Reviews

Album Review – Linkin Park, “Living Things”

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Megan Purazrang WCB Music WriterLinkin Park “Living Things” Released – June 26, 2012 Producers – Rick Rubin and Mike Shinoda Label – Warner Bros. Living Things is the fifth album for the six member band Linkin Park. It was introduced with the single “Burn It Down,” a song lead with vibrantly exhilarating percussion and a powerful articulated style from main vocalist Chester Bennington. The song was just enough to show that the musical progression of the band still matches the overture appeal. Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory album released in 2000, has always remained one of my favorite albums. The songs spun a fusion of music genres and became the embodiment of the edgy collaboration of grunge, hip hop, heavy metal and rap with the end result of nu metal.

Reviews

Album Review – Imagine Dragons, “Continued Silence – EP”

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Megan Purazrang WCB Music WriterImagine Dragons “Continued Silence” Released – February 14, 2012 Producer – Alex Da Kid Label – Interscope RecordsImagine Dragons EP Continued Silence is an awe-struck way of entering the music world. The six song record is only a preview of what the band is capable of achieving.  The Las Vegas native members are uncannily the contemporary version of The Killers.  The introduction song called “Radioactive” begins with simplistic guitar strums and evolves into a powerful full-anthem epiphany. “Demons” is a strong vocal run with enduring and poetic lyrics flirting with dark spiritual concepts. On par with the recognizable sounds of Train, Imagine Dragons is infusing the stylistic trademarks of genres from reggae to rock settling with an overall Indie-rock alternative core. The concluding song “My Fault” is a ballad with a constant thump petal heart-beat-pulse driving its reflective path. It’s rare to find an album that embraces so many essences and births a sound that is unique and yet comparable.

Reviews

Hoobastank Concert Review

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Megan PurazrangWCB Music Writer  Hoobstank Arcadia Place, Kalamazoo Greek Festival June 2, 2012 Photo Credit: Seth Messer On Saturday June 2, 2012 the Los Angeles based band Hoobastank took the stage at the Arcadia Creek place’s 36th annual Greek Festival stage in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan. The festival ran from May 31-June 2. (It was a two night rock event featuring San Francisco rock band Night Crawler on Friday evening). Lead vocalist Doug Robb began by giving a short, but effectively thankful spiel on being asked last minute to play at the Kalamazoo Greek Festival and obliging instantly. Upon admitting that this show was the first time playing Kalamazoo, he also added the specialty of saying that it was the first outdoor show that they have ever played.

Reviews

Album Review -The Head And The Heart, “The Head And The Heart”

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Megan PurazrangWCB Music WriterThe Head and the Heart is without a doubt a spitting image of Mumford and Sons. The band native to Seattle, Washington originally was formed by Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell in 2009, now consists of six members total. The indie rock genre tends to carry with it a double-edged sword. The music can carry immense lyrical matter, but with the negative condition of sounding the same as every other of their band peers. The Head And The Heart The Head And The Heart   Released – April 19, 2011Label – Sub Pop The debut self-titled album The Head and the Heart is a happily noted folk-rock record.

Reviews

Album Review – The All-American Rejects, “Kids in the Street”

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Megan Purazrang WCB Music Writer The-All American Rejects Kids in the Street Released – March 26, 2012 Producer – Greg Wells Label – Interscope, DGC Kids in the Street marks the bands fourth album since their formation in 2009. All it takes is a listen of lead vocalist Tyson Ritter screaming “1, 2, 3, 4!” followed by the song “Someday’s Gone” to know that this album is not just similar, but closer to identical to the music releases that are a part of The-All American Rejects past albums. The song allows predictability in the lyrics so an audience could easily guess and remain with the pace of the music. The first single off of the record is “Beekeeper’s Daughter” lyrically a song narrated from the perspective of a boy who is no friend of commitment. The melodic line “you’re a pretty little flower and I’m a busy little bee” clearly sums up the message without further explanation. Three minutes into the song is a defiant guitar solo to emphasis the lack of monogamous interest of the story.

Reviews

TV Review – TRON: Uprising – Disney XD Official

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Tom WrayWCB EditorTron: UprisingPremiere: June 7, 2012Channel: Disny XD3 out of 4 starsIf you hadn’t already heard through sites like io9.com, there is a new series coming up on Disney XD. The story from Tron and Tron: Legacy is being continued in Tron: Uprising. The first full episode has been released on YouTube (posted below). The verdict so far? Promising.The cast is pretty impressive.

Reviews

Movie Review- The Crafty Story of Poe- ‘The Raven’

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April Barkley WCB Movie WriterStudio- Relativity MediaDirector- James McTeigueStarring-John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Jackson-CohenRating- 3 out of 4 starsI saw a rather clever movie today with a clever plot and it was a smart murder-mystery thrill ride. And I saw a rather drunk John Cusack, playing Edgar Allen Poe in The Raven. It won’t win best picture but it’s an entertaining look at the fictional end of Poe’s life.Basically a crazy guy starts committing murders inspired by Poe’s darkest poems and a detective (Luke Evans) joins Poe in a hunt to stop him from making every one of Poe’s fictional eerie stories into a reality. It all takes place in the last few days of Poe’s life. Crappy way to spend your last days alive huh?

Reviews

Album Review – Train, “California 37”

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Megan PurazrangWCB Music Writer Train California 37Released – April 13, 2012Producer – Espionage, David Hodges,Diji Parq, Butch Walker, Gregg WattenbergLabel – Columbia, SonyTrain has returned to mainstream radio with the release of their sixth studio album titled California 37. It was as recent as October of 2009 when Save Me, San Franciscothe band’s fifth album, lead to the band’s third grammy win for its dominant single and the title of Top Selling Single of 2010, “Hey, Soul Sister.” The album re-established Train’s strength as a rock/pop band that has and continues to survive the modern evolution of music. The other singles released “If It’s Love” and “Marry Me” in what made the album popular. Anyone who was aware of music in the early 2000’s without question heard Train’s infamous hits “Drops of Jupiter” and “Calling All Angels.” California 37 is themed to a tee – from the introductory note through each melody and lyrical word leading up to the conclusion, the album is filled with references that state a realization of time and life. These two subjects clearly have infinite meaning and encompassing detail.

Reviews

Album Review – Bush, “Sea of Memories”

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Megan Purazrang WCB Music WriterBushSea of MemoriesReleased – September 13, 2011Producer – Bob RockLabel – Zuma Rock RecordsTake a moment and go back to the well-known music of the ‘90s. This was the time when Nigel Pulsford, Robin Goodridge, Dave Parsons, and Gavin Rossdale all London born rockers, joined the music scene with their band Bush. The band was best known for their hit single “Swallowed” from their second album Razorblade Suitcase. In 2002, the band dispersed, and last year lead singer Rossdale and drummer Goodridge reunited to bring the band back adding new members, guitarist Chris Traynor and bassist Corey Britz. The band’s new album is called The Sea of Memories.The album was produced by Bob Rock and holds the typical alternative-rock edgy, adventurous sound, but it lacks a pull for listeners.