Looking For Alaska is also partaking in a game of musical chairs, rotating who plays what, who stays, and who goes. From day one they were equipped with two guitarists. Shortly after, they stumbled across the rest of the band and were set -until they lost their vocalist to California. After finally getting their hands on another singer, they were ready to go.

The original singer came back into the family and it was Looking For Alaska 1.0 again – sound familiar? Now, however, the tides have changed once again and they lost not only that vocalist, but also the bassist. So who makes up Looking For Alaska 2012? The band now consists of Calvin Lauber, Joshua Cannon and Chris Chamoun, the veteran guitarists and creators of the band, and Bailey Patterson on bass.

So how will this impact the band, if at all? “Any change in the sound that is happening right now is not necessarily intentional. It does sound different because there are different people involved…We’ve started over with the new material,” says former lead guitarist and current frontman Calvin Lauber. They decided to keep the name due to the majority of the remaining members being of the original lineup.

In their new single “Gainesville”, it is appropriately written “basically about change and how even if things change things can still work out even if they are different,” Lauber says. This is applicable to their audience as well as the band itself: new members, new sound, new plans – but still a successful band.

Lauber’s vocals add more of a The Dangerous Summer feel, differing from former vocalist Turner’s poppy vocals. The song gives off a vibe of dark pop punk, the dissonant key of guitars with the echoes and various effects placed throughout. The strings during the bridge add a melancholy emotion that is soon broken into by Lauber and Cannon’s vocals to sound angry and determined.

“Gainesville” shows that even though bands do go through inevitable change throughout their lifetimes, it is still possible to keep going and growing from those changes. Introducing the same Looking For Alaska – with a fresh start.

MEB: So let’s start this off with the obligatory “How’s the tour going” question. How has the turnout been?

Lights: It’s been crazy, and I can see it growing over the course of just the past few weeks. It’s kind of amazing to see happen, and really exciting! I think it’s got to do with the new record, more people latching onto it, or more people hearing it. They say you can only be a new artist once, but I think that when people keep hearing it and keep finding it, as long as you keep re-inventing yourself and making sure that you’re keeping yourself challenged and keeping your fans challenged, then more people are gonna find it. It’s been amazing, it’s really coming across well; especially the new stuff. The shows have been so much fun for us, and I think people come and have a good time, and they tell their friends about it.

What has been your favorite stop so far this tour? 

Oh, that’s hard. There’s been a couple great ones. New Orleans was really fun because we had never played there, it was a small one but it was sold out and it was gnarly and hot! We went out that night and it was crazy, we went to Bourbon Street. It was a fun night for all of us. And then nights like Orlando and (Washington) DC where there are so many people coming out, well your mind equals blown all the time.

Oh you pulled the plug! I’m so excited. (laughs)

Tell me about your creative process, without trying to get too prod-y. Is there a particular niche that you’ve found when developing what has become your sound? Or do things tend to take off with their own direction?

Each song has its own way that it comes together. The best thing that you can do as a writer, musician, and producer is go with that. Learn how to chameleon into all of the different ways you can possibly do it. I mean, especially with the new record where there are so many different collaborations involved with it, not everyone’s going to have the same writing style. Learning to adapt to suit different environments is really important. A song like “Cactus In The Valley” on Siberia was written just with me and my acoustic guitar, and then later re-worked to fit the rest of the record. A song like “Everybody Breaks a Glass,” I was sitting down with Brian and Graham of Holy Fuck jamming in his dining room, and then we took parts of that jam session and patched it together. Suddenly it started to form, we started playing melodies over it and it becomes this imperfect, raw, live electronic track that you start to lay a top-line over. Songs like “Flux & Flow” start with the beat, and then you just kinda build it from there. So whatever inspires it or whatever sparks it, that’s the way that it kinda dictates that it’s gonna go.

Is there a song in your catalogue that you feel might be mis-understood? Maybe it’s been interpreted the wrong way? 

I think the last song on the record, which is one of the most exciting songs I’ve released because it’s so different; it’s called “Day One.” It’s basically nine minutes of noise, but there’s order in the chaos, there’s purpose in the chaos as well. That is the last nine minutes of the first jam session I had with Holy Fuck. Now, this was a really special turning point in my career because it was the first time I had made music in a live setting and kept it that way. You know, you can write in a live setting but when you go to record it you start from the bottom up and make it perfect. This is real, raw, being recorded live off of the floor and you never make the same thing over again. It’s a track of its own, it can’t be replicated. That’s pretty special in the electronic world, where people can sometimes dismiss the genre as “soulless” or without life.

Because everything’s programmed, you know it’s like there’s not a lot of feeling to it? 

Yeah, there’s some elements that can be like that but this is a perfect example of a track that is completely live electronic. I thought it was really ironic for the genre, and really cool. When I put it on, it was like this is driving music, this is beautiful, this is background music. You know, life isn’t perfect, and our days aren’t perfect, so why does music have to be?

That’s probably why you named it “Day One” right?

It’s actually the name of the session, because it’s the first day we worked together. Their influence on the record helped get a really cool sound on a lot of the tracks.

Wow, that’s awesome.

In nature, The Listening and Siberia seem to show a metamorphosis in not only your sound but also your perspective on life. Tell me about what influenced the overall concept of the new record?

It’s hard to say. I didn’t go into it with this mind-frame of what I wanted to say. It was more-so the music I wanted to make, the sound, and the energy that the songs conveyed. I wanted to bring a grittiness and a heaviness to my work which was previously very soft and lush. I wanted to turn that on instead and show the underbelly. It was my manager’s suggestion to collaborate with Holy Fuck, and it ended up being amazing and the collaboration of the year. It was one of those steps in taking that direction. It just so happens that over time you get comfortable with yourself, you get better at what you do, you understand your sound more and your place in the world and in music more. So, I think that walking into the record with that mind-frame gives you that much more freedom, and that much more ability to make your mark on the record and say what you want to say. I think it’s a reflection of me being confident and me being happy, being able to delve into other worlds when I was writing lyrics, and just have fun. A song like “Fourth Dimension,” I remember sitting there and we had written a lot of the track and fixed it up a bit. I went and sat in my hotel room and just wrote lyrics. Before I knew it, it was 4 A.M. and I had a set of lyrics, and I was like where did these come from? You just go to another place, it’s like an out-of-body experience, like an adventure. It was just fun and a good experience, as opposed to The Listening which was amazing in its own way; it was a lot to get off of my chest. It was very personal and close to me, and very few people were involved in the project. So, it came from a different place.

Yeah, I’m an artist as well so I totally understand everything that you’re saying, it makes sense to me. It’s great whenever you hear someone who’s on that same page, you know?

Yeah!

I totally know that feeling, what they were going through right when they were writing that, it makes sense.

You’ve mentioned that you want your music to feel special like “apple pie,” which I find to be a very relatable thought. Expanding on that feeling, is there a particular mood you were trying to hit with Siberia? Maybe another fruit?….Pie?

(laughs). Man, the apple pie slogan I put on my first MySpace page in 2006! I think it’s still there isn’t it? I just remember the way I felt when my Grandma used to make apple pie and it was the best. It was this good kind of happy that was like this right now is awesome, and that’s all that matters. There could be a crazy night ahead of you, but right now you’re really enjoying the apple pie. That’s the way a song should be. You don’t wanna write something that’s gonna piss someone off, or make someone more frustrated or stressed. I’ve heard music like that and it just frustrates me so I just have to turn it off. I just wanna make stuff that takes you away for 3 1/2 minutes, you know?

Right!

Is there anyone who you want to collaborate with that you haven’t yet?

Um, who knows? There’s so many people out there. The best collaborations are the ones you least expect to be great, like the one with Holy Fuck and Shad. You know, some of the collaborations I’ve done I wouldn’t have thought two years ago would be great. You just don’t anticipate what’s really gonna work out. But yeah, there’s people I would love to work with. There’s a million! Like Kanye West, or 50 Cent! Let’s do something with 50 Cent!

Oh man. That’d be awesome, I’d kill to see that! (laughs)

I’ll be in his video game, isn’t it Crystal Skull or Glass Head or something?

I know what you’re talking about, but I can’t remember the name for the life of me. But that’d be really cool.

If you had to give me your best interpretation of what’s next for the music industry in terms of its future, what might that be?

I don’t know, it’s going in a weird direction in a really cool way. But, I think that rock and grunge is gonna come back. Rock has kinda disappeared from radio, you know? I think the same sort of thing happened in the ’90s. Everything was getting electronic, everything was getting really dance-y. Then, everyone was like I don’t wanna hear all this sounding so perfect so let’s get some grunge in here. Then all of the grunge bands came in like Nirvana, and then everyone was like “yeah! this is real again!”, you know? Not that I’m dismissing electronic at all, I just think that people are gonna find ways to make things sound like there’s human in them, there’s soul in them. There’s only as much soul as you put in, and I think that electronic music is no different. I mean, that’s what I tried to do on Siberia. People are getting a bit exhausted of hearing so much perfection and tuning and all of this stuff. It’s nice to hear some mistakes, hear some human in it.

Too much melodyne, too much auto-tune.

Yeah, that’s what we did on Siberia, there’s ugly parts, and there’s messy bits, and there’s grittiness. That’s what makes it special.

It adds character!

It adds character and you can hear that there’s people there, and that’s what makes it cool.

Give me your opinion on the ideology of the “larger than life” figure (the example being a famous musician). Basically, what I’m asking is in relevance to our society and the importance of this person’s work, or music: is it right for us to “worship” them and idealize their music and their persona? Does a person ever stop being just like us, and if so when does their music transcend their persona?

It’s something that I’ve always kind of thought about. You hear these stories about some of these huge rock stars who have lost touch with reality, you wonder how that happens, at what point that happens. I know I haven’t. I don’t know if it’s due to my family, or my connection with my fans. I’m always making sure I try to meet people when I can, or keeping myself on a ground level and having good friends around – your team around you! They’re important. If you have people around you who are telling you “yes” all of the time, you’re never going to know reality. Right? The world’s not like that. It only goes as far as you let yourself. If you’re the kind of person who’s insecure enough that you need someone to tell you that, then you’re probably going to lose touch with reality. That’s where it changes, when you think that you’re not susceptible to “real life.” I honestly don’t know when that point comes. It’s something I’ve thought about too. It’s like is there some kind of threshold you cross, suddenly you’ve sold “this” amount of records and you’re a different person? Then you hear about people who aren’t like that at all. So, I really don’t know. All I do know that I’ve never looked at an artist and worshiped them. When I really respect someone’s work I look beyond it and what it’s doing, and where it’s coming from. For me, when people are really into my music and are really moved by it, I hope they don’t think that I’m the one -

That you’re a different person?

I hope they don’t think that I’m the one who’s affecting them. I’m not. It’s who gave me my music, and I think that’s a force much greater than me. I hope people can look through me and see that, and not -

Put you on some sort of pedestal?

It’s not me, I’m just like a medium for it, you know? I believe it’s coming from somewhere else. I hope it’s all that big place in the sky that it comes from.

Yeah.

Tell me about the concept of the music video for “Banner.” Who came up with it?

“Banner” was the one that took me a little while to get the video for. Some of them come right away, and some of them don’t. It’s usually me who comes up with the main idea. I watched “The Book of Eli” and I was really excited by the concept of this lone wanderer who has something that everybody wants. People can sense that in him – he’s strong, he’s a fighter. It’s in this post-apocalyptic world where there is no purity, or values left. So the video is kinda like that. Essentially the concept for the video for “Banner” is longer than 3 1/2 minutes, so it’s hard to jam in there.

The song is about being in a world where everything can be burned down. I always look at it as, what’s valuable is what can’t be burned down. It’s like your friendships and love, and relationships – things that if we lose everything, they are still there. That’s what “Banner” is all about. For the video I wanted to convey something like that – a world where there’s no white material left, that at it’s most basic there’s nothing pure left, yet somebody has something and everyone recognizes it. It can stop conflict and it can bring people together. I thought that was a really neat little concept. We found a really wicked spot out of L.A. in this desert, it was actually very, very cold, freezing that day. It was this old compound for disturbed children that had been abandoned since the ’60s. We used that spot, it was kinda eerie and really cool. It ended up being really great.

So taking a look back at where you’ve come from, you’ve gone so far. You avoided the sophomore slump with such a game changer like Siberia. From where you’re at now, what do you anticipate for the future?

We want to stay on this trajectory that we’re on. Nothing is blowing up, but nothing is going down. It’s a slow build; you put in hard work and make decisions for the right reasons. I don’t ever take endorsements or those kinds of things if they don’t stand alongside the integrity of the music. Everything is about that. You don’t try to sell anything other than what you believe in, which is the songs, the live show and bringing people to the show. Seeing it really happen like the way that we always hoped it would, myself and my manager, we kinda built it from 2006. It’s like this slow, steady build; I hope that it continues on this road so that in 5-10 years my fans are still with me, and they’re growing with me and I’m growing with them. Nothing is left and forgotten; we can make each other proud, you know?

Right. I think that’s exactly what anybody would want.

Yeah! It takes tact though. A lot of people are swayed by getting lots of money to do an ad, or those kinds of things. Those things are great, but you have to really be like, what am I getting out of this in the long run? Is this helping the music, you know? That can cut out some success in the short term, but yeah.

That’s what you need to keep doing!

Any last words for all of your fans out there who are listening to or reading this?

Definitely come to a show, they’re fun!

I can agree with that.

We have a good time, and my band’s amazing. I have a four-piece band, and these guys all make the parts their own. You’re going to get something even different from the record, and the light show is amazing! Jeremy our lighting guy is part of the band, so yeah. Come to a show!

Thank you very much for sitting down with me and having this interview! 

Of course!

The songs on 151a are violin-driven but the variety styles Bashi demonstrates with his instrument is unparalleled. The opening track “Intro/Pathos, Pathos” begins with a flurry of string swiping like an orchestral harp. Though the album doesn’t remain classical for long, as Bashi starts singing and shows he is up for anything. His voice is confident and he demonstrates how he can hit a high or low note with remarkable ease, but he still has innocence in his aura, perhaps because he is doing this all for the first time. He isn’t required to fit into a mold; while there are only nine songs on the album he uses different techniques for each one, rotating styles and staying unexpected.

In Bashi’s freshman experimentation, 151a is a pop album. “Manchester” and “Bright Whites” are optimistic declarations of life. As “Manchester” escalates to a climax his voice soars, “I read the signs/I haven’t been this alive in a long time,” and with the song’s upbeat mannerisms, you believe him. “Bright Whites” opens with a catchy Japanese chorus and when he sings in English it is quick and in bursts; the lyrics aren’t going to get stuck in your head but the tune will. It is a smiling head-tapper for a sunny spring day.

“It All Began With A Burst” and “Chester’s Burst Over the Hamptons” could be out of Animal Collective’s songbook. “It All Began With A Burst” has the violin up on deep psychedelic levels reminiscent of AC’s Merriweather Post Pavilion days and on “Chester’s Burst” Bashi jolts his voice into powerful blasts, something Avey Tare loves doing. Bashi also shows a warm and sentimental side. “I Am the Antichrist to You” is a hallowing tale where he opens his heart but gets only sadness in return. It is the ideal sorrow to fit on a pop album. He remains relatable and likable.

151a isn’t a masterpiece but the beginning of a man’s career. He is still deciding who to be but already has enough skill to make this a wonderful record. Kishi Bashi shows he has long lengths of creativity and desire and hopefully there will be records to come that really hone in on his personality.

Writing a 16 song album is something probably too ambitious for even seasoned vets of the trade. But for kids who at the time couldn’t even get into a bar? Crazy. While this album does have its flaws, which is to be expected from an album which sounds like it was recorded live in a bathroom with a single microphone, there isn’t really one filler track on this. Nor are there any tracks who necessarily sound similar. Yes, there are the classic pop punk jams like “All My Friends” and “Colorblind”, but those songs are leagues away from “Ants In My Pants”, which almost sounds like it should be played in a smokey basement jazz hole.

And really, the mix of pissed off pop punk and weirdo, quirk-rock (which is also pissed off, actually) is what defines Baseball. Bemis hasn’t quite found his groove and style as a songwriter, and as a result, these songs span the genre spectrum. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, and in Baseball‘s case, it’s a very good thing. One of the most solid, and unfortunately most forgotten song on the album is “Showdown In P-Town”. This song sums up the general mood of Baseball, starting off with a quirky, jumpy riff before building into  grinding pop punk powerchords. And of course, Bemis’ signature pissed off lyrics tie the whole thing together. This writer’s favourite line on this album: “All that you can do is call me gay/Sorry, I don’t swing that way/even if I did, I’d still take a crowbar to your brand new car”. There isn’t many awkward kids who went through high school without getting called gay by a cool kid who’s definitely more attractive, suave, and probably smarter than them. Oh, and with more girlfriends. You silly gay.

There is not one bad track on this quite underrated, pop punk/rock/indie/jazz/whatevercore/acoustic? album.  It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s something new. It’s something creative. But most of all, it’s the start of something really great. And it would only get better.

For those who have yet to discover husband and wife Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore’s band, think of them as a beautifully nautical combination of La Sera and Best Coast: surf-rock meets noise-pop and time travels to the ’60s. Their previous release, Cape Dory, became an internet sensation; this may be due to the catchy, upbeat, likable songs, or it may simply be due to the story behind the album.

You see, Moore and Riley met in college, pulled all their money, sailed the Eastern Seaboard for nearly a year, then made an awesomely maritime retro-pop record that perfectly encapsulated their incredible experience. Many versions of this story have floated about: that the name of the ship was the Cape Dory, that they got married on the ship, that they never planned on making music together. Regardless, everyone loves a good story about two people in love traveling the world and making great music as a result.

Moore and Riley, with third band mate James Barone, have experienced a whirlwind from the start. They didn’t start out playing empty bars and then get discovered; their first show was sold out. The internet blogs and media were so abuzz about this band that they really never got a chance to slowly and discreetly come into their own. With the success of Cape Dory, they really had to outdo themselves for Young and Old.

With this added pressure, the trio felt that what they really needed to have a leg up on their previous releases was to hire an outside producer. This turned out to be a more daunting task than they expected, and they decided to seek out bands they knew had produced themselves for the majority of their career. The first band that came to mind was The Black Keys, and they contacted drummer Patrick Carney who quickly jumped aboard.

Carney’s influence is immediately evident in the record; this is a grown-up sophomore album that stays far from being a slump while not wandering too far from the beaten path that they have so expertly blazed for themselves. This is clearly more general pop-rock than the strictly surf-pop that their last album delivered, and each song has much more variety.

Barone’s drumming brings a much-appreciated upbeat tempo while keeping the songs steady and lighthearted. Similarly, Moore’s vocals perfectly complement the dreamy lyricism and add a unique charm to each track. “Take Me to Heaven” sounds straight out of a 1950s jukebox at a diner, while “Petition” is a cool, modern take on their sound.

This record generally keeps a further distance from the dream-pop of their former releases, and is less Beach House and more Cults or Dum Dum Girls. This isn’t a bad thing at all, though it may not be as captivating as the seafaring story behind Cape Dory and the emotional connection created by it. So, it may not be their best, but it is a step in the right direction.

The main problem with Born to Die is the record’s vision. The whole “ghetto Nancy Sinatra” (whatever that means) thing is interesting at first, but it gets old fast. Del Rey rarely steps out of her comfort zone with this sound.

The first track “Born to Die” is a prime example of the sound that she is hoping to achieve. The production is very classy. The whole time it stays contained and mellow, with the violin strings in the foreground of the beat. Del Rey sings in a voice that sounds borderline bored “You and I, we were born to die.” At first the vision that she’s trying to create is pretty interesting; you may even think to yourself “Hey she doesn’t care at all, she’s super cool” and it is pretty cool, for a short period of time.

After one track the whole formula becomes tiring. She uses the same performance method for the majority of the record. Tracks like “Blue Jeans,” “Carmen” and “Video Games” bring nothing new to the table. The whole mid-tempo thing can get really boring, especially when the artist in question is of the pop genre, which should keep you entertained using any means necessary.

At the end of the day the problem with Born to Die is that it doesn’t have the chops to keep a fan of pop like myself entertained. Del Rey sticks way too close to her (or the label’s) vision of being the anti-pop star, pop star. She’s playing with a genre that should not be pretentious and serious. If I want something of the sort I can find tons of bands that do it better. I’ll keep watching her career from afar, as more and more people join her in her dream of being a pop star. However, for right now I can’t say I want to do much with it.

Second track “All I Know” begins with a Motion City Soundtrack feel, thanks to the synth work. The drum work throughout the EP is always good, but this song is particularly noticeable. With the smooth transitions and dance-y beats, “All I Know” is the catchiest song of the set.  ”New York, New York” is the pop-punk song of the album. This song has the poppy value of an All Time Low song, with the chorus sounding similar to “Coffee Shop Soundtrack,” an ATL oldie.

The lyrical content, while simple and having been done before (but honestly, what hasn’t?), is relatable on the surface and on a deeper level, presenting the listener with two options: listen to the song and enjoy it for the simplicity of the upbeat chipper sound, or enjoy the song for the lyrics that are at times a little down – or, if you are a philosopher, there is that third option of both. Sad lyrics with pop music tends to allow that dismal feeling one would achieve from listening to a band like Coldplay to be avoided.

With vocals comparable to those in Summer Obsession (see the title track, “Finders Keepers”), and catchiness like that of +44, Fourth Quarter Comeback is the Alternative power-pop band to listen to.

When it comes to well-written guitar riffs, or drum beats that stand out, the band is severely mediocre.  It feels like the main focus is on the melody. In fact, it was one of the first things that stood out to me. At first Michael Natzke sounds similar to Mayday Parade frontman Derek Sanders, but then he brings a harder rock feel more comparable in some ways to Balance and Composure vocalist Jon Simmons. Or he sounds like both, combining Sanders’ range with Simmons’ edge, but when singing softly, he sounds similar to Kenneth Nixon of Framing Hanley or some other “hard rock” voice.

Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not trying to say that any of the songs are particularly bad, because each song does have its own hook. For instance, in “Forever Family,”  it’s the guitar lead; in “Please Me,”  it’s the chorus; “Dear Son” has the mood-setting drum work; and finally, “Anniversary” slows it down. The band definitely deserves a listen, because they do their job well, and for those who enjoy the simplicity of pop-rock, Car Party is for you.

Jay from Blood On The Dance Floor took some time to talk with Mind Equals Blown about the All The Rage Tour, Warped Tour and Halloween among other things…

Click here to view the embedded video.

But, since first impressions are almost always wrong, I kept listening. Not that hearing something upbeat like BTR would be a bad thing, anyway. And Aaron Carter? Come on, you know you were a fan at some point. With The Ready Set’s past albums, specifically I’m Alive, I’m Dreaming, there seems to be more of an alternative pop feel; a sound that perhaps was not completely accepted on popular radio stations, or the (for lack of better terminology) “mainstream” (I know, I know – it’s a soiled word) music scene. In the Feel Good Now EP, however, slight changes are made that make it more commercial.

Third track “Back to Back” is a perfect example. This song just sounds like it belongs on the radio- catchy chorus, key changes and hand claps. But while this EP is more radio-friendly, it is still TRS-signature. For example: the lyrics. Like I said before, cutesy lyrics are what Jordan Witzigreuter is all about, and this stays constant throughout everything in this new release. The keyboard usage is also still remains a dominance of the songs.

The Feel Good Now EP is Jesse McCartney with a smaller ego, Aaron Carter with a less flashy lifestyle/reality television flop, and Big Time Rush without dance moves or a falsely-advertised extravagant lifestyle. But most importantly, it is still the same ole Ready Set you’re used to hearing.