Tag: Recommendation

Categories
Editorials Haulix News Recommendations

Haulix Recommends: Violent Soho – ‘Everything Is A-OK’

Violent Soho

In a time of panic and confusion, Australia’s Violent Soho are keeping things simple with their latest release, Everything is A-OK.

One of the great misconceptions about songwriting is that keeping things vague is good for business. Listeners indeed love the material that they relate to, but musicians should never sacrifice honesty in hopes of making their art more accessible. The best artists are the ones who speak the truth of their souls in a plain manner that tells people who they are as only their voice can. That is the stuff that makes music something more than noise moving through the air, and few in the business are as good as keeping things simple as Violent Soho.

There is virtually no barrier to entry for people wanting to know or enjoy Violent Soho. The Australian punk band built their career on honest, straightforward songwriting that celebrates the minutia of modern life. They sing about jobs, family, friends, and the struggle to make something of yourself as plainly as possible. It’s no-frills music fill with thrills created by the delivery of each line and the unpredictable, driving sound the band creates. There is nothing like Violent Soho to be found anywhere else on the planet, yet every song feels more relatable than the one that came before.

Take “Pick It Up Again,” for example. In just over three minutes, the band delivers a soundtrack for ignoring expectations and pushing forward with your creative vision regardless of any pressure to conform that exists. They also recognize that living that way is rarely easy and never practical, so they encourage listeners to keep going, even when things fall apart. Pick up where you left off and move forward. Recover from the setbacks and press onward. Accept that you cannot change the opinions of others, but also understand that those opinions don’t matter. Do what you want, no matter what. That’s the motto of Violent Soho.

Everything Is A-OK also embraces the strangeness of the modern age. The band sacrifices the potential for timeless songs by writing about the present directly. Maybe we won’t be using cell phones in the future or struggling with the things currently giving us anxiety, but maybe we will. We may also be dead. Violent Soho has problems right now, and the music they create speaks to those experiences by addressing the way things are rather than how they wish they were. That kind of honesty may be too much for some, but for others, it’s exactly what they need.

There is no telling whether or not the rock and punk communities will embrace Violent Soho’s latest in such a way that the band is elevated throughout the industry hierarchy. What is clear, however, is that those who get what the band is doing will have a soundtrack to living in an age of confusion that doesn’t neglect harsh truths in favor of impossible realities. Violent Soho is focusing on surviving right now, and honestly, artists everywhere can benefit from following their lead.

Haulix Recommends is a recurring feature where the Haulix staff chooses one or more recent releases from their clients. Click here to discover more great music being promoted through Haulix.

Categories
Editorials News Recommendations

Haulix Recommends: August Burns Red – ‘Guardians’

With their ninth studio album, August Burns Red proves that true strength comes from community and belief in yourself.

There are very few bands in metalcore — or any genre for that matter — that can sustain their creativity for the better part of two decades. Even less can claim to continuously improve during that period. Most artists have three records in them, if that, and many that attempt to go further end up repeating themselves to the point of self-parody. Others try to reinvent themselves by exploring new sounds that may or may not click with longtime followers. August Burns Red has stuck to one thing through it all, and their ninth (!) record speaks to the power of persistence. 

August Burns Red are craftsmen in the world of metal. The talent displayed on Guardians, their latest release, is the kind of thing you cannot fake. The sound and delivery of August Burns Red is the result of constant refinement spread across seventeen years and nine studio records, as well as countless performances. The members — JB Brubaker, Brent Rambler, Matt Greiner, Jake Luhrs, and Dustin Davidson — have grown into their skills as they’ve aged, which is a blessing many musicians never receive, and they prove with Guardians that they do not take their gifts for granted.

Guardians speaks to lives lead with fierce determination and open-mindedness. Throughout the record’s element tracks the band shares the knowledge gained from their exploration of the modern world, including the secret to keeping your head above water even in the direst of situations. The group recognizes the unmatched power of community, and how anything is possible for those who choose to believe in themselves, but unlike others who have covered similar thematic grounds the band grounds their beliefs with the notion that belief alone is rarely enough. If you want something in this life, be it achieving dreams or making friends, then you have to put everything you have in the pursuit of the things that will make you happy. You cannot expect anything. Every single thing that matters, big or small, requires focused effort.

If that notion scares you or makes you feel insecure, fear not. August Burns Red also wants fans to know they are not alone. As the group says on “Paramount,” one of Guardians’ most notable tracks:

Are you walking through fire?

You have a friend

Are you stuck in a nightmare?

My friend, you have a light to make it end

Listening to Guardians is not unlike watching the pivotal locker room speech from any major sports movie in that it pumps you up without overlooking the hard facts of life. You may not be the smartest or funniest or most creative person on the planet, but you possess an endless amount of potential that only you have the power to unlock. That kind of decision making is how the men of August Burns Red became who they are today, and they’ve turned their focus to lifting others up in hopes you, the listener, will do the same.

Haulix Recommends is a recurring feature where the Haulix staff chooses one or more recent releases from their clients. Click here to discover more great music being promoted through Haulix.

Categories
Editorials Haulix News Recommendations

Haulix Recommends: Dogleg – Melee (Triple Crown Records)

Photo credit: Kris Hermann

With riffs and hooks to spare, Michigan’s Dogleg is perfectly positioned for success. Their debut album has everything alternative music today needs, and the band still has more to offer.

Kanye West said it best. The Midwest is young and reckless. Dogleg, the latest in a long line of alternative bands to rise from the mitten state in recent years, is chasing dreams of changing lives and selling records with a passion unmatched by their peers. The band’s Triple Crown Records debut, Melee, speaks to that ferocity with ten songs built upon all the angst and stress of trying to survive in our modern times. It’s a cathartic collection of high hopes and broken dreams that reaches through the speakers with each note and lyric, urging listeners to get off their ass and influence positive change in the world around them.

But let’s back up. The beauty of Dogleg’s music is that it recognizes the struggle to develop, let alone maintain an optimistic outlook. The world is on fire in more ways than one, and heartache is readily available anywhere you dare to look. Elected officials have let us down, ecosystems are crumbling, and there is an undeniable sense of panic in the air. These problems are not necessarily new or in need of examination, but they do outline the contributing factors behind many smaller, more personal battles individuals face daily. Dogleg’s music speaks to those struggles, and they seek to see brighter days through perseverance. They write songs about holding onto friends as you age and fighting for a livable wage. Their music speaks to the souls of working-class folk trying to their best to get by with unwavering recognition that they are still more blessed than most.

In the simplest terms, Dogleg’s Melee is a collection of anthem for underdogs being released when underdogs need it most. The band had no way of predicting the way the world would look when the record dropped, but the chaos surrounding us only makes the points being made on Melee. Dogleg wants you to feel good enough for the things and people you love, but they also want you to consider everyone else and the role you play in the world at large. You can be a leader or a follower, but you cannot be an asshole. Possessing empathy is more far more punk than your ego, which is a lessoned outlined on this record many times over. We need one another now more than ever, and through the help of Dogleg’s music, we can come together to create a better future for everyone.

Categories
Editorials Haulix News Recommendations

Haulix Recommends: Body Count – Carnivore

Thirty years into a career defined by defiance, Body Count is back and better than ever on their new record Carnivore.

In a time of uncertainty, it’s good to know that some things never change. Body Count — comprised of Ice-T, Ernie C, Sean E Sean, Vincent Price, Ill Will, Juan of the Dead, and Little Ice — is the same relentless heavy, unabashed band they were in 1990. That isn’t to say they have not evolved because they’ve done that many times over, but the group has never conformed to expectations or industry pressure. They are a middle finger to those who claim the blueprint for music success requires people to look or sound a certain way, and they stand for everyone’s rights to be whoever they want to be (as long as you don’t wish harm on anyone else). 

Carnivore, the band’s seventh full-length record, continues Body Count’s reputation for speaking their minds on the state of the world. It’s an album about taking life by the reigns, taking responsibility for your actions, and working to create the world you want to see. Body Count has grown tired of people complaining, especially when they’re not doing anything to influence change, so they use this record to ignite our collective desire to fight for a better life. They believe nothing happens unless you work to make it happen, and they use this record to urge listeners to take action.

Carnivore also takes aim at those who hide from reality. Body Count rarely calls out a specific person or group, but there is an undeniable sense of frustration against anyone who uses their platform to assume false positions of power under the guise of sensitivity. The band knows the world is dangerous, and that anyone can be eaten alive at any moment. Death is inevitable, and since we have no idea what comes after, why shouldn’t we allow ourselves to lead the lives we want? Who is anyone to condemn the lifestyle or actions of others unless those people are causing harm? 

The aggression and unabashed honesty on display throughout Carnivore should give hope to artists around the world who dream of using music to speak their minds. There is power in speaking your truth, and Body Count is proof that power can be harnessed for decades. It also helps to have some strong songwriters and the brilliant production of Will Putney at your side, of course, but the point remains. Body Count is the type of band the world desperately needs right now, and we’re happy to see them thriving after all the time.

Carnivore is available everywhere starting today, March 6. Stream the album on Spotify below or click here to order the record on vinyl.

Categories
News

Monday Motivation: PVRIS

If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.

A lot of people believed 2014 would be the year of PVRIS, and in many ways it was: The band charted around the world with their breakout single “St. Patrick,” they single-handedly ushered in a new era of pop-friendliness for their label Rise Records, as well as a new audience to the world of female-fronted alternative rock, and they were one of the biggest stars of the long-running traveling music festival known Vans Warped Tour. There are numerous accomplishments and accolades that could be added to that list, including the release of the band’s incredible debut album, but suffice to say last year was a good year to be a fan of the biggest band to ever call Lowell, Massachusetts home.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2014 was merely the teaser for everything that has happened and will continue to happen to PVRIS over the course of 2015. Having now solidified themselves as a alternative force to be reckoned with in the worlds of both pop and rock, the band recently completely a stateside headlining tour that was praised from coast to coast. They’ve also appeared at some of the biggest festivals around the world, and can currently be found once again appearing on Vans Warped Tour, albeit to immensely larger crowds. The band even released a new song, a cover of Sia’s hit “Chandelier,” this past weekend. You can stream that track above.

There is never a time when a music writers likes to admit they missed the initial bandwagon on a popular band, but that is certainly what happened with me and the rise of Pvris. Their name was one I heard in conversation with industry friends both online and in real life for the better part of a year before I actually took the time to check them out. It wasn’t until I heard “St. Patrick” pouring through the open window of a car driven by college kids with seemingly no grasp for the rules of the road on Storrow drive in Boston that I actually made it a point to see what all the fuss was about. The hook stuck with me, despite having heard it through the stereo in a car I was in while driving over 40MPH through the city, and isn’t the sign of having discovered something truly special in the overwhelming world of up and coming music then I don’t know what is.

If you haven’t taken the time to stream White Noise, the full-length debut from PVRIS, then I highlight suggest you do so in the coming days. This band could be where Paramore is today in just a few years, if not bigger, and right now they are doing everything a band trying to navigate the often treacherous waters of the modern music should be in order to ensure a long a successful career. They’ve made a name for themselves on being unique, and that is what we should all aim to do in our own individual careers. Be yourself, always. 

Exit mobile version