Blindside - With Shivering Hearts We Wait

It's been four years since Blindside last released music, six since a full album. And although the band never officially broke up, it has certainly seemed that way for a while. After the 2005 release of the highly experimental album The Great Depression, many fans were left wondering where the band would go next, or if they would go anywhere at all. Blindside's subsequent release, The Black Rose EP, proved to be a mix of their previous albums and was a collection of songs that could easily have served as a perfect farewell for the group. Shows had become scarce and all signs pointed towards the end. Yet, four years later, Christian music's most popular Swedish post-hardcore band returns with one of the best albums of their career. Slightly more radio friendly than their previous releases, Blindside's latest charts new territory for the band. Huge choruses have become the rule, not the exception. Yet, despite a more accessible approach, the group's signature musicianship and sound remain quite intact. Vocalist Christian Lindskog's screams more passionately than ever and the riffs are distinctively heavy. From the album's blistering opener to its electronic filled final cut, With Shivering Hearts We Wait was more than worth the wait. It's an exciting new entry into what hopes to be a long chapter in the band's career...

Style: Alternative Metal / Post-Hardcore
Street Date: June 7, 2011

Track list:
01. There Must Be Something In The Water (3:58)
02. My Heart Escapes (3:42)
03. Monster On The Radio (3:11)
04. It's All I Have (3:51)
05. Bloodstained Hollywood Ending (3:15)
06. Our Love Saves Us (3:29)
07. Bring Out Your Dead (3:41)
08. Withering (3:35)
09. Cold (3:23)
10. There Must Be Something In The Wind (7:03)

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Abandon - Control

One of the bands that has really picked up momentum in the last year or so has been the five-piece pop rock group from Texas known as Abandon. Although their debut album, Searchlights, was mostly a mix of songs that Abandon had previously released on a series of EPs, their anticipated sophomore project, Control, is virtually all fresh. There is more energy (including a dance element) in Control than Searchlights, but this release never feels less professional than the first album. Instead, Control actually runs smoother than its predecessor behind "Feel It In Your Heart," "New Years Day" and "Under Fire." The rockier tunes sound less choppy this time around (particularly "Push it away"), and the album in general has better production than Searchlights. The biggest flaw musically in the album, however, fortunately is only the encore appearance of Abandon's hit song "Hero" which seems a little cheap. Abandon offers more direct lyrics to go along with their more pop oriented music which works when delivering easier themes, but it also means the lyrics are less thoughtful (e.g. "City Lights" and "Providence" from Searchlights). Still Abandon challenges listeners to know and live their faith in both "Live It Out" and "Under Fire," while the idea behind the album's title is brought up in "Let Go." Overall, Control is a nearly flawless pop/rock album which is a terrific song or two away from being outstanding.

Style: Pop/Rock
Street Date: April 19, 2011

Track list:

01. Feel It In Your Heart (3:12)
02. Help (3:38)
03. Live It Out (3:45)
04. SOS (2:53)
05. Your Love Goes On (4:00)
06. Let Go (3:55)
07. New Years Day (4:21)
08. Talk To Me (3:05)
09. Push It Away (2:40)
10. Under Fire (3:20)
11. Why Does It Take So Long (3:36)
12. Known (4:09)
13. Hero (3:46)

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Far-Less - A Toast To Bad Taste

Style: Rock

Year: 2007

Track list:

01. Intro

02. Toast to Bad Taste

03. I Hope We Swim (Oceans)

04. Thin Line

05. Segue To Devil Without a Clue

06. Devil Without a Clue

07. It's Not Me, It's You

08. Segue to Gentlemen (Go to Sleep)

09. Gentlemen (Go to Sleep)

10. Keep Keep

11. Segue to So Glad

12. So Glad

13. Surprise Funeral, A (For the Charmed)

14. To Live

15. Forever and a Day

16. I Gave In

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