The Martlet

The Author

Straight Reads The Line

Distort Entertainment

Ontario’s Distort Entertainment just can’t stop signing Canadian metalcore, and more endless breakdowns are hardly what the music scene needs these days.

At least the label has some taste. Straight Reads The Line is now rubbing shoulders with Architects, Cancer Bats and Johnny Truant, and the band faces some tough pressure to stand out from its label compatriots.

Thankfully, a bunch of Protest The Hero-esque staccato tapping and a relentless torrent of beats from drummer Travis Kaszycki at least partially rescue The Author from the depths of metalcore obscurity. The melodic breaks sometimes drag a little and most of the chord progressions are nothing we haven’t heard before. At least vocalist Black Prince’s throaty growls aren’t annoying, especially pushed far back behind the guitars as they are on this album.

The production focuses the listener’s attention towards the warring, multi-tracked guitar lines and whip-fast snare rolls, showcasing the talent in this group that differentiates them from a lot of other offerings. Guitarist Don Levasseur’s husky imitation of Dallas Green backup vocals leave a lot to be desired however, and the band hasn’t fully escaped the god-awful trend of 12-syllable song titles.

At least these guys have an appreciation for plaid, not to mention the “dirty-sailor” impression of their tattoos in comparison to the sentimental crap so many musicians wear on their sleeves today. Their first music video pretty exciting in that sense — a gussied-up version of a practice space recording that shows the five members thrashing around in the bedroom of some prairie farmhouse with gear no hick could afford.

If nothing else, Straight Reads The Line will add to the lineup of hard-hitting bands following Distort’s flagships around the world and spreading the brutality of Canada’s lumberjack fight songs.

- Sol Kauffman

Loyalty to Loyalty

Cold War Kids

Downtown Records

Cold War Kids stormed onto the indie rock scene with their 2006 debut album, Robbers and Cowards. The California-based four-piece presented a unique sound which bordered on loose and dissonant while maintaining a funky groove.

The release of Loyalty to Loyalty in September of 2008 raised the issue as to whether the band would continue to soar or fall victim to the dreaded sophomore curse.

Unfortunately for Cold War fans, the latter is the case. The magic used to create the breakthrough hit “Hang Me up To Dry” and other notable Robbers and Cowards tracks like “We Used to Vacation,” “Saint John” and “Hospital Beds,” has been lost.

Cold War Kids are at their best when the rhythm section is driving the band, but the contribution of bassist Matt Maust and drummer Matt Aveiro is lacking this time around.

Loyalty to Loyalty wanders along in looseness and dissonance but this album fails to maintain a funky groove.

That being said, the band hasn’t completely lost its mojo. The fluctuating wails of lead singer Nathan Willett have the power to mesmerize on tracks like the embittered “Welcome to the Occupation,” and the forlorn “Avalanche in B.”

Willett also displays a lyrical knack for stepping into character, becoming a woman who digs bad boys in “Every Man I Fall For” and an old man trying to recapture lost youth in “Dreams Old Men Dream.”

Cool bass lines in “Mexican Dogs” and “Relief” provide oases in the bare rhythmic landscape, and the catchy “Something is Not Right with Me” provides a minor hit for the album.

Loyalty to Loyalty has its shining moments, but Cold War will only heat up again if they show some loyalty to rhythm.

-Spencer Moyes