Sleeping With Sirens "Feel" Review (Finally!!)

                                    
Okay, I'm finally going to write my opinions about Sleeping With Sirens' latest release, "Feel".
If you read my previous two posts, I realize I don't seem too excited about the songs that they released. After I heard "The Best There Ever Was", I decided to stop ruining the album for myself and just wait until I got it in the mail, the reason being that I was getting more and more frustrated with each song.

I received my pre-order bundle in the mail on June 6th, and Feel has pretty much been on repeat since. There's a few reasons for that. For one thing, like I mentioned, I wasn't happy with what I was hearing, so I wanted to see if maybe constantly listening to it would make me like it. Sometimes music works like that...I can hate it, and I'll hear it over and over, and it'll grow on me. It's funny because that's what happened the first time I ever heard Mayday Parade (who is now my favorite band by far). The first song I heard by them was "Jersey", I believe, and honestly, I hated it. But I don't like to give up on music until I realize there's just no way I'll ever get around to liking it.

Anyways, when I heard "Low", (which was released as the first single off the album), I loved it and it set my expectations extremely high. I think "Alone (ft. MGK)" came out next. I will be the first to admit that right when MGK's part kicked in, I was INSTANTLY turned off. I literally paused it and was like "really?" I know I shouldn't judge and you've got to give stuff a chance and keep an open mind and all that jazz, but I hated the thought of Sleeping With Sirens collaborating with a rap artist. Then "The Best There Ever Was", came out, and that was it for me. I had accepted the fact that my review of the album was going to be like my review of The Summer Set's latest album, "Legendary".
Brutal.

I stopped listening to the individual singles that were being dropped and just kind of ignored the band and all the buzz about the album all together until I finally got mine. Upon first listening to it, my feelings remained the same. I didn't like the sound of "Feel", "Here We Go" caught my attention but not to a great extent, "Free Now" seemed forced and rushed, "I'll Take You There" was good, but again, not the SWS I had come to know, I didn't like "Congratulations" at all, "Deja Vu" was nice, I liked how fast paced it was, but it just seemed so...one dimensional, I guess, "These Things I've Done" was my favorite, "Sorry" was a big step up from the rest of the songs, and "Satellites" was a good way to wrap it all up, in my opinion.

Remember, that's just what I thought upon listening to it all the way through for the first time, and that's why I didn't want to sit down and bash it, because I like to give music a chance. I'm glad I did; because now, I absolutely LOVE almost every song on the album. Instead of continuing to ramble, I'll just get into the song-by-song. (I'm going to give each song a star rating out of 5 as well *****)

Track 1: Feel **

My opinion of this song actually hasn't changed a great amount. I still am not really feeling it. It's just...it leaves me waiting, like I'm waiting for the part that draws me in. It's not a horrible song, I just wait and wait and wait and then it ends and I'm like "...that's it?" It's a good way to start off the album, I suppose, since it sets the standards kind of low and every song after it is better. Maybe that was the plan...

 

Track 2: Here We Go ****

I love this song and everything about it. It renewed my faith in Sleeping With Sirens. I thought they were trying to go a different direction, maybe change their sound. I understand that as a band, sometimes that's what you have to do in order to grow your fan base and yourself, but some bands just do it so drastically (cough THE SUMMER SET cough) that they stray from their roots and what got them so many fans in the first place. This song made me realize that SWS is growing, but in a positive way. "Here We Go" is fast-paced and energetic. I love Kellin's vocals on this one and the band sounds amazing. The only reason it doesn't have five stars is because the lyrics are a tad bit one dimensional for my liking.

 

Track 3: Free Now **

I don't know where to start with this one...it's in the same boat as "Feel", my opinion on it hasn't really changed. I have so much respect for Kellin and anyone who had a parent or guardian who wasn't there for them, and I'm not trying to dis that in any way, but this song just seems so cliché and corny. The lyrics are heartfelt, and I get that it's a personal subject for him and that he's drawing from said personal experiences, but it seems forced, like someone said "Kellin, sit down and write a song about your past and your daughter and how everyone wants peace etc etc". It makes me feel like he personally didn't want to write it, like it wasn't a song he was inspired to write. The first thought that I had was that they were trying to make another "A Trophy Fathers' Trophy Son", this is nowhere near as good, and I don't think they'll ever come close to it again.

 

Track 4: Alone (ft. MGK) ****

This song was the one that made me realize SWS was going in a different direction, and probably for the reason you assume: the rapping. I personally hadn't really ever heard of Machine Gun Kelly before this...shame on me, whatever. I hate rap and I don't think it's music, and I don't think it reqires talent, sorry. It's just my opinion. Either way, when I first heard this, I didn't like the song as a whole, but I couldn't really tell you why. I just think the general idea of SWS collaborating with a rapper turned me off to the whole song. Because now that I've heard it so many times, I love it and it's up there with my favorite on the entire album. It's one of those songs SO many people can relate to, myself included. It's such a shared fear with so many people in the world, and I know how many people probably were like "that's exactly how I feel!" when they heard it. There's a lot of fans who probably appreciate it because it comforts them, they see that they're not alone with the fear of /being/ alone. It's not five stars because of the rap, I still don't think it fits.

 

Track 5: I'll Take You There (ft. Shayley Bourget) *****

First song that got five stars, yay! It definitely deserves it. I don't have much to say about it other than how amazing it is. It's such an all around good song. Good vocals, good music, the featured artist (though his part is extremely small) actually makes it better, the lyrics are great, it's Sleeping With Sirens at their best. Simple as that.

 

Track 6: The Best There Ever Was ***

This song is...different. Right off the bat, I was a little disappointed. "You're a hypocrite, you're so full of shit." Really, Kellin...? Could you get anymore cliché? Sorry, I just didn't like that. And his vocals on this one bother me. But I like the chorus a lot, and I like that it keeps up with the fast-moving pace of the rest of the album. I really, really, really don't like the...I guess vocals is the word I'm looking for...from 2:07-2:27. It's some kind of attempt at screaming/growling and it just sounds horrible to me. This song seems like an attempt at this record's own "Do It Now, Remember It Later", but as with "Free Now"'s attempt at "A Trophy Fathers' Trophy Son", it just doesn't measure up.

 

Track 7: Low ****

I've already reviewed this one, and my opinion remains the same, it's amazing. Check it out here.

 

Track 8: Congratulations (ft. Matty Mullins) **

This song isn't amazing and it isn't bad. I personally think it was so hyped up to be amazing because Matty Mullins has a part in it, and many SWS fans are also fans of him. I don't think it worked out at all. They just don't flow. It's nothing personal, it's just what I think. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this one, and I feel like people are lying to themselves, forcing themselves to believe that they like it; wether it be for Sleeping With Sirens, Matty Mullins, or their own sake; you all just need to stop and admit it wasn't as amazing as you thought it'd be. But, like I said, it's a good song. Just not a stand out.

 

Track 9: Deja Vu ***

I'd love to rate this one higher, I just think the lyrics are too simple. I love the song, don't get me wrong. But as a (self-proclaimed) blogger, I feel I have to be honest and not just say "every song on this album is amazing, the whole thing is perfect, there's not a bad song" etc. etc. This is one of the most-played songs in my library off this particular album for a reason; it's catchy and I looooove singing to it. It plays a bit on Kellin's already irresistable sex appeal and gets a little more scandalous than any of their prior songs, and I think that turned a lot of people away. I might be wrong when I say that, but I've seen a lot of negative comments specifically about the context of the song. I think, overall, it's one of the better ones off the record.

 

Track 10: Sorry *****

This song, to me, is absolutely perfect in every way. It almost seems a ballad when it first starts, and then you get into the rock that we all love, paired with Kellin's voice, yet maintaining a gentle feel the whole way through, not to mention it's a song about something guys RARELY say, so it makes all of us Kellin Quinn fangirls love him that much more. I don't what else to say other than that it's perfect and possibly my favorite track off the album. 

 

Track 11: Satellites ****

When I originally heard the album, I thought this was the only song I'd end up liking. Obviously, I was wrong, but still, I think this song is an amazing way to tie up the record and it was one of the ones that made me realize that the guys are growing up and trying new things. It's another one of those songs I think a lot of kids will listen to when maybe they're feeling lost or alone. It's a song that'll bring comfort and help a lot of people through a lot of things.

 

 

Overall, the album (mathematically speaking) gets a 3.5 from me. It's blowing me away and growing on me as I continue to listen to it, and I think, like all of their other music, I will continue to listen to it for a long time.

 

If you've never heard of Sleeping With Sirens, or if you're a fan and for some reason haven't listened to this album yet, do yourself a favor and listen to it, buy it, go see them at Warped, support them. They deserve it.

"Chin Up, Kid" Full Song

Forever The Sickest Kids have released the full version of "Chin Up, Kid" off their upcoming album "J.A.C.K." I personally love it. Click here to listen for yourself! It is also available on iTunes.

'Bulls In The Bronx' Music Video to be released on May 7th

 

Pierce The Veil has FINALLY announced when the video for "Bulls In The Bronx" will be released:
Our new video for “Bulls In The Bronx” is premiering on VEVO on May 7. Tell a friend:)

I love PTV and have been looking forward to this for a long time, so I'm excited for it. It's an amazing song, so I'm sure the video will be just as great. I don't know if I'll review it or not...if it's amazing and makes me want to write about it, then I will. If it's as bad as "Legendary" by The Summer Set, then I probably will too. Though, I'm not sure if Pierce The Veil is capable of producing something as bad as that record.

Don't miss it!

WARPED TOUR 2013!!!

FINALLY, I GET MY CHANCE TO ATTEND THE VANS WARPED TOUR. CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED? NO? THEN I'LL EXPLAIN MY JOY TO YOU.

For the last...seven years, I've been aching to go to Warped. As a 6th grader, when I realized how amazing this event was, my mom thought I was too young to go. It was heart breaking, but I knew when I got to high school she'd change her mind.
Wrong.
When I became a freshman, I re-pitched my plea to go to the most amazing music event on the planet. Again, my mom said it was too crazy and that I'd get hurt or something would get stolen or whatever. Any reason she could find to say no, she found.
Now, I'm not trying to bash my mom. I love my mom and I know she only cares and has what's best in mind. BUT SHE WOULDN'T CUT ME A BREAK. How does one explain to a parent just how great Warped is? Because as a parent, I definitely see the concerns. There's mosh pits, girls with little-to-no clothes, it's extremely hot, there's billions of people, millions of ways to get lost, something stolen, or even kidnapped, possibly. Not saying that's ever happened, but with the world we live in today, you can't rule that out.
Anyways, I've never been great with persuasion, so it was still a no. I sulked while people at my school bragged about how amazing it was, all the stuff they got, and all the bands they had met. I was insanely jealous.
Finally when I became a sophomore, my mom said it was okay if I went. I was STOKED. But then I realized the dilemma I was in. I was a very shy person in school, I always have been. Don't really know why, it's just how I am, unfortunately. Even now it plagues me. With that said, I mainly only had the friends I knew from my basketball team. I was extremely close to them, but the problem with them was that they didn't share my music taste, and had no interest in going to Warped. As you can guess, with their decline, went my opportunity to experience Warped.
Jr. year was no different, their music tastes didn't change and neither did my personality, so I didn't have any new friends who wanted to go.
Senior year was the same story. I did have a friend who probably would have went with me by then, but I felt I didn't know him well enough. I mean, I had gone to two previous concerts with him, but I don't know. It just didn't seem like it would have been as fun as it might be had I asked someone I knew really well.
So, I kind of gave up on Warped. I mean, I graduated and am kind of disconnected from my friends now. That is, until I realized my brother liked a lot of the music I played when we were in the car. A light bulb went off in my head.
Before I asked him to go to Warped, I wanted to see if he was cool with the whole concert environment. I asked him to go to a Mayday Parade concert with me, and he said sure. The concert was a shared headliner between The Maine and MP, with a band called The Postelles (forgive me if that's misspelled) as the opener. It was AMAZING. Of course, my brother isn't as into MP (or music in general) as I am, but he did say it was cool.
I decided to push my luck and see if he'd go to another show with me. I had to beg a little on this one, since he didn't know the bands as well as he had known Mayday Parade. This concert consisted of Paradise Fears, Go Radio, We Are The In Crowd, and was headlined by The Summer Set. AKA the "Wake Up And Be Awesome Tour." (I know the poster says For The Foxes, but I think they joined on later.)

This show was freaking amazing (other than my car getting towed during The Summer Sets' set). My brother, again, said he had a decent time. I thought it would be cool to ask him to go to Warped with me now. I told him all about it, the bands playing, how you can meet them, all the merch, free stuff, and what not. This all, somehow, didn't convince him. He's just not as into music as I am, he's more of a...I don't know. He's just not a concert guy.

Well, I figured the biggest turn off to him was standing around watching band after band play. While that sounds like Heaven to me, to someone who doesn't really even listen to the bands and isn't a music junkie in the first place might not be too excited when hearing about it. So I decided to compromise.

I told him that if he went we didn't have to stand and watch them all. I said the one band I wanted to see the most was Sleeping With Sirens and the rest of the time I REALLY wanted to meet them and buy a lot of stuff. AND HE SAID "Okay, then that's fine."

HE SAID OKAY.

 

So that's my little story of how I got myself to Warped. My mom bought me tickets last week for my birthday which is next week, and any money I get for my birthday I'm spending there. I'm so incredibly excited I just had to make a post about it. I just hope it turns out how I imagine it will.

 

Here's what I want to do:



My NUMBER 1 GOAL is to meet Sleeping With Sirens. Kellin Quinn is my idol and that band has done so much for me. I'm PRAYING that someone has a signing with them sometime after 1:00pm cause my brother works until 10am or 11am sometimes so I won't get there right when it opens.

I also am excited for The Summer Set (yes, I know what you're thinking, 'how can you be excited for them when you said so many bad things!?' well, just because their album sucked doesn't mean they as people suck. I've always wanted to meet them.) Go Radio, Set It Off, Forever The Sickest Kids, Story of the Year, Sleeping With Sirens (obviously) and many more. And I want to buy a lot of stuff.

 

If anyone has ever been to Warped and you see this, can you comment if you know if there's a time they STOP letting people in? That could pose a problem.

Even though he'll never read this, I want to thank my brother for being FREAKING AMAZING. He doesn't even know 90% of the bands and he's going just for my sake. I think that's so cool of him and he'll never understand how much I appreciate it.

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 20TH, 2013. DREAMS WILL BECOME REALITY.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Top 10 Bands

I'm going to give a list of how my top 10 favorite bands currently stand, and my favorite song and album from each one. Whenever it changes, I'll update the list. While making this, I realized how much it hasn't changed over the past few years. There's only 3 bands that have been swapped in or out. Pretty cool, in my opinion. Anyways, here it is (1 being my all-time favorite).

1. Mayday Parade
Favorite Alum: This was a really hard choice, but I have to go with their most recent release, Mayday Parade, the self-titled album.
Favorite Song: I could never choose. They haven't produced a song I don't love.








2. Sleeping With Sirens
Favorite Album: Let's Cheers To This
Favorite Song: If You Can't Hang










3. We Are The In Crowd
Favorite Album: Best Intentions
Favorite Song: Better Luck Next Time










4. Valencia
Favorite Album: Dancing With A Ghost
Favorite Song: Pieces














5. The Years Gone By
Favorite Album: Something You Know Nothing About (EP)
Favorite Song: When We Were Kids









6. Madina Lake
Favorite Album: From Them, Through Us, To You
Favorite Song: One Last Kiss










7. The Summer Set
Favorite Album: Everything's Fine
Favorite Song: Mannequin










8. Story Of The Year
Favorite Album: Page Avenue
Favorite Song: Until The Day I Die







9. There For Tomorrow
Favorite Album: A Little Faster
Favorite Song: Stories








10. The Cab
Favorite Album: Whisper War
Favorite Song: Another Me







Just a note: The favorite song isn't always off the favorite album.
Tell me you favorite bands and songs! I'm always in the market for some new music.

Disbanded Bands That Shouldn't Have.

 

 

Ever been listening to your music on shuffle, and a song comes on from a band that's no longer around? A song that means so much to you, that helped you get through so much. And the fact that the band that produced the song is no longer around just makes it that much more significant.

 

What I'm trying to get at is we all know of a band or two that is no longer together, and we feel they should be. I have an extensive list of bands that I miss...but it would take too long for me to go through each and every one. I just want to talk about the ones whose goodbye from the music industry came far too soon for me. The ones that had the most impact on me.

 

First off is a band called The Years Gone By. I found this band in 2008 I believe. By then, they had already released two albums (self-titled, 2006 and 'Forever Comes Too Soon', 2008) and an EP ('On The Verge', 2007). I was hooked the first time I heard them.

 

I used to have this weird method of looking for new bands to try out. Not the conventional YouTube suggestions or Pandora. I'd go to Wikipedia and search a band I already liked. From there, I'd read Wikipedia's article on the band, because it usually would give a list of either similar bands or other bands the original band had toured with. I'd just go down the list and search them all on ITunes, then listen to the 30 second preview of their songs (SO glad they've increased the preview time). If I liked them, I'd search even further into them on YouTube and so on.

 

I don't remember who I had searched to get The Years Gone By as a suggestion, but I'm forever grateful that I did. The first song I listened to was "You Might As Well Be In Space" off their album "Forever Comes Too Soon". I'll admit that when I first heard it, I had my mind shut off a little bit when I heard Nick's voice. I had never been too crazy about the idea of guys with high voices. But I decided that I would give them a shot. I continued listening and before I knew it I had listened to the whole album. I bought it off ITunes the next day and didn't take it off repeat for months. It's an amazing album. Honestly, it is a bit of an acquired taste. Like I said, his voice is high, and some people just don't like how that sounds. I fell in love with this band after I had heard the whole album. Their lyrics were some of the best and most meaningful I had heard yet. I loved the true punk sound they had, it was so unique to me. In my opinion, the drums sounded complex and I always challenged myself to air drum the hardest parts. I sat in my room for hours on end blasting this album, learning the words, and singing along.

 

Then I decided to listen to their older stuff. While their self-titled album wasn't bad, it hadn't reeled me in like the other. I listened to "On The Verge" next, and my favorites off that were "Them-1, Me-0", "High School Sensation", and "A Steady Approach To Sanity." After a while of waiting, they came out with "Something You Know Nothing About", and it made me feel like I was discovering them for the first time all over again. I loved every track of that EP. They were so upbeat and sincere. Every word made sense to me, every chorus hit me in a way I don't know how to explain. I felt so connected to these songs, like this band had personally come to me and interviewed me about what was going on in my life, and then made a record about it. It was surreal.

 

And then, about two years later, I heard that awful news that you never want to hear about a band that has come to mean so much to you, that has helped you through so much. The band was "taking a break", whether it was permanent or not was unclear (right now, it unfortunately seems to be for good). Two of the members had an epiphany of sorts, and realized that the music scene was changing and that it was no longer as promising as it had once seemed. They decided they wanted to go back to college and get some stability in their life, something to fall back on in case it did happen to fall through. While the other two members supported them, they didn't feel the same way. But it couldn't be helped, The Years Gone By officially announced their hiatus, and dropped three singles as a goodbye.

[Read more about the break here. http://www.myspace.com/theyearsgonebynj/blog/531647022]

 

The singles were "Down", "Heart In Boy", and "When We Were Kids". After listening to them, I had wished TYGB wouldn't have released them. They were so incredibly good, it hurt to know that this band would no longer be producing their unique sound. "When We Were Kids" instantly became my favorite TYGB song, and I always get this nostalgic, yet depressing, feeling when it comes on.

 

The Years Gone By and their music meant so much to me because when I found them I had just finished middle school.  I hated middle school. I got bullied and made fun of daily. I had a few close friends, but I felt distant from them. We had nothing in common, I was a total tomboy with a taste for alt/pop/punk rock while they were the girliest girls you'd ever meet, and they loved pop, rap, and hip hop. I felt so alone, and I wasn't looking forward to high school at all. But when I found this band, their words gave me this sense of security. Music had always been an escape for me, something I turned to when I felt like I had no one else. The Years Gone By filled a void that I didn't even know was there. Some people won't get it. Some people don't understand, as much as I try to explain it, what music does for me. What it does for thousands of other people. And that's okay. They don't have to understand. But TYGB got me through that summer and gave me an optimistic outlook on what lie ahead.

 

I continue to listen to The Years Gone By daily while I wait for the band to finally make it's come back.

 

The next band I want to talk about is a band called Valencia.

 

 

 Valencia is a band that I can honestly say is on my top 10 list of all-time favorite bands. They mean a lot to me, and when I heard they were going on hiatus, it hit me hard.

 

I started listening to Valencia in 2008, because a friend had told me about the release of their album "We All Need A Reason To Believe". I was surprised at the sound, because it wasn't what I was usually into. It seemed a little more indie than I was used to, but it definitely wasn't a bad thing. At first, I was kind of on the fence about the band. I didn't immediately buy the album, but I went to YouTube often to listen to it. I decided to check into their old stuff, which consisted of an album they had released in 2005 called "This Could Be A Possibility". Honestly, nothing on it stood out to me, there wasn't that one song I had to have. It was a bit disappointing, and discouraged me from continuing on with listening to them. I knew it'd be unfair to give up on them because of their past music, so I remained optimistic.

 

 Through 2009 and early 2010, I realized just how good their music was. I had bought the album early 2009, and sat down one day to listen to it. It spoke to me, I loved Shane's voice and his lyrics. Like with TYGB, I felt that connection. Maybe it wasn't instantly, but I had found it, and it made Valencia quickly rise to the top of the "Top 25 Most Played" list in my iTunes library. On October 12, 2011, they released their third and final album "Dancing With A Ghost". It was also their best.

 

If you haven't realized it by now, I'm not amazing with words or descriptions. I have so much I want to say, but when I try to put it into words, it comes out the same way, so I know I seem repetitive. But I mean what I say and if I knew a different way to put it I would. "Dancing With A Ghost" mesmerized me, I absolutely loved it. Every single track on the record meant something to me, I could relate to them all in one way or another. I bought the album the day it released and learned all the words in just a few days. Valencia was one of the bands that I wanted to see in concert the most.

 

Valencia also meant a lot to me because I had a personal interaction with them. As small as it may be, and as insignificant as it may seem to some one else, when this happened, I told everyone I knew. (At the time) I had just recently been introduced to Twitter, and they were one of the first bands I followed. I had sent them a DM (direct message) saying how much their music meant and that they were one of my favorite bands and so on. It's hard to do in 140 characters. Anyways, I wasn't exactly expecting a response, since none of the bands I was trying to contact responded via Twitter, but deep down there was a small hope they'd say something. A few hours later, I got a notification for a new DM and my heart soared. I checked it immediately and almost lost my cool. Valencia had responded to me. I'll never forget what the message said. "That's awesome! Hope to see you this summer!" I am very aware it could have been some kid of automated response or something, but I just have this feeling it wasn't. Eight, small, insignificant words meant a whole lot to me just because of who had said them.

 

Unfortunately, in 2011, tragedy struck the band. Their former drummer, Maxim Soria (he had left on good terms in 2009) was killed in a motorcycle accident. As thorough as I thought I had been with learning about all the bands I listened to, I didn't ever hear of this until recently. Sadly enough, it's not the first time something this bad had happened. In 2006, Shane's (lead singer) girlfriend passed away. I don't know many details pertaining to his girlfriend's death, but I know that Max had been on his motorcycle and supposedly lost control, crashing into a guard rail. I don't believe there were any other cars involved.

 

Going through so much as a band, Valencia officially announced it's hiatus on October 11th, 2011. That was a bad day for me, but I didn't question it. I was just happy they had been in my life for so long, and happy they were leaving their music behind for me to remember them by. They had made a huge impact on my life, and my only regret was never getting to see them play live. It bugs me to this day, and I can only hope for some kind of reunion show or something, so that I can finally see them.

 

Now, the last band I'm going to talk about is a big one. Almost everyone I know has heard of them or likes them in some way, and their recently announced break up has trended and effected people worldwide. The band is My Chemical Romance.

 

"Being in this band for the past 12 years has been a true blessing. We've gotten to go places we never knew we would. We've been able to see and experience things we never imagined possible. We've shared the stage with people we admire, people we look up to, and best of all, our friends. And now, like all great things, it has come time for it to end. Thanks for all of your support, and for being part of the adventure.

My Chemical Romance"

http://www.mychemicalromance.com/news/

 

This was the message fans of the band were left with on March 22, 2013. Not only were they left with this, but they were left with so many questions, the main one being: Why?

 

I'll be honest, I am not a big fan of MCR. But I have an enormous amount of respect for them and what they do. I know how many people they've touched and how many lives they've saved, and I can relate with all the people who might be going through a hard time now because they've parted ways. I only wanted to write about them to say to anyone who might read this that I know what it's like. I only ever bought four of their songs, but I know there were people who had every album. Who knew every word to every song on every album. And people who are still left in shock by this.

I just wanted to say thanks to My Chemical Romance, because they helped some of my friends, they saved lives, and they made great music.

 

R.I.P MCR, Maxim Soria, and if this article is correct [http://mydeathspace.com/article/2006/11/11/Dana_Burrell_(18)_was_killed_in_a_freak_lawnmower_accident] Dana Burrell.

Change Is Good?

A saying I've heard frequently throughout my life is the claim that "change is good." And I've come to realize that this claim is both true and false. Sure, change is something unavoidable that we all experience at some point in or lives. Wanted or not, we all go through change, and how we come to terms with it is what makes us who we are. It defines our strength and how we handle life in general. Now, change that we have control over is another story. For example, a new hairstyle, a new and different career, a change in diet, things like that. Such changes define who we are, and how we want to be seen. Those changes can also be negative and positive.

For The Summer Set, the change is unfortunately negative.

I have been a fan of The Summer Set since the day they released their first full-length album "Love Like This". It's full of catchy, upbeat songs with themes like love, partying, summer, and just having the time of your life. There's not a track on that record I don't sing out of key at the top of my lungs to. Likewise with their sophomore album, "Everything's Fine". This album goes deeper into the mind and heart of Brian Dales (lead singer). He sings about love and heartbreak, missing perfect times of being a kid and living it up. There's cute songs like "Love To You" and "Thick As Thieves" that are fun to sing to, and then there's songs like "When We Were Young" and "Back To The Start" that might make you reminisce about a lost relationship, one that you didn't want to end. In a lot of these songs, you can relate to, and connect with Brian, through his lyrics.

And after falling head-over-heels in love with this band and their music, I hear one of their most recent releases "F**k U Over". I love the song. It's got a catchy melody and reels you in with the memorable chorus that I love to sing out loud. Again, it's another song people can connect with, because a lot of people have been in a similar situation. Whether in Brian Dales position, or the unfortunate girl he's singing about. This track is going to be featured on their most recent album (out April 16th, April 15th in the UK), called Legendary. Being the Summer Set fanatic that I am, I'm constantly looking for updates on the album, new single releases, interviews, and just any news pertaining to it. So with all I've read, seen, and heard, I know how much hype there is for this album. After I heard the second single "Maybe Tonight", (an amazing song about finding out who you are and being true to it), I was convinced this record would be better than the last two.

Until I heard the third, and final, single release until the actual release of the album, "Boomerang".

I don't mean in any way, shape or form that this is a bad song, it's actually quite good. Upbeat and melodic, it's a song that makes you want to dance. The chorus is contagious.
 "If I was Jay-Z, you'd be my Beyoncé, we could rock the nation like they do.
And if I was DaVinci, you'd be Mona Lisa, paint a smile perfectly on you.
And if I was James Dean, you could be my Audry, breakfast at Tiffany's for two.
So throw me away, cause if I were a boomerang, I'd turn around and come back to you, back, back to you."
It's a song that could appeal to anyone: and that's my problem.

After the first two singles were released, I was a little bit hesitant to accept that the band I had come to know and love seemed to be changing. When "Boomerang" dropped, I could no longer deny it. The Summer Set was aiming to go mainstream, and that disappointed me greatly.

The band has implied in many interviews that I've seen and read, (and their record label, Fearless Records, has also implied) that they aim to make "Boomerang" a top 40 hit. The Summer Set wants to appeal to a larger audience, they want to get their name out there and their music heard by more ears than they've got now. This isn't my problem. I've heard over and over again how fans don't want their favorite bands to get big, they're scared it'll change them, or that they'll stop playing in the smaller venues, or possibly even it's just their own selfish desires. Whatever the case may be, The Summer Sets' fandom doesn't seem to be any different. With that said, I do admit that it makes me sad when I hear about my favorite bands hitting it big, but at the same time, that's what they're goal is, and it does make me happy to know they're doing well.

Again, the fact that The Summer Set wants to be mainstream isn't my problem; the way they're doing it is.

I am a loyal and hardcore music fan no matter what way you look at me, I love nothing (other than family and friends) more than I love my music. I go to concerts, buy the merch, layer my walls with posters and autographed pictures, and blast my music whenever I get the chance. I feel a personal connection with people I have never met (the bands) because of this passion I have for music. I feel offended and get angry when anyone insults the bands or genre I listen to. It's just how I am. This is the reason The Summer Set has been one of my favorite bands, I felt the connection the first time I listened to them.

But hearing "Boomerang", nothing jumped out at me. It is a good song, like I said. But I don't feel what I do when listening to "Everything's Fine" or "Love Like This". And in my opinion, it's because The Summer Set is changing their sound. It hurts me to use this term on a band I have loved for so long, but The Summer Set is on the verge of becoming a sell out in my opinion. While other fans love the new songs and look forward to the album, I'm scared that it's only going to confirm what I've been fearing: they're changing their sound so the mainstream audience will like it.

This happens to far too many good bands, and I feel the reason is because they are grossly under rated. The best example I can think of is a band called Faber Drive. This band was known for their rock/punk sound and catchy, heart felt lyrics that people could relate to. They didn't have an extremely huge fan base, but the fans they had were loyal and passionate about their music. I was never as big of a fan of them as I am with The Summer Set, but I was outraged when I heard their album "Lost In Paradise". There was nothing Faber Drive about that album, full of synthesizers, auto tune, and corny lyrics, there wasn't a fan who didn't think it wasn't a joke. Getting back to my point, the reason I believe that Faber Drive changed their sound so drastically, was because they wanted a bigger response. They wanted more fans, and with the music that's considered mainstream today, that was the best and fastest way they knew how to do it. Obviously, it was the wrong way.

This is what I fear for The Summer Set. I think their situation is no different from Faber Drive's. While TSS does have a bigger fan base, they still want more, and their music is suffering because of it. "Boomerang" doesn't seem genuine whatsoever, it seems an attempt to pull that mainstream audience in and get them hooked, hopefully so that they'll listen to the rest of the record and tell their friends. TSS has been doing whatever they can to get the word out about this album, so I know there will be a lot of new ears...but if there's anyone like me out there, they'll be losing a lot of the ones that were true to them for so long.

If this album is anything like I think it will be, I'm sad to say that The Summer Set might be losing a faithful and loyal fan. And I know people will argue that if I stop listening to and supporting them because of this, I'm not really "a loyal and true fan". And to that I say, how do you figure? I'm a fan of The Summer Set and the MUSIC they make. That's what it's all about, the music. So if the music begins to suck, why would I continue to listen?

I just hope The Summer Set doesn't let it all go to their heads, and they continue to make the music that is so popular among their already-existing fan base, because if they don't, they might lose what's already got them so far: us.