Non-mainstream essentials: October 2010

By Nick DiNatale

Music Editor

Septembers largest successes: Amely’s Hello World EP and I Am Alpha And Omega’s The Roar And The Whisper

September brought two very memorable releases, both coming from very young bands that have a great deal ahead of themselves. With contrasting styles, Amely and I Am Alpha And Omega both brought convincing recordings from their respective genres to the table.

Pop-punk band Amely released their debut EP, Hello World, which is an eight-track effort. Amely’s sound on the EP draws comparisons to fellow Fearless signees, Artist Vs Poet, and on a larger scale, The All-American Rejects. Although Hello World may not contain a sound that can’t be heard in countless other ways from other pop-punk bands with releases over the last few years, it’s still worth taking the time to listen to. Catchy, upbeat songs such as “Say Goodbye” give the album a good hook for the listener to latch on to. Even if you feel like you’ve heard it just a few times before, it just may turn out to be your favorite clichéd record of the year. However, with the fact that there is a high volume of other pop-punk albums out there put aside, the truth remains: these guys are talented and have good things ahead of them.

Go listen to: “Say Goodbye”

I Am Alpha And Omega’s debut full-length The Roar And The Whisper presents twelve diverse post-hardcore tracks. For a debut album, it is a very mature musical effort. The Roar And The Whisper is a heavy album, but it remains melodic at the same time. It’s clear that the band wasn’t simply trying to show off how brutal they could possibly make the album, as many young bands tend to do. Instead, they displayed that they have some serious musicianship as a whole, by writing an album with real substance. A perfect example of this is the interlude track, “The Rescue”. Unlike with a lot of bands that just waste their interlude song on a track that may as well have been skipped over, I Am Alpha And Omega produced a great sounding post-rock-like recording. Also included on the album is the slow, heartfelt track “Chasing”, which is nestled in at the very end of the album, and gives the record a soft, yet solid finishing touch.

The Roar And The Whisper is currently available for free downloading on I Am Alpha And Omega’s MySpace page, so there really isn’t a valid excuse to not give it a chance. Support them. They put a great effort into this album.

Go listen to: The entire album. (It’s free after all).

Looking forward:

  1. Bring Me The Horizon’s There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret (10/5)
  2. Chiodos’ Illuminaudio (10/5)
  3. All That Remains’ For We Are Many (10/12)
  4. Senses Fail’s The Fire (10/19)
  5. A Day To Remember’s What Separates Me From You (10/26)