Dance Gavin Dance - Downtown Battle Mountain II

Downtown Battle Mountain II leaked which is enough to bring me off my hiatus for long enough to get this up. After the two songs that were released by the band this year I was kind of worried about if Mr. Craig was taking this seriously and if the album would be as unique as Happiness was. Well as usual Jonny Craig was amazing all th way through and although the influence that that Kurt Travis had are notioceably absent

(sadly), but this album is still amazing and any fan of the band will love it. Instrumentally it's a lot more rhythmic than rock and is probably the least heavy of all the DGD records, which is surprising considering Jon Mess is back. The only song Mess really stands out the way he did on the original Downtown Battle Mountain is "Pounce Bounce" it's the only track for me that really captures the same dynamic and style the band had back in 2007. However songs like "Elder Goose" and "Purple Reign" show their maturity along with Will Swans' rapping in "Spooks". Im not sure where this album ranks in the order of previous DGD albums it will take a few more complete listens before it's clear. It's sad this is probably their last album because these guys have never disappointed, with four full lengths in five years these guys have been the most consistent in this genre and it'll be sad if they call it quits.

myspace

Sounds Like: Emarosa, A Skylit Drive, Chiodos

Stand Out Tracks: Pounce Bounce, Purple Reign, Elder Goose

Track List:

1. "Spooks"
2. "Pounce Bounce"
3. "The Robot with Human Hair Pt. 2 ½"
4. "Thug City"
5. "Need Money"
6. "Elder Goose"
7. "Heat Seeking Ghost of Sex"
8. "Blue Dream"
9. "Privilously Poncheezied"
10. "Swan Soup"
11. "Purple Reign"

download

Bonus Tracks:
12. "People You Knew"
13. "Perfect"

http://www.mediafire.com/?14q3ovcl3d4qoj7

Decoder - The Horrid, Conflicts, Believer [2010]

Three songs off of Decoders first full length album. They are all really good, this is the direction you expect the post-hardcore genre to go in. Musically this band is very ambient and they have a good balance between the singer and the screamer. The album will most likely be very good but I would love to see how heavy these guys can get.

download:

conflicts

The Horrid

Believers

Decoder - Dreamwalker (demo) [2010]

Decoder is made up of some guys that used to be in VersaEmerge, Of Machines, and Oceana. Wejumptheshark are huge fans of all three bands. This band sounds mostly like Oceana just slightly heavier. This is more experimental than hardcore but still has a very strong hardcore element. The song is kind of anti-climactic, it seemed like it was building up to this huge ending but nothing happened. This is still only one song so we'll wait to see what else these guys put out.


download

Chiodos - Modern Wolf Hair [2010]

This is the second single off of their third full lenght album Illuminaudio. On this track we hear Brandon Bolmer doing his best Craig Owens impression. The music is still great but Bolmer's ability to write lyrics as good as the music is in question.

download

Patty Crash - Wasted [2010]

Patty Crash has featured on albums by Gym Class Heroes, Tyga, and The Roots over the last two years, and has yet to officially release any material. About a year ago there were some songs on her myspace, but those were taken down and are nowhere to be found. This track was extremely difficult to get it was released for download earlier this year for download on her myspace and then taken down, but we finally found it. We use the word unique alot when describing artists but it's the only word to describe Patty Crash. Born in Iceland and living in Philadelphia Patty Crash frequently collaborates with Hip-Hop artists as previously stated, but her music can't grouped into the Hip-Hop category, no matter how good her verse on Gym Class Heroes "Drnk Txt Rmeo" was. She raps, she sing just like she did on the hook to the Roots song "The Day". She also has a more punk oriented sound like on songs like "Treat Me Bad" which can be heard in snippets in the above video. From the updates on her twitter and myspace, she seems to be in a constant state of recording but never releases any thing to the fans. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, Patty please give us some music.

myspace

download

Boken Toy Airplanes/sleepyhead - Demo Collection

Broken Toy Airplanes/sleepyhead is a girl named Haley Mills from Texas that makes songs on her computer and apparently doens't plan on making any profit from her music. We dont know much about her except that she sometimes does little shows and sometimes she plays guitar. She makes electronic poppy stuff with acoustic guitar. The music is unique, personal, and emotional. Normally wejumptheshark isn't a fan of electronic music but sleepyhead is the exception. Anyone who enjoys music will find at least one of her songs enjoyable. Recently new songs have been few and far between with sleepyhead but she still has a sizeable catalog about 20 songs, thats more than some bands write in five years. I started following her about a year ago and most of these songs were already recorded, so I dont know exactly how old all of this is, and I havent put up her most recent songs we'er saving those for another post. Haley Mills is very talented and I hope her music always stays as amazing as it is.

myspace
Sounds Like: Lights, Now, Now Every Children
Stand Out Tracks: 9 Crimes (cover), Butterfly Room, Undone

Track List:
1. 9 Crimes (Damien Rice Cover)
2. My Middle Name is Self Destruction
3. Dig Your Own Grave
4. Estrella
5. Explode, Fall, Fade
6. Figures the Day
7. I don't Believe in Angels
8. I Forget
9. Lady Bug vs. Machine Gun
10. Lucky Number 3
12. New York Minute
13. Pressure (Paramore Cover)
14. Promises
15. Speechless
16. Trashbag
17. We Are All Going To Die
18. Don't Run
19. Little Steps
20. Texas Can Get Pretty Cold
21. Butterfly Room
22. Undone

download

Formulas - Unsaid, Undone [2010]

We thought a namae change was so you could start over completely fresh, but I guess not. Formulas formerly Delta Delta! have released their first EP with their new singer, Jane. Wejumptheshark are all Kelc fans so we'll try to keep this review unbiased. The first thing to note about this EP is that Formulas recycled two and a half songs from Delta Delta! The opening track "Circuits" is the same song as "Vampires" by Delta Delta!, it's just much better produced. The same thing goes for the title track "Unsaid, Undone", it's a rerecording of Lilian's Safari. "Reality" takes the music and chorus from "A E I O U and Sometimes Why" and adds new verses. I can't say that the rerecordings are better than the original songs, although there is much more crisp, clear, and tighter production. As for the new songs, as much as we hate to say it they're all really good. If you're new to this band and haven't heard their old material, they would probably win you over. Now on to the main topic, the only difference between Formulas and Delta Delta! is the lead singer and we honestly can't tell you whose better. The original singer Kelc had a unique voice and vocal style and she was a great writer. The new singer Jane has a solid voice but sounds just like any other female singer in this genre. Jane does show slightly more range on this EP than Kelc did on the Delta Delta! release. I'm a fan of Kelc I think she's a great singer and writer, but as much as I hate to say it Jane's not bad. The guys in the band are great musicians, they'll only get better with experience, and they've proven that no matter who's singing they are going to make great music. Even though I don't want to like this band and I don't agree with the reasons why Kelc was kicked out of the band, this is still a good EP and band.

myspace
Sounds Like: VersaEmerge, Paramore, Delta Delta!
Stand Out Tracks: Unsaid, Undone, Social Ladder

Track List:
1. Circuits
2. Reality
3. Rules
4. Unsaid, Undone
5. Social Ladder
6. Heavy Eyes

download