Local Band, PMToday, creates unique blend of rock on debut album
Listen Up!
Brian Washburn
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: Life & Style
The few downsides which arise from And Then the Hurricane come in the forms of some cliche and cheesy lyrics. A few of the songs also seem to sound the same. Lyrics, such as those in "Doctor" and "To Sleep Perchance To Dream," can get a little awkward and cheesy. However, the rest of album offer catchy lyrics which will stick in the listeners' heads for several days after.
Another downside to an otherwise stellar album is the sounds of the songs blending together. While this only happens a few times, listeners might not know which song they are listening to. But in some cases, it seems the band did this on purpose in order to not break the stream of music.
Songs on this debut which truly stand out are the album's title track "Doctor," "To Sleep Perchance To Dream" and the fan-favorite "This Disease."
PMToday is currently on tour and will come close to Fayetteville on a regular basis. While they are not directly based out of Fayetteville, they are probably one of the top five local bands here in town.
And Then the Hurricane is available through their mySpace page and through iTunes. It also comes with a special treat for fans of heavier music - a hidden track at the end of the CD, which is a hardcore song PMToday used to play, titled "Bleed America the Beautiful."
While PMToday do take influences from their contemporaries in the modern rock scene, they take this influence, spark it up, take it in a different direction, and make their music much better. Although these boys will not be on your everyday Top 40 radio station, they look to be on their way to being on modern rock radio. For fans of Circa Survive, Chiodos, Saosin and basically any modern scene band, PMToday can give you the breathing room needed in an otherwise crowded and suffocating music scene.
Final thought: I would like to congratulate three local bands who have recently been signed to labels and will tour the country very shortly. Pop-punk band School Boy Humor recently signed to Vagrant Records (the first home of Dashboard Confessional and Senses Fail). Metal band Mourning After Massacre recently signed to West Coast record label Zombie Alliance. Positive-hardcore band Take It Back! have signed with hardcore label Facedown Records. All three bands look to have successful futures in the music industry. Let's just hope this opens the door for other local bands and shine some light on the extremely promising Northwest Arkansas music scene.
Another downside to an otherwise stellar album is the sounds of the songs blending together. While this only happens a few times, listeners might not know which song they are listening to. But in some cases, it seems the band did this on purpose in order to not break the stream of music.
Songs on this debut which truly stand out are the album's title track "Doctor," "To Sleep Perchance To Dream" and the fan-favorite "This Disease."
PMToday is currently on tour and will come close to Fayetteville on a regular basis. While they are not directly based out of Fayetteville, they are probably one of the top five local bands here in town.
And Then the Hurricane is available through their mySpace page and through iTunes. It also comes with a special treat for fans of heavier music - a hidden track at the end of the CD, which is a hardcore song PMToday used to play, titled "Bleed America the Beautiful."
While PMToday do take influences from their contemporaries in the modern rock scene, they take this influence, spark it up, take it in a different direction, and make their music much better. Although these boys will not be on your everyday Top 40 radio station, they look to be on their way to being on modern rock radio. For fans of Circa Survive, Chiodos, Saosin and basically any modern scene band, PMToday can give you the breathing room needed in an otherwise crowded and suffocating music scene.
Final thought: I would like to congratulate three local bands who have recently been signed to labels and will tour the country very shortly. Pop-punk band School Boy Humor recently signed to Vagrant Records (the first home of Dashboard Confessional and Senses Fail). Metal band Mourning After Massacre recently signed to West Coast record label Zombie Alliance. Positive-hardcore band Take It Back! have signed with hardcore label Facedown Records. All three bands look to have successful futures in the music industry. Let's just hope this opens the door for other local bands and shine some light on the extremely promising Northwest Arkansas music scene.
Be the first to comment on this story