Fat Mike is back with a new band called Codefendants, and they have released a debut album that might be one of the sickest debut albums this year; it’s called This Is Crime Wave, and funny enough, Crime Wave is the genre that’s made up in the minds of Fat Mike, Sam King from Get […]
Fat Mike is back with a new band called Codefendants, and they have released a debut album that might be one of the sickest debut albums this year; it’s called This Is Crime Wave, and funny enough, Crime Wave is the genre that’s made up in the minds of Fat Mike, Sam King from Get Dead, and rapper Ceschi Ramos. So it’s hip-hop, new wave, punk? There are some acoustic guitars and THE BEATLES! Trumpets? It’s everything and awesome. But let’s move on to the album.
Opening the album “Def Cons,” which isn’t a good song by any means. It’s uneven and doesn’t know what it’s doing. Ramos delivers on the raps, but it’s not a memorable song. This is odd because “Abscessed” featuring Onry Ozzborne and Get Dead, make room for each genre on this track; there’s no mismatch where the punk falls behind and sounds like it was added to justify the punk in the new made-up genre. Instead, the punk is heard loud and clear, with the raps coming faster than a groupie in the 70s. This song has everything I would want in a song when I hear punk, hip-hop, and new-age hip-hop mashed together in a blender. This song is the summer anthem for 2023.
The D.O.C., yes, the actual D.O.C., a legend, is featured on the “Fast Ones,” and this song marks his return after nearly 20 years out of the game. The fact this legend came out of retirement to get involved in this song should be acknowledged because this is important for everyone. To those who were around in the 90s for hip-hop, I would say that this song sounds influenced by it but met with an updated sound that reminds me of the sound Lil´ Dicky spits out in his songs.
“The last person I dated accused me of trauma dumping / and they were absolutely right” opening lyrics to “Disaster Scenes” featuring Stacy Dee from Bad Cop/Bad Cop is a strong song. Stacy Dee puts on a vulnerable display and opens up about the abuse she experienced early in her childhood. On “Suckers,” we finally get some trumpets and a somewhat jazz vibe over it. The pop-punk sound on “Brutiful” – yes, clever title – shows that a whole song doesn’t need one or the other but that there’s a natural progression from a Celtic folk vibe to a chorus with pop-punk chords throughout it.
The album itself has minor flaws, but along the way, those flaws turn out to be what makes the album complete. The lyrics and the different instrumental arrangements we hear on the album work. And for a debut album, it can be worrying if they can keep the level of rawness throughout their following albums if they ever come. The themes that they tackle on the album; child abuse, trauma dumping, gang violence, racism, violence, and many more, definitely seems to show another layer of Fat Mike, but not surprising Sam King or Ceschi Ramos, who has had a first-hand experience with drugs and the prison system. This album highlights much darkness and blurs the line on what is genre-defying. This Is Crime Waveis raw and shouldn’t be taken lightly. I am pleased with the turnout, and all I have left to say is; I better wipe my fucking face (see what I did there?)
It gets 4 stars out of five from me. I recommend the following songs: Abscessed, Fast Ones, Suicide By Pigs (It’s funny but not funny, you know?), Disaster Scenes, Coda-Fendants
Albany’s post-hardcore force, Drug Church, is back with their fifth full-length, PRUDE. For fans who heard singles like ”Myopic” and the hard-hitting ”Demolition Man”, ”Chow”, and ”Slide 2 Me,” – the anticipation got thoroughly built over the summer since they announced PRUDE back in July. But PRUDE doesn’t just pick up where their fourth album, […]
Albany’s post-hardcore force, Drug Church, is back with their fifth full-length, PRUDE. For fans who heard singles like ”Myopic” and the hard-hitting ”Demolition Man”, ”Chow”, and ”Slide 2 Me,” – the anticipation got thoroughly built over the summer since they announced PRUDE back in July. But PRUDE doesn’t just pick up where their fourth album, Hygiene, left off – it takes the gritty, self-reflective storytelling and sounds a touch deeper. With ten tracks packed into a tight 29 minutes, this album proves that Drug Church isn’t interested in holding our hand throughout, and indeed, we shouldn’t expect a soft-landing post-listening. Instead, they are back to remind us of how well Patrick Kindlon is at storytelling with lyrics and how life’s messy choices can come back and bite us in the ass, forcing us to face the shitty truths that we’d much rather ignore.
PRUDE feels like the introduction to a band maturing, but without losing their edge. They continue to stay as raw as before but add a touch of unpredictability. Kindlon continues to impart his wisdom upon us with a layer of self-awareness; he doesn’t hold back. It’s the kind of album that asks you to listen but demands you sit down and look in the mirror while you do.
PRUDE opens with ”Mad Care,” and from the first note, we’re introduced to an album that isn’t pulling any punches. The guitars, drenched with distortion, manage to pulse a kind of energy while the feedback from the amps adds a sharp edge to the sound. While Kindlon enters with sneering vocals, hitting you with some hard truths: ”This is your situation / this is your circumstance / this is your fork in the road,” setting the tone for many of the other songs on the album, filled with self-reflection as we hear on ”Myopic,” and uncomfortable truths as the album goes on. ”Mad Care” is, in itself, an unapologetic rush of energy, full of moments that would have you screaming along. Kindlon’s vocal delivery gives a sense of frustration towards the end, daring us to take a good hard look at our self-destructive ways: ”Nice things coming your way / but you want something worse”. As the song hits its peak, ”Mad Care” isn’t about setting a sonic atmosphere but a statement: Take a good look at your goddamn choices, mate.
”Hey Listen” is one of my standout tracks on PRUDE, and for a good reason. While the album is packed with aggressive, unrelenting moments, this track offers a necessary breather, shifting the tone just enough to maintain coherence. It doesn’t feel like your typical Drug Church sound – there’s a softness to it, with its emo-esque guitars that guide Kindlon to match the pacing of the instruments. Compared to PRUDE’s opener, ”Mad Care,” ”Hey Listen” feels less frustrating, yet it still doesn’t feel out of place. In fact, Kindlon’s vocals are laced with a different kind of anguish here. Not the same biting frustration we hear on many of the other tracks, but a sense of helplessness, as in lines like ”It’s tough to find an upside / In what seems like a cursed life,” offering a glimpse into self-reflection.
The drumming by Chris Villeneuve keeps the tempo steady throughout the song while helping create a nuanced sonic foundation for the track. But what really sets ”Hey Listen” apart from the rest isn’t the tempo or sound – it’s how it plays with contrast. The lyrics may seem bleak, but the music feels overall expansive, giving the track room to breathe on its own, in a way some of the other great tracks on the album don’t. It’s a rare moment of emotional clarity, capturing the energy of PRUDE while offering a deeper level of introspection that feeds into the frustration heard throughout the album.
Another standout track for me is ”Business Ethics,” which stands out not just for the humorous lyrics but for the highly energetic delivery. It balances the heavy instruments and Kindlon’s vocals. It offers a breather from the more significant dissatisfaction that runs throughout PRUDE. It’s one of the album’s memorable moments, giving the listener a moment to engage in the sense of humor, as heard with the lyrics, ”He found a scheme to rely on / now he works in finance”. With ”Business Ethics,” Drug Church proves they can be just as biting in their humor as they very well can be with their anger and frustration, which is why the song becomes memorable.
Drug Church has always been, in my opinion, a band that has prioritized quality over quantity. They take great pride in their musicianship, focusing on making music that resonates rather than simply churning out songs to fill a setlist. Every track on PRUDE stands as a testament to how far they’ve come since their early days, showcasing their growth and evolution, individually but also as a band. As the band matures, so does their sound, and that maturity shines through in every moment of this album. The confidence that radiates from PRUDE makes it not just a milestone for Drug Church but one of the standout releases of 2024. This is Drug Church at its sharpest, boldest, and most unapologetic selves.
If your soul begs to chant “Oi!” while grizzled men shout about the world’s problems then the new Fool’s Errand record will be right up your alley. Big Up The Impact is an explosive album that comes in loud and within 33-ish minutes is back on its merry way. Fool’s Errand hails from Las Vegas […]
If your soul begs to chant “Oi!” while grizzled men shout about the world’s problems then the new Fool’s Errand record will be right up your alley. Big Up The Impact is an explosive album that comes in loud and within 33-ish minutes is back on its merry way. Fool’s Errand hails from Las Vegas but their sound takes me to somewhere in an East Coast urban sprawl full of those cabbie hats and the smell of whiskey.
“It’s a Problem” is a catchy opening track, a memorable opening riff draws you in before setting the tone, “Sometimes this high can get me so low, try to resist it, that’s a no-go // I found a message in a bottle and it just said help me.” I like when an album opens with a track that just lays out how the singer is doing, really sets the tone for where their head is at for the album itself.
Then we’re off to the races with anthemic tracks like “Shit,” “Wrote you a song, it’s only 4 letters long. Easy for someone like you to recite” and “I Think I Like It!” which was an unexpectedly tender-hearted song lyric-wise: “One kiss is like a kick to the teeth, she only laughs when we’re disturbing the peace. This girl’ll be the death of me, but I think that I like it!“
Before I could process what was happening “Know What I Mean”had come and gone. If the song was a punch all I’d have to know it by was the ring impressions on my face. Lady Liberty stares down her nose at us in “Goin’ Back to Jersey” and we get a peek into what it feels like to feel alienated by the place you call home: “Lace up those boots, cuz we’re all goin’ down the Shore but our old stomping grounds don’t look the same and I’m not sure if I belong here anymore but I just can’t forget from where I came.”
This album has lots of themes of a world constantly changing around us, the rampant use of alcohol to tamp down the feelings caused by that same world, and the need to reach out to our friends and our loved ones during those uncertain times. My favorite track on the album “Lost a Friend” holds the same emotional poignancy, “Here’s to a new beginning, here’s to a bitter end. Here’s to the long walk on my own cuz I just lost a friend.” While we’re still mourning the spectres left in our memory we get angry; angry at the grind of working until your dead like in “The Good Life” or, like in the closing track “Not The Same,“ angry at the wolves in sheep’s clothing that hide amongst your friends and neighbors.
A wise band once said, “All we need is a punch in the face”. That’s exactly what Frenzal Rhomb provides with their latest effort The Cup of Pestilence. Australia’s finest pick up where they left off on Smoko at the Pet Food Factory and Hi Vis High Tea, ripping through 19 songs in 32 minutes. […]
A wise band once said, “All we need is a punch in the face”. That’s exactly what Frenzal Rhomb provides with their latest effort The Cup of Pestilence. Australia’s finest pick up where they left off on Smoko at the Pet Food Factory and Hi Vis High Tea, ripping through 19 songs in 32 minutes. A sonic punch in the face, if you will. The tone is set as the album opens with the lightning fast lead single “Where Drug Dealers Take Their Kids”, which is followed by the somehow even faster “Gone to the Dogs” (honestly, almost every song on this record is fast as fuck, so I’m gonna try to refrain from using that as a descriptor going forward).
“The Wreckage” proves Frenzal Rhomb is the only band that can write a love song with the word “cunt” sprinkled quite liberally throughout its lyrics (upon subsequent listens I’ve determined this is about a bromance, not a love song, but I’m too lazy to rephase this so fuck it). Other tracks like “Dead Man’s Underpants”, “Lil Dead$hit”, “Dog Tranquilizer”, and “I Think My Neighbour is Planning to Kill Me” provide a dose of the absurdist comic relief fans have always been able to expect from Frenzal. “Horse Meat” recounts the tale of a vegan who relapsed and “went from tofu salad straight to horse meat”, while “How to Make Gravox” pays tribute to the band’s favorite canned gravy product. It’s world-shaking stuff, if I’m being honest.
“Fireworks”, “Hospitality and Violence”, and “Finally I Can Get Arrested In This Town” power through the next stanza of The Cup of Pestilence with even more three part vocal harmonies and blues-on-speed guitar leads from The Doctor, backed by rapid fire drumming, courtesy of the fucken Metrognome Gordy Forman. All three songs are about a minute and 30 seconds long; blink and you’ll miss ’em. Most importantly, I believe “Those People” sets a new record for the number of times “cunt” has been used in a Frenzal Rhomb song, but who’s counting? Wait a second, I am! The word “cunt” is uttered approximately 22 times in this song. For comparison’s sake, “World’s Fuckedest Cunt” has a mere 13 cunts; “Cunt Act” closes the gap a bit with 18 cunts.
When it comes to its sonic qualities, The Cup of Pestilence pretty much sounds exactly the same as Frenzal Rhomb’s last two records. The band made the trek overseas to record in the friendly confines of The Blasting Room, where they previously recorded Smoko and Hi Vis, with Bill Stevenson once again handling production. All that’s really changed is they’ve got a new bassist in Michael Dallinger, but he’s been in the band going on four years now (and used to be in an excellent band named after Frenzal’s “Local Resident Failure”). Let me be clear, though: when I say this record sounds the same as the last two, that’s a good thing. Those records kicked ass. Unsurprisingly, this one kicks ass, too.
The one bone I’ll pick with The Cup of Pestilence (and I’m really grasping at the shortest of straws here) is it’s somewhat lacking in variety compared to Hi Vis High Tea. Of course, most of that album was blazing fast skate punk, but songs like “Beer and a Shot”, “The Black Prince”, “Messed Up”, and “Food Court” offered a refreshing change of pace and allowed you to take a breather between headbanging sessions on “Classic Pervert”, “Storage Unit Pill Press”, etc. Outside of “Deathbed Darren” and brief intros on “Old Mate Neck Tattoo” and the album closing “Thought It Was Yoga But It Was Ketamine”, The Cup of Pestilence does not afford you the same luxury. But I’m sure that’s what the people want, and in all likelihood Frenzal Rhomb based their decision to make a purely balls-to-the-wall record on extensive market research. Alas, I was not present at that board meeting.
Well, it’s time to give the album a score. Let’s go with 4 out of 5 Star Emojis ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰ That’s a nice round number, innit?
The Cup of Pestilence arrives April 7th on Fat Wreck Chords. Pre-order the record here (US), here (EU), or here (AUS).
It’s summer in 2002 and it’s about to be golden hour while you lay on your bed staring at the ceiling. You are dwelling on some fight you had with your mom. Every friend you have is out having fun or on vacation- unreachable by phone and you’re swearing off each and every one of […]
It’s summer in 2002 and it’s about to be golden hour while you lay on your bed staring at the ceiling. You are dwelling on some fight you had with your mom. Every friend you have is out having fun or on vacation- unreachable by phone and you’re swearing off each and every one of them. Your last ditch effort of hope points to a Walkman and a bike while you ride the familiar streets of some suburban Midwestern town with headphones filled with relief.
Flash forward to 2022 after a pandemic and a half has washed over you and you’re still sitting with the same feeling of being grated by life, but you have time to step into the Crushverse and kick it with Hayley & the Crushers. Modern Adult Kicks is an album that houses singles released from 2021 and some fresh new tunes from the band and most have adult themes paired with power pop fun that are sure to ride with you from your morning coffee to a late-night vinyl dance sesh. By the way, this album comes in a limited edition blue raspberry for those vinyl aficionados.
Modern Adult Kicks starts off strong with the single “Taboo” which offers this hefty guitar riff as Hayley’s dark and devious voice coaxes you melodiously to the stranger side of power pop. You’re gonna follow her and you’re gonna love where it’s headed. In the 2nd verse, the first four lines are delivered such a mood of heavy desperation and need. You hear it in the annunciation of T’s and the beaks in guitar. “Taboo” connects this memory of that feeling while looking out of the window in The Lockdown of 2020. You wanted to go out, but you know it was taboo.
The album goes on to carry The Crushers’ more polished sound for your tender punk heart. The band has described this album as an example of “how to grow up without growing jaded.” Nothing could be more rightly said about it. The death of the ego really prevails in the sound of Hayley’s sharp guitar playing, lyrics, and titles of songs in this album. Songs like “She Drives”, “California Sober”, and “Overexposed” bring out this perfect mixture of sunny pop-tempo painting this scene of punks enjoying life knowing full well everything around them is burning (this is fine). Which is just the kind of macabre sense of fun that most of us who survived the past few years may need right now. Don’t worry for all you tough guys out there the album still houses the familiar punk sound echoing the frustration and need to thrash around that resides in most of us.
In her own words on Sound Digest, Hayley has written a little year in review which gives insight into what this album may mean to her. It is in this touching honesty as she writes about being a musician during the pandemic, getting her shit together, and driving to really refine her career as a musician. All the touring she wanted to do for the band’s last album which was released in 2020 never got to come to fruition. All that hard work and self-reflection came to be in March of 2021 when the band was signed by Josie Cotton to her record label Kitten Robot Records. The band got to work with Paul Roessler remotely as well as in person for Modern Adult Kicks and the album was mastered by Mass Giorgini (Squirtgun). The band is gearing up for a tour that begins September 23rs, 2022 and it is one that you may not want to miss out on.
To say that I’ve been following this band for a while would be an understatement. Once upon a time, I was a drummer for an awful pop-punk band from Anchorage, Alaska fronted by Noise Brigade’s own vocalist/guitarist Nathan Nelson. I had a breakdown in a random Qdoba and broke up the band, but luckily Nathan […]
To say that I’ve been following this band for a while would be an understatement. Once upon a time, I was a drummer for an awful pop-punk band from Anchorage, Alaska fronted by Noise Brigade’s own vocalist/guitarist Nathan Nelson. I had a breakdown in a random Qdoba and broke up the band, but luckily Nathan found Noise Brigade. More than a decade later, rehoming from Anchorage to Portland, several lineup changes, and departing from their label, this band has put themselves back out there independently with The Mess Inside Of Me and emotional expression is at the forefront.
The EP opens with the single “Fiberglass” which showcases everything I love about this band. The guitar riffs and chugs into the verse, Doug’s lyrics providing a landscape for Nathan’s chorus, everything coming together to form the conceptual fiberglass that chokes the song’s narrator with emotion. Lines like “I still turn my head at the scent of your perfume” and “I’m mortified and suffering, if I see you there I back away” cover a wide swath of feelings that come with unrequited love. The song fades down to a simple repeated concept, “I wanna be with you, I wanna be with you, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Jackie” showcases a dynamic build to a chorus that reveals the EP’s name, “Figure out all our wants and needs cause you clean the mess inside of me”. The song plays out like a lullaby with earworm guitar/synth riffs that fades out into my favorite track “Panic Bloom” which kicks in aggressively. The song is quickly tempered by the soft lilt of Doug’s vocals over twinkly guitars but by the chorus we’re “getting the message loud and clear” as the lyrics suggest. The bridge goes hard, starting as a whisper we hear, “I’ll fuck up my own life, I’ll fuck up” as it builds to a shredding scream before giving way to the chorus one last time.
As the sound of a calm indie-emo intro washes over you as if from a distant radio we get “Asteroid Blues” which blows in like a cold breeze. The chorus laments, softly and almost child-like, about a wound that we’re not sure ever heals, “I scrape my knees, pulling rocks out of my hands and let it bleed, cover up the wound and set me free.” This song makes me feel like a kid again, whether it’s from the lyrics making me feel like I’m hiding something from my parents or the reverby noodling something about this song is doing it for me.
What do you really expect from someone when you ask, “How’s it goin’?” We get “Cope”, a track of the two singers comforting one another over their shared feelings of isolation, failure, and former glory. This song verbalizes the intense imposter syndrome that can grow in your mind, “How did we get here, how do we get out, does anybody want me around?” and these thoughts can grow if you’re a mess inside, very thematically relevant. Anyone who has been in a band long enough will feel the lines “I wanna be on top of the world again, I wanna feel like I’m worth it to all my friends”.
The closing track “Same Pain” echoes the emotional sentiments of the entire EP. Despite the mental anguish of where you’ve been, it’s nicer to have people around you that share the same pain. “Don’t tell me it’s not over, don’t take away my hope, I wanna feel the sunshine, I wanna know, I wanna know I’m not alone.” The song closes instrumentally after an anthemic swell and I wish there was more, but that’s probably a good thing. This collection of songs doesn’t overstay its welcome: it’s emotionally poignant and showcases everything I love about this band. If you’re absolutely hurting for more Noise Brigade, don’t worry, not only do they have a decent catalog, but the two singers have started up a podcast detailing their musical history and all the growing pains of a working band called “Mustard In A Ketchup Packet: Stories From A Band That Tried”.
Ramonescore: a campy sub-genre of a sub-genre, paying tribute to a legendary band that helped birth that very sub-genre. Bands who participate in the act of Ramones worship typically play light-hearted, upbeat songs about drinking, girls, and drinking because of girls. Some people appreciate Ramonescore for what it is. Others write it off as vacuous, […]
Ramonescore: a campy sub-genre of a sub-genre, paying tribute to a legendary band that helped birth that very sub-genre. Bands who participate in the act of Ramones worship typically play light-hearted, upbeat songs about drinking, girls, and drinking because of girls. Some people appreciate Ramonescore for what it is. Others write it off as vacuous, repetitive pop-punk, played exclusively by guys with Screeching Weasel tattoos. And while I understand those criticisms, you have to be a real stick in the mud to outright hate this shit. It’s fun!
Sure, if you listen to enough of the stuff, you’ll certainly hear a lot of similar (if not exactly the same) chord progressions. And reading through tracklists, you might get overwhelmed by the amount of things these bands do and don’t wanna do. I view all of these idiosyncrasies as a set of strict parameters that must be adhered to when writing songs. It’s easy to write a shitty Ramonescore style pop-punk song (believe me, I’ve heard my fair share), but quite difficult to write good ones when playing by these “rules”.
With their debut album Just Wanna, the Pinoles pass the test. This record delivers everything an old school pop-punk fan could ask for. Nine tracks in 20 minutes, all simple, catchy, and easy to sing along to even after you’ve thrown back a few. Some of my favorite songs are “Padded Walls”, “You Make Me Sick”, “I Don’t Love You Anymore”, “Santa Cruz”, and the title track. These guys don’t fuck around. Just like the Ramones, they get you in and out quick. I appreciate the efficiency.
Like most Ramonescore bands, these Californians wear their influences proudly on the sleeves of their leather jackets. Their frontman uses a Mosrite guitar to deliver a barrage of downstroked bar chords, à la Johnny Ramone. The little “whoa oh-oh-oh” bit on the album’s title track is lifted straight from Screeching Weasel’s “High School Psychopath”. And there are numerous references to classic songs and records sprinkled throughout the lyrics across this entire album. There is no shame in their game, and that’s perfectly fine by me.
Regardless of whether you enjoy this brand of pop-punk, I highly recommend checking out Just Wanna. It’s a very well produced record with fun, no-nonsense songwriting. Listen to the album below, and head over to the Pinoles’ Bandcamp page to download it.
Holy shit I love this record… Okay, so I suppose that’s maybe not the most professional way to kick off an album review, but whatever. This is a punk rock website and reviewing albums isn’t exactly my profession in the technical sense… Anyway, let’s start over. Back in September of 2011, just a day before […]
Holy shit I love this record…
Okay, so I suppose that’s maybe not the most professional way to kick off an album review, but whatever. This is a punk rock website and reviewing albums isn’t exactly my profession in the technical sense… Anyway, let’s start over.
Back in September of 2011, just a day before my 32nd birthday, I had the privilege of reviewing the then-brand-new and incredibly stellar Samiam album Trips. I loved it. I loved everything about it. It finished the year right near the top of my Best of 2011 albums list, and if I were to rerank that list a dozen years later, it’s probably the album that holds up the best. Sometime after Trips was released, I remember commenting on some social media platform – I think it was MySpace honestly rofl – that hopefully it wouldn’t be another five years before the next new Samiam record (Trips is preceded in the Samiam discography by 2006’s Whatever’s Got You Down) and the band’s lead guitarist and artistic force Sergie Loobkoff just responded “LOL” or something like that. At the time, I interpreted that as “LOL, don’t worry, we won’t wait that long next time.” Yet here we are, just about a dozen full years later, and we’ve finally got the follow up to Trips in our midst. It’s called Stowaway and it’s out this Friday (March 31st) on Pure Noise Records and saying that it was worth the wait is a bit of hyperbole because I wish we didn’t have to wait 11.5 years…but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t worth the wait.
Stowaway kicks off with “Lake Speed,” a track whose introductory air-raid siren dive bombs are soon met with a frenetic energy that shows that musically, Samiam have not only not lost a step but are in fact as charged-up as ever. It’s as tight and concise a post-hardcore-style ripper as you’ll find in the Samiam catalog complete with a pretty awesome guest spot from *SPOILER ALERT* none other than Hot Water Music’s Chris Wollard. It’s a damn-near perfect track, with Wollard and Samiam frontman Jason Beebout layering their unique voices over Loobkoff and Sean Kennerly’s dizzying guitar runs while the comparatively new rhythm section of Colin Brooks (drums) and Chad Darby (bass – more on that later) push a blistering pace. The whole thing is controlled chaos and creates the sense that it could careen off the rails at any moment, but then it’s over somehow just as quickly as it began. (Oh, and its lyrical tip of the cap to the longtime NASCAR driver with whom it shares its name is just the icing on the proverbial cake).
“Lake Speed” gives way to “Crystallized,” one of the three singles that was put out in the leadup to the album’s release. In many ways, it’s a perfect single: it’s got a big, classic Samiam sound that’s been charged up by Brooks and Darby the latter of whom you may recognize from his time in one of Chris Wollard’s other projects, Ship Thieves. If you’re an astute follower of Dying Scene, you’ll recall the time that he and Wollard joined us on the (*both laugh*) podcast, during which he may or may not have indicated that he was working with Samiam on new music and may have short-circuited my brain in the process…
“Lights Out, Little Hustler” follows and continues in the vein of charged-up, instant classic Samiam tunes. Oodles of vocal harmonies adorn the verses before frontman Jason Beebout’s inimitable voice powers through on the powerful, introspective singalong chorus. “Shoulda Stayed” would have been right at home on 120 Minutes or on a certain skateboard-inspired videogame series in a previous decade, as do the chunky guitar in the verses of “Shut Down.” “Scout Knife” features another appearance from Wollard, which makes sense given that some of the album’s components were recorded at Gainesville’s Black Bear Studios with frequent HWM/Ship Thieves collaborator Ryan Williams.
“Monterey Canyon” features probably the album’s best examples of the Loobkoff’s trademark single-note atmospheric divebomb melody lines. “Natural Disasters” is maybe the brightest sounding track on the album to this point, in some ways belying the songs vocals which, if taken literally, lament that the damage we’ve done to our home planet is probably irreparable at this point. “Stanley” is a fun song with a lot of different stylistic layers and sonic textures. “Highwire” starts somewhat down tempo for a Samiam song but turns itself into a a bombastic anthem with what are probably Beebout’s most soaring vocal performance. “Something” is a sneaky contender for my favorite track on the album that isn’t called “Lake Speed.” It’s a no-nonsense, four-on-the-floor, downstroke heavy punk rock ripper with Loobkoff and Kennerly again trading catchy guitar melodies over an even catchier shoutalong outro. The title track closes out the festivities in a way that probably best encapsulates all of the album’s different layers and textures and sonic directions in one four-minute package.
There has been talk at times over the years since Trips that part of the reason that there wasn’t new Samiam music was due to concern over whether or not Beebout still wanted to sing and to write new lyrics; there’s a quote out there somewhere about “maybe people over the age of 50 should admit they’re probably too old to be in the music business” I think. To state it emphatically and for the record, I’m really glad he decided to keep at it. Beebout’s voice has long been one of the most powerful and unique in the game and that’s just as true a statement now on Stowaway as it was at any other point in the band’s thirty-five year tenure. There’s a feeling and an urgency and an introspection and a devilish humor in both his vocals and his lyrics that are unmatched and that have the ability to provoke both goosebumps and long, honest looks in the mirror, sometimes within the same song. See “Shut Down” or “Monterrey Canyon” on this one, for example. When added to Loobkoff and Kennerly’s urgent guitars and, lately, Brooks and Darby’s punishing grooves, it’s part and parcel to what makes Samiam Samiam after all this time. It’s fair to say that Stowaway will be tough to dislodge from the #1 spot on this year’s end-of best-of list, and it’s fair to say that if I revisit this album in another dozen years, when I’m in my mid-50s (woof…) it’ll still feel as vital and compelling as ever.
Samiam has been critically underrated and ignored almost shamefully, one of the best bands that never got better recognition, but anyone who is a true fan of the genre and knows them knows they deliver some of the best “no filler” albums that would give even someone in a vegetative state goosebumps. Right on, this is a perfect review. I was introduced to them via the album Billy back in the day and some of my fondest memories are hitting the pavement with a Walkman and skating to what would inevitably be the sandtrack to my life.
Sleep Token. Everyone knows their name by now, as they’ve taken the world by storm with their latest songs. The first 5 singles that they dropped in anticipation of the full release of Take Me Back To Eden gave us all a teaser that still left us blindsided by the incredible taste of the main […]
Sleep Token. Everyone knows their name by now, as they’ve taken the world by storm with their latest songs. The first 5 singles that they dropped in anticipation of the full release of Take Me Back To Eden gave us all a teaser that still left us blindsided by the incredible taste of the main course. Before getting into the review, I’ve got to be honest, I re-wrote this at LEAST three times. The third time restarting being because I got to experience Sleep Token at Aftershock 2023 from the front bar. Their set was incredible and to experience 5 out of the 12 songs from Take Me Back To Eden was easily something I’m never going to forget. I had the absolute pleasure of hearing 2 of my 3 favorite songs on the album and will keep those memories forever. The album is incredible to begin with, but to now have heard some of them live and know that Vessel sounds just as amazing live as he does on track makes it that much better in my opinion.
Getting to the review now, overall, I love this whole album. Cover to cover, this album flows so beautifully and makes me wish I knew how to do production stuff like this personally. They opened the set at Aftershock 2023 with “Chokehold”, which is how the album also starts. Easily one of my favorite songs on the album, musically and lyrically. Having someone in your life that you’re so infatuated with that you can say they’ve got a “chokehold” on you is an incredible, yet unnerving, feeling. I’m sure some can listen and relate to the song on some level, whether it be a passion, person, hobby, place, etc. There’s typically ONE thing most people can say has a hold on their love and affection to this seemingly extreme degree.
“The Summoning” came further in the set at Aftershock, but hit just as hard as it did when it took the world by storm last year. The lyrics of the song still ring true to many and had the entire crowd at Aftershock screaming along to the lyrics. This song’s seductive and sexy vibe makes it a crowd favorite and I don’t see it leaving their setlist for live shows for years to come. “Granite” is the third song up on the album and it brings a different perspective lyrically than a lot of the others. Speaking of a person who chose to take advantage of their loved one and treat them as though they are just another body in their world, and not someone who is supposed to mean the world to them. It’s a song that I fear many can relate to and I can say I, too, have been there.
“Aqua Regia” is a smooth and vibey song that gives the listener a nice buffer between the heavy and intense instrumentals of the previous tracks. The intensity of most of the tracks are greatly appreciated by many, I’m sure, but having these breathers that give us a nice little break from the intense heavy topics, and into a chill and calmer vibe. Then they launch you into “Vore.” One of the heaviest songs on the album for sure. I love to go listen to this song when I need to just sit back and let the music scream for me. It’s got a slightly haunting, yet angry and broken, feel to the vocals and it genuinely seems to help relieve some of my anger when I’ve had a bad experience/interaction in life since it hit the streaming services.
“Ascensionism” is easily my top favorite song on the album. I have loved telling people that it’s been my anthem since the album was released. Not only did the lyrics speak volumes to me, but they more or less describe an individual who desires both redemption and ascension, but at the same time, a longing to escape from reality with a person who understands them, and potentially even one that shares the same dark desires they have. Asking who made them like this to have them feel so “broken” and trying to show they understand who the individual is at their darkest. Inviting them to dance in the darkness they find themselves in together and take to the broken skies with their soulmate, hand in hand. It may be a hopeless romantic outlook on it, but this depiction is a large part of why I love it and it’s been my anthem since it hit our ears when the rest of the album dropped on May 19th.
“Are You Really Okay?” I’m sure had thousands of people bawling their eyes out and eating their comfort foods. I know I was at least once since the full album’s release and I will shamelessly admit that. Getting vulnerable, slow, and all around deep into those feelings like they did for this song, really hit home for many of us music lovers. If I really need a good cry, but I can’t quite figure out how to get it all out without waiting around for something to make me cry. I just throw on this song, and by the time he says the title for the first time, I’m bawling. 10/10 recommend if you need a good cry or just a wholesome song to listen to.
“The Apparition” is about two-thirds through the album and I love the low-key aspect of it, giving us a two out of three song breather from the heavy and intense instrumentals. It’s got some good higher notes that have beautiful orchestral music behind it and is a perfect segway into the next song, “DYWYTLM” (Do You Wish That You Loved Me). The low-key sound of “The Apparition” flows into “DYWTYLM” with such ease and keeps that slow and less intense instrumentals while bringing the lyrics back to a bit more of a relatable feel. There is one line in this song that resonates with me, though. At the 3:14 mark there’s a line where he sings “But I cannot hope to give you what I cannot give myself.” That line alone had me replaying the song a few times and really sitting with it and wondering how many people heard it and did the same. It’s a powerful reflection to have two-thirds of the way through the song, if you ask me.
Moving on to my last favorite song of the album, “Rain.” This song is about finding your soulmate and having their touch wash away all your problems, getting hurt by them was something you could deal with because they’ve got their hooks in you. Knowing it’s a two-person game and wanting to give what they’ll take and take what they’ll give. Having this feeling that you’ve come together for a reason and seeing them in your future has to be a fateful sign of your unification. Acknowledging that it could all just be a part of life’s game, but looking forward, you can swear they’ll be there. I’m in a spot in my life I can confidently say I can relate to the feeling of finding a soulmate, and that feeling was only solidified further getting to experience this song from front bar at the festival.
Now for the title track… “Take Me Back To Eden” was such a rollercoaster of a song. Genre-wise and lyrically. I love the analogies and the cryptic messages that seemed to be sprinkled throughout it. The song seems to be about wanting to go back to the start when life wasn’t confusing. Losing yourself and not knowing where you’re going can be disorienting and will absolutely send many into feeling like if they could just go back to the start of a situation or experience, then all would be fixed. It’s such an incredibly produced song and I’m absolutely impressed with the instrumentals’ seamless transitions throughout the track.
Last, but absolutely not least, “Euclid.” This song was an homage and revisit to a previous song in a previous album. If you’ve been listening to Sleep Token long enough, maybe you’ve heard the song “Night Does Not Belong To God” from Sundowning. This song has a very deep and heavy meaning behind it. This struggle with his relationship with Sleep and wanting its eternal embrace, but also having that person that he doesn’t want to leave. The back and forth in his head in accepting eternal sleep or pushing forward to continue on. Finding the beauty in the darkness and he’s handed over the darkness to his love to survive. At least, that’s my interpretation of it.
Overall, this whole album was a banger and I absolutely loved that they wrapped it up with a song that references another previous album/song. I’m not sure I’ve known a whole lot of artists to do that and it’s refreshing to hear something uncommon. Their multitude of genres and the seamless transitions into each style is mind-boggling and I am constantly recommending Sleep Token to anyone who will give them a chance.
You can stream Take Me Back To Eden on all streaming services as of May 19th!!
In the interest of full disclosure, The Gaslight Anthem has been on my short list of favorite bands for the better part of two decades. I think when I reviewed the latest Hold Steady record earlier this year, I think I mentioned how Gaslight/Brian Fallon and The Hold Steady/Craig Finn and Lucero/Ben Nichols and Dave […]
The Gaslight Anthem (l-r: Benny Horowitz, Alex Rosamilia, Brian Fallon, Alex Levine) Photo cred: Casey McAllister
In the interest of full disclosure, The Gaslight Anthem has been on my short list of favorite bands for the better part of two decades. I think when I reviewed the latest Hold Steady record earlier this year, I think I mentioned how Gaslight/Brian Fallon and The Hold Steady/Craig Finn and Lucero/Ben Nichols and Dave Hause have essentially been my personal musical Mt. Rushmore for most of my adult life, particularly when viewed through the lens of bands that are in my generation. They aren’t one of the bands I grew up listening to in my parents’ house (read as: Springsteen and Seger and Mellencamp and Petty, etc) and they weren’t in that generation of bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden and Bad Religion that became “my” bands as a teenager. Instead, they were bands and voices that I felt like I grew up with; we shared similar age brackets and socioeconomic brackets and so they resonated on a level that is just different and more personal than the from my more formative years. At least I think that’s what I said.
I vividly remember not only where I was (my bedroom) but what I was doing (getting ready to drop my newborn off at daycare on the way to work) when I first saw the video for “The ’59 Sound” and vividly remember that visceral feeling that “ohhh…this is really good” that came over me. I followed them every step of the way and shot them a handful of times and have lyrics tattooed on me and got super starstruck the couple times I met Brian before I first actually met Brian. Hell, I even loved Get Hurt from the very, very first listen. And so I count myself as one of those who was sad when they went on hiatus (not sad enough to drive to Bridgeport, Connecticut, for their then-last US show…but almost that sad) and, conversely, super happy when they announced that they were getting back together.
But I’ll also be the first to admit that I was a little nervous when news of their comeback album, History Books, was released. Cautiously optimistic, sure, but still nervous, because you never really know how a band is going to function both internally and externally when they get back together. There isn’t really a lot of precedent in our area of the punk rock world for bands getting back together and putting out meaningful, listenable music after a seven-year break. And they certainly can’t be expected to have the same level of proverbial piss and vinegar or youthful energy that drew so many of us toward them in the first place…although neither are those of us who are now in our mid-forties.
And so I purposely avoided all advance coverage of History Books. I ended up sort of accidentally hearing the lead single “Positive Charge” in passing at a store and I think eventually on Spotify and I warmed to it immediately and listened to it again repeatedly but that just strengthened my resolve to avoid listening to the rest of the singles before I could do my typical old man routine of listening to the whole album in order, start to finish, as the good lord intended. (Side note: on a ten-song album, four advance singles seems like a lot.) I even avoided the Springsteen single. YES, I EVEN AVOIDED THE SPRINGSTEEN SINGLE.
And so last Friday, I saved up a bunch of my pennies and drove to the local record store and picked up a copy of History Books on something called purple smoke vinyl and I opened it up and it didn’t have a download code and I don’t have a record player in my Honda Accord, so I went online and plopped down some more of my pennies and bought a digital copy of the record and then I downloaded it and then I hit play and listened to it start to finish in the car. You know…as the good lord intended. I initially had the intention of reviewing the record in real time, making notes as I listened to it and summing it up at the end without much in the way of editing but, as you’ll recall, I was driving, and I’m okay with texting and driving at the red lights, but 2500 word album reviewing is a little much to do behind the wheel. So I let it play. And play again. And play again. And now I’ve listened to it so many times in the last seven days that it’s hard to still look at it as a new record. And that’s a good sign, because it means History Books is a great fit in the collection.
The album kicks off with “Spider Bites,” which is about as quintessential a Gaslight album opener as you can get. The intro hits hard and fast, the swirling, fuzzed out guitars over big, dynamic drums setting the tone right from the opening notes that a post-hiatus Gaslight Anthem is not going to relegate themselves to crafty veteran status. No, there is plenty of giddy-up on this collective fastball. The “and so we struggle/for each other” is a collective rallying cry that not only are the band back, but that they – and we – are all in this together.
“History Books” follows, and leans directly into the longstanding Springsteen comparisons by having The Boss himself take over lead vocal duties for the second verse. The subject matter is poignant coming from a Fallon who is reflecting on a lifetime of connections and acquaintances that he may want to leave in the rearview; it takes a particularly haunting tone when coming from Springsteen’s mouth, knowing how much time the latter has spent reflecting on – and grappling with – his own legacy and career in recent years. It must be a daunting task to have an icon such as Springsteen tell you to write a duet for you two to perform together, but I’d have to say Fallon nailed the tone and timbre necessary for the occasion.
“Autumn,” which is clearly the most Gaslight Anthemy-titled Gaslight Anthem song in the ouevre – at least since “Halloween,” I guess” – follows up and is the first of the album’s mid-tempo tracks. It’s got a fun shuffle to it that we haven’t heard on many a Gaslight track before. I like to think that there are three main styles for a traditional Gaslight Anthem song; there are the howling songs and there are the haunting songs that make up the comparative ends of the spectrum, with the mid-tempo ones occupying that center. Lead single “Positive Charge” is the third ‘howler’ of the bunch. It was probably the appropriate choice for lead single, for both musical and lyrical reasons. It leans most into that uptempo rock thing that Gaslight has made their wheelhouse for the better part of the last couple of decades. Benny Horowitz and Alex Levine locking down the tempo allowing for Rosamilia’s guitar to soar into and out of the anthemic choruses and outro.
With a story inspired by The Virgin Suicides – a book that I guess I should finally getting around to reading given that it’s been on my bookcase for two decades – “Michigan, 1975” quickly made its way onto the short list of my favorite Gaslight songs. It’s a sonic kin to TGA’s rendition of Fake Problems’ “Songs For Teenagers” that appeared on the Jersey foursome’s 2014 The B-Sides collection. It’s a haunting song from start to finish, rife with layered meaning and imagery. The hard-charging, descending riff and singalong pre-chorus in “Little Fires” might be my favorite moments on the album and the best examples of “ooh, this sounds like Gaslight Anthem, but it also sounds like a new wrinkle.” In the end, we all burn little fires. Yet another cathartic and life-affirming singalong outro.
Oh, and “Little Fires” has also got a super cool swirling guitar solo, which means this is probably a good time to give Alex Rosamilia his flowers. It sounds like he really had fun making this record. For my money, he’s long been the band’s unsung hero; his noodling runs providing a unique texture that helped make Gaslight Gaslight. In addition to “Little Fires,” it’s super evident on “History Books” and especially the reverb-heavy solo on “I Live In The Room Above Her.” The latter is another song dominated by big chunky riffs in the intro and the choruses and it’s held down by the underrated rhythm section of Benny Horowitz and Alex Levine through the verses. It manages to check both the “haunting” and “howling” boxes, it’s tale a story of living above a woman who may or may not be a serial killer.
Slightly out of order, but “The Weatherman” is a mid-tempo song that’s got a shuffle to the rhythm in the verses that keeps it from feeling formulaic. “Empires” is an interesting song. It is firmly entrenched in the “haunter” category, and as such it might be the song that could most-easily pass as a Brian Fallon solo song (or at least as a Horrible Crowes song). On first listen, it wasn’t my favorite, and yet over the course of the last week, it’s the song whose chorus has woven its way into my brain and I find myself unconsciously humming the melody in my head on repeat. History Books comes to a close with “A Lifetime Of Preludes.” It’s another slow-burn that I thought might be my least favorite on the record, except that it’s not. It might actually lyrically be the heaviest song on the record, and it’s tale of once-requited love becomes a bit more of a stomach-punch on subsequent listens.
I think I just wish “A Lifetime Of Preludes” was longer. At 3:17, it clocks in as the shortest of the album’s ten tracks, but it’s got a lot of bright textures that I would have loved to have seen expanded and turned into a soaring, six-minute show slow closer of a song. But maybe that’s the point of a lifetime of preludes I suppose, right? Also “I just wish it was longer” is my only overarching critique of History Books. The high points of the album my not quite reach the stratospheric highs of The ’59 Sound or Get Hurt or songs like, “45,” but they’re still comparatively high and with relatively few valleys corresponding to those peaks. The band clearly shook off any of the rust that might have accumulated through a half-dozen years apart from making music together. As a songwriter, Fallon has long-since shown himself more than capable of taking the heart-on-your-sleeve vigor of his sweaty, basement punk rock years and maturing in a way that doesn’t lose his listeners. He seems happy, perhaps aided by the passing of time that’s allowed him to deal with some of the more traumatic episodes in his life. And yet that happiness allows a certain clarity that keeps his lyrics are heavy, thoughtful, riddled with metaphor and double meaning, and the expanded musical palette of Gaslight’s collective members helps paint broader and more cinematic pictures, creating relatable characters that invoke many a different place and time in the lives of those of us on the consumer end. History books are, they say, written by the victors, and while we all know that that’s a bit of a lazy argument in most cases, it’s certainly true in the literal sense here. Kudos to Brian and Benny and Alex and Alex (and Ian). How we’ve missed you, and feeling good to be alive.
On a scale of 1 to 5 pork rolls, I give History Books a solid 4.5.
Corey Mac Donald
Samiam has been critically underrated and ignored almost shamefully, one of the best bands that never got better recognition, but anyone who is a true fan of the genre and knows them knows they deliver some of the best “no filler” albums that would give even someone in a vegetative state goosebumps. Right on, this is a perfect review. I was introduced to them via the album Billy back in the day and some of my fondest memories are hitting the pavement with a Walkman and skating to what would inevitably be the sandtrack to my life.