Ed Sheeran Has Perfect Pitch

My fellow blog followers, here now, if it hasn't been officially declared as such already, is the High School Prom and Wedding Night Dance Tune of 2018...the extremely lovable Ed Sheeran delighting us with the first cut from his Billboard Magazine Top 10 album, "Divide". The title essentially says it all. We humans can't claim to be perfect but "Perfect" the song is about as close to an ideal puppy dog eyed romance as there's bound to be. I can see why Elton John is one of his influences. "Perfect" is the song Elton wishes he wrote. It's a lavish production number full of his prime acoustic guitar playing alongside orchestral decoration not to mention timely percussion. The venerable news man Charlie Rose had Ed on his show recently. Is there any question why this meeting occurred? Never once has Ed had any doubts about his life direction either personally or professionally. He's got swoon worthy pipes which will be ringing up sales until I'm old enough and God willing lucid enough to collect Social Security. "Perfect" ought to have the Valentine's Day market covered, too. If "Perfect" was a tract of land it would be a palatial estate with multiple columns out front. It flows nice and easy so those stolen kisses will be easy to pick off. Mr. Sheeran is one of the most heartfelt musicians working the industry today. The crop of red haie alone makes you want to make like Grandma and pinch his cheeks. He's one of those rare souls who has given himself the opportunity to stay grounded as his career unfolds and inevitably evolves. The accompanying video defines joyful experience. The pile of books makes for a winning touch. Lyric-wise well...breathe it in for yourself..."I found a love for me. Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead. Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet. Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me. Here's your shot at Kleenex to dab away the happy tears. Every single verse from here on in only ups the Niagara Falls factor. He's found this girl against all odds who he wants to carry his children for him. The third verse screams cellphone photograph moment..."Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms, barefoot on the grass listening to our favourite song. When you said you looked a mess I whispered underneath my breath but you heard it, darling you look perfect tonight. I'm playing for the same masculine team and I'd agree to date him based on this song. I can feel him taking me in his arms and embracing only me, locking out the outside world. The focus starts out on his guitar but the bells and whistles follow soon after. He blends the two styles flawlessly and what loose stitching you do see only adds to the allure. "Perfect" adds nicely to a fully budding career that likely won't stop until he's comfortably ensconced in a local nursing home or sails off to Heaven while reclining in front of the telly, pipe in his lap.

Knuckle Puck Has Gone Crazy With Its Melodic Capabilities

Out of Chicago, Illinois, Knuckle Puck unearths quite an impressive soup in "Gone". This outfit puts together a seamless mix of audio excitement alongside Joe Taylor's unobstructed vocal range. John Siorek takes credit for most of the backbone here. He's not lazy in the least. Each beat lands flush like it's supposed to. Kevin Maida goes heavy into the trenches on lead guitar. Could say he's the color commentator portion of this band. Everybody else lays the muscle down as Kevin throws in the special seasoning. Ryan Rumchaks amounts to not just a small hit part player on bass. He steps into the fray quite handily and makes his contributions count long after the song ends. Sounds appetizing so far. Throw in the pity inspiring choral refrain and "Gone" has you at attention for as long as it wants. The opening chorus shows Joe knows how to create a mood, even if said mood is a mite depressing. The starting line goes "I did what I do best...forget myself. Got overdressed like everybody else. A glance and a half smile. Black heels on the white tie. It took seven years for your path to realign but I'll still think of you on the 5th of June cause when I saw you I lost you all over again. Boy sounds like he's one bad break away from hurtling himself over a bridge. The chorus isn't inspiration for rebirth either..."Gone. Doesn't it feel good to be invisible? Gone. Just like the way I used to be. Gone. Have I been fading away? Yeah, I'm so gone, gone." The love interest's stare pierces him like an unforgiving knife, severing what emotional ties there ever were. Rob claims he's not who she remembers but that's primarily because she stole his personality away. He's not without sympathy though. He admits she could stand to have a break from his ghost. Yet his intensity of feeling remains a constant. This song's tempo reflects the psychological desperation Joe's shooting for. The instruments are spread out evenly which makes it an exciting construction job to witness. Broken love's a time honored theme in music. In Knuckle Puck's hands there's a fresh burst of pluck. "Gone" stays in the here and now with compelling results.

The Front Bottoms Flood Us With a Nice Taste of Oddball Pop

Straight from New Jersey I give you The Front Bottoms. These two gentlemen pack a lot of strange into one 3:10 song, that song being "Raining" Brian Sella does vocal duty here and he quite clearly embraces the strangeness he's peddling. Matthew Uychich smacks drums here and how off to the races he gets. What needs to be said about the video. Brian (I presume anyway) wanders from the hospital straight into a party where all his matea are waiting for him and he takes many bizarre twists and turns along the way. I'm surprised at how bubbly the song is given this is an escaped patient we're talking about here. Nevertheless The Front Bottoms harmonize beautifully. Way to do more with less. I don't think I am really sure what that voice affectation is that provides giggle moments throughout. I guess it'll have to remain a closely guarded secret. Let's hope The Front Bottoms doesn't end up in that category because it succeeds in getting your attention with programmer friendly indie-pop that willfully holds onto its eccentric sensibilities. On a clear sunny day "Raining" wouldn't be out of place. In fact, when the band was noodling around in the recording studio composing the song, who thought "Raining" would be an appropriate title. It hasn't stricken me with Seasonal Affectation Disorder. There are no Kleenex boxes in view. It's extremely easy to like. Even the lyrics aren't too unbearable. How could you be grief stricken over a song that shares lines like "We went flying over all the trees to see a house built by a mafia member."? Isn't possible in my book. Brian doesn't appear to be the most level headed cat if the video's any indication. He's still wearing his hospital bracelet for cripes sake. But anyway "Raining" sounds perfectly okay when placed in the framework of a corny cross town trek. When the bridge comes into play, what wonderful chaos Brian and Matthew make. Where did that explosion come from? Again, maybe it's best left alone as a magical secret. Brian goes from feeling all torn up to needing magic just to fall asleep. What a miraculous transformation. All the while Brian asks "How do you think that felt?" Rest assured he has brushes with feeling "absolute fantastic". One doesn't expect such a rosy outcome to the video but there have it. It's all smiles, festive, uproarious but...THE DAMN BRACELET'S STILL ON HIS WRIST!! Could be something in the water over in Woodcliff Lake or some really choice LSD. Either way The Front Bottoms make abashed merry and don't care who knows it. "Rsining" smacks you across the face like a bracing April shower. Looking forward to new insanity real soon. Took 'em over a decade to seize their moment but here they show they're ready to shine.

Evanescence's Imperfection Strikes a Perfect Chord.

Evanescence essentially had me at "Bring Me To Life" back in the early aughts. Amy Lee, given her goth styled persona, honestly does have a voice that could wake the dead. Everything about the song made for a killer introduction to how seriously the band kicks ass. The guitar playing cooks, the lyrics are foreboding, and Amy cuts through the clutter like the pro she is. Here in 2017 a new album, "Synthesis" is slated for release really soon and I couldn't be more pumped up about it. If I may be so bold, I think Amy's one of the top 50 female vocalists of all time. What sets her apart from the distaff crowd is that her vocal style betrays a real maternal protective instinct that comes from a rough edged soulful place. You can hear it full on in "My Immortal". They sort of toned down the creepiness so radio wouldn't get turned off by it but the pure CD version gets you reaching for a light switch because you wouldn't want to be left alone in the dark with it. "Synthesis" starts off with one of the most generous opening piano solos I think I've ever had the good fortune to hear. Is that all? We're getting a style change-up consisting of power ballad parlor tricks? Patience my friends. Amy's got your need for explosiveness within easy reach. Boy is it pulverizing. In 2017 the Little Rock band has in fact added layers of complexity to its bulldozer intensity. "Imperfection" operates at a midtempo level which gives it time to worm its way into your bloodstream until you've gotten a virus you want no cure from. Lyrics point to desperate pleading as is evidenced by "Don't you dare surrender. Don't you dare leave me here without you cause I could never replace your perfect imperfection." The only head scratcher I can make out is, "Don't look now but the little girl's got a grenade." Way to get all military strategist on us but what was the point? Despite this left turn "Imperfection" shows Amy at her very best, voice cued up to stun, cross to bear sticking out of her pocket. Will Hurt's drums incite one to gulp one's throat in dread. Troy McLawhorn's lead guitar digs under the surface of Amy's impassioned delivery. Relative newbie Jen Majura holds on in the rhythm guitar department. Will Boyd's bass is the final delectable nail in this inviting rock coffin. You'll need strong coffee to keep up with this tune. It clocks in at 6 minutes and 40 seconds. That might make it a bit unreachable for radio programmers who want to add some bite to their playlists. To you and I that shouldn't matter. Evanescence remains captivating some 16 years after its inception. "Imperfection" reveals not a chink in the armor.

Manchester Orchestra Goes For And Takes The Gold

It glides on smooth like latex paint and can leave the consumer equally satisfied with the result. I'm referring to indie band Manchester Orchestra's new single "The Gold". I describe this track as a jigsaw puzzle well-meshed. Given we're nudging towards autumn "The Gold" strikes as an ideal segment of your life soundtrack at this point. Luxurious and ornate it has that one percenter smell of old money but doesn't flaunt it much as they might. Andy Hull has a beautiful set of pipes propelling him forward. Andy Prince has intensity to burn and it shows in the way he buoys Andy's sound. The video is a hodgepodge of intriguing imagery that lends itself well to a song steeped in provocative dialogue. Lyrically entropy takes the lead here with words like "Couldn't really love you anymore. You've become my ceiling. How does one pull that off exactly? I guess if anyone can do it Andy can. But wait, there's more. How about, "You don't have to hold me anymore. Our cave's collapsing." What part of his brain keyed in on the Flintstones to come up with that line. It impresses me in any case. Tim Very's drum work doesn't render him a non-factor but he does err on the quieter side of the spectrum. Steadily contributing but not overblown. Still gorgeous though. Ditto for Robert McDowell's keyboard and lead guitar work. You like the novelty value of a song that treats you gently, but not with kid gloves. The MTV Video Awards would be wise to at least consider "The Gold" for a Best Cinematography Award because it's that pretty to behold, but I digress. If you like intellectual music "The Gold" ought to keep you in high cotton for a spell. Favorite lyric has to be "I don't wanna bark here anymore." I feel you buddy. The thrill's gone for me too. "It all tastes like poison," leaves nothing to the imagination. So much poison floating through the ozone these days that I get the connection to the media circus of President Trump instantaneously. Not that that's what he's driving at but can you blame me for connecting those dots? That guitar brings bounce personified to a track already primed for motion. One way to sum up the video for "The Gold" is that it's an extended stream of op art stretched out taffy wide. "The Gold" is precious just like the mineral and just as rewarding to have in your hot little hands too.

HELLYEAH Rises With "Love Falls"

Somebody needs a hug and that somebody is HELLYEAH'S lead growler Chad Gray. Anger permeates his every breath. We sense the tight noose wrapped around his neck, a hopelessness point he draws to again and again during "Love Falls". He doesn't have those often used Cookie Monster vocals but if you want nightmares for yeara, take a look at the expressions he gives us in the band's video. The song starts out innocently enough structurally but then, moments later, it kicks into high gear. Vinnie Paul kicks into high gear on drums. He puts down some mighty flourishes in the most appropriate places. Christian Brady electrifies, no pun intended, with guitar that sounds like either he or somebody he knows left the pot burning on the stove too long. The steady boil pays huge dividends. Everything about the attitude benefits from such raw emotion. Love is often cruel and not an end result one opts for. Chad lets his wounds seep out for all to see as is personified in the video by the young woman cutting herself at the sink. How hard up for love does Chad feel. Well...check out this scorched Earth poetry..."Have you ever wished for death and prayed all night for your last breath?" Well personally no because I'm too attached to the planet at this point to beg for a hasty exit. Chad digs deep during the chorus. I don't think in all the time I've been blogging that I've heard a man so at the mercy of torment. That's put on full display in, "I'm hanging by a thread, a rope, the noose around my neck. I choke, cuz every time I'm fallin' love falls out of me. I'm hardened like a rock, a stone, the brick inside my chest. Alone cuz every time I'm fallin, love falls out of me. Kyle Sanders explodes on bass. His tone matches Chad's rasp stride for stride. It's a love gone cold saga that grows more and more painful to experience the longer the song goes. It is hard to take your ears off of. A lover's quarrel not meant to end well. Chad's putting up too much of a fight for any of us to suggest putting him out of his, and, possibly our misery. He's not doubling down on the misery card. But the weight of his world does seem to be crashing down on him. If that makes for crunchier rock I don't know. In this case I'd say yes. If you're claustrophobic as a rule, I'd give "Love Fails" a wide berth. However, if you need people to commiserate with, HellYeah's got you covered. "Love Falls" rises to the battle scarred occasion.

Fall Out Boy Cuts a True Gem.

The kitchen sink's in here...trust me. Fall Out Boy's latest single "Last Of The Real Ones" does what a good football team does which is get everybody in the offense involved. Andy Hurley's drumming makes you sit up and take notice even though that doesn't get cranking until we're well into the proceedings. Patrick Stumpf's pipes are haunting whether it's through the main stanzas or the chorus. Pete Wentz blends in perfectly on his bass guitar. You get chills just pondering the possibilities he could whip up but you're too engrossed in what he's doing in the present moment. Joe Trohman adds fuel to this inferno effortlessly. Put them all together and Fall Out Boy has created a true nail-biter where the suspense quotient is off the charts. If you're not smiling as the video rolls you must have missed out on the humor gene when you were hatched. Fall Out Boy is known for its wacky videos, but this is weird even for them. They actually stuffed a guy in the trunk of a car in the name of artistry. That's really creepy but the dark humor seems to work for them as Pete belts out his lyrics for the ages. How do you top "I was an only child of the universe." You don't which makes things all the more impressive. I'm enthused at the band's roaring out of the gate tempo. It adds excitement to a song and title that didn't really need the help. Pete knows how to flatter the ladies. Take "'Cause you're the last of a dying breed. Write our names in the wet concrete. In front of Mann's Chinese Theater I presume. Wherever the location it's an effective statement loaded with passion. It's hard to tell the real ones are in the digital age. Nice of Fall Out Boy to bring that up for discussion. In an industry where careers don't tend to last very long, Fall Out Boy's managed one and a half decades which is to be commended. What a blast they appear to be having. You get the urgency right from the start and that stays faithful to the boys right down to the last note. That's a state of being the band builds on to impressive effect. As the song builds in tonal intensity we love being along for the ride. "Last Of The Real Ones" winds up being the latest addictive Fall Out Boy production.