Album Review: Shove It by NoPoint

Recently I downloaded a new app where I get XP points for doing certain things throughout the day. One of those things is discover a new band or artist that you love. I love doing that anyway so there's some easy XP points for me! I jumped on to Bandcamp and quickly discovered NoPoint from St. Louis, Missouri, who had recently released a six song EP named Shove It. Originally attracted to the EP by the skateboarding crocodile, I soon discovered six fast and snotty skate punk tracks.

Shove It begins with the track Consumer. Starting out with some shredding lead guitar, there is an energy present from the beginning that had me wanting to get invested into the song. When guitarist Jesse's vocals come in we are treated to a fast and snotty snarl as he laments the consumer culture that is plaguing society at the moment. The song is played at a fast pace throughout which really helps to showcase the frustration that NoPoint have towards this topic. Up next is the song Push, which is ridiculously catchy. Slowing things down a little bit, Push is a song about having a great time with your pals skating and hoping you can keep doing it for the rest of your life. I love the positivity in the song, it sounds as if NoPoint don't have a care in the world and are having more fun than ever.

The third song is named Dog. Sadly the positivity doesn't remain for NoPoint as this song is about being treated horribly in your job. Again it's super catchy, particularly the chorus as Jesse sings "treat me like a dog" while another member of the band shouts some harmonies. This really helps with the sing-along aspect of the track. Mr. No Fun is up next and has another shred-until-you're-dead intro. There's a bit of an old school 80s skate punk vibe to the song, making me think back to early NOFX. The production feels a bit rawer to the previous tracks as well which helps with the whole tone of the song. On the track, NoPoint talk about the people with responsibilities like jobs and families who aren't fun anymore. I guess there's a frustration there as they miss friends who have gone down a different route with their life.

The penultimate song on Shove It is T.V. This track is about how people are controlled by their television sets. It's a social commentary about folk these days whose lives seem to centre around the screen in the corner of your living room. There is plenty of snarl and venom in the vocals that give you the impression that NoPoint are really angry at this situation and they're making me feel the same. Lastly we have the song Banger, which is a three minute instrumental track. It starts out slowly before really picking up some pace. The track really shows off some great musicianship but it did leave me yearning for some vocals to come in for me to really lose my beans to it.

Shove It is a fantastic introduction to NoPoint. It showcases a band that write fantastic skate punk songs with strong messages but also know how to have a lot of fun. If you loved early Fat Wreck Chords then NoPoint are without a doubt a band you should be checking out.

Stream and download Shove It here: https://nopoint.bandcamp.com/releases

Like NoPoint here: https://www.facebook.com/NoPoint-960293064167049/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Just Lately by Gareth James

You might know Gareth James as a member of punk rock acts Second In Line or Plus 10 Damage, you might know him for his work with Dirty Sushi Records, but you might not know Gareth James as a solo acoustic guy. Gareth has decided that he's getting older and it's time to chill out with his acoustic guitar and sing some songs about his life so far. In May he released the single Just Lately. Now, normally I'm not the person at CPRW who really likes to review acoustic releases and we don't often review singles but I enjoyed this so much I had to give it a go.

The first of the two tracks on the single is named CDs And Photographs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this is a much softer style than what I'm used to with Gareth's bands. I'm immediately drawn to his voice which is seriously strong – you know, for a punk singing acoustic. The slightly up-tempo melody makes sure the song has a lot of life as Gareth sings a very retrospective feeling track about wanting to be a star when he was younger and still pushing for it.

The title track, Just Lately, is an up-tempo track that feels a little rawer than the previous song. I actually prefer the less polished production on the song, especially when the song begins to build towards the end. Gareth grows more emotional and intense during this build and does a magnificent job of grabbing your attention. The whole song is pretty captivating and Gareth really takes you on a series of highs and lows throughout.

Like I said in the introduction, I really enjoyed this acoustic side of Gareth James, showing a softer side but keeping a hard punk edge. Gareth is looking to play more acoustic shows and I'd love to see him live.

Stream and download Just Lately here: https://garethjames.bandcamp.com/releases

Like Gareth James here: https://www.facebook.com/GarethJamesAcousticVersion/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

CPRW Playlist: July 2019

CPRW Playlist: Here's what Brett, Dan, Emma, Lee, Omar, Richard, Robyn, myself and our special guest Sarah from Shout Louder and Lockjaw Records have been listening to this July.

Top Tens: C-Rage's Top Ten Punk Rock Influences

Nirvana
It may surprise people to hear, but I was a very late starter when it came to music. When I listen to friends talking about venues they frequented when they were in their early teens and ridiculous gigs they went to circa 2001 for a fiver, I just sort of shrug. I have nothing to contribute because I didn't think I even liked music until I was about seventeen. I had my Dad's vinyl LPs – Dire Straits, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple – but nothing particularly aimed at my generation. Pop music didn't do anything for me and classic rock, as cool as it sounded, felt disconnected and dated. Everything changed when my neighbour gave me a copy of Nirvana's greatest hits. I know it sounds cliché but Smells Like Teen Spirit was essentially my introduction to alternative music and the more I learned about Kurt Cobain, the reluctant ‘spokesman’ of the disenfranchised, the more alternative music began to appeal.

The Offspring
I had a few, shall we say, false starts with alternative music. The Darkness were fun but they reminded me of Dad music. Red Hot Chili Peppers had a few good sing-alongs but had nothing to really connect to thanks to nonsense lyrics. System Of A Down were political but a bit ridiculous – Tapeworm? Jet Pilot... really? I honestly don't think I started to find my musical identity until I saw Hit That playing on TMF. I stole my brother's copy of Splinter and soon discovered that; a. This is what punk rock sounds like (I always associated punk with mohawked grunts in eighties cartoons) and b. This band wrote the music for Crazy Taxi. I soon bought my first guitar, the full Offspring discography and set about trying to learn how to play the whole of Smash and Ignition.

Punk-O-Rama Volume 3
The Offspring naturally lead to NOFX and Bad Religion which opened the door to my next musical purchase, my very first comp – Punk-O-Rama Volume 3. Through the album I was introduced to Rancid, The Bouncing Souls, Voodoo Glow Skulls, basically a veritable who's who of late 90s punk rock. At seventeen, I honestly couldn't believe that there was this entire world of exciting new music that existed separate from the mainstream. The Offspring may have introduced me to punk as a genre but it's the Punk-O-Rama comps that got me to stick around.

Reading Festival – Lock-Up Stage
I attended my first music festival in 2004 – Reading. I saw a grand total of nine bands that year, plus I got soaked and my tent was destroyed. It probably wasn't the best introduction to live music, fortunately the performances of The Offspring and Green Day absolutely blew me away. When the tickets went on sale for the following year I snapped them up as soon as they became available. When 2005 rolled around I was more confident and much better prepared for camping. I checked out the Lock-Up Stage early in the day in preparation for the evening's Bad Religion performance and ended up staying in that tent all of the Saturday. The main stage was one thing but the energy of a smaller stage combined with familiar bands and the ‘us against them’ camaraderie added to an all-round better musical experience. Despite being alone most of the time, I felt at home in the Lock-Up and it quickly became my annual punk-rock-pilgrimage.

Descendents
The song ‘13 Stitches’ by NOFX opens with the line "The first time I saw the Descendents, they were the fastest band I'd ever seen". I needed no further recommendation; I hit up my local music shops and eventually found ‘Cool to Be You’ at a Virgin Megastore. I remember how the album stood out against its surroundings thanks to the cover’s presentation on white graph paper with the bold Descendents font and spectacled Milo character, the perfect aesthetic for a self-proclaimed uber geek such as myself. Cool to Be You mostly lived up to my expectations but ‘Everything Sucks’ and ‘Milo Goes To College’, which soon followed, were the first two albums where I truly felt connected to a band lyrically. The teen angst, unrequited love, rage against mediocre jobs and general nerdiness combined with the fact that their singer was an actual PhD scientist all added up to the perfect storm. Additionally, 'Hope' became the first song I ever learned how to play and sing at the same time, in homage I’ve played it at almost every C-Rage show.

Less Than Jake
I have to admit. I bought ‘Anthem’ by Less than Jake in 2004, played it once and really didn't get ska. I guess I was still in my "only overdriven guitars" stage of musical development. I didn't go back to ska until I saw Less Than Jake play the main stage at Reading in 2006. At this time I'd become heavily invested in the mid-2000s mainstream emo bands, mainly because seeing My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy meant I could see live music with my friends instead of by myself. Less Than Jake destroyed the main stage and absolutely captured me with their humour, musicality and energy. I bought a couple more albums after that festival and was surprised by how dark and introspective some of their lyrics were, especially for such a seemingly fun band – I loved the contrast. Soon I was addicted to ska-punk and emo was mostly a thing of the past. A year later I watched Less Than Jake perform six nights in a row at the Astoria (evidently surrounded by a million future friends) and cast off my last few inhibitions of going to gigs by myself.

Motion City Soundtrack
In my search for more punk bands with additional instruments (like ska-punk's horns) I stumbled across Motion City Soundtrack, who stood out because of their strange keyboard (later I found out it was called a Moog) sounds. Their first album, ‘I Am The Movie’, initially grabbed me because of how different it sounded, but ‘Commit This To Memory’ was the album that cemented MCS as one of my all-time favourite bands. I heard both towards the end of my time at university but they gained their prominence after graduation, when the financial crash left my chosen industry in tatters and my future directionless. These first two albums deal with themes of doubt, self-destruction, artistic frustration and openly discuss mental health with each subsequent album dealing with different stages of recovery, intermixed with plenty of geeky references. I had a long period of feeling worthless and demotivated after university, rotting in a dead end job and failing to make any headway career-wise whilst losing friends and ruining relationships. Motion City Soundtrack seemed to follow my life’s trajectory throughout my twenties and were also instrumental in pulling myself out of the rut I'd created. Justin's lyrics have had a big influence on my own writing, self-deprecation and arguably singing style.

Frank Turner (the first 2 albums)
Frank Turner was the first artist to teach me that punk didn't have to be high energy with electric guitars. As long as you had the honesty and the ethic, punk could be as cut down or as built up as the song required. I first saw Frank Turner play the Reading Lock-Up Stage in 2008 and, honestly, it was liberating. I got home from that festival and started watching his live recordings religiously. Songs about life, death, friends and relationships; all using thoughtful, intelligent lyrics that are sometimes depressing but always filled with warmth and optimism. I wrote my first C-Rage song 'Wherever You May Be' in June 2009 using so many techniques that I'd learned from listening to Frank. His influence made all music I'd written before this point defunct. Unlike Motion City Soundtrack, Frank and I diverged with time, but I can't deny the affect his early work had on all of my songwriting.

Be Sharp Promotions
In 2012, I began to realise how badly my social anxiety had started to affect my life. I was becoming more and more isolated and lonely, my job less and less fulfilling. By this point I was going to gigs about twice a month but, worryingly, even live music was starting to lose its appeal. I realised things needed to change or I'd stop being able to function altogether. My radical solution for fixing myself was to try and talk to people at gigs and thus began the chain of events that eventually lead to me meeting Paul Smith. It's no understatement to say that Be Sharp Promotions changed my life. Back in 2012, Paul had a few years of promotion under his belt and, after a few drunken conversations, I was recruited to make the original Be Sharp logo. A gig poster followed in the spring which also introduced me to the New Cross Inn. I had no idea the place existed, or the bands for that matter, but all it took was one show and I was hooked. As part of ‘Team Be Sharp’ I was encouraged to talk to more and more people and integrate myself into the DIY Punk community. I was always completely out of my comfort zone but always taking steps towards feeling more confident with myself. Watching Paul and Mike get better at putting on shows has been amazing and seeing bands like Call Me Malcolm, Popes of Chilitown, King Punch and everyone else go from strength to strength has been a pleasure. My little artistic contributions have led to the most fulfilling and life affirming years of my life. I’d never have been able to perform as C-Rage without so much community support.

Intersectional Feminism
You may have noticed a huge omission from my previous entries, non-men and people of colour; for a musical genre that preaches equality, the punk that I was predominantly exposed to growing up were white male bands. I never really noticed how homogenous things were until I started making friends with the vocal and incredibly awesome intersectional feminists of the punk rock community. They helped me realise how much privilege I, as a straight white male have, and honestly now my bubble of ignorance has been burst I can’t help but see injustices, inequalities and abuses of power everywhere. I think it’s important to recognise that the ability to succeed, not only in punk, but in anything is not stacked equally in everyone’s favour and we, as a community, need to come together to try and level that playing field. I guess what I’m trying to say is, treat everyone with the respect they deserve, challenge tradition, provide a platform for those that aren’t able to be heard and defend each other when people are being oppressed or exploited. Diversity and unity makes us all stronger. Punk helped me feel like I belong, we owe the same to everyone.

Like C-Rage here: https://www.facebook.com/CRageMusic/

Album Review: Thirteen Years Gone By by Lee Resistant & The Lost

Who remembers the UK based punk band Fletcher? They were one of my favourites back in the day and to this day are a constant go-to when I can't decided what I want to listen to. Their album My Revenge is timeless and listening now it doesn't seem to have aged. Fletcher's front man Lee now resides in Canada and has started a new band named Lee Resistant & The Lost. As a way for the band to fill out their set, Lee Resistant & The Lost used some old Fletcher songs and discovered they still hold up. Because of this, they decide to re-record the songs and give them a new lease of life. I never expected to get the chance to review Fletcher songs on CPRW so as soon as I discovered this EP, titled Thirteen Years Gone By, I was most excited.

Thirteen Years Gone By unsurprisingly begins with Least Resistant which has always been a favourite Fletcher song of mine. It starts out with a short and stabby guitar riff, that always reminded me of an alarm going off, before the full band comes in and the track gets going proper. It's not long before Lee's gravelly vocal comes into play and he begins to take you through an empowering song about standing for what you believe in. Throughout the song Lee asks many questions about the decisions you make and whether they are right or wrong. For The Few is a Fletcher song I wasn't so familiar with. It, in fact, doesn't appear on any of the Fletcher releases that appear online. Feeling a bit more up tempo than the previous song, For The Few has a bit more energy to it. Adding some harmonies and gang vocals give the song an inclusive feeling. This works well with the song’s message, dedicating the track to the people who live their lives in the way that they feel is best.

Wishlist first appeared on the classic Six Track Sound EP. Interestingly Wishlist has been extended by fifteen seconds on Thirteen Years Gone By. The crunching guitars that explode out of your speakers sound as if they've had the volume turned down somewhat allowing Lee's vocals to shine through as well as giving the song a more melodic sound. Something that has remained however is some ferocious drumming which really gives Wishlist a very strong spine that everything else comes off of. Last up is Where Would You Run? Another big favourite of mine. Those opening lyrics of "This is my story, This is my shining glory" still hook me in thirteen years after first hearing them. On my first listen of this new version, I immediately noticed the change in vocals from the original. I'm no expert but it felt as if there was more range in Lee's voice, giving the chorus a whole new lease of life. I also enjoyed the change at the end with the acoustic guitar coming in, giving the song a sombre ending.

It's been wonderful venturing down memory lane while listening to these songs. I'm so glad Lee is back making music again and I'm very keen to see where this takes him and to hear some fresh new material.

Stream and download Thirteen Years Gone By here: https://leeresistantandthelost.bandcamp.com/releases

Like Lee Resistant & The Lost here: https://www.facebook.com/leeresistantandthelost/

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Syphilis Totalus by Flabbercasters

You may remember that back in 2017 I named Coitus Interuptus by wizard pop punks Flabbercasters as my number two album of the year. It was ridiculous and silly and still to this day puts such a big smile on my face. So when I found out that the band were releasing a second album this year I was super excited. At the beginning of July it was finally unleashed on the world. Titled Syphilis Totalus, these are fourteen more fun pop punk tracks about the hardships of being a wizard and those troublesome dungeons. Did it have the same magic as Coitus Interuptus though? There's only one way to find out!

The album opens with Intro, which is obviously an introduction. It starts out with an acoustic verse where lead singer Nick Anthony welcomes you into the album, giving you a brief idea of what to expect on this next magical pop punk quest. When the second verse hits Flabbercasters goes full band, giving the song an extra bit of umph. Up next is Black Magic, which is a song about trying to find somebody to love you as a wizard. Apparently it's hard to find someone that isn't scared of being a wizard, particularly one who practises the darker arts. The chorus of "Yeah, we'll be dancin' and necromancin' till the dawn, After we cast a spell on the sun to never come up" really put a smile on my face. The third track, I'm A Wizard, starts with a great sing-along introduction of "I'm not just an alchemist (x4), I'm a wizard" that will really get a crowd chanting along from the song’s outset. It's a short song that outlines that Nick is a wizard and you should be surprised by the things he can do – like turning you into a farm animal or shooting lightning from his eyes.

Next is the album's title track, Syphilis Totalus. Far and away the album's longest song, it's also one of the album's more serious songs. Keeping in the wizard character, Flabbercasters play through a song about getting older, maturing and beginning to regret some of the more wild things that you did in your youth. This really shows how good Flabbercasters are at writing songs, adding so much substance to a song whilst keeping with the wizard theme of the album. Some of the harmonies on this song are just brilliant as well. After such a lengthy song, we are then given the thirty second long For The Fans (Swirly Giving Time). Branching into the skate punk world, the track looks at life at high school where you're bullied by the cool kids – they get your lunch money and buy some beer. Werewolfe Zen goes down more of a power-pop road. The short song starts with a punchy beginning before adding some melody as the track progresses. It's about getting mugged but managing to stay calm under all of the distress. Whomping Willow Headache sees Flabbercasters venture into the world of Harry Potter, with a reference to the tree that strikes you if you get near it. The track feels as if it's got a lot more energy coming from it due to its chugging buzzsaw like guitars in the opening verse. The song is about dealing with the hangover from your actions the previous night – and your head feeling as if you've been struck by a whomping willow!

Witch Is Right begins the second half of Syphilis Totalus. Continuing with the high energy style, Witch Is Right does a fantastic job in getting you pumped up. I particularly enjoyed the way in which the vocals are delivered, switching between a short and stabby style for the verses and then a more melodic approach for the chorus. Rage Quit was one of the stand out songs on my first listen of the album. It's pretty short but quickly lodges itself into your brain. It's about the frustrations of playing computer games as an adult compared to what it was like as a youngster. Kids today are much better at games these days and make us adults look terrible, forcing you to rage quit. I really liked how the guitar tones felt angrier at the back end of the track, as Nick gets more and more frustrated. The tenth song is named Power Creep. This is another song where Flabbercasters are getting frustrated. This time because of a gradual unbalancing of their favourite card game when it releases new content. Flabbercasters really do tackle the biggest issues! Following on from Power Creep is Rage Quit (Reprise). Jumping down the river of easycore pop punk, this reprised version of Rage Quit showcases the band seeing things in a much calmer state as they sing more about the frustrations of modern day gaming. There actually feels like there's a genuine sadness in the song – they seem so fed up.

Speaking of genuine sadness, Leaderbored is a heartbreaker. Again whilst staying completely in character, it's about yearning for someone who is in a relationship with somebody else and getting seriously depressed about it. The song is jam packed with wizard/fantasy/dungeon metaphors that are really relatable. This isn't just the best song on the album but one of the best songs of the year. The penultimate song on Syphilis Totalus is titled Not Yer Main. Staying in super sad mode, this is a break up song that will destroy your emotions. Musically the song is heavy on the eerie and atmospheric electronic sounds that really bring the mood down, along with a bass line that helps to provide a spine to the track. I'm not sure I've heard many sadder songs this year, which is a weird thing to say when reviewing a Flabbercasters album. Last up is Fireball which is a raw sounding acoustic song that kind of came out of nowhere. To me, it's more like a fun bonus song rather than a proper album track. It's very leftfield (even for Flabbercasters) and did disrupt the flow of the album a little bit. It's about being alone and finding ways to alleviate the pain that you're in.

There was perhaps a bit of a worry that a gimmicky band like Flabbercasters might not be able to hit the same heights on their second album as their first but they somehow managed it. This is a surprisingly sad album that's packed with wizard based metaphors but will also be really cathartic for anyone dealing with any of the issues raised.

Stream and download Syphilis Totalus here: https://flabbercasters.bandcamp.com/album/syphilis-totalus

Like Flabbercasters here: https://www.facebook.com/flabbercasters

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Glenn Spaghetti Legs by Lost Love (by Lee Morton)

Montreal band Lost Love are embarking on a European tour this summer from 19th July to 4th August (no UK dates, shame on you) and ahead of this have released a short EP made up of b-sides from their last album, the brilliant “Good Luck Rassco”.

As only two songs, and a shade over 5 minutes in length, it’s more of a single release than an actual EP but fans of their unique mix of melody, melancholy and self-deprecating humour will love it.

It opens with the title track “Glenn Spaghetti Legs”, a reference to Glenn Danzig getting knocked out many years ago. This is also the comic-like cover art of the EP, although it bears no relation to the song itself which is typically quirky, upbeat and filled with melancholic lyrics that burrow into your head and get you singing along like an idiot with a stupid grin on your face. Like a lot of their songs, this is a “coming of age” type song about growing up, fucking up, repent and repeat which gives it an immediacy that everyone can identify with.

The other track is “Ontarien Demande” which is a little more laid back than the first song. The music gives it a sunnier vibe although, once again, the lyrics are a little darker and twisted including this gem – “I’m drinking but I can’t get drunk enough, I’m loving but I can’t get loved enough”. The harmonies and melodies perfectly capture the feelings of a bright sunny day – this is pure pop-punk.

I’ve compared Lost Love to the best of Weezer in the past and I still can’t think of a better comparison, it’s bitter-sweet pop-punk with sprinkles on top that are so uplifting yet peppered with reality and lashings of fun. I loved their last album and, after listening to these bonus tracks that didn’t make the cut (I’m not sure how), I’m now even more excited about future releases.

Stream and download Glenn Spaghetti Legs here: https://unclem.bandcamp.com/album/glenn-spaghetti-legs

Like Lost Love here: https://www.facebook.com/lostlovemtl/

This review was written by Lee Morton.