eOne Music Signs Katey Sagal:

Actress and singer/songwriter Katey Sagal announces the release of her new album, Covered, on Entertainment One Music on November 12, 2013.  Covered, is Sagal’s first studio album in 9 years, and features a duet with Jackson Browne on Steve Earle’s heartbreaking song “Goodbye.”  The album also features covers of songs by noted songwriters Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Ron Sexsmith, Tom Petty, Ryan Adams and more.

Track listing for Covered:
1. For Free (Joni Mitchell)
2. Roses & Cigarettes (Ray LaMontagne)
3. I Love You But I Don’t Know What To Say (Ryan Adams)
4. Gonna Take A Miracle (Laura Nyro)
5. Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty)
6. Goodbye (Steve Earle) (With Jackson Browne)
7. Secret Heart (Ron Sexsmith)
8. Follow The River (Bob Thiele/Tonio K)
9. Orphan Girl (Gillian Welch)
10. For a Dancer (Jackson Browne)

Review: Saints Row IV

With the release of Saints Row: The Third it seemed unlikely that the series could get any crazier right? Wrong. Saints Row IV proves that Volition will never stop raising the bar. The game itself almost acts as a middle finger to all triple A games out there. From the non-stop humor, to the driven storyline, this game achieves it all. Although Saints Row IV abandons the street gang atmosphere found in the first two of the series, this game might have one of the best stories out of the entire series. If you felt a bit disoriented after the Saints Row: The Third, have no fear because these two games go hand in hand.

Saints Row: The Third seemed to cause a bit of confusion on the direction of the game and the story, so it’s no wonder that Volition was so eager and quick to release Saints Row IV soon after. The loose ends that are left hanging from the third game are satisfactorily tied up in the fourth game. Without giving too much away, you will see the return of many characters that you haven’t seen in a while. The integration of the new characters (especially Kinzie) was something that I can personally say I was worried about. Who could possibly outwit Johnny Gat or be the butt of every joke like Pierce? Well, the addition of the newer characters is something that eventually became detrimental to the game’s entertainment. It’s always scary when dramatic changes are applied to a favorite game or series, but the more you open your mind and go with the flow, the more fun you will have with this game.

Saints Row IV breaks any barriers or guidelines that you may have thought applied to making video games. A game that used to be a real-world sandbox shoot ‘em up has now been turned into something that resembles Crackdown and Destroy All Humans. Superpowers, alien guns, a simulated world, and playing in people’s minds, on paper, this game sounds like a jumbled mess of disappointment. I mean, combining aspects of games that have never before been compared to the Saints Row series sounds like it would be impossible to enjoy this game, right? Well, what fun is life without a few surprises? This game keeps the elements that had you falling in love with the Saints Row series as well as completely changing up some aspects of the game. Playing this game, you will find yourself immersed in a totally ridiculous storyline as well as embracing your super-powered customizable character in a virtual reality simulated world created by an alien overlord.

You might be able to tell by reading this that Saints Row has left some of it’s more serious traits in the dust. Well the truth of the matter is that this is true and false. Volition does a great job of creating a blank slate for the player. Want to embrace the humorous side of the game? Go crazy with the unlimited possibilities of the customization process of the game. Everything from who you play as to how you wreak havoc among the virtual version of Steelport is completely up to you. This aspect of the game has never left the series. If you want to find the fulfillment in the serious and driven parts of the game, well you can do that too. Create a character that fits the role of the story as your group’s leader, the President of the United States of America, and right hand man to each and every member or your crew. Saints Row IV has stayed true to its original goal of creating a game that’s sole purpose is to play to your discretion.
    
Whether you have been a fan of the series since the first release of Saints Row in 2006 or are just jumping in on the action today, there is one promise I can make you. You will have fun. If you want to get immersed in the world and story, or just shoot everything you see with the Dubstep Gun, you will have the time of your life doing it. This game has made a name for itself and separated itself from any other game out there. No longer can this game be compared to the Grand Theft Auto series as it cuts any relation it ever had to even being in the same genre with Saints Row IV. Volition took a huge risk with this game, and man did it pay off.

Have fun, and never stop playing!

Rating: 9.5/10

-Nic Cheatle

Review: Touche Amore - Is Survived By

Touche Amore's “Is Survived By” is a fantastic third-album follow up to Parting The Sea Between You and Me. It’s the connecting piece between the two albums and has a lasting appeal that will keep listeners happy for a long time.

This album is just as intense, fast-paced and hardcore as previous albums, but with this record Touche Amore has created songs that actually sound more like songs. There is more structure and creative design to their hardcore-story telling style. This has made the album feel complete, while remains ever-so ambitious and dynamic in all senses. Musically, the drumming is once again very diverse and flows extremely well with each song. Drummer Elliot Babin really controls the songs and makes them his own. The guitarists have made a more diverse record and the tones they used on this album are fantastic. The music alone feels like it’s telling part of a story, and with Jeremy Bolm’s lyrics and bouncy vocal patterns the story seems complete. Though some moments feels a bit generic or “cheesy”, Bolm does a great job on this record.

His voice has points of being lifeless or monotone, but that doesn’t take away too much of the record. Is Survived By is a great album and definitely a step up from previous releases for Touché Amoré. What made people originally hooked on this band is still there and with the broader dynamics musically this album should attract some new listeners. For fans of La Dispute, and Therefore I Am. Is Survived By will be released on September 24th.

8.5/10

- Ryan

Review: Papers, Please

Paper’s, Please is an indie game unlike any other. In it, you play a border checkpoint worker in the fictional 1982 Soviet Russian country of Arstotzka. With each day of work, comes new rules and procedures to follow, and random events to occur. The story is based around the corrupt Arstotzkan government in which you work for (without much choice), and the rebel group going against them. You make choices to either help the rebels or the government. There are 20 different endings to the game based on your choices, and throughout the game you make many of those choices either by your morals, or the consequences of your actions.

The gameplay is confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not too bad. You play as the man in the booth at border checkpoints that validates the entree’s documents. You have a rule book to go by and an inspection mode to use to pick out discrepancies in each person’s documents. You get paid at the end of each day, and have to distribute your earnings to pay for your family’s expenses such as food, rent, and heat. If you fail to keep up your families health, you fail the game. You get paid 5 credits to each person dealt with correctly in one day. This can be very unforgiving, as you try to correctly deal with as many people as possible in a short amount of time. If you fail to correctly deal with a person’s documents, you won’t get paid, and if you continue that way, you eventually get fined.

The game get’s more stressing as the days go on, and you begin to feel the pressure. Random events occur such as bribes, moral issues, and reoccurring characters. This keeps the gameplay somewhat fresh, and without these, it would be a pretty miserable time. The game is unique and is unlike most, if not all games out there now, which I have a lot of respect for. Unfortunately, this game is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination.

Though the random events help keep the game engaging, it still gets very repetitive, very fast. The game does a good job at giving you a fair representation of a laborious and terrible job, and that’s the issue. You literally are doing a brutal and obnoxious job. I like how the game makes you actually feel like that, but still, I would love to have a little more fun when I play games, ya know? That being said, I felt this game was a phenomenal indie game and should not be missed. Though I personally feel like the $10 price tag is not worth it fully, I recommend it anyway to anyone looking for something new and different with a thick wallet.

7/10.

- Chris Grieco  

KTM Podcast: Grand Theft Auto V: First Impressions

Eric, Nic, and I discuss our first impressions of GTA V. Past episodes can be found here. If you like the podcast, write a 5-star review for it and subscribe on iTunes. This episode is sponsored by Audible, the best place to find audio books online. Audible titles play on iPhone, Kindle, Android and more than 500 devices for listening anytime, anywhere. Go to audiblepodcast.com/killthemusic to learn more.

Join Us On Other Networks

Just a friendly reminder to make sure you check us out on other social networks. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, iTunes, Audible and Tumblr. The owner/editor (Jordan) can also be found elsewhere online.

Reel Big Fish Announce Co-Headline Dates with Goldfinger

Reel Big Fish have announced new U.S. fall dates! See below for their co-headline dates with Goldfinger, as well as dates with Five Iron Frenzy! In addition to the North American run, the band will be touring South America with Goldfinger next month as well as playing at Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare in Pomona, CA on October 27. A UK co-headliner with Less Than Jake and special guest Zebrahead kicks off in late January.

Sept 27 Baltimore, MD Power Plant Live

South America

October 12th: Sao Paulo, Brazil – WROS Festival (with Hot Water Music, Less Than Jake, Strung Out, Pulley)

October 16th: Rosario, Argentina – Pugliesi (with Goldfinger)

October 18th: Buenos Aires, Argentina – El Teatro Flores (with Goldfinger)

 October 20th: Panama City, Panama – Carpa Ford Cincuentenario (with Goldfinger)

 October 27, 2013 – Rob Zombie’s Great American Nightmare LA Fairplex Pomona, CA www.greatamericannightmare.com

Oct 30 Boca Raton, FL – Florida Atlantic University (with Dirtyheads)

Co-headline Dates with Goldfinger (11/1-11/3, 11/10-11/13)

Dates with Five Iron Frenzy 11/5-11/10 + 11/15)
 
All tickets for these shows go on sale on Friday September 20!

11/1/13: Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues (with Goldfinger)
11/2/13: Saint Petersburg, FL – Jannus Landing (with Goldfinger)
11/3/13: Jacksonville, FL – Free Bird Live (with Goldfinger)
11/5/13: Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte (with Five Iron Frenzy)
11/6/13: Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring (with Five Iron Frenzy)
11/7/13: Boston, MA – Royale Boston (with Five Iron Frenzy)
11/9/13: Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman Theater (with Five Iron Frenzy)
11/10/13: Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom (with Goldfinger and Five Iron Frenzy)
11/12/13: New York, NY – Best Buy Theater (with Goldfinger)
11/13/13: Huntington, NY – The Paramount (with Goldfinger)
11/15/13: Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory (with Five Iron Frenzy)

2014 UK Co-Headlining w/ Less Than Jake w/ special guests Zebrahead

Jan. 29th Belfast, Ireland – Limelight

Jan 30th Dublin, Ireland – the Academy

Feb. 1st Cardiff, Wales – Great Hall

Feb 2nd Bristol, UK – O2 Academy

Feb 3rd Manchester, UK – Academy

Feb 4th Newcastle, UK – O2 Academy

Feb 5th Glasgow, Scotland – O2 ABC

Feb 6th Leeds, UK – O2 Academy

Feb 7th Nottingham, UK – Rock City

Feb 8th Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy

Feb 10th Norwich, UK – UEA

Feb 11th Oxford, UK – O2 Academy

Feb 12th Portsmouth, UK – Pyramids

Feb 13th Brighton, UK – Concorde 2 (SOLD OUT)

Feb 14th London, UK – Shepherds Bush Empire

Feb 15th London, UK – Shepherds Bush Empire

February 22 – 26th the Rock Boat Cruise Miami, FL to Great Stirrup Cay (info: http://www.therockboat.com )

Protest The Hero Premiere Lyric Video for Clarity

With the overwhelming response to the first single from their new album Volition, Protest The Hero have created a lyric video for the track “Clarity” which is now live at Alternative Press

The Story So Far Announce Hometown Show

The Story So Far are playing this years 76th Annual Walnut Festival in Walnut Creek, CA TONIGHT at 10pm. Tickets at the gate $6 or $5 w/ canned food. For more info please visit http://www.thewalnutfestival.org/

Reggie And The Full Effect To Release New Album

James Dewees partnered with Pure Noise Records for the upcoming release of his newest LP, No Country For Old Musicians, out November 19th. It will feature guest appearances by Frank Iero, Adam Lazzara, Allison Weiss, Sean Ingram and Ray Toro. Reggie is best known as for Reggie and The Full Effect/The Get Up Kids, but has been involved in writing and touring with both New Found Glory and My Chemical Romance. After taking a break from the music scene, he was inspired by the outpour of support from fans to enter the studio and make another album.

Track Listing
1. Introduction
2. Super Croc VS. Mega Doosh
3. 37
4. Fowlin’ Around
5. Revenge is a dish best served at Park Chan-Wook’s
6. Guerrera
7. Gimme back my leg
8. Robo Fonzie meets Frank
9. Who needs another drank featuring Floppy disk-0
10. Sundae, booty sundae featuring Fluxuation
11. Kanji tattoos still in style
12. We make a breakfast
13. To the Fruit Wizards of Donnington
14. DMV featuring Common Denominator
15. Disregard
16. Danka Shan