New Year, New Album – Part 2

For the first few listens of Makyo Star's new self-titled album, I was a skeptic. All this time spent and post-Waiting hype? There was nothing that really stood out to make it a unique pop-punk album, other than track 9, and that was because it features a cello. The poppy vocals won out as the predominant auditory focus, and there was nothing really shocking or different about their songs.

And then, I listened in my car with the volume up.

Suddenly, all the nuances in the guitars and drums were thrust right in front of me. The songs shredded, and, most importantly, though the boys of Makyo Star have streamlined their music into a consistent sound, they have not overlooked variety. No Worries, my personal favorite, features wavering guitar riffs that are undeniably metal, especially in the latter half of the song. Then, the album rolls right into Make Believe, mixing acoustic and electric guitar into a rock anthem. Later, they supplement with the swooning notes of a cello, which layers in a more intimate depth to Silent Mouths Empty Hearts.

What is most noticeable about this album is once you really let the songs rip, there is a robust, layered texture of music on each track. It helps that the boys are all well versed in both their instruments, and others onstage. This cross-instrument understanding allows them to craft more dynamic songs, regardless of whether they develop tracking or lyrics first.

It's easy to see that Makyo Star has left the school-age story lines of albums-past behind and moved onto the reflection of relationships that makes this album accessible for many audiences. The younger Landers noted that they stepped away from the trap that many pop-punk bands fall into –a whole album about girls– and explored the life changes that come with friendships, touring, and family upset. The result is as Panek describes an "epic...raw" album. (But for you emo punks out there, the songs about girls are tracks 2, 5 and 8)

From a music development standpoint, it's their commitment and vision that is helping drive Makyo Star forward from a pop-punk band, to a rock band with pop, classic rock and punk influences. True, the guys admit that they're influenced by mainstream pop acts, but they also draw inspiration from grittier, traditional rock bands (Check out Make Believe for its Smashing Pumpkin-like guitar and Hero's Van Halen-esque riffs). Their openness to genre-bending and professional admiration of each other is what created a stellar album.

Makyo Star is available online at Amazon.com, but I recommend buying a hard copy Saturday night at the German House for their official release.