Punk – Page 24 – Upstarter

New York Taxi – The Calm Before

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If New York Taxi goes on to be a hugely successful band, fans will probably look back at The Calm Before and say “Hey, their second album wasn’t bad. It’s kind of nice.” The punk/folk/acoustic duo isn’t there yet, but they’ve got a nice sound that suggests potential.

The Calm Before is only five tracks. The songwriting is solid, and the duo gets a lot of mileage out of only one guitar, two voices, and a little looping. There’s an occasional keyboard in there, too. The male-female alternating or layered vocals are nice, and there’s never an unpleasant measure. But there’s nothing memorable, nothing you have to play again, nothing that gets your heart beating.

It’s nice though. It’s a nice album.

Track 1, “And Now Our Feature Presentation” opens with a George W. Bush sound clip and rambles a bit before a not-very-insightful chorus of “We’ve been misled, we’ve been shut down… we’re going to stand up, we’re going to fight back…” Certainly not a unique or otherwise fresh perspective. Maybe that’s the problem with the album: a slight lack of maturity in the lyrics and overall sound.

(On a similar note, as a former US history teacher, I cringed when in Track 2 they referenced “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as being guaranteed in the Constitution – rather than the Declaration of Independence.)
Track 2, “Jennarita” opens nicely with a sharp guitar riff underneath a little piano ditty. Ryan’s raspy verse complements Shannon’s cute-punk-girl chorus well, and it’d be a much more memorable song if not for a weak, abortive attempt at a grand finale in the track’s closing seconds.

Track 3, “Apartment1111,” contains flashes of brilliance, especially in the chorus with Shannon joining Ryan in a soulful ode to their bankrupt state: “On my way back home…to California…screw California…”

The last two tracks are nice. Track 4, “Firefly” would be nice background music for the montage in a high school movie where the guy is alone at a bus stop and the girl is at a party, distracted and looking at the moon while she thinks about the guy at the bus stop. Then the guy doesn’t get on the bus, heads back to the party, and it starts to rain just as the girl comes running toward him on the street. Track 5, “Humble,” would start playing when they see each other. Then they start dancing in the rain and go back into the party hand in hand.

Which would be nice. It’s a nice album. And it’s short, which is nice. Three stars for being nice.

-Ozymandias

The Menzingers – Chamberlain Waits

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I might be overstepping my bounds, but I think that songwriting is back in a big way. Much of the material that has been sliding across my desk as of late has been big into well structured, well arranged music that is exceedingly well executed and dynamic yet in no way pretentious or insistent. Not the least of these is “Chamberlain Waits” from Scranton, PA.

To borrow the words from their Wikipedia page (repetition only makes it more true, right?) The Menzingers formed in the wake of of former ska-punk acts, Bob and the Sagets and Kos Mos. While it appears that much of the ska got left in the same wake, there are elements that still shine through such as sparing lead guitar runs over a solid back beat.

“Chamberlain Waits” delivers on its 12 tracks in a convincing heartfelt manner. Excellent vocal harmonies and hints of Lawrence Arms and Bruce Springsteen and The Clash come to mind upon repeated listening.

This disc was the first Menzingers for me, but I can assure that it won’t be the last. “Chamberlain Waits” offers the right mix of aggression, depression, humility and introspection that makes it work just right for any number of listening occasions. I look forward to more damn fine tunes from this band.

-Jerry Actually

Braincell Graveyard – Drunk Punk Anthems

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Here’s another odd review coming out of the dark (and apparently perverted) land of Canada. Toronto, to be more specific, but that hardly matter since most of you reading this don’t really have much grasp on geography anyway. (Yeah I’m talking to you USA)

“Drunk Punk Anthems” (or what may possibly be entitled, “Pink on the Inside”) knuckle shuffles forth 11 tracks of sophomoric sexual frustration remarkably disguised as punk rock. It’s a whole lot like Stephen Lynch got a distortion pedal. The music (lyrical content notwithstanding) on the other hand is actually rather enjoyable. I really brings back the late 80’s thrash that I grew up on. Seriously though, the goofy, campy, pervy nature of the lyrics prevent my from really latching on to this release. It’s the exact reason that I never really got into Mucky Pup or Scatterbrain.

It is almost too bad though, because musically it is spot on for a bygone era that I miss and love, even down to the metal ballad ways of track six, Canadian Psycho. If I could give more points for effort, I probably would. (Who am I kidding? I can give or take points as I see fit)

What it really all boils down to is some rockin’ thrash punk that I enjoy horribly entwined with a far too lowbrow theme. To be fair, however, there are 2.5 positive stars. This would seriously kick ass at a frat party and if I was still in high school I might be a bit more forgiving of the thematic elements.

I look forward to hearing more for Braincell Graveyard in the future, if only to see if stop writing songs straight from the crotch. … Time will tell.

-Jerry Actually

Hirnsäule – Salto

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Ok, so here’s some weird cool stuff if you’re a punk rock fan that doesn’t speak German, but doesn’t mind or thinks it’s neat when others do. From the best I can tell, this release is called “Salto” from the German band, Hirnsäule. The band’s name appears to mean “brain pillar”, which I take to probably mean “spine” … I could be way the hell off. This “disc” was a digital download, so I don’t have any concrete publishing information, so I just attributed it to the band.

On to the music though. Salto contains 15 tracks of DK/Dickies-esque warbling vocal frenzied punk. Some of the tracks are in English, some in German. Honestly it isn’t the easiest to decipher which are which. This doesn’t detract in any way from the enjoyment. I’d venture to guess that the tracks with the English titles are the ones that are done in English. I’ll let you be the judge of that though. http://www.hirnsaeule.de

The similarity to Dead Kennedys is both apparent and apparently genuine. That aside, the music is quick paced and quirky. The overall feel is garagey with just enough polish to make you want a catch a live show to compare the difference.

This is good stuff and just goes to show that in the crazy digital age, music is more accessible than ever. Maybe that takes some of the eliteist fun out of it, but so what. It’s a big damn world get out there and explore it a bit, even it you never leave your house.

–Jerry Actually

The Decay – This Months Rent

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The Decay, hailing from Guelph, Ontario, Canada (which makes me think of the 12th/13th century conflict between the papacy and the holy roman empire, but I digress) are a punk rock band and they graciously sent me a CD. I happen to be listening to it right now.

“This Months Rent” contains 14 tracks and an intro of reasonably snotty and rowdy punk rock, but with more song-craft than you’d initially suspect from my pigeon hole description. I’m lead to believe that the cost to produce and distribute this disc was the cost of a month’s rent. Presumably the band is either now homeless or have successfully worked things out with their landlord. … and I digress further.

The Decay bridges the gap between straight up punk and rock and roll by adding emphasis on melodic hooks and well structured choruses as evident on track four, The Street. Speaking of that particular track, it reminds me a lot of Gaslight Anthem. Without being overly verbose, because I keep getting distracted, let it suffice that “This Months Rent” is a rock solid DIY punk rock release with a serious nod to its roots of rock and roll.

On another note, there is a track on here that is over the four minute mark. Normally I’d start to complain about anything past three. In this case, I think the harmonica interlude divided it up enough to maintain my attention. When all is said and done, I like this and it makes a damn fine road CD.

–Jerry Actually

For fans of: Street Dogs, Gaslight Anthem, Hudson Falcons, Welchboys

Sadplant – The Kids Are Alright

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[rating:3/5]

The prolific Connecticut punks of Sadplant are back at it again with another DIY release. This one entitled, “The Kids Are Alright.” 14 tracks of driving punk with short track lengths with matter of fact lyrics and a straight for the throat attack. Sadplant has a definite consistency in their sound. This is certainly not a bad thing, but as opposed to very distinct releases, the albums (that I’ve heard) seem more of a continuation on a theme. There is, of note, some of the rippinist harmonica jams on track nine, “Total Piece of Shit” … so enjoy that!

What I admire the most is the tenacity in which this band attacks the DIY punk scene. They take a no holds barred approach to writing, recording and distributing rock solid punk on no terms but their own. “The Kids Are Alright” starts with the requisite intro and briskly jumps into the remaining tracks, including a gem of a cover in Suicidal’s “Possessed to Skate.” This, of course, occurs directly after the “bonus” bash the bass player segment.

So, the bottom line, Sadplant continues to deliver a consistent high quality product that doesn’t drift too far from the scope of what I’ve come to expect of the Sadplant sound. Of course by the time I finish typing these words they will have at least four new releases. Take it for what it’s worth.

–Jerry Actually

Spawn Atomic – PowerPlant EP

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Please stay tuned for this important message, “Whoa whoaa whoa oo oo, whoa whoa whoa. That is all.” San Franciso Horror Punk trio Spawn Atomic knows how it goes. If you want any sort of cred as a horror punk band at all, you gotta have the whoa whoa whoas, and let me tell ya boy they gots ’em.

I know that The Misfits were/are like some sort of ultra-revered be all end all when it comes to the genre, maybe they are, I don’t really care. Mighty Morphin Power Glen can eat it. But you can’t really review the genre without some thinly veiled reference to how much whatever band you are reviewing is or isn’t like The Misfits. So here it comes. Spawn Atomic is reminiscent of a band, who shall remain nameless, known for its early work in the genre. But enough ancient history.

Spawn Atomic PowerPlant EP thrusts upward from the atomic wasteland with six tracks of vampire hunters, zombies and sick sick sex with the aforementioned. The short track length, the uptempo and the raw sound, rarely found outside of a trio, really works. There’s a post-apocalyptic garage band vibe that while certainly is super-scary, is also fun and dare I say endearing.

Beyond the makeup and the intent to shock, the songs have solid structure and musicianship. The vox aren’t caught between a scream and a growl. I for one appreciate the hell out of that. The guitar is distorted. The bass is punchy, the drums percussive. What more do you need? Word on the street is that the band will have a full length out by summer and they have a few West Coast and AZ shows (Phoenix Comicon) set up to back up their releases.

Here’s what it really boils down to. Spawn Atomic, all gimmicks aside (and I’m a sucker for a good gimmick) really screw it on. If you are a fan of punk rock, horror punk, 50s punk etc. then for the evil overlord’s sake, check these sonofatomic mutants out.

–Jerry Actually

Dead Cats Dead Rats – Riff

[rating:4/5]

If you miss Nirvana and have ADD –who doesn’t? – check out Dead Cats Dead Rats’ latest album, Riff. The longest of the nine tracks clocks in at 2:52, and it all sounds more like 1989 Seattle than 2010 Massachusetts.

The first five tracks are flat out good. They’re so good, in fact, that it takes a few laps around the album before you catch your breath and realize that the second half drops off a bit. Still, I’ve been listening to the album nonstop for a week now and I’m not skipping any tracks.

Track four, “Yeah Yeah Yeah,” starts with one of the catchiest hooks I’ve heard in a while, a lazy little backbeat job that’s perfectly placed to follow the howling crescendo at the end of track three, “Subterranean.”

Track two, “Chuncky” is arguably the best of the album. Opening with the line, “Radio wouldn’t play my song,” it does the soft/hard slow/fast dynamic to perfection, and coupled with Matt Reppucci’s screaming vocals, it’s easy to see why the name “Cobain” comes up in a lot of Dead Cats Dead Rats reviews.

Tracks six and seven are the weakest on the album, but not without value. They just ramble a little and aren’t as memorable as the rest of the album, which closes with a nice little bluesy number titled, appropriately, “Fritter Blues.”

Dead Cats Dead Rats has a lot of talent and a great sound. Since their last release, they’ve gotten tighter and more polished without sacrificing any style or energy. Here’s hoping they keep doing that.

–Ozymandias

Alkaline Trio – This Addiction

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I’ve got a soft spot for Alkaline Trio. I’ve been listening to them for the better part of the last 12 years. After I first heard Goddamnit I was hooked. I have to admit that after they left Asianman Records I got a little disenchanted. Not that I begrudge them the popularity and a little recognition for their hard work, and don’t get me wrong major labels are a collective bag of douche, but I don’t blame A3 for that. However when I heard they were starting their own Heart and Skull label in conjunction with Epitaph I was relieved. I hoped that things might get back a bit closer to the earlier days. I heard that that the new release was going to rock it a bit harder. Well I finally got a copy of This Addiction and I’m fairly convinced that the rumors I heard were right. The 11 tracks are more reminiscent of something around From Here to Infirmary. The content has a little more edge and a little less emo to it. For fans of the more downtrodden of A3’s work, don’t be disappointed (or do, if that is what you’re into) I’m just saying that they brought it back a bit, but this time with a lot bigger production. There are lot more layers to the songs and a lot more variety. The zip of track two, “Dine, Dine my Darling” is refreshing. So are the 80’s keyboard sounds on “Eating Me Alive”. Hell there is even a horn track on the also up-tempo track three, “Lead Poisoning”. When it’s all said and done you know this is Alkaline Trio, but it’s an Alkaline Trio that seems somehow revitalized. This Addiction is well worth it.

–Jerry Actually

Neck – Come Out Fighting

[rating:3.5/5]

It is hard to review Celt-Punk music of any pedigree without referencing The Pogues. This is especially true when the CD is the new release from London based Celtic Folk Punkers, Neck. The obvious tie-ins are there: Tin whistles, Irish themes, traditional covers et al. There really is no denying the obvious influence, but influences aside, “Come Out Fighting”, the new release from Neck, still stands on its own two feet. This, their first official US release (in this modern age, do national boundaries really mean that much for music relases?) proffers 14 tracks of dashing daring and swaggering and a cover of MacAlpine’s Fusiliers (can’t go wrong with that one). The blend of modern and traditional keeps things lively and encourages the whisky to flow freely. Admittedly I have a particular bent for punked up traditional Celt/Folk sounds, but I imagine that I’m not exactly alone in that. If you’re a fan of Dropkick and/or Flogging Molly then “Come Out Fighting” is a perfect addition for your audio collection. On a slightly related note, the tin whistle parts throughout track four, “Tink” could easily find a home in an Irish style cover of Centerfold from J. Geils Band. I think it’d make a bang up cover. So if any of you up-and-coming McBands out there want to grab a sweet idea, it’s all yours. Bottom line: Solid Irish influenced Rock and Roll with a leaning towards the Punk side of rock. I would have gone slightly higher on the star-o-meter, but for a couple of too slow tracks, but hell, that is my call to make. Come Out troid a théann!

–Jerry Actually

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