Periodically HM Magazine will send me e-newsletters. I don't insta-delete them because often they'll have trivia contests with CDs and stickers for prizes. I like CDs and stickers. Other times they chuck a list of bands at me that they'd like me to check out. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
A couple weeks ago they sent me an email titled "Some Artists That Want Your Attention". I'm only just now getting around to giving them their precious wanted attention.
These pictures you're about to see, by the way, are the same pictures that appear in the email. No doctoring. No searching for the goofiest picture elsewhere. The images that follow are the ones they want me (and you!) to remember them by. Just keep that in mind.
I'm not entirly sure why I'm giving out points. I might as well just rate each band on a ten scale. But I think I'm just grading the hit-or-missiveness of HM's recommendations. Should we ever listen to their suggestions ever again? Stay tuned.
All the Day Holiday
I initially thought this band name was stupid, but the more I tossed it around my brain the cleverer it became. Try it.
The music itself is good. Very good. Unexpectedly good. Take the best parts of the Appleseed Cast, Mae, Copeland, dieradiodie (remember them?), layer it all together, call it a stupid band name that gets cleverer the more you toss it around your brain, and you've got yourself something very listinable. It makes no difference that they missed the emo-pop bandwagon by seven years. Call it a second wave. Call it whatever you like. Just listen.
1 point
Arts and Sciences
They look like a Klezmer band gone horribly dumb, but they sound not at all how they appear, at least in this picture. They do the "emotionally driven" rock whateverness pretty good, but add brass (including a wholly unnecessary tuba) and various other instruments to enhance (or at least vary) their sound. Fortunately the accordian is subtle. Arts and Sciences is fairly comparable to Anathallo and maybe even to Foxhole (with whiney vocals). The music keeps my interest, and it's really not bad, but for some reason I'm underwhelmed. Maybe they don't quite fulfill their ambitious attempts at romanticism-rock. Maybe it's that stupid promo shot.
.7 points
A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first novel to feature Sherlock Holmes. It is now, apparently, the name of a Memphis metal-ish band. ASiS sounds like a grittier From Autumn to Ashes, which would be fine if FAtA weren't nearly washed up at this point. Again, being seven years too late to a scene really kills you. They follow the same rules and methods of metalcore-ism that, while producing an energetic and pit-worthy sound, is completely un-unique. ASiS is good at what they do, but if you're even slightly familiar with the genre you will quickly become bored. If at a show, entertain yourself by stomping on some skulls.
.5 points
Cage
I'm not going to say a thing about the picture. Not a thing.
So I mentioned metalcore, but now it's time for some metal METAL. Like, Dio metal. Judas Priesty metal. Metal that was popular twenty-five years ago. And despite the cheese of it all (the goofy lyrics, the shrieky vocals, the tight leather) the genre does retain some sort of ironic charm to it. It's better than hair-metal and has more balls than a lot of the "hard" bands nowadays. And now we have Cage (not to be confused for the hip-hopster of the same name) thrashin' out old-school style. They've actually been around for a while and are fairly popular in Europe (where metal is taken very seriously). If you like Iron Maiden and, I don't know, Dethklok, you'll enjoy this.
Their myspace page is a disaster, by the way.
.7 points
Eliot Fitzgerald
As if it's not enough that solo artists give themselves band names, now we have bands giving themselves solo artist names. Here is Eliot Fitzgerald, four individuals not named Eliot or Fitzgerald. Musically I'd liken them to Copeland or Jars of Clay, though I personally enjoy EF (the myspace samples they're giving me, anyway) more than both. Lyrically they're as spiritually honest and assertive as Derek Webb, and you can read these lyrics on their myspace page. Good stuff, not great, but worth a listen.
.7 points
Mishka
Almost exactly a year ago HM sent me a newsletter full of bands to check out... and Mishka was on there as well. I don't think they've added any newer songs to their profile, and I'm finding I'm not enjoying this at all. There are a couple good moments in each song, but each tune somehow manages to foil itself somehow. It could be the vocals, or it could be the bland direction these songs take before they end. Although the half point I gave them last year wasn't good, I'm now giving them...
.3 points
William Stenner
I'm sure William Stenner is a swell guy, but these tunes are kind of blah. Not my style, but maybe yours? No? Regardless, I'm not hearing the Vengeance Rising and The Crucified influences he cited on his bio page. I want to hear THOSE songs.
0 points
Lightswitch
Evidently they have a song that they're known for. I guess I'm out of the loop.
This is typical CCM fodder; studio heavy, pozzy lyrics (worship lyrics even, which I won't say is a bad thing), -lite, SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE ON K-LOVE, etc. I just don't like it. Your mom might.
0 points
We end up with 3.9 out of a possible 8 points. I don't know what that means. Maybe it means I like half the stuff that appears in HM newsletters. Maybe it means I spend too much time assigning arbitrary points to bands I don't even care about.
Whatever.
Go listen to All the Day Holiday.
A couple weeks ago they sent me an email titled "Some Artists That Want Your Attention". I'm only just now getting around to giving them their precious wanted attention.
These pictures you're about to see, by the way, are the same pictures that appear in the email. No doctoring. No searching for the goofiest picture elsewhere. The images that follow are the ones they want me (and you!) to remember them by. Just keep that in mind.
I'm not entirly sure why I'm giving out points. I might as well just rate each band on a ten scale. But I think I'm just grading the hit-or-missiveness of HM's recommendations. Should we ever listen to their suggestions ever again? Stay tuned.
All the Day Holiday
I initially thought this band name was stupid, but the more I tossed it around my brain the cleverer it became. Try it.
The music itself is good. Very good. Unexpectedly good. Take the best parts of the Appleseed Cast, Mae, Copeland, dieradiodie (remember them?), layer it all together, call it a stupid band name that gets cleverer the more you toss it around your brain, and you've got yourself something very listinable. It makes no difference that they missed the emo-pop bandwagon by seven years. Call it a second wave. Call it whatever you like. Just listen.
1 point
Arts and Sciences
They look like a Klezmer band gone horribly dumb, but they sound not at all how they appear, at least in this picture. They do the "emotionally driven" rock whateverness pretty good, but add brass (including a wholly unnecessary tuba) and various other instruments to enhance (or at least vary) their sound. Fortunately the accordian is subtle. Arts and Sciences is fairly comparable to Anathallo and maybe even to Foxhole (with whiney vocals). The music keeps my interest, and it's really not bad, but for some reason I'm underwhelmed. Maybe they don't quite fulfill their ambitious attempts at romanticism-rock. Maybe it's that stupid promo shot..7 points
A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first novel to feature Sherlock Holmes. It is now, apparently, the name of a Memphis metal-ish band. ASiS sounds like a grittier From Autumn to Ashes, which would be fine if FAtA weren't nearly washed up at this point. Again, being seven years too late to a scene really kills you. They follow the same rules and methods of metalcore-ism that, while producing an energetic and pit-worthy sound, is completely un-unique. ASiS is good at what they do, but if you're even slightly familiar with the genre you will quickly become bored. If at a show, entertain yourself by stomping on some skulls.
.5 points
Cage
I'm not going to say a thing about the picture. Not a thing.So I mentioned metalcore, but now it's time for some metal METAL. Like, Dio metal. Judas Priesty metal. Metal that was popular twenty-five years ago. And despite the cheese of it all (the goofy lyrics, the shrieky vocals, the tight leather) the genre does retain some sort of ironic charm to it. It's better than hair-metal and has more balls than a lot of the "hard" bands nowadays. And now we have Cage (not to be confused for the hip-hopster of the same name) thrashin' out old-school style. They've actually been around for a while and are fairly popular in Europe (where metal is taken very seriously). If you like Iron Maiden and, I don't know, Dethklok, you'll enjoy this.
Their myspace page is a disaster, by the way.
.7 points
Eliot Fitzgerald
As if it's not enough that solo artists give themselves band names, now we have bands giving themselves solo artist names. Here is Eliot Fitzgerald, four individuals not named Eliot or Fitzgerald. Musically I'd liken them to Copeland or Jars of Clay, though I personally enjoy EF (the myspace samples they're giving me, anyway) more than both. Lyrically they're as spiritually honest and assertive as Derek Webb, and you can read these lyrics on their myspace page. Good stuff, not great, but worth a listen..7 points
Mishka
Almost exactly a year ago HM sent me a newsletter full of bands to check out... and Mishka was on there as well. I don't think they've added any newer songs to their profile, and I'm finding I'm not enjoying this at all. There are a couple good moments in each song, but each tune somehow manages to foil itself somehow. It could be the vocals, or it could be the bland direction these songs take before they end. Although the half point I gave them last year wasn't good, I'm now giving them...
.3 points
William Stenner
I'm sure William Stenner is a swell guy, but these tunes are kind of blah. Not my style, but maybe yours? No? Regardless, I'm not hearing the Vengeance Rising and The Crucified influences he cited on his bio page. I want to hear THOSE songs.
0 points
Lightswitch
Evidently they have a song that they're known for. I guess I'm out of the loop.This is typical CCM fodder; studio heavy, pozzy lyrics (worship lyrics even, which I won't say is a bad thing), -lite, SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE ON K-LOVE, etc. I just don't like it. Your mom might.
0 points
We end up with 3.9 out of a possible 8 points. I don't know what that means. Maybe it means I like half the stuff that appears in HM newsletters. Maybe it means I spend too much time assigning arbitrary points to bands I don't even care about.
Whatever.
Go listen to All the Day Holiday.
