by Debra Au
Daily Lobo
The Vincent Black Shadow
Fears in the Water
Available July 11
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After listening to the Vincent Black Shadow's Fears in the Water, I've become a new-found fan of not only the band, but the genre of ska as a whole. Despite some rather morbid cover art - a lone toy rubber ducky floating in a tub of jet black liquid - the album is fun and really upbeat.
The first track, "Metro," has an absolutely infectious chorus that, because most of the lyrics are hard to decipher, will have you singing the only articulated verse of "What can I say? The drugs don't work no more!"
The variety of songs, which range from hyped-up to slow ballads, provide a nice change of pace, so it takes a while before Fears in the Water becomes mundane. But what really makes the album shine is the talent of lead singer Cassandra Ford - she has quite the vocal chops.
If you're looking for the perfect summertime fun CD to listen to on road trips, the Vincent Black Shadow is right up your alley.
If you like this music, you might also enjoy:
Streetlight Manifesto
Keasbey Nights, Vol. 2
Catch 22
Alone in a Crowd
Mustard Plug
Evildoers Beware
Britt Black
Blackout
Available July 11
Britt Black's biography is more impressive than her music. Her MySpace profile boasts that she co-wrote a song on a major record release at the tender age of 10, founded her own band at 13, and started touring with Bif Naked at 18. Despite this experience, Britt Black's solo debut album Blackout is more than a little lackluster.
Halfway through the album, there is a decisive split in Black's musical direction. The first half is very high energy - so much that it quickly becomes old, tiring and repetitive. The other half is almost the exact opposite.
The tracks are a bit slower and, once again, it gets to be too much of the same. Vocally, there is a lot of room for Black to expand and discover her range.
For the better part of Blackout, Black maintains a rock singer's half-yelling-half-singing style. For her 10 plus years in the music industry, Britt Black still has a way to go.
If you like this music, you might also enjoy:
Distillers
Coral Fang
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Fever to Tell
Tiger Army
Tiger Army
All That Remains
The Fall of Ideals
Available July 11
I just don't get it. Why is it that heavy metal groups feel the need to scream on every track? Now really, is it necessary?
Having made that rant, I suppose it is pretty obvious how the rest of this review will read. All That Remains' new album, The Fall of Ideals, is a mix of screamed lyrics with intermittent actual singing and, of course, heavy guitar and drum riffs.
The group's first single, "This Calling," along with the rest of the album, was recorded during breaks from their previous tour dates in their native Massachusetts. I hate to call this album formulaic - because on the surface it sounds so chaotic - but there is an apparent pattern in the majority of the tracks: screaming for one minute, singing for 45 seconds to one minute, yet another minute of screaming and any remaining time is dedicated to an eclectic mix of the two.
But for the Lobos out there who want to prove me wrong and hear first-hand how "great" this band is, check them out July fourth when Ozzfest comes to the Journal Pavilion.
If you like this music, you might also enjoy:
Lamb of God
Ashes of the Wake
Trivium
Ascendancy
36 Crazyfists
Rest Inside the Flames
