Lessons In Love (All Day, All Night)
Neon Trees Feat Kaskade

                I was never a big fan of Neon Trees after having to hear their song “Animal” constantly being played on the radio. I admit, not looking past their first single was really immature of me because their new record “Picture Show” really impressed me.

                Most similar to their hit single “Animal” is their new song “Everybody Talks”. It has catchy drumbeats, well-planned background vocals and a distinct style of note holding that Neon Trees is known for. It’s currently #56 on the iTunes charts, proving that many people like me love this song.

When I saw that their song “Lessons in Love (All Day, All Night)” featured famous DJ Kaskade, I was expecting it to overpower the pop-rock sound that Neon Trees had maintained throughout the album. But instead, I was pleasantly surprised (once again) at how the techno style bass was mellow and very similar in style to Neon Trees’ other songs.

Neon Trees seems to be a band with happy beats and groovy songs. I hope more people see past their one big hit and help them get other recognition for their talent.

-Hana Selly 

Dry the River - Shield Your Eyes

My friend introduced me to the band, Dry the River, just a few days before their first record, Shallow Bed was released. I was immediately captured by the unique vocals in their song, “New Ceremony”. The lead singer’s hauntingly beautiful voice mixes well with the string instruments (includes a violin!) and serene percussions.

My favorite songs are “Shield Your Eyes” and “The Chamber & The Valves” because they tend to be more upbeat than the other songs. All of their songs have a very peaceful quality but tend to sound similar, partially because it’s difficult to understand the lyrics. However, this helps make their sound unique and calm music can always be appreciated. I’d recommend them to listeners of Bon Iver and Sigur Ros.

Playing at huge festivals like Lollapalooza and Isle of Wright this summer, it should be exciting to see the exposure that this band will receive in the near future!

-Hana Selly 

The All American Rejects - Kids In The Street

All American Rejects’ newest cd “Kids in the Street” came out this past Tuesday. It’s their fourth full-length album and experiments with a nearly new sound.

I started liking this band when I heard their first single, “Swing, Swing” on the pilot episode of The O.C. Even as their music progressed from their original album, they’ve always maintained a quality of angst in their music that was relatable. I’ve enjoyed the majority of songs on their past three albums so this record was a little disappointing for me. The songs were catchy but most of them weren’t exactly memorable. After listening through the album for the first time, there were only a few memorable songs, including their single “Beekeeper’s Daughter”. Another song I liked was “Kids in the Street”. It sounded like Sims music to me at first, which made me laugh, but as the song went on it improved to become an anthem.

I do admit that the strings in “Affection” were a nice change from their normal rock sound. Also, the buildup towards the end reminded me of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. But overall this album did not seem to grow much lyrically from their original album. I’ve grown up over the past 8 years listening to this band but it disappoints me to hear less and less growth between their albums.

-Hana Selly 

Amazing Eyes
Good Old War

Amazing Eyes - Good Old War

Good Old War’s third full-length album, “Come Back As Rain” was released this past Tuesday. I’ve always loved Good Old War for being able to create calm acoustic music, while keeping it uplifting, so I was excited for this record to come out.

                The layering of powerful vocal harmonies against the guitar strumming creates a unique and continuous atmosphere throughout this album. They managed to push themselves to a higher standard of instrument and vocal capability, while maintaining the same style of music they had in their two previous records. It was very difficult for me to pick just one song to call my favorite off of this album because all of the songs have each of their own enjoyable qualities. But the more I listen to “Amazing Eyes”, the more I feel like it’s my number one choice on this album. Even though I love the songs “Calling Me Names” and “Not Quite Happiness” almost as much, there’s a distinct quality of emotion in the lyrics and singing.

Overall, this album reminded me of their first release, which I always viewed as superior to their self-titled album. If you enjoy smiling as well as listening to music, then you should probably purchase this album so you can simultaneously do both!

-Hana Selly 

Why Am I The One
Fun.

Why Am I The One - Fun.

From having their hit single “We Are Young” covered on Glee to being featured on a super bowl commercial, Fun. has had a very exciting past few months. The release of their sophomore album, “Some Nights” is set for February 21st and it seems to have all the elements of a chart-topping pop album.
Unlike the classic sound of “Aim and Ignite”, this album has songs like “It Gets Better” that uses pop-rock drum beats, which in my opinion don’t really suit the sound of this band. It’s a weird feeling to hear clap-tracks and autotune surrounding the sound of frontman, Nate Ruess’ amazing voice in the song “Stars”. But, at the same time they still have heartfelt theatrical-sounding songs like “Why Am I The One” and “All Alone”.
I appreciate how this album is able to reach a common ground between the original sounds of the band while approaching a widely accepted sound fit for the radio. As a fan of the format and fun., I hope they achieve the success that they deserve from this album.

-Hana Selly

Why Dont You Love Me
Hot Chelle Rae

Why Don’t You Love Me - Hot Chelle Rae featuring Demi Lovato

Hot Chelle Rae released their sophomore album, “Whatever” this past Tuesday. It’s an overall upbeat record that includes their hit song “Tonight Tonight”, as well as their second single “I Like it Like That”.

Hot Chelle Rae steps out of their comfort zone by collaborating with well-known hip-hop artists like New Boyz and Bei Maejor. This may either be a hit or miss for Hot Chelle Rae, as boys that play pop rock and wear skinny jeans are not the image that comes to mind when thinking about rap music. I do however enjoy their song, “Why Don’t You Love Me” featuring Demi Lovato. Unlike their songs featuring rappers, this song clearly shows collaboration between Ryan Follese’s voice and Demi Lovato’s voice. There are overlapping parts and they seem as if they are singing directly towards each other instead of just inserting a rap segment in the middle of a song.

                Although there is no depth in their lyrics within this album, they keep the listener interested with exciting beats and an endless supply of shouting. I’d recommend this album to you if you enjoy listening to bands like The Summer Set or The Downtown Fiction. 

-Hana Selly