I’m not gonna lie – I was SO excited when Victoria Grace Howell nominated me for this blog tag (thank you, Tori!) that this was my reaction.
OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration… But music is one of my many loves in life, along with writing, books, and tea. So if you’re a music fan as well, fair warning: This post features YouTube videos. It also features links to more YouTube videos. I tried not to go overboard… but you still might be here a while. 😉
First, like any blog tag, let’s start with…
Welcome to the latest edition of Time Flies! It’s my version of a monthly update, where I recap the past month’s accomplishments and articles, share news and random things from my offline life, and hint at what may be coming in the month ahead.
Happy Spring, everyone! 😀 Even though it’s been an abnormally cold March here in Massachusetts, I feel lighter in heart knowing that my favorite season has finally arrived. Pretty soon, leaves will bud on the trees, flowers will bloom, and temperatures will be just warm enough so I can resume my outdoor walks. Lush, green, colorful, fresh… *sighs with contentment*
Spring means more to me than nature’s re-awakening after its winter slumber, though. It also marks an anniversary for me, one of a spiritual and emotional turnaround after a bout of situational depression. My poem “Eve of Spring” talks about this a little bit. If you’re interested, you can read the poem here or here.
What else have I been up to this past month? Check out the recaps below:
If I could use one word to describe the music of 2014 for me, it would be “weird.” Firstly, it was a year of transition and rediscovery music-wise. In May, I left my music-reviewing post at Sonic Cathedral after 5½ years so I could concentrate on novel-writing and other creative pursuits. Suddenly I had more freedom – and time! – to listen to genres besides female-fronted rock and metal. That explains why this year’s Top 10 list features the most variety I’ve ever had in my end-of-year countdowns. Yay! 🙂
Secondly, the quality of 2014’s music took me on a bumpy rollercoaster ride. There were awesome surprises, huge disappointments, and an unusually high number of “in-betweens” that I needed to replay several times before knowing how I felt about them. And in some ways, my #1 pick summarizes my year of music: It tips its hat to my “head-banging” past while shocking the hell out of me – in the best way possible. In fact, I don’t think my SC colleagues would have seen this one coming (except for one – she knows who she is, because it’s all her fault *winks*).
Buckled in? Then let’s go! Continue reading
I didn’t expect that writing my final CD review for Sonic Cathedral would be such a challenge. But when reviewing a 16-track album that runs the rock and metal gamut, there’s no easy way to cover everything you want to talk about. So was the case with Die So Fluid’s The Opposites Of Light. This sprawling set revisits the British trio’s eclectic roots in two distinct halves: the first explores Die So Fluid’s heavier, grittier side, while the second takes a more brooding and balladic turn. Grunge, alternative, doom, punk, blues – Die So Fluid thrust all this and more at the listener while creating a weirdly cohesive sound. This band and album epitomize rebellion in a “fabulously dark way,” and fans will be grateful for it.
Click here to read my review of Die So Fluid’s The Opposites Of Light.
Die So Fluid have already released three music videos for songs from The Opposites Of Light: “Crime Scene,” “Comets,” and this one for “Black Blizzard.” The best way to describe this song is menacing melodic metal combined with the gravel of grunge and eerie cello / violin arrangements. A very cool combination, if you ask me.
Coming Soon: Passed 55,000 words on my novel this past weekend! Come back on Wednesday for a new installment of “Chronicling The Craft.”
Ideal Zero – In Perfect Darkness
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Florida-based Ideal Zero is one of the few American bands who are willing to blend alternative rock with electro-rock, pop, and metal influences. They debuted their refreshing sound on their 2012 self-titled EP and quickly enchanted listeners with catchy melodies and captivating musical contrasts. I enjoyed Ideal Zero so much that it earned a spot on my Top 10 Albums of 2012 list. Ever since then, I’ve been looking forward to hearing a longer release from Ideal Zero and finding out what else they had to offer.
Enter Ideal Zero’s first full-length album, In Perfect Darkness. This CD shows Ideal Zero exploring their sound’s many angles and toning down the metallic edge from their EP (possibly because they have one guitarist instead of two now). Some tracks, including the moody lead single “Before We Drown,” still crunch with intensity. Others offer a lighter, more playful take. Listeners will find themselves exhilarated by the cartwheeling rhythms and synths of “Now That We Know” and touched by the sensitive arrangements and lyrics of “Walls” and “My Last Request.” My personal favorite, however, is “Little Blue Man.” It drifts on simple, effervescent soundscapes that let Irina Nicula’s imaginative lyrics be the focal point of the song.
While I like In Perfect Darkness enough to listen to it all the way through, it hasn’t left the same impact on me that Ideal Zero did. The EP contained brilliant hooks, memorable melodies, and lyrics exuding cleverness and vulnerability. In Perfect Darkness reaches those heights, but not quite as often. What In Perfect Darkness does accomplish, however, is reminding the listener that light always follows dark and hope always prevails – themes that match Ideal Zero’s evolved musical approach. And not only do I like neat artistic tie-ins, but I also like it when a record makes me smile. That’s why I give In Perfect Darkness my stamp of approval.
Highlights: “Little Blue Man,” “Before We Drown,” “Now That We Know”
Haven’t heard of Ideal Zero before? Check out their music if you’re a fan of Evanescence, The Birthday Massacre, Within Temptation, Lacuna Coil, Muse, and The Killers.
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Deciding whether to buy In Perfect Darkness from Amazon? Let me know whether you found my review helpful by clicking here and selecting either “Yes” or “No.”
Coming Soon: Next week’s Mini-Review Monday will be a change in flavor – Celtic instead of rock or metal! Stay tuned for a review of David Arkenstone’s latest album Celtic Garden.
My two latest reviews at Sonic Cathedral are on EPs from two very different American bands. And both were quite good!
First up is the Chicago-based hard rock / heavy metal quartet Burning Eve. I discovered this band after checking out this year’s Dame-Nation 2012 line-up. While I couldn’t attend the festival (also in Chicago), I was still interested in hearing what the highlighted acts sounded like. In the end, I liked Burning Eve’s self-titled debut EP enough to buy it and tell the world about it. All three songs comprise of great musical and melodic hooks, charismatic vocals, and a wickedly in-your-face approach. And I’ll quote one of my favorite observations about this EP: “…[the] songs are concise and catchy enough to earn heavy radio rotation without compromising the music’s edge and power.” Not a bad start quality-wise for a relatively new band, right?
Click here to read my review of Burning Eve.
The more recent of the two EP reviews is on Ideal Zero, another newcomer band from Orlando, Florida. This quartet has already developed a rather unique sound: heavy alternative rock driven by enthralling vocals, heartfelt lyrics and bold choice in subject matter, and layers upon layers of keyboards. It’s not quite electro-rock, but not your average North American hard rock, either. Normally I try not to give EPs a rating higher than an 8.5 out of 10, since I like to hear more than just a few songs to realize just how good (or terrible) an artist can be. But Ideal Zero’s five-track, self-titled debut EP isn’t the least bit terrible. In fact, it was the first real test for my EP-rating rule – and it won. Ideal Zero is officially my album for this summer and, in my opinion, it’s “one of 2012’s most breathtaking surprises.”
Click here to read my review of Ideal Zero.
More reviews and other projects are in the works, so stay tuned!
~ Sara
People seem to have some strong opinions about We Are The Fallen, regardless of whether they’ve actually listened to the band’s debut album “Tear the World Down.” Either you love the music or you hate it, all because this band “sounds just like Evanescence.” Yes, I know of all the links between We Are The Fallen and Evanescence. But, is the new band a copycat of female-fronted rock’s most popular band?
In my honest opinion, the answer is “Not exactly.” Click here to read my review of “Tear the World Down” and find out how I came to this conclusion.
Yes, it’s “New CD Review” time! This month’s review features Dejafuse, a relatively new band from the Netherlands that’s fronted by former Autumn vocalist Nienke de Jong. As soon as I heard about Dejafuse’s album being released, I just had to get my hands on it. And it didn’t disappoint! Continue reading
Sara Letourneau 