Jonny Craig - A Dream Is A Question You Don't Know How To Answer (2009)

Genre: Rock/Experimental
Website: Myspace
For Fans Of: Emarosa, Isles And Glaciers, Dance Gavin Dance

Do I really need to say anything here? It's Jonny Craig, I'm betting you all know who he is. The whole former Dance Gavin Dance guy that's currently in Emarosa. Yeah, well, he's ambitiously decided to go about making a solo project and here it is, although chances are you knew that already. Well, we already know the guy has an awesome voice and his solo project only reinforces this, although I don't know if it's just me but I get kind of sick of his voice towards the end of the album - too much of a good thing maybe? Either way, his voice is as solid as ever, and thankfully so is the instrumentation. It's considerably poppier than the aforementioned bands he's been in/is a member of, which in all fairness was entirely predictable. I mean, it's a solo project. Surprisingly though, the instrumentation is really quite solid, I'm quite intrigued to know if he did it all himself or if someone else did, but yeah, the guitarwork is cool and the electronic-ish bits all fit in and sound awesome, so it gets a thumbs up from me. The album name, however, is just unecessarily long, I mean, really? A Dream Is A Question You Don't Know How To Answer? Typing it out is pretty damn awkward and the abbreviation ADIAQYDKHTA isn't much better either. But putting that aside, the album is really quite solid and most definitely does not disappoint.

ALBUM: JONNY CRAIG - A DREAM IS A QUESTION YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER

Isles & Glaciers - Demos

Jonny and Vic and Craig, oh my!

I have high, high hopes for Isles & Glaciers. Originally, I feared that there would not be enough microphone to go around, but these demos have me excited for the release. For those unfamiliar with the supergroup, the line-up consists of:

Vocals - Craig Owens (Chiodos/CinSun)
Vocals - Jonny Craig (Emarosa)
Vocals/Guitars - Vic Fuentes (Pierce The Veil)
Vocals/Guitars - Nick Martin (Underminded/CinSun)
Guitars/Programming - Brian Southall (TREOS/The Company We Keep)
Bass - Matt Goddard (Chiodos)
Drums - Mike Fuentes (Pierce The Veil)

On to the songs. These demos come from a radio interview of Craig and Brian promoting the group a few months back, where they were described as "unfinished, unmastered songs." Nonetheless, these tracks will give listeners a good feel of what to expect from I&G.

"Hills Like White Elephants" intros with Bone Pallace Ballet-era Chiodos-type music. The song shows the best use of the multiple vocalists, switching between piercing Craig to strained Jonny effortlessly. Nick and Vic take turns on the two breakdowns, which features the most screaming of the three tracks. My second favorite song of the bunch.

"Empty Sighs and Wine" is a BEAST. Great jamming guitar intro leads into awesome programming, courtesy of Southall (his involvement is what makes me believe this group has a chance at greatness). Jonny's vocals are strong here in strained and R&B forms, backed by Craig and Vic harmonies for extra-amazingness. The driving chorus seals the deal; it's sure to be a fan-favorite.

"Clush" gives Vic a chance to lead the vocals in what sounds like the most unfinished track. Craig hits new highs in the chorus, perfectly offset by Nick's screams before the Jonny breakdown. I'll waive judgement until a mastered version appears.

Take these demos as a teaser, because the final product could be much different. Even now, I recommend getting these songs in a high-quality format when they're released; there is too much going on to enjoy in a low-quality rip. Until the band decides to release a finished product, or even a release date, these will have to suffice. Enjoy.

SONGS: ISLES & GLACIERS - DEMOS

Jonny Craig & Vic Fuentes - She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty

JONNY, HOW WE LOVE THEE
If there's one person borderline worshipped here, by staff and followers, its Jonny Craig. Here's an acoustic number he did with Vic Fuentes from Pierce The Veil. Can't remember the exact story behind the song, but I believe they wrote it together on tour.

This was formerly offered free via PTV's MySpace. Enjoy.

SONG: VIC + JONNY - SHE MAKES DIRTY WORDS SOUND PRETTY