Debut Album of Modern Heist

Modern Heist – All I Ever Loved

A new indie band by the name of Modern Heist approached me about a week ago to check out their album and to write them a review on it.  I HAPPILY took them up on their offer and listened to the album that I predict will become a hit within time as a debut album.  Modern Heist was born in the city of  San Diego, California and their primary genre is Heavy Folk with a touch of Alternative.

1.       Sad Condition – I really wish that this song was longer.  Even for being only a minute and 44 seconds, it is still my 2^nd favorite song on the album.  I thought that the lyrics were great and there was a progressive story being told throughout the duration.  The guitar riff at the very beginning was an awesome opening to the entire album, and the beat that followed it gave a very specific and yet very appropriate tone to the song.  I really wish that this song could have progressed to a longer version.  Adding another verse would have been a good add on.  “I know you forgave me” kind of left a cliff hanger that left much to desire. (8.5/10)

2.       Be Honest – Transition from verses one and two (1:22 – 1:26) was a little rough.  It was definitely the first thing I noticed when I listened to this.  The tone suddenly changed with no smooth transition.  I mean, it didn’t degrade the overall value of the song; it was just a…less than appealing attribute.  Overall though, I thought it was a decent song by itself; however, another transition that bugged me was the lyrics of this song compared to the first.  I feel like that; it didn’t flow from the first song nearly as well as it should have.  “Sad Condition” was talking about how the singer blamed themselves for the unhappiness, and now here, the general mood of the rest of the album was set.  It’s his fault, not the singers.  Maybe it’s just me.  Don’t get me wrong, still a great song. (7.5/10)

3.       Creature Own Adventure – First off, I wasn’t too sure on the title.  At first I thought it was a typo, but now I’m not too sure.  I think it may be a play on words?  Not too sure if I’m right.  I really liked the sound of this song, but the biggest thing that I liked was the lyrics of the song.  It was an extremely sad story that actually made me think of my own father.  A very relatable song about depression and anguish in life.  Small complaint. The traffic at the end was a little unnecessary. I wound up skipping over it all three times that I listened to it. (7/10)

4.       So L.A. – This was by far my favorite song of the album.  Right off the bat, the rhythm/lead guitar started off with a killer riff.  Definitely a catchy sound that kept me entertained the entire song.  I also enjoyed the lyrics.  More specifically the “Sit your ass in your beamer”.  I have to say that I laughed when I heard that.  Being that I know people who own new BMW’s who act just like the person in the story of the song. (10/10)

5.       Dance Number – I honestly found this to be my least favorite, even though it’s a fan favorite.  It had a good rhythm and a very catchy tone, but I found the lyrics lacking, especially compared to the rest of the album.  To me, this song was kind of a breather from the past four roller coaster rides of songs.  For that I give respect, but it’s definitely not the first song on my playlist. (5/10)

6.       The Natives are on Dexaphenadrine – The most fun song.  The tone of the song was definitely playful.  Although, I found the lyrics to be humorous, but then again, once the very end of the song hits and the lyrics, “For you I would change my evil ways, put all of the bodies back in their graves. I know I've done a lot of shit in my life but I'd do anything if I could make things right” sends a certain message to the listener about the singer.  Even though they like and enjoy their lifestyle that they possess at the moment, they’d give it all up for one person.  It’s a heavy hitter if you think about it. (6.5/10)

7.       Postcards from Perfect – a song with respectable lyrics.  The character of the story very much misses their loved one, even though they never write back.  This song kind of hints at the tone of the first song “Sad Condition”.  The singer is once again blaming herself for what has happened, but she still puts part of him at fault.  This song was honestly hard to interpret.  I liked the tone as always.  Very upbeat.  (7.2/10) <-- only because I couldn’t interpret the song

8.       Tithing – definitely the….black sheep of the album.  I’m not saying this in a bad way, but it’s obviously the most unique song of the album.  As far as the guitar and drums, it was done well and on par with the rest of the album, but the lyrics were definitely a lot more powerful in this song.  The singer steps away from talking about one person, and speaks to society and speaks her mind.  She strong, independent and not willing to back down.  I guess, in my opinion, I take it as a recovery song from the rest of the album.  The singer realizing that she’s strong, she doesn’t need him, or his lies. (8/10)

Overall, for a first time releasing, this was an excellent album.  I really enjoyed listening to the play through of the entire thing multiple times.  I bought So L.A. on iTunes instead of downloading it for free.  I love contributing to a band that doesn’t have a lot of followers.  I suspect bright things in the future for Modern Heist and I cannot wait to hear what they have to offer next.

I only have a couple complaints as a whole on the album.  As a whole, the flow was good, just the transition from “Sad Condition” to “Be Honest” was rough.  Maybe next time, write a song that kind of talks about the narrators transition from blaming herself to blaming the male?  Just a thought.  The next complaint is a couple of the songs endings seemed to drag a bit.  As in…added sound effects or just transitions to the next song seemed to take forever.  Maybe cut it up a bit at the ends of the song to make transitions a little smoother.  Again, maybe it’s only me.  Overall, as I said, this was an awesome attempt at a debut.  I really enjoyed it in its entirety.  Grade?  81/100 …..B

Links to Modern Society:

http://modernheist.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/modernheist/info