Hi! Mine and Johnny’s birthaversary this year brought us the gifts of video games and concert tickets. We each got each other a new game for the Switch 2 as well as tickets to Blossom Music Center to see The Strokes, Josh Groban, and Billy Idol this summer. The first up in our concert lineup was The Strokes and I could not have been more excited. I have been a huge fan of them since the early 2Ks (Not aging myself whatsoever!) and they have always been a band on my concert bucket list. I genuinely couldn’t believe it when I saw they were playing in little old Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and purchased our tickets immediately. They were worth every penny and then some!
After tailgating a bit in the parking lot of Blossom, Johnny and I made our way into the venue just as the first opener, Hamilton Leithauser, was wrapping up. At the time, I didn’t recognize the name, however, I definitely recognize it now and regret not seeing his full performance. We used to play him ALL the time when I worked at PacSun back in the day and I really enjoyed his music. Hindsight is 20/20 and after he left the stage shortly after we took our seats, we made friends with the people sitting behind us while we waited for the next opener, Thundercat, to play.
Thundercat came on shortly afterwards and it was neither here nor there. I didn’t love it or hate it – it was just a very average band with very average songs. I will say that the sound quality when Thundercat performed wasn’t great and that might have improved my lackluster review. However, I don’t think I would go out of my way to listen to them again either way it panned out. I was there for The Strokes and The Strokes alone and it was kind of painful waiting around with all of that anticipation while a subpar band played!
Finally, around nine o’clock, The Strokes took the stage and opened with Ize of the World and all was right in my world. Their performance was a true celebration of their impressive discography and was filled with nonstop bangers and lesser known favorites. I was simply thrilled to hear so many of my alt kid anthems like Juicebox, Hard to Explain, Take It or Leave It, Heart in a Cage, and You Only Live Once. It took me back to evenings spent in the basement with my siblings playing video games and listening to The Strokes’ early albums on repeat. It was a blast of nostalgia from over twenty years ago that made my modern self so happy. ❤
Seeing The Strokes live was an absolute whirlwind. The light show was awesome, they sounded incredible, and the atmosphere couldn’t be beat. It was one big party where we were singing and dancing our hearts out in unison and it was so beautiful to experience. Going into the show, Johnny had only heard a handful of songs by The Strokes and was there for me. By the end of it, he was a super fan too and said he never realized how good they were. I could have told him that years ago but I’m glad he came to the realization now. I would have been worried if he hadn’t because this was one of the best live shows I have ever seen. Best night EVER!
On a totally opposite note from The Strokes, we are seeing Josh Groban next and I cannot wait for more summer nights at Blossom with my main squeeze!
What is your favorite song by The Strokes? Who is one of your favorite early alt bands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Heyyy everyone and happy Hump Day! My taste in music is something that I take great pride in because, I hate to brag, but it’s the best. From alt to rap, girly power pop, and everything in between – my iPod has a little bit of everything. But, I do remain a pretty indie gal at heart with a love for all things emo, of course.
Despite a deep love for music, I will admit that I have been slacking in my new music game as of late. My 64 gig iPod is just about filled to the brim and I don’t have the heart to go through and start deleting beloved songs and pictures. Yet I have an app for the stock market and news that I can’t get rid of? It’s cruel and unusual, to say the least!
Although my iPod is getting the job done, it is getting old, so I have been toying with the idea of upgrading to a new toy with more memory. With that in mind, I have began to commit myself to updating my music library, one album at a time. At one point, my family had a free trial of Serius radio and they had the most amazing indie station on there. Whenever I heard a song that I liked, I would simply write the band name down as a draft text on my phone. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted that text so I’m basically starting from scratch. Don’t get me wrong, I’m down to update the bands that I already have on my iTunes but I would love to get some new ones on there, too!
I am open to any and all suggestions, as long as they fall under this category: ANYTHING BUT COUNTRY MUSIC!!!
Who is your favorite band at the moment? What is your summer anthem? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Whatsup guys! Hope you’re all having a fabulous day! I’ve had an absolute blast listening to one of Akron, Ohio’s newest bands on the scene, Millstone. They’re releasing their debut album in March, and I was lucky enough to get a first listen to their debut “The Dreams We Don’t Remember”. There’s just so much that was working really well on this ambitious alternative album (yay alliteration!) and I’d love to discuss everything and more with you guys!! I’d especially like to discuss some of the songs that are available as a sneak peak on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MillstoneMusic. Please make sure you press that “Like” button and show them some love!!! (PS: The songs currently available can be seen when you click on BandPage on their Facebook page!)
Millstone: This is the opening song to “The Dreams We Don’t Remember” and I absolute adore it. I’m very fond of albums that begin with an introductory song. (Like “Miseria Cantare: The Beginning” from AFI’s “Sing The Sorrow”! Hello!) Anyways, I love that this track gave me a feel for the rest of the album in under three minutes. That’s genius. From one simple song I got a feel for the vocal style used through out the album which just screams “early 2000’s alternative” to me, and I’m so into it. To those of you who have read my blog before, you’ll know how much I love Bear Hands, and this song reminded me so much of their “Moment Of Silence” in the best way ever. Solid, solid opener.
Cheer Down: Yes. Hell yes. this song is what I would consider a “filler song” on the album since it’s so short and sweet. But that’s what I like about it. I love when bands take their filler songs seriously, as opposed to just a dumb track of them talking or making fart noises with their armpits. One of the lyrics that really stuck out to me in this song was “I don’t want to feel exposed, I like the me that no one knows”. That’s fantastic. I’m sure everyone has felt that way at some point or another. I know I have. There’s so many little quirks and struggles that I deal with that I wouldn’t want anyone but me knowing about. But I like it that way, and this lyric captured that love of introversion to the T. This song was jam packed with content for an under three minute track, and to me that just shows how serious Millstone was about making this album a hard hitter. It definitely packs a one-two punch track after track. POW POW!
Suits and Sighs: “Dreams are for the dreamers, reality is much meaner”. #TRUE. This song definitely touches on some depressing subjects, perfectly invoked through the lyric “we’re living just to die”. But the good news is, I LOVE DEPRESSING SUBJECTS!!! If there’s one thing I love (more than depressing subjects 😉 ) it’s when the band members sing the lyrics in a round, so it made my heart very warm when I heard this the first time I listened to this track. “Suits and Sighs” is another short but sweet song, clocking in at barely over three minutes. I honestly would have loved to hear more from this song, because I really liked the vocals and the vibe that was created. Unfortunately, I feel like it got cut short just a smidgen. Thirty more seconds and it would have been perfect!
Making New Friends In Hell: First things first: LOL at the title. Second of all, this track is just about half way there to me. I would have really loved to hear just a bit more screaming in this song, because I feel like the name of this track in itself calls for a bit of the ol’ emo screamo. That opinion doesn’t take away from a great effort though! And what does my stupid opinion matter anyway?! 😉
Second Impact: The final song available for a sneak peak from Millstone happens to be the final song on the album. One of my favorite things about the lineup of songs featured on “The Dreams We Don’t Remember” is how it begins and ends with a short song. I love that both the opening and closing track were kind of slower paced, because it really gives you time to reflect on what you’re about to hear and what you just heard as the album comes to a close. While listening to “Second Impact” I thought about just what an impact this album had on me. I was blown away by the talent and ambition of the band for one. But I was also so impressed by the time it took for this album to become what it is today. One of the members of Millstone, Adam Jones told me that they’ve been working on “The Dreams We Don’t Remember” for three years – and I can tell. All of the songs feel so nurtured to me. And by that I mean, they’ve been worked on and reworked on until the band felt that they were perfect, which I respect so very much.
Of course the other songs on “The Dreams We Don’t Remember” won’t be available for your listening pleasure until the beginning of March, but I can tell you a bit about what I really liked about this album. The main thing that stuck out to me while I listened and relistened to these tracks was the lyrical content. I got a very AFI vibe from some of the lyrics, like “I gave you my life and it lingers” in one of their mid album songs “Sparrow”. Another lyric that really stuck out to me, and that might be kind of lame to some of you guys was “I’m glad I know that you never cared” from one of my favorite songs on the album “It Hurts”. I know what some of you might be thinking “I’ve heard this lyric before, blah blah blah”. Well guess what, so have I – but that doesn’t take away the impact that a simple statement like that makes. Have you ever been cheated on? Broken up with? Stood up? I can answer yes to all three of these questions, and I’m sure many of you can too. I’m sure many of you who answered yes to these questions have thought something similar to “I’m glad I know that you never cared” – a simple statement that shows so much power. It’s quite fantastic. Another strong point on this album was “Two Birds And No Stone”. It’s actually one of my other favorites on the album, I’ve been listening to it quite frequently since I got my hands on “The Dreams We Don’t Remember”. It’s SO very Taking Back Sunday to me, and that’s a beautiful, beautiful thing. Such a strong chorus with some really great collective vocals from the gentlemen of Millstone. Top notch. If there was two things I could have changed about this album it would be:
The screaming content: Like I mentioned for “Making New Friends In Hell” there were a few songs on the album that could have benefited from a tinge more screaming, in my humble Lil Red opinion. Perhaps that’s because I love the combination of gorgeous vocals and some heavy screaming thrown it. Millstone doesn’t lack in the gorgeous vocals department though!
The song lineup: There was one point about halfway through the album when the songs started to blend together a bit. It was in the lineup of “It Hurts”, “Sparrow”, and “My Bride”. These tracks could have definitely used a filler song in between them to break up the similarities between the songs.
So there you have it, my review for Millstone’s debut album “The Dreams We Don’t Remember”. Now I need a favor from you guys, my faithful readers: Give this band some love!!! Here’s all of the links to their social media sites:
If you happen to be on any of these social media sites, PLEASE make sure you like and follow them!
ALSO! My boys just released their lyric video for their single “The Dreams We Don’t Remember” on YouTube today! Make sure you check it out!
What did you guys think about the songs that are currently available for your listening pleasure? Do you have any constructive criticism for Millstone? Myself and the band would love to hear from you, so leave us a comment and let’s chat! Much love! -Sarah
PS: A follow up post will be made on their album release date so you can purchase “The Dreams We Don’t Remember” on iTunes!! ❤
lifewithlilred 