Shinedown

Flytjendur

• 

  Shinedown

  There is no band, no song, no video, no sound, that is more “now” than AJR. The band — three brothers born and raised in New York City — has achieved a startling quick level of success with “I’m Ready,” a buoyant electro-pop single that’s taking off on social media. The numbers: over 10 Million views on YouTube, Gold record in the USA and Double Platinum Internationally, features in Billboard, the NY Post, and on MTV. Festival performances in front of 10,000+ people. They have also performed on the Today Show, X-Factor, Kelly and Michael and many other national television shows.
  
  More amazing? They’ve done this all on their own. No pop svengali overseeing their work. No studio musicians filling in the blanks. No Max Martin co-write. AJR may, in fact, be the first indie, DIY pop group from New York to make a splash. They’re certainly the only group that’s done while writing, recording and producing all their own songs in their Chelsea living room.
• 

  Coheed and Cambria

  Ten albums in, something changed for Coheed and Cambria. As singer, guitarist, and master storyteller Claudio Sanchez began plotting out the sci-fi-inspired New York prog legends’ latest, The Father of Make Believe, he found himself writing more directly about his life and, especially, his career. Amid the wailing guitars, cracking drums, and Sanchez’ powerful voice — centering listeners throughout moments placid and pinwheeling — Coheed devotees will still find plenty of character work and references to the lore. But if you’re new here, there’s no homework required to feel our host’s hopes, fears, battles, and triumphs. Of course, you may get drawn in anyway. Coheed — which includes Travis Stever (lead guitar), Josh Eppard (drums), and Zach Cooper (bass) — emerged in the early 2000s wedged between an emo renaissance and a metal revival. While their peers broke hearts and banged heads, they crafted Game of Thrones-level fantasies around their Amory Wars storyline, which unfurls across 78 planets known as Heaven’s Fence. Eight of the band’s albums thus far (plus a small galaxy of comics and novels) live in this space and so does The Father of Make Believe. It’s just that the sky is cracking, revealing the hand behind the scene. In the past, says Sanchez, “I’ve kept the struggles of my life private. When I can’t express myself in words, I express in worlds.” And yet, as he assumes the role of main character, Coheed are yet again finding new ways to bring us into their universe.

• 

  From Ashes To New