If you liked the three new songs from A Coastline Ending, and want to hear more, they have something just for you…

But you have to wait till 7/15/08 to get it! Their 10-song debut alum, In The Name of Progression, is due out 7/15/08 on Not Alone Records.

If you haven’t heard of A Coastline Ending, check them out, especially if you’re a fan of Saosin, Anberlin, and/or Circa Survive.

Track Listing:

1. Made By Machine (Fast Track to Nowhere)
2. Breakdown
3. First Impression
4. Subconscious Walls
5. Face The Music
6. So Many Faces
7. Brave The Tide
8. Acrobat
9. In The Name Of Progression
10. On Sacred Wings

This debut album from A Coastline Ending was produced by Chris Badami (The Early November, Midtown, The Starting Line.)

After the first listen, A Coastline Ending had a similar sound to From First to Last’s earlier stuff. Their lead vocalist could remind you of Sonny on some occasions. They aren’t as hard as FFTL’s stuff, but they have some similarities in my opinion.

Their sound is pretty unique though. The band goes from piano to rocking guitar riffs, which is a nice change. You hear this in “First Impression”. The CD has 10 songs on it and one of the standout tracks, after a few listens, would have to be “Face the Music”. This song has some catchy melodies, which I’m a sucker for.

Another cool track on this CD, which was one that made me think of FFTL’s song “Emily”, is “So Many Faces”. The song has passionate vocals, bongos, and some nice smooth acoustic guitaring.

My third favorite, which is really close to being my second, would have to be “Brave the Tide”. The song has such a catchy chorus that I can hear a crowd singing at a live show. It’d definitely be a fun one live!

Overall, this CD isn’t anything groundbreaking but has some decent songs on it. The CD street date is 7.15.08. It’s worth checking out and I wouldn’t mind coming back to these guys in the future and seeing what they come up with.

Thanks for reading and visit A Coastline Ending .com or www.myspace.com/ACoastlineEnding to read more about these guys and to hear some of their songs.

Or pre-order at SmartPunk and get a free autographed poster.

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I just finished previewing Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo and I’m still chuckling at a few of the jokes. If you didn’t catch our last post, this is a mockumentary (king of a comedy/documentary) about jam bands, their fans, and what the “jam band” lifestyle entails.

And it’s presented by none other than National Lampoon!

As the film began, I was still a bit puzzled because it looked like a real-life documentary. I didn’t really understand it either. To top things off, it didn’t seem very funny (and it was supposed to be hilarious!)

I almost quit watching after three minutes, but I’m glad that I stuck it out, because 10 minutes later, I was hooked!

I guess it was a bit slow because it didn’t have a big action sequence at the beginning to grab my attention, but it is filmed as a documentary, so that’s understandable. (Similar to This Is Spinal Tap from the eighties.)

As the film progressed, it got much funnier though, especially when Electric Apricot was initially coming together. Then once they hit the recording studio, it was freaking hilarious!

If you liked Napolean Dynamite or Borat, there’s a good chance you’ll like this. And as with those movies, it would be best to watch this with some friends and be in a good mood at the time. You have to let loose and get into it.

Bands are sure to love this and be able to relate to the conflicts and setbacks, while everyone else should at least be amused by the typical hippie lifestyle jokes.

If you want to see the film, you’ll have to wait till November 9th and hope that it’s showing in your area (see below.)

Showings on November 9th:

• Asheville, NC
• Atlanta, GA
• Austin, TX
• Birmingham, AL
• Bloomington, IL
• Boston, MA
• Chattanooga, TN
• Colorado Springs, CO
• Decatur, IL
• Dekalb, IL
• Dover, DE
• Durham, NC
• Eau Claire, WI
• El Paso, TX
• Fort Wayne, IN
• Greensboro, NC
• Knoxville, TN
• Lacrosse, WI
• Manhattan, KS
• Midlothian, VA
• Minneapolis, MN
• Mobile, AL
• Nashville, TN
• Portland (Carvalis), OR
• Raleigh, NC
• San Francisco, CA
• Savannah, GA
• Winston-Salem, NC

If you live in one of those cities, round up some friends and go check it out.

If not, don’t worry. While the film is enjoyable, it’s not the greatest of all time, and there aren’t any big action sequences that look way better on the big screen. So just wait for it to come out on DVD

It might even be best to pick this up on DVD, because while it got off to a slow start the first time, I see myself watching this two or three more times. You will probably get more out of it on the second and third viewings anyway.

Overall, it’s like a song that starts to grow on you and gets better over time, instead of getting old.

Official website: Electric Apricot

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Sick of not only paying for music downloads, but to have DRM applied to them so their use is limited? I think a lot of people are, especially the members of a new site I found called Strayform. Today we’ll take a look at the site and what it could mean for the music industry.

(While I don’t handle the CD reviews, I have no problem critiquing a startup company!)

Strayform.com - The Creation Network!

The first problem here is that the site’s name, logo, and tagline leave me clueless as to what it does. After looking at the logo for a while, I realized it consisted of headphones, a book, a picture, and a video camera. That got things started, but if I wasn’t able to read the reviews at KillerStartups, TechCrunch, CNET, and Fox News, I probably would have been lost.

A couple quotes come in handy though:

Brandt Cannici has a new start-up called Strayform that promises to offer creatives a new way to establish economic sustainability for their projects. [CNET]

So that means there’s money

… a revolutionary new tool for independent musicians (which also happens to turn the business model of the music industry upside-down!) [Joe from Strayform]

And this means something new and exciting

An Overview

So here is how I sum things up…

A musician will sign-up at Strayform and get a profile, as they would at any other social network. But the aspect that is “turning the business model of the music industry upside-down” is the proposal system. The musician creates a proposal to, for example, create a new album. Then that write-up and a budget for the proposal are posted on the site.

From there, fans see the proposal and pledge money towards the goal. When the goal is met, the musician creates the music, and then everyone can download it for free. (If the goal is not reached, each pledge is refunded.)

Brandt says “Its like you and some friends pitching together to buy a $10 CD. Each person may put in a different amount, some may put in none at all, but if the $10 is reached the CD can be purchased.”

So it ends up a win-win situation for the producer and consumer. (Places like record labels and iTunes are left out in the cold though.)

The Details

It seems Strayform has the process under control. It’s easy to sign-up, create a proposal, and pledge amounts as low as $5. You can pledge with credit card or PayPal, but I’d use the PayPal processing because the on-site system didn’t show up as totally secure in my browser.

Artists are provided with a neat widget they can copy and paste into their Myspace profiles to bring added exposure to their proposal. Fans could help promote in that way, too.

Fans might get cool perks if they make big pledges. For example, one artist offered “All pledgers will be credited on my website. The top 3 pledgers will received an autographed copy of the score. Thanks!”

One thing that’s missing is a streaming music player. While it’s great to be able to download all the free music, I’d prefer to listen to it first so that I don’t download stuff I don’t like.

The other thing that’s missing is a large user base. I signed up as member 349. I’d take that to mean the membership levels are a little lower than desired. Strayform definitely needs more members to get things rolling.

Potential Problems

No new company is going to have it easy, and Strayform certainly faces its share of uphill battles.

Aside from simply getting A LOT more members, Strayform needs to attract some paying members. Plenty of freeloaders will stop by to download some music, but how many will be looking for new artists to support?

Firstly, it’s an issue with the “public goods.” People that don’t donate can still reap the rewards of the free music, artwork, etc. What’s the incentive to pledge? (Yes, artists may offer perks to those offering top pledges, but someone who just wants free music won’t care about that.)

Secondly, the pledging members are integral to the business model. Without pledges, the whole idea and business model could die.

Thirdly, just to put things in perspective, there will need to be A LOT of pledges for any artists to get anywhere if the $5 minimum pledge is used. Let’s say there are 1,000 members. If a proposal gets a 2% conversion, that’s 20 pledges. At $5 each, that’s $100. Hardly enough for a recording studio.

Getting into the heart of the matter, as interesting as the main idea is, it’s not totally revolutionary. Group funding like this can happen in other places. For example, Fundable.org allows for strangers to form groups to make bulk purchases, based on pledges and the “all or nothing” concept. MobIncentive.com allows groups to pile up cash for an end goal. So a band could make a request on one of those sites and random people throw in some cash. Even SponsorAnything.com would let a band post a listing for a deal like this.

Those sites may lack the targeted user base, but they have plenty of users.

Moving on, the site’s image needs some refinement. It’s not bad, but adding a few simple background images and style tweaks could do wonders for the overall appearance. (I can’t say too much because InsidePunk.com is in desperate need for a redesign too…)

The website’s usability gets a little messy though. I keep looking for a consistent navigation, or at least a “Back to all artists” link on the individual pages. And the search box in the top right corner says “Search” twice, which takes up extra screen real estate, and could be cut down similarly to the search at Amazon.com.

Next, branding. The logo wasn’t totally clear at first glance, and I’m concerned that the tag line “The Creation Network” doesn’t encompass the whole of Strayform. It’s kind of vague.

Only big, established brands with marketing budgets can get by with a generic tag line that does not actually describe the business. Coca Cola’s “the real thing” doesn’t tell me anything about beverages; I only associate Coca Cola with “the real thing” because of the extensive advertising.

Lastly, competition. Sell A Band operates on a similar idea. Fans all donate $10 for an artist, then at the $50,000 mark, a CD gets made, and each “believer” who donated gets one. They certainly have the lead when it comes to website popularity.

The Good News

I hate DRM crap and the music that uses it, so Strayform’s idea is sweet. (Although places like Ruckus are ok, especially if combined with DRM-busting software like TuneBite or Mirakagi.)

I have a feeling that big things could happen once the site gets noticed, especially since the Sell A Band business model appears to be working.

Also, the fact that there is competition makes the horizon that much brighter for everyone involved. Those competing sites are pretty popular and are seeing some funding, so that just proves that Strayform has potential.

Maybe we’re seeing a music revolution. First, Myspace and PureVolume allowed better connections between musicians and fans. Then Sell A Band came in and functioned as a middleman between bands and fans. Now Strayform will allow direct connections between fans and artists of all varieties (even those not looking for an entire $50,000!)

So if you want to get in on the action, sign-up today at Strayform.com!

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Yellowcard - Paper Walls Out July 17th, 2007.

Track Listing:

01) The Takedown
02) Fighting
03) Shrink The World
04) Keeper
05) Light Up The Sky
06) Shadows And Regrets
07) Five Becomes Four
08) Afraid
09) Date Line (I Am Gone)
10) Dear Bobbie
11) You And Me And One Spotlight
12) Cut Me, Mick
13) Paper Walls

Paper Walls has an Ocean Avenue feel with its fast upbeat drumming and catchy hooks. A lot of people like when a band comes out with an album that has the same sound as a previous album, while others would rather have them create something that doesn’t sound anything like the band’s previous work. Paper Walls will have some haters saying that it sounds too much like Ocean Avenue, yet it will have a lot of people wanting more because this is the Yellowcard sound that they have grown to love!

The first three songs, Takedown, Fighting, and Shrink the World, are all solid songs. Shrink the World is an awesome song that starts out with some clean guitar and the chorus “If I could then I would shrink the world tonight, so that I would find you and me inside.” It’s pretty easy to sing along with that chorus and this song is one of my favorites on the disc.

Now that I gave you a few good songs, let’s talk about a song that I think is rather boring. Light up the Sky doesn’t really do it for me. The chorus is overplayed for a chorus that isn’t that great and I am not a big fan of the lyrics, “I would die for you.” That line was good for the Bryan Adams song, “Everything I Do, I Do it For You,” that was used in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, but I am sick of hearing “I would die for you.” The background music doesn’t get me too interested in the song either. The only cool part in my opinion is the drumming part at about 2:40. Their drummer Longineu Parsons’ creativity really makes this album what it is.

Shadows and Regrets is a song that is definitely worth mentioning. The song starts out with some acoustic guitar and then at about 1:00 drums come in and they really make this song for me. Just the sound that they have with the acoustic guitar playing and Ryan’s voice really makes this one a top 3 favorite of mine. The violin can be heard and it has a very nice feel to it because it is a slower song and we get to hear some slow violin instead of the speedy violin parts that we are used to hearing. Oh yeah, did I mention that it has a really catchy chorus?

The next song Five Becomes Four is a song that really reminds me of a song off of Ocean Avenue. It has the speedy violin that I just discussed above and the fast drumming. The song, Afraid, has a really neat violin part during the chorus which really makes this chorus a full package. It isn’t the catchiest chorus but it has the violin in the background that grabs your attention.

Dear Bobbie is a slow acoustic song that starts out with a letter that is read with background music playing. The song is pretty emotional and it actually reminds me of Hawk Nelson. I know you are probably questioning this, but once you hear the song, let me know if you hear any Hawk Nelson in it. I think it might be how Ryan pronounces his lyrics in the song.

Paper Walls comes to a close with the title track, which starts out with an acoustic guitar and a children’s choir. Quickly after the choir ends, some heavy guitar, rocking drums, and a quick violin sound begin Paper Walls. The beginning lyrics are probably my favorite part of the song. “Let’s burn a hole so we can climb out of these paper walls and this empty house” are the lyrics that I speak of. Overall this last song isn’t too bad. I think that they could have had a better closure song but I can’t complain. Ryan Key’s vocals are so perfect for Pop Punk. Like him or not, the guy’s got talent.

The one last thing that I have to say is the choruses are catchy to me the first listen. A lot of times when a chorus is catchy the first time, the song gets old after a few listens. I like songs that grow on me and usually the songs that do grow are the ones that have lasting listening power. This should certainly not stop you from buying this album, but you have to take that into consideration, if you have the same outlook on a song as I do.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out www.myspace.com/yellowcard to hear some new tracks from the album. Paper Walls hits stores on July 17 on Capitol Records!

(Click here to buy Paper Walls at Amazon.com)

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The Starting Line - Direction In Stores July 31st

Track Listing
01) Direction
02) 21
03) Are You Alone
04) Island
05) Hurry
06) Something Left to Give
07) Birds
08) Way With Words
09) I Could Be Wrong
10) Somebody’s Gonna Miss Us
11) Need to Love
12) What You Want

I’ve always been a big fan of The Starting Line and after hearing Direction I can honestly say that you will not be let down. If you liked this band in the past, you are going to love this album. Direction is the follow up to 2005’s Based on a True Story. This new record has some of the same feel as BOATS did but also has a new, more mature sound. Direction still has its pop punk sound but it also has its rock sound as well. Kenny’s vocals have matured so much since his “Say it Like You Mean it” days. Each song has its own feel to it and although some of the lyrics are a little weak, Ken does not hold back and tells you exactly how he feels. The Starting Line was going for an album with some simple structured songs, yet still holding your attention, and they have certainly done just that!

The album starts out with the title track “Direction.” Most of you have heard this song already on their Myspace page. It is a little harder look at what these guys can come up with. Direction is a great way to start out the album because it gets you moving right away. The song also grabs your attention because you aren’t used to hearing this harder feel that they have created. All and all you get the purpose of this track, which is The Starting Line is moving in a new ‘direction’ and if you don’t like it then you can take a hike.

Next up is “21.” The song title pretty much explains this song. It’s about the age 21 and doing things that a normal 21 year old would do, such as drinking. The background music is pretty poppy and has a nice feel to it. The chorus says it all “It’s seven and I’m already wasted, I’m 21 and I’m already hazy.”

Moving right along to track number three, which is titled “Are You Alone.” The song starts out with some crunchy guitar work and Kenny shouting out “We’re just everyday people.” The lyrics in this song are about feeling lonely. This song gets a little repetitive towards the end but it has a different feel to it and would be a good song to listen to as a motivational song if you were feeling lonely. This one gets the point across that everyone feels a little lonely sometimes and we have to realize that.

The single “Island” is probably my favorite song on this album. The Starting Line really picked a great single and if this gets the right radio play this song could become a huge hit! It’s currently on their Myspace for streaming. It’s a love song about sailing away with your lover to find a comforting place to stay and be with your special one. The song’s chorus is so catchy and so easy to sing along with!

“Hurry” is a great Pop Punk song that this band has been known to create. It’s probably the most poppy song on the album. With its catchy chorus and happy feeling, this one could become a top 4 favorite for you on this album!

In this song called “Something Left to Give,” you will hear how amazing Kenny’s voice has become and just how great of a singer this guy is! It’s a slower song that you will be blasting in your stereo during those warm summer evenings. At about 1:45 this song has a sound that you would hear on an Ace Enders (The Early November) album. The part is repeated throughout the ending of the song and I believe that is where Cove Reber (Saosin) makes his guest vocals come in. The chorus is a catchy sing a long song and the lyrics are about keeping those who we love close to us. Very well written song!

“Birds” is a song that sticks more to the rock sound. The song has a cool little build up before the chorus. You can hear some keys in this song, as on other songs, and they seem to play a pretty big rule in this one. There is a cool little key part during the verses, which makes the song sound full, and to its highest potential.

“Way With Words” is a song that could have been the closure song for this album. It has a pretty sweet breakdown at about 2:09 where Ken yells and then it goes into some slow guitar strumming with Kenny singing the chorus “You’ve lost your way with words, at least that’s what I heard.” Pretty catchy song after a few listens.

This next song has a very cool vibe to it. It’s titled “I Could Be Wrong.” The lyrics are well written and this one has a catchy chorus just as the others do. The lyrics are about standing up for what you believe in. It’s also about others turning away from their problems and not standing up for themselves. The backing vocals at the end of this song fit in so perfectly repeating, “I could be wrong.”

“Somebody’s Going to Miss Us” is a fun pop song that gets you dancing. The lyrics are written as if this band were to end and wondering what the reaction of the fans would be. Once you hear this album the reaction would be a very sad one if this band were to breakup! The lyrics could have been written a little better for this song but it gets the point across. The second verse made me laugh with its Ace of Base reference “All that she wants, is another baby.” There was a live video of this one floating around on the net that you might have seen.

“Need to Love” is a beautiful song that Ken wrote while on a train going from New Jersey to New York. I heard this song live a while back and I could not wait to hear this song as a studio recording. It’s very close to being my favorite song! You feel like you are sitting by Ken on the train in this one. The question “Do you need to love?” is repeated a bunch of times in this track. You will definitely be shouting out and asking your friends “Do you need to love?” after you hear this song. I catch myself singing it to myself very often. A catchy and very visual song!

The last track on Direction is titled “What You Want.” I heard this song a while back as well and it is all that I hoped it would be once they recorded it. It doesn’t take long to get this one stuck in your head. The chorus is another one that you will grasp a hold of and not let go for a long time! It starts out with some guitar picking and then heads straight in to the verse, where the chorus grabs a hold of you and doesn’t let go. The lyrics are written to say, “I want you to have this and I want you to enjoy it, because this is what I love.” (That is a direct quote of Kenny!)

Howard Benson, who produced this record, did a fantastic job! I hope that this review helped you get an idea of what is to come on July 31st when Direction hits stores. Direction will be released via Virgin Records.

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The Track Record - Self Titled EP on Rushmore Records.

1. Plans to Wake Up on the Beach
2. Talk Radio
3. Golden
4. Winters Run
5. Letters to Summer

If you haven’t heard of The Track Record yet, you probably will when they release their debut full length. If it is anything like the EP, it will be great.

Now don’t get me wrong here, because I love Pop Punk or Pop Rock music, but these guys do sound like some of your typical Pop music. That isn’t really a bad thing though.

The first track on the EP is titled “Plans to Wake Up on the Beach.” It starts out with a quick intro and then the vocals come in, which really pulls you into the song. The song has a great meaning, by the sounds of the lyrics, and it is a great song to rock out to. The drummer for this band is something very special. He can really come up with some unique drumming and is just simply amazing!

The second track is titled “Talk Radio” which is featured on many compilations that were released on Rushmore/Drive Thru. If you heard any songs by The Track Record, you most likely heard “Talk Radio.” The song starts out with some bass and quickly coming in are the crunchy guitars. The vocals come in with almost a whispering sense and then with a little pause Michael shouts out “that we swear this never happened.” He puts so much emotion into his singing. Every song is sung with passion. The only bad part about his singing is that sometimes you have a rough time understanding what he is saying.

The next two tracks are decent songs. The choruses are pretty catchy on each track. All of their songs have the same distinct sound, so you can usually tell when The Track Record is playing in the CD player.

The stand out track for me was the 5th track, “Letters to Summer.” The song starts out with some relaxing guitar and then the song takes off. The guitars sound pretty powerful in this song and the drumming is very cool. Everything pauses but a guitar, and then the vocals come in. The lyrics for this song are very good! The chorus is catchy and the vocals are the best on this track. The little interlude at about 2:24 gives you a break from the fast paced song. The ending lyrics are, “I just can’t let you go,” and then the guitars send you home.

The production for the EP is pretty bad though. The guitars sound like they are fizzled out and the drums are a little loud.

A plus about this album is the lyrics. They aren’t childish at all. They are very well written and you can relate to each of the 5 tracks in your own way.

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