"A Home That You Left To Find Your Own"

The Canvas Waiting
“In Search of Beginnings” EP Review (2.5/5)

The Canvas Waiting has been playing music together since 2003. Using emotional lyrics with their echoed vocals, they’ve added themselves to the list of late 90s emo sounds like Further Seems Forever. The In Search of Beginnings EP is their debut record. This EP is also available on a limited edition disc with four extra acoustic tracks. The extra tracks are not even able to push this record into any new territory. It seems as if everything on record was done once before.

The most noticeable item on this album is the melodic guitars, everything else sort of fades into the background. “Carousel Ride” and “These Familiar Arms” are filled with those loopy guitars and head arm swaying pianos. Understand, every track sounds familiar and rehashed by some other rock band with a bleeding heart. The best track off this disc is “These Familiar Arms.” There are more musical transitions in that one song than on the whole record.

“Opener” sounds like an Armor For Sleep song with The Juliana Theory vocals. It’s the second best track off this EP. The lyrics are mediocre but the one liners scattered throughout this record can compete with the type of phrases Taking Back Sunday uses. They make sure to incorporate the slow song titled, “In Search of Beginnings.” On this song, the lyrics, “some days are hard, others are harder” and “looking into your eyes make me look smaller.” There is no originality in those words whatsoever. The Canvas Waiting manages to give off good words. On that same song, they sing, “Everywhere that you go there’s a home that you left to find your own.” It shows that even though they can destroy a song with their words, they can give it some sort of recognition with those one liners.

The acoustic demos after the last song “Sincerely Yours” makes for a break in the album. Violins fill the tracks in a southern country fashion. Alongside the acoustic guitar, it sounds good. On these newly added songs, the vocals give some similarities to an amateur The Early November. These tracks do continue the poor lyrical trend without falter. By the end of the last acoustic track (if you make it that far), you’ll get so full of this EP that you won’t want to hear it again.

This Tokyo Rose, The Juliana Theory blend is no match for the better music in the world. With all those one liners, they should either make one really good song. Or sell them to other restless emo bands looking to fill the perfect song with the perfect line. The Canvas Waiting seems to waste their talent with their slushy writing ability and unoriginal sound. The most experienced cry babies wouldn’t tolerate this record. It would be better to buy a song or two off I-tunes.

"The Demand To Be Loved Is The Greatest Arrogance"

The Ataris
"Welcome The Night" Review (4/5)

It’s been a long road for Kris Roe and The Ataris. Their new album, “Welcome The Night” is living proof of one man’s struggle for survival. Since their breakthrough disc, “So Long, Astoria” in 2003, the band has underwent many member changes including a new direction of music. Produced by Nick Launay (Girls Against Boys, INXS), “Welcome The Night” was very different from their last record. The new albums sound was so unfamiliar; The Ataris purposely wrote a few mainstream-friendly songs so not to alienate their pop fan-base. This new album gives a low-cut indie vibe similar to My Bloody Valentine while giving listeners strands of what was once an up-tempo rock band. The change is not as bad as it sounds. The music is so emotionally charged, you’ll forget there was such a thing as, “San Dimas High School Football Rules.”

On this album, you can definitely tell which songs were made solely for the radio. Tracks such as, “Not Capable of Love” are the upbeat, feet tapping Ataris song which almost sounds like a “So Long, Astoria” b-side. Thankfully this album isn’t as rehashed as that song. Most of the tracks off this new album give off an earthly feel. The elongated melodies on some tracks seem like the songs are trying to escape some sort of metaphorical weight. “Secret Handshakes” play on similar guitar melodies done by Circa Survive and As Cities Burn while the vocals give a Jets To Brazil vibe. Expect a break between fans who like this album and fans that don’t.

“Welcome The Night” was even threatened by Columbia Records. Their label at the time was afraid of the direction The Ataris had taken and in a last resort of control, the label continued to delay the album for two years. The band decided to sever ties with the major label and created a new home, Isola Recordings under Sanctuary Records. From there the album finally came to a set release date of February 20th. Kris Roe wrote basically all the lyrics to this new album. Drawing ideas from a reoccurring dream he once had. In the song “Far From the Last, Last Call,” the story of Roe’s overdose on PCP unfolds and how he comes to terms with himself. Songs such as “When All Else Fails It Fails” and “Act V, Scene IV: And So It Ends Like It Begins” touch on his love life and experiences he’s faced. He’s even drawn concept from the classic play Romeo & Juliet in the last track.

“Welcome The Night” is attractive in the sense that the music is diverse to an extent. Not diverse in a crazy tribal sort of way, but in an early tape demo way. The mellow tone of these songs calls for a deeper listen, but you’re able to scratch the surface and still have a good time. With the rumor of this album being the last Ataris record, it’s acceptable that they might end this their own way. Hopefully the five un-mastered tracks which were removed from the album find its way to CD Singles since they are enjoyable to listen to as well. The Ataris may have created a more ambiguous sound than more of their recent fans are used to, but with age comes maturity. “Welcome The Night” is defiantly a mature record.

"Twenty Bucks Says You'll Remember Me, When You See Me On Your TV Screen"

A Day To Remember
"For Those Who Have Heart" Review (Revised) (3.5/5)

Straight out of the Ocala underground, A Day To Remember brings an It Dies Today aggression with a melodic euphoric tone. This bands first release through Victory Records is hoping to give the troubled label a mainstream bounce-back since the fall in popularity of such bands like Hawthorne Heights. Their new album titled, “For Those Who Have Heart” is A Day To Remember’s second album. “And Her Name Was Treason” was the band’s debut through Indianola Records back in 2005. The debut managed to sell about 8,000 records independently.“For Those Who Have Heart” plans to surpass the mark, and sell enough records to quite possibly push them into the lime light for 2007.

This album is strategically targeted at the breakdown driven, double-bass “scene” fanatics. Their catchy vocals and fluid harmony makes them a bit above average in a totally generic genre. They’ve managed to incorporate Comeback Kid-like chanting along with the bands growls and light singing. Their echo effects on the chorus of “Here´s To The Past” is enjoyable. For most of the melody on the albums choruses, they are addictive and could easily be mistaken for a track off of Eighteen Visions latest project. The upbeat choruses are no match for their breakdowns though. Every track off “For Those Who Have Heart” has a breakdown except for the traditional ballad song, “The Price We Pay.” The most exceptional breakdown on this album can be found on “I Heard It´s The Softest Thing Ever,” but they’ve managed to conjure up a weak breakdown. “The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle” has the MTV2, alternative rock breakdown which will make some people unhappy. The rest of that song is nice though, especially with the fast paced vocals. It’s poppy, but a great beat to dance to.

A Day To Remember has written songs based on experience. One could relate to such songs on an emotional level. “Monument,” one of the most stand-out tracks off this record deals with the doubts of making it as a band. They didn’t need head-scratching metaphors to show how they really felt. On this new record, they tell it like it is. Most bands that perform under this style of music tend to over exaggerate the content of the situation on their lyrics. On “Show Em’ The Ropes” when you hear, “Just hold your breath / to make sure you won’t wake up again” that would be the most cliché lyric they’ve written on this LP.

This band is a part of the new Victory Records. If you haven’t liked the changes the label has made in the recent years, then approach this album with caution. It seems like A Day To Remember is set to blow up all over places like Fuse and MTV. Their record is too catchy and upbeat to stay dormant and ignored. They have been touring with very aggressive bands like The Devil Wears Prada and Calico System, so it’ll be interesting to see how diverse the growing fan base will become.