Voices From Another Room

The Shindig 3/24 - It's Been A Few Weeks

2011-03-24T15:43:00.000-06:00

Sorry folks I have been really busy with school. work, and the massive stacks of music that are on my desktop. Been crazy, tried a few different songs this week- went for a more electronic feel - and it works. Maybe I should shift toward electronic music? Don't know but it seems to be a possibility.

1 - "Lucifer's Rocking Chair" by Cancer Bats
2 - "Before there was Atlanta, there was Douglasville" by The Chariot
3 - "Flint March" by Brian Eno
4 - "The Clock" by Thom Yorke
5 - "Natural Born Farmer" by Glassjaw
6 - "Purexed" by P.O.S.
7 - "Tannhauser/Derive" by Refused
8 - "The Lovesong Writer" by Thursday
9 - "Angel" by Massive Attack
10 - "Old Handshakes" by Instruments of Science & Technology
11 - "Lotus Flower" by Radiohead
12 - "Lift the Veil, Kiss the Tank" by The Blood Brothers
13 - "Fools" by Two Fingerz
14 - "Cameras" by Matt & Kim
15 - "Small Skeletal" by Crime In Stereo
16 - "Dry The Rain" by The Beta Band
17 - "From The Hips" by Cursive
18 - "Twice Lit, Burn The Same Hand" by William Ryan Fritch
19 - "Too Much" by Sufjan Stevens
20 - "The Northern" by Alexisonfire
21 - "The White Flash (Feat. Thom Yorke)" by Modeselektor
22 - "Emerald And Stone" by Brian Eno
23 - "These Are My Twisted Words" by Radiohead
24 - "Our Hearts Are Wrong" by jessica Lea Mayfield
25 - "We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed" by los Campesinos
26 - "I'm Good, I'm Gone" by Lykke Li
27 - "Why It Scares Me" by La Dispute

The Shindig 2/17

2011-02-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

1 - "Go To Sleep" by Radiohead
2 - "Moves" by The New Pornographers
3 - "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
4 - "Little Lion Man" by Mumford & Sons
5 - "Heartbroken, In Disrepair" by Dan Auerbach
6 - "The Unmistakable Man / Friends And Family" by River City Extension
7 - "My Favorite Accident (Live & Acoustic)" by Motion City Soundtrack
8 - "Say It To Me Now" by Glen Hansard
9 - "(Manifest)" by The Weakerthans
10 - "Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)" by Laura Marling
11 - "The One That I Love Best" by Jessica Lea Mayfield
12 - "You Are My Sunshine" by Frank Turner
13 - "The Big Guns" by Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
14 - "Honk + Wave" by Limbeck
15 - "My Heroes Have Always Been Crazy" by The A-Sides
16 - "If I Ever Leave This World Alive" by Flogging Molly
17 - "My Brilliant Feat" by Colin Hay
18 - "Kiss Me Again' by Jessica Lea Mayfield
19 - "Save Your Scissors" by City & Colour
20 - "Stay The Night" by Ciaran Flynn
21 - "Cheers Darlin'" by Damien Rice
22 - "Carried Home" by Iron & Wine
23 - "Hearing Damage": by Thom Yorke
24 - "Sometimes The Line Walks You" by Murder By Death
25 - "I Need You Back" by Ben Kweller
26 - "The Real Damage" by Frank Turner
27 - "Crash Years" by The New Pornographers
28 - "15 Step" by Radiohead

New Music Shindig 11/29 - Post Turkey New Music Extravaganza

2010-11-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

1- "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" by Arcade Fire
2 - "I Still Believe" by Frank Turner
3 - "You Wouldn't Have To Ask" by Bad Books
4 - "Ice Hotels" by Dinosaur Bones
5 - "Getting Old" by Hellogoodbye
6 - "Til It's Done To Death" by John Nolan
7 - "Don't You Want It" by Lovers
8 - "Cameras" by Matt & Kim
9 - "Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit
10 - "Songs For Teenagers" by Fake Problems
11 - "Lydia" by Two Cow Garage
12 - "You Petty Pretty Things" by The Get Up Kids
13 - "Radioactive" by Kings Of Leon
14 - "Hands" by the Ting Tings
15 - "On The Other Side" by Kele
16 - "Surfing The Void" by Klaxons
17 - "Picture Perfect" by Atlantic/Pacific
18 - "Between The Bars" by Elliott Smith
19 - "Get Behind Me" by Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
20 - "I Walked" by Sufjan Stevens
21 - "We've Got A Situation Here" by The Damned Things
22 - "In Division" by Underoath
23 - "Why It Scares Me" by La Dispute
24 - "Heart Attack At Thirty" by Polar Bear Club
25 - "What You Call Thought Control, I Call Thought Control" by The Felix Culpa
26 - "Done Haunting Houses" by The Republic Of Wolves
27 - "Dog's Blood" by Alexisonfire

New Music Shindig 11/22 - Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!

2010-11-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

This year I am grateful for my wife Kim. I am grateful that I got to see Crime in Stereo, Envy, and Touche Amore this year at the Basement. I am grateful for the good releases that touched my life, My Dinosaur Life by Motion City Soundtrack, Searching For A Pulse / Weight Of The World by Touche Amore and La Dispute, Challengers by The New Pornographers, I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone by Crime In Stereo, Sever Your Roots by The Felix Culpa, and plethora of other albums that went on repeat over and over in my life. Outside of the music world I am grateful for Graduate School, having my own kitchen to cook in and people to eat my food.

1 - "We End Up Together" by The New Pornographers
2 - "You Wouldn't Have To Ask" by Bad Books
3 - "Brooklyn Boy" by Kevine Devine
4 - "I Can Barely Breathe" by Manchester Orchestra
5 - "I Will Play My Game Beneath The Spin Light" by Brand New
6 - "I Am Everything I Am Not" by Crime In Stereo
7 - "I'll Deserve Just That" by Touche Amore
8 - "Purexed" by P.O.S.
9 - "Til It's Done To Death" by John Nolan
10 - "Don't You Want It" by Lovers
11 - "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + The Machine
12 - "The Road" by Frank Turner
13 - "The Weekenders" by The Hold Steady
14 - "The Heaven & Hell Cotillion" by Fake Problems
15 - "Brandy, You're A Fine Girl" by Look Mexico
16 - "Ice Hotels" by Dinosaur Bones
17 - "Heart Of The Continent" by John K. Smason
18 - "Believe" / "Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now" by .Moneen.
19 - "Merry Happy" by Kate Nash
20 - "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley
21 - "Call It Off" by Tegan & Sara
22 - "Thirty One Today" by Aimee Mann
23 - "Living Saints" by Polar Bear Club
24 - "Divine Intervention" by Taking Back Sunday
25 - "My Favorite Accident" by Motion City Soundtrack
26 - "Be Calm" by fun.

New Music Shindig 11/15

2010-11-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been listening to Manchester Orchestra's last album like crazy. It has so much feeling and emotion to it. Also very surprised by the first D.R.U.G.S. song. It is nothing like Circa or Chiodos. It has a different level of anger than previous albums. The buzz makes all kind of sense.

1 - "As Long As There Is Whiskey In The World" by Murder By Death
2 - "Last Train To London" by The Salteens
3 - "The One I Love Is Gone" by The Secret Sisters
4 - "A Grown Man" by Tim Kasher
5 - "1,000 Years" by The Corin Tucker Band
6 - "Picture Perfect" by Atlantic/Pacific
7 - "History Reshifts Itself" by Touche Amore (Featuring Geoff Rickly)
8 - "Why It Scares Me" by La Dispute
9 - "What You Call Thought Control, I Call Thought Control" by The Felix Culpa
10 - "You Wouldn't Have To Ask" by Bad Books
11 - "Radioactive" by Kings Of Leon
12 - "I Still Believe" by Frank Turner
13 - "Meet Me In The Basement" by Broken Social Scene
14 - "My Own Sinking Ship" by Good Old War
15 - "Boxer" by Lovers
16 - "Til It's Done To Death" by John Nolan
17 - "The Burning City Smoke" by Kevin Devine
18 - "Kiss That Grrl" by Kate Nash
19 - "We End Up Together" by The New Pornographers
20 - "The Great White Ocean" by Antony & The Johnsons
21 - "Needle In The Hay" by Elliott Smith
22 - "Into The Light" by jj
23 - "My Body Is A Zombie For You" by Dead Man's Bones
24 - "Catch Myself Catching Myself" by Underoath
25 - "Dog's Blood" by Alexisonfire
26 - "We've Got A Situation Here" by The Damned Things
27 - "Understanding In A Car Crash" by Thursday

New Music Shindig 11/8

2010-11-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

So a brief statement about last week: for some reason we were down as a station and I was unable to broadcast. However I have been jamming out to a plethora of unplayable on radio songs. "Mansions" by Kate Nash, Fugazi, Fucked Up, Touche Amore, La Dispute, just to name a few. Here are the songs that I really have been playing on the air.

1 - "Alive" by Goldfrapp
2 - "For Ash" by Marnie Stern
3 - "Into The Mirror" by Minus The Bear
4 - "Cameras" by Matt & Kim
5 - "Kiss That Grrl" by Kate Nash
6 - "Boxer" by Lovers
7 - "Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)" by Laura Marling
8 - "My Heart Skips A Beat" by The Secret Sisters
9 - Claire's Ninth" by Ben Folds & Nick Hornby
10 - "The Chaos" by The Futureheads
11 - "Digging For Something" by Superchunk
12 - "Your Petty Pretty Things" by The Get Up Kids
13 - "Bamboo Bones" by Against Me!
14 - "Ice Hotels" by Dinosaur Bones
15 - "Liberties" by Attack In Black
16 - "The Weekenders" by The Hold Steady
17 - "Let The Record Go" by The Mynabirds
18 - "If Love Is Gone Where Do We Go From Here" by The Salteens
19 - "We End Up Together" by The New Pornographers
20 - "Vesuvius" by Sufjan Stevens
21 - "Tenderoni" by Kele
22 - "You Stay. I Go. No Following" by Look Mexico
23 - "My Sorrow's Name" by Good Old War
24 - "The Journey Of The Magi" by Frank Turner
25 - "As Long As There Is Whiskey In The World" by Murder By Death
26 - "Cold Love" by Tim Kasher
27 - "Why It Scares Me" by La Dispute

New Music Shindig 10/25 - This Is How You Spell

2010-10-25T21:50:00.000-06:00

1 - "This Is How You Spell "Hahaha, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux Romantics" by Los Campesinos!
2 - "Hand" by The Ting Tings
3 - "Night by Night" by Chromeo
4 - "Sleepy Head" by Passion Pit
5 - "Drunk Girls" by LCD Soundsystem
6 - "Radioactive" by Kings Of Leon
7 - "Imaginary Enemy" by Circa Survive
8 - "Deadbolt" by Thrice
9 - "100 Dollars" by Manchester Orchestra
10 - "You're Not Afraid Of The Dark, Are You?" by Look Mexico
11 - "Dan's Song" by Frank Turner
12 - "Saint Anthony" by Senses Fail
13 - "Here We Are Juggernaut" by Coheed & Cambria
14 - "Sink" by Brand New
15 - "Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)" by Laura Marling
16 - "Boxer" by Lovers
17 - "Praises In Your Name" by Adam Haworth Stephens
18 - "Make Your Heart" by Azure Ray
19 - "I'll Get My Just Deserve" by Touche Amore
20 - "It Never Ends" by Bring Me The Horizon
21 - "Said The King To The River" by La Dispute
22 - "Pigs & Pearls" by J Roddy Walston & The Business
23 - "I Don't Want To Waste Your Time" by Fistful Of Mercy
24 -"Big Wave" by Jenny & Johnny
25 - "Green Eyed Love" by Mayor Hawthorne
26 - "Get Real Get Right" by Sufjan Stevens
27 - "5678" by Fake Problems

New Music Shindig 10/18 - Street Painting Night

2010-10-18T21:50:00.000-06:00

1 - "We End Up Together" by The New Pornographers
2 - "The Hustle" by Bars Of Gold
3 - "Soulless" by Fake Problems
4 - "Sneaky Louise" by Good Old War
5 - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" by Arcade Fire
6 - "Let The Record Go" by The Mynabirds
7 - "Rock Crowd" by Pete Yorn
8 - "Into The Mirror" by Minus The Bear
9 - "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + The Machine
10 - "Full Growing Man" by J Roddy Walston And The Business
11 - "I Don't Want To Waste Your Time" by Fistful Of Mercy
12 - "Praises In Your Name" by Adam Haworth Stephens
13 - "I Was A Teenage Anarchist" by Against Me!
14 - "Drifting Thing" by Polar Bear Club
15 - "The Devil In Stitches" by Bad Religion
16 - "Living With Ghosts" by The Black Pacific
17 - "The Boxer" by The Gaslight Anthem
18 - "Drunk Girls" by LCD Soundsystem
19 - "Alive" by Goldfrapp
20 - "Tenderoni" by Kele
21 - "Don't Turn On The Lights" by Chromeo
22 - "All The Pretty Girls" by fun.
23 - "5678" by Fake Problems
24 - "Shake It Out" by Manchester Orchestra
25 - "Gronlandic" by Of Montreal

100 Posts?!?!?!?!?!

2010-10-11T21:53:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone,
Here it is. I never thought I would get to a hundred posts on this blog but here it is and I don't really have anything to help celebrate it. Except the usual playlist - Here is The New Music Shindig playlist for October 11th, 2010.

1 - "Heights Of Diamonds" by Adam Haworth Stephens
2 - "5678" by Fake Problems
3 - "When We Get Together" by The Hold Steady
4 - "White Crosses" by Against Me!
5 - "Tenderoni" by Kele
6 - "Extra Astronomical" by Klaxons
7 - "Dream Team" by Lazerbeak
8 - "Escape Velocity" by The Chemical Brothers
9 - "In The Fog" by Azure Ray
10 - "Jesus" by Brand New & Kevine Devine
11 - "Switchblade" by Jenny & Johnny
12 - "Tiny Vampire Robot" by Margot & The Nuclear So & So's
13 - "From The Mouth Of Gabriel" by Sufjan Stevens
14 - "1,000 Years" by The Corin Tucker Band
15 - "Gimme" by Marnie Stern
16 - "Vital Signs" by Frank Turner
17 - "No Fireworks" by Tim Kasher
18 - "Holdin' Me Back" by Ferraby Lionheart
19 - "Evidence" by Jimmy Eat World
20 - "Don't Die Digging" by The Graduate
21 - "Deafening" by Far
22 - "Let The Record Go" by The Myrnabirds

New Music Shindig 10/4 - The Ball Is Rolling

2010-10-04T21:51:00.000-06:00

1 - "The Happiest Lamb" by Audra Mae
2 - I'm Not Contagious" by Chromeo
3 - "Completely Exposed" by Jamie Lidell
4 - "Wake Up Everybody (Feat. Common & Melanie Fiona) by John Legend & The Roots
5 - "Die By The Drop" by The Dead Weather
6 - "The Weekenders" by The Hold Steady
7 - "Scissor Runner" by Jenny & Johnny
8 - "I Was A Teenage Anarchist" by Against Me!
9 - "ADT" by Fake Problems
10 - "The Hustle" by Bars Of Gold
11 - "The Dog Days Are Over" by Florence & The Machine
12 - "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire
13 - "Avenues" by Gospel Claws
14 - "Full Growing Man" by J. Roddy Walston & The Business
15 - "My Best Theory" by Jimmy Eat World
16 - "Make Believe" by The Graduate
17 - "My Own Sinking Ship" by Good Old War
18 - "Home Sweet Hole" by Bring Me The Horizon
19 - "The Devil In Stitches" by Bad Religion
20 - "History Reshifts Itself" by Touche Amore
21 - "Tannhauer/Derive" by Refused
22 - "Gone Man" by Eels
23 - "Mirror, Mirror" by Dr. Dog
24 - "For Ash" by Marnie Stern
25 - "Enchanting Ghost" by Sufjan Stevens
26 - "Fools Rush In" by She & Him

The New Music Shindig September 27th, 2010

2010-09-27T21:57:00.000-06:00

Aggie Radio doesn't know what hit them. Here is my new show, Monday nights on Aggie Radio - listen at radio.usu.edu. This is the story so far...

1 - "Rococo" by Arcade Fire
2 - "Drunk Girls" by LCD Soundsystem
3 - "Tenderoni" by Kele
4 - "Born Free" by M.I.A.
5 - "Big Wave" by Jenny & Johnny
6 - "You Stay, I Go, No Following" by Look Mexico
7 - "Rock Crowd" by Pete Yorn
8 - "Don't Die Digging" by The Graduate
9 - "Into The Mirror" by Minus The Bear
10 - "A Grown Man" by Tim Kasher (Of Cursive)
11 - "Love Kills" by Robyn
12 - "Salt And Sea" by Lazerbeak
13 - "I'm Not Contagious" by Chromeo
14 - "From Above" by Ben Folds &Nick Hornsby
15 - "Heights Of Diamond" by Adam Haworth Stephens
16 - "Heart Of The Continent" by John K. Samson
17 - "Thank You For Your Love" by Antony & The Johnsons
18 - "It Never Ends" by Bring Me The Horizon
19 - "Love Is A Cat From Hell" by Chiodos
20 - "It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now" by Four Year Strong
21 - "Bamboo Bones" by Against Me!
22 - "Make Your Heart" by Azure Ray
23 - "The Happiest Lamb" by Audra Mae
24 - "Scissor Runner" by Jenny & Johnny
25 - "Surfing The Void" by Klaxons

See you next week!

Matt

Dead Air Radio May 17th, 2010 - My Last Show

2010-05-17T23:33:00.000-06:00

1 - "The Pledge Of Resistence" by Saul Williams
2 - "Catamaran" by Bear Vs. Shark
3 - "New Noise" by Refused
4 - "Big Shot (Hands In The Sky)" by Straylight Run
5 - "Number 5 With A Bullet" by The Felix Culpa
6 - "Black Bubblegum" by The Dillinger Escape Plan
7 - "A More Perfect Union" by Titus Andronicus
8 - "There Are Times" by Fake Problems
9 - "Inmates" by The Good Life
10 - "Another Bag Of Bones" by Kevin Devine
11 - "Try This At Home" by Frank Turner
12 - "And The King Said To The River" by La Dispute
13 - "I Am Everything I Am Not" by Crime In Stereo
14 - "No One Ever Gives You A Straight Answer To Anything" by Ghost Of A Thousand
15 - "Honest Sleep" by Touche Amore
16 - "At Your Funeral" by Saves The Day
17 - "A Decade Under The Influence" by Taking Back Sunday
18 - "Start Angry, End Mad" by .Moneen.
19 - "Hold Me Down" by Motion City Sound Track
20 - "The River" by Manchester Orchestra
21 - "Old White Lincoln" by The Gaslight Anthem
22 - "The Shape Of Punk That Never Came" by United Nations
23 - "Knights" by Minus The Bear
24 - "Harrowdown Hill" by Thom Yorke
25 - "A Warm Room" by Envy
26 - "Laser Life" by The Blood Brothers
27 - "Boiled Frogs" by Alexisonfire
28 - "Lonewolves" by Converge
29 - "Writing On The Wall" by Underoath
30 - "Bulimic" by The Used
31 - "De La Souls" by P.O.S.
32 - "We Drink So You Don't Have To" by The Blackout Pact
33 - "They Call It Rock 'N' Roll (And Other Lies)" by The Letters Organize
34 - "Misery" by Gallows
35 - "Knifeman" by The Bronx
36 - "Waiting Room" by Fugazi
37 - "Typecast Modulator" by Snapcase
38 - "Imitation Is The Sincerest Form Of Battery" by Every Time I Die
39 - "All That's Left" by Thrice
40 - "Frequency Ass Bandit" by Botch
41 - "Harem Of Scorpions" by Cancer Bats
42 - "Problems" by Against Me!
43 - "You Won't Know" by Brand New
44 - "Tomorrow I'll Be You" by Thursday
45 - "The Ballad Of Me And My Friends" by Frank Turner

Dead Air Radio May 10th, 2010

2010-05-10T23:08:00.000-06:00

1 - "Do You Like To Slam Dance?" by Doomriders
2 - "A Stirsticks Prediction" by Despistado
3 - "Can't Be Saved" by Senses Fail
4 - "Every Man Has A Molly" by Say Anything
5 - "Trippin' The Life Fantastic" by Weatherbox
6 - "Minnesota" by The Color Fred
7 - "Black Gold" by Espirit De Corps
8 - "Scream" by The Verse
9 -"Me Vs. Morrissey In A Pretentiousness Contest (The Ladder Match)" by A Wilhelm Scream
10 - "I Grew A Mustache" by The Motion Sick
11 - "Jaked On Green Beers" by Alkaline Trio
12 - "The End Of The Line" by Hot Water Music
13 - "I Caught You Some Rain In A Mason Jar Today" by WeDropLikeBombs
14 - "Foxglove" by Murder By Death
15 - "What You Call Thought Control, I Call Thought Control" by The Felix Culpa
16 - "My (Fucking) Deer Hunter" by Fear Before
17 - "Love Has Led Us Astray" by Thursday
18 - "You Punch Me, I Punch You" by The Blackout Pact
19 - "Thing Of The Past" by Tim Barry
20 - "Coney Island" by Good Old War
21 - "Sometimes The Line Walks You" by Murder By Death
22 - "Live Fast, Die Old" by Frank Turner
23 - "The First Single" by The Format
24 - "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance
25 - "Searching For A Former Clarity" by Against Me!
26 - "Long Live The Queen" by Frank Turner
27 - "You Were The Cancer" by Thursday
28 - "Suicide Medicine" by Rocky Votolato
29 - "I Was A Teenage Anarchist" by Against Me!
30 - "Irish Blood, English Heart" by Morissey
31 - "Inhabit" by Hot Rod Circuit
32 - "HPxHC" by The International Superheroes Of Hardcore
33 - "Northshore" by Tegan & Sara
34 - "Constructive Summer" by The Hold Steady
35 - "Batman's A Deadman" by The International Superheroes Of Hardcore
36 - "Disappear" by Motion City Soundtrack
37 - "Head For The Hills" by Saves The Day
38 - "Belt" by Say Anything
39 - "Six Bar Phrase Hey Hey" by Bear Vs. Shark

Dead Air Radio May 3rd, 2010

2010-05-03T21:55:00.000-06:00

1 - "100 Dollars" by Manchester Orchestra
2 - "A More Perfect Union" by Titus Andronicus
3 - "New Storms For Old Lovers" by La Dispute
4 - "Sink To The Beat" by Cursive
5 - "Shitty Future" by The Bronx
6 - "The Grand Marshal's Mooncloth Robes" by Settle
7 - "This Photograph Is Proof (I Know You Know)" by Taking Back Sunday
8 - "The Magic Bullet Theory" by Texas Is The Reason
9 - "Boxer" by The Gaslight Anthem
10 - "You Petty Pretty Things" by The Get Up Kids
11 - "Naked At A Family Function" by Settle
12 - "History Reshifts Itself (Featuring Geoff Rickly)" by Touche Amore

Dead Air Radio April 26th, 2010

2010-04-26T22:23:00.000-06:00

1 - "A More Perfect Union" by Titus Andronicus
2 - "Liberties" by AttackInBlack
3 - "Breaking Down" by Good Old War
4 - "Your Humble Narrator" by Two Cow Garage
5 - "Mile After Mile" by Straylight Run
6 - "Bleed American" by Jimmy Eat World
7 - "Imaginary Enemy" by Circa Survive
8 - "Slow Man" by Sage Francis
9 - "I Was A Teenage Anarchist" by Against Me!
10 - "Deafening" by Far
11 - "Swing" by Taking Back Sunday
12 - "Affinity For My Hometown" by Settle
13 - "Try" by Straylight Run
14 - "Can't Be Saved" by Senses Fail
15 - "Me And The Moon" by Something Corporate
16 - "Where Did You Go?" by Valencia
17 - "Island" by The Starting Line
18 - "Said The King To The River" by La Dispute
19 - "I Am Everything I Am Not" by Crime In Stereo
20 - "Took A Turn" by Young Widows
21 - "Drumroll (We're All Thirsty)" by P.O.S.
22 - "Black Eyes" by Gallows
23 - "Disconnected" by The Steal
24 - "Trippin' The Life Fantastic" by Weatherbox

The Pinnacle - My Interview With Geoff Rickly Of Thursday & United Nations

2010-04-21T16:12:00.000-06:00

Like the Cancer Bats interview below this one is a long time coming. Out of anyone from the music world I respect Geoff Rickly the most. He has continually been my voice in issues dealing with homosexuality, government, the state of music, and relationships. I have been listening and reading his words since I was seventeen and they have never lost any of their value to me.

Interviewing him was otherworldly. He was gentle, intelligent, and very conversational, something that is hard to come by in the real world let alone in the world of music. He spoke with frankness about his views of the industry, politics, music, and the fan culture of current music. It was a fantastic experience and it was the pinnacle of my college music career.

Interview by Matthew Winters, Video and Editing by Shay Bonnie.

Here are some question and answers about his side project United Nations -

Dead Air Radio April 19th, 2010

2010-04-19T23:43:00.000-06:00

1 - "I Was A Teenage Anarchist" by Against Me!
2 - "Famous Friends And Fashion Drunks" by A Wilhelm Scream
3 - "100 K" by The Loved Ones
4 - "The Redness In The West" by The Lawrence Arms
5 - "Give It All" by Rise Against
6 - "Shitty Future" by The Bronx
7 - "Honest Sleep" by Touche Amore
8 - "Peacock Skeleton With Crooked Feathers" by The Blood Brothers
9 - "Vipers, Snakes, And Actors" by Norma Jean
10 - "Not Dead" by Crime In Stereo
11 - "Deathsmarch" by Cancer Bats
13 - "Cell Mates" by Maraichi El Bronx
13 - "Cowards Sing At Night" by Tom Gabel
14 - "I'm Not For You" by Good Old War
15 - "Sometimes The Line Walks You" by Murder By Death
16 - "No Exception" by Chris Wollard & The Ship Theives
17 - "Like A Record Player" by Brenden Kelly
18 - "Naked At A Family Function" by Settle
19 - "Complaintor" by The Color Fred
20 - "Where Did You Go?" by Valencia
21 - "Direction" by The Starting Line
22 - "Don't Let Her Drag You Down" by New Found Glory
23 - "I Am Everything I Am Not" by Crime In Stereo
24 - "Asleep In The Chamber" by Thursday
25 - "Quit Benefit" by Pianos Become The Teeth
26 - "Hearing Damage" by Thom Yorke
27 - "Scream" by Verse
28 - "The Shape Of Punk That Never Came" by United Nations

Finally --- My Full Interview With Cancer Bats Singer Liam Cormier

2010-04-16T20:23:00.000-06:00

It is finally here. I got a new computer so I am now able to post and show you the video document of my interview with Liam from Cancer Bats. This interview took place a year ago at In The Venue on The Taste of Chaos. I just remember how awesomely nice Liam was to me and my camera woman Shay. He was so personable and easy to talk to, it was quite startling due to powerful nature of his on stage persona. Without further ado here is in pieces my interview with Liam.

Interview by Matthew Winters, Camera & Editing by Shay Bonnie.

Live Show Review - Crime In Stereo with Robbers, Reviver, & Despite Despair at the Basement April 14th, 2010

2010-04-16T19:50:00.001-06:00

Honestly I never thought that Ogden, Utah would be home to great touring acts again. With the closure of Boom Va in the mid section of the last decade I thought that music lovers in Ogden would have to forever flock to Salt Lake. Last year, however, Jason Allen changed all that with the opening of The Basement in downtown Ogden. Since its inception it has hosted some great underground touring acts and has become a sort of haven for local musicians that crave a real stage to play on. So it should be no surprise that he should book a pair of touring bands as good as Robbers and Crime In Stereo, but I will get to them in a minute.

Opener Despite Despair from Provo started off the evening with a dedicated hardcore set. Despite being a younger band they plowed through a short set that focused on a very good interpretation of modern metalcore with some hardcore punk leanings. Despite Despair reached into the playbook that made Modern Life Is War and Botch mainstays and styled it very well. Tigg, drummer, played in the vein of Refused drummer David Sandstrom, and that kind of energy is not very easy to duplicate, but Tigg did it in boat loads. The band are currently working on an EP and if it is anything as good as their live show then good things are in store.

Reviver took the floor next, these guys have been around for a long time, and they never fail to disappoint. Their music reminds me of the energy of early Crime In Stereo mixed with a little No Motiv, punk but with some more melodic leanings. As always they raced through their set like some one was going to steal the mics away from them, but that is just what this band is about. Reviver craft hard hitting, fast punk with little fat anywhere. They did however have a lot of noodling in between songs, and with some time and more diversification of their sound I could see them being something akin to Crime In Stereo's current material.

Robbers were mental. Their Colour Revolt-esque indie rock was such a departure from the previous bands sets but, oddly, it fit so well. Even if their brand of music was not entertaining you have to appreciate their lead singer jumping around and singing so beautifully. The songs from their debut Flesh drifted into one another but did not blur together, instead they created a beautiful mix of indie rock and straight ahead rock. Robbers must have been paying attention when they opened for Brand New a few months back, as they created a stage presence that was just as intense as Brand New but much more personable than Brand New. Robbers swirling chords, powerful base lines, and disparate vocals, ranging from whispers to shouts, filled the Basement and got more than one person dancing. Bands like Robbers can fit with a cornucopia of artists and their touring plans show that fact, after this tour with Crime In Stereo they are heading out on some dates with P.O.S. Robbers put on a powerful live set that if they continue touring will set them up for a long time.

This is a really bad cell picture of Robbers. Picture by Matthew Winters.

I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone is the type of album that accelerates a band from being a opening act to making them a true blue headliner. Crime In Stereo know this and put on a set, albeit for a small crowd, that proved that the energy and craftsmanship of their recent album is not just studio magic. Starting off with the double punch of "Everything Changes / Nothing Is Ever Truly Lost" and "Bicycles For Afghanistan" and accelerating from there the band sailed through a set that contained songs from everyone of their full lengths. The older material, including songs from 2007's ...Is Dead, still had the urgency that it was crafted with, particularly the bruising ...Is Dead opener "Xxxx (The First Thousand Years)." The newer songs faired well but have not been road tested enough, don't get me wrong "Drugwolf" and "Not Dead" sounded great but they were not as good sounding as the older songs. It felt like the band have not had enough time to truly perfect how they want to present them live, and for a band this perfectionist that is something that will come with time. The last time I saw Crime In Stereo I was dumbfounded by their drummer Scotty Giffin and his powerful style of drumming, this time it was vocalist and guitarist Alex Dune that captivated my attention. Despite a few set backs (a broken string, some feedback issues) his powerful vocal delivery and his ability as a guitarist really shone through. Singer Kristian Hallbert was just wonderful and you could tell he was perfectly at home on the smaller stage he was on, however with their new record and a blistering live show I have to wonder how much longer will they be playing the smaller stages.

Set list -

1 - "Everything Changes / Nothing Is Ever Truly Lost"
2 - "Bicycles For Afganistan"
3 - "Xxxx (The First Thousand Years)"
4 - "Sudan"
5 - "For Exes"
6 - "Animal Pharm"
7 - "I Cannot Answer You Tonight"
8 - "Not Dead"
9 - "... But You Are Vast"
10 - "Drugwolf"
11 - "Gravity/Grace"
12 - "I Am Everything I Am Not" - This was not played due to feedback issues.
13 - "Small Skeletal"
14 - "I, Stateside"

Dead Air Radio April 12th, 2010

2010-04-12T23:45:00.000-06:00

1 - "Album Of The Year" by The Good Life
2 - "Coney Island" by Good Old War
3 - "Mr. Richards" by Frank Turner
4 - "Plea From A Cat Named Virtue" by The Weakerthans
5 - "Reinventing Your Exit" by Underoath
6 - "An Absurd And Unrealistic Dream Of Peace" by Thursday
7 - "The Shape Of Punk That Never Came" by United Nations
8 - "Frequency Ass Bandit" by Botch
9 - "Image Of The Invisible" by Thrice
10 - "Said The King To The River" by La Dispute
11 - "Long And Lonely Step" by These Arms Are Snakes
12 - "Peacock Skeleton With Crooked Feathers" by The Blood Brothers
13 - "The Sad Mafioso..." by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
14 - "Change Your Face Or Change Your Name" by Colour Revolt
15 - "Almost Ghostless / Above The Gathering Oceans" by Crime In Stereo
16 - "Sink To The Beat" by Cursive
17 - "Into The Mirror" by Minus The Bear
18 - "Harem Of Scorpions" by Cancer Bats
19 - "Prelude (Again)" by This Is Hell
20 - "Anyone Can Dig A Hole But It Takes A Real Man To Live In It" by Underoath
21 - "Appeared And Was Gone" by Thursday
22 - "Prayer Of The Refugee" by Rise Against
23 - "Orchestra Of Wolves" by Gallows
24 - "Sink Into Me" by Taking Back Sunday
25 - "I'm Through With The Past But The Past Isn't Through With Me" by Straylight Run
26 - "Buried Myself Alive" by The Used
27 - "Checkmarks" by The Academy Is...
28 - "We Will Erase All Life On Earth" by Say Anything
29 - "Saints & Sailors" by Dashboard Confessional
30 - "Thrash Unreal" by Against Me!

Lyric Of The Day

2010-04-12T23:35:00.000-06:00

"My tightly coiled, regressed, frustrated past fading fast. / I was constantly exploding, I was constantly screaming."

- "I'm Through With The Past, But The Past Isn't Through With Me" by Straylight Run on About Time.

- If this is what I have to expect from Adam and John on the next Taking Back Sunday album, then I will be so happy. Lyrically John was on the top of his game with this little four song EP. It is a collection of songs that are completely unsubjected to the worries of a major label and that is what makes them seem so effortless. Sad to see them go but happy to see them back.

News Bits & Bobs - April 12th

2010-04-12T15:18:00.002-06:00

1 - Deathwish Inc. and Six Feet Under Records have released a monster new digital sampler for the fall. It is HUGE, mostly new or unreleased stuff from great hardcore, metalcore, and metal bands from the Deathwish Family. My highlight is a new track from United Nations (Geoff Rickly from Thursday, Daryl Polumbo from Glassjaw, others) called "Pity Animal", it rips so hard. Pick up a copy for free at http://www.deathwishinc.com/news/#510 .

2 - Taking Back Sunday is back together and recording. I don't care if they sound like TBS circa 2003 or if they play Tell All Your Friends ever again, if it is as good as Straylight Run's last EP and much of TBS's post break material then I will be a happy camper. Check out this awesome teaser video -

3 - Dead Air Radio will go on tonight at 8 PM Mountain Time for the illustrious KWCR studios in Ogden, Utah. Tune in for the best in punk, hardcore, and emo music. Hosted by Matthew, Chelsea, Scott, & Derek.

III: Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones by Cancer Bats

2010-04-09T00:36:00.000-06:00

Released 13th, 2010 on Distort Entertainment.

February 2009 was an amazing month in my life. Mostly for two reasons: it was the lead up to the last semester of my college days, and I got to interview Thursday and Cancer Bats in the same day. Some kids dream that they will someday fly a plane or do surgery or maybe write a novel, I dreamt for a long time of interviewing and talking with Geoff Rickly from Thursday. Liam Cormier was a close second. What threw me off about both of these men is how open they were, they just talked and talked to me and my camera woman Shay. They look like hard dudes but Liam and Geoff are honestly just sweet dudes. The thing that sticks out though from both of their interviews is that they were both so smart, honest, and aggressive, but older. They still had the fire in their eyes to create music that makes kids mosh and think at the same time.

This is the overwhelming thought I had as I delved into III: Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones: Liam and his crew from Canada are older. They have been around for awhile and they obviously are older when you meet them and talk to them, however they shred and yelp, scream and pound better than most loud bands that are years younger than they are. From opener "Sleep This Way" to the album closer, a cover of seminal Beastie Boys track "Sabotage" the album just rips.

Liam screams, yelps, talks, sings and sometimes screeches through the tracks with a backing band that sounds like a mix between Pantera, Gallows, and some hints of the more straight ahead parts of the Blood Brothers. Guitarist Scott Middleton just rips the shit out of line after line with a proficiency that is rare for any person in any type of music. The drums ride back in the mix as does the bass to a certain extent but they are viciously there, one listen to "Sabotage" and you know.

Cancer Bats are not reinventing the wheel with this album. However, as with every good sports car or computer upgrade it comes with some wonderful new features. "Scared To Death" and "Trust No One" features Cormier speaking in some parts, slowing down and givin the tracks an uneasy but completely balanced feel. Lyrically this album is a little more claustrophobic and angry than previous albums but it is still distinctly positive, "In this life I want nothing, expect nothing but the truth I know I've found," Liam screams "Black Metal Bicycle" and you cannot help but want to scream along. The album has no guest stars but then again they are not really needed on an album that speeds this fast and is played this proficiently. Basically Cancer Bats took everything that was great about Hail Destroyer and added a few things that made the mix a little more dense and claustrophobic but still quintessentially Cancer Bats.

Cancer Bats proved once again why they are a band to be reckoned with, and this is the album that makes the general music scene appreciate that fact. Basically Cancer Bats rock harder and faster than most bands years younger than they are and have more fun. Above all that, Cancer Bats are just honest, they do not compromise their music to create more fans and do not have an agenda except to create blue collar rock with a metal edge. I can't really ask for too much more than that.

- Cancer Bats are heading out on tour this spring with Every Time I Die and Norma Jean. Below are two videos from my interview with Liam, the second one about made me wet my pants, seriously. Video shot and edited by Shay Bonnie, interview by Matthew Winters, shot at In The Venue behind the dumpster in Salt Lake City.

Rating - 5 out of 5
Favorite Tracks - "Trust No One", "Black Metal Bicycle", "Sabotage", & "Make Amends"

New Bits & Bobs - April 8th, 2010

2010-04-08T22:22:00.002-06:00

1 - Here's one for you - utterly missed Canadian indie rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor are reuniting to help curate the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in the UK next year. In true GYBE fashion the band released a curious and indelibly original statement to the world. Look at it below or here (http://www.1119732.net/) -

2 - Malcolm McLaren died today. Though I am not a Sex Pistols fan and I have never worn a safety pin as an optional piece of clothing, the influence that this man had on the world of music, not just punk, was exceedingly important. If you want to take a movement in music and bring it to the surface you couldn't do better than following this man's blueprint.

3 - M.I.A continues to prove to the world why she is amazing and why Lady Gaga is not in this month's NME.

4 - I bought a copy of the Take Action Compilation today. My only question is when did it become not only acceptable but also desired for a emo pop punk band to become remixed? It just seems to weird to me, is this a move towards emo kid dance clubs? Will DJ's begin spinning the new cuts from All Time Low as remixed by Felix Da House Cat? It seems to work for a few groups but others it does nothing to help the original sound better, mostly it just becomes even more unlistenable. (The Comp is awesome however, some really good live tracks and an unreleased Frank Turner track, bad ass.)

5 - To anyone who missed Dead Air Radio on Monday, we were snowed out and lost our ability to broadcast. Sorry folks. Be there next monday with some new Cancer Bats.

Lyric Of The Day

2010-03-31T22:34:00.000-06:00

"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

2010-03-29T23:33:00.000-06:00

"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

2010-03-29T23:30:00.002-06:00

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

2010-03-28T23:02:00.000-06:00

"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

2010-03-24T15:40:00.000-06:00

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

2010-03-24T14:57:00.000-06:00

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

2010-03-24T14:30:00.000-06:00

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

2010-03-24T14:07:00.001-06:00

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

2010-03-22T23:07:00.000-06:00

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

2010-03-15T22:52:00.001-06:00

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

2010-03-08T23:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-03T22:29:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-03-02T23:31:00.001-07:00

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!?!?!?!

2010-03-02T22:55:00.001-07:00

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

2010-03-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-03-01T23:21:00.002-07:00

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

Lyric Of The Day

2010-02-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

"Did you wake up today? / You find the strength to say / The world is your own / Did you look up today? / You find the words to say /The world is your own, / To be left here alone. / Your own way."

- "Believe" by Moneen on The World I Want To Leave Behind

- I am watching the Olympic closing ceremony right now and they had this god awful song as the athletes theme. This would have been a much cooler, much better song and the band are Canadians. Come on show the 'Neeners some love.

January 17th - Finch by Finch

2010-02-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Released July 22nd, 2008.

After a two year hiatus and a plethora of side projects, we were presented with this EP in 2008. Honestly I have a hard time listening to this Socal semi-screamo band. They legitamately had a chance back in 2005 to break through to the mainstream and create some buzz and money for themselves. I mean all the backing was their, a good label at the time (Drive Thru Records), underground cred in the form of a cameo on their debut by Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw and Head Automatica, and a cult of young fans that were at the heigth of the screamo craze. However, they decided to smoke a lot of weed, add some grooves and present themselves as a progressive band.

Now almost five years later they have completely lost the plot. The music is not aggressive, neither is it easy listening. It is in that vacuous middle area that does not allow the listener to get energetic or to just gently nod to the music. It is, honestly, just annoying. Maybe I grew out of this type of music a long time ago, which honestly I think is the case, but all the songs blend together for me. There is little differenciating them from one another as they have about the same vocals, same guitar parts, same tempo, and same lyrical content. The only track that sounds slightly different is the closer "Chinese Organ Thieves" but even then it is over shadowed by the fact that it is an inhospitable 7:28 long. Hopefully they can pick it up on their next full length, due out sometime soon, and maybe they can get back to where they were. If they do not then maybe the hiatus will be back on.

Rating - 2 out of 5
Favorite (Most Barable) Track - "Chinese Organ Thieves"

January 16th - Burst & Bloom by Cursive

2010-02-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

Released in July 24th, 2001 by Saddle Creek Records.

To be honest I have never met anyone who has said that they hated The Ugly Organ once they had sat down and listened to it. However I have never heard anyone state that this was their favorite album in Cursive's catalogue. How I look at it is that this is Cursive winding up to give people The Ugly Organ, it has many of the same traits: songs about writing music, the cello, a winding sense of eclecticism, and mostly good mid-tempo songs. This album was a step away from the mostly guitar based indie rock of Domestica, and while the cello plays a more forward part in Organ, the electronic aspects of Cursive are much more in the fore ground of the music.

The tracks are pounding, mid tempo guitar indie rock with flourishes of what is to come for Cursive. "Sink to the Beat" and shows hints of Happy Hollow with its background blips and beats, and the vodocoded vocals at the beginning. "Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?" rages with the kind of energy, in guitar, vocals, and cello, which made “Red Handed Slight of Hand” and “Art is Hard” such standards of the Cursive live assault. The lyrics are classic Tim Kasher, loads of sadness, a bit of irony, a tad of self deprecation, and finished with classic diary style emo. When he sings "4/4 / Hip Hop and you don't stop" on "Sink to the Beat" it is without a bat of an eyelid, that is the beauty of Kasher: he can say the most absurd line without losing a bit of his honesty or character.

While this album is not as classic as the full album output of Cursive, it still stands as wonderful EP, and as a live standard. Last night I saw Tim Kasher belt out "Mothership" mid set, and it still stands as loudly as the other songs in their set. If you have never heard this EP but you have heard The Ugly Organ, do yourself a favor and pick this up, it will not disappoint.

- The above photo is from Cursive's set last night in Salt Lake City at In The Venue. Photo taken by Matthew Winters.

Rating - 4 1/2 out of 5
Favorite Tracks - "Sick to the Beat", "Mothership, Mothership, Do You Read Me?"

january 15th - Decahedron EP - Decahedron

2010-02-25T17:22:00.001-07:00

Released in 2005 on Lovitt Records.

Some bands dazzle you with their live shows, some with their recorded output, some with the artwork, others with timing and productions, but then there are other bands that just dazzle you with their members. Decahedron are such a band, in the beginning it was Shelby Cinca and Jason Hamacher just out of the disbanding of the lauded hardcore band Frodus and Joe Lally of Fugazi. Yep, that is quite a pedigree.

However by the time this album came out, three years later, in 2005 the band had lost Lally and picked up Jake Brown of Moments in Grace to fill the huge spot. While this is a pretty heavy album, it still does not live up to much of the input on their debut full length Disconnection_Immient and it definitely does not live up the standards of their previous bands. For the most part this EP was mostly forgettable and very bland, and maybe it was just a tinge more so because I know the pedigree of the band.

There are two high spots though, the opening instrumental "Movement A" is a dazzling piece of music that runs the gambit from punk and hardcore to traditional instrumental, it really showed the chops that made their previous band so legendary. The other high point is "We are the Virus", which sounded like a rallying call to arms that the band really needed to produce. However the rest of the album, while good, was not up the standards of their previous bands.

Rating - 2 1/2 out of 5
Favorite Tracks - "Movement A", "We Are The Virus"

January 14th - About Time by Straylight Run

2010-02-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

Released May 20th, 2009.

When John Nolan and Shaun Cooper split from Taking Back Sunday in 2003 it was pretty sure that they were going to need to continue in music. Not only was Nolan a gifted song writer but both men were seasoned road veterans at that point. So in conjunction with Will Noon and John's sister Michelle, they created Straylight Run. Over the course of a little over three years with this line-up they managed to create two albums and two EPs worth of material including their self titled debut, The Needles, The Space, Prepare to be Wrong and a covers EP. Then Michelle split, amicably, to create her new project called Destry.

Straylight rolled on, creating a great EP with 2008's Un Mas Dos, and finally with last year's About Time. It seems sad to me that this will probably be the last new material that we hear from Straylight. It is sad for two reasons; one, it is probably the best set of songs that Straylight have ever released, and two, they announced the dreaded "indefinite hiatus" just two weeks ago.

While this EP is just four songs it is just perfect for the band. Straylight has always struck me as a group that is better perfecting single songs than whole albums, and it shows with this EP. Each song is just so consistent and well constructed, the lyrics, instruments, the vocals, and the whole feel of the album is just so balanced. It is urgent but not rushed, loving but disconnected from the needs of the audience. Opener "I'm through with the past, but the past isn't through with me" is cathartic, but beautifully loving song that runs like a pop version of "A slow descent." It touches on so many of the problems the band has faced over the years, i.e. never ending comparisons to Taking Back Sunday, the endless drama from outside media, the terrible record labels that did not understand the talent these people have, and finally the normal woes of being in a traveling band. It is just so wonderful when you understand that John Nolan really wants to be finished with all the drama and just write beautiful music.

Second track "The Great Compromise" is a cacophony of jazz time signatures, wandering bass, and driving vocals. "I got to where I am by giving up on who I was" Nolan sings, and you can understand that he really gave up on many of the pieces he wrote long ago. It is a striking song that plays well on the A side with the opener.

"Don't count me out" plays more friendly with the A sides because it is a beautiful mid tempo song that rolls through the verse and chorus in quick step, and while it is not a misstep on this album by any means, it is the song that sticks out as weird in the set.

The final track "Mile After Mile" is one of the most haunting tracks about being on tour that I have ever heard, it rolls through the acoustics like a revved up version of "Ride" by Cary Brothers, however the lyrics are much more powerful and emotion than Cary Brothers could ever do. It is a touching, poignant tribute to the power of true love on the road trying endlessly to get home.

Over the years it has been interesting to see the progression of the three Long Island songwriters that came up at the same time. John Nolan chose to write from a pop perspective, while Adam Lazarra and TBS wrote to the emo radio crowd that are slowing dying away, and Jesse Lacey is writing music that is only for his own self and people still love him for it. It is an interesting progression; however, the sad fact is that all three bands while still being talented will only live on in the shadow of the larger more radio friendly bands. They may have huge followings but it would be a rare thing to hear anything off of Daisy, Tell All Your Friends, or this album on the air of a commercial radio station. That is the sad, powerful legacy of these bands, they will live for a long time in the minds of those that saw them in the heyday or met them, but those that didn't pay attention will lose them forever.

Rating - 5 out of 5
Favorite Songs - All of them

Lyric of the Day

2010-02-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

"We used to be gifted and persistant / Now we're bored, reminescing / We used laugh with our misery / Spoon fed our desire / We've lost our faith."

- "Knifeman" by The Bronx on The Bronx (III).

- These LA punks are going out on tour this spring taking along Japanther and their alter egos Mariachi El Bronx. They are hitting SLC on April 17th at Urban. Check them out it you want to see one of the best live bands ever to play music.

Lyric Of The Day

2010-02-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

"I've been making money off my indifference / We all pass the hat around / This is my body, this is the blood I found / on my hands after I wrote this album. / Play it off as stigmata for crossover fans / some red handed sleight of hand."

- "Some Red Handed Slight Of Hand" by Cursive on The Ugly Organ.

- I am off right now to see the Aklaline Trio / Cursive show here in about five minutes. I hope they play "Art is Hard" and "Mr. Chainsaw". Oh, yeah that would be epic.

This Addiction by Alkaline Trio

2010-02-24T16:30:00.001-07:00

Released February 23rd, 2010 by Heart & Skull / Epitaph Records.

My life with Alkaline Trio began in late 2004 with continued listening to From Here To Infirmary while working in a kitchen with some very interesting characters. Infirmary held some of my favorite to this day Trio songs including "Mr. Chainsaw", "Stupid Kid", "You're Dead" and "I'm Dying Tomorrow" and that album is the standard that I hold subsequent releases to. 2003's Good Morning was a great follow up to Infirmary, 2005's Crimson was more electronic tinged and kind of forgettable, and 2008's Agony & Irony just fell to the wayside for me due to the band playing more to the mainstream audience, and although it did have some great songs the label did not handle Alkaline Trio properly.

So how does the new full length fill out? While first of all, before this came out the band announced that they were putting it out on their own label, Heart & Skull, but then signed with indie stalwarts Epitaph. The question I, and fellow Alkaline Trio fans, have been posing is why? Maybe it was for distribution or publicity, which in that case then smart move because Epitaph are some of the best in the industry, but why not sign to former label Vagrant? So why the move? Hell if I know, but while it was smart for practical reasons, you cannot tell me that the Trio do not have the money or know how to run a label. So it remains a frustrating mystery.

Well, whatever label they are on, how is the music? It is good; not the best the Trio have put out but not their best either. I can tell now as I am listening to it that it will grow on me much like previous releases have, but as it stands the songs are forgettable. With the exception of "This Addiction" and "Lead Poisoning", which includes a wonderfully fitting horn section, many of the album is mid tempo punk songs that would be wonderful as a soundtrack to a night drive home from a bar. They have somewhat lost the energy that made them so popular but they have not lost their catchy rhythms or skillful playing; they have just slowed down a bit. There is some mid record energy on the 80's pop and punk hybrid "Eating Me Alive"; however it still is lot slower and energetic than much of their previous efforts. The real centerpiece of this album is the late album song "Dorothy", it is one of the few songs on the album that recalls the past energy while giving their new directions sufficient room to breathe and really come into their own.

While the album is not perfect, it is a highly listenable, good album. While not being a fast paced album musically, it is a very quick listen, clocking it at just under thirty five minutes. Alkaline trio are wonderful at creating pop punk with an emphasis on good lyricism and romanticism that is rarely equaled. While is release is not as amazing as Infirmary is in my mind, it was better than the past few and it is a very solid record.

Rating - 3 1/2 out of 5
Favorite Tracks - "Fine", "This Addiction", "Dorothy", "Lead Poisoning"

January 13th - Buttsweat & Tears by The Lawrence Arms

2010-02-24T15:47:00.002-07:00

Released October 27th by Fat Wreck Chords.

This is the first output from the Chicago punks in over three years, it is based on an idea that they had over ten years ago, and it kicks so much ass. Every thing about this EP is so crisp and well played. The Lawrence Arms are the kind of band that could be playing the most complicated punk song or singing the most complicated lines and make it sound and look easy. This EP shows this mostly on "The Redness In The West" with it's acoustic folk rambling intro and gentle segue into it's punk end recalls to a certain extent "Like a Record Player", and also on "The Slowest Drink at the Saddest Bar on the Snowiest Day in the Greatest City" which recalls "Are you there Margaret? It's me God" on 2006's Oh! Calcutta! in terms of speed and lyrical content, although it is mostly filtered through the vocals of Chris McCaughan instead of Brendan Kelly.

The real beauty of this album is that although it sounds like stuff off of Oh! Calcutta! it does not mean that it is part deux of that album and neither is it a b-sides record. It is an EP full of songs that are the natural progression for the musicians in this band who have obviously spent their time doing other different projects (Sundowner, The Falcon, The Smoking Popes). It is not a leftovers album from Oh! Calcutta! and neither is it an artistic statement for the band, instead it is more of their bar ready, foot kicking anthems that would fit very well with their previous output.

Harrah for The Lawrence Arms and here is to hoping that it is not three years again before we hear another new song.

Rating - 4 1/2 out of 5
Favorite Songs - All of them, it only lasts thirteen minutes which is way too short.

January 12th - Homesick by A Day To Remember

2010-02-24T15:20:00.001-07:00

Released February 3rd, 2009 on Victory Records.

When I was coming up through the music scene, planting roots if you will, I came through the 2003 Emo Major Label boom. This was when Thrice released Artist in the Ambulance, Thursday released War All the Time, Taking Back Sunday was getting huge, and hometown boys The Used were getting national attention. Now at the time these bands were considered to be a lot lighter than their predecessors and influencers, none of which I had heard at that point. However when Adam Lazarra screamed "Best friends means friends forever / Best friends means you get what you deserve" or Bert's throat scathing scream on most of the Used self titled release, I got the sense that this was real emotion, a real feeling from these and many other bands from the era. While many of them lacked the underground clout of a Converge or a Dillinger, or Envy, they still did what they did and you could easily believe that each band meant exactly what they said on these songs.

Something happened while I was digging around in the past for more bands like the ones I grew up on: groups developed a sense of pop while keeping their hardcore breakdowns and screams. Now this has been done before, first with Husker Du and the Replacements in the 80s, then Lifetime and the Promise Ring in the 90s and finally New Found Glory and Saves the Day in the naughts. These bands would hybrid the energy from punk and hardcore and place them in a more pop oriented sense. Now a new crop has taken the head including A Day to Remember.

Homesick is not their first record in the game, they have released two other albums: For Those That Have Heart on Victory and And Their Name Was Treason on Indianola. They have had plenty of time to perfect the mosh, sing, mosh, sing, scream, breakdown, and finish with a bang formula, what some call pop-core. They are on the top of their game along with scene header liners Set Your Goals and Four Year Strong. For as much as I enjoy their predecessors I cannot get into this new generation, particularly this album for a few reasons.

One, this album when it is being played as hardcore album songs like something Kurt Ballou came up with in his sleep and threw away when he played it. The breakdowns are repetitive and consist of many of the same time signatures and tone. Two, when not in mosh mode A Day to Remember sound like an amped up version of Angels and Airwaves. They do not have the lyrical ability that Saves the Day had to set them apart, they do not have the charm of New Found Glory, and they do not have the ambient energy that Angels and Airwaves have. Third, there are far too many songs about being on the road and/or romantic relationships on this album, that says to me that the band are letting this album be marred by the curse of the sophomore album, even though they are on their third, and that is that they cannot remember the normal things that people fear and home and they cannot relate anymore.

While this album has its flaws, I can understand why kids that are coming up now attach themselves to this. It is non-offensive while being edgy, it is relatable to some situations of teenage hood, and it is loud enough that your parents will not like it. It is a semi-enjoyable listen for someone my age, however where Converge just dropped a new album and I still have the whole Thursday back catalogue to go back to then why would I need this kind of pop-core. Give me New Found Glory, Saves the Day, or Lifetime any day.

P.S.

The biggest guff I have with this album is the closer. It does not fit to have a ballad this slow on a band like A Day to Remembers album. It just does not fit and in my opinion should have been a b-side.

Rating - 2 1/2 out of 5
Best Song - "I'm made of wax, Larry, what are you made of?

January 11th - F#A#Infinity by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

2010-02-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Released August 14th, 1997 on Constellation Records.

As I mentioned in my review of Final Fantasy’s Spectrum, 14th Century I have a major love for neo classical music including the Canadian monsters Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Ever since a very wonderful article was produced on Thursday's third album that never came to fruition as they wanted it, which was a double album that included many instrumental passages akin to the work of said Canadian monsters, I have been hooked on their GYBE's music. Their blend of post rock, classical music, and found, manipulated sound has provided the background for many study sessions. I even once titled a short essay "East Hastings" after a section of a suite on this album.

Honesty though there is something about this album that I never have wanted to get through it, I think it is akin to the feeling of not wanting to see it done much like Damien yesterday. It is just such a gloriously creepy, thought provoking album that leads the listener down so many paths. Somewhere along the path you will hear a homeless man talking about preaching and the end of the world, other times a man will tell you the saddest story that sounds like a post apocalyptic nightmare, and finally be presented with music that would be both great for quiet thinking and for the soundtrack to a zombie attack [which it was, part of "East Hastings" was included in 28 Days Later].

The music especially on the second track, the nearly eighteen minute epic "East Hastings" blends so well together. From the opening yelling in a foreign tongue and bagpipes to the crashing mid section "The Sad Manifoso" with it's repeated cadence in different instrumentation from vocals to guitar to drums and string instruments, the tracks just blend together with a stunning beauty that is really only fully understood when you are listening to the music on your headphones. Although the music blends together really well, the best part of the album is one segment hidden on the CD version at the very end of the final suite. After almost four minutes of silence we are presented with "J.L.H. Outro" which is a beautiful, meandering assault on the senses that just builds and builds, it is particularly startling because of the silence but it just is a monster instrumental.

Some music just has a timeless feel; it is relevant always from now in the Obama era, to the Clinton era where it was produced, to a hundred years from now when the world might look a lot like the music that was produced on this album. However, this is not for everyone. Like Nick Hornsby said in The Songbook about Suicide's "Frankie Teardrop", and I am paraphrasing, that certain music is only to be listened to once to understand the ferocity of it. GYBE are a band that fit very much into this description, they are, for some, to be experienced once and put back on the self, but for the screwed up few that see the beauty in such heartbreakingly ugly music we return to it again and again.

Rating - 5 out of 5
Favorite Track - "East Hastings"

Lyrics Of The Day

2010-02-23T16:25:00.002-07:00

"The greatest thing that you've ever done / Live your life never felt regret / Lived your life not quitting yet / Without a set of rules, where no agenda lies / Just a followed heart and don't apologize."

- "Harem of Scorpions" by Cancer Bats on Hail Destroyer

Dead Air Radio February 22nd

2010-02-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

1 - Eviction Article by Boysetsfire
2 - Black Gold by Espirit De Corps
3 - Honest Sleep by Touche Amore
4 - Street College by Head Wound City
5 - Lonewolves by Converge
6 - Wanderlust by Every Time I Die
7 - Deathhands by White Flight
8 - The Messenger by Thrice
9 - Thinkin' About Her by What's Eating Gilbert (Chad Gilbert Of New Found Glory)
      Download Free Here - http://www.whatseatinggilbert.com/
10 - Wake Up by Tim Armstrong
11 - (Manifest) / (Hospital Vespers) / (Past Due) by The Weakerthans
12 - Ain't No Grave by Johnny Cash
13 - Fragments by Rocky Votolato
14 - What Would It Be Like If Everyone Hated Who I Was? (The Western) by Wedroplikebombs
15 - Young London by Angels And Airwaves -
        Free Download - http://modlife.com/angelsandairwaves/lovealbumfueltv
16 - Nine by La Dispute
        Name Your Price Download Here - http://ladispute.bandcamp.com/album/here-hear-iii
17 - The Bullets by Weatherbox
        Purchase Online Here - http://weatherbox.bandcamp.com/album/christpuncher
18 - King Of The World by Shark Speed
19 - Tonight's The Night by The Dear And Departed
20 - Gentleman Caller by Cursive
21 - This Addiction by Alkaline Trio
22 - I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone by Crime In Stereo
               Queue Moderns
               Drugwolf
               Exit Halo
              Not Dead
               Odalisque
               Young
               Type One
               Republica
               I Am Everything I Am Not
              Dark City Island
              I Cannot Answer You Tonight
23 - Oh, Messy Life by Cap'n Jazz
24 - Boiled Frogs by City And Colour
25 - I'm Through With The Past But The Past Isn't Through With Me by Straylight Run
26 - Try This At Home by Frank Turner
27 - Heart Attack At Thirty by Polar Bear Club
28 - Knifeman by The Bronx
29 - Panic On The Streets Of Health Care City by Thursday
30 - 5, 6 Kids by Bear Vs. Shark
31 - Laser Life by The Blood Brothers
32 - Something by Gaza
33 - Prince Squid by These Arms Are Snakes
34 - Harem Of Scorpions by Cancer Bats
35 - Abandon Ship by Gallows
36 - Baby, I'm An Anarchist by Against Me!

January 10th - "9" by Damien Rice

2010-02-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Released November 3rd, 2006 on Heffa Records.

I bought my first Damien Rice record the same day that I had my medical examination to go on my mission. It was a really snowy day in Logan, Utah, and I had to walk most of the way to the appointment. After that I had some extra money and decided to hit the record store and buy that one guy who sang the song from the movie Closer. I picked it up and put it in, wait for it, my CD player. I was automatically taken away by the pained vocals, lyrics that spoke to me from a literary standpoint, and finally the simplistic nature of the music. My love for Damien has run a lot longer than the love I had to go on a mission.

Throughout my college years I made friends who loved Damien as much as I do and we eventually had the chance to meet the diminutive singer when he came through Utah right after 9 came out. He was shy when it came to the normal fan stuff, like pictures and photographs, but other things like giving me and my friend’s hugs and honestly and candidly answering our questions he did without a second thought. He was genuinely nice and respectful of us, the fans, and that really meant more to us than his wonderful performance.

It is weird that I never have gotten through this album end to end, it might have something to do with the almost twenty minutes of singing bowls and chanting at the end, but really this album came into my life when I was mid semester and I never really had the chance to absorb it like O. Nonetheless this is a beautiful, literary album that creates and exudes energy even in the slower and less intense tracks. My personal favorite track "Coconut Skins" just has an almost punk rock honesty to the lyrics and a bouncy, jovial feel that plays in contrast the sad and almost hopeless lyrical content. That is what Damien Rice excels at: juxtaposing two different things and making both seem so much better because they are together. The following track "Me, My Yoke, And I" presents a similar situation, the lyrics are obscure but vaguely about his life with religion and the music is just so straight forward, quietly strummed chords rising into pounding bass and drums; once again we see the beauty of Damien, he puts something lyrically obscure with music that is very straightforward. It is only after you know that the lyrics talk about Damien's religious upbringing and his coming age, i.e. his discovery of masturbation.

All in all this is not as good or as cohesive as O, but is still miles ahead of many singer songwriters out there in the world. It seems that in recent days that Damien has started to create a community around himself and his music with a differing cast of characters. Working with Irish songwriter Glen Hansard on The Swell Season or singing with David Gray and 50 Cent at Live Earth, and most recently announcing that he is going to work with Phillip Glass and Thom Yorke on a soundtrack for a document about Tibet. However, through all these contributions and side projects a new album as eluded us.

Even if there were no new solo material, both 9 and 0 would stand as a pinnacle that not many artists tend to break at any time in their careers, and very few do it with the humility that Damien Rice has. So here's to a new album, but even if there is none we will always have these two nearly perfect albums.

Rating - 5 out of 5

Favorite Tracks - "Cocont Skins", "Me, My Yoke, And I", "Elephant"

Lyric Of The Day

2010-02-22T17:10:00.001-07:00

"Better off alone together / All this getting high brings me down."

- "Drugwolf" by Crime In Stereo on I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone

Lyric Of The Day

2010-02-21T14:47:00.002-07:00

"I'm losing sleep / I'm losing friends / I've got a love-hate love / for the city I'm in / I'll count the hours / Having just one wish / If I'm doing fine / There's no point to this."

- "Honest Sleep" by Touche Amore on Touche Amore - www.myspace.com/toucheamore

Lyric Of The Day

2010-02-18T07:10:00.003-07:00

"I read your Gospel / It moved me to tears / But I couldn't find the hate / And I couldn't find the fear."

- "Constructive Summer" by The Hold Steady on Stay Positive - theholdsteady.net/

January 9th - A Frank Exploration of Voyuerism And Violence by Kane Hodder

2010-02-17T15:55:00.005-07:00

Released March 23, 2004 by Suburban Home Recordings/Cowboy Versus Sailor

The past few releases I have listened to for this project I have loved and thought that they were very listenable, in fact three or four of them I thought were brilliant. Well, as with anything there has to be at least one sour grape to ruin the fun. This was said sour grape.

It was recommended to me by my friend Mason, who I think usually has good taste; he got me into The Dear Hunter and I am grateful for that. However this EP was virtually un-listenable and it was a chore to get through. It was one of the first records that I have listened to in a long time that I felt like turning off halfway through. It is considered to be post hardcore but that is an insult to the great bands in the genre like These Arms Are Snakes, Thrice, etc. The only thing that the greats have in common with this band is that they both scream. It was a completely uninspired record, but in all fairness it was their first. On subsequent releases they probably got better, they were signed to Fueled By Ramen at one point, but the recording quality, the vocal and lyrics, and the instrumentation on this EP drove me away from this band pretty much forever.

Rating - 1 and 1/5 out of 5
Favorite Track (or most tolerable) - "Aboard The Leper Colony"

January 8th - Spectrum, 14th Century by Final Fantasy

2010-02-17T15:33:00.003-07:00

Released September 30, 2008 on Blocks Recording Company.

Orchestral music has always been a closet favorite of mine. It is something that I slowly let out of the bag to people I know, mostly you don't impress people by saying that you enjoy orchestral music or contemporary classical music; instead they usually think that you are a pretencious bastard. I have enjoyed Godspeed You! Black Emperor since I was introduced to them by an article about Thursday in which Geoff Rickley name checked them, and I have an extensive classical music vinyl collection. I was not familiar with or expectant of liking Final Fantasy's Spectrum, 14th Century, mostly because a very popular musical site loves them and usually anything they love I hate. However I thought I would give it a try considering they have a new album out (last month's "Heartland").

So, what did I find in the almost eighteen minutes: beauty. This is absolutely gorgeous. It makes Andrew Bird look uneducated and ugly. Essentially Final Fantasy is just one man, Owen Pallett, with a loop station and violin, and some help from a multi instrumentalist. The music, though brisk, is wandering and beautiful. It would fit great into a play or a dense movie, someone already had that idea, he along with Arcade Fire's Win Butler created the soundtrack to Richard Kelly's "The Box". Like Her Space Holiday, the music is all the more impressive when you realize that he created it all by himself. "Spectrum, 14th Century" is beautiful and a fully realized EP with not fat, it is a beautiful artistic statement with replay value, and in this throwaway society that is something special in and of itself. However, this is not a type of music that I would like to see preformed live, it, like Andrew Bird, depends on perfection of the artist and the instrument and sometimes live performances do not lend perfection to the artist.

Rating - 5 out of 5
Favorite Track - "The Butcher"

January 7th - XOXO, Panda And The New Kid Revival by Her Space Holiday

2010-02-17T14:32:00.006-07:00

Released October 7th, 2008 on Mush Records.

The notes I wrote on this album states that if Amy Millan's "Blood From The Tombs" were used in an indie film it would be for the part where the two main characters break up, and Her Space Holiday's "XOXO" would be the party soundtrack in which they meet and fall in love. It is a light sounding, fun record but when you listen to the album it is much deeper than the surface beauty.

In my opinion the best recordings are full of not huge dense moments, but instead records full of light sounding moments that are dense underneath the vocals and lead instruments. Little bleeps and boops or exotic instrumentation that coalesces the album and makes the album somewhat deeper from the little nuances. "XOXO" is full of these little moments and they are scattered throughout the album. Hand claps, which my sister demands is an essential part of any great song, abound, and it makes sense looking at the band's bio and seeing that it is greatly the project of one man, Marc Bianchi, who essentially started as an electronic artist but now is working the folk into his creations. Knowing that it was the work of basically one man makes "XOXO" all that more fun, and even more impressive.

Rating - 4 and 1/2 out of 5
Favorite Track - "Sleepy Tigers"

January 6th - Honey From The Tombs by Amy Millan

2010-02-17T00:30:00.005-07:00

Released May 30, 2006 on Arts & Crafts Records

"Honey from the Tombs" is an album that you put on some speakers in a bedroom on a winter morning when you don't really have anything to do and you really feel nostalgic. Its acoustic guitars and sweetly sung vocals just put you in a place that is hard to come by. It really is not a surprise that the woman that put this out is a contributing member of Broken Social Scene and Stars, both bands being very popular in their home country of Canada (side note - I saw the winning run by the first Canadian Gold Medalist this last week, really amazing and heartwarming that he dedicated it to his disabled brother) however these two bands have not achieved beyond indie status in the States.

Thus if the bigger bands from this label are only getting indie status then the lesser known solo efforts from Amy Millan are virtually unknown in the States. That is a shame because her music, while being unchallenging, has a twang that country fans can dig, lyrics that are beautiful, rock credentials from the artist, and vocal work that is so softly spoken it demands your attention. However, as a whole "Blood from a Tomb" is a safe record and even with a few very memorable moments, Amy Millan does not do as well as her band mates who include the pop darling Feist and indie queen Neko Case. While this is a debut and the other artists in her group didn't get famous till record number three or four we can only see what the future holds.

She did just release a new album called "Masters Of The Burial", but I have not gotten to get a chance to listen yet.

Rating - 4 out of 5
Favorite Tracks - "He Brings Out The Whiskey In Me", "Come Home Loaded Roadie", "Losin You"

January 5th - Menos El Oso by Minus The Bear

2010-02-10T22:12:00.004-07:00

Released August 23rd, 2005 on Suicide Squeeze Records

So, first off let me reveal my biases: one, I love Dave Knudson; two, I love Matt Bayles, and third, I love Botch. So you know that part in "Complete Control" by the Clash where Joe Strummer yells over the solo "You're my guitar hero!" well for my money Dave Knudson is my guitar hero, what he does in this band and on stage is amazing. Matt Bayles has produced some of the greatest hardcore records of the past ten years including "We are the Romans" by Botch, "O God, The Aftermath" by Norma Jean, "Chasing Hamburg" by Polar Bear Club, the first two records by the Blood Brothers, the first two records from Mastodon, and a sizable chunk of Minus The Bear's output including this record. Botch does not need explaining, see previous examples.

So therefore this record was an instant classic for me, it kind of had me banging my fist against my head wondering why I hadn't taken the time before to listen to this one. From the opener "The Game Needed Me" to the cerebral lyrics on many of the songs to the beauty and despair on "Pachuca Sunrise" this album was amazing. It, like "Re-arrange Us", lends itself to a remixing, which they did with a full album remix by many guest remixers including P.O.S., a personal favorite of mine. All in all like all of Minus The Bear's albums they are inaccessible but when listened to and reflected upon and listened to again the meanings crack and the listener rewarded. It's like a good steak: this album has all the fat removed, the seasoning is just right and grilled just right.

Rating - 5 out of 5
Best Track - "The Game Needed Me"

January 4th - Oracular Spectacular by MGMT

2010-02-10T21:50:00.004-07:00

Released January 22nd, 2008 on Columbia Records

Little known fact about this band: They opened for Paul McCartney on one of his last few tours. Knowing that makes some sense, because without that connection I don't think I would have made the connection to the Beatles. If Paul and John had kids that were as talented as they were and are, and those kids were brought up on keyboards and synths rather than guitars then the result would be MGMT. The music is just lush with Beatles like energy and weirdness, but weirdness that is not off-putting instead inviting. MGMT's sophomore full length demands that the listener get up and listen to the music, dance a little but eventually delve into the weirdness and let yourself go. The lyrics are what are most striking on this album, whether they are jamming out on today’s deposable world and even more disposable youth culture("Kids") or looking at the rock and roll dream with unflattering and unflinching realism ("Time To Pretend", they are talking about things that most bands talk about but never in the same manner. However the greatness of this album and the promise of this band, there is one key difference between MGMT and the Beatles: the Beatles produced epic amounts of material in the space of ten years (1960 to 1970) and that is part of the reason they are considered such masters. MGMT for all their talent have only produced three albums, if you include the forthcoming Congratulations, and a handful of EPs. If they are opting to be the next Beatles then they need to get writing.

Rating - 3.5 out of 5
Best Track - "Time to Pretend" - This song is colossal; I just cannot get past it.

January 3rd - Re-Arrange Us by Mates of State

2010-02-10T21:32:00.004-07:00

Released May 12th, 2008

In 2005 I was just out of high school and working on getting into college while working at a restaurant in Logan, Utah. Up there I had a few goals that I deperately wanted to get done and one of them was to see my big four bands at the time - Thrice, Thursday, Brand New, and Taking Back Sunday. TBS was coming through on tour with Jimmy Eat World and Mates of State, an unknown band to me, so my sister and I with a group of our friend drove the three hours to the E Center in SLC. We got in and walked into Mates of State's set. It was a grinding set of organ and drums with doo-wap vocals, it was grinding because of the venue, and we did not like them at all, but I kept them in my maybe file for a long time.

That was a good move. 2008's Re-Arrange Us is one of the best albums I have listened to in awhile. While some girl/guy swap vocal groups can be a bit too saccherin for my tastes, this was a perfect blend and the lyrics definately lend themselves to the intelligence level of the audience and to the artists, they do not sugar coat the content and in this type of music that is refreshing. The music is big and beat driven with "You are free" and "The Rearranger" being the best examples of this. When I have some time free I am going to try and bury myself in their back catalouge. Also this album lends itself to a remix more than any indie album I have ever heard and they ended up doing this already, to my surprise, with 2009's Re-Arranged: The Remixes Vol.1. Check out both albums if you want something that is both a driving album and a headphones album.

Rating - 4 out of 5
Best Track - "You Are Free"

Dead Air Radio Playlist February 8th, 2010

2010-02-08T20:59:00.004-07:00

1 - Thank God For Worker Bees by Botch
2 - Moved As Mountains, Dreamt Of By The Sea by The Ghost Of A Thousand
3 - Decay of the Delay by Cave In
4 - Pretty Lush by Glassjaw
5 - What You Call Thought Control, I Call Thought Control by The Felix Culpa
6 - Termites Hollow by Grade
7 - Shaking Like a Flame by Glossary
8 - Coney Island by Good Old War
9 - Tree House by Family Of The Year
10 - Suicide Medicine by Rocky Votolato
11 - Beggers by Thrice
12 - Drugwolf by Crime In Stereo
13 - Hyperbolia by Horse The Band
14 - Farewell Mona Lisa by Dillinger Escape Plan
15 - Wanderlust by Every Time I Die
16 - Living Saints by Polar Bear Club
17 - Beyond The Threshold by Hüsker Dü
18 - Between Minutes and Miles by Hot Cross
19 - Catameran by Bear Vs. Shark
20 - Garden by Heavens
21 - Cringe by Alkaline Trio
22 - The Optimist by P.O.S. / Sowing Season (Yeah) by Brand New - Mash-Up by Hawkins
23 - Featherlighter by Lazlo Supreme
24 - The End of the Line by Hot Water Music
25 - Sink Florida Sink (Electric) by Against Me
26 - Batmans A Dead Man by The International Superheroes Of Hardcore
27 - Try Out Your Voice by Big D & The Kids Table
28 - Constructive Summer by The Hold Steady
29 - Breathing In A New Mentality by Underoath
30 - Blood Clots And Black Holes by Thrice
31 - At This Velocity (Audio Video Edit) by Thursday
32 - 5, 6 Kids by Bear Vs. Shark
33 - In A Jar / Noro By Brand New
34 - Heart Attack American by The Bronx
35 - Suffering To Live, Scared Of Love by Verse
36 - Pink Turns To Blue By Hüsker Dü
37 - Afterworld By Tiger Army
38 - Congratulations, John, On Joining Every Time I Die by Bomb! The Music Industry
39 - Cross Out the Eyes By Thursday
40 - Substance By Haste The Day
41 - Hearing Damage By Thom Yorke
42 - Reinventing Your Exit By UnderOath
43 - Liberties by AttackInBlack

Dead Air Radio February 1st, 2010

2010-02-01T20:15:00.003-07:00

1 - The Marvelous Slut by Every Time I Die
2 - Wild Ox Moan by Coalesce
3 - Golden Tanks by Cancer Bats
4 - Farewell Mona Lisa by Dillinger Escape Plan
5 - Heroes Get Remember, Legends Never Die by Four Year Strong
6 - Punknews Is Stoked by O Pioneers!!!
7 - Sunset on 32nd by Strike Anywhere
8 - Stop by Against Me!
9 - White Riot by The Clash
10 - Complaintor by The Color Fred
11 - Emergency! Emergency! by The Promise Ring
12 - Stay Gone by The Get-Up Kids
13 - San Dimas High School Football Rules by The Ataris
14 - A Praise Chorus by Jimmy Eat World
15 - Passing Out In America by Alexisonfire
16 - Pigs Is Pigs by Every Time I Die
17 - Knifeman by The Bronx
18 - Sorry You're Not A Winner by Enter Shikari
19 - I'm Made Of Wax, What Are You Made Of Larry - A Day To Remember
20 - Son The Father by Fucked Up
21 - Vital Signs by Frank Turner
22 - The First Single by The Format
23 - You're Not Afraid Of The Dark, Are You? - Look Mexico
24 - The Death Of Me by City & Colour
25 - Photosynthesis by Frank Turner
26 - Let Them Eat War by Bad Religion
27 - God Bless The S.O.S. by The Explosion
28 - The End Of The Line by Hot Water Music
29 - We Drink So You Don't Have To by The Black Out Pact
30 - Time To Waste by Alkaline Trio
31 - Fear Before Doesn't Listen To People Who Don't Like Them by Fear Before
32 - Six Days At The Bottom Of The Ocean by Explosions In The Sky
33 - Wanderlust by Every Time I Die
34 - Geneva by Russian Circles
35 - What You Call Mind Control, We Call Mind Control by The Felix Culpa
36 - Belt by Say Anything
37 - Lonewolves by Converge
38 - Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints / This Could Be Anywhere In The World by Alexisonfire
39 - With My Own Eyes by Dario Marinelli / Vices by Brand New
40 - Purexed by P.O.S.

The Project or How I Am Going To Make Up For The Last Three Years

2010-01-14T19:29:00.003-07:00

As many of you know, or I guess will know if you are currently reading my blog, I was the Music Director of a moderately successful college radio for the better part of the last three years. In that time the one sentence that I heard more often than any other was some permutation of "What do you think of this band?" A lot of the time my decision on said band was snap and largely due to three criteria that I would run the band through, the first being the reputation of the band, the second the reputation of the label, and finally the five or ten minutes that I spent listening to the bands actual CD, and sometimes all three would fail and I would choose to rely on the information and choices of various assistants and DJ to form my opinion of the music. Sometime this practice led me to great music that I would have not otherwise heard, and other times I know that I did not get the full experience of the band at all.
I also recieved a lot of music from this period in my life that somehow filtered into my personal collection. Some of it I listened to directly and others I would let collect dust till a slow day, and sadly there are records in my room that are still collecting dust. So my decision this year is to fill it with music, to make my life full of notes, vocals, and badly dressed touring individuals. So my goal is to listen to a single album, end to end, once a day. Then I will post the album review up on this blog for all to see. I have already started this project and I will be starting to post the reviews up hopefully very soon.

Long, Long Overdue

2009-11-04T23:44:00.003-07:00

Not quite a few years unlike that one song by the Get Up Kids, coincidentally if you don't know who that is kids go get one of their records and then beat your head against a wall, the familiar sound you hear is every 'emo'tional band that has come after the Get-Up Kids. Anyways, what I am talking about being overdue with is a little review I promised my friend Thys a while back. He is a local, like me from the very interesting corner of American called Utah. We started to get together as friends when we worked together at a local restaurant in Ogden and then I began to, for lack of a better word, mentor him into playing music. He recorded me a set of songs on a little handheld tape recorder and I reviewed them for him. They obviously were not yet great works of music, but that is the beauty of modifiers in a sentence, they were not yet.

Over the years he began to jam with many locals, our mutual friends included and he continued to allow me to listen to every new recording. He grew, as a songwriter and as a person into what he is now basically around his music and the music he loves. Now with a band, Wedroplikebombs, he is bringing some of the promise in his early recordings to life.

Along with his current band mates, Mason, drums, and Bredon on bass, Thys has created an eclectic mix of post hardcore, emo, and indie dreamscapes. On their latest and close to only recordings, a demo released earlier this year, we find the band lengthening their strides. The songs are almost created out of themes and do not really stick to the chorus verse chorus routine of most local songwriting. It seems that the group do not want to be pigeon holed early in the game, "What it everyone hated who I was?" has an atmospheric tone that resides somewhere between the sad quirk of Motion City Soundtrack and the drone of This Will Destroy You. However this song is a perfect example of what Bombs do best, at the two minute mark they drop the bouncy drum and bass line to allow Thys to come in and build the song to a monstrous wail, leaving a broken heart in the wake with screams of "Go to Hell."

Live, these songs are a whole other animal. They are taken to another level altogether and are best experienced on their own person to person. Check them out on myspace or on facebook, they play shows all the time across the Wasatch front and are a treat to see live. This is a band that, if they avoid the local curse, will go far.

Dead Air Radio 9/29

2009-09-28T20:21:00.002-06:00

1 - Requiem For Erst-Hugo by Text -
2 - Vices by Brand New - Daisy
3 - Red Bull Of Juarez by Frodus - And We Washed Our Weapons In The Sea
4 - Waiting Room by Fugazi - 13 Songs
5 - Knights by Minus The Bear - Planet Of Ice
6 - Geneva by Russian Circles - Geneva
7 - Horse Girl by These Arms Are Snakes - Easter
8 - World War I by Anchor Down - Steel To Dust EP
9 - Like A Record Player by The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
10 - This Basement Gives Me A Fucking Headache by Latterman -
11 - Warbrain by Alkaline Trio - Unreleased
12 - Chelsea Smile by Bring Me The Horizon - Suicide Season
13 - Given Flight by Demon's Wings by Shai Hulud
14 - Keep It On Wax by Alexisonfire - Crisis
15 - What Would It Be Like If Everyone I Knew Hated Who I Was? by Wedoplikebombs - Demos
16 - Cannonball Man by Buddy Wakefield
17 - Devil Dressed In Blue by Right Away, Great Captain! - The Eventually Home
18 - The Impression That I Get by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
19 - We've Got Pockets Like Nobody's Business by Chase Long Beach
20 - Ghost Town by The Specials
21 - Super Rad by The Aquabats
22 - Try This At Home by Frank Turner - Poetry Of The Deed
23 - Born and Raised by Fake Problems - How Far Our Bodies Go
24 - Baby, I'm An Anarchist by Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose
25 - Belt by Say Anything - ...Is A Real Boy
26 -

Dead Air Radio 9/21 - Vinyl Night

2009-09-21T20:14:00.003-06:00

1 - King Rat by Modest Mouse - B Side of Dashboard Single
2 - Blessed Burden by Deafeater - Travels
3 - Under A Killing Moon by Thrice - The Artist In The Ambulence
4 - Deth Kult Social Club by From Autumn To Ashes - Holding A Wolf by The Ears
5 - Writing On The Walls by Underoath - Define The Great Line
6 - Coagulate / Cadence / The Beat by Snapcase - End Transmission
7 - Protest Song '68 by Refused - The Shape Of Punk To Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts
8 - Dead Wombs by Death From Above 1979 - Head Ups!
9 - Brothers by Brand New - B Side Of Jesus Single
10 - You're Not Afraid Of The Dark, Are You? by Look Mexico - Gasp, Asp EP
11 - Blue Jeans And White T-Shirt by The Gaslight Anthem - Senor And The Queen EP
12 - Not Now by Blink 182 - Not Now Single
13 - Me Vs. Madonna Vs. Elvis by Brand New - Deja Entendu
14 - The Marvelious Slut by Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthic
15 - We Drink So You Don't Have To by The Blackout Pact - Hello Sailor
16 - Keep It On Wax by Alexisonfire - Crisis
17 - Gasoline by Brand New - Daisy
18 - Property by Say Anything - Say Anything
19 - The Eraser by Thom Yorke - The Eraser
20 - Sinner's Serenade by Cursive - B Side of "Art Is Hard" Single
21 - An Absurd And Unrealistic Dream Of Peace by Thursday - Split With Envy
22 - Hail Destroyer by Cancer Bats - Hail Destroyer
23 - The Ballad Of Me And My Friends by Frank Turner - Campfire Punk Rock

Dead Air Radio 8/24/09

2009-08-24T20:45:00.003-06:00

1 - Stressing The Fuck Out by O Pioneers! - Neon Creeps
2 - Burnout by Green Day - Dookie
3 - Diamond Rings by Fake Problems - It's Great To Be Alive
4 - Baby I'm An Anarchist by Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose
5 - In Studio With The Blu Storks
6 - Josie by Blink 182 - Dude Ranch
7 - At The Bottom by Brand New - Daisy
8 - Change Your Face Or Change Your Name by Colour Revolt - Colour Revolt EP
9 - A Disgust For Details by Coalesce - Functioning On Impatience
10 - I, I, I Love Snow by Buddy Wakefield and Mogwai - Unreleased Mix
11 - I'm Still Learning by The Felix Culpa - Commitment

Dead Air Radio Playlist For August 18th, 2009

2009-08-17T20:21:00.002-06:00

1 - Fear Before Doesn't Listen To People Who Don't Like Them by Fear Before - Fear Before
2 - Through Being Cool by Saves The Day - Through Being Cool
3 - We Will Erase All Life On Earth But Us by Say Anything - Unreleased
4 - Diamond Rings by Fake Problems - It's Great To Be Alive
5 - Rice And Bread by Against Me! - As The Eternal Cowboy
6 - A Brief But Triumphant Intermission by Against Me! - As The Eternal Cowboy
7 - Two Cups Of Tea by Star Fucking Hipsters - Until We're Dead
8 - Energy Dome by Snapcase - Boysetfire vs. Snapcase
9 - Termites Hollow by Grade - Headfirst Straight To Hell
10 - To Our Friends In The Great White North by Botch - We Are The Romans
11 - Purexed by P.O.S. - Never Better
12 - Living Saints by Polar Bear Club - Chasing Hamburg
13 - Nervous Breakdown by Black Flag -
14 - History's Stranglers by The Bronx - The Bronx (II)
15 - Congradulations, John, On Joining Every Time I Die by Bomb The Music Industry -
To Leave Or Die On Long Island
16 - The State Of Massachusetts by Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest Of Times
17 - Darkness Rising by The Matches - A Band In Hope
18 - Holding On For A Hero by Emery - Punk Goes 80s
19 - Spanish Tongues by Chase Pagan - Chase Pagan EP
20 - Naked And Red by Colour Revolt - Plunder, Beg, And Curse
21 - The Saddest Day by Converge - Petitioning The Empty Sky
22 - Angel by Massive Attack - Mezzanine
23 - My (Fucking) Deer Hunter by Fear Before - The Always Open Mouth
24 - The Drugs Or Me (Styrofoam Remix) by Jimmy Eat World - Stay On My Side Tonight EP
25 - Wagon Wheel by Against Me! - Unreleased
26 - Death By Fire by Therefore I Am - The Sounds Of Human Lives

Anchor Down, Bastards Of Young, and In The Red - Live in SLC

2009-07-26T01:08:00.002-06:00

I have a lot of co-workers and friends that have never been to a good live show. They may have seen a pop star or a country act or maybe a small local show, but they have never been in a crowd as it falls back and forth in anticipation of the oncoming band's set or seen a mosh pit erupt because of some simple chords. What makes me ever sadder than this is the idea that many of these friends of mine have never been to the right of passage for any true concert goer, the house show. Many of these house shows are poorly run affairs, where you don't know that the band is the ones sitting next to you on the porch till they go on stage; however one that I recently went to was a bar above the rest, not only in the way that it was put on but also the bands that played.

The show, just this last Thursday, was for a group of punk and hardcore bands from the bay area of California and Portland. Run out of the basement of a small house in Taylorsville, dubbed the T-Ville House, the show was fully run like any professional show except only donations were accepted but that does not mean that the small crowd of twenty or thirty of us were given bad sound or a dangerous setting. Instead it was quite the opposite, the venue was clean, exits and bathrooms were clearly marked and the sound for a basement punk show was surprisingly clear and beautiful.

The show kicked into high gear when California's In the Red hit the stage at around the seven o' clock mark. The band, functioning very well as a trio, played some very good mid tempo thrash mixed with some early 90s grunge, think a good thrash punk band fronted by Eddie Vedder. It was really pleasing to hear a band that can play a type of music that doesn't necessarily fit in with the rest of the bands on the bill but still is enjoyable and weird. Their drummer, Matt, was a pleasure to watch as he not only pounded his kit with a hearty zest for his beats but also sang along to most of the words. Their singer stated that the band's slogan for the tour was "Almost Metal" and I think this statement sums up their set and their mentality as a band, they don't sound like punks but they sure act them, in a totally good way.

Next on the bill were Bay Area punks Bastards of Young, whom I assume lifted their name from the Replacements song of the same name, pretty awesome guys. Seriously. The band, vocalist and guitar player Nick Ripley, Patrick Hill on guitar and vocals, Sean Hills on bass, and Wyman Harrell on drums, play a wonderful blend of punk that is reminiscent of the Bouncing Souls and Polar Bear Club. Their set, which included a cover of the classic Clash tune "Career Opportunities" with the aid of the bass player of In the Red on drums, played like Chuck Regan of Hot Water Music fronting a very punky Polar Bear Club. Aside from the problems with tuning and some low vocal levels, the band played an extremely energetic set that any touring band would be proud of.

Before their set I got I chance to sit down with Lucas Andrews from Anchor Down and talk a little about their tour and what they do as band. First of all I really have to say I am impressed by the band just for the way that they handle themselves. They screen print all their t-shirt, they booked the entire tour for themselves, they do most of their stuff so DIY that you really cannot help but be impressed by the way that Anchor Down handles themselves and their image to the public.

Their set, which headlined the night, was comprised almost entirely of songs from their EP Steel to Dust which came out earlier this year on Solidarity Records. The band played with a new bass player named Matt, who brought an energy to the set with his incessant moving and palpable energy. The band looked professional on stage, looked like veterans though a little road weary were still ready to play some of their music for willing ears. Running through some of the best songs on the album like "El Radio" and my personal favorite "Bromancing The Stones", the band came off sounding a little like early Alkaline Trio or late period Lawrence Arms, but still sounded like their own band due to the crooning of vocalist Alex Hudjohn and the amazing drum work of Chad Noakes. As the band got near the end of the set their invited people who knew the words to come help them sing the songs due to their weakened voices from a recent sickness that had swept through the band. On the final song, and probably the finest by the band, "World War I" many in the crowd were happy to oblige the band by singing the final refrain of the song "These words are our bullets, these chords are swords, we're marching in time, we're waging a war." As the song ended I couldn't help hope that this band continues to wage a war on the blacktop and succeed as a band.

A trip to the local record store

2009-07-25T15:22:00.003-06:00

After lunch today with my sister Rachel we headed to our local record store and I got some pretty good stuff. I don't really try to buy to many new records nowadays because the shelves are usually clogged with the new release by the hot Fueled by Ramen band, or by the new leader in death metal that will get a creative hair up their butt on their second record and lose their entire fan base, except for the few diehards that really do know that the band sucks but cannot bring themselves to agree to it. Like myself and Taking Back Sunday. Anyways. I got some good stuff for under ten buck from scanning the used rows.

First was an LP from Ferret records metalcore act Scarlet. The album, This was always meant to fall apart, is pretty much artistic slash and grind metalcore with some soft spoken lyrics, like Underoath without the Christian part. I have this thing about always wanting to grab stuff from certain labels when it is cheap just because of the label, not the band. It is pretty chance oriented endeavor but I would have never heard of Moneen if I didn't like Vagrant Records.

The next one I found was You Come Before You by Poison the Well. They have a new album coming out via, you guessed it, Ferret Records later this year called Tropical Rot, but this was their effort back from the 'OOs, and it is a pretty ferocious records that is not too much like their last effort Versions. Nonetheless it is a pretty great album. One a side not one of my earliest memories of liking hardcore is watching the video for "Botchla" on the xDoanex video collection. It was just such a fresh and accessible song for me at that time. It didn't start out with screaming or heavy riffs, just the singer saying "But, I adore her" over and over again and then leading into the screaming and a bridge that is more rock oriented than hardcore. It is crazy to think back and see that this was one of the reason I love music now.

Lastly I got the album Sorry Vampire by John Ralston. He is a signee to Vagrant and creates beautiful and haunting folk music, if you need an example look up "Gone, Gone, Gone" off of his previous effort Needle Bed, it is probably one of the greatest kiss off songs. Anyways I have loved this man's music since I saw his perform with Limbeck a couple of years ago. He had this wonderful air around him, a comedy almost, and it was really nice to have him agree to come and perform a couple of songs at KWCR the next day along with Limbeck. Someday I might get around to posting those up here. Also if you look at a picture of him and Bert McCracken from The Used sidebyside they could be brothers, just saying.

Anyways there you go, get out and maybe buy some of these or just any record really at your local records store, except the new Eminem he has enough money as it is.

Birdmonster Interview

2009-07-22T14:37:00.002-06:00

So interview was a really cool one. The video for one has me in the background some of the time due to the mirror behind the band. You get to see my mug, not sure if that is a good thing? The interview was done this past January in Park City during the Sundance Film Festival. Birdmonster played on the same day and stage as Winonna Judd, Johnny Reznick, and Damien Rice at the ASCAP tent. They were pretty stoked. As we were getting ready to find a spot it was decided that we should do it in a restaurant that was just used as a banquet area for the bands. They sat down as the people working at the restaurant buzzed around and got things ready for the next banquet. They were not happy. The band however were very nice and ready to talk. The camera work and editing were done by Mike, once again.

Thrice Interview

2009-07-22T14:23:00.003-06:00

I have been a Thrice fan since I was knee high to a duck. The Artist in the Ambulence came out when I was just getting into music in high school and I picked up a copy of this album along with Thursday's War All The Time on the same day. It was a day that changed my life. No joke intended.

A few years later I got a chance to meet Thrice and that a wonderful experience, but then a right after the second half of The Alchemy Index came out I got a chance to meet and interview Dustin Kensrue,vocalist, and Teppei Teranishi, guitarist.

The best part of this interview was that their tour manager at the time was Damon Atkinson. Now that name probably does not resonate with many of you but maybe his former band will. He was drummer for Hey Mercedes and Braid. Yeah, look them up and listen to the emo goodness.

When Mike and I got to the venue we called the number provided by the label and we got Damon on the phone and he said that someone would be out to get us in a minute. A few minutes later, a mid-sized well built man walked out the side door past all the fans with his head lowered. He walked up to us and stated that he was Dustin and that he was very happy to have us interview him today. Yeah, I know.

When I came into Damon's little make shift desk at the venue he was busy on the phone. He was obviously not happy with whoever he was talking to but as soon as he got off of the phone, he smiled and turned and shook our hands and led us to the tour bus. After that it is all pretty much on tape. Interview by Matt, editing and camera work by Mike McIntosh.

Jessica Lea Mayfield Interview

2009-07-22T14:02:00.002-06:00

Honestly this was probably the strangest interview I have done. It was in the middle of summer and I had to work that night at my paying job. So I rode down on the Frontrunner (a train connecting Salt Lake City to Ogden, where I live) and caught up with Shay Bonnie, my assistant Music Director at the time, and we drove to the venue, which doesn't start their shows till past 9 PM, and did the interview at 4PM. Yeah it was was pretty interesting. Jessica Lea Mayfield was incredibly nice, although a little camera shy, I think this was one of the first interviews she had done on camera. It was a really good time. The video was filmed and edited by Shay Bonnie and posted by Mike McIntosh.

Matthew Santos Interview

2009-07-22T13:54:00.002-06:00

Really this interview just started as an in studio. We were contacted by Matthew Santos' people to do a brief in studio on air at KWCR and I agreed. I didn't know much about Matthew's music at the time, but then Lupe Fiasco's The Cool came out and the single "Superstar" featuring Matthew Santos hit the airwaves. "Superstar" was one of my favorite singles that came out that year, and honestly still good today. This gave me the idea to approach his music with a greater degree of interest. What I found is a singer that approaches his music much like a good folk singer and writes honest, sometimes dark songs about life and lost love. It kind of reminds me a Damien Rice if he grew up on soul. The interview was amazing and the audio you hear in the background is the actual audio from the studio board. The filming and editing were done by Mike McIntosh.

Circa Survive Interview

2009-07-22T13:46:00.004-06:00

This an interview that I did a little over a year ago with Circa Survive singer Anthony Green and also their guitarist. My friend Mike McIntosh did the camera work and edited it for me into the current vision that you have. The tour that Circa Survive was on at the time included Thrice, who I also interviewed that day, and Pelican. So you can tell it was a very hardcore group of people that went to the show. This was Mike's first real concert... I quote "It's so loud, much louder than the Kenny Chesney concert I went to last year." Yeah, I know. I still love him.

P.O.S. Interview

2009-07-22T13:36:00.002-06:00

This is an interview I did last year with Rhymesayers Entertainment rapper P.O.S. in Salt Lake City before his July show with Underoath and Ill Patriot. That was a really interesting night because of the crowd that was at the venue. The promotor hadn't had enough tickets presold to put the show into the big room at the venue and it was moved into the smaller room. Lots of kids ended up showing up and they just kept letting them in. Except for the four people there for P.O.S., and you could tell who they were when he was playing by the raised hands, the crowd was there for Underoath.
The interview took place before the show in the July heat behind the venue. We had a good amount of time with Stef. The interview was done by myself and the camera work and editing by my good friend Shay Bonnie.

Greyer By Shades

2009-07-21T22:34:00.000-06:00

Greyer By Shades

Matthew Winters

Gallows' lead singer Frank Carter is somewhat of an enthusiast in the field of screwing with the media. When interviewed about Gallows' internationally acclaimed new album Grey Britain, he stated to New Musical Express that the band is just "a hobby I get paid for". With the release of Grey Britain, Gallows starts out on a three-record track with Warner Brothers International reportedly worth around 1 million pounds. That's a pretty good hobby.

The album is classic punk rock with a thrash swagger. Recalling former tour mates Cancer Bats and the anger of Bring Me the Horizon, the band switches into high gear on first single "The Vulture (Act II)" and second single "London Is the Reason." The album is full of the trademark high-pitched guitar of Laurent Barnard dueling with Stephen Carters' guitar. It is most noticeable on "Leeches," a burning ode to everyone you hate on a day to day basis, grilling with lines like "If your hands could talk / they'd choke themselves to death before they were caught," and on to the bridge of "I Dread the Night" with its slow burn to urgency. "Black Eyes" is an old-school gang-chorus punk song; it feels out the true ideas of the album: disgust for the politics of Britain.

Uncharacteristically, though, the band chose to do something that they have never done: slow things down and let Frank Carter sing, not scream. It gives the album the emotionality it needed to be persuasive. Instead of shouting the message out to the audience and leaving them almost questioning what they are hearing, like so much of Gallows' 2006 debut Orchestra of Wolves, the singing and toned-down attitude of the band makes reception to the message easier. Gallows are mad at the world and they are not afraid to show it.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 6/9/09

The Perfect Record

2009-07-21T22:31:00.000-06:00

The Perfect Record

Matthew Winters

Anyone under the gun at this end of the semester can relate to pressure and the overwhelming feelings that it produces. School is almost out, stress on relationships, work, work, work, constantly feeling like the pressure is going to consume you. Manchester Orchestra front man Andy Hull can relate. On 2006's mini masterpiece I'm Like a Virgin, Losing a Child, Hull created micro breakdowns, sketches of the brutality of relationships and family gone wrong. "Where Have You Been?" being the perfect example: a six-plus minute slow-raging epic about the moment of truth in a relationship.

Three years and a bunch of tours under their belts Manchester have created the masterpiece of their very young career. Mean Everything to Nothing is the sonic equivalent of a person descending into depression and bi polar disease. The songs blend together but clash at the seams, creating a dissonance and powerful front for Andy Hull dramatic statements. "I can't speak â€¦ I sing" he yelps on the near perfect "Pride" backed by monstrous guitar and bombastic drums. "I've Got Friends" is the quintessential song for anyone that has ever thought about ending it and realizes that they are needed by their friends, and by using the repeated phrase "I've got friends in all the right places / I know what they want / And I know that they want me to stay" it is almost like Hull is trying to convince himself and his audience that it is true. "I Can Feel a Hot One" is reused from last year's stopgap EP Let My Pride Be What's Left Behind, but it works so well in this album, it is a quiet moment of reflection in an album of confusion and noise. "The Only One" is the moment that a person realizes that they are going insane but knows no one else sees it.

Mean Everything to Nothing is nothing short of a masterpiece. As an album it shows the talent that these men have. I would say that this is the first perfect album of the year and it is one that people will look at 10 years down the line and revere it like Nevermind by Nirvana, Steady Diet of Nothing by Fugazi, or The Pixies' Doolittle. This is music that defines a generation, not because it tries to be amazing, but because it crushingly is amazing.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 4/17/09

Not The Masters Of Their Craft

2009-07-21T22:27:00.000-06:00

Not The Masters Of Their Craft

Matthew Winters

There are some bands that you hear about because friends like them. There are others you hear about because the critics like them. Then there are bands you hear about because your favorite band loves them. Death From Above 1979 was one band that was a band's band. Their blend of electronic beats and distortion, amazing bass lines, and vocals that screamed post hardcore made them a heavy favorite in the early '00s.

Unfortunately, like many bands that are this good, they broke up. The duo, yes duo, of Jesse F. Keeler and Sebastian Grainger split in 2006 but it was not the end for these two sonically. Grainger released a solo album late last year under the new moniker Sebastian Grainger & the Mountains on Saddle Creek Records, it was largely a folk affair but tracks like "(Are There) Ways To Come Home?" ran the gambit between the folk leanings of his new band and the Death From Above 1979 style he was famous for.

Jesse F. Keeler however went a different route. He took the dance floor nature of DFA1979, extracted it out and ran with it. Keeler and fellow knob turner Al-P released their first LP "The Looks" in '06 under the new moniker MSTRKRFT, pronounced "masterkraft." It was a masterpiece of dance floor love and the group was immediately commissioned to do remixes for big names like Justice and Bloc Party.

Flash forward two years to '09 and the duo release Fist of God. While the record is good, it still does not really stand out for anyone who is not a fan of the genre. The jams are there however: "Heartbreaker (Featuring John Legend)" is a ready made comedown song for anyone that has been on the dance floor too long, "Bounce (Featuring N.O.R.E. & Isis)" is the next grime hit that Dizzee Rascal never wrote, and "Click Click (Featuring E-40)" is the next action movie fight song. However without a vocalist, tracks like "1,000 Cigarettes" fall flat and are a bit too repetitive for their own nature.

While MSTRKRFT is great for the dance floor and as background music to action sequences and commercials, it is a tough pill to swallow if you are not a fan of electronic music, and it is even more disappointing considering Keeler's pedigree. All we can hope for is that Death From Above 1979 has a reunion tour in the plans.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 4/10/09

Refused Are Dead

2009-07-21T22:23:00.001-06:00

Refused Are Dead

Matthew Winters

"They told me that classics never go out of style, but they do, they do. Somehow, baby, I never thought that we'd do too."

These are the first words uttered on Refused's 1998 cathartic magnum opus The Shape of Punk to Come, the next sentence screamed by front throat Dennis Lyxzen is the album's dictum "I've a bone to pick with capitalism and a few to break." The album influenced a whole generation of hardcore kids who wanted change but couldn't quite get there, much like Refused themselves, and now with recent repressing on vinyl by Burning Heart Records it is poised to influence a whole new generation.

The album, a conglomeration of punk, hardcore, spoken word, jazz, electronic and metal music, is about change, but understanding that not much will change with the effort that you put into it. Centerpiece song "New Noise" rises slowly and burns out fast but brings to light the idea that "We need new noise, new art for regular people" while the chorus states that the band "lack the motion to move to the new beat." "Refused Party Programme" screams "This is the beat of a new generation" over a buzz saw guitar line and a wonderful drum line in direct response to "New Noise." Starting out with a start-stop dynamic "The Deadly Rhythm" drops into a free jazz solo about a minute into the song. Perhaps the most shocking and beautiful song on the album is "Tannhauser/ Derive", an eight-minute string and drum track that pulses and burns out slowly, the complete opposite of "New Noise", its purpose is awe and show that new ways can be found just by walking somewhere new.

The true worth of this album is that so many have copied it. Listeners can hear Refused in Thursday, Underoath and even Paramore, who are unabashed Refused lovers. Upon their demise Refused left us with one final press release, here is one prime example why they finished, "When every expression, no matter how radical it is, can be transformed into a commodity and be bought or sold like cheap soda, how is it then possible that you are going to be able to take 'art' seriously?" The Shape Of Punk To Come is serious art, and in the words of Dennis Lyxzen on Refused's sad end "Instead we need to look forward. We got everything to win and nothing but our boredom to lose."

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 3/27/09

Refused Are Dead

2009-07-21T22:23:00.000-06:00

Kasher's New Masterpiece

2009-07-21T22:20:00.000-06:00

Kasher's New Masterpiece

Matthew Winters

Being called a functioning alcoholic would usually be an insult to the person receiving it, but when the person saying it is Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, in an interview a few years ago, about Tim Kasher of Cursive and The Good Life, you can kind of understand it. Both men, but Kasher especially, have made careers on writing songs that are about drunken nights, bad mistakes and the after effects of what those mistakes can make. Cursive have always been a band full of those kinds of songs, from 2003's The Ugly Organ, an album based on a play written by Kasher, to 2006's masterpiece Happy Hollow, Cursive stuck close to their lyrical and musical roots.

Mama, I'm Swollen, Cursive's 2009 release, doesn't really stray too much from the formula that Cursive created more than a decade ago while most members were just coming out of proto-Cursive band Slowdown Virginia. The self-defacing lyrics about sin and drunken nights are there backed by discordant guitars and pulsing drums, but gone is the electronic and horn elements that dominated Happy Hollow and also the cello that so sweetly accentuated "Ugly Organ's" dense story line. What "Mama, I'm Swollen" does have though is more connection to 2000's critic favorite Domestica and Kasher's side project The Good Life.

The album, from stirring opener "In The Now" with it's shouted repeat line "Don't wanna know what I know / Don't want to live in the now" over guitar lines borrowed from the record Fugazi never wrote to closer "What Have I Done?" that recalls "Inmates" from The Good Life's "Album Of The Year" both of which tell the story of man who cannot quite get something finished, is something to be praised for its bluntness and it's beauty. "From The Hips" and "We're Going To Hell" make "Mama" sound like "Domestica" Pt. Two, but plagiarizing from yourself to make another amazing record isn't always a bad idea.

"Mama, I'm Swollen" isn't Cursive's greatest record, and more likely than not it will be down played as a footnote to an already great catalogue of music from a wonderful indie band.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 3/20/09

Interesting Ordinary Pop

2009-07-21T22:14:00.000-06:00

Interesting Ordinary Pop

Matthew Winters

There is always that girl at the party. She is instantly attractive to everyone in the room, but she keeps her distance from the pretty boys and the poppy girls, instead she favors the nerds and the smart kids. She always has the best stories in the room, like the time she met that famous man and all the "The Fear" she had when she met him. She is accessible and she has been hurt by men, but is funny about it and laughs.

If the party were the current pop music scene, British singer Lily Allen would be that girl. Pop is her game and she is at the top of it. With the help of some very good production, courtesy of Greg Kurstin of "The Bird And The Bee, "and a razor sharp wit; Lily's new album It's Not Me, It's You is a tour de force of pop.

No topic is taboo to her. "Everyone's At It" brings the idea that everyone is doing drugs to the front of the page, and with a sashaying electro beat to boot. "Not Fair" is the song for any girl that has thought that they had the perfect man until they get him into bed.

"Never Gonna Happen" is the perfect song for any person who has dealt with a member of the opposite sex who does not get the hint that you do not like them.
The most staggering thing about It's Not Me, It's You is how quick it can change gears. The anti-racist "F*** You" is placed right between the perfectly beautiful "Who'd Have Known" and "Never Gonna Happen". It can be a little jarring.
However it does not take away from the album as a whole. This album, like her previous effort Alright, Still and close kin The Streets' A Grand Don't Come For Free, has the air of bringing to light very ordinary things about life and turning them into pop masterpieces.

That is the true magic of Lily's music, and much like the girl at the party, they are both so interestingly ordinary.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 2/27/09

Press 'Play' On Instant Classic

2009-07-21T22:11:00.000-06:00

Press 'Play' On Instant Classic

Matthew Winters

Moby, an international DJ and Eminem's favorite target of mockery released an album in 1999 called "Play." You may not know this album but I guarantee that you have heard at least a portion of it, as he licensed the entire album for commercial use. The music on that album fused together the worlds of house and electronic music with the folk and blues recordings of the early part of the last century. What came of it was an album that unabashedly combined characteristics of old with the punch of the new.

Dan Auerbach, better known as the singer and guitarist for the Black Keys, tore a page out of Moby's playbook for his first solo album "Keep It Hid." "Heartbroken, In Disrepair" and "Mean Monsoon" roll along like remixed blues classics, but the vocals growl like they were recorded a hundred years ago. "Disrepair" in particular is the perfect example of the melding of the old with new, a full-bodied guitar jiving over vocals that wouldn't sound out of order in the Deep South circa 1933. "I've got to live my sin till I die" are perfect examples of the blues cookbook, but played over the delayed guitar it sounds so modern a listener could almost confuse them with My Morning Jacket or Colour Revolt.

Where "Keep It Hid" really shows its strength is when it is mostly just Auerbach and an acoustic guitar. Opener "Trouble Weighs a Ton" shows Auerbach at his most emotionally distraught but at his most hopeful as he paints portraits of men and women in their darkest hours. With subtle strings and a very subdued guitar, Auerbach croons with fellow folkie Jessica Lea Mayfield on "When the Night Comes" that leaves the listener wondering if this is an old standard or a new one on the cusp.

"Keep It Hid" is the type of album that haunts the listener for long after it has finished. That is what a true classic does to a listener, it not only is enjoyable while listening but it leaves you humming for days after.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 2/13/09

Words As Weapons

2009-07-21T22:08:00.000-06:00

Words As Weapons

Matthew Winters

P.O.S. is an anomaly. When looking at music we see lines and genres, but with the inception of the Internet and mass media producing devices, the lines of genres are in reality blurred. P.O.S. is a product of that blurring, the love that comes from having more than one love in music and the desire to combine them into one.
Stefon Alexander, better known to his fans as P.O.S., started playing music in punk bands in his home state, Minnesota, but didn't find hip-hop until later in his life. In fact, he stayed away for a very long time abstaining from a lot of what hip-hop culture stands for. When he did discover that hip-hop was a very viable kind of expression, it was a small period of time before he was signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment for his second album, "Audition."

"Audition" was a conglomerate effort that combined the best of his style: quick raps, big hooks on the beats, a love of the punk community, and a weirdly familiar kind of self-deprecating humor. The follow-up effort, "Never Better," takes everything on "Audition" and turns the mix up to 11.

"Let It Rattle" leads off literally asking, "Do you think a president could represent you?" and "What exactly do you do?" almost as a rib at the audience to get them into his frame of mind. What is that frame of mind? Angry, really angry, at a lot of things in society and the world. The first single, "Drumroll (We're All Thirsty)," answers back with fast-rapped verses and a pounding, punk drum roll into a gang vocal shout "We're So Thirsty." He really shows his love for the punk scene on "Savion Glover" which includes a shout-out to post hardcore pioneer Fugazi, and "Terrorish" an ode to the destructive nature of past political administrations with searing vocals from Kid Dynamite/None More Black vocalist Jason Shevchuk.

"Never Better" is, when it is all taken as a whole, the product of being on the road and seeing this country for what it is and trying to bring something that matters to the people and in the process hopefully making them question the environment that they live in.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 2/06/09

Three Cheers For Reunion Shows

2009-07-21T22:05:00.000-06:00

Three Cheers For Reunion Shows

Matthew Winters

About three years ago, the Blackout Pact came through SLC with The Lawrence Arms. A little punk band that came from Denver armed with an explosive first album called "Hello Sailor;" they raged through much of the album and made an impression on the audience that was indelible after three years. My friend told me that it was one of the best shows that he had ever been to due to the band's intensity, comedy and well-crafted songs. He told me this because I wasn't there. I sacrificed seeing one of my favorite bands due to work, and I casually wiped it off my mind with "Oh, they'll be through again."

The Blackout Pact broke up less than six months later.

The adage holds true: it's not the things you do that haunts you, it's the things that you don't. So when I heard that they were reuniting and that they were playing one final show in Denver last weekend, I had to be there. There wouldn't be another chance.

So 10 hours, 500 miles and a metric ton of bad food, gasoline and Mountain Dew later, I found myself in the Old Curtis St. Tavern in Denver, awaiting The Blackout Pact's final show. I quickly found out that I wasn't the only person who travelled a long distance. There were people from Baltimore, Arizona, California, and so many more, showing proof of the short-lived band's influence on the world of punk and hardcore.

The dank little space at the tavern was packed and sufficiently drunk by the time the Blackout Pact took to the stage at 12:30 a.m. Vocalist Mike Herrera yelled out thanks to the crowd, exclaiming that this was the best show that they have ever played, they only had to break up to get it. Starting off with "Luxlo Flaming Deluxlo" the entire crowd shouted "Woo" and I swear we broke some glasses. Surging through almost all of "Hello Sailor," the crowd just ate it up, and the band just reveled through the entire show. The band shouted for beer and shots and they were amply rewarded.

Now to say that these songs are classics for any genre is a lie, they do not have the notoriety, but they were classics that night. The crowd shouted out the lyrics to "Do I Sound Like I'm On Old Time Radio?," "You Punch Me, I Punch You" and "If You Dress Up Like Halloween, Ghouls Will Try And Get Into Your Pants" so loud the venue had to amp up Herrera's vocals to even hear them. The band was just stunning. Playing "Welcome to the Refreshment Room" is hard, doing it drunk apparently makes it so much easier and then adding kissing multiple girls while you play makes it look effortless.

The beer-soaked stage was piling up higher and higher with more people and then something just went out. During their most well-known song, the very fittingly titled "We Drink So You Don't Have To," the power to some of the speakers went out, but the band just soldiered on, playing the song with most of the crowd on vocals. It was at this point that I found myself also on stage with the band. I looked across the crowd and shrugged my shoulders, thinking "This is what it is all about."

The closing song "Lapis Lazuli," sung by guitarist Cory Trendler, was perfect for a song that they had never before played live. Its closing refrain of "Never be the same, no, never be the same" was the perfect ending to a set, for those that were there, that was legendary.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 1/30/09

Two Tongues: Heavyweights Unite

2009-07-21T22:02:00.000-06:00

Two Tongues: Heavyweights Unite

Matthew Winters

I need to get something off of my chest. You, my readers, have been reading and enjoying my column for over six months now and I still have not let out my biggest secret. Here it is: I'm an emo kid. But c'mon not one of those wear black all the time, crying about a girl emo kids. I love the music, it's honest. So now that the secret is out, let's talk about a new release by two of the genres' best.

In early 1997 a very young Chris Conley, under the guise of Saves the Day, released what would be one of the genre's best albums, "Can't Slow Down." Flash forward six albums to today and we are faced with a very different but still intense Saves The Day. Influencing bands was not what Conley intended to do but he did and the best of which is LA's Say Anything.

Led by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Max Bemis, Say Anything roared out of the gate with their 2004 album, "â€¦Is A Real Boy." The album was heralded as a pop masterpiece when it came out and is still highly favored over their follow up album "In Defense Of The Genre."

Both songwriters, Conley and Bemis, had an equal respect for each other and wanted to work together. It was a dream of theirs and an emo kid's fantasy, and it finally happened on this project they've aptly titled Two Tongues.

The self-titled album is full of highlights for the singers, who both sing on all the songs in a Taking Back Sunday style. Conley's sweet falsetto is countered and amplified by the gruff yelp of Bemis all while sounding like the best of both artists' previous work. "If I Could Make You Do Things" is a slow burner that has the singers trading lines about lost love, "Wowee Zowee" turns things up and sounds like it would get a great pit going live, and opener "Crawl" is immediately what you would expect: bombastic emo played by two of its most skilled musicians.

Whether this is a one-off project or if it is going end in multiple albums is beside the point - this album stands up as great album that both artists can be proud of.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 1/23/09

Band's Hybrid Sound Wows Live

2009-07-21T22:00:00.000-06:00

Band's Hybrid Sound Wows Live

Matthew Winters

Some of the most interesting and instantly memorable music in the world is music that combines two or more types into one new genre. Think back to when you first heard Linkin Park, even though their musical creativity is basically set on repeat with the rap/scream dynamic, that same mix was something that harnessed so much about music that we love and brought fans together from two genres.

This same idea has been harnessed by a band in our own backyard. Shaky Trade combines a large amount of funk, classic rock, jazz and even just a little bit of big band era dynamics. Their new album, "Code Green," released late last year is the product of great musical minds coming together and performing music they love.

The music is so fascinating, it sways from more straight up rock approach with "Everybody Run" and "Shut Yo Mouth" to more jazz inspired tracks, "Paint The Roses" and "I'm The Man" to even a reggae track "180 Dub." The music is all over the place but it flows together very nicely from song to song.

The jam at the end of "Shut Yo Mouth" flows really well into "180 Dub," all while the band, singer/saxophone player Billy Bommer, back-up singer/brass player Chris Clemons, Greg Shaw on bass, Simon Crompton on guitar and drummer Michael Wong, jam out.

As much as "Code Green" is a great release that really stretches the boundaries of its chosen musical genres, where the band really shines is at a live performance. I had the pleasure to be invited to their record release party in November and I was amazed at the performance. Billy Bommer really opens up on stage and has a wonderful stage persona that comes across as excited but laid back. The band jammed through many of the tracks that are on "Code Green," but they also shined as a wonderful cover's band by playing soulful renditions of the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" and the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus." All the while "Code Green" practically sold out to a packed audience.

Overall, Shaky Trade, I hope, will continue on and get to a place where they can show their national quality to a national audience.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 1/16/09

Dance Floor Master Returns

2009-07-21T21:56:00.001-06:00

Dance Floor Master Returns

Matthew Winters

Not many people have heard of the BPA. The seemingly unknown group has sprung out of nowhere with an incredible debut, "I Think We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat," and an even more incredible list of collaborators. Still it begs the question: Who are the BPA?

The liner notes are not any help. The notes, largely a fabricated story, meander through the legend of a pair of artists that performed in the '70s and then broke up without releasing a single piece of music. They were never superstars, or were they?
The duo behind these productions are named as Norman Cook and Simon Thornton. Huh? That first name sounds familiar. Isn't he the guy that wrote that song that had a woman singing over and over again "I have to praise you like I should"? Or that other one with Christopher Walken dancing all over in the video? Hey, wasn't that Fatboy Slim?

So that's why the songs, a fun, fast moving group of beat based singles, sound so good and instantly familiar to the listener - Norman Cook has been making instantly legendary dance music for the better part of a quarter of a century. These songs in particular range from dance floor filling fodder in "Toe Jam (With Byrne and Rascal)" and "He's Frank (With Iggy Pop)" to more introspective yet equally danceable fair in "Seattle (With Emmy The Great) and "So It Goes (With Olly Hite)."

While each song has its personal value and shows a lot of difference to Fatboy Slim's sometimes quickly moving albums, it almost feels as if this album was designed as a set of singles instead of a single cohesive album. Sometimes though, this is the way that good pop music works: as a whole the album is a little disconnected and dysfunctional, but single by single the album can be considered stellar, and in this single consuming society that we live in, maybe this is the best album that we can look forward to.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 1/9/09

Dance Floor Master Returns

2009-07-21T21:56:00.000-06:00

Hey! You got rock in my Synth!

2009-07-21T21:55:00.000-06:00

Hey! You got rock in my Synth!

Matthew Winters

Mixing electronic music with rock is hardly a new thing. Blondie and Devo were doing it back in the 1980s when it was still new. Refused and Botch broke it through with hardcore in the late '90s. For goodness sakes, Aerosmith worked with Run DMC on a redo of "Walk This Way" and even though they are a Hip Hop group they grew out of the turntablist culture of the late '70s and early '80s. Few though make the hybrid sting with the amount of panache that newcomers Innerpartysystem does.

On their self-titled album for Island records, the four-piece have released a vicious mix of electronic drums, synths straight out of the club and lyrics as personal and elaborate as any rock song. Singer Patrick Nissley clearly wants you, the listener, to feel the bass as much as he wants you to move your head to the sinful sketches of lust and lost souls in the night. His programming plays a large and very moving part on album-highlight "Last Night in Brooklyn" and the first single "Don't Stop."

The rest of the band is just as good. Drummer Jared Piccone's skill and crisp play rouse the record just as much as the synth or the programming. Kris Barman's guitar-playing is more subtle than the other instruments but it keeps the sound closest to the rock sound that will put these young men on the map.

Their record on this effort is a good one for a first one. It brings to mind the first Killers record (2004's Hot Fuss), which was a record that was wonderful at the highlights yet sometimes forgettable for the low points, but it did set the ground for further efforts that excelled that one. Hopefully Innerpartysystem uses this as a starting point to move towards a better and more thorough definition of their sound.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 11/21/08

Gaslight Honestly Rock

2009-07-21T21:51:00.000-06:00

Gaslight Honestly Rock

Matthew Winters

The bass head for Benny Horowitz' drum kit is emblazoned with a portrait of Shaft and Charles Bronson. New Jersey punk stars The Gaslight Anthem would seem like an unlikely candidate to have a picture like that on one of their instruments. However one listen to the soulful, dangerous sounds that erupt from their instruments and you can understand why Shaft was a good choice.
The band; Horowitz, lead singer/guitarist Brian Fallon, bassist Alex Levine, and Alex Rosamilia on guitar: have taken the soul of the roads of NJ and distilled it into a mix that is one part melodic punk, a portion of soul, and the best parts of classic rock.

Live, the band is a machine. They do not need to explain themselves to a sold-out crowd, they let the music do that for them. Plowing through new material from their sophmore record, The '59 Sound, they sprinked the mix with older favorites, "Wherefore Art Thou, Elvis?," "Boomboxes And Dictionaries," and others, but it was the new material that shone through best. "The Patient Farris Wheel" lost none of it's urgency without the guest vocals from Dicky Barrett and served as crowd mover. "The '59 Sound" was delivered honestly and with care to the original intent of the song. The centerpiece however was "Old White Lincoln" with it's references to lost girlfriends and the feel that it wouldn't be out of place in a film noir.

Their performance was of a headlining caliber. For a band that just a little over a year ago went on their first U. S. tour to get to a point where they are playing to over a thousand people a night is a little daunting. Nevertheless, the quality of the performance and, even more importantly, the honesty of the performers will garner them fans across the U. S. and abroad.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 11/14/08

Thursday And Envy Get Fired Up

2009-07-21T21:45:00.000-06:00

Thursday And Envy Get Fired Up

Matthew Winters

It is almost inevitable that most people lose their intensity with the onset of age, but sometimes that anger and frustration can boil over. That is what happened to New Jersey-based Thursday and Japan's Envy on their new split-EP.

Both bands are known for their groundbreaking work in Screamo, a genre considered a fad for mallrats. Previous efforts from both bands have set the standard in the genre because of both bands' use of atmospheric music, instrumentals, electronics and an honest delivery that cannot be ignored.

Once again they set the standard with their new EP. The effort, which will released in early Nov. on Temporary Residence as a vinyl/CD package, is both cathartic, and a motivator towards positive action. Thursday has never been this fired up. Their songs, two full songs with lyrics, an instrumental and a remix, are some of their best material to date. "We hold our hearts like cigarettes," roars Geoff Rickly on the centerpiece song "An Absurd and Unrealistic Vision of Peace." He has not sounded this frustrated and angry in a very long time. While the two songs with lyrics on the Thursday side are some of their most inaccessible material to date, and their most urgent, when combined with the instrumentals. It is a good lead-in to Envy.
Envy produces some of their best, most accessible songs yet. Their signatures are still there, huge atmospheric dynamics, spoken words, and, like Thursday, a very honest delivery, but it seems to be more accessible for new listeners, who will be turned on to their music for the first time.

While both bands are veterans of a tired scene, they have transcended that and become something that is above it all, and all this while maintaining their anger and frustration, amplifying it to a degree that is something to behold. Their age as a band has not dwindled the fire they have inside them. Instead, it has been put into focus.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 10/31/08

'Senses Fail' And Find Life

2009-07-21T21:42:00.000-06:00

'Senses Fail' and find life
Matthew Winters

Senses Fail has always been a band that has been constantly evolving. From their first recording, from 2002's "The Depths of Dreams" EP, to now, the recently released "Life Is Not A Waiting Room," the band has gone through a series of changes, each more drastic than the last.

When released, "The Depths of Dreams" was a venomous statement about being a teenager, and dealing with things beyond their control and/or understanding. 2004 saw the release of their proper debut the half-baked "Let It Enfold You," an album that straddled the line between emo-hardcore and gruesome horror rock, but it still elevated the band to a respected touring act.

Then, the greatest leap of their career came in 2006 with their sophomore album "Still Searching." The album was a pitch-perfect picture of a group who has traveled together and become solidified, with the addition of Heath Saraceno formerly of Midtown, all standing behind the emotion of lyrical powerhouse Buddy Nielson.
Now, in 2008, we are confronted once again by the world inside Buddy Nielson's head. The new record, titled "Life is Not a Waiting Room," leaves much of the sing-scream dynamics of their previous efforts and adds a large amount of gang vocals to the mix of songs. Old fans rejoice, the anger and screaming is still there on songs "Lungs like Gallows" and "Wolves at the Door," but they do not have the last word as the best aggressive songs on the album.

Haunting tracks like "Yellow Angels" with its sung gang vocal refrain of "Wake up you're sleeping / Wake up you're sleeping behind the wheel," and centerpiece of the album "Family Tradition" have the last word. The latter track is a basic emotional piece about losing your sanity because of hating a parent, with scathing lines like "I wish I could drain out his half of blood in me / But I'd still have his face," it is hard to ignore. Like the album as a whole, music this honest is hard to ignore.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 10/24/08

Being On The Road Influences Being 'Drunk like Bible Times'

2009-07-21T21:39:00.000-06:00

Being on the road influences 'Drunk like Bible Times'
Matthew Winters

Coming from experience, when you are on the road for more than a few weeks, everything begins to have a steady beat to it, much like the engine of a car or the wheels of a train. It infiltrates everything. A band that can attest to this is the Arizona band "Dear & the Headlights." Having toured for an inordinate amount of time on their 2007's debut "Small Steps, Heavy Hooves" they have seriously racked up some miles on the road with "Straylight Run," "The Color Fred," "Jimmy Eat World," "Paramore," and "Mae." All that time on the road has influenced their work on sophomore album "Drunk Like Bible Times."

This album not only touts one of the best album title names ever, but also has some of the best spaced out folk anthems this side of Modest Mouse. Lead singer Ian Metzger effortlessly moves from quiet reflective moments about home and love to a booming baritone to moments of almost shouting in songs "If Not For My Glasses" and "I'm Not Crying, You're Not Crying, Are You?"

Backed by a band full of quirks including handclaps, wandering basslines, and drums that plow along like a train across the Great Plains, the music sounds full and developed - evidence that the songs are created by a few likeminded people that have spent a lot of time on the road together. In the end that is what makes this album work: the feeling of united musicianship caused by a lifetime on the road.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 10/10/08

Chicken Soup For The Folk-Punks Soul

2009-07-21T21:36:00.000-06:00

Chicken soup for the Folk-Punks soul
Matt Winters

In this day and age it is rare to hear anyone to come out and say exactly what they mean. This is particularly rare in the arena of rock stars. Lost in bad metaphors, story lines that make sci-fi novel seem easy to read, and, with many, a super-sized sense of entitlement, many bands lose what made them love music in the first place.

Frank Turner has been there. He was the leader of now defunct rock/hardcore act Million Dead, who in their brief tenure in the scene gained acclaim from legendary British DJ John Peel and made some headway into the states. Then they broke up and it was back to the pub for Frank Turner.

He quickly fired back with a two albums, an EP and a split with Jonah Mantranga (Ex- Far, onelinedrawing, Gratitude, New End Original) all in the space of three years. His newest album, 2008's "Love, Ire and Song," is by far the best of his material.

Starting off with the rousing "I Knew Prufrock Before He Was Famous," an ode to being a second string celebrity and trying to start something anew from the friends you trust in the scene and ending with "The Ballad of Me And My Friends" a quick folk song about failing with grace, recorded live with a chorus shouting the final lines "We are definitely going to hell/But we will have the best stories to tell," and covering in between topics like failed love, failed life, alcohol and friends.

It sounds like depressing fare, but in reality it is all told by a forceful, yet honest storyteller all with the charm of small pub on a rainy night. "Love, Ire and Song" is exactly what modern music should be: quick, thoughtful and spoken from the heart of experience.

Originally Published in The WSU Signpost 10/3/08