Halocene

Let me start the review of Can You Hear Us Now? by saying I’m very critical of female singers. For whatever reason, I scrutinize their music a lot more than I do male vocalists. I think that’s because I prefer the tone and pitch of male vocals, something that female vocalists simply can’t do physically. Not a knock on them. Just facts and just preference. With that said, I really like Halocene’s vocalist, Addie Nicole. It’s pure, but powerful. It’s perfectly suited for pop/punk (5 alliteration points).

The album starts with “Fragile and the Frail.” After listening to this album through several times, I’m glad they chose this to start the album. The chorus, it’s so catchy that it’s almost annoying, and I mean that in a good way. There’s even a very soft breakdown towards the end that makes the track even better. “Sometimes” is an angsty female anthem, and also catchy. I kind of think of Alanis Morissette and Meredith Brooks. Guitar work in this song makes it even more enjoyable. “Reckless” and “Toxic” bring out the rock, but again have the sound of a Morissette or even a dash of Benatar. Good old-fashioned music. “Next Best Kiss” shows off the softer quality of Addie’s voice and it’s a nice change-up from the first four tracks. She gets back to business with “Look What You Did” though. A song or two later we get to “Don’t Leave,” the slowest track on the album. But don’t confuse slow with not being good. It’s one of the best here. The 11-track album ends with “Last Dance.” I’m glad they went out with this song. It’s a bit dark and I even hear a bit of Panic! in there, where it gets really catchy. It’s probably my favorite on the album. On a very good album. Now, let’s huddle up again.

Now, I’ve stayed away from the Paramore comparisons for as long as I could. There are many similarities and parallels to be drawn, but where others have fallen short, Addie stacks up. That’s only a compliment in my eyes. Her voice has so many qualities that make it sound like Hayley; that’s just something you can’t get away from. The thing that should be taken away from this album is that it’s very good. My last few reviews haven’t been that favorable because I was left wanting more than I got. At the end of Can You Hear Us Now? I was left pleasantly fulfilled. The music is good. The vocals are good. The instruments are good. The production (self-produced by Bradley Amick) is good. So, forget the comparisons. What I want for this band is for them to make it because of the quality of their music, not fail because people think they’re a Paramore knock up. Don’t get it twisted. In another world, Paramore is the next Halocene. - absolutepunk.net

Within two years time, this tour has been wildly successful and they now play in front of 150,000 fans each tour, with approx. two-3 tours per year. Graduating from the old school bus to a 40’ long motor coach, and helping launch the careers of several amazing bands like Lost In Atlantis, Halocene, and Canadian artists Take Me To The Pilot.

Several bands that we have taken on tour are now starting to blow up. These bands have had YouTube film their music videos for them at the YouTube headquarters, the bands have been on VH1, NBC, and MTV, played with huge bands like Blink 182, Fall Out Boy, Flogging Molly, and Jimmy Eat World. - Alternative Press Magazine

THE BAND HALOCENE RELEASES THEIR THIRD ALBUM OR EP CALLED “MAKE IT LOUD”. HEAVY ON THE VOCALS IS THE AMAZINGLY TALENTED ADDIE NICOLE. WE ALSO HAVE ROBERT HART OR CASH, JOSEPH JUSTIN POILIZZI, BRADLEY AMICK, AND AUSTIN AMICK WITH THEIR AMAZING MUSICAL TALENTS. IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW, THEY GRACED US WITH THEIR MUSICAL TALENTS WITH ALBUMS “THE SECRETS” AND “CAN YOU HEAR US NOW?”. IF YOU ARE A NEWER FAN, YOU MIGHT KNOW THEM BY THEIR FAMOUS COVER MUSIC VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE WHICH WERE JUST RELEASED RECENTLY IF YOU PRE-ORDERED A CERTAIN PACKAGE DURING THEIR CAMPAIGN FOR THE “MAKE IT LOUD” RELEASE. LET’S GET DOWN TO THE AMAZING TRACK LIST WHICH FEATURES: “MAKE IT LOUD”, “NIGHTMARES”, “LET IT RAIN”, “ROCK N’ ROLL”, “TELL ME WHAT”, AND “DARK HOSE”. AFTER SEVERAL LISTENS TO THE ALBUM OR EP, I CAN FINALLY REVIEW IT TRACK BY TRACK.

“MAKE IT LOUD” IS THE FIRST TRACK OFF THE ALBUM. THIS SONG TO ME, FEELS LIKE AN ANTHEM MORE THAN ANYTHING. THIS SONG CONTAINS LYRICS THAT JUST MAKE YOU WANT TO STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. I LOVE THE BEGINNING OF THE SONG WHERE THE INSTRUMENTAL JUST DRAWS YOU RIGHT INTO THE SONG. WHEN ADDIE COMES INTO THE SONG, IT DOESN’T FEEL RUSHED AT ALL OR FORCED, SHE CLEANLY COMES IN AND IT SOUNDS BEAUTIFUL. THIS IS WELL PERFORMED AND WRITTEN TRACK. THIS SONG, OF COURSE IS NOT MY FAVORITE OFF THE ALBUM, BUT DESERVES TO BE WELL NOTED AS ONE OF THE BETTER HALOCENE TRACKS OUT OF ALL THREE ALBUMS. I FEEL THEY USED THE SONG RIGHT AS TO MAKE IT THE OPENER FOR THE ALBUM. ANY OTHER SONG WOULD NOT HAVE DONE AS MUCH JUSTICE TO THE ALBUM THAT IT CLEARLY DESERVES.

“NIGHTMARES” IS THE SECOND SONG OFF THE ALBUM. ONE OF THE MORE NOTABLE LYRICS FOR ME IS WHEN ADDIE SAYS “PLEASE JUST LET ME SLEEP”. THIS WAS THE SINGLE THEY RELEASED FOR THIS ALBUM. AT FIRST LISTEN, IT MIGHT NOT SOUND APPEALING OR INTERESTING TO A PERSON TAKING A QUICK LISTEN OR HEARING A QUICK SAMPLE OF IT, BUT THIS SONG GROWS ON YOU. I CAN TELL YOU IT DEFINITELY GREW ON ME. I LOVE THIS SONG AFTER ALL THE TIMES I HAVE LISTENED TO IT. I DON’T KNOW IF I WOULD OF CHOSE THIS SONG TO BE THE SINGLE OF THE ALBUM. I PERSONALLY THINK “MAKE IT LOUD” OR “ROCK N’ ROLL” WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER CHOICE. OVERALL, THE SONG IS STILL GREAT.

MOVING ONTO THE THIRD TRACK OF THE ALBUM, WE HAVE “LET IT RAIN”. THE BEGINNING OF THIS TRACK IS EPIC. IT STARTS WITH A SIREN AND THEN AN EPIC INTRO LEADING INTO THE SONG. IT’S SOMETHING YOU REALLY CAN’T EXPLAIN BUT THE INSTRUMENTAL MIXED WITH ADDIE’S VOICE SOUNDS PERFECT. THIS TRACK, ACCORDING TO FANS THAT I HAVE ASKED, IS ONE OF THE BEST TRACKS OR THE DEEMED FAVORITE TRACK. I ONLY ASKED A FEW FANS BUT I CAN SEE WHY PEOPLE WOULD THINK HIGHLY OF THIS TRACK. IT DESERVES ALL THE PRAISE.

THE FOURTH ALBUM OFF THE TRACK IS “ROCK N’ ROLL” WHICH IS MY FAVORITE OFF THE ENTIRE ALBUM. THE LYRICS OF THIS SONG WERE OBVIOUSLY WRITTEN WITH A LOT OF PASSION. I FEEL LIKE EVERY TIME I LISTEN TO THIS SONG I WANT TO SCREAM “THIS IS WHO WE ARE”. NOW SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND IT OFFENSIVE WHEN ADDIE SINGS “RICH KIDS…NEVER HAD TO WORK A DAMN DAY”. IF YOU LISTEN TO THE SONG THOUGH, IT’S TELLING THEIR STORY ABOUT NEVER GIVING UP AND HAVING A HARD TIME MAKING IT IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS WHERE OTHERS HAVE HAD IT EASIER. I LOVE THIS SONG AND IT WILL ALWAYS BE MY FAVORITE OFF THE ALBUM.

CONTINUING ON TO THE FIFTH TRACK, WE’VE GOT “TELL ME WHAT”. THIS SONG GIVES ME SUCH A POP-PUNK FEEL TO IT. I DON’T KNOW IF ANYONE HAD THAT FEEL BUT I CERTAINLY DID. I MEAN, THEY DID OPEN UP FOR BLINK-182. I LOVE THIS SONG BECAUSE IT HAS A DIFFERENT FEEL TO IT RATHER THAN ALL THE OTHER SONGS. DID I MENTION THE POP-PUNK FEEL TO IT? YES, I WILL MENTION THAT AGAIN BECAUSE POP-PUNK IS AWESOME.

LASTLY, THE FINAL TRACK OF THE ALBUM “DARK HORSE”. OBVIOUSLY THE COVER SONG FOR KATY PERRY’S SONG “DARK HORSE” WHICH I PREFER A LOT BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL. WHY? I THINK ADDIE’S VOICE SOUNDS A LOT BETTER. I DON’T REALLY LIKE A LOT OF COVER SONGS AS MUCH BUT THIS BAND SEEMS TO PULL THEM OFF VERY WELL. EVEN WITH ELLIE GOULDING’S “LIGHTS” THEY WERE ABLE TO PULL IT OFF WHICH IS PRETTY HARD TO DO. SERIOUSLY, IF YOU TRY TO COMPETE WITH ELLIE GOULDING , YOU ARE ASKING FOR IT… BUT THEY DID IT WELL!

OVERALL, THE “MAKE IT LOUD” ALBUM OR EP WAS GREAT. NONE OF THE SONGS SEEMED TO BE THROW IN TRACKS. THEY ALL SEEMED WELL WRITTEN AND WELL PERFORMED. “ROCK N’ ROLL” AND “LET IT RAIN” SEEM TO BE MY TWO FAVORITE TRACKS OFF THE ALBUM. IF THE BAND CONTINUES GOING STRONG AND HAVING AMAZING MUSIC SUCH AS THIS, I AM ALMOST POSITIVE THEY WILL MAKE IT FAR.

RATE: 5/5 - Female Musicians Do it Better