The kings of the music video have been at it again. Canadian sweethearts PUP just released one of the coolest music videos ever. Seriously! You can now join the dudes on a virtual trip as their tourmanager and go through all kind of wacky adventures, just by heading down below. ‘Old Wounds’ is a single […]
The kings of the music video have been at it again. Canadian sweethearts PUP just released one of the coolest music videos ever. Seriously! You can now join the dudes on a virtual trip as their tourmanager and go through all kind of wacky adventures, just by heading down below.
‘Old Wounds’ is a single from the bands’s last album The Dream Is Over, which came out May 2016 on SideOneDummy Records.
Following yesterday’s news that they had released a new song, post-hardcore legends Quicksand have revealed some details for their long-awaited third album Interiors, which is due for release on November 10th. The album’s track listing is below and you can pre-order your copy of the album here. Produced by Will Yip, Interiors is Quicksand’s first full-length studio album […]
Following yesterday’s news that they had released a new song, post-hardcore legends Quicksand have revealed some details for their long-awaited third album Interiors, which is due for release on November 10th.
The album’s track listing is below and you can pre-order your copy of the album here.
Produced by Will Yip, Interiors is Quicksand’s first full-length studio album since 1995’s Manic Compression. Before the album comes out, the band will be touring the U.S., starting early next month.
Female-fronted power pop/punk act Forever Starts Today have released a music video for their song “Last One Standing”, which can be viewed below. “Last One Standing” is taken from the band’s upcoming debut record Always Hope, which will be released this Friday (August 25th) via Third String Records.
Female-fronted power pop/punk act Forever Starts Today have released a music video for their song “Last One Standing”, which can be viewed below.
“Last One Standing” is taken from the band’s upcoming debut record Always Hope, which will be released this Friday (August 25th) via Third String Records.
Northern English pop punks Colt 45 have premiered a music video for their brand new song “One Way Home”. It is the part of the series singles the band has been releasing throughout the year, and you can watch the video below. All of the EPs released so far are up for free download from […]
Northern English pop punks Colt 45 have premiered a music video for their brand new song “One Way Home”. It is the part of the series singles the band has been releasing throughout the year, and you can watch the video below.
All of the EPs released so far are up for free download from the band’s Bandcamp page. [Read more…]
California punk icons Bad Religion have announced some South American tour dates that will take place in November. The dates and locations are below. Bad Religion have been busy working on a new album, tentatively due for release next year. It will be their first full-length studio album since 2013’s True North as well as their first with Mike Dimkich (replacing Greg Hetson) on […]
California punk icons Bad Religion have announced some South American tour dates that will take place in November. The dates and locations are below.
Bad Religion have been busy working on a new album, tentatively due for release next year. It will be their first full-length studio album since 2013’s True North as well as their first with Mike Dimkich (replacing Greg Hetson) on guitar and Jamie Miller (replacing Brooks Wackerman) on drums.
Preconceived notions are a funny thing. Let’s take the new Melvins record A Walk with Love and Death as a case study. When I saw that the Melvins had a new record, I took notice. My first encounter with the band was back in 1992 when Spin Magazine did an article on Grunge. I think […]
Preconceived notions are a funny thing. Let’s take the new Melvins record A Walk with Love and Death as a case study. When I saw that the Melvins had a new record, I took notice. My first encounter with the band was back in 1992 when Spin Magazine did an article on Grunge. I think they described the Melvins as “so heavy they solidify upon contact with air.” I was like, “I gotta check that out.” On vacation at the time in LA, I popped into a record store and proceeded to buy the only Melvins offering they had. 10 Songs. It rocked my world. I considered myself a fan ever since. I’ve seen them many times. I attended their performance of Houdini in its entirety solo as I couldn’t scare up anyone to go with me. I know the Melvins. Bullhead, Stoner Witch, Houdini, Ozma, Stag, Nude with Boots, (A) Senile Animal. I’ll tell anyone that asks, that for my money, the best rock and roll song ever written is Revolve. They continue to provide for those that prefer their punk rock with a heavy side of sludge. The last album of theirs that I had on heavy rotation was Hold it in. I mean come on!! How can you not embrace the product of ½ Melvins, ½ Butthole Surfers? It’s a whole mess of fun. So when I took a look at this new offering, A Walk with Love and Death, a few things came to mind. The cover art looked really cool, definitely a good start, it looked like Melvins for the 21st century. Next I checked the track listing. Interesting. Nine songs apparently inspired by (Death) and fourteen songs apparently inspired by (Love). Got it; A walk with Love and Death. The Melvins are taking a deep dive here into two broad and timeless concepts!! My mind: “ I like it!! The Death songs are going to be some of the heaviest gnarliest shit they’ve ever done. And the love stuff, maybe they’ll pull out something heartfelt, lilting, Buzz can make a guitar groan, chirp, and squeal, I want to know what Love sounds like through that goop filter. I can’t wait to hear it!! It will be the Melvins’ Magnum Opus!!”
Preconceived notions.
My hope that there was a beautiful symbiosis between Love and Death with the common denominator being The Melvins went up in flames on my very first listen. I was right about the fact that AWWLAD has two distinct sections; and they must be viewed as such; which will not be hard. Let’s tackle Death first. For all practical purposes, Death is the Melvins album. Death consists of 9 tracks, traditional offerings put forth as faithfully Melvins. Song one, Black Heath, proves an able opener; although I didn’t catch anything that suggested (Death). Sober-delic picks up where BH leaves off, looming soundscapes, extended noodlings, what you expect from the Melvins these days. SD pays off with a solid hook you can latch on to, and a vocal style that might remind die-hards of Stoner Witch or Houdini. For my money, this is the standout track on the album. Euthanasia slams the listener next and once again, the Melvins Faithful are rewarded with power chords, tribal beats, and a traditional Buzz vocal. What’s Wrong with You slams on the breaks and timewarps into 90s pop. Anna Waronker drops in to assist on vox. You might know her as the lead singer of that Dog, or as Steven McDonald’s (Melvins current bassist) wife. Edgar the Elephant and Flaming Creature rumble in next to little fanfare. Christ Hammer delivers some 70s harmonies and a cleaner crisper production that allows the Melvins to shine in a new light. Cactus Party is a jumpy little number featuring Teri Gender Bender of Le Butcherettes. Cardboa Negro closes things out with a classic Melvins vibe that devolves into cacophony; a harbinger of what’s to come.
The love side. Full disclosure. This is the soundtrack for a movie by Jesse Niemenen called, oddly enough, “A Walk with Love and Death.” But don’t expect The Wall or The Soft Bulletin. There should be some kind of reward for anyone that listens to the entirety of Love without turning it off. Something I was close to doing many times, but I kept waiting for some smidgen of a song or anything indicating that the Melvins were involved in any way. There were few. I wanted to give a fair and unbiased account of the entire album, so it is for you, faithful reader, that I subjected myself to the maddening cacophony that is Love. The only way it would merit a second listen is if you are a masochist or a heavy drug user.
To sum it all up, if you stick with the (Death) tracks you have a solid Melvins record. No need to mess with the (Love) section. I give (Death) 3.5 stars. The inclusion of (Love) drags the overall rating down to 3. Draw your own philosophical conclusion.
3/5 Stars
Remember when we had a semi-regular podcast that featured new music from emerging acts, news and stories from around the Scene and band/artist interviews? Yea…those were simpler times… But fret not, faithful readers/listeners, we jumped on the reboot bandwagon and returned with a new and improved version of Dying Scene Radio! That’s right gang, we’ve […]
Remember when we had a semi-regular podcast that featured new music from emerging acts, news and stories from around the Scene and band/artist interviews? Yea…those were simpler times… But fret not, faithful readers/listeners, we jumped on the reboot bandwagon and returned with a new and improved version of Dying Scene Radio! That’s right gang, we’ve done a complete overhaul! With two, all new hosts, a slick, new streamlined format for more cohesion, and far, far less vitriolic politics, we know you’re going to dig DSR 2.0! For our debut episode, we sent one of our new hosts, AnarchoPunk to Studio City to meet up with Kevin Besignano and Derik Envy from Los Angeles’ premiere punk rock act True Rivals. Not only did he get the skinny on their new EP, but AP also recorded an incredible acoustic set with ’em! So, without further adieu we present you with the new Dying Scene Radio! Links for streaming (along with this episode’s playlist) below!
* Let us know what you think at dyingsceneradio@dyingscene.com
A few weeks ago I did a write up on a Chinese punk band called SMZB. In the article I mentioned Demerit as one of the key band’s keeping the scene alive in Beijing. The band have announced they will be heading to the US for a tour later this year. They will be playing […]
A few weeks ago I did a write up on a Chinese punk band called SMZB. In the article I mentioned Demerit as one of the key band’s keeping the scene alive in Beijing. The band have announced they will be heading to the US for a tour later this year. They will be playing for a month straight, starting on October 5th in Seattle and will be supported by Ground Score and Escape From The Zoo. Check out the full list of dates below.
I was lucky enough to catch them playing last year and go out for a few beers with them after the show. They are a great bunch of guys and I hope as many people as possible can go support them. Being a punk band in China is not easy and the band has had problems with their lyrics being censored in the past. But they have been around for over 10 years now and are still going strong.
You can listen to my favourite album “Bastards Of The Nation” here.
New York hardcore band Backtrack are streaming their new single “Bad To My World,” you can give it a listen below. The track will appear on a limited edition zine/flexi combo available digitally on September 1st and physically on September 8th from Bridge Nine Records. The track will also appear on their forthcoming new full-length, due out later […]
New York hardcore band Backtrack are streaming their new single “Bad To My World,” you can give it a listen below.
The track will appear on a limited edition zine/flexi combo available digitally on September 1st and physically on September 8th from Bridge Nine Records. The track will also appear on their forthcoming new full-length, due out later this year on the same label.
The band will begin touring later this year on the Life & Death tour with bands such as No Warning and Twitching Tounges. Get more information here.
After announcing their hiatus last year, Somos are back with a new track titled “Strangers On The Train.” Give it a listen below. Lead singer Michael explains: “‘Strangers on the Train’ is about alienation under capitalism and how many people are working extremely hard to simply obtain the basic necessities of life. The song came together […]
After announcing their hiatus last year, Somos are back with a new track titled “Strangers On The Train.” Give it a listen below.
Lead singer Michael explains:
“‘Strangers on the Train’ is about alienation under capitalism and how many people are working extremely hard to simply obtain the basic necessities of life. The song came together very naturally for us and we’re proud to share.”