SHREDnews

By Jay Rowland

Two ‘O Clock Courage come at us out of Trumbull, CT and brings a pop punk sound with them that instantly reminds us of better times. The band only formed as recent as April of 2009, but they have already created a strong punk sound. The band consists of James Davidson (vocals), Peter Vogt (synthesizer), Mike Ruotolo (drums), Rico Ruotolo (guitar), Brian Blackmore (bass), and Mat Smith (guitar). Their first offering to us is the EP, Sequenced From The Bloodstream.

The album opens with Dickie Greenleaf’s Revenge. The song meets all expectations that have grown from reading the band’s bio on MySpace. The song brings a strong intro for their EP and lets us know right away that this band isn’t just another watered down, out to make money fast band that floods the scene these days. It has a hard hitting punk sound with melodic vocals that make for a great combo. Dickie Greenleaf’s Revenge blends right into a short Interlude which gives a nice dreamy interlude before kicking the tempo back up with the Kid Tested. The song, Kid Tested is another hard hitting pop punk song. It has an almost sing song feel to the vocals that make for a really catchy tune that gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

See You At The Aftermath breaks out the voice distortion in the intro, but the go back into their regular voices after the intro. The song brings the tempo down a little from the first two full length songs. The song really has a nice mix of sound that flows together nicely. Bring The Digital Rain has some really amazing lyrics that really make the song. There is some electronic sounds mixed in with the regular punk sound on this one. This song does hint a little toward all the popular music of today, but they stay safely enough away that they keep their punk sound. About two thirds of the way through the song they mix in some growling and more angry sounding lyrics that make for a perfect closing to the song. The closing song, Stadium Lights intro drops the tempo back down similar to the Interlude near the beginning of the EP. They keep it going with some heavy percussion driving the background. After the intro they bring the tempo up some and finish the album off with a strong song that leaves us waiting for more from these guys.

This is another of those refreshing bands that can thankfully still be found amongst the flood of mediocre bands. With the first EP they prove themselves as a strong contender among the next generation of punk bands. Take a minute out of your busy life and give Sequenced From The Bloodstream a moment to sink in to your ears.

http://www.myspace.com/twooclockcourage

For fans of: Four Year Strong, This Time Next Year, The Swellers, Set Your Goals

Top tracks: Dickie Greenleaf’s Revenge, Bring The Digital Rain, Stadium Lights

Rating: 7/10

Tracks:
1. Dickie Greenleaf’s Revenge
2. Interlude
3. Kid Tested
4. See You At The Aftermath
5. Bring The Digital Rain
6. Stadium Lights