Following their 2005 effort, 'The Dawn', BFBE are back with an album chock-full of radio friendly anthems. 'The City And The Ghost' is a powerful opener, displaying vocalist Daniel Rinaldi's voice amazingly. He has a breathtaking range, not even faltering at the top end of his register. It does have a hint of '80s anthem about it though, but in a good way. 'Waste my Time' sounds so much like Cartel's 'Honesty' it is untrue (sing the melody along with the verse, it screams 'lawsuit')The blatant Def Leppard spoof 'Ms. Shapes' is hilarious, but I'm sure the band are very unaware. Rinaldi's voice shines on acoustic tracks such as 'Walk With Me', which is a very sweet song. Teens will swoon, scenesters will scoff, I'm slightly impressed at this bands balls.

Bedlight For Blue Eyes is not a group that's content with dwelling on the past. They've gone through numerous line-up changes since their debut album The Dawn hit stores in 2005, all of which have actually changed the band for the better. New vocalist Daniel Rinaldi (who replaced the departed Christian Guerrero in 2006) doesn't try to be his predecessor -- although he sings in a similar soaring style, his voice contains more heart, soul, and passion, which allows the listener to realize that he really has a good time fronting this band; new guitarist Dan Taylor also adds a similar element of rejuvenation and fun to the mix, as he seems more at ease with the genre than original guitarist Justin Ortiz. With Life on Life's Terms, the band's second album for Trustkill, the band has adapted a much poppier style and all but abandoned the heavy, uneven grandiosity that plagued The Dawn. Each track is bursting with radio-ready flavor and hit-single potential, in part because of the well-crafted guitar hooks of lead guitarist Derek Weber, who also shared the bass parts for the recording process with Dan Taylor (before the recording, original bassist James Granuzzo willfully resigned from the band). The guitars on the record are brought to the forefront thanks to the excellent production of Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, the team most known for their work on Cartel's Chroma. The versatility of the guitar work throughout the course of the album helps carry the mood of the record nearly as much as the impossibly high vocal register that pops up during the hookiest parts of each song -- the most notable is probably the album's most daring track, "Too Late For Us", which finds the band crafting a modern day pop song from the groundwork laid down nearly thirty years ago by arena-rock heroes Boston. However, the band shines their brightest on perfect-for-radio tunes like "Whole Again", a song whose chorus is so catchy that it seems like it would be a travesty for it not to be all over every music fan's iPod; "Waste My Time", a song that takes the simplicity of a verse-bridge-chorus-verse pop tune and reminds listeners just how alive rock really is; and "Without You (We Are Everything)", the band's (pretty much) only mention of the circumstances involving their former singer's trials and tribulations (the only other mention of the band's past is one line "It's been brighter since The Dawn" in "Whole Again"), which just so happens to be the fastest song on the record, proving that no matter what the tempo, Bedlight can handle it. While this record does have a lot of positive qualities to it, it's unlikely that the band is going to please the diehard fans who listed The Dawn as the second coming of the messiah (there were plenty, believe it or not). The style changes are a bit too drastic, and there's not much of the gloom-and-doom emo that covered much of their last record. Also, the production might be a little bit too clean for some people, but it was definitely the right move -- the flawlessly perfect production does wonders for the band's obvious desires to be the new kings of pop. Fans of the older stuff also won't appreciate ballads like "Walk With Me" (a song that is only redeemed by the last 1:30) and "Michael", a song which will most likely wet the panties of any girl under 18 but serves absolutely no other purpose. Time will tell if Bedlight for Blue Eyes can rise to the occasion and be the pop superstars it's obvious they want to be, but the only way they can do that is by gaining exposure and crafting pretty much an entirely new group of fans. The bashing of this album by the Christian Guerrero faithful is imminent, but when it comes down to it, unwarranted. The band is better having gotten rid of the inflated ego that plagued their earlier years, and while there's no denying Christian's voice propelled the band to unparalleled levels, there's also no denying how good of a vocalist Danny is, especially given that at the time of the recording he was barely 18 years old. These guys sound like they're finally having fun and it shows, because Life on Life's Terms is a truly enjoyable pop album that shines on repeat listens. Recommended.

On their third outing in just three years, Life on Life’s Terms, Bedlight for Blue Eyes at first seem like little more than one of the many bands following Fall Out Boy’s lead. After all, there’s definitely a demand out there right now for squeezing out glossy, immaculate emo on a regular schedule, coupled with shrill, trebley vocals and lots of bravado. Yet thankfully, the young fourpiece has survived the numerous lineup changes of their early days (the only original member playing on Life’s Terms is drummer Itzhak Bishburg), and manage to prove they’re not as shallow as others on the bandwagon; while they don’t steer away from rather whiny adolescent breakup songs, their numbers also have a charm and wit to them ("Spare me your bedroom stories of all your new love affairs / I’d love to say I’m happy for you but I’m just not there") that separates them from the rest of the pack. The album does get off to a precarious start with the generic “The City and the Ghost”, where vocalist Daniel Rinaldi sounds like the guy equivalent of Paramore’s Hayley Williams, gasping exultantly “I swore it’d be different” over three chords that more or less confirm the exact opposite. But Life on Life’s Terms soon starts to take shape, thanks to its memorable, larger-than-life hooks, and more to Dan Taylor and Derek Weber’s guitars. The duo’s bouncy riffs sparkle and glisten probably due more to the crisp glossing-over than any genuine talent on his part. Still, the end justifies the means—“Ms. Shapes” rings with an air of confidence, dominated by his gritty, off-the-beat playing, and next in line “Whole Again” is propelled by tight, closed hi-hat drumming and skittery chord changes. Bedlight for Blue Eyes can deliver their upbeat rock with serviceable verve, but to their credit, they can also walk the less-trodden path. “Walk With Me” is a steel-string acoustic lighter-waver, wisely positioned as the album’s centrepiece, more touching than anything their peers can muster. Rinaldi has an impressive range, except for a slight tendency to mumble in the upper register. Mellower territory like this gives him a chance to reach godly melodic heights, and the rest of the band to stretch out and catch their breath. “Too Late For Us” manages to be ultra-catchy and not seem like it’s whoring itself out for radio play. It’s a good-natured kiss-off to an ex underlined by adventurous, galloping basslines, plus a chorus that quotes Macbeth ("What’s done is done"), and possibly the most unbelievable line in an album of its kind this year: “If this album tops the Billboard I think I’ll save a quarter to call you and let you know.” “Without You (We Are Everything)” seems just like its evil twin, featuring a screeching solo from either Taylor or Weber that’s really not half-bad. The last track on Bedlight for Blue Eyes is “Michael”, dedicated to the lead singer’s brother who apparently met an untimely death. It’s without doubt a risky endeavor from the band: stepping away from the safe sugar-coated bulk of their previous material and taking on this sort of intensely personal ballad. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get much past an anthemic format (which, for the record, includes enough acoustic guitar strumming to sink a Panic! At the Disco song) and teary-eyed emoting ("Am I making you proud of me?"). But the sentiment is obviously there. That could apply to Life on Life’s Terms as a general statement—forgive it for its unoriginality, and give it an honest spin. Bedlight for Blue Eyes may sound like Fall Out Boy copycats, but they most ambitiously claim they’re committed to bringing back arena rock.

So it appears that Bedlight for Blue Eyes took the hint and did what everyone wanted them to do, parted ways with their old singer. I know how tight band members can be, but in all honesty, he was the soul reason why I didn’t like their debut record. With a new singer and new bassist/backup vocalist in the fold, Bedlight For Blue Eyes have gone in a new direction but are still following the path they set out originally. Right out of the gate you learn one thing, if you’re a fan of Cartel and Anberlin, you’ll probably love this record. Their new singer has vocals akin to Stephen Christian of Anberlin mixed slightly with Will Pugh of Cartel and the music is something like a more rock and roll version of Cartel. What does this mean for you, is the question you should be asking yourselves now. Well, simple enough, you can tell you’re going to get an upbeat poppy rock album that has stable yet somehow dynamic vocals layered over a rock based power pop band. It’s as simple as that. Is there anything wrong with that? Not at all, Bedlight for Blue Eyes has really reinvented themselves and gone through a complete overhaul, retooling every aspect of their sound. Even the members that didn’t leave, the drummer and the guitarists, seem to have grown and gotten better as well as tighter. Following the teaser EP that they released to hype the album, Waste My Time (which was a digital only release available on itunes), Life On Life’s Terms doesn’t disappoint in any interpretation of the word. The only thing that I could have asked of them would have been a bit more depth to the songs. While they’re good songs, they tend to blur together about half way through the album. Some variation and depth would have helped to break up the album, and would have served them well. If you didn’t like Bedlight’s first album, you’re not alone. But that doesn’t mean that you should ignore Life On Life’s Terms. They’re almost a different band all together. Stepping into the studio with Kenneth Mount and Zack Odom (Death Cab For Cutie, Cartel, etc.) didn’t hurt at all either. This is a pretty good release for the pop rock genre.

It’s easy and even slightly expected for fellow music lovers to be skeptical of youngster bands that like to place themselves in any category including the word “rock” when they usually don’t even come close. Bedlight For Blue Eyes finally got it right- they put their music where their mouths are, and these guys are some truly rockin’ dudes. Bedlight for Blue Eyes’ new album, “Life on Life’s Terms” rocks to its utmost powerpop core. With producers Kenneth Mount and Zack Odom (Cartel, Death Cab for Cutie), they created an album similar to that of Cartel’s “Chroma” with a very impressive and surprising taste of 80s rock mixed throughout many of the tracks. The bulk of the album is songs that you can jam out to and appreciate from many different angles from lyrics to vocals to the musical playing abilities of the band. The songs rock out in all aspects but contain lyrical content on many levels from songs about wanting a wickedly badass chick (Ms. Shapes) to needing to do a little soul searching (Whole Again) to telling that special someone in your life the relationship is just too lost to be saved (Too Late For Us). If anyone wants to battle with this band’s ability to rock out, just take a quick listen to songs “Ms. Shapes,” which could be quickly compared to Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” and “Too Late For Us,” which simply equals perfection between the high pitched vocals and jamming guitar riffs. With the band feeling the need to show their soft sides too- they toss in a couple ballads (Walk With Me, Broken Door, Michael). It’s understandable- where would Guns N’ Roses be without “November Rain?” They are decent slow songs with sincerity poured into the lyrics which you hear in lead singer Danny Rinaldi’s vocals. All of these songs include incredible hooks and melodies with striking vocals by Rinaldi that resemble a mix of Will Pugh (Cartel) and Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy). Rinaldi hits glass breaking high notes that border ear splitting but usually go the opposite and are truly impressive. The band shows off their musical abilities in many of the songs by slipping in a guitar solo here and there (Walk With Me, Without You (We Are Everything)) that were found to be impressive as well. Whatever genre the listener wants to place these guys in, they will undoubtedly rock the shit out of it. If you’re into powerpop rock with an unusually awesome twist, pay homage to these boys. After all, any band that sneaks a sense of 80s rock into their tunes deserves some groupie love!

This is Bedlight for Blue Eyes’ second album, and I didn’t listen to the first album. This is my first time hearing them really. I remember hearing a couple tracks when the first album came out online somewhere, probably Myspace. I didn’t think much of them then, just an average pop punk band that wasn’t anything new. So before listening to this CD, I had a few qualms. The first track did not change any of my original thoughts of the band, as “The City and the Ghost” is a simple, catchy pop punk song about a girl, and it is what you could consider a single. The second track is almost the same thing and reminded me of Cartel, which isn’t bad, but doesn’t show much originality. But when the third song, “Ms. Shapes,” started, I knew something was up. The song begins with a solid rock intro and only gets better. By the chorus, Bedlight for Blueyes had regained my attention. Finally, the guitar solo came in and rounded out the great track. This is my favorite song on the album. It seems that after “Ms. Shapes,” the album takes a turn and each song following is both more varied and enjoyable. When I got to the fifth song, “Walk With Me,” I was once again thrown off guard, not so much by the song but by the placement of it in the album. Most acoustic ballads are at the end of albums, but this one was right in the middle. I like the change of order and the song is quite good as well. Towards the end of the track, I swear I heard a female voice, but it isn’t credited in the album notes. It might have just been one of the guys in the band, but I’m totally convinced it was female. “Life on Life’s Terms,” the title track, is about a friend who loses his girlfriend to a “lesser” guy. Overall, the song is very interesting and is a great positive song showing the power of a good friend. The rest of the songs all have different variations to them and all stand out for different reasons. For coming into this CD thinking not too much about the band other than the fact that they weren’t horrible, this is a great CD. The production is clean and polished but there is definitely a sense of raw, rock n roll energy. The lyrics are pretty straightforward and can get very personal, like in “Broken Door,” which is about not knowing your father. They are also not so overly poetic that you really have to dig into the song to get it, which is good for me because I’m not very good at that. The last song, “Michael,” is about the singer losing his older brother and reacting to the reality of it. The song is one of the best on the album and in normal fashion, it is the acoustic ballad closer. The whole album clocks in at just over 40 minutes in 11 tracks, which is a decent length with a good variation in songs; no intros, interludes, or outros. This album is definitely a guilty pleasure for me, as this is not a typical band I would enjoy listening to. For me, it is one of those records that grow on me each time I listen to it, and those are the best albums. It also features some double bass, which is hard for me to not like, as I have metal in my blood. Motion City Soundtrack mixed with Cartel and a rock n roll backbone can sum up the album’s sound. I know this seems pretty boring on paper, and I probably would right it off immediately, but I think you will be surprised if you take it for a spin. If you are looking for some punk style melodies with some rock n roll substance, than this is for you.