Much The Same

Anyone who knows my musical likes and dislikes, or has read this blog much at all knows that i love 90's skatepunk, i never really got in touch with the roots of this genre and it was only until bands like Lagwagon, Millencolin, Face to Face , NOFX, and No Use For a Name started playing a brand of skate punk more melodic than the genres founders that i got into it. I guess that's when it became more popular as well, regardless there's something to be said for music that can hearken you back to a time when you were just beginning to grasp the influence of music on the world and on your own life.

Much the Same were a 2000's era skatepunk band that remind me a lot of how it felt to hear the blistering fast melodies of many of the aforementioned bands for the first time and it's a feeling i never get sick of. They're heavily influenced, or at least sound influence by many, if not all of the bands i mentioned above. In 2006 they released their second full-length entitled Survive, it's more polished and more melodic than any of their previous efforts but it's also their most complete album. I just recently decided to give this a listen and i was more than glad that i did. It's incredibly catchy but it still has that edge that a lot of modern bands attempting to play this stuff lack. The guitar work is fairly simple, it's layered heavily enough, almost too much, but the more I've listened to this record the more it fits. Overall i really enjoy the guitar on this record, i also think the vocals are the strongest aspect, they aren't overbearing, but they aren't too timid either, they just fit the music very well. I guess that's how i would describe this whole record, it fits together really well, it's the culmination of playing hundreds if not thousands of shows together and releasing two E.P.'s and two full-lengths over the course of 7 or 8 years. There isn't much else to say, i won't even mention any stand-out tracks, their aren't any, outside of Skeletons. It seems to flow well enough that each song has a distinctness while still maintaining a fluidity that's hard for most bands to discover. Every song is worth listening to, the lyrics are nothing spectacular but they aren't mindless either, whatever the case it's clear that an incredible amount of effort went into every aspect of this record. This band just recently broke up, it would have been nice to see them live but judging by this record they left on the top of their game. If you're into this stuff, or think you might be, pick this up, it's on Nitro records which in my opinion is one of the better punk labels putting out music right now.

Tried and True

I've spent some time thinking of new things to do with this blog, maybe making it more focused. Doing something like themed mixes like the guitar solo one a couple posts ago, it don't see many if any blogs attempting to do that, it would be difficult and i would probably get sidetracked and have trouble keeping regular updates. I thought about uploading rarer out of print stuff, but i really don't have enough of that stuff nor do i feel like doing that, there are a ton of bloggers doing that now, a few that i have linked on the side bar. I really have no desire to be a critic of any kind, i enjoy writing about music i like and i don't see the purpose in tearing something apart that a group of kids have put their heart and soul into creating. I'm sticking to writing about bands and records i love and am currently enjoying, I'm not going to upload them, good music is worth sacrificing a bit of the all might dollar to enjoy in its entirety. I might do some of those themed posts i mentioned, if i ever get the motivation.

With all that said, I'm going talk about an album released last year, one that would have made my best of '07 list had i heard it on time. Nothing Done's "Everybody Knows" LP. Nothing Done are from the Netherlands and they have a that European hardcore punk sound to them, one that I've come to love over the last few years. In terms of contemporary Euro bands, they're comparable to One Voice and True Colors, although their hardcore punk roots show through a lot more. Their latest record sounds like a perfect mish-mash between early Black Flag, SSD, Uniform Choice, and the band i use to rank any, even remotely youth crew band, Youth of Today. They put their own twist on things, without it this record wouldn't be quite as memorable, there's something about it that seems less jaded and less influenced by the cynicism and bull-shit attitudes that are all to present not only within hardcore punk but within society at large.
This record is an awesome listen start to finish. It starts off with the incredibly catchy "Over and Done" the middle of the record is highlighted by songs like "Pull Me In", their staple, "Jailbreak", and the title song "Everybody Knows". The best part of this record is the point where your 30 seconds from being done listening to it, thinking how you should probably listen to it again, or at least more often, and the solo on "Give it Back" kicks in. Go download the mix i made a couple posts down if you want to hear it, i probably listened to that song in particular 4 or 5 times in sequence after hearing it for the first time. I love records that have closing songs that leave nothing on the table, this entire album and really anything this band has ever released seems to be built on that priciple. Let it all out, and demolish any and everything that appears in under 90 seconds.

Back from the Dead

I've been sleeping on the internet the past couple of months, it's actually more liberating than you might think. Anyway i'll get back to updating this blog regularly. In the meantime I'm going to list off some of the albums I've been paying special attention to and i'll expand on them in future posts. Most of them are newer so i haven't had adequate time to listen.

Verse - Aggression - This record is incredible, so much urgency and desperation i can't wait to get my pre-order from Rivalry. This band is the hardcore punk band right now, they aren't just making music, they're creating and calling to life ideas that can change the current worn-out state of the world.

Hostage Calm - Lens - This band is the Dag Nasty of the 2000's. Innovative melodic hardcore punk, not generic in any sense of the word. I said this band ruled on my best of '07 list and this record puts my not so daring statement in a nuclear bomb shelter.

RAH - Intelligent Design 7" - Finally some good, new local stuff. This stuff rages, although it doesn't really speak to me on a personal level, it's emotional and angsty and reminds me, at least upon initial listen a bit of the Lights Out LP.

88 Fingers Louie - The Dom Year's - This band rules, this record rivals "Back on the Streets". I'm looking for a copy of this, someone give me a heads up.

Avail - Front Porch Stories - Prior to a couple months ago i hadn't given this record much thought but after a few listens i realized i was depriving myself. Avail are an awesome punk and have never missed a beat as far as I'm concerned. A Full review of this is in order when i get a chance to listen to it more.