European Invasion

It's time to get motivated and update this thing more regularly, my apologies for those of you who actually read this and enjoy it, i actually do enjoy writing about music, and just writing in general and now that i have a reliable computer it will make things a little easier. I also updated my other blog, Against The Grain, I'm starting to do book reviews so check it out if you want to know about some cool books.

This post is going to be solely about European youth crew, specifically those bands on Powered Records. First off, the new Common Cause record "The Power To Change" is really great. I got the pre-order a couple of weeks ago and have been listening pretty consistently, I'll do a more in depth review when i can find a digital copy somewhere and have more time to listen to it. Secondly, the new True Colors 7" has solidified these guys as my favorite current youth crew band with Fired Up close behind, with TFS now out of the picture. Speaking of Fired Up, they're coming out with a new 7" on Youngblood Records I think, i can't wait for that, it'll more than likely be on my top 10 list at the end of the year.

Getting to that True Colors 7", it's probably their best material to date and that's saying something coming from me considering i can't get enough of their LP "Focus on The Light". The songs off of "Perspective" just sound more complete and little more dynamic. It's still straight forward catchy youth crew, with gruff, sometimes Ray Cappo-esque vocals and solid delivery all around. You can tell these guys have been around for a bit longer though, they've improved as musicians, or at least in their chemistry with one another and Packo's vocals seem a little more worn, which works just as well. The lyrics are positive and at times insightful. At this point this record is probably my favorite to come out in 2008, considering there have been a lot of other memorable releases this year that's some pretty high praise. Well worth it though. If you haven't heard this yet, it's really essential, especially if you enjoy any sort of youth-crew hardcore, this band reaches near perfection within the parameters of this genre, and that's right where they should be.

I was lucky enough to see True Colors play last night on their North American tour. It was awesome, they played a YOT cover, "I Have Faith" along with some of my favorites from their own collection. Their live show is somewhat reminiscent of the recently defunct First Step's, which is a really good thing, they had a ton of energy, their vocalist, Packo, was relentlessly yelling his lungs out and all the while sprinting, jumping, and moshing throughout the tiny space he had. Speaking of small places, the venue where this show was held, Siesta Nouveaux, was pretty small, it was the first time i had been there since it took over as the primary spot for hardcore punk shows, it has a cool vibe though and the owner of the place seems really into it. This is a good thing considering good venues in this city are few and far between.

This was also the first time my younger brother was able to make it to a show with me, his first hardcore punk shows, so it was definitely cool to see, he's been into the music for a while so it was about time he got to take part in the real deal. We got there half way through local band Come Clean's set, i won't link them because they were not enjoyable, although I'm sure some people would like them, just too melodic and the vocals were really bad. Next, another local, Molested Youth played, they were all really young, no older than 17 or 18 so that was good too see, they've got a good concept too, just a stripped down early 80's hardcore sound. They weren't very together on most songs and the guitarist couldn't figure out how to tune his guitar and aside from one valiant effort didn't seem to care that he was way out of tune. Their set was highlighted by their singer spinning around on the floor like Curly from The Three Stooges used to do, it was pretty weird.

True Colors were next, they opened their set with an instrumental in which Packo was leaping and moshing, i think the intention was to get himself warmed up. I don't remember all the songs they played but going off memory they played "Coming Through", "The Way To Myself", "Perspective", "Enough", "Direction", and maybe one or two others, they finished with "Focus On The Light" which was really fun. Also During the song "Perspective" they have a near seizure educing mosh sequence than would make any youth crew fanatic stomp into oblivion. If you haven't heard this song, it's on their new 7", listen to the last 30 seconds or so. There wasn't really many kids into it, although they drew the biggest response on the night. But nonetheless it was an awesome time and I'm thankful they were able to make a stop in Toronto on this tour.

Cruel Hand played next and although i wasn't really that enthused with them on record i thought they played a really good set, they had a lot of energy and seemed like they were dead on through every song. They also, along with True Colors seemed really grateful to be able to play which was cool too see. I'll definitely check this band out more thoroughly and catch them next time if they come back to the city.

Anyway, that's it. I'll leave with the lyrics my favorite song off of True Colors latest.

Without faith

Walls of lies - Buildings of hate
The people stand in line to taste the poison they create
Losing touch - Reality
Humanity is marching on a song without faith

Without faith

Without faith, without faith - brainless fools
Without faith, without faith - blindfolded truth

It's all the same, with all those stories
Power over wisdom, it's all about their glories
No eyes for no one, except themselves
The world is dying your own hands
Selfish needs - Absurdity
Selfish needs - No identity

Are you fuckin' buying it - No fuckin' way
Go

Hatred is becoming a natural thing - It's time
To do something

It's not too late

Walls of lies - Buildings of hate
The people stand in line to taste the poison they create
Losing touch - Reality
Humanity is marching on a song without faith

Currently Listening: The Clash - London Calling

Won't Leave It Behind

Another major blogging hiatus is coming to an end, my computer is partially broken but that's only partly an excuse. Really I've just been lazy and with school starting and sucking not only money but most of my liveliness out of me, I'm having a more difficult time getting motivated. I didn't blog much this summer mostly due to not really listening to as much music as i would have liked, i found myself dedicating most of my free time to reading this summer.

I also think I've found more of a balance as to where hardcore and punk fit into my life, i no longer really look to lyric sheets for an escape or for "enlightenment" or whatever you want to call it. That probably has more to do with age, most kids around playing bands are around my age, or if they're now defunct they were around my age when they wrote their best stuff. I guess in a lot of ways I've stopped looking to punk or hardcore for my identity, that's stupid anyway, but i would say as a younger kid it helped me in a lot of ways. I'm not trying to say that kids in their early twenties don't have anything good to say, it's quite the contrary, there's something amazing that you can only really capture in your youth, the older you get the harder it is to sustain but i would say one of the most important things a person can do is hang on to their youth, to never get old in spirit.

The point I'm trying to make is that i think you move past the point in life where punk music can really have a profound impact on your life, that's not say you stop participating in it, or stop loving it, it just means that you're able to put it into a greater perspective that sees punk music as only a piece in the vastness of your entire life and your development as a person. I think the impact that punk or hardcore can have on a person can resonate throughout their whole life and can help them connect or carry on what it meant to them to others, it never dies, it just shifts priorities. Punk music has had a huge impact on my life, it's shaped part of who i am now, i can still remember the first punk song i ever heard, i was 11 or 12 years old and my aunt bought me a cover album which included a song by MxPx. I must have played that song a thousand times over within a week, something just clicked, the rest is history. A lot of my ideas as a kid in high school came from the music i listened to and for that I'm incredibly thankful, thankful i had music to spare me from the otherwise mundane existance of an awkward, angry teenagers life.

Although my philosophical bent on life has been changing and is in some ways moving away from some of the more dominant ideals in punk music there are still a lot of relevant bands whose political and social commentary speaks to what i believe. Good Riddance will forever be that band, specifically their record Operation Phoenix, which is a masterpiece. There are also bands like Minor Threat and 7 Seconds that speak to me and have influenced me on that level. And more recent bands like Strike Anywhere, Stretch Arm Strong, Verse, and Lion of Judah are encouraging to me, just to know that it's not lost on these bands that effecting the world in a positive way is the most noble thing a group of kids with a microphone and a few attentive ears can do.

With all that said, I've been listening to a lot of great music the last little while though and will be more so now. The Hostage Calm LP has been constantly churning the hard disk on my mp3 player, the more i listen to it the more i like it, perhaps my praise for it was a little subdued in the review i wrote for it, probably not. I've also been listening to the new True Colors 7", which is very good, maybe even better than Focus on The Light and Battery's Whatever it Takes is gaining near legendary status in my personal discography.

Over the past year or so I've been giving more time to Battery's entire discography and i haven't been slightest bit disappointed. I remember when i first heard of this band and i went through a struggle to get all their material so i could listen to all of it. Whatever It Takes was the first album i came upon and as often seems to be the case, with myself at least, it's still my favorite stuff by them even though I've had a chance to listen to their full discography thoroughly enough.

I think this album flows together better than any of their others, the production is a bit more crisp and seems to capture them as a band better. I've never been awed by Battery's lyrics, with the exception of Why Is She In Pain and this record is no different, the content is really good it's just not written great. They still saywhat they're intended and what they're intended to say is definitely worth saying. The song Who Are You? is also one of my favorite Battery songs, i love the riffs and melodies in it. This record really seems like a completion of their style, i don't want to say they coined a new style of hardcore but they certainly had a sound that would not have been recognizable before their existance. They're one of a few bands that have a distinctive style and sound that sets them apart from they're contemporaries and this record is in my opinion the most complete display of Battery's style of hardcore punk. If you don't have this record yet, pick it up here: http://revhq.com/store.revhq?Page=search&Id=REV065

I've written too much this post, one more thing. I'm going to be turning my other blog, Against The Grain, into a book review blog of sorts . I've read a ton of books over the past few years, some of them which have been hugely influential on my life so i thought it would be cool to do a little write up on some of them. So hopefully i'll have the first one up by the end of the week, just a heads up to anyone who may be interested, it will be on Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You.

Also, i almost forgot again, check out A Riot of My Own it's a really good blog by xroldx from The Netherlands. Some cool interviews and album reviews over there, definitely worth the time!

Currently listening: Good Riddance - Operation Phoenix

Passing The Torch

I've been a fan of Another Breath since they released "Not Now, Not Ever" in 2004, the first time i heard it i was thoroughly impressed with the sound this band produced, really thick guitars and furious vocals, melodic but with enough edge that it doesn't get boring. I remember making a copy of this for the car just after i heard it for the first time, on the ensuing drive i must have listened to it 5 or 6 times, it seemed like i would start at track one and track eight would be over before i could really appreciate what i had just heard.

Since then I've made listening to this record a regular occurrence. I've since gained more of an appreciation for the lyrical content of this record, it's very straight forward, almost harsh but with a sincerity that comes across infinitely better than the number of bands who attempt to play a style of hardcore similar to this. The lyrics are introspective, but they aren't written so obscurely that there is absolutely no way you can relate to them, they're written in a way that seems to focus more on the personal effects of social or political forces. I've always been someone who looks first to the macro level rather than the micro, for good or bad, its always something I've done when attempting to address problems whether big or small. That's not to say that individual responsibility is lost and it certainly isn't in the mind of the singer as is evident is Clio, perhaps the best song on the record.

The song Rotting is probably my favorite lyrics wise, it deals with the struggles of unrealistic expectations based on appearance and superficial means as the first half of the song demonstrates; "Contingencies. You have no choice in this. We're brought into a world where judgment's made on face value. Desperation turned inward and another face frozen in time with disregard for substance. Billboard girls your smile looks so fake, the rain, your only tears, your eyes are dripping black. A false appearance. A brainwashing. Perfection unattainable. Image destroys the female youth." Another lyrical highlight comes in "Truth In Television" when the words; "You won't find any answers if you're looking away to The person that you wish you could be. I can't justify hiding behind masquerade. Reminding yourself that who you are doesn't matter at all," ring out to end the album.

Musically Another Breath play a style reminiscent of melodic youth crew with a heavy modern hardcore sound, similar to Go It Alone or Blue Monday. This record is well worth checking out if you haven't already, the only complaint i have was that it took a long time to place the lyrics within the songs, the singer's scream is somewhat indiscernible so at times you get lost, but overall it's a pretty futile detail especially if you take the time to let these songs grow on you.

Anyway, Pick this Record up at Rivalry Records

Currently Listening: Lagwagon - Hoss

No more Complacency

Out of the plethora of music that i listen to and in particular hardcore or punk, there are a lot of bands that move me, whether it be socially, politically, or personally based i try and fill my ears with music that means something more than just the decibels pulsing through the speakers towards my ears. For me, punk was always about this, as much as there were certain records that i can say without a doubt helped me deal with growing up i always gravitated towards music that was solely agitated by how twisted the world is, music that not only witnessed this but sought to change it. There are very few records that can actually push a person to do something, to take legitimate action regardless of the cost and Verse's latest LP Aggression is one of them.

Verse has been one of my favorite bands since they formed, there is something so urgent in their music that is hard for me to ignore. Having listened to their previous efforts, Rebuild and From Anger and Rage thoroughly enough to be able to recite almost any lyric i can comfortably say that Aggression is their most complete, most thoughtful, and most powerful release to date. Each and every song and each and every word are played and sung like it's the last note or the last word ever to be produced.

The record starts urgent and pleading with A New Fury which highlights the devastating plight of our lives if we actually sit back and watch what's taking place, it ends with the words, " But they'll never silence me as long as i can breath". Those words and others like it are why this band is worth listening to, you can see the hopelessness, but if your not willing to fight it until there's nothing left of you, you may as well not know at all. Another moment of inexplicable will is witnessed in the song Scream, when after going over the defeats of others who haven't been willing to settle, vocalist Sean Murphy's insightful yell is heard exclaiming the words "But as long as my heart keeps beating. I still can't stop screaming. Silence. Is Violence. I'm Bending. I'm Breaking. I'm Broken. I'm still alive."

There are many moments on this record that have the potential to push stagnant minds into action, none more powerful than the album finale, Sons and Daughters. This song is really a recap of everything that's been said throughout the entire album, although it seems to say it even more powerfully than before. As the song slows to a halt the word Aggression is chanted with impassioned messages in between, culminating in the words "I won't stop until I've broken every chain" yelled until it seems every ounce of conviction has left the singers body.

I didn't make any mention of the musical qualities of this record, the words are more important, although the music is good, really good, the lyrics are overshadowing and in my opinion that's the way it should be. Most importantly this record isn't about rebellion, or angst, it's about truth and it's hovering very close to what i believe is the answer. The hard part is making the necessary sacrifices to be able to make a difference and this record can surely provide solace and motivation for those wishing to do so.

Pick this record up from Rivalry Records (In my opinion the best hardcore/punk label going right now) here.

Currently Listening - Verse - From Anger and Rage

Draw the Connections

There's been quite a few new releases come out lately by bands that I've either been interested for a while now or have just been getting to know. The new Police and Thieves 7" out on Youngblood Records rips, i'll do a full review when I've had more time to listen to it. I received the new Killing the Dream LP last week from Deathwish, upon initial listen i wasn't impressed but i liked it much more upon the second listen and more the third time through, I'm not overly impressed with the lyrical content, after sitting down with the spiffy looking gate fold layout and reading the lyrics while listening to each song respectively i can't say that there's anything new or even remotely groundbreaking being said, although there doesn't always have to be and I'm sure the writing process was helpful for their singer.

One of the recent releases I've really enjoyed is Hostage Calm's debut LP "Lens". I love melodic hardcore punk when it's done right and this band does this style justice and then some. I've likened this band to Dag Nasty a couple of times now, if not entirely based on their sound it's because i can hear the ingenuity of their approach to the melodic punk sound, similar to what Dag Nasty was able to accomplish with "Can I Say". I'm not suggesting that this album at this point is in the same stratosphere as "Can I Say" but there is something about this record and this band that's unique enough to have even a fraction of the lasting impact of the aforementioned band and record and that, although seemingly pales in comparison is a feat not many in the 22 years leading up to this have been able to match. "Lens" is driven by a fast paced melodic rhythm that's present throughout every song but ultimately it's the vocalist who catapults each and every song beyond what the music gives potential for. It's in this aspect that i see the Dag Nasty comparison most glaring. The lyrics are equal to the vocal wizardry, without words worth singing there's really no point in singing. The lyrics are, like contemporaries Strike Anywhere and Verse, a call for change, really an urgent plea for our generation to wake up and even though that might sound cliche, it would only be cliche if we weren't all sleeping. Speaking of Strike Anywhere, there are more than a few moments on this record where the similarities between the two bands arise, in a song like Interchangeable Parts the Strike Anywhere comparison is easy to pin point. Audible and Lacuna are two songs with incredible melodies and really showcase the potential this band has while song like Nosebleed Section and Grayscale showcase a more stripped down approach. There isn't a weak point on this record, at least not that i can see in the 25 - 50 times I've listened to it, if you're into melodic punk, political punk, hardcore punk or whatever, just good sincere music with a message check this record out. Their demo, released last year is also really good, you can pick it up at the following link.

If not at your local record store, pick it up here: http://www.andnowthisishappening.com/

Currently Listening: Craig's Brother - Homecoming

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.