NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

" Take Cover " is the opening track to  Acceptance 's debut and almost final album,  Phantoms .  It starts with a piano loop and adds momentum with the drums.  Jason Vena 's smooth vocals hit a high register which puts the band on good emo footing for the time, as a singer who could whine a few lines was essential for a band that makes it. Listening to  Phantoms  again today--as I've talked about this album at least three times before--I thought about one of the fatal flaws of the record: the track order. Even though, I think that this album is a perfect artifact of my last two years in high school, I can kind of see why this band wasn't huge, and it has to do with the track listing of this album. SHE MAKES THE CITY SEEM LIKE HOME.  Today, I'm going to do a track-by-track analysis of this album, and I'll probably add to this analysis as I choose more songs to be song of the day. I may not have a lot to say about the tracks individually as I've alre

  Acceptance 's story about the band that called it quits before they realized made the band a legend. In 2014,  Jesusfreakhideout   posted their top " One Album Wonders ," and Acceptance's  Phantoms   topped the list. According to lead singer  Jason Vena , when he sat down with  Billy Power   on  Urban Achiever Podcast  in 2015, the lead singer recounted about how he had no idea the cult status the band then had in the scene. In various other interviews, Vena talked about how other bands, namely  A Loss for Words  and  All Time Low  inspired him to consider an Acceptance reunion.  LAST SEASON OF THIS MASQUERADE.  In 2005, Acceptance after their failed attempt at major label stardom, Vena took a job in Seattle outside of music. The band dissolved, and some formed side projects with other musicians. Lead guitarist  Christian McAlhaney  talked with  Josh Coats  on  Your PUSH Coach Podcast  in 2020, talking about what made him successful in three bands and other projects

Aaron Sprinkle began his musical career as the guitarist for Alternative Christian Rock band Poor Old Lu . The band released albums between 1990 and 2002, starting as BellBangVilla before changing their name in 1991. As the Chronicles of Narnia - inspired band was winding down, releasing In Their Final Performance in 1998,  Sprinkle started the band Rose Blossom Punch , releasing two albums before disbanding. Next, Sprinkle began releasing solo records, starting with Moontraveler in 1999. He released albums consistently until 2004’s Lackluster . In 2006, Sprinkle released The Best Worst-Case Scenario by a new band called Fair . COULD THIS BE OUT OF LINE? Fair only released two albums, concluding with 2010’s Disappearing World . In 2013, Aaron Sprinkle released Water & Guns , his first solo album in nine years. Readers of my blog will know that what Sprinkle lacked in building a concert and solo record franchise he was more than prolific in his songwriting and producing for othe

  One rainy day in March 2005, I saw    Acceptance 's  Phantoms   in Walmart's Pop/Rock section. I picked up the album and wondered who this band was. I looked at the back and saw the track listing. There was a song titled " This Conversation Is Over ," which was the same name as one of the songs on  The Sims 2 University   expansion pack. Could it be the same group? I rarely bought albums without listening to them first. That's why I have so many Christian Rock albums. The Family Christian Store had a sample CD for almost every album sold in their stores. However, albums sold in major retailers might let you preview a few of the songs. I don't think the preview was available for this album. Nevertheless, I bought this album and put it into the fickle CD player in my 1991 Toyota Corolla. Immediately it became one of the most played albums of the next two years along with Anberlin 's  Never Take Friendship Personal ,  Falling Up 's  Crashings  and  Dawn

  One memorable scene in Dante's Inferno depicts two lovers tormented in the second layer of hell. The lovers in the second layer have been sent to hell for their lust, and as a punishment, they must blow in an unrelenting wind, possibly symbolizing their lust on earth and their lack of commitment to one partner. Two lovers, though, continuously blow past each other, touching for a second at a time before they blow in opposite directions.   BREATHING IS SO HARD IT HURTS. No, the title track from Acceptance 's sophomore record, Colliding by Design , is not about eternal conscious torment, but there is something hellish about unrequited love.  The production sounds show us what we could have expected to hear on the radio if the band had been afforded the opportunity to stay in the pop/rock culture in the late '00s and early '10s.   The early 2017 release of Colliding by Design came like a spring breeze, bringing accessible pop melodies highlighting lead singer Jason Ven

Today, I'm going to present an evolving list. Last year, I chose an album of the year. In 2021, it was difficult because so much music was re-releases and nothing seemed dynamic enough to be album of the year. I finally settled on Scaled and Icy by twenty one pilots, but I actually didn't listen to it much in 2021. It seemed that 2021 was a year for good music outside of my immediate band preferences. Like many music listeners, my tastes are evolving, and I'm continuing to discover or just listen to older albums, which may change today's list. However, I'm going to try to present a list of the best albums from every year that I have been alive. I get this rank based on how much I've listened to the album, rather than by critical reception. Enjoy! 1987 The Joshua Tree by U2 . This was arguably when U2 became a cultural phenomenon. The first four tracks are the biggest hits from the record. The band always tackled issues of faith and doubt, but The Joshua Tree

Today we take another dive into Aaron Sprinkle 's 2017 record, Real Life . In a sense, Real Life was a farewell record. Sprinkle had scaled back his productions in the early '10s, only working with bands he really wanted to. Real Life is also his final record on Tooth & Nail Records . Since moving to Nashville in the ‘10s, Sprinkle began working on other musical projects outside of the Tooth & Nail world. Real Life blends trendy late ‘10s pop hooks and ‘80s/‘90s electronic sounds. MEET ME WHERE THE LIGHT GETS IN YOUR EYES. Today, I'm updating the hideous album artwork for my Aaron Sprinkle Essentials playlist on Spotify and creating an Apple Music edition. After all, it is Apple Music playlists I'm basing the Aaron Sprinkle list on-- Max Martin , Jack Antonoff , Greg Kurtsin , etc. I think Aaron Sprinkle deserves his own playlist, so here it is: 1. " Step Here " by Aaron Sprinkle. The penultimate track on Real Life feels like a '90s video game