Black Suit Youth - Our Future Is History

Big, lush, emotive and powerful, pushing dissonance to the forefront just enough to make a sharp edge. The chorus are anthemic; lead off song "You'll Never Die In This Town Again has about four difference styles of music in it, from snarling hardcore, soaring alternative, to slight psychedelia, then a touch of metalcore. It's actually very cool. There is mucho melody here, every song, many minor layering things going on, a fit of the music and vocals creating swells of harmonic driving rhythm. Witness "We Are Lions", damn classic, you'd think Bad Religion wrote the bitch. The band does it's best with a quicker pace, the few times they extend their verse a bit too long I'm left wondering. They'll come back at 'cha, catching you at a nod, tales of young promiscuity arising, like in "Sceneager". As one who has been in over 30 bands, yeah man, even the old man can relate, for sure! The band carries their affective melodic tradition through numbers like "Fight Plan", with it's hint of introspection, to the album closer, "Here Goes Nothing" with it's big chords and chorus. A definitive yes for collectors of melodicore, whatever the hell that is, Black Suit Youth are it. Contact: http://www.myspace.com/blacksuityouth, http://www.purevolume.com/blacksuityouth

Bad Fathers - Angels In The Chamber

Quirky, unique, strange, and ultimately enjoyable, Bad Father's combine a bit of many modern music styles in their madness blender and come out with something you couldn't really call new, but without a doubt it's cool. Their hip hop and rap stylings remind me more of early 90's r&b than today's hybrid blends. They leave the production and layers at a minimum, using just enough to give their music the structure it needs to work. Angels In The Chamber does not have a bad song in it's 18 tracks. Standouts are everywhere, from the marching band pomp of the excellent single "Bragging Rights" which features a guest appearance from Cee Lo Green i.e Gnarls Barkley, to the europop synth (yes, there is a shimmer) undertones of "Hurting", to the jungle pulse that rides below the freestyle of "They're Coming". The band has a great sense of humor, as evident on the faux falsettos and uberfunk on Back Seat With The Dusk Bunnies. Humor rarely overshadows the real talent though, and it combines nicely on the smooth spits and flips of "The Tiffy Fuck Song". Many kudos to these cats for a great all around release. Contact: SLK Entertainment, (323) 807-8711, www.slkent.com