Streetlight Manifesto :: Somewhere in the Between

Artist :: Streetlight Manifesto
Album :: Somewhere in the Between
Label :: Victory

In a word :: un-genre-bound

Play this cut first :: One Foot on the Gas, One Foot in the Grave

Man, it's so hard for me to review ska. I mean, it's not that I have anything against it, in general; it just seems to be like the equivalent of genre fiction - you know, so caught up in the things that make it its own genre that it loses sight of the big picture.

So it is with my impression of ska, so caught up with horn lines and upstrokes on upbeats, that it loses sight of the song. One wonderfully notable exception in ska history is Catch 22's Keasbey Nights. That's one album that come s about as close to seminal as a ska record can get. Tomas Kalnoky, mastermind behind that album, has been putting out solid album as the founding member of Streetlight Manifesto, but this time, he hit the mark again on the remarkable Somewhere in the Between.

Kalnoky is cementing his reputation as the Elvis Costello of the genre. A master songwriter whose compositions could easily be played alone on an acoustic guitar and retain the same power.
Alongside great arrangements are lyrics that remind one of dorm-room chatter as a bunch of on-their-own young adults get together and collectively figure out life. The conversations are brilliant in their simplicity. Listening to cuts like "Somewhere in the Between" and "The Receiving End of it All" are like reaching personal resolve. The news may not be new, baby, but it's always late-breaking.

The other truly spectacular element of Somewhere in the Between is the performance of the band. Recorded in different places at different times, there is so much energy that it seems impossible that they weren't all in the same room together. To muster that level of performance says as much about the performers as it does the material.

It's bands like Streetlight Manifesto that genres like ska, which don't get time in the spotlight but once every couple of decades or so, owe a great debt to. They keep the spirit alive by turning out great discs when (seemingly) no one is listening. Somewhere in the Between gives people a reason to listen.


Now Playing :: Down, Down, Down To Mephisto's Cafe

The Bottom Line :: Somewhere in the Between is the rare disc that shines in small doses of a few songs at a time or in a straight-through listen. And quite simply, it's the ska album that people who don't listen to ska will love, because greatness is never bound by genres.

Best Cuts :: We Will Fall Together; One Foot on the Gas, One Foot in the Grave; Down, Down, Down to Mephisto's Cafe; Somewhere in the Between, Forty Days

Between the Buried and Me :: Colors

Artist :: Between the Buried and Me
Album :: Colors
Label :: Victory Records

In a word :: Landmark

Play this Cut first :: Ants of the Sky

Before we get started, I want you to go to your calendar, find September 18th, and make two notes:

1. Pick up Between the Buried and Me's new CD, Colors.
2. Bring a clothes pin.

The reasons for the first should become very clear. The second is because, on September 18th, when this album drops, there will be a definite odor in the air. It will be the unmistakable scent of pants being shat from coast to coast. Because that's what this album is going to do to people.

Lets go back about 20 years. Bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, Exodus, and Testament were pushing the limits of rock, creating a genre that later became known as thrash metal. In 1986, Metallica dropped Master of Puppets and clearly defined themselves as the trendsetter in the genre. Years later, between 1990 and 1992 a barrage of brilliant albums came from the genre, including Metallica, Rust in Peace, The Sound of White Noise, Seasons in the Abyss, The Ritual, Vulgar Display of Power, and more. I believe, however, that it was Master of Puppets that set those wheels in motion.

Okay, here we are in 2007. For several years a number of bands such as Shadows Fall and Lamb of God (to name a couple) have been working to build an extreme metal scene that relies on musicianship, harmonies, melodies, and arrangements for power, just as much as it relies on bombastic speed and grindcore riffs.

Between the Buried and Me has certainly been a major player in the scene since their debut in 2003. Colors, however, clearly serves as the landmark album in the genre thus far. I mean, it's not even close.

The depth and range of talent on Colors is staggering. From the Queen-esque intro of "Foam Born (a ) The Backtrack" to the immediate power grindage that follows in "(b ) The Decade of the Statues". It's a tremendous shift in gears that almost gets lost in the wash of rapid fire snare pounding and cymbal wash. It's almost a baptism by fire that purifies the listener and opens the soul for the musical genius that follows.

Yes, I said genius.

Albums like this don't happen by accident. They are coolly planned and arranged. They are the product of a vision to breaks down the barriers of a genre and bring to fruition the potential that has been shown by all of the bands who have built in on their backs.

Colors is a Dark Side of the Moon. It is a Master of Puppets.

At times, Between the Buried and Me sound like Dream Theater. At times, they sound like Coldplay. And at times they sound like Cannibal Corpse. The challenge naturally, then, is to blend all of those elements together in a way that doesn't sound forced, and retains their own sense of identity. For good measure, songs transition into jazz jams, polka breaks, Latin boogies, and more. Not only has this not been tried before, but the coherence of the effort carries established themes through these transitions much the way a classical composer might. All the while we are never more than couple steps away from pure extreme metal aggression that is the staple of the genre.



And for all it accomplishes, Colors doesn't sound so much like an album that was designed to one up other powerhouses of field. It sounds like the product of five immensely talented musicians who pushed each other and demanded the best from each other. And to borrow a phrase from the sports world, they didn't leave anything on the court.

When I listen to Colors I think, "How can they, or anybody else ever top this?" And that is a great thought. It's the same thought that took the brilliance of Master of Puppets and used it as a catalyst to bring about the true golden years of thrash. I get chills thinking (or maybe just hoping) that this album could be the beginning of something much, much bigger.

If nothing else, Colors brings a new level of respect to a genre that hasn't ever really gotten much of that. And it does it in a way that doesn't sell out the hardcore supporters who have been extolling the legitimate merits of extreme metal for years.


Best Cuts on the Album :: Ants of the Sky, White Walls, Sun of Nothing

The Bottom Line :: Make sure your stereo gear is working and you have a good clothes pin (maybe even a spare), because on September 18th, extreme metal as you know it will change forever.

The Warriors :: A Genuine Sense of Outrage

Artist :: The Warriors
Album :: Genuine Sense of Outrage
Label :: Victory

Play this cut first :: Price of Punishment

In a word :: Pure Rock Fury

Back it up a few decades to Motorhead. They were the first band that really unified the rock crowd, appealing to rockers, metalheads, punkers, and the hardcore crowd alike. How did they do it? By combining great riffs, power chord mashing, ugly vocals, and upbeat tempos. And they did all of it right in your fukking face. It was that epitome of angst with a mass appeal. The measure of their of success never came in platinum records; it came in the recognition that every loud rock band on the planet owes a debt to Motorhead.

Moving forward.

In 1995 when I first fell hard for Victory Records, it was because of the combination of brute force and brilliance from one of their flagship bands: Earth Crisis. For me, they will always be the true hardcore heart of "the Victory sound". Over the years there have been a few bands I feel could carry that torch again (i.e., Scars of Tomorrow, Between the Buried and Me, and Waterdown).

Now there's another: The Warriors.

There is a reason I started this review with Motorhead. The Warriors have a lot in common with Motorhead. That healthy aggression. That honesty in their angst. That Genuine Sense of Outrage. There is a passion in this music that blows down the doors of rock subgenres and appeals to all of them. And the stamp of approval doesn't just come from me, no. It comes from none other than Mr. Motorhead himself, Lemmy Kilmister, as he provides guest vocals on "the Price of Punishment".

With, Genuine Sense of Outrage, their third studio album (and first for Victory), they give Victory Records another band to hang their hat on - a band the brings the heartfelt passion to every riff. Indeed, The Warriors are the type of band you go see when you want to get it all out: screaming along, slamming in the pit, jumping off the stage. At the end of the night, all the stress of the world is left in the puddles of sweat the line venue floors from coast to coast.


Now Playing :: Destroying Cenodoxus

A Genuine Sense Sense of Outrage is more than just album. It is a snapshot of rock in time. It is an album that could only be built on the shoulders of giants such as Motorhead, Earth Crisis, and Sick of it All. It is the progression of rock that cuts through bullshit and hits you right in the fukkin' mouth. And you love it, because its been too long since someone came along and woke you up like this.

Best cuts on the album :: "The Price of Punishment", "Genuine Sense of Outrage", and "Destroying Cenodoxus"

The bottom line :: This usually the part where I give a final thumbs up or thumbs down. you should already know that by now. It don't matter if your favorite bans is Six Feet Under or Three Days Grace, The Warriors bring you A Genuine Sense of Outrage - an album so honest and so raw that you have no choice but to love it.

Nodes of Ranvier Interview

VictoryRecords artists, Nodes of Ranvier, have stellar new disc out called Defined by Struggle. Guitarist, Jon Parker, took a few minutes to talk with BRB about the album, dream tours, digital music, and more. Enjoy.

And if you haven't picked up Defined By Struggle yet, I can't encourage it enough.

BRB: Defined by Struggle shows a pretty significant degree of maturity versus past efforts. How much of that is the natural evolution of the band, and how much was a conscious decision to stretch out on this album?

NOR: A lot of what you are hearing as maturity may be coming from the fact that three of the members have changed since the last album. We wrote this album from a completely musical standpoint without regard for vocals. It was a very step-by-step process, and I think that laid way to a much more concise sound this time around. We may not have as much diversity of sound as we have in the past but the songs are much more technical in their speed and material. We set out to write a weighty record and something that we felt had a common feel from song to song, without becoming monotonous. We are very happy with what we came up with especially under the weight of time constraints and member changes.

BRB: If you could put yourself on tour with three other bands of your choice, who would you pick?

NOR: The Black Dahlia Murder, Burnt by the Sun, MASTODON.

BRB: Who are some of your non-rock-based favorite artists? What is it about those artists that gets them on your favorites list?

NOR: First off would be Atmosphere. For not being the biggest fan of hip hop, I must say there is something inspiring about Slug’s material. I’ve been able to see the group once in my hometown and it was pretty much the most fun I could have had around a bunch of frat boys and ICP fans. Haha!

Secondly would be Sigur Ros. I guess some would consider them a rock-based band, but because I cant find a way to classify them I'm adding them to the list. Their music does something to my spine that I cannot explain, and it literally gives me a hopeful feeling just in listening. This band is a gift.

Thirdly, I'm a big DJ Shadow fan. The Private Press is a record that I can listen to in almost any mood and especially when I need my mind to be doing two or more things at once. I appreciate the blending of elements that I myself would never have thought to put together.

BRB: Do you have any themes or sources that consistently provide lyrical inspiration?

NOR: The ins and outs of life have always played a particularly large part in the lyrical content of this band. A lot of songs are stories about problems we’ve faced and struggles we’ve bore. We want to put a positive spin on a sometimes grim world. It’s something that gives us reason and purpose to do what we do and play music that moves us personally. In a way, we live through the things that this band has brought about for us. It’s bigger than its members. It’s a message and a way of life.

BRB: How have social media sites like MySpace or PureVolume benefited Nodes of Ranvier?

NOR: Free access to press is always a good thing. Many people would have never heard of us if it wasn’t for these sites. Now, more than ever, it seems that the world of music is more about listening than buying. With so much to choose from, bands need all the help they can get to stay alive. We have appreciated the ability to run these sites by ourselves and stay in better contact with the people who would consider themselves fans. It’s a great tool for us to keep our music in the listeners' ears.

BRB: Do you think the increasing popularity of iPods and digital downloads will eventually render CDs obsolete? How do you think this will affect a band like yours?

NOR: It’s hard to say. Books are very prevalent. I'm still buying vinyl. While I'm sure the digital world will continue to decrease hard copy record sales, I think that the music industry will never die. It may not be pretty, but something will have to take place to make some order out of all this. The attention that iPods have brought to the individual enjoyment of music has given people the ability to branch out their own musical tastes. For an off color band like ourselves, I’m sure this has been helpful.

There you have it, folks. Big thanks to Jon for taking the time to go into such depth and detail. The album, again, is called Defined By Struggle and it's in stores now.