Combining the three piece punk assault of The Thermals and the Springsteen bastard-son rock of Jersey’s Titus Andronicus, Run, Forever let loose a steady onslaught of pub-ready rallying cries. These tracks are desperate, thrashing odes to fleeting youth and existential angst, grounded by the heaving weight of biblical doom. This is sh*t-thrilling music of the highest degree, elegiac and rousing in the same breath. What more could you want? -Speed of the Pittsburgh Sound ______________________________ “The Devil and Death and Me” is the bands first full length release, coming on the heels of the death of their guitarist and close friend Corey James Wolfram. From the beginning of time, loss is something from which a lot of musicians find inspiration for music, and these guys (and a gal) do a great job of putting their emotions into their product. They consider themselves an Indie/Folk/Punk band, and I can see hints of the first two, but am mostly attracted to their Punk sensibilities. The album opens up with “A Sequence of Sad Events,” putting their best foot forward with a tribute to their comrade Corey. Lyrically, this track is full of a ton of meaningful and clever lines. One of my favorites being “but growing up means counting down.” Isn’t that the truth? We’ve all lost someone close to us, and to do it while growing up can be extremely difficult given all of the bullshit questions you’re forced to deal with. “The Grand Illusion” is the third track on the album, and it’s probably my favorite. Musically, they do a lot of changing of tempos and have some really heavy, scratchy guitars all over the place that really get things moving. Lyrically this one points fun at a lot of the things that have become modern culture, and the routines that we all fall into. This is one that brings out the Bright Eyes comparison, and that’s definitely something to be proud of. The title track comes up second to last on the album and I see it as a cool culmination of all of their styles and inspirations. The guitar has a cool semi-twang feeling, and the beat sets up somewhat of a dancey, almost poppy vibe. Thematically, we’re once again exploring things like The Devil, and Death, oh yeah, and Me. Once again though, I think a lot of the energy in this one comes from Heubel taking charge, and the group vocals are a great addition. I'm gonna close this thing out with the song that closes out the album, “Lifted.” This time they’re taking on spirituality and what happens when we die. Very much stripped down, just the acoustic guitar, some solo vocals, and some group vocals mixed in. “Everything’s a circle, and once you die, only God can let you out.” This is a great way to close out the album, looking back on the way the loss of a good friend can shape your thoughts and feelings about what you’ve been told to think all of your life… And feeling like it was all bullshit. -Brian; Front Porch Musings