Hogan’s Albums of the Week – 11/3
Time for another new music Thursday. I’ve only got three albums to talk about today, but if I’m honest, I only care about one of them, for reasons you will understand shortly, but I’m saving the best for last.
First off, Anti Flag put out a new album today, which is pretty cool. I’ve said that if one good thing comes from all this political bullshit going on right now, it’s going to be good punk music. And if anyone is suited to do that, it’s Anti Flag. I’ll level with you though, I haven’t listened to the new album yet, I’m sure I’ll get to it at some point. I’ve heard it’s actually pretty good, but after 30 years or so, I think I get the idea. So I’ll check it out when I’ve got the time.
Next up, Like Moths to Flames put out a new album that’s a bit of a style change for them. Some people aren’t into it, but I think it’s pretty cool. It reminds me a lot of Hands Like Houses, who, of course, I’m a very big fan of. We’ve lost a lot of the screaming and stuff, which has always been a hallmark of LMTF, but to be perfectly honest, these guys never struck me as particularly remarkable in that regard. They were part of that Rise Records cookie cutter metalcore trend that came out around 2009/2010, and they never really moved past that. At least with this they’re gaining a little bit of individuality, so I’ll take it. Plus, if you’re not into it, it’s not like there aren’t 20 other bands that sound exactly like they used to.
But the big one for this week, is Converge. Converge is my favorite band, I have two Converge tattoos. I do not fuck around with Converge. I would say there is no way that I could write this without being biased towards it being awesome, but that’s the cool part about only writing about releases that I’m excited for – it doesn’t have to be unbiased. I suppose the only way to explain Converge to someone that doesn’t listen to them is just chaos. This band is pure chaos and emotion, and it’s amazing. Kind of in a way that Dillinger Escape Plan is, but in the way that Dillinger is very calculated, Converge is very unhinged. And this album is exactly that. But in a different way than their previous efforts. The Dusk in Us has a different feel to it, Bannon’s lyrics are less vengeful and hopeless, but still maintain the sadness and depth that you’d expect from Converge but with more perseverance and growth. And musically, just… Jesus Christ, this album is just straight bonkers. This might be their best album since You Fail Me. In the same way that Anti Flag feels a bit stale after three decades, Converge is still pushing boundaries and feeling cutting edge. There is a reason these guys are my favorite band. This album is damn near perfect.
Favorite new music this week: Just listen to the new Converge album, please.
Hogan’s Albums of the Week (10/27)
Hogan’s Albums of the Week – 10/20
Weekend Warm-Up No. 17: Dreamscape Edition
–Words & list by Mike Hogan
It’s getting close now, BADASS Raves’ Dreamscape Festival is less than a week away, and that means it’s time to start getting hyped up for a weekend of good music, good friends, and pool parties. So while it is the weekend, and that’s certainly something to celebrate on it’s own, I’m choosing to more or less take it easy this weekend in preparation for an absolutely huge weekend looming ahead of me. And considering the fact that this time next week, you all will (hopefully) be getting down at Dreamscape Festival instead of sitting in front of your computer, I figured there was no time like the present to start getting excited. So to get your weekend, and indeed your Dreamscape Festival started off on the right foot, this week’s Weekend Warm-Up features some of the hardest hitting headliners that you can find at Dreamscape.
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Quick Six: The Best of Boston
In our recent piece on the debut full length album from Actor|Observer we got to talking about that signature style of Boston post-hardcore that has become such a staple of the region’s music scene. And it isn’t the first time we’ve talked about the music scene up in Boston either. The city is chock full of amazing talent and even more amazing dedication. So many bands have worked their way up through the Boston scene, some have grown up past that to reach national and international touring levels, but the majority of them never made it past the regional level. But regardless of their level of fame, so many of them will forever remain local heroes. That’s the thing about Boston, it isn’t concerned with fame, even the smallest local bands can reach the same level of acclaim as the internationally touring acts. Just ask any older Boston musician about The Cadence – which I would include in this list if there were any recordings of their music still available anywhere but MySpace – and you’ll realize that talent counts for a lot more than album sales in Boston. And here are six bands that have proved that point throughout their entire careers.
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AltFreq Weekend Planner (4/23/15-4/25/15)
–Written by Kevin Madert
It’s nearly impossible to keep track of all the events going on in the area, so we’re here to let you know what’s happening in live music over the next few days. Watch out on Sundays for our “Weekly Planner,” where we’ll cover the remaining four days of the week.
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