Variants - The Concept Of Color album review

              This album kicks ass. There's no way around that. Variants' full length, "The Concept Of Color" comes out tomorrow, and you do not want to miss it. The album strays from anything you would expect out of a pop punk album today. The 11 track album comes on heavy, and lays it on thick. If you're expecting the upbeat rhythm and nasally vocals of today's pop punk world, forget it. The voice alone is enough to put this band on a path of it's own. His voice reminds me of some metal band I heard one time that I can't remember, but used in a much more melodic and audibly pleasing way. Between the distinguished vocals and flawless harmonies, the words are a true pleasure to take in. The music is no doubt heavier than what you're probably expecting, but I assure you that this is worth venturing outside your comfort zone. All 11 tracks are flawless, I'm off to see if they have some shirts or something. 

Tl;dr

• Variants (New Orleans, Louisiana)
• For fans of: A Loss For Words, Lakota De Kai
• Full Length Release
• Favorite Track: All of them. But mostly "Sentences"
• 5/5. Entirely flawless. 

The Black Sox Scandal - Forward Progress EP Review

          prog·ress [n.] - a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage; growth or development, continuous improvement

            The Forward Progress EP embraces just that. A three song release by The Black Sox Scandal focuses on getting over and moving on. The pop punk trio may still be relatively knew, but they have the distinct advantage of residing in the pop punk breeding ground that is the Philly/Jersey area. The vocals on the release are reminiscent of Mayday Parade before we graduated high school, with a distinct melodic style. The EP is good, there's no arguing that. Even if the style isn't your thing, there's no denying the talent put into this music. My biggest complaint is that it's only three songs, but I'm genuinely interested to see what else they come out with. 

Tl;dr

• The Black Sox Scandal (Asbury Park, New Jersey)
• For fans of: Mayday Parade, Head North, Bayside, Anberlin
• Debut Release: Forward Progress
• Favorite Track: Anchors
• 4/5

facebook.com/theblacksoxscandal

http://theblacksoxscandal.bandcamp.com

88 To Yesterday - Choose Your Own Adventure Review

           Shout out to Australia for making love with itself and producing these fine young gentlemen and their reflection of textbook pop punk. The 5 quintet from down under is working their way up with their debut EP "Choose Your Own Adventure." The five song release is everything you thought had worked its way out of the scene. Lucky for you though, here it is. "Choose Your Own Adventure" starts off right with a mellow few seconds and then a power crunch riff that will drag in anyone who was once a Sum 41 fan. The album starts off fast and and the songs slow down towards the end of the EP, but never loses it's ability to captivate. As the latter half mellows out, the aggression is lost, but never the passion. You can hear in the slightly nasally vocals, that these guys care about what they're doing, and that's what's important, right?

Tl;dr

• 88 To Yesterday (Perth, Australia) 
• For fans of: Sum 41, New Found Glory, Blink 182, Yellowcard
• Debut Release: Choose Your Own Adventure
• Favorite Track: Sarah Says
• 4/5

facebook.com/88ToYesterday

88toyesterday.bandcamp.com/

Dugout - Where There Used To Be Meaning Album Review

        Super classic pop punk. Pennsylvania natives Dugout are the band that those 2004 pop punk elitists that hangout next to the venue would actually approve of. If you had to explain the genre to your grandmother, you could probably skip the $70 vintage New Found Glory album and just play her this. As corny as that sounds, this is good stuff. 

        The Lansdale four-piece is holding nothing back and taking no prisoners on this one. Where There Used To Be Meaning is the title needed to describe the "move on and forget you" attitude throughout the album. 8 tracks of mid-song tempo changes, upbeat drums, and one song with some guy named Ziggy changing the vocals up. I couldn't find a bad song on this album, and I would 100% recommend this band to anybody missing the good old days or whatever. 

Tl;dr

• Dugout (Lansdale, Pennsylvania)
• For fans of: New Found Glory, Blink 182, Bowling For Soup, Yellowcard
• Third Release,  Where There Used To Be Meaning
• Favorite Track: Distance
• 3.8/5

www.facebook.com/dugoutpa

http://dugoutpa.bandcamp.com/

http://www.twitter.com/dugoutpa
http://www.reverbnation.com/dugoutpa
http://www.dugoutpa.stereokiller.com
http://www.paintedoxrecords.com