Blame it on punknews, blame it on the Gaslight Anthem, blame it on the leaked Against Me! record or any Hold Steady record. The Menzingers are a great punk band, and “Chamberlain Waits” is filled with good songs. Yet I cant get over the feeling that this “new wave” (pun totally intended) of Bruce Springsteen-influenced punk is starting to run its course. I’m already getting kind of sick of it, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for the Menzingers, at least for the sake of this review. If these guys weren’t so damn good at writing catchy punk tunes, this record would be a flop, as personally I feel like they are better suited to writing more straightforward type punk songs for guys in flannel to drink PBR and stroke their beards to.
This doesn’t mean this is a bad record, far from it in fact. “Deep Sleep” is the kind of song that gives you goosebumps. The songs are incredibly tight, and its obvious that everyone in the band has serious chops. In fact, listening to this record didn’t make me long for their back catalog like is so often the case when a punk band “changes”. In fact, this new sound for the Menzingers works especially well when they get more aggressive, especially in the middle of the record, with the aforementioned “Deep Sleep” and “Time Tables”, which evoke screams so real you can almost smell the whiskey on their breath. Sure, there are some songs that range somewhere between bearable and decent, but all in all this is a fun record. I will be trying to see these guys live as soon as possible, because these songs lend themselves to the stage.
On opening track “Stranger” Scott McMicken sings “I do believe that there’s no more tricks up my sleeve/oh, the good ole’ days have past…” But the tracks that follow on Shame, Shame prove that Dr. Dog haven’t ran out of ideas just yet. And after the underrated excellence of 2008’s Fate, the Philly band could have quite easily exhausted their brand of throwback rock n’ roll.
The retro indie poppers have never been touted for their originality, finding it hard to escape the frequent Beach Boys, CSNY, The Band, and (insert likeminded 1960s outfit) comparisons. The band largely sticks to the sound that endeared them to fans in the first place (as they do on “Shadow People” and ‘I Only Wear Blue”). But the album sounds like a band realizing it is time to branch out (as they do on “Later” and “Shame, Shame”). While Shame, Shame is Dr. Dog at their melodic and melancholic best, it also suffers from lyrics that are still lazy, if not obvious, at times. The catchiness of tracks like “Mirror, Mirror” are betrayed in part by uninspired lines: “things ain’t what they used to be/I got a devil after me.” Dr. Dog seem intent on proving that it is not always what you are singing as much as it is how you sing it. And, per usual, they sing it well—terms like “pop sensibility” were invented for bands like Dr. Dog. If Shame, Shame is still Dr. Dog tweaking, tuning, and searching for their very own sound, then they need look no further into the past than their very own Fate. Sure Shame’s new direction will be touted as progress for the nostalgia-rooted band, but lets not stray too far off the course guys.
Aah, Gainesville, Florida. The punk rock that comes out of this city is always out of this world. Some of my favorite bands hail from Gainesville (Gunmoll, Against Me!, Cutman, Assholeparade, Grabass Charlestons), so to me, Young Livers come with this “punk rock pedigree”, kind of like being from New York in the 1970s or Chicago in the late 90s. Yet Young Livers would be just as awesome of a punk rock band if they came from Bozeman, Montana. “Of Misery and Toil” is the odds on favorite for the years best rock and roll record. It rocks like The Stooges, but with an urgency reserved for good punk rock. The sound they have could fit right in on Punk O Rama 2 (the best one) or Detroit in 1970 something, drinking beers backstage before the MC5 comes out to tear the place down.
“All the Wretched” is a song that may or may not leave you wanting to get belligerently drunk at 2 pm, and “Finger to the Pulse” is everything I want punk rock to be. The melody is awesome, and the breakdown/bridge at the end made me pump my fist all alone in my living room like I was at a show, going crazy. The classic Gainesville pop punk formula works perfectly for Young Livers, with their gruff vocals that don’t shy away from harmonies or gut wrenching screams. This album
is like a crazy good combination of pop punk, crusty hesher hardcore, and 70s classic rock (awesome guitars in “A Sad State of Affairs”). I can’t stop listening to this record, and through the first several spins, this might be one of those records that will be considered one of the best in No Idea’s ever extensive catalog. This is a must own if you consider yourself a punk fan.
I have friends that could loosely be described as Dillinger Escape Plan fanboys. To them, everything the prog/grind/hardcore outfit touches turns to gold. Me, I think they are pretty good, but I’ve never found the gateway song that makes it easy to enjoy all of their music. Some of it is pummeling hardcore, but with their previous two efforts, they have incorporated all sorts of different textures and atmospheres into their music. It took two albums (“Miss Machine” and “Ire Works”) for DEP to lock into the grooves they have been striving for, but with their newest album, Dillinger finally hits their stride.
Opener “Farewell Mona Lisa” is a longer jam with even some *gasp* undistorted guitar and a chorus that is sung instead of belted out with gut wrenching screams, and it works. Some of the tracks hit the ‘vintage’ Dillinger formula, with riffs that make you wonder how they can play so fast, but this record was meant to be digested as one long movement. Even a piano ballad, as uncharacteristic as it is, works wonders in the context of the rest of the album. That specific song, “The Widower” is going to polarize Dillinger fans, but give credit where credit is due: its a ballsy move from a band that is finally completely comfortable in their own skin.
It was a little over a year ago that Inara George of The Bird & The Bee told Indie Rock Reviews that they were working on a tribute album to Hall & Oates. When she said this, I didn’t know if it was a joke that was too good to be true, or something that I could really look forward to. Just taking a look through the Hall & Oates catalog had me excited to hear what songs The Bird & The Bee were going to tackle for this special release. Well, it was a couple months ago that it was officially announced along with a release date, and I’m pleased to announce that it’s every bit as good as one could expect.
Interpreting the Masters Volume 1 starts off with an original track from the group, titled “Heard It On The Radio”. It’s an excellent song to start off a tribute album, and seems as though it were written in a way to possibly pay homage to Hall & Oates, and the eight songs that follow. In reality, there are enough classic Hall & Oates songs to do several volumes worth of covers, and with the narrowed down selection on Volume 1 it would be difficult to choose any one song that is more enjoyable than another. The Bird & The Bee do an amazing job in covering each song, preserving their original form, while perfectly blending The Bird & The Bee sound they have been known for over the last couple years.
Whether you’re a Hall & Oates fan, or a fan of The Bird & The Bee, or both, Interpreting the Masters Volume 1 is a must have. While listening to the album, it’s hard to imagine any other musical group that could pull off such a success with interpreting the masters. Between the skilled musical composition of Greg Kurstin and the honey sweet vocals of Inara George, this duo has set the bar once again when it comes to covering classics. Hearing the emotion behind “Sara Smile”, and “One On One”, or the ever-so catchy “Maneater”, “Kiss On My List”, and “Private Eyes”, this is a tribute that both parties can be proud of.
In the time that its been since Daughters released “Hell Songs”, I have become accustomed to Sonic Youth’s feedback drenched droning, which makes the newest Daughters self-titled album even more enriching. Nicholas Sadler (who has since left the band and is playing in the lame indie band Fang Island) really knows how to get his guitar to tremble violently and lurch forward in the most disgustingly awesome way possible. I wouldn’t call it a solo, but the musical bridge in “The First Supper” is something straight out of Steve Albini’s playbook. It pulses and pummels as if KMFDM partied with the Meat Puppets and “Family Man” era Henry Rollins took LSD and married them over a human sacrifice. For the second album in a row, vocalist Alexis Marshall croons and slowly drawls over the face pummeling noise attack, as compared to the throat shredding screams of his contemporaries and his own work for this band earlier in their career. He sounds like Tom Waits if he took hallucinogens instead of spent all of his time at the bar.
To call this grind music would be a total lie, and to call it noise rock would be to sell it short. Its some sort of hybrid that makes you feel like you got punched in the stomach. Even (comparatively) slower tracks like “The Hit” and “The Dead Singer” twist higher and higher until they collapse into broken down noise freakouts that I cant really wrap my mind around yet. “The Theatre Goer” riffs like a Black Sabbath track, but the guitar effects make it sound like its trapped in a tornado, which leads perfectly into the absolutely ridiculous opening guitar part to “Our Queens”. Pardon my lack of journalistic integrity here: holy shit. Daughters have once again created a noise rock masterpiece. This is a must hear.
Salt Lake City post rock outfit I Hear Sirens blew minds with their first S/T EP. After a three year hiatus they are back with Beyond the Sea, Beneath the Sky and have cultivated their music to the point of near perfection. Every guitar line, drum beat, key note, and bass run is masterfully constructed to form a story book of songs that is easy to get lost in and ripe for wild imaginations. What the band does best is layering instrument upon instrument, while building waves of emotion within the listener with well thought out song structures. Their sound isn’t entirely original, but what is nowadays? Read the full story
Venue: 9:30 Club, Washington DC
Show Date: 11/18/2009
Written by: Lancifer
With sold out shows taking place all across the United States, Pretty Lights has set a name for himself in the electronic music scene. The mid-week performance in the nation’s capital was no exception. Fans lined the sidewalk around the 9:30 Club waiting to get in, as others underage and/or under the influence of alcohol were scattering to find a way to get through the doors, though it did not look promising. I was taken back to the days when I frequently attended raves in order to see some of my favorite DJs, and the silly kids running around under the influence of who knows what, trying to fit in with their peers who were equally silly. I can’t say that I miss it too much. The music on the other hand was unforgettable, and that’s just what I was there for. Read the full story
You know that moment in your favorite John Hughes film where the guy and the girl FINALLY get together? That one magical time when the music gets louder and the lips and joy and the …you know, the everything just all comes together? You know that moment? That is The Mary Onettes new album “Islands.” Read the full story
I believe there’s always a moment when you are about to embark on a journey or a trip, or when you sit down to watch a movie or listen to an album when you realize whether or not you will like what you are about to get involved with. Right around 61 seconds is when Horse Stories let me know I was in for a treat.
With the entrance of an almost celestial chorus is what hooked and grabbed me. The first song gently pushes forward in very obvious gestures but in no ways detracting from the mood. It’s enjoyable to feel it unfold step by step and shudder into the second and third tracks with their deep reverb electric guitar tones to give a depth to the plucking of the acoustic melody. The album doesn’t throw any curve balls but is rather typically fitted for the modern pop-folk movement with each song comprised of similar if not the exact same elements. Gentle swells of distant guitar distortion, simple and rare moments of piano to remind you it’s there, violins on slow songs, warm organ tones or brass to back up and support empty spaces, drums trudging along often accompanied by a shaker if there is any percussion at all.
This album isn’t anything really mind-blowing or new, but it is a good album. It’s better than most albums made and deserves to be recognized as a lovely production. In many ways, you might as well ask Jeff Tweedy and Mark Kozelek to do a project together and call it Horse Stories. Which wouldn’t be a bad combo… and neither is Horse Stories.
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This doesn’t mean this is a bad record, far from it in fact. “Deep Sleep” is the kind of song that gives you goosebumps. The songs are incredibly tight, and its obvious that everyone in the band has serious chops. In fact, listening to this record didn’t make me long for their back catalog like is so often the case when a punk band “changes”. In fact, this new sound for the Menzingers works especially well when they get more aggressive, especially in the middle of the record, with the aforementioned “Deep Sleep” and “Time Tables”, which evoke screams so real you can almost smell the whiskey on their breath. Sure, there are some songs that range somewhere between bearable and decent, but all in all this is a fun record. I will be trying to see these guys live as soon as possible, because these songs lend themselves to the stage.
