Tag Archives: Go Radio

09.20.12
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[REVIEW] Go Radio – Close the Distance

Jason Lancaster’s career is certainly well known by now. He helped propel punk mainstays Mayday Parade, only to leave the band at its peak. Ever since, Lancaster and Mayday Parade have managed to keep keeping on, but there was something lacking in each’s works after the break-up. Lancaster found his stride with Lucky Street, Go Radio’s first full-length release, while Mayday Parade struggled until releasing a solid self-titled last year. The question is how Lancaster’s band sounds a mere eighteen months after last year’s Lucky Street? Is the band better or starting to struggle? The question cannot be answered in the affirmative or negative, as Close the Distance finds the band streamlining its sound, but coming across more confidently than in the past. When a band streamlines its sound, that usually is a big issue, but Jason’s songwriting is on the job, so most of the album is still enjoyable, if way too predictable. For example, “Close the Distance” is one of the band’s best songs to date, but if it weren’t for Jason’s voice and melodies, you could easily convince me that this was a top 40 radio hit. In fact, most of the album sounds a bit like Jason and company covering a bunch of pop songs. Each song is quite catchy and well done, but it’s all a bit more standard fare than listeners are used to hearing from Go Radio. The melodies are really all that separates this from generic pop rock. Jason has always had a knack for writing solid melodies, and that is really the saving grace on the album. “What If You Don’t” channels the great “Miserable at Best” from Mayday Parade and showcases how damn effective Jason Lancaster is when it’s simply him and a piano. Then, later on the last three songs showcase that mindset a bit more, as they are significantly less memorable. Overall, Go Radio has released another solid album, but the question remains to be seen if this streamlined approach will do the band good in the future. (by NS)

Classification: Youth Adult Contemporary
Recommended Tracks: “Close the Distance”, “What If You Don’t” and “Go to Hell”
In Conclusion: Go Radio finds the band streamlining its sound to the point of radio pop, but Jason’s melodies help elevate this album to something close to great.

11.28.11
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Double Music Review: PUNK GOES POP 4 [Various Artists]

For the new Punk Goes Pop compilation, we had one reviewer who dug the album and another who hate it. Soooooo, here’s a Love/Hate double review for Punk Goes Pop 4!

Loved it….

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Punk Goes Pop 4
[Fearless Records]
Verdict: 8.5/10
The majority of Punk Goes compilations are pretty good (with the exception of some bad tracks and that awful Punk Goes Crunk mess). If one were to really look at the labels, though, then they’d question who the hell considers this band punk and this band pop, but try to ignore all that. For the new Punk Goes Pop compilation, Fearless Records and the roster here did a very solid job in covering some of the year’s best songs. The obvious hits are here (like “We R Who We R”, “Fuck You”, “Til the World Ends”, and “Last Friday Night”), along with several I’d forgotten about (or didn’t know to begin with). Before I dive into the good, let’s wrestle some of the bad points. What drove me crazy the most is why somehow covered Mumford & Sons here. I love “Little Lion Man”, but that song isn’t even close to being a pop song. It’s a blend of folk/country! Come on, people. Other than this annoyance, most of these tracks were memorable. Even the annoying Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! band did a pretty good cover. The Downtown Fiction especially did an awesome job with “Super Bass”, making the song sound like it was one of their own. Go Radio also did a superb performance with “Rolling in the Deep”, and I’m not even a fan of their music. Still, there’s always going to be that audience that digs these compilations for the bands that take their covers “heavier” than others. This would include A Skylit Drive, For All Those Sleeping, I See Stars, C!NCC!, and Woe Is Me. Each of these artists did a very good job with their versions, though I think A Skylit Drive and Woe, Is Me did the best (the “Last Friday Night” cover by WIM will be stuck in your head for days). Another surprise was Silverstein’s cover of “Runaway” (which did not strike me as a song they would put their spin on) and Sleeping With Sirens’ cover of “Fuck You” (which has become a favorite with many listeners judging by online posts). Overall, Punk Goes Pop 4 is quite entertaining. Fans of these Fearless compilations should enjoy this one thoroughly. – by Nathaniel Lay
> Recommended Tracks: “Super Bass”, “Rolling in the Deep”, “Til the World Ends”, “Just the Way You Are”, “Love the Way You Lie”, “Fuck You”, “Last Friday Night”
> Bottom Line: These aren’t punk bands, but Fearless doesn’t pay attention to that on any of these compilations it seems. If you can get passed that, then you’ll find some very enjoyable covers on this release. Any fan of previous Punk Goes albums should definitely pick this one up.

Hated It…

Verdict: 2/10
Fearless Records has been putting out a series of compilation albums called Punk Goes… for a while, and the most popular were the Punk Goes Pop collection. It’s on its fourth one, and if the title doesn’t give it away, punk bands cover pop songs that you’d find on the radio. Well, not to be technical, but none of the bands are actually punk. They’re all post-hardcore or pop-punk bands. Punk Goes Pop 4 is no exception. Every band sounds exactly the same, and that’s not a good thing. It gets very boring very fast. It takes a lot to impress me, and this doesn’t quite cut it. I want to be surprised on records like this, but I already know what I’m getting into, sadly. It also doesn’t help that most of the bands already contributed tracks to the last one, such as WOE IS ME, A SKYLIT DRIVE, and THE READY SET. I’d love to hear more bands than the exact same ones. That’s my main complaint. As for the music itself, it’s tolerable at times, but it’s just terrible for the most part. Isn’t the point of covering a song to make it better? Most of these covers are worse than the originals, sadly. The album starts out with a cover of BRUNO MARS’ “Just the Way You Are” by PIERCE THE VEIL and it’s not half bad. It’s tolerable at best. I don’t dig the band, but the song isn’t too bad. The next track is a cover of MUMFORD & SONS “Little Lion Man” by Australian pop-punk band TONIGHT ALIVE. I love MUMFORD & SONS but TONIGHT ALIVE just butcher it. WOE IS ME make a return with KATY PERRY’S “T.G.I.F. (Last Friday Night).” It’s enjoyable, but it’s not memorable at all. Then THE READY SET covers the WIZ KHALIFA track “Roll Up,” which features one of my favorite rappers MOD SUN. If he wasn’t on the track, it wouldn’t be worth listening to. After some dreadful covers by SLEEPING WITH SIRENS and GO RADIO, FOR ALL THOSE SLEEPING completely slaughters TAYLOR SWIFT’S “You Belong With Me.” To be honest, the rest of the album is terrible, except for A SKYLIT DRIVE’S cover of “Love the Way You Lie.” It’s not half bad, actually. After a few more awful tracks, SILVERSTEIN also have a rather entertaining cover of KANYE WEST’S “Runaway.” The album ends with THE DOWNTOWN FICTION’S cover of NICKI MINAJ’S “Super Bass,” and it’s very enjoyable. That might even be my favorite track. Thankfully, the album does end nicely. — by Bradley Christensen
> Recommend Listening: “Super Bass” by The Downtown Fiction, “Love the Way You Lie” by A Skylit Drive, and “Roll Up” by The Ready Set.
> Release date: November 22nd, 2011
> In Conclusion… This should be named Pop Goes Pop simply because this is 13 tracks of pop bands covering pop songs. A lot of kids will love this, but if you’re like me and are hard to impress, you surely won’t like this. It seemed very rushed and poorly put together. I also hope that this is the last Punk Goes Pop album. I really do.

10.11.11
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Music Review – MAYDAY PARADE: Mayday Parade

MAYDAY PARADE
Mayday Parade
[Fearless Records]
Verdict: 7.5/10
The first time I played through this record, I found myself disappointed. The last MAYDAY PARADE album was just so damn good, that I was expecting much more from this self-titled release. That being said, I still enjoyed the album. The second play through was better, I suppose since I already knew it wasn’t going to top Anywhere But Here. The main problem with these songs is that they just didn’t stand out as very memorable. They’re fun to play, and are well performed, but just don’t stick with you as they should. The first couple songs, including “Oh Well, Oh Well” and “No Heroes Allowed”, are some of the better tracks to play multiple times. Once you hit the half way mark, the more mature stuff begins to show, starting with “Stay”. This later section of the album, as a result, is the most appealing. As with their other releases, the vocal work here is top notch, and the instrumentals have only become tighter and more polished over time. MAYDAY PARADE play great rock that an array of ages can enjoy, but for someone who was so impressed by Anywhere But Here, this new record just doesn’t stand up. Probably the best way to describe it is the band kept their formula pretty much level. It seems that they didn’t really try to reach new heights or write truly catchy tunes; this one is more in the middle of it all. Everything is well written, but just doesn’t call for you to return (though the last few tracks are certainly excellent shots). As a result, MAYDAY PARADE have released another good record without actually pulling out all the stops they have inside them. – By Nathaniel Lay
>Recommended Tracks: “Oh Well, Oh Well”, “No Heroes Allowed”, “Everything’s An Illusion”, “Without Bitter, The Sweet Isn’t As Sweet”
>Release Date: Out Now
>Bottom Line: MAYDAY PARADE are very good at what they do, but Anywhere But Here was definitely a better record. Think of this as their middle level release; it’s impressive without tempting you for many returns.

08.17.11
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[MUSIC] Car Party – High & Low Places [UNSIGNED REVIEW]

CAR PARTY
High & Low Places
[Unsigned]
Verdict: 8/10

Coming out of Baltimore, MD, this pop/rock band recruited famed frontman Ace Enders (THE EARLY NOVEMBER/I CAN MAKE A MESS LIKE ANYONE’S BUSINESS) to produce their second release, and it’s fitting as the band shares some sonic similarities to THE EARLY NOVEMBER.  CAR PARTY’s sound is most easily described as mid-tempo alternative rock, but that’s cutting the band short.  The vocals are fantastic and always fit the mood of the songs.  The album is only four tracks long, clocking in at a hair over fifteen minutes, so it goes by quickly, but that just leaves the listener wanting more.  While most bands in the alternative rock genre are all auto-tuned copycats with teenage girls in mind, CAR PARTY comes across more like JIMMY EAT WORLD or GO RADIO, in that the band focuses on quality songwriting, allowing the songs to stick in your head from the first time you hit play.  There is even an indie rock edge to the band’s sound, which adds another interesting layer to the album.  While I seem to be gushing about the album, it’s not going to change the music industry, as it is another alternative rock album, but there is promise shown in these four songs that warrants more than a cursory listen.  This band may be huge some day, and they certain deserve to be.

Stream: “Forever Family”

-by Nicholas Senior