Classic Album: Cool To Be You by Descendents

When most people think about pop punk the first group of bands that are generally thought of are the like of Green Day, New Found Glory and blink-182. When you think you influenced those bands you automatically go straight to The Ramones but there was another band who was a big inspiration in the early days of pop punk. Of course the band I am speaking of is the Descendents. Ever since I first heard the Descendents I have been in love, they are the underdogs band. They were one of the first punk bands to sing songs about the struggles of growing up and getting girls, something almost every pop punk song is now about. Last year the documentary Filamge was released telling the story of the Descendents and their other band All. Earlier this year reports of a first Descendents album in a decade were confirmed. Here I am going back ten years to review their last album Cool To Be You released on Fat Wreck Chords.

The album starts off with Talking and that trademark Descendents sound is back in full effect. Stephen Egertons technical guitar, Bill Stevenson’s drumming and Karl Alvarez’s inventive bass playing all stand out from the start before Milo Aukerman’s vocal takes the song to a new level. This song about the strains of a long distant relationship is everything you would expect from the Descendents. Milo’s vocals take the forefront from the very start of the next song, Nothing With You. This is a hook filled song about how great it is to sit and do nothing with someone you love. My favourite lyrics are “Cause I All I Wanna Do, It Sit Around And Do Nothing With You, Because Nothing’s Only Fun When You’re There.” Track three She Don’t Care is a darker feeling track about being in a relationship where only one person shows the love. Karl Alvarez’s song writing here is extremely relatable. The darker feelings continue on the next track, the political ‘Merican. It is a song about the frustrations of the way their country is going and feeling embarrassed about some of the bad things it’s been involved in and the glossing over of such facts. Dog and Pony Completes a hat trick of Alvarez songs in a row. This one is another massively relatable song about not fitting in with the cool crowd on a night out.

For someone who is a doctor in biology you would be surprised to know the next song is about farting. That’s something I love about the Descendents, not only can that write incredible songs about not fitting in or the good and bad times of relationships but they can also write fantastic songs about flatulence. Even the most serious among us will have a hard time not singing along to the chorus of “Blast Off At Cape Canaveral, All Systems Go! Blast Off At Cape Canaveral, 4, 3, 2, 1, Blast Off!”

We reach the halfway point in the album with Dreams. The song starts out questioning why people dream and saying that if you dream too big then you will wind up getting burnt. Before flipping the switch with some great gang vocals going “It’s Time to Get Up Off Your Ass, Pull Your Head Up Take A Chance, Grab Whatever You Can Grab.” Title track Cool To Be You is up next on the album. This song is about the frustrations of being an outsider and not feeling like you fit in anywhere and being jealous of people who do. Maddie is the first song written by the legendary Bill Stevenson on the record. This song is about fighting to keep the girl despite everyone else trying to keep you apart. This is one of the slower songs on the album.

The speed picks up during the next song Mass Nerder. Starting out with a complicated bass riff before Egerton’s guitar and Stevenson’s drums join the party in a full on punk rock assault. This song is all about being considered uncool at school for being a good student. The chorus of “Gonna Kick Their Asses In Class, Gonna Kick Their Asses In Class, Gonna Kick Their Asses In Class, Gonna Get Good Grades” is so simple but absolutely brilliant. Bill Stevenson takes song writing credits for the next track One More Day as well. This is a song he wrote after the death of his father about their troubled relationship. This is a very sombre song for the Descendents but more fantastic song writing.

Song number twelve is Tack, in this track Milo sings about trying to get out of a rut and finding a new life path to go down. Karl Alvarez’s bass playing really stands out during the last stretch of the song. Alvarez’s bass and Stephen Egerton’s guitar really stand out at the beginning of Anchor Grill as well . The Descendents can boast having three of the best musicians in punk rock amongst their rank. Anchor Grill goes back to the subject of love and finding the time to spend time together despite the pressures of grown up life. The album closes with the song Dry Spell. This song is about losing your creative spark and the missing the feeling of making something original. Isuspect Milo Aukerman is singing about the feeling he had when he decided to get back with Stevenson, Alvarez and Egerton to make a new Descendents album. Whatever the reason was I’m so glad that they did as Cool To Be You is another fantastic addition to the Descendents already amazing catalogue of work. I do hope the next album is out very soon, ten years is a long time to wait for something new from this legendary band.

Now listening to Sick-O-Me by Descendents

Lyrical Content 2

Here is a second collection of lyrics that either means something to me or I just love.

Apologies, I Have None – 100 Club Tonight I’ll Sing Along To My Favourite Songs And For A Moment Feel Saved In Six Strings And Drums

Off With Their Heads – Clear The Air I Wanted To Tell You, I Wanted To Share, Some Important Details That You’re Unaware, I Want You To Listen, I Want You To Care, I’ll Choke To Death If I Don’t Clear The Air, It’s Not A Secret That I Obsess, And Then I Get Angry, And Then I Get Stressed, And You Can’t Imagine, You Can’t Compare, You Have No Frame Of Reference And Then You Get Scared, I’m Doing My Best To Help Make You See, That It’s Not Your Fault, When I’ll Beg And I’ll Plead, It’s Much Easier Just To Go Back To Sleep, We Gotta Find A Place To Start Because I’m Falling Apart

The Flatliners – Count Your Bruises Count Your Bruises One By One And Laugh It Off

ONSIND – Dissatisfactions There’s Something Wrong With Me, I Don’t Think I’ll Ever Be Okay, I Just Take It Day By Day

The Menzingers – I Don’t Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore Last Friday Night I Wasn’t Me, I Was A Still Life Trapped In Eternity, I Was The Focal Point; Out Of Focus, Out Of Ink

Dropkick Murphys – A Few Good Men Join Us In A Song, We Shall Rise And Sing Stand Up And Be Counted, Sing A Song For Liberty, Join Us In This Song, Together We Shall Sing, Rise Up And Be Counted Sing It Loud Sing It Proud

RVIVR – The Hunger Suite I. Go Away I’ve Got A Disease, The Kind That You Can’t See, But I’m Just The Same As Anybody

The Ergs! – Introducing Morrisey Life Is Long When You’re Lonely

Frank Turner – I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous Life Is About Love, Last Minutes and Lost Evenings, About Fire In Our Bellies And Furtive Little Feelings, And The Aching Amplitudes That Set Our Needles All A-Flickering, And Help Us To Remember That The Only Thing That’s Left To Do Is Live

Great Cynics – Letting Go Nothing Ever Matters If You Don’t Let It Matter, So I Tell Myself it’s True, I Never Thought I’d Do Half The Things I’d Do, But I Don’t Let It Get Me Down

Gnarwolves – Limerence Take My Fucking Hand And Let Me Introduce Myself, I Am The Bastard Son Of Everyone I Love

Masked Intruder – The Most Beautiful Girl I’ve Been Around The Whole Wide World, Bet I’ve Seen A Million Girls, Never Seen One Half As Cute As You

Bouncing Souls – Never Say Die/When You’re Young When You’re Young, Write Your Songs, Take Your Time, Stay Strong, Hold On, Don’t Grow Old, Hang Onto Your Heart, Stay Close To Your Soul, Hold On

Less Than Jake – Overated (Everything Is) Everybody’s Too Afraid To Be Different, Please Excuse Me Now If I Don’t Listen

Morning Glory – Punx Not Dead, I Am I Am Not Dead Yet, I Am Not Done, There’s Still So Much Here Under The Sun, So Many Songs That Are Yet Unsung, I Am Not Dead, I Am Not Dead, I Am Not Done

Broadway Calls – Save Our Ship We Live The Dream That Makes Life Worth Living, We Live The Dream That Makes Dreamers Keep Dreaming, If I Had To Give It Up Today,Would I Be Able To Just Walk Away? I Have The Strength Of A Hundred Men, I Have The Mind Of A Goddamn Genius, I Have A Heart That Never Leaves Me Cold, But It Would Break If I Were Left Alone, You Are My Friends, You Are My Family, You’re More Than This, You Are My Everything

American Steel – Smile On Me I Don’t Wanna Feel The Hurt No More, Smile On Me Baby

Against Me! – Those Anarcho Punks Are Mysterious And We Rock Because It’s Us Against Them, We Found Our Own Reasons To Sing

Dear Landlord – Three To The Beach We’re Not The Hopeless, We’re Not As Fucked As You Think, In Short Lived Moments We Can Do Anything

Long Shot Hero – Wasted On Arrival What The Fuck Is Potential? I’ll Do What I Believe In, In A Society That Makes Me Wanna Puke, I Let My Guard Down One Too Many Times, So Sick Of Falling Back Down And Having To Get Back Up Again

Modern Baseball – The Weekend You Got A Smile That Could Light This Town And We Might Need It, Cause It Gets Dark Around Here, Real Dark Around Here

The Smith Street Band – When I Was A Boy I Thought I Was A Fish I'd Like To Thank The Things I've Seen, The Friends I've Made, All The People That Have Hurt Me, The Times I've Been Saved And To The Music, Which Has Made Me It's Most Obliging Slave

Album Review: I'll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time by Moose Blood

I remember the first time I ever heard Moose Blood. They were support American pop punks Broadway Calls at the Underworld with Gnarwolves and Great Cynics. I knew absolutely nothing about them at the time but was completely blown away by them. They played a great set of emo songs and I can remember thinking this band is going to be huge. I clearly wasn’t alone in that thought as other the next 18 months their popularity grew and grew until the release of their highly anticipated debut album I’ll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time released on No Sleep records. Here is my review of it.

The album opens up with the slow paced Cherry. This is a really interesting way to open an album up and it’s a bit of a masterstroke by the band. Cherry is just singer Eddy Brewerton accompanied only by a guitar. This allows the lyrics of the song to really stand out and show that Moose Blood are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to writing some seriously heartfelt lyrics. The full band do come in on the second track Anyway. This is trademark Moose Blood, jangly emo guitars combined with catchy sing along hooks. This is followed by I Hope You’re Missing Me, a hard hitting more punk rock effort about remembering some great times.

Chin Up shows Brewerton’s voice at its most urgent as he bellows out a brilliantly catchy chorus that is full of feeling. Up next is a rerecording of Boston from the Boston/Orlando split release, a classic emo song about breaking up with a girl. I really love the lyrics in this one, really relatable lines about waiting by the phone and saying goodbye to the ex’s parents. There is also a ode to kings of the emo genre, Brand New with the line “bored with nothing to do, but lay around and listen to Deja Entendu, thinking about you.” Sitting around listening to music whilst thinking about a girl is something I can really relate to recently. Track number six is called Gum. It’s a slow builder with Brewerton tenderly singing the opening verse before the band kicks in and some real passions comes from his voice.

Pups is a more pop punk sounding song, starting off with some drums before being joined by the band. There is a bit of a Tom Delonge feeling to the vocals on this song which builds brilliantly into a huge finale. Swim Down is another slow starter that builds and grows musically and really displays the whole bands skill at their instruments. Up next is the brilliant Bukowski. Not only is this my favourite Moose Blood song but one of my favourites I’ve heard in the past couple of years. As soon as the opening guitar chords a strummed I instantly want to sing along. It’s a song that needs to be played at full volume and sung even louder. I’m not good another at words to really describe how good this song is, go and listen to it.

Kelly Kapowski (named after the Saved By The Bell Character) is a great, fast paced song. It’s about falling in love with a girl from a far. Yet another brilliantly written song that you will be singing instantly, I really enjoyed the break down before the band join in with probably the heaviest sound played throughout the album. The final song on the album is the slow burner I Hope You’re Miserable. It’s a good way to finish the album off, with Brewerton’s passionate and urgent vocals really standing out.

I’ll Keep You In Mind From Time To Time is a very strong debut album from these Canterbury boys. I’ve read in a couple of reviews complaints about Moose Blood sounding too American. But honestly, when they are making music as good as this who really cares?

Stream and buy the album here: http://nosleepsampler.com/album/ill-keep-you-in-mind-from-time-to-time

Now listening to Sigourney Weaver by The Smith Street Band

Gig Review: RVIVR at The Montague Arms 8/10/14

176 Records are fast becoming my favourite promoters. They constantly put on fantastic gigs for very affordable prices and have made a brilliant little scene in the process. Tonight would be no different, headlining at The Montague Arms in South London would be Olympia Washington’s RVIVR with support from Muncie Girls and Young Attenborough.

Tonight 176 Records were also doing something a little different to normal. They had got involved with a foundation named The Trussell Trust who run food banks. Food Banks are a great way of preventing some of the 13 million people in the UK who are on the poverty line.  Tonight the good folks at 176 Records were asking everyone attending the gig to bring some food with them to donate to The Trussell Trust. This was a very successful scheme as when I arrived at The Montague Arms there was already a massive pile of food that had been donated. I added mine to the pile (which travelled all the way from Colchester with me, I was slightly miffed to discover the Tesco Express right outside Queens Road Peckham tube station that I could have easily brought the food from rather than carrying it across the country) and headed towards the stage where Young Attenborough had just started playing.

The stage at The Montague is really high up for a venue like this and I thought that this was great, not being the tallest of gentleman I sometimes find it difficult to get a decent view of the stage at a smaller venue but I could see Brighton three piece Young Attenborough perfectly. These three young men play some brilliant power pop/punk and you should really check them out. All three band members take it in turns to sing which is something that I love – even the drummer gets involved which is great. Speaking of which, Young Attenborough’s drummer really stood out for me, playing some fantastic beats. Young Attenborough are a band with a whole lot of promise.

Up next was a more established act in the UK punk scene – Exeter’s Muncie Girls. It’s safe to say that 2014 has been a great year for the band having released a fantastic split with Great Cynics, shared the stage with the likes of Masked Intruder and Iron Chic, a debut performance at the Reading and Leeds festivals and a spot at The Fest in Florida at the end of October. Muncie Girls indie infused pop punk goes down a storm at the Montague Arms, every song is played perfectly and lead singer Lande’s vocals are as good live as they are on record. Drummer Like Ellis really stood out for me as well, this guy really loves drumming, he had the biggest grin on his face throughout the set and it’s a awesome thing to see. When you see a band enjoying what they are doing it’s infectious and it’s really hard for the crowd not to enjoy it as well. Highlights of the set for me were The Real You, Railroad and Kasper and Randow. If Muncie Girls continue to progress like they have been it won’t be long until they are household names such is the talent in this band.

RVIVR’s last full length album The Beauty Between is one of my favourite albums released in the last couple of years, it’s full of some punk rock gems that as well as being extremely catchy have some real deep meaning to them. Last month they released a brand new EP titled Bicker and Breathe (which I reviewed here) and was another very strong release. I was very excited to see them again having witnessed them last year at The Black Heart in Camden. Like the bands before them RVIVR looked really excited to be playing at The Montague Arms tonight and were grinning from ear to ear as soon as they launched into opening song The Seam as were the crowd. Personally I had been feeling really rubbish all week but couldn’t help but smile along with RVIVR. For those who don’t know RVIVR are co fronted by Erica Freas (who I reviewed live here) and Matty Jo Canino, either taking it in turns to sing a verse of a song or singing together. Either way it sounds great and really makes sets them apart from most other punk bands. Like a lot of punk bands RVIVR have songs about politics and capitalism (namely new song 20 Below which is about people being homeless when other people have more than one house) but a bigger theme with the band is how everything is not always black and white, a lot of the time there is a grey area. This is something I really love about RVIVR, how brave they are to stand up and say that it’s okay not to be one thing or another and it’s absolutely fine to feel like the odd one out. More than likely there are plenty of other people in the same situation. RVIVR really killed it on stage, despite telling us their voices were “trashed” they sounded great, even better than the last time I had seen them. The sold out Montague Arms crowd adored them singing along with every single word with fists high in the air. For the encore a human pyramid was made by some of the ladies down the front which the band loved and there was also some rowing the boat. RVIVR are a really important band who not only constantly make excellent songs but also have some incredibly important messages for people. Every song was great but stand out tracks for me were Seethin’, Party Queen, Wrong Way/One Way and Change On Me.

This was yet another fantastic gig put on by 176 records. All three bands had been great and a lot of good was done for The Trussell Trust. This was something I love about the punk rock scene, a lot of strangers coming together for a great cause and a fantastic night.

Learn more about The Trussell Trust here: http://www.trusselltrust.org/

Check out RVIVR here: https://rvivr.bandcamp.com/

Check out Muncie Girls here: https://munciegirls.bandcamp.com/

Check out Young Attenborough here: https://youngattenborough.bandcamp.com/

Check out 176 Records here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/176-Records/201196669930366

Now listening to Tallest Tree by RVIVR

The Smith Street Band – Surrender (Official Film Clip)

Album Review: Burden Calls by ASTPAI

When you ask someone to name a punk band from mainland Europe I can guarantee the band most people would name would be Austria’s ASTPAI. Recently they released their brand new album Burden Calls. Here is my review.

Burden Calls starts out with lead singer Zocks distinctive voice singing over the sound of what sounds like the sound of a working factory before the band kick in to play Single use. Musically the song is more technical than I have heard of previous ASTPAI releases but the passion and ferocity is still there as Zock sings about how people are going backwards and relying too much on technology. The following song Dead End Talking goes back into familiar ASTPAI territory. It’s a melodic punk song about the frustrations of being annoyed with something and wanting to fight it but not knowing how. I love how the bass takes the lead during the second verse. Track three is an interesting sounding song called Out. After some crashing guitars at the beginning it’s a slow building song that slowly launches into life as Zock really stretches his vocal chords to sing the last part of the song. The super cool kid in me really loved the sound bite of from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie at the end of the song.

Death Everywhere is the name of the fourth song on Burden Calls. This is a mid tempo song with a very catchy chorus that goes “death everywhere, death everywhere, six feet under or overground, death all around.” This is followed up by After All, a song that starts of slow (reminding me of a Finch song Say Hello To Sunshine) before picking the aggression up instrumentally midway through the song. It’s a different sounding song where the vocals are only in the slow paced beginning section of the song. The beginning of the next song Departure sounds like what AC/DC would sound like if they were a punk rock band. This song has more of a pop punk feel to it and I can imagine it being hugely popular with a live crowd.

Ground Control is another song from Burden calls that I imagine would go down famously in a live setting. It’s a mid tempo sing along that tells the story of an astronaut wanting to come back to earth. This is followed by a one-two punch of the two shortest songs on the album. The first of these is Down By Love which is an instrumental accompanied by a sound bite from the 1986 film Down By Law. The same riffs are used as an intro to Resignation. A fast and furious punk rock song which just doesn’t relent throughout. The standout track on Burden Calls is definitely Careers. Another song that will start huge sing alongs as the band talk about the frustrations of being in job that you don’t like. The band drop the music out during the song to give full vocal attention to the lyrics “these days I question everything, and find myself asking if we are soulmates by nature, or soulmates by choice?, do we share the same content or just produce the same noise?, do we care for another when we face our deepest fears?, are we the difference that we’re praising or just stuck in shitty careers?” Potentially the most powerful lyrics on Burden Calls.

The tempo is upped on the eleventh track on the album – Small Change. Another track with more of a pop punk feel to it, I really like the use of what sounds like an organ during the long intro of the song, it gives ASTPAI a whole new sound. The penultimate track is called Oxygen. Following the upbeat sound of Small Change Oxygen has more of a self-depreciating feel to it. The song has a punchy quality to it as Zock reflects on life and progress. Burden Calls final track is the over five minute long Emotion In The Way. This is another reflective song about the troubles a band faces after the initial excitement of starting a band. Like the title suggests the song takes you on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster as the drums, guitars and vocals all come together brilliantly. This song is a perfect song to finish on, whether it’s an album or at the end of a live set it just feels right.  

Burden Calls is another fantastically good release from this Austrian four piece. The album flows along and a good pace, the songs are varied but never stray from the ASTPAI sound that many people have fallen in love with.

Stream and buy Burden Calls here: https://astpai.bandcamp.com/

Now listening to When I Was A Boy I Thought I Was A Fish by The Smith Street Band

Gig Review: The Menzingers at The Electric Ballroom 2/10/14

The Electric Ballroom in the heart of Camden Town was the setting for what was sure to be one of the gigs of the year. The Menzingers were in town with The Smith Street Band and The Holy Mess supporting them, I doubt you will find many stronger line ups this year.

After a mad dash across London I made it to the Electric Ballroom just in time to see The Holy Mess. I was incredibly excited to see this Philadelphian three piece live after checking out their new album Comfort In The Discord (I reviewed it here).They definitely did not disappoint. These three punks took to the stage and burned through a set list featuring songs from all three of their albums. I’m a big fan of bands who share vocal duties and The Holy Mess are really great at this. Singing at the top of the lungs and playing excellently at a great speed you can tell The Holy Mess really love what they do. The passion and energy they put into their set really endeared themselves to the Camden crowd and won them over many new fans. I am really looking forward to seeing them again.

Up next, all the way from Melbourne was the incredibly popular Smith Street Band. I suspected a decent sized portion of the crowd in attendance tonight were there especially to see these four Aussie lads such is their popularity. This would be my third time seeing them this year having already seen them support Restorations at The Fighting Cocks in Kingston and headline at Our Black Heart just one minute down the road from the Ballroom and I was interested to see what their show would be like on a much bigger stage. In all honesty I missed the feeling of intimacy you get at a smaller venue because of the lack of barriers. You feel more like part of the band when you can get up close and personal with a band and sing their songs back to them. And singing songs back to the band is the name of the game at a Smith Street Band gig. Wil Wagner is a master at writing incredibly catchy and honest songs that you can relate to. Staples of their set such as Don’t Fuck With Our Dreams, Sigourney Weaver and closer Young Drunk went down a treat as did new song Surrender from the upcoming album Throw Me In The River (which you can pre-order here). The song that stood out most for me tonight was When I Was A Boy I Thought I Was A Fish. I don’t know what it was that song really captured me and gave me a new found love for it. Despite the barrier The Smith Street Band were absolutely brilliant, I wasn’t a big fan of the barrier but at a bigger venue that meant that there were much more people to sing along with the band and make it an even bigger party. The Smith Street Band are quickly becoming one of my all time favourite bands, I think that should relocate to England permanently so I can see them all the time.

During The Smith Street Bands set front man Wil graciously thanked everyone for being there and always supporting the band. Then he briefly spoke about the forty five minutes or so spent on stage was the only time in the day when he felt right. Hearing a hero of mine say that was quite a big deal for me, as someone who has had a difficult time of things lately being at gigs and seeing my favourite bands play live is one of the few times in life these days when I feel completely right. It was reassuring to hear that it’s not just me who feel like this. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, going to a gig and screaming along to a song is the best kind of therapy.

After releasing another album of the year contender in Rented World in April The Menzingers are having another amazing year. Having been lucky enough to attend their album release show at the tiny Old Blue Last I was again interested to see The Menzingers on a big stage. Unsurprisingly they were excellent. The Menzingers represent a new breed of punk rock band. They play with all the aggression, honesty and passion you would expect from a punk band but they also accompany that with some excellent musicianship. I think this is why they are so popular, they have huge crossover appeal. As with all the great punk bands, they play every gig like it’s their last. Guitarist Tom May in particular was a ball of energy on stage, bouncing around everywhere never slowing down. Like the two bands before them you could see how much they loved being on stage and playing music and the Electric Ballroom crowd really loved them. Everyone in the crowd knew the words to every song they played whether it was from their debut A Lesson In The Abuse Of Information Technology, their breakthrough album On The Impossible Past or Rented World. I always think the stars of a Menzingers gig aren’t just the band but the crowd themselves. Their songs manage to unite a crowd of strangers that few bands have the ability to do. Whoever you happened to be standing next to became your new best friend during the set as you sang along with Tom and co-vocalist Greg Barnett. It’s very hard to pick a highlight from the set as every song sounded amazing but Casey and Burn After Writing in particular stood out. The opening chords of Burn After Writing are brilliant as an intro and the song is a nice slow builder before launching into a huge chorus that the crowd adored singing along to.

This gig was unbelievably good. Three of the best bands around who were at the top of their game. This was my fifth time seeing The Menzingers live and its been an absolute honour seeing them go from playing smaller gigs at places like The Old Blue Last, The Borderline and The Underworld to playing to 1000 plus people at the Electric Ballroom. I expect the next time they tour they will be playing some even bigger venues such is their growing popularity.

Check out The Holy Mess here: https://fucktheholymess.bandcamp.com/

Check out The Smith Street Band here: https://thesmithstreetband.bandcamp.com/

Check out The Menzingers here: https://www.facebook.com/themenzingers

Now listening to The Corner by Cory Branan