Casual Cogitations

I’m going to make no bones about this, I love Hedley, always have, so this review will be more than extremely biased in many people’s eyes. So obviously when I heard that the four piece were going to make a new album, I was over the moon. The finished product however is not what many fans expected.

The album kicks off with the dance-pop tune and first single “Cha-Ching”, a song far different from the sound and feeling of much of the Hedley back catalog, whilst lyrically, the band takes a jab at fame grabbing celebrities. Whilst it’s a far cry from the power balladry and heart wrenching topics of previous works, it’s an extremely catchy song that will have you singing along all day. A similar vibe is continued with the next track “Don’t Talk To Strangers”, where the use of auto-tune, while not really overused, feels entirely unnecessary when Hoggard’s vocals are extremely capable of delivering.

The album swiftly moves along with “Scream”, which moves further away from the dance side of things but is still laced with electronica and voice altering. The chorus is by far the highlight in the track. The tempo is shifted down for the start of the next track in “Hands Up”, which starts with superb vocal delivery and country style acoustic guitar, which eventually builds up to an anthemic and uplifting chorus.

After a very materialistic and inauspicious start lyrically to the album, Hedley get back to what they do best which is writing songs from the heart. “Amazing” starts with a soft piano reminiscent of “For the Nights I Can’t Remember” and hits just as hard. “Shelter” and ‘Young & Stupid’ show off Hoggard’s vocal talents and one of the highlights of the album.

“Perfect” shows a different side to Hoggard’s vocal delivery, using an unusually higher tone for the heart wrenching chorus, but yet again, is delivered extremely well. Claiming “I’m not perfect, but i keep trying, cause that’s what I said I would do from the start, I’m not alive if im lonely.” “The Sweater Song” is a very stripped-down acoustic song of conversations of two young lovers. “9 Shades of Red” switched the topic to completely about partying and the closer “Friends” is a perfect closer about graduation and wins and losses of high school friends.

Musically this album is is not very technical, as the guitars and bass are very simple, yet still delivered extremely well, as usual. Lyrically this album is extremely up and down. Amid the usual heartbreaks and sadness, it also shows plenty more materialistic lyricism. In the end, Hedley have created a solid record, one that fans will not necessarily like due to the departure and progression of the band. But for me this is still another solid Hedley record.

Welcome to Wonderland. A world meticulously crafted by the minds of Forgive Durden, lies, deceit, greed, and lust lay within. The picture of Wonderland is painted with vivid lyrical imagery provided by Forgive Durden in their debut full-length. In one of the most diverse records to come out in recent memory, Forgive Durden brings their own musical style to several different musical genres, including takes on country, tango, and pop. But intertwined into all these styles is a distinctive sound that the band has made for themselves. Showing influences from Gatsby’s American Dream, Wonderland is full of accented off-beats and chromatic progressions, adding another band from Seattle who follows in Gatsby’s tech-rock footsteps. But the comparisons should end there. While listeners may hear similarities in certain chords or guitar stylings, virtually every song on Wonderland contains a chorus and Forgive Durden takes their musical exploration far beyond the expected scope.

Wonderland begins with a bang with the quickly paced “Ants” and the now revamped version of “Beware the Jub Jub…” Not only are these two songs full of memorable choruses, but they both provide depictions of corporate greed. “Beware the Jub Jub…” contains a distinctive progressive crawl with a resonating chorus that continues the theme of Wonderland. Lines like “I want to sink my teeth into/skin I can’t see through” are metaphors for real situations, and it starts to become evident that Wonderland is a depiction of our modern day society, painted in a unique limelight by Forgive Durden.

Aside from the fantastic lyrics, the musicianship is exceptional. This first manifestation occurs on “Ear to Ear,” a blast of tech-rock complete with horns, saxophones, a mandolin, and start-stop downbeats, all transitioning into a nice, poppy chorus. The verses are exceptional and completely unpredictable – this song is one of many on Wonderland that takes unexpected turns, and while each song contains a chorus, the timing and overall structure of songs will leave listeners guessing. “Ill Tango Della…” contains verses written in tango style while providing a deep lyrical story. It’s just another example of how clear a picture Forgive Durden paints – the song speeds up while escalating into an emphatic percussion solo to end the song. While there were teaser animations made to promote the release of Wonderland, songs like these have convinced me that Wonderland could easily be the soundtrack to a musical. One can’t help but visualize actual events happening while listening to the music. This quality alone sets the record apart from the pack, and that’s just the beginning.

Wonderland refuses to lose steam after the halfway point, as “The Great Affair is to Move,” marches forward with emphatic downbeats and hand-claps. “For a Dreamer…” is a brilliantly crafted pop song that is instantly contagious, with excellently layered backing vocals in both the verse and chorus. While the song begins with the appearance of pop-rock, Forgive Durden refuses to be predictable as midway through the song a complete transformation occurs. A punching chromatic ascension builds with cries of “Extra! Extra! Read all about it...” Wonderland winds down nicely with the absolutely stunning track “I’ve Got a Witch Mad at Me…” This somber track uses piano and crescendos to build into an emotional chorus once again filled with lyrical imagery. “Cue the Sun” concludes Wonderland with another somber song that sweeps into a grandiose finish to a superb album.

There are very few flaws to Wonderland. It is a tad bit short, as the journey seems like it’s over before it even began. The last two songs are fantastic but are both slow and seem slightly out of place next to each other. That being said, this is a completely different band from their previous work. Thomas’s voice has matured greatly and is smooth and confident, the songwriting is years ahead of their time, and the production is easily Casey Bates’ finest work to date – not overdone, but has enough bells and whistles to help Forgive Durden achieve their story telling.

Wonderland is one of those albums that people will be talking about for years. Forgive Durden is a band, much like Gatsby’s American Dream, that stands out from the scene with their unique approach. Technical, diverse, ambitious, and addicting, Wonderland will make Forgive Durden a buzz band in the community. Buckle up and prepare for quite the journey. Welcome to Wonderland.

Yep, my new years resolution: making reviews in the music scenery on just about anything. Anything but Hip-Hop, Trash Metal, Rap....errr maybe at least keep away from those morally depraved teens that believe they're making music by simultaneously hitting two trashcans together. Anyway, on to the first ever album review!!!!

I like to divide up the genre of pop punk into two subcategories. On one hand, you have the deep and profound bands – those like Say Anything or Brand New – and on the other, you have the plentiful mass of sunny-eyed, catchy bands – ala All Time Low, The Maine, We The Kings, etc. Both sides have their quirks and positives, and despite what may be the initial belief on the subject, the population of listeners throughout the world is probably divided almost evenly when it comes to the number of those that actually enjoy each side of the genre. There is a right way and a wrong way when it comes to the bands actually crafting their music within these sections, and unless the band is trying to push the envelope and create something original, many outputs – particularly those on the catchy side of pop punk – tend to follow a similar format and formula when it comes to the creation of the band’s album.

I’ll get right to the point: We The King’s Smile Kid follows the successful formula for a catchy pop punk release almost perfectly. The band isn’t Radiohead – or Brand New for that matter – and they aren’t out to create something original. The band is just doing what they learned to do with their self-titled debut: the band is just making a summer album for teenagers. Lyrical subjects are what you would expect them to be – growing up, girls, and summer – and the emotions that come across from the music fall into the category of the mysterious and often unsettling area of angst.

The opening track should all but cement what I have said thus far: ”Do, do do, do do, do do do…” follows behind a catchy pop punk riff, and the chorus to be found here is loaded with hooks and many possible interpretations:”She takes me high, she takes me high…” Suffice it to say, the song could certainly be the anthem of those searching for love and affection. We The Kings continue from there on and deliver summer anthem after summer anthem. “The Story of Your Life” is riddled with a naïve type of hope – the kind that only someone who hasn’t been hit with the negative side of life talks about – and for what it’s worth, I can certainly see a lot of girls falling for Travis Clark’s lyrics that encourage them to run away with the singer. As far as switching it up in terms of sound, “In-N-Out (Animal Style)”, with a healthy ammount of sexual innuendo in the title, has this reggae edge to the verses that later connects with the type of chorus that can be found throughout the majority of the album: catchy, hopeful, earnest, etc.

While the majority of the album is a happy and hopeful anthem affair, there does happen to be one moment where the band slows down a bit. “We’ll Be A Dream” features a duet between Travis and Demi Lovato, and while the track does evolve into another anthem for better and hopeful times, you wouldn’t be incorrect in calling it the album’s ballad. Unlikely as it may be, the album’s closer may be the best example of a catchy, pop punk song. A jingle-bell type of pop punk riff enters the track, and the chorus accompanied by sets of well-placed: “Hey, hey, hey, hey!” make for the album’s defining track.

Smile Kid is an album of hope that is full of desires for better days. The band has decided to take the relative success of their self-titled debut and tweak a bit, creating an album that’s meant for the summer season but will have to do for the months of winter instead. As mentioned, the band follows the format for a successful and catchy pop punk release almost perfectly, and those interested shouldn’t expect anything below or above that threshold of quality. Listeners should be warned though: the contents therein are full of sugar; it is best that this album be enjoyed in small doses if this is your type of thing.