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Sunday, May 12, 2013

We're moving!!!

Thank you to all my readers over the last few months. I will be keeping this blog around for historical reasons but all future posts will be at: http://www.breakoffthechains.com/

Stay tuned! New stuff coming soon!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Siberia Acoustic - Lights



As a long time Lights fan, it's going to be difficult to write an unbiased review of her latest album "Siberia (Acoustic)" but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Overall, it's an impressive concept. "Siberia" was so electronic that no one could really be sure how the songs would be re-imagined for an acoustic album, and Lights pulls it off, mostly, but I'll come to that.

The album starts off with my favorite track from the original album Banner and it's still a sweet, uplifting tune, but a little more laid-back than the electronic anthem it was originally.

Next up is Cactus In The Valley which is interesting because there already was an acoustic version that was released as a bonus track, so the main differences here are arrangement and the addition of vocals by Owl City (Adam Young) I'll go on record as saying that I'm not even remotely an Owl City fan, and his contribution to this song is indicative of why. While I do enjoy the new musical arrangement of this version, Owl City's vocals commit the biggest crime of a duet, they add nothing to the song. If there was a Lights-only version of this song without OC then it would probably be my favorite song on the album, as it is, it's my least favorite. If this seems harsh, it's because the rest of the album is so good, this misstep really grates.

Where The Fence Is Low showcases some amazing folky guitar work, and is a great showcase for Lights' vocal prowess.

Just so everyone knows, I'm not against Lights doing a duet, and her work with Max Kerman on Siberia is the opposite of Owl City's contribution. Their voices have enough contrast with each other to give the song some real meat.

Suspension shows how much work has gone into this album, it's so heavily electronic in it's original form that it really is a completely different song now, and stripped down to it's roots, it's still an amazing song.

In my opinion Toes is the jewel of this album, instead of the sparkling, bass-heavy tune it was, it's now moody and almost melancholic, it truly is a re-imagining of the song and it gives me chills to listen to it.

Lights' gets some help from French-Canadian artist Couer de Pirate who adds French-language lyrics to Peace Sign and the vocals, gorgeous strings and delicate guitar work, make this song as comforting as a old, favorite blanket.

Heavy Rope is one of the most plaintive, sad songs on the album and the much slower arrangement intensifies that feeling.

Flux and Flow is nearly unrecognizable from it's original form, and again, it's what is magical about this album, same lyrics but such a different feeling you come away with from it, you pay much more attention to the lyrics and Lights' wrings every bit of emotion from them with her almost husky vocals .

And Counting... has probably changed the least from it's original form, it's still a lovely ballad, now with stirring strings and wonderful piano accompaniment.

The iTunes bonus track, Timing Is Everything is a charming, laid-back version of the original, you can picture her sitting around a bonfire with just a guitar.

Overall, it's a incredible piece of work, as stated above, it's not perfect, but it's an incredible re-imagining of already amazing songs, and it's a tribute to Lights' skill not only as a musician, but as a songwriter that she can translate these songs to an entirely different musical "language".

Go pick it up now on iTunes and be sure to follow Lights on Twitter, Facebook and her official site!


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Darling Parade - Battle Scars and Broken Hearts


Nashville-based, alternative rock band Darling Parade has long had a place of honor on my iPod and with the release of their new full-length album "Battle Scars and Broken Hearts" they're assured of staying there for a long time to come.

As one of many donors to their very successful Kickstarter campaign, I've actually had the new album for weeks now and after listening almost daily, I've got a few things to say:

This is an album with attitude, it's catchy and hooky (radio, are you listening?) but also equal parts heartbreaking ("When It's Over", "Ghost","With You") and defiant ("Just Another","Messin' With Me", "Bad Habit") it really lives up to the album title, and it showcases feelings that anyone who has gone through a messy breakup will be all too familiar with.

This album paints a picture of someone who has gone through a war of the heart and has emerged on the other side, bloodied but unbowed as the chorus for "Messin' With Me" states, "You should know that you're fighting for nothing, when deep down you're just looking for something, you keep giving me the third degree, but you don't stand a chance if you're messin' with me"

Even if you're not going through your own personal battle right now, you'll still find yourself sucked into the raw emotion of the music, and headbanging right along with the excellent guitar and drum work. This is an album to be played full blast with the windows down while cruising a lonely highway.

Oh, did I mention frontwoman Kristin Kearns' voice? As you go through the album her voice takes you from wanting to hold her and make the pain go away, to staying out of her way, to giving a high-five for emerging victorious. It's an emotional trip and one I'm happy to go on.

No, this isn't a happy album, but it's a very human, emotional album and that's all too rare these days.

Buy it. Now. [iTunes] [Amazon]

Please be sure to follow Darling Parade on Facebook and Twitter, and check out their official site.




Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Candy Hearts - The Best Ways To Disappear


I discovered Candy Hearts probably the same way many people recently have, through a tweet from Paramore's Hayley Williams (her boyfriend, Chad Gilbert has signed Candy Hearts to his label) and I decided to give them a chance.

Wow.

I've been trying to figure out how to classify them, on first listen you might be tempted to just call them pop, but there is more there, I got a tweet from the band and their answer was "alternative indie with pop punk influences" which is a good classification, but with all due respect, I've got my own - "candy-coated hopeful heartbreaks with some serious 90s rock influences", which might be a little long for a record store label, but it works on this blog.

Seriously, listen to them. Mariel Loveland's sweet voice belie the pain and longing that permeate songs like "Miles and Interstates" ("The same white lines that brought you here will take you away") or "Bad Idea" where she's making the same mistake many of us do, but she makes getting your heart broken somehow appealing. "Sick Of It" is a bittersweet, and hopeful song for the downtrodden, and I think it's the standout track on the album.

To sum up. It's an album that on the surface is a poppy little confection, but if you listen...really listen, you get something a lot more meaty than the band's name would imply and it's worth the effort.

You can follow the band on Facebook Twitter and their official site and be sure to grab their album on iTunes or Amazon!