Show Review:: The Hush Sound.
Just because there’s a lockout during hockey season this year doesn’t mean that Saturdays in Boston aren’t entertaining. Luckily for us, when our sports bail on us, we’ve still got our music.
And when The Hush Sound rolled into Cambridge for a pair of concerts, the fans knew to expect something great.
Coming back from hiatus, bands always run the risk of having lost their original spark. Maybe their chemistry faded with time, maybe the fans outgrew them, or maybe it just isn’t the same way it used to be. Then again, in regards to the Chicago quartet, all of this is fortunately hypothetical, because they were as spot-on as I’ve ever heard them.
Opening their sold-out second show of the day (following a pick-the-setlist fan-voted matinee) with “Honey,” the group came out in full force, saying a quick hello before diving into a nearly uninterrupted seventy-minute set consisting of songs from all three albums.
Review:: Cinematics | The Epilogues
It’s an easy thing to make comparisons for bands. There are the obvious influences in certain genres – pop/punk bands pay homage to Fall Out Boy, Blink-182, Green Day, etc., things along those lines. That being said, there are those rare acts who, like a breath of fresh air, give you something you can’t quite place a finger on. Band in focus: The Epilogues. The fact that I can only think of one band off the top of my head to draw a strong correlation to (Vagrant Records alumni The Comas) is a pretty decent sign that I should be expecting something great.
The Denver quartet, comprised of vocalist Chris Heckman, bassist Jeff Swodoba, drummer Jason Hoke, and keyboardist Nate Hammond, throws together a mixture of sounds and styles into something entirely their own.
From the first notes of Cinematics, the guitar-hook and drum-roll intro of “The Shadow King,” the album delivers consistency that others neglect to provide. The smooth, gentle vocals and light strum of “Call Me a Mistake” lull you into a relaxation before Hoke leads the track into a heavier direction. Feedback and distortion connect this with the booming “My Misinformed ‘John Hughes’ Teenage Youth,” the first real standout on Cinematics. An echoing introduction repeats itself through a vocally-gorgeous chorus, supported by an eerie swirl of static-coated vocals.
Review:: Hide and Seek | The Birthday Massacre
There’s something to be said about consistency for bands that have been around for a while. Some bands drop off, while some age gracefully. For Toronto’s synth-goth six-piece The Birthday Massacre, they fall into the latter category. On their fifth record, Hide and Seek, the group delivers a half-hour story full of darkness and eeriness which fits perfectly with the season.
From the opening lines, there’s a bit of an odd feeling. The fading lead-in of “Leaving Tonight” could easily have been recorded in the 80’s, giving not only a sense of nostalgia, but delivering something that’s rarely given to listeners nowadays – something creative and new. The track itself is an upbeat synth-pop head-nodder, packed with a catchy chorus driven. However, the calm doesn’t last for long, as “Down” chugs its way on its coattails. The hardest song on the record shows an impressive range for the pocket-sized Chibi, mixing smooth, almost angelic clean vocals with heavy, gritty shouts.
Clinking chimes and wind accompany a building electronic sample and drums into the haunting “Play With Fire,” which is filled to the brim with innocent vocals and dark lyrics. “Need,” as odd as this comparison may sound, is the synthesized cousin of a Demi Lovato track. The vocals are very similar, both stylistically and talent-wise, providing for a genre-crossing song that pop fans of any age or scene can sing to.
Review :: Hold Your Own | Back To Normal
I’ve always been a sucker for mixed-gender vocals. The Forecast, 1997, The Hush Sound, Straylight Run, I could go on, all of these groups hold the highest spots on my playlists for most listens. The point I’m making is this – the dynamic between successfully combining a male and a female vocalist is something that can make a band stand out, or can make them irrelevant if done improperly. Luckily, Back to Normal avoided sounding forced, resulting in some very catchy pop-punk.
The short introduction shows us a peak into Orion Burke’s impressive drumming skills before melting directly into the group’s lead single “The Letdown.” Lead vocalist Sarah Camden’s voice is aggressive and sharp, delivering each lyric with precision. A slowing in the tempo halfway through repeats “We can’t be friends, no we can’t / because it never works in the end / but I’m trying, I’m trying,” looped continuously between Camden and her male counterpart, guest vocalist KJ Jones.
