By: Perry Eaton.

Click the link to see our interview: http://youtu.be/HBv8_PbQWcE

Before going, I listened to a few of their songs. Standard, really. The first song I stumbled upon was “Rich Girl,” a song I later learned was a cover, and I fell right into love with the music. At first, it felt as if I was back in 8^th grade, going through that boy band phase that everyone seems to go through. Later, at their concert, I realized that was not what I was feeling. Their music – better appreciated live, for the record – was more mature than an All Time Low or Fall Out Boy song.

I will openly admit that this type of music isn’t my favorite. They dip into rap a few times more than I would listen to on my own. That being said, for roughly a week now I have been listening to Down With Webster music nonstop.

Their concert, which I would recommend everyone go to as soon as they get a chance, was an energizing mix of vocals and drums, much like any other band. Where they differed, though, was their passion. In such a small venue, I felt, as many others did, engaged in an active listening experience where it felt as if the concert members were singing to me.

Down With Webster (photo: Hanna Klein)

In addition, the songs are just flat out good – and catchy. This seven member band superseded my expectations in concert. “Whoa is Me” is perhaps their best song, as indicated by the fact that it has been stuck in my head for about a week now without end (no complaints here!). Most of their songs, especially of their new album, sound as if someone mixed together –cue excellent rap song- and the unique, back of the garage band music you fall in love with because the band members are charismatic.

But when some of their lyrics seem stereotypical, then you hear songs like “White Flags.” It’s a murky song, dark and twisted with tales of drinking and surrender. Between the shaking beat and the deep chorus, the song strikes gold. While I might have doubted it at one point, their music is mixed with experiences past and the passion that ignites the stage when they perform.

So while many people many not know who Down With Webster are in the USA, I urge them to take a second look. These men aren’t the typical boy band that we would otherwise look over. I mean, they opened for the Black Eyed Peas. These genuinely nice guys play for crowds of thousands of fans every month. These guys mean business, and they’re not going home until “Whoa is Me” is stuck in your head (SCORE!).

DWW (photo: Hanna Klein)

After hearing the entire album, Hit the Lights manages to mostly live up to the high standards that listeners will have after the prolonged gap since the sophomore album, Skip Schools, Start Fights. Even though two of the three songs on Invicta – EP, the preview EP to this album, are probably the most addicting of the 11 song effort, the rest are all still a huge step up from their previous work.

Ever since the departure of lead-singer Colin Ross, it seemed like Hit the Lights struggled to find their true musical calling, especially with their previous label pushing them to be a certain type of sound and group. It also had gotten to the point that, according to new lead singer Nick Thompson in an interview with alternativeaddiction.com, the band members realized they were trying to fit into a mold they could no longer fill. It’s hard to imagine Hit the Lights without the raging, honest and killer lyrics and pop-punk melodies, but even that style for them wasn’t the same after the loss of Colin

In all honesty, I hated the slightly new sound and style that this band took on when Thompson filled Ross’ role. I still go back and watch the acoustic version of the “Hidden Track” from the first album repeatedly and my heart melts every single time I hear Ross transition into the bridge; “Here’s the creepy part…oh you’ll see.” It took almost a year for Skip School, Start Fights to grow on me, and even though now I actually like hearing the songs and sing along, the album never remotely lived up to the previous album, This is a Stick Up…Don’t Make It a Murder, which might have been one of the coolest albums of the decade.

How this band, three years after starting on what seemed like a downward spiral, reached Invicta, is still a mystery. The most unbelievable accomplishment of this album is one of the songs included on the EP, “Earthquake,” which is also what the band used for several of their previews and teaser videos. My difficult relationship with Thompson was completely rewritten, with an entirely newfound respect and admiration. Instead of comparing him or the band’s style to the era of Colin Ross, this “new” Hit the Lights can be put into their own individual category again and out of the shadow of the past. “Earthquake” is the best representation of all the new things the band brought to the table as they move on.

It’s clear from “Invincible” and on that that they’ve stepped up their game in numbers. Even when playing live in Boston, they had those extra musicians for more percussion and sounds all around, and the extra guitar and drums come through quite well on all the songs on the album. What “Earthquake” really displays is their brilliant mix of Coldplay-esque percussion, typical punk drum set and vocal style, power rock guitars and moving lyrics. This list of very different things basically sums up to show that, somehow, Hit the Lights has found their home in a little bit of everything.

An even better example of this is “Faster Now” and “Gravity.” The intro to “Gravity” and much of “Faster Now” are very produced, with many eclectic and spacey sounds (a recurring theme on this album). The melodies and harmonies follow the same space-bound theme, represented by the smooth, rolling guitar and vocal line, with a lot of bouncing around sounds and synthesized pings in the background to complete the style. The lyrics (such as, “I’ve been orbiting but you could pull me through,”) complete the theme and add a final layer of an elemental, earthy and tribal feel, supported by the previously-mentioned pounding drums.

This new, elaborate style is almost completely successful on this album, except for the fact that when listening straight through, a lot of the songs tend to blur together and become a little too similar. For the next album, the only advancement they could offer that would satisfy most would be to make a similarly cohesive whole album, but make the songs, or even one or two songs, a little more individual and unique. This, however, is a very minor case, and it only comes from extremely repetitive listening.

The cherry on top of this oddly perfect Invicta sundae is that, despite their fresh style and improvements, hints of the band they got their start from are still there. This is most obvious in a song like “Take Control,” which uses the heavier punk sound, reminiscent of “The Call Out (You are the Dishes)” or “Stay Out.” Hit the Lights will bring back fans of the Ross era largely based on that final factor, but will keep any and all fans based on their huge re-do of the pop sound attempted on Skip School, Start Fights. The one thing that made this new release a success compared to the sophomore effort is their ability to leave behind the expectations of a punk-pop band.

So when fans, new or old, glace at the oddly entrancing (mildly hipster) nebula on the cover of Invicta, it will be hard not to imagine the new world that waits ahead. After having heard the magic that Hit the Lights brought to this new endeavor, it’s hard not to imagine how far they can go if they keep this going, and only climb up from here.

By: Dee Hibbard

Now, the Toronto actor-singer-rapper has just released his sophomore album with cameos by Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and Stevie Wonder. The long-awaited album, which leaked online before it was released, is finally here and Drake has come a long way from being “that kid from Degrassi.”

In the song Marvin’s Room, a drunken plea to an ex-girlfriend, Drake even mentions he’s “…having a hard time adjusting to fame.” But Marvin’s Room isn’t the only song on the album that’s honest and candid. The album, which is hip-hop and R&B influenced, is a lot more melancholic than what we would hear from other rappers.

Overall, the album is a story about Drake’s rise to fame and he isn’t afraid to express his feelings about it. Now, I wouldn’t claim Take Care is in the running for Album of the Year but Drake is definitely worth a listen. You’ll be surprised with what you might find.

Here are my top five favorite songs from the album (in no particular order):

1. Make Me Proud ft. Nicki Minaj

2. Marvin’s Room

3. Take Care ft. Rihanna

4. Over My Dead Body

5. Doing It Wrong ft. Stevie Wonder

By Alexis Medina