Top 5 Albums - August 2017

5. Neck Deep, The Peace and the Panic

Neck Deep carved out big expectations for their third record after their second album Life's Not Out to Get You launched them into pop-punk's elite. Fortunately, The Peace and the Panic sees the Welsh group further develop and hone their sound, while not losing the catchiness and addictive qualities that made their last record so great. While The Peace and the Panic may not reach the consistent level of quality offered by it's predecessor, songs such as "In Bloom" and "Don't Wait", which includes a feature from Architects vocalist Sam Carter, may very well be the best tracks the band has released to date. 

Rating: B+

Recommended tracks: "In Bloom", "Don't Wait", "Motion Sickness"

4. PVRIS, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell

Pvris certainly know how to craft an atmosphere. All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, the follow up to their debut album White Noise, is a dark, driven alt-pop experience, perfectly in line with their moody black-and-white aesthetic. While the band's last effort had it's fair share of upbeat, poppy moments, All We Know of Heaven... strips all of these away, doubling down on the darker, more atmospheric elements of their sound. Meanwhile, harp interludes played by Mikaela Davis string the whole thing together in a wonderfully cohesive package. 

Rating: B+

Recommended Tracks: "Half", "What's Wrong", "Anyone Else"

3. Wage War, Deadweight

Metalcore has been on the decline for a few years now. With the largest bands in the genre (Bring Me the Horizon, Of Mice & Men) opting to turn towards a nu-metal/radio rock sound, the visceral heaviness of years past has been seemingly forgotten. Well, not if Wage War has anything to say about it. The Ocala-based group are back with the follow-up to their 2015 debut Blueprints, once again produced by A Day to Remember vocalist Jeremy McKinnon. Deadweight takes the formula the band employed on Blueprints and improves nearly everything. Melodies are catchier, breakdowns are heavier, and the vocals display a range not seen before in Wage War's discography. Overall, a delightfully brutal record.

Rating: A-

Recommended Tracks: "Witness", "My Grave is Mine to Dig", "Southbound"

2. Brand New, Science Fiction

The eight year wait was worth it. Nearly a decade after their last album Daisy, Brand New have finally graced the music world with a new record, and it's yet another fantastic outing for the kings of emo. Amid rumors of the band's time coming to an end, when it looked as if that elusive fifth album would never see the light of day, Science Fiction came seemingly out of nowhere to blast Brand New to the top of the charts. While it doesn't quite reach the heights of magnum opus The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, it comes damn close, and that alone is enough to get excited about.

Rating: A

Recommended Tracks: "Can't Get It Out", "Waste", "137"

1. Young Lions, Mr. Spaceman

Young Lions are now three fantastic albums into their career, and yet they still bubble underground, unknown and underappreciated. Their latest masterpiece, Mr. Spaceman, is the band's first attempt at a concept record. The story of a man lost in space, the album portrays the feelings of loneliness, discovery, and introspection in a beautifully poignant manner. Combining sounds of alternative juggernauts Coldplay, Muse, and Thirty Seconds to Mars, with a touch of Young Lions' unique post-hardcore flair, Mr. Spaceman just may be one of the best records of the decade so far. 

Rating: A

Recommended Tracks: "Destroy Me", "Blue Heaven", "Headspace"