Kyoto Drive – So Much Alive / Chapters (Dbl A-side single)

These young people are the great white hope of emo and the two themes that you hear on this EP of presentation (So Much Alive/Chapters) Suggest good ways . Lots of vocal melody and Instrumentation and something more forceful than I thought, since my wife just said in this case to reduce the volume of the player. Certainly a band to follow and hopefully have some continuity.

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So Much Alive / Chapters (Engineer Records, 2011), a work composed by the two Songs that give title to that release, ‘So Much Alive’ and ‘Chapters’. Following the path marked on their album This Is All We Ever Wanted (Engineer Records, 2010), the quartet of Adam Binder (bass and vocals), Mike Levell (guitar and vocals), Mark Piper (guitar and vocals) and Chris Piper (drums) seemed to continue with a particular style between pop punk and pop rock, but recorded a small change approaching sounds more accessible within the rock genre. Usually compared to British formations as You Me At Six, Kids In Glass Houses, The Blackout and Young Guns, among others, in this new release sounds similar to emo or alternative rock artists such as Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday. Not that the change is radical, much less, but the guitars set the standard that extends over the course of the nearly final eight minutes that last for both compositions. Also remarkable are the voices and choirs in conjunction, providing packaging that makes them harder and last longer melodies than their earlier songs, a fact that gives them more seriously when dealing with highly anticipated new release in long format . Now is time to take the final leap to Europe and our country thanks them for their catchy music.

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The new double A-sided single from Birmingham based Kyoto Drive is out now on Engineer Records. Since forming in 2009 they have constantly toured the UK, honing their live performances. They released their debut album ‘This Is All We Ever Wanted’ to critical acclaim. This new two track cd is surely a preview of an imminent second album!

‘So Much Alive’ thunders straight in with a catchy guitar sound. As soon as Adam Binder’s vocals came in I immediately thought of Counting Crows at their pop-rock best. The group vocals, clever melody, along with the strong guitar sound make this a perfect, upbeat, catchy pop-rock song. You’ll be singing along in no time to the chorus of ‘I’ve got this feeling. I’m awake but it feels like dreaming’.

Track two, ‘Chapters’ is another positive pop-rock song. A fast relentless guitar riff overlaid with a smooth yet powerful vocal performance.

Overall this is a great double A-sided single, from a very impressive and solid band. Uplifting power pop-rock at its finest. I’m looking forward to reviewing the album when it’s released.

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KYOTO DRIVE – So Much Alive/Chapters CD Single

The sudden inrush of guitars, the dramatic surge of rhythm, the immediacy of angst-ridden-anguished nasally vocals pouring out emotion by the bucketload with enough drive, energy and electricity to light up Manchester – yes, it’s the return of emo – but this is no ordinary emo – no, sirreeee Bob – this is supercharged pop-punk that guarantees to light up your life and, although it’s got all the right ingredients from the punk-pop-emo recipe book of “how to make the perfect song”, they do it with such conviction that you’d think no-one had ever done it before – it’s a great song, full of power and passion, it’s all been done before – but rarely as well as this – evinced by the fact that, when it’s gone, all you want to do is play it again – and that’s just the first track. So – guess what? – yep – amazingly enough, the other track is every bit as classic, if not moreso – if ever they have a competition for the perfect pop-punk single, put this one in the pot – it’s gotta come out a winner – can’t wait to hear a full album if this is anything to go by.

Andy Garibaldi

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The Kyoto Drive Birmingham and have released their first album, “This is all we ever wanted,” a year ago for the Engineer Records.

Here we are dealing with the first two tracks which will be a new CD. We are always on the pop-punk (never too pop or too punk ) that does not weigh down the ears and in fact, leave with a smile.

Surely the emo-tions continue to lord it: voice, sound, text … all to get the listener and leave a trail. In some ways they seem a bit ‘too pop but never crosses the blurred line that I would make them move immediately into the trash! Not bad then. We continue to listen to “So much alive” and “Chapters”, waiting for the album. Stay tuned!

http://www.ondalternativa.it/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop

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Their new double A-side single, “So Much Alive / Chapters” is the followup to their debut album “This Is All We Ever Wanted” and they certainly haven’t let their fans down, well the only letdown anyone might feel is that there is only two songs to tide them over until the second album is completed!

Produced by Matt O Grady (You Me At Six, Deaf Havana) you can definitely feel the similarities between Kyoto Drive and You Me At Six, however that’s not to say they aren’t worth checking out, two brilliant bands that would probably work well on a tour together one day (who knows hey?).

Kyoto Drive are clearly a band that can and will continue to get a crowd going with their catchy singalong tunes.

You can buy the single at a show of theirs, or on iTunes here.

At only £1.58 it is easily something you want to purchase for your perfect summer playlist!

ROBYN ALEXANDER

4/5 Top Hats.

http://www.tophatmagazine.com/Reviews/Kyoto-Drive-So-Much

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