Song of the Day

**6/16/10

Asleigh Stake - Cheap Shots and Broken Dreams

-------------It's fun to see friends make a big ass change in their music. In a few short months, Asleigh Stake has become one of Atlanta's must-hear hardcore bands. Some members of Asleigh Stake have moved from hardcore band A Path Less Traveled, and a few that have replaced their Canons and Nikons for microphones and major studio time.

Working hard for the month, Asleigh Stake have premiered two tracks on their Myspace, "Cheap Shots and Broken Dreams" and "Apartment Girls." There isn't much word about tours yet, but they are looking forward to releasing their debut album Another Fall Alone this fall.

http://www.myspace.com/asleighstake

Song of the Day

**12/11/09
Sienna Skies - Sea of Smiles
-----------Never doubt for a second that hard-hitting rock can't be paired with surprisingly sweet and, dare I say, mushy lyrics. Maybe hardcore isn't your thing because you think it's all about cry-sob "slit-my-wrists-til-I-bleed-on-your-soul" immature banter - baaaaeeeehhh!!(buzzer noise indicating you're wrong). Just take a look at the chorus to today's song, "Sea of Smiles:"

Cause when it comes down to the crunch
I will always be there
A tidal wave of your sea of smiles
These perfect moments shared
And all these moments shared
They will be shared right and true
Nowhere is perfect
Except, here with you

Daawwh! You can't deny the lyrics to "Sea of Smiles" are absolutely swimming with feel-good vibes, and if a beloved reader could open up his or her ears to a different sound, the Sydney, Australia band will be in business.

Speaking of the biz, Sienna Skies released their album, Truest of Colours. Other tracks from the album I'd hit up posthaste are the earth-rocking "Heartquake" and "Daylight Through the Nightlife."

http://www.purevolume.com/siennaskies

Song of the Day

**11/7/09

On Paradise Boulevard - Photographic Memory

------------Searching through my inbox today, I found a message from On Paradise Boulevard. I had never heard of them before, and from their name I assumed they would be another sweet-smiled generic pop punk band that, let's face it, we all love, but have seen before.

On Paradise Boulevard is far from sweet sentiments and mall-rat status. With a new bassist, a handful of five new tracks recently recorded in Ohio, and tour dates lined up through Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, OPB's schedule is packed as tightly as their melodic hardcore sound.

On Paradise Boulevard describes their musical endeavors as "5 dudes doing what they love most and jamming as hard as shit." Need they, or I, say more? "Photographic Memory" can be heard on OPB's Myspace page along with some pre-production tracks.

http://myspace.com/onparadiseboulevard/

Song of the Day

**11/3/09
Four Year Strong - Heroes Are Remembered, But Legends Never Die
--------------- You might think that for my blog, I slouch over Billboard charts and scour Myspace pages for hours out of the day in search for the perfect tune. Well, it is actually not always that noble of a quest. I was sitting around my favorite home away from home coffee place and heard a couple of punk bro-ish dudes name drop Four Year Strong, and I jumped onto their website to check them out.

Four Year Strong explains it all, they didn't have to do much explaining to have me hooked onto their magnetically attractive pop punk/hardcore music. "Heroes..." stuck out to me as the perfect song for kids who are too tough for The Maine but aren't too hardcore dig a decent head-shaking beat.

Fun fact! Four Year Strong receives a lot of cred in the punk and hardcore scene for re-popularizing synthesizer laden tracks with their 2004 demo release. "Heroes Are Remembered, But Legends Never Die" is from Four Year Strong 2007 album Rise or Die Trying.

Song of the Day

**10/13/09

Asking Alexandria - If You Can't Ride Two Horses At Once, You Should Get Out of the Circus

------------------Something tells me Asking Alexandria wanted to drag you into listening to "If You Can't..." by making the song title both very clever and confusing. This ambient hardcore band's latest album, Stand Up and Scream features an interesting ambient-techno-hardcore combo that I couldn't help but get up and dance to. The interlude "Hiatus" leads into "If You Can't..." with a surprisingly kick-ass danceclub beat. "If You Can't..."'s lyrics may not be about partying all night long, but you'll appreciate it all the same for it's ferociously stark energy. Get it from Stand Up and Scream.

http://www.myspace.com/askingalexandria

Song of the Day

**9/16/09

Of Machines - It Must Belong Somewhere

---------------Up until last month, there hasn't been a steady flow of drop-kick fantastic hardcore that I've been dying to gush over. But thanks to the guidance and wisdom of some amazing friends who know the genre like the days of the week, I've been blessed with armloads of artists such as Lydia, Miss May I, Emarosa, and Of Machines. I've selected "It Must Belong Somewhere" because it was the first Of Machines song I was introduced to, and the vocals absolutely blew my mind. "It Must Belong Somewhere" begs for a flame to never extinguish and grasping on to what we (whoever that "we" may be) has for the time, Get the song from Of Machines album, As If Everything Was Held in Place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKKiz_4uWrI

http://www.myspace.com/ofmachinestheband

Song of the Day

**9/5/09
Gwen Stacy - My Friends Over You
--------------Scribed across their posters at Warped Tour, New Found Glory is described as "The Undisputed Leaders of Pop Punk." Gwen Stacy probably felt like "My Friends Over You" was so kick-ass, it HAD to be covered! As a tribute to these pop punk princes, Gwen Stacy rips and shreds through the otherwise charming guitar riffs with aggressive, chugging metal and bombastic percussion. Solid covers are hard to come by, but Gwen Stacy hits "My Friends Over You" on the head like a water bottle thrown at a scenester. And just for fun, this song is my current ringtone!

http://www.myspace.com/gwenstacy