Top Tens: Omar's Top Ten Hot Water Music Songs

Hot Water Music are one of those bands that, if you haven’t heard already but like your punk rock, you’ve probably heard them second hand. They’re namechecked frequently and vociferously by a surprising number of bands, from folk musicians who play up their strong, gruff-sung but big hearted lyrics, to fellow gutsy rockers whose raw throated barking and snarling riffing owes much to those expertly deployed by the two arguable figureheads of the band – which is to say the two guitarist/singers, Chris Wollard and Chuck Ragan.

Both men are physically and sonically contrasting which plays a big part in Hot Water Music’s unique sound; the burly, muscular Ragan’s lower growl is offset by the lanky, shaggy-haired Wollard’s higher pitched rasp, while their guitars weave in and out of each other like a punk rock Ron Wood and Keith Richards. They’ve been categorised as many genres; punk rock, post-hardcore, ‘Org’core and (hilariously) beardcore. But whatever they are, there’s no escaping the fact that they are one of the best bands to have ever come out of Gainesville’s punk scene.

And now to the impossible task which I have before me, which is narrowing their sprawling, consistently excellent oeuvre down to their ten best songs. I would like to point out that this is in no particular order, and not even in chronological order. But it’s as best I can do. Let us begin.

1: Remedy (from Caution, 2002)

It was always going to be “Remedy”, wasn’t it. One of the few Hot Water Music songs that actually got a music video, “Remedy” proved that in spite of this being their second record on a so-say ‘big label’, that absolute bludgeoning fury that powered their early days at the Hardback hadn’t mellowed them one bit. If anything, it sharpened that to a keen edge, the song’s under-three-minute running time only heightening its freight train impact. Ragan re-voices the tired trope of time healing wounds in a way that instils it with a new power and meaning, giving the thrilling aggression a sombre, grounded base. Brian McTernan’s stellar production has to be also credited, as he renders the Gainesville’s quartet in the sharpest focus, as he did on any of his three records with Hot Water Music.

2: Jack Of All Trades (from A Flight And A Crash, 2001)

Perhaps one of the most underrated songs from this record, “Jack Of All Trades” is that big anti-corporate fuck you song that legions of punk rockers have tried to write but end up tripping over their own tongue with one toothless screed after another. Hot Water Music’s decision to keep things mid-tempo, with simmering, crunchy guitars that avoid the trap of mall-punk saturation gives the song a keen edge, with focus given to Ragan and Wollard’s harmonised vocals. Lyrically Ragan takes to task careerist musicians with a terse, vicious pen, eviscerating his targets with every line: “So you've got a tale to tell / Well how about something real? / Feel free and stifle someone / Go on and belittle someone as well / Oh but fucker yeah you'll get yours / So fill up your pockets, and watch them swell.”

3: God Deciding (from Alkaline Trio / Hot Water Music, 2002)

Anti-war songs have been a punk rock tradition since the genre’s very inception, and they’ve been done with varying degrees of success. “God Deciding” is one of the very best examples. Eschewing the frequent didacticism that plagues this kind of subject matter, it’s led by a piercing, repeated hook in the verses that really bolsters the whole song, with another of Jason Black’s astonishingly mobile basslines grounding the whole lot alongside George Rebelo’s crashing drums. Ragan’s lyrics in this particular cut are impressionistic but totally compelling, as he manages to distil the whole sordid nature of bloody combat across the years and time itself, critiquing the human cost as well as the vile chickenhawks who push the violence to such ugly ends; “So who will pay for all the tears / All the lives, from either side? / All the years, all the time of living blind / Playing "God Deciding?" And who will die next in line / For the lie, justified / For the rise of sitting high playing "God Deciding?”. One of Hot Water Music’s most powerful songs, without question.

4: The Bitter End (from BYO Split Series Volume I, 1999)

Opening with an almost delicate hammer-on/pull-off lick from Chris Wollard, this is one of the lengthier songs in the Gainesville foursome’s repertoire, but fortunately it’s so excellent you’d rather it didn’t finish. One of the things that defines Hot Water Music is that, for a gruff, growling guitar band, the sentiments expressed in their music are often big hearted and indicative of a deep and abiding love for humanity’s best aspects and the inherent power of tolerance, love and acceptance, rather than simply resorting to nihilistic flailing. “The Bitter End” is a perfect example of this, as Wollard’s keening rasp opines; “When you let your / Hate endure / More prominent / Than your love / Or your trust you / Let it push us away .” The music spits and roars, dynamically changing between a comparatively sparse verse and a guitar drenched chorus before splitting open into a soaring, spiralling outro, with Ragan and Wollard’s six string fury duelling as much as it embraces, until it finally, sadly, comes to an end, with one last note ringing out into nothing. A finish befitting of the song’s title.

5: All Heads Down (from The New What Next, 2004)

Comparing a song to Fugazi is always a compliment, and this is no exception, with a jerking, almost funky single note guitar line in the verses from Chris Wollard complimenting the quieter, ringing line from Ragan in the background, with the slow, steady thump of the drums insistently marching into your brain. The chorus explodes into a restrained yet furious maelstrom, and thematically this could be taken as one of the most politically inclined songs that Hot Water Music have ever written before or since. Ragan completely takes to task the sickening, shameless behaviour of corrupted demagogues with line after line of gruff vitriol; “All I ask is how we carry on / Tricked and blind / Raped and robbed / […] Freedom fades like / Promises made for the trade of a vote in the game.”

6: Paper Thin (from A Flight And A Crash, 2001)

I would be both remiss in calling myself a fan of Hot Water Music, and also piss off a lot of people, if this one didn’t appear. Fortunately the song itself is so excellent it completely validates its vaunted position in their body of work. Clocking in at just under two and a half minutes, the song is a perfect paean to the pain in having a loved one in hospital, as heart-breaking as it is rousing. Chris Wollard heads the song with a consummate, rugged fury, giving a powerful voice to a topic that could easily veer into the maudlin with a careful hand, while the song itself is about as perfect and concise a punk rock song as it gets, with a simple, memorable hammer on/off lick and a chorus that sticks in the chest and the heart; “White white walls, and hospitals / All of us feel trivial / Paper thin, tentative and waiting.”

7: Turnstile (from Fuel For The Hate Game, 1997)

One of their oldest songs, “Turnstile” is the sound of a young band raging as hard as possible with complete righteous energy – which it to say it’s not perfect, perhaps lacking the more considered approach of Hot Water Music’s later material, but the song makes up for this with sheer, ripping energy. It’s a live favourite for that same reason, with the building blocks that would make up Hot Water Music’s captivating sound beginning to take shape; the interlaced guitars and dual vocals, with dynamic shifts and changes. The song barrels along at a righteous pace before the outro almost literally explodes, with a bellow of “Lift yourself up” from Ragan, while the time signature shifts and the drums employ an off-kilter, almost jazzy pattern, both shattering the listener’s eardrums and tingling their spine.

8: Alachua (from Never Ender, 2001)

Although production-wise, this track recalls the fuzzier, looser early Hot Water Music sound, the song within is a classic. This track is led by Chris Wollard, who seems struck by the trials and tribulations of growing up and losing adoration for things once loved; “[…] So show me how this all works / ’cause all these things just seem empty / And that’s what hurts.” The chorus is one of their best and most original, as it has both Ragan and Wollard singing completely different lyrics, weaving in and out of each other in much the same way as their instruments, as if in a stream of desperate consciousness. Meanwhile the music backing it all is exemplary, with a muscular palm muted guitar hook from Wollard that sets up the huge charge of each chorus.

9: Home (from Till The Wheels Fall Off, 2008)

This was a song originally intended to be on 2004’s The New What Next, and for some reason it was left off. I will never understand why, as it’s one of the best songs Hot Water Music have ever recorded. It manages that duality of being a gutsy, crunching slab of punk rock while at the same time being a sweet, tenderly written song for anyone having to spend time away from those they love. This is Ragan’s song through and through, as his gravelly bark gives real strength and weight to the song’s lyrics, with some really beautiful lines; “Still so far away from you, it cuts so quick and clean / Still so far away from you but I still want more / I can close my lips before I taste ours soaked in wine / Lay my head upon your breast and count your beats and smiles.”

The song is also notable for being unabashedly melodic, even as it rampages through its slightly-over three minute length, and in a relatively rare instance, contains a guitar solo which simply shreds – completely blowing back your hair before the endlessly repeatable outro brings it all to a close.

10: Trusty Chords (from Caution, 2002)

I simply couldn’t leave this one out. It’s arguably their best known song, clocking in at just shy of three minutes, with an unbeatable chorus that is just specific enough to catch the ear but relatable enough for anyone to smile in nostalgic recognition; “I hate this place but I love these chords. “An empty fate just means an even score. / And the pain this morning... / It filled my head. / It's Jameson. / It means that I'm not dead.”

It’s been covered more than a few times, with varying degrees of success, but no one gets it done quite like the original four. Vocally this is almost entirely Wollard, with his cracked, yearning roar elevating the song to a whole different level than any other mall pop punk bottom feeder. While musically “Trusty Chords” sounds simple, it’s one of those truly great pieces of music that reveals its complexity the more you listen to it. The guitar parts are so excellently counterpointed, for rather than just idiotically thumping the same power chords, Ragan rides sustained legato notes in the verses while Wollard bounces between octaves, and as the chorus bursts into life Wollard’s barre chord fury is matched by some nimble hammer on/pull off work from Ragan, really adding some sparkle and texture to the mix. It’s perhaps a microcosm of the band in a single song; simplistic on first glance but richly layered and rewarding the listener with something new each time it’s heard. It’s a classic, in short.

Well, that was extremely hard, if I’m perfectly honest. There are plenty more songs that could have made the list, but for the sake of brevity they had to be omitted for now. Either way, pick any one of these, as you can’t really miss, and then just buy the record it’s from if you like what you hear. Chances are it’ll make you buy their whole back catalogue anyway. Which you should.

This top ten was written by Omar Ramlugon. 

Album Review: After The Party by The Menzingers (by Emma Prew)

The Menzingers’ fifth album has felt a rather long time coming – although maybe I’m just saying that because they’re one of my absolute favourite bands and so I could be considered a bit bias. It could also be said that I might be a tad bias when reviewing the aforementioned fifth album, After The Party. That said, I have had mixed feelings about the songs they released early from it over the past few months – one I loved instantly but the others were growers for me. But, of course, that didn’t stop me from being hella excited about a new Menzos album.

My vinyl copy was delivered on release day and featured a lovely little Good Things pun written on the back of the packaging – ‘FRAGILE. NOT all good things should fall apart’. So cheers Banquet Records, you made my Friday. I’ve only listened to the vinyl version of the album once, at least at the point of writing this review, but the digital version has had more than a few plays by me. And so, without further ado, After The Party…

The first song is called Tellin’ Lies and it gets the album off to a promising start with some big guitars. It definitely feels like a decent introduction to what I’m hoping is going to be an excellent album and it isn’t long before Greg’s voice can be heard singing ‘Oh yeah, oh yeah, everything is terrible’. This song sets the tone for much of the album with its theme of realising that you’re getting that little bit older and wondering if that means you should change your ways. The chorus is poppier than I was expecting but it’s sure as hell catchy and I can’t wait to yell it along with the band at a live show soon. ‘Where are we gonna go now that our twenties are over?’

The big guitars continue into the second song, Thick As Thieves. The guitars actually remind me a bit of 80s metal music – which is not something I ever thought I’d say about this band! This is a slower track than the first and sees Tom take on the vocal duties. There are some pretty pounding drums behind the melodic guitar playing. The verses are relatively slow-paced, not dissimilar to Sculptors And Vandals from On The Impossible Past, while the chorus is a tad faster and louder. ‘Thick as thieves, On our knees with an ocean in between’ The song is about remaining close friends with someone despite the physical distance between you.

Lookers is next up on After The Party. You’ve probably heard this track already yourself, even if you haven’t listened to the whole album yet, as this was the first song that the band previewed ahead of anything else – several months ago. I have to admit that I wasn’t 100% sold on my first few listens to the song but now hearing it as part of the full album I do like it a lot more. Thick As Thieves fades out and Lookers begins slowly, with Greg’s vocals sounding muffled and echoey at first. After 30 seconds or so, the volume is cranked up and the same lyrics are repeated again. The song has a poppier tone – probably one reason why I wasn’t so sold on it at first – but the pure sense of nostalgia can be enjoyed by all.

The fourth track is named Midwestern States and is a song about wanting to go somewhere, anywhere, so long as it’s different from where you started – in this case, the midwest of America. This song has definitely got one of the best choruses of the album – ‘You said LA's only two days if we drive straight, Denver if we get tired, Said you didn't mind stopping just as long as we got out of the midwest states, The midwestern states’. You’ve kinda gotta hear it as Greg sings it to fully know what I mean. Another one that I bet will be brilliant live.

Charlie’s Army is a weird song but maybe I’m just saying that because it’s quite different. It’s upbeat and pretty lighthearted – I mean, aside from the fact that it’s about Greg’s (or a metaphorical man’s) girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend ‘coming for him’. The chorus is super accessible, almost to the extent that I’m not actually sure I like it and it feels like some sort of guilty pleasure if I was to say that I do. Perhaps I will think of the song differently after I hear it live for the first time. I’ll probably leave the gig with ‘Charlie's army's coming for me, He says, "Boy, you're gonna be sorry”’ in my head either way.

Tom is back for House On Fire, the sixth song on After The Party. As much as I love Greg’s voice and his songs, I think that Tom is stupidly underrated. On the earlier Menzingers albums I think he sang on more songs – although some were probably more gang vocal style songs from both Tom and Greg. House On Fire is a continuation of the ‘getting older and wondering what to do with your life’ theme but this time it’s great to hear Tom’s point of view. ‘Waiting for your life to start then you die, Was your heart beating in the first place?’

As we reach the middle point of the album – or side A if you’re listening to the album on vinyl – there is a significantly slower song than anything that we’ve heard so far. Black Mass almost sounds like it could be included on more of a folky sounding album – which is also not something I ever thought I’d say about The Menzingers. At least they can’t be accused of making songs that all sound the same! Black Mass has quite a melancholic tone, with a chorus of ‘But hey, do you really want to throw it away?, Do you really want to throw it away?, I'd do anything to make you stay’. But the last line of the song offers a sense of hope – ‘For just a little, just a little bit longer…’.

Boy Blue is the first track on side B, or you could just call it track 8. This is a song led by Tom and it reminds me a lot of Chamberlain Waits era Menzos – except a bit of a slicker sound with more refined vocals. The chorus has some pretty great rhymes too – ‘The boy blue with the silver spoon, They found him dying in the living room, Say goodbye to the bride and groom, Send them off on their honeymoon’. Great stuff.

Bad Catholics is one of the other songs that was released out into the world ahead of the full album and I heard it live for the first time at The Fest 15. As you can probably gather from the title alone, this is a song about rebelling against the religious background that you were brought up with. The song begins with a catchy guitar riff and the catchiness continues into the lyrics. Interestingly, apparently this song wasn’t supposed to be on the album but the band were impressed by the audience’s reaction to its live debut. I can confirm that this song does sound great live!

Next up is a song that is in parts as sad as it is beautiful. Your Wild Years is a slower paced song in which Greg expresses how he knows his girl deserves better than he can offer – ‘I toss and turn at four in the morning, Petrified of where our future's going, ’Cause you're the kind of girl that deserves the world, I'm just the kind of guy that promises the world.’ 

The Bars is a pure drinking song, although not in the typical rowdy style that you might expect and that’s what I love about it. It’s a slow builder and the guitar at the beginning sounds a little like this could be some sort of alternative national anthem (maybe that’s just me!). An anthem for bars at least – no matter how shitty they may seem, no matter how many times you end up losing your wallet, phone and keys and no matter how horribly hungover you feel the next day. There’s something that always draws you, or Tom in this case, back. It actually reminds me a bit of Dropkick Murphys or something like that, perhaps just because it's such a ‘drinking song’.

Now that we’re drawing towards the end of the album, we come to the title track. After The Party is one of my favourite songs on this album and I loved it from the first listen – unlike the other couple of tracks that were released ahead of the full album. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of previous Menzingers songs that I have loved – and still do. It doesn’t try to do anything crazily new, it just is brilliant. I could quote the lyrics of the whole song because it’s all great but, of course, the chorus stands out the most. ‘Everybody wants to get famous, But you just want to dance in a basement, You don't care if anyone is watching, Just as long as you stay in motion, We put miles on these old jean jackets, Got caught up in the drunk conversations, But after the party, it's me and you, After the party, it's me and you.’

I would have been more than happy if the album ended there but in true Menzingers style, they end After The Party with a slower track. The melodic and melancholic opening guitar part of Livin’ Ain’t Easy definitely reminds me of When You Died from Rented World but this song isn’t quite that sad. The song sums up the overall theme of the album, continuing to live your life despite getting older and despite how difficult it might seem sometimes. The bridge is a lyrical highlight for me – ‘Oh you know it breaks my heart, Watching your whole life fall apart, While bastards dance off with the night, As we try to break free with all our might.’

No matter what The Menzingers do, there are always going to be people who compare new material to their 2012 third album, On The Impossible Past – and, for the most part, people will probably say that OTIP was better. That album is without a doubt one of my favourite albums of all time, let alone just my favourite Menzos album, but I am also able to acknowledge that the band are not in the same place that they were 5 or more years ago.

They will never write another On The Impossible Past and I’m okay with that. I think I need to listen to After The Party a few more times (as I did with each of their previous releases) but I certainly wasn’t disappointed by this album. It is more varied that I was expecting and that’s no bad thing. I’m looking forward to hearing some of these songs live in April and you should be too.

If you should desire it, you can find The Menzingers on Facebook here and pick up the record from Banquet Records here.

This review was written by Emma Prew.

Album Review: Sound The Alarm by Less Than Jake

I don't think I get more excited by a band releasing new material than I do with Less Than Jake (maybe the Descendents, but it's the Descendents). So I was incredibly excited when the Gainesville ska punk legends announced that they would be releasing a new EP named Sound The Alarm. Their first new material since 2013! That's the longest time! Released on Pure Noise Records, of course I was very much looking forward to hearing it.

Sound The Alarm gets going with the song Call To Arms. Beginning with some thick Roger Lima basslines before guitarist Chris DeMakes comes in with some of his instantly recognisable vocals. Call To Arms is about realising that you have messed up a lot and you're getting close to your limit but having the faith that you can "turn it all around." As Less Than Jake have aged they have developed a more mature sounding ska punk style and after one track on this release I already think it's sounding fantastic. The second track continues this more mature sound as Roger takes lead vocal duties. Whatever The Weather takes a look at the deep, dark places that depression can take you and realising that if you stay strong and stick to your own path you can come through it. After an extended horn section things get a little quiet before a Roger sings "It's Out Of My Hands, These Too Heavy Times, No Matter The Weather, I'll Never Waver." I can just imagine a massive Less Than Jake crowd singing this back at the band and it being an amazing uplifting moment. Bomb Drop is classic Less Than Jake. It's fast paced, has plenty of horns and Chris and Roger share vocal duties. This, for me, is when Less Than Jake are at their very best. Bomb Drop is another track that looks at mental health and the ways that people deal with it. On this occasion the message is about not waiting around for things to get better and taking the initiative to try and make things right for yourself. In proper Less Than Jake style, Bomb Drop is full of great hooks and catchy lyrics - you'll be humming for days after you first hear it.

The fourth song on Sound The Alarm is named Welcome To My Life. Welcome To My Life is a slower, more reggae and ska based tune similar to the classic Science Of Selling Yourself Short. Roger's voice is on top form as he sings a song about having the best intentions but things always going wrong. As much as I love fast Less Than Jake, when the band do decide to slow things down for a song it's always very special. Good Sign brings the pace back up with a bouncy ska punk sound. Chris's vocals throughout the verses are fast and the whole sound will get a pit skanking away with smiles on their faces. Good Sign is about discovering the light at the end of the tunnel. Coming through all of the horrible, bad times and now beginning to "fight through the doom and gloom." The penultimate track on Sound The Alarm is named Years Of Living Dangerously. This is another slower Less Than Jake track. The guitars really stood out to me on my first listen of the song. They have been recording in a way that gives them a slight echo that makes them sound fantastic. The track itself is about all those times you've tried to talk your problems through but not being able to work out what is wrong with you. Last, but my no means least, is Things Change. Returning to the classic Less Than Jake sound, Buddy and JR start the track off with some of their trademark horns. Less Than Jake have one of the best and most unique horn sections in the genre today. The horns build the start of the song up brilliantly, letting you know that something big and exciting is about to happen. Something big and exciting does happen as Chris and Roger again share vocal duties on this high octane ska punk banger about realising no matter how bad things get that things can change for the better. This is a great, uplifting way to finish an EP that is mostly about the different stages and aspects of mental health.

It's been four long years since Less Than Jake released a new record and it's well worth the wait. Musically it's as good as ever. Less Than Jake will never reinvent the wheel musically but as they've gotten older they've found a sound that is more mature but it's still the same Less Than Jake that have been loved the world over for more than twenty years. Sound The Alarm is another classic to add to Less Than Jake's impressive discography.

Stream and download Sound The Alarm here: https://purenoise.bandcamp.com/album/sound-the-alarm-ep-2

Like Less Than Jake here: https://www.facebook.com/lessthanjake/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Blame Culture by Riskee and the Ridicule

Riskee and the Ridicule are a four piece grime punk band from Kent. “Grime punk?” You ask. What on earth is grime punk!? Grime punk is what you get when a grime MC links up with a punk band and creates one of the most energetic and unique sounds you'll hear all year. At the beginning of the year the band released a brand new album named Blame Culture.

The album starts out with the track Nobody Likes Us. I wonder if this was a light hearted jab towards the punk police who might argue that Riskee and the Ridicule don't fit in with the more traditional punk rock music. I'd argue that, immediately, Riskee and the Ridicule are one of the most punk bands I've heard in a long time - doing things completely their own way. Musically it's charged with energy that will get you dancing from the outset, before the chorus hits and you'll be singing defiantly with the band. The second song is named Banger and that's exactly what it is. It's a party song that's certainly going to be a live favourite. You can imagine a packed basement, dripping in sweat going wild for this song. Banger is about being happy with what you have, knowing that eventually you'll have more. I liked the use of a second, hoarser vocal, adding a bit of anger to the track. On my first listen through of Blame Culture, the third track Hipster was probably one of my favourites. It's such fun! On my first listen I thought Hipster was just about having a girlfriend who is cooler than you but as you listen more carefully you discover it's about someone's struggles to keep their girl happy and the fear that she'll leave you for someone she perceives to be cooler than you.

The fourth song, Drown, is a song that really showcases vocalist Scott Picking's voice - whether spitting down some sick bars (I think that's what the kids call it) or singing with some fantastic melody and harmony, he really impresses. I was also fairly surprised by the fact that he could sing as well as rap. The guitars on the track are fantastic. When Drown first began I was reminded of Swedish skate punk legends Millencolin - that's always a great thing. Drown finishes with a nice piece of spoken word poetry that really grabbed my attention as it was not something I was expecting after such a high octane track. This really displays Scott's incredible skill as a lyricist. Up next is the song Molotov Cocktails. It starts out slowly, in an almost sad and mournful manner. As the introduction progresses the song slowly grows with Scott again switching between rapping and singing. His raps in particular really give the song a massive sense of building. Although I did expect the pay off at the end to be bigger it was still a great song. It's a song with a great crossover appeal to it. The same can be said with the following song, Running On Air. Despite being released in January I see this song as a big pop punk song summer anthem. It's something a big festival crowd could sing-a-long to whilst having a great big boogie. Of course there are some high tempo verses that do a great job getting you back to the chorus for the next big sing-a-long. It's great to hear that Riskee and the Ridicule aren't one trick ponies. Party sees some brass, courtesy of Ghouls’ Russell Spencer and Ben Marion, join the fray. The brass, as well as a pounding drumbeat, give the illusion of marching which works as this is an inspirational song about making the best of things and making sure you live your life to the fullest. With another chorus that will get you singing with the band instantly, this will be another big live favourite. At the end of Party comes another great piece of poetry before we get to the eighth song Elmley To Holloway. Here we have some more summer pop punk fun. It didn't get me quite like Running On Air did but it's still a highly enjoyable song.

Backwords is another surprising track. Backwords is an acoustic track. I really wasn't expecting to find an acoustic song on Blame Culture! Of course the jumping between song and rap is there and that adds a bit of energy but without the full band it did seem as if the song was lacking something. However, full credit for trying to do something different on the album. Villain sees the full band come back - guitarist Jimbo Algony, bassist Dave Thomas and drummer Matt Verrell really do a fantastic job on this album and it was really noticeable when they weren't present. Scott will undoubtedly take a lot of the limelight for the band but he is joined by three incredible musicians. Villains is a great song with a strong social commentary throughout. After another great poem we have the penultimate track, Daddy's Boots. This was another big favourite on my first listen of Blame Culture. It's a bit of a working class anthem about working hard to get what you want and being strong no matter what happens. There is also some more social commentary about the divide between the classes. This is quite a hard hitting track and you can feel the band's anger oozing out of track. We'll Never Belong is the name of the final track on Blame Culture. Like the opening track, Nobody Likes Us, it's about not fitting in and not caring about it. Where Nobody Likes Us felt more angry about the situation We'll Never Belong is about being proud to be different. This is much more upbeat and is another huge anthem. Most bands struggle to write one anthem per album, I've lost count of the amount on Blame Culture. What a great pop pun tune. It's fun, thoughtful and so uplifting.

I'll be the first to admit that when I was presented with the opportunity to review a grime punk album I was quite sceptical and a little hesitant. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't like it and wasn't really sure what I could write about it. All of my scepticism and hesitancy quickly vanished after hearing the first verse and chorus and I now will proudly say I love Riskee and the Ridicule and thought Blame Culture was an absolutely cracking album. I now really want to see them live - I imagine it's a hell of a lot of fun!

Stream and download Blame Culture here: https://riskeeandtheridicule.bandcamp.com/album/blame-culture-2017

Like Riskee and the Ridicule here: https://www.facebook.com/riskeeandtheridicule

This review was written by Colin.

Art of Punk: Arturo Vega and The Ramones

Arturo Vega was a Mexican-born graphic designer, art director and artist, most famously known for having created the logo for The Ramones. He had such a close relationship with the band that he was commonly known as ‘the fifth Ramone’ – plus he went to all but two of their shows within their 22 year career! As a huge fan of The Ramones, Colin insisted that I make Arturo my next Art of Punk subject – to be honest, he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t thought to suggest it before. Sadly Arturo Vega passed away in 2013 at age 65 but legendary imagery that he left behind will never be forgotten.

Let’s start with The Ramones logo. It was created as a sort of parody of the US presidential seal but featuring an apple tree branch (instead of an olive branch) and a baseball bat –  a reference to the song Beat On The Brat from the band’s first album. Instead of saying ‘Seal of the President of the United States’, The Ramones logo, of course, famously states the (original) members of the band’s names – Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy. A few years before he died, Arturo had the logo tattooed on his back – interestingly he swapped out Tommy for ‘Arty’, which I can only assume is himself.

The logo is one of the most famous in the history of music, let alone punk rock. It is also probably one of the most iconic logos that has been appropriated for other uses, including other bands borrowing its design – Colin has a Masked Intruder t-shirt that comes to mind. I also came across this Pokémon logo that I found rather amusing.

Arturo is credited with pretty much creating the idea of a band t-shirt – I know, wow! Even before he’d created the famous logo, he printed some shirts with just ‘RAMONES’ on them. The band themselves were skeptical about whether anyone would buy them – especially as they were an unknown act at the time. But music fans did buy them. And when the presidential seal logo was designed and printed onto t-shirts they bought even more. Demand was so high, even in the early days, that Arturo had to outsource the printing of the shirts to other companies.

This quote taken from Hampton Arts Hub sums up how the use of the logo exploded:

‘Soon that deal grew into something much larger as he made licensing deals around the world for everything from sneakers and socks, to shorts, jackets, wallets, skate boards, baby clothes, hats and stickers – all bearing the logo. They were, and still are, sold in stores globally and online. They sold more T-shirts than records and probably they sold more T-shirts than tickets.’

As well as t-shirts, Arturo produced many of the images for The Ramones’ record sleeves. This was long before people were designing album artwork on computers and Arturo’s early designs for the band were created using photos taken in a photobooth. And for their live performances, he hand-painted huge banners! I dread to think how much time and patience that must have taken to get it looking just perfect.

This art of punk post has taken me an unusually long time to put together. This is partly because I’m super busy but also because I keep getting sidetracked reading articles and listening to podcasts about Arturo and The Ramones. I also spent a fair amount of time flicking through Colin’s copy of On The Road with The Ramones, a book written by Monte A Melnick, the band’s close friend and tour manager – a must have for any punk fan.

At some point this year we'd like to go to Berlin and visit the Ramones Museum, so if / when that happens I imagine I will get to see a whole load more of Arturo Vega's work. Maybe I'll share some photographs in a blog post…

On a side note:

You may or may not have noticed that Art of Punk posts have become very infrequent over the past couple of months. This is partly, as I mentioned before, because I am super busy in life in general but also because I've been dedicating more of my time to writing album reviews. There’s just so much great stuff in punk rock at the moment that I, and the rest of the CPRW team, want to write about, so Art of Punk is going to be taking a bit of a backseat for a while.

There will still be Art of Punk posts as and when I write them although they will no longer be posted specifically on Tuesdays – in fact, more often than not they will be posted on Fridays. If anyone has any ideas of suggestions for future posts then let me know! (Tweet me, etc.) Until then…

This post was written by Emma Prew.

Album Review: Bury Me In Philly by Dave (by Emma Prew)

You may know Dave Hause as an original member of the melodic hardcore band Paint It Black or as one quarter of punk rock super group The Falcon. You probably also know him as vocalist and guitarist in The not-officailly-broken-up Loved Ones but I, and I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, listened to his solo material first before any of the bands I’ve just mentioned. For that reason, although I’ve listened to his previous bands and The Loved Ones more so than any other, it is his solo albums that have always connected with me the most. His last album, Devour, was released way back in 2013 and I honestly wasn’t 100% sure that he’d be making any more music as a solo artist but I’m sure glad that he has.

Bury Me In Philly is the title of Dave Hause’s third album, released earlier this month on Rise Records. I had been eagerly awaiting it for months, years even, and I’m pleased to say that I was not disappointed.

The album kicks off with a punchy and upbeat track, With You. The song opens immediately with vocals as Dave sings ‘I couldn't stop the ringing in my head…’. The music is Americana-influenced with a clear piano melody as well as warm slightly fuzzy guitars but there’s also a hint of Dave’s previous bands in the pacing of the track. The chorus is a highlight for me – ‘Oh, ache with me and I'll ache with you, I want to do it with you, Oh, dance with me we'll all be dead soon, I want to do it with you, Yeah, I want to do it with you.’ So good!

The Flinch is next up on Bury Me In Philly and begins with some more great guitar work – in fact there’s some great Americana guitar sounds on the whole album! This is a slower song than the first track on the album but I think that just helps to emphasise the melody. The Flinch is about how when you’re younger you can sometimes find yourself in certain situations that make you react with fear or anxiety – or flinch – but it’s possible to get over the fear when you get older and perhaps learn from your mistakes.

The opening guitar riff of My Mistake instantly brought to mind Bruce Springsteen for me (although I have just finished his book, Born To Run, so he’s been on my mind anyway!) – which is never a bad thing. The upbeat nature of With You is back for this song and it’s songs like this where I think Dave Hause really shines. The chorus is also super catchy – ‘It was my mistake, I was asleep but now I’m wide awake, wide awake…’. It had me nodding my head and tapping my feet from my first listen and, after a few listens of the whole album, I think this is my favourite track on Bury Me In Philly. 

We’re going to see Dave Hause at the Garage in London next month where he is billed as ‘Dave Hause and The Mermaid’ and The Mermaid is the name of the fourth song on the album. It does have me wondering which came first, the name for his band or this song – I’m betting the song. The Mermaid is a little bit of a change of tone and musical style with more of a soulful and bluesy sound. The chorus of ‘Ain’t gonna treat you like you (x3), Treat yourself. Ain’t gonna treat you like you (x3).’ sounds like it is sung by someone else, minus the ‘Treat yourself’ part so I’d be interested to hear it live.

Shaky Jesus is the next song on Bury Me In Philly. I’m not sure of Dave Hause’s religious views and so I’m not sure how literally to interpret the lyrics, but I’ll do my best. I think this is a song about being brought up as a Christian but doubting your allegiance to the religion as time goes on and instead finding love in the form of a person instead of Jesus. ‘If Jesus loves me now, Can he save my little sermon somehow, Because I found a little promised land, And I’m reaching out to take her hand and drown, If Jesus loves me now.’ Or it could all be one big metaphor. Who knows!

Next up is the more acoustic-based Divine Lorraine. The jangly guitars are more akin to Dave’s first album, Resolutions, although this song sounds more mature – there’s a real sense of growth from that first album, through to Devour and now to Bury Me In Philly. The middle of the song is interesting as Dave sings the chorus – ‘You get ground so down that you’ll forget the sound’… – which is then followed by a lovely smooth guitar solo and, after that, the chorus is repeated again. It’s simple but is not really something I’ve noticed in a song before.

The seventh track on Bury Me In Philly is sweary little number and not only in its name – Dirty Fucker. Dave clearly had some anger to vent when he wrote this song and what better way to let it all out than through singing and playing music. As you might imagine from the curse content, this isn’t a slow song but it’s also not your typical aggressive punk style. I’d even say that Dave ends up sounding pretty suave. That said, I probably wouldn’t pick this song to play out loud in the office or to my parents… except I did just that earlier today (as part of the whole album), oops.

The Ride is another Springsteen-esque track that also somehow manages to remind me of ‘I Want Candy’. It must be the rhythm. (In fact, upon Googling, I have discovered that this syncopated rhythm has a name – the Bo Diddley beat.) The vocal lines are echoed by the guitar – plus, I think I hear a little tambourine. ‘The ride’ in this song refers to a relationship that’s going great but also feels like you’re speeding through things. Despite this, you know you’ve got something special so are gonna stick at it, no matter how crazy it may seem to others. ‘We might going too fast, Everybody got something to say talking ‘bout it’ll never last, But it’s a helluva ride to take even if we crash.’

As the album edges towards its close, the feel-good factor is really pumped into Helluva Home. Opening with some classic harmonica, when the vocals kick in you can’t help but smile along to Dave’s lyrics. By the chorus you are fully invested in his connection to his hometown and I personally can’t help but sing along to ‘It’s a helluva home, It’s a helluva home, Where else would I go.’ There are things about your hometown that you might dislike but it will always be your home – it’s what you know.

The acoustic guitar is back for the penultimate track, Wild Love. It is probably the quietest and most heartfelt song on the album with the full focus being on Dave’s voice. In The Ride he sang of pursuing a seemingly crazy relationship and Wild Love feels like the next chapter in that tale. ‘Can this wild love, wild love, wild love, Keep me stoned, Wild love, wild love, can wild love, Build me a home.’ 

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this was the end of the album but Dave has one last statement to make with the album closer and title track, Bury Me In Philly. The volume and pure electricity is cranked up again and Dave really gives it everything he’s got in this song. The song, despite the mention of dying, is a carefree anthem about escaping your hometown for the negative connotations you’ve attached to it but knowing that you’ll be content to return then when you die. ‘They can bury me in Philly in the end, In the end…’

Dave Hause’s last album, although brilliant, was pretty dark in its subject matter. I’m pleased to say that Bury Me In Philly sounds like it was written in a far happier place and that happier place makes for an excellent album.

If you should desire it, you can find Dave Hause on Facebook here and pick up the record from Banquet Records here.

This review was written by Emma Prew.

Album Review: Goathorse by The Priceduifkes

The Priceduifkes are a long running pop punk band from Belgium. On February 25th the band have a brand new album out named Goathorse, on Bearded Punk Records. I'm a big fan of the Ramonescore style of pop punk that the band play so was really looking forward to checking this album out.

Goathorse begins with the song Bad Dreams Pt. 2. Beginning with a simple slow guitar riff before a little bit of percussion, the song explodes into life. Played hard and fast in the Ramonescore way the song really gets the album off to an explosive start. There are some repetitive but extremely catchy lyrics throughout the song, chief among them is "I Hope This Is Just A Dream, Bad Things Coming After Me." The second track in true pop punk fashion is just over a minute long. Named (No) Burkini Beach Party (Tonight) it starts out with a heavy drum roll before the song sets off like Usain Bolt and barely slows down for its duration. I got out of breath just listening to the song, so playing and singing it must be a huge effort. Perhaps that's part of the reason it was so short. Curiously the third song, named 1.38, is also one minute and thirty-eight seconds long. I hope this was done on purpose. Here the bass player of the band gets a chance to shine at the start of the track. It's about getting through a long day and being excited to see somebody. I loved this track - it might be one of the best pop punk songs I've heard for a very long time. I kind of wanted the fourth song It's Raining Shit (Hallelujah) to be a cover of The Weather Girls classic It's Raining Men. It's not but it's still a bloody good song. The track is about feeling like nothing ever goes your way, something I'm sure most of us can relate to at some point of our lives. There is a great gang vocal chorus towards the end of the song that goes "Everywhere I Go I Fuck Things Up Somehow, And I Can't Help But Feeling Like Some Sad Fucking Clown."

The fifth song on Goathorse is named Greetings From Angerville. There is a bit more of a softer, good time pop punk sound here than on a couple of the previous songs which were much more intense. The song really showcases The Priceduifkes’ rhythm section, with some great drumming throughout and a excellent bass solo during the track. Full Clown sees The Priceduifkes slow things down just a little bit and throw a little bit of 60s rock 'n' roll into their pop punk mix. I love this side of The Priceduifkes. It's a bit more laid back and fun than the full speed pop punk assault they also do oh so well. The breakdown in the middle of the song really slows the record down and puts you in a little bit of a chilled mood before the song picks back up for a final rockin' chorus. Full Clown is about growing up and realising that you can't do the stupid things you used to do when you were younger. The chill out doesn't last long as the seventh track, Miracle Man, hits you like a sack of bricks to the face. The 60s rock influence remains but the bands intensity returns with a track about getting drunk and terrorising people. I Can Dance continues the warp speed pop punk good times. If we were on the Millenium Falcon, Chewbacca has just punched it. I have no idea what the song is about as the speed that everything is going makes it impossible to have any idea what exactly is going on. I'm breathless just listening to the track. I can only assume it's about dancing, possibly about the Dradenspinnen.

Danni's In Denial really reminded me of American pop punk bands such as The Copyrights and The Dopamines. The buzzsaw like guitars give the song its intensity and the vocals take care of the melodic element of the track. It's fairly obvious what the song is about, a girl named Danni who is in denial. I can see this track becoming a favourite at a Priceduifkes show with the crowd joining the band in the cries of "She's Not Okay" that happen towards the end of the song. The tenth song is named Too Busy Having A Blast and is about the idea that you have to write about everything that you do on social media rather than just getting on with having lots of fun. I really like the message of this song as I think that people can spend far too much time on social media telling people what they are or have been doing. This is a song that actually makes you think and have a look at yourself. Something, to be completely honest, I did not expect to happen whilst listening to this album. Excellent social commentary. The penultimate song on Goathorse is named Braincracking. Continuing the buzzsaw pop punk style, Braincracking is a track that is as catchy as the common cold (something I currently have, oh woe is me!) and you will be singing along from the very first listen. The song is about being at the end of the line mentally and eventually breaking down. The track uses two different vocalists to great effect. With one singer taking control of the verse and the other having the chorus. Fantastic pop punk. Last, but by no means least, is Getwood City. It's a song that originally appeared on a 2014 split release with the great Direct Hit! The track starts out with the lyrics "Fucked Up On Anti-Biotics And Beer, There's No Place That I'd Rather Be Than Here" - it's clear that the track is about having the time of your life at a gig. The song sounds like it's an anthem for the band's scene in Belgium and Holland. I can see a packed and sweaty basement full of people going absolutely mental singing and dancing to the track. There is a fun nod to the Guns 'N' Roses track Paradise City where the band start incorporate the famous riff into the song before finishing the song and the album with a barrage of "whoas".

What a fantastic album. I've been a fan of the Priceduifkes for a while but on Goathorse they really take things to the next level. It's only February but I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better pop punk release this year.

Pre-order Goathorse here: http://beardedpunk.com/cd/priceduifkes-goathorse

Like The Priceduifkes here: https://www.facebook.com/thepriceduifkes/

This review was written by Colin.