I’ll admit, I had huge reservations about the new HIM album. Having been a fan for a long time, I’ve felt a certain pang of disappointment with the majority of their latest releases. However, Tears On Tape, the band’s eighth studio album, sounds more like HIM than ever – even with a bit of a more upbeat flair.

That’s not to say the album is peppy – this is HIM we are talking about – they are peppy in a completely different way. Ville Valo’s vocals on tracks like “All Lips Go Blue” and “I Will Be The End Of You” stretch more into his tenor rather than his deeper rumble. It’s a nice compliment to the hard but melodic instrumentals, particularly with guitarist Mikko “Linde” Lindstrom’s simple but effective licks. Mikko “Mige” Paananen is also modest with the bass, as is Mika “Gas Lipstick” Karppinen on the drums, but both emphasize that driving background that makes the band’s songs harder than the usual tuneful rock song. Add Janne “Burton” Puurtinen’s sweetly punctuating keyboards and you have something beyond the typical hard rock band – they are much more melodious than that.

The tracks transition nicely from softer to harsher. For example, the relatively mellow “Tears on Tape” segues into a darker intro on “Into the Night.” This is not out of the norm for the band – if anything, this album as a whole is very similar to their other records. But what’s different about this usually standard transition (and album) for the band is the little things – the hand claps at the beginning of “Night” and an overall lighter quality to the songs. It’s interesting to hear what is (at least to me) a lighter side to this dark metal group. It’s that combination of dark rock and lighter melody that has made HIM a great band from the get go.

Songs like “Drawn and Quartered” feature a lot more harmony, which accentuates the track’s overall tone. This is one of the more “upbeat” (for all intents and purposes) songs on the record – and it fits. What also fits are the interspersed instrumental tracks like “Lucifer’s Chorale” and the album closer “Kiss The Void,” the latter of which became one of my instant favorites with its faded drums laden with multiple faint harmonies.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s this combination of two seemingly separate sounds that makes the album work so well – and makes it sound so very “HIM.”

Tears on Tape is now available on iTunes. For more information on HIM and their upcoming US tour, check out their website www.heartagram.com.

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are arguably two of today’s funniest leading ladies in their own right. Naturally, putting the two together in a raunchy buddy-cop flick written by Katie Dippold (MADtv, Parks and Recreation) and directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), seemed like a match made in comedic heaven – and, for those who prefer dirty jokes to deep dramas on their summer cinema ticket, it is!

The Heat stars Bullock as Sarah Ashburn, an uptight and slightly odd FBI detective on a case in Boston to prove to her boss that she’s ready for a promotion. McCarthy is Shannon Mullins, a rough-and-tumble Boston PD detective with questionable (and sometimes unsanitary) tactics. The two are determined to find a dangerous drug lord, but neither expected to have help in the matter from a partner – or find a friend in the process.

Bullock and McCarthy play off of each other nicely – Bullock’s subtle expressions combined with McCarthy’s over-the-top physicality make for a well-suited team. Many of the jokes in the film focus on Mullins’ criticisms of Ashburn, with McCarthy exhibiting a bite similar to that of her character in Bridesmaids.

Melissa McCarthy & Sandra Bulloch; courtesy of theheatmovie.com

One scene in particular takes place at a bar where the duo does some bonding while becoming increasingly inebriated; the off-kilter antics of their drunken escapades are simple and silly, but the way Bullock and McCarthy show them off make it the perfect example of how their subtle yet effective chemistry works.

Also featured in the film is Michael Rapaport as one of McCarthy’s brothers, Thomas F. Wilson (Biff from Back To The Future) as McCarthy’s Boston Police captain, the surprisingly quiet Marlon Wayans as a coy FBI agent, and current Saturday Night Live cast member Taran Killam as a DEA agent.

In fact, comedian cameos abound in semi-dramatic roles including Michael McDonald (from MADtv, where he also starred with Killam), Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Dan Bakkedahl & Nate Corddry (The Daily Show), and Jane Curtain (an original SNL cast member and star of 3rd Rock From The Sun). Curtain plays McCarthy’s disapproving mother alongside Michael Tucci as her father (Grease). And since the story takes place in Boston, there’s even a cameo from New Kids On The Block singer Joey McIntyre as one of McCarthy’s loud Southie brothers.

L-R: “Gina” (Jessica Chaffin), “Gina’s Boobs” (Jessica Chaffin’s Boobs), Rock104.com’s Stephanie Matarazzo, and “Beth” (Jamie Denbo).

Also part of McCarthy’s Mullins clan is the comedic duo of Jessica Chaffin (The Real Housewives of South Boston) and Jamie Denbo (Ronna & Beverly, with Chaffin). ROCK104.com’s Glenn Richards interviewed the ladies (in character, I might add) as part of a promotional tour for The Heat that brought them to Gainesville for an advance screening. You can experience some of the duo’s improv comic talents (learned as part of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater) during the interview, here:

Movie goers nationwide will be able to feel The Heat when it hits theaters on June 28th. For more information, check out the flick’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheHeatMovie?fref=ts.

“The Heat” Red Band Trailer (NSFW)

“The Heat” Official Trailer

Fill out the short entry form below and we’ll select five random winners to win a spot of the guest list!

Listen to Rock104.com’s Connor Hachey’s interview with Ben Taylor featuring his music as well as music from Hannah Harber and Devon Stuart:

Winners must be 18 years of age or older with valid ID. Deadline for entries is FRIDAY, May 3RD at 11:59 AM EDT. Good luck!

http://bentaylormusic.com/

http://www.facebook.com/bentaylormusic

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrpYBm1inNs

Special thanks to Jessica Chaffin & Jamie Denbo!

L-R: Gina (Jessica Chaffin), Gina’s Boobs (#GatorBoobs), Rock104.com’s Stephanie Matarazzo, & Beth (Jamie Denbo).

• New Found Glory – “I Wanna Be Sedated” (Mania, Released April 20, 2013)
• The Postelles – “Running Red Lights” (…And It Shook Me, Available April 23, 2013)
• Jimmy Eat World – “I Will Steal You Back” (Damage, Available June 11, 2013)
• The Appleseed Cast – “Barrier Islands (Do We Remain)” (Illumination Ritual, Available April 23, 2013)
• Black Sabbath – “God Is Dead?” (13, Available June 11, 2013)
• Skillet – “Sick of It” (Rise, Available June 25, 2013)
• HIM – “Tears on Tape” (Tears on Tape, Available April 30, 2013)
• Manchester Orchestra (ft. Grouplove) – “Make It to Me” (Make It to Me/Architect Split for Record Store Day, Released April 20, 2013)
• Phoenix – “Drakkar Noir” (Bankrupt!, Available April 23, 2013)
• The Neighbourhood – “Afraid” (I Love You, Available April 23, 2013)
• Daughter – “Smother” (If You Leave, Available April 30, 2013)
• The Appleseed Cast – “Simple Forms” (Illumination Ritual, Available April 23, 2013)

• Zeus – “Refusal to Die” (Injustice: Gods Among Us Soundtrack, Available April 16, 2013)
• Meat Puppets – “Rat Farm” (Rat Farm, Available April 16, 2013)
• The Postelles – “Caught by Surprise” (…And It Shook Me, Available April 23, 2013)
• Minus the Bear – “Walk on Air” (Injustice: Gods Among Us Soundtrack, Available April 16, 2013)
• The Thermals – “The Sunset” (Desperate Ground, Available April 16, 2013)
• The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Area 52” (Mosquito, Available April 16, 2013)
• AWOLNATION – “THISKIDSNOTALRIGHT” (Injustice: Gods Among Us Soundtrack, Available April 16, 2013)
• The Flaming Lips – “Always There…In Our Hearts” (The Terror, Available April 16, 2013)
• Phoenix – “Trying to Be Cool” (Bankrupt!, Available April 23, 2013)
• The Neighbourhood – “A Little Death” (I Love You, Available April 23, 2013)
• The Appleseed Cast – “Great Lake Derelict” (Illumination Ritual, Available April 23, 2013)
• Iron & Wine – “Winter Prayers” (Ghost on Ghost, Available April 16, 2013)

Fall Out Boy were frontrunners of the pop-alt hybrid hysteria in the mid-2000s. Naturally, you’d expect four years, some haircuts, and a kid named Bronx would change some things – and to an extent, it has. But the high-pitched, pop-rock sound that made Fall Out Boy so popular to begin with is still evident on their new record, Save Rock and Roll – it’s just accentuated at some points by arguably strange collaborations and a bit of dubstep.

Singer Patrick Stump used his downtime from FOB to write and work on a (quiet) solo career – the tech focus of some of those songs is evident on this record. The background to the album’s first single “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)” [starring 2 Chainz[ sounds shrouded in heavy machinery, but not necessarily in the auto-tuned way. For all intents and purposes, it’s darker; there’s more grit to Stump’s voice, with background “I’m on fi-yaaaa” chants echoing and creating a relatively harsher atmosphere.

“The Phoenix” is similar to this style, fixed with thrashing strings. Yet, oddly enough, this is as “heavy” as the album gets. After these two songs, the album becomes sufficiently lighter and bubbly. Seguing into Top 40-friendly songs like “Alone Together” and “Young Volcanoes,” it showcases Stump’s signature high pitch once again.

Other tracks like the Pete Wentz handled bass-groover “Where Did The Party Go” and the vaguely Blondie sounding “Miss Missing You” (seriously, listen to it and tell me it doesn’t sound like “Heart of Glass” for a second) are just as poppy. Stump’s voice is decidedly higher than ever on the latter and makes one question just how he got to that pitch.

[Photos: Rob Kim/Getty Images; Christina Leake]

If I were to compare these tracks to their other hit singles like “Dance, Dance” and “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” the ones on Save Rock and Roll are, as a whole, more pop-oriented. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (depending on who you talk to), but some FOB fans may be put off from the lack of “Take This To Your Grave” thrash they so love.

However, Fall Out Boy give a nod to their fans with the title track album closer. Kicking off with a sample of “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago” off of “Grave,” it’s a poignant closer that is both nostalgic and new – and it even features Elton John. It’s cool for a longtime fan like me to hear the mix of the two tracks – and it will be interesting to see where this album takes the band in music to come.

Fall Out Boy will be on tour throughout the summer and again in the fall. For dates and ticket info, log onto the band’s website. Save Rock and Roll hits shelves on April 16th.

• Meat Puppets – “Down” (Rat Farm, Available April 16, 2013)
• Volbeat – “My Body” (Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, Available April 09, 2013)
• The Material – “Life Vest” (Everything I Want to Say, Available April 09, 2013)
• Paramore – “Ain’t It Fun” (Paramore, Available April 09, 2013)
• Drowning Pool – “Die for Nothing” (Resilience, Available April 09, 2013)
• Stone Sour – “Stalemate” (House of Gold & Bones Pt. 2, Available April 09, 2013)
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Mosquito” (Mosquito, Available April 16, 2013)
• Queens of the Stone Age – “My God Is the Sun” (…Like Clockwork, Available June 04, 2013)
• Iron & Wine – “Grace for Saints and Ramblers” (Ghost on Ghost, Available April 16, 2013)
• Portugal. The Man – “Evil Friends” (Evil Friends, Available June 04, 2013)
• The Flaming Lips – “Look…the Sun Is Rising” (The Terror, Available April 16, 2013)
• Morningbell – “Goodbye and Goodbye and Goodbye and Goodbye” (Bôa Noite, Available May 21, 2013)

• Paramore – “Still Into You” (Paramore, Available April 09, 2013)
• Alkaline Trio – “She Lied to the FBI” (My Shame Is True, Available April 02, 2013)
• Drowning Pool – “Anytime Anyplace” (Resilience, Available April 09, 2013)
• Stone Sour – “Gravesend” (House of Gold & Bones Pt. 2, Available April 09, 2013)
• Killswitch Engage – “Beyond the Flames” (Disarm the Descent, Available April 02, 2013)
• Bring Me the Horizon – “Can You Feel My Heart” (Sempiternal, Available April 02, 2013)
• The Dear Hunter – “The Kiss of Life” (Migrant, Available April 02, 2013)
• Habits – “Identity” (Habits EP, Available April 06, 2013)
• Cold War Kids – “Jailbirds” (Dear Miss Lonely Hearts, Available April 02, 2013)
• M83 (featuring Susanne Sundfør) – “Oblivion” (Oblivion Soundtrack, Available April 09, 2013)
• The Material – “Life Vest” (Everything I Want to Say, Available April 09, 2013)
• Owel – “Nothing’s Meant” (Owel, Available April 02, 2013)

Neon Trees may have been the opening act on Maroon 5’s “Overexposed” tour in Orlando Saturday night (March 30), but the band brought the dance party out early with an enthusiastic set.

Opening their 30 minute show with “Moving In The Dark” (off of their latest record Picture Show), singer Tyler Glenn was colorful and always moving from the get go. Complete with a standard neon mic stand, Glenn (complete in a big jacket and tight pants fit for an 80s rocker) moonwalked his way around the stage.

Video clip: Neon Trees – Everybody Talks (Orlando, 3-30-13)

Neon Trees at Amway Center (facebook.com/amwaycenter)

The Michael Jackson theme was a common one of the night – Glenn danced all over the stage through song after song. (Later, Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine would croon the opening of MJ’s “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” to segue into their set.) Glenn also split vocal duties with drummer Elaine Bradley on an awesome, on-point cover of The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me.” The band is known for its 80s flair, but this cover perfectly exhibited that style in terms of both music and vox.

Video clip: Neon Trees – Don’t You Want Me (cover) (Orlando, 3-30-13)

Glenn led the crowd in an a capella opening for hit single “Animal.” Other songs in the set included “Lessons In Love” and “Trust.” The short set (each of the two openers got 30 minutes to allow for Maroon 5’s almost hour and a half long set) was unfortunately clipped, but as a fan of the band, it was a great start to a night full of hooks, beats, and lots and lots of dancing.

Neon Trees is on tour with Maroon 5 through the summer.

Video clip: Neon Trees – Animal (Orlando, 3-30-13)

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