Album First Look: Take One Car - It's Going To Be A Nice Day

Take One Car's sophomore full length It's Going To Be A Nice Day is going to get them noticed. The entire massive (64 minutes long!?) effort brings together the best of O'Brother, Moving Mountains, mewithoutYou, and Manchester Orchestra, creating a multi-genred spectacle. The ambient parts of Moving Mountains dominate the instrumental title track, but this post-rock based track isn't an indicator of the sound for the entire album. First single "Dear Ronnie" is probably the most accessible track, combining the rock feel of Manchester Orchestra with the poetic lyrics and flow of Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou.  But Take One Car is the strongest when they move towards a heavy, almost post-metal style. The second half of "Yet Another Voyage (Adrift)" is one of the most emotionally draining portions of music I've heard so far in this young year, the brutal riffs only giving a slight warning to Tyler Irish's growing intensity in his voice, peaking at the brutal screams towards the end of the track. In a year so far dominated by cutesy indie pop and indie folk records, the heavy emotional storm from It's Going To Be A Nice Day is surely needed. With the apocalypse (no promises) on its way, the post-apocalyptic album of the year has already come.

Stream Dear Ronnie and download the band's debut (for free!) on Bandcamp, and keep checking back for a new song premier and MuzikDizcovery Recreation of that same track in the next week or so. It's Going To Be A Nice Day is out on February 21st.

Album First Look: Cursive - I Am Gemini

Honestly, the thing that stood out the most to me when I first received and listened to Cursive's brand new album I Am Gemini was the way the lyric booklet was organized. All the lyrics for the album were organized in the manner of a Shakespearian play, with character dialog, acts, scenes, and even stage directions. That should simply give a little insight into what the band planned for I Am Gemini. It's an epic story, and the full effect of the album can not be felt without the organization of the liner notes. However, the music throughout the record is extremely impressive. You can feel the story progressing through the music, such as the demonic entrance of the guitars in opening track "This House Alive", the circus-like synth lines in "Twin Dragon/Hello Shadow", and the explosively spastic guitars in "A Birthday Bash". This is an album that is a necessity to have a physical with, because the organization of the story can not be understood without the plot placed in front of you. Without them, the album goes from creatively groundbreaking to merely another great Cursive record, which I'm sure plenty of people are definitely excited to hear. I Am Gemini is released on February 21st, and you can follow the band's activities on their Facebook page here.