Review: All Time Low - So Wrong, It's Right
Posted on 8 May 2008 | No Comments
This record sounds like the New Found All-American Cartel or maybe like Fall Out Starting Parade. In other words, All Time Low dishes out catchy-as-hell nu-school pop punk that isn’t anything you haven’t heard before… but I still like So Wrong, It’s Right quite a bit. It may be mindlessly entertaining, but sometimes you’ve just gotta indulge your craving for a burger and fries instead of eating the smoked salmon over leafy greens.
MP3 | All Time Low – Dear Maria Count Me In So Wrong, It’s Right
MP3 | All Time Low – This Is How We Do So Wrong, It’s Right
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Small Towns Burn A Little Slower - So Begins The Test Of A Man
Posted on 6 May 2008 | No Comments
I really liked the debut full-length from Minneapolis’ Small Towns Burn A Little Slower. Called Morality As Home Entertainment, it was pop-punk but with just enough to distinguish it from the standard-issue Warped Tour fare. Their latest (and, sadly, final) album So Begins The Test Of A Man is (again) full of what could basically be called pop-punk, but has a slicker sound than its predecessor and could be called more “mature” (as cheesy as that sounds).
And even though the tunes on So Begins The Test Of A Man are still super-melodic and catchy, they’ve been slowed down a bit to a more mid-tempo pace. “What Is It Worth” reminds me a lot of the pedal-steel pop-punk of Hot Rod Circuit (a good thing) and (surprisingly) one of the best songs on the album is the acoustic “Meth Is The New America.” I usually abhor the token acoustic song, but there is just something very real about it; something sincere. And while So Begins… isn’t exactly the send-off I’d liked to have gotten from these guys (I think they are capable of more), it is still good. Rec’d for fans of Cartel, Taking Back Sunday, Gratitude, etc…
MP3 | Small Towns Burn A Little Slower – Rx (Drive) So Begins The Test Of A Man
MP3 | Small Towns Burn A Little Slower – Meth Is The New America So Begins The Test Of A Man
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Fell Far Behind - Reaching The Red Line
Posted on 28 April 2008 | 1 Comment
If you like New Found Glory or Bayside, you might just have found your new favorite band. Fell Far Behind is a New Jersey quintet that straddles the line between harder-edged rock and fast-paced pop-punk. It’s catchy, melodic, and solidly-played with loads of technical guitarmonies. Nothing really out of the ordinary, but pretty decent nonetheless. I would normally expect that a record like this to be released one of a few mid-sized labels that specialize in this sort of thing, but Fell Far Behind actually self-released this. Kudos to these guys for going it alone.
MP3 | Fell Far Behind – For Now Goodnight Reaching The Red Line
MP3 | Fell Far Behind – The Antidote Reaching The Red Line
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Paint It Black - New Lexicon
Posted on 27 April 2008 | No Comments
New Lexicon is fifteen killer new tracks from Jade Tree’s finest; Dr. Dan Yemin and Paint It Black are back and as pissed-off as ever. It’s the same formula as ever (imagine Kid Dynamite with Dan’s vocals instead of Jason’s and with most of the melody removed) but with some interesting interludes between songs. You need more? Well, my wife likes Kid Dynamite but not Paint It Black and (to be honest) I wasn’t their biggest fan early on, but they’ve grown on me. Basically, all you need to know is that this record is great. Period.
MP3 | Past Tense, Future Perfect New Lexicon
MP3 | Four Deadly Venoms New Lexicon
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Cloak/Dagger - No Age
Posted on 21 April 2008 | No Comments
Cloak/Dagger’s latest album No Age fires up on all cylinders from the start. Their no-frills dirty old-school hardcore punk is incendiary but refreshing to hear in a world over-populated with over-produced mediocre songs. No Age is overdriven and relentless and makes me wanna jump in the pit and flail around (or at least pogo) with the rest of the crowd. This punk rock is abrasive (in a good way) and emphasizes grit and teeth over melody. No Age is simple, rough-edged, bombastic, and out now on the always great Jade Tree.
MP3 | Cloak/Dagger – Runways No Age
MP3 | Cloak/Dagger – Hollywood Hills No Age
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Crime In Stereo - Is Dead
Posted on 19 April 2008 | No Comments
I really liked Crime In Stereo’s last record The Troubled Stateside and my feelings about the Long Island-based band’s latest album, Is Dead, are no different. Is Dead is a solid melodic hardcore/pop-punk album that gives both fury and melody their fair share of face time with a little more emphasis on the melody. The band also shows they aren’t afraid to move beyond straight-up pop-punk or melodic hardcore and include some slower, moodier, and more atmospheric songs like “Unfortunate Tourists” and “Orbiter.” It isn’t as drastic a stylistic shift as the one Cave-In made, but then again, Crime In Stereo isn’t a metal band trying to make a major-label modern rock album either. Is Dead is simply (at its core) about the energetic combination of churning guitars, crashing drums, and in-your-face hook-laden choruses. Check it.
RIYL: Bayside, The Movielife, The Casket Lottery, etc…
MP3 | Crime In Stereo – XXXX (The First 1000 Years Of Solitude) Is Dead
MP3 | Crime In Stereo – Nixon Is Dead
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Title Fight - Kingston 7"
Posted on 19 April 2008 | 1 Comment
Title Fight is a killer melodic-punk band from Kingston, Pennsylvania. Their debut 7” is named for their hometown; a place that sits directly across the Susquehanna River from Wilkes-Barre and only about 2 hours from New Brunswick, NJ. So it isn’t (at least to me) surprising that Title Fight the three songs on the 7” fall squarely into the post-Lifetime vein of melodic punk that we all love so much. You know, fast pop-punk parts mixed with breakdowns? OK, think of the first two Saves The Day records but with a tad more grit. It is a fast and furious blast of guitars, bass, and drums that clocks in at a shade under 7 minutes 30 seconds and begs you to keep flipping the record over and over and over; it’s that good.
Kingston is vibrant and exciting and makes me feel many years younger than I am. Even my wife who was born and raised in Pennsylvania and grew up on East Coast punk from the likes of Lifetime, Weston, Plow United, and The Bouncing Souls, also approves and gives her A-OK to Title Fight. Pick up a copy of the Kingston 7” here. You won’t be disappointed.
MP3 | Title Fight – Loud And Clear Kingston 7”
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Chinese Telephones - Chinese Telephones
Posted on 10 April 2008 | No Comments
The self-titled full-length from Milwaukee’s Chinese Telephones is another pop-punk record that I can safely file away between the rough-edge of Dillinger Four and the pop-sensibilities of Screeching Weasel. This is unadorned shitty (in the most positive way possible) and sloppy punk that I love. Although the fidelity and sound quality is a bit rough on this record, it is endearing in that it reminds me of what all my old 7” records sounded like before I got a hi-fi turntable.
MP3 | Chinese Telephones – I Think I Can Breathe Now S/T
MP3 | Chinese Telephones – I Can’t Be Right S/T
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Hot Water Music - Till The Wheels Fall Off
Posted on 30 March 2008 | 1 Comment
If you’ve been reading this blog for long or if you’ve checked my last.fm profile, you know that both my wife and I love Hot Water Music and their double-fisted melodic post-hardcore fury. While there aren’t any new songs on Till The Wheels Fall Off, as it is a collection of songs from splits, comps, and other rare stuff that didn’t make it (or wasn’t yet released) for Never Ender, you still need it. Yeah, there are a few omissions but I can live with them if you can. No matter how you spin it though, this album (just as everything by Hot Water Music is) is essential.
MP3 | Hot Water Music – God Deciding Till The Wheels Fall Off
MP3 | Hot Water Music – So Many Days Till The Wheels Fall Off
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Emo, Punk
Review: The Sidekicks - So Long, Soggy Dog
Posted on 20 March 2008 | No Comments
I’ll always be a fan of even the most standard issue rough-edged pop-punk I come across and So Long, Soggy Dog from The Sidekicks is no exception. Sure, these youngsters from Ohio throw in a bit of an Americana/roots vibe, but let’s call it what it really is. Honestly (though) I’m really surprised that a Google search on this record didn’t bring up more than about 5 results. Why is no one giving The Sidekicks any love? So Long, Soggy Dog is driving, brash and reminiscent of (perhaps) Banner Pilot, The Loved Ones, or The Gaslight Anthem. It really is amazing that kids who can’t even drink yet could make a record this awesome, or is it? Maybe not since this sounds what nights spent driving from town to town sounds like. Maybe exuberance like this could only be captured by kids from suburban Cleveland. Either way, you can pick up So Long, Soggy Dog from Red Scare Industries.
MP3 | The Sidekicks – Team Volcano So Long, Soggy Dog
MP3 | The Sidekicks – Go! Go! Go! Green! Green! Green! So Long, Soggy Dog
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: One Win Choice - Never Suspend Disbelief
Posted on 13 March 2008 | 3 Comments
New Jersey’s One Win Choice spits out fast, balls-to-the-wall melodic hardcore (punk) that is easy to love and impossible to ignore. Their new album Never Suspend Disbelief is gritty, passionate, and full of optimistic energy. It is solidly played, but with just enough of a rough/sloppy edge that makes the band sounds more like friends than just punks with razor-sharp rhetoric (though they are that too).
Never Suspend Disbelief was released last fall by our friend Jeremy and his Jump Start Records label. We’ve known Jeremy a long time (does anyone remember No On 15?) and this may be the best record he’s released yet. As for One Win Choice, their ferocious attack puts them in a category of like-minded (and sounding) groups such as Strike Anywhere, Bigwig, Kid Dynamite and any number of other bands in that genre. In simpler terms, they aren’t reinventing the wheel. Don’t misread this though; that’s not a knock on the band. This is the type of punk that has been part of my steady diet for almost 15 years now. It makes me feel a little bit younger and that my friends, is a great thing.
MP3 | One Win Choice – One More Fight Never Suspend Disbelief
MP3 | One Win Choice – Border War Never Suspend Disbelief
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Defiance, Ohio - The Fear, The Fear, The Fear
Posted on 10 March 2008 | No Comments
I’ve been sitting on this one for awhile now, but figured this was as good a time as any to type this out. In addition to being the recent former home of Kelvin “The Cheatin’ Snake” Sampson (the man who tarnished the record of Indiana basketball), Bloomington, Indiana is also the place that Defiance, Ohio calls home. Their latest album The Fear, The Fear, The Fear made my top 50 of 2007 list because I loved its frantic lo-fi folk-punk anthems that are wonderfully catchy and melodic but lovingly unpolished and unrefined.
The male/female vocal tradeoffs that are often layered to an effect that makes the Defiance, Ohio’s message sound urgent; as if their manifest must be heard…now! Guitars, banjos, pianos, and violins collide into a ramshackle rhythm section in raucous fashion as if all the band members were in a basement drinking cheap wine, playing their songs, and getting out of control. It sounds almost as if they are having such a good time playing that if they fuck up, the song will go on and be just fine.
The Fear, The Fear, The Fear is a spirited and honest record that is available on vinyl or CD on the always awesome No Idea Records or (like all of Defiance, Ohio’s releases) for free in MP3 format from their website. How fuckin’ punk is that?
MP3 | Defiance, Ohio – The Condition The Fear, The Fear, The Fear
MP3 | Defiance, Ohio – Anxious And Worrying The Fear, The Fear, The Fear
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Folk, Punk
Review: The Measure (SA) - Historical Fiction
Posted on 5 March 2008 | No Comments
Originally released back in 2005 on vinyl only, The Measure (SA) in conjunction with Team Science Records re-released their album Historical Fiction on CD last year. This Brunswick, New Jersey quartet serves up DIY-spirited jangly pop-punk that has just a hint of Americana flavor. The band also features both male and female lead vocals courtesy of guitarists Mike Regrets and Lauren Measure whose sloppy (but lovable) vocals and messy ramshackle guitars are simply irresistible. Historical Fiction is the audio equivalent of walking along the boardwalk with some cotton candy and a hot dog as saltwater breeze washes over you and whomever you’re holding hands with. It could come from nowhere else but Jersey.
More recently (however) The Measure (SA) has gone through a few lineup changes but has released a split on Chunksaah and have about a million other 7” records due out soon. RIYL: Bomb The Music industry!, Plow United, Discount, etc…
MP3 | The Measure (SA) – Just Go Historical Fiction
MP3 | The Measure (SA) – Autonomously Historical Fiction
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Teenage Bottlerocket - Warning Device
Posted on 28 February 2008 | 2 Comments
What is the first thing you think of when someone says Wyoming? Is it Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, or maybe the Tetons? I would be willing to wager that it isn’t pop punk. Well, after hearing Teenage Bottlerocket’s latest album Warning Device you may think differently. Warning Device borders on old-school punk-pop perfection and stands up against anything in the Ramones, Screeching Weasel, Huntingtons vein. It is full of take-no-prisoners punk-pop that you’ll be humming along to for days sand days. The songs are sappy and silly and it is the same old song and dance we’ve all heard for years, but Teenage Bottlerocket is so good that I can’t help but love it. You need this album. And chances are that with their upcoming tour, Teenage Bottlerocket will be playing in a town near your real soon.
MP3 | Teenage Bottlerocket – In The Basement Warning Device
MP3 | Teenage Bottlerocket – She’s Not The One Warning Device
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: The Loved Ones - Build And Burn
Posted on 6 February 2008 | No Comments
My wife and I have been fans of Philadelphia’s The Loved Ones since they released their first EP a few years back. That record and their 2006 full-length Keep Your Heart were full or gritty but melodic East Coast pop punk that played nicely alongside Smoke Or Fire, Kid Dynamite, and the like so as pop-punk fans it’s probably easy to see why we really liked them. Their latest record Build And Burn (however) is a bit of a departure and actually caught us a little off guard on the first listen.
I hate to phrase it this way, but on Build And Burn, The Loved Ones show a little more maturity and versatility in their songwriting than they have on past efforts. It sounds cliché but (in this case) is 100% correct. The band slows down the breakneck speeds and incorporates an almost roots rock sound into their style; an almost Social Distortion or even Springsteen sorta vibe at times. Heck, Franz Nicolay and Tad Kubler from The Hold Steady both appear on Build And Burn and that should at least get you headed in the right direction.
The reason that the songs on Build And Burn really work isn’t the catchy choruses or anthemic refrains (though they help). It isn’t even the incorporation of a little bit of Americana alongside the furious pop-punk. What really makes these songs great is the earnestness and honesty that comes through in the music. It almost sounds as if the band is coming to terms with growing up and getting old. Understandable when you realize that The Loved Ones are made up guys that have played in bands such as The Curse, Paint It Black, Trial By Fire, and The Explosion and frontman Dave Hause was once even a roadie for the Bouncing Souls.
Build And Burn is a fantastic slab of melodic punk rock that is peppered with Americana. It is biting and brash, but not bratty. The kids might love it but I’ll probably love it more. Get it today from Fat Wreck Chords.
MP3 | The Loved Ones – The Bridge Build And burn
MP3 | The Loved Ones – Sarah’s Game Build And Burn
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Just Plain Rock, Punk
Review: Backseat Virgins - Born Again
Posted on 31 January 2008 | 1 Comment
If bubblegum pop-punk that is filled with lotsa boy/girl vocal harmonies is your thing, then you totally gotta check out Born Again from Alabama’s Backseat Virgins. I can only describe them as something like a cross between The Queers, Squirtgun, and Teen Idols, but a little rawer and more lo-fi sound. You know, three chord pop punk with lyrics about girls and trying to get into their pants. Typical and not terribly original, but (at times) pretty damn catchy.
MP3 | Backseat Virgins – You And Me Born Again
MP3 | Backseat Virgins – Can’t Take It Born Again
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Attack In Black - Marriage
Posted on 30 January 2008 | No Comments
My favorite album of the moment (in addition to the new Chris Walla and Ida albums) has got to be Attack In Black’s 2007 album Marriage. It beautifully fuses rough and tumble punk with delicate and yearning alt-country melodies shaded with a hint of Springsteen-esqe rock n’ roll and sounds like the pulse of the American heartland. Except that these guys are from Canada.
On Marriage Attack In Black incorporates tons of different stylistic elements (saxophones, banjo, steel guitar, gentle piano codas, snarling vocals, etc…) together into a cohesive whole that couldn’t sound more natural. The music is effortless and relaxed but (at times) has an urgency that could fuel a revolution. Contradictions and juxtapositions are the foundation of Marriage and what keeps it interesting, engaging, and exciting from start to finish. They can erupt from quiet and almost minimal verses into huge swelling sing-a-long choruses that could fill a stadium or just blaze straight ahead.
Even though Grubbs might take offense at this description, just imagine a cross between the honest Richmond punk of Smoke Or Fire, On A Wire-era Get Up Kids, and the anthemic rock qualities of The Boss. Rarely have I been as immediately smitten with an album as I was upon hearing Marriage for the first time. And maybe only because both bands are from Canada and some hardcore punk history, I’ll toss Attack In Back into the same category as The Weakerthans; and rightly so since Marriage is right up there with Reunion Tour as one of 2007’s best records.
MP3 | Attack In Black – Young Leaves Marriage
MP3 | Attack In Black – Marriage Marriage
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Americana, Emo, Punk
Winepress vs. The Mushuganas vs. Parasites
Posted on 26 January 2008 | 2 Comments
In the fictional world of celebrity fighting, I wonder who would win this heavyweight punk rock battle?
MP3 | Winepress – Disappointed
MP3 | The Mushuganas – Disappointed
MP3 | Parasites – When I’m Here With You
MP3 | The Mushuganas – When I’m Here With You
MP3 | Winepress – Stay Awhile
MP3 | Parasites – Stay Awhile
Filed Under: Punk
Review: 20 Belows - Headaches & Moodswings
Posted on 24 January 2008 | No Comments
It really must be pop-punk Thursday today since I’m now posting about a Danish band called the 20 Belows. They released a full-length called Headaches And Moodswings just about a year ago that is the epitome of lovelorn boy pop-punk. Singer Ulrich Basler’s instantly recognizable and winsome vocals go a long way to making this sound like a new record from Cletus (which is a very good thing). The rest is a pretty straightforward redux of the classic Screeching Weasel/Queers sound complete with melodic pop-punk lead guitar lines. It is a peppy album that (save for a track or two) doesn’t miss a beat and should have heartbroken teenage boys everywhere just reaching into their parents liquor cabinets to drown their young sorrows. Headaches And Moodswings is out now on the excellent Whoa Oh Records.
MP3 | 20 Belows – My Very Best Headaches & Moodswings
MP3 | 20 Belows – This Boy’s Giving Up Headaches & Moodswings
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Fear Of Lipstick - Indie Band EP
Posted on 24 January 2008 | No Comments
If you have any affinity for pop punk at all, you should love Moncton, Canada’s Fear Of Lipstick. They play snotty, fast, poppy, peppy, fun, straightforward, energetic and just plain good old-fashioned pop-punk that would fit nicely in your record bin next to Screeching Weasel, early Green Day, Allister, and early Mushuganas stuff from back before they abandoned their pop punk roots. This would have easily been one of my favorites if I was still 16. Even so, the Indie Band EP is really good and you can get it from It’s Alive! Records. You should also search out their album/demo??? called Can’t Get Along. It is equally as good (and probably better) than the EP.
MP3 | Fear Of Lipstick – Indie Band Indie Band EP
MP3 | Fear Of Lipstick – Coffee Grind Can’t Get Along
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: The Unlovables - Heartsickle
Posted on 21 January 2008 | 1 Comment
How did I not hear this record in 2007? Was I living under a rock? Wow. Heartsickle is soooo catchy and absolutely undeniable. Now this is the first I’ve heard of NYC’s The Unlovables and they are anything but. Led by the sweet ‘n sassy vocals of bassist Hallie Bulleit, buzzsaw guitars, and the rock-steady drumming of Mikey Erg, The Unlovables may just be the kings and queens of the current pop-punk landscape that I’m slowly rediscovering piece by piece.
I grew up on 90’s pop-punk from the likes of Screeching Weasel, MTX, and The Parasites and Heartsickle is as good as any of it. Fast-paced and carried by Hallie’s unbelievable multi-layered harmonies and songs about love and heartbreak. Every single song is a sing along. It is a sunny and energetic sound that just begs you to ride your BMX around the block a few more times and kiss that girl you’re dreaming about during class. Every songs is also catchy beyond belief and filled with enough woah-oh’s to feed a small army.
Heartsickle is an amazing album that is like candy for your ears but with more substance behind it than you might expect. Now that might be a little heavy-handed, but despite the sugary sweet melodies and harmonies, there is some grit (particularly in Frank’s guitars) that strikes a near-perfect balance on Heartsickle. Face the facts here; resistance is futile. If I had heard this a month ago it would have certainly been part of my ’07 best of list.
MP3 | The Unlovables – Dance Party For Two (Your Room, 3AM) Heartsickle
MP3 | The Unlovables – Leave Me Alone Heartsickle
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: The Hot Toddies - Smell The Mitten
Posted on 14 January 2008 | No Comments
When I was sick between Thanksgiving and Christmas I remember drinking a bunch of hot toddies. In part because they are supposed to be good for sick people but mostly because they are yummy. Sure it may have not helped at all but that has nothing to do with this review. Whatever you do, don’t call The Hot Toddies a novelty group. On their debut full-length Smell The Mitten this all-girl San Francisco quartet churns out sassy and sarcastic songs full of retro-style surf-inspired 60’s girl-group doo-wop that is (on the surface) so cute it makes me wanna puke. It is sickly sweet, but awesome.
But if you don’t lose your lunch and actually keep listening, you’ll thank yourself. For all the clichés the band walks through there is equally as much substance. And the vocal harmonies supplied by Heidi Bodeson and Erin Skidmore are absolutely perfect in every way. Lyrically (and musically) the band gleefully slides down to the bottom of the hill with fun, whimsical, clever, and intelligent lyrics. It is a little punk, a whole lotta fun, and completely impossible to deny. Smell The Mitten must certainly contain some of the sunniest, most saccharine, sugary sweet melodies and vocal harmonies that have ever been recorded.
My only complaint with this is that the Beach Boys obsession and retro vibe of Smell The Mitten seems a little contrived and sometimes sounds like nothing more than a doo-wop cover band. Or perhaps that’s a compliment and it really is just that good I’m not complaining though since Smell The Mitten is (despite my better judgment) one of the most fun and instantly charming records I’ve heard in awhile. Is it even possible not to like this? Maybe The Hot Toddies are falling in rank behind The Pipettes and The Queers. I don’t even care. I dare you to listen to awesome and hilarious “HTML” and not crack a smile. I triple dog dare you.
Smell The Mitten is out now on Asian Man Records.
MP3 | The Hot Toddies – HTML Smell The Mitten
MP3 | The Hot Toddies – Seattle Smell The Mitten
Filed Under: Album Reviews, New Wave, Pop, Punk
Review: Small Arms Dealer - Patron Saint Of Disappointment
Posted on 5 January 2008 | No Comments
On Patron Saint of Disappointment, Small Arms Dealer dishes out dingy, gruff, and melodic punk rock that isn’t terribly original, but that’s not the point. Sure, the band fell off the Latterman tree into the No Idea camp and broke a leg on the way down, but is that such a bad thing? What Small Arms Dealer lacks in complete originality, they more than make up for with energy and delivery.
Less blistering and uptempo than many of their peers, one might say that some of Patron Saint Of Disappointment borders on “emo” at times. So what? The magic of this album is that it is a bit unconventional. A raw mid-tempo punk album that works? As opposed to the contrary, I believe that the ragged and almost sloppy nature of these songs is intentional and is even more evident by the band’s choice to slow things down and get all sludgy instead of flying forward balls-to-the-wall. An interesting (yet brilliant) move.
I’ll readily admit that I sorta dismissed this one after only a single listen, but after revisiting Patron Saint Of Disappointment, I can’t stop listening to it. This sounds like music made by friends for their friends. It sounds like alcohol, sweat, burnt popcorn, secret crushes, bruised shoulders, basements, and inside jokes. And what a sweet sound it is.
MP3 | Small Arms Dealer – ‘Whole Company’s Countin’ On Ya’ Patron Saint Of Disappointment
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Swaggerin' Growlers - The Bottle And The Bow
Posted on 29 December 2007 | 2 Comments
WI’m no expert when it comes to Celtic/Irish anything since I’m not of Irish heritage. I have (however) been listening to my fair share of Celtic-influenced music. Everyone likes The Pogues, but a record I’ve really been digging lately is from the Boston, Massachusetts based Celtic folk-punk band the Swaggerin’ Growlers. As to be expected, the band uses traditional Celtic instrumentation like fiddles, tin whistles, accordions, and mandolins accompanied by a fast-paced punk rock rhythm section and rough-edged vocals. Sorta like Flogging Molly or (perhaps even) the Dropkick Murphys.
I’d been meaning to post this for awhile now, but I was reminded that I needed to post about this album after unearthing “Fairytale Of New York” from my library of Christmas songs. Anyhow, The Swaggerin’ Growlers’ debut album The Bottle And The Bow is fast, frenetic, and just plain fun. As to be expected, it is great music to down a pint to and drown your sorrows with and also great for jigging around the living room. So by the boys and girls another round and and stumble out onto the dance floor.
NOTE: Songs below don’t seem to be streaming. You can D/L and listen, but I’m in Pennsylvania right now so deal with it.
MP3 | Swaggerin’ Growlers – Barley Boys The Bottle And The Bow
MP3 | Swaggerin’ Growlers – Dover Tenement The Bottle And The Bow
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk, World Music
Review: Saves The Day - Under The Boards
Posted on 28 December 2007 | 8 Comments
So what the heck happened to Saves The Day? After releasing two solid albums (1999’s Through Being Cool and 2001’s Stay What You Are) it seemed that they were poised to make that crossover from pop-punk upstarts into mainstream consciousness. Then they released In Reverie to underwhelming reviews. It is an album that I still don’t like or understand and a strange move for the band. After hearing their 2005 album Sound The Alarm, I didn’t fall in love with Saves The Day again, but I thought the band might be moving back in the right direction. Evidently I was wrong.
Their recently-released sixth full-length Under The Boards is awful. Sure, Saves The Day has gone through a ton of members and Chris Conley is the only original member currently in the band, but what happened? Conley’s voice is worse than ever and the songs are as forgettable as 1/2 the names on the Mitchell Report. The music is occasionally really solid and promising and a few of the songs are catchy, but the overall lack of quality songs and terrible vocals (mainly the horribly bad barely-able-to-carry-a-tune vocals of Conley) isn’t nearly enough for this record to succeed. And while this doesn’t take away from the greatness of the band’s early days (1998-2001), I’m not sure what Vagrant was thinking when they agreed to release this piece of crap.
As a former fan, I’m really disappointed with Under The Boards, especially after listening to Through Being Cool last night on our drive to Pennsylvania for New Year’s. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
MP3 | Saves The Day – Under The Boards Under The Boards
MP3 | Saves The Day – When I’m Not There Under The Boards
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: American Steel - Destroy Their Future
Posted on 23 December 2007 | 1 Comment
Even though the likes of Andy Pishko and my brother Kurt have liked American Steel for years now, I was never much into ‘em. This band from the East Bay formed in 1995 and released a handful of records that I didn’t really pay attention to, but in 2002 the band changed their name to Communique and moved their sound away from the punk of their early days and more into synth-pop territory. I loved it, but just this year the band ditched the majority of the keyboards and are giving it another go as American Steel.
Perhaps the fact that Communique’s Poison Arrows was so good has influenced my opinion of the current incarnation of American Steel, but no matter what, their latest album Destroy Their Future is a fervent punk/rock record that still (greatfully) retains much of the melodic sensibility that made their stint as Communique so enjoyable. RIYL: Alkaline Trio, Lawrence Arms, Communique, etc…
Destroy Their Future is out now on Fat Wreck Chords.
MP3 | American Steel – To The Sea Destroy Their Future
MP3 | American Steel – Love And Logic Destroy Their Future
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Black Tie Bombers - Eternal Happiness And Good Health
Posted on 16 December 2007 | 1 Comment
When I made one of my resolutions for 2007 to “get back to my punk roots” I didn’t think that I’d find so much good new punk and pop-punk being released this year. One such record is Eternal Happiness And Good Health from Cincinnati’s Black Tie Bombers. Their music is fast, catchy, and full of all the “na na na’s” and “woah oh’s” that you could just about ever need. It is damn near impossible for me not to like this sort of stuff. The record is packed with short songs with interesting structures that come at you in rapid-fire succession without ever (as some pop-punk does) getting monotonous. The thing that really sets Black Tie Bombers apart though is the vocals. With three distinct vocalists channeling everyone from Latterman, Kid Dynamite, Roger from LTJ, and even the goofy looking singer of Fall Out Boy, the band ends up sounding like the bastard child of NOFX, Dillinger Four, and all the other bands I mentioned. It is too bad (however) that the Black Tie bombers broke up earlier in 2007. But their record is good and out now on Pinky Ring Records. Hopefully I dropped enough names for you to take a listen to this.
MP3 | Black Tie Bombers – Lying Is Punishable By Death Eternal Happiness…
MP3 | Black Tie Bombers – Meet Me At The Honker Burger Eternal Happiness…
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Bomb The Music Industry! - Get Warmer
Posted on 11 December 2007 | 1 Comment
I‘m not sure if there has been a more “fun” album than this released in all of 2007. Get Warmer is the latest from the DIY collective known as Bomb The Music Industry! and it is overflowing with punk, ska, folk, folk-punk, ska-punk, soul and everything in between. Zany synths mingle with traditional ska type horn stabs and a gruff, shouted, punk rock vocals in a dirt-poor three ring circus. The man behind the band (Jeff Rosenstock) must be some sort of mad musical genius because he effortlessly blends every element on Get Warmer together into something that is simply fucking awesome. I mean, I had no idea that I would like this album so much when I first played it. Fun, fun, fun. And if you question their DIY spirit, just know that you can get Get Warmer and some of their other records from either Asian Man Records or as free MP3’s from the band’s site. RIYL: Blue Meanies, old Against Me!, etc…
MP3 | Bomb The Music Industry! – 493 Ruth Get Warmer
MP3 | Bomb The Music Industry! – I Don’t Love You Anymore Get Warmer
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk, Ska
Review: The Copyrights - Make Sound
Posted on 10 December 2007 | No Comments
You might remember my “If It Ain’t Punk It’s Junk” series that featured songs from 130 pop-punk bands. You can check out those posts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, but (something more relevant to this post) one of those bands was the Carbondale, IL boys of The Copyrights. All they do is play killer Weasel and Teen Idols influenced pop-punk that is catchier than the cold and flu bugs floating around my office. You know how it goes. Buzzsaw guitars, bouncingly melodic bass, and saccharine vocal harmonies. Their latest album Make Sound is as good as anything I’ve heard recently and is a must-have for any and all fans of pop punk.
MP3 | The Copyrights – Kids Of The Blackhole Make Sound
MP3 | The Copyrights – Pentagrams Make Sound
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
An incomplete history of Chicago punk rock (vol. 22)
Posted on 2 December 2007 | 2 Comments
Now my first exposure to the now legendary South Suburban bubblegum pop-punk of Winepress (and a number of other bands) was on the “Dad Are We Punk Yet?” compilation from the awesome but now defunct Harmless Records which featured their song “She Just Won’t Do.” My next exposure to the band was the Mushuganas cover of the Winepress tune “Disappointed.” It is (IMHO) a classic. I love the Mushuganas version and when I found out it was a cover, I just had to find the original.
Winepress officially existed from 1991-1995 and were the kings of the Off The Alley scene in Homewood. Sadly, I’ve never seen Winepress live even though they have played a few scattered shows around Chicago the past few years, but I do own a copy of their Worth A Thousand Words 7” and their Complete Recordings discography CD. The CD contains everything the band recorded but I believe that the CD is now out of print (or at least really difficult to find) but definitely worth searching out. It’s one of my all time favorites.
MP3 | Winepress – Revenge Of The Nerds Complete Recordings
MP3 | Winepress – Disappointed Complete Recordings
MP3 | Winepress – Stay Awhile Complete Recordings
MP3 | Winepress – She Just Won’t Do Complete Recordings
If you’d like to revisit some other great Chicago punk rock bands, the other posts in this series can all be found via the links below.
Oblivion | Rise Against | The Bollweevils | The Effigies | A.Y.A. | Sludgeworth | No Empathy | Los Crudos | Apocalypse Hoboken | The Lawrence Arms | Naked Raygun | The Mushuganas | Allister | Screeching Weasel | Tuesday | Slapstick | Tricky Dick | The Falcon | Skokie | The Feds | Rustweiler
Filed Under: Chicago Punk, Punk
Review: Cobra Skulls - Sitting Army
Posted on 30 November 2007 | 1 Comment
Reno, Nevada’s Cobra Skulls have a great record out called Sitting Army that fuses gruff leftist pop-punk with rockabilly, punk-ska, and more. It is a brief and frenzied album with nary a lull to be found anywhere. With every song title containing the word cobra, it is obvious the band has a sense of humor, but they are serious about writing killer tunes. Sitting Army is bouncy, melodic, and fueled by biting and cynical lyrics that is more fun than you can shake a stick at. RIYL: Against Me!, Rancid, etc…
MP3 | Cobra Skulls – Faith Is A Cobra Sitting Army
MP3 | Cobra Skulls – Use Your Cobra Skulls Sitting Army
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide
Posted on 27 November 2007 | 3 Comments
Sometimes jazz musicians talk about concepts like “the space between notes” and the importance of “the notes you don’t play” when referring to selecting exactly the right phrasing and making each and every one count. Every note is indeed important to the the veteran Massachusetts hardcore punks in A Wilhelm Scream but instead of letting their music breathe, they pack as many 32nd note fills as they possibly can into their latest album Career Suicide. From the word “go” it simply explodes. It is fucking brilliant.
Imagine syrupy California skate-punk vocal harmonies fused with the pop-core melodies of Strung Out and the power metal guitar shredding of Dragonforce. Yes, I’m serious. Career Suicide finds A Wilhelm Scream simply hurling itself forward at breakneck speed and delivering one of the most impassioned and well-executed punk records I’ve heard in some time (maybe ever). There is no wanking off or posturing and there is no filler. Every riff and every searing solo is absolutely necessary to this record’s success.
My brother rarely recommends stuff to me but he enthusiastically insisted that I get Career Suicide. I did and nearly (and gladly) shit myself in awe on my first listen. I cannot stress enough just how great this album is. It is balls. Sure, I’ll hesitantly call this pop punk, but Career Suicide is much more than that. It is anthemic, fast-as-fuck, melodic, pissed off, complex, thought-provoking, and virtually flawless.
Never in a million years would I have expected to hear something this technical and razor-sharp with as many catchy hooks as Career Suicide has. It’s like Propagandhi on crack, covered in chocolate and deep fried. A Wilhelm Scream has made and un-fucking-believable record that showcases their almost superhuman chops, killer songwriting, and even a sense of humor. Fuck its awesome. Look for Career Suicide near the top of my year end list.
MP3 | A Wilhelm Scream – 5 To 9 Career Suicide
MP3 | A Wilhelm Scream – These Dead Streets Career Suicide
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Review: Moving Units - Hexes for Exes
Posted on 20 November 2007 | 1 Comment
WI thought the disco-dance-punk movement was so 2003-2004 and all but dead these days. Evidently the Los Angeles trio of Moving Units didn’t get that memo. The band released their excellent debut full-length Dangerous Dreams in 2003 and has finally released their sophomore effort Hexes For Exes after four long years. It is still dance-punk but a little less jagged and in your face than their debut. It actually reminds me a lot of Communiqué‘s one and only full length (in both vocals and melody), albeit a little less obvious than that record.
Hexes For Exes isn’t groundbreaking and isn’t overly complex, but it is damn good music for moving to. I put it to the test last night and found that it made the usually monotonous treadmill miles fly right by. Perhaps something in between The Rapture, New Order, Hot Hot Heat, Communiqué, and Interpol. I realize that isn’t the most succinct comparison, but I think it is pretty accurate. No one song really comes out and grabs you and says, “I’m the single,” but when the whole albums is as consistently solid as this one is, there is no need. I’m not saying there aren’t boatloads of catchy tunes on the record, cuz there are. In the end, this record may just creep its way into my year-end Best Of list.
MP3 | Moving Units – Paper Hearts Hexes For Exes
MP3 | Moving Units – The Kids From Orange County Hexes For Exes
Filed Under: Album Reviews, New Wave, Punk
Review: Latterman - We Are Still Alive
Posted on 17 November 2007 | 2 Comments
In yet another example of just how anti-cool I am, I only happened across the music of Latterman very recently and promptly found out that they just broke up. Fuckin’ bummer. The band (from Huntington, Long Island, New York) played rough but melodic pop-punk that would sit nicely in your collection alongside records from Dillinger Four, Hot Water Music, The Lawrence Arms, etc… Their final album We Are Still Alive is full of catchy but gritty pop-punk anthems that I can imagine bunches of sweaty kids crammed into a VFW singing/screaming along to. A great record from a band that I (sadly) discovered a little too late.
We Are Still Alive is available on CD from Deep Elm or on vinyl from No Idea.
MP3 | Latterman – Water Manes At The Block’s End We Are Still Alive
MP3 | Latterman – If Batman Was Real… We Are Still Alive
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk
Classics: A.Y.A. - Gets Phat and Stoopid 7"
Posted on 3 November 2007 | No Comments
These songs originally appeared with some of the text below in one of my “Incomplete History of Chicago Punk Rock” posts. You can view the original post here.
I’ve gotten quite a few requests to repost these tunes from South suburban Chicago pop-punkers A.Y.A’s only (and long out of print) 7”. It is easily one of my favorites of all time. It is lightning fast, snotty, catchy pop-punk in the much the same vein as the early Lookout Green Day stuff. Singer Chris Envy went on to form Showoff and is currently playing with a few of my former Allister band mates in The Get Go. Drummer Tony Tintari went on to play in Shai Hulud, Rise Against, and is currently in Holy Roman Empire. Enjoy.
MP3 | A.Y.A. – They Don’t Like Us Anyway A.Y.A. Gets Phat And Stoopid
MP3 | A.Y.A. – Only Girl A.Y.A Gets Phat And Stoopid
MP3 | A.Y.A. – Dork A.Y.A. Gets Phat And Stoopid
MP3 | A.Y.A. – Once More A.Y.A. Gets Phat And Stoopid
Filed Under: Punk
Review: The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
Posted on 3 November 2007 | 2 Comments
No new computer yet, but I’m trying to give y’all at least a little something. Now, I’ve ventured into Canada before, but I’ve never been to Winnipeg, Manitoba. From what I know of geography and John K. Samson’s lyrics, I imagine it to be a broke-down but beautiful place. Samson is the singer/songwriter behind the critically acclaimed Canadian indie rock band The Weakerthans, whose brilliant new album Reunion Tour is out now.
Like other releases from The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour wraps punk, folk, and country around captivating stories told with highly literate and poetic lyrics that (when combined with Samson’s earnest no-frills vocal delivery) feel more real than just about anything else I’ve heard in awhile. The music is urgent but reflective and sounds loose; like four guys just playing together in a wood paneled living room.
Reunion Tour sounds like the golden sun peeking out from behind a darkly clouded sky for a moment. It sounds like standing on the doorstep of greatness only to turn around and walk away without looking back. The music is not sad; it is not joyful. The music is contentedly smiling a half smile like things aren’t really as bad as they may seem.
MP3 | The Weakerthans – Night Windows Reunion Tour
MP3 | The Weakerthans – Sun In An Empty Room Reunion Tour
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Americana, Just Plain Rock, Punk
The Anti-Matter Anthology
Posted on 29 October 2007 | 1 Comment
From 1993 to 1996 Anti-Matter was a fanzine published by Norman Brannon (former guitarist for Resurrection, 108, Shelter, Texas Is The Reason, and New End Original) from his New York City apartment. The zine featured interviews with many hardcore, punk, and indie bands that read more like conversations with friends rather than your run-of-the-mill interviews. Brannon also released the Anti-Matter compilation album in 1996 which featured many of the bands that graced the pages of the fanzine. I had a copy of the last issue of Anti-Matter an one point many years ago and still own the compilation CD. Brannon’s writing, music, and philosophies were influential to me so to hear that he had a book coming out was exciting news to me.
Brannon’s new book The Anti-Matter Anthology: A 1990’s Post-Punk & Hardcore Reader features many interviews that have been culled from the pages of the Anti-Matter fanzine. Included are documents of conversations between Brannon and the following: Rancid, Jawbox, Sick Of It All, Samiam, Quicksand, Rage Against The Machine, and many more. The book is insightful and bridges the gap between the well-documented hardcore and punk of the 1980’s and the Internet-spawned overexposure that so many bands of today receive. It is one last glimpse into the close-knit world of mid-nineties post-hardcore that Brannon and so many others poured their hearts into.
The book is amazing and is due out November 7th on Revelation.
Filed Under: Emo, Hardcore & Metal, Punk
Fuel For The Hate (Game On)
Posted on 22 October 2007 | 5 Comments
I just happened to be jamming No Division when I surfed over to the newly new and killer www.getoveryourselfbklyn.com and read that Hot Water Music is supposedly reuniting (read more). Holy fucking shitballs! I actually giggled like a little girl when I read that. Seriously. Amy will call me out on that one if you ask her. Oh yeah, that’s also her sweet HWM tat above.
Goodbye Lance Hahn
Posted on 22 October 2007 | No Comments
According to Austin360.com, punk legend Lance Hahn died yesterday after a long battle with illness brought on by complications from kidney disease. The former Cringer and J Church frontman was only 40 and will be missed. If you’ve got a J Church or Cringer record, play it today and think about Lance.
If it ain't punk it's junk (vol. 13)
Posted on 20 October 2007 | 2 Comments
Okay folks. This may be the series finale. I think I’ve busted out just about every pop punk-ish band that I can think of. If you have more suggestions, let me know. Grubbs, the Discount song is for you. You can find all the posts in their entirety via the links below.
Vol. 11,Vol. 11, Vol. 10, Vol. 9, Vol. 8, Vol. 7, Vol. 6, Vol. 5, Vol. 4, Vol. 3, Vol. 2, Vol. 1
MP3 | Discount – On The Counter
MP3 | Fear Of Lipstick – Coffee Grind
MP3 | Fun Size – Hyper
MP3 | Teenage Bottlerocket – Radio
MP3 | The Huntingtons – Jeannie Hates The Ramones
MP3 | Connie Dungs – Blow Your Mind
MP3 | American Steel – Love And Logic
MP3 | Prototipes – I Wanna Grow Old With You
MP3 | nothington – The Last Time
MP3 | The Bollweevils – Talkpeople
If it ain't punk it's junk (vol. 12)
Posted on 18 October 2007 | 3 Comments
More pop punk junk than you can shake a stick at. 120 songs and counting. You can find all the earlier posts via the links below.
Vol. 11, Vol. 10, Vol. 9, Vol. 8, Vol. 7, Vol. 6, Vol. 5, Vol. 4, Vol. 3, Vol. 2, Vol. 1
MP3 | Backseat Virgins – Hailey
MP3 | Heckle – Space Cadet
MP3 | For Science – Swan Song
MP3 | The Measure – Media Free
MP3 | Limp – Far Away
MP3 | Adorkables – Dance Class
MP3 | Duvall – Standing At The Door
MP3 | Marked Men – A Little Time
MP3 | Apocalypse Hoboken – Pop Sensibilities
MP3 | Peabodys – You Don’t Understand
Review: Andrew Jackson Jihad - People Who Can Eat People...
Posted on 16 October 2007 | 2 Comments
Phoenix, Arizona’s Andrew Jackson Jihad makes music that is for the people. Their ridiculously titled Asian Man Records debut People Who Can Eat People Are The Luckiest People In The World is full of politically-charged folk-punk that sounds like it may have all been recorded in one-take with one mic in an open room. The overall sound is lo-fi, raw, and is the perfect backdrop for the bands lyrical gems like, “If I don’t go to hell when I die I might go to heaven but probably not.” This just might be the acoustic equivalent to the quirky absurdity of lo-fi punk champions Operation: Cliff Clavin and has been referred to by some as “sad songs sung happily.” The duo of Andrew Jackson Jihad is comprised of Sean Bonnette (vocals/guitar) and Ben Gallaty (bass) but are joined (both live and on the record) by various other musicians. I’d recommend People… for fans of Ghost Mice, The Mountain Goats, Defiance, Ohio, etc…
MP3 | Andrew Jackson Jihad – Rejoice People…
MP3 | Andrew Jackson Jihad – No More Tears People…
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Folk, Punk
Review: The Flatliners - The Great Awake
Posted on 15 October 2007 | 2 Comments
The Flatliners are an edgy punk band from Toronto whose sound is infused with just a touch of hardcore. Their latest The Great Awake sounds something like the Fat Wreck-isms of Good Riddance fused with the ramshackle edginess of early Rancid all delivered with a rough and tumble No Idea style beatdown that comes off sounding a little like the Lawrence Arms vs. the Sainte Catherines in a no-holds-barred feature bout. Fast, aggressive, and anthemic songs with shouted backup vocals that just make you wanna pump your fist in the air and shout along.
The Great Awake isn’t breaking any new ground and actually sounds almost exactly like what you’d expect from a Fat Wreck Chords album, but it is full of so much energy and so solidly played that it is hard not to love it for what it is. Plus they’re from Canada, and who doesn’t love Canadian punk rock?
MP3 | The Flatliners – July! August! Reno! The Great Awake
MP3 | The Flatliners – Eulogy The Great Awake
Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk