Death & the Lovers

Another band who was submitted via email by an overenthusiastic fan. Thanks.

So I head on over to their MySpace page and what do I see? Their main band pic shows the boys in what appear to be baggy jeans and the genre is listed as simply “rock”…so that’s a good start. But you know what? Death and the Lovers LIE. Yep. This band plays by-the-numbers skinny jeans screamo faux hardcore. Once again, they do it very well…but why try to disguise it? By all means, boys, embrace it! You may go far…

I would have to say that of all the local bands doing this type of music Death and the Lovers are the most adept at it. The four songs on their page are all very well produced and executed flawlessly. The guys obviously have the chops…it’s just not my “thing”. But if you can stomach it, turn on any big-time radio station or read the latest music blogs…or talk to any high school sophomore…and you will see that there are plenty of people eating up this type of stuff. Personally, though, I’m hoping that this fad dies out…quickly.

www.myspace.com/deathandthelovers

Vices I Admire

Found these guys on MySpace (of course) after receiving an email from what I can only assume was a very enthusiastic fan…if not the president of their fanclub. “These guys are the best freaking punk band in Denver!” “They WILL be signed to a major label soon!” “Have what it takes, man!” Those are just a few of the quotes taken from Madeline’s email.

So, anyway, I had also seen their ads and bulletins on the aforementioned MySpace but had never really taken the time to listen so…why not?

First of all, I have to say that I found NO “punk” at all on any of the four songs available on their page. The band also bill themselves as “rock/alternative/hardcore” but, truth be told, they should be classified under “skinny pants rock”, which would be more fitting to their sound. Let’s just say that these guys would probably go over well at The Marquis…as well as at a Fall Out Boy show. Looking over their MySpace page it seems that they played on this year’s Denver Warped Tour stop (On the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands Stage) and that, too, is fitting…since Warped these days has more to do with marketing and merchandising than true punk rock.

But don’t get me wrong. Vices I Admire do what they do very well (the song “By the Way” is pretty rockin’) and I wouldn’t be surprised if they did get some sort of record deal out of their efforts. But I’d have to warn the boys not to quit their day jobs just yet. Maybe when the deal comes just take a leave of absence from work…’cause chances are they’ll be right back there soon enough. Just the hard facts of life, fellas. Best of luck, though.

www.myspace.com/vicesiadmire

Holley 750

They used to plug themselves as “the loudest band in Denver” on their MySpace page but nowadays Holley 750 consider themselves to be “the most hated band in Denver”. Perhaps they’re hated because of the loudness? Perhaps by the people living next door to the rehearsal studio? We may never know the answer to this question…and we don’t really care.

Holley 750 aren’t a bad band, judging by the tunes on their MySpace page, but they do need some work if they want to be taken seriously. The music is pretty well executed (though a bit generic) but the vocals do leave a lot to be desired. There is no need to scream (growl) from start to finish of every single song, is there? Maybe they should seriously consider taking on a new vocalist, as it could really help to push these guys to the next level. But perhaps they’re happy where they’re at. I don’t know….

I’ve yet to see this band live so I can’t judge that aspect but I could tell you that if you like bands such as Zeke (which seems to be their main influence) then you might have some use for Holley 750.

www.myspace.com/therealholley750