Riffs on the Broken String

Musicalities and Expectations: a blog for current rock/alt and indie artists as well as upcoming artists. Reviews, interviews, promotions.

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"Waste of a Day" by Two Weeks Running

With a few plucks of the bass, some dueling electric guitars and finally a swelling of drums, Bolton, England five-piece Two Weeks Running tear into their latest single, “Waste of a Day.” A followup to their acclaimed hit “Holy Ghost,” the new tune is another shimmering slice of alt-rock, combining the gloss of Foals with the strut of early Strokes – both of which are noted influences. 

“Waste of a Day,” hailed as a stand out track at BBC’s ‘Introducing Masterclass,’ also precedes the November release of the band’s highly-anticipated sophomore EP, “Human Nature.” Both the single and EP effectively capture the sweat-soaked adrenaline of their popular live shows and reaffirm the potential Two Weeks Running have shown from the start.

Two Weeks Running will be coming out with their EP "Human Nature" on November 3rd.

Follow them on Twitter @TwoWeeksRunning

Or give them a Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twoweeksrunning

Here's the link to their music video for "Waste of a Day"

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New review coming out this Friday on Halloween! Really excited to show let you all know about Two Weeks Running and the upcoming release of their EP on November 3rd!

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Sorry All,

I haven't been posting or reviewing lately because first off, I've been having Flash player problems and so I haven't been able to listen to any new music. Secondly, I'm recording 2 new EP's this week and so I haven't had much time on the computer. Stay tuned, because I'm going to kick next week's ass

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Thank you

Hope you all liked my reviews of the album Pushing Pencils by Of Course Not. Be sure to check out and stream their music for free on soundcloud at: https://soundcloud.com/ofcoursenot/sets/pushing-pencils 

Also, feel free to follow my twitter account @Riffsonbrokenst

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Stranded

The last track on the album starts off with their male vocalist singing lightly with light picking on the guitar in the background and then switching to the female vocalist do the same. Then the drums bring in a steady beat and the guitars strum on the power chords. I really don’t mean to harp on about the harmonies with these two singers but.... One thing I like about this song is that it paints a picture with the lyrics. They’re in the same boat, stranded, sinking; whether physically or metaphorically speaking, I’m sure people can relate. I know that I do. They bring a synth in during the bridge and that certainly changes things up. This was a very good track to end the album with. Upbeat, happy, just like the majority of the album, but it ends on a good note. This album overall just puts me in a good mood. If I’m having a bad day, this album can come on and pick me up. Keep it up!

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Summer Rain

The toms. Drum fill into driving distorted riff. The structure for this song is a bit different from the rest of the album, which is fine. One thing that I love about these guys (and lady) is that they change things up! It sounds like it’s just going to be a pop/punk/rock song, but then they throw in a bit a off beat guitar hits reminding me of the ska feel once again. All they’re missing is a brass section, but then again that would take them further away from the hard rock vibes that they bring with them. The chorus doesn’t have much to it that makes it stand out other than the fact that the lyrics are easy to relate to. I don’t mind the Summer rain. There is just something about rain in the summer... Me, being one who tends to like walking around in the rain, I have fond memories of the Summer rain. The music scene right now has a popular theme of writing either depressing lyrics or party lyrics or words that don’t make any sense. Of Course Not is a nice change of pace from the ordinary.

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Desperate Lullaby

Very pleasant piano like raindrops and smooth vocals from Of Course Not’s female singer. The drums come in and keep things cool with a rolling backbeat. Damn, she’s got a great voice; lots of control. I also very much like the piano playing. Nothing beats the sound of an acoustic piano. Shout out to whomsoever recorded and produced this album as well, very good overall production. Once again with the vocal harmonies. These guys voices compliment each other so well. I like this song much better through the second play through as well. With a name like “Desperate Lullaby” you have to know that there’s going to be a fair amount of feeling behind this song. This song really is quite beautiful. I also like the arrangement of the tracks on the album; it keeps B-sides toward the end. Do people know what B-sides are anymore? God, I sound like my parents... Anyway, listen to this song through some decent headphones and let the piano and vocals take you away somewhere.

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The Zombie Song

This song... as soon as I heard it, I immediately sent it to my friend. There’s a very gentle piano riff starting the song off. The male vocalist sings some very choice lyrics, helping to describe the situation he is in with a lady friend. The female vocalist gives very nice background “ooh’s.” Babe, if I was a zombie would yah shoot me? A question that we should all ask our loved ones. You know a girl loves you if she would shoot you when you turn. After the first laid back chorus, the verse then comes in with the electric guitars bringing in the noise we all love in punk rock music. Many people tend to not take songs that have “silly” lyrics seriously. Personally, I very much like the lyrics in this song, but all that aside, the orchestration and writing that goes into this song is pure brilliance. Girl, I’m pretty sure that .50 caliber won’t ever get in between me and you. They spice it up during the first half of the last chorus by only hitting the power chords on guitar in choice spots to help solo the vocalist’s voice; bringing out the lyrics just a little bit more before full on coming back in for the last half of the chorus. This is another one of my favorites from the album; very original take on the zombie phase a lot of this world seems to be in right now.

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Contagious

This track begins with some feedback before smothering you with power chords and a light electric lead riff in the background. The verse comes in with heavy drums, light guitar chords and the female vocalist singing yet again, a melody that hooks you along with it. The pre-chorus builds up until the chorus comes in. I very much like the recurring guitar riff, however I feel as though the chorus doesn’t have much to it, but then they change it up once again into almost a tango style rhythm. It’s haunting, they have these riffs and melodies that are just incredibly useful hooks. Then the bridge comes in. It has the tango rhythm here, but the vocal line is still punk-rock sounding. The male singer’s voice comes in and they harmonize with each other yet again. As far as I’m concerned, every one of their harmonies is gold. Then there’s a breakdown type beat with a guitar driven melody that snakes along with just the bass and drums until the female vocalist starts back in slowly. This then leads back to the chorus and ends on a fast paced guitar riff. When I first listened to this song, I can’t say that I loved it. However, now that I’ve listened to it again and perhaps analyzed it a bit more, I very much enjoy it.

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Last Light

As soon as the drums come in, you might think you know what’s going on with this song, but you don’t. The guitars come in hitting some distorted chords and you just have to start tapping your foot, banging your head, or whatever it is that you do with a song that’s full of energy. When the first verse comes in, you get some edgy vocals and a bouncy piano riff. All the while, the distorted guitar riffs along with the piano. The lead guitar parts are extra tasty in this song. I don’t know what it is about this song; it’s mesmerizing in a way. Of course there are still good harmonies with the vocals. That is one thing that remains constant throughout the entire album. Gotta love the guitar solo leading up to the bridge. The distortion cuts out and an eery piano riff accompanies the vocals arpeggiating the chords. Then the distorted guitar slowly comes back in building the song back up from the bottom. Once again, the chorus sticks with you. These guys sure as hell know how to write some good melody lines.

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Catch Me If You Can

The Moon (The Moon) connects perfectly with this track. The song begins hardcore and just knocks you off your feet, letting you know that “Yes, we are now ready to kick this album off.” Then, almost instantly, it changes to an upbeat easy-riding ska kind of mood. I love the dual vocalists. Having a male and female singer in this band gives them a lot of different options as far as vocal melodies/harmonies/backup goes. The chorus is extremely... catchy; excuse the pun. The electric guitar keeps the driving hardcore sound going, but all the while the upbeat, easy going element in the song is still there. Of Course Not blends these two types of genres together very well. Then the bridge starts up; completely changing the mood of the song and bringing it right back into hardcore punk, complete with breakdown! Love this breakdown, the chorus type effect on the vocals fills out the song and gives it the extra depth that it needs. Then everything gets stripped except for the female vocalist’s voice and the plinking guitar notes. Then everything starts back up again as the chorus repeats, but this time in half time. This might be one of my favorites from this album.

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Of Course Not- Info!

Of Course Not - Pushing Pencils

Contact and Band info:

Torey Smart - Vocals, Piano, Bass Luke DeWitt - Vocals, Guitar Craig Watkins - Drums, Vocals Chris Tanksley - Bass, Guitar, Vocals

Pushing Pencils: soundcloud.com/ofcoursenot/se…

Follow on Twitter: @OCNmusic

or give them a “Like” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfCourseNotMusic

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The Moon (The Moon)

A 15 second intro to the track two that is completely a cappella. Thought provoking lyrics and very well written harmonies.

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Carry On - Cruskin

First off, I would just like to say that I became an instant fan of Cruskin the second I heard the lead singers voice. She has an absolutely gorgeous timbre that I fell in love with. In the beginning of this song, it is just piano and vocals and it just sounds so sweet; it literally carries you away. I haven’t even gotten around to talking about the lyrics yet... As soon as I found out that I was going to be reviewing Cruskin, I was instantly excited because I heard Carry On and I wanted to start telling people about it. Anyway, the song starts off with the chorus, stripped down to just piano and vocals. Then the guitar and drums kick things off and knock you around a bit. All the while the piano still there. The verse starts up, the background riff allows the vocals to still shine through. The chorus comes back, still familiar, but this time with full guitar sound and drums beating along. To me, this song reminds me of hope. The hope you find in a close friend or relative. You need to carry on, to survive. I don’t want you to give up. Such a strong message; a song written in a time that could especially use a bit of hope. The bridge is very powerful. There are no words, just “ah’s” and an excellent chord progression that is just pure feeling. It’s easy for me to sound like I’m a little carried away with writing these reviews, but I do these for my love of music and this song has really gotten to me. 

Look up their music video for Carry On at: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f2VY6mkNgM

Give them a “Like” on Facebook at:

https://facebook.com/CruskinOfficial

Or follow them on Twitter @CruskinOfficiel 

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Take Me to the Moon - Persona

Take Me to the Moon begins with some light guitar and an interesting backbeat. In between sections of the verse, the lead guitar comes in playing a well structured melody. The chorus has a hauntingly catchy melody line that sticks with you. "Everyone knows." The lead singer’s voice just rings out with that line and then the bridge comes in with acoustic guitar picking and smooth vocals until suddenly the wall of sound hits you and you’re right back into the intensity of the song. The backup vocals for the chorus, yes, an actual “chorus” feel to it; as in there are many voices. This helps to fill in any holes that might have been there and creates a certain depth to the sound. Very nice production quality. Pop/punk can tend to sound somewhat whiney, but Persona did this song right and I am a fan. Seriously, I cannot get over the melody line in the chorus; I’m not sure what it is, it just gets me. Good job guys, keep it up and I’ll be sure to talk up your next release.

You can find their EP at:

http://personaofficial.bandcamp.com/album/take-me-to-the-moon-ep

Or look them up on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/PersonaOfficial

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Car Trouble

Sorry everyone for the lack of reviews and promotions this week. I just got hit hard with a lot of work and a bit of car trouble, but I'm back and the reviews are on their way!!!

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This is the most emotional post in the history of tumblr

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I nearly cried.

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These have all happened to me I’m crying