Rise Against released their sixth album “Endgame” on March 15th of this year. I stumbled into Rise Against back in early 2004 when they, along with Against Me!, were touring with Anti-Flag (one of my favorite bands) and came to Boston’s now closed Avalon Night Club. Almost immediately after the concert, I purchased their first two albums, having thoroughly enjoyed their live set that night. Since then, I’ve continued listening to their releases, older and newer, as they’ve “evolved” into what I’d now consider a “mainstream” band, participating on video game soundtracks and even overhead on the PA at my local Target.
For full disclosure, I follow the music industry so little that I cannot tell you the band members that play from album to album, nor do I have knowledge about upgrading from indie record labels to something more known. I have little access to new music as the rock radio stations in Raleigh either focus on music made before I was born or seemingly when I was in high school, so I basically check iTunes or search online periodically to see if any of my favorite bands have released something new. While this removes me from up-and-coming bands, I think it also shelters me from the concept of bands “maturing” or “selling out”, allowing me instead to simply listen to the album and decide whether to listen again and again. I don’t know, but I suspect Rise Against has moved from underground to popular over the past seven years I’ve been listening, but in my little shell, I’m the only person I know that knows about or listens to them (minus the odd Target incident from two years ago).
Rise Against’s latest offering, to me, picks right back up where “Appeal to Reason” left off. In fact, I could see Rise Against playing the songs on “Endgame” back when I saw them in 2004 without skipping a beat, as the music had stayed consistent over their albums. Of course “Endgame” is the most refined of their releases, but it still keeps the same hardcore punk sound that caught me seven years ago. The lyrical messages have become more focused (as the band has become more known and able to use their music to promote lifestyles, choices, and groups they believe in like veganism and PETA, to name two) but the general hard guitars, anthemic singing, and chanting refrains have remained.
My favorites on the new album are the opening track “Architects” (which opens the record in the same rocking fashion as previous releases with “Black Masks and Gasoline” and “Chamber the Cartridge) and “This is Letting Go” (which has an upbeat tempo and message and reminds me of “Savior” and “Behind Closed Doors” for no real reason). I also like “Satellite” and ”Lanterns”, which finishes off the album in typical Rise Against fashion. ”Midnight Hands”, which builds up and then slows down to a deliberate chorus, and the back and forth sound of “Broken Mirrors” are probably the most distinctive tracks on the album, although neither matches the faster catchy sound found on the balance of the album. Noticeably absent from this release is the slower softer song, found on other records in songs such as “Hero of War” and “Swing Life Away”, although I don’t really miss it.
My guess is that critics will call this album a more refined version of Rise Against, which may or may not be a good thing in their eyes (depending on where they stand in the musical spectrum). To me, though, I can say without a doubt that I’m listening to the Rise Against that I fell in love with years ago and not much has changed, a welcome change (oddly enough) from the evolution that most bands make over their lifespan.
On March 1, 2011, Boston punk legends the Dropkick Murphys released their seventh full-length studio album titled “Going Out in Style.” The album, filled from start to finish with bagpipes, group sing-alongs, and guest appearances (notably Bruce Springsteen and Fat Mike from NOFX), continues the bands’ evolution from true punk rock with Irish influence to full-fledged Irish rock virtuosos. While this has certainly earned the Dropkick Murphys more mainstream exposure and critical success, I find the transformation disappointing and frustrating as a fan who misses the unique simple sound they created in their first two albums, “Do or Die” and “The Gang’s All Here.”
The new album is certainly good and worth many listens. My two favorite tracks are “Memorial Day” (an up-tempo Irish rock song) and “Broken Hymns” (a purposeful power “ballad” detailing a soldier’s plight), and plenty others are enjoyable, but I cannot find that one “old school” song that matches the intensity delivered by “Barroom Hero,” “Ten Years of Service” and “Blood and Whiskey” from earlier releases. It’s difficult to dissect what a band’s intentions are with each album they produce, and I’m sure the Dropkick Murphys are making the music they want, but I wonder if they’re caught up in making everything too complicated when simple things worked just fine.
The 2001 New England Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI as incredible underdogs against the pass-happy St. Louis Rams. This unheralded Patriots team found success with their gameplan of stout defense, forcing turnovers, and excellent coaching. This team won two more championships in the next three years with the same core of selfless players, seemingly the start to an amazing dynasty that would supercede even that of the Steel Curtain the 1970s. In 2005, coming off two straight Super Bowl wins, the Patriots added linebacker Roosevelt Colvin (arguably the most coveted defensive player in free agency); in 2006 they allowed many of their older veteran leaders (Adam Vinatieri and Willie McGinest the two biggest) to leave; in 2007, the Patriots added superstars Randy Moss and Wes Welker to an already potent offense. The Patriots, now high on talent, athleticism, and individual achievements (shattering most passing and receiving records in 2007 during their 16-0 regular season), lack the team concept they relied on to win; they have no titles since 2004.
So what does an Irish Boston punk band have in common with the New England Patriots, other than proximity to one another? They both decided to complicate their respective “teams” after experiencing great success.
The Dropkick Murphys, after switching lead singers (from Mike McColgan, now heading up the Street Dogs, to Al Barr, former lead singer of the Bruisers) following “Do or Die,” lost guitarist Rick Barton after “The Gang’s All Here.” Barton was quickly replaced with two younger guitarists and an assortment of others for the various instruments included on the records produced since. Their music went from straightforward punk anthems with an Irish flair to complicated songs involving too many singers and sounds, frequently lacking even a discernible hook or melody (exemplified to me in “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen,” which is all over the map).
Both the Dropkick Murphys and Patriots suffer from subtraction by addition. It is entirely possible, and arguably probable, that the Dropkick Murphys made conscious decisions to change their musical approach and are happy with the result. They continue to be successful, enjoy the fruits of their labor in the form of gigs before big sporting events, and ultimately hold a position in the music world that they may not have had they stuck to their four-man outfit. Still, I forcefully disagree with their newer style; not on some stance of “selling out” or “commercialism” but as a fan of the original concept. I’ve lost my chance to listen to their new records and be blown away for 45 straight minutes with simple Irish punk rock.
So Im sitting in Late Night Pie (latenitepie.com), a small indoor / outdoor live music venue in Houston’s midtown, talking with a friend of mine and eric13 (vocals, lead guitar)of the Sex Slaves (SEXSLAVESNYC.COM) about their current tour and how this show almost didn’t happen. As I sit here at a small old dinner table eric13 is telling me about how the show was supposed to be at another bar and had to be canceled only a few weeks out. As the show got under way I did a quick scan of the lowly lit bar to see that there were about 40 people in attendance and happily realized that this was gonna be close to a private show. Their sound and style is loud, angry and fun. Eric13 and Del Cheetah (bass, vocals) carry the vocals with sharp, witty lyrics while J Bomb (drums) pounds the drums with fast, dominant beats. Aside from all the fan interaction and taking of shots the show was filled with loud fun songs about alcohol, sex and partying, typical I know but just go check them out and you’ll see why I had a blast.
Coming soon…
The following video is of the Sex Slaves song, “Me and my friends”was shot on my iphone and is not of great quality.
Our PopEater gal on the ground gots a last minute invite to Lady Gaga at Radio City Wednesday. Here’s what she saw:
Radio City Music Hall was on FIRE last night as Lady Gaga kicked off the first of four sold out shows in her hometown of NYC. The night’s hottest ticket did not disappoint; from the first chord of ‘Dance In The Dark’ through an electrifying encore performance of her hit ‘Bad Romance’, Lady Gaga was magic. Can we say we’re surprised? Not at all.
Sugary, summery and over before you know it: some things about Julian Casablancas will never change. There’s plenty of what you’d expect on this solo debut, from the singer’s signature croon to heaps of nearly perfect—and instantly earwiggy—hooks. But go in hoping for a lot of Strokesian guitar jangle, and you’ll be seriously disappointed; Phrazes is, above all, a synth-pop album. Sure, the melody and swagger of it suggest the Strokes by simple virtue of Casablancas writing the thing—but everything surrounding those base elements is a hazy, euphoric (and sometimes slightly bubblegum) electro-fuzz that feels as much like Buggles as it does anything Casablancas has done before.
Thank the producers for that. Seriously. That the album’s glittery sheen rarely clashes with Casablancas’ proclivity for voice and melody is just as much a testament to Jason Lader and Bright Eyes/Monsters of Folk mainstay Mike Mogis; one only has to look to Chris Cornell/Timbaland solo nightmare to see what happens when production and intent don’t jibe. Tracks like “Left & Right In The Dark”, with its Flock Of Seagulls guitar fades, and the stuttering breaks of “11th Dimension” may feel like roller-rink jams, but combined with Casablancas’ tinny whine (and lyrics like “your faith has got to be greater than your fear”) they assume something impossibly dark…and just a little heartbreaking. Even better is the slightly sideways “Ludlow Street” with its off-key banjo and off-time drum machine—a real boozy saloon jam with an opening overture so gorgeously ominous, it might be the best 15 seconds of the album. But then there’s the train-whistle guitars of “4 Chords Of The Apocalypse”. Or the down and dirty swagger of “Tourist”. Good ideas? Phrazes has them.
And that, ultimately, is its biggest downfall. Though every track features at least one really perfect moment, the layers upon layers of iconic hooks, harmonies, solos and always-at-11 vocals eventually melt into a hazy blob that screams JULIAN CASABLANCAS! just a little too loudly. Had each song highlighted its best three—hell, even five—ideas, Phrazes could’ve been the most remarkably catchy album of the year. As it stands, it’s pretty good—but too much of a good thing is still too much of a thing.
Enter to win a PAIR of tickets to the Florida Music Conference in Downtown Miami on September 19th, 2009!
Jermaine Dupri is the Guest Speaker.
Also attending, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Ace Hood, Trina, Juvenile, Brian McKnight, Letoya Luckett, Cool N Dre, Nasty Beatmakers, The Runners and many more.
Panels: Radio, Records, Producers & Artists
Winner will be randomly selected from comments section and announced on September 11th, 2009.
ANSWER THIS QUESTION TO ENTER:
Why do you want to attend the Florida Music Conference?
Peter Murphy makes a grand appearance @ Terminal 5 - 8/26/09 (by trentvanegas)
Nine Inch Nails have completed their four-night run in NYC. Tonight (8/26) was the 2nd show at Terminal 5 and it ended with another guest appearance by Peter Murphy who descended from the ceiling on a chain… upside down like a bat (see above and below).
Peter helped Trent and band perform “Reptile”, “Strange Kind Of Love”, Bauhaus’s “Bela Lugosi’s Dead”, and Pere Ubu‘ “Final Solution”. Full setlist and video below…
NIN @ Terminal 5 - August 26, 2009 - setlist
1. “Pinion”
2. “Somewhat Damaged”
3. “Wish”
4. “Last”
5. “Sin”
6. “March Of The Pigs”
7. “Something I Can Never Have”
8. “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)”
9. “Metal”
10. “Terrible Lie”
11. “Head Down”
12. “Burn”
13. “Gave Up”
14. “La Mer”
15. “The Frail”
16. “The Wretched”
17. “Non-Entity”
18. “Gone, Still”
19. “Lights In The Sky”
20. “The Downward Spiral”
21. “1,000,000″
22. “Survivalism”
23. “The Good Soldier”
24. “Dead Souls”
25. “Hurt”
Encore
26. “Suck”
27. “Down In It”
28. “The Hand That Feeds”
29. “Head Like A Hole”
30. “Reptile” with Peter Murphy
31. “Strange Kind Of Love” with Peter Murphy
32. “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” with Peter Murphy
33. “Final Solution” with Peter Murphy
As the last summer of this decade comes to a close and “best of the decade” talk starts to pop up on various corners of the internet, we’ve decided to post a concise list of our favorite albums of the ’00s. We wanted this to be a small post/discussion, as opposed to some overwrought, massive thing, so we pared the list down to the 20 albums that, for us, defined the last 10 years. The list is below, with a foreword from Carles of popular weblog Hipster Runoff:
“You continue to come back to Gorilla vs. Bear for a reason. It seems to be ’simple’, like ‘not making a big deal’ about sharing emerging artists. While many blogs continue to generate zany memes, muckraking ‘newsbits’, and spiral into a terrible voice that cannot be corrected, Gorilla vs. Bear stays pretty ’straightforward’ and has never really ’shot itself in the foot’ by expanding beyond its core competency.
In the final 4 months of 2k9, you will see more ‘Best of the Decade’ gimmick lists than have ever been generated at the twilight of any decade. It seems like the ‘list’ gimmick has been exhausted, but there is still a responsibility of ‘relevant’ voices to generate a list, not only for the ‘mad hits’, ’search engine optimization’, and ’shitload of comments’ , but to give your followers a ‘landmark’, saying ‘We have lived through this. Now we shall reflect upon this.’ While some outlets can do this naturally because of their brand/voice, it seems likely that most people will ’seem like ass holes’ for making lists.
This is the top albums of the decade list by some bros who live in Texas, but seems like it means ‘more’ because the bros behind it have a ‘respected blog.’ While you are above concepts like ‘lists’, ‘time’, ‘labeling periods of time’, and ‘judging art’, it is a social responsibility of a relevant tastemaker to make ’seminal lists.’”
