Sound Salvation Army

This is one of those posts that’s equal parts encouraging and a total bummer.

This week SSA-favourites O Pioneers!!! announced their impending break-up. That is the absolute worst, you guys!

I’ve written about O Pioneers!!! as much or possibly more than any other group on this site, frankly. Part of the reason is that I completely fucking enjoy just about everything they’ve ever done but part of it is also that I feel a compulsion to try and make YOU enjoy them.

You can read the previous posts linked above to get a sense of what the band was about but what I’ve got for you today is a microcosm of their work, the cream of Eric Solomon’s brain crop if you will. These are my absolute favorite half-dozen of his songs; it’s a taste of what you’ll get if you participate in Solomon’s final big move. He’s posted what is literally the band’s entire recorded output (aside from four songs; thankfully I have those four songs) onto Canada’s premium on-line punk purveyor, Juicebox as a pay-what-you-want download. It’s mammoth and essential for people who need three live versions of moderately rare 7″ b-sides. In addition to a few short live sets it also features demo recordings of at least one unreleased track. Previously unknown gems!

Now it’s worth noting that these songs are very different from the first to the last. The top-most songs are among the last Solomon recorded, backed (at least in part) by Toronto’s Junior Battles. They have a much more melodic, almost pop sound to them. If you go down to the bottom you’ll find material recorded when O Pioneers!!! was a two-piece characterized as “folk punk” (which in my mind the band has NEVER been; they just liked early Against Me! is all). It’s a big swing.

Make sure you check out as much or as little of this material as you want, but also ensure that you keep your eyes peeled for his next project: Black Clouds (an excruciatingly-appropriate name for Solomon’s typical lyrical content, frankly).

So thanks to Eric for the past and future music. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 O Pioneers!!! - Broken Records: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 O Pioneers!!! - Summers In Necro Norway With Spider Ryan: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 O Pioneers!!! - The Adventures Of John Locke: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 O Pioneers!!! - Remember That Part In "Superman III"...: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 O Pioneers!!! - The Weather Underground: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Buy their latest album! Or their old albums! Or a cassette! Or the iTunes! Throw the dude some business if you need some fine silk-screening done. His crew is great. I have t-shirts and album covers they made to glow in the dark.

Pat entries break-ups, Eric Solomon, eulogies, in memoriam, O Pioneers!!!, parting shots, punk rock

Buckle up for some surprising news, readers: I’ve been getting older these last few years.

Shocking though it may seem, it’s true. To make matters worse my aging has been totally cliched. I go out to shows less and less often, “classic” soul and pop music has become my usual go-to instead of punk rock, my girlfriend and I stay in and read more often than we go out drinking, and sometimes I even go to bed before midnight. My teenage self is so ashamed.

Junior Battles, it seems, can relate. The plucky Torontonians found a place in my heart last year, thanks to a flawless EP and a surprisingly charming video. On their new full-length album, however, it appears someone is going all Daniel Plainview on their glass-half-full mind-set.

The first half or more of Idle Ages (aside from album opener “Seventeen” anyway) is jarring for me. It really made me take a look back at the band’s previous work and reassess the tenor of it. Chalk it up to having spent a year singing the songs from their self-titled EP as loud as possible in my car but in my head the band has been a beacon of positivity and hopefulness but it turns out that as far as that EP goes that really only applies to my admittedly-favourite song, “Basements.” The rest of the tracks have a significantly darker lyrical tone.

That’s amplified in several tracks on Idle Ages, the group’s first full-length album. Specifically “Nostalgic at 23,” “Birthdayparties vs Punkroutine,” and “Twenty-Five.” I’m sure it’s no coincidence that all of those numbers are written and (primarily) sung by Aaron Zorgel, who had this to say about the latter track in a run-down on the album published by Property of Zack:

I was going through a time in my life where I was the most directionless, the most broke, and as a result, the most medicated I’ve ever been. At that time, I was unhappy with where my life was going, and I didn’t know where I wanted to be, or what I wanted to do. So, I was getting wasted a lot and feeling sorry for myself. I’ve since turned 25, and I’m happy to report that I’m generally pretty upbeat these days, and I’m feeling good about my situation. I think I just needed to put what I was feeling out there, and doing that was honestly very therapeutic for me.

The idea of self-medicating comes up a few times here in a very unglamorous fashion. “I guess I’m happy for now but we’re just tired and loaded,” Zorgel sings on “Send The Pilots Away.” “We reminisce ’til we’re fucked up and then we puke in our own sheets,” fellow songwriter Sam Sutherland insists on “Nostalgic at 23, adding, “I’ve got to be fucked up to put up with your bullshit.” Also kind of a bummer: “I can sleep maybe eight hours a day/maybe six hours I’m wasted/and the rest of the day I’m fucking tired.”

Zorgel also spends a track or two looking at the idea that while aging may bring confusion (and eventually clarity) it can also force a wedge between formerly close friends. He laments how once-close friendships can take a backseat as people’s lives take different paths, resulting in infrequent contact that consists mostly of remembering common history.

Sound familiar? It does to me. You bet your ass I’d like to be able to make more time for the people that were once the closest friends I had, but work, family, and relationship commitments sometimes make that difficult. It’s unfortunate, but it’s something I try not to dwell on; there are simply more people than there is time to spend with them. I’ve always tried to tell myself that there’s no point in worrying about the inevitability in life; you won’t get anywhere if you spend all your time obsessed with what happens when you die or having a mental breakdown just because you’re turning 30.

To me these songs illustrate a depth of understanding that covers what I’m sure is a fairly common experience for people who might have expected growing pains to end with adolescence. Transitioning into the world of adulthood is tough enough for most people but for creative types trying to make a living while creating music and touring clearly adds another level of difficulty. Perhaps the Junior boys are hoping that openly discussing such issues will help other people get past those rough patches and increase the optimism.

There is certainly a more upbeat side to the record, one that the album simply couldn’t live without, the yang to the bleaker yin of the album’s first half. One example is pushed up front with opener “Seventeen.” It’s a bit of a mixed bag but for me it sets up a feeling of resolve that the energy and power of the music of Idle Ages helps to carry through the album’s entire running time. “Here’s a list of reasons we’re making this morning/to never feel angry or get disappointed,” the band sings emphatically at the opening. That along with the “woah-oh” melodies create a bubble of energy and glee that even the refrain of, “Will I be happy?/No, no, no, no, no, no, no/I don’t think so,” in the following track “Twenty Five” can’t burst.

“Architecture” and “Living In The Future Of Feelings” shift the focus to what is presumably the band’s overwhelming source of joy: the band itself. Sutherland describes the latter as a “straightforward pleasure-cruiser” about how much goddamn fun it is to be able to make music and do something you love, even if it means making sacrifices along the way. “Even our worst work week is still better than your holidays,” they insist before heading into a chorus that is the hands-down number one sing-along moment of the summer as far as I’m concerned (it also made a pretty good title for this review).

Junior Battles also deserve credit for attempting to stretch themselves musically. While much of the music follows the loose template of up-tempo pop punk they’ve already laid out for themselves there are several moments of aggression and a focus on taking their arrangements to the next level that show some significant growth. Just check out the 1:20 mark of “With Honours” for proof. In an admittedly brief but deft move the band abruptly switches from one of the record’s first moments of quiet(er) reverie to twenty seconds of thrashing, chaotic, uncharacteristically harsh guitar tones. The already-aggressive “Ever Get The Feeling You’ve Been Cheated?” chastises sloganeering punk bands for phony political posturing and gets a big boost courtesy of guest vocalist Damian Abraham of Fucked Up. The palm-muted riffing and somber tone of “Send The Pilots Away” recalls more dour moments from groups like Bad Religion or Polar Bear Club. The dizzying arrangement of “Alternate 1985″ seems more like four or five songs mashed together but it works, drawing the listener further in with every left turn.

I could go on but if I haven’t lost you yet I should probably not run the risk.

I’ll be the first to admit this review may be short on criticism but that’s only because I like this record too goddamn much. There are a couple of things that don’t work for me here but it just doesn’t matter. Idle Ages is a record that is exactly what it needs to be: it speaks eloquently about shared human experiences in a voice that isn’t pandering, cloying, or condescending. The players are extremely talented and have formed a sound that is unique but feeds off myriad influences, appealing to anyone who likes any kind of punk and probably more than a few people whose tastes lean toward safer pop conventions. The end result is easily one of the top five records released so far this year, one that will be sticking around when the year-end best-of lists start getting churned out in December.

In short these guys are exactly what they want the rest of the world to be: honest, ethical, forthright, dedicated, and driven. If nothing else that alone deserves your attention.

 

 Junior Battles - Seventeen: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Junior Battles - Living In The Future Of Feelings/No Plan: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

You can purchase Idle Ages from Paper + Plastick Records right here, through their webstore. Don’t bother getting it from iTunes — buying the CD will get you an instant digital download. The band tells me that vinyl is coming soon so if that’s your jam keep checking back.

Pat entries adulthood, Canadian content, growing up, Junior Battles, Paper + Plastick Records, pop punk, positivity, punk rock, rock, Toronto

I never really got into Latterman.

The punk rockers from Long Island, New York were beloved by the org-core crowd for the few years they were together, heralded for their, “gruff vocals and blend of pop punk.” Reviewers fawned, stating, “The choruses are huge and fun and the melodies are dangerously contagious.” All of which I like, but for some reason I just never latched on to the band.

A lot of people were heart-broken when the group disbanded, but it wasn’t long before they all moved on to new projects that are just as acclaimed. Thankfully, this time I get it — the two most prominent, at least, are amazing.

Let’s start with the image you see above, the cover art for the full-length debut from Iron Chic. They’re a band that describes themselves (on their own website, no less) as “a decent band” that plays “adequate songs.” Not straying too far from the sound that was left behind when Latterman folded, the group slings deliriously catch pop punk reminiscent of latter-era Hot Water Music. Fantastically distorted bass and surprisingly melodic singing from gruff, raspy voices are the hallmarks of Not Like This, an album that is as long on passion as it is short on running time.

Admittedly the band’s sound here is not world’s apart from what they’ve done previously, but it is a fair shot at moving on to bigger things. The vocal hooks here are huge and the lyrics they convey, while liberally peppered with a particularly volatile curse word (”fuck,” if we’re being honest; this blog is already “rated r”) read like a stately position paper on personal politics and the politics of the person, about the merits of eschewing the lazy trappings of modern life in favour of personal accountability and never-say-die initiative to improve your own situation.

Despite that message, however, these words and sentiments have a decidedly less-than-cheery outlook. It feels like every inch of ground Iron Chic makes up is a fight, like the world around them is oppressive (probably more true than not) and is either filled with those looking to hold them back or those who blithely carry on through their day, ignorant of the state of the world around them.

For me the most resonant and relevant track is “Timecop,” a stand-out track that was actually re-recorded after appearing on their first demo. The song is a manifesto about leaving the past, no matter how glorious it may seem, in the past and moving on to something bigger and better. The band knows the memories of their youthful past experiences may be sweet, but dwelling on the past has never gotten anyone anywhere.

While a sense of not-quite-despair but not-even-close-to-happiness permeates many of the songs, the band wisely ends things on a rare note of positivity. While the majority of “Every Town Has An Elm Street” focuses on the need so many young people feel to retreat from their home city in search of something better, it also examines the same notion from the perspective of someone who has chosen to stick around and focused on making themselves better despite their environment. “From a thousand miles away,” Jason Lubrano, formerly of Small Arms Dealer, sings, “It’s a brand new day/and we all find our way home/home is where the heart stays/when the heart strays/home is where we are today.” It’s a statement that applies as much to the band’s position as it does to the characters in the song; regardless of starting a new band there’s a larger idea and effort the group is continuing to try and inspire in its listeners. That insistence is admirable and the songs are definitely there to back up the sentiment.

On the other side of the ex-Latterman coin, Bridge and Tunnel are only slightly more prolific, issuing a number of singles and splits in the last few years. The group’s take on punk is slightly more removed, retaining an obvious Hot Water Music influence combined with equal parts Fugazi. Reviewers have identified elements of finger-tapped guitars in the vein of Minus The Bear, aggressive post-hardcore, and American Football-style instrumentation.

I only know what about half of that means, but I know what I like and I like Bridge and Tunnel. I also like their 2010 EP, Indoor Voices, and I hope it isn’t the last chapter in their story (it’s the last batch of songs recorded before the group’s bassist/one of their singers left the line-up).

Not venturing too far from their previous releases, the band’s consistently-aggressive shout-singing has become more melodic than ever. The group benefits from having four unique voices delivering their words, constantly layering their tracks with back-up vocals and harmonies that reflect and enhance their slinky, progressive songwriting and phenomenal instrumentation.

Opener “Predecessors” is an inspired choice to begin the too-short set: the intricate guitar work is riffy, weaving their way in and around each other while the band’s quickest, catchiest rhythm yet amps up the energy. The band sings about the plight of our elderly, those whose legacy is taken for granted as they’re left to die on their own, segregated from family and society. On one hand it seems almost criminal for such a catchy song to be couched in such a dire sentiment, but on the other perhaps a catchy song is what’s needed to make people pay attention.

The five-song set continues pushing the band’s socially-minded agenda. They talk about how people are sold a rotten bill of goods through flighty consumerist trends, how routine and soul-crushing it is to live in the real world and have the same experiences over and over, and the downside of the transitory lifestyle of a musician.

The passion is the thing, with Bridge and Tunnel, and it’s a tangible passion that few other bands have ever felt, let alone sustained.

It’s interesting how the former Lattermen in both bands are definitely the minority of total members, but there are commonalities in both: each group has their own social agenda focusing on personal politics and the inherent shortcomings of society and the world around them but their music belies the somewhat dour nature of it all. I’m sure they’d all bristle at the notion of being thought of as “ex-Latterman” (they’re also ex-Slingshot Dakota, ex-Fellow Project, ex-Small Arms Dealer, ex-Agent, and ex-Regarding I), but regardless of their own musical origin it’s good to know that talented musicians don’t let the demise of one project prevent them from reaching even greater heights.

 

 Iron Chic - Time Cop [2:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Iron Chic - Know What I Mean, Jellybean? [3:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Bridge & Tunnel - The Staples: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Old Iron Chic releases can be found in their physical form at Dead Broke Records and on iTunes.

Bridge and Tunnel is a proud product of No Idea Records, where you’ll find vinyl and CDs galore. They’re also on iTunes.

Pat entries Bridge and Tunnel, ex-members, Iron Chic, Latterman, New York, No Idea Records, pop punk, post rock, punk rock, second chances

Punk rock is a foreboding place.

For all its overtures of inclusiveness and its posturing as a home where all misfits can be accepted and find a community it’s often the home of severely critical “fans” who will turn on a group at the drop of a hat for any perceived slight from “selling out” to “changing their sound.” In other words, growth and individuality, setting oneself apart, can be all too frequently punished if it doesn’t fit within the acceptable norms. The Satanic Surfers, a punk band from Sweden, wrote a great song about this very topic on Fragments and Fractions. I’d post a link to it, but you’re unlikely to find it on YouTube or most free music downloading services. That’s because the group was mostly written off by the majority of “punk rockers” after their 1999 album Going Nowhere Fast because their songs got slower.

Maybe that temperament is changing. There seems to be nothing but love right now for Connecticut band Hostage Calm. After an album of mostly by-the-numbers melodic hardcore the band abruptly shifted gears, seemingly devouring a glut of disparate musical influences and taking a hard left turn into pop alchemy for 2010’s self-titled record. While still based in punk rock structures, there are a ton of 80’s pop and rock influences manifesting inside of their tunes. They cite influences like early Beatles, Ted Leo, the Smiths, and more as having shaped the album. Think tambourines, cooing Brian Wilson-inspired backing vocals, acoustic guitars, bright piano chords, and calculated time signature shifts all surrounded by power chord riffing. And that’s just “Rebel Fatigues.”

The closest analog to the band’s new-found sound, and perhaps to some extent an explanation for its popularity, is the once-defunct and in-the-midst-of-reuniting Gatsbys American Dream. A band that was always ahead of its time, I can’t help but hear shades of Gatsbys’ unnervingly deft musical interplay at work on tracks like “Ballots/Stones” and “Jerry Rumspringer.” The pervasiveness of the harmonies is also something Gatsby had in spades. I’m not suggesting Hostage Calm is appropriating elements of their sound, but I’m perfectly willing to admit that some level of nostalgia for GAD has played a big part in my enjoyment of Hostage Calm.

Hostage Calm is, however, much more up-front about the political nature of what they have to say politically. Their sound might trend towards the timelessness but their words are very much in the here-and-now. “Ballots/Stones” is an indictment of California’s Proposition 8, a referendum vote that banned same-sex marriage in the state (which was overturned in 2010). “Rebel Fatigues” offers a look at the on-going wars in Afghanistan and Iraq from the perspective of the people in those countries and how they live their lives with a constant military presence, regardless of the status of combat or training missions.

As an aging punk rocker I often find myself really not caring at all about the glut of mySpace/screamo/pseudo-metal-posturing bands that have overrun the genre these days. Hostage Calm is proof positive that some of the younger cats still in the game still like to think outside the box and mix it up, to keep things interesting. I may still feel like an aged punk but sometimes I’m okay with less screaming and more melody.

That having been said, readers of the site are well aware that when I do feel like some throat-ravaging shouting to go along with my melodies I usually look no farther than the delightful O Pioneers!!!. With an injection of new camaraderie and creativity thanks to his partnership with the members of Toronto’s pop-punk proletariat in Junior Battles the plucky Eric Solomon is forging on with a band that has had its share of rocky moments.

The new year promises to be a big one for O Pioneers!!!, as they’ve already booked a small tour with Hostage Calm and are preparing to release a 9″ vinyl split with Andrew Jackson Jihad on famed Florida label No Idea Records (one of the few labels in modern punk O Pioneers!!! has yet to issue release a record with). It’s going to melt your face, if new track “Oak Island” is any indication. A perennial favourite every year, 2011 promises to be a good one; hopefully the year that Solomon deserves after working so hard to keep this band afloat.

 

 Hostage Calm - Ballots/Stones [2:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Hostage Calm - Rebel Fatigues [2:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
 O Pioneers!!! - Oak Island [3:10m]: Download

Hostage Calm’s self-titled album can be purchased from Run For Cover Records. Digital through iTunes (why fight it?).

O Pioneers!!! albums are all over the place, so a distro like No Idea or InterPunk are probably your best bet. Some digital is on iTunes as well.

Pat entries Amurrica, Best of 2010, best ofs, genre mash, Hostage Calm, O Pioneers!!!, pop rock, punk rock

Listening to The Gaslight Anthem’s 2008 album the ‘59 Sound I heard a band starting to deliver on its promise. I had no idea what was to come.

The newly-released American Slang is the band truly delivering on their potential, finally and fully achieving the synthesis of punk, Springsteenian rock, and 50’s soul and R&B they’ve been patiently waltzing their way toward for the last five years. They’ve done away with crutches (the power chords and modern punk tempos) that supported them on much of their last two full-lengths and an EP (which, frankly, was pretty awesome despite being nothing but an awkward growth spurt).

How did they get here? Well, it’s pretty simple: they stopped fucking around. Primarily that means getting rid of the lyrical obfuscations that have marked their previous work. Frontman and songwriter Brian Fallon has spent most of the band’s past releases couching his songs in stealth, whether it was naming every woman referenced in his songs Maria or crafting tunes that referenced musicians he admires (often directly by name) with only the vaguest hints of story/substance clinging to those references. The closest he seemed to get to autobiography was “Drive” from the debut Sink or Swim, a song about driving the tour van. Not exactly painfully personal storytelling.

Ah, but here we get another view at Fallon’s emotional depth. All of the track’s here offer a more personal take on songwriting, including some that expand on previous hints of real-life heartache. For instance, “Bring It On” offers more about the broken relationship only hinted at in the ‘59 Sound’s brilliant opening missive “Great Expectations.” It’s a classic storyline flipped on its head, the male protagonist faced with a lover threatening to leave. It remains couched in Fallon’s vague reference to The Cool, presumably making it a period piece when Miles Davis’ new twist on jazz was invading the clubs and driving the boys and girls wild. An inexplicable air of nostalgia has always clung to Fallon’s songwriting an that’s no different on this record, as no less than three songs use a variation on the phrase, “When we were young” (an interesting tendency for a man in his early 30’s). The group’s most awkward moments have always been their attempts at modern, punkier songs so it makes sense to some degree that they’d run as far as possible in the opposite direction.

“Orphans” and “Boxer” are an uptempo back-to-back pair of tracks that might cut the closest for Fallon from a lyrical standpoint. The former concerns a formerly-young man lamenting on a lonely past and trying to find himself in the world; the latter tells the tale of a rough-and-tumble youngster who escapes into music and songwriting to escape the abuse he suffers at the hands of an overly-macho father. These may or may not be windows into Fallon’s past but even if they are character pieces it certainly gives some insight into the somewhat bleak undercurrent that can permeate his songs from time to time. But that tenor does conflict somewhat with his constant nostalgia; it’s hard to imagine someone longing for such a rough-and-tumble past.

Regardless, it’s refreshing to see the group has made a conscious effort to stop writing about their favourite kind of music and instead fold its influence into their own work. That’s most apparent in tracks like “The Queen of Lower Chelsea” and “The Diamond Church Street Choir,” which are laced not only with back-up vocals from the other members of the band (heretofore nonexistent on Gaslight albums) but also with several tracks of Fallon wailing at the top of his lungs, doing his best impression of a 60’s soul singer. The commitment and charisma he shows in those layered performances are genuine and so unexpected and engaging they nearly run the risk of calling the listener’s attention away from the song as a whole.

Fallon has said in interviews that he and guitarist Alex Rosamilia put in a lot of time simply getting better at playing the guitar in preparation for this album. That comes across in a much more sophisticated interplay between the two than on past records. While several songs here maintain the upbeat punk spirit of their earliest releases they’ve also tempered that by playing parts that go beyond simple power chords, emphasizing melodicism and muscle in equal parts.

The band folds Fallon’s new-found songwriting bravery and their musical maturation into brand new territory on “The Queen Of Lower Chelsea,” a patient, quiet tribute to a woman that’s letting life pass her by. The track is a bold new step for the band, focusing around a catchy, rhythmic lead guitar figure that serves as both hook and the anchor for the song, a melodic centerpiece that is returned to throughout. It’s a song that is 95% restraint, exploding only momentarily in a quick bridge section. The band immediately quiets back down again, save for some duelling background vocals from Fallon, tortured wailing that moves the band closer than ever to the early Clapton/Stones white-boy blues vibe that influenced the writing of this record. It’s a captivating listen and a masterfully-crafted song, perhaps their best yet.

The fuller sound that has resulted from Gaslight’s obvious efforts to just get better makes this album well worth the wait. Culminating in the tortured, plaintive wailing of the final track, “We Did It When We Were Young,” the record is a huge step forward musically in addition to being a long-awaited peek into the singer’s mind. After enjoying his vague ruminations on some of his favourite artists of years past, Fallon’s finally taking steps to ensure he and his band have a shot at leaving a legacy of their own.

 

 the Gaslight Anthem - Boxer [2:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Gaslight Anthem - the Queen Of Lower Chelsea [3:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Plenty of music and “apparel” available through the band’s webstore. Albums are digital through iTunes as well.

Pat entries Best of 2010, fusion, Gaslight Anthem, punk rock, rock

Spring has been a big ol’ pile of shit in Regina, Saskatchewan this year.

True, we had an unseasonably warm stretch of a couple of weeks in April, but May has been nothing but high winds, abnormally cold temperatures, snow, and rain. It’s enough to make one go back into winter hibernation mode. Or at least it was until I started spinning this little slice of sunshine.

Toronto’s Junior Battles are on to something. A lot of the reviews I’ve read for their self-titled 7″ pick up on a thread of 90’s throwback/nostalgia that seems to run through this tiny collection of songs, but to me their appeal has less to do with what they have in common with their pop-punk forefathers and more the exuberant and varied arrangements that place these tunes in a decidedly modern context.

Lead-off track “Basements” is definitely ear-catching. It’s tempo is constantly shifting, a mostly-perky chord arrangement and a trickily-drummed bridge providing a note-perfect under-pinning for the heavily-harmonized vocals. The vocals have great momentum as well, adding more and more layers of harmony as the song continues.

As with most great pop-punk, the vocal melodies and harmonies take center stage on Junior Battles. They fall more in the vein of bands like Jawbreaker (but smoother), Hot Water Music (but less gruff), or earlier Green Day (yup).

Lyrically they have a strong tenor of “band songs,” concerning their reliance on records and songwriting/performing to get them through the long, dark, cold Canadian winters. Not hard to relate to, obviously. There is a road/touring song as well (the perfectly-titled “Roads? Where We’re Going, We Definitely Need Roads”), but it leans more towards the, “Isn’t it great we get to do this for a living?” tone than anything else. “”Update Your Resume” strikes the lone chord of discontent, lamenting the pitfalls of the record industry versus the glory of playing music.

The Battle-rs recently partnered up with one of my favourite musicians of the modern era, Eric Solomon, to serve as the backing band and touring partners for O Pioneers!!! after their latest personnel breakdown. It’s an interesting partnership, considering the relatively disparate levels of pop and polish in their respective material. But if it works I think both bands stand to benefit immensely. Even if it doesn’t, we’ve got a terrific slab of wax here to help remember better days.

Now I just have to track down a copy of their EP.

 

 Junior Battles - Basements [2:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Physical: 7″ records available here
Digital: From ‘If You Make It’, which is available for free.

Pat entries Canadian content, O Pioneers!!!, pop punk, punk rock, team-ups

I teared up a little this morning listening to Hot Water Music. It wasn’t the first time.

Since seeing them at Warped Tour in 1999 I’ve had a deep connection with this band and the unwavering passion with which they create music. It reached a head in 2003 when they released what I consider one of my favourite albums of all-time, Caution. While fans of the band are often deeply divided between their older, more intricate and challenging records and the more immediate, hooky, perhaps even poppy Epitaph-era output I celebrate their entire catalog (that might be evident in the amount of times I have referenced them on this site in the past).

They’ve been dormant for years now, at least as far as recorded output goes. After a while on hiatus they reformed to start performing reunion shows all over the U.S. and Europe. I think they’ve stopped in Toronto or Montreal at one point, but that doesn’t really fit into my budget.

I’m still working on a means to procure a physical copy of this baby, but they also put out a very limited Record Store Day exclusive 7″ single with four live tracks recorded in Chicago at the vaunted Metro Theatre. Thank Al Gore for the internets, because it only took a couple of days for the tracks (which sound entirely digital, not like a vinyl rip at all) to hit the interweb. And I couldn’t be more excited that they have.

From the intro to the first track I was transported back to Winnipeg’s Pyramid Lounge in 2004. HWM was touring with the Bouncing Souls on the punnily-titled “True Bromance” tour (I’m pretty sure they invented that phrase) and I was frothing at the chance to finally see them again. Caution had, in the six months since its release, become one of my most beloved recordings ever. It’s urgency, emotional depth, and message of perseverance and prospering in the face of immense challenges all resonated with where I was in my life then. Seeing their furious live show only cemented that adoration. I wept just a little bit that night, possibly more than once, perched directly in front of Chuck Ragan as he and the band growled their way through a set that still stands as one of the greatest I’ve ever witnessed.

The brief collection of live cuts on this 7″ single are absolutely representative of that experience. The performances are virtually flawless, the energy is infectious, and the vocals are unrelenting. The song selection is brilliant as well. With only a few minutes to relay that experience I don’t think you could ask for more appropriate songs.

That passion is something I’m hoping to witness again. Despite the very shaky financial ground I find myself on these days, I fully intend on heading to Calgary in a couple of months to take in the Sled Island Festival. I’ll admit Sled Island hasn’t really been on my radar before but with a line up like they have booked this year I would be kicking myself for years to come if I missed it. And it isn’t because personal favourites like Austin Lucas, Les Savy Fav, the Thermals, Fucked Up, Ted Leo, the Bronx (and Mariachi el Bronx), Why?, Greg MacPherson, Nomeansno, Northcote, Bison BC, Chuck Ragan, and more are included. It’s because fucking Hot Water Music is one of the headliners.

So it should be the summer of road trips and sweet jams, hopefully for this reason and many more. Feel free to donate gas money!

 

 Hot Water Music - Trusty Chords (Live in Chicago) [2:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Buy every fucking thing you see here: No Idea Records’ HWM site. In honour of Record Store Day no digital links will be provided. That works, right?

Pat entries festivals, happenings, Hot Water Music, live music, punk rock, road trips, Sled Island

So Valentine’s Day 2010 has come and gone, as unceremoniously (for me) as I would’ve expected. Not that I’m bitter or lonely or anything, but it seemed like an appropriate time to talk about love songs. Specifically, anti-love songs. A month has passed since I began penning this piece, but better late than never right? Just like love. Or something.

Specifically I’d like to focus on a band called Andrew Jackson Jihad. The Arizona group is mainly a two-piece combo integrates the best parts of the Mountain Goats and early Against Me!, a boisterous and energetic sound propelled mainly by acoustic guitars and forceful vocals. Their folk-punk sound often shifts from one extreme to the other from song to song, particular on the nearly-flawless LP Can’t Maintain.

Over the course of more than a dozen smaller releases the band has taken a sharp political agenda that compliments their stoically DIY ethic/aesthetic quite well. Can’t Maintain is frequently a dire listen that expands on some of their earlier pessimistic musings about how awful the human race is; the first two songs alone lament the lack of anyone to trust or love in singer/guitarist Sean-Claude Bonnette’s life and how people generally scare the shit out of him and make him doubt himself.

Some of the songs on the record stand out for very different reasons. Depending on your outlook “We Didn’t Come Here To Rock” is likely either hilarious or blatantly offensive. Folk-punk die-hards might decry the overt use of electric guitars (although this is far from the only song on the album to incorporate them), but the lyrics are a far more direct attack. Bonnette sets his sight on the band’s critics in about as crude a manner as one might imagine possible. While you might find yourself cringing at the language used to put naysayers in their place, I have to admit the bluntness is effective. The two minutes of noise that follows the song, however, seems like a bit of a waste. The same goes for the kazoo track; it wasn’t funny when Gob did it almost 15 years ago and it knocks the momentum of the album right off the tracks.

But what really caught my ear on Can’t Maintain is the downright depressing take on love Bonnette and bandmate Ben Gallaty offer up on several tracks. Songs like “Love In The Time Of Human Papillomavirus,” “Love Will Fuck Us Apart,” and “White Face, Black Eyes” all speak of a certain degree of hopelessness about what is supposed to be life’s great pursuit. Whether it’s about the willingness of some to put up with a certain amount of abuse for the sake of what they think is love or how airing emotions can ruin a perfectly good relationship or how all we can really do in life is cling to whatever makes us feel good until that thing dies and we’re left all alone.

Uplifting!

But as downtrodden as those songs may be there’s also a gorgeous subtlety at play; not quite under-played, Bonnette imbues them with a gentle unsteadiness, a very evocative vocal tic that really gets to the heart of the matter (or the lack thereof, I suppose). Softly strummed acoustic guitars match the plaintive singing stride for stride, with sombre strings thrown in when called for. A formula as old as time, but carried off with great aplomb.

There’s more to be found here, of course, as the band tries on some Darnielle-ian allegory (”Truckers Are The Blood”), gut-bucket bass-driven oldster tunes (”Olde(y) Tyme(y)”), and sassy saxaphone jams. It’s a rather varied listen that should boast at least a track or two that appeals to everyone, regardless of how you feel about politics, punk rock, or the politics of punk rock.

 

 Andrew Jackson Jihad - Love Will Fuck Us Apart [1:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Andrew Jackson Jihad - Love In The Time Of Human Papillomavirus [2:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Andrew Jackson Jihad - We Didn't Come Here To Rock [2:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Dig on AJJ albums wherever they’re available to you:
iTunes
Asian Man Records
Their site might give you some leads

Pat entries acoustic, Andrew Jackson Jihad, folk punk, love songs, punk rock, Valentine's Day

Having a problem of motivation lately. I’m sure I’ll get around to finishing the few things I’ve been slowly working on lately, but they’re already overdue and I’m finding myself to be extremely busy of late. But stay tuned. We always bounce back.

 

 Andrew Jackson Jihad - We Didn't Come Here To Rock [1:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Mountain Goats - Your Belgian Things: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Travis - Slide Show [3:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pat entries acoustic, Andrew Jackson Jihad, malaise, Mountain Goats, punk rock, Travis

“As we’re waiting for the light to change we see this goth girl run to cross the street. A goth girl, running. You don’t often see goth people run. I think because obviously it spoils the whole image, right? You can’t be in a hurry and goth.”
~ Paul F. Tompkins

Call it what you will: an identity crisis, a marketing ploy, or a gradual evolutionary progression of older musicians that don’t drink as much anymore but are still trying to maintain an edge of darkness and desperation in their music. Old-school Alkaline Trio fans have been lamenting the bands steady slide into faux-Satanic caricatures for years. With a new album on its way it appears we’ve got a ways to go before they leave that affectation behind.

This latest album, This Addiction, was said to be a return to form for the group; they’ve come back to long-time producer Matt Allison and his Atlas Studios for the recording, they’ve pared back the maddeningly thick layers of overdubs and effects that have weighed down their last few records, and they even promised a return to the spirit of their early work. They may have succeeded to a large extent, but you know what they say about close only counting in certain situations and circumstances.

Alkaline Trio’s early recordings were fueled entirely by alcohol consumption, heartbreak, and self-loathing. Their brutal lyrical confessions went hand-in-hand with downright poetic allusions and turns-of-phrase; “Even Christ himself would cringe at the sight of your scars,” went the first song from their first full-length, setting the tone for four nearly flawless albums. But those elements have slowly dwindled, being replaced by an ever-expanding faux-goth sensibility that manifests in a lyrical obsession concerning all things hell, darkness, poison, vampires, death, and gothness. Bassist/singer Dan Andriano seems to be the only member not circling that particular drain, but with only three contributions to this album he doesn’t have the presence to counteract the cloying “darkness” of the other members.

But taken as a whole I would call this record a success, although their attempt to regain the spirit of their earlier work seems to mean re-appropriating elements of older songs in a new context. These things will likely be immediately recognizable to long-time fans: “The American Scream” recycles a guitar riff from “Warbrain,” the band’s contribution to the Rock Against Bush releases from five or six years ago. “Dead On The Floor”’s opening riff is vaguely reminiscent of “Southern Rock”’s, while the rest of the song reads like a more sombre “‘97.” Andriano even lifts a lyric from “Private Eye” and drops it into “Dine, Dine My Darling” (which is a great play on an old Misfits song title).

But those are minor quibbles. There are only so many power chords available to a band and if we’re being honest with ourselves there has always been a familiar thread running through a lot Matt Skiba’s guitar arrangements. It’s punk rock; they’re not reinventing the wheel. On the whole this is a very worthwhile effort and there are a lot of quality songs on here. “Dead On The Floor,” “Dorothy,” “Piss and Vinegar,” first single “This Addiction,” and most of “Lead Poisoning” definitely embody the spirit of their first records. “The American Scream” is the anti-war songs Skiba should have written for Agony & Irony instead of the god-awful cliche horrorfest that was “Over and Out.” “Draculina” is a perfectly serviceable song, although the lyrics are packed to the gills with the goth-lite keywords mentioned above: an Alice In Wonderland reference, knives, a character trapped in their “own living hell,” blood/bleeding, bullets, birds of prey, stinging bees, heaven, angels, demons, dark secrets, teeth “sinking deep” into someone’s flesh, the devil, and exorcism. And yes, an adult put all of those words into a single three and a half minute rock song.

That song aside I would argue there are only two big missteps here. The first pertains to the third track, “Lead Poisoning,” and is the reason I included that quote from Paul F. Tompkins at the start of this piece. It’s a classic four-chord Alk3 stomper with big hooks and a strong vocal from Skiba. But my issue lies in the trumpet solo that comes at the 1:50 mark. It sounds like it was lifted from a NOFX album circa 1996; it’s bright, it’s bouncy, and it’s definitely a playful move from a band that has really opened itself up to experimenting with new sounds in the last five years. But much like you don’t see goths running, there’s a reason you don’t hear a lot of horns on Bauhaus records. It just doesn’t fit the aesthetic of a song when Skiba is singing about getting poisoned, laying his weary head down to sleep, and praying to his dark lord. It’s incongruous, almost comical-sounding, given the context, but at least there is a good song wrapped around that moment.

“Eating Me Alive” isn’t quite so likely. I had previously chastised a song from their last record as Skiba’s most terrible work yet but he’s dug an even deeper hole this time around. The lyrics are simply embarrassing. More importantly they’re lazy, hackneyed, and trite. “You can’t sit there and tell me that I didn’t try/And I can honestly tell you that I never lied”? Really, Matt? Did that need to be said? And the guy can’t even muster up the guster to sing this song with any level of conviction. I’m pretty sure you can hear his own fucking eyes rolling as he’s singing the words, like he’s staring up at the ceiling wondering how it all came to this. I’m pretty sure overly dramatic, suicidal teenage girls will even laugh at this song. It’s just the worst. Skiba probably should realize that its okay to only have 10 songs on your album. You don’t need the filler.

And the song itself! What? I know Skiba said you were listening to The Cars a lot when they recorded Agony & Irony but that really comes through on this number. Everything but the chorus is draped in some pretty gross keyboards. I mean, I’m not a huge fan of keyboards but it just sounds like a different band.

As mentioned, Dan Andriano continues to be a big part of the reason I keep coming back to this band. While he only has three songs on this record (I assume he’s saving more for his new band/solo project, which I’m very pumped for) they continue to be some of the album’s strongest. That goes double for “Fine,” another strong Dan closer on par with From Here To Infirmary’s “Crawl.” It’s also a song about drinking too much and denying how messed up you really are. Talk about your classic Trio! Musically he continues to wear his Jawbreaker influences on his sleeve, something I will never ever ever complain about.

I guess what this all amounts to is the problem most people inevitably run into if they follow a band for a very long time: reconciling new directions with old perceptions. But for the first time it kind of feels like even Alkaline Trio themselves might be getting tired of their blood-dripping, faux-Satanic imagery. It’s been feeling more and more forced over the course of their last three records and I’m kind of hoping This Addiction proves to be the breaking point where they leave that phase behind. Based on the evidence here I’d say that could only be a good thing.

 

 Alkaline Trio - Lead Poisoning [2:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Alkaline Trio - Fine [3:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Pat entries Alkaline Trio, legacies, nice tries, pop, punk rock, the goths