As the band’s first full-length release, ‘Sound of Fire’ is not a disappointment to long-time This Century fans.
The Phoenix, Ariz. based band is a member of the Action Theory Records family, alongside their friends in The Maine. Comprised of Joel Kanitz on vocals, Sean Silverman on Guitar, Alex Silverman on bass, and Ryan Gose on drums, This Century is now ready to take on the world, after an interesting couple years.
Having released EP’s every year since 2007, it was high time for a full-length. Touring outside of their immediate region has not been as frequent as some might expect for a band like them, which slowed their growth in popularity. Also, as explained in Kanitz’ blog, issues with his vocal cords caused the band to drop off some tour dates and take time off. He’s all healed up now, and they are about to embark on a tour with Go Radio, Sparks the Rescue and Select Start to help promote the new record.
It’s hard to call ‘Sound of Fire’ a full-length album when it only consists of eight songs, but it’s too long to be considered an EP. Luckily, the album leaves nothing to be desired.
According to This Century’s Facebook page, they are an alternative/rock/pop band. It’s really hard to classify music these days, but let’s start off by saying that this album is perfectly designed for driving in the sun with the windows down and sunglasses on. It just sounds like summer: light, happy and upbeat. In perfect pop form, all of the songs are just under or just over three minutes long, to round out the album at around 24 minutes in total.
‘Sound of Fire’ starts off with a catchy, drum-driven tune called “Young and Useless.” The title track, “Sound of Fire” follows, which will spur singing along after just a couple listens. The video for the song is a cute little thing which showcases the obvious attractiveness of this four-piece band. This, of course, has nothing to do with their musical abilities or quality of the album, but it must be noted.
Three of the eight songs on the album, “Hopeful Romantic,” “Money Honey” and “To Love and Back“, are reworked and rerecorded versions of previously released songs. Each one is amped up from the earlier recordings heard by fans.
“Everywhere Everything” is a sweet song about a girl, and what delicious pop songs aren’t? “She comes and she goes. She’s everywhere I want to be. When she’s high, she’s low, she’s everything, everything. I follow her like satellites, around and ’round she goes. She’s everywhere, she’s everything,” Kanitz sings. His beautiful blond locks and smooth voice make the fan girls swoon.
The fifth song on the album, “Money Honey” is the only ballad-like track on ‘Sound of Fire.’ As one of the rerecorded songs, it’s weird listening to the newer version, but it’s an improvement on the previous one that was released. The overall sound is fuller, and the sound quality is better.
Something simply must be said about Kanitz’s angelic voice. Where does a man get off with a singing voice like that? It’s buttery smooth and so spot-on it’s insane. Even live, this kid doesn’t disappoint on the vocal front.
It’s also easy to appreciate Kanitz’s lyrics. They are all so innocent and sweet, which is refreshing in a sea of Ke$ha’s, Lil Wayne’s, and Lady Gaga’s.
Is ‘Sound of Fire’ the most ground-breaking collection of songs to be heard all year? Probably not. But, it is guaranteed to be a lighthearted, upbeat, and enjoyable listen that will likely stay on repeat for a while.
