Softie

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© 2012 SoftieRockMusic
[rating:7/10]

I’m rocking out to the new release by Wichita’s own Softie. The self-titled release jam packs 15 tracks of guitar/drum duo garage-core onto a single compact disc. The tracks are diverse in their individual manner of rocking, but all are heavy on the rock and roll and to that end, the sum becomes greater than the combined parts. And folks, you just don’t always get that kind of synergy in a duo.

At any rate, Softie has been an on again, off again band in the Wichita scene for around a decade now and while I don’t have a lot of knowledge of their earlier work, I’m digging into what they are dishing up nowadays. I also am fully aware that some of the newly recorded tracks are, in fact, old tracks.

If I had to categorize, which I often do, I’d go ahead and call the band and raw blend of metal rock with a bit of punk edge, some cattle-core and a smattering of comedy. Honestly, I could do without the latter. It feels like the comedy is thrown in as a compensation measure and frankly it is unnecessary. Don’t get me wrong, some of the songs have a comedic base and that is fine, it is the little end thought false settle that seem out of place.

Jaded perspective aside, the songs do still rock. I had the CD in my car for a few trips to work and back and I didn’t opt for another disc, nor did I switch it over to NPR, so that’s a good indicator of my true feeling. Though I may have a slight bias as I know half the band, I’d still listen to this and stop in for a live show or two if I didn’t. My arbitrary points scale may not reflect it though. I’m not a math guy though. You run the numbers.

Bottom line is a fun disc with a rocking core. Go support your local bands and buy a copy, see a show, get some merch. Hell, do it all. http://www.reverbnation.com/softie

–Jerry Actually

Pennywise-All or Nothing

A few weeks ago I was walking home from work and as I walked past the small skate park there were three kids skating.  They had their car pulled up close with the windows down so they could hear the eurotrash that was playing on the car’s stereo.  I asked the question that any self respecting skater from the 90’s would have asked “Do you actually skate to this?”  To my surprise they replied quite proudly, “Yes!”  I couldn’t help but think that if they had been skating with some of the people that I did that they would have had their boards taken forcefully and probably “focused” (which is what we called breaking the board in half).

It has been a few years since I have actually stepped on a skateboard in any meaningful way, but when I was skating in the mid ’90’s we were experiencing punk’s 3rd wave and height of popularity (check out the recent documentary One Nine Nine Four for more on this).  It wasn’t uncommon for someone to be listening to Bad Religion’s Stranger Than Fiction, The Offspring’s Smash, or Pennywise’s About Time. 

It was the latter album that I would end up associating skating during those times with.  A lot has changed since those years though for Pennywise.  One of the biggest changes of course is the replacement of Jim Lindberg with Zoli Teglas on vocals.  Even though Jim has moved on to form another group and it was easy for me to accept them, I was much more skeptical of the new Pennywise.  I think it was because I had always associated Jim’s voice as being Pennywise and I wasn’t sure that they could move on without him.  Even after hearing the first two singles “All or Nothing”, and “Let us Hear Your Voice”, which I ,the uncertainty over their new direction still remained. 

I am now starting to think that it was because an initial synopsis said that it Pennywise’s best since Full Circle, which I definitely contend with, but not because All or Nothing isn’t good like I initially thought, but mostly because I really enjoyed Reason to Believe (Pennywise’s previous effort). 

As I am now listening to All or Nothing for my 5th or 6th time, I am starting to let go of that skepticism, and letting it be what it is, which is a solid punk rock album that can stand head to head with any other Pennywise album.  Zoli Teglas steps in to fill the void Jim has left, and truly makes being the lead vocalist for Pennywise his own, which wouldn’t be an easy task for a lesser band let alone punk rock legends. There are songs on the album that will remind long time fans of past music, and it also has a few songs that will leave fans feel as if they are listening to something fresh and new.  So while I was skeptical of the addition of Teglas originally, it turns out he can not only match the band’s past energy he also brings a fresh sound that helps vary the bands sound in a good way.

  Pennywise has been spreading messages of staying strong through adversity for years, and they have taken their own advice and turned out a very strong showing with their latest album.  I would recommend this album to anyone, and I actually have two copies of the cd, so I have been carrying one in my pocket when I go to work so that if I see those kids skating again I can give it to them so they have something to skate to.

The Real McKenzies Westwinds

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© 2012 Fat Wreck Chords
[rating: 8/10]

Vancouver BC’s venerable Scottish torch bearers are at it once again with a new release. 2012’s Westwinds gives us 14 new tales of wild seas, bad luck, foolish ways and the drink.

For the uninitiated, The Real McKenzies are a Canadian Celt-Core band with a focus on Scotland as opposed to the more or less omnipresent Irish variety. The lads bring a be-kilted, bagpipe heavy, and a Mike Meyers-esque ala “So I married an Axe Murderer” variety of Scottish charm to the genre. For those in the know, Westwinds brings with it the quality and character that you’ve come to expect.

As with many bands that have any sort of duration, there is maturity in the songwriting especially as it pertains to the ability to work together and the quality of craftsmanship. In other words, the song writing isn’t suffering from age or boredom. While all the tracks are top notch in their own right, a few that standout for me are the opener, “The Tempest” and the self-deprecation of track 6, “Burnout”.

In the end, what you have is another fine release by the best damn Scottish-Canadian band in the world.

–Jerry Actually

Arkham Asylum-A Serious House on Serious Earth-15th Anniversary Edition

The original edition of this book was printed in 1989 and was groundbreaking at the time as it was the first comic to feature painted artwork, and at the time of publishing the 15th anniversary edition it was still the best selling comic of all time.  I must have been busy because I didn’t get around to reading it until just recently.  But even in 2012 Dave McKean’s artwork still stands out as being incredible.  I think that is one of the four aims of the book, and the one where the book doesn’t fail. 

Each page is perfectly drawn and pristinely coloured.  My favourite part of the book is parts where The Joker is laughing, the colourist did an excellent job of creating the tone of the HA HA HA  that is the character’s signature.  I just wish I could have replicated the same tone while trying to make the laughter in my head while reading.

Grant Morrison’s  second aim of the book is to explore Batman’s pysche by making him face his own demons when entering the asylum.  After reading the synopsis of the book I came to expect a lot of the story.  The basic premise is that the residents of Arkham lead by The Joker take over the asylum and take hostages and will release them on the condition that Batman enter the Asylum to face his own demons and his enemies on their own turf.  But in the end his enemies only make brief appearances and there are really no battles or demons faced.  After reading, I really have no greater understanding of Batman.

But the biggest failure of the book is the it’s third aim, and that is creating a dark symbolism to surround Batman.  Before reading the included original script and footnotes I would have never made connections to the symbolism, and after reading  I kind of find the intention to be pretentious and unaccessible to the common reader. 

The book’s fourth aim is to connect the history of Arkham Asylum to the present day, but where it fails is that the when the story flashes back it doesn’t transition well back into the story.  I look to the book’s contemporary groundbreaking book in its own right, The Killing Joke, for the manual on how it should be done.  Allan Moore and Brian Bollard seamlessly weave The Joker’s backstory into the main story by using the story and artwork together.  Look no further then page 8 when the future Clown Prince of Crime is reaching for his wife’s hand to understand what I mean. 

At any rate, I did like the book, but felt I needed to share what I think are valid criticisms of it.  Like I said, the artwork is stunning, and there are parts of the book that genuinely creeped me out.  For any fans of Batman books it is worth a read to those who haven’t, but as I get further into exploring Batman comics, I am finding that there are better reads out there.

Spraynard – Exton Square

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© 2012 Asianman Records
[rating:8/10]

So I can’t say that I’m terribly familiar with West Chester PA’s Spraynard. In fact, this is the first that I’ve actually listened to them. That said, I’m rather enjoying the catchy pop/punk styling and the infectious nature of the four tracks on their brand new EP, Exton Square.

If I had to group this release up, I’d say that it carries a heavy amount of influence from past Asianman peers. It strikes me as a combo of Lawrence Arms and Shortround. On a perhaps less apparent comparison, the vocals make me think of Flashlight Brown. Or maybe my wires are crossed and they sound like something else (as well as themselves) but either way, I like it.

As with most pop/punk, the songs are mid to upper tempo. The vocals are lilting, the guitar and bass saturated and the drums are big without being enormous. As noted, the tracks have pep, but there is a minor slow down on the track “Intents and Purposes”. While noticeably slower, it doesn’t kill the whole “vibe” of the release. Granted this, being an EP, only has a smattering of tracks for reference, but if these are resplendent of Spraynard as a whole, I dare say they have a new fan.

–Jerry Actually

Anti-Flag-The General Strike

On March 20th, Anti-Flag released their 8th studio album, The General Strike, and it seems like they haven’t received a whole lot of press for their efforts.  But that isn’t to say they don’t deserve it.  Much like their last record, The People or the Gun, Anti-Flag has once again scored the soundtrack to an important political issue of the time, the Occupy movement ( while the previous album addressed the Bailout situation).

It seems funny to me that just like both of these events have been largely ignored by the mainstream, Anti-Flag’s last two albums have seemingly flew under the radar of the punk scene.  Now, Anti-Flag is not breaking any new ground with their latest 12 tracks as they carry the same type of sound that they have become known for by mixing melodic moments with more street punk sounds.  What they are doing is putting together politically scathing lyrics and touching upon subject matter that is not common in a lot of music. When they released The Bright Lights of America, I read a review stating that the album really lacked direction.  This is not the case with The General Strike, and the direction becomes quite clear from the first aggressive track. Combine their tried and true sound with their lyric themes and direction and then you get something special.

I just received my copy of the album yesterday and I am still getting a handle on it, but I am completely enjoying it.  One of the coolest surprises though was when I opened up my package and a drop card for the Vans Warped Tour EP came out which includes 3 songs from the album and 2 unreleased tracks (“SKATE” and “Whistleblower”).  I knew that the download would be given out at the cd release shows, but I didn’t know it would be included in my order.  All I can say is this, if you are at all interested in Anti-Flag or political punk rock give the album its due, give it a listen, you won’t be disappointed.

Lower Lands – Reality In Routine

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Lower Lands are a British Alternative Rock band with some punk influences in their sound. The band formed in late 2010 in the little town of Lincoln (UK). In the short time they’ve been a band they’ve achieved a lot and have shared the stage with such bands as Iron Chic, Crazy Arm, Talons, Shapes and Deaf Havana. We will be releasing the bands new E.P. ‘Growing Pains’ on April 14th.

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The Projection – While You Were Out

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(c) 2012 Paramount Drive Records
[rating:7/10]

While You Were Out is the forthcoming release from Chicago based pop-punkers The Projection. The disc offers up ten tracks of rock and roll with the catchy hooks and snotty vocals that make pop punk the perennial favorite that it is. The tracks are all clocking in at around the 3 and a half minute mark, perfect for that drive time radio slot, right?

The genre isn’t without its flaws though. When your band started years after the Warped Tour, there is a considerably number of acts to compare to. I’m inclined to think they’re like a less cheeky Sum 41 or a slower Goldfinger minus the Ska. That said, the sonic mashup of pop and punk is still rather a new kid on the block and largely still trendy. Despite the flavor-of-the-month nature that pop punk is, this release is not without its own charm. There are some interesting progressions and breakdowns in the tunes that keep it from becoming too stale too fast.

As a bonus, literally the bonus track, the band throws in a cover of the Buddy Holly classic, Oh Boy! Any band that appreciates Buddy can’t be all bad. At any rate, the faster numbers make the cut. They’re peppy and danceable. The wanking ballad variety, on the other hand, not so much. I like the vocals and overall the band has a good sound, that is if you want an edgy version of The Rembrandts. 😉

–Jerry Actually

The Magnificent-Bad Lucky

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About once a year I will come across a band that at first listen I don’t love, but I keep goiing back to, then I try to resist buying the album because I am not sure I like it, but then I just bite the bullet and get it anyway.  The next thing I know I am waking up with the songs in my head although I may not have listened to it for a while.  Then the love affair truly begins.  This year’s album that has had that effect on me is Bad Lucky by The Magnificent. 

Looking at the album cover I can’t help but be reminded of The Ramones self titled debut album.  Then I am reminded of a quote from The Magnificent’s webpage that said ” If you are American, the music sounds English. If you are English, you have never heard of this band.”  From there I can’t help but think that  just as The Ramones’ debut introduced the world to the now legendary group, it would be nice if Bad Lucky were able to do the same type of thing for The Magnificent. 

At times the last statement may seem like wishful thinking, but when I listen I start to think that maybe it is not so far fetched.  Bad Lucky has everything that allows punk albums to endure for generations.  Not only does it contain slick guitar driven melodies and sing along choruses, the lyrics speak to a generation that doesn’t quite know how to make it’s way in the world.  All qualities which allow music to trascend time. 

Now only time will tell if this particular album will be considered great 30 + years later  (plus they may need to become known in their homeland first too), but if you take the time to listen, it will be something that you keep coming back to for some time to come.

Bad Religion – Reason Rally

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The venerated Los Angeles band Bad Religion is honored to be appearing at the historic Reason Rally this March 24th in Washington DC. The event is a free nationwide celebration intended to “unify, energize, and embolden secular people nationwide.” Bad Religion’s singer, Greg Graffin (author of Anarchy Evolution: Faith, Science, and Bad Religion in a World Without God) will sing the national anthem and the world renowned band will perform a one hour set.

Slated to be the largest secular event in world history, the rally is sponsored by the top secular organizations in the United States and will feature music, comedy, and addresses by leaders of the secular movement. Scheduled to appear are Bad Religion, author Dr. Richard Dawkins, actor and comedian Eddie Izzard, writer and comedian Bill Maher, comedian Tim Minchin and many more.  The event is intended to give secular Americans an opportunity to unite under a banner of reason and community, at a level never seen before.

Bad Religion’s appearance at the Reason Rally is only fitting. Formed over three decades ago in the suburbs of Los Angeles amidst the incendiary punk movement, the popular and influential band has a well documented history advocating for intellectual freedom and secularism. From their provocative name, to their iconic “cross buster” logo to a lyrical canon filled with humanist themes, few other artists have so unflinchingly aligned themselves with issues of humanism and rational thought.

As Bad Religion guitarist and co-songwriter Brett Gurewitz explains, “People often ask whether I think music makes a difference; whether it’s a force for change.  Bad Religion’s invitation to appear at the Reason Rally (history’s largest secular gathering) for me affirms the notion that art has the power to transform social norms, that over the past 30 years our band, through its music and message, has contributed to a real and very positive trend toward secularization.”

The band’s singer and co-songwriter Greg Graffin offers, “We thought it was a good gathering of people who want to stress that reason should characterize the citizenry of this country, not affiliation with some religious group or socioeconomic stratum or any other criterion besides the willingness to engage in reasonable debate that is informed by rational knowledge. All I’ve ever heard from fans (and that includes parents and their kids alike) is that they have been inspired to learn more and care more by listening to our music. I think therefore, that the Reason Rally—like Bad Religion—can be very inspirational. “

Bad Religion’s latest album titled, The Dissent Of Man is available on Epitaph Records.

The Reason Rally will occur this March 24th, 2012, from 10:00AM – 6:00PM at the National Mall in Washington DC. For more information go to: www.reasonrally.org/