| CD REVIEW Madina Lake |
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Band: Madina Lake In about a month the second full-length album (titled Atticks To Eden) of this Chicago based Alternative Rock/ Post-Hardcore quartet will finally see the light of day in Europe (in the US it was already out on March 24), and in order to prepare its release, the single “Never Take Us Alive” will be sent out to radio stations all over Belgium! Some history? Twins Nathan and Matthew Leone (respectively responsible for lead vocals and bass/ backing vocals) were playing in a band known as The Blank Theory. They shared the same management as the band Reforma (which had relocated to Chicago), and because of that frequently toured together. Nathan and Matthew got to be friends with Dan Torelli (drums) and Mateo Camargo (guitar & backing vocals), finding out they were all unhappy with their band situations. So they quit their respective bands and formed Madina Lake in stead. In the beginning the band also comprised sampler player Shawn Currie (of The Blank Theory), but he quit as soon as the band started to actually write material. Madina Lake played their first show on May 21st, 2005 (in Chicago, of course). The twins gained nationwide media attention when they appeared in a special edition of Twin Fear Factor. Winning a price of $50,000, they used the money to pay for the recordings and of their first EP The Disappearance Of Adelia, which was released in late August 2006. Prior to that, they had already attracted the attention of Roadrunner Records, to which they were signed in April. The band’s debut album Froom them, Through Us, To You (produced by Mark Trombino) got released in March 2007, and debuted at # on the Billboard charts and at #60 on the UK Album Charts. Not a véry successful start (though certainly respectful enough), but better things were on their way! Following the albbum release the band first did a headlining tour with Fightstar and then participated in the Projekt Revolution tour. Originally they were to go on the Vans Warped tour as well, but dropped out when they were hand picked by Linkin Park. Later that year, the band would also tour (on different occasions) with the likes of Aiden, Halifax, Mayday Parade, and Story Of The Year. The band won the “Best International Newcomer” price at 2007’s Kerrang! Awards. Early 2008 saw ML successfully tour Australia, and in Melbourne they were greeted by a crowd exceeding 100,000! In May 2008 the band appeared at New Jersey’s The Bamboozle festival for he third consecutive year; on month later they would also play at the main stage of UK’s legendary Download Festival in Donington Park. Touring for their debut album was eventually put to an end with the band’s (partial) participation to the 2007 Warped Tour (they only played dates from July 9 to 25). The band then set about writing the music for their second album and recording it with producer David Bendeth, announcing it as “…the seconds installment in the story of Madina Lake…”. In case you didn’t know yet, the band has thought of a concept (from an idea by Matthew) for their first three albums, setting the story in the fictional and isolated town of Madina Lake, during the 1950s! The rest of the world has been turned upside-down by the disappearance of famous socialite Adalia. The theme behind the band’s music is in relation to the mystery of Adelia (the artwork of the albums is to show images of her and the mysteries of the town Madina Lake)…and allows the band to express their views on politics, culture, and the media’s obsession with celebrity status. (info taken from the band’s page at Wikipedia, whence also came all other info above, albeit reworked – no cheap “copy-paste” jobs here, Honey!) Now, I ain’t even sure whether this particular single will even be available for the public, but it’s got two versions of the title track: a “Radio Edit” with a length of 2:47, and the version off the album, which only differs from the edit in the fact that they left on the 12-second intro. Seems like a foolish thing to do, and I haven’t even bothered to find out which version it is you can listen to at myspace.com/madinalake. Alongside 4 songs off the debut, and 4 videos, you’ll also find another track off the new album, which will certainly be enough to convince you of the qualities of this band! Personally, not having heard the band’s first album, I prefer to keep my final judgement until I get to hear the complete album! As this IS a single, there’s no rating…but I AM waiting for the full-length with a certain anticipation for good things to come! Oh, nearly forgot: following their last dates in March of an Australian tour, the guys are off to Japan for a couple of gigs, and will be over in the UK from April 28 to May 8 – No European dates announced as of yet! Tony. |