Tag Archives: Review

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

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

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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

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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

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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”:

 

 

Electronic, Indie, Music, Rock

Album Review: Streaming Satellites – Slipstream

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Sometimes I find out about bands the hard way and I miss out on them.  Other times, as in this case, I am given a proper heads up by someone who believes in the band and knows the world needs to hear them.  It’s my turn now to follow their lead and tell you all about a band called Streaming Satellites.

Already a big deal overseas, Austria’s Streaming Satellites are about to drop their sophomore release on Monday titled Slipstream, and all I can say about it is I have a feeling it will be grabbing some attention.  I really was caught off-guard with this release and was thinking after hearing they were an electronic-indie band that they would have sounded a lot different than what I was treated to.

Synth-heavy, indie rock with serious soul singing was my initial reaction about what Streaming Satellites  were all about.  Then I listened to them some more and started thinking about Pink Floyd, especially the female singing in many of their songs (someone please tell me you know what I am talking about).  Then I picked up some Dan Auerbach howls  and riffs hiding behind groovy 70s music.

I will admit, it took a moment for me to get into them and at first I was expecting more 90s Daft Punk with the opening track, but things soon shifted into an entirely different direction.  I loved “Timezone” with plenty of funk groove synch music layered under catchy indie rock jams. “No Sleep For The Damned” was almost too fuzzy, but it sounded just right.  “Shadows Collide” was astray from the others, but equally as entertaining.

Towards the end of the album, things get even better with a horn section playing and full out jam sessions.  Seriously, what is not to like about this?

Slipstream truly is full of a unique blend of music from today and yesteryear aimed at anyone who just likes to get down.  Max Borchardt really has a unique signing style that carries well throughout the release.  At times his voice reminds me of a calmer J. Roddy Walston as well as a younger Robert Plant.

I usually steer clear when I hear the words “Electronic” and “Indie” put together in a sentence, but this is different, and this is good.  Try not to let Slipstream sneak past you.  If you are looking for something a little different to check out, but full of music and styles similar to bands you your parents playing on the good ol’ turntable, you really owe it to yourself to check out Streaming Satellites.  They really are a unique band.

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

Album Review: Banquets – Banquets

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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.