Sylvie – Trees and Shade are Our Only Fences

I’m not sure where Saskatchewan’s Sylvie have been all my life, but I’m pretty psyched to have finally discovered them. Sort of like a grumpier version of Minus The Bear, fronted by a raspier version of Michael Stipe, Sylvie tie the whole thing together with pretty boy-girl vocal harmonies reminiscent of the songs Rachel Haden sang with Jimmy Eat World. Indeed, the band’s new album Trees and Shade are Our Only Fences might remind you of ten of your favorite bands, but it will never strike you as derivative. Plus, we could probably all use a little more Saskatchewan in our lives. If you’re still not sold, start by downloading the American Football-esque “Breakout for Summer” and I promise you’ll be hooked.

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Killswitch Engage – Killswitch Engage

Balancing epic choruses with visceral screaming over crushing guitar riffs, has always been at the heart of Killswitch Engage‘s mission of making metalcore accessible to more than just metalheads. The songs are a little shorter this time around, and there is slightly more emphasis on melody, but for the most part, those who are familiar with the formula will know what they’re signing on for with their new self-titled album. The vocals are pitch-perfect, the drumming is ultra-precise, and the guitar leads are layered as thick as an orchestra. I wish they had continued to build on some of the mathier riffs from 2006′s As Daylight Dies, and I wish there were more counterpoint vocal melodies from guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, but in the end there’s very little to complain about here. Killswitch Engage know what they’re doing, and this will be a welcome addition to their catalogue.

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Dredg – The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion

Dredg have covered a lot of musical ground since their 2001 debut Leitmotif, and their fourth release follows that growth into new, unexpected directions. The 18 tracks that make up The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion range from 30-second sketches that sound like Danny Elfman soundtracks, to 6-minute power ballads. As a whole, the album is a little less rock and a little more R&B than their previous work, and some of the gambles pay off more than others. Luckily, vocalist Gavin Hayes’ soaring voice is as passionate as ever, and the band can still pack a punch when they want to. Based on a concept inspired partly by a Salman Rushdie essay, this is definitely an album of substance, and it might take a little more effort to grasp, but it also rewards multiple listens.

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A Skylit Drive – Adelphia

I think guilty pleasures are as important in music as they are in anything else. You can’t eat candy for breakfast every day, but there’s nothing wrong with reading the occasional young adult vampire novel, or catching Gilmore Girls reruns on the Soap Opera Network every now and then. This is where meticulously-styled screamo cuties A Skylit Drive come in. Pretty haircuts aside, the bass player’s screaming conjures the image of cookie monster clearing his throat, while lead vocalist Michael “Jag” Jagmin’s pitch-corrected singing is somewhere between Geddy Lee and an oxygen-deprived chipmunk. Still, the guitars and drums are sequenced with laser precision, the breakdowns rock, and the songs (although laden with high school drama) are incredibly catchy. So if you had a salad for lunch and feel like you could afford to do something bad, check out Adelphia. It’s pretty sweet.