NYS Music 20​15

Author: Steven Ransiear

  • Hearing Aide: Coheed and Cambria’s ‘The Color Before the Sun’

    Most bands find it difficult to keep finding new inspiration to put out records that don’t tarnish their legacy. This is especially true when they find themselves recording their ninth studio album which is the situation Coheed and Cambria find themselves with The Color Before the Sun. What’s interesting about this particular record is that it’s the first to not be a part of the overarching story that has been made up of their previous albums. The Color Before the Sun deviates from what has come before it, but not in musical quality. The band is as strong as ever and has put together another solid entry in their catalog.

    'The Color Before the SunThe album kicks off with a strong and big power pop opener in “Island” which also happens to be one of the standout tracks. The album is definitely split between slower more emotional songs and the big catchy hook driven tracks. I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to Infinity On High era Fall Out Boy for their ability to blend multiple genres of music but retain that pop atmosphere. “Colors” brings things more in line with traditional Coheed sounds where as “Ghost” creates a great emotional midpoint to the album. The way some of the slower songs are structured shows off singer Claudio Sanchez’s voice as well as a little experimentation with the guitars. The band has been known to draw influence from prog music but this album definitely doesn’t go to that well often. This is much more of a straight forward album which isn’t a bad thing at all. The band still gets to show their musical chops but does it in a very pop radio friendly method. Sanchez’s signature higher pitched vocals cut through and he has a few standout moments showing off how much control he has over his voice.

    Perhaps the best track on the record is “Atlas.” I can see this becoming a staple of their live show for years to come. Again it brings a big pop hook and gets the record back in an upbeat swing as it heads into its second half. The lead single “You Got Spirit, Kid” reminds me a lot of early My Chemical Romance which is a style of music sorely missed in 2015’s pop landscape. I know I’ve made a few references to Coheed sounding like other bands but make no mistake, this album is 100% them. It’s a testament to how they’re able to take influences from many styles of music and combine them into their own unique sound. They’re a band that when you hear them, you know it’s them. Few bands are able to do that these days and often finding themselves blending into the mix after an album or two. Even less of those bands are able to carve out a legacy and absolutely devoted fan base like Coheed and Cambria.

    I have to pay special attention to the album closer, “Peace to the Mountain.” This song builds to a fantastic ending not just for the song itself but for the album as a whole. As the song comes to its finale, horns and strings come into play accompanying the full band. I love when pop and rock bands are able to pull this off. It’s tricky because many times it can come across as forced or even sounding bad as the band wanted to cram too much into one song. This track is an excellent example of the musicianship the band has to offer. The added elements here make this song feel big and important. It’s a great way to finish the record giving that feeling that the ride is now over.

    I love the fact they were willing to stray from their bread and butter with the concept albums. I’m sure this allowed the band to feel a little less restricted but at the same time this isn’t a radical departure from what has come before. They’re still the same band. Maybe a little more simplistic in direction but again, that isn’t a negative. Far too often bands are condemned for making a record with a bit more simplicity in mind but many times this forces more creativity to come out. While this isn’t a crazy prog rock masterpiece, it can be just as hard to write a solid timeless pop record. Coheed and Cambria are still writing great songs and can be proud to add another fantastic album to their discography with The Color Before the Sun. If you’re a fan, you’ll want this and if they’re new for you this is a great entry point.

    Key Tracks: “Island” “Atlas” “Peace To The Mountain”

  • Engineering The Local Shop: A Look At Gorham Brothers Music

    For Syracuse’s Gorham Brothers Music, they had to do it their way. They had to because that’s how they’ve always done it. The three brothers, Ryan, Brad, and Bobby have been entrenched in the local music scene for over ten years now. Some might know them as part of the bands Engineer and Blood Sun Circle. But these days most know them as the owners of Gorham Brothers Music, an independent guitar shop on Seeley Rd in Syracuse. The brothers took their experiences being in a gigging band and applied it to their business to make a shop run by musicians for musicians. But to get to there we have to go back and see what lead them to running their own store.

    You want to bring something cool to your town. If it’s not here, you can make it here

    The three brothers grew up playing guitar despite not coming from a musically inclined family. When they started playing together around 2003 it was during a point where the local scene in Syracuse was thriving. Bands always had a place to play and you could always find a show happening on the weekends. The band they have become most known for; Engineer, came together very quickly after the three brothers bounced around in other bands. They started to become serious and started practicing every day. An indication for any band that you’ve stumbled on to something good. It was a great time to start a band in Syracuse because the scene was supporting touring bands coming to town. Ample opportunities were available for the local bands to fill opening slots on a bill.

    Gorham Brothers MusicThe venues weren’t big, most were under 200 capacity but they were always full. I remember being at shows where people were literally standing outside watching the bands through the windows. It hasn’t been like that since and those memories are some of my most cherished and I know many who feel the same way.

    Bobby Gorham said, “Engineer was like our job, more so than any other job at that time. We were able to do it for so long, longer than any of us expected. Once you do something like that for so long, none of us wanted to get a career working for someone else. This was a way for us to still do our own thing.”

    Engineer put out records that helped define the sound coming out of Syracuse during the 2000’s. Their 2007 effort The Dregs was named one of the top 40 albums of the year by respected extreme music magazine Decibel. They along with area bands like Ed Gein, Achilles, and Another Breath solidified Upstate New York’s roster of incredible local bands at the time.

    But all things come to an end and Engineer slowly faded in to the background and from it came the store. Ryan Gorham compared the two telling me “Writing and recording is real expressive. You get to experiment so much in the studio. The store is sort of like another band. We go in with a focus. Not a cookie cutter store. Not always a store someone wants or expects.”

    Walking into Gorham Brothers Music immediately gives you the sense that you aren’t in your typical big box music store. There aren’t any pushy sales people working on commission. You can get an answer to your question. And they’re more than happy to chat with you about music. You feel at ease. It’s a place where you can go and test out a guitar pedal and really get a feel for if it’s going to work in your set up. You aren’t battling against 25 other guitarists all trying to wail on the solo from “Eruption”.

    One of the biggest takeaways in discussing the store with the three brothers was that their store can change. They have complete control which means they can mold it to fit the store they want to have. The biggest benefit of this is the fact that they can stock the store with used gear you might not see at another store. Bobby Gorham said “We can do all the wheeling and dealing. Which a lot of actual musicians like to do. They want to come in and see what comes in, old vintage gear, stuff guitar center can’t deal with as much.” And Ryan Gorham added “Buying stuff face to face from people lets us decide what we want to do. We don’t have to have Fender banners everywhere. We don’t have to order 20 squires.”

    The store started to see success as the years passed after opening in December of 2011. But the biggest downside was the physical size of the storefront they were in. However when the opportunity struck, they decided to expand. In October of 2014 the brothers moved the store just a few feet down in the building they were in to a much bigger space. When I asked the brothers about the expansion what I heard from Brad Gorham was exactly the kind of thing you regret not doing “It was too good of an opportunity to miss.” While the brothers said they didn’t plan on moving they all agreed it was the right decision despite the risk they were taking on.

    One of the best things to come out of the expansion was the ability to have more room for bands to play. The older smaller store hosted live acts but in the new space there is a dedicated stage with monitors set up that allows the bands to hear vocals. For anyone who has played live, you know how important that is. It’s another example of how this store is designed with musicians in mind because its owners and sole employees are musicians themselves.

    I wanted to get a feeling for what it’s like to see bands play in the store so I checked out a show booked the night we conducted our interview. The store was transformed in a very subtle way to accommodate the larger amount of people than normal. Expensive gear was protected and amps were moved around. And I have to say the sound quality was fantastic. I listened to a couple of bands from the back and got right up front for another and couldn’t believe how professional everything sounded. Other venues in the area dedicated to live acts should take a few notes.

    The future looks bright for the Gorham Brothers. The store is doing well and they get to wake up every day and know that they own a store that is uniquely theirs. A store that is crafted from their experiences on the road as a band going to other independent shops. Taking an idea from here and there and bringing in their own as well they have handcrafted a store as one of a kind as the music they made and the opportunity they offer Syracuse musicians to come in and get the gear they need at a price that makes you feel good. Not just for sales but for repair work and now for bands to have a venue to play at in a scene that has sadly lost venues in droves over the past ten years.

    They are the local shop and I don’t think they want it any other way.

    You can visit Gorham Brothers Music in Syracuse, NY at 118 Seeley Rd. They are open seven days a week. Or check them out online at gorhambrothersmusic.com.

  • Hearing Aide: Mosh along with Blacklisted’s ‘When People Grow, People Go’

    What better way to start off the year with a strong dose of strong raw hardcore. Philly based Blacklisted have crafted another dose of feedback driven, groove based, punk infused hardcore with their fourth record When People Grow, People Go. Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, the album wastes no time getting its point across. The record is almost trapped in time with a sound that sounds straight out of the late ’90s early 2000’s era hardcore that got me into the scene. This is stuff you would have heard any given Saturday night at a VFW or community rec center. Songs that force you to bob your head along and say to yourself “man, this is good stuff”. The riffs are strong, the drums push the beat forward, and the whole thing is begging for a pit to open up.

    When People Grow People GoThe song “Riptide” in particular sounds exactly like the Syracuse hardcore scene I loved so much through my teenager years and every song on the record has a really stripped down approach that doesn’t rely on production gimmicks. It’s really refreshing in 2015 to hear a record that hasn’t been overproduced to the point of sounding like a robot recorded it. While I do wish there was a little more punch with the drums it feels authentic. This sounds like they just went into a room, banged out some songs, and recorded them. Nothing fancy about it. Just pure energy.

    The signature sound on the record has to be the guitar layering. Traditional hardcore punk riffs with a nice mixture of chaotic feedback that blends to radical harmony. They also know how to speed things up when needed and add a little edge of aggression but at the same time when they slow it down a little and lock into a groove it’s beyond good. Opening track “Insularized” is a great example of them being able to shift gears from fast to slow and back again. Sometimes this causes a song to come off disjointed but they were able to keep it together without sounding like they cut and pasted two different songs together.

    Blacklisted has become one of those bands that has started to really cultivate a strong catalog of releases. Some bands start their career off with a bang and slowly go downhill from there trying to chase after what they once had. And some bands just never get that light bulb moment where everything clicks together and they put out something really special. But Blacklisted have been able to be consistently good. Few bands can lay claim to being able to say that they haven’t put out a bad or disappointing record. While When People Grow, People Go doesn’t go outside of the box, it also doesn’t feel like they’re playing it safe. They made a record that has a very distinct sound that doesn’t bend to any trends. That should be applauded when more and more bands are slowly getting away from the things that made people fall in love with them in the first place.

    Blacklisted have long been viewed as one of the best in their genre. They put on a live show full of energy with crowds that get whipped into a fury and now they’ve added to their legacy with a great all around record. While it doesn’t pack the punch of their previous releases it’ll please their fans for sure and they remain at the top of their class.

    Key Tracks – Insularized, Deeper King, Riptide

    [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKKYYzIMHhA&w=560&h=315]

  • Hearing Aide: ‘American Beauty/American Psycho’ Ushers In New Fall Out Boy Sound

    American Beauty/American Psycho marks the sixth studio album for Fall Out Boy and with it comes a major style change to a band that has constantly changed their sound. Long gone are the pop-punk songs of Take This To Your Grave and From Under The Cork Tree. Fall Out Boy have now become as pop as any other artist on the top 40 chart. Beginning with Infinity on High the band started transitioning away from their roots and experimenting with elements taken from big bands and arena rock bands off the past. This culminated in 2008’s Folie a Deux, an album that was their most divisive with both critics, fans, and the band itself.

    Following the release of Folie a Deux the band took an extending hiatus before returning with 2013’s Save Rock and Roll and with it brought in a new direction. The album had a hard pop edge with big hooks in every song but also with it came guest heavy songs that gave it the feeling of being a “Fall Out Boy and Friends” album. And now with American Beauty/American Psycho the guest spots have been replaced with samples.

    American Beauty American PsychoThe album is absolutely drenched in samples which makes it sound less like a band playing and instead a Patrick Stump solo effort. It’s very weird to not hear much music actually being played. Guitar riffs are sparsely heard and Andy Hurley’s drums have been processed to the point I’m not actually sure he ever actually laid down acoustic drum tracks in the studio. Most of the drumming sounds like your standard club track beats.

    The effects put on Patrick Stumps vocals are mind boggling because the man has one of the best voices in the industry. The whole mix of the album is very flat and becomes incredibly distorted the louder you play it (think the controversy around how Metallica’s Death Magnetic was mixed). I can only wonder why someone thought it would be a good idea to overwork both the vocals and instrument mix to this extent.

    The songs still have the big bombastic hooks that the band is known for but they lack the heart that their albums used to have. The lyrics aren’t as clever as they used to be and some songs re-use lyrical themes of songs past. The emotion of the lyrics was always a huge draw for the band. From songs about loneliness and regret to break up songs, everyone could find something to relate to with a Fall Out Boy track. But now while still inventive, they just don’t have that emotional heft.

    Despite all this, the album does produce a few tracks that will (at least should) become live staples. “Uma Thurman” is the best song on the record hands down. It’s got an infectious chorus that begs you to sing along with it. “Novocain” has some really nice vocal patterns that gives more credit to Stump being a genius when it comes to vocal cadences and timbre shifts. The two lead singles “Centuries” and “Immortals” are strong songs but are also largely the key evidence of a band that has completely changed their sound. For longtime fans these will be the two throwaway songs on the album. If you compare those songs to anything from Take This To Your Grave or even Folie a Deux, they sound like a different band entirely minus the vocals.

    I need to be honest here. Fall Out Boy is my favorite band. It’s been really tough to listen to them change so much. Every time a new song was released from this album I had a sense of dread that the next song was going to be the one that makes the band jump the shark for me. As much as I dislike the change in ideals behind their songwriting process I can’t admit to disliking any of the songs on this record which wasn’t the case with their last record. I so badly want them to return to their old sound but I think that’s the feeling shared by a lot of fans that love a band that has been around for 10-15 years. Bands do change. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. But take it or leave it, this is what Fall Out Boy is now.

    But just remember, at least they still play the old stuff live.

    Key Tracks – Uma Thurman, Novocain, The Kids Aren’t Alright