Folsom Prison 5 Year Old

She's cute now, but I see an all black wardrobe in her future.

Set Your Goals- This Will Be The Death Of Us (***)

Don’t call it a sophomore slump, but certainly don’t call it a band reaching its full potential. The heavily anticipated This Will Be The Death Of Us finds San Francisco’s Set Your Goals retreating to a more predictable version of themselves.

It’s a shame, especially considering 2006’s Mutiny! was a breath of fresh air to a some-what stagnant music scene, overrun by a slew of hopeless mall-punk acts. Sadly, rather than push their sonic boundaries further out, Set Your Goals give fans a disc that is easy to listen to, but one that fails to leave a lasting impact.

It’s a safe record from a band known for energy, spontaneity, a little pop-punk reckless abandon.

Things do, however, begin promising enough with the album’s title track. Michael Ambrose’s thundering drums give way to Joe Saucedo’s fuzzy bass as the band launches into a 4-chord assault, courtesy of guitarists Audelio Flores Jr. and Daniel Coddaire. While “This Will Be The Death Of Us” sets the tone for a far slicker record than its predecessor, the dual vocals of Matt Wilson and Jordan Brown remind listens of the empowering battle cries Set Your Goals are known for.

While the album’s next track, “With Hoffman Lenses We Will See The Truth,” comes across as 43 second distraction (It’s purple prose yammering about the “Primary means of prosperity…”), it’s the follow up track “Look Closer” that truly pulls in listeners. With it’s bouncing rhythms, large gang shout outs, and Soylent Green name checks, the track is tailor made for a Warped Tour mosh pit.

Set Your Goals have always earmarked their brand of melodic hardcore with overly earnest lyrics, especially like the ones found in “Look Closer,” “We need to deprogram from/Shifting with the public eye/We have a right to question why/See through the lies/Re-sensitize/And look closer…” However, the band’s purposefully verbose writing doesn’t always land its mark in other parts of the album. “Equals,” for example, finds Wilson and Brown spouting off lines such as, “Lost touch and stared off into doubt/Depersonalized in a cloud/Trading afflictions for imperfections…”

In many ways, Set Your Goals are the pop-punk equivalent of Will Smith: They try so hard to convey a positive message that it's either a home run out of the park, or completely foul.

But the band’s ideology aside, This Will Be The Death Of Us’ biggest weakness is that the band does not make their brand of melodic hardcore as visceral as their last album. While pop-punk is never known for elaborate arrangements, the ones found on This Will Be The Death Of Us do not surprise listeners in the slightest. “Summer Jam,” with its goofy synthesizers and underwhelming chorus feels phoned in, a third rate New Found Glory song at best. “Flawed Methods Of Persecution & Punishment” sports some of Ambrose’s best start/stop on a dime drumming, but the guitars don’t chug as they should, instead they hum along in a rather pedestrian fashion with next to no grit.

It’s not fair to attribute the band’s complacency to the production of the album. While the bass does not growl like it used to and the guitars are mixed too low for a majority of the songs here, the simple fact is that Set Your Goals are playing with precision, not passion. The records slickness has nothing to do with how ordinary the band sounds, thought it does tend to undermine their loveable DIY shtick.

It’s a shame too, for all ingredients are there: Galloping riffs, quick time changes, but they seem undercooked this time around.

Still, the album’s saving grace is that the band sounds like they’re having fun, and that makes up for a rather ordinary outing. The hilarious faux-hardcore shout out from Paramore’s Hayley Williams on “The Few Remain” is a great change of pace, sandwiched between Flores Jr. and Coddaire’s crunchy riffs. The album's brightest spot has to be “Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man)” with its muscular and staccato riffs, machine-gun drumming, and enormous sounding vocals. Here, the band not only plays to their strengths, but shows listeners they have something to SAY.

On “Gaia Bleeds,” the band walks the walk, so to speak.

This Will Be The Death Of Us is not a train wreck, but it’s a clear case of growing pains for a young band. Set Your Goals seems to be stuck, unsure how to progress to the next level in their sound. The result is an album that plays to their strengths to the point of banality, one where musical variety would have made a much stronger release.

While there are a few moments that will stick with listeners, moments where the band seems to be pushing ahead at full speed, there are a host of average moments too, ones that fans will instantly forget after the disc stops spinning.

Perhaps that means that Set Your Goals needs to set their goals a tad higher next time.

Sounds Like: Tip Of The Iceberg E.P. (A New Found Glory), Rise Or Die Trying (Four Year Strong), Can’t Slow Down (Saves The Day)

Key Cuts: This Will Be The Death Of Us, The Few Remain, Gaia Bleeds (Make Way For Man)

Click on the artwork to sample some of This Will Be The Death Of Us for yourself!

Mew- No More Stories/Are Told Today/I’m Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I’m Tired/Let’s Wash Away (****½)

Denmark’s Mew occupies an extremely unique position in the music world.

The self-proclaimed “indie stadium band” seems to sport the Midas touch when it comes to their craft. With their pristine arrangements and progressive pomp and circumstance, they create a sound that effortlessly draws in fans of both Radiohead and Rush, a rare feat in a sea of fickle music lovers.

In fact, when considering their appeal and influences, Mew defies a great deal of traditional logic and categorizing.

2003’s Frengers might have given them the world’s attention, but the band has only reached for the stratosphere since. Their sound has gotten bigger, the arrangements more angular, and it’s surprising that they’ve garnered more fans in the process. So with expectations riding high after 2005’s dark, multi-tracked arrangement And The Glass Handed Kites, the band drops an album that’s as complex as it’s title with No More Stories/Are Told Today/I’m Sorry/They Washed Away//No More Stories/The World Is Grey/I’m Tired/Let’s Wash Away.

For ease of reading, let’s just call it No More Stories… from here on out.

While Mew has had the opportunity to write a record far more concise to catch radio play, they’ve instead created an album that requires listeners to truly focus on musical subtleties. From the digital waves and huge crashing drums of “New Terrain,” it’s clear that Mew have indulged all of their prog rock fancies to create an album that’s as grandiose as it is slick. From the triple tracked backing vocals, to the soft electronic flourishes, “New Terrain” comes across as a robotic love song while retaining a passionate soul.

Right off the bat, it’s clear that there are an incredible amount of layers to the songs on No More Stories…

In some ways, listeners might even see these tracks as mini symphonies, light and airy in one moment, with thundering crescendos and a head-bobbing groove in the next. The band truly excels in providing musical tension without always relying on crunchy overdrive and dissonant riffs. With its mid-tempo dance beats, warm bass, and shimmering guitar, “Beach” finds the group providing an ever-climbing arrangement that’s calmly held together by Jonas Bjerre’s breathy croon. It shows that Mew truly understand the balance between hooks and complexity, which is why “Beach” succeeds in displaying both to listeners.

Yet one thing that truly stands out on No More Stories…, as opposed to the other albums in the Mew canon, is the fact that these songs are awash with an army of synthesizers and keyboards. While this tends to be the kiss of death for most rock bands, Mew use them to create a rich and swirling sonic experience. From providing the backbone on the fluid and ominous “Tricks” to rounding out the thumping bass driven swagger of “Repeaterbeater,” Mew make efficient use out of their keyboards, always using them for texture as opposed to awkwardly tacking them on.

Yet, the album’s crown jewel is easily the 7+ minute “Cartoons & Macramé Wounds,” a crisp and lush track that seamlessly shape shifts from a sparkling beginning into delicate and spacious melodies. The track showcases Mew firing on all cylinders, twinkling piano lines, full bass, steady drum work, and an ethereal armada of arresting vocals singing “You drew me/Cartoons/So playful…” Through subdued bridges, expansive climaxes and acapella endings, “Cartoons & Macramé Wounds” displays Mew as masters of their craft, reminding listeners that no matter how large their arrangements become, they are still in the driver’s seat when playing these songs.

The ideas, as it were, never get too big for the band.

Unlike most progressive albums, there’s also a surprising absence of filler on No More Stories… While the “Intermezzo 1 & 2” could have easily been left on the cutting room floor, their function to cleanse the listeners' palate might very well appeal to most and doesn’t come across as distracting.

Additionally, No More Stories… sports some of drummer Silas Utke Graae Jørgensen’s best performances. His skins work is never flashy, suiting the songs while remaining precise and driving. While his fills might seem simple upon first listen, Jørgensen throws in little rolls and fluttering beats that add just enough detail to really give his work character.

So in the end, No More Stories… is everything a Mew fan could want and then some. From the deft percussion of “Hawaii” to the dreamy shoegaze of “Silas The Magic Car,” the album is a proper showcase of Mew’s progressive tendencies as well as their love for delicate soundscapes. The irony is that while the band might jokingly refer to themselves as “pretentious art rock” the music never feels inaccessible. Instead, No More Stories… feels earnest, full of heart and soul as it refuses to curtail to prog-rock stereotypes.

In fact, most bands could learn a thing or two from these talented Danes. While other groups are too busy trying to be the next Radiohead or Rush, Mew has decided to learn from their fore fathers and create something that is unique to themselves.

And who knows, maybe their next album will have a title that’s twice as long.

Sounds Like: Origin Of Symmetry (Muse), In Rainbows (Radiohead), Moving Pictures (Rush)

Key Cuts: Beach, Repeaterbeater, Cartoons & Macramé Wounds

Click on the artwork to sample some of No More Stories… for yourself!

Killswitch Engage- Killswitch Engage II (**)

Poor Killswitch Engage, it’s not easy going through the laws of diminishing returns like the kind found on their latest self-titled effort.

Still, it makes sense. When the band broke into the mainstream with 2004’s The End Of Heartache they had perfected the metalcore genre. By and large, they were the most accessible and talented group of musicians to emerge from the As I Lay Dying/Unearth crowd, and their album waved that flag proudly. Their riffs stopped/started like robots having seizures, the drumming created an expansive atmosphere, and Howard Jones’ voice could move mountains when he wasn’t rasping into the mic.

Since then, the band has failed miserably to measure up to that quality standard.

2006’s As Daylight Dies sported some interesting melodies but it was marred with guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz’s bizarre production choices (Namely, burying everything in the mix in white noise overdrive). It did, however, show a band that wanted to push beyond a genre they had reached the apex of, and that was a tad reassuring. If anything, it just seemed like a band going through some growing pains.

Sadly, all of the interesting elements found on those two albums are largely absent from Killswitch Engage II. The album feels uncomfortable, stuck between rehashing a tired sound while splashing in flashy 80’s style shredding. It all proves tacky rather than inventive, and makes the listener question how this band fell so far from what they once were.

There are two speeds on Killswitch Engage II. One is a pseudo thrash gallop that breaks into a harmonic laced bridge before galloping some more, and the other is an all-power-ballad-all-the-time tempo. Both styles sport some decent tracks, “Never Again’s” invigorating energy helps the album explode right out of the gates while the fuzzy and ominous “Lost” illustrates that the band can write an epic song without relying on ballad clichés.

Yet, the problem lies in musical tension. What used to separate Killswitch Engage was how their rises and falls within a given track could morph and change. Where every other metal band would go for an increase of speed to make their point, Killswitch wasn’t afraid to slow things down with either a machine gun-like breakdown or a positively exploding chorus that felt organ

In other words, Killswitch has largely forgotten how to make arrangements that are dynamic and the music suffers greatly.

On Killswitch Engage II, the payoffs aren’t as large or aren’t as fully developed as they should be. “The Return” begins promisingly enough with grinding riffs that seem to crawl and climb alongside Jones’ frustrated croon but the chorus underwhelms, petering out when it should truly take off. Elsewhere, “Reckoning’s” smashed chorus feels like a slipped gear within an arrangement that wants to shift into fourth and blaze on by.

While the band still displays a level of technicality in their playing (Disciplined drum rhythms, nimble bass lines, deft fret play) the melodies have never felt this phoned in before. Killswitch Engage seem unsure if they want to be a truly heavy band, or a metal radio staple. In either case, the mediocrity that permeates through the disc doesn’t help them in the slightest.

Even if it comes across as largely uninspired, Killswitch Engage II does have its bright moments. For one, the band seems to have benefited from sharing production duties with famed producer, Brendan O’Brien. The album doesn’t quite crunch the way it should, but O’Brien seems to have helped coach Dutkiewicz on the importance of space in the songs. It’s even allowed the band to explore some, if small, instances of vocal experimentation. The harmonies present on “Reckoning” are some of the smoothest on the record and Jones pushes his rich voice into really mournful territories on “Starting Over.”

Unfortunately, only appreciating the window dressing leaves a bad taste in your mouth as Killswitch Engage II’s meat and potatoes still lacks substance. The band is caught in a progress or die situation, and they are floundering with it at best. What would have really helped their plight in growing would have been for Jones to pen some lyrics about something other than absolution, forgiveness, or being wronged. Some lyrical maturity would have maybe made the sonic mediocrity passable, but it seems that both are a ways away for these men.

Hopefully, Killswitch Engage II will be remembered as a slight misstep in a good band’s discography rather than a new standard for which the band is compared to.

Sounds Like: Shadows Are Security (As I Lay Dying), The Fiction We Live (From Autumn To Ashes), The Oncoming Storm (Unearth)

Key Cuts: Never Again, Starting Over, Lost

Click on the artwork to sample some of Killswitch Engage II for yourself!