Today on KRAPMusic, a double dose of Shaimus! Because you should totally buy their new CD.
Album: Paper Sun
Band: Shaimus
Year: 2006
Genre (Relative!): Alternative, Pop(?) Rock
Number of Tracks: 10
Summary: The band's first effort, and it's a good'un. It's overall slower than I normally like (expect to see some punk here), but the musicianship is amazing in my opinion so it's earned a place in my heart. To me, it's got peaks and valleys, so expect liberal use of Helium and Lead tags.
Track by Track Notes:1) Left to Dry - A great opener, the guitars work together to form an excellent rhythm. Vocally it's pretty jammin', and simply put it's a strong song. Depending on your tastes, it might be a bit long at 4:29, but there's not really any filler, so you know.
2) Slow Down - A soft song, but it's nice. A nice slow solo in there, I don't know what else to say.
3)
All of This (
Warning: Crazy fanmade video, consume at own risk)
[Helium] - Easily the fastest song on the CD, it's no surprise I really like it. But it's a fun, bubbly song with sweet lyrics and a kickin' guitar solo.
4) Run My Spirit Down - And coming back down from All of This, we come to another slower song. Probably the most focus on the piano in this one so far (that's not saying much), and a short solo. It kinda drags for the last thirty seconds, but four minutes of non-filled isn't bad.
5) Put It Off
[Helium] - This is a pretty good, faster song overall, with a lot of interesting little riffs in it. The song ends at about 3:10 so nothing drags, the remaining 2:20 is mostly buildup and a superkickin' guitar wah-solo. This, in my opinion, is the strongest song, and THE one you should grab if you're a fan of harder softer rock. Wait, what.
6) Old Fashioned Love - Another slower song, I'm remembering much this CD whiplashes you between the styles now. Starts out slow with a piano intro, but the guitar really paints the song at the end.
7) Red White and Blue - An anti-war song, and another that starts out slow and builds up. I don't have much to say about it, it's nothing special but by no means bad.
8) When I Dream - The slowest so far, a piano-heavy ballad. The rest of the band makes their first appearance at 1:20, and they apply the rest of amount of musicianship to match the song. If you like softer softer rock, this is probably THE one track you should pick up.
9) The Book (Again and Again) - This has a neat riff that alternates between piano and guitar. The chorus kinda grates on me after a certain point, and that makes about the last minute kinda drag to me, but it's definitely got some high points I can't apparently point into words. Also, the ending leads directly to...
10) Stay
[Lead] - Vocally, I really like this song. It's easily the softest song on the CD, focusing mostly on his singing with an acoustic guitar part providing most of the background. But that's not a problem to me. It's got some sort of percussion(?) in it that just really rubs me the wrong way. If it doesn't bother you, this is a pretty good one.
Final Verdict: With no real downs and a few ups, I'd say this is a
good'unAnything Else I Feel Like Adding Because You Can't Stop Me: -All of This was in Guitar Hero, as two of the bandmembers worked for Harmonix during development. That's the best I've got. Also, it's supposed to come to Rock Band at some point? I suck at this.
Album: The Sad Thing Is, We Like It Here
Band: Shaimus
Year: 2009
Genre (Relative!): Alternative, Pop(?) Rock
Number of Tracks: 10
Summary: Their sophmore attempt also at 10 tracks, this shines even brighter than a paper sun. Rimshot. I'll be here all week. Overall it's more cohesive than Paper Sun, both speed-wise and sound-wise, but it's sorta double-edged because no tracks really stand out this time around.
Track by Track Notes:1)
Interview - The song opens in the style of many older songs, vocals and piano. The guitar comes in a bit strong and the song becomes a bit poppier and faster than most of their older efforts, though anyone who enjoyed the guitar riffs transitions on the first will not be disappointed by this one. The very ending is a bit metal, but not really surprising considering most of the guitar parts and solos from the first.
2)
Turn the Other Way - This is free on their site, so there's no reason not to like it. It's a song about struggling through employment, and makes it clear the album has largely done away with extended guitar solos in exchange for heavier breakdown parts in general.
3) All the Good Ways - This is first slower song on the album, but towards the end the guitar makes sure you haven't forgotten he's in the band. Probably the closest to mainstream rock they really get, but it's a good one.
4) Tie You Down - And so this one pushes towards a metal sound until the singer comes in. The song mostly moves away from that outside of that riff, but it is the heavier than a lot of older stuff. There's a nice bridge where they all show off a bit instrumentally without getting crazy, and it goes between softer and harder parts for most of the song but it does it well.
5) Heads Or Tails - A nice island/reggae/ska sound going on with the rhythm guitar. This is the slowest song so far, and if I recall correctly, the slowest on the disc. If you're a fan of softer stuff, this might be the best choice, although don't be surprised if there's some slightly harder sounding stuff in there once or twice. It's Shaimus, guys.
6) Don't Want the Story - This is also pretty straight forward rock that doesn't indulge in intricate rhythms as much as some of their other stuff. It still has enough to sustain someone like me who tends to listen to the instruments, but seeing how he has a nice voice and good lyrics anyway, that should be enough for most people.
7) Let Go - Apparently I don't recall correctly. Piano intro! It's more rock than Heads or Tails, but it's softer over all. It's also almost six minutes, which tends to be a detractor to someone like me, but again, there's not really filler, so at least it uses the time well.
8)
Like A Fool - My favorite from the album, probably because it's the closest equivalent to All of This. It's a really well done song on all parts, and has that classic Shaimus 'metal guitar break' in the middle before progressing to the classic Shaimus 'soft vocally focused break' only a bit after that. It pulls no punches, but I wouldn't say it's the most accessible song, so it might not be your cup of tea. Jerk.
9) While We're Young - The longest one on the CD at almost seven minutes, you better hope there's no filler. It starts off slow, like Stay slow. But it builds up and changes to a fun sound I enjoy a minute and a half in. It travels enough and keeps changing to new sounds, which is unsurprising because their guitarist does love to do that. I'm not sure if seven minutes was needed though, seems like the last minute and a half aren't necessarily, although they aren't terrible either. They're just kinda there.
10) Stuck Around - Another softer, poppier one. Showcases his voice, but the band does support it well. It's got a clear solo in it that matches the mood, and the song has kinda a timeless feel to me.
Final Verdict: Although I don't feel it reaches the same heights as some of Paper Sun did, it's overall better and really good, so let's say a
great'unAnything Else I Feel Like Adding Because You Can't Stop Me: -Heads or Tails Also has a Mario coin sound at the end for reasons I don't fully understand? I mean, I guess they were like 'hey, a coin sound, heads or tails,' but aren't those coins the same on both sides?
-Like a Fool was one of the 20 free songs for RB2, and Tie You Down is supposed to come out at some point
-I've got a signed copy of this, so I might be biased
-Where the hell is
Heaven Is Close?
Hm, hopefully these will get better as I go along. This was actually difficult to describe because while all the songs do sound different, the approach they take to every song is similar and it's hard to describe. For me. Shut up, you jerks. I hate you. I'm never doing this again.
Tune in tomorrow maybe.
Eh.