TOP PICKS
Breaking Laces
PHILOSOPHY ON REVIEWS
Come Get Some
OUR REVIEW SECTION IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. We don’t use a numbered scale or star system, and we don’t feature music we don’t like. Instead, think of this as our top picks of the month. These are the new releases that we’re really enjoying, and that we recommend you check out. We also mix in a few of our favorite live shows, as well as books and videos from time to time. Listen to the music featured at performermag.com
Brooklyn, NY (Tenacity Records)
“Musical variety with a comfortable and inspiring theme” The surprisingly dynamic yet comfortably consistent album Come Get Some really made an impact on me right away with the band’s single “Better Than Me,” mainly because of the vocals. Lead vocalist Billy Hartong has a unique tone with a developed range of belting and cleaner phrases throughout the album. The band’s sound has several outliers and changes song-to-song, but overall features an ambient, relaxed timbre because of its use of acoustic guitar in more than half the songs and the frequent use of soft synthesizers, organs, and piano in the background of the mix. It is difficult picking tracks from the album to suggest because they are all so dynamically contrasting from each other. However, the softer tunes “When the Lightning Came,” “Post-Graduation March” and “Taking Us Home” are very enjoyable in a calming and nostalgic way. For ambient rock tunes, the tracks “Better Than Me,” “Be A Hammer” and “Before You Drown” really hit hard while still maintaining their cleaner tones and aspects. The record on the whole is much more diverse than most modern rock LPs, but at the same time maintains a comfortable, clean vibe.
fast, loud punk rock at its best. Bullet Treatment is everything that early LA punk and hardcore had to offer, just recorded on higher quality equipment. For those who downloaded the “new” Black Flag single and remembered that jam bands were absolute crap, go track down Ex-Breathers and smash your face into a brick wall for fun. Quite simply, Bullet Treatment is the truth.
Produced and Mixed by Paul Moak
Strong writing and excellent production always makes for a great recording. Cheyenne Mize seems to have the recipe perfected here with her latest release, Among the Grey. The LP is very reminiscent, yet with a fresh touch, of a collection of pop-songs that are soulful with a psychedelic 1960s atmosphere. There is something special about the hypnotic tone and pacing throughout. The tracks are sewn together beautifully by Mize’s engaging and sweet voice with songs that display a subtle hint of Jim Morrison’s poetic structure and music of The Doors. Mize’s tone and melodic arrangements engulf you; the spacious ambience of songs such as “Wouldn’t Go Back,” a somber ballad, and the record’s best track “As It Comes,” are indeed touching and reflective. Each song, however, delivers a genuine emotion. “Raymaker” is expertly woven “in the mix,” allowing the record to send your mood to a quiet state, and a journey of a soft lullaby in a nostalgic sense. Spacious, soft, soothing guitars nicely complement Mize’s airy, sultry vocals. There is no “grey” area here. Cheyenne Mize’s spectacular collection is among those you should acquaint yourself with; this comes highly recommended.
Mastered by Adam Ayan www.breakinglaces.com -Andy Gabrielson
Bullet Treatment Ex-Breathers Los Angeles, CA (Basement Records)
“Cue circle pit in 3…2…1…” Bullet Treatment is a unique band indeed. With its only stable member being Chuck Dietrich, Bullet Treatment is a semi-super-group that consists of whoever is down to jump on a track (past members have drawn from Anti-Flag, Strike Anywhere, Suicidal Tendencies, Good Riddance, etc). Their latest recording is sort of a proper follow-up to 2006’s The Mistake (their 2009 release, Designated, was more of an experiment that featured one song played multiple times with different lyrics/vocalists on each version). Ex-Breathers is eight songs, and clocks in at about nine and a half minutes. This is furious, 32 JULY 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Recorded at Basement Studios Mastered by Azimuth Mastering
Cody Beebe & The Crooks Out Here Seattle, WA (Self-released)
“Take the cover off your Mustang and grab some beer”
www.basementrecords.com -Ben Nine-K
Cheyenne Mize Among the Grey Louisville, KY (Yep Roc Records)
“Sweet and psychedelic, stormy and intimate”
Recorded and Engineered by Kevin Ratterman www.shinyplaces.com -Arthur Orfanos
Hailing from Seattle, Cody Beebe & The Crooks bring you the newest and the best in rock music. After a few member switches and up to 400 live shows, the group has just released their second album, and it is just as raw and real as the first. With some songs featuring heavy electric guitar and others acoustic lullabies, this record has it all. It’s been a while since something this raw has been put out, and it’s an experience to fully take in. Each of the songs have their own distinct sound, but specifically tracks like “Never Too Young” make you want to jump into a Mustang convertible and drive through the desert, passing a skull and bones as you weave through a field of cacti. In some of the songs, such as “Circle” and “Out Here,” you can’t help but feel a bit of a Southern buzz. The diversity of this LP leaves you wanting to listen to it more and more. It’s not too much or too little of anything; in fact it’s the perfect balance of rock, acoustic, jazz and blues. This unique take on American patriotism leaves us with an album that deserves to be heard. Produced by John Goodmanson Recorded at London Bridge Studio www.codybeebeandthecrooks.com -Hannah Lowry
continued on 37