"They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said..."

"Sure. What the heck."

Good for you, Amy Winehouse. Good for you.

Unfortunately, summer has not been a time of music festivals and rock concerts for this little Floridian. But between jobs and trips I’ve been racing to my local Best Buy to purchase some tunes. Here’s what I think.

This CD is amazing. All around one of the best sophomore albums I’ve heard. It felt like it took a while for this little group to put out something new, and there are only ten songs, but I feel like they didn’t force anything. Each track is great.

One of my biggest complaints with bands is that they try to overcompensate for their inability to follow up previous hits (ct. Infinity On High). Eisley does add a chorus for “Come Clean,” but they keep their simple piano parts, and even their beloved toy piano at times. You can really feel the band’s growth in this track; the words and melodies are still enchanting and simple, but Eisley’s not afraid to rock out, either.
A+.

I can hardly bring myself to say anything negative about this band. It hurts, it really does. But I have yet to feel the need to listen to The Needles The Space over and over. I love Straylight Run’s originality—and of course you know about my thing with piano-driven music. Sadly, though, this CD’s success will surely fall short of its predecessor, except perhaps with the band’s more loyal following.

That said, this is not a bad CD. It’s got some catchy tracks, my favorite being “The Miracle That Never Came.”

One thumbs up.

Ah, The Starting Line. Feels like just yesterday I was a middle-school kid listening to “The Best of Me,” which will probably forever be these guys’ best (and only?) hit.

I’ve heard friends say this album is a return to the “good stuff,” as if Based on a True Story was straying from all that was decent TSL music. I hear it as a combination of the past two CDs, and additional maturation at the same time. It’s kind of like watching a little kid grow up: after they’ve grown, it makes sense that they look and act the way they do, but at the same time, you never could’ve predicted it years ago.

Ken, the lead singer, has finally gained full control of his voice. The lyrics are also slightly more mature (i.e. less bitter/full of angst). What amazed me most, though, was the quality of the accompaniment parts, which often take a melody all their own, sometimes better than the vocal line.

One smiley face.

I know you saw this one coming. Yes, Paramore’s sophomore album is out, and in my opinion, a bit misnomer-ed. These guys aren’t trying to start a riot. If anything, they’re consoling emo kids with tracks like, “We Are Broken.”

So now they’re all over MTV and the covers of magazines like Alternative Press. Why? First, their first CD developed a good fan base, and touring with the right bands (see above review) helps, too. In addition, however, this album is much more commercial. The songs are notably more catchy, and I’ve already covered the teen-angst anthem “We Are Broken,” so I won’t say anything more.

More commercial doesn’t necessarily mean bad. I was quite impressed at this young band’s ability to come up with a second CD of such good quality so quickly. Besides, you can’t blame them for knowing their audience.

Three gold stars. Out of what? Oh, I don’t know.

See you soon.