Forgive Durden- Razia's Shadow: A Musical

I don't think I've ever been this excited to write a review on an album. I've been listening to it non-stop, and the only reason why I didn't write about it sooner, is because I really wanted to take the time to study it and appreciate it. I'm aware that many people will listen to it and think to themselves 'What kinda fucking musical is this?' I'm not sure if Razia's Shadow can still be considered a rock opera considering it has a narrator (Aaron Weiss from mewithoutYou), but it's still close to one. I admit, following the storyline can be insanely confusing, but it's entertaining and creative no matter how much you're able to comprehend. I'd hate to give the story away, so I'm just going to write about the basics of the album. I find myself falling in love with bands/albums/songs with multiple singers, so Razia's Shadow is pure heaven for me. Danny Stevens (lead singer of The Audition) makes me shake and gives me goosebumps in the beginning of The Oracle. Who knew his falsetto could kill? Any Max Bemis (Say Anything) fanatic will love The Spider and the Lamps. Brendon Urie (Panic At The Disco) is excellent and simply made me scream at the dramatic ending of The End and the Beginning. Meet the King is far from rock, but very entertaining. And who's a better princess than Greta Salpeter (The Hush Sound)?! Greta's simply perfect. Thomas Dutton (Forgive Durden) has created an album unlike any other, but if you have difficulty appreciating such a theatrical album, I recommend listening to Forgive Durden's debut album Wonderland. Wonderland is very very different, but incredible none the less. Thomas Dutton WINS my heart in The Exit (and other songs) when he comes in with such inspiring lyrics. No matter what your favorite part of Razia's Shadow is, the inspiration of it all is greater than anything. "Don't you ever feel like you've been destined for something bigger than your skin?"

O the Scientist- Casey Crescenzo (The Dear Hunter)

Ahrima- Thomas Dutton (Forgive Durden)

Nidria- Lizzie Huffman (Man In The Blue Van)

Barayas the Spider- Max Bemis (Say Anything)

Toba the Tura- Chris Conley (Saves The Day)

Gargul the Oracle- Danny Stevens (The Audition)

Adakias- Thomas Dutton (Forgive Durden)

Sangara- Dan Young (This Providence)

Pallis- Brendon Urie (Panic At The Disco)

Princess Anhura- Greta Salpeter (The Hush Sound)

King Malka- Nic Newsham (Gatsbys American Dream)

Baruka and Baba, The Bawaba Brothers- Kris Anaya (An Angle) and John Gourley (Portugal. The Man)

Doctor Dumaya- Shawn Harris (The Matches)

Narration- Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYou)

myspace.com/forgivedurden

purevolume.com/forgivedurden

<3Becca

The Curtana Veil- The Curtana Veil EP

I first saw this band December 2007 at their CD release and was quite impressed. It wasn't till this past Sunday that I was able to see them again and was reminded how great they were. Their music is pretty mellow and nothing hardcore (it's still rock though). But it's not just their great music and performances, they're super nice guys too! I'm glad they've been doing shows in the city, but it's about time to show LI some love! I'm gonna make use of the set list they gave me and say that they played Know By Now, A Scenic View, Where Ocean Meets Sky, a new untitled song, and You Sleep When You're Dead. The new stuff sounds great, it's just too bad that I don't know the words ;). You Sleep When You're Dead might be my favorite song of theirs, but honestly, it's so hard to choose. Can't wait to see 'em again!

myspace.com/thecurtanaveil
purevolume.com/thecurtanaveil

<3Becca

Sing It Loud- Come Around

In my opinion, Sing It Loud is truly an underrated band (and while we're on the topic, Mayday Parade is insanely underrated). They were on the Sassyback Tour with Cobra Starship, Forever the Sickest Kids and Hit the Lights and their next tour will be with Ludo, This Providence, and The Morning Light. Say what? You can't catch them on their next tour? No worries. They'll be playing Warped '09! Thank god. Their album, which was released 9/23/08, was produced by Motion City Soundtrack guitarist Josh Cain. One of my favorite songs off the album is Come Around, which also sounds amazing acoustic, so I suggest everyone checks out both versions. And not that they need an incredible guest vocalist to make No One Can Touch Us super catchy, but it doesn't hurt to have Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low). I always try to convince people to buy CDs when possible rather then downloading, so let me just say, that the album art is so much cuter in person. So, if you're looking for a great pop-punk band to dance to (maybe a lil bit of moshing) that your friends might not know of, I suggest getting this album.

myspace.com/singitloud
purevolume.com/singitloud

<3Becca