Album opener “Mavericks” begins with a distorted clean riff that whines with just the right amount of angst, while vocal harmonies gorgeously set the tone for what’s to come. Next up, “The Night” showcases the group at one of their heavier moments. Vocalist/guitarist Jonathan Posadas possesses some wonderful pipes; he has a smoothly intense feel to his register when he climbs up the pitch ladder for some of his parts. This track ebbs and flows with no reason for unrest, just as “The Day” which succeeds it. “Run Like Hell” contains elements of dance-pop with its rhythm, which is a feature worthy of praise. There’s lots of fast hi-hat work during its inception which is bold, but halfway through, when it slows down to this great minor-sounding chord progression, it really hits home. “National Ave” is slower than the former track, and showcases guitarist Tadeo Ramirez’s intuitive work with pedal effects.

The title track is really a noble, but wise, choice in terms of song, and album, titles. Lyrically, the record paints great mental pictures, particularly with the line “some may stay in and board their windows/to protect their memories and prized possessions/and some may stick to the bare essentials/and flee to the nearest shelter”. This song is drenched with emotion. “Mavericks III” is a gorgeous instrumental piece, complete with wonderfully performed tremolo guitar work and a gleefully awesome melody. Taking me back to Circa Survive and Dredg, I can’t help but be impressed by such a young group. “Righteous Path” and “Fall of Golden Gate’ are both incredibly accessible, containing lots of head-bob moments, with the latter harboring an almost whimsical side to its integrity.

Nearing the end, “With Open Eyes” brings back that almost cataclysmic feeling present near the beginning of the record, drifting back and forth swiftly between smooth-as-butter vocals and an intelligent approach to the foundation courtesy of drummer Jamin Bracken and bassist Ben Everett. Something I must brag on is that right into closer “Mavericks IV” they immediately break into acoustic guitars for a bit, then simultaneously combine them with the rest of the full instrumentation for a wonderfully airy and atmospheric section of music. It serves as the perfect end to a powerful orchestration, and I’m astounded at the depth it contains.

Circling back to my original point, for such a young group these guys have got the chops to make serious noise in the industry – beautiful noise, that is. You would be outright insane not to check these guys out. I hope they feel like they achieved their goal with this record, because I without a doubt think they did.

The song starts off as many songs do in this genre: with just guitar. It takes only a measure before the rest of the band enters, with anger in the words as the opening line is “Don’t speak my name like it belongs in your mouth.” It takes less than thirty seconds before the first mini breakdown happens; everything stops except Chris Roetter, who screams “What makes you better than me” – insert breakdown usuals here. The chorus contains clean vocals and a catchy melody minus the awkward drum fill transition that is oftentimes the result of trying to blend cleans with screams.

If you were a fan of the Sweet Talker EP, I think this song demonstrates a smidgen of improvement. The screams sound more natural and the song seems altogether more tidily arranged. With catchy melodies, good instrumentation, and an all-around good song, Like Moths to Flames is a sign that the good music release patch is still kicking.

The dog days are over- Florence + the Machine are back on tour in the U.S., simultaneously with the release of their first live album, Live at the Wiltern. Since their last North American tour, the band has flowered in popularity in the states with their performance on the MTV Video Music Awards, and the boost in sales of their 2009 debut album, Lungs.

I attended Florence + the Machine’s second show of her 2011 tour at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The Greek Theatre is strangely embedded in an old but wealthy neighborhood and lush greenery, which at the time led me to believe I had the wrong address. However, aside from the horrible traffic (I was forced to take a detour through a pitch black forest at midnight), the Greek Theatre proved itself as a nice and perfectly-sized venue that I am looking forward to visiting again. The entrance allows enough room for a small stage and plenty of booths for the bands’ use, and the venue sells popcorn and alcoholic beverages for concert attendees.

Hanni el Khatib, the first opening act, played for less than a quarter of the audience, and even the audience that was there didn’t seem impressed with their nothing-out-of-the-ordinary act.

As a Twin Shadow fan, I thoroughly enjoyed their set, but as more people were filing into the venue, the audience grew weary of opening acts that seemed to go on in perpetuity instead of two hours.

Finally, the main event. Florence Welch appears in front of a beautiful, vivid backdrop. She’s wearing a long, flowing, yellow dress. The “Machine” starts to play, and among them, the harp is most prominent. The crowd goes wild. Two hours of a Florence and the Machine concert without Florence or the Machine was two hours too many. However, after just a chorus into the first song, “My Boy Builds Coffins,” the crowd falls flat, as if most of them don’t know the song.

They continue the first half of the show playing non-singles, which keeps the audience placid until the magical hit, “Cosmic Love.” The backdrop lights up with stars as the harpist shows off his musicality. However, the band was not featured much aside from a single introduction; the unique instrumentals were overshadowed by Welch’s haunting and supernatural voice. Also contradictory to my expectations, all of the songs were played exactly the way they are on the album; there were no extraordinarily long and high notes that were belted, nor any syncopated instrumentals or vocals. (I was hoping to experience something beyond my beloved and overplayed Lungs record.) Lastly, I found myself disappointed in discovering that there were no dancers, like the ones that made the band’s artistic vision come to life at the MTV Video Music Awards. Although contemporary dancers would have been a nice addition to the show, Welch proved that she did not need superfluous performers with her own captivating quality.

The vibe of the audience progressively built up throughout the duration of the show, as they seemed to take a while to warm up (I was among the few who were actually standing up and singing along. Either the audience didn’t know any of the lyrics, or they were too busy absorbing the dark vibrations of the unique music to bother involving themselves.) Nevertheless, the crowd was a friendly bunch, not to mention a fashionable one, and I was able to appreciate the show without the elbowing and outright rudeness that can be found at other shows; everyone was there to have a good time themselves and with each other. Welch stole the show with her carefree child-like dancing around and daintiness; with her bold dress, scintillating personality, and Elysian voice, she left everyone mesmerized in awe, under her spell. During songs such as “Howl” and “Drumming Song” Welch’s power, emotion, and soaring high notes often ended up in screams, whereas in between songs, she unveiled her truly genuine, thankful, and perhaps even a little shy, personality in a sweet British accent that all of us Americans simply adore.

After a few acoustic renditions and covers, the band’s exiting of the stage left everyone wanting more. I, too, felt as though my fandemonium hadn’t been fulfilled, and I was not at all ready to leave. Answering to our cheers, the band returned to the stage and played a brand new song, “Bedroom Hymns,” which the crowd was excited to be let in on, and of course, the single they are famous for, “Dog Days Are Over.” At this point, the audience finally reached their acme in volume and excitement with a song that everyone knew. Welch asked the audience for one favor: to jump to the rest of the song while singing along, which everyone was more than happy to do. Although “Dog Days Are Over” may not be my favorite Florence + the Machine song, it was unquestionably the highlight of the night with the crowd finally going all out, though it may have come a little later than I would have preferred. I left the concert content, but was rather annoyed that the audience wasn’t as lively throughout the other 95% of the show. Loud cheers and familiarity or not, the band carried a generally good performance with a few outstanding moments, and although I probably wouldn’t purchase a $60 ticket for a Section C seat to see them again, I would definitely recommend all Florence + the Machine fans to see them in concert once.

Goes Canoeing essentially previews the rest of the album with its opening track. “Untitled” begins with a soothing acoustic guitar line that dissolves into a disarray of feedback. This contrast is apparent throughout. Monument is highly adept at seamlessly blending elements of both harmony and discord in their music. Tracks like “Roots Run Deep” showcase how musically multifarious this band can really be, featuring unique percussive elements and an oddly placed trumpet solo. The quality of instrumentation on Goes Canoeing deserves as much praise. Brandon Korch’s drumming is delightfully in-the-pocket, and the guitar lines of Anton Kropp and Gabe Marquez intermingle uniformly, only to briefly approach dichotomy for the sake of dynamics. The consecutive “The Diamond Age” and “Breakfast” – the former being short and sweet, the latter being awesomely abrupt in every facet – further accentuate how Monument can get a big reaction with little time.

Monument’s latest does a wonderful job of making short, often-uttered lines sound very meaningful. Something about the way singer/bassist Dan Doggett shouts “I can see right through you/you can see right through me” in “Glass House” makes you feel each word in your gut. “No Sleep, All Play” begins with a slow grind that builds up to the point where you’re screaming “we’ll sleep when we’re dead” right along with the band. There’s even something very cathartic about the delivery of the most meager two lines on the album: “you live/you learn” in “I’ve Got Some Plans.” I can only wonder why the words “eyes shut tight ‘till the end” mean so much to the person who wrote it, but when sung with as much conviction as Doggett, it’s hard to doubt that they do.

While Monument’s Goes Canoeing isn’t particularly new-fangled in its devices, it manages to capture the honest emotion that got the genre its name in the first place. It is purposefully dynamic, never stale, and it promises to be hailed as a must-hear by fans of Sunny Day Real Estate and the like. Monument’s newest release may just be a precursor to a new wave of emo. Who knows? It’s happening with pop-punk. Speculation aside, Goes Canoeing is a superb album despite whatever legacy it leaves.

Opener “Coxton Yard” is classic Title Fight at its finest. The gruff vocals of Ned Russin and Jamie Rhoden hit hard and fast behind blistering drums and grungy guitars. After “Coxton Yard” comes the title track which is the most honest indication of what to expect from the rest of Shed. Russin’s vocals surprisingly provide a stellar hook while the slower pacing of the song showcases Title Fight’s ability to write more than fast pop-punk jams. Even though “Shed” barely capsizes two minutes, it is successful in showing the overall growth of the band since their last release. “Society,” “Crescent-Shaped Depression,” “Where Am I?,” and the mostly instrumental “Safe In Your Skin” are a few tracks that exemplify this growth the most as each track delivers its own individual flare.

Though the aforementioned tracks represent the progression of Title Fight as a whole, that’s not to say that Shed isn’t full of those same hastened anthems that we have grown accustomed to from this band. “Flood of ’72″ and “You Can’t Say Kingston Doesn’t Love You” offer that same fun Title Fight drive, while “Your Screen Door” and “Stab” deliver catchy guitars backed by Ben Russin’s common quickened drums.

It is not until the end of Shed that we witness how far this band has truly come though. “GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)” is as abstract as Title Fight has ever gotten. Now I’m not saying that this track would fit on Brand New‘s Daisy, but relative to Title Fight’s previous work, it might as well be. Almost a ballad by some standards, “GMT” achieves a feat that this band has never reached: they have created a song that is longer than three minutes. In fact, this closer just surpasses three minutes and thirty seconds, proving that Title fight isn’t a band capable of just creating fast punk songs, but one that can pull back on the reigns and make music for the sake of art.

Natural progession is what is witnessed on Shed, which is always a wonderful thing to see from a band like Title Fight. Their previous material allowed for them to stand out slightly from the crowd, but Shed is one that brings them above most of the pop-punk bands of this new era.

What happens after the happy ending seems to be a mystery to music critics.  After Say Anything frontman Max Bemis found the right mixture of meds and married Eisley’s Sherri DuPree, everyone worried that the formerly angsty lyricist would lose his touch due to the new found happiness, as if clever songwriting and bliss couldn’t co-exist.  Fortunately for us, Bemis proved this is not the case with the self-titled Say Anything.

As always, Bemis has a narrative in mind.  Rather than hearing about his battles with life (2006’s …Is A Real Boy) or his recovery (2007’s In Defense Of The Genre), Say Anything seem to be working on the world and its issues, focusing on being happy and maximizing potential.  Combining everything you loved about old SA with improved musicianship; like off-tempo and altered guitar solos, piano, and acoustics; and a fresh outlook on life make for quite the record.

“Fed To Death” tackles the balance between irresponsibility and the power-obsessed with great melody and acoustics to lead things off.  A nice piano outro leads into the opening cheers of “Hate Everyone,” the album’s first single.  Borrowing heavily from The Clash at times musically, the track outlines the people Bemis takes issue with…which apparently is everyone, including Kanye (“the rapper in the Lexus”).  This one’s a grower, especially for a SA single, so give it a few spins before deciding you hate it.

A tasteful mastery of electronics backs a few of the album’s highlights, including the standout “Do Better.”  Max’s call to be the best man possible is the strongest track on the album thanks to his delivery, clever lyricism and the muted kick drum.  The love song “Crush’d” is the most heavily electro-ed song present, which nicely cuts the sappiness of the track.  Of course, it’s endearing in a way only Say Anything could be (“You’re a witch/you’re a wench/you’re like Bjork with better fashion sense”), but we appreciate the sentiment.

You almost need a track-by-track review to cover all the awesomeness here.  Back-to-back songs “Less Cute” and “Eloise” feature upbeat pop/rock choruses that are guaranteed hits.  As schizo as “Mara and Me” is, the track’s strangely compelling and deserves attention.  Things keep catchy without sacrificing comedy in “Property,” where Bemis announces males’ ownership of women.  Really.  Don’t miss the hysterical spoken word after the second chorus (Excerpt: “And worst case, I’ll just have to sell some drugs to my little brother’s friends.  If you do have to sell your body once, or twice, or seven times…”).

As tired as the slow building, acoustic-to-full-band, multi-vocalist closer has become, “Ahhh…Men” is damn near perfect.  Max shouts over gang vocals to end his latest musical endeavor in epic fashion, wrapping things up well before you double click “Fed To Death” for your second listen through.

It’s another Say Anything winner. Pick up the album and enjoy the latest chapter to the Bemis tale.

After the release of blessthefall’s 2007 debut, His Last Walk, lead vocalist Craig Mabbit decided to call it quits to get away from the music industry. They finished their tour and found their new guiding light in the form of ex-Take The Crown vocalist Beau Bokan. With their line-up back up to full staff, the gentlement set out to create their sophomore release, aptly titled, Witness. Never have we seen these 5 musicians so on top of their game brining some of the strongest musicianship for the post-hardcore scene through 12 gruelingly delicious tracks.

Simply opening the album is introduction, “2.0,” a song that is nothing more than a powerful and genuine breakdown that screams “We’re not dead. We’re not like you said” and brings in some gang shouts over it as well. While not holding particular musical merit or intricacy, it stands as a testament as to their message: they’re back, and stronger than ever.

Following over the next several tracks are heavy hitters, “What’s Left Of Me,” “To Hell And Back,” and “God Wears Gucci”. Each filled with their own set of tricks, Beau Bokan begins to shine through these tracks to more than fill the shoes laid before him alongside the screams of Jared Warth. Of the aforementioned, “God Wears Gucci” is the stand out track of their catalogue showing their precision and execution of heavy riffs and feverish tapping while leading into a grander chorus lead by the swooning melodies of Beau. All this then leads into a slower section filled with ambient lead lines and a killer melody.

As the album continues, there is a slight lag of excitement through repetitive song structure, and mediocre breakdowns every now and then.  Yet even through this each song holds its own excitement through catchy hooks and heavy growls to keep your attention.

Containing a new lead singer, released by a new record label, Witness is also packaged with a new producer: Michael “Elvis” Baskette. Brining a crisp tone to the guitars and tightening the drums, Baskette breathes fresh air into their music. Even going as to add minor electronic effects on several drums and a bit of a laser effect on some vocal harmonies (see bridge of “Witness”) brings something new to their music, and it is much appreciated.

While some may have doubted what would happen after Mabbit’s departure, all hearts can lay to rest, as Witness truly is a 2.0 release for these Arizona natives. Sure not to disappoint, be sure to pick this record up on October 6th at your local record shop.