Polar Bear Club-Live At The Montage

I have had this album kicking around since its release date and I have listened to it a few times, but tonight I finally took the time to pop the cd in and actually listen to it.  After listening, I figured while I was catching up on last week’s episode of The Walking Dead I would take the time to review the album. 

Last year, Polar Bear Club released Clash Battle Guilt Pride and it made many best of lists for 2011, including the top spot in my own.  I think I called the album the group’s “coming out party” a sort of “taking it to the next level” if you will.  So when I bought the album I thought I was mostly getting live acoustic versions of those songs.  I was wrong.  Included on the cd version are two cover songs, and the remaining 7 are songs which cover  their entire catalog. I am not saying that is a bad thing, I did like Chasing Hamburg, but not nearly as much as the record that followed.  So while these songs did not introduce me to anything new, what it did is let me experience and hear the songs in a different way.  Songs such as “Light of Local Eyes” or “Burned Out in a Jar” would not have made my favourites list from Chasing Hamburg but hearing them acoustically live gives me a new appreciation of them.  The live versions really showcase Jimmy Stadt’s vocals and bring new life to the songs.

My one issue with the collection is that it is only nine songs long, unless of course you received a digital download after buying the vinyl, in which case you got an additional 4 tracks including “Drifting Thing” and “Screams in Caves” which are two of my personal favourites from the band.  If it wasn’t for hearing the 4 additional I would have enjoyed Live at the Montage a lot less, but still it is a good live record that paints a new light on some older songs.

 

The Zeroes

[ad]

The Zeroes

© 2102 Patrick Roesle

[rating:9/10]

It’s the end of the millenium. Somewhere in the shopping mall saturated, suburban New Jersey, The Returners are riding high on the last wave of Ska. Charlie, Sal, Jack, and Joe are fresh out of high school or there about. The world is theirs and nothing stands in their way. So starts what rapidly turns to inauspicious beginnings of The Zeroes, a new novel by Patrick Roesle. At its heart The Zeroes is a story of growing up, growing apart and coming to the bitter realization that even with all the drive and all the talent and all the potential, sometimes life leads nowhere.

The book is presented in a narrative manner by a character that I can best discern remains nameless throughout. He’s Charlie’s best friend and a talented comic artist, but the storyline takes a very first person aspect and is viewed almost entirely from this lens. Charlie, of course is the brains behind The Returners a four piece, ostensibly 3rd wave Ska band with Sal on drums, Jack on bass and Joe on trombone. But this isn’t a book report.

Sufficed to say, things get bad. Nothing goes as planned and the best intentions fall to pieces. Despite the best efforts, people get out of high school and leave town. Relationships drift apart. Dreams are dashed. People snap. People become cynical and jaded. Inevitably there are those that remain behind.

The Zeroes is a fantastically depressing read. It is perhaps an epitaph upon the dying embers of the last wave of Ska or more likely, it is a somber note that not everything works out. For those of us that lived through the turn of the last century, especially ones who were into Ska, Punk and Hardcore, the book reads like a chapter out of life anywhere in the USA. The bands, the shows, the friends, the triumphs, and the failures could have all happened to any one of us.

The stark, visceral reality, combined with the sonic backdrop of my relative youth makes this one hell of a book. It reminds me of what life would be like a bit less than a generation after Salad Days. A little more jaded and a lot more East Coast, but still a wild ride that doesn’t always work up where you wanted to go.

-Jerry Actually

(Oh, for the record, Permanent Revolution is a brilliant record.)

BAD RELIGION TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM

True North Delivers Maximum Intensity With Stripped Down Sound

Preeminent punk band Bad Religion will release their new album True North this January 22nd on Epitaph Records. In a world still brimming with rampant anti intellectualism, inequality and oppression, the band’s signature brand of sonically charged humanist dissent seems as relevant as ever. On their newest record, the storied band deliberately revisits and refines the powerful and melodic Southern California sound they helped to define.

“We went back to our original mission statement of short concise bursts of melody and thought,” co-songwriter and guitarist Brett Gurewitz explains. “The intent was to record stripped down punk songs without sacrificing any conceptual density.”

The album’s first single is a propulsive anthem succinctly called “F*ck You.” As the band’s singer and co-songwriter Greg Graffin explains, “If any band should have a song with that title it should be us. It just sounds like a perfect Bad Religion song.”

Listen to the new Bad Religion single “Fuck You” by going to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF0Mia7oYvA

[youtube xF0Mia7oYvA]

Produced by the band and Joe Barresi, True North celebrates the stirring power of cogent punk in the face of pain and adversity. The result is one of the band’s most emotionally accessible albums to date.

“I think working within certain restrictions took away the mental aspect and let us devote more attention to conveying feeling,” Graffin says. “We all go through pain and the best elements of punk give us hope in those dark times.”

While some tracks such as “Robin Hood In Reverse,” “Land of Endless Greed” and “Dharma And The Bomb” ardently address pressing world issues, others like “Hello Cruel World” veer into a far more expressive terrain. The album’s title song “True North” utilizes a wall of guitars and charged beat to explore issues of alienation and loss informed by Graffin’s recent life experiences.

“The song is written from the perspective of a kid who is running away,” Graffin explains. “He says ‘I’m out of here, I’m off to find true north.’ It’s about recognizing that you don’t fit in and trying to find a truth and purpose. Those are all classic punk themes.”

“I think we both really responded to the challenge of writing short and fast songs on this record,” Gurewitz adds. “The constraints set us free. Like moves in a game of chess, there are really as many variations as there are stars in the galaxy.”

Fans are invited to pre-order the album by going here: http://www.kingsroadmerch.com/bad-religion/region/

For more information:
www.epitaph.com
www.badreligion.com

PENNYWISE REUNITES WITH JIM LINDBERG

BAND TO PERFORM IN LOS ANGELES ON JANUARY 18th, 2013
October 30, 2012 – Los Angeles, CA – After three years, Southern California’s raucous punk heroes Pennywise are pleased to announce the return of the band’s original vocalist, Jim Lindberg. Jim and Fletcher appeared on the world famous KROQ with Kevin and Bean Monday morning to announce that Jim will be returning to the band. The band was also happy to announce they will be celebrating Jim’s return with a show at the Palladium in Los Angeles, CA on January 18th, 2013. Tickets for this special show will be on sale Friday, November 2nd at 10:00 am with a special pre-sale for KROQ Street Team members, which will take place Wednesday, October 31st, 2012-10:00 am -10:00 pm. For ticket information, please visit:
http://www.livenation.com/event/0900495ADCAE78D3.
Continue reading PENNYWISE REUNITES WITH JIM LINDBERG

Tiny Fighting Trees – Bath Salts

(c) 2012

[rating: 8.5/10]

[ad]

Richmond, VA punkers Tiny Fighting Trees have a new EP out. “Bath Salts” will fuck you up, make you bight someone’s face off and shit!

I’ll keep the review short and sweet like the songs. Punk, check! Fast, check! Kick ass, check! You get four tracks and they are all pretty damn rad. You, current reader, should click this link and check this band out, ok? https://tinyfightingtrees.bandcamp.com/ (be careful. My browser said this sight was dangerous. OK! You’ve been warned.)

At any rate, cheers to the Tiny Fighting Trees for keeping up the fight.

–Jerry Actually

Lili Champ – Vientos

(c) 2011

[rating: 8/10]

[ad]

Did you know that there is punk rock in Chile? Seriously! It is fucking rad. I’ve said it before, but I’m so glad that I can be a part of it. I can’t travel the world nearly as much as I like, but when bands like Lili Champ are kind enough to send their music to me, I feel like I am a much bigger part of it than I really am.

Vientos is an eight track of upper mid-tempo punk rock in somewhat of a Social Distortion vein, musically but with vocal lines and sing-a-longs that are much more resplendent of bands like Millencolin or … you know, I don’t really know. It is a punk rock sound that I dig and I’m not sure that I need much more than that.

The songs are a blend of Spanish and English language. Some I get. Some I do not. My Spanish is at about an ADD two year old’s level, so that isn’t the most helpful. I’m pretty sure track five, “Entrecerros” is a cover, but I can’t quite tell. That isn’t really the point though. The point is. I’m rocking out in San Diego to punk rock from Santiago! That is pretty much fate, isn’t it?

Bottom line is some kick ass new tunes for you and your amigos to rock the hell out too, right? http://lilichamp.bandcamp.com/

–Jerry Actually

The Pink Elephants – We Hate You

(c) 2011

[rating: 8.5/10]

[ad]

We Hate You is an album that clocked in late 2011 from Spanish punk rockers, The Pink Elephants. This new disc is the follow up to the 2009 release of 100% R&R Liquor. On the new album, this Barcelona band offers 13 tracks of punk / pop punk blend in a manner similar to a lot of early 90s punk (at least to my American ears) The accent brings a nice new spin to it that keeps it fresh.

The tracks are mid-tempo and clocking in around the late two to three minute mark. A bit lengthy for me, but by no means a stretch of the attention span. The sounds are familiar (hard to not have that anymore) but the band is plenty able to make those familiar sounds their own.

At the end of it all, what I get from this is the grand idea that if I ever visit Barcelona, and The Pink Elephants are playing, I know I’m going to try to catch that show.

–Jerry Actually

Lay It On The Line – A Lesson In Personal Finance

Lay It On The Line – A Lesson In Personal Finance

(c) 2012

[rating:8/10]

[ad]

A Lesson In Personal Finance is the new EP from South London Hardcore act Lay It On The Line. This four track follow up to Midnight In The Bellagio shreds through those tracks with a mighty fury. The music is intense with elements befitting both the hardcore and metal monikers.

Short, sweet track length for the short attention span and more than enough aggression to rock the room. I’d recommend playing it about six times in a row to get the full dosage. Fans of Snapcase and those who enjoy a subtle hint of Maiden in their Hardcore should definitely check this band out: http://layitontheline.bandcamp.com/

–Jerry Actually

One MIle Left-Behind The Story

So a while back I asked Jerry if he had anything that he needed reviewed, he told me he would send me something over.  He sent me a link for a German pop punk band named One Mile Left. I didn’t have anything else I wanted to write about, plus Jerry buttered me up a bit by telling me they liked my Pennywise review.  So I took a listen without knowing anything about them, and not reading their bio. From the first few bars all I could think was Blink 182 circa Enema of the State. The guitar and vocal melodies were eerily reminiscent, and I could only picture the webcam scene from American Pie where Jim is trying to get it on with Nadia and the guys from Blink 182 are watching with a monkey.  Well the funny thing about that is that I later went back and read their bio that they sent and they mentioned being inspired by the pop-punk of The same time and actually mentioned American Pie as being an influence.

Don’t get me wrong, these guys aren’t carbon copies of Blink or anything like that, in fact they don’t  have the same use of humor in their music, but when you listen to the music there is no doubt about the bands and time that the music was influenced by.

With all that said, I like them, maybe it is just nostalgia and longing for my younger years considering I turned 32 today but this is something I could listen to.  I have loved pop-punk since the first time I heard “Longview” and this brings me back to those earlier years. Check them out, for fans of those late 90’s pop-punk years they are definitely worth a listen.

 

Sundials – When I Couldn’t Breathe

[ad]

© 2012 Asian Man Records
[rating:8/10]

Please join me in saying welcome to Sundials. Relatively new to the Asian Man Records roster and totally new to !upstarter, this Richmond, VA based outfit makes nice with their 90s alt vibe.

“When I Couldn’t Breathe” is jammed to the gills with alt-pop-rock melody laden goodness. At the core, isn’t that all you really need to know? I suppose you want to hear things about their casual cool rockishness, or maybe some bits about how college generates a lifestyle that begets band such as Sundials. Maybe I will say something about that. … Really, I generally like to offer something in the way of directional guidance, but Sundials’ sound is hanging just beyond my periphery. it’s a good sound though, one that could just as easily rock you as rock you to sleep (track dependent of course). Some people have made reference to the Lemonheads, personally, I’m thinking Short Round. Do with that what you wish.

At the end of it, what you get is 13 tracks of quality music that, at least for me, takes a time machine ride back to the dreamy 90s alt rock of days gone by.

–Jerry Actually