"The mirror's even tired of you..."

Theo Kogan is better than you are.

At the very least, her voice would like you to believe so, as it surges with attitude during every track of the newly released Theo and the Skyscrapers album So Many Ways to Die. She sings lyrics like, "when she shoots a load, you better swallow" with a delivery that reminds you she and her band members probably did not so much as blink while attaining their extensive collection of tattoos. The song "Big Britches" does the best job of reinforcing their queen-bitch-synth-punk sound, by the way.

Regardless of the bold demeanor, it's on some of the more experimental tracks where the band truly shines. "Tease," which I quoted previously, is a departure from some of the speedier pacing which marks the rest of the album. It is what I believe to be the strongest track. The deeper synth layering and drumline match the lower vocals really well and truly embody the tone of the album. Another example of the radical side appears on what turned out to be my favorite track, "New York." The band plays for a minute and a half before the vocals cue in, and then those same vocals are used to propel the melody further (especially toward the end), rather than impart the lyrical material. I mean, it's so well orchestrated that if I were ever to create a horror movie (a la Danny Boyle and 28 Days Later) and the horribly infected potentially zombie people were clawing their way up to our unaware society from their graves, "New York" is the song I would want playing in the background to provide a slowly building suspenseful atmosphere. Seriously.

Theo and the Skyscrapers understand the rock lifestyle (Theo used to roll with the Lunachicks. Small world, one of the other members of the Lunachicks babysat a friend of mine from college when she was but a wee tot. Sean Pierce played with Toilet Boys, etc), making a name for themselves without label support and touring with bands like Rancid and Marilyn Manson (the latter of whom's influence you can hear on the darkerwave edges of the guitar material, particularly the song, "Spider"), and are a band that seems to emanate the attitude of the city they inhabit.

Theo and the Skyscrapers are embarking on a summer tour soon and you can purchase the album at the TATS Myspace.


While I'm on the topic of bands and New York, the Siren Festival's schedule was finally announced:



Now I don't have to worry as much about potential time conflicts between desired acts like the We Are Scientists, Voxtrot, and the New York Dolls, as everything is laid out in a handy dandy flyer.

Though it's 11 days away, I'm excited (It'll be my first concert back from my MCAT imposed 3 month live music hiatus) so here are some tracks to get you guys excited too.

Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives from Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives EP

We Are Scientists - This Scene is Dead from With Love and Squalor

Keith Murray = yum.