CD Reviews
Buckcherry’s Back with Confessions
You all know the Seven Deadly Sins, right? Well, they’re also “Seven Ways to Die “on Buckcherry’s upcoming album, Confessions. There’s a seven on the second cover, even! It’s cyan, a nice contrast to the wooden cross on the cover. The band said it’ll make a good tattoo–and they’re right.
The album opens with “Gluttony,” a track about want and indulgence, relatable especially in the days following the cookie and candy extravaganza that is Valentine’s Day. “Gluttony” is a nice showcase of guitar work and drums, making up for the repeating lines of “I want it I want it I want it, I need it I need it I need it, I love it I love it I love it” that drive the point home.
Next is “Wrath,” deviating from the trajectory of popular horror/psychological thriller Se7en, because that’s the big finish. It is indeed an angry, furious track, perhaps a bit too metal for Buckcherry because it sounds like they’re wearing a different, itchy skin. We deviate from the 7 Deadly Sins with “Nothing Left But Tears.” Same with “The Truth,” brings the band back to earth with a grounded and melodic alt-rock sound. It is the most organic with lyrics, a nice successor to 2007’s “Sorry.”
“Greed” is a Western-inflected jaunt, just suffering a bit from the same saying-a-forced-fuck-to-give-a -shock like “Gluttony” did. But the bridge is a total killer.
“Water” and “Air” make an organic sandwich out of “Seven Ways to Die” (theme time!) and opens with a cool guitar rif—oh Josh Todd’s saying the title. It’s a paean to not giving up and also the dark secrets we harbor deep in the dark recesses of our minds. But the bridge is soooo cool, adding a flare of country-rock to the madness.
The band takes it slow on “Sloth,” a personal and raw track, the most serious on Confessions. Its melody undulates in a rhythm perfect for the subject matter. With three more Sins to take on, Buckcherry tackles “Pride,” a remarkable spoken word/alt-country hybrid. Buckcherry hits their stride on the album here, creating a bit of bewilderment when they straddle metal for “Envy” and “Lust.”
“Dreamin’ Of You” is the most restrained of the songs, a smooth acoustic offering with building strings looming in the background. “Dreamin’” serves as a calm after the storm, a hopeful plains song that is just unearthly in comparison to the harder rock preceding it.
The physical copy is like a book; this chapter of Buckcherry’s career is sure to be a high note. The guitar and riffs alone are crazy charged and unforgettable. Though not consistent in quality from start to finish, the final act of Confessions shows off a mature grasp of darker subjects.
Transistor-on calls their goods “fuzzed out reverb music,” and in the spirit of post-rock, EP The Way Back Down is full of that melodious texture and sensation. Recorded at The Cottage with Damon Moon, The Way Back Down is a mere four tracks. But those songs make a satisfying sampling of a band with a big future ahead.
Atlanta duo Joey Piersante and Chris Armistead offer up a hazy fugue state that is the blueprint for this coming summer, showing that they can run with the best of the lo-fi crowd with their unique rhythms and finger-picking. The minimalist use of instruments that whip up the dream poppy wall of sound succeeds in taking the listener in a layered, chill journey.
Tracks like “Calling Out” and “Solar Flare” are so catchy (the former with its title refrain; the latter with its main guitar melody), that they etch onto your brain and trick you into thinking these are songs that have been around for maybe 20 years or so already.
Reviewers are throwing out comparisons—and they’ll continue to—of Transistor-on to Explosions in the Sky. The similarities are there for sure; both bands share a genre, after all. But saying only “they remind me of Explosions in the Sky” overlooks the fact that Transistor-on are stepping out in earnest on this EP, sounding comfortable in their skin without being jaded. Plus, having smoky vocals on the tracks adds to the spacey miasma and mystery that serves as the overarching feel of the record. The singing on “Empty Planet,” for example, highlights the track’s slow burn into its rocking guitar-driven crescendo.
Though the last piece on The Way Back Down is called “Exit,” by no means is that a harbinger of the band’s future. Transistor-on closes with a sure-footed tapestry of distortion and crisp rhythm, wrapping up a consistent and skillful release that definitely marks their arrival.
The Way Back Down is available to stream on SoundCloud or for purchase on iTunes. The gorgeous photo cover by Richard Casteel.
No thanks!
![Sonic & Knuckles: NO WAY! [extended]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Rb8egxYT-ug/hqdefault.jpg)
-
MUSIC10 years agoThe Best Rock in Town – Charley Magruders Memories
-
Tough Mudder10 years ago10 Musts to Survive Tough Mudder
-
GeekChic!6 years ago7 Tips On How To Be Successful at Dragon*Con
-
Comedy5 years agoHo Ho Ho Steve-O? Holiday Laughs with Steve-O at the Improv Atlanta
-
Just For Fun6 years ago46 Double Takes You Won’t Believe!
-
Music Gallery5 years agoTurkuaz at Aisle 5
-
Aural Pleasure6 years agoExclusive : Tom Arnold Interview with The Backstage Beat
-
Concert Reviews6 years agoHundred Waters Entrance The Sinclair
