Dive Into the Unkown

Here's my first post on the subject of bands that you probably haven't heard of but should check out.

Soapbox Paradox is a rock/punk group with a ska vibe out of Michigan. I found them a while back on garageband.com (which, if you haven't heard of it, is a great place to find independent music). The first thing that struck me was the band's original and extremely varied sound. I honestly can't compare it to much that I've heard because each song is so different from the last. They have a really tight sound. The drums are notable as they perfect each song's groove. All the instruments compliment each other nicely. They have a fun sound without getting too corny. It's worth a listen.
Check them out at: http://www.purevolume.com/soapboxparadox




The next band I'd like to talk about is the Flatliners, a ska-punk band straight out of Ontario, Canada. I don't remember exactly how I heard about them, but I'm glad that I did. These guys absolutely kick it, plain and simple. So far they've released two studio albums. The first, Destroy to Create, has a slightly larger ska feel to it, but rocks pretty much all the way through. The second, The Great Awake, features much more roaring guitar and more intense/frantic vocals. From the first track on, you can feel that this band has a message and won't stop until it's delivered. Most of their songs range between the normal two to four minute range aside from the final song on The Great Awake, KHTDR, which lasts for a little over seven minutes but never gets boring. They haven't completely ousted their ska influences as is seen in songs like "This Respirator" and "Mastering the World's Smallest Violin." This is one of my favorite bands at the moment and have influenced my own songwriting quite a bit. You should definitely give them a long listen.


The final band in this entry is a ska/punk group from France, P.O.Box. They recently released their first professional studio album, ...And the Lipstick Traces. Unlike the previous two bands, P.O. Box actually has a horn section. They play an aggressive style laden with heavily distorted guitar. That's not to say you won't find a more traditional ska style in some songs. They're genuinely fun to listen to all the way through. They play at a vicious pace that rocks but makes some songs feel much too short. Most of their songs are between two and three minutes long, but some clock in below that range, which just leaves you wanting more. Just like the Flatliners, the final song on the album is longer than seven minutes, but also encompasses two songs. The first is a continuation of the 30-or-so second intro track on the album while the second is an alternate version of a song on a previous album, Diving (which happens to be one of my favorite tracks that the band has produced). This version is much slower and has ditched guitar, bass and drums for cello and piano. It's an unusual way to cap the album off, but it works quite nicely.




Well, I'm out. Man I need a good catchphrase to end these posts.