Music Update - April 26

Hello hello hello. Here's what I've been listening to lately:

Reign Supreme Testing the Limits of Infinite (Deathwish Records, 2009?) - great metalcore/hardcore from Philly. songs like Persevere And Overcome, Come What May, and To Live And Die (In Vain) get me all kinds of amped up. I'm ready to punch walls after listening to these guys, or maybe just hit the gym for an intense workout. Machine produced this one, and you can tell - it's super abrasive, and if that's your thing then crank it up. Vocalist Jay Pepito also guested on the next entry....

Four Year Strong Enemy of the World (Decaydance/Universal, 2010) and Rise Or Die Trying (I Surrender, 2007) - these guys are going places, and taking the hardcore & pop-punk genres with them. I had the amazing opportunity to catch their show in RI this weekend, and they have the most energetic stage show I've seen since New Found Glory as well as much much love for their fans. More on that show (and pics) will come later this week. These records are the definition of easycore - hardcore riffs, death growls, nasty breakdowns, and gang choruses matched up near-perfectly with harmonies, catchy synth lines, and hooks that would make 1999 pop-punk bands wet between the legs. Fronted by dual vocalists/guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day alongside synth/screamer Josh Lyford, these guys are taking easycore to the next level. You can pick out the evolution of their sound through their catalog - literally, you'll hear them grow fangs and claws to become the monster that wrote Enemy of the World. Aside from being their most consistent and song-centric album to date, they manage to maintain their energy and abrasion through the whole record. One of my favorite bands right now, and hopefully for years to come.

Tigers Jaw Tigers Jaw (2008, Run For Cover) - indie/pop-punk mellower jams with hooks more contagious than swine flu, you'll be humming "I saw...wah-TER" for a week after you hear the song. Very well-written musically and lyrically, I'm not 100% into the dual vocals but they don't use them 100% of the time, so that works for me. I could put this album on and enjoy it from beginning to end, so if you're in a mood to relax then toss this one on and let it play - you won't be disappointed.

There will be a follow up post with more albums and bands later this week - til then, keep being awesome.