Category Archives: Review

Indie, Music, Music News, Music Video, New Release, Review

Album Review: Of Us Giants – Nova Scotia

Leave a comment

Of Us Giants - Nova ScotiaA few weeks ago, a good pal of mine sent a text message telling me to check out a band he was digging on called Of Us Giants.  He immediately said they reminded him of Manchester Orchestra.

Seeing how I respect all my friend’s music decisions, there was no doubt in my mind that his suggestion was going to at least be worth a listen, but for some reason I held off on doing so.

Recently, Jon Jennings, the bassist for Of Us Giants, emailed me suggesting I check out his band’s upcoming release Nova Scotia. I was immediately reminded of my pal’s suggestion and decided I needed to stop dragging my feet and take a listen. I am glad I did, because by the second song in, I was looking where to place a pre-order for the vinyl release.

Of Us Giants, hailing from California, is a three piece indie rock act that is certainly going to be getting some major attention in 2014 with their upcoming first full-length release titled Nova Scotia.  I don’t say this just for the sake of saying it of course.  I was very impressed with what I heard and can only hope that I am right.

At first listen, Of Us Giants carried a certain Brand New-like feel, well kind of. I am sure they have heard that a million times already. Truth is, they also had a great unique sound to them with the lead vocalist carrying a singing style that, to me, teeter-tottered between indie, emo and even some prog rock that I just found myself digging.

There really are all kinds of styles intermixed throughout when I listened to their release.  I was reminded of  Bright Eyes to Seahaven at times and I would be lying if I did not say I even heard a little Coheed & Cambria (sans the complex sci-fi story) as well as The Early November and Taking Back Sunday. Needless to say, there are plenty of likable qualities throughout this record that just kept me captivated.

“Sycamore Tomb” was a solid track that I feel has plenty of on-air playable qualities with lead vocalist Dustin Andrews giving it his all. Add additional harmonies by Jon Jennings, and suddenly the song was trapped in my mind for hours after my first listen.

One of the songs that threw me off a little was “Iron Boat” featuring Lindsey Pavao, a former Voice contestant whom I have never heard of before (that’s the competition with Cee-Lo and the spinning chairs that look like they belong in the Knight Rider car, right?).

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against the song completely or Ms. Pavao, but I just didn’t feel that the track fit in with the rest. Not sure whose decision it was to add this happy-sounding track in the midst of a more emo-heavy album, but it is what it is I suppose. I will admit that the second and third listens were better than my first taste of this track though.

“Take It Home” started off with a Nirvana sound that of got me all nostalgic for an Unplugged session. I loved this track from start to finish and that may have something to do with the guitar styles reaching back to 90s alt-rock styles only to change it up to a heavier riff.

In “Dying”, Andrews sang a convincing “all I really know is I’m sorry, I’m sorry” multiple times in this somber track that picked things up halfway through.  I loved the spoken word at the end of this track, and honestly, feel that it made an even heavier lasting impression.

Staring off like an upbeat track, “All Of My Daughters” turned into more of a gloomy song about a father admitting his absence from the lives of his offspring. The song just kept building up and peaked just perfectly.

The album-titled track “Nova Scotia,” once again featuring Ms. Pavao singing along side Andrews, just did not do it for me. Pavao has a great voice and all, but as hard as I tried, I just didn’t care for this duet. Sadly, this was the last track on the album and I had no choice but to start over as I longed for more.

I would not be surprised if this band was taking over stages in the near future playing to sold out crowds. This is an impressive release that I can see all sorts of music lovers getting into.  Don’t sit on Of Us Giants like I did, it is too good to pass up.

If you are so inclined to pre-order the new release, head over to one of the following sites:
http://songsfromtheroad.storenvy.com/
http://flythelight.storenvy.com/ –

 

DIY, Hardcore, Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Worlds Scariest Police Chases – NOFX And Out Come The Wolves Dookie

Leave a comment

Punk rock has been saved folks and it is all due to this Pittsburgh-based, cop adoring, pizza loving, beer swigging group of working class gentlemen.  In a non-serious attempt at making fun of quite possibly everything in only 24 minutes, Worlds Scariest Police Chases have dropped quite the deuce of an album that is sure to offend some and entertain the rest.  The title you ask?  NOFX And Out Come The Wolves Dookie.

Yes, that is the album title.  The cover for the album is even better.  Seriously, just look at it for a second:

WSPC - NOFX And Out Come The Wolves Dookie

Brilliant.

Taking jabs anyway they can at punk rock, the 7-piece chose to name their debut full-length release NOFX And Out Come The Wolves Dookie.  The cover alone is a clear derivative of the classic Dookie album artwork complete with some rancid-looking dude and a farm animal being more than just friends.  I am still curious to see what feedback is received from all of this.

“Blackin’ In” started off the album talking about blacking out, and I am not talking about anything pertaining to electricity.  “Robocop” gave crazy amounts of nods towards a cop who clearly has a coughing problem and does not necessarily hail from Detroit.

“5000 years ago, when the earth was covered in snow, Jesus and Moses wore fur coats, and rode around on god damned dinos” started off the hilarious track titled “Gay Jesus For President”.  Obviously those who huddle up in houses of god on Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and maybe Saturdays are going to absolutely love this jam, and when I say love I mean hate, and when I say jam, I am talking about strawberry preserves.  If you dig this track as much as I did, then you need to scroll to the bottom of this post and check out the video.  Watch it with an open mind please.

“Punk Rock Ruined My Life” clearly was all about the art of selling out.  With shout outs to Ian MacKaye and the artist previously known as Tommy Gabel, the band is all about letting everyone know that they make music because they want to and not because they want to fatten up their wallets.

“You’re Only Punk Once” cracked me up when I heard, “when life hands you horses, you make fucking glue”. Needless to say, it stuck with me (pun intended). Aside from that line, the song was about being a self-sufficient, DIY, human being who may still live in their parent’s basement and enjoy microwavable foods.

Released on A-F Records, NOFX And Out Come The Wolves Dookie reminds me of a less pop, more punk Guttermouth mixed with Propaghandi, D.F.L. and maybe even some Leftover Crack sans the gutter.  Now that I have typed that I am now asking myself if kids these days even know who D.F.L. is.

Anyways… Listening to WSPC really reminded me of the fun and careless hardcore punk of the 80s and 90s.  Apparently my aging ass has been missing that.

Having  played the Playstation 1 game and wasted my life on the television show, it is no surprise that I am a fan of WSPC the band as well.  Their fast and fun punk rock approach is just what I needed in my ears.  If you are tired of all the bullshit and need something to just make you feel like there is hope for humanity in the punk rock world, then perhaps you need a quick dose of NOFX And Out Come The Wolves Dookie.

 

 

 

Music, Music News, New Release, Pop, Punk, Review, Rock, Vinyl

7″ Review (of sorts): Teenage Bottlerocket – American Deutsch Bag

Leave a comment

Teenage Bottlerocket - American Deutsch BagJust in time for the holidays, your favorite pop-punk band Teenage Bottlerocket has announced an upcoming 7″ titled American Deutsch Bag”.  

Featuring tracks like “Ich bin Auslander und Spreche Nicht Gut Deutsch” and “I’m the One Smoking Marijuana Motherfucker”, this album is sure to be a family favorite.  At just under 4 minutes long, I think it is safe to say that TBR have put together a masterpiece.

Actually, the songs have nothing to do with the holidays, but everything to do with Germany.  Well, sort of.  The band, after falling in love with Germany, decided to pay their own homage in a humorous way.   I know I enjoyed their new tracks.

The band also threw on their appropriate cover of the late Tony Sly’s “Via Munich”.  This is the same track found on the Tony Sly tribute that dropped just last month.

TBR’s very own Ray had this to say about the idea of the German friendly tunes:

On Teenage Bottlerocket’s last tour in Europe, we made friends with a dude in a Lethal Weapon 2 hat. We referred to him as a Deutsch bag. He was a good sport and found the insult endearing. I’ve always loved Germany. I took German in high school and we sang alot of songs. One of the songs was entitled “Ich bin Auslander und Spreche Nicht Gut Deutsch”. This is roughly translated “I’m not from here and my German sucks”. We decided to make it a pop punk song. If I screw up any of the pronunciation it’s because my German sucks, it’s a pretty good excuse to fuck up the words. We also included a new song about smoking reefer and a song by our dear friend Tony Sly called “Via Munich”. We recorded the 7″ at the Blasting Room with Andrew Berlin. Everything seemed to fall into place. The 7″ will be available on our upcoming European tour with VOLBEAT and ICED EARTH. Guten tag.

Wait.  Did Ray just say they were touring with Volbeat and Iced Earth in Europe?  Bad ass.

American Deutsch Bag drops on November 27th, but you can preorder a copy over at Fat Wreck Chords right now.

Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: The Flatliners – Dead Language

Leave a comment

The Flatliners - Dead LanguageDead Language, as expected, has blown me away and turned me into an even bigger Flatliners fan.

I am not even sure I need to write more than the above sentence when talking about The Flatliners most recent release on Fat Wreck Chords.  It has been three years since the punk rock band have put out new material and the wait was well worth it.

After making music and hitting the road for most of their 10+ year career, Dead Language really showcases the band in a mature, collective way without missing a beat.  Having been on the Fat roster for a good part of their existence (this is their 3rd release on Fat), many music lovers are well aware of  them and cherish everything they do.

Opening with “Resuscitation Of The Year”, the album started off strong with the band taking no time to get down to business.  With heavy drumming, appropriate gang vocals, and fun guitar playing (that at times reminded me of 90s Fat Wreck songs), I couldn’t help but think that this really was one of the best tracks on the album.

Although carrying a slightly slower tempo, “Birds Of England” was just a solid track to listen to.  I really dug the lyrics that hinted about the band’s extensive touring during their  career.  This is one of those songs I feel would be fun to see the band play live.  “Hounds” was another song that I feel the band would really have fun playing live with all the sporadic shouting and crazy guitar playing.

“Drown In Blood” continued with Chris Cresswell just giving it his all vocally.  I was seriously impressed listening to him clear his throat throughout.  Just wait till the gang vocals pop in.  This song was one of my favorites on the album.

“Sew My Mouth Shut” was the track that really had me thinking to myself how much this band has grown together.  Everything just sounded so right on this track and I just loved it when Cresswell crooned “sew my mouth shut so I can’t say a word, just gets me in trouble, trouble I’m not worth.”

The one song on here that I even remotely scratched my head at was “Quitters” and honestly I think it is because it was just a lot to take in.  At just over 2 minutes, I think song could have been stretched out in some parts.  Overall, still a good jam, but there were a couple of drumming moments that seemed overly compressed.

“Brilliant Resilience” closed down the album with as much fury as the opener did.  Once again the gang vocals were fun to listen to.  Non-stop drumming, fun guitar playing, and of course Cresswell doing what he does best.

I will say that Dead Language is no Calvicade, but it is damn close and who knows, maybe after I listen to it about 15 more times, I’ll change my opinion.  Still, I’m pretty sure The Flatliners were not looking to repeat Calvicade, but rather continue forward with it.  For a band that started more of a ska band and then changed their sound because they wanted to, I would have to say they are matured and exactly where they want to be.  Dead Language really proves that.

Check out this video for “Drown In Blood”:

 

 

Kent, Music, Music News, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Banquets – Banquets

Leave a comment

BanquetsA couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing New Jersey’s Banquets play a small show at Euro Gyro in Kent, OH.  Having been a fan of this foursome for a couple of years now, I was really disappointed in myself to learn that they dropped an all new self-titled release back in May.

I found this out right after I said hi to the band in the back of the bar and noticed a foreign-looking release sitting on their merch table.  Honestly, I was a little pissed at myself for not keeping tabs on this band like I do with so many others.

Prior to Banquets taking the tiny stage that night, my pal Aaron asked me if I had heard their new album yet and I was quick to confess to him that I had no idea they even had new material.  He assured me I was going to enjoy it and that I did.  The new tunes they played live that night were incredible.  After their set, I made sure I secured a copy of their new release on vinyl for future listening.

It’s been about 2 weeks now since I purchased that Banquets self-titled release and I am pretty sure I have listened to it at least once a day.  With 5 months left in the year, I have already moved this album up to my top 10 list for 2013.  There is no question in my mind that it will remain there.  This is definitely a surprise release for me this year.

All the tracks on this album were full of countless hooks and catchy lyrics that make for anthem-like  jams music lovers can easily absorb and appreciate.  “Call It A Comeback” proved to be one of my favorite tracks on the album with the group vocals throughout and Travis Omilian’s singing style.  “Fade From Gold” was also a solid song that deserves to be heard.

I liked their prior release, Top Shelf, Bottom Shelf, a whole lot, but I absolutely adore this album.  Hopefully you all are already privy to this and if not, now is the time to check them out.  Think old Gaslight Anthem and Loved Ones leaning towards more of a rock sound in a good, good way.