This month we bring you reviews on Incubus, Matt Nathanson, and Airborne Toxic Event.
Time just seems to fly by at warped speed anymore, hard to imagine it's August already! Where did the summer go? Ok well I know most of the nation has been baking this summer, so for you the fall may come as a relief, but for me and most of the west coast? It's a dirty four letter word, especially this year.
I hope everyone has stayed cool and had a fun summer. Personally I was able to catch Lemonade favorite, Meiko while she was performing in Snoqualmie, WA. As always she put on a great show and played some new tracks, which definitely has me stoked to hear her new album. The cool part about her show is that, just like every show of hers I have seen; every single person who was there who hadn't heard of her before immediately fell in love with her. That right there says a lot about an artist.
In other news, it seems like I do this every month and that kind of makes me sad about the world, but we must stay positive. Everyone here at Lemonade is thinking of both Norway and England after the violence they have gone through and are currently going through right now. As The Beatles said...."Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friends". Having your voice heard is one thing, but taking away another's makes you the wrong.
I hope everyone enjoys the remainder of their summer and the fact that we will indeed have a football season. Until next time....GO SEAHAWKS!
-Brandon
Many of you know that Nicole Figueroa writes articles from time to time for Lemonade and is definitely part of the team here. This past week she lost her best friend Keri. I personally didn't know Keri, but I know from Nicole that Keri was a big part in even helping Nicole with inspiration for her articles that appeared in Lemonade. I also know how much Keri meant to Nicole. Our thoughts are with Nicole and the rest of Keri's family. This issue is for her.
Lemonade loves Australia, its a fact. We have already featured two artists who have once called the land down under home (Chloe Leighton and St. Leonard) and we aren't stopping there...we won't stop until we get Jesse Spencer. Anyway, this time we bring to you the pipes of Katie Cole. Following in the foot steps of Keith Urban, this soon to be pop star has a twinge of country mixed into her beautiful vocals that you will soon fall in love with.
We caught up with Katie (no not after crocodile hunting) during some short lived downtime on the West Coast. Here is what she had to say.
Hey Katie, how are things?
Katie: Things are really good! It has to have been the most busy few weeks of my life. It's been really, intensely busy. I have spent more time on aircrafts than I have in a long time, great stuff.
I hear you were over in Nashville and Wisconsin. What was going on over there?
Katie: Well I consider myself to be as much an artist as I am a songwriter and part of that sort of deal is being around the right people. You know Nashville is one of those places that recognizes itself and the world recognizes it as music city and it really is that way. Songwriters congregate in Nashville and are bred out of Nashville, it's a great resource for songwriters. Artists from around the world seek songwriters out of Nashville. It's a huge thing for me and I have been traveling there every few months for the last little bit.
From there I went to Key West for the Key West Songwriter's Festival and that again is a Nashville related festival, it's 99.99% Nashville writers ::laughs::. I think it is like a four or five day week, I was there for two and a half days, but was able to actually play a show which was unexpected. Then! I went to Wisconsin :: laughs :: (this is how it works). A friend of mine, Sam Brooker from Sam and Ruby asked me to join a leg of their tour in Wisconsin for a benefit show at a college. Of course I was like "Yes! That would be amazing! I'll be there!" so all of that was like a tour and a half. Now finally I am back in L.A. and I have about 5,000 songs to record ::laughs::
So you are back home, but still no relaxing time right?
Katie: The strange thing is I try to be as active as possible to share the experiences of being on the road, so I am really active on my twitter and facebook and things like that to really share pictures, so people get to see what I do. It's so funny though when people see pictures from Key West and are like "oh a holiday!" and I am like "no, work!". I am not sure it always registers that it is hard work and you are there to network.
It's a 24 hour job at times not just an eight hour job.
Katie: You're exactly right. I do guess though if I am making my job look easy than I am doing it well. You know if it looks like I am having a blast and am fun to work with, that will generate success. I got word through all of this that my song Gravity was back in rotation on the Movado watch commercials that play during Today Show , The Daily Show, Chelsea Lately and such, so those kind of time slots are awesome and it made me excited, I was screaming at the TV! Along with that, my song Lost Inside A Moment from my current EP, was getting rotation on BBC 2, which is AMAZING.
I have some friends in Australia, so I have a pretty good idea of life down there, but some people have a very stereotypical thought of what it's like growing up there. Tell us what it was like for you.
Katie: Well I was raised in the Outback by several Red Kangaroos
:: laughs :: Exactly what I thought!
Katie: My family invented the Outback Steakhouse ::laughs:: . There are so many stereotypes! Sometimes I use them to my advantage, because people like it and they are so recognizable you know like to say "That's not a knife....this is a knife! or "Put another shrimp on the barbie!", "Pass me a Fosters mate!", so I definitely have fun with some of them at shows.
Australia is I believe geographically larger than the US, which most people don't understand, so lots of people think it's like this little island where they can just fly down there and see everyone and there will be kangaroos everywhere and people having BBQ's. If you land in the middle of Australia, that might be the case, but you will also get terribly sun burnt and lost. However if you land in any of the metropolitan areas like Melbourne or Sydney...(I am from Melbourne, so I am completely biased to Melbourne, I think it's great), but yeah it's just like any other metropolitan city in the world. It has it's own culture and it's own lifestyle. Melbourne is definitely a foodie city. I don't know if you watch Anthony Bourdain, but I love that guy. He did a special where he was talking about Melbourne and he was talking about what a foodie city it was and I was like "YES! Score one for Australia!", because I try to tell people, you can land there and have some of the best coffee, the best pasta and I love my food, so any chance I get to talk about food I am going to!
This is the point where the girls reading ask how you are still so thin and fit?
Katie: I think it's just because I don't necessarily eat like a lot! I mean I eat well, but I move, you know? That's the balance right there. I talk a lot, not sure if that burns a lot of calories, but I do it a lot. I try to exercise as much as I can.
As you said earlier, you have an EP out. What was it like making it?
Katie: The best thing I guess that I can share is my stories. I know talking to me is sort of like an adventure story right? ::laughs:: but let's start from the beginning again. I started as a singer/songwriter in Australia, but I never really found anyone to model my career after. I mean I would always read liner notes and see who produced this and who engineered that, I always paid real close attention to that. I think that's a smart thing for an artist, because as an artist you want to showcase your art and as a songwriter you want to showcase your song, but when you are trying to do both, you kind of need to know what kind of clothes your songs will wear. I followed a producer called Howard Willing, because he worked with people I wanted to model my career after like Liz Phair, Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows and Smashing Pumpkins. There was a diversity there, but he was a constant in the diversity and it was always quality you know what I mean?
He was one person I was really interested in and I listed a few names on my website, people who I really wanted to work with and he actually ended up contacting me.
That's kind of how this chapter began. He told me he really loved my music and what I do and asked me if I was interested in coming out to the US to record.
We started the process in 2009 and the EP was officially released in 2010. I am my own manager, publisher, and marketer. I wear a lot of hats and that's ok, because I love hats ::laughs::, but when you do things this way, the process is longer.
Who is your dream person to collaborate with?
Katie: I don't know, I am trying to think of some of the great storytellers. I would love to be in the same room as someone like Sheryl Crow just to see what would happen. I have done enough co-writing that I now understand that you can't always predict what is going to work in advance and what isn't. It's always such a weird process, but I mean yeah people like Sheryl Crow or I mean someone like Stevie Wonder.....talk about amazing! I also love some new bands out there like Carolina Liar. I love rock bands like The Killers, Coldplay, there are so many artists that I love and if given the opportunity there are probably 20 or 30 artists I would like to work with ::laughs::, if not more. Probably more than anything I would like to just sit down and talk with these people and learn from them rather than write with them.
What are you looking forward to the most this year?
Katie: Winning the lottery! ::laughs:: No I mean I just want to keep pushing this train I have been building for a long time. It's really heavy and it has a lot of cargo, but once it finally gets going, I really believe in what I do. If I get a chance to be mentioned in the same sentence as someone like Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum or Katy Perry, that's amazing. If I don't that's fine too, if I am just known for writing great songs, that's a gift, so if I write for artist like that and that's what I am know for I will be more than happy with that as well. Whichever comes first or whichever happens, it doesn't matter. I am just going to keep pushing and pushing and working my hardest.
Here at Lemonade we love featuring brand new artists and even better...we love featuring brand new artists from across the pond!
Charlotte Eriksson or as she calls herself "The Glass Child" is originally from the lovely land we call Sweden, but now calls London home. Along with an extremely loveable personality, she also brings us some tunes that may remind some of a pumped up version of Bjork.
Thanks to Skype, I was able to sit down and talk to Charlotte about her music recently and now I share it with you..
You aren't very well known in North America yet, tell us a little about yourself.
Charlotte: Well I am from Sweden, but now live in London. I just released a new EP on my own record label Broken Glass Records and yeah I am just trying to get my name out there!
Your sound is so unique! What influenced it?
Charlotte: I listen to so many genres and bands and I don't think it's influenced necessarily by those people, but how I pronounce words is, as well as words that are used and how they structure their songs. I listen to everything from acoustic music to punk rock and I take something from all of it.
It is cool that your songs build so much, you go from this acoustic guitar and then it slowly builds into electric and you can hear that your voice even gets more powerful as each song grows. The first singer that came to mind was Bjork, but you are even more exciting than Bjork!
Charlotte : Thanks!
What kind of work went into your latest EP?
Charlotte: I have been writing so many songs over the years, so the hardest part was choosing which five songs. I do feel though that the five songs I chose represent me perfectly. It was really fun and I learned so much setting up my record label and stuff like that.
Tell us a little more about this being your own record label. How did that come about?
Charlotte: It was basically a way for me to do everything myself. I mean I could spend
my time right now chasing record labels or industry people that know the business and have the money, but I want to focus on writing music and doing what I want to do. This way I can do that, I don't have to chase, I can do it all myself.
Where is the best place for people here in North America to find your music?
Charlotte: My website is www.charlotteeriksson.com , as well as facebook at www.facebook.com/theglasschild , I'm on sound cloud, myspace, everywhere!
Is your music available to buy online?
Charlotte: Yeah, iTunes, Amazon, all the well known places.
Where does the alias "The Glass Child" come from?
Charlotte: When I was younger people always told me that I was really hard to get to know and that it was as if I was "living behind glass". When I was 15 I think, I wrote my first song and it was called The Glass Child and it has stuck with me since then. I feel comfortable behind it I guess.
What do you have planned for the near future?
Charlotte: We have an acoustic tour planned for the UK and then I am getting ready to release my second EP in December. I hope really badly I get to do a small US tour in February 2012.
Glad to hear you are thinking of coming to the states.
Charlotte: Yeah, I feel like my music really isn't supposed to be in England, the music seems very different here. All the bands I listen to and the artists I would like to tour with are all in America, so that's where I want to go.
Is the plan then to move here for a while?
Charlotte: Yes it is, I really want to be there. It was just easier to move to London from Sweden, because I could stay here as long as I want to. I would have to get visas and everything if I wanted to move to America.
You seem to be very into dance as well. Is that something you are involved in personally or are you just a spectator?
Charlotte: I am a dancer myself. I get a lot of inspiration from dancing and even from dancing to my songs. When I am writing I think about dancing to them and the rhythm and such.
Are you familiar with So You Think You Can Dance?
Charlotte: Of course I am!
I don't know if you get the American version, but Christina Perri got really big after simply having someone dance to one of her songs on the program.
Charlotte: I know! It's so amazing after one song! I would die to get my song on there.
Do you get the latest season there?
Charlotte: Yeah, we just get it like two episodes late.
Well I won't tell you what happens, but we are two weeks into the Top 20.
Charlotte: Really!? Awww! I want to watch it now!
Are we going to get a full length album soon?
Charlotte: Like I said I will be releasing the EP in December and then what I want to do is release a full length around June of next year. I don't know which to do first, tour or release a full length? I guess we will see what happens!
It seemed like only weeks after All Time Low first got played on MTVs rotation two years ago that the acronym A.T.L. was at the tip of every pop/punk fans tongue. Not to mention the hordes of girls who didn't care what the genre was that instantly fell in love with the boys from Baltimore.
Fast forward to 2011 and All Time Low is enjoying mainstream success after jumping on board with Interscope records. Their first full length album with Interscope titled Dirty Work was just released at the end of this spring and yes...if you read Lemonade....we loved it.
I was fortunate enough to get a chance to talk to front man Alex Gaskarth about everything from Weezer to Ellie Goulding to having cotton candy in a not so pleasant place recently. Here is how it went.
How is life treating All Time Low lately?
Alex: Very good, it's been very busy, but it's been good.
You guys just got off of a tour with Yellowcard and Hey Monday. What did you take away from touring with them and seeing them play live?
Alex: We've been really tight with Hey Monday for a while now, so that was a really cool tour to be on with them. It's always fun to tour with them, it's like meeting up with old friends. Yellowcard was absolutely amazing, I grew up a fan of Yellowcard and getting to share the stage with them was really cool. They are all super nice dudes and really driven, I guess this is like round two for them, since they had a little bit of a hiatus. They seem very determined to see it through and make it work.
Your new single I Feel Like Dancing was co-written with Rivers Cuomo (Weezer). He is another legend of the alternative scenewhat was that like?
Alex: It was really cool, he's a hero to me and I have been a major fan of Weezer for a very long time. We're a bunch of kids who grew up in the 90's and so Weezer is right at the top of the list of bands that were inspirational to us and were pivotal in this bands creation. Being able to sit down in a room with him and being able to pick his brain was super refreshing, it gave me a really new take on my writing ability. It's really cool when working with somebody pushes you in a new direction and its a new direction you never thought of. That's the reason I try to do co-writes every now and then with people like Rivers.
Obviously they are always known as this fun band, is it the same way working with him or does he get really serious about it?
Alex: He was very similar to us in our writing styles, he takes it very seriously, but he has fun doing it. It's important to him that the song is quality, but at the same time we
weren't afraid to say the word crunk in the song, because thats the whole point of the song, its supposed to be fun and its supposed to be kind of ironic. We definitely took that approach and it worked well for us, especially since we both have that same sense of humor.
The video for I Feel Like Dancing , kind of pokes fun at being on a major label and has you doing various spoofs. Was it as fun as it looks to make?
Alex: Yeah! It was a blast, it was a long day, it took us a while to get it done, but the video was such a good concept for the song and for the situation we are in. There's always this negative connotation with major labels that just doesn't make sense anymore, because, I mean I can't speak for all the labels, but interscope who we signed with really has a new and fresh vision. When we signed with them, we saw this backlash of people saying "oh this is going to be the end: you know like "this is where it all goes bad" and to be honest that just isn't the case at all. The stereotypes we portray in the video are completely the opposite of how it's been, so it really helped to play into the irony of the song itself.
How about the Katy Perry part of the video?
Alex: ::Laughs:: it was an experience! It was a real experience, you know when Matt the director was like "I want you naked, like I dont want to fake this, I want you to be naked in the cotton candy" I was like "are you serious right now?". I felt like when an actor really dedicates himself to a role like the dude in The Machinist, Christian Bale, who just went all out and lost all that weight, I got naked and filled my butt with cotton candy.
::laughs Well good for you man, you are a hero! What was your favorite part of Dirty Work ?
Alex: My favorite part was working with Mike Green. Mike kind of became to fifth member of All Time Low through the process and he really brought out a great sound from within the band. He and I have created some really good songs together. I feel really lucky that we got to work with him.
It's funny because soundtracks can be so hit and miss, yet you guys have had some great contributions to soundtracks. One of my favorites was the song you had on the Jennifers Body soundtrack ( Toxic Valentine ). How have you guys felt about these songs?
Alex: Yeah to be honest, I feel really grateful we got to do that song and I feel like it's kind of a bummer we didn't get to do more with it, because it's such a cool and interesting song, but sometimes that's what happens with songs for soundtracks.
It's definitely sad, because that whole soundtrack was good!
Alex: Yeah and the movie kinda sucked, so it's kind of a bummer! ::laughs::
Now that the tour with Hey Monday and Yellowcard is over, what are you up to?
Alex: Well we are actually in France right now, we've been touring across Europe doing all these festival dates. We are just having a good time living on the bus and playing with some amazing bands. We played with My Chemical Romance and we played with the Foo Fighters, Gaslight Anthem. Just some really good people.
Is this your first time over in Europe?
Alex: No, we've been over quite a few times, this is maybe our six or seventh time back.
What is the reaction like in Europe?
Alex: Our fan base is really strong in Europe, the kids here are amazing and really big supporters of this genre of music and similar genres of music I guess.
Do you have any idea on what the next single will be off of Dirty Work?
Alex: That's a good question! I Feel Like Dancin is still kind of simmering. It's a weird process because this is our first dance with Top 40 radio, so it takes a while, it takes time, so unfortunately for the hard core fan base, we are sticking with the video for a while, because obviously we wanted to put it out as soon as the single was released. At the same time we are seeing if this radio game is going to work for us. It seems to be working so far, each week slowly, but surely we are climbing the charts.
What inspires you in the art world right now?
Alex: I am a big fan of the new Foo Fighters album, big fan of Ellie Goulding and a big fan of Batman comics right now.
Have you been able to catch a live show of Ellie's yet?
Alex: I haven't yet, I was kind of late on that one. I sort of just recently got into her and everyone else was like "where the fuck have you been dude?". She"s so great though and the record is awesome, I hope I do get to catch her live soon.
Who's the gorgeous blonde in your shoot you did for Ragged Magazine?
Alex: Oh Ragged yeah ::laughs::, I wish I knew! She WAS gorgeous! I don't actually know, I guess she's a model for Ragged, they were featuring guys and girls clothes, so they wanted a couple chicks in the shots. That was like one of the pictures they featured big time and it made it look like we had a girl in our band.
Well at least you got to do the photo shoot with her I guess!
Alex: ::laughs:: yeah it's weird, because they write up this sick article about the band and everything, but the shoot is more fashion oriented and that's something we haven't done a whole lot of, so we all kind of just stood around looking awkward and uncomfortable and then that girl was there looking great.
What was the Baltimore scene like growing up?
Alex: It was a great scene that really helped us feel like rock stars at a young age and got us ready for what was to come, it really helped us take steps towards becoming a more mainstream act.
What are your fondest memories of growing up there?
Alex: The summers. The summers in Baltimore are awesome, very hot, but they're great. We lived out in the suburbs and some of my fondest memories are driving around with the guys. I remember trying to book these shows last minute and trying to sell our records. It all felt really natural and organic back then which I am glad about. I am glad we came from that rather than anything else.
RED HAIR FOR THE SEASON
Red hair has always been really popular - gingers are to die for no matter what they look like. However not as many people can pull it off as they hope. A few months ago I mentioned on my blog that people are boldly dying their hair red as a summer trend. What most people don't realize about red hair before they begin is the upkeep for red hair is very different than any other colour and if anything it's probably the most expensive. One of the most popular celebrities that sports red hair would be Hayley Williams of Paramore and if you notice, her hair colour changes from one red to the next almost on a daily basis.
No one has the same shade of red (at least for those of us who aren't natural) and you will go through many different shades of red in your summer hair as well. So would you ever consider red hair and if you did would it be more "natural" which is the way I prefer my hair or would it be louder? What shade would you aim for? Curious, I hosted a poll to find out. I choose five different reds including "dark red" a bright theres-no-doubt-in-your-mind that you aren't red, auburn a natural looking
brown red, red-red which looks like a clown, orange which is self explanatory and I had to include "natural" for the real gingers. Here were the results:
34% dark red
23% auburn
0% red red
29% orange
14% natural
What I didn't mention is that for most of us who don't have the money to spend touching up our hair every few weeks or those that dye our own hair without professional experience will
go through a phase of every shade I posted. I began dying my hair red at the age thirteen and I choose a deep burgundy red, throughout the years I began to go lighter and lighter almost starting with a RED RED so I could plan for a few months of fading. Finally I stopped dying my own hair and took it to a salon. Red is actually a great colour for summertime because if you start out the summer with a red red I can almost guarantee by the end of the summer it will be more your natural colour depending on the shade of your real hair colour. What I'm saying is that it will only LAST the summer if you're not willingly to keep up to date with dying your hair.
The first time I dyed my hair I couldn't understand why it would bleed for weeks at a time, it's almost like all the dye you just put in your hair is falling out and after just a few weeks of having red hair it'll already be faded. Using hair colour treatment shampoos and conditioners is a must with red hair. I recommend (and have had recommend to me on multiple accounts) Redkin Color Extend products. They work the best on red hair. You're going to begin to fry your hair so taking care of your hair is a must. Even using the conditioner that comes with the hair dye will not help revive your hair back to it's full strength.
If you've never dyed your hair before I recommend doing it professionally no matter how often you dye your hair, but if you would prefer to do it yourself remember to wear clothing that you don't care about because you will get countless red stains that are much like the colour of blood all over your face, neck, hands/arms and clothing. The reason I recommend doing it professionally is because when I started dying my hair by myself, I used the same hair dye each time I would dye my hair, but since the colour changes and fades over the years my hair changed. It went from being red to having patches of pink in the back. The hair began to matt itself up and had more than 5 or 6 different shades of red. Not only can professionals see what they're doing, they KNOW what they're doing.
There are many different ways you can prevent your hair from fading including staying out the sun and going a few days in between hair washes and when you do wash your hair keep the temperature towards the colder side. Everyone's advice will be different but keep in mind overtime when you wash your hair, in the beginning weeks your hair will bleed. I mean weeks...not days....weeks. Red/pink water will be draining all over your body and onto the shower floor. The natural oils in your hair are good for it and you should skip showering for a day before you dye your hair to make it a bit greasy which will help the red colour "grab". It will also help hold the red longer. I also try to go a day or two without showering AFTER I dye my hair red too. Washing your hair too often will take out your natural oils resulting in your hair becoming even more greasy. Using baby powder in your roots will help it to not look quite as greasy. Keeping up on your hair cuts/trims will help get rid of dead dried hair at the ends.
Dying your hair is very dangerous and damaging to your hair no matter how well you take care of it. At times it will feel fried, dead, course and fake. The red will begin to fade the minute you finish dying your hair. So I ask again, would you ever consider red hair and if you did would it be more "natural" which is the way I prefer my hair or would it be louder? What shade would you aim for?
Heading out of the summer means one of two things. Either you are headed back to school or you are out of school and happy that everyone else is headed back. Regardless you are going to need some tunes. Whether it's for beating the autumn blues or for distracting yourself from your school work.
Don't waste your money on what your friends think is cool though, spend your hard earned cash on what we tell you to..... or just go get spotify.
This week we bring you some new stuff from Incubus, Matt Nathonson, of Verona and more......enjoy!
Some Mad Hope was a big album for Matt Nathanson. Especially for me as a listener I suppose. It had radio friendly singles like Car Crash and Come On Get Higher , as well as painfully relatable and beauitufl songs like Bulletproof Weeks . I think anyone who had that album was eager to see what he was going to do next.
Move forward to Modern Love and Matt Nathanson hasn't disappointed us by any stretch. Does it have the songs that will last with you forever like Bulletproof Weeks ? Not entirely, but on a whole the album is solid as Nathanson manages to nearly hit that perfection that is calmly beautiful without being boring. He also shows off a little more versatility with the more pumped up Queen Of (K)nots, which is nice to see.
More than anything if you were a fan of his better known tracks that I mentioned above, you will be more than thrilled with Modern Love . Almost every track follows in the sound you know and love, yet they never seem repetitive, each track has new life added to it. Definitely a thumbs up here.
-Brandon Lemons
Back when I interviewed of Verona's front girl Mandi Perkins, she told me that the band had a 80's vintange sound, but was also futuristic at the same time. Obviously that sounds intriguing, but how true could it be? And what exactly does that sound like?
Well all I can tell you is that she was right, but you will have to actually listen for yourself to understand. Fall Like Roses is the debut EP that of Verona needed. This band is well on their way to stardom and I am very glad that this EP reflects that. Imagine Tears For Fears with a chick mixed in with some Portishead and then add excitement to it all....call me crazy, but that is of Verona.
One of the strongest tracks on the EP is Match , which definitely has the Portishead vibe to it and another one of my favorite's is the beautiful piano filled, Raining .
Mandi's gorgeous and unique vocals are just an added to bonus to this extremly strong EP.....bring on the full length album!
Like it or not, your favorite band who was once so young and full of angst and energy is going to keep getting older. There is no special anti aging drug that only rockstars know about, unless of course you are the Foo Fighters.
Seriously though, some bands such as the Foo Fighters keep on rocking, even if there is little or no change in their sound, their fans don't seem to care. Then you have bands like Radiohead who seem to get more philosophical, less wordy and for lack of better words...dull as they get more gray hairs. Incubus also seems to be headed in that direction. However still not enough to make If Not Now When? a lost cause. I mean it's going to take a lot for Brandon Boyd not to be cool anymore.
I guess I have just been an Incubus fan for so long that I will always love them, but I am starting to feel that their best days are behind them. Bottom line, if you are an Incubus fan....buy it, if you're not......stream it on spotify first.
As for me I will be rocking out to everything from Make Yourself to Light Grenades for the most part.
The Airborne Toxic Event's first self titled album will always be a personal favorite of mine amongst all of the albums I have in my collection. It fits right in there with A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay, Songs About Jane by Maroon 5 and Final Straw by Snow Patrol. In fact The Airborne Toxic Event kind of reminds me a bit of Snow Patrol's early days, only they aren't just "a little bit sad", "a little bit angry" or "a little bit happy"...they are very sad, very angry and well....yeah happy sometimes as well I guess (not to be confused with their actual attitudes in real life, the band always seems to be smiling).
That all said what impressed me the most about All At Once is that I liked it even more than their self titled album. To be honest, I didn't think that was possible, but boy was I wrong. All At Once is loud, it's beautiful, it's quiet and it's PERFECT! If it doesn't pull you in already with the kicky single, Changing and the beautiful All For A Woman , you will definitely be taken by The Kids Are Ready To Die which transitions into a song that I will forever hold as one of my favorite rock songs ever now, Welcome To Your Wedding Day . Half of Something Else rounds out the middle of this album and takes you back a little to their first album with hints of Sometime Around Midnight . The album then finishes perfectly with the nearly morbid, yet lovely, The Graveyard By Your House .
This album is not just a five star album, it is an instant classic in my opinion. It is arranged and produced perfectly and so underrated it's not even funny. Just buy this now! -Brandon Lemons
