Lost and Living in Atlantis

I've been waiting for a few weeks now to have some time to devote to this article and this group. Sometimes listening to new music, the words just flow out and onto the page, painting for you guys a very real and interesting picture of who the artists are and what they do. Other times, however, it's a little more difficult to put my finger on just the right words to describe a new group or artist, and that's the obstacle I've been trying to overcome with this band for a few weeks now. Fortunately for these guys, and all of you guys out there though, the words seem to have finally come to me, and now I feel I can finally describe fully and accurately the talent with which these new NRN43 features approach their music.

Lost In Atlantis's debut album, Silent World

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, Lost In Atlantis is a techno-rock foursome comprising Elisabetha 'Liz' Rosnowski (lead vocals and synths), Alex Eldridge (drums), and brothers Eric Pinedo (guitar) and Tim Pinedo (bass). As I start listening to LIA's Myspace page, it's clear that the musical dynamics at play here are worth mentioning. Some artists just have it, and when Lost In Atlantis commences with tracks like "Ready to Go" and "FireFireFire", it's like a whole symphonic rush of sound and attitude.
A mix of '80s new-wave and '00s alternative and garage-rock punch, Lost In Atlantis rips a sound from their instruments that's like a sonic display of light and love for my ears. Halfway in between the punk rush of Paramore and the synthesized bliss of Muse, Lost In Atlantis create a sound that is impossible to ignore. The group's debut album, Silent World, now on sale online, is a brilliant flash of genius reveling in pop-sensibility and alternative edge. Even great songs like "Whisper" and "Unwind" are no match for the most powerful songs on the album. "Alien" is as lovely in its subtle nature as it is opaque. A blurry vision of gray hope and love, "Alien" is a clear triumph for LIA. Rosnowski's vocals are soft; at home in the cradle of Eric Pinedo's guitar chords as Tim Pinedo's bass lines soothe the rhythm softly above the kick of Eldridge's drums. A pseudo-sonic love-letter, "Alien" is pushed higher by the building bridge that drives full-force right into the last minute of the song. If LIA did everything wrong with every other song on this 15-track breakout record, "Alien" would surely be their saving grace.
As "Alien" ends in a creepy cradle of keys, LIA blasts forward with "Catastrophic Compromise," a Paramore-inspired track that throws back to Hayley Williams' vocals on RIOT! and All We Know Is Falling. Rosnowski's pipes are just choice here, and as they melt over the pop-punk rhythms of Tim Pinedo's bass thumping over Eldridge's toms and high-hats, "Catastrophic Compromise" is an LIA trophy hands down. Not overly complicated, but still a great song to listen to, "Catastrophic Compromise" is one of the tracks that makes Silent World a fun album to listen to. In an era when artists think that every song has to have some deep political meaning, it's nice to just have a song that's ear-candy.
But even among the four and five-star tracks that pervade Silent World, one stands out as LIA's clear breakout song. "Tek No" is LIA's greatest work to date. I can't quite put my finger on it, but for one reason or another, this song just draws me in to it in ways the other songs hadn't. To ask what's right with this song is simply too difficult a question to answer. Where to begin? The beginning of the song is a page right out of the ELO playbook: Eric Pinedo's guitar leads right into a blasting rhythm on Tim Pinedo's bass and Eldridge's drums before they all drain out and Rosnowski's keys serenade me in a lullaby of romantic bliss. A cross between Paramore's vocals and Muse's synth-driven rock, "Tek No" brings to mind a bright tapestry of sounds and emotions. Rosnowski's vocals are smooth and firm, and as this romantcore track blasts into the stratosphere, I'm engaged in it like this song holds the key to some mysterious cosmic message I can only hope to hear. Definitely my pick to LIA's lead-off single, "Tek No" is a masterful piece of cosmic proportions. 
While we here on the east coast seem to not be hearing as much about them, I'd bet anything that Lost In Atlantis are making waves over on the west coast like there's no tomorrow. With a sound like this, it must be beyond impossible for anyone to ignore this group. Dynamically savvy and clearly technically talented, Lost In Atlantis are the 2010s' answer to the question of whether or not true techno-rock is still alive. And it is, truly alive and kicking. If you're looking for the next big thing to come out of the south-western U.S., take a peek, because Lost In Atlantis are goin' up fast, and there seems to be nothing this side of the galaxy that's gonna stop them.    

Sounds Like: Muse, Paramore, Smashing Pumpkins, VersaEmerge

Key Tracks from Silent World: "Tek No," "Alien," "Catastrophic Compromise," "Ready to Go," "Disaster"

Check out Lost In Atlantis more at: http://www.lostinatlantis.com/, http://www.myspace.com/lostinatlantisband and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lost-In-Atlantis-Official-Facebook-Page/137627106273846?sk=wall

Cloé Beaudoin, Out Beyond the Sea

One of my tightly-held beliefs with regard to the world music community in general is that it's truly heartbreaking how much talent is out there. There is so much talent, in fact, that I'm finding hard to keep up with the new artists I want to premier here and the vets that just keep pumping out treasure after treasure of artistic triumph. Case in point (again!), Cloé Beaudoin, that Canadian-French siren from the snow-drift clutches of eastern Canada. Beaudoin's covers of "World So Cold," "21 Guns," and "Screaming Bloody Murder," as well as her original pieces "Rest in Peace (RIP)" and "Deliverance," are all five-star tracks if I ever heard any. They grab you and shake you, and don't let go even a little until you're wiped out and waiting for more.

Yet one thing I love about Beaudoin as an artist is that she relishes a challenge and revels in her versatility. Whereas her covers before of Three Days Grace, Sum 41, Green Day and Evanescence all broadcast Beaudoin's hard-rock side, and her original "Rest in Peace (RIP)" in particular shows her deep edge, Beaudoin can just as easily decide to let down her guard a little and surprise me yet again.

I suppose it really should no longer be a surprise when she unveils a new cover that is as far removed from post-grunge and hard-rock as any, but still carries the same punch that the others do. Premiering just a couple of hours ago, Beaudoin's new cover, an updated take on Bobby Darin's classic song "Beyond the Sea," exhibits once again how this siren from the north with the fiery voice can blow us all away.

To be truthful, I'm not as familiar with this song as I was with "21 Guns," but still I used to hear it playing in the house from time to time. A melody from a bygone time, "Beyond the Sea" is almost Big Band-ish, a throwback to Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, and other singers who perfected the love ballad. Here, Beaudoin trounces the opposition yet again, and delivers a unique and breathy performance that would have even the most die-hard of Darin fans intrigued. Though not her usual choice in style, Beaudoin nevertheless shines on this song. Definitely a triumph for Beaudoin in its unique placement as a Big Band song covered by an alternative/acoustic musician, "Beyond the Sea" takes on new life in an era when such songs are not heard so often anymore. My favorite song for the day, Cloé Beaudoin does it again. I can't say that I'm even the least bit surprised.  

Mass Undergoe Reveal Sick New Cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way"

It's been a little quiet on the Vancouver front for NewRockNews43 lately, but Mass Undergoe have decided to change all that with a little cover of a classic song. Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" was classic and amazing the first time I heard it: Stevie Nicks' voice was strong and determined, and Mick Fleetwood's guitar was driving and solid.

But that's the original version of the song at this point. Now this classic track gets an alternative update as Mass Undergoe make sure that the guitar chords, still driving and forceful, are filled with post-grunge sneer, and the vocals, still melodic and catchy, are painted over with a pop-punk slick that makes them irresistible. I still listen to Mass Undergoe periodically for some of their tracks like "I Saw You on a Rainy Day" and "This Abundance of Truth" which still rock harder than ever. But while those tracks start of with a post-grunge lick of the bass under David Isbister's alternative-style vocals, "Go Your Own Way" is presented on the backs of catchy guitar chords mixed with smooth pop-punk vocals. While MU didn't write it, every time an artist covers a song, especially one as classic as Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" they leave their stamp seared into the flesh of such a brilliant piece. Alan Calimba's palm-mutes lend a certain perplexity to the opening seconds of the song, and the minute that Brandon Lazeby kicks in on the drums and enters with Marino Mestrovic on bass, this version of "Go Your Own Way" is immediately different from the original. And to top it all off, Isbister's voice is just choice when the chorus rolls around: strong, smooth, and full of energy and attitude.
If their own particular musical quirks weren't enough to set their version of the song apart from all others, Mass Undergoe sweeten the pot by throwing in a few more surprises. The dynamic group-vocals during the choruses just make this song irresistible, and are immediately some of my favorite things about this song. But something else seems out of place at first, though it soon makes its way into the line of my favorite new things about this version of the song. Following the second chorus showcasing the vocals of the entire band, Mass Undergoe change it up, dropping the classic rock skeleton of the song and opting for a ska-punk rhythm and vocal set. Lasting less than a minute, this brilliant change-up is one of the greatest new things about this cover; it's catchy and clever, and blasts right back into a post-grunge rhythm that feeds directly into the classic rock sear of the last minute.
And then before I know it, it's over. The only way to describe this song is brilliant. I wish very much that I could find a studio version of it to post here, but the only video on Youtube is a live performance with Mass Undergoe tearing this song up. Don't despair though, the live version is pretty good for the non-professional quality, and the blasting chorus is still clear and powerful. The studio version, meanwhile, is on Mass Undergoe's Myspace page (here http://www.myspace.com/massundergoe), so if I was you, I'd high-tail it over there and check it out. Mass Undergoe have covered "Go Your Own Way" like it's never been covered before, and in their version, the song grows in ways it's never seen. If I was Mick Fleetwood, I'd wanna shake hands with these Mass U guys, because they just made one of the most classic songs in American history all that more amazing.

Go Periscope Up for the Cover of Rolling Stone!!

Today I've got some unbelievably exciting news for you all: Go Periscope, the electronic-rock duo from Seattle, WA premiered here a few months ago are in a contest to be the first unsigned band to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. Though I don't read Rolling Stone as often as others do, and though I sometimes find their writing style not to my taste, it is nevertheless undeniable that their influence if grand, and that any group who might get to be featured between the pages, let alone on the cover, could see significant success afterwards.
Go Periscope, who made waves with their song "Crush Me," enjoys the talents of vocalist and keyboardist Florin Merano and vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Joshua Frazier. Releasing their new song, "Boys Like, Girls Like" for purchase on iTunes just a weeks ago, Go Periscope are making sure that they are not swept underfoot and left behind. Yet "Crush Me" still has the same crisp and sexy vibe that it had when I first listened to it, and if GP do make it to the cover, it will be to the credit of this song.

Get it done GP! We all wanna see Go Periscope on the cover of Rolling Stone!    

Diamond Eye to Open for Quiet Riot/Warrant/L.A. Guns Summer Tour in Australia

It's been a long road for the Diamond Eye guys. The heavy-metal foursome have been braving the Australia metal circuit for more than two years now. When I came upon Diamond Eye almost two years ago, they had a sound and determination that I knew would take them to new heights if the kept with it.
Now, two years later, after a an EP and a live DVD (soon to be reviewed here once I can get my hands on it), the DE guys have landed their biggest gig yet: an opening show for the legendary lineup of Quiet Riot, Warrant and L.A. Guns on their upcoming summer Metal Health Tour in Australia. Though Diamond Eye is only set to open for the Perth date of the tour (according to DE lead guitarist Greg Fawcett, "they wanted a local band for each show"), it will still prove to be their defining gig up until now.
The possibilities are endless for Diamond Eye if they play their hearts out; if they can manage to win over some of the metalheads that come out in droves to see the likes of Quiet Riot and L.A. Guns, then they'll soon be on the fast-track to a record deal in no time. And with the talent that they're harboring now, I see no reason why it would be any different of a case. Soon all the metalheads of Perth will know who these guys are, if they don't already.
In Fawcett's own words, "It's a great opportunity for us so we plan on really fucking nailing it!" What more is there left to say?  

Swinging on the Coast

I'm starting to learn that finding truly talented groups isn't as rare today as I thought it was when I started NewRockNews43 over a year ago; it just requires a lot of hard work and determination. Where as A&R reps from the large labels must not spend more than a few hours every week looking for new artists, I have made it my mission to spend upwards of 30 hours a week working to bring to light the countless droves of talent and creativity out there. Simply put, it just requires a lot of good, old fashioned leg-work, but the reward for such an effort is most certainly worth it. To come across and have a chance to discover the artists that I do, I will always see the time as well spent. This group today is one of those rewards I've gotten from such leg-work.
Swing The Coast is a powerpop-pop-punk band from the Detroit, Michigan area hellbent on taking over the world in waves of rhythm and melody. From the very beginning, there's something different about these Coast guys. Amidst the melee of over-the-top cookie-cutter powerpop bands that make up so much of today's pop-punk scene, Swing The Coast seem to have a new grip on reality, and a new angle from which to unleash their pop-punk madness. Watching some of the videos on their Myspace page, I learn that STC exhibit one quality which, if nothing else does, will lead to their eventual success. Manager-less, promoter-less, and all by themselves, STC are striking out on their own with a set determination that is the most punk-rock attitude they could have.
With their self-titled "Deluxe" EP released earlier this year, Swing The Coast have a top-notch recording from which to build their fanbase steadily and surely. Breathing life into the STC outfit are friends and bandmates Josh Belanger (lead vocals and guitar), Travis Langolf (guitar and vocals), Cory Nance (bass and vocals) and Myles Laparl (drums). With a dynamic duo on guitar and a driving partnership in the rhythm section, Swing The Coast set themselves apart in ways that will make the words "next big thing" flash before your eyes when you listen to them.
The Swing The Coast "Deluxe" EP is chock-full of catchy, to-the-top pop songs that lend power and polish to a great effort of a record. Tracks like "She's So Rock and Roll" and "O.K.D." exude raw talent and vision that are more than easy to latch onto. Yet it's tracks like lead-off single "Suburban Girls" and "Hold On" that really make the EP what it is. With a pulsing drumbeat by Laparl to introduce the track, "Suburban Girls" seems to be a departure in the powerpop vein from the typical single. While the song structure is relatively similar in scope to other songs, one of the things that really sticks out to me is how the quickly-laid down verses meld seamlessly with the more melodic, epic choruses. Though it may not be an actual change in time signature, the illusion of such is what makes this song work so well. Clever in its lyrics and message, "Suburban Girls" is a great track, glorifying the nostalgia we all feel for home. Belanger's lead vocals are compounded and driven higher by the hint of a backup chorus by Langolf and Nance, and with the vocal element the way it is, there is no way that "Suburban Girls" can't succeed. Truly a great, stick-in-your-head track, this is definitely the one that would get my vote for lead-off single.
"Take This City" is similarly dripping in melody and professional polish. Boasting a killer riff by the duo of Belanger and Langolf on guitar, "Take This City" continues the feel-good feeling of "Suburban Girls" for at least one more song. Track number two on the EP, "Take This City" is a fast-paced note-storm equipped with all the melody one could ask for. Laparl relies heavily on his snare in this one, and where it gets old when other drummers do the same exact think, here it gives a necessary kick to the track. I can only imagine what this song must sound like live: Belanger and Langolf tearing away on their guitars while Nance's bass lines pump even more life into Laparl's drumbeats. There are a lot of groups that I've seen reach full maturity music-wise when they play a big set of dates like Warped Tour, but Swing The Coast has gone above and beyond already. The maturity that is present in their song-style and execution is something that will ensure that these guys are not soon forgotten.
Though the EP as a whole is a great effort by STC, I am impressed in a much different way by "Hold On." In fact, I can't even put my finger on what I like so much about this song, but all I know is that there's something about it that I absolutely love. Maybe it's the anthemic, sing-along chorus or the clear-lucid vocals, but whatever it is, Swing The Coast hit it out of the park on this one. If "Hold On" is any sort of window into the future of these guys, I'd put all I had on a bet in STC's favor.
A far cry from poseur bands that seem to be enjoying massive success on all the top-pop stations, Swing The Coast are the real deal: a hard-rockin' quartet with some rough-around-the-edges rhythm and glistening melodic polish. As I listen to the determination in the lines of "O.K.D.," the lyrics "nothing's gonna stop us, nothing's gonna stop us now" jump out at me as a clear and present prediction of the future. Swing The Coast have made up their minds: nothing's gonna stop them, and if that's not set determination, then I don't know what is.

Sounds Like: Boys Like Girls, New Found Glory, All Time Low

Key Tracks from Swing The Coast "Deluxe" EP: "Suburban Girls," Take This City," "Hold On," 'She's So Rock and Roll," "O.K.D."

Check out Swing The Coast more at: http://www.myspace.com/swingthecoast and http://www.purevolume.com/swingthecoast

Cloé Beaudoin: Unwrapped and Under Covers

Up until now, the couple articles I've written here on Cloé Beaudoin have been on her original work: her acoustic ballads "Deliverance" and "Dying Awake," and of course her acoustic and full-band versions of her epic song, "Rest in Peace (RIP)." Yet this Canadian siren has more talent than I ever could have imagined as I review her back-catalog of videos on Youtube and take a look at some of her new uploads. It seems that many artists start out doing covers and the real test for them comes when they move from covering songs to writing their own original material. Yet sometimes, it is more intriguing to watch the motion in reverse, as once an artist has developed their own style through original work, it becomes interesting to see how they interpret another artist's music.

In the back-catalog, among covers of Linkin Park and Paramore, I find a year-old cover of Green Day's "21 Guns." When I first heard this song in May of 2009, I knew it was going to be huge: an epic ballad than sets the tone for the whole 21st Century Breakdown album. It's that one song that seems transcendent: full of life and rebirth all at the same time. Yet it grows in a whole new way when I listen to Beaudoin's cover of it. It has that same transcendent quality as the original, but there is something intense in a different way, almost as if the romance is coming from the other direction; whereas it was Billi Joe calling in the original, here Beaudoin is the one returning, and so lends to the song another level that it didn't have before.  

But that was a year ago, and to write about something a year old isn't exactly cutting edge. Yet Beaudoin has in the past week uploaded to new acoustic covers that just amaze me. A couple weeks ago I came across a new post on her Facebook fanpage alerting of a new cover, and so on a curious note I checked it out. A cover of Three Days Grace's new song "World So Cold" off their most recent album, Life Starts Now, the cover seemed odd at first: Beaudoin slows down the tempo and draws out the lyrics in breathy slight-pauses. But the minute she gets to the chorus, the speed immediately quickens, and she shoots it up, belting out the Amy Lee-style vocals that drew me to her originally. Just closing my eyes and listening, I know that this cover is special: there's just something about her breathy vocals married to the hardcore minor chords she plays on her guitar. I am at once addicted to the chorus and play it again and again.  

Yet even her Three Days Grace cover isn't the newest thing Beaudoin's done, though she only uploaded it no more than two weeks ago. This past Wednesday, Beaudoin uploaded yet another cover for my entertainment pleasure. This time it was a cover of fellow Canadians Sum 41's new single "Screaming Bloody Murder" from their upcoming release. Switching tracks from the post-grunge to the pop-punk, Beaudoin demonstrates again just how versatile she is and can be. Garnering just under a thousand views in just over four days, the cover showcases again Beaudoin's self-aware romantic vocals glued to an addictive melody and rhythm. The amazing pipes I have come to know Beaudoin for are prevalent and fit dynamically with the melodies she belts from her throat. I know this is a Sum 41 song and I am a huge Sum fan myself, but I must say in all honesty that if this was a Beaudoin original, I wouldn't be disappointed in any way. As with her cover of "World So Cold," Beaudoin slows down the tempo and then shoots forward during the choruses, lending to an already addictive track a certain sense of unique ambiguity that makes this song all the more impossible to turn off or turn down. 

Crystal clear from her covers as well as her originals, Cloé Beaudoin has that unique ability to transform and adapt herself to fit into any genre or style she wishes. It goes without saying that this song will be on repeat for the foreseeable future on my computer. Beaudoin continues her string of triumphs with this cover: most successful, most addictive.