Tag Archives: Rock

The Blackout – The Best In Town – CD Review

Post-Hardcore rockers The Blackout may have already turned some heads overseas previously in the U.K. but that was not good enough for them. The band recently recorded their second full length appropriately titled The Best In Town, signed to Epitaph Records, and now plan on invading the U.S. with their infectious music. The Blackout should have no problem doing so with a pretty intense album full of hard rock riffs and dual vocals that are sure to attract a much wider audience in due time.

Track opener “ShutTheF*ckUppercut” immediately has The Blackout declaring they desire attention with sick guitar playing, gut wrenching vocals, and even harmonious signing layered with piano. If the title of the song alone did not capture attention, the song itself surely would. Think hard rock mixed with post-hardcore and even some glam.

“Saves Our Selves (The Warning)” takes more of an emo Taking Back Sunday approach with a good rock feel. With no intentions of boring their listeners, The Blackout keep their first single off the album very interesting throughout proving the band really wants the spotlight fame they crave.

“Top Of The World” continues with a more rock song that many fans, old and new, will be singing along to instantly. “Children Of The Night”, the albums second single, carries on with a harder rock playing and multiple vocals including haunting children signing that could easily could accompany a modern day Lost Boys soundtrack.

“Silent (When We Speak)” slows down things for a moment and begs for lighters to be raised in the air and ignited with this ballad of sorts complete with your trademark guitar solo sure to set the mood right.

Dual vocal battle track “I Love Myself and I Wanna Live” mixed up aggressive rock with more emo type jams for a highly addicting track. Album closer “We’re Going To Hell… So Bring The Sunblock” not only had another hilarious title for a song but also escalated the energy of the band once again for a damn good finish to an album.

When Epitaph Records signs a band to their label there usually has to be a good vibe about that act. The Blackout are full of energy and musical abilities that will easily grab the attention of many and prove that Epitaph was right in adding them to their roster. Fans of post-hardcore bands and emo acts should check out The Best In Town as it is an album that will not disappoint.

Catch The Blackout at this year’s Van’s Warped Tour at a city near you.

“Children Of The Night” video:

Daft Punk To Score Tron 2 (a.k.a. TR2N)

Disney and Daft Punk?  Seriously?

I guess it is possible.  Journey after all did supply the first soundtrack to the sci-fi cult flick Tron.  Then again Journey are not French robots….or are they???

I was/am a Tron fan so the news that a sequel to Tron is coming out got me all sorts of excited.  I still have one of my Tron toys from the 80’s made by Tomy somewhere in my mess of a computer room.  I loved that movie as a kid and recently was able to see it again in HD and loved it even more.  I am very curious to see how TR2N follows the original and more importantly see how Daft Punk does with the score.

If you forgot or do not know, I am a huge Daft Punk fan.  I think it would be awesome if Daft Punk made a cameo in the movie, after all they are not human.

Looks like I get the best of both worlds with this movie slated to release in 2011.

It kills me now to see this video of what Journey thought music from the 1990’s would sound like:

Related Links:

Billboard.com talks about Daft Punkscoring the TR2N soundtrack
Pitchfork.com talks about Daft Punk

Lollapalooza 2009

I finally had a chance to check out the Lollapalooza 2009 line up and I am a little excited about it.  Ok, a lot excited…


Click HERE for the Lollapolooza 2009 line-up poster.

The poster is kinda large to be putting on my site so instead I will just copy / paste the list of bands that will be performing over the 3 day weekend:

Depeche Mode, Tool, The Killers, Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon, Lou Reed, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Rise Against, Andrew Bird, TV on the Radio, Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, Neko Case, STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9), Animal Collective, Band of Horses, Of Montreal, Arctic Monkeys, Coheed and Cambria, Ben Folds, Fleet Foxes, Silversun Pickups, Kaiser Chiefs, Crystal Castles, Bon Iver, Santigold, Atmosphere, Dan Auerbach, Cold War Kids, Deerhunter, Lykke Li, Robert Earl Keen, Peter Bjorn and John, Heartless Bastards, Gomez, Glasvegas, Federico Aubele, Dan Deacon, Passion Pit, Zap Mama, The Raveonettes, The Gaslight Anthem, The Airborne Toxic Event, White Lies, Ra Ra Riot, No Age, Asher Roth, Los Campesinos!, Bat For Lashes, Chairlift, Gang Gang Dance, The Virgins, Amazing Baby, Portugal. The Man, The Knux, Ida Maria, Delta Spirit, Friendly Fires, Manchester Orchestra, Constantines, Ezra Furman & The Harpoons, Hockey, Miike Snow, Alberta Cross, Hey Champ, Sam Roberts Band, The Henry Clay People, Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, Cage the Elephant, Living Things, The Low Anthem, Blind Pilot, Langhorne Slim, Other Lives, The Builders and The Butchers, Eric Church, Joe Pug, Kevin Devine, The Greencards, Carney, Thenewno2

See any bands in there you like?  I know I see a ton of bands I would love to see, even if I have already seen them previously in the year!  There is also a handful of other artists too listed to perform at another stage.

I’ve never been to Chicago so this may have to happen.  I am sure my pal Matt will want to join me as has mentioned it to me a couple of times.  Any of you other Cleveland bloggers thinking of invading Chicago too?

Tickets are $190 for the three day festival not including a place to stay.  I will be highly considering this since I have still heard nothing about this year’s Virgin Mobile Festival.

I would like to say that I was going to the Virgin Mobile Festival for the fouth time in a row but if they move it from the Pimlico Race Track that will really put a damper on if I want to go.  Part of the whole experience was being at that horse race track turned festival grounds…  I wrote a little post about it a few weeks back you can read if you are curious on why they might move the Virgin Festival to another location.

I guess we will see what happens!

Until then here are some Lollapalooza related videos I found…

This video is footage of a terrible crowd in Charlestown, VA in 1995 not giving a good welcome to original indie artist Pavement:

I really wanted to go to Lollapalooza in 2007 because of this band:

Jane’s Addiction in Enumclaw, WA in 1991 with Ice T (NSFW, a little strong language going on here…):