify as homosexual, you're probably Gandalf. Or Magneto. Well, regardless of who you are, you should definitely go buy this album now. Fact.

-Idle

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Half Hearted Hero - Running Water 12"

HOLY SHIT! WHAT DO THEY PUT IN THE WATER IN MASSACHUSETTS? 

That right there is the subtitled for this review. Seriously though, what have they been putting in the water in Massachusetts? All the bands I've been hearing from there as of late have been fucking awesome. Half Hearted Hero are not an exception. They just put out this amazing 12" called Running Water, and it's full of beautiful pop punk anthems with awesome guitar leads and it brings so much to the table that you might as well celebrate like 20 Thanksgivings while listening to this record. 

On top of the brilliant instrumental there are these infectious vocal hooks being belted out in a sort of Handguns like manner, but with a bit of gruffness thrown in for good measure. I mean, this band kind of sounds like a heavier and tighter version of Handguns to me, but I'm probably retarded and you shouldn't trust my opinion (I hope you choose to trust my opinion, otherwise I'm just wasting my time here). 

There's basically no possible way for you to not enjoy the shit out of this record. The guitars are relentless and riveting, the vocals are scathing, perfectly performed, and infectious, and the rhythm section pull it all together with some of the tightest playing I've heard in the pop punk scene. Each and every song on this 12" are the best song on the record. They're all just memorable and awesome. Listening to Running Water by Half Hearted Hero will probably change your life...or not. I mean, you'll at least enjoy the shit out of every moment spent listening to them. I mean, I know I'm burning a copy to keep in the Jeep after this review, so that I can listen to this shit while cruising around my shitty city pretending I'm way cooler than I am. Yeah, that about sums everything up!

Buy this record!

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Ghost Robot Ninja Bear - Ghost Robot Ninja Bear

Ghost Robot Ninja Bear is basically the creative outlet for musician Oscar Albis Rodriguez. He's accompanied by different dudes on occasion in an effort to rock his music out on a grander-than-acoustic scale, which is something I can relate to because that's also what I try to do. That's also kind of a Jeff Rosenstock sort of thing, and a Rick Johnson sort of thing. It's kind of just a common thing, but they're more accustomed to using iPods, whereas it appears that when Oscar doesn't have the bandmates to support him he just goes acoustic and rocks it out that way.

Ghost Robot Ninja Bear kind of sound like what it would be like if The Ramones grew up on 90s radio rock and picked up a metal guy to write some guitar and do some scathing vocals. I mean, honestly dudes, that's about the best way I can describe them. So basically, they're a little bit like Nofx in sound but definitely something I'd find myself listening to more often. This self titled EP or LP or whatever 8 songs turns out to be is a pretty awesome release for a young band.

Another cool thing about this release is that you can just stream the fucker on bandcamp. And if you're not really into using bandcamp, you can just download the album! It's free (if you're a cheap ass like me, it's really set to 'name your own price')! Actually, you should totally give them like 5 dollars for it, because it's totally worth your money. It's an eclectic piece of musical awesomeness with zero genre restrictions. Oscar does what he wants and he does it however he wants to do it and the result is some great punk-whatever music for our enjoyment. So yeah, check this album out. It's for your own good. You're just cheating yourself out of something great if you don't. So don't be an idiot. Best advice anyone could ever receive. I wish somebody gave me that advice years ago!

-Idle

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