Beneath It All EP by Hey Monday

Beneath It All EP (2010)
01. Wish You Were Here
02. Wondergirl
03. I Don't Wanna Dance
04. Hangover
05. Mr. Pushover
06. Where Is My Head

If you’re a hardcore metal fan, Hey Monday’s new EP, Beneath It All, is the album for you! Just kidding.

Originating from West Palm Beach, Florida, the power pop group has toured with acts such as The Academy Is, We The Kings, NeverShoutNever, The Cab, This Providence, A Rocket To The Moon, and Cash Cash. At the beginning of 2010 (and shortly after the departure of drummer, Elliot James), Hey Monday began recording new tracks for their second release, Beneath It All EP.

The six songs have a poppy and bubbly feel to them, but most of the lyrics are far from upbeat. In “Where Is My Head,” the lines, “today I told myself that I would control myself / but my heart and zipper seem to disagree,” are pretty risque and aren't something you would normally hear in a power pop song. Lead vocalist Cassadee Pope hides the true meanings of the songs with catchy melodies and harmonies, which she does rather tastefully. Other than the lyrics, the EP isn’t terribly original. The first three tracks bleed into each other and the last three also have similar feels to them.

The standout track out of the six is “Hangover," but Beneath It All isn’t anything we haven’t heard before. It's overall a decent but expected release from Hey Monday.

Rating: 3.5/5
Recommended Track: "Hangover"

*Apocalyptica: Taking Over the Globe, One Cello At a Time

(L to R: Perttu Kivilaakso, Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen. Back: Mikko Sirén)

Countless mainstream metal bands such as All That Remains, As I Lay Dying, Bullet For My Valentine, and August Burns Red usually consist of fast paced drummers, a bassist, two guitarists, a singer or screamer, and the occasional keyboard or synth player. As far as conventional bands go, Apocalyptica is far from the norm.

Cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lötjönen, Max Lilja, and Antero Manninen formed Apocalyptica in Helsinki, Finland in 1993 with the original intent to be a Metallica tribute band. After their first public appearance in 1994, the media convinced the band to do an album with the cover songs they played live, and they succeeded; over one million copies of Plays Metallica by Four Cellos were sold.

Since then, Apocalyptica has written original songs and LPs and has featured many guest musicians on them. They’ve worked with Ville Valo of HIM, Lauri Ylönen of The Rasmus, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, and Dave Lombardo of Slayer. Whether these appearances were what drove the band to fame, no one knows. “[We had] no idea,” current drummer Mikko Sirén said about the ever-growing popularity of Apocalyptica across the globe. “We didn’t plan it.” Most of the musicians that the Finnish guys have worked with came up to them at festivals or contacted them personally, saying they liked the band and wanted to collaborate.



7th Symphony (2010)

On their latest effort, 7th Symphony, Gavin Rossdale of Bush, Joseph Duplantier of Gojira, Lacey Mosley of Flyleaf and Brent Smith of Shinedown were all featured. When asked about the newest album, Sirén spoke about how the writing of this album was different than their past albums. Before Symphony’s release, the band was on a two and a half yearlong tour and was not very prepared; most of the tracks were arranged during recording. When talking about the album artwork, Sirén said he wanted it to be “dark, dangerous, but [also] beautiful, fragile and romantic.”

Recently the band has canceled all shows in the United States, because one of the members was really sick. All shows will be postponed, including a show at Starland Ballroom on March 17th, 2011 with opening act, Process of Fusion. Mikko hopes to see more of a response to Apocalyptica’s music in the states, because “[most people have] no idea what the band is about. [Hopefully they will think] we’re something good to see.”

*This article will be featured in next month's edition of Broken Records Magazine.

Year of the Black Rainbow by Coheed and Cambria (2010)

 Year of the Black Rainbow (2010)

1. One - 1:54

2. The Broken - 3:53
3. Guns of Summer - 4:47
4. Here We Are Juggernaut - 3:44
5. Far - 4:54
6. The Shattered Symphony - 4:26
7. World of Lines - 3:18
8. Made Out of Nothing - 4:38
9. Pearl of the Stars - 5:05
10. In the Flame of Error - 5:29
11. When Skeletons Live - 4:18
12. The Black Rainbow - 7:33
13. Chamberlain (Demo) - 4:20
14. The Lost Shepherd (Demo) - 4:11
15. Hush (iTunes Exclusive Track) - 4:18

On April 14, 2010, Coheed and Cambria released their album, Year of the Black Rainbow. The album is the fifth and final installment in The Amory Wars, a sequence of stories written by singer and guitarist Claudio Sanchez. Coheed goes considerably darker on this album than on previous ones, their new sound apparent on songs like “Guns of Summer,” which have a more psychedelic and progressive feel to them. “The Broken” and “Here We Are Juggernaut” remain true to the sound previous records have had, and both are single worthy. An acoustic guitar is present throughout “Pearl of the Stars” which is done rather tastefully and is the softest track on the album. “Far” is another soft track, and with lyrics like, “So, whatever this is, this thing that now I've become / you hate it so much, you keep on running from it,” the song is somewhat bone chilling. “World of Lines” allows drummer Chris Pennie to show off his chops, and is my personal favorite on the CD; the fast guitars and the vocals are what make the track one to watch out for.

If you were not a die-hard Coheed fan, in regards to this album, you most likely would not be able to tell one song from another. As someone who does not listen to the band religiously, the remainder of the album sounds like it blends together in a way, and I feel this is a consistency on their earlier albums as well. It is not an attack on the band all together, but I do think they could be a bit more original at times.

Overall, this album is a decent effort from Coheed and Cambria, and if you were a fan beforehand, Year of the Black Rainbow will not disappoint.

Recommended Tracks: “The Broken” and “Far”
Rating: 4/5

Party With It's Not Over On Earth Day

It’s Not Over

(Left to Right: Joshua Cronopulous, Mike Giordano, George Thomas. Back: Matt Cabello)
 Photography by Justin Sarachik

If you were near building 1C on Earth Day, chances are you heard live music from local Staten Island band, It’s Not Over. In October, the pop-punk quartet won the third annual Battle of the Bands at CSI, and was promised an hour-long set as their reward.

Drummer Matt Cabello and vocalist/guitarist Mike Giordano started the band in October of 2006. Later in the game, they added guitarist Josh Cronopulos and bassist George Thomas to their lineup, and have played many shows in Staten Island and Manhattan. The band “quickly gained a reputation among audiences for their energetic performances and melodically catchy song writing,” according to their biography on Facebook. Their songs have been played on UCLA College Radio and CSI’s own WSIA, remaining in the Alternative Top 30 for numerous weeks in a row. To this day, the four guys are continuing to win the hearts of many fans, and the show on April 22nd was no exception.

The pop punk band played songs like “Love Affair,” “Taking Me Over,” and “Better Off,” which are up-tempo and catchy songs that pumped up the audience. Lead vocalist Mike Giordano busted out an acoustic guitar for “Never See Me,” which displayed a softer side to the group. Midway through the set, bass player George Thomas encouraged the crowd to count how long it would take Giordano to down a bottle of water; it only took him thirty seconds, which was rather impressive to watch. The band closed with “Catastrophe,” and received a giant round of applause from the crowd, especially Andrew DiLorenzo from WSIA radio who seemed to know most of the words. Overall, the band put on a good performance and I would not mind seeing them again.

If you want to check out It’s Not Over, you can head here to listen to their self-titled EP.

Mmhmm by Relient K (2004)

Mmhmm (2004)
1. The One I’m Waiting For – 3:02
2. Be My Escape – 4:00
3. High of 75 – 2:27
4. I So Hate Consequences – 4:01
5. The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse Is Betting on One – 1:13
6. My Girl’s Ex-Boyfriend – 2:28
7. More Than Useless – 3:50
8. Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet? – 4:11
9. Let It All Out – 4:21
10. Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been – 3:52
11. Maintain Consciousness – 2:52
12. This Week the Trend – 2:59
13. Life After Death and Taxes (Failure II) – 4:23
14. When I Go Down – 6:42

For my first review, I decided to do Relient K’s Mmhmm simply because it is a perfect album to start off the spring season. Trust me, this is something you will want to listen to with the windows rolled down and the sun shining brightly through your windshield. It also helps that Relient K is one of my favorites. If Mmhmm doesn’t hook you straight away, perhaps pop rock isn’t the right genre for you. But with music and lyrics that are very tastefully done, this Christian band does it right.

The album starts off on a high note, with the happy go lucky “The One I’m Waiting For.” The catchy vocal by Matt Thiessen will instantly grab your attention with this song about a girl who “can break a heart / [she’s] like a work of art.”   The song could also be interpreted as a nice guy falling for a slutty girl, but we won’t go there. ;) Other tracks with an upbeat feel are “Be My Escape,” “High of 75,” and “My Girl’s Ex-Boyfriend.”

Toward the second half of the album, you will find the lyrics become more in depth. In “I So Hate Consequences,” Thiessen sings about dealing with mistakes and letting a person you love down. “Which To Bury, Us or the Hatchet” talks of a relationship gone badly and “Life After Death and Taxes” is about failure. “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been,” one of the two singles off the album, is a song most people can relate to: human growth and hating the person you were before this change occurred. Other tracks like this are “More Than Useless” and “This Week the Trend.”

Songs like “Let It All Out” and “Maintain Consciousness” may at first seem like casual throwaway tracks, but after a few listens they become just as captivating as the rest of the album. “Maintain Consciousness” is probably my least favorite track, but is a fun song nonetheless. “Let It All Out” is the slowest track on the album, and is quite uplifting with lines like, "the end will justify the pain it took to get us there," but yet the tone of the song remains somber throughout.

“When I Go Down” has its own little blurb, because this song in many ways touched my heart. With lyrics like “I've thrown away so many things that could've been much more / and I just pray my problems go away if they're ignored,” it is impossible not to connect to this song. The message of the song is no matter how hard you fall, no matter how many issues you have, the man upstairs will be there for you. The lyrics are inspiring and perfectly written, and the musicianship on this track is rather beautiful. This song is a great end to an amazing record.

Everything comes together really nicely on this album, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Recommended Tracks: Who I Am Hates Who I've Been, My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend
Rating: 5/5

The Blank Pages

Reckless, hopeless, dream-filled vortex of solitude

An interlude to solace, a fortress we make of change.

Divisions shade the truth that you hold inside of you

Mind and soul show your secrets,

know that I hear them now.

Black holes and substance filled capsules keep the mind right

Static through dead telephone lines feed the starry night.

Broken lives terrorize the nature of the innocent

Complexity is hard to see through belligerence

Time will learn to heal the wounds you have succumbed to

Redemption is the son no wrong will do.

Father, I have seen no evil. All I've heard is of your ignorance.

Bliss is something I have never bought into

Frankly I'm quite sick of it.

Danger signs see past the blind, hope is no longer an option.

The smell of gunpowder infiltrates the war we have won

I've resided here since the day of the rising son.

The words he proclaims will stain blank pages:

"I am not your son

The war is done

I will not give in to fear.

"We have made mistakes

In the present wake

Why the hell am I still here?"