MIXTAPE MONDAY: fernweh

fernweh

songs about places I've never seen

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budapest by george ezra // beverly hills by weezer // aberdeen by cage the elephant // i will follow you into the dark by death cab for cutie // perth by bon iver // cologne by clean bandit feat. nikki cislyn & javeon // feather on the clyde by passenger // hello, i'm in deleware by city & colour // holland, 1945 by neutral milk hotel // the city by ed sheeran // harlem by new politics // amsterdam by imagine dragons // take me home, country roads by john denver

xx. Sheridan

MIXTAPE MONDAY: Old Man, Look at My Life

old man, look at my life

some of the songs my father gave to me//

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sympathy for the devil by the rolling stones // the unknown soldier by the doors // a day in the life by the beatles // don't let the sun go down on me by elton john // old man by neil young // california dreamin' by the mamas & the papas // ohio by crosby, stills, nash & young // killer queen by queen // comfortably numb by pink floyd // silver, blue, and gold by bad company // won't get fooled again by the who 

//Angelia//

MIXTAPE MONDAY: indie pop princesses

indie pop princesses

an appreciation mix of these ladies and their killer sweet vocals

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this song's not about you by chlöe howl // hands by alpine // white teeth teens by lorde // you're in love by betty who // best i can do by misterwives // everything is embarrassing by sky ferreira // elastic heart by sia // the mother we share by CHVRCHES // this love (will be your downfall) by ellie goulding // wings by haerts // grandma's hands by mag mac // paper heart by chlöe howl // if i could change your mind by haim // kiss with a fist by florence and the machine // no need for dreaming by misterwives

xx. Sheridan

MIXTAPE MONDAY: Better Than the Original?

better than the original?
my personal favorite covers //

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ain't it fun by tyler carter ft. luke holland // fourfiveseconds by james bay // iris by sleeping with sirens // are you strong enough to be my man? by haim & lorde // can't help falling in love by twenty one pilots // me and bobby mcgee by janis joplin // ain't no sunshine by coeur de pirate // jolene by miley cyrus // hallelujah by jeff buckley // song 2 by my chemical romance // good morning little school girl by jonny lang // don't fear the reaper by pierce the veil // the house of the rising sun by the animals // wicked game by phillip phillips // god only knows by jamie cullum 

//Angelia//

REVIEW: Future Hearts//All Time Low - Their Hearts Are On Their Sleeves

3.5/5 Stars

Waves to Watch: Don't You Go, Tidal Waves

Genre: Pop punk

Goes great with: Blink-182, Yellowcard, State Champs

Inevitably, any pop punk act will begin to deviate to pop and neglect punk, but All Time Low have taken a U-turn back into the punk side of town after their 2012 release, Don't Panic. These four boys from Baltimore had to grow up at some point, so why can't it be now? On their fifth - arguably sixth by some - LP, Future Hearts (Hopeless), All Time Low, comprised of vocalist/guitarist Alex Gaskarth, guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson, are now the veterans, long past the time of being the newcomers around the likes of Blink and New Found Glory. 

With this new found dominion over their scene, the four-piece pay their respects to those who reigned before them with a hearty blend of eminent pop punk influences, ATL's own clever juvenility, and the recruitment of producer John Feldmann. The harsher-sounding "Kicking & Screaming" is laden with a Blink-ish character, coincidentally hinting that they're not forgetting what (or who) made them who they are. 

The quartet of singles, led by the zombied-out "Something's Gotta Give", were intimations into a new sound, with their mature boyishness still intact. The anthemic "Kids in the Dark" is, in fact, an anthem for their fans, who are such rabid a fanbase that their dedication deserved an equally neon song. "Runaways" is an odd blend of sounds, from claps to swinging bells, capturing the idea of being stuck and taking the chance to leave it all. 

The final of the singles, "Tidal Waves", features an appearance from mentor and Blink co-founder Mark Hoppus (FINALLY), ebbing and flowing like a slowed-down ocean. Joel Madden (ex-Good Charlotte, Madden Brothers) adds a dash of his current project's sound to ATL's pop punk charisma on "Bail Me Out". 

"Don't You Go" is the most pumped-up out of the thirteen, reminding listeners of the dawn of pop punk in the early 2000's. Paired against the folky, acoustic "Missing You", Future Hearts becomes a fusion of sounds, sometimes colorful, sometimes a little bit dowdy. The best indicator of this falls upon "Cinderblock Garden", another mismatched love story that sounds like a handful of the other twelve songs thrown together. Gaskarth's voice, however, shines brightest, saving the track from the grave. Sadly, the bulk of the album does not flex his lyrical prowess as past releases have done. "Satellite" is an understated first song, meant as a short introduction, as well as a look into their past as "just kids". What it does best, perhaps not the intention, is show off Dawson's prowess behind the drum kit on any song he kicks into. 

Oddly enough, "Dancing with a Wolf" and "Odd Scars/Future Hearts" are both evocative of Fall Out Boy's - arguably the biggest band to come out of the scene in the past fifteen years - sound circa 2007. Along with the majority of the songs on Future Hearts, particularly "The Edge of Tonight", these two tracks sound as if they could fit along with Top 40 radio just fine. Perhaps it is time, after all these years, for All Time Low to relish some time in pop radio's limelight.

On a highly anticipated U.S. tour nearly underway, All Time Low will be bringing out old international friends, Tonight Alive, along with promising rookies ISSUES and State Champs. For old fans, there will not be a shortage of classics, and for new fans, there will not be a shortage of bras thrown onstage at Barakat, as he jumps around like sugared-up toddler. Future Hearts is steady at best, but once the songs come to life on bigger stages, anything goes for All Time Low. And that means anything.

Future Hearts will be released worldwide on Hopeless Records on April 7th

//Angelia//

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)

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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