Daily music reviews

Update

2012-01-22T23:16:00.001Z

THIS BLOG IS NOT UPDATED ANYMORE.
HERE'S MY NEW ONE:

http://www.playitloudfuckers.com
http://www.playitloudfuckers.com
http://www.playitloudfuckers.com

Update

2010-09-27T13:56:00.008+01:00

Hey,

So, apparently some people are still coming to this blog since I still get emails about it so I thought I had to clear things up a bit. Let me tell you first, your emails please me. Obviously as you can see I quit doing this, for several reasons. I really didn't have enough time to keep it updated, because of work, school and let's be honest, also because of my social life. Several personal issues also prevented me from getting on the Internet to update this and also to write reviews I said I would, so I would like to apologize to the bands/labels that contacted me and never got what they asked for, I really couldn't do it. I'm sorry.
I now work for the French website Alternativ News, which keeps everyone updated about the whole alternative/punk/hardcore/emo/screamo/indie/whatever scene. They were already posting some of my reviews and interviews on their site but I'm now working full-time for them. I post news, write a lot of reviews about every genre possible but especially hardcore since I am the only fan of the genre over there, live reports and I especially do a lot of interviews. Bands like Anberlin, Chiodos, Yellowcard, The Gaslight Anthem, Rufio, Converge, Crime In Stereo, Title Fight, The Wonder Years, La Dispute and many others already accepted to answer my questions. The website is obviously in French but ALL the interviews are also posted in English so you English-speaking readers can still enjoy our little chat ups with your favorite bands !
I'm also doing a radio show in Bordeaux, the French city where I'm studying. It's called Cruise Control (hopefully you'll get the reference), I'm doing this with three other friends who I put on shows in Bordeaux with, we joke around but mostly we play punk/hardcore stuff. If you're fluent in French, you can listen to it here every next Tuesday, from 9 to 10 P.M. (French time). You can check out our past shows and playlists on Facebook.

Alright, that's all, thanks to all of you who came over to read my reviews and/or interviews, I really appreciated. Hopefully I'll be doing something in English again soon !
Go to shows, support the scene and let's keep it alive and vibrant. See you soon !

Romain.
www.playitloudfuckers.com
www.alternativnews.com

P.S.: You can keep in touch with me on Facebook or Last.fm.
Bands/labels can now contact me at romain.alternativnews(at)live.fr, I don't use dailymusicreviews(at)hotmail.fr anymore. Keep in mind all the reviews will be in French, though !

Update

2010-03-08T20:55:00.002Z

Hey everyone,
Those past few days have been slow for the blog as I've had a few exams and a very busy schedule (not only during the day, to be honest with you). This will continue in the next weeks as I am leaving for a few trips in Europe and won't be able to post anything. I will go back to write reviews as soon as I can. Bands can still email me at dailymusicreviews(at)hotmail.fr but I won't be able to reply before this weekend. Thanks for your loyalty and see you very soon!

Romain.

Four Year Strong - Enemy of the world

2010-03-01T03:51:00.013Z

Four Year Strong have produced a little revolution in the world of pop-punk with their sophomore record 'Rise or die trying'. Not that they created anything: pop-punk with breakdowns isn't in any way their invention, but the way they've overlayed the energy and catchiness of the genre with a few fashions borrowed from hardcore, the whole added to thick poppy synth lines inspired a flood of bands who desperately tried to re-create this "poppy hardcore", "easycore" or whatever you want to call it. After the lukewarm reception that welcomed their cover album last year, everyone was lying in wait for the Worcester, Massachussets five-piece. Two years and a half and countless tours around the world after the success of 'Rise or die trying', the bearded crew is back with 'Enemy of the world'.

The evolution is blindingly obvious. Four Year Strong have refined their sound, removed the excess to come back with something smoother and more focused. There's less sugar, less hardcore gimmicks, less double bass, less synth as well. With less cheese and less breakdowns for the sake of breakdowns, the band from now on fully deserve to be taken seriously. It doesn't mean they have lost their fun side though, all you have to do is to have a quick look at the artwork and the song titles to make sure of it. But their sound is more polished and elaborated (the unbelievably addictive single 'Wasting time (Eternal summer)' is easily one of their best compositions), they've experienced more harmonies, more constructions, taken more risks and thus we find a few songs that would have less fitted on the previous album, such as 'On a Saturday' or the sad 'One step at a time', maybe the weakest on the record. With 'Find my way back', its soft vocals parts and its Set Your Goals tones, the band have even given a try to the hyper melodic and potential radio single track and have succesfully passed the test. This song could have been the best pop cover off 'Explains it all' if it actually was a cover. You can rest assured however, you will find everything you love about Four Year Strong on 'Enemy of the world': the vocal tandem Dan O'Connor/Alan Day at its best ('Flannel is the color of my energy'), keyboardist Josh Lyford's screams ('On a Saturday'), gang vocals by the dozen ('Nineteen with neck tatz') and memorable mosh parts ('This body pays the bill$'). Four Year Strong remain a breakdown factory, the one on the incredibly powerful opener 'It must really suck to be Four Year Strong right now' (a quote from Alternative Press's review of Set Your Goals' latest album) competing with what stood until now as their best ever on 'Heroes get remembered, legends never die'. And even if the poppier tracks will definitely work less live, some numbers will be instant fan favorites in the pit: 'What the hell is a gigawatt?' is a good reminder of 'Rise or die trying', except they took every element to a higher level, with the breakdown being the act's heaviest moment to date (with a featuring of Reign Supreme's Jay Pepito). The work on melodies is remarkable and you'll find some of the best choruses the band have ever written in 'Find my way back', 'This body pays the bill$' and 'Enemy of the world'. The grandiose final that is the latter song takes all of these elements back in a last energy and brothership epic assault that wonderfully closes the record. I also recommend you to check out the b-side 'Cavalier' off the 'It's not the size of the 7''... It's how you use it' vinyl single, it is even better than most of the songs that made it to the album and its trashing cymbals-led break will for sure turn your room upside down.

'Enemy of the world' is the logical step up that fans were waiting for. A more focused and rafined Four Year Strong leads to songs not blending together anymore and impresses by their effectiveness. The production is huge and so is everything on this record: choruses, gang vocals, choirs, breakdowns, blasting guitars and pounding drums. Only the synth is quieter, but it's for the best. Kids can stop worrying, their latest favorite band was not a one-shot and this third album is showing a cloudless sky for Four Year Strong. Now put your dance shoes on and prepare to sing along.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, A Day To Remember
Check also:
BannerHill, Can't Bear This Party!, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!

www.myspace.com/fouryearstrong
(Decaydance/Universal Motown, 2010)

Artist Vs Poet - Favorite fix

2010-02-28T03:22:00.005Z

Take the review I posted for The Rocket Summer's new album:

"I'm gonna be very unprofessional today. Which isn't bad, as I'm only a blogger. I don't have much to say about The Rocket Summer. Bryce Avary's one-man band doesn't inspire me much. My feelings for his fourth full-length 'Of men and angels' are the same as those I expressed for his previous EP (which songs are included on the album). If you liked, you'll still enjoy, if you didn't, he won't get a new fan with this one. Contender for ugliest artwork of the year, though."

Replace "Bryce Avary's one-man band" and "The Rocket Summer" with "Artist Vs Poet", the link for the previous EP with this one, and you get my review for Artist Vs Poet's debut full-length. Artwork dissing included.

2/5

Recommanded if you like:
Forever The Sickest Kids, Sing It Loud, The Summer Set
Check also:
A Bird A Sparrow, School Boy Humor, Racing Kites!

www.myspace.com/artistvspoet
(Fearless Records, 2009)

Bomb The Music Industry! - Adults!!!... Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited By Nothing!!!!!! (Digital EP)

2010-02-27T18:44:00.005Z

Another digital EP from the most famous totally DIY punk band today, Bomb The Music Industry!, another free record to download on their label's website (feel free to donate, as always). In case you didn't already know, the Baldwin-based collective got everything there was to get about how music should work.

Not only is this band respectable for everything they do for both their fans (all their shows are all ages and under $10) and the state of the music industry (free discography, revolutionary way to deal with merch), but they also make great music. This new EP is no exception, offering 7 new songs (including a Nintendo-like electronic interlude) filled with everything you like about Bomb The Music Industry!. Especially if you like the fast Bomb The Music Industry!. The opener 'You still believe in me?' is the band at its punkest, with a fast instrumentation, Jeff Rosenstock providing great vocals, as off-tune as always, and lyrics about drinking. Their ska side is to be found on 'Planning my death', filled with horns, and 'The first time I met Sanawon', whereas keys are put forward on the upbeat 'Slumlord'. Closer 'Struggler' is particularly representative of the band's crazily wide musical horizon as it starts as a slow song with acoustic guitar and trombone before speeding up to get full-band and heavy, Rosenstock screaming: "I don't wanna go outside / 'Cause I might have a terrible day". The only slow-paced song is actually the moody 'All ages show' dealing with the punk scene.

Bomb The Music Industry! is a mess, but a very fun mess. They always use a dozen of instruments as well as a dozen of musicians and all of that makes them sound like they're out of this world. Catchy, eclectic, original, easy to relate to, this band never ceases being entertaining. This new EP doesn't prove me wrong, especially when you know it was written and recorded in five days. The collective belongs to that category of band who you will be very enthusiastic and proud to support, especially since they don't ask you to.

4/5

Nb.: The picture is not the actual artwork, it is made of all the eight different covers (one per musician) plus the artwork for the single 'Struggler'.

Recommanded if you like:
The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches, Big D And The Kids Table, High School Football Heroes
Check also:
Chotto Ghetto, Infamous Jake & The Pinstripe Mafia, Rick Johnson Rock And Roll Machine

www.myspace.com/bombthemusicindustry
(Quote Unquote Records, 2010)

Interview: Fair

2010-02-26T18:09:00.005Z

Fair's new album has finally arrived and it meets everyone's expectations (review here). The band's guitarist Erick Newbill took some time to tell me about the recording of 'Disappearing world', his side-project and touring. Read the interview by clicking "Read more".

[This interview will be available in French in a few days.]

Hey Erick, thank you for taking some time to answer my questions, how is Fair doing?

You're welcome, and we're doing great! We're breathing a big sigh of relief now that February, 9th has happened and now that the new album is out it feels good to be active doing things with Fair again. We're ready to be playing shows again especially after taking a long break.

How has the reception of the new album been so far?

We've been so encouraged by the reception thus far. We've had people hanging in there with us since the last album and have also picked up a lot of new fans along the way and so far everyone seems to be enjoying the new songs. When it takes a long time to get a new album out, I think you're going to have some nerves about it. The new album felt a lot different to us and we weren't sure what people would think, even though we couldn't be happier with the songs. To have so many people connecting with it right away blows us away. Nothing means more to us than the encouraging messages we get from people that felt like something in our music spoke to them. That's what Fair is about for us.

Let's go back to the beginning. Could you tell us about how Fair got created?

The four of us have been friends for a long time, having been involved in other musical projects with each other, or just traveling in the same circles. Aaron and Nick have been playing together since junior high school! We ultimately came together as one incarnation of the band that Aaron was using to play his solo stuff. We quickly decided it would be a lot of fun to start a brand new band and began writing new material under the name Fair.

People have the image of Fair as a band apart from the scene, enjoying a particular freedom not a lot of bands can experience. Do you have this feeling?

We do in some ways, yes. Since Fair isn't a career for any of us, we are able to make the music we want to make without some of the pressures some bands face. We take what we do seriously, and the band is important to us, but it's not a singular focus in our lives and that makes it a lot more enjoyable.

Does that mean you have less pressure while writing/recording?

Definitely. There's never been a point where we felt like we had to write a certain kind of song to appeal to a certain crowd, or please a record label. I think if that became the case we wouldn't want Fair to continue. It's always been about four friends making the music we love making. The time we're able to spend doing Fair is some of the most rewarding and enjoyable time in our lives. In some ways it can almost feel like a vacation to get into the studio with Aaron, Joey, and Nick because it's so much fun.

How was the process of writing and recording 'Disappearing world' different from 'The best worst-case scenario'?

It was a lot different actually. For 'The best worst-case scenario' almost all of the songs were written in the studio by Aaron or myself and were basically finished songs when we committed to recording the final versions. One of us would write a song, all the lyrics, and then get input from the other three members. That approach worked well for that album and we are happy with every song. For 'Disappearing world', we wanted to stretch ourselves and write in a way none of us were used to. For starters, we had almost 20 songs up for consideration before we even went into the studio back in December of 2007 to start recording. Five more songs came quickly after that so we were working with a pool of 25 songs. The difference this time is that Aaron and I intentionally left the songs "unfinished" so that there was a ton of room for collaboration. We got into a room together as a band with our instruments (this happens less and less today in the world of easy digital recording), hashed the songs out and finished them as a band. We all wrote on this record and put our individual stamp on each song. Writing this way was not only way more fun, but the songs went in directions that they never would have gone before. We decided to try a lot more with piano as a primary instrument and that changed the outcome of most of the songs. When I listen back to my demos of the songs I wrote, some of them aren't even recognizable anymore and it makes me realize that we met our objective. I remember telling the guys at one point that this stuff is what I thought Fair would sound like when we started the band.

There is an retro feeling on this record, was it deliberate?

Yes and no! We definitely set out to make music that reflected all four of our influences. It just turns out that we are all heavily influenced by music from the 60's, 70's and 80's so it happened naturally. It came from sharing an unspoken collective vision about where each song was going.

What influenced you for 'Disappearing world'?

Musically, we all just went back to our roots and the music we love. Lyrically and thematically, we were intentional with each song and this album has deep meaning for all of us. Sometimes when you write lyrics you sort of "go with what sounds cool" and aren't always worried about the deeper meaning of each song. That's a fine way to approach songwriting, but this time we felt like digging deeper. It's difficult to reconcile being human in a terribly broken world. And oddly, it can be confusing to see glimpses of beauty when you're used to that broken world. We're exploring those feelings a lot on this album, and want people to discover what we have - that there is genuine hope and beauty and to embrace that and not become cynical.

Would you ever consider having a Fair record produced by someone else than Aaron?

We've talked about that a lot actually. It would be a lot of fun to work with another producer that we all respected, but it would have to make sense and be the right situation. We wouldn't hire another producer just for the sake of doing it, but if it felt like it was going to make the music that much better we'd go for it. Our band is extremely hands on with production, so I could see it being more as a production collaboration than a standard producer/band arrangement. It's always nice to have another set of capable ears.

How would you describe Fair's music and which current bands do you feel close to?

When asked, I always call Fair a "melodic rock band". We scrap a song quickly if the melody doesn't grab us, so that description seems to work (I hope!). For me, I am most fond of Blur, Catherine Wheel and Pixies. I know it's a stretch to call those bands "current" but that is the music that I connect with most and have for a long time. I like anything that makes me "feel" something. There is so much music out there that I know in my head is good music, but if I don't feel it in my heart I don't tend to listen long. I know that if I get shivers from listening to a band, I'm onto something. In the time since our last record I've gotten really into Mew and Muse. I rarely listen to music to relax and Muse especially is a band that I can turn up loud in my car and just deal with whatever I've got going on.

Could you tell us about your other band, Subways On The Sun?

Sure! The motivation behind Subways on the Sun is that I tend to write songs on a fairly consistent basis, and obviously there's not room for all those songs on the Fair albums. It's been about eight years since I was the lead singer in a band (since Aaron produced my old band Wes Dando) and the songs I've been writing lately, combined with some songs left over from the two Fair albums, are songs that mean a lot to me personally and so I've decided to create an avenue for that. I'm collaborating on the writing with my great friend Lars Katz and we're having fun working on this music. We're spending time recording demos right now at Lars' home studio and want to be playing live during 2010 at some point. Nick is going to play bass and we're talking to a couple drummers too. It just felt like the right time to branch off a bit from what we're doing in Fair and I'm excited to see where the band goes.

Is there any release planned?

My goal at this point is just to put together a good live set. I have the tendency to get obsessed with over producing demos like I am making a record and this time I just want to get a set of songs roughly demoed that I am proud enough to play live. Ultimately I want to find a label and release a Subways On The Sun album, but step one is to get out and play and see where things go. Playing live is my favorite part of being a musician and I want to be doing more of that. In the meantime, we do have one song out on the 2009 Abrazos cancer benefit compilation that is available on iTunes and supports the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

What's in store for Fair in 2010?

We want to work hard at promoting the new album this year. There are some tour plans in the works and other exciting things that I think people will enjoy. It seems like a lot more people are interested in what we're doing than four years ago, so we want to do our best to connect with everyone.

A lot of fans would love to see Fair tour more, what do you think about it?

It would be great! But, since we all have families and other jobs it isn't always a possibility. When the right opportunities arise, we try and make them happen. For Fair it's about quality over quantity and we're working to make some things happen for this year and beyond. I know how important it is to me to see bands I enjoy live and want to give people that like our band the opportunity to see us too.

Do you consider playing in Europe anytime soon?

We'd love to! I'm not sure if that is going to be feasible for us, but it would be great to get over there and play. I've been to Europe a few times as a tourist and would love to get back over there and play shows. Anything is possible!

[Thank you very much to Erick for doing this, don't forget to check out Fair's new album, 'Disappearing world'!]

www.fairforever.com
www.myspace.com/fair
www.twitter.com/FairForever

Enter Shikari - Tribalism

2010-02-26T02:10:00.007Z

Already a new album? No my friends, just a collection of b-sides, remixes and live songs. But Enter Shikari also decided to record two new songs to increase the album's interest.

The first new song is 'Tribalism', a synth-led track showcasing another change in direction, the English four-piece going further towards experimentation than they already did on 'Common dreads', with the part sung by Chris Batten even having a Depeche Mode vibe. The verses are a bit boring at times but the song benefits from an excellent chorus, dynamised by a faster rhythm and back-and-forth vocals. The breakdown is good as well, fairly heavy with big gang vocals and Rob Rofle smashing his drums. The funny yet deep lyrics about humanity are worth checking out. 'Thumper' is a more traditional Shikari song, full of breaks and energy and featuring a great vocal performance. The drums are a bit disappointing compared to the guitars but the nasty synth line will put everyone straight. The 6-minute b-side 'All eyes on the saint', a tribute to the band's hometown St Albans's hardcore scene, is an average b-side despite its original construction and the live cover of Faithless's 'Insomnia' is a bit weird as they really turned it into a metal song, so you'll hear moshing guitars mixed with a very cheesy pop synth line. They also included the 2008 single 'We can't breathe in space, they just don't want us to escape' (originally demoed in 2005), in my opinion of the best songs the band have ever written, so it's great to see it finally being able to get the exposure it deserves. It has everything the rock Enter Shikari are good at: crazy guitar notes, impressive vocals, energetic drumming, sing-alongs and a nasty breakdown. The keyboard only really comes at the very end, creating a gorgeous atmosphere like the band have rarely done and it is such a shame the version included on this album is the radio edit, as the original 6-minute song's soaring end is incredible. Next is the remix part, starting with Nero's version of 'Juggernauts', a good chilling tune with a great drum'n'bass beat. The same song then becomes a quite good dubstep track in the hands of Blue Bear, member of True Tiger. When it comes to The Qemists, they gave 'No sleep tonight' both a heaviness and an appeal for the clubs that the original didn't have. The only unreleased remix on the record is the drum'n'bass take on 'Wall' by Welsh DJ High Contrast, who turned it into a good anthem for clubs but nothing worth adding to your iPod's Shikari library. The only annoying moments are to be found on the second half of the album when come three other remixes of 'No sleep tonight', one of them being a boring dubstep remix only including the chorus's vocals (Mistabishi), another an upbeat club song (singer Roughton Reynolds' DJ alter-ego Rout) and the last one an experimental dance mix not having much to do with the original (LightsGoBlue). They're not really bad, but hearing four takes on the same song is a bit tiring. Closing the album are three live songs, transcribing well the intensity of the band's live show and if you dig it, I'd recommend you to check out both of their live bootlegs, one of them accompanying the pre-order for 'Tribalism'.

The new songs are worth buying the release if you're a real fan of the band (even if in this case you probably already own a lot of the other tracks on vinyl as they were b-sides of singles) but if you aren't, just buy them separately on iTunes. Definitely better than Bring Me The Horizon's attempt, but really not essential.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Prodigy, Pendulum, Chiodos
Check also:
The Qemists, Exit Avenue, Rout

www.myspace.com/entershikari
(Ambush Reality, 2010)

The Rocket Summer - Of men and angels

2010-02-24T17:46:00.004Z

I'm gonna be very unprofessional today. Which isn't bad, as I'm only a blogger. I don't have much to say about The Rocket Summer. Bryce Avary's one-man band doesn't inspire me much. My feelings for his fourth full-length 'Of men and angels' are the same as those I expressed for his previous EP (which songs are included on the album). If you liked, you'll still enjoy, if you didn't, he won't get a new fan with this one. Contender for ugliest artwork of the year, though.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
Jack's Mannequin, Augustana, Waking Ashland
Check also:
The Morning Of, Ace Enders And A Million Different People, The Morning Light

www.myspace.com/therocketsummer
(Island Def Jam, 2010)

Angels & Airwaves - Love

2010-02-23T16:38:00.009Z

Blink-182 may have reunited, it didn't stop Thomas Matthew DeLonge Jr. to continue his space odyssey with his friends of Angels & Airwaves, releasing their third album for free on Saint Valentine's day. Hate them or love them, you can't say the four-piece haven't created their own signature sound, no matter how prominent the influence of a band starting with a U and ending with a 2 appears to be. Well, if you disliked the two first albums of DeLonge's more-ambitious-than-the-moon project, 'Love' will unfortunately have the same flavour as watching 'Notting Hill' with a box of chocolates, alone on your couch for Saint Valentine's day.

From the very start of the 'Chariots of fire'-like intro of the record, fans will indeed feel home. For their third full-length, Angels & Airwaves have kept the same sound and grandiloquent aesthetic that captivated fans - and pushed others away. 'Love' is grandiose, as every Angels & Airwaves album, full of metaphors on love and space, echoey guitars and huge drumming. Same slick production, same low-key soaring guitar lines, same mid-tempo hooks, same drum beats (despite a very good work from Atom Willard), same stretched vocals, it's 'We don't need to whisper' and 'I-empire' all over again. I guess we can't reproach them for having found their signature style, but on a pure musical level, you feel like you've heard all of this before. The main riff of 'Shove' sounds just like the one on 'Distraction', 'Epic holiday' reminds 'Everything's magic' and the majestic 'The adventure' comes to mind when hearing the back sample of 'The moon-atomic (...Fragments & fictions)' and the rhythm of 'Some origins of fire'. The transitions between songs are totally flowing, indeed you won't even notice it when the second track skips to the third. It could backfire the band as the limits between the songs are so blurry and the compositions so similar that you may feel like you've been listening to one single song that would have lasted 54 minutes. Thus, the changes on 'Love' are to be found in the details. If you scrutinize the band's new delivery of arena rock anthems, it appears a few things have been modified since the last album. First, it seems that Tom DeLonge has almost abandonned the vocal fuss he put much effort into on the previous records, if you override the "Yeah, hey, hey, hey, ho" on 'Soul survivor (...2012)'. Despite some obvious Auto-Tune moments, his voice also seems more natural (keep in mind we're still talking about Angels & Airwaves, though) and less suffocated by effects. One very noticeable difference however is the increase in the use of synth on the album ('Clever love') which, despite not providing any unforgettable moments, adds something more. But the best moments are to be found when the guitars deviate from the twinkling effect layers they usually are swallowed by, like on 'Epic holiday' or the amazing 6-minute long 'The flight of Apollo', which energetic riffs and different construction manage to maintain the listener's interest all the way through the song. Angels & Airwaves try so hard to build atmospherical moments that when a real riff comes in it always end up being noteworthy. When they pick up the pace on the very unsurprising single 'Hallucinations', which reminds the average level of their previous album, it actually works well. 'Young London' is a success, its intro being one of the best moments off the record, if only the main riff wasn't that reminiscent of AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck'... DeLonge can also revive the attention of the listener when he actually decides to sing and it's a shame he doesn't do it more often. His main fault is however and with no doubt his terrible lyrics. Vague, common and abstract, they're just as cheesy as the title of the album, the lowest level of songwriting being reached at the very end of the album when on 'Some origins of fire' he decides to open the world's eyes with the chorus lines absolutely ruining the song: "We are all love / And love is hard / So here's my heart". And as you could tell reading this review, the song names aren't less ridiculous. So lots of cheese on this album, but if starship romances is your thing, you'll always find what you want in Angels & Airwaves.

'Love' isn't bad. It's a good music album, that gets credit for at least proposing a universe. Let's not forget that the band (or dare I say their frontman) decided to give the album away for free and that's always a respectable decision. Many will find it repulsive and neverending, reproaching the band with laying it on thick. Yes, Angels & Airwaves stick to the pompous/fascinating image and sound they have created. I personally think that it's now in their own interest to try something new and maybe to focus on capturing more energy and variation, as it seems they've already experienced everything when it comes to dreamy and spacey atmospheres. At the end of the day, the group of four astronauts certainly didn't make it up for all of DeLonge's cocky declarations and have a hard time creating songs really memorable for their own sake as they kind of all rely on each other but 'Love' is a good and pleasing experience, that will satisfy every fan of the band.

3.5/5

Nb.: You can download the album for free here.

Recommanded if you like:

30 Seconds To Mars, U2, Muse
Check also:
Dead By Sunrise, SafetySuit, Beta State

www.myspace.com/angelsandairwaves
(Self-released, 2010)

Fair - Disappearing world

2010-02-21T18:15:00.005Z

Many of you may have missed out on Fair's beautiful debut album, 'The best worst-case scenario'. Indeed, the American quartet are very quiet and discreet within the alternative rock scene, one of the main reasons being that the band features musician and superstar producer Aaron Sprinkle who has quite a busy schedule with his work on albums of everyone from Anberlin to Copeland or Emery. Thus, it took three years and a half for Fair's second full-length to come out. And now that it's finally available, I have to tell you that if you've never heard of the band, you're gonna have to buy both.

'Disappearing world' is a step up from Fair's debut album. It is such a pleasure to listen to new songs from them, but it's also great to see they're even better. Some of them are reminiscent of the first album but those are less emotionally powerful and also the most somber ones ('Walking in my sleep', 'Take some risks'). The four-piece not only applied the same solid formula, but they've also spoiled themselves with a few new musical experimentations, from the jazzy/bluesy sections of 'Walking in my sleep' to the tempo of the piano-driven 'Great divide'. The keys are indeed an important part of the band, omnipresent on half of the tracks and totally leading a song like 'The worst of your wear'. The ladder features guest vocals from Copeland's Aaron Marsch, what could be more normal when you hear the perfect combination of the two Aaron's voices. Marsch's singing comes to light up the melancholic composition and leaves you wondering how could your ears be treated better than by the association of those two wonderful voices. 'The escape artist' will prove anyone that Sprinkle is not only a talented producer, as this song is a gorgeous vocal and lyrical success. Very well-executed also are the two catchy upbeat numbers 'It's doubtful' and 'One last time'. You'd smile big if Sprinkle wasn't so touching when he sings: "If I'm happy / There's a good chance I'm lying through my teeth / Cause without you, it's doubtful". 'Anymore' is the simplest song and yet one of the most moving, as the lyrics are packed with huge emotion and sincerity. Despite a few weaker moments, the record a a whole is a musical and lyrical success. All along your listen, you'll find nothing but catchy, polished melodies and well-thought yet simple lyrics about faith, love and consciousness.

Fair are not a boring, dull, arrogant indie band. They create a meaningful, dreamy, addictive brand of music filled with sensations and emotions. Fair sing simplicity, and sing it well. Their pure and virgin sound doesn't lack any complexity, depth or other addition to be completely amazing. 'Disppearing world' is an excellent follow-up to 'The best-worst case scenario', taking back the elements that made their debut work so well and adding more consistency and variation. It is certain Fair will remain in their little bubble, far from the lights of the success but the unanimous critics have already proved their worth. Both of their albums are made of haute couture pop-rock and you'd be stupid not to give them a listen.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Copeland, Tegan And Sara, Death Cab For Cutie
Check also:
Poor Old Lu, Rose Blossom Punch, Lakes

www.myspace.com/fair
(Tooth & Nail Records, 2010)

Crime In Stereo - I was trying to describe you to someone

2010-02-16T23:32:00.012Z

I took my time to write about Crime In Stereo's new record. The Long Island-based five-piece have always been at a special place within the hardcore scene. The direction taken with 2007's 'Is dead' set them even more apart and with 'I was trying to describe you to someone', they go further than we would have ever thought.

Let's not talk about the cover. Yes, it's awful. Yes, it's the singer. But there's gonna be enough to say about the music. With 'I was trying to describe you to someone', Crime In Stereo pick up right where they left off with 'Is dead' but they're pushing much further into experimentation. The eerie intro 'Queue moderns' starts off the album with an ambient tone, the rhythm is slow, provided by a drum machine, and the vocals are ethereal. But quickly, the fast pace the band are famous for comes in and the song gets into a seething melodic hardcore section with singer Kristian Hallbert's yells. This quiet/loud dynamic is to be found throughout the record, so much that the first listens are quite blurry when it comes to distinguish songs. But with time the space and the nuance featured on this album become clearer and the great work executed by the band and their producer Mike Sapone becomes obvious. The rhythm of the album is a very good point, the drums sound amazing and when the band say that they wanted to make an album that would work better than 'Is dead' in a live setting, you understand where they come from on tracks like 'Drugwolf' (the most conventional and melodic song, a satirical tract against the police) and 'I am everything I am not' (one of the rare choruses where hardcore kids will be able to sing along). While keeping an aggressive sound on most of the album, Alex Dunne and Eric Kuster's guitars experiment an array of new sounds, using effects pedals more than ever, sometimes over-distorted ('Type one', 'Republica') and sometimes soaring ('Drugwolf', 'Exit halo'). A song like 'Not dead' benefits much from the bite provided by the distorted guitars, the grunge-like hook added to the shrill vocals of Hallbert singing "I'm not dead / But you're losing me" and its "hey, hey" chorus making it one of the most efficient on the album. The work on bridges is excellent as well, building up literal walls of sound on 'Odalisque' and 'Exit halo'. The latter may be the best song Brand New didn't write on 'Daisy', haunting by its reverberating vocals and intense bass line, unpredictable by its binary construction making the two halves of the song completely different. Kristian Hallbert has really found his best vocal execution, alternating soft singing and distant yelling, finally setting up his own recognizable trademark. There are settled-down moments on 'I was trying to describe you to someone', though. 'Young' is a beautiful and poetic number, at first sounding like an acoustic pop-punk track with its soft guitar notes and catchy vocals before trashing drums turn it into a peaceful and melodic full-band song. 'Dark Island City' (which has very little in common with the track of the same name off 'The troubled stateside') is as laid-back but is much more sombre, paving way for the most upbeat song on the record, the closer 'I cannot answer you tonight'. This song is the closest to what Crime In Stereo was five years ago, a more traditional melodic hardcore filled with an epic feeling very peculiar to the band. And the last 40 seconds made me realize that it's in this configuration that they are the most likely to move me, as the tense bridge turns into a wonderfully energetic and touching ending with Hallbert yelling "Come back to me" with all his heart.

Crime In Stereo have gone a long way since their 2002's basement demo. They have worked hard and evolved on every level, improving their musicianship and their songwriting, also distancing themselves from the casual hardcore music to add a "post-" prexif to their sound. 'I was trying to describe you to someone' is a challenging album, hard to get into. You're constantly lugged around between quiet and loud, distortion and progression, airy and angry. So much that it can be a little misguided at times. By avoiding conventions, the album also bears a certain form of analogy. It is not as astonishing as 'Is dead' because the effect of surprise is not as strong, but it is a more consistent and ambitious effort that will also be easier to transcribe live. The mix of Mike Sapone is once again faultless, even if lots of fans will blame him for turning the band into Brand New. The comparison is legitimate, their sound now is very similar, but it is first and foremost the result of Crime In Stereo willing to add depth and variation to theirs. Whilst some will argue that 'I was trying to describe you to someone' is the masterpiece that 'Is dead' gave a glimpse of, others will feel betrayed by a band who gave up their older sound. Where is the hardcore? Probably in the spirit of the album. Where is the punk? Probably in the heart of the album. Crime In Stereo haven't forgotten their roots, they're an incredible band who, despite being now less moving than before for a part of their audience, need to be regarded as the grittiest act erupted from the 2000's hardcore scene.

4,5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Brand New, Moneen, Sparta
Check also:
Make Do And Mend, Hostage Calm, Jettison

www.myspace.com/crimeinstereo
(Bridge Nine, 2010)

Interview: Prawn

2010-02-16T12:19:00.013Z

The second interview of 2010 comes from New Jersey-based act Prawn. They've released one of the best EPs of 2009 (which I reviewed here) and their singer/guitarist Tony Clark was kind enough to accep to answer my questions. You can read them by clicking the link "Read more" below.

[This interview is available in French here.]

Hey Tony, thank you for taking some of your time to answer my questions, could you introduce yourself and your band first, for those who don't know you?

Hey Romain. It's my pleasure doing this! My name is Tony Clark and I play guitar and sing for Prawn. Prawn is made up of Kyle Burns, Andrew Vilchez, Jamie Houghton and myself.

Can you tell us about how Prawn got created? Which bands and motivations made you want to make music?

Prawn got started in the summer of 2007 when Andrew, Jamie and myself started writing songs. The three of us had been playing in and out of bands together throughout high school. We all were, and still are, best friends so it seemed natural to start a band together. Kyle joined later that summer but things didn't really start rolling until the next summer due to the fact everyone was in college and Kyle was still in high school. I know for myself I always was into music and enjoyed going to shows and what not. Explosions In The Sky probably was the band that made me really want to make music. I saw them live when I was 17. They absolutely blew me away.

Is there any story behind the band's name?

Andrew came up with the name "Prawn Prostitutes" originally. When we were playing high school open mics and what not we were called Prawn Prostitutes. After a while we dropped "Prostitutes" and just stuck with Prawn.

It's pretty hard to label your music, is it something deliberate? How would you describe it yourself?

Hm. I guess it’s hard to label our music because we are influenced by a lot of different genres. We listen to a lot of post-rock, pop punk, and 90’s emo. There’s also a lot of music coming out now like Snowing to name one that I listen to all the time. So it’s not deliberate that our sound cannot be described a specific genre. I have no idea how to label our music.

Your lyrics are often described as very "matter of fact". What are your inspirations and do you agree with this statement?

Yeah, I would consider my lyrics “matter of fact.” I just write about what’s going on in my life. A lot of 'False institutions' was written about a break-up and trying to move on with my life.

Are you currently unsigned? Any discussions with labels yet?

We’ve never been signed to a label. Prawn has always gone the DIY route of pressing CDs ourselves. We’ve talked to a few different labels but nothing has been set in stone yet. We would like to try something new and work with a label for our next album.

A lot of people have first heard about you on the dates with Moving Mountains, how was touring with them? Which kind of relationship do you guys have?

Haha, we actually never “toured” with Moving Mountains. We played our first couple shows with them and became friends. When they toured with Pompeii back in January 2009, we played two shows with them. We have a great relationship with them. The first time we played with them we played in front of like 10 people. Now they’re opening for Say Anything and Thursday. It’s awesome and inspiring to see your friends' band get major recognition and success.

You have been starting to write new songs, what can we expect from them? Do you feel like there's a progression in the band's sound?

We’ve been writing new songs for the last few months now. We have all grown personally as musicians and as a band also. The new songs still have our sound but are a bit more mature. Some songs have minimal vocals while others are basically driven by the vocals. We’re definitely experimenting with our sound and still trying to fine-tune it.

You said those new songs would be available for free online and at shows. You also gave your last EP for free. How important is it for you that people have free access to your work?

We don’t really take ourselves too seriously to be honest. We’re more about having fun than making money. It’s always nice to get paid for what you love, but I think in the back of everyone’s head is the realization that Prawn is for fun and not money. Also with so many bands out there, it’s hard for people to actually give your band a chance. With releasing 'False institutions' for free, we wanted to give people the chance to listen to a record and decide if they like it or not for themselves, not by having a ton of MySpace bands asking you to listen to their music.

Is there any date for the songs to be released? And when can we expect a full-length?

No date yet. We might release a three-song demo of the new material for free sometime in the future. The next big thing for us is to write and record a full-length. We’ve never done one so it’s really exciting. Hopefully by the end of the summer we’ll have a full-length out.

One of your songs was featured in an online soap opera series, 'Gotham: the series', can you tell us about it?

One our friends’ mom is the director of 'Gotham: the series'. We’ve been friends with her family for a while so her mom asked us to give a song for the episode.

What's in store for Prawn in 2010? Any touring plans?

We want to put out our first full-length in 2010. I think we are going to do a three or four-week tour during the summer too. This band Merchant Ships (an awesome band) is putting on a summer fest in South Bend, Indiana that we’ll be traveling out there to play.

Do you consider touring overseas anytime soon?

Yes. Traveling to Europe is definitely a goal for Prawn. We are shooting for summer 2011. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that things will line up for us so we can make it overseas.

Any bands you would love to play with?

That’s probably the hardest question on here. I could list over a hundred bands that I’d love to play with. Topping my list though would be Minus The Bear, God Is An Astronaut, Explosions In The Sky and Broken Social Scene. If I could go back in time, playing with At The Drive-In and American Football would be a dream come true.

That is all, thank you very much Tony! We in Europe hope to see you soon!

Thank you Romain. Hopefully summer 2011!

[You can legally download Prawn's latest EP for free here.]

www.myspace.com/prawnnj

Blacklisted - Eccentrichine (7'')

2010-02-16T01:13:00.011Z

After surprising (shocking?) their little world two months ago with the incredible 'No one deserves to be here more than me', there they go again with a new 7'' as unexpected as the 12'' ahead of it.

Hardcore heavyweights Blacklisted recorded this four-song EP this summer. It features two new songs as well as new versions of two previous ones: 'The P.I.G.', acoustic on the last album, here benefits from a full instrumentation and 'Wish', taken from 'Heavier than heaven, lonelier than God', in an acoustic take. Both new songs could have been on 'No one deserves to be here more than me'. Bizarre and almost ambient, full of weird instrumentations, they keep the atmosphere the full-length had, strikingly precise and careful. The gorgeous vocals of George Hirsch are accompanied by some female ones on 'Stones throw' and on 'Eccentrichine' he pushes even further the limits of the band's hardcore sound with very cheerful "too-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo" 's while the drums are banging in the back. This latter is probably one of the most accomplished songs the band have ever written and whether you like it or not, you have to admit it's impressive, just like the evolution of the band. The two other songs are good alternatives to the ones we knew, adding to the diversity of Blacklisted's new sound.

With this new 7'', Blacklisted are reiterating the effect provoked by their latest full-length. 'Eccentrichine' is sticking the knife in deeper, confirming the band have become a real unidentified hardcore object, those two new songs sounding like the copulation of Snapcase and Dinosaur Jr.. No doubt, no one deserves to be here more than them.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Snapcase, Quicksand, Bitter End
Check also:
New Lows, Downpresser, Pellinore

www.myspace.com/blacklisted
(Six Feet Under Records, 2010)

Tony Sly - 12 song program

2010-02-13T16:46:00.005Z

No one would deny No Use For A Name's importance in the punk scene since the 90's. Key figure of Fat Wreck Chords, the Californian act have created their own signature style, most of it being thanks to singer/guitarist Tony Sly's unmistakable vocals and songwriting. After 23 years fronting No Use and a split album with Lagwagon's Joey Cape released in 2004, Sly is offering his first ever solo album, '12 song program'.

As expected, the project is entirely acoustic. Sly put aside the fast rhythms of his band to record delicate melodies along with his guitar. Whereas a few songs could be acoustic versions of No Use For A Name ('Capo, 4th fret'), the album as a whole doesn't give this impression, the songs stand up on their own feet, letting us witness the most sensitive side of Sly. His songwriting is simple and poetic, taking a introspective look at love and life while he strings together sweet and soft harmonies song after song. Whereas a few tracks inevitably sound folk-punk as you would expect a punk-rock singer's solo project to do so ('Via Munich') and certain songs are stripped-down at the most possible ('The shortest pier'), Sly surprises by the range of sensibilities included on the record. He didn't content himself with his guitar alone and surrounded himself with a cast of guests instruments and vocalists. The lovely voice of Karina Denike, from the ska-punk formation Dance Hall Crashers, makes the vocal line thicker and smoother on seven songs and Joey Cape comes to support his long-time friend on 'Amends'. 'Via Munich' and 'Fireball' feature a subtle violin, 'Expired' a movie sample, the excellent 'Toaster in the bathtub' drums and handclaps. You'll even find the accordion of Swingin' Utters' Darius Koski ('Already won') and the bass of NOFX's Fat Mike ('AM'). Whilst the first is quite upbeat, the latter has a darker and airy atmosphere mostly provided by the addition of keys.

With his first real solo experience, Tony Sly didn't necessarily choose the predicatable route of folk-punk like many of his peers did (Chuck Ragan and Greg Graffin in the lead), he instead relied on an original instrumentation to give to the record a more pop and diverse appeal. Whilst not indispensable, '12 hour program' will please No Use For A Name's fans and suckers for acoustic punk.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
No Use For A Name, Sundowner, Nikola Sarcevic
Check also:
Kevin Seconds, Joey Cape, Jon Snodgrass

www.myspace.com/tonyslymusic
(Fat Wreck Chords, 2010)

Story Of The Year - The constant

2010-02-08T18:54:00.004Z

2002 and 2003 were two crucial years for the alternative rock scene. Several successful albums released at the time built up, musically, commercially and broadly speaking, most of what it is today. One of them is 'Page avenue', Story Of The Year's first album. The unknown band witnessed a quick rise to the top thanks to a few singles and a solid debut in a period that was marking a change in bands and fans' environments. Ever since the release of their first album, just like their fellow newcomers The Used but to a lesser extent, the five-piece from St. Louis, Missouri never stopped fading. With every new album decreased the number of songs I would add on my iPod and with 'The constant', I continue to forge ahead.

I am not surpised, though. If there's one thing this album is not, it's surprising. Its title fits it quite well, even if the constance is more in the regression in my opinion. Story Of The Year have, over the years, lost the edge that made their relative success to embrace a new sound, mix of radio-friendly rock tunes and attempts towards heaviness. While trying to "strip down the excess and get back to basics", the band lost almost all their interest. The record opens on 'The children sing', a loud without being heavy song filled with big riffs and a terribly cheesy chorus where singer Dan Marsala is joined by very annoying kids' vocals to beg: "Don't take this / Don't take this world away from me". The most polished, radio-ready songs are 'To the burial' and the single 'I'm alive', both having very easy and catchy melodies. The boring chorus of 'To the burial' is particularly frustrating as the verses set up a faster pace reminding times when drummer Josh Wills actually played fast. But the deathblow comes with 'Remember a time' and 'Holding on to you', with no doubt the worst songs the band has ever written. The guitar lines of the first one make it sound like a bad Weezer song whilst the ladder is a classic subpar piano ballad I never thought I would hear Story Of The Year play. It seems that guitarists Ryan Phillips and Philip Sneeds are letting their pop influences speak more, as the creation of their side-project Greek Fire could let understand. The heavy tendencies of the band are concentrated on two songs, 'Won threw ate', which lacks the substance that the similar songs had on 'In the wake of determination', and the closer 'Eye for an eye', a fast and scorching song brought down by a weak chorus. The rest of the songs are more moderated in their style, reminding the style of 'Page avenue' ('Ten years down', probably the most efficient track) or 'The black swan ('The ghost of you and I'). Maybe I just got bored and over Story Of The Year's signature style, but the formula seemed to work much better a few years ago. In the end, the good and decent songs don't make up for the bad moments.

There are albums on which you take a while to have a opinion. 'The constant' is not one of them. It's a very simple album, that you will figure out if you like or not during the first listens. Story Of The Year would argue they matured as a band and I will be the first to admit they definitely found their sound over the years, but with it occurred an undeniable decrease in their appeal.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Used, Funeral For A Friend, Lostprophets
Check also:
Greek Fire, The Fuck Off And Dies, Behind Crimson Eyes

www.myspace.com/storyoftheyear
(Epitaph, 2010)

Request: Prawn - False institutions (EP)

2010-02-07T20:24:00.005Z

I usually know most of the bands that ask me to review their records, but rarely am I really enthusiastic about their music. At least, not as much as I am about Prawn's music. Prawn is a small band from Ridgewood, New Jersey. A small band like hundreds of others, I would tend to say. Until you hear them play.

'False institutions' is their second EP. It's not only promising, it is also fucking great. First, there are the vocals. Singer/guitarist Tony Clark's voice is just so real and catchy, its vocals following the amazing intro of 'Nightmares' immediately warn you that what you're holding in your hands is not ordinary. This song is incredibly powerful, the vocals bringing so much energy. 'Arctic foxes', though weaker, is another vocal success, with the addition of handclaps and strong gang vocals at the beginning and at the end. Clark's lyrics are very pragmatic, realistic and often give the impression to be taken out of a casual onversation. They don't try to play the smart or wanna-be-poet card, they just keep up with sincerity and end up being fairly poignant. But it wouldn't be fair to talk about Prawn without dwelling on the guitar work. 'Thousand grains of sand' is the perfect illustration of the four-piece's instrumental greatness: after a few minutes of Explosions In The Sky-like driving progressions, a heavy rhythm picks it up to blow you away. Once again on 'Courage kills men', the guitars play a massive role in captivating the listener with their endless lines and crescendos. How can you be upbeat and poppy when you have long instrumental parts? I have no idea, but they do. They manage to be appealing to a wide audience while bringing elements of lesser-known music sensibilities. The drums are nothing special, but I like the way they sound in the mix as well. The slow pace of superb closer 'Family tree' reminded me of 'Goodbye sky harbor', the last fabulous track off Jimmy Eat World's masterpiece 'Clarity' and probably one of the best closers of all time. Prawn produced six songs of midwestern emo mixed with post-rock subtility, all of that being not too much elaborate to be fairly accessible.

'False institutions' is a record of compelling, half-measure music. With their second EP, Prawn avoid all the cliches of easy post-rock to produce something genuinely good, full of great intentions and overall well-executed. Keep an eye on those four guys, chances are they will be opening for your favorite bands very soon...

4/5

Nb.: The band made the entire EP available for download here.

Recommanded if you like:
Moving Mountains, Brand New, Park
Check also:
The Devil And The Lion, A Perfect Kiss, Rockets And Bluelights

www.myspace.com/prawnnj
(Self-released, 2009)

Request: Renae - ...And hell follows (EP)

2010-02-06T18:11:00.008Z

I discovered Springfield, Illinois outfit Renae in 2008 when they released their second EP called 'The coward, the storm and the outlaw' of which they sold not less than 4000 copies, which got them signed on Hotfoot Records at the end of last year. With the release of their third EP '...And hell follows' (maybe they don't like full-lengths?), I've been contacted to give my opinion on the band's label debut.

As I was reading informations about the band, I found out that this new EP was entirely recorded live in the studio, which is something I love that bands do. Few bands can allow themselves to do it, but it really captures the real energy I appreciate in this kind of music. It is true for Renae, which rawness is a main component of the songs. This is not how this record starts, however, as 'Conquest' opens on a Saves The Day's 'Under the boards' dark guitar atmosphere. The tempo quickly changes though, and after a minute come the first metalcore screams which, if I am not a fan of the genre, I have to admit sound more like a good old Poison The Well than a shitty The Devil Wears Prada. This song basically showcases what singer Stephen Rosborough is capable to offer, his clean vocals (in the vein of The Dear Hunter's Casey Crescenzo) being more interesting than its screams in my opinion. The chorus reminds me of Thrice's 'The weight', which is not a bad thing at all. What strikes the most is the blend of influences executed during the songs. 'War' starts off as a basic brutal and guttural metal song before turning into a more technical and atmospheric instrumentation, even including unexpected gang vocals, which makes us think Cave In must be one of the band's favorite acts. The guitar playing on 'Famine' is a good example of the band's musicianship, with complex notes that would please The Fall Of Troy fans. 'Pestilence' is the softest song, slow-paced and intriguing, almost sounding like an intro to closer 'Death' and its big choirs, an attempt to finish the EP with an epic ending. Just like the whole record, it is interesting without being impressive.

'...And hell follows' is not Renae's best offering but is interesting in the way the band is now blending different styles to obtain more unexpected and experimental compositions. They got heavier as well and I am not a fan of the guttural screams but the genre's aficionados will get something out of it. It'd be interesting for the band to try the experience of a full-length, to see if they can duplicate this energy and creativity on a larger amount of time.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Receiving End Of Sirens, Thrice, Poison The Well
Check also:
Eagle Scout, Lions Lions, Beast From Sea

www.myspace.com/renae
(Hotfoot Records, 2009)

Manchester Orchestra & Kevin Devine - I could be the only one (Digital split EP)

2010-02-06T17:21:00.008Z

Friend bands covering each other's songs is always an interesting concept. Labelmates and long-time close friends Manchester Orchestra and Kevin Devine decided to try the experience with the digital release of 'I could be the only one'.

You guessed it from its name, the songs chosen are Kevin Devine's 'I could be with anyone' and Manchester Orchestra's 'The only one'. Both took a laid-back approach to make their cover, Andy Hull's incredible voice making the cover of 'I could be with anyone' much more depressing than the original, only accompanied by an acoustic guitar and putting aside the pop sensibility of the song. But unlike we would expect, he didn't really make it an acoustic Manchester Orchestra song. The result is very soft, in the form of a ballad that Hull's side-project Right Away, Great Captain! would compose. The "lalalala" 's on the bridge are a bit out of place in my opinion but overall, his contribution sweats sincerity and beauty. Devine's cover of 'The only one' is even more surprising. He obviously slowed the pace down but didn't make it an acoustic version of a raw rock tune. He gave it an upbeat electronic backbone that, when added to his atmospherical vocals, makes the cover get a totally different, airy and sweet, look. He went as far as changing the second line of the original song, "I am the only son of a pastor I know / Who does the things I do" being changed into "I am the only son of an officer I know / Who does the things I do" to make it suit him.

A well-executed split, interesting on both sides, Kevin Devine taking more risks without necessarily topping the quality of the original in my opinion. It's pleasing to see two incredibly talented artists loving each other's music just as much as we do.

3.5/5

Nb.: You can stream the EP here.

Recommanded if you like:
Brand New, Colour Revolt, Cassino
Check also:
Right Away, Great Captain!, John Nolan, All Get Out

www.myspace.com/manchesterorchestra
www.myspace.com/kevindevine
(iTunes/Amazon, 2010)

Rufio - The loneliest (Digital EP)

2010-02-04T23:25:00.009Z

I belong to those who have followed Rufio from the very start without ever being disappointed. Contrary to many old fans, I absolutely loved the more alternative and ambitious step taken with 'The comfort of home'; so needless to say I was very enthusiastic when I heard, last year, that Rufio was rising up from the ashes, three years after breaking up and losing two of their members for creative differences, to release new material and hit the road again. Here's the first delivery of the new Rufio, a 4-track digital EP called 'The loneliest'.

Let's make it clear: from those new songs, you can't say "it was better before". Nope. 'The loneliest', composed of two new songs executed in both full-band and acoustic version, is Rufio in great shape. The first song, 'All that lasts', has the feeling of the band's older material, a fast pop-punk tune without many technical riffs. And when Scott Sellers is claiming: "Understand / The bad days are over / We're free at last / To learn from our past", you can tell his voice is better than ever. Really, it's so good to hear him sing again. It takes you back to the old days of The Ataris, No Use For A Name and Lagwagon. Whereas the vocals and guitars are quite mid-paced, the new drummer Terry Stirling Jr. (ex-Drive A) is totally on fire, playing at maximum speed almost the whole time. The other song, 'The loneliest', is slower, more mid-tempo and standard pop-punk flirting with pop-rock. A very pretty and sweet song. The acoustic versions can seem quite useless at first but they enable to focus on Sellers's vocal melodies and even if they're far from being essential, they're not unpleasing.

I am very happy to announce that Rufio are back, and back in style. Despite a few differences with their latest material (fans will probably ask for more technical guitar compositions, which has always been Clark Domae's specialty and some will miss former bassist Jon Berry's imposant presence, as Taylor Albaugh's bass is more distant, but I personally didn't mind at all listening to the EP), those two new songs are Rufio's pop-punk at its finest (the first one emphasizing on the "punk", the second on the "pop") and you can hear some maturity in the melodies as well. 'The full reality', the band's fourth full-length coming out later this year, could be the best pop-punk record of 2010.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Slick Shoes, No Use For A Name, Over It
Check also:
Fastlane, Olivia The Band, Straighten Things Out

www.myspace.com/rufio
(iTunes/Amazon, 2010)

Tubers - Anachronous

2010-02-03T16:55:00.007Z

Tubers come from Florida. They're signed on the punk temple that is No Idea Records, which already gives you an idea of what to expect. The band features members of more hardcore formations Twelve Hour Turn, True North and Asshole Parade. 'Anachronous' is their third album and their best to date.

Tubers' new delivery is gritty, lively and urgent. Mixing vigorous and upbeat post-punk ('Coconut thunder') and garage or even grunge sounds ('High tide it's inside'), they surprise by the range of influences developed. The instrumentation is rigid, angular, the energy is inexhaustible, the guitars go wild and the production (provided by the great Rob McGregor, who has recorded with everyone from Against Me! to Hot Water Music and New Mexican Disaster Squad) is so raw you'd think the record was released two decades ago. Indeed, Tubers have a really old-school feeling, ending up somewhere between 80's hardcore and 90's emo. Fugazi is by far the most obvious comparison. There are some excellent furious moments with lots of shouting ('Small signs big posts', 'Anachronous'), but those fast tempos are mixed with more moderate ones, for the best effect ('Pale sunbather'). There even are very old-school instrumental tracks, half effective ('Unmutual') and half falling flat ('40 XL'). But as a whole, the music quality is high. The composition work (with the addition of harmonica) on a song like '68' is simply impressive.

I wouldn't listen to it everyday, but Tubers' third album is a big step for the band and one of the genre's finest. No matter if you prefer Nirvana, Radio Birdman or Rites Of Spring, there's something you'll like on 'Anachronous'. Another great record straight from Gainesville, another great band to see on the Harvest Of The Hope festival stages.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Fugazi, Jawbox, Drive Like Jehu
Check also:
Twelve Hour Turn, Double Dagger, How Do We Jump This High?

www.myspace.com/tubers
(No Idea Records, 2010)

Adorno - Said and unsaid (7'')

2010-02-03T15:31:00.007Z

Adorno is a four-piece emo band from Portugal. They sing in English though, and their emotional mix of passionate hardcore and distorted punk sounds like they would have fitted perfectly on Dischord Records (Fugazi's Ian MacKaye's label) back in the day. After a remarkable demo and two splits with the excellent German act Syn*Error and the Americans of End Of A Year (later compiled on the album 'Year one'), the guys are finally back with 'Said and unsaid'. The seven inches, announced a year ago, is being released by Germany's Adogio830 and our very own French label Pure Pain Sugar.

It was worth the wait. Four new songs of bouncy emo. From the first track 'One thirty six', you'll realize Adorno's sound is not chaotic, it's actually very tidy, with a clean production and pushed-forward vocals. That's not saying they lack energy though, as the noisy 'Uncharted maps' will quickly prove you. The distorted sound is still here but they slowed the pace down on those new songs; perfect example, 'Untitled' is much more melodic, especially in the vocals, than their previous work. You may even be surprised by the gang vocals at the end. The delay pedals bring a post-rock touch ('Said and unsaid') while the shining vocals and the genuinely-sounding drums recall their screamo influences. No screams, no rawness, just a clean, real and very pretty sound.

Adorno got softer, pushing further their melodic side, and it fits them well. 'Said and unsaid' is a very good 7'', easy to digest and only paving the way for the best to come. Two new tracks will appear on a split 12'' with France's best newcomers, Sugartown Cabaret, in March. But afterwards we want a full-length, obrigado!

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Comadre, Snowing, Loma Prieta
Check also:
Prawn, Suchi Rukara, Shokei

www.myspace.com/adornno
(Adagio830/Pure Pain Sugar, 2010)

New Found Glory & Dashboard Confessional - Swiss army bro-mance, limited edition tour split (Split 7'')

2010-02-01T18:34:00.005Z

At the occasion of their American tour together in November and December, New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional decided to release a tour split 7'' only available at the dates. The tour got cancelled because of Dashboard's familial reasons, but the split is still coming out.

Each band chose two songs from the other and covered them. On side A, New Found Glory start with 'Saints and sailors' and 'The swiss army romance'. We know the band's ability to make others' songs theirs and it's proved once more with those two. If you had never heard the originals, you would think they're 'Not without a fight' b-sides. Power chords, energetic drums, gang vocals, Chad Gilbert's screams, New Found Glory's touch is here and it works pretty well. Unfortunately, we can not say the same about the side B. Dashboard certainly did a good job in choosing two non-singles of New Found Glory, but the execution is quite mediocre. Both are very mellow and slow; whilst 'All about her' may be a sweet cover thanks to its upbeat chorus and the female guest vocals, 'Better off dead' is nothing more than boring. The beat provided by the drum machine is a major turn-off and Chris Carrabba's vocals don't get off the whispering level.

Both bands really appropriated the songs but the split is clearly serving New Found Glory. Not only they made two more good covers, but Dashboard Confessional's covers actually give credit to their friends' sense of melody more than anything else. Even at slow pace, New Found Glory's catchiness is undeniable.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Starting Line, Four Year Strong, All Time Low
Check also:
Save Your Breath, All Or Nothing, Living With Lions

www.myspace.com/newfoundglory
www.myspace.com/dashboardconfessional
(Self-released, 2010)

Motion City Soundtrack - My dinosaur life

2010-02-01T15:45:00.007Z

I don't know why, but Motion City Soundtrack's fourth and major label debut album 'My dinosaur life' seems to do it for everyone but me. I tried very hard, though.

I'm confused about it. On paper, everything sounds perfect. Singer Justin Pierre makes an unmistakable vocal contribution, as always, his voice leading the band more than ever and his lyrics, close to Max Bemis's cynical and multi-referential (from Zelda to 'Veronica Mars') songwriting, remain one of the major interests of the five-piece. Pierre even went back to swearing in the songs, which I always thought fitted him very well. Other important success, all the instruments are shining on this record: bassist Matt Taylor enjoys Mark Hoppus's production to show off his skills on a new scale, the guitars are blasting on (sometimes unexpectedly) heavy parts ('Worker bee', 'Disppear' or the explicit '@!#?@!') and Tony Thaxton's drums have probably never been that precise (the closer 'The weakends'). Though, the synth, which used to be the band's trademark, is disturbingly quiet as keyboardist Jesse Johnson is only really put on the spotlight on 'Hysteria,' the single 'Her words destroyed my planet' and the pretty 'Pulp fiction' with its chorus reminding Eve 6's 'Inside out'. And it's not the only thing bothering me when listening to 'My dinosaur life'. Justin Pierre's singing, as great as it is, takes some unseemly paths at times, catching my attention away from the music, like on the weird verses of 'Disappear' or its strange pace on 'A lifeless ordinary (Need a little help)' and 'Hysteria' which I find annoying. With the maturation of their sound, they have also lost something in their way with melodies in my opinion, even if a lot of people would argue on this point. The chorus of a song like 'History lesson' sure is catchy but hardly enjoyable for me in the end and the one in 'The weakends' suffers from a lack of subtlety compared to its great verses. As a whole, 'My dinosaur life' can sound like a mix of the band's three previous album, but darker and taken to a higher level: the originality of 'I am the movie', the catchiness of 'Commit this to memory' and the pop sensibility of 'Even if it kills me'. But I have this hardly explainable sensation that something is missing.

Motion City Soundtrack fans, even those disappointed by the last album, really have to listen to this record and give it several chances as there's a big chance of them ending up satisfied with what the band have accomplished. Their new maturity is obvious, on every level, particularly on the noteworthy songwriting (though many will regret Pierre's angsty lyrics from back when he was not sober) and the brilliant musicianship and many will argue that 'My dinosaur life' is Motion City Soundtrack's best album. It will not come to join 'I am the movie' and 'Commit this to memory' on my shelves but it doesn't mean you should not check it out.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Say Anything, Weezer, Fall Out Boy
Check also:
Two Tongues, Single File, Weatherbox

www.myspace.com/motioncitysoundtrack
(Columbia, 2010)

Alkaline Trio - This addiction

2010-01-30T01:48:00.002Z

The redemption record. That's how was introduced 'This addiction', the seventh full-length album by McHenry, Illinois act Alkaline Trio (did anyone notice the cover was the perfect mix between this and this?). After continually letting most of their fans down since 2001 and the release of 'From here to infirmary', the trio wanted to go back to their roots and produce a real, simple punk-rock album.

Yes, there's an old-school Alkaline vibe on 'This addiction'. From the start of the opener, you can tell they've tried to strip the composition down and to focus on making a more straight-up rock. They even chose Matt Allison, who worked with the band on their first two records, to produce the album. A few bells and whistles are still here on some songs and some additions such as the trumpet on 'Lead poisoning' and the very cheesy synth on 'Eating me alive' are here to remind that Alkaline Trio have expanded their musical boundaries in the past years but overall, there is an obvious desire to get closer to the sound they had ten years ago or so. This is also true lyrically speaking, as the words are definitely more personal, tending more towards the angry sincerity the trio had in their early years. Their intentions are great, but they're unfortunately producing mixed results. Sure, there's an improvement from 'Agony and irony', as there are less bad songs and more great songs, but most of them aren't more than good. The title track, the politically-fueled 'The American scream' or the amazing closer 'Fine' are worth the listen and definitely more than one but others like 'Draculina' or 'Eating me alive' really bring the album down. In retrospect, the least good songs are all sung by Matt Skiba. Bassist Dan Adriano only leads vocals on three tracks, but his contribution is overall totally eclipsing his guitarist's. It is a shame, as Alkaline Trio have always stood out from the rest because of the greatness of both of their vocalists, bringing different atmospheres to the songs but this duality is not shining on 'This addiction'. There's not the same energy either and it's even less catchy than 'Crimson'. It leaves you with the same taste 'Good mourning' did. A bit frustrated.

I end up being disappointed by this new full-length. I think every old Alkaline Trio fan had their hopes up for this one and in my opinion a lot of them won't find what they were looking for. Don't get me wrong, it's an Alkaline Trio record, so it's better than two thirds of what's out there, but it isn't the band at its best. It is however the closest record, in shape, to their early days. Let's hope this is a new start for the band.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Bayside, The Bouncing Souls, AFI
Check also:
The Broadways, Tuesday, Avoid One Thing

www.myspace.com/alkalinetrio
(Heart & Skull/Epitaph, 2010)

Update

2010-01-19T13:25:00.002Z

Hello all,

A quick update to make things clear as I got several emails asking me if the blog was still running: yes, I will keep writing reviews, I'm just still in my exams period right now so I'm not able to post, as I previously stated. The reviews (and interviews) will be back shortly, probably this weekend.
Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your patience! I appreciate that you care.

Have a good week,
Romain.

Interview: The Wonder Years

2010-01-07T22:53:00.007Z

I am very proud to propose you a new interview, this time with this beginning of year's band, The Wonder Years! Singer Soupy Campbell accepted to answer my questions about the band and their new full-length, the first great album of 2010, 'The upsides', which I reviewed here. Click the "Read more" link to read the interview.

[This interview is available in French here]

Hey Soupy, thanks for taking some of your time to answer my questions. Could you introduce yourself and your band for those who don't know you?

My name is Soupy. Well, not really. My name is Daniel Jason Campbell, but people call me Soupy and I'm fine with it. I sing in The Wonder Years.

Tell us about how the band got created. Which bands made you want to play music?

Just jokes, man. The Wonder Years was a joke. We wanted to start a joke band and we did. Then, it snowballed. Now, it's where it is today and hopefully it only gets bigger. When I was younger, a lot of local bands had a big influence on me wanting to play music because, for me,
they bridged the gap between what I was capable of and what I heard when I bought a new CD. It wasn't until I went to a local show that I realized there were steps I could take in between learning to play bass and being Blink-182. A lot of bands that no one's probably ever heard of like Tally Ho, The Minor Times and Inkling made it seem like a possibility to me. Bands like Blink-182, The Get Up Kids and The Starting Line were where the dream started.

Your new full-length, 'The upsides', is coming out next month. There's a real story and meaning behind it. Could you tell us about it?

'The upsides' is just about not living in a world of self-defeating bullshit. My friend Max said it best last night when he said that he stopped listening to hardcore and started listening to hip hop because he'd rather hear songs about how fucking cool someone thinks they are than songs about self-hatred. Every song I listened to for a long time was about being sad and that doesn't make sense because I don't want to be sad. Ideally, I'd like to be a normal, happy, balanced person
and while that might not be the easiest task in the world, I want to work towards it anyway. 'The upsides' is all about that goal. Yes, sometimes we're depressed. Yes, sometimes I don't want to get out of bed, but really, I don't have it that bad and I don't want to stay that way forever.

Apart from the strong guiding thread behind the album, you also asked your fans to Tweet about the "upsides" of their bad days to post them on your MySpace. Would you define it as a concept album?

I think a concept album generally tells a story. I might be wrong. I don't know if I've ever really heard one. The idea behind Tweeting is to get everyone behind the idea of looking for the parts of your life that aren't shitty. I spent so much fucking time thinking about how much school sucked or work sucked or how much I hated riding my bike in the rain. I should have spent more time thinking about how lucky I was to have a lot of amazing people and things in my life. I want 'The upsides' to be more than just a record people put on. I know that's a lofty goal but I think that we can change people's ways of thinking, even if it's just a little bit. There's always an upside. Or, almost always at least. I guess like, a nuclear holocaust would be pretty awful all around, but you get my point.

A lot of your lyrics are about the ups and downs in being in a band but still, most of your fanbase praise you for writing songs they can relate to. What is the reason, according to you?

This realization came to me when I was talking to my boy Bear outside a show once. There's a reason we all listen to punk rock instead of top 40. There's a reason I'd rather be stage diving than at a bar. I think that most everyone I know involved in punk or hardcore is intrinsically fucked up on some level. There is something wrong with us. Maybe not "wrong", but certainly different. Because of this, I think we all share a similar outlook and because of that, we share
similar experiences. I'm just writing songs about my life, but as it turns out, my life is pretty similar to a lot of other people's lives and honestly, it feels good to know we're going through this shit together.

'The upsides' is full of optimism. Is having a positive message something important for you or do you just try to recount what's going on in your mind without thinking too much of your influence on kids?

There's a push and pull. First and foremost, these are songs about my life and my thoughts. I am not bullshitting about anything. Whatever you hear on 'The upsides' is how I feel or at least how I felt when I wrote it. A lot of lyrics are things I've actually said or heard say. All of the stories are true. On the other hand, I've found writing lyrics to be very cathartic and I find out a lot about myself and how I think I should live through writing them and I'm happy to pass the
advice along to anyone who wants it or needs it. I don't want to be depressed. I don't want anyone else to be depressed. Hopefully, we can all beat it together.

I pre-ordered the bundle with the book of poems and short stories. I'm really curious about it, how did you come up with this idea? Does it approach the same issues as the album?

The book was originally issued late last spring and has been sold out for a long time. I've had a lot of requests for copies and Smartpunk wanted something special to give away with orders so we decided on 'Paper boats'. Some of the lyrics from the record come from the book. Some of the book is totally separate. I'm just glad that people who want it are getting a last chance to get it.

The album suffered from an early leak. What was your reaction? Would you rather have more people listening to your music without buying the record or the contrary?

I am a very anxious person. It doesn't take much to get to me and takes very little more to cause me to momentarily break and so, finding out the album leaked on Christmas Eve, right before going to dinner with my nana shook me a little (a lot. A fucking lot). Some things really bothered me. People shouldn't have posted about it on our MySpace or on Twitter. Then more people knew it leaked. Some people were just outright mean. Someone said that they were glad it
leaked and that they hoped it bummed us out. Like, dude, I've never even met you. Why would you say that? But as a few days passed, I didn't mind as much. We have great great fans. They are buying it anyway. They still support and that makes me feel really really good. Thanks.

I'm pretty sure 2010 will be your year. What's in store for you after the release of 'The upsides'?

Touring, touring, touring, touring, touring, touring, touring. I never want to be home again. I want to go to every weird country and play all sorts of shows with all of my friends. And I want to do more releases. I want two more The Wonder Years releases to come out this year. Little
releases. Splits maybe. But more. More of everything. This is all that I have left. I want to give it everything.

You've toured Europe twice, what was the experience like? Any plans to come back soon?

Three times actually. It's always been awesome. Weird? Yes. Displacing? Absolutely, but always great. I miss my friends from overseas every day. I want to come back soon but we need to finally do a tour over there where we aren't headling shows we booked ourselves. Maybe we'll find an agent and come over to support someone. That'd be nice.

Could you tell us about the 'Six dudes from the Keystone State' collection CD?

It's everything No Sleep put out up to 'The upsides'. 'Get stoked on it!', 'Won't be pathetic forever', 'Distances' plus two other b-sides. All remastered with new artwork.

You say you have a DIY ethic, how important is it for you and how do you apply it in your life as a band?

I don't know if we've ever said that, but I know it's something that's been cast upon us and for, what I think are good reasons. We work our asses off. Our label doesn't have a lot of money. We don't get to buy full page ads. We don't have the connections or resources to get on 'big' tours. If people know about us, it's because of our hard work and the hard work of a small group of amazing people that helped us along the way.

The song 'Hey thanks' is very surprising. What's the story behind it, from the guests to the ukulele and horns?

I wrote 'Hey thanks' for a girl named Jessica who I spent the last two years living with and being in love with. We are no longer together but she has the kindest heart of anyone I know and I'm glad that a song for her made the record. I wrote it in our bedroom with the ukulele my dad bought me as a birthday present. It wasn't supposed to be a The Wonder Years song but it made it way into one. Rachel [Minton, from Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer] sings on it because she is Jessica's favorite singer and I felt like that made the song more special. Matt plays trombone on it because it sounds cool as hell. I think it's my favorite song on 'The upsides'.

The last song of the new album features your friends from Valencia, A Loss For Words, Fireworks, Title Fight and Man Overboard. 2009 has seen a return to basics for pop-punk with bands like those. Do you have this feeling too, being friends with all those guys? How is it being part of this scene?

These are people I'm honored to know. Talented, great people. No questions asked. I wanted them all to be a part of this because I wanted 'The upsides' to be a group effort. It's not about me trying not to be sad anymore. It's about all of us. All of my friends. Everyone I care about. I want all of us to be happy together and having all of my friends sing on this song and especially on this part I think helps to show that we're all going to be okay. All of us.

What were your favorite records this year?

Fireworks, Cheap Girls, Blacklisted, The Swellers, The Hold Steady, Title Fight,... [You can also read his bandmates' lists here]

And to finish... "If this year would just end, I think we'd all be okay". 2009 is over. So are you guys all okay now?

I counted down to midnight with my band, toasting 2010 with an Arizona Sweet Tea. So far, things are looking up.

[Thank you very much to Chuck from Beartrap PR who made this interview possible and who has been such a great partner!]

www.myspace.com/thewonderyearspa
www.twitter.com/twypoppunk

Update

2010-01-07T22:39:00.002Z

Bonjour, bonjour!

First of all, let me wish you all a happy new year and all this cheesy stuff, let's hope 2010 will be as musically good as 2009 was. I hope you all had a good holiday and found your favorite underground band's vinyl under the Christmas tree.
I'm heading back to the UK as I have my exams next week so the reviews are going to be short or few for a week or so, but I will be back shortly.

I've posted some special features last week, with my list of records that made 2009 as well as the top of this year from bands like Transit, Title Fight, The Wonder Years and others (post below), an interview with All Or Nothing and another one with The Wonder Years is coming up very soon!
I'm trying to bring some different stuff to make this blog a bit more entertaining and interesting, I hope you appreciate.

Thanks for your reading,
Romain.

Special feature: Beartrap's 2009 list

2010-01-05T10:09:00.006Z

To celebrate the end of 2009, I have teamed up with Beartrap PR to bring you a special feature. Beartrap is a DIY promotion and publicity company assisting lots of amazing bands in their quest for success (or not). Most of the bands they work with just killed 2009 (and made it to my best of the year list) and it's their turn to tell us what made their year a musical (and others) heaven.
Thank you very much to Chuck which response has been amazing and thanks to all the bands who participated as well. If you didn't already, check them out!

Click on the link below to read the lists.

Chuck Daley (Beartrap PR company/label Tiny Engines)

Friends Of Friends - Deep search
The G - Hold my gold
Juevenescent Beat! - One day we're gonna fall through this roof
Tigers Jaw - Spirit desire (7")
Broadway Calls - Good views, bad news
P.O.S - Never better
What Price, Wonderland? - It is true, it is shakey
Teenage Cool Kids - Foreign lands
Shook Ones - The unquotable A.M.H.
Double Dagger - More

Aaron Danger (label Team Science Records)

No Bunny - Love visions
The Thermals - Now we can see
Converge - Axe to fall
Dave Bazan - Curse your branches
Ringers - Hurry up and wait
Swellers - Ups and downsizing
Marked Men - Ghosts
The Spits - Volume 4
Hex Dispensers - Winchester mystery house
The Sidekicks - The weight of airir

Mike Moak (After The Fall)

Propagandhi - Supporting caste
Preying Hands - Through the dark
Paint It Black - Amnesia (7'')
Shook Ones - The unquotable A.M.H.
Defeater - Lost ground (EP)
Marked Men - Ghosts
Agent - Awake in their world
Buried Inside - Spoils of failure
Iron Chic - Shitty rambo
Strike Anywhere - Iron front

Erik Petersen (Balance And Composure)

LPs:
Blacklisted - No one deserves to be here more than me
Kevin Devine - Brother's blood
Raekwon - Only built 4 Cuban linx pt. II
Iron Age - The sleeping eye
White Lies - To lose my life
Jay-Z - The blueprint 3

EPs:
Rival Mob - Raw life
Gypsy - Gypsy (7'')
Sun Kil Moon - Tonight the sky

Jon Simmons (Balance And Composure)

EPs:
Tigers Jaw - Spirit desire (7'')
Title Fight - The last thing you forget (7'')
Daylight - Sinking
Transit - Stay Home
Man Overboard - Dahlia (Digital)
Modest Mouse - No one's first and you're next

LPs:
Manchester Orchestra - Mean everything to nothing
Mother Of Mercy - III
Brand New - Daisy
Into It. Over It. - 52 weeks
Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
Paramore - brand new eyes
Morrissey - Years of refusal
Cage - Depart from me
Kid Cudi - Man on the moon
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
Eminem - Relapse

Matt Scottoline (Everyone Everywhere)

1. David Bazan - Curse your branches
2. Cheap Girls - My roaring 20's
3. Built To Spill - There is no enemy
4. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
5. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
6. Sufjan Stevens - The bqe
7. Japandroids - Post nothing
8. Sonic Youth - The eternal
9. Weezer - Raditude
10. Passion Pit - Manners

Look Mexico

Modest Mouse - No one's first and you're next (EP)
Dirty Projectors - Bitte orca
Dave Bazan - Curse your branches
mewithoutYou - It's all crazy! It's all false! It's all a dream! It's alright
Various artists - Dark was the night
Fake Problems - It's great to be alive
Michael Jackson - This is it
Manchester Orchestra - Mean everything to nothing
Built to Spill - There is no enemy
Frank Turner - Poetry of the deed
Wilco - Wilco

Brendan Coon (Ludlow Lions)

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. Karen O & The Kids - Where the wild things are (OST)
3. Keelhaul - Keelhaul's triumphant return to obscurity
4. Riceboy Sleeps - Riceboy Sleeps
5. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures

Jordan Melkin (Ludlow Lions)

1. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
2. Converge - Axe to fall
3. Neko Case - Middle cyclone
4. Polvo - In prism
5. Vic Chesnutt - At the cut
6. Pissed Jeans - King of jeans
7. Sonic Youth - The eternal
8. Mt. Eerie - Wind's poem
9. Kowloon Walled City - Gambling on the Richter scale
10. Future Of The Left - Travels with myself and another

Oscar Albis Rodriguez (Ludlow Lions/Nakatomi Plaza)

1. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
2. Sonic Youth - The eternal
3. Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the young
4. Metric - Fantasies
5. Nirvana - Live at Reading

Andy Thomas (Only Thunder)

Mastodon - Crack the sky
Converge - Axe to fall
Damien Suomi – Damien Suomi
Good Old War – The only way to be alone [2008]
P.O.S. – Never better
William Elliot Whitmore – Animals in the dark
Cheap Girls - My roaring 20's
Chuck Ragan - Gold counrty
The Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx
Frank Turner - Poetry of the deed

Justin Hackl (Only Thunder)

1. Converge - Axe to fall
2. Isis - Wavering radiant
3. Baroness - Blue record
4. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
5. The Swellers - Ups and downsizing
6. Chris Wollard And The Ship Thieves - Chris Wollard And The Ship Thieves
7. Propagandhi - Supporting caste
8. Narrows - New distances
9. Mastodon - Crack the skye
10. Jawbox - For your own special sweetheart(Reissue)

PJ Bond

I've realized that between touring, not owning a computer and being broke, 2009 did not allow me much in the way of listening to new records. I played with a bunch of amazing bands, made great friends and saw awesome shows, but feel there are many more people who can weigh in heavier on what was actually worth listening to this year. That being said, I did scrape some money together to join up with some friends and stroll around New York on a beautiful spring day drinking beers on the sly and taking in some amazing pizzas. Here are some highlights from the pizza tour 2k9.

Top 5 pizza places in NYC:
1. Defaro (whether you like square slices or not, their square slice beats the regular slice hands down.)
2. Artichoke (believe it or not, their crab slice is incredible. And the line is in fact worth the wait. But be drunk. Not too drunk though.)
3. Lucali (check the schedule to make sure it's open and I think going with two people is your best bet. Only serve pizzas and calzones.)
4. Grimaldi's (under the Brooklyn Bridge. Go with friends and order a whole pie so you don't have to wait on line.)
5. Una Pizza Napoletano (expensive but totally worth it. The crust is insanely amazing. You'll rethink pizza dough.)

I hope you enjoy. But not too much, because then it will be harder for me to get my favorite slices.

Jon Loudon (Restorations)

1. Attack In Black - Years (By one thousand fingertips)
2. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I wish we were an eagle
3. Paint It Black - Amnesia/Surrender (7'')
4. Tombs - Winter hours
5. Mountain Goats - The life of the world to come
6. Baroness - Blue record
7. Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
8. Hopalong - Wretches
9. Mark Kozelek - Lost verses (Live)
10. Tom Waits - Orphans (Box set)

Joseph Christian (Shark Speed)

I figured everybody has already had an ear full or an eye sore of everyone else’s top 10 or 50 albums of 2009, for this reason I decided to make a list of albums I liked that were not at the top of many lists. I’m sure these albums were honorable mentions or on someone’s top 50 but to me they were pretty rad. These albums were not exactly the best of 2009, but I feel they are worth checkin'! So here they are,
in NO particular order.

Foreign Born - Person to person
The Soft Pack - Muslims
Telekinesis - Telekinesis
Morning Benders - Grain of salt (EP)
Handsome Furs - Face control (This one grows)
Junior Boys - Begone dull care
Empire Of The Sun - Walking on a dream
Black Lips - 200 million thousand ('Short fuse' is sooo gooood)
The Mercury Program - Chez Viking (Still at it and still pretty good)
Lymbyc System - Shutter release
Smith Westerns - Smith Westerns
Islands - Arms way/Vapors

Matt Brasch (The Wonder Years)

LPs:
The Dear Hunter - Act III: Life and death
Fireworks - All I have to offer is my own confusion
Paramore - brand new eyes
The Swellers - Ups and downsizing
Title Fight - The last thing you forget
Weezer - Raditude

EPs:
Chaos Days & All Or Nothing - Split
Man Overboard - Dahlia
Such Gold - Stand tall
Transit & Man Overboard - Split (7'')

Most anticipated of 2010:
Alkaline Trio - This addiction
Motion City Soundtrack - My dinosaur life

Dan Campbell (The Wonder Years)

Fireworks - All I have to offer is my own confusion
Blacklisted - No one deserves to be here more than me
The Swellers - Ups and downsizing
The Hold Steady - A positive rage (Live)
Title Fight - The last thing you forget

Pat Brier (Tigers Jaw)

1. Favorite food: Brunetti's buffalo chicken hoagie
2. Favorite person: Pete Knepper
3. Favorite animal: rat terrier
4. Favorite place: Adam and Eric's apartment
5. Favorite car: yellow Chevrolet Cobalt

Brianna Collins (Tigers Jaw)

1. Graduating high school. This ruled, for obvious reasons.
2. 'The time travelor's wife' (both the book and the movie). I highly recommend this book for any girl whose boyfriend goes on tour or leaves for long periods of time. It's also a great date movie, both of you will end up crying.
2.5. 'Twilight: new moon'. TEAM EDWARD.
3. Words With Friends (username: HATEbri)
4. Brand New - Daisy
4.5. Paramore - brand new eyes ('Brick by boring brick' on repeat)
5. "Fuck you Dad" tour 2009. This was my first tour EVER. Shout outs to Dad (a.k.a. Justin Kite Party), Sad Panda faces, Poopy Puppy and Randy Johnson.

Adam McIlwee (Tigers Jaw)

1. New Fulmarine Petrels - Yes no minutes seconds
2. Gordon Voidwell on Halloween
3. Kite Party (tour, new EP, as men)
4. Grant Morrison's 'Batman and Robin'
5. The Moneynotes - On the town, on the vine (EP)

Dennis Mishko (Tigers Jaw)

1. The Sw!ms - Itemlord
2. Kite Party - Wish mountain
3. Good Luck - Into Lake Griffy
4. The Menzingers - Hold on, dodge
5. Propaghandi - Supporting caste

Ned Russin (Title Fight)

LPs:
Blacklisted - No one deserves to be here more than me
Mother Of Mercy - III
Brand New - Daisy
Trapped Under Ice - Secrets of the world
Teenage Cool Kids - Foreign lands

EPs:
Gypsy - Gypsy (7'')
Foundation - Hang your head
Tigers Jaw - Spirit desire (7'')
Balance And Composure - Only boundaries
Transit - Stay home

Joe Boynton (Transit)

1. Banner Pilot – Collapser
2. Shook Ones - The unquotable A.M.H.
3. Tegan And Sara – Sainthood
4. Converge – Axe to fall
5. Algernon Cadwallader – Hot green EP
6. Tiger’s Jaw – Spirit desire (7'')
7. Lawrence Arms – Buttsweat and tears (7'')
8. Agent – Awake in their world (7'')
9. Owen – New leaves
10. The Dangerous Summer – Reach for the sun

Daniel Frazier (Transit)

1. Balance And Composure - Only boundaries (EP)
2. The Dangerous Summer - Reach for the sun
3. Brand New - Daisy
4. Owen - New leaves
5. Manchester Orchestra - Mean everything to nothing
6. New Found Glory - Not without a fight
7. Jay-Z - The lueprint 3
8. A Loss For Words - The kids can't lose
9. Man Overboard - Dahlia (Digital EP)
10. The Swellers - Ups and downsizing

PJ Jefferson (Transit)

1. Shook Ones - The unquotable A.M.H.
2. Banner Pilot - Collapser
3. Brand New - Daisy
4. Agent - Awake in their world (7'')
5. Tigers Jaw - Spirit desire (7'')
6. Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
7. Firewords - All I have to offer is my own confusion
8. Manchester Orchestra - Mean everything to nothing
9. Such Gold - Stand tall (EP)
10. The Swellers - Ups and downsizing

Joe Lacy (Transit)

1. Castevet - Summer fences
2. Converge - Axe to fall
3. Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
4. Dangers - Anger [2008]
5. Shook Ones - The unquotable A.M.H.
6. Owen - New leaves
7. Balance And Composure - Only boundaries (EP)
8. Algernon Cadwallader - Hot green EP
9. Paramore - brand new eyes
10. Tigers Jaw - Spirit desire (7'')

Tim Landers (Transit)

1. Banner Pilot - Collapser
2. Manchester Orchestra - Mean everything to nothing
3. Brand New - Daisy
4. Shook Ones - The unquotable A.M.H.
5. Balance And Composure - Only boundaries (EP)
6. Defeater - Lost ground (EP)
7. Owen - New leaves
8. Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
9. Man Overboard - Dahlia (Digital EP)
10. GDP - Realistic expectations

The Wonder Years - The upsides

2010-01-04T23:54:00.015Z

2009 has been a great year for pop-punk. It may not seem obvious when you look at my top of 2009 but this year has seen the emergence of a quite substantial scene made of bands and fans willing to bring back pop-punk to what it used to be. Even if many of those bands' records disappointed me, their intentions can be praised. No Sleep Records is one of those labels that are "keeping it real" and this record is in line with this movement I was talking about.

So, 'The upsides' is the second full-length from Philadelphia pop-punk band The Wonder Years. Don't make the mistake I made in letting the cover and the 15 first seconds of this record give you a bad idea of it. Or maybe, do so. It will feel even better afterwards. 'The upsides' is a great pop-punk record. The Wonder Years have abandoned their hardcore-ish sound (and not replaced their former keyboardist, which in the end really is a good thing) to focus on the pop side and I won't blame them for this decision as few of today's bands can be closer to New Found Glory's goodness than they are. Not that this record is an easy collection of simple anthems, though. It will take you some time to really get in it. There's no real hit on 'The upsides'. Which doesn't mean it is not catchy, as the very Fireworks-like 'Logan Circle' quickly proves. The five-piece have written subtle melodies, differently structured songs and even tried new instrumentions. The short 'Hey thanks' is a sweet pop nugget featuring Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer's Rachel Minton, a ukulele and horns. Yes, I did think of never shout never. during the first listens but then it went away because it actually works. The soaring hooks and memorable lines The Wonder Years have compiled on twelve songs will stay in your head for days, from the amazing end of 'My last semester' to the guitar-driven 'Melrose diner'. There is a bit of a slowdown at the half of the album ('It's never sunny in Philadelphia'/'Hostels & brothels') and the few parts of softer vocals, in contrast with the great dynamic singing provided by Dan Campbell all throughout, are dispensable. But overall, 'The upsides' keeps the same constant energy all along its 40-ish minutes (high-five to drummer Mike Kennedy who is on fire for just as long), with peaks on the fast 'Everything I own fits in this backpack' (featuring the only screams of the album), the nearly one-minute long 'Dynamite shovel' and 'Washington square park' with its Four Year Strong feeling in the guitars.
But what got me in this record is its lyrical guiding thread. There's a whole story behind it that makes it moving and meaningful. It starts with the statement "I'm not sad anymore / I'm just tired of this place" which comes back as a motto all throughout the album. This record was going to be about giving up. Singer Dan "Soupy" Campbell wrote most of the lyrics on his bike at a time when him and his bandmates were feeling more miserable than they should but the lyrical backbone of the album changed when he saw, one morning, the fountains turned back on in his city, sign that the winter was over and spring was here (which he explains on the standout track 'Logan Circle'). They realised being sad at 23 wasn't much of a life and decided to make this record hopeful. Hence the title and the overly positive lyrics. Sure, you will find classical pop-punk themes like being pissed at your ex-girlfriend ('Melrose diner') and your whole hometown ('My last semester') or being in a band on the road with your "bros" wearing flannel shirts ('New Year's with Carl Weathers'), but there's more than this. It is not that surprising that The Wonder Years are praised for writing lyrics fans can easily relate to. Topics of not fitting ('My last semester', 'This party sucks') and willing to move ('Everything I own fits in this backpack', 'It's never sunny in South Philadelphia') are constantly brought up with a sincerity and a realism that makes them easy to appropriate. It's nothing new or outstanding, but I personnally adhered to the boys' story.

Alternative Press said several years ago that Set Your Goals sounded like New Found Glory after eight cans of Red Bull. Well, The Wonder Years sound like The Starting Line after eight cups of coffee. They have this more emotional side (and the singers' voices aren't that different) that makes their fast pop-punk smart and sincere. They've matured a lot too, both musically and lyrically (just look at the titles of their old songs...). 'The upsides' is an overly positive and honest record, perfect to start the new year full of good resolutions.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
New Found Glory, The Starting Line, Fireworks
Check also:
Man Overboard, All Or Nothing, Living With Lions

www.myspace.com/thewonderyearspa
(No Sleep Records, 2010)

And So I Watch You From Afar - The letters EP

2010-01-04T21:54:00.011Z

After having released one of the best post-rock albums of 2009, Irish instrumental band And So I Watch You From Afar decided to start off the new year with another release, 'The letters EP'. Four new tracks to compete with the album ones, four new tracks to blow your mind again.

And So I Watch You From Afar are unique. The Belfast four-piece is the most powerful post-rock band around today. And when I say powerful, I mean powerful. Not emotionally powerful like many of their peers, no, energically powerful. Their post-rock flirts with math-rock. Once again, those four songs have a headbanging potential like you wouldn't find in any of your usual post-rock bands. Opener 'S is for salamander' is being aired on the British radio. An instrumental song on the radio! If that's not meaning something... It's a glorious track made of a complex composition and orgasmic parts, going back and forth between fury and respite with a shining beauty. Every little thing is adding its touch to form a phenomenal song, from the heavy bass to the subtle riffs, from the drumsticks craziness to the lonely handclap. Possibly one of their best yet and that says a lot. 'D is for Django the bastard' is just as magic, its subtle chords slowly welcoming a storm of riffs cut out by surprising yet suitable African-like and jazzy breaks. The bass progression is incredibly great, giving a rare fierce feeling to the song. 'K is for killing spree (An ode to)' isn't less savage but is more diverse, full of crescendos and subtleties. Only 'B is for b-side' disappoints (matching its name?), including some prog elements but in the end lacking substance.

This new EP isn't made of a few bonus tracks or outtakes that didn't make it to the album, this EP is pure blasting noise standing up on its own. The complex instrumental work is still so impressive, it really is a party for guitar lovers' ears. The staccado rhythms, the slow-building ups and downs, the well-thought sound additions make this record very tasty. One song out of four may be dispensable but it doesn't bring the listen down and with 'The letters EP', And So I Watch You From Afar are just making their discography a little more perfect.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Maybeshewill, Russian Circles, Gifts From Enola
Check also:
Adebisi Shank, You Slut!, We Are Knives

www.myspace.com/andsoiwatchyoufromafar
(Smalltown America, 2010)

Algernon Cadwallader - Fun (7'')

2010-01-02T14:00:00.007Z

This 7'' vinyl recently pressed by Be Happy Records (white) and Protagonist Music (clear) and also available on Run For Cover Records (white and clear) is the new pressing of the 'Hot green EP' released on a tiny scale earlier this year. It's accompanied by a bonus CD, composed of the three songs from the 'Fun' 7'' plus three brand new songs recorded specifically for this release. As we already know the first ones, let's focus on the new ones.

Whereas the first song, quite trippy, is reminiscent of Cap'n Jazz, mainly because of the similarity between Peter Helmis and Tim Kinsella's singings, the trio is moving away from their most obvious influence on the two other songs, with different song structures. 'I wanna go to the beach' is especially great, at the same time poppy and rocky, with perfect vocals and slight sing alongs. 'Responsibility party' is very short and features some keyboard notes. On both tracks, the drums keep the tone very upbeat and all in all, the EP deserves its name.

If you buy the long awaited 'Fun' 7'', you will not only get this bonus CD, but also a lyric book and a coloring book by artist Greg Labold.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Cap'n Jazz, American Football, Look Mexico
Check also:
Know Think, Palmkite, Merchant Ships

www.myspace.com/algernoncadwallader
(Be Happy Records/Protagonist Music, 2009)

Interview: All Or Nothing

2010-01-01T23:14:00.010Z

Here's another interview, this time done with Tim of English pop-punk band All Or Nothing. They just released a split with their friends Chaos Days that I reviewed here. Click the "Read more" link below to read the interview.

[This interview can be read in French here]

Hey Tim, thank you for taking some of your time to answer my questions. Could you introduce yourself and your band for those who don't know you?

Hi, my name is Tim Williams I play bass for the Birmingham pop-punk band All Or Nothing. I guess a lot of hardcore kids like us but I think we've always wanted to be and thought of ourselves as pop-punk band so that's how I'll describe it.

Tell us about how All Or Nothing got created. Which bands made you want to play music?

Well me and Tom actually met each other at an Andrew WK concert a really long time ago so I guess you could perhaps say he is the reason that we are here today. Or perhaps not... I know that everyone in the band subscribes to his views on life but I think only me and Tom really like his music, maybe Nick actually, I know Rich definitely doesn't though. But in all seriousness, I guess around that time me and Tom got into pop-punk through the mainstream bands like Green Day, Blink-182 and The Offspring, etc. Then we got more into the Fat Wreck/Epitaph bands like Ten Foot Pole, Lagwagon, NOFX, Pennywise and it was probably that kind of bands that made us want to go out there and do it. Nick and Rich weren't actually in the band back then but I imagine they followed similar paths, although Rich was in a ska-punk band the first time I met him so maybe he was more into stuff like Less Than Jake and Mustard Plug back then...

You've been around for a while now and have a quite large discography. Do you feel like it's only the beginning?

Well, yes and no. I mean when we first started we didn't really know what we were doing and would just put out whatever we'd recorded, no matter how bad it sounded and how sloppily we played on it, which is why there is so much of our music floating around on the Internet, even before the 'Dead money' album which you can stll buy off iTunes. But I think everyone would in the band would agree when we say that we think the songs we're writing now are the best we've ever been capable of... Obviously with Joe leaving after six years at the end of last year and Rich moving from drums to guitar and vocals and Nick coming, it freshened things up and could be seen as a new beginning for the band... I'm pretty sure when we've recorded the album this year we'll probably mainly focus on songs from that and the last split when playing live and gradually phase out our older output, mainly because we'd want to be playing All Or Nothing songs written in this version of the band, not previous ones. However, that is not to decry previous efforts and I'm sure every release we've put out means something to everyone in the band who played on it at the time and the beginning of the band was definitely way back in 2002... This new line-up is definitely a new chapter though, and hopefully the best one too.

You just released a split with your friends in Chaos Days, can you tell us about it?

Well yeah, basically we'd toured with Chaos Days a couple of times as we'd both been on Zone 6 Records (worst label ever) and were good friends with them. All Aboard [Records, the label] approached us to do a split with them when Joe was still in the band and we thought it would be a good idea then, then Joe left and we figured it would be an even better idea as it would serve as a sort of taster to fans to prove that we could still be a band - and an even better band at that - without them having to fork out for an album (although this is kind of irrelevant as I imagine most people would have downloaded it/streamed it anyway, but that was the mentality behind it). Unfortunately the recording process had a lot of problems, as we were originally going to record it with the guys from Out Of Sight and get this other guy to mix it for us, but after saying he would do it he just ignored us for about two months! So evenutally we had to go and do it with Peter Miles and it turned out amazingly so I'm happy with how it turned out, and it's been getting good reviews which is great, it just sucks it took so long to sort out! Gotta thank Bob from All Aboard and Chaos Days for their patience regarding that, as Chaos Days had their tracks recorded about nine months before it came out!

You also released a split with the American band The Wonder Years [new album's review and interview soon!] earlier this year. How did that happen? Do you feel like it helped you getting a name in the US?

Yeah it's basically the same story as with Chaos Days: we toured with them, they liked us and we liked them. They wanted to release something and suggested a split with us - as it happened we'd just recorded three new songs we hadn't intended to release but it seemed like a good opportunity to have a US release and it was going to be on vinyl, which is something I personally had always wanted to do with our music. So yeah, it was a great fit and came out really great and the record got a lot of good reviews again, which we were all pretty pleased about. I think a few people in the US had heard of us before the split but it definitely raised our profile over there a lot, in fact we get more US visitors to our MySpace now than UK ones. We definitely wanna try and get over there sometime next year and tour, and we have a couple of options for doing it we just really want to focus on finally getting a studio album completed at the moment though, and then see what comes from that.

You're gonna release a new full-length next year. What can we expect from it?

Well we're writing it at the moment and I think the songs are perhaps a bit simpler than before in terms of structure - I think we're going for a more classic songwriting approach than we have done in the past, if that makes sense. I think as well it's not gonna be as straightforward as people might think either, some of the songs we've been writing have been different to what we've done in the past... We're all big fans of different kinds of music now and want to incorporate other influences into these new songs rather than simply rely on the same old pop-punk formula. I won't mention what though in case it doesn't come out sounding like that and I get a lot of shit for it! We'll just have to see what happens I guess. I will mention though that we've recently been getting some dubstep producers we know to remix some of our tracks though so that should be pretty interesting!

You said something about a big name producer in America...

Well yeah, we've been talking to a few people about recording this album but we'll have to wait and see, again I don't wanna mention anything until it's confirmed in case it doesn't come through. Right now we're concentrating on writing it, and a million other things... Obviously the producer is a massively important part of this though and we'll need to decide on that sooner rather than later. The main reason we wanted to go to America was because studio rates are so much cheaper over there than in England for the same quality, even factoring in flights it works out cheaper... And if we could throw in a tour whilst we're out there, then even better.

You toured in Russia and played in front of 4000 people with Bring Me The Horizon in Moscow. How was that?

Touring Russia was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I mean when I first started a band, it wasn't exactly one of the countries I dreamed of playing in but to go over there and be treated the way they treated me was beyond my wildest dreams. I had all the food and drink and cigarettes that I wanted and must have spent about three pounds whilst I was over there. The people over there were just so nice to the point of ridiculousness, it was really humbling but also some of the most fun I've ever had. The shows were awesome too, I couldn't believe how many people over there had heard of us considering our records haven't even been officially released over there. There were at least 300 people at every show and they were going completely crazy - it was insane. Playing with Bring Me The Horizon was definitely a highlight too, we were meant to have a day off and we were gonna go to the show anyway to hang out with them and we spent the 10-hour train journey back from Saint Petersburg just getting hammered on Russian vodka, we got in at about 8 A.M. then went to the appartment we were staying at to sleep, planning on doing so all day... Then around 3 P.M. Tom couldn't sleep so went on the Internet to check the band's email and we'd been asked to support them! We all felt well ropey but couldn't turn it down and it was one of the best experiences ever! Such a good day.

You're going to open for A Loss For Words in the UK in March, do you guys already know each other? Are you excited?

We haven't met those guys no, but we've toured with a bunch of their friends and they're a good band, so I assume they're going to be cool guys - at least they had better be. I just hope they can party as hard as us! I guess I'm fairly excited, it should be a good tour with good turnouts so yeah... Make sure all you readers come out and check that out. LYU are on that tour too and are a good band I've known for a while... Watch out for more from them in 2010.

Any tours out of the UK planned for next year?

Well like I said we want to make it to the US, but again our main priority, at least for the start of the year, is writing and recording this album... We want to go back to Russia, and we've got people in China, Japan and Europe and maybe even South Africa who could probably sort out tours for us so we want to hit up all those places. Like I said though, all the touring will be a lot easier once we make a killer record so we have to do that first.

What are your thoughts on the current pop-punk scene? Do you feel like good bands are finally taking it back?

I don't know, that's kind of a difficult question. I mean, it kind of depends on your definition of "good" and that's obviously a very subjective term when talking about music. As well, being so directly involved in the pop-punk scene I don't tend to get into bands so much on record as I try to listen to stuff a bit different to what I'm surrounded by constantly when I'm at home... But yeah, there are a lot of pop-punk bands out there that I like and I'm friends with a lot of them so it's great to see them doing well and attendances at shows increasing. I mean, I think there are definitely two (maybe more) different types of pop-punk show... The ones that are full of screaming 12-year old girls and the ones that are full of dudes moshing. And from experience they seem to be getting more well attended and more publicity, but I don't think they'll ever reach the level of the other type, just due to the basic exposure that bands that play that genre receive. But hey, nobody got into bands like All Or Nothing by not starting somewhere like that. I guess what I'm trying to say is it doesn't matter to me really, as long as people are listening to guitar music and pop-punk in some format. That's a good thing for all people involved in the music scene as it increases their potential audience. I don't know if that was really that good of an answer, I kind of rambled a bit and I didn't really want to mention any bands in case I offended anyone reading so yeah, sorry about that.

It was fine. 2009 is coming to its end. What were your favorite records of the year?

Well, here's my top 10 list:
1. Title Fight - The last thing you forget
2. Banner Pilot - Collapser
3. Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
4. Johnny Foreigner - Grace and the bigger picture
5. Shook Ones - The unquotable AMH
6. Broadway Calls - Good views, bad news
7. Fake Problems - It's great to be alive
8. PJ Bond - You didn't know I was alphabetical
9. Blakfish - Champions
10. The Swellers - Ups and downsizing
I did just get Julian Casablancas's solo record too though which I'm really digging, that might have made it if I'd picked it up sooner, I really liked the Four Year Strong covers album and the Alexisonfire record this year though too, as well as the new MSTRKRFT and the Lady Gaga album, but that was a reissue so I don't know if I could count it.

How about your most anticipated for 2010?

Hum, I don't even know who is releasing new albums next year! I don't really pay as much attention to release dates as I used to, I just get. I guess I'm excited to hear my friends' bands who I know are recording - Fake Problems, Blakfish, Me Vs Hero, Save Your Breath (although their singer just left today so I don't know what's going on with them) [the band stated they were looking for a new singer] and Sharks, off the top of my head... I already have the new The Wonder Years record and that's pretty great. I think there's a new A Wilhelm Scream record and a new The Flatliners record coming out too, I'd be excited to check them out definitely.

One last thing... For me, Birmingham means the Cadbury Factory. How many times, man? Twice for me! So good...

Haha, I can't speak for everyone else but I've only been once in my life and that was a really long time ago with my family. I remember Joe took a girl on a date there once and she really loved it... But then he stole money off her so that didn't end so well. If anyone is coming to Birmingham though they should probably check it out! And the Sea Life Centre is pretty cool too.

Thank you very much Tim! I'll see you in March.

Cool, see you there!

[Thank you very much to Bob from All Aboard too, for contacting me and making this interview possible! Check the label and their great signed bands here and here.]

www.myspace.com/allornothing
www.twitter.com/_allornothing

Balance Problems - The fair weather field guide

2009-12-30T13:17:00.005Z

Balance Problems is Brack Cantrell, a Texan student with a head full of ideas. He used to be in post-hardcore outfit Sky Eats Airplane and also played guitar for Dan Hunter's power-pop project PlayRadioPlay! (now called Analog Rebellion). He then followed a solo route to create Balance Problems which 'The fair weather field guide' is the second full-length. Under this name, he records acoustic and indie songs, a proof of his creativity's diversity.

This new album is different from what Balance Problems has released before, approaching folk influences to create something less happy and cheerful. Maybe the guy wants to be taken more seriously. It's still very chill and will make you want to lie down under the sun, but it has a less carefree feeling. There's a lot of mandolin ('Brither Fungus'), he also plays mouth organ ('Digger's camp') and xylophone ('All ears now'). A simpler song like 'Siwah' will sound more familiar to the fans, with its upbeat and freewheeling tone. Cantrell is also a good singer, always in tone, showcasing his voice's sweetness that works the best on stripped-down tracks like 'Paint on the barn'. Closer 'Prime mover' stands out from the rest as it takes an epic turn at its half when a full band comes in for the first and only time on the album. Balance Problems doesn't have the emotional power of a Cassino, but he's still good at what he does.

'The fair weather field guide' may confuse some fans at first, embracing a folk-ish sound with many instruments added to Balance Problems' sound; but, when used to it, they'll realize Cantrell managed to do what he wanted to do. They'll probably still pick the first album, 'Morning sun', over this one though. It's a simple and pretty album, just nothing incredible.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Cassino, Alive In Wild Paint, Daphne Loves Derby
Recommanded if you like:
Wolftron, The Apathy Eulogy, Chase Coy

www.myspace.com/balanceproblems
(Self-released, 2009)

Jeff Kummer - Your best alternative

2009-12-29T13:26:00.003Z

Jeff Kummer is the former drummer of regretted act The Early November. He also used to be in a band called Your Sweet Uncertainty and filled in on drums for Man Overboard. He decided to follow a solo route to release 'Your best alternative', his first one man-band record.

The album is a sweet and fair blend of pop-rock and pop-punk. Kummer didn't try to write another The Early November record on his own, or to be Man Overboard's alter ego. Even if limited in its musical genre, 'Your best alternative' calls on a relatively large number of influences. The man's fondness for pop-punk is exhibited on songs like 'Make plans' and 'Write me off', the most energetic (and some of the best) tracks off the record, featuring catchy hooks, heavy bass, fast drums and unexpected and distilled gang vocals. Then, some others make me include an obvious comparison with Waking Ashland. On the very good (emphasize on the great instrumental work) 'Safe to say' and 'What a nightmare', the melancholic melodies added to Jeff's voice tone similar to Jonathan Jones make you feel like you're listening to a more dynamic Waking Ashland that would have lost their piano, that is to say We Shot The Moon. Unfortunately, the rest is less well-executed. Kummer's quality musicianship impresses me on many songs, but I am not keen of his vocals which, in my opinion, bring several songs down, like on 'This makes perfect sense' and its "nananananananana" chorus. Most of the other tracks aren't bad, just average: 'My love', the Crash Romeo-like 'Run' (with slight touches of synth), 'Joanna' and its cheesy chorus a la Bowling For Soup or the closer 'Playing games' which sounds just like it got dropped off The Fold's first album. Similarly, the lyrics aren't anything memorable.

Therefore, I am a little disappointed with 'Your best alternative'. Whereas Jeff Kummer's talent for playing whatever instrument he wants is obvious on these songs, I was expecting him to provide better hooks. The melodies are the letdown of the record, that could have been a good surprise to anyone not aware of the release or the guy's curriculum. However, the album doesn't have much pretention (as you can guess from its cheap cover) and it's a pleasing listen. Nothing great or standing out, but it's not bad at all.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
We Shot The Moon, The Fold, The Years Gone By
Check also:
Your Sweet Uncertainty, The Send, A Dream Too Late

www.myspace.com/jeffkummer
(Self-released, 2009)

My best of 2009

2009-12-27T02:11:00.014Z

2009 is coming to its end and it's time to make the traditional end of the year lists. It was a very good year for music in my opinion, much better than 2008, with a lot of great records coming out.
I decided choosing a certain number of them to make a top was too restrictive and not very useful (and I am terrible at ranking things like that), so I simply retained what I will remember from 2009 and classified them into genres to make it easy to read and simple to look for stuff you may like according to your tastes. Everything's in alphabetical order.
Here's the list of the records I think you should have listened to this year. Don't hesitate to insult me for not including your favorite band's latest album in the comments, and also to give your opinion on the list. What have I missed? Which are your favorite records of the year? Here's my best of 2009.

ALTERNATIVE
(Alternative rock/Post-hardcore)

AFI - Crash love
Alexisonfire - Old crows, young cardinals
As Cities Burn - Hell or high water
Brand New - Daisy
Closure In Moscow - First temple
Enter Shikari - Common dreads
Everytime I Die - New junk aesthetic
Manchester Orchestra - Mean everything to nothing
Moneen - The world I want to leave behind
Native - Wrestling moves
Poison The Well - The tropic rot
Say Anything - Say Anything
The Dear Hunter - Act III: life and death
Thrice - Beggars
Thursday - Common existence
Trophy Scars - Bad luck

EMO
(Emo/Screamo)

Age Sixteen - Open up finders, please
Appollonia - Blank solstice
Bökanövsky - We stumble
Castevet - Summer fences
Celeste - Misanthrope(s)
Comadre - A wolf ticket
Daïtro - Y
Dominic - Nord
Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) - What it takes to move forward
Isaïah - Ils consomment, tuent et prient mais ne pensent pas
Kaospilot - Shadows
Kidcrash - Snacks
L’Homme Puma - On remplace les yeux cassés
Loma Prieta - Dark mountain
My Heart To Joy - Seasons in verse
Pianos Become The Teeth - Old pride
Portraits Of Past - Cypress dust witch (EP)
Prawn - False institutions (EP)
What Price, Wonderland? - It is true, it is shakey

HARDCORE
(Punk hardcore/Hardcore)

Blackhole - Dead hearts
Blacklisted - No one deserves to be here more than me
Coalesce - XO
Converge - Axe to fall
Death Before Dishonor - Better ways to die
Defeater - Lost ground (EP)
Gallows - Grey Britain
Iron Age - The sleeping eye
Kickback - No surrender
Last Lights - No past, no present, no future
Lewd Acts - Black eyes blues
More Than Life - Brave enough to fail (EP)
Narrows - New distances
Nine Eleven - City of quartz
No Friends - No Friends
Paint It Black - Amnesia (7'')
Punch - Punch (12'')
Reaching Hand - Threshold (EP)
Rise And Fall - Our circle is vicious
Ruiner - Hell is empty
Shook Ones - The unquotable A.M.H.
Swamp Thing - In shame
The Ghost Of A Thousand - New hopes, new demonstrations
Touché Amoré - ...To the beat of a dead horse
Trapped Under Ice - Secrets of the world

INDIE
(Indie-rock/Experimental)

Anchor & Braille - Felt
As Tall As Lions - You can't take it with you
Bon Iver - Blood bank (EP)
Camera Obscura - My maudlin carrer
Cassino - Kingprince
Cheap Girls - My roaring 20's
Cursive - Mama, I'm swollen
Kevin Devine - Brother's blood
Mansions - New best friends
mewithoutYou - It's all crazy! It's all false! It's all a dream! It's alright
Modest Mouse - No one's first and you're next (EP)
Owen - New leaves
Portugal. The Man - The satanic satanist
Regina Spektor - Far
RX Bandits - Mandala
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
Tegan And Sara - Sainthood
The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha
The Cast Before The Break - Still
The Decemberists - The hazards of love
The Mars Volta - Octahedron

POP
(Pop-rock/Pop-punk)

Broadway Calls - Good views, bad news
fun. - Aim and ignite
Fireworks - All I have to offer is my own confusion
Morrissey - Years of refusal
Mute Math - Armistice
New Found Glory - Not without a fight
Paramore - brand new eyes
Set Your Goals - This will be the death of us
Sherwood - QU
Teenage Bottlerocket - They came from the shadows
The Dangerous Summer - Reach for the sun
The Swellers - Ups and downsizing

POST-ROCK
(Post-rock/Ambient)

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar
Caspian - Tertia
Do Make Say Think - Other truths
If These Trees Could Talk - Above the earth, below the sky
Immanu El - Moen
Jeniferever - Spring tides
Jesu - Opiate sun (EP)
Maybeshewill - Sing the word hope in four-part harmony
Microfilm - The bay of future passed
Mono - Hymn to the immortal wind
pg.lost - In never out
Russian Circles - Geneva
This Will Destroy You & Lymbyc Systym - Field studies (Split EP)
Tortoise - Beacons of ancestorship
Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start - Firewolf

PUNK
(Punk-rock/Folk-punk)

Anti-Flag - The people or the gun
Banner Pilot - Collapser
Bomb The Music Industry! - Scrambles
Chuck Ragan - Gold country
Dear Landlord - Dream homes
Fake Problems - It's great to be alive
Frank Turner - Poetry of the deed
Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
NOFX - Coaster
Nothington - Roads, bridges and ruins
Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
Propagandhi - Supporting caste
Star Fucking Hipsters - Never rest in peace
Strike Anywhere - Iron front
Strung Out - Agents of the underground
The Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx
The Lawrence Arms - Buttsweat and tears (7'')
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pin points and gin joints
Title Fight - The last thing you forget
Transit - Stay home (EP)

RAP
(Rap/Hip-hop)

Atmosphere - Leak at will (Digital EP)
B-Real - Smoke n mirrors
Blakroc - Blakroc
Brother Ali - Us
Cunninlynguists - Strange journey volume one
DJ Quik & Kurupt - BlaQKout (Split)
DOOM - Born like this
Doomtree - False hopes XV (EP)
J Dilla - Jay stay paid
Joe Budden - Padded room
K’naan - Troubadour
k-os - Yes!
La Coka Nostra - A brand you can trust
Mos Def - The ecstatic
Mr. Lif - I heard it today
P.O.S. - Never better
People Under The Stairs - Carried away
Raekwon - Only built 4 Cuban linx... Pt II
Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse
Tanya Morgan - Brooklynati
Why? - Eskimo snow

Belle Epoque - Belle Epoque (7'')

2009-12-26T00:44:00.004Z

Remember this: there are a good and a bad Belle Epoque. The good one should have an accent, because they're French. They're a screamo band from Versailles that broke up in 2006. The bad ones are American. They're a young cookie-cutter alternative/metalcore band from Texas. The logic would be that this review is about the latter, but no, it's about the dead Belle Epoque.

Labels Apes Must Not Kill Apes Records (Switzerland) and Escucha! Records (Mexico) are teaming up to release this posthumous 7'' featuring two unreleased songs (recorded in 2006) from the French act. I won't be long: both tracks are excellent. 'Le chant des muets' is mostly instrumental, in the genre of what Sed Non Satiata still do today, using ever-present driving chords before rising in an emotional climax with torn screams and naturally flowing (on the MP3 version, otherwise you'll obviously have to switch sides) into the second song, 'Le souvenir des vivants'. This one is gorgeous, full of reserve and energy at the same time, in the tradition of what Belle Epoque was: a modest glory. Arpeggios are limpid, lyrics are poignant, assaults are impassioned. Both words and music are conscious and sadly liberated, as the screamo genre is (should be?). Here are two new songs to add to your post-mortem Belle Epoque worship.

That's a pretty present the two labels are offering us, an opportunity to discover two Belle Epoque songs that were worth being put out and an opportunity to own them on plastic for those who already knew them. A symbolic testament for a band absolutely necessary in your screamo history book. For those interested, former Belle Epoque members are now playing in Do You Compute, Revok and Rotten Tofu Adventures.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Daïtro, Mihai Edrisch, Gantz
Check also:
Rotten Tofu Adventures, Twisted Drive, Pop China

http://belle.epoque75.free.fr
(Ape Must Not Kill Apes Records/Escucha! Records, 2009)

Gold Motel - EP

2009-12-25T21:56:00.005Z

The Hush Sound may be on hiatus, Greta Morgan wasn't going to twiddle her thumbs. The singer of the Chicago-based indie-pop band decided to go solo (not literally, as she's accompanied by four guys) under the name Gold Motel. This first EP is a bunch of old remastered songs she recorded on her own and never had the opportunity to release, as well as new ones.

Gold Motel shines through its simplicity. The first tracks of the EP are very cheerful, combining soft vocals, catchy melodies and intimate instrumentation. The tone is reminiscent of The Hush Sound's latest album atmosphere, light and upbeat. But apart from that, the two acts don't have much in common. Gold Motel has a carefree feeling and an old-timey touch in the keyboards as well as the singer's vocal offering, closer to 60's radio pop than today's one. Greta went her own way, brightening up our listening time, delivering a honest and pretty indie-pop borrowing as much from The Beach Boys as from Norah Jones. The second part is darker and the songwriting gets deeper, with lyrics approaching the issue of a couple separating. 'Who will I be tonight' is a piano ballad in the pure singer/songwriter style and 'Don't send the searchlights' closes the EP in a pretty way: "Good night, goodbye / By the time you turn around I’ll be gone, I'll be gone". A very enjoyable melancholic track.

With Gold Motel, Greta Morgan offers us sweet, charming songs armed with a direct ticket to your heart. While the EP is nothing incredible, it's an endearing and pleasing way to warm yourself up during those harsh winter days.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Hush Sound, Eisley, fun.
Check also:
Charlotte Sometimes, The Villains Of Verona, Probably Vampires

www.myspace.com/goldmotel
(Self-released, 2009)

The Republic Of Wolves - His old branches (EP)

2009-12-24T02:12:00.006Z

You may have missed it, but there's been a small buzz going on around The Republic Of Wolves. The daily sales of this EP were somehow greater than Rihanna and Lady Gaga on Amazon MP3 downloads a few weeks ago. Why? Partly because the demos for those songs got leaked online as the demos for Brand New's 'Daisy' album. Instant explosion. The band wasn't involved in it (a friend of them was), but they're certainly not unhappy about it today.

Obviously, if they got confused with Brand New, you can guess both bands have a quite similar sound. A lot of this EP sounds like the Long Island alternative kings (where The Republic Of Wolves also come from): somber and ghostly production, screeching guitars, alternation between soft and heavy moments, even the singer has a similar tone to Jesse Lacey. On tracks like 'A weather vane' and the great 'Spill', the proximity between the two acts' music definitely is obvious. The band's songs are complex, subtle and deep, well-written both lyrically and musically. Tracks like 'The clouds' and 'His old branches' are standout cuts for their emotional potential and their ability to create atmospheres. 'Cardinals' is very good too, somewhere between The Appleseed Cast and recent Thrice. There is something in the way vocals are put out that reminds me of Band Of Horses as well. Overall, some parts bring the record down, but it's an impressive debut.

Many fans, disgusted by 'Daisy', stated that The Republic Of Wolves' EP was better. I wouldn't go that far even if Brand New's last effort really disappointed me, but if we have to compare those two releases, this one has more cohesiveness. It's a very promising first record that only makes us wish for the band that they will get out of their influence's shadow.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Brand New, The Appleseed Cast, Band Of Horses
Check also:
The King And The Thief, Every Atlas, Tigers On Trains

www.myspace.com/therepublicofwolves
(Self-released, 2009)

Chaos Days & All Or Nothing - Split EP

2009-12-21T23:39:00.005Z

All Or Nothing (not to be mistaken with the American hardcore act All Or Nothing HC, nor with All For Nothing) and Chaos Days are two small pop-punk bands from England, both (currently) signed on the label All Aboard Records. Whereas the latter are still quite unknown, the first ones, from Birmingham, already have a substantial discography including a split with American peers The Wonder Years. Sharing this record with a band that already had a name in the American scene enabled them to get some listeners outside of the UK. This time, it should be the other way around as they will probably be the ones bringing new fans to their friends in Chaos Days.

All Or Nothing produce an edgy pop-punk driven by power chords and catchy vocals. 'I hate being the dip guy' is a good example of what the band can do, featuring guitar hooks and an easily memorable chorus. I like their other track 'Don't do this' better, though, a bit less poppy. The heavy bass is leading the song very well and the verses are as good as the chorus.
Brighton-based Chaos Days' pop-punk is a little softer. They can write good melodies too, as you will be able to testify on 'You and I'. The dual vocals give a good energy to the chorus and maybe the band should use them more. 'At heaven's gate' is less tasty but remains pleasing thanks to the great work on the guitars.

If you think You Me At Six are the only pop-punk band from the UK worth checking out, you should give those two acts a listen (and if it makes you stop listening to You Me At Six, I won't be unhappy either). This split is the proof British pop-punk is growing and getting better. All Or Nothing and Chaos Days are two bands to keep an eye on. Their simple and quality brand of pop-punk could rival its American equivalent. We couldn't wish them anything better.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
New Found Glory, Fireworks, The Wonder Years
Check also:
Save Your Breath, With The Punches, Weekend FM

www.myspace.com/chaosdays
www.myspace.com/allornothing
(All Aboard Records, 2009)

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pin points and gin joints

2009-12-20T22:19:00.005Z

The ska trend may be far behind us, the genre still consists in a solid community. This little world got turn upside down with the announcement of the reunion of the genre's veterans, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, in 2007. After disbanding in 2003, the Boston, Massachussets act is back with their eighth full-length, 'Pin points and gin joints'.

It is legimitate to wonder if a band can still please their fans after such a long hiatus. In this case, the answer is yes. Ska lovers will be very, very happy to end the year with this album, seven years after the group's last effort. Whereas their latest releases were more rock-oriented, 'Pin points and gin joints' is made of fourteen ska-concentrated tracks showcasing the band at their best. The beginning of the record is particularly strong, with exhuberant and fun songs filled with driving horns and rocking guitars. My personal favorites are 'The route that I took' and the impressive 'Too many stars'. The middle of the record serves as a kind of break, with slower songs, before the end of the record hits hard again. Glorious choruses, boozy anthems, bouncing rhythms, the album even closes with an epic six and a half-minute skacore classic, 'A pretty sad excuse'. The lyrics are a highlight too, as frontman Dicky Barretss's writing is as solid as ever and his sometimes very serious criticism doesn't interfere in any way with the upbeat tone of the music. The production by Ted Hutt (The Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, The Gaslight Anthem) is shining too, giving credit to every instrument, from the saxophone to the bass.

Many hats will be off to the seven-piece group with this return effort. Eight and a half months of work bore fruits. 'Pin points and gin joints' will delight fans of the third-wave ska kings. If this album is a good representation of what The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are in 2009 (which is obviously the case), then they haven't lost much on their way.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Mustard Plug, Reel Big Fish, Catch 22
Check also:
The Pietasters, Skankin' Pickle, Bim Skala Bim

www.myspace.com/themightymightybosstones
(Big Rig Records, 2009)

The Saddest Landscape & Trophy Scars - Split 7''

2009-12-19T01:12:00.004Z

If there is a split I didn't see coming this year, it has to be this one. The Saddest Landscape, recently reunited underground emo/screamo band from Boston, New York, have collaborated with Morristown, New Jersey post-hardcore six-piece Trophy Scars to release one song each on a split 7''. Sure, they shared the stage earlier this year for the former band's reunion shows, but they're not really playing in the same league.

The Saddest Landscape's song, named 'So lightly thrown', is what we could expect from them. Pretty harmonies, rhythm changes and singer Andy Maddox's heartfelt lyrics and vocals, somewhere between the scream, the singing and the spoken. Always very emotional. There's no doubt they're one of the best screamo bands in the US landscape today and this beautiful track only makes us wish for more. Hopefully the full-length announced for the end of 2009 will come soon. Unsurprisingly, the contrast is sharp when comes Trophy Scars' song. 'August, 1980' is in the vein of the band's last effort 'Bad luck', more instrumental (there even are horns), while keeping some post-hardcore elements. They're moving away from their Thursday-ish sound to embrace a much more mellow one. It's slow. Very slow. I've never been a fan of Jerry Jones's vocals, but he is well helped by his bandmates. The song ends on a big sing-along. Overall, it falls short in my opinion.

A dispensable split in the end but a good sign for The Saddest Landscape's upcoming material.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Hot Cross, Saetia, La Dispute
Check also:
Her Breath On Glass, Touché Amoré, Toru Okada

www.myspace.com/thesaddestlandscape
www.myspace.com/trophyscars
(Bear Records, 2009)

Doomtree - False hopes XV

2009-12-18T23:01:00.007Z

It may surprise some of you, but I was a hip-hop kid before getting into punk-rock, which later led me to all the soft or hard stuff I listen to now. I still keep an eye on the hip-hop scene and one of the labels that has attracted my attention the most in the last years is Minneapolis crew Doomtree. Close friends with the fellow Minnesota label Rhymesayers Entertainment (Atmosphere, MF Doom, Brother Ali...), they're a hip-hop collective creating music as solo artists or as a whole crew. Besides their two full-length albums, the crew has released fourteen 'False hopes' mixtapes that were solo or duo contributions whereas this fifteenth one is the result of the work of almost all the artists together (seven out of nine are here: the five MCs and two of the producers).

First, don't run away thinking the rap stuff I choose to review on here sounds like guys around a swimming-pool with half-naked girls and half-empty champagne bottles. It doesn't. I like good rap, okay? If some of you need to be reassured, Doomtree is known for the influence of punk in their music. P.O.S., the most popular rapper of the crew, is famous for making "hip-hop for people who don't like hip-hop". He will cite Minor Threat and Refused as influences, he plays drums in a hardcore band, he is among the few rap artists to be on the Warped Tour, he has toured with many rock acts, from Saosin to Cursive, he has worked with guys from The Hold Steady and Bouncing Souls and his latest record ('Never better', my rap album of the year) features samples and references to Fugazi and Isis. If this long name-dropping didn't convince you the guy isn't 50 Cent, I give up.
So it is not a surprise for me that my favorite song on the EP is his, 'Do not stay'. After a moving piano-driven intro, the track gets into a superb three and a half-minute hip-hop moment, with an excellent production by Lazerbeak. P.O.S. proves his songwriting skills one more time but the guy can also provide good beatss as the punk-ish instrumental on female rapper Dessa's song 'Scuffle' comes from him. The song, dark and different, shows off the talent of the vitriolic MC. She is with no doubt one of the most promising girls in today's hip-hop scene. Openers 'Coup for the king' and 'Profit and loss' are more classical, in the vein of the entusiastic tunes off the crew's past full-lengths. They're a good demonstration of what the gang can do though, all of its members being at their best. The very intellectual Cecil Otter imposes his signature flow and complexed lyrics with 'A rickety bridge' ("Well, as soon as you got out from the aim of the sniper / You took a rest next to the fangs of a viper / But it's raining tonight for you / I know you love the rain, I watched you drink it up and strike another flame / When you came to show your face to the animals / Who swore it was intangible to orchestrate a radical / I saw your eyes go from lowercase to capital / It's like you had to pull the rogue from underneath yourself to feel alive"... Yeah, you will definitely not find him "in the club, bottle full of Bub") and the great Mike Mictlan plays the somber card on 'OMG!', a beautiful song with deep lyrical content, lots of piano on its verses and a guitar solo and scratches on its chorus. The record closes on 'Carped diem', the longest track, compltely instrumental. Somber as well, almost post-rock in its approach, jazzy because including saxophone, the loop featuring plenty of instrument samples is a very well-executed way to finish the listen.

'False hopes XV' is a good introduction to Doomtree for those who are curious to discover the crew. It's a solid yet short (it's only an EP and doesn't go further than the 30-minute mark) joint effort from the very creative and talented collective, showcasing what each one of its members can do but also proving the future is wide open for them. Indeed, certain songs on there are some of the finest composed by the group. Doomtree isn't about "niggas" and "bitches". Don't be scared, give it a try. "Don't sweat the technique fellas, Doomtree's better!"

4/5

Nb.: You can listen to the EP here.

Recommanded if you like:
Atmosphere, Blakroc, P.O.S.
Check also:
Mike Mictlan & Lazerbeak, Paper Tiger, Mac Lethal

www.myspace.com/doomtree

(Doomtree Records, 2009)

Runner Runner - Under the covers (iTunes EP)

2009-12-13T04:57:00.006Z

There are a few things I hate in music. Seeing former members of a band I loved create a crappy band, rock bands with machines instead of drummers and bands trying to get famous by covering pop songs are some of them. Unfortunately for me, this new digital EP from Runner Runner includes all of those three massive turn-offs.

Runner Runner was born from the ashes of missed pop-punk act Over It but play a very poppier music with an amount of sugar on the verge of the indigestion. I don't know how they ended up in this, but they did. The band is releasing an iTunes-only EP of covers called 'Under the covers' (GET IT, GET IT??!!). First, we can congratulate the band for the originality of the songs chosen: U2's 'With or without you', Third Eye Blind's 'Semi-charmed life', Maroon 5's 'She will be loved'... Only songs I hadn't heard five thousand times before, you know. The U2 cover is a horrible dance take on the original, with over-edited vocals, cheesy synth and an electro beat that seems to wonder as much as us how it got there. They then seem to have forgotten the aim of covering a song on the Third Eye Blind one as it is nothing else than a pure copy of the original. Jimmy Eat World's 'Sweetness' becomes... sweeter and bouncing but thanks to the quality of the original composition, it's passable. Forgettable acoustic versions of Goo Good Dolls' 'Slide' and Runner Runner's own song 'Hey alli' end up the listen on a no less forgettable way.

If Runner Runner just created a totally useless piece of music, I however would like to thank them, as someone concerned about the environment, for only releasing it as MP3s and avoiding in this way a complete waste of plastic.

2/5

Recommanded if you like:
Metro Station, Mercy Mercedes, Cash Cash
Check also:
Call The Cops!, Let's Get It, Phone Calls From Home

www.myspace.com/runnerrunnermusic
(iTunes, 2009)

Good Old War & Cast Spells - Split EP

2009-12-13T03:43:00.003Z

Good Old War is an acoustic indie trio composed of former members from Days Away and Unlikely Cowboy. They're teaming up with Cast Spells, the solo project of experimental act Maps & Atlases' singer David Davison, to release this 4-song split on their common label, Sargent House.

Good Old War's first song, 'Breaking down', starts off as a mellow introduction, reminding the atmosphere created on a track like 'Weak man' from their album released last year. But the song takes a totally different turn when the band speeds up the pace to create a fast acoustic indie-pop song, with Tim Arnold's snare drum more energetic than ever. They've really stepped it up on this one. The second song, 'Texas blues', is even better. Slower, with delicious instrumentation and singer Keith Goodwin at his best; the band isn't mistaken, that's what we were waiting from them. I am less keen on Cast Spells' music, especially as those songs are more folk than his previous stuff. But Davison is a talented man, he writes good melodies and intelligent lyrics. It's a much darker atmosphere than Good Old War. Whereas 'All brass' incorporates keys, 'Letters' focuses on the singer's aerial voice with only a guitar.

This split is another reason to be excited for Good Old War's next album. The three guys apply the same formula with the same success and if they keep going like this, it doesn't seem like they're going to fail anytime soon. I am less interested in Cast Spell's songs as his music appeals less to me but it's some pretty folk from a busy man able to accomplish a lot in such short amounts of time.

3.5/5

Nb.: You can listen to the EP here.

Recommanded if you like:
Cassino, Anthony Green, Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground
Check also:
Hezekiah Jones, Right Away, Great Captain!, Benjamin E. Morsberger

www.myspace.com/goodoldwar
www.myspace.com/castspells

(Sargent House, 2009)

Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start - Firewolf

2009-12-12T00:50:00.008Z

When I heard that Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start (name that comes from a cheat code on the very first Sonic video game on Sega Megadrive) was releasing a new album, I was excited but not impatient. Here's the thing: when I like some band's music formula, it usually only works twice for me. Both with their first full-length 'And the battle is won' and its follower 'Embers', they satisfied post-rock fans with the same brilliant and emotional build-ups and crescendos that established them as one of the best new acts around in their category. But I was scared it wouldn't work a third time with 'Firewolf', the band's new album.

The cover is not in contradiction with this premonition as it's basically a mix (a cliche but cute one, though) between 'And the battle is won' and 'Embers' artworks. After a very bouncing but unoriginal short intro comes the track 'Black lodge'. A slow but thumping pace, chugging riffs, this is not post-rock as we know it... Indeed it's very rock and loud, with guitar distortion and vocals reminding Oceansize. But how surprised I am when after soaring guitars come heavy riffs accompanied by intense screaming. Woah, that was unexpected! Upcdownc now have screams. Not only on this song, they're doing it again on the epic and less than two-minute long 'Agent Cooper'. Mind you, it's not Envy's screams, but it's well-executed and the suprise effect makes them very enjoyable. However, the British four-piece still takes time to create atmospheres, which are here quite dark, and most of the album is instrumental. There are songs without any vocals too, as the oppressive 'Def Zeppelin' or 'Smiling bag', but they fail building up something substantial and are unfortunately dull. How surprising as it may be, the best moments off 'Firewolf' are the angriest and heaviest ones. The title track is especially great in my opinion, managing to install something particular between the band's offering and the listener. The record ends on an acoustic take and stops under the 30-minute mark.

With the overall length of a punk-rock album and its completely different musical horizon, we could wonder if it's still legitimate to call Upcdownc post-rock. But who cares? What's important is that the band has had the audacity to break its own chains in a very closed genre. 'Firewolf' isn't incredible, it seems less inspired than its predecessors to me, but is noteworthy by its unpredictability and its strong rock influence. Maybe their least creative, but definitely their heaviest.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Oceansize, Envy, Pelican
Check also:
We're From Japan!, Omega Massif, The Seven Mile Journey

www.myspace.com/upcdownc
(Self-released, 2009)

Dangers - Messy, isn't it?

2009-12-08T23:42:00.012Z

Woah, woah, woah. Hang on. This record is gonna make you feel like you just got run over by a train (or a truck, if you dig Graf Orlock references). In case you didn't guess from the cover, Dangers don't play brit-pop. They play very angry, straight-to-your-face hardcore. And when I say angry, I mean absolutely pissed off.

"You are going to die / Your parents, your children / They're all going to die / Slow, painful / With a methadone drip". Full of hope, isn't it? Dangers are not here to please you. Death, suicide, illnesses, drugs, dooms, their lyrics won't cheer you up. And they couldn't care less. Vegan, straight-edge and politically committed as most of their peers, the Californian four-piece want you to know what a shame for the human kind you are. The content sure is tactless, but the attacks on our society and lifestyle are full of well-thought and outspoken references and definitely worth reading (cause they're hard to hear, you know): "No this ain’t the apocalypse / It’s the way shit has always been / From Sodom to Saddam / Attila to Tienenmen / A quarter million years of human being / A quarter million years as a human stain / We use ten percent of our gorgeous brains / And leave the rest up to cocaine". Since their 2006's full-length debut, Dangers haven't changed the determination contained in their hardcore and the only things that surprised me are some of the guitar work ('I'll clap when I'm impressed') and the interlude '(Love poem)' at the end of the record. It consists in the superposition of voices reading hippie/beatnik writer Richard Brautigan's 'Love poem', which is only made of one sentence: "It's so nice to wake up in the morning all alone and not have to tell somebody you love them when you don't love them anymore". After some research, I found that the original idea was the poet's himself, as on the album 'Listening to Richard Brautigan' where he reads his writings, 'Love poem' is read by eighteen of his friends. I was a bit disappointed, but the idea is nonetheless excellent.

'Messy, isn't it?', just like his predecessor 'Anger', doesn't bear its name by chance. It's a furious record that will grab your throat and won't let go before the end of its 37 minutes and 18 seconds (for 19 tracks, so quite long) of violence spread. Al's vocals are some of my favorites in the current scene. I think it's a little bit below 'Angers', but it's still, to quote some blog guy (let yourself be heard if you're reading this), pissedtacular.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Trash Talk, Lewd Acts, Ghostlimb
Check also:
Badmouth, Don't Trip, What Life Is

www.wearedangers.bandcamp.com
(Self-released, 2010)

We The Kings - Smile kid

2009-12-08T17:05:00.005Z

I may despise the cookie-cutter/swoosh hair/neon trend, I still think a few emerging pop-punk bands are okay and I admit I can sometimes fall for a few of their guilty pleasure hits. It was the case with three tracks off We The King's first album, which I thought followed a good formula of what catchy pop-punk is. Unfortunately for me, their folder on my iPod will remain filled with those three songs only as for now.

'Smile kid', their sophomore album, isn't changing the formula very much though. But, as the single 'Heaven can wait' (singles are always a good glimpse of this kind of band's records as they're most of the time the best songs), it's not working as well, a bit boring and hokey. The first verse reminds me a lot of The Academy Is...'s 'About a girl'. It seems to me that Travis Clark's voice came closer to William Beckett's, even if they already had the same tone. They added a touch of electronics in that song, as they've tried to incorporate some different sounds into this album as a whole: there's ukulele on 'Promise the stars' and 'In-n-out (Animal style)' features reggae rhythms in its verses. But none of those really manage to appear like a great innovation, just like the whistle a la Rio de Janeiro on 'Summer love' that ends up being really annoying. Even the heavier bridge on 'The story of your life' hardly convinces. The rest is what you can expect from a band like them, lots of hooks, catchy choruses (opener 'She takes me high' and its "Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo-doo" similar to Third Eye Blind's 'Semi-charmed life'), mid-tempo verses, puppy love-related lyrics, and a few ballads (the Jimmy Eat World's '23' chords-reminiscent 'Rain falls down'), including one featuring a Disney singer (in this case, Demi Lovato).

'Smile kid' will certainly please the fans and create immediate fan-favorites from the very start of its tracklist but this new collections of summer songs lacks the only thing that interests me in those bands: real hits.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
All Time Low, The Academy Is..., Cartel
Check also:
A Cursive Memory, The Downtown Fiction, American Diary

www.myspace.com/wethekings
(S-Curve Records, 2009)

Blacklisted - No one deserves to be here more than me (12'')

2009-12-07T02:53:00.013Z

This new Blacklisted album arrived as a total Christmas surprise. Nothing was announced, until Deathwish claimed a new LP from the band was now available on their store. Only as vinyl. Hence the buzz around the record, with people questioning the band's behaviour and decision. I won't dwell on this subject, if you want to know more about it, I suggest you to read this interview with Jacob Bannon (Converge's singer and owner of Deathwish Records). Blacklisted decided not to give any interviews for this release.

I'm gonna break the suspense immediately: 'No one deserves to be here more than me' is a cat among hardcore's pigeons. When I first played the record, I thought I put an Everytime I Die record. I couldn't be more wrong. Blacklisted have swallowed dozens of disparate influences and this fourth full-length is the radiography of their stomach after digestion. And there's a lot to see. Don't be too hard with the Everytime I Die comparison, George Hirsch does sound more and more like Keith Buckley. His singing has evolved much and he is now shouting more than barking. It is a bit disconcerting at first, but after several listens, it sounds more appropriate to the band's new style. They do keep their hardcore roots, don't get me wrong. 'No one deserves to be here more than me' is a hardcore record. But, as it was already the case on songs like 'I am weighing me down' on the previous album, there's a lot of 90's rock influence. Listen to the solo on 'Everything in my life is for sale'. The riffs range over as different bands as Helmet and Soundgarden. People are also probably gonna say there is a grunge vibe in the guitars but it's more because of the warm production. You'll hear some Alice In Chains and Nirvana a few times. The slower stuff as 'I am extraordinary' even reminded me of The Pixies. This song features some feminine vocals provided by Melissa Farley, who seems to be the photographer who created the sublime artwork for 'Heavier than heaven, lonelier than God'. It's not the only new element, as this song and several others include a few instruments as a violin, a trumpet and even an uncommon rainstick. There also are four weird interludes, close to what The Sound Of Animals Fighting do. And, last but not least, some parts are really catchy. Yep, catchy. The title-track's chorus is instantly memorable and the AC/DC-reminiscent back and forth riff on 'Skeletons' is a killer. Their acoustic attempt (yes, you read well) on 'The P.I.G. (The problem is G)' however didn't do it for me, too monotonous.

The flaws are few on what Blacklisted just created. They've made their sound evolve in unexpected and interesting directions to come up with something unique. This new album is not your average breakdown harcore record. It's a piece of heavy rock (and would I dare say it has a sexy touch too?) by musicians with guts and creativity. I'm sure it will be received by very mixed reactions, but people should really override the surprise to focus on what this record has to offer. It was hard for me to get into it, but it may be the best hardcore album of the year. One of those who will later be regarded as avant-gardist.

4.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Snapcase, Quicksand, Bitter End
Check also:
New Lows, Downpresser, Pellinore

www.myspace.com/blacklisted
(Deathwish Inc., 2009)

30 Seconds To Mars - This is war

2009-12-06T22:50:00.007Z

I could have done a much more argued and detailled review. But I don't even want to. Why would I bother myself with writing about a record that already bothered me enough when I listened to it?

It's no news Jared Leto is full of himself. Those who have seen the guy live will understand me even better. But whereas his music was average and dull, it wasn't full of pretention. Until now. Him and his bandmates took it to another level with their third album. A level of epicness. Of disgust epicness. With 'This is war', they pass themselves off as new wave, indus, dramatic, cold, epic, but this record's universe is made of pulpboard, for a band in papier-mache. Just like their last video for the Angels & Airwaves-like 'Kings and queens', it claims to be big, great, huge, gigantic, but it's small, it's tiny. Behind the tall walls of sophisticated aesthetic, there is absolutely nothing. It's empty. It's full of emptiness. The lyrics are ridiculously fake, either pretending to be messianic ('Vox populi') or made of faux rebellion that doesn't fit the guy that pronounces them ('Stranger in a strange land'). Leto's voice has reached another level on the pathetic scale, often whiny and always breathy. The intro sounds like a parody. It's not only his singing's fault, there's also the choirs' case. There are so much it makes me want to throw up. Poor Tibetans requisitioned. They already bothered China for their video of 'From yesterday'... I can't wait for their next show at North Korea's biggest stadium. Cause if you missed the transition, 30 Seconds To Mars now play arena-rock! They wish very hard they were My Chemical Romance or Green Day, but they're just grotesque and grandiloquent. The production, executed by big rock names Flood and Steve Lillywhite (U2, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails...), is dull and really affected the band's sound. 'Vox populi' rips off Queen's 'We will rock you' tempo and U2's riffs at the same time, whereas the horrendeous 'Hurrican' stuck "It's too laaaaaate to apologize" into my head. As if their songs weren't bad enough, they had to remind me of other ones that are not theirs. Jared Leto claims to be at war, but the only thing he is fighting against that I can figure out are my eardrums.

This record is a pain. Such a pain. It's like a 'Braveheart' that would last six hours. Or a 'Gladiator' with three times more cliches. It lays it on thick. It drips. It's sickly. I wouldn't be that harsh if the music wasn't this pompous, obnoxious and pretentious, if 30 Seconds To Mars didn't put that much on airs. I hold no grudge against this band. They are not worse than loathsome acts as Brokencyde that today's scene offers, they're way better, but the blissful attention and admiration their huge fanbase have for them piss me off. There are so many better bands that see things through to the end, not falling into the fake, the easiness, the expected. This may be war, but I'm definitely not in 30 Seconds To Mars's camp.

2/5

Recommanded if you like:
Angels & Airwaves, Kill Hannah, Breaking Benjamin
Check also:
Dead By Sunrise, LostAlone, Trading Yesterday

www.myspace.com/thirtysecondstomars
(Virgin Records, 2009)

Nocturnal Me - Nocturnal Me (Digital EP)

2009-12-06T18:49:00.006Z

Cute Is What We Aim For minus singer Shaant Hacikyan equal Nocturnal Me. I guess that's what you get for being a dick. It must have hurt his too-big-for-its-own-good ego. I never could bear that band, mostly (but not only) because of him. So whereas 16-year old girls are crying of sadness because "WITHOUT SHAANT THIS IS NOT CIWWAF!!!!1111", I am a bit more open with Nocturnal Me. Not enthusiastic, but a bit more open.

So the band consists of former Cute Is What We Aim For's singer/bassist David Melillo (ex-solo artist) and guitarist Jeff Czum plus Michael Lasaponara, who filled in as the latter band's drummer during the past two years (because the former one left as he couldn't stand Hacikyan anymore). But the fact that they got rid of their annoying frontman doesn't mean they're gonna make good music together. The EP is unsurprisingly a kind of mix between their former band and Dave Melillo's solo stuff, as he is now the only vocalist. The guys would probably deny it, but still, it's pretty similar. Whereas a song like 'Once bitten' (an average alt-rock track about love and death with metaphors about vampires) has more punch than some compositions on Cute Is What We Aim For's last record 'Rotation', on 'Cougarz' they sound just like any pop-punk band on Fueled By Ramen. 'This isn't love' is a bit different, quite groovy, with a few good arrangements, but a cookie-cutter chorus and terrible keyboard notes ruin the song. The ballad 'Woulda coulda' isn't much more interesting, quite empty despite showcasing Melillo's range and falls short in the end.

Nocturnal Me have a lot of work to accomplish if they want to reach the fame they once had with their former band, even musically speaking. This first range of songs lack consistence and orginality, moreover the production is weak and the tracks sound more like demos than definitive material. They'll probably re-work them for a full-length. As a conclusion, I would have never written about this band if I didn't know the guys were former members of Cute Is What We Aim For.

2.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Cute Is What We Aim For, The Academy Is..., Dave Melillo
Check also:
The Midnight Club, Play For Keeps, Every You

www.myspace.com/iamnocturnalme
(iTunes, 2009)

The A.K.A.s - Animal summer (12'')

2009-12-06T06:25:00.005Z

I am not a specialist of the band or their genre, but I do know that The A.K.A.s, formerly The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!), are quite underrated. It may be because their kind of music (which they describe as "dancehall fight music") is not a genre embraced by millions of listeners, but I also think their strong work ethic and their excellent debut 'White doves & smoking guns' (released on Fueled By Ramen, at the time when the label had a great and diversified roster) are way too taken for granted. However, Less Than Jake's Vinnie Fiorello, co-founder of Fueled By Ramen, still gives them his recognition as he signed them on his label Paper + Plastick created last year, to release their third album 'Animal summer'.

The A.K.A.s produce of quite unique blend of garage rock and new-wave punk, this new record 'Animal summer' emphasizing their dancing side. Few punk bands use synth as much as this band does, which leads to both dancing ('Get it together') and aggressive anthems ('True love is broke'). Mike Ski's vocals are a more dynamic version of Iggy Pop, very eccentric without being extravagant. Whereas guitars have their fair share of time in the spotlight ('Let the ears ring'), the drums are quite pushed backward in the mix and sometimes barely audible. Indeed, most of The A.K.A.s' songs are guitar/keyboard-driven. The band don't forget to include punk-rock trademark as sing-alongs and other "yeah, yeah, yeah" to make some of the tracks fit perfectly on the next Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video game soundtrack ('Weddings & funerals'). As a whole, for those unfamiliar with their sound, they're closer to Rancid than they are to Le Tigre.

The A.K.A.s are definitely more insteresting to check out live, but their discography stays solid with this third full-length. It is far from topping their heavy debut, but 'Animal summer' is a fun record fans will surely appreciate.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Explosion, MC5, Fake Problems
Check also:
Beat Union, The Night Marchers, The Methadones

www.myspace.com/theakas
(Paper + Plastick, 2009)

Transit & Man Overboard - Split 7''

2009-12-06T04:37:00.012Z

I don't think there is any need for me to state again my opinions about Run For Cover Records and Man Overboard. However, even if Transit are also on the label, this split is being released on the tiny label Pure Noise Records (and as MP3 download on usual digital stores). We now know the guys are best friends forever, but let's see if they transcribed it well on vinyl!

Side A features two new Transit songs. The first one, 'Please head North', has a killer riff and catchy, half-screamed, mixed vocals lines. The rhythm is insteresting and it's overall a good song. 'Riding the bullet' is softer at first, starting with sweet singing and guitar chords before getting in the band's loud blend of pop-punk and post-hardcore. The roaring guitars, slow drums and gang vocals at the end make it very enjoyable too. Both of the songs are in the continuation of the 'Stay home' EP. Side B makes way for my little favorites, Man Overboard. The first song, called 'I ate my gluestick', features piano, some of guitarist Zac's catchiest vocals ever and another addictive chorus with deliciously cheesy lines ("You and I were meant to be the glue that held the world together") that make it another hit in the band's short discography. They play the emotional card with this one, and we can even hear Zac scream in despair at the very end. Did someone say "emo"? I didn't. Then comes 'Basics 101'. It's the best song off the record and also one of Man Overboard's best compositions in my opinion. The four-piece changed the formula and there's no real chorus on this one. Jeff Krummer's drumming leads the first part of the song, mid-tempo and a bit darker with airy back vocals, before radically changing at the two-minute mark. When you think the song's over, Zac comes to get you going with a powerful "Let's take it back to the basics!" followed by his and Wayne's heaviest and best riffs to date. The song ends with an excellent binary tempo that will make you swing back and forth before the arrival of Nik and Zac's vocal canon, brutally stopped by the last chords. This song reminds me of Brand New's 'Your favorite weapon'. The absolute catchiness, the heavy riffs and chaotic vocals at the end... It's obvious, Man Overboard have the same references as most of their audience. Their influences are flawless and the way they bring them up in their sound without ripping them off is very enjoyable.

This split is another promising record from two of the best young pop-punk acts in the actual scene. Bands like Transit and Man Overboard make you proud to keep listening to pop-punk in 2009 and carry punk and D.I.Y. values hard to find among their peers. Underground pop-punk is the reason! You got me, I really can't wait to see both of those bands come to Europe and this and this made me even more excited.

4/5

Nb.: You can stream the split here and read my interview with Man Overboard here.

Recommanded if you like:
Title Fight, A Loss For Words, Fireworks
Check also:
Agent, Crucial Dudes, Bangarang!

www.myspace.com/transitma
www.myspace.com/manoverboardnj
(Pure Noise Records, 2009)

Buy on Amazon FR
Buy on Amazon UK
Buy on Amazon US

Request: Truman & His Trophy - Springinsguth

2009-12-06T02:46:00.018Z

This band asked me to write something about their album and the least I can say is that I'm not used to review this kind of records. Truman & His Trophy don't play reggae or trance techno, no, but the Chicago act's blend of indie-pop and post-punk is something I don't listen to everyday.

Just like their band and album names, Truman & His Trophy are quite unusual, not to say odd. 'Springinsguth' (pronounced "Spring-inz-gooth", specifies singer/guitarist Chris) sounded really weird to me at first. The keyboard is quite psychedelic, the vocals a bit crazy and the guitars very quirky. The singer's falsetto pushed me away at first and as I'm not a fan of dance beats either, tracks like 'Flower man party' made me want to skip to the next ones. But after a few listens, probably because I needed to get used to their sound, some interesting aspects of the band appeared more clearly. Even if the guitars' tone isn't really the kind I enjoy, I really appreciate the drums on several tracks (the rocking 'Tomato feet') and the instrumentations are sober but add a pleasing touch ('Peach tree'). Tracks like the upbeat The Format-like 'Plain brains' and its pretty chorus featuring discrete handclaps or the good and fast-paced 'Pig necklace' are very enjoyable. Most of the compositions are busy and make me guess the band must be worth seeing live.

Despite a definitely crazy side (the happily-chaotic end of 'Beardy tastes' which closes the record), Truman & His Trophy are not revolutionizing music, but produce an interesting and original light-hearted sound. They dare to try, and it's not that bad. Number of unbearable crappy power-pop bands use the word "fun" as an excuse for their bad music. Well, to me fun music tends to sound more like this.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Format, Weezer, So Many Dynamos
Check also:
Pisces At The Animal Fair, Dr. Manhattan, We Versus The Shark

www.myspace.com/trumanandhistrophy
(Too Many Illinois, 2009)

Update

2009-11-30T01:06:00.002Z

Hey,

Just a few words to tell you it might be a slow reviews week as I'm going to be very busy in the next days, lots of work and lots of shows... However I still haven't failed to miss one day since I started and I will still try to write the right amount of reviews this week. But don't be surprised if there aren't any new ones for a few days. I'll be back shortly.
Have a good week, sorry about that and thanks for you reading.

Romain.

Artist Vs Poet - Damn rough night (EP)

2009-11-29T01:28:00.006Z

"I guess I had a damn rough night / I'm still piecing it together / There's a girl in my bed / And I haven't even met her / Sorry for what I'm about to do / Turning 21 is a bitch to go through."

Interview: Man Overboard

2009-11-28T07:36:00.027Z

I just did an interview with Justin of Man Overboard. If my review of their latest EP wasn't convincing enough, let me recommend you again to check this band out. My review of their upcoming split with Transit is coming. They're also very nice dudes, as you will be able to testify in the interview.

Click the "Read more" link below to read it.

[This interview is available in French here.]

Hey Justin, thank you for taking some time to answer my questions, could you introduce yourself and your band for those who don't know you?

Hello. I am Justin Collier and I play drums for Man Overboard. We are a four-member pop-punk band from New Jersey.

You just signed a deal with Run For Cover Records, how do you feel about it? You guys said you didn't listen to bands such as those of your friends and labelmates, but do you still think your music fits in well on their roster?

Run For Cover is awesome. Awesome people, awesome bands, awesome family. Literally, I cannot say enough nice things about it. Jeff [Casazza, owner of Run For Cover] is the man. It is a pleasure to work with him and hang out. We did an interview a few months ago for a college here in New Jersey that ended up on the Internet [and especially AbsolutePunk]. Everyone was fairly drunk and our answers got spun a little bit in the editing room so they were a little out of context. It is completely untrue to say that we don't like a lot of the bands on Run For Cover and even the bands we are friends with and labelmates with. Transit is legit (apart from being our best friends), one of my favorite bands. I have been booking Philly shows for Fireworks longer than I have been in Man Overboard and Front Page (me, Zac and Wayne's old band) played with Agent before Man Overboard started. I love both of those bands as well as a lot of the other bands on the roster. Some people in the band are not necessarily fans of some of the bands we play with but that doesn't mean they don't respect them and that we aren't friends.

If I got it well, Man Overboard was first named Home Again and kind of came up as a merger of members from Bangarang! and Front Page. However, people are kind of confused as the former drummer of Bangarang! is named Justin too. So, were you playing guitar in Front Page and then replaced Justin Mondschein on drums for Man Overboard?

So lets get into a little back story... Zac, Wayne and I played in Front Page for the last few years. When Front Page started to slow down, Zac and Wayne started Home Again and recorded 'Hung up on nothing' [which would later be released as Man Overboard's first EP]. They quickly had to change the name due to some issue with another band already using it. That's when Man Overboard came into existence, around fall or late summer 2008. The original drummer quickly left and Justin Mondschein from Bangarang! joined. We knew him from Front Page and Bangarang! playing together. He didn't have enough time for the band because of work and left to focus on that. A few fill-ins floated in and out before I started playing in mid-2009.

Justin is in a new band called Erasing States. There's another Justin on the guitar, is that you as well?

That is not me! I'm not sure who it is. Maybe it's Justin Mondschein alter-ego? Oh! Nik from Man Overboard recorded the Erasing States EP. It's good, so check it out!

You also play drums in History, a hardcore project with Zac of Man Overboard, and you toured with The Effort in Europe. When do you sleep?

I do not sleep. I actually started out playing guitar in History but we recently played a show and are going to start working on a new 7" (hopefully) and I am now on drums. I toured with The Effort (awesome band) in Europe last winter (when Man Overboard was on tour with Transit and The Wonder Years) before I joined Man Overboard. I was just selling merch but right after that tour they asked me to play drums for them in Europe during the summer so I agreed and bought my plane ticket. Between those two events I joined Man Overboard. So for the Man Overboard summer tour with Transit and Balance And Composure, a friend of ours filled in on drums while I was bouncing around Europe.

As you mentioned, History is about to release a new 7'' in 2010, do you already have a label or are you self-releasing it? What can we expect from the new songs?

History... The new songs are sad. Really sad. When we wrote them, we said "Let's write the saddest melodic hardcore we can" and that's what we did. Zac and I are really busy with Man Overboard and Brian, Josh and John are really busy with their band Bearings so it's hard to get together to practice, write and record (although me, Josh and John all live together) so I'm not sure when it will come out. But our good friend Spencer at Younglung LTD will be releasing it.

What made you drop the guitar to go sit behind a drumkit?

I have been playing drums for a few years but never very seriously. Around the same time Man Overboard started, I started putting real effort into playing drums. This worked out nicely because the same time I wasn't completely terrible was the same time Man Overboard needed a drummer.

Let's go back to Man Overboard... You guys have a hectic schedule: you just released a new EP a few weeks ago, now the split with Transit and you also announced the release of a compilation of old songs for early 2010. Are all of those songs unreleased or will it include the 'Hung up on nothing' EP?

I'd like to start this question off by saying that you are by far the most investigative interviewer I have ever encountered. You have dug up some rare and hard to find facts. My hat is off to you. Kudos!!! Anyways... We have a lot coming out. 'Dahlia', our new 3-song digital EP was just released a few weeks ago on Run For Cover Records. December 8th, we are releasing a 7" split with our brothers, Transit. January or February 2010 will bring the release of a 10-song collection of old songs. It will feature 'Hung up on nothing' plus 'Arlington drive' and four other songs you have never heard!

Your first full-length is also expected for next year. How far have you got into the writing process?

We write a ton of songs. We already have rough demos for our LP done. We are going to rework them and get into Nik's studio in the next few months to re-demo them and probably some new tunes as well. We are hopeful to have it released in early June 2010.

You're gonna be busy in 2010. Any time left for a tour overseas? I heard you had plans for Europe. If you do, bring Transit with you.

We have a ton of plans. Apart from the old songs record and the full-length in June, we are also planning an acoustic EP that will probably be out in early April. We are doing some East Coast/Midwest dates in December and a few weekends in January. February 2010, we are going to do a full US tour. We are trying to squeeze a few more weekends and short tours into the rest of the spring but will mainly be recording. But, since our full-length is hopefully going to hit shelves in June, we are going to tour June, July, August and September. We will definitely hit all corners of the US and a lot of Canada. We are hoping to also come to Europe and the UK.

A member of the British band Directions told me you had a split coming out in January, but you never really talked about it.

Directions! So on that Effort tour this summer, we played with a ton of bands (we did 38 shows in 39 days). Directions were my favorite band that we played with that I hadn't heard previous to the show. I love AYS from Germany but I already knew them, same with Lewd Acts and Gold Kids. Directions just killed it and when I learnt that Ryan had a Transit tattoo, I was sold. Anyways... So I was talking to Ryan after I got home and I said "Dude, what if Man Overboard take our two songs from the split with Transit and release them in the UK as a split with Directions?". He was down and that was it. We hadn't said much about it because Directions are still recording their songs and I have no idea when it will be released. Once all the information is together we will have a little more to say on it. The UK has a lot of great bands to offer right now; Directions being one of them. More Than Life, Dead Swans and Never Again being some more. I'm excited.

Man Overboard's "motto" is "defend pop-punk". Could you explain it? Do you feel like it's your duty to remind kids what pop-punk used to be and should still be?

"Defend pop-punk" started as a rip-off t-shirt of the Most Precious Blood "Defend hardcore" shirts. People really latched on to it and that in itself gave it some meaning. I think the most important thing to remember is that music is fun. Nobody needs to get wrapped up in what's cool or what isn't. Just do what you do, enjoy yourself and don't listen to anybody.

The Swellers recently signed to Fueled By Ramen. If Pete Wentz calls you tomorrow, what's your answer?

The Swellers are great. I was supposed to get Govindas (amazing vegan restaurant in Philly) with them the last time they were in town but our fates were not aligned. Next time, Nick [Diener, singer/guitarist of The Swellers]! I'd tell Pete to fork over his collection of Lifetime vinyls, then we can talk.

How did Man Overboard end up working with Jeff Kummer [former drummer of The Early November and now a solo artist]? How much involved is he in the band? He recorded the drum parts for two songs on 'Dahlia', as well as those for the split with Transit and for some new songs as well, how come?

Dommer! Jeff is the man. We are all from the same area. Nik and Jeff's bands have been playing together for years and years. The Early November and A Sense Of Belonging (Nik's old band) both played in the Williamstown, New Jersey battle of the bands before The Early November got signed to Drive-Thru. The Early November won but they remained friends. Jeff filled in on drums for Man Overboard in the period of time between when Justin from Bangarang! quit and I joined. Two of the songs on 'Dahlia' and the Transit split were both recorded in that time (around May or so of 2009). Jeff's solo record will be available December 22nd, 2009 via iTunes and SmartPunk. If you like us or The Early November, I suggest you to check it out. It's real good.

You weren't there, but tell us about that show in Maryland that got cancelled and moved to a house because of your logo...

I was not there but I know the story. So we had just started using the "defend pop-punk" logo. It was on our page as well as stickers and t-shirts. As I understand it, the building we were supposed to play was like a community center that was attached to a police station. They saw our logo and said we were somehow affiliated with terrorist or something because we have a machine gun on our logo. Yeah, it was that stupid. [The Severna Park Police Department deemed the guns in the logo as a "terrorist threat".]

You'd better change it before you get to the European customs, you American terrorists.

German customs are pretty chill. They didn't even ask me any questions when I arrived in Berlin with The Effort. Germany is great so we are excited to go... Terrorist antics behind us.

The end of the year lists are coming up, what are your favorite records of 2009? How about your most anticipated for 2010?

Let's see... Top 5 in no order...

1) Transit - Stay home (EP)

2) Paint It Black - Amnesia (7'')

3) Smile And Burn - Demo

4) Cheap Girls - My roaring 20's

5) AYS - The path of ages

I am really excited for the new Blacklisted, Tigers Jaw/Balance And Composure split, Jeff Kummer's solo (although it comes out right before 2009 ends) and the new The Effort LP. I can tell you that the rest of the band is excited for the new Coheed And Cambria record.

Which bands would you love to tour with? If your band name isn't misleading, it sounds like opening for Blink-182 would be something for you now that they came back!

A Blink/Man Overboard tour would be sick. Transit plus Balance And Composure are our two favorite bands to tour with. Other bands I'd be really excited to tour with: AFI, Saves The Day, Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eat World...

Is it too early to ask if Front Page will ever do reunion shows?

Way too early but I am sure it will happen. We are all really good friends so it will go down some time. Mike moved to Nashville, Tennessee and Teague works like a dog but keep your eyes peeled in a few years.

And to finish... Gryffindor or Slytherin?

Dude... Are you kidding me? Gryffindor to the max. What do I look like? [Justin is a big Harry Potter nerd, he even has a HP tattoo on his arm.]

Thank you very much Justin. We hope to see Man Overboard in Europe soon!

We hope to see you too! With any luck before 2010 comes to a close.

www.defendpoppunk.com
www.myspace.com/manoverboardnj
www.twitter.com/defendpoppunk

Small Brown Bike - Composite volume one (7'')

2009-11-28T06:55:00.003Z

Loads of punk this week, mmh? Let me tell you that with this one, it's for the best, my friends. If you're not familiar with Small Brown Bike, they're a four-piece band from Michigan that existed between 1996 and 2004 and produced a mix of punk-rock, emo and post-hardcore. While remaining quite underground, they would sell out thousand capacity venues and get critical praise. As a result, their sound became hugely influential for later bands to come. After they broke up in 2004, they played a few reunion shows in 2007 to benefit a dear friend battling leukemia. Oh yes, I forgot to mention they were great guys too. A few weeks ago, they announced they were getting back together with the original line-up to play dates and above all record new material. Punknews.org messageboards' server exploded, the Fest 8 took a sudden sacred side and orgcore punkers promised to shave and change their squared shirts.

Not really, but it did receive an unsurprisingly great reaction. The first piece of new material is this 7'', 'Composite volume one'. As you can guess, there will be a series of several vinyls. So, how are those two new songs, the first the band wrote in six years? As soon as the needle of their turntable will touch the record, fans will be pleased to hear the energy featured on 'When we run'. The songwriting is vivacious, the dueling guitars are doing their job to perfection, providing both dynamism and emotional melancholy. It sounds more like material from 'Our own wars' than the mellower 'The river bed'. The very melodic 'Hourglass' is another pretty song, well-composed and featuring a superb ending. Brothers Mike and Ben Reed's dual vocals still hit hard as one of the band's major assets. The lyrics are very inspired too.

You never know what to expect from new songs recorded after that many years of hiatus but Small Brown Bike should reassure a lot of fans with 'Composite volume one'. If those two songs are any indication of what's to come (that is to say first another 7'' at spring time), the Michigan act is able to reach everyone's expectations again. The Bike browns again!

4/5

Nb.: You can listen to the 7'' here.

Recommanded if you like:
Hot Water Music, Avail, Braid
Check also:
Able Baker Fox, Bridge And Tunnel, Young Livers

www.myspace.com/smllbrwnbk
(No Idea Records, 2009)

Random: Alter The Press!

2009-11-28T04:49:00.006Z

Hey,
I just wanted to tell you that from now on I'm also writing live reviews for the UK website Alter The Press! that provides news, interviews, reviews, contests and more about the alternative rock scene. My friend Sean created it last year and to my surprise it got really big, actually competing with Punktastic and even getting exclusives before AbsolutePunk. I suggest you to bookmark it, you won't regret it!
My first live reviews can be found here and here. Thanks for your reading!

Romain.

MxPx - Left coast punk EP

2009-11-28T01:13:00.007Z

Two years after their return to Tooth & Nail with their eighth full-length 'Secret weapon', MxPx bring some new material (that isn't covers) to their fans with 'Left coast punk EP'.

Some old fans who lost faith in the Bremerton trio because of the softer turn taken several years ago may be satisfied with the punk-rock orientation of this new EP. It shows us a side of the band we hadn't seen for quite some time. 'One step further' lays the cards on the table: the bass and the guitar provide such an immediate fast pace to the song that it honestly surprised me a bit. It reminded me of 'Time will tell' from the 'Renaissance EP' they released in 2001. For quite some time, I told you. They don't slow down with 'Desperate to understand', which intro riff is very, very reminiscent of the one opening Propagandhi's 'Speculative fiction'... Rip-off or coincidence, anyway MxPx haven't rocked that hard in a while. Mike Herrera tickles his bass like he's covering NOFX songs and drummer Yuri Ruley plays faster and harder than he has in the last ten years or so. Herrera even trades vocals with guitarist Tom Wisniewski ('Shangaie in Shangai'), which I feel last happened forever ago. It's classic MxPx skate-punk, which also implies very short verses leading to repetitive choruses. It's what generally pushes me away with their songs, and it's especially true on 'Broken', which is actually slower and darker, in the style of 2005's 'Panic'. The pop-punk frontier is finally crossed on 'Hopeless case', a song about God being the only hope when everything falls apart, and 'End', which starts acoustically. They unfortunately close the record on a more boring and less convincing way. The EP contains four other songs on physical copy, which are three instrumentals and one unreleased demo.

'Left coast punk EP' could be seen as a return to basics for MxPx fans. The sound is rawer, faster and reminiscent of their older material. It is more dynamic than their latest productions, even though half of the songs are still catchy pop-punk. I'm not totally convinced by the melodies but this EP may be a sign of good things to come.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
NOFX, No Use For A Name, Fenix TX
Check also:
Tumbledown, The Cootees, Dogwood

www.myspace.com/mxpx
(Rock City Recording Company, 2009)

Request: Another Fate - Chapter one (EP)

2009-11-26T19:15:00.009Z

You can't hold back the Dirty South! Once again, I got asked to write about a band from Toulouse, France. Another Fate is a punk-rock three-piece from the "Ville Rose" ("Pink City"). 'Chapter one' is their first EP and contains five songs directly influenced by the softcore of the late 1990's and before.

The instrumental intro 'Dawn' is a very good foretaste, bringing us back to the older The Ataris records with its melodic yet sober riffs and pounding drums. All the songs have this kind of old-school feeling, which would make you think Another Fate are from the glorious Vagrant days era. Guitarist/singer Michael's voice makes me think a lot of Tony Cape (No Use For A Name) on certain moments. You know, this nasal and distant voice a lot of punk-rock singers have and that fits the genre perfectly. The tone is so much the same that 'Old friend' sounds like a No Use b-side. The choruses are melodic but not overly catchy and the compositions are all tight and temperate. But don't think they can't truly rock, the end of 'Fight for tomorrow' will prove you wrong, as the instruments race in a surprising and careful way, heavy riffs accompanying short and simple gang vocals. 'Shelter' is the fastest track on the EP, it could be orgcore and take them to the Fest if the vocals were more husky. The EP closer is an acoustic ballad featuring sweet notes but the singing is below the other songs, making it forgettable.

This kind of punk-rock, neat and soft, is a bit snubbed by French bands who seem to be attracted by simpler and more immediate compositions. It may be because Another Fate are older than most of them, which in this condition works in their favour. Thus, the three Toulousans can be proud to be one of the only ones to still carry this nostalgic sound.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
No Use For A Name, Descendents, All
Check also:
Hamilton, North Lincoln, Your Own Fate

www.myspace.com/faterocks
(Self-released, 2009)

Me Vs Hero - This one's for our friend (Reissue EP)

2009-11-26T18:06:00.010Z

Me Vs Hero, young band from Blackpool, England are reissuing their 2007 debut EP (which was self-titled at first) after a new recording of all the songs and the addition of an acoustic track. The record is said to be released as a tribute to their former guitarist Alex McCulloch who died in August 2008.

From the very first lines of this EP, you know what to expect: "Let's go / Turn up your stereo / Blow these speakers out / Move your feet / Tear these walls down"... Me Vs Hero are the British version of those scads of pop-punk bands trying to be the next Four Year Strong by incorporating a few hardcore elements to their sound. Just like a lot of their American peers, they've listened to the latter band way too much, the result being that they sound more like an uninspired and pale copy. The lyrics are terribly weak and pointless, mostly related to being in a band and creating beatdowns (the UK equivalent of "breakdowns"). The vocals aren't bad but the whole lot of gang vocals and screams are way too cliche to be enjoyable. You won't be surprised to find growled "Oh!" to introduce the breakdowns and a fair share of double bass. Speaking of breakdowns, they aren't much better. The band has such an obvious obsession with making the kids mosh that it sounds forced. They're either empty ('Hey Elzar, take it up another notch with the spice weasel. BAM!') or disorganized ('Upbeat (Down)'). Yeah, even the titles are ridiculous rip-offs from Four Year Strong.

The whole EP isn't unpleasing and those new versions of the songs make them more energetic, but nothing on it is memorable. Me Vs Hero are just trying too hard. They have potential, so they should try to make a more personal and honest music.

3/5

Recommanded if you like:
Four Year Strong, A Loss For Words, The Wonder Years
Check also:
Take Notice, Fight Fair, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!

www.myspace.com/mevshero
(Self-released, 2009)

NOFX - Cokie the clown (EP)

2009-11-25T01:18:00.011Z

Whether you hate them or love them, there's something you have to agree with: NOFX never cease entertaining their fans. Even if a lot of people accuse them to constantly rip-off 2000's great 'Pump up the valuum' on every new album ever since its release, I personally think they've had different periods, good and less good, and the one they're in right now kind of shows a more personal facet. The 'Backstage passport' Fuse TV episodes and DVD enabled fans to see what was going on in NOFX's world behind the curtain of their humorous and political punk-rock and 'Coaster', released earlier this year, was also a bit more intimate than their previous works. This new EP goes a step further.

The title-track is a fictional first-person-written song about a drug-addicted clown ("That is real blood / Dripping from his fake red nose"). I love guitarist Eric Melvin's vocals and his contribution here is excellent; the fast riffs, bitter tone and catchy lines (despite a lack of chorus) making it an immediate NOFX hit. 'Codependence day' is also about addiction (hey, it's NOFX, don't act surprised) but actually deals with both "merits" and dangers of alcohol. 'Fermented and flailing', despite its title, is more political. As always, Michael Burkett alias Fat Mike's lyrics are cynically yet truthfully depicting America's state without playing the alarmist and depressive card: "And it's a long, long way down / The parachutes are gone so grab a smoke / And it's a long, long free fall / No signs of soft landing, bon, bon voyage". Both tracks are fast whereas 'Straight outta Massachussets' is softer and more upbeat, being a full-band version of a song Fat Mike performed acoustically for a Pancake Mountain session. None of those tracks are amazing and it's rather the acoustic take on 'My orphan year', a track from 'Coaster', that is worth our attention. Probably the most personal song Mike ever wrote, it relates the loss of both his parents in 2006 and his difficult relationship with his father. The 3-minute track is even more touching when he performs it alone with a guitar, stripping it and slowing it down. He says it himself: "For once, I'm sincere / 2006, that was my orphan year". It's nothing cheesy, the 42-year old singer didn't try to make a heartrending ballad with beautiful lyrics, he's singing as out of tune as usual and keeping his traditional outspokenness but rarely has he been able to move his fans like that.

'Cockie the clown' doesn't beat its full-length companion 'Coaster' like 'Never trust a hippy' did to 'Wolves in wolves' clothing'. Those four tracks, recorded during the last album sessions, are quite average in their shape, featuring NOFX's trademark acerbic punk-rock but at the same time serve us a band opening up a little more to their fans. If that's a new perspective for NOFX, it will definitely be refreshing and appreciated.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Rancid, Lagwagon, Teenage Bottlerocket
Check also:
Uncommonmenfrommars, Frenzal Rhomb, Rehasher

www.myspace.com/nofx
(Fat Wreck Chords, 2009)

Request: A Bridge To Many - Weights (7'')

2009-11-24T18:55:00.010Z

Not many French hardcore bands have ever really attracted my attention. And to be honest, A Bridge To Many's first demo didn't either. Bad production, annoying vocals and a not-so-good English, I quickly gave up on it. Well, their new EP 'Weights' is just an impressive progression from where they were before.

First, there's the cover. Having your artwork designed by Cristy C. Road, that's some way to start off things! The girl worked for Green Day, no less. It's the kind of cover that makes you wonder why compact discs exist. Then there's the sound. I promise to forget everything I thought about this band. The five guys from Toulouse have simply changed everything that was bad on their demo: the drummer (Bastien, who also plays guitar for much less interesting act Through My Eyes) took an electric charge, the vocals are much less put forward in the mix, the riffs reach a whole new level, from now on more massive than catchy. Even the terrible accent seems to have vanished. Their modern hardcore has embraced a totally new intensity, to become clean and powerful. The impeccable production has a lot to do with it. Nico's imposing bass throws classic but great stop-and-go's ('Intro/Weights'), guitar riffs are heavy as fuck ('Screen me out') and Wilo's vocals are rough enough to give dynamism and not too much so you can sing along. However, the lyrics are less explicitely committed and strive more for a classical and vague hardcore songwriting running on "I" and "life" ('Salvation is not coming' yet blatantly tackles religion, but it's a song already featured on the demo). But what I particularly enjoy and am happily surprised about is that, despite their obvious influences, it doesn't sound like they force too hard and nothing appears overdone. The gang vocals are subtle enough not to be cliche and the breakdowns aren't patently predictable but still pretty solid: the end of 'Screen me out' wooh, slap in the face! Impressive work from Nab and Kevin.

Naturally, A Bridge To Many aren't bringing anything new to the table, but damn, they're French and it's relieving to finally witness a young band from our country delivering a solid, relevant hardcore with such a flawless production. Very good job, guys.

4/5

Recommanded if you like:
Go It Alone, Champion, Miles Away
Check also:
Lasting Traces, Nine Eleven, Every Second Week

www.myspace.com/abridgetomany
(Distorted Charly Brown Records/Eternalis Records, 2009)

Immanu El - Moen

2009-11-24T00:41:00.008Z

Immanu El is a young Swedish five-piece producing an indie/post-rock with a sweet Nordic vibe. After a demo and a first album 'They'll come, they come' that enthusiasted critics, they're releasing their sophomore album 'Moen'.

Claes Strängberg's voice is still as sweet as a lullaby. So logically it isn't a bad thing that there's much more vocals on this album. In fact, the band moved away from their atmospherical post-rock sound to embrace indie-rock. They're not Death Cab For Cutie yet, but there's a strong pop influence on this record ('Lionheart') and less captivating soundscapes. 'Archers' would not have been far from Anchor & Braille or Copeland's last effort if it wasn't for the airy guitars. 'Moen' feels more personal and detached from their obvious previous influences (Explosions In The Sky, Sigur Rós), they've speeded up the pace, experimented more dynamics and harmonies (the violins on 'Storm') and if their sound may have matured, it is not really what I was expecting from them. However, it may be indie, but it's upscale indie: the percussions give depth to the songs, the songwriting is great, so is the production and some parts are pure bliss ('May' and its imposing drums) but in the end, there aren't jaw-dropping moments and it moves me less than 'They'll come, they come'. I hope this rock turn won't make them end up on a 'Grey's anatomy' soundtrack, but maybe that's what they want. Still, 'Moen' is a good album from a great band.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Appleseed Cast, Ef, Copeland
Check also:
Kyte, Blueneck, Codes In The Clouds

www.myspace.com/immanuelband
(And The Sound Records, 2009)

Defeater - Lost ground (EP)

2009-11-20T18:33:00.013Z

If you're into hardcore, Defeater must have smashed your little world last year. Their debut album 'Travels' was one of the most ambitious, poignant and mastered records Bridge Nine had released in a while. In eleven songs, the Boston formation, created around hardcore master producer Jay Maas (Have Heart, Verse, Carpathian), established themselves as the genre's most promising band of the year. They're already back with a new EP, 'Lost ground', a first answer to those who wonder if 'Travels' was only the state of grace of a band just like the others.

'Lost ground' is the continuation of 'Travels' or, more precisely, is kind of a spin-off from 'Travels'. The EP is still conceptual and based on a narration. So, the style is the same, a character-driven, first-person chronological story all along the record but the character changes. The protagonist, this time, is the one we were introduced to on the song 'Prophet in plain clothes' from 'Travels', that man who was playing guitar in the street. Those six new songs focus on him and a specific part of his life. Indeed, the songwriting is a story-telling about his journey from enlisting in the army during the Second World War to his comeback home. Through those years of life, we witness the man's struggles with family values, proper and mental war, alcohol addiction, faith, racism, recognition, loneliness, poverty and homelessness. We guess the character, who could be represented by the man on the cover, is black and songwriter Derek Archambault tried to depict the inequality in treatment and rights according to races, despite the common will of fighting and dying for the same country. On 'Home ain't never home' (which basically develops the unforgettable line "Home is never home, it's just the place where you came from" from the first album), he is shouting: "Ain't no man in this city / Will take a chance on me / The color of my skin / Is all they see / I was a hero when I came home / Now no one seems to know / And this medal that I received / It means nothin' to me". The lyrical content focuses on the desillusion of the soldiers when they come home and how they end up regretting having spent a part of their life killing men. The singer doesn't have an exceptional or groundbreaking writing talent, just a wonderful story-telling ability which enables him to spit realities that explode at your face, just like his band's music. Both are dense and inspired.
Defeater's compositions feature many nuances in dynamics and song structures (the powerful back-and-forth on 'The red, white and blues'). Their dissonant guitar harmonies and high-pitched riffs ('The bite and sting') rise behind Archambault's snarling vocals. The production is excellent and completely sublimates the rhythm section. The sharp bass has its glorious moments (the beginning of the same song) and the drums aren't put aside either ('Beggin' in the slums'). On the latter song, there's also a tiny bit of blues and a tiny bit of acoustic, just as on 'Travels'. On another note, the EP is less reckless than the album. The pace is less fast, more mid-tempo ('A wound and scar'), to focus on the emotion in the frontman's delivery. Numerous lines, without being catch phrases, will stay stuck in your mind after hearing them, something Have Heart used to be the best at. But the most memorable moment is the post-break part of 'Singin' New York town', when after a few calm guitar notes, the full band comes back in and Derek Archambault shouts with the whole world's despair: "I beg and I plead / For her [his mother] god to hear me". Definitely an emotional peak, so moving it gives me shudders.

Defeater give me so much to say with this EP but the best I have to do is to recommend you to check this band if you haven't already. And if you have and liked what you heard, go buy this gem of East-Coast hardcore. And read their lyrics, you will feel like you're reading a book. Without reinventing it, Defeater proves hardcore can still be innovating. 'Travels' was an incredible record, and so is 'Lost ground'. At the moment, I'm even thinking it's actually better. With Have Heart and Verse's recent breakups, there's no wonder: ladies and gentlemen, here is the new spearhead of modern hardcore.

4.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Modern Life Is War, Have Heart, Verse
Check also:
In Remembrance, All Teeth, At Half-Mast

www.myspace.com/defeater
(Bridge Nine, 2009)

Endzweck - Ulysses (EP)

2009-11-20T17:09:00.006Z

About two years after their last release, Japanese hardcore veterans Endzweck return with another mini-album on Cosmicnote Records. Their sound is a very emotional and dark mix of old-school and modern hardcore, with aggressive yet refined riffs (something rare that only inspired bands like Shai Hulud seem to dare try) and sharp melodies, led by scratched sceamo vocals a la Funeral Diner. While they can easily prove their efficiency on classic, fast and short hardcore songs ('Words'), it's their ability to create sad and haunting atmospheres that made them stand out by the past. Unfortunately, this particularity seems faded and put aside on those seven new tracks. Soaring guitars and slowdowns are few and alarming instrumental parts and powerful spoken-word seem to have vanished from Endzweck's sound. Nonetheless, a song like the three and a half-minute closer 'Fourty-two', with impressive melodic guitar lines, passionate screams and a memorable break led by a few chords before getting into a gang-shouted final reminds that the Japanese act are above all a great and unique hardcore band.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Shai Hulud, Sinking Ships, Trainwreck
Check also:
Meleeh, Naiad, Nervous Light Of Sunday

www.myspace.com/endzweck
(Comsicnote Records, 2009)

Person L - The positives

2009-11-19T15:57:00.006Z

While The Starting Line are amking the news again, their (former?) frontman Kenneth Vasoli is releasing with his other band Person L a second album entitled 'The positives'. But don't necessarily think the young songwriter kept going on the pop-punk path with his new project as Person L have as much to do with The Starting Line than Angels & Airwaves do with Blink-182.

Indeed, Person L enabled Vasoli to let his need to experiment something else soar. More related to the indie and progressive genre, the band is such a departure from the singer's former act. On 'The positives', Person L seem to have grown and found their sound. The music appears more established and polished, probably thanks to Copeland's Aaron Marsh who produced the album. The entirely instrumental and acoustic intro 'Hole in the fence' is here to warn you: Person L's songs are not as accessible as you would expect. With its soaring riffs and crescendo tempo, the song has a post-rock feeling in the vein of late The Appleseed Cast's material. Following tracks are more straight-up rock songs ('Goodness gracious', 'Pleasure is all mine'), with jerky guitars and determined vocals. There's a major classic and garage rock influence on those tracks. The raw sound of the first album is kept, despite what sounds like a bigger effort to refine it. But the distinctive feature of the band is in their use of percussions. They actually have two drummers, which certainly contributes to the originality of their rythmics. They're not absolutely technical and the songs themselves are simple, but some of their compositions appear quite complex. In the same way, Kenny's vocals are nothing psychedelic but you can hear him pushing forward his range, from laid-down and airy ballads ('Stay calm'), rough growls ('Changed man') or energic screams ('New sensations'). The whole album is quite diverse but doesn't fall apart from too much dispersion.

There's no hit or particular highlight on 'The positives', which rather is a cohesive record, with songs completing each other well. I don't really adhere to their style, but Kenneth Vasoli's evolution is nonetheless remarkable. Not anymore confined in a genre that was, from his on words, too limited for his creativity, he seems to be perfectly blossomed in his new orientation. And those who have seen Person L live will agree with me. That doesn't mean the man won't come back to his first loves, but 'The positives' confirms the idea of Person L as an established band.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Radiohead, Gatsby's American Dream, The Gay Blades
Check also:
Weatherbox, Dr. Manhattan, John Nolan

www.myspace.com/personl
(Academy Fight Song, 2009)

Cassino - Kingprince

2009-11-17T21:56:00.007Z

There are bands that once existed and didn't leave an obvious mark on the scene but those who actually knew them miss them terribly. Northstar is one of those bands. A small yet flawless discography in their favour, the alternative/emo rock band from Alabama broke up in 2005. From the ashes of Northstar was created Cassino by singer/guitarist Nicolas Torres and guitarist Tyler Odom. The latter left the band a few months ago to join ex-Straylight Run's Michelle DaRosa's new band, Destry. After an impressive self-recorded, produced and released debut two years ago, Cassino is back, as Nick alone (not literally if you consider the number of musicians accompanying him) with 'Kingprince'.

The very first thing that will cross the fans' mind is that all the songs aren't new. Indeed, three tracks are re-recorded versions of songs featured on previous effort 'Sounds of salvation'. The slight disappointment may be legitimate but at least the band's justification was true: they do sound better re-arranged. Even 'Ice factory' that wonderfully closed 'Sounds of salvation' is deeper and more powerful. For those who didn't have the chance to give a listen to Cassino, they play a delicate acoustic indie rock with strong folk roots. Expect Northstar having an intimate acoustic jam in a backyard with Bon Iver, Ray Lamontagne, Iron And Wine and Owen. The album opens on the exciting and full of promises 'Djom'. The intro is quite long and so are most of the songs (two of them are above the sixth-minute mark), which isn't what you'd expect from a folk record. But there are a lot of instrumentations, from mouth-organ to mandolin, and they create a haunting, absorbing atmosphere. The strings are still very well used, with an emphasize on violins ('The gin war'). While listening to 'Kingprince', you can picture the guys playing on the porch of a house in the middle of the woods. This record is meant to be listened while walking on fallen leaves, while looking at the window of a car, while swinging in a rocking chair, while having a campfire. Well, actually it just takes you there. It is related to simple and true things, to love and to nature. It's even simplier and more stripped-down than the first album, but somehow it requires more time though. It takes the best of every kind they're approaching and makes it an epic yet simplistic combination that just flows naturally. Nick Torres also proves once again he is one of the most underrated songwriters of his generation. His lyrics are subtle, fragile, full of delicate imagery and pretty turns. See for yourself: "Maddie’s always moving / She’s flying down the aisles / Got both hands in her pockets / Trying to keep the balance mild / Her motions like a movie, slicing constant air / The wires are electrifying her phosphorescent hair / I have seen the hunger, soaking through your shirt / Sunken eyes found alive but smashed under the dirt" ('Maddie Bloom'). Many listeners will probably find the album repetitive at first, as the songs kind of blend together and may sound the same at the first listen, but when you really committ yourself to discover Cassino's music, you'll find out so many amazing subtleties that you'll love. It makes you wonder if you genuinely regret Northstar's break-up...

It seemed really unlikely, but Cassino have topped up the quality of their previous record. They've matured and grown in their sound, creating a brilliant second effort. Honestly, this isn't even the kind of music I usually listen to, but there are albums which greatness you can't deny, no matter your preferences. You have to recognize it when an album doesn't follow a trend, and 'Kingprince' does not, it will last long. It is made of timeless, truthful music.

4.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Iron And Wine, Sufjan Stevens, Northstar
Check also:
Good Old War, Destry, I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business

www.myspace.com/cassinoband
(Self-released, 2010)

The Starting Line - Somebody's gonna miss us (Live)

2009-11-16T16:57:00.008Z

'Somebody's gonna miss us' is the live recording of underrated pop-punk band The Starting Line's last hometown show to date. It was a year and a half ago, on April 18th, 2008 at the Electric Factory of Philadelphia. It wasn't their last show ever (Bamboozle later in May was), but it sure was emotionally more special to the band.

The setlist is made of nothing less than 18 songs from their very first EP 'With hopes of starting over' to their third and last full-length 'Direction'. It's obvious the fans will be on cloud nine. None of their hits is missing (maybe 'Making love to the camera') and the set is a fair mix of the band's career. What strikes the most is obviously the contrast between their old and latest material. There's no wonder why frontman Kenneth Vasoli went to look for new horizons with his new band Person L, as you could feel on The Starting Line's last songs that their sound was really evolving. The songs from their last effort are much more complex and heavy and 'Direction' may feel a bit weird between pop-punk nuggets 'Almost there, going nowhere' and 'Up and go' if you're not familiar with the band's discography. But this live CD (accompanied by a DVD featuring the live performance and an hour-long documentary about the formation's last days with interviews helpful in understanding the hiatus) is meant for the fans so people willing to discover The Starting Line should rather start with their studio material. The performance is enjoyable, Kenny's speeches are full of emotion and passion but stay short and avoid cheesiness. The audience's contribution is especially great to hear. The recording is decent, nothing amazing and sometimes rough but overall it's all good. You almost forget the band actually threw the towel after this show until 'Somebody's gonna miss us' hits the speakers and Kenny claims it's their last song. The crowd chants "Bullshit! Bullshit!" and the album suddenly takes a sadder turn. There's an encore, of course, which consists in the beautiful 'Photography' and the inevitable perfect closer 'Best of me'. I wonder if we actually hear the singer or the crowd better as both are sung-along by the audience. The very last chorus of 'Best of me' is especially not far from giving chills with everyone in the room singing in unison.

'Somebody's gonna miss us' sure is must-have for The Starting Line fans' collection. It won't blow you away if you're not familiar with their songs but it's a pretty testimony of what this band was and tried to accomplish. However, it must be mentioned that they never really broke up and always said they would reunite. They lately affirmed in several interviews they already had dates fixed. During the show, you can even hear Kenneth Vasoli saying "We'll see you guys in 2011, okay?". I bet it will be sooner than that. Let's hope for new material and not only shows.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
The Early November, Spitalfield, Valencia
Check also:
Person L, The Dangerous Summer, The Graduate

www.myspace.com/thestartingline
(Image Entertainment, 2009)

The Flatliners - Cynics (7'')

2009-11-16T00:13:00.010Z

Canadian ska-punk four-piece turned into a punk-rock band with their 2007 release 'The great awake', The Flatliners (not to be mixed up with the Texan street-punk band of the same name) are putting out their second 7'' of the year after their split with sound twins The Snips on Paper + Plastick this summer. They're back home, that is to say Fat Wreck, with this one, including three brand new songs before the release of 'Cavalcade', their third full-length, next year.
I'm not particularly a fan of their albums but I have to highlight the band's efficiency on short releases. This 8-minute-ish EP is very pleasant if you enjoy angry yet very melodic punk-rock. Committed lyrics, half-shrill, half-sweet vocals, fast riffs, easily memorable choruses, everything's there. The chorus of 'Filthy habits' has the power of a young Rise Against and 'This song is like thunder and lightning in a wide open field' really reminds Strike Anywhere's latest material. '407' is a little poorer but overall, The Flatliners hit the bull's-eye with those new tunes. Still not mind-blowing, but still well-executed.

3.5/5

Recommanded if you like:
Anti-Flag, Strike Anywhere, Against All Authority
Check also:
The Snips, Hostage Life, Cobra Skulls

www.myspace.com/theflatlinerstoronto
(Fat Wreck Chords, 2009)