Mitch
04/23/06, 05:55 PM
Reviewing albums never was my thing; writing down words based on a personal opinion can be a bit rough, especially when you realize the slew of insults that are guaranteed from those that disagree and have enough time on their hands to let you know—not exactly motivating. But after a countless amount of times of actually attempting to write reviews and never finishing, I have decided the time has finally come. Just keep in mind that I have a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to the technical aspects of music; all I know is if I enjoy the sound that reaches my ears. With this said, I now introduce you to the first review I have ever completed—enjoy.
Victory Records: Home of acts such as the millions-selling “emo” band (ha, ha) known as Hawthorne Heights, Victory is an independent label which has a large roster of bands, unfortunately overshadowed by the few the “masters” put all their marketing efforts into. The Forecast, a hard-working and honest-sounding band is one of many groups found on Victory that is found in the in the above-mentioned “shadow”.
The Forecast released their debut LP, Late Night Conversations, mid-May of 2005. The album, ill-received by many, was quite a gem to me personally. Not only did a large portion of it remind me of Midtown’s latest, but the way that Shannon Burn’s vocals complemented Dustin Addis’ earned a spot in my easy-entrance heart. Well after what seems (and is) a reasonably short time since the release of their debut, The Forecast returns with an all-new album entitled, In the Shadow of Two Gunmen. Does it disappoint or is it another solid release the band should proudly take credit for in their growing catalogue?
To say “I got the album just a tad bit early” would be an understatement; the album is not even scheduled for a release until the end of May, but hush, let’s keep that on the D/L. Before turning the album on, a fear was arising in my head: “what if I turn this on and they sound like a lower-grade Aiden (if that’s at all possible) in order for Tony Brummel to keep them signed?” I finally swallowed this fear down, went to fetch some decent headphones from my room, and hit play on Winamp (side note: Winamp really does “own” iTunes).
In the Shadow of Two Gunmen starts with a two minute and twenty six second song called "Everything We Want To Be"—and luckily, what they want to be is not, and I repeat, NOT a “lower-grade Aiden”. In fact, they still pretty much have the same sound as they had on the debut--fairly soft rock music with vocals switching back and forth between Shannon and Dustin. The song takes no time to start up with a basic guitar riff leading into to Dustin’s vocals, which sound a little more polished here than on the previous album, and oddly-enough, this changes on all the songs after the second. Shannon does not lend her talent on this song, but even without her, this song is a perfect introduction to what will prove to be an entertaining, solid listen.
The album stays strong throughout, with some songs sounding as if they would not be out of place at all on the debut (namely the third track, "Carry Me Home"), and others showing that The Forecast have progressed quite a bit. Shannon’s singing, along with Dustin’s but especially hers, sound more confident as if they know exactly where they want to go with what they’re doing. To go along with the album title and cover art, they seem to let a little bit of a country influence shine through in tracks such as "Some Things Never Change" and what reminds me of a hard-rocking alt-country opening riff in "Every Gun Makes Its Own Tomb". In the Shadow of Two Gunmen ends with slow-paced song, Welcome Home. Like the opening track, Shannon is nowhere to be heard on this song, but hey, there is a harmonica in the song accompanied with spoken vocals and music for the rest of the time.
Overall, if you were a fan of the last record or haven’t heard it, check this album out come May 30th. Not too much has changed here in terms of style, but I wouldn’t consider it “more of the same,” because the band sounds more complete than before, able to craft melodic songs switching from Shannon-to-Dustin easily and suddenly. Now, if you weren’t a fan of the band when Late Night Conversations was released, don’t assume that you’ll be won over with this release. It’s only too bad you will only be able to base the new album on the songs they hopefully post on their Myspace or Purevolume, considering this won’t be on iTunes for you to sample 30 seconds of all the tracks. This has been said a countless number of times, but: It’s a shame that bands like this will continue to be pushed to the side while Hawthorne Heights and Aiden take the spotlight. (79 / 100)
P.S. Please don’t sue me for downloading this early. I mean, at least I gave the album a good score!
Victory Records: Home of acts such as the millions-selling “emo” band (ha, ha) known as Hawthorne Heights, Victory is an independent label which has a large roster of bands, unfortunately overshadowed by the few the “masters” put all their marketing efforts into. The Forecast, a hard-working and honest-sounding band is one of many groups found on Victory that is found in the in the above-mentioned “shadow”.
The Forecast released their debut LP, Late Night Conversations, mid-May of 2005. The album, ill-received by many, was quite a gem to me personally. Not only did a large portion of it remind me of Midtown’s latest, but the way that Shannon Burn’s vocals complemented Dustin Addis’ earned a spot in my easy-entrance heart. Well after what seems (and is) a reasonably short time since the release of their debut, The Forecast returns with an all-new album entitled, In the Shadow of Two Gunmen. Does it disappoint or is it another solid release the band should proudly take credit for in their growing catalogue?
To say “I got the album just a tad bit early” would be an understatement; the album is not even scheduled for a release until the end of May, but hush, let’s keep that on the D/L. Before turning the album on, a fear was arising in my head: “what if I turn this on and they sound like a lower-grade Aiden (if that’s at all possible) in order for Tony Brummel to keep them signed?” I finally swallowed this fear down, went to fetch some decent headphones from my room, and hit play on Winamp (side note: Winamp really does “own” iTunes).
In the Shadow of Two Gunmen starts with a two minute and twenty six second song called "Everything We Want To Be"—and luckily, what they want to be is not, and I repeat, NOT a “lower-grade Aiden”. In fact, they still pretty much have the same sound as they had on the debut--fairly soft rock music with vocals switching back and forth between Shannon and Dustin. The song takes no time to start up with a basic guitar riff leading into to Dustin’s vocals, which sound a little more polished here than on the previous album, and oddly-enough, this changes on all the songs after the second. Shannon does not lend her talent on this song, but even without her, this song is a perfect introduction to what will prove to be an entertaining, solid listen.
The album stays strong throughout, with some songs sounding as if they would not be out of place at all on the debut (namely the third track, "Carry Me Home"), and others showing that The Forecast have progressed quite a bit. Shannon’s singing, along with Dustin’s but especially hers, sound more confident as if they know exactly where they want to go with what they’re doing. To go along with the album title and cover art, they seem to let a little bit of a country influence shine through in tracks such as "Some Things Never Change" and what reminds me of a hard-rocking alt-country opening riff in "Every Gun Makes Its Own Tomb". In the Shadow of Two Gunmen ends with slow-paced song, Welcome Home. Like the opening track, Shannon is nowhere to be heard on this song, but hey, there is a harmonica in the song accompanied with spoken vocals and music for the rest of the time.
Overall, if you were a fan of the last record or haven’t heard it, check this album out come May 30th. Not too much has changed here in terms of style, but I wouldn’t consider it “more of the same,” because the band sounds more complete than before, able to craft melodic songs switching from Shannon-to-Dustin easily and suddenly. Now, if you weren’t a fan of the band when Late Night Conversations was released, don’t assume that you’ll be won over with this release. It’s only too bad you will only be able to base the new album on the songs they hopefully post on their Myspace or Purevolume, considering this won’t be on iTunes for you to sample 30 seconds of all the tracks. This has been said a countless number of times, but: It’s a shame that bands like this will continue to be pushed to the side while Hawthorne Heights and Aiden take the spotlight. (79 / 100)
P.S. Please don’t sue me for downloading this early. I mean, at least I gave the album a good score!