"And now she's shaking and drying her tears on her sleeve, where her heart used to be."

Freeze the Atlantic, which contains ex-members of Hundred Reasons and Reuben, recently dropped their debut EP, Colour by Numbers. As a fan of Reuben, I looked forward to some fairly impressive music. What I heard, however, was music and vocals that felt like something I would have listened to in high school.

Still, there are moments that make this a promising preview of things to come. The last half of "Waking Up" is very Reuben-esque, which can never be a bad thing, and flips the song around completely. Jon Pearce and Guy Davis are a strong rhythm section and stand out clearly in the mix, while vocalist Chris Knott, who at times gives off a Patrick Stump feel, really shines on "Broken Bones (acoustic)." The guitar work, however, isn't anything above average, which is a shame due to the fact that Andy Gilmour can do so much more for this band.

Overall, this is a decent debut and I look forward to hearing more from Freeze the Atlantic. Hopefully, it will live up to what fans of the members's previous bands know these guys are capable of.

Verdict: 3/5 Alibis
Sounds like: High School
Favorite Tracks: "Waking Up," "Broken Bones (acoustic)"

Bands You Should Be Listening To: Streetlight Manifesto

Streetlight Manifesto is a seven-piece third-wave ska band from New Jersey that deserves more credit and recognition than they receive. Largely a product of the genius of lead singer and guitarist, Tomas Kalnoky, the band's songs are exceptionally well-written. Kalnoky initially writes the songs using an acoustic guitar. The band later takes this blueprint and fine-tunes it, cleverly combining guitar riffs typical of ska acts with intricate horn breakdowns. In short, these guys are brilliant musicians. Any band that can incorporate a horn section rendition of Johannes Brahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 5" into one of their songs ("If and When We Rise Again") deserves all kinds of praise.

Just last year, the band released an album of cover songs, titled 99 Songs of Revolution. Covers of songs like "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service and "Just" by Radiohead showcase Streetlight's ability to rework songs into a masterpiece all their own. It's been over three years since the band released any original material, but Kalnoky recently revealed that they had been in the studio recording a new album. The album will be released this year, though a date has not been set. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement.

"If and When We Rise Again"