Helia

A recently growing genre of music, trancecore (taking it's name from combining elements of trance and post-hardcore) is making waves in the underground music scene. Some hate it, some love it, but one thing's for certain; it's here to stay.

One of the contributors to this genre of music, is Helia. Hailing from Rimini, Italy, Helia was formed in 2006 and has since released an EP and a full length album.

Mixing poppy trance beats with a good dose of proper post-hardcore goodness, Helia's sound is a refreshing change of pace from the other trancecore bands out there. In my opinion, they have managed to find a good balance between the two genres and have blended them together seamlessly (which, I might add, is an extremely difficult task as the two are on completely different ends of the spectrum)

They have recently also released a cover of Lady Gaga's popular song, Alejandro. Do take the time to give it a listen, even if it isn't your cup of tea.



I personally found it more enjoyable than the original by Lady Gaga, but then again, it's just me.
Until next time...

Set the music free!

Chase Coy

So, today I want to present to you this amazingly talented 20 year old, from Greenwood, Indiana, who is, in my opinion, an extremely relatable acoustic artist with a great sound.

Chase Coy aka Dear Juliet has recently shot to fame as iTunes' best new singer/songwriter by being consistently ranked in the Top 100 Singer / Songwriter chart next to classic artists like Bob Dylan Simon & Garfunkel and Nick Drake.
According to him, he first began writing music to make sense of his life. He discovered, however, that he was not alone, and his relatable lyrics, beautiful melodies, and his connection to his fans contributed to his rapid popularity.
Not one to boast, Chase Coy styles himself a "kid from the Midwest who makes music", but his honest lyrics certainly show him to be anything but average.


While I personally do not like some of his slightly more electronic pieces, I do love his acoustic ones and in fact do relate to them quite well (as I'm sure many teenagers would be too). Do check him out!

Set the music free!

What Separates Me From You

A Day To Remember's (ADTR) recently released album, What Separates Me From You, hit stores 15th November 2010, and I must say I feel it is one of their best works yet.

When they said ADTR works best when angry, they were right.
The new album is chock full of underlying personal/emotional factors  ("smack-talking the smack-talkers/a recent, devastating breakup/assorted perils of touring") which delivers strong emotions to the listener. Even if you don't want to believe in it, the delivery does seem relatively sincere.
Perfectly blending the "old-school" heavier sounds with their more melodic tunes, this album appeals to a wide range of listeners, regardless of their preferred genre.  ADTR somehow found the perfect mix of pop hooks sprinkled with breakdowns reminiscent of hardcore/post- hardcore bands around now.

The band has matured a lot over the years but have certainly stayed true to their pop-punk (or popcore) roots. I definitely recommend giving this band a listen.
Here's a song from What Separates Me From You



For those of you who do not know about A Day To Remember, here's a biography for you to check out.

Set The Music Free!

A slice of local talent

For all Singaporean music junkies out there, here's a relatively fresh discovery that I think you all should check out. Even if it isn't your particular type of genre.
Hailing from the Eastern part of Singapore, Middle Child Syndrome (MCSyn) brings fresh energy to the local music scene. Although amateur, their relatively professional sounding songs seems to be contributing heavily to their growing fanbase (count me among that number).

Fun fact: All members of Middle Child Syndrome are the middle child. Thus, the name.

MCSyn, drawing inspiration from "you, me, everybody, everything, every sound, every day", have pushed out quite a few tunes that are pretty relational to the average teenager, especially with all the angst and emotional undertones in their songs.



Here's one of their songs, Middle Of Nowhere. Do take the time to give it a listen. Also, MCSyn is currently in the studio, recording their first Demo!

Talent like this should serve as an inspiration to all aspiring musicians out there. Pursue your dreams! And set the music free! Until next time!