The members of Paramore are having an eBay yard sale to raise money for the Red Cross in Japan, and they want you to check it out! The auction can be found right here. Featuring guitars, accessories, and clothing from band members Hayley, Jeremy, and Taylor, the auction runs through April 2nd. Once bidding ends […]
The members of Paramore are having an eBay yard sale to raise money for the Red Cross in Japan, and they want you to check it out! The auction can be found right here.
Featuring guitars, accessories, and clothing from band members Hayley, Jeremy, and Taylor, the auction runs through April 2nd. Once bidding ends on the current items, an entirely new set will be put up for auction.
Paramore’s last release was the album “Brand New Eyes” on Fueled By Ramen in 2009.
Building on a new Monday tradition, Compton, California’s Pour Habit have unveiled another new song off their upcoming album “Got Your Back”. This track is called “Party” and is a surprisingly mellow acoustic addition to the band’s normally aggressive attack. Go ahead and give it a listen over on the band’s official website. “Got Your […]
Building on a new Monday tradition, Compton, California’s Pour Habit have unveiled another new song off their upcoming album “Got Your Back”. This track is called “Party” and is a surprisingly mellow acoustic addition to the band’s normally aggressive attack. Go ahead and give it a listen over on the band’s official website.
“Got Your Back” will be released April 12th on Fat Wreck Chords, and Pour Habit will release one new song online every Monday till the album is released.
Somewhere along the line, Unwritten Law morphed from a SoCal skate-punk band into a more mainstream-oriented aggressive rock band. The change was fairly gradual; UL’s self-titled album contained songs that were something other than traditional punk (“Cailin,” “Before I Go” and “418” aren’t standard punk tunes by any stretch). “Elva” continued the shift, but was […]
Somewhere along the line, Unwritten Law morphed from a SoCal skate-punk band into a more mainstream-oriented aggressive rock band. The change was fairly gradual; UL’s self-titled album contained songs that were something other than traditional punk (“Cailin,” “Before I Go” and “418” aren’t standard punk tunes by any stretch). “Elva” continued the shift, but was still very much a UL album. “Here’s To The Mourning” came next, and marked the band’s first album without founding drummer Wade Youman. It also finalized the band’s transition to a “post-grunge” sound. “Swan” is a little bit of a return to form (not to “Oz Factor,” but maybe to “Elva”) in some ways, but don’t expect another “Superman” in its midst.
“Swan” marks UL’s first studio album as a four-piece, and introduces their fanbase to new drummer Dylan Howard (who had previously appeared on the band’s live album and on lead singer Scott Russo’s “Scott + Aimee” side project). The album lacks traditional rapid-fire punk rock beats, but Howard is rock solid behind the kit: the drum sound throughout is big, tight, upbeat and syncopated. Russo takes on rhythm guitar duties for the first time, and he and Steve Morris tend to mirror each other on many of the album’s tracks, creating what, for the most part, is a “big” sounding rock record. Here’s a track-by-track rundown…
1. “Starships and Apocalypse” – trademark UL (of late)…full guitar sound through the intro/chorus, a little more stripped down and bass-heavy during the verse…builds to chorus again. This will become a common theme. “Starships” was described in our interview with the band as being a song about “about losing all inhibitions and following your gut,” and is written from the point of view of a “fucked-up party girl,” which makes sense as it bites from some of Ke$ha’s vocal stylings in the pre-chorus. As much as it pains me to say, “Starships sounds reminiscent of Good Charlotte’s “Anthem” in the chorus, and begs the listener to accompany the band to “La La Land.” If you’re a UL fan from the old school, you probably feel like you’re already there.
2. “Nevermind” – features a drum-driven, group chant introduction and break-down style verse. It also features a synthesizer which, when added to the group chant, gives the song a European club feel at times. The synthesizer is an interesting addition. Remember, this ain’t “Superman.” Nevertheless, it’s the kind of song that will bore its way into your brain. The lyrics find Russo taking “you to the end of anywhere and (saying) just about anything to get you there.”
3. “Dark Dayz” – uptempo , fast-paced, all upstroke verse. Given the turmoil the band has been through over the better part of the last decade, the line in which Russo states that “I can’t tell you it’ll be alright” sounds particularly poignant. “Big guitar” sounding chorus about “dark days and darker nights.”
4. “Last Chance” – another dance style beat (but thankfully all live drums) that actually reminds me of old Shootyz Groove. The intro and verses make the song feel like it is building to something big in the chorus, but it never quite gets there. More of a modern arena-rock soud than anything. Contains one of my favorite lines on the album: “Love ain’t nothing but a word in a song.”
5. “Sing” – This one is an acoustic ballad, but the sound and chord structure are unlike your normal, run-of-the-mill punk-goes-acoustic tune. “Sing is actually a very sweet song about needing your other half to complete you and make you whole; about needing someone there fighting with you in your darkest hour and coming out “alright.”
6. “Superbad” – Another aggressive rock track. Big, drum driven song that features a pretty heavy guitar riff. Lyrically, “Superbad” is the most outwardly honest song; it actually addresses the aforementioned turmoil (jail, rehab, Scott’s house burning down) head on and focuses on fighting through all of that crap.
7. “Let You Go” – Follows the formula of most of the rest of the album. Standard, aggressive rock fare, though lyrically the song comes off as the album’s most introspective and honest in its approach to matters of the heart. The swagger and bombast of many of the other rockers is gone, in favor of lyrics that claim that “it might be better if we weren’t forever…cuz forever is a long time.” Other particularly poignant lines: “I want you if you promise not to be a thorn in my side” and “I need you but don’t think that I’ll never leave you.”
8. “Chicken” – features seminal Oakland rapper Del The Funkee Homosapien (of “Mistadobalina” fame). Conceived over a bucket of Roscoes Chicken & Waffles, “Chicken” is a guitar driven, agro-rock style party song. Not the most lyrically “deep,” but it serves as more of a rallying cry.
9. “On My Own” – melodic, a little more “mid-tempo.” Lyrics about being in that unfortunate place that many relationships get to…”walked away 1000 times since yesterday…keep on running but been around so long that we’ve got nothing to say.” This is one for the ladies, methinks. Catchy, repetitious chorus.
10. “Love Love Love” – Another stripped down ballad, but I don’t dig the programmed drums. Sounds out of place, on the album, coming from UL, etc. My nana always told me that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. We’ll move on.
11. “Swan Song” – back on track. Guitar/drum driven. Also fits the recent UL formula. More of ‘Russo on Russo: “19 but I knew it all/ two bad tattoos and an attitude problem.” Agro-rock guitars again. This one will have fans of the band clamoring over what it hints to concerning the band’s future: “Can’t go on any longer…listen close my friends/ I may be moving on. Please think of me when I’m gone/ this is our swan song.”
I may be somewhat biased, because “Oz Factor” and UL’s self-titled album have never fallen out of my regular listening rotation. While not a traditional punk rock album by any stretch, “Swan” is not without its very high points and obvious punk inspiration. To make a long story somewhat short, if you jumped on to the Unwritten Law train around the time that “Elva” had “Seein’ Red” plastered over the airwaves, this album will be close to a “five star” album for you. If you’re from the “Blue Room” era, it may be closer to one star. I split the difference.
**The Album Reviews published on Dying Scene are written and submitted by fans of punk music, just like you. If you disagree with an album’s rating, feel free to voice your opinion and give it your own rating in the comments. If you’d like to submit your own review do it here.
Portland, Oregon’s Rise Records are moving ahead with their plans to take over the independent music universe. The label has just announced plans for its first-ever nationwide Rise Records Tour. Headlining each stop on the six-week jaunt will be Memphis May Fire, who are set to release their Rise debut on April 26th. Joining them […]
Portland, Oregon’s Rise Records are moving ahead with their plans to take over the independent music universe. The label has just announced plans for its first-ever nationwide Rise Records Tour.
Headlining each stop on the six-week jaunt will be Memphis May Fire, who are set to release their Rise debut on April 26th. Joining them on tour will be prog-rockers Decoder, Sacramento-based screamo act Ten After Two (whose own Rise debut hits stores on March 29th) and Poughkeepsie’s That’s Outrageous!
The Rise Records Tour starts in St. Louis on May 7 and snakes its way around the continental US before wrapping up in Houston on June 19. Click here for the full itinerary.
Philadelphia’s Dirty Tactics have unveiled release information for their new EP, “The Divine Middle.” The album will hit the streets on May 3 on Say-10 Records and will be co-released with Kiss Of Death Records. Artwork for the five-song EP can be seen on the left. “The Divine Middle” was produced by the Bouncing Souls‘ […]
Philadelphia’s Dirty Tactics have unveiled release information for their new EP, “The Divine Middle.” The album will hit the streets on May 3 on Say-10 Records and will be co-released with Kiss Of Death Records.
Artwork for the five-song EP can be seen on the left. “The Divine Middle” was produced by the Bouncing Souls‘ Pete Steinkopf.
Dirty Tactics’ most recent release was last May’s “It Is What It Is.”
Asian Man Records first announced plans to reissue the seminal Smoking Popes album “Born to Quit” well over a year ago. The album is still listed as due for release “sometime in 2011” on the Asian Man website, but we may be a tad closer to getting the big announcement. Today, Asian Man and Smoking […]
Asian Man Records first announced plans to reissue the seminal Smoking Popes album “Born to Quit” well over a year ago. The album is still listed as due for release “sometime in 2011” on the Asian Man website, but we may be a tad closer to getting the big announcement.
Today, Asian Man and Smoking Popes debuted the album cover for the reissue: a stained glass reinterpretation of the album’s original cover. That’s it over on the left. “Born to Quit” was originally released in 1994. Click here to see the original artwork
Smoking Popes are currently touring in support of February’s full-length release entitled “This Is Only A Test.”
Here’s a rare treat for all you punks. Apparently, Dave King of Flogging Molly recorded a kickass cover of Bad Religion’s song “Fuck Armageddon, This Is Hell!’ with Punk Rock Karaoke, and some how it managed to escape the notice of the Internet in general. Until now. You can listen to it in all of […]
Here’s a rare treat for all you punks. Apparently, Dave King of Flogging Molly recorded a kickass cover of Bad Religion’s song “Fuck Armageddon, This Is Hell!’ with Punk Rock Karaoke, and some how it managed to escape the notice of the Internet in general. Until now. You can listen to it in all of its glory right here.
Punk Rock Karaoke is an all-star supergroup featuring Eric Melvin of NOFX, Greg Hetson of Bad Religion, and Steve Soto and Derek O’Brien, both of The Adolescents. They do special appearances at events like the Vans Warped Tour, Punk Rock Bowling, etc where they pull a lucky fan on stage to sing covers of some of punk rock’s best songs.
We knew that Matt Appleton of Goldfinger would be joining SoCal ska band Reel Big Fish on tour this fall to wail on the tenor sax, but it looks like he’s now been added as a permanent replacement to trumpet/vocalist/guitar/keys player Scott Klopfenstein, who left earlier this year. If I’m doing my math right, this […]
We knew that Matt Appleton of Goldfinger would be joining SoCal ska band Reel Big Fish on tour this fall to wail on the tenor sax, but it looks like he’s now been added as a permanent replacement to trumpet/vocalist/guitar/keys player Scott Klopfenstein, who left earlier this year.
If I’m doing my math right, this will be the first time in 16 years that the band has had a permanent saxophone player.
Reel Big Fish is currently on tour of the U.S. For those dates, check out their website.
St. Patrick’s Day is over, but everybody’s favorite LA Irish punks show no sign of slowing down. In addition to their already lengthy spring tour, Flogging Molly has added three dates in California and Oregon. To view those dates, click here. For a full list of Flogging Molly’s tour dates, check out their website. Flogging […]
St. Patrick’s Day is over, but everybody’s favorite LA Irish punks show no sign of slowing down. In addition to their already lengthy spring tour, Flogging Molly has added three dates in California and Oregon. To view those dates, click here. For a full list of Flogging Molly’s tour dates, check out their website.
Flogging Molly’s 5th studio album, entitled ‘Speed of Darkness,’ hits stores on May 31st.
Toh Kay (Tomas Kalnoky of Streetlight Manifesto) has announced a short run of U.S. and Canada tour dates, entitled “The Farewell Tour.” For the full list of dates, click here. Toh Kay recently released a split with Mu330 singer Dan Potthast. For a review of that album, written by yours truly, click here.
Toh Kay (Tomas Kalnoky of Streetlight Manifesto) has announced a short run of U.S. and Canada tour dates, entitled “The Farewell Tour.” For the full list of dates, click here.
Toh Kay recently released a split with Mu330 singer Dan Potthast. For a review of that album, written by yours truly, click here.