Run River North, 'Run River North'

By: David Savage

                The story of the band Run River North is an inspiring one. The Korean-American folk-rock band was offered their first shot at fame performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after their music video, shot in their Honda, went viral. Honda gave Run River North (formerly known as Monsters Calling Home) a shot at the spotlight on Jimmy Kimmel in 2012, but they didn't have a solid record deal until now. Run River North’s self-titled debut album is set to release on February 25^th via Nettwerk Records. If the indefinite hiatus of Mumford & Sons left a void in your music library, check out Run River North.

                What a stellar debut album by the Korean-American folk-rockers, with a sound relatively derivative to bands like Mumford & Sons and Of Monsters and Men, but with such sincerity they make it their own. The six-piece band features Alex Hwang (Vocals/Guitar), Daniel Chae (Guitar/Violin), Jennifer Rim (Violin), Joseph Chun (Bass), John Chong (Drums), and Sally Kang (Vocals/Keys).

                You may notice something that isn't as present in the other big folk-rock acts. The violins. Violins are pertinent to Run River North’s sweet special sound, giving a magnificent flow, swaying throughout the record. Alex Hwang’s voice is a specialty in itself, with such a strong clean voice surrounded by brilliant and intricate harmonies. The opening track, “Monsters Calling Home”, blasts right into mountainous vocal harmonies, violin swirls, and powerful claps on the rims of the drums. The song deals with the story of an immigration struggle, a topic that seems to be near the heart of this band. Aside from stories of being immigrants the band has other marvelous tracks like “Growing Up”. This song is wrapped in different emotions; a bittersweet, youthful, and ambitious anthem about surpassing the anxieties of age with lines like “Growing old feels like you’re giving up your soul/ But I’d rather give it freely to the ones that I call home”. That song really hits home for me, and I feel like we all think about time whizzing by us.

                This self-titled debut from Run River North is an outstanding folk-driven record with elements of rock tossed into the mix forming a well-balanced album. It’s great to see that this band caught their break and can finally release a record under a label. When you’re getting ready to have that record to play with the windows down or around the fire, Run River North is there for you. Be sure to pick it up on February 25^th.

Favorite Tracks: “Growing Up”, “Monsters Calling Home”, “Banner”

Angel Olsen, 'Burn Your Fire For No Witness'

By: David Savage

                One of the many things I love about music is seeing the evolution of an artist. I often notice that the ones in the singer-songwriter genre, with nothing more than an acoustic guitar and their voice, are the ones with such strong prominent evolutions. They start their musical career with minimal instrumentation and then become inspired to expand into something bigger and bolder. Angel Olsen is prime example of this evolution.

                Angel Olsen has severed the acoustic shell that she was encased in on her first record, Half Way Home. Combining the casual acoustic singer-songwriter style with the thick reverb of her EP Strange Cacti, Burn Your Fire For No Witness is born. The opening track, “Unfucktheworld”, has vintage vibes to it, with Angel Olsen’s voice sounding like it’s escaping from a dusty phonograph. “Unfucktheworld” is a smooth way to start the record with the powerful, yet simple, strums of the guitar with her voice crooning through the air with trembling vibrato singing “I wanted nothing but for this to be the end”. The record then jumps into the distorted rock track, “Forgiven/Forgotten”.

                The thing that differs from Angel Olsen’s previous work is the heaviness of the guitar and having a band to back her up, consisting of Josh Jaeger(drums) and Stewart Bronaugh(bass). The heavy guitar weighs in and contributes to the dark and melancholy tone of the record. One song that sticks out to me is the track “White Fire”. The song has the guitar in the background, distorted and smothered in reverb, allowing Olsen’s voice to be the main focus. Her voice, especially on this song, is haunting in a way that gives me the chills. Lyrically this song (as well as the whole album) is spectacular with somber lines like “Everything is tragic/ it all just falls apart/ But when I look into your eyes/ it pieces up my heart”, from “White Fire”.

                Loss and heartache hold close to the heart of Burn Your Fire For No Witness, both lyrically and instrumentally. This record is powerful. Angel Olsen is evolving as an artist and it is fascinating to watch and listen to such an expansive record from someone whose debut was simply a girl and her acoustic guitar. Burn Your Fire For No Witness is an exceptional album by Angel Olsen.

Favorite Tracks: “White Fire”, “Unfucktheworld”, “Iota”

Cynic, 'Kindly Bent To Save Us'

Cynic has always been a favorite of mine when it comes to progressive metal. Their progressive metal style along with some jazz-fusion influence and “auto tuned” vocals, they really have a very unique sound. That being said, I really love their new album for many reasons. The band took a step in another direction with their newest effort “Kindly Bent To Free Us.” With the lack of harsh (screaming) vocals and, from what I can tell, less vocoded vocals, the band drifted from their typical sound.

I’m not saying that they totally ditched the “robotic” vocals like they did their harsh vocals (due to the departure of guitarist Tymon Kruidenier), but there are definitely parts on the album where there are very little vocal effects. This, obviously, gives Paul’s voice a more natural sound and adds a new element to their music. It seems to me like this was a slower transition that I’m making it out to be, but after Re-Traced, released in 2010, I should have assumed that this would be the way that they would eventually go.

Every album of Cynic’s seems to add more and more texture work, adding a sense of ambiance to the record. This, in my opinion, is a trait of an evolving musician, especially for heavy metal acts. Instead of focusing on riffs or grooves, the musician is focused on the entire mood of the piece. Every album of Cynic’s since their release of their first in 1993, has become more textured and the overall mood and feel of the albums has changed. They still have their quintessential style of writing, but there is more depth to the music, engaging the listener and allowing them to connect at a different level.

Overall, I was very fond of this record. There are quite a few tracks that I find myself listening to more than others, but there isn't a bad song on the album . I’m not saying that the lack of the “robotic” vocals killed this album for me, because that’s not true at all, but I do wish they were more apparent. That is the aspect of Cynic that diversifies them and makes them different from all of the other metal and progressive metal acts in the scene today (and for the past 23 years). Favorite Tracks: “True Hallucination Speak”, “The Lion’s Roar”, and “Holy Fallout”

Hospitality, 'Trouble'

By: David Savage

When Hospitality released their self-titled debut album, they filled the songs with such pressing sound coming from a mere three-piece band. The Brooklyn indie-pop trio explores the spectrum of sounds and tones on their sophomore album, Trouble, with dark themes of being “out of place” in the world, as well as heartbreak, loneliness and melancholy. Tracks like “I Miss Your Bones” give us some ear candy, but there is loneliness below the surface. The title of the song gives you all the information you need.

 It’s often forgotten that Hospitality is simple a trio of guitar, bass, and drums, because the bands creates such a full, but balanced, sound. The band consists of Amber Papini (guitar, vocals), Brian Betancourt (bass), and Nathan Michel (drums). One of my favorite aspects of trios is that the bass is so prominent as opposed to other genres and larger bands that drown out the bass with guitars and drums.

Papini’s voice should be paid close attention to, with her double tracked vocals reflecting a ghostly entity to the record. Let’s not forget about all of the lyrical gems, with lines like, “Take all this ocean/and while you’re asleep in slumber/Break up these branches/and mind leaves and sticks smooth/ try not to let the fire go” from “Sullivan”. “Sullivan” is an absolutely stunning track from this record; my absolute favorite. The simply strumming of the electric guitar starts with Papini’s lyrics painting such a vivid image in my mind, and her crooning voice eloquently glazing over and into imagination.

Trouble opens up and adds layers, but before you know it they are progressively peeled away and the album closes with two stripped down acoustic tracks, “Sunship” and “Call Me After”. “Sunship” is another personal favorite of mine. Its simple acoustic chords are melded with horns, lush harmonies, and Papini’s enchanting voice. With headphones on, the strumming is bounced between ears and the horns hold out strongly. Trouble holds a warm springtime vibe that is relaxing and beautiful.

Favorite Tracks: “Sullivan”, “Sunship”, and “I Miss Your Bones”

Manchester Orchestra's New Single, "Top Notch"

By: David Savage

Another album set to release on April 1^st is Manchester Orchestra’s fourth album, Cope. Andy Hull has been touring with Bad Books, while its been three years since Manchester’s release of Simple Math.  Manchester Orchestra recently did have the song, “After The Scripture”, appear on the soundtrack for the motion picture Dallas Buyers Club. The first track that has been revealed off of Cope is titled “Top Notch” and it is the hard-rock, crunchy guitar sounds that I loved so much from Simple Math. I’m looking forward to the release of Cope, as well as their show at the House of Blues on May 15^th.

New S. Carey track, "Fire-Scene" off upcoming album, 'Range of Light'

By: David Savage

In 2010, during touring breaks with Bon Iver, Sean Carey (vocals, percussion) recorded his debut solo record, All We Grow, under the stage name ‘S. Carey’. All We Grow was an elegant record showcasing Carey’s skills as a percussionist as well as a pianist and songwriter. In 2012, S. Carey released an intriguing EP titled Hoyas that focused on a more electronic sound, without going overboard. It was announced that his first full length studio album, titled Range of Light, will be released on April 1^st via Jagjaguwar.  With the announcement of the sophomore album, S. Carey released the track “Fire-Scene”.

                “Fire-Scene” features intricate finger-picking with soft piano fills and Carey’s beautiful vocals. “On and on/ all I want is honesty”, S. Carey sings, and I feel a sense of honesty coming from this track, and most likely this record. Carey’s music is honest and compelling, streaming from the woods of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I look forward to hearing Range of Light and am curious to see if Sean Carey combines the acoustic sounds of All We Grow and the intriguing electronic elements of Hoyas.

A Great Big World, 'Is There Anybody Out There?'

By: David Savage

A Great Big World has come a long way since the release of the 2011 album, This is the New Year. The band was first regarded as Ian Axel, which also consisted of Chad Vaccarino, a friend of Ian’s from NYU. When the band changed their name to A Great Big World (from the song “Cheer Up!”), they had to use crowd-sourcing website, Kickstarter, to record their Self-Titled EP. After their song “Say Something” was featured on So You Think You Can Dance, Christina Aguilera showed interest in the song and rerecorded the track with Ian and Chad. After receiving wide-spread acclaim, the band is has released their album, Is There Anybody Out There?, off of Epic records.

Is There Anybody Out There? features a mostly familiar tracks to longtime followers of the band, such as “Already Home” (previously recorded as “Home”) and “This is the New Year”, the title track off Ian Axel’s first record. It’s such a relieving change of pace when a pop band actually relies heavily on guitar, drums, and piano, rather than electronic instruments. The record features some emotional heartfelt tracks; like “Say Something” and “Already Home”, but the most beautiful part of this band is how fun and boisterous the rest of the record is (with hilarious songs like “Everyone is Gay”). They have a reputation for being such a fun and joyous group, and it absolutely shines through their music. Is There Anybody Out There? is such a good clean record with a lot of positive vibes, that being said, I applaud the success of A Great Big World.

Favorite Tracks: “Rockstar”, “Already Home”, and “This is the New Year”