The Loved Ones, "Living Will (Get You Dead)/Distractions" (Live at the Showbox)

Video: Descendents, "I'm the One" and Lifetime, "Airport Monday Morning"

Descendents, "I'm the One"

Lifetime - Airport Monday Morning


Lifetime, "Airport Monday Morning"

This weekend I was jamming out to "Everything Sucks" by the Descendents. It's one of their later-era albums and it seems to be the one that is largely ignored (along with "Cool to Be You"). It's a little bit more polished than the rest of their catalog, but it still holds up. The same could be said for Lifetime's self-titled album, which took me a long time to get into. In fact, I probably didn't really care much for it until after I saw them on their reunion tour almost two years ago. Yeah, it's a little overproduced but it still knocks. I guess for a lot of these older punk rock dudes that's the goal: putting out a solid record that even the most jaded of fans can appreciate.

Video: None More Black, "Oh, There's Legwork?"

Easily one of my favorite Schevchuk bands, None More Black is far more melodic than Kid Dynamite, but has all the clever lyrics that makes Jason Schevchuk one of the most quotable lyricists in punk rock. This is my favorite NMB song, chiefly because (other than being ridiculously catchy) contains the following lyrics: "We are the brand new beatniks/We are the down and out/We are the bleeding hearts beating syncopated broken rhythms/Our speed is all too breakneck, we need to slow it down/Tired of being sleepless/Tired of being broke and broken." Fucking genius.

Come Widdit: P.S. Eliot

I'm pretty indifferent about anything that has come out on K Records and anything that sounds like it would have the Calvin Johnson stamp of approval is immediately suspect to me. That being said, I found Alabama-based P.S. Eliot on ICouldDieTomorrow a little while back and the shit blew my mind.

I know that I get on my high horse and bash the fuck out of bands like VersaEmerge, Paramore and Hey Monday (probably), chiefly because women in "punk" (at least as we know it to be) are a minority, so why not have something to say? P.S. Eliot is a (mostly) female punk band and rips harder than any of the other bands that I just listed.

Their lo-fi demo, "The Bike Wreck Demo," reminds me of why I love recording on a 4-track so much. It's gritty, dirty as fuck, but most of all, the songs are really catchy and good. It has all the trappings of something that K would've put out 18 years ago, but I suppose looking at a band like P.S. Eliot now, they're everything I loved about DIY punk kids to begin with.

Fuck big budgets and get with P.S. Eliot.

P.S. Eliot -- MySpace

Another Reunion Post...Really

A few years ago, the Murder City Devils did a couple of reunion shows in Seattle, then some scattered dates. Today, Gabe announced that they were doing a west coast run from Seattle to Los Angeles. This is one reunion tour I can get behind because unlike some other bands (Get Up Kids and Park), they're not trying to shill out for any new or reissued material, but rather to relive their glory days of being that super drunk band. I plan on going to one these shows and if you even remotely liked this band, I would recommend on going, too.

[Related Videos]
Murder City Devils, "Idle Hands"

Top 15 Records of 2008

Every year I do this stupid list and this year, I was hard pressed to find anything decent that I immediately fell in love with. There were some fairly decent records, though.

1. Nas, "The Dreaded N-World/Untitled"
2. The Loved Ones, "Build and Burn"
3. 2*Sweet (RIP), "Sleep without Dreams"
4. Brighten, "Early Love EP"
5. City and Colour, "Bring Me Your Love"
6. Wale, "The Mixtape About Nothing"
7. Jake One, "White Van Music"
8. Solange Knowles, "Sol-Angel"
9. Horizon, "Demo 2008"
10. LaGrecia, "On Parallels"
11. Anthony Green, "Avalon"
12. Empires, "Howl"
13. Crime in Stereo, "Selective Wreckage"
14. A Loss for Words, "Webster Lake"
15. Gaslight Anthem, "The 59 Sound"

Riverdales Announce New Album! Screeching Weasel Fans Rejoice!

In light of the last post, a band that has broken up in the past, but reunited and has since taken long breaks in between records, The Riverdales, have announced that they're releasing a new record. So sez the Org:

"In his latest podcast, Ben Weasel has confirmed that he will be once again teaming up with Dan Vapid to record a new record as the Riverdales. The band, formed in the 90s by members of Screeching Weasel released a 1995's Riverdales and 1997's Storm The Streets before splitting up. They reunited in 2003 to release Phase Three.

The band has not yet named a drummer for the forthcoming album, but plans are for a release in 2009 with some live shows to follow."

The Ramones-inspired band is just one of the many reunions to occur (mostly of bands that I have given a shit about in the past), which leads me to believe that I should probably just start a reunion blog.

Anyway, I love Ben Weasel as a song writer and this reunion is one that is obviously not for the money, since very few people gave a shit about the Riverdales when they were semi-popular anyway.

[Related Video]
The Riverdales, "Back to You (Live)"

(the) Gaslight Anthem

So I finally stopped being lazy and picked up the Gaslight Anthem's album last night.

Meh.

It's not terrible by any means. Some of the lyrics are kind of dumb and it's pretty obvious that the songwriters in this band really, really love Bruce Springsteen. In fact, there's one song that totally steals the tune from "Dancer in the Dark." But then again, compared to what passes off as "punk" these days, it's pretty dang good.

Anyway, I'm still listening to it right now to see if there's anything else amazing about this band, but so far...nothing. Maybe this record will be a slow burn and I'll find myself revisiting it in three months.

Review: Alkaline Trio, "Agony & Irony"

Alkaline Trio
“Agony & Irony”
(Epic)

Highlighted by their recent appearance by everyone’s favorite fictitious reality sitcom, “The Hills,” the Alkaline Trio backlash couldn’t be any stronger. How many Orgcore kids could this band lose with the following atrocities:

Signing to a major
Showing up on a vapid television show
Getting a signature Nike sneaker

Yet for all that bullshit, it really comes down to the music and Alkaline Trio have made another solid record. The thing about these (mostly) Chicago natives is that they’re pretty consistent when it comes to making albums. They seldom disappoint because they’re notorious for essentially writing the same songs over again.

That’s not to take anything away from Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano or Derek Grant as songwriters; shit, Lagwagon, 7 Seconds and The Ramones were made to be legends off of writing the same tunes for every record.

“Agony & Irony” is extremely catchy and just as grand as their last studio effort, “Crimson.” “Calling All Skeletons” and “Love Love, Kiss Kiss” are going to be the summer’s best pop-punk songs.

There’s nothing spectacular about this album, but it is comforting that no matter how hard kids think these dudes are selling out, they can still manage to piece together a listenable album.

Bonus Vid: Ak3's Shoe Commercial

New Found Glory/International Superheroes of Hardcore, "Tip of the Iceberg/Takin' It Ova"

New Found Glory/International Superheroes of Hardcore

"Tip of the Iceberg/Takin' It Ova" (Double Split EP)

(Bridge 9)

I rarely inhabit the B9 message board these days, though I imagine it must have been quite the shitstorm when the label announced they were going to release a New Found Glory EP. Still, we shouldn't forget these Floridians got their start in the HxC scene thanks to guitarist Chad Gilbert's role as a one-time vocalist for Shai Hulud.

This "split" EP is really an extended NFG record of outtakes. The International Superheroes of Hardcore is NFG doing goofy hardcore songs, not unlike Good Clean Fun. With that said, I can't really talk too much trash about this record.

Unlike their last studio album, "Coming Home," New Found Glory goes back to basics with three new songs and three covers. Their new songs are an attempt at their "It's All About the Girls/Nothing Gold Can Stay"-era tracks that are more punk than pop. Unlike MxPx's attempt to recapture the "Punk Rawk Show" proverbial lightning in a bottle, NFG's are a little bit more earnest. Though over the last few years, they've explored their pop side, there have always been a strong presence of their punk side, so it's not really a major change, outside of the fact that huge hooks are missing. The cover songs, on the other hand, are okay. I don't think Shelter, Gorilla Biscuit or Lifetime fans will be too pissed, but they are easily forgettable.

For the International Superheroes of Hardcore side, I will say that these songs are ridiculous...and in a good way, of course. Unabashedly tongue-in-cheek, "Takin' It Ova," is the real treat on this double disc EP. In "Fashion Show," Gilbert belts out in the intro, "There's no wardrobe in hardcore, despite what you think/I mean look at us, we wear capes." The mental image alone makes this a worthwhile purchase. Luckily songs like "Screamo's Gotta Go" and "Hardcore Hokey Pokey" could probably fool a couple dudes in Bane shirts into taking these tracks seriously.

This is a pretty solid release, overall, though I'd recommend it for kids who are really into New Found Glory or Good Clean Fun, otherwise, the joke will pretty much just go over your head and you'll be beating yourself up for spending $12 on a glorified parody album. I wonder how long it will take before this review ends up on a thread?

...the f**k?

So I was doing my daily lurking of Meghan McCain's blog and I noticed that she stuck Rise Against's "Swing Life Away" at the end of her current playlist.

Huh? What?

Um, I don't know if McCain femme is aware of the fact that while Rise Against is a major label punk band, a la Green Day, they're still pretty vocal about their dismay with the Republicans, and politicians in general. While I realize that "Swing Life Away," their quiet, acoustic ballad from a few years ago, is -- as Deryck from Sum 41 so brilliantly put it a "pantie dropper" -- they still have an enormous catalog of songs that calls for revolution and really rallies for socio-political change in this country.

Rise Against, in itself, is so far removed from the establishment that Meghan McCain represents that the irony that she listens to this band isn't even comical. It's kind of sad.

The enjoyment of this song, albeit as earnest as possible, just proves that people need to start listening to full-length records and not singles. Otherwise, they're subject for public lampooning.

[Related Videos]


Rise Against, "State of the Union"

Dear Meghan McCain...

While it's clear with my job and my general political leanings, I'm as far away from a Republican as possible, I've entertained the notion of John McCain being president since the 2000 elections, most notably because he was pretty hard-nosed about campaign reform. Now he's a pretty visible frontrunner beating out both a Mormon and an Evangelical, which I can't help but smile about on the inside.

Still, because I have the card, I'd much rather see the youngblood that is the B.O. takeover, if only to someone that is a reflection of the America that I've grown up in (i.e. surrounded by brown folks).

With that said, I've been lurking Meghan McCain's (John McCain's daughter) blog. It's pretty fascinating just to see the campaign experience from the eyes and perspective of someone there who isn't running for public office.

The most entertaining part of Meghan McCain's site is her list of songs that she's really into. There are some surprising entries in her playlist: Bad Brains, Dead Milkmen, Girls Against Boys and Sleater-Kinney (my former arch-rivals). But for the most part, it seems to be some pretty pedestrian, entry-level college kid indie rock: Band of Horses, Kasabian, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Decemberists, etc.

Meghan, I think you could use a bit of an overhaul on your playlist. I mean, you're probably tired of listening to the same songs that Pitchfork was raving about two years ago, right? Here's a list of records that I think you could get down to:

Method Man: Tical
Meth's debut solo record has songs like "Release Yo Delf," "Bring the Pain" and "Meth Vs. Chef" which are all tunes that you could start a riot with, but more importantly, get you hyped up.

Death Cab for Cutie: We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
DCFC's least self-absorbed record has concept songs about Kerouac, smoke filled apartments and loves lost to marriage. It's probably one of the best road-trip albums of all time.

That Dog: Retreat From the Sun
That Dog's poppiest record, Retreat From the Sun, has numerous fun jaunts that you can rock out to while you try to ignore the trappings out the real world.

The Don't Tells: Our Reunion Is Pending
A quirky band featuring Casey Prestwood (aka Spacey Casey) and his wife, Don't Tells play '60s styled pop songs about smoking pot and random sex. I'm not sure if Meghan McCain would like the content of the lyrics per se, but it's an awesome record nonetheless.

Fall River: Lights Out
Since Ms. McCain has the new Rilo Kiley (blah) and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on her rotation, I figured she could benefit from listening to Fall River, one of the most underrated hardcore bands out there. Widely known because they were fronted by Allison Bellavance, whose vocal growls could stand up next to Coalesce's Sean Ingram, Fall River was a technically savvy hardcore group who've moved on the equally engaging Spark Is a Diamond.

Crime In Stereo, "Crime In Stereo Is Dead"

Crime In Stereo
"Crime In Stereo Is Dead"
(Bridge Nine)

A few years ago, Crime In Stereo's "Explosions And the Will To Use Them" was THE jam. It was packed with tightly played songs and immediate lyricism. And then... nothing. Not to say that CIS's subsequent albums were bad (they weren't), but I just wasn't paying much attention to them. So I guess I'm at fault for that. For the 2K7, Crime In Stereo brings us "Crime In Stereo Is Dead," which might be the most indie rock hardcore album I've ever heard.

It's clear that there's a variety of influences in CIS's repartee, particularly from 90's Britpop, but with the East Coast hxc feel, it's surprisingly catchy AND brutal. Lyrically, the album is, for the most part, strong, though there are trite moments. That aside, I'd place "Crime In Stereo Is Dead" as the best hardcore album of the year.

Video #21: The Falcon, "The La-Z-Boy 500"

Lance Hahn, R.I.P.

According to Punknews.org, Lance Hahn, of Cringer and J. Church, passed away over the weekend. If you remotely liked pop-punk in the 90's, you've probably crossed paths with one of Hahn's bands in some form or another. J. Church also had the distinguishable characteristic of being one of the few bands to record for almost every label out there (Vagrant, Jade Tree, No Idea, Fat, Broken Rekids among many others). Additionally, Hahn himself was one of the few Asian-Americans not relegated to a vocal-less bass player position or a horn section. And, if memory serves me correctly, Hahn might've been one of the earliest Asians to front a punk band (at least that I discovered, so I'm probably wrong on that).

Either way, this is a pretty big loss, considering that J. Church was still very active, despite Hahn's health problems (which you can find documented throughout several back issues of "Giant Robot").

another shitty opinion about straight edge that no one will read

So a few nights ago, I went out and saw Modern Life is War. While I was there, I was privy to overhear a conversation between some people who refused to hang out with their former friends because they "sold out," meaning that they had to forgo their straight edge and vegan lifestyles for booze and dairy.

Who gives a fuck?

While I fully respect anyone who subscribes to the edge lifestyle with conviction, I find this sort of dismissive take rather annoying. I don't think people in their twenties should necessarily be judgmental on someone's lifestyle choices or changes per se. I mean, fuck, it doesn't affect you directly unless said person is trying to stick a needle in your arm (which in most cases, they aren't). I wouldn't stop being friends with someone because they decided that animal rights were stupid and went off to go get the Barn Buster from Shari's.

Shit, it's no secret that I live a life of sobriety and I don't eat the meat, but I wouldn't call myself straight edge because I don't necessarily agree with the message and I would be an idiot if I dropped all my friends who drank or smoked a little weed every now and then because, quite frankly, I wouldn't have very many friends.

The idea that people end friendships based on dietary or drinking habits is something that's reserved for children. That's some wack ass middle school drama bullshit. Save that kind of mentality for Degrassi, suckers. If you're 22 and you're severing ties with people because they wanted to eat a Big Mac or drink a Bloody Mary, you have some serious fucking issues to deal with within yourself and you probably shouldn't be preaching your convoluted message to the masses.

MLIW = Best Hardcore Band Right Now...

Modern Life is War
"Midnight in America"
(Equal Vision)

Modern Life is War has more swagger than most of the bands that often get props in Alternative Press or "other websites." Often pegged as a working class hardcore outfit, MLIW stomps all the sheen out of the glossed out pretty boys who occupy space in many iPods, but how does their new album "Midnight in America" stand to 2005's breakout, "Witness?"

Unlike many highly touted aggressive bands (Underoath, Killswitch Engage), Modern Life is War doesn't fall into the trappings of an overproduced follow up. Most of "Midnight" is just as raw and immediate as some of "Witness'" finer moments. The poppiest song on the album, "Fuck the Sex Pistols" is sure to raise eyebrows alone based on its title.

I wish I had more to write about this record, but you'll just have to take my word for it: Modern Life is War > than most bands you're listening to. [1]

[1] I seriously would've written a better review, but I tripped running after the bus yesterday so I'm kinda feeling like shit.

Come Widdit: Hour of the Wolf

Hour of the Wolf
Location: Arizona
Sounds Like: Rock & Roll Chaos!!!!

I haven't really heard any good hardcore bands in about a year or so. The last hardcore records I really got into were Sinking Ships' "Disconnecting" and Since By Man's "Pictures From the Hotel Apocalypse." Hour of the Wolf is the kind of hardcore band that I'd tell all my friends about so they can get in on the secret.

Their EP, "Waste Makes Waste," leads with this sick Chuck Berry-riff for the opening track "Taking Out the Trash" and continues on to barrel through "Black Blood." It's easy to peg these guys as psychobilly-meets-Kid Dynamite, but I assure you, this is pretty hardcore (in more of the melodic, traditional sense, and less like your typical Mallpunk Hardcore).

Punk Goes Crappy Vol.2

Various Artists
"Punk Goes Acoustic 2"
(Fearless)

Before they signed bands like Portugal the Man, Gatsby's American Dream and Sugarcult, Fearless Records were widely known for their "Punk Goes..." series, in which they commissioned the hottest bands in the scene to participate in whatever theme the compilation was based on. There was "Punk Goes Metal," "Punk Goes 80's," "Punk Goes Pop," "Punk Goes 90's," and, of course, "Punk Goes Acoustic." The last one was widely successful and became Fearless' cornerstone release. Attempting to make lightning strike twice, Fearless is now unleashing a sequel, four years later, featuring a new crop of pop-punk bands to whet the appetites of message board miscreants.

The bad thing about thematic compilations is that not all songs translate well when it's stripped down. In most cases, none of these songs are very good, period. Daphne Loves Derby's "Sun" is pretty boring and their singer still cannot sing, the fact that the songs are bare bones, really showcases his inability to carry a note. Silverstein's "Red Light Pledge" is an explosive song on their debut, but without drums or the screaming, it just sounds like another band trying to rip off Dashboard Confessional.

The roster on this reads like a fantasy list for the readers of Absolutepunk.net, but in reality many of these tunes are just hastily put together and not very well thought out. If you're going to re-record an existing song as a different incarnation, change it up. The only saving grace is Say Anything's reworking of "Woe" with prominently features ragtime pianos beneath Max Bemis' lyrical genius.

If Fearless plans on milking this "Punk Goes..." concept then perhaps they can be bit more daring, "Punk Goes Latin Disco" perhaps? Otherwise, this is just another bargain bin disappointment.

2006 Rewind: When the Eems Started Dancing

The trend of all the emo/pop-punk/hardcore/screamo/stupid subgenre kids starting up nu-wave dance bands still continued to rage throughout the '06, which kind of makes you wonder when will these kids realize they've made a bad decision? I guess it's sort of like that girlfriend that you get all nostalgic about, even though you find all her little idiosyncracies so damn annoying and you can't wait to dump her. Ugh.

While last year brought us Head Automatica, The Killers and Panic at the Disco, 2006 shot us in our collective eardrums with Young Love (featuring Recover's Dan Keyes), Rock Kills Kid (who released a Jimmy Eat World-lite EP back in 2003), Plus 44, Shiny Toy Guns and many other disposable bands.

While I realize that the synthpop hits of The Killers and Postal Service reignited keyboard sales the last two years, there comes a time when we have to say enuff z'nuff. The Faint has been at this new wave revival for years and you know what? They're about a million times better than most of these bands. I'm writing this not to ride on the Saddle Creek coattails, but because it's merely a fact. "Danse Macabre" holds water not only as a pop record, but also as a socio-political album. I mean, if you're going to have a medium to speak your mind, you might as well say something meaningful, right?

I'm hoping that many of these dance bands will die out in 2007. Glassjaw (which is fronted by Head Automatica singer Daryl Palumbo) is taking another crack at hardcore for the new year and Good Charolette is releasing a dance/rap/rock record, which should pretty much murder the nu-wave movement all together. Here's to wishful thinking.