Lyric Of The Day

"What can you say / When it's all been said before / What can you write? / When nothing's right anymore. / How do you stand up? / When so many are standing up. / How do you raise the stakes? / When the dangerous aren't dangerous and daring."

- "They Call It Rock'n'Roll (And Other Lies)" by The Letters Organize on Dead Rhythm Machine.

- These guys could have been the next Refused.  They have the swagger, the chops, and most importantly they understand the bigger picture of aggression as art.  Many bands out there, more than ever, do not understand that if you are going to scream into a mic for an hour on a record make sure you have something more to say than women suck.  I truly do not understand why these guys are not looked at with reverence. 

Lyric Of The Day

"I swear that she meant it / She whispered so often / Husband, I'll always be here with you /But always, always, always, always, always, always / Always is valueless / I wish I'd never heard her speak a word."

- "New Storms For Old Lovers" by La Dispute on Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair.

- I was so struck by the anger and mature nature of these lyrics as I read them.  These guys are so above everything else going on right now; and to quote the amazing Converge song - they are bitter and then some.

Dead Air Radio March 29th, 2010

1 - "Suture Self" by The Loved Ones
2 - "Heart-A-Tact" by Kid Dynamite
3 - "I Want A Mohawk, But My Mom Won't Let Me Have One" by AFI
4 - "You Guys Want One Of These" by  The Flatliners
5 - "I Could Be With Anyone" by Manchester Orchestra
6 - "The Game Needed Me" by Minus The Bear
7 - "Sink" by Brand New
8 - "Small Skeletal" by Crime In Stereo
9 - "Blood In Your Mouth" by Colour Revolt
10 - "Under The Boards" by Saves The Day
11 - "Bloody Symphony" by I Am The Avalanche
12 - "For The Silent" by Say Anything
13 - "Somthing That Produces Results" by The Early November
14 - "A Decade Under The Influence" by Taking Back Sunday
15 - "You're Not Afraid Of The Dark, Are You?" by Look Mexico
16 - "Born & Raised" by Fake Problems
17 - "The Brightest Blub Has Burned Out" by Less Than Jake
18 - "Rice & Bread" by Against Me!
19 - "A New England" by Billy Bragg
20 - "Prosser's Gabriel" by Tim Barry
21 - "A Fond Farewell" by Elliott Smith
22 - "Waiting For The Monster To Drown" by Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly!
23 - "Naked At A Family Function" by Settle
24 - "Young Bloods" by The Bronx
25 - "The Reproduction Of Death" by The (International) Noise Conspiracy
26 - "Jaguar Pirates" by Jaguar Love
27 - "Eat Dinner, Bury The Dog, And Run" by Polar Bear Club
28 - "The Ballad Of Sal Villanueva" by Taking Back Sunday
29 - "Telegraph Avenue Kiss / The Love Song Writer" by Thursday
30 - "These People Should Know Who We Are" by Crime In Stereo
31 - "Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck" by The Blood Brothers
32 - "Geneva" by Russian Circles
33 - "Frequency Ass Bandit" by Botch
34 - "Sabotage" by Cancer Bats
35 - "Start Angry. End Mad" by Moneen
36 - "Keep It On Wax" by Alexisonfire
37 - "Indestructible Sam" by Buck 65
38 - "Broken Things" by Attack In Black
39 - "Intro / Same Shade As Concrete" by Circle Takes The Square
40 - "New Storms For Older Lovers" by La Dispute
41 - "Six Bar Phrase Hey Hey / 5,6 Kids" by Bear Vs. Shark
42 - "A Disgust For Details" by Coalesce
43 - "Our Retired Explorer / Civil Twilight / One Great City" by The Weakerthans
44 - "Sequestered In Memphis" by The Hold Steady
45 - "New Noise" by Refused

Lyrics Of The Day

"Great words won't cover ugly actions / Good frames won't save bad paintings."

- "New Noise" by Refused on The Shape Of Punk To Come: A Chimerical Bombination In Twelve Bursts.

- On the heels of rumors of a reunited Refused I thought this lyric was a good choice.  Here's to at least a handful of US dates.  CAN I SCREAM?

Microcut - Young Giant by Queen's Club

Released March 23rd, 2010 on Tooth & Nail Records.

For two guys that split from the cathartic monster that is The Chariot, they sure can dance. I was a little worried as I put this CD into my drive. I thought for a second that Tooth & Nail, who have released Underoath, Frodus, and As Cities Burn, had jumped the shark and pulled a Fearless by releasing music that would scream mall trendy. However the guys in Queen's Club are legitimate and create wonderful rock music in the vein of dance punk a la Franz Ferdinand, but keep it clean and upbeat. I could see songs like "Issinar" and "Lydia" playing well on most modern rock station and sounding great live. While the record is kind of a chore to listen to, mostly because while each song is good, they tend to blend to well together; it still is a better rock record than anything Nickleback will ever put out.

Favorite Tracks - "Family Ties", "Issinar", "Lydia", "Less Talk"
Rating - 4 out of 5

Microcut - The Alphabet Of Hurricanes by Tom McRae

Released February 22nd, 2010 by Cooking Vinyl.

I have always had a thing for singer songwriters from the United Kingdom; they get me in a way that I cannot completely convey to a reader. I guess you have to have the same love I have for Damien Rice or David Gray to understand it. Tom McRae is from London, so I have a bias towards liking him already. The only problem is that I only kind of do like him. While many songwriters will find a groove this far into their songwriting and stick with it sometimes to saddening effects and other times to dazzling effects, Tom McRae is all over the place with The Alphabet of Hurricanes. "Won't Lie" plays like a vaudeville throwaway, "Told My Troubles To The River" like a blues standard, and other tracks like something off of Smallville or The O.C. McRae just cannot choose a side, and sometimes it produces some good songs, but for the most part this album is too diverse for its own good.

Best Tracks - "Please", "Best Winter"
Rating - 2 out of 5

Microcut - Two Thousand And Ten Injuries by Love Is All

Released March 23rd, 2010 on Polyvinyl Record Co.

What is it with Sweden and making incredibly catchy dance music? It seems that if you are a musician coming out of Sweden you have one of three choices: become a dance pop Mecca, write sad slow songs for the hipster crowd, or write blasting, balls out metal. Love Is All write music in the first musical vein and I can say that their debut for Polyvinyl lives up to the genre and also to Polyvinyl's sterling reputation for putting out good music of any genre. Two Thousand and Ten Injuries just bristles with energy and the songs leave you wanting so much more, the album as a whole is only thirty five minutes long. "Repetition", "Never Now" and "Less Than Thrilled" all play so quickly and end just as I am getting into the groove, but luckily the album blends together so well and there is never a dull point in the whole project, so the party just keeps going. Oh, the horns, the vocals, the wonderfully crafted music, this is an album that you just want to keep on repeat while partying with fifty of your closest friends. 

Best Tracks - "Repitition", "Never Now", "Less Than Thrilled"
Rating - 5 out of 5

Microcut - I Will Be by Dum Dum Girls

Released by Sub Pop Records.

Something told me when I started listening to this album was that Pitchfork would love this record. Dum Dum Girls have the retro girl vocals, including back gang vocals from other girls, and a lo-fi sound that hipsters are in love with, so they are something many people who follow the tides in popular underground music will love. However, I Will Be reminds me of the 60s that we tend to forget, the dirty, ugly parts that are so cute because of the hippies but ugly because of the drugs. We tend to forget that the hippies put flowers in their hair because they were so high. I Will Be is beautiful in parts including "Yours Alone" and the rollicking second track "Bhang Bhang, I'm A Burnout." If this record had come out in 1966 then it may have been legendary, a Velvet Underground or a Stooges, but since it is being released in 2010 it is lost in the waves upon waves of retro and underground music that sound better than this album and have a better production value.

Best Tracks - "Bhang Bhang, I'm A Burnout", "Yours Alone"
Rating - 2 1/2 out of 5

Dead Air Radio March 22nd, 2010

1 - "All That's Left" by Thrice
2 - "My Body Is A Zombie For You" by Dead Man's Bones
3 - "Things Of The Past" by Tim Barry
4 - "We Came To Dance" by The Gaslight Anthem
5 - "Suicide Medicine" by Rocky Votolato
6 - "The Ballad Of Me And My Friends" by Frank Turner
7 - "Sabotage" by Cancer Bats
8 - "You're A Woman, I'm A Machine" by Death From Above 1979
9 - "Mondrian Was A Lie" by Botch
10 - "In My Wake, For My Own" by Coalesce
11 - "Golden Tanks" by Cancer Bats
12 - "Set Your Goals" by CIV
13 - "Infrared" by Strike Anywhere
14 - "I Fought The Law" by The Clash
15 - "Gaia (Make Way For Men)" by Set Your Goals
16 - "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" by Brand New
17 - "Theatre" by Gatsby's American Dream
18 - "The Game Needed Me" by Minus The Bear
19 - "Give It Up" by Midtown
20 - "Secret Song / Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can And Can't Do" by Moneen
21 - "My Favorite Accident" by Motion City Soundtrack
22 - "They Call It Rock And Roll (And Other Lies)" by The Letters Organize
23 - "The Artist In The Ambulence" by Thrice
24 - "A Word Of Welcome And Warning" by La Dispute
25 - "French Immersion" by Cancer Bats
26 - "M. Shepard" by Thursday
27 - "Drugwolf" by Crime In Stereo
28 - "Young Bloods" by The Bronx
29 - "New Way" by Face To Face
30 - "Maybe I'll Catch Fire" by Alkaline Trio
31 - "Blink 182" by Kudrow
32 - "Airport Monday Morning" by Lifetime
33 - "Belt" by Say Anything
34 - "Believe" by .Moneen.
35 - "Brothers" by Brand New
36 - "Why Did We Ever Meet?" by The Promise Ring
37 - "Delusional" by Saves The Day
38 - "The Ballad Of Sal Villanueva" by Taking Back Sunday
39 - "Division St." by Thursday
40 - "Feed Me To The Forest / Trash Flavored Trash" by The Blood Brothers
41 - "First And Ellen" by Modern Life Is War
42 - "Boiled Frogs" by Alexisonfire / City & Colour
43 - "Teach" by The Chariot
44 - "And The King Said To The River" by La Dispute
45 - "We Ride Skeletal Lightning" by The Blood Brothers

Dead Air Radio March 15th, 2010

1 - "Institutionalized"  by Senses Fail
2 - "Sabotage" by Cancer Bats
3 - "A Blessing And A Curse" by Black Lungs
4 - "Sons of Privilege" by Alexisonfire
5 - "Cowardice" by Defeater
6 - "Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck" by The Blood Brothers
7 - "Lift The Veil, Kiss The Tank" by The Blood Brothers
8 - "Conclusions of Existence" by Envy
9 - "These Are My Twisted Words" by Radiohead
10 - "Retreat, Retreat" by 65daysofstatic
11 - "Dying In New Brunswick" by Thursday
12 - "Old Skin" by Young Widows
13 - "Living Saints" by Polar Bear Club
14 - "Misery Business" by Paramore
15 - "Nose Over Tail" by Alkaline Trio
16 - "Turnpike Gates" by Lifetime
17 - "Like AM Radio" by Northstar
18 - "Comin' Home" by Murder by Death
19 - "Vital Signs" by Frank Turner
20 - "You're Not Afraid Of The Dark, Are You?" by Look Mexico
21 - "Things Of The Past" by Tim Berry
22 - "Invasion" by Eisley
23 - "The First Single" by The Format
24 - "Sequestered In Memphis" by The Hold Steady
25 - "Jaguar Pirates" by Jaguar Love
26 - "Is It Me? Is It True?" by Midtown
27 - "Set Fire To The Face On Fire" by The Blood Brothers
28 - "The Casualty" by Cursive
29 - "Laser Life" by The Blood Brothers
30 - "Said The King To The River" by La Dispute
31 - "Wild Ox Moan" by Coalesce
32 - "The Grand Wizard's Mooncloth Robes" by Settle
33 - "I'm Made Of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?" by A Day To Remember
34 - "Sorry You're Not A Winner" by Enter Shikari
35 - "Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die" by Four Year Strong
36 - "Vehicle City" by The Swellers
37 - "Boss DJ" by Reel Big Fish
38 - "Graffiti Worth Reading" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
39 - "Shining On" by Big D & The Kids Table
40 - "I Wipe My Ass With Show Biz" by A Wilhelm Scream
41 - "Wake The Dead" by Comeback Kid
42 - "We've Had Enough" by Alkaline Trio

Dead Air Radio March 8th, 2009

1 - "Imitation is the sincerist form of battery" by Every Time I Die
2 - "Woke Up Near Chelsea" by Ted Leo / Pharmacists
3 - "Lead Poisoning" by Alkaline Trio
4 - "Please My Favorite Don't Be Sad" by World Inferno / Friendship Society
5 - "Feed Me To The Forest" by The Blood Brothers
6 - "I Started A Fire" by Jaguar Love
7 - "Eyes Like Static" by Rocky Votolato
8 - "Bullet To Binary II" by Mewithoutyou
9 - "She's Lost Control" by Joy Division
10 - "I Could Be The Only One" by Manchester Orchestra
11 -  "Our Ballads" by Polar Bear Club
12 - "Supporting Caste" by Propagandhi
13 - "Atoms Smash" by Weatherbox
14 - "You Go. I Stay. No Following" by Look Mexico
15 - "Didi (My Doe, Pt. 1)" by The Matches
16 - "LG FUAD" by Motion City Soundtrack
17 - "Hearts BPM" by Fake Problems
18 - "Things Of The Past" by Tim Berry
19 - "The Reasons" by The Weakerthans
20 - "Born And Raised / Old Crows" by Alexisonfire
21 - "Get Your Life Together" by Fear Before
22 - "Jet Black New Year" by Thursday
23 - "Life Vests Float, Kids Don't" by Narrows
24 - "Lucifer" by These Arms Are Snakes
25 - "But You Are Vast" by Crime In Stereo
26 - "Sink" by Brand New
27 - The Disco Before The Breakdown EP by Against Me!
                 "The Disco Before The Breakdown"
                 "Tonight We're Gonna Give It 35%"
                 "Beginning In An Ending"
30 - "Fear And Loathing On Long Island"by Latterman
31 - "Let Them Eat War" by Bad Religion
32 - "Six Months In A Leaky Boat" by Ted Leo / Pharmacists
33 - "Rat Within The Grain" by Damien Rice
34 - "Another Bag Of Bones" by Kevine Devine
35 - "The Messenger" by Thrice
36 - "Worms Of The Senses / Faculties Of The Skull" / "Liberation Frequency" by Refused
37 - "Young Bloods" by The Bronx
38 - "Honest Sleep" by Touche Amore
39 - "Minor Threat" by Minor Threat
40 - "London Calling" by The Clash
41 - "Said The King To The River" by La Dispute
42 - "First And Ellen" by Modern Life Is War
43 - "Blink 182 Reunion" by Kudrow
44 - "Dammit" by Blink 182
45 - "Don't Let Her Pull You Down" by New Found Glory
46 - "Firefly" by Saves The Day
47 - "You Know How I Do" by Taking Back Sunday

Lyrics Of The Day

"We were born and raised / To live beyond / The heft and weight of a world undone / Like a bird from the North / Our hearts will roam in search of warmth."

- "Born And Raised" by Alexisonfire on Old Crows / Young Cardinals.

- These guys are going out on tour this spring with Therefore I Am and La Dispute.  It should be epic.

Lando by Kudrow

Released in 2009 by Quote Unquote Records / Ernest Jenning Records.

This is the side project, once again, of Jeff Rosenstock, whose day job with Bomb! The Music Industry and running Quote Unquote Records you would think would keep him busy enough to have no time to write any more good music. However with accomplices Mike Campbell, formerly of Latterman, and Dave Garwacke they manage to write an album that somehow fills the gap between Gaslight Anthem based nostalgia punk rock, Walkmen indie rock, and the driving power of Latterman and Bomb! The Music Industry.

The album just runs so fast but not like a blur, more like a movie that you love so much you want to watch it again as soon as it is over. Opener "Commutilation!" plays like a distorted, sped up 50's music, the vocals are dragged through fuzz but the lyrics are clear and the music just jumps up in your face. The second track, "Blink-182 Reunion" is much cleaner, but so much more nostalgic, it pops with the pop punk energy of it's namesake but the lyrical content and the singer bring ruminations of The Weakerthans at their faster points. "Favreau" is handclap fueled, punk rock flavored track that has the closest relations to Bomb! but it is still something new and totally Kudrow. The closer, and longest track on the album, "Brooklyn Pool" is another slower tune, choosing to focus on the way life tends to disappear into thin air, the band has already created a sad atmosphere by the time they get to the chorus "No one wants to be alone, No one wants to be alone on a Saturday night, crowding the pilot light 'cause the heat in the pipes has stopped." It is sad but amazingly touching and true.

Honestly, I could listen to this EP all day. It does not get old, repeat listens show a little more, and you see different corners that you couldn't before. It honestly does not get better than this.

Rating - 5 out of 5
Favorite Track - "Brooklyn Pool"

Download at Quote Unquote Records for a donation only price -
http://www.quoteunquoterecords.com/qur037.htm

Cancer Bats Covering Sabotage = Amazing!?!?!?!

Here is the latest offering from everyone's favorite Canucks Cancer Bats.  Yes, it is a cover of "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys, but it works so well, so very very well.  These guys just keep getting better and better.  Check it out below -



Also this video is adorable, give it a watch -

Lyric Of The Day

"As I stand before an unresponsive automatic door, / just another door that won't open for me anymore."

- "Heart Of The Continent" by John K. Samson on City Route 85

- This is the lead singer of The Weakerthans doing what he does best: writing beautiful, heartwrenching portraits of modern life with very understated music backing him.  This is a must have EP. 

Dead Air Radio March 1st, 2010

1 - Last American Cowboy by The Bled
2 - Our Homes Are Graves by Colour Revolt
3 - Everything Went Quiet by Defeater
4 - Can't See The Forest For The Trees by Confide
5 - Young Crows / Old Cardinals by Alexisonfire
6 - Come Friendly Bombs by Gallows
7 - Scream by The Verse
8 - Blood On My Hands by The Used
9 - Rabbit In My Headlights by Unkle
10 - Into The Blinding Light by Thursday
11 - Boiled Frogs (Alexisonfire Cover) by City & Colour
12 - Happy Birthday To Me by The Vandals
13 - The Red, White And Blues by Defeater
14 - Pints Of Guiness Make You Strong by Against Me!
15 - Sequestered In Memphis by The Hold Steady
16 - Shhhh! I'm Listening To Reason by Gatsby's American Dream
17 - Stories About Ourselves by Maps & Atlases
18 - Signal by The Appleseed Cast
19 - Haram Of Scorpions by Cancer Bats
20 - Took A Turn by Young Widows
21 - Busses / No Busses by Bear Vs. Shark
22 - Bury White by Far
23 - Botchla by Poison The Well
24 - The State Of Massachusetts by Dropkick Murphys
25 - History's Stranglers by The Bronx
26 - Ode To The North American Snake Oil Salesman by Dillinger Four
27 - Turnpike Gate by Lifetime
28 - Things Of The Past by Tim Barry
29 - Interview / Long Live The Queen by Frank Turner
30 - The End Of Commitment by The Felix Culpa
31 - Filial by Pianos Become The Teeth
32 - Nine by Touche Amore
33 - This Mortal Soil by Mastodon
34 - An Umbrella Fallen Into Fiction by Evny
35 - The Sound Of Settling by Death Cab For Cutie
36 - Eye by Neurosis
37 - Repeaterbeater by Mew
38 - Hooligans for Life by Rival Schools
39 - Liberties by AttackInBlack
40 - The Saddest Day by Converge
41 - Feed Me To The Forest / Trash Flavored Trash by The Blood Brothers
42 - The Earth Isn't Humming by Frodus
43 - Should Have Stayed In The Shallows  by Fear Before The March Of Flames
44 - The Redness In The West by The Lawrence Arms