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

Video: Murder By Death, "Until Morale Improves, the Beatings Will Continue" (Live at the Showbox)

Video: Get Up Kids, "Holiday/I'm a Loner Dottie, a Rebel/The One You Want" (Live)

I shot some video of the Get Up Kids Reunion show for Redefine last night. I will be adding more videos on my YouTube channel throughout the weekend. Enjoy.

HxC Kind of Summer

I don't know why, but I got bit by the hardcore bug again. I'm working on doing songs with my long dormant Blown to Eliot Smithereens project and I've listened to the new Comadre records three times in a row today. At some point I put on "Takin' it Ova!" the record by the International Superheroes of Hardcore (aka New Found Glory).

Surprisingly, the album was much better than I remembered and I kind of wished that more hardcore bands were this fun. Oh well.


International Superheroes of Hardcore, "ISHC Theme Song/Back to the Future"


Comadre, "New Noise (Refused cover)"

Video: Kevin Devine and Jesse Lacey, "Tomorrow's Just Too Late"

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: Modern Life is War, "D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S."

This song is on my AM jog playlist. It rules.

Dallas Penn = Comic Genius

One half of the iNternets Celebrities, Dallas Penn, put together this nice little video called "In Search of Asher Roth." I don't think I need to write anymore than that.

National Biggie Day

Over a decade ago, we were robbed of one of my favorite rappers of all time, Notorious BIG. Who knows how many more incredible songs this man could've had, as well as the high standard in major label hip-hop that would've continued on. Instead, we have mediocre dudes like Jay-Z and T.I. to look up to. Here are some of my favorite Biggie songs, enjoy:

Party and Bullshit (from the Who's the Man soundtrack; there's also a sick Lord Finesse Remix of this track)


Juicy (Pete Rock Remix)


Ten Crack Commandments


Warning


Junior MAFIA feat. Biggie - Get Money


Jay-Z feat. Biggie - Brooklyn's Finest


Who Shot Ya (for some reason, only the instrumental version and freestyles could be found, but if you dig around, you'll find it; ill beat by D.dot, though)

Finally! The Hipster Rap Backlash Gains Traction!

For the longtime readers of this blog, it's no secret that I've long hated the bullshit acts collectively known as hipster rap. M.I.A., Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton and the ilk are something left to be desired; and not to sound like an old man, but seriously, people who buy rap records and have no idea who Big Daddy Kane is need to get checked. Preferribly by Group Home. With a metal pipe.

I know that there are other heads who've shared my disdain for this subgenre that requires its fans to wear bright neon colors and all-over print hoodies. Chicago's Japcity took one of the first aggressive stances and recently, Termanology released the super dope, "Tight Pants are for Girls."

The other day, I was reading Nahright.com and there was a single video clip, no explaination for Big City Philadelphia's "How to Rob an Industry Hipster."

Using an old 50 Cent beat, Big City Philly launches into this killer song that -- if it gets popular -- will have Asher Roth's dumbass trying to suck up to M.O.P. to be his bodyguards or some shit. Now I will never condone violence or abuse on any level, it's just not my style, but if simply threatening people through a satirical track will get them to stop making crappy rap songs, then fuck it, I'll co-sign Big City Philadelphia.

Review: Lil Wayne, "Prom Queen"

I guess this Lil’ Wang song wasn’t as terrible as I thought, but it’s still pretty bad. I feel like somewhere out there, Papa Roach should be readying a lawsuit of some sort. Between the vocoder usage and the fake guitar playing, Lil’ Wayne should seriously consider giving Mannie Fresh a call to hook him up with some circa-98 beats. In these trying days of terrible hip-hop, they would come off on some Pete Rock shit.

Redux: Saves the Day, “In Reverie”

I’ve essentially owned “In Reverie” three times. I found it years ago, shortly after it was released, at the $.99 bin at Underdawg Records in lower Queen Anne. I listened to it and found a few tracks to be pretty decent, but not enough to keep my attention, or to really keep the CD. I sold it soon afterwards and went along my merry way.

When Saves the Day released “Bug Sessions Vol. 1,” the acoustic version of “In My Waking Life” blew me away and I suddenly regretted parting with my copy of the album from which it came from. Like all great music fans, I found a copy online and downloaded it and fell in love with the album. Not too long ago, I found it for $3 at a Half-Price Books and snatched it up with the quickness.

In many ways, it’s a natural progression from “Stay What You Are” – Chris Conley’s lyrics are still biting, clever and delicate. The polished production is very much in the favor of the album and “In Reverie’s” big rock sound is an accurate of a time when Saves the Day was playing arenas with the likes of Green Day, Blink 182 and Weezer.

Unfortunately, the record tanked for a variety of reasons and the band went into a hiatus for a couple of years before releasing anything new.

This kind of slump from a critically and commercially successful record is something that’s seen often but it’s been happening to several bands like Fall Out Boy and Plain White T’s (who, surprisingly, released the ridiculously catchy “Big Bad World” in 2008). But if they can follow the sample that Saves the Day put forth, it’s that a few years to regroup can lead to some pretty amazing music.

[Related videos]

"She"

"Anywhere with You" (Live on Jimmy Kimmel)

"Wednesday the Third"

Special V-Day Video: MxPx, "Want Ad"

No matter how many crappy albums they put out, the first four MxPx albums (as well as "Let it Happen") will always have a special place in my heart. Enjoy.

Video: This Time Next Year, "Hearts and Arrows" (Live)

I was a little reluctant to hear a band called "This Time Next Year" because (not by coincidence) it's the title of The Movielife's best album. It would be like if Oasis decided to call themselves Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Rubber Soul. Still, my friends Ilene and Mike encouraged me to check them out and I'm glad I did. Their EP, "A Place For You," is easily one of the most enjoyable pop-punk records I've heard in quite some time and their last recording, "The Longest Way Home" features a really great cover of Kid Dynamite's "3 O'Clock." Recently, the band signed to Equal Vision Records which will hopefully get these kids the recognition they deserve.

Video: Bone Thugs N Harmony w/ Eazy-E, "Foe tha Love of $"

People all across the United States are going absolutely bananas with both glee (mostly) and disappointment. I'm sure I'm not alone that thinking that the latter part of that group are obviously out-of-touch, probably uneducated and, let's face it, probably fucking racist. Still, with so many people going out of their way to write new songs about how this new presidency will usher in change, the jaded and cynical part of me thinks of this song as one of the most accurate portrayals of what American values are truly built on.

Video: Jets to Brazil, "Sweet Avenue"

There was this period between the latter half of 1999 and almost all of 2000 where I saw Jets to Brazil for what seemed about five billion times (though in reality it was probably thrice [not the band]). The other day I was thinking about how awesome this song is and it actually bummed me out a little that I'll never see them play again.

Redux: Rilo Kiley, “Takeoffs and Landings”

(Rilo Kiley, "Science Vs. Romance")

Every now and then, I’ll have a record on heavy rotation and then I’ll put it aside for awhile before rediscovering it at a later date. Between Rilo Kiley’s releases, I’ve always favored “The Execution of All Things.” The production and songwriting are stellar and displays the best collaborative effort between Blake Sennett and Jenny Lewis, the band’s primary songwriters. Not to say anything bad about their debut, “Takeoffs and Landings,” but to paraphrase something that Lewis said in an interview, it’s a glorified demo.

Which is not to say that it’s an incomplete record; in fact, it’s probably a far more realized effort than “More Adventurous” or “Under the Blacklight.”

This morning, in a fit of sensitive artistry, I listened to “Takeoffs” on my iPod and took into the morose ambiance of the album. For all its raw attributes and sonic meandering, it’s a comforting record to listen to on a lonely December day.

Bravo, Rilo Kiley.

Thoughts on the Get Up Kids Reunion and Then Some

I posted about the Get Up Kids impending reunion and little while back and since then, the band has indeed reunited in an impromptu performance (which you can see here) and my personal feelings on the matter has changed very little.

I suppose the inner fanboy in me is completely elated, but chiefly because the bands of the pop-punk persuasion that have been coming out of the woodwork these last few years, particularly in the wake of the Get Up Kids demise, has been pretty fucking dismal. Metro Station? Forever the Sickest Kids? A collective groan is most welcome.

Then again, as a purist, I feel that the band should've gotten back together under better circumstances, such as a benefit, rather than the 10 year anniversary of "Something to Write Home About." That particular album to me is a seminal recording, probably more so than "Four Minute Mile [1]," and yet their attempt to become relevant just falls flat and seems to really be a grasp at gaining back their popularity after the missteps that has been their post-TGUK careers [2].

Of course, I'm not a member of this band and I'm merely a person who is half-cynic and half-fan, so the intentions of this band getting back together outside of milking the "STWHA" reissue is beyond me. But the video doesn't lie and it looks to me that they're actually having fun, which is probably the best thing about those performance clips on the YouTubes.

This all begs the questions that I posed when Ozma annouced their reunion, why break up in the first place if you're going to get back together no more than three years later?

[1] Though "STWHA" is a personal favorite, I believe that "On a Wire" is their best album.

[2] It sucks neither Blackpool Lights, nor the New Amsterdams became more popular. Blackpool Lights' debut is still a favorite of mine and I've never dislked the New Ams or Matt Pryor's solo record.

SoulSchool Remixes

This morning I was listening to one of the most underrated winter albums (more on this later), The Beatnuts' "Stone Crazy," when I was compelled to find the video for "Do You Believe," when I came up something labelled as a "SoulSchool Remix." Like most videos and random remixes you find on YouTube and MySpace, I didn't expect much, but the remix was actually pretty awesome. I listened to more of these remixes and I was pretty impressed. In the last few years, my favorite hip-hop producers have been these bedroom DJs who've recalled the halcyon days of people chopping up their own beats on shitty Tascam and Fostex 4-tracks and not overhyped names that shall currently remain nameless. Anyway, here are my favorite of the SoulSchool remixes.

Nas feat. Q-Tip, "One Love"


Big L, "Put it On"


Alicia Keys, "You Don't Know My Name"


Masta Ace, Buckshot and Special Ed, "Crooklyn Dodgers"


Beatnuts, "Do You Believe"


related links:
SoulSchool Myspace

Full Circle

My first official published review for the Seattle Times' Mirror was a review of this really lackluster album that MC Breed put out back in 1996. It was so great that the disc had a date with Cellophane Square a few years later. Anyway, I was uploading a ton of shit onto my iPod the other night and I came across the best MC Breed song of all time. Recognize: