Relevant Discord Dual Singles EP - A Review
The Album
June 21, 2011 marked the release of several new albums, Relevant Discord’s Dual Singles EP among them. This sophomore project from Relevant Discord possesses a more polished, better balanced sound than the band’s debut album, The Pathways of Brokenness - Volume 01 EP. This is mainly due to the band's collaboration with big-name producers Sylvia Massey and Rich Veltrop, whose talents and professional recording studio obviously proved beneficial to the new album.
Dual Singles EP features a re-release of The Refrain, from Relevant Discord’s first record, as well as a new song titled Days of Deferment.
While the band’s initial offering clearly showed the influence of Nine Inch Nails, including Relevant Discord’s cover of NIN’s We’re In this Together, the new album has more in common with the energetic and emotionally charged sound of post-grunge/alt/metal band RED. Incorporating the cello playing of Scott Fegette, drumming talent of Jai Callahan as well as violin contributions from Stephanie Lee, Dual Singles EP has the full, mature sound one expects from veteran musicians.
Professionally but independently produced, the new album from Relevant Discord is a well-balanced marriage of indie-rock ideals and big studio quality. Use of classical instruments really fills in the background, providing excellent company for the driving guitar riffs and rock drum beats.
The Band
Lyricist and front man Nick Depew finds stylistic common ground with bands such as Chevelle and RED, though his vocals maintain a more even tone, never venturing into the realm of unintelligible screaming. This is not to say that Relevant Discord’s lyrics are in any way dull. Both The Refrain and Days of Deferment showcase honest, intense vocals, backed up with expressive and engaging melodies. Both long-time fans and new listeners will appreciate the real-life emotion and issues addressed in the lyrics, and parents need not worry about explicit content, which is always absent from Relevant Discord’s work.
The overall message and theme of the band’s music is embodied in the name Relevant Discord: most of the songs focus on finding cohesion amidst life’s trials and anguish, while refusing to hide behind easy answers and dogmatic formulae.
Still an indie act, Relevant Discord’s music has suffered no ill effects from their foray into the mainstream, and has gained quite a bit of polish from the influence of veteran producers Sylvia Massey and Rich Veltrop, and access to the world-class recording studio, Loud Palace.
"Days of Deferment" on YouTube
More Info
Bands with similar sounds include RED, Chevelle and Decyfer Down. Songs from Dual Singles EP are posted here www.facebook.com/relevantdiscord, and here www.purevolume.com/RelevantDiscord.
For more information, visit the Relevant Discord official site: http://www.relevantdiscord.com/home.html