Detroit’s rock/punk/funk/metal (generally genre confused) Downtown Brown have premiered the music video for their song “Baby” on BlankTV and you can check it out right here.

The video is the band’s first single since signing with DC-Jam Records in August and releasing their latest record “Grabbleton’s Beach”.

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The dudes in Sainte Catherines are getting old.

Most people wouldn’t agree, seeing as the band only has about three proper full-lengths under their belt, but if their documentary The Soda Machine is any evidence, these guys have been hard at work in the punk rock scene from way before people actually cared much about them. Then, they wrote the fierce The Art Of Arrogance which led to them being promptly signed by prolific punk label, Fat Wreck Chords. Fat Mike was even quoted as saying, “The Sainte Catherines are ‘lifers’, not just a band, I’d release anything they write”. Their Fat debut, Dancing For Decadence is probably one of the loudest, gruffest and most emotionally heavy albums ever released by the label, and contains a wallop of songs that found The Sainte Catherines carefully swerving back and forth on the line between Midwestern punk rock and emotional hardcore. Now, Fat Mike probably has some explaining to do, because The Sainte Catherines jumped ship and signed to the far smaller, Anchorless Records and began writing their third full-length and the subject of this review, Fire Works.

At first, I must say I was semi- disappointed. Upon first listen my initial sentence stays true:  The Sainte Catherines are getting old, hell, they said it themselves in promotion of the album; It’s slower because they have grown up and decided they didn’t want to play heavey anymore. And it shows. You won’t find another “Va Donc Chier” or “The Shape Of Drunks To Come” on this release, even their acclaimed “Confessions of A Revolutionary Bourgeois” would seem a little too heavy for this release. Instead, the album kicks off with the catchiest tune on the album “We Used To Be In Love” which sounds like they’ve been listening to a lot of Gaslight Anthem, or maybe they had Leatherface’s Stormy Petrel on constant rotation while they wrote. Hell, maybe they’ve just been playing as their bluesy country alter ego, Yesterday’s Ring, far too much lately. The far mellower and catchier bounce of their new sound was ridiculously off putting at first, and made the whole album drag for me.

Then, I decided to give it another shot, and after the second spin it was memorable. After three I was singing along. After four I was hooked. And it’s now that I decide that I should write this review, because this album is definitely 2010’s grower of year.

The album kicks in with the brilliant one-two punch of “We Used To Be In Love” and “Better Like This”, possibly two of the strongest tracks on the album. They also set the tone for the album, which seems to be of nostalgia, heartbreak and disappointment, of wanting to give up but struggling not to, themes that ring true in every song. And that’s the thing, this album is really about them getting old. It’s about having to put up with this shit for so long and just wanting it to end but not wanting to give up either, of trying to balance life as a band and life as a person with family and friends and about the sacrifices they’ve had to make. And it really shows. This album doesn’t sound just old, it sounds tired, it sounds bitter, and it’s fucking awesome. Songs like “No Friends”, “So Long & Thanks For Nothing” and “Back To The Basement That I love” may not have the punch that tracks from Dancing For Decadence had but they have their own brand of more collected, cooler energy. The songs may be structurally quieter but I bet that The Sainte Catherines played them just as loud as their older stuff if not louder, this set of songs are clearly more personal than anything else they’ve written. It sounds like a band coming back from a sophomore slump or a bad break up, except they didn’t really have either. The pairing of these more energetic numbers with the far more melancholic tracks like “The Great Somewhere Else” (Possibly the best track on the album; it’s slow trudging start and it’s reinvention of the chorus from “Better Like This” only to slowly and effortlessly fade back into the initial riff probably make it the most intelligent song they’ve written) and “Reinventing Ron Hextall” are what makes this album so complete, so honest and true. Even Hugo’s vocal delivery seems to be one of near defeat, and I mean that in the best way possible. Sure, the album still has its missteps; some of the tracks in the middle like “Maggie & Dave” and “D’You Guys Wanna Fuckin’ Party After This? No.” seem to blend a little and get eaten up by the stronger tracks that surround them. With such a solid repertoire of tracks at the beginning, it does cause the album as a whole to drag a little but right when you think you might be getting tired The Sainte Catherines pick up the ball they dropped with the last four tracks on the release.

Though Fire Works could use some trimming, it’s definitely a solid release. It’s a bit of an exercise to listen to at first, but with a few spins you quickly start hearing what they were trying to do. I, for one, am seriously glad I gave this a second a try because it’s probably one of the most honest punk albums released in recent years, channeling the right amount of all your favorite things. Plus, if you’re at all a fan of these dudes, it will definitely take you back to the basement where you discovered them.

The dudes in The Sainte Catherines may be getting old, but I hope they don’t get tired.

Plymouth roots-punk quartet, Crazy Arm embark on a UK tour in December with London’s Apologies I Have None. To coincide with the tour, the band will be releasing a double A-side single (7″ vinyl on Gunner Records, digital format on Xtra Mile Recordings). Featuring the Springsteen-esque anthem, ‘Ambertown’, and the bluegrass-influenced ‘Sweet Storm’ – with live guest, Victoria Butterfield, on joint vocals – the single is set for release on 13th December.

The band’s debut album, ‘Born To Ruin’, is out now on Xtra Mile Recordings (Gunner Records in Europe). The band are currently working on songs for their second album, provisionally titled ‘Union City Breath’, scheduled for release in mid-2011.

Get ready to turn your stereo up and piss off your neighbors because today we’re bringing you the Burning Fiction / Jet Market / Part Time Killer split courtesy of the rockin’ folks over at Pee Records.  In only 35 minutes, you’ll be delivered 12 tracks of the finest melodic punk rock available today.  You can listen to the album and get the track list, here.

The album is available on December 17th from Pee Records and you can pre-order it right now for a measly tenner from the Pee website, here.

So sit back, relax and get ready to punch something, or hug it.  You’ll have to listen to find out which!

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Here’s some new punk rock for you straight from Guildford, UK.  Darko has just released a music video for their previously unreleased son “Never Coming Home” and you can check it out right here.

The band is also giving away their debut EP for free on their bandcamp page.

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Progressive Hardcore band No Bragging Rights are using the power of social networking to give fans a sneak preview of their upcoming album “Illuminator”.

Head over to the bands Facebook Page to hear a song sample. After 2000 “likes”, the band will post a full album teaser, and after 3000 “likes” they will debut the first single off of the album which will be released on 1/11/11 on Blk Heart Group.

No Bragging Rights released their last album, The Consequence Of Dreams, in March, 2009.

Emo/Pop-punk band Since Forever prove that they are far from camera shy in a new web video series called “Back Staged”. Episode 1 “Easterwood v. Easterwood” can be viewed here.

The first video in the series is a lighthearted account of the bands Thanksgiving antics, complete with a gentlemen’s duel to the death between bandmates/brothers Zach and Taylor Easterwood.

Since Forever released an EP titled “Love” back in October, and you can hear a few songs off of it (“Coast And You”, “Get Low”, and “Kissing And Stuff”) on the band’s MySpace page. [Read more…]

In true Thanksgiving spirit Denver’s pop punkers, The Gamits, have posted a new tune titled “Fan Song” on their bandcamp page as a testament to their thankfulness for their fans.  You can be thankful that the song is also available for free download (donations accepted).

The band released their last album, “Parts,” as a joint venture between Suburban Home Records and Paper + Plastick Records in October.

Paramore did a cover of Foo Fighter’s famous song “My Hero” while performing for the troops in Kuwait.  Check it out right here.

Paramore’s most recent full-length album Brand New Eyes, was released last year on Fueled By Ramen Records.

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I gotta say, I love this band.  The Bastard Suns have got such a diverse sound but always stay decidedly punk rock, which is why their “A Band For All Seasons” EP series makes so much sense.  The series began with their “Fall” EP released, yep, last Fall and now it looks like they’re getting close to releasing the next EP; “Winter.”  The cover art is <= and you can stream a song from the upcoming release titled “One Long Night” on the band’s MySpace page.

The “Band For All Seasons” EP series will total four cds consisting of five songs each. The albums will be released at the beginning of each season, starting with Fall, and each one will feature four new original songs and one cover that they feel best match the corresponding season. The Fall CD features their gospel, country and bluegrass-influenced work, Winter will feature their Irish drinking material, Spring will include their ska and punk, and Summer will be reggae and surf-inspired. Get it? Got it? Good.

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