REVIEW: American Candy//The Maine - Miles Away From Where They Began

4/5 Stars

Waves to Watch: Diet Soda Society, Miles Away

Genre: Alternative rock

Goes great with: The Technicolors, The Eeries, Young Rising Sons

Nothing has ever tasted sweeter for The Maine, perhaps because they have given their fifth full-length the title of American Candy (Universal). The band has proved themselves to be one of the most consistent in the scene over their eight year lifetime, while still managing to grow from pop punk undergrounders to desert-dwelling alt-rockers. So there is no surprise that the five piece, consisting of vocalist John O'Callaghan, guitarists Kennedy Brock and Jared Monaco, bassist Garrett Nickelsen, and drummer Pat Kirch, secluded themselves in the SoCal desert to contrive this release.

American Candy could have easily sounded ragged around the edges, instead, capturing the sharp desert ruggedness that O'Callaghan's dusty voice lends so well to. Already, with their lead single "English Girls" - an oddly poignant look back at dirty youth - at hand, it became obvious that we were all in a new era of The Maine. Even with the second single and album's opener, "Miles Away", a new summer soundtrack was underway, as O'Callaghan proclaims, "I felt so alive".

The guys turn to new influences with old sounds, such as the gazing, 90's alt-rock ballad "24 Floors" and "Another Night on Mars", which coincidentally enough is bouncily theatrical akin to Bowie's Ziggy Stardust. "Am I Pretty?" borrows the spirited strumming of now British favorites, The 1975, while the more whimsical "Diet Soda Society" feels faintly reminiscent of a witty comeback delivered by Weezer. The latter's "My mind is on the brink of going supernova" is perhaps the strongest line burrowing in the strongest of the ten tracks.

"(Un)lost" is dreamier and sure to be a crowd anthem on the upcoming American Candy Tour, kicking off Friday in their hometown of Tempe. The title track is much darker than the sweet moniker implies; it is a tune of American indulgence, driven by Kirch's, a humanoid version of The Muppets' Animal, pumping drums.

American Candy is oddly self-obsessed, as it becomes evident, especially on "My Hair", that the five are realizing their aging as both individuals and as a group. Yet, it is hard to worry about them, as they fight for the youth that is still burning inside of them and their instruments. "Same Suit, Different Tie" is simply for themselves, noticing "I feel so fresh, I feel so new". The band has never been completely polished, especially with O'Callaghan's sometimes abtruse words and strange stunts, but The Maine still remains a shiny gem with a dusty undercoat.

Kirch has mentioned that "...for our band, getting away is the best way to make a record". Something clicked for The Maine in Joshua Tree; something kicked into gear that had not before. As the band sets out on a new stretch of their aging career, they will still remain young, dusty, weird, and unlost.

//Angelia//

MIXTAPE MONDAY: mixtape straight out of '94

mixtape straight out of '94

some of the best hits of 1994 (ish)

+listen

when i come around by green day // all apologies (mtv unplugged) by nirvana // buddy holly by weezer // sabotage by beastie boys // loser by beck // interstate love song by stone temple pilots // mr. jones by counting crows // cut your hair by pavement // seether by veruca salt // supernova by liz phair // self esteem by the offspring // connection by elastica // tomorrow by silverchair

xx. Sheridan

REVIEW: Chaos and the Calm//James Bay - This Could Be the One

4.5/5 Stars

Waves to Watch: If You Ever Want To Be In Love, When We Were On Fire

Genre: Indie rock, folk

Goes great with: George Ezra, Ella Henderson, Jake Bugg

In an era where any artist can slap the singer-songwriter label on their chest, James Bay has managed to escape the snare that holds the hoards of "starving" musicians. A slick portrait straight off a 70's folk-rock vinyl release, Bay scrapes at the sound of the aforementioned decade with his 21st century claws. His Chaos and the Calm (Republic) tells his story up until now - as any debut will do - with an honest, yet sentimental smile on its face.

Each of the twelve songs - a blend of new and EP's past - sounds as if it should be predictable, but none are in the slightest. Sure, it is obvious what aim Bay has image-wise, but he plays it all out more shrewdly than his fellow British counterparts. Bay has a knack for one-liners that you can't believe no one has pulled out of their six string before, as he nearly speaks in the minimalistic "Scars", "I need an hour just to say hello."

The most empathetic of these thoughts, "So alone I can taste it", falls within "When We Were On Fire", the moody track tinged with Carly Simon-esque crooning. It's almost impossible to believe that this is Bay's full-length debut, as a budding artist is almost never this in touch with himself.

Bay gave a taste of the promise land he had in store for both listeners and himself on four EPs, released throughout 2013 and 2014, particularly with November's "Hold Back the River". The track sounds like a river in itself, a more gospel brushstroke on a Jeff Buckley release. He asks for the chance to wander, while "Move Together" is an empty bed's cry for a lover while looking at the black night sky.

"Best Fake Smile" and "Craving" are the upbeat movers of the album, the former showcasing Bay's raspy vocal control, along with his dichotomy of bouncy sentimentality. "Get Out While You Can" sets him apart from his fellow up-and-coming peers, brandishing his ability to formulate a Brit-rock  - or even Springsteen - anthem in an unformulated way.

The album's strongest, "If You Ever Want To Be In Love", is perhaps the biggest ode to the 70's. It captures the thought everyone has, but no one ever says out loud, except for Bay in his raw whine, of course. The bridge, in all of its howling earnestness, is the best moment on the entire album.

It is nearly unfeasible to pinpoint the worst song out of the twelve, but "Collide" is the weakest. It's good, with all of it's edgy electric guitar flicks, but not good by this album's standards.

Bay still can do what indie singer-songwriters can do best: throw in a few dreamy ballads. "Need the Sun To Break" is simply one of the album's highest highs, as well as a beginning of an end realization. He speaks much of "you" on Chaos, but in "Let It Go", he promises that "I'll be me", on top of a sweet guitar drowning in a few minor chords. The closer, "Incomplete", is a final imperfectly perfect need for a connection. But, for Bay, there's still time.

Chaos is never hectic or thrown together; it is contrived with such a keen eye that Bay cannot be ignored. If he can continue to string eras along in his sound, he is a slick force that will keep answering his own questions on each release. In the chaotically calm Bay, the night may have finally found the voice it has been looking for.

//Angelia//

MIXTAPE MONDAY: there's a story in that

there's a story in that

there's a story somewhere in these lyrics that I'd like to know

+listen

ohio moon by blake skidmore // you by the 1975 // casimir pulaski day by sufjan stevens // everything you are by ed sheeran // what sarah said by death cab for cutie // the girl by city and colour // riding to new york by passenger // when i go by slow club // sloom by of monsters and men // things we lost in the fire by bastille // saviour (acoustic version) by lights // above the clouds of pompeii by bear's den // first day of my life by bright eyes

xx. Sheridan

MIXTAPE MONDAY: I'd Fight this Weird World

i'd fight this weird world
for the degenerates who aren't even the ones degenerating // 

+listen

buzzcut season by lorde // overrated by the eeries // america's suitehearts by fall out boy // loser by beck // heirplanes by japanese cartoon // no shows by gerard way // lights out by mindless self indulgence // heroes by all time low // fake tales of san francisco by arctic monkeys // kill all your friends by my chemical romance

//Angelia//

MIXTAPE MONDAY: Reckless Serenades

reckless serenades
songs that are best to listen to when you've had a little too much to drink //

+listen

backfire at the disco by the wombats // better than me by the brobecks // american pie by don mclean // semi-charmed life by third eye blind // star by david bowie // henrietta by the fratellis // alright by supergrass // ribs by lorde // suck it and see by arctic monkeys // xo by fall out boy

//Angelia//