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The Knock-Down Drag-Outs by House Of Heroes  | CD Reviews And Information | NewReleaseToday

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The Knock-Down Drag-Outs [edit]
by House Of Heroes | Genre: Pop/Rock | Release Date: April 30, 2013
 

Gotee Records band House of Heroes is set to release a 19-song compilation titled The Knock-Down Drag-Outs on April 30. The album features new songs, b-sides, covers, remixes, acoustic versions and more. It will be available at all digital outlets while physical copies will be only be available exclusively at the band’s shows and at gotee.com/store.

The compilation combines all the songs from the band’s digital EPs, such as "The Acoustic End EP" and "Meets the Beatles EP", with digital singles, bonus tracks and more.

There are also 3 brand new recordings and 2 new remixes, including one by Soul Glow Activatur of Family Force 5.

"Throughout our many years with Gotee Records we have been fortunate enough to record many "extra" songs in addition to the 4 full length albums that we released. This is a collection of all those songs. We are also super excited to get some of the extra songs we wrote for ‘Cold Hard Want’ out to our fans. They were some of our favorites," explains Tim Skipper.





Track Listing
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
01. Dead
02. Choose Your Blade
03. Hide
04. Your Casualty
Click To Add Lyrics
05. Lovesick Zombie
06. Galveston
07. Patient
08. The Young and the Brutal
09. New Moon
10. Ghost
11. If (Acoustic)
12. Serial Sleepers (Acoustic)
13. Can't Buy Me Love
14. It Won't Be Long
15. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
16. Day by Day
17. Remember the Empire (Family Force 5 Phenomenon Remix)
18. Suspect (McSwagger Remix)
19. The Voices of Suburba
Click To Add Lyrics

Entry last edited by NRTeamAdmin on 04.29.13

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Rough and Tumble Rock and Roll | Posted May 10, 2013
In addition to wracking up five incredibly solid full-length albums over the past seven years, rock group House of Heroes has also created a significant number of remixes, acoustic renditions, and singles on the side.

Unless you've been following them from the beginning, you probably haven't had a chance to grab each of these gems as they were released, and thus The Knock Down Drag Outs collection was born, providing a way to get those side selections into fans' hands.
 
Because of the fact that it's a compilation album, the 19 songs that compose The Knock Down Drag Outs are extremely diverse. The album begins with a set of B-sides and songs previously only available with EPs or singles.

The album starts with lead singer Tim Skipper showing off the grittier side of his vocal range on "Dead," spitting "I might be dead by the time you hear this song." This is an example of the classic gritty rock and roll side of House Of Heroes at its finest, complete with raw guitar riffs and punch-in-the gut lyrics pumped full of adrenaline. This is a sound that comes out again on "Galveston," a narrative track about some of the heartache of growing up, and also on "The Young and The Brutal"--an anthem for a dangerously restless and apathetic generation looking for something for which they can fight.
 
The foursome has more up their sleeves than just their rock and roll sensibilities, which quickly becomes apparent with "Choose Your Blade." The song details a moonlit confrontation with your own personal demons, framed in folk-style songwriting and instrumentation that builds a subtle Western vibe. That same slight twang comes out again on "Your Casualty," a song which also showcases the upper stretches of Tim Skipper's vocal range as his voice climbs through the words "cast me out on bitter winds, a diamond in the sun." "New Moon" captures more of the folk side again, both musically and in the vividly poetic lyrics.
 
"Patient" is the stand-out ballad of the collection, sung like a vulnerably earnest prayer over a soft piano backdrop, confessing, "I see you, and I know the truth / And I still want you, you are the grace that I believe in." The song "Ghost" is a ballad more in the vein of classic country, following the story of a small town boy who gets mixed in with the wrong crowd and loses the ones he loves in the process.
 
The collection includes two acoustic arrangements of tracks from House Of Heroes' 2006 release Say No More. "If" remains upbeat and almost danceable despite the acoustic re-working. "Serial Sleepers" takes on a much more haunting feeling with a restrained arrangement bringing out the best of Tim Skipper's piercingly clear, controlled vocals.
 
A generous three covers of classic songs by The Beatles are also included, a fitting decision given that the band has commonly been hailed as a modern-day incarnation of that iconic rock group. Classics "Can't Buy Me Love," "It Won't Be Long," and "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" all get the House Of Heroes treatment, retaining the core of the original while gaining a slightly harder rock edge. Here the four members work together to pull off many of the cornerstone harmonies of the originals while still very much retaining their own musical voice.
 
Two songs from last summer's Cold Hard Want get a thorough remix treatment. Solomon Olds (Soul Glow Activatur) of Family Force 5 remixed "Remember The Empire," creating a much more textured, danceable version of the song without losing the strong melody. The McSwagger remix of "Suspect" takes a more complete overhaul approach, turning the rock tune into a surprisingly polished club-styled pop song.
 
The collection wraps up with an intriguing partially acapella mashup of tracks from 2010's Suburba. The result is a somewhat haunting medley of the voices of suburban American youth.
 
Closing Thoughts:
This is an incredibly diverse collection that beautifully represents House Of Heroes's strengths in a variety of areas, making it the perfect addition to any fan's collection and a potential positive introduction for anyone wanting to give them a try. House Of Heroes is a rock band as rock and roll should be— raw, occasionally tongue in cheek, layered without being overly complex, and always deeply human as it addresses growing up, relating to others, and seeking to know God.

Song to Download Now:
"Patient" (Get it on iTunes here.)


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