The Maine Double Feature

Two weeks ago, The Maine released their debut album Can’t Stop Won’t Stop.  Currently touring, The Maine are an interesting blend of pop and alternative.   Their sound is in line with that of bands like Cute Is What We Aim For, All Time Low, Something Corporate, and We The Kings.  That being said, it’s not for everyone.

The Maine’s lead singer John O’Callaghan is thankfully less whiny than Cute Is What We Aim For’s Shaant Hacikyan.  The vocals are driven by sincerity and stay well within Callaghan range.  Relying more on clever lyrics, the music maintains a fairly steady rhythm throughout the CD’s 12 tracks.   While this makes it easy to pick up the album from anywhere, it make it impossible to determine where you left off, or that the song has changed.

No Fights In Glasgow, But They Have The Same Bus

Deep down, everyone wants to be a rock star. It’s a lifestyle that is glorified as being full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. People play Rock Band because they want to be rock stars. People devote their lives to playing in local bands because they want to be rock stars (a decision that leaves many 35 year-olds living in their parent’s basements). But rarely does any fan have a chance to see the real lifestyle from the band’s point of view. Most music DVD’s tend to be 90% live performance, with maybe 15 minutes of backstage footage, consisting mainly of drunken debauchery. However, as anyone music aficionado would tell you, no camera can ever capture the intensity or true nature of a live show. So, rather then capture something that will top out as mediocre, Lamb of God tries to capture the trials and tribulations that come with the touring process. And one thing becomes very clear; the life of a rock star is not nearly as cool as Rolling Stone makes it out to be.

“Pretend there’s something more left in your town”

The New EP, The Sound of Love,  by The Morning Light is a mildly amusing collection of six songs.  As an EP, it provides a certain amount of potential for the band, but is unfortunately nothing particularly masterfully done.  The songs provide primarily catchy melodies and hooks to draw the listeners in, but ultimately lack real depth.  This causes a more generic sound than the band sounds like they’re going for.