Mediocrity vs. Greatness

Let me start this off by saying how incredibly sorry I am that I haven't posted anything in two months.  I apologize to my readers for making you wait for new material, but trust me when I say that I have tons!!  So much in fact, that I really can't cover it in one post.

So this post is going to cover the basics....

Two different album covers. Same great music.

My friend, and partner-in-crime, Ash Starkweather, of Pop Deflators, sent me a link to stream Less Than Jake's new EP entitled Seasons Greetings.  It's been about 4 years since anyone has heard anything recorded from these guys, and their last major-label album release is 2006 didn't strike me as their best effort, just being honest.  Seasons Greetings, for me anyway, is a return to the Less Than Jake that I know and love.

Readers of my blog know that I grew up on punk rock and ska style music.  That said, it's FANTASTIC to hear horns return to Less Than Jake's sound. Granted the return of the ska-styled sound came in 2008 with their return to indie labels and release of GNV FLA, but I missed out on that one. Most of the EP features the signature LTJ sound that fans have come to know and love. The tempo is up and very ska-like throughout a lot of the album.  However, the band is sure to leave room for a half-tempo chorus or two where it's needed. Welcome back boys, many happy returns!!

Check it out for yourself by clicking here.

So now it's time to have some good old-fashioned fun.  Let's take apart the band Halestorm, shall we?

Halestorm is what I would call a chick-rock version of Motley Crue... at first glance.  The first song I heard by the band, "Loves Bites (So Do I)", gave me this impression.  Unfortunately, the group didn't live up to the precedent they set with that song.  The rest of the what I heard on the band's website, www.halestormrocks.com, left me sad and expecting more.  There's a lot of slow melodic songs featured on the site, which seems to speak against the aggressive style set forth by the "Love Bites" song.  Honestly, "Love Bites" (in my opinion) in the only really good song the group has.

Halestorm

Again, let me say that I am generally a fan of chick-rock. I listen to Fireflight, Flyleaf, Evanescence, and similar bands of that sort.  So when I heard about Halestorm, I was optimistic, but sadly let down in the end.  Obviously, someone thinks better of them than I do, because the group is signed with Atlantic Records.

There's much more to come... Stay tuned (especially if you love Metal).