RockMusic

‘Hundred Questions, Thousand Answers’ is the debut promo release from Cardiff based rock band Death Before Sunrise. The promo features two tracks, and with this release the band shows fantastic signs of promise. The band is currently signed to Casket Music and will later this year release its debut album; if this promo is anything to go by then Death Before Sunrise’s debut album should definitely have a lot to offer.

Formed in 2008, Death Before Sunrise has already played a number of high profile shows, establishing a strong fan base throughout South Wales and beyond in the process. Listening to this promo you can hear a fantastic amount of energy coming through in the sound, and this is no doubt something that comes across on the live circuit also. Title track ‘Hundred Questions, Thousand Answers’ is by far the most powerful of the two tracks present here, second track ‘Will There Be A Moment’ is still a decent track to listen to though, and with this track the band shows excellent instrumental ability.

What’s particularly pleasing about ‘Hundred Questions, Thousand Answers’ is the way that the band takes a powerful rock sound, and seamlessly integrates elements of screamo into the sound. The cleanly sung vocal sound is prominent here, along with a supreme style of guitar sound, with the screams taking a backseat throughout. The screaming comes through well here, and because it’s never the main vocal sound I feel that this works well.

Death Before Sunrise is a quality young rock band, and it’ll definitely be interesting to hear what the band can come up with for its debut album. There’s fantastic guitar strength here, an excellent vocal sound, and powerful drumbeats also; the band’s debut album should surely pack a hefty punch, and ‘Lying To Me’ which can be heard on the Death Before Sunrise MySpace page also suggests that there’ll be a heavy helping of pop-punk fun present on the album also.

There are a lot of excellent Welsh rock bands doing the rounds right now, and Death Before Sunrise is definitely one of them. Expect big things from Death Before Sunrise’s debut album, and definitely do check this band out live if you get the opportunity.

Rating: 4/5

Arguably the best rock release of 2009 so far; ‘Second Chance’ is an absolute belter of a power ballad from Floridian rockers Shinedown, and one that is most definitely well worth listening to. The lyrics hit hard, the chorus is hugely powerful, and everything about the track truly is incredibly effective. The band shows fantastic strength all throughout the track, and ‘Second Chance’ therefore provides for an incredibly entertaining and massively enjoyable listening experience.

Such emotion can here be heard in the voice of Shinedown singer Brent Smith, every word sung out with phenomenal bite and meaning. Brent Smith certainly doesn’t hold back here, he gives the track his all, and you can really tell that these words mean much to him. The instrumental side of things is strong, Brent Smith’s vocals are definitely what make this track what it is though, and it’s his supreme vocal strength that makes ‘Second Chance’ such a pleasurable piece of music to listen to.

Shinedown really is an excellent band, and that’s definitely something that is showcased strongly with ‘Second Chance’. It really is hard to find fault with the track, and as far as I’m concerned; ‘Second Chance’ is a track that is bordering upon perfection.

If you like your rock music then there’s a good chance that you’ll love Shinedown’s ‘Second Chance’; I for one am most definitely a massive fan of the track, and having been playing it more or less non-stop lately, I’m pretty sure that this is one rock track that I’m never going to tire of listening to.

Give ‘Second Chance’ a listen right now, and prepare to be impressed.

Rating: 5/5

Here is Shinedown’s Second Chance:

Finalists in Orange unsignedAct 2008/09; Hip Parade now has a track available for download through iTunes in the form of ‘Girl On The Radio’. Hip Parade actually came second in the competition, all three artists have had a track digitally released through Polydor Records though, and ‘Girl On The Radio’ can therefore now be downloaded from iTunes for the mere price of 79p.

The lyrics aren’t particularly deep, and it’s not exactly the most original song you’ll ever here; ‘Girl On The Radio’ is a fantastically catchy little track though, and one that is most definitely well worth listening to. The chorus is brilliant, the verse pretty exciting also, and everything about the track is just incredibly uplifting to listen to. There’s a fantastic energy throughout the entirety of the track, and every time I hear this one I just can’t help but smile.

‘Girl On The Radio’ is a track that really makes you want to get up and dance; it’s fast, fun, and always the music is packed full of positivity. It starts well, progresses powerfully, and at all times here the music really is hugely entertaining to listen to.

I really thought Hip Parade was going to win Orange unsignedAct; of the three artists that made it to the final, I truly felt that Hip Parade was by far the band with the most commercial appeal and would therefore be the artist to secure the most votes. I was proven wrong when Tommy Reilly won the competition though, and Hip Parade was forced to settle for second place. It must have been very close I believe, and there can’t have been too many votes between the two artists, it’s excellent that Hip Parade has had a single released through Polydor also though, and perhaps if enough digital copies of the ‘Girl On The Radio’ single are sold then Hip Parade can join the ranks of Universal Music along with Tommy Reilly.

‘Girl On The Radio’ is a phenomenally catchy single, and for all those that like listening to pop rock then I’d definitely recommend downloading this one. At just 79p you can’t really go too far wrong in downloading ‘Girl On The Radio’, it’s not a huge price to pay to support the fantastic UK talent that is Hip Parade, and who knows; it could even help the band to make it into the Official UK Top 40 next Sunday.

Hip Parade is an absolutely brilliant UK band, and I’m sure we’ll be hearing plenty more from this fine UK talent in the not too distant future. 2009 will no doubt be a huge year for Hip Parade, and I just can’t wait to hear more of the band’s material. It’s surely only a matter of time before Hip Parade is signed to a successful record label and releasing music to the masses.

Rating: 4/5

Release Date: 25th January 2009
Record Label: Polydor
Genre: Rock

Website: HipParade.co.uk

‘Sober’, the second track from Pink’s fifth studio album ‘Funhouse’, also happens to be the album’s second single. Physically released on January 19th 2009 in the UK, the track has been steadily rising up the Official UK Singles Chart for some time, and currently sits at number 26 on the basis of downloads alone.

Unlike previous single ‘So What’, ‘Sober’ doesn’t have a particularly hard hitting chorus, what it is though is an incredibly well written track with which Pink puts across a huge amount of passion and emotion. There’s something incredibly likeable about the track, and the more you listen to it, the more it grows on you, and the more you love it.

‘Sober’ is not an instantly infectious single, with repeated listens though the tracks true beauty starts to shine through, Pink’s lyrics begin to hit hard, and the track really does show itself to be exceptional. Alecia Moore really does show immense talent as both a singer and songwriter here, ‘Sober’ is an absolutely fantastic track, and it’s not hard to hear why the track has been coolly rising up the UK Singles Chart for some time now.

I believe that ‘Sober’ is a track we shall be hearing for some time to come; it’s perhaps one of the greatest songs that Pink has ever written, and it really is excellent.

Produced by Danja, Tony Kanal, and Jimmy Harry; ‘Sober’ is a track that Pink really should be proud of, and with the track already having hit singles charts in many countries all around the world, I believe that Pink could yet have another Number One single in the UK with ‘Sober’; she certainly deserves to have another Official UK Number One with this one anyway. ‘Sober’ is without doubt a track that all should take the time to listen to.

Rating: 4.5/5

The following is a YouTube video to listen to the track. Pink’s Sober Lyrics can also be found by clicking on the video.

Originally five and a half minutes long; ‘Showdown’ has been stripped down to three minutes fifty for its commercial release as a single. The opening track from the band’s ‘In Silico’ album, ‘Showdown’ fuses drum and bass with rock, and Pendulum really produces an incredibly powerful sound here. The track has a real kick about it, a lively, energetic atmosphere about the music at all times.

Every second of the track is packed with excitement; ‘Showdown’ is arguably the best track from the band’s ‘In Silico’ album, and the decision to release it as a single really does make a lot of sense. Although not as good as past pulsating Pendulum anthems such as ‘Slam’ and ‘Tarantula’; ‘Showdown’ is still a pretty decent effort from Pendulum, and the best the band has released as a single in a long time.

The video to the track is almost as excellent as the music itself; the video works incredibly well and really does combine brilliantly with the music. Directed by Nick Bartleet, the video for ‘Showdown’ is one of the very best I’ve seen in a long time; it’s a powerful piece of video, and the fast cutting really does work well. Separately the music and the video are both excellent; combine them though and this really does provide for an absolute masterpiece.

For artists combining components of drum and bass and rock; you won’t find any better than Pendulum. Admittedly there are some absolutely terrible tracks on the bands ‘In Silico’ album, there are also some absolute gems on there though, and ‘Showdown’ is most certainly one of them.

Whilst ‘Showdown’ is an excellent drum and bass/rock crossover track though; Clipz remix of the track most definitely isn’t. Clipz awful clownstep remix of ‘Showdown’ is without doubt the worst drum and bass track I’ve ever heard. Clipz remix of the track really needs to be heard for its badness to be believed, and as it’s currently available to listen to from Pendulum’s MySpace page; a trip to the band’s MySpace page is most certainly recommended if you’re up for hearing a comedicly bad drum and bass remix.

Pendulum’s ‘Showdown’ is a great crossover track, not the best that the band has ever written, but a very good four minute effort nonetheless. It probably won’t be remembered in years time as a classic of its genre, if you’re looking for a fast and fun piece of music though then ‘Showdown’ will most certainly deliver. The Nick Bartleet directed video is provided below, and I highly recommend watching it as it really is very impressive.

‘Showdown’ will be Pendulum’s 14th single release, and is to be released through Warner Bros. on January 5th 2009.

Rating: 4/5