There is an atmospheric sound coming from Hands Like Houses’ new album Dissonants. This full-length album is self-assured, loud, and confident; it is everything to love about music.
The dynamics of Thrice, the moody vibes from Deftones, and the heart-on-sleeve ambition from Thursday have influenced this Australian group. From schoolmates to an international rock band, Hands Like Houses have been hard-hitting stages all over the world. They have played Warped Tour twice and have toured with Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens, A Day to Remember, and The Amity Affliction, to name a few.
For
the past twelve months, I have been on the craziest ride of my life. All the
way, music has been my friend, in the passenger seat. In the midst of the
chaos, certain bands and artists have provided me with comfort, sadness,
happiness, and heavy love. My 2015 playlist is a discombobulated bunch of
songs, all from different genres. Jumping from up-beat songs to slower songs,
my heart has been bursting with love. Particular tracks in this 2015 playlist
remind me of new adventures, new friendships, first loves, and first
heartbreaks. These songs are a part of me; they are wrapped around my veins and
in every corner of my heart. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who feels
too much. It’s nice to know that in 2015, I found a friend in music.
Check out my playlist below!
1. “Can’t
Kick Up The Roots” – Neck Deep 2. “Overtime”
– Reckless Serenade 3. “Something’s
Gotta Give” – All Time Low 4. “Poison
Pen Letter” – Knuckle Puck 5. “All
You Are Is History” – State Champs 6. “The
Note” – Man Overboard 7. “Loaded
Conversation” – Take a Breath 8. “Love
Me Like You Do” – Ellie Goulding 9. “Stressed
Out” – Twenty One Pilots 10. “Love Me” – The 1975 11. “December” – Neck Deep 12. “Love Will Set You Free” – Kodaline 13. “Amazing Day” – Coldplay 14. “Coming Down” – Halsey 15. “English Girls” – The Maine 16. “Dominance” – Hope Vista 17. “Music To Watch Boys To” – Lana Del Rey 18. “Just A Fool” – Look out Love 19. “Letting Go” – Mayday Parade 20. “You In January” – The Wonder Years
Some people have those voices I could listen to for hours
and never get tired of hearing. There’s something about the scratchiness or
smoothness in the way he or she sings that floods my eardrums with goodness.
Jaeger Wells has a smooth voice that oozes out a feel-good
sound. Wells, an indie singer-songwriter, recently released his new EP Forever Dream Anthology produced by The
Early November’s Ace Enders. This 5-track EP made me feel like I was transported to and from different points in time.
My toes started dancing along to the first track, “Sao Paulo
Liars Club,” immediately thinking it sounded like an indie Christmas song. The
song was a feel-good one, but the lyrics weren’t. He sang about loneliness and the
anxieties over the demons that are haunting. It was oddly comforting to hear
about something so dark but with an upbeat, good tune to drown out the bad
parts of waking up in the middle of the night by whatever haunts you.
“What It Feels Like” should
be in an indie movie soundtrack, and I’ll be that girl in the movie theater
singing along to this upbeat and quirky song. The beginning notes of the following track, “For The Jilted, For The Broken,”
reminded me of a funkier version of an Arctic Monkeys song. I replayed the
beginning of the song almost half a dozen times and my eyes turned into the
heart-eye emojis. Towards the end, Wells’ voice was a mix of haunting, funky and
strong. This is one of those tunes you listen to on a drive home, late at night,
probably on Halloween.
The guitar in “Rotten Apple (of My Eye)” had me envisioning
greasers in the 1960s. His voice in the bridge and transitioning into the
chorus was strong alongside the piano. My favorite part about this song was the
lyrics; he sang about a typical “love-hate” relationship. He found the love in
his heart, but realized how much this person was the (rotten) apple of his eye.
I loved it.
The last track on the EP, “East Coast Ghosts” resembled an
angsty early 2000s song. Jaeger’s voice, once again, reminded me of Arctic Monkeys mixed with some Modern Baseball. It was smooth, mixed well with the strumming guitar, while the drums
were booming powerfully and his voice jumbled up
with others.
Jaeger Wells sang lyrics that were so much more powerful
than basic love and heartbreak. He sings about heavier experiences with his
anxieties with love and life. Forever
Dream Anthology was an EP full of talent and haunting lyrics with a
powerful voice to top it off.
Release Date: November 20, 2015 Run Time: ~15 minutes Rating: 3/5 Ultimate Jams: “Sao Paulo Liars Club,” “For The Jilted, For
The Broken,” “Rotten Apple (of My Eye)
Track Listing: 1. Sao Paulo Liars Club 2. What It Feels Like 3. For The Jilted, For The Broken 4. Rotten Apple (of My Eye) 5. East Coast Ghosts
Women in the
music industry are constantly in competition with males; they are either
overlooked entirely or not credited enough. In contrast to the usual
same-gender lineups, or the occasional female-fronted group, Secret Someones is
a talented group of alternative rockers of females and one male. (Girl power!)
The
singer-songwriters, Bess Rogers, Lelia Broussard, and Hannah Winkler, play bass
and guitar while Zach Jones plays the drums. Their ten-track self-titled album
is filled with talent and passion and inspired by Weezer, Talking Heads, and
Tom Petty.
Opening track “I
Won’t Follow,” is a super catchy, fun tune and the harmonies are strong and passionate.
“Quit Pulling Me
Down” and “Let You Go” are two of the stronger, most empowering songs – two girl-power ballads about deserving respect
and standing up to someone each deserve a listen.
Listening to
“Hey Hey Honey,” I noticed how powerful the guitar was, especially in the
second verse with the guitars getting stronger during the transition into the
chorus and once again with the guitar solo during the bridge.
The first two
seconds of “Headfirst” made me dance. Towards the end of the song, there were a
few seconds of instrumentals that beautifully transitioned into harmonic
voices. The beginning of this song, as well as “Only One I Want,” convinced me
I was at a rock concert in outer space, as weird as it sounds. It was cool.
They are two songs I would never get tired of listening to.
“Heartbreaker”
starts off with a slower, romantic vibe, then transitions into the upbeat
chorus and back into the slower verses. The voice was strong and the guitar was
played with such force, such passion influenced me in feeling like I had
complete control over my life and how I dealt with love.
The beginning of
“Dead Weight” sounds like the opening drums in “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne. Noticing
other bands in music proves how connected and talented musicians really are.
My favorite part
of “Surrender,” hands down, was the drumming. Jones did a fantastic job of
making me wish I knew how to play the drums. Instead, I played the air drums
with my fingers and pretended I was as talented as him.
The last track
on the album, “Chase Your Shadow,” started off slow and almost with a techno
kind of vibe. The singers’ voices were smooth and powerful, and
one heck of a talent to end the album. The harmonies were fantastic and I could
listen to it for hours.
Secret Someones
identify as an empowering, strong-voiced, instrumentally talented group of
people. Do not let them
be a secret anymore. These someones
are worth a listen.
Release Date:
October 2nd 2015 Run Time: ~37 minutes Rating: 3/5 Ultimate Jams:
“I Won’t Follow,” “Let You Go,” “Dead Weight”
Track listing: 1. I
Won’t Follow 2. Quit
Pulling Me Down 3. Let
You Go 4. Hey
Hey Honey 5. Headfirst 6. Only
One I Want 7. Heartbreaker 8. Dead
Weight 9. Surrender 10. Chase Your Shadow
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