Recover

This Christian-but-not-pushy-about-it screamo/metalcore quintet have members from all over, while calling Los Angeles home. Sonically, though, they could pretty much be from anywhere on Earth–this is the sound of MySpace, not any one regional scene. It's really difficult to leap out of the pack in a genre that's become astonishingly cookie-cutter in only a few years, but Recover, their second full-length, musters some aggression that doesn't feel 100 percent ersatz, and the clean parts rise organically out of the songs rather than feeling tacked-on or obligatory. The lyrics are all about pain and positivity in the face of existential despair, as the album title and songs like "When Heaven Is Silent" and "Tell Me I'm Not Alone" ought to make abundantly clear. Vocalist Ross Kenyon and drummer/vocalist Joel Piper do a good job with the usual one-two of angelic crooning and hoarse, almost black-metal-worthy "rawr rawr," backed by crunchy riffs and–in a surprising burst of individuality–a heavy, almost detuned bass sound that rumbles through the mix at unexpected moments. The band name, album title and haircuts might make cynics dismiss Confide and Recover as just another youth-group whine-along, but there are a few songs, "Tell Me I'm Not Alone" in particular, that could win over skeptics.

Tragic Hero http://www.myspace.com/tragicherorecords