Album Review: Home by Primetime Failure (by Dan Peters)

A 90s kid handbook. A Disconnect Disconnect press release lands in my inbox and a smile hits my lips. I know that even if I’ve not heard of the band in question, these guys only associate themselves with great quality punk rock. The quality in this case is Primetime Failure. A band I know very little about other than the small blurb that accompanies the record. I’m promised, in a manner reminiscent of a Sega Megadrive advert, that my nineties skate punk prayers have been answered and I guess there’s only one way to find out whether I’m being lied to or not…

From the one note opening to the swift follow up drop I can feel the territory I’m in straight away. I’m immediately reminded of Fenix TX. Subject matter touching on revisiting old neighbourhoods, the bass breakdown in the middle eight, the ever so simple chord structure – everything here is specifically designed to set off a nostalgia trip, to a time when Jason Biggs was a star and All Star wasn’t just root of all memes. Luckily for Primetime Failure that is exactly the kind of teenager I was so it keeps me paying attention. Of course if you weren’t into the pulled up sports socks and ¾ length Dickies style of punk rock then there might not be a lot to keep you paying attention. I would say you’ll know for certain halfway through Home whether you’ll care to see this to the end.

The story here with every song is fairly similar. With every song selling so hard on that late 90s nostalgia nothing really finds a way to stand out from the rest of the tracks on the CD and indeed the rest of your collection. If you own some early Ataris, Fenix TX, Home Grown, Anti Freeze, Sum 41, Allister, Midtown etc. then you already know what you’re getting here. Primetime Failure aren’t going out of their way to be particularly original or veering from the formula. These guys are a band from Germany and over my many years of checking out bands I’ve noticed that European bands tend to be less interested in pushing the envelope musically and more interested in just playing music that sounds like the bands that they want to listen to. I spend five minutes looking through which shows are happening in their hometown and I can tell you that New Found Glory certainly aren’t passing through town anytime soon. Therefore if you love a certain style of band then you have to become that band.

This isn’t to say I think it’s a bad thing. On the contrary, I’m a firm believer in playing music that sounds like the stuff in your record collection. Every track is well produced and the guitar tones, vocal harmonies and sharp drums all mean that this will live proudly next to those Lit albums you got signed by AJ. If you love 90s pop punk and you’ve been jonesing for a new fix of exactly what you used to love then Primetime Failure have you covered. This is that great pop punk before all the bands got serious and grew fringes.

In conclusion, while not breaking any genre moulds Home by Primetime Failure is a fun, great sounding, well produced record that knows exactly who their target audience are – and they don’t really give a dried fig about anyone else.

Stream and download Home here: https://disconnectdisconnectrecords.bandcamp.com/album/home

Like Primetime Failure here: https://www.facebook.com/Primetimefailure/

This review was written by Dan Peters.

Album Review: Run by Ghouls (by Robyn Pierce)

The five guys who make up London-based band Ghouls aren’t afraid to strike out and do something a little different. The band blends together different genres - mixing ska, punk, pop, folk, rock and a bit of gypsy flair to create music with a distinctive Ghouls-y flavour. They’ve been around for a while and have received praise over the years for the innovative and fresh sound on their previous releases, so I was really keen to get stuck in and see what Ghouls’ latest full-length album Run has to offer.

‘Seasonal Affective’ is the first track on the album as well as the first single that Ghouls released off of Run. It’s a well put-together, midtempo song that compliments its worn-out and jaded theme with some grungy guitar tone and mournful vocals. Seasonal Affective Disorder refers to the condition in which your mood is adversely affected by the weather, particularly Winter when there is less light and the increased darkness can lead to depression. A friend of mine who moved from Joburg (one of the sunniest cities in the world) to London (wonderful in its own way, but much darker in the Winter months) knows this affliction all too well. It’s also a good metaphor for going through more difficult periods or phases in one’s life. I suppose what’s important to remember here is that, much like seasonal changes, these darker periods don’t last and very often improve with time. The song has good structure and melody, but it’s a little slower than I’d expected and the horns are noticeably absent.

My concerns about speed and ska-ness are gone as soon as I’m hit with the second track, ‘Autophobia’. The horns are back and so is some pace, although the dark mood introduced in the first song is continued, as ‘Autophobia’ focuses on loneliness and the destructive behaviour fuelled by it. The next two songs, ‘Better Places’ and ‘Facebook Friend’, are really top-notch pop punk tunes. Both deliver on great hooks (the horn phrasing in ‘Facebook Friend’ is a proper earworm) and some serious bass/drum magic (I’d really like to see Ghouls live just to watch the drummer and the bassist play ‘Better Places’). Lyrically, the band is still lingering over more difficult subject matter and dishing out some painful truths, refusing to feel too bad about there being “better places to be” and or to dismiss someone as “just another Facebook friend”. The guys in Ghouls seem to be looking to live openly and to make real connections, rather than get stuck in the half-life of fake or virtual friendship.

Moving into ‘Salt’, I’m really beginning to notice how well-produced this album is. Everything is skilfully layered, balanced and blended. This isn’t simple up-stroke ska or straight-forward pop punk, and the horns are used cleverly to fill out and bolster the sound or to add little surprises you may not have been expecting. It’s also around this point in the album that Ghouls begin to remind me of We Are the Union, except that the vocalist in Ghouls has such a prominent British accent that the band can’t really be compared to anyone in the U.S. ‘Salt’ and the track that follows it, called ‘The Difference’, are also excellent. Six songs in and Ghouls really seem to be hitting their groove with great melodies and rousing guitar (and that delectable dollop of horns on top). The next track, ‘Home’, picks up the pace again and adds a bit of folksy twang in a song about following what may appear to be a dead-end dream. It’s been a long time since I heard a band that is so straight-forward and honest in their lyrics – the anxiety about continuing to play in a band even as you get older is palpable here, and I believe the vocalist in ‘The Difference’ when he sings “I’m barking like a dog, because I refuse to be a sheep”.

Following on from this is ‘Antagonist’, which combines a fun, jiving guitar riff with a poppy chorus, and a slow-building song about ‘Hard Days’. I love the bass line at the beginning of ‘Hard Days’, but it’s just one example of the bass sorcery happening all over Run. The album then begins to wind down with the anti-love ballad of ‘Disavowal’ and the mostly acoustic track ‘Expect Greater Things’. ‘Expect Greater Things’ is a real jewel of a song; it begins with raw acoustic guitar and the Ghouls’ vocalist singing the horn section’s “Dada, dada, da dada da dada”, and then the rest of the band swells and comes in to fill their parts. It’s a little like listening to the life of song from the early writing stages to its final production. ‘Oxytocin’ provides a strong ending to the album with some sweeping horns and jittery, grooving guitar.

On the whole, Run seems calmer and slightly darker than Ghouls’ previous albums. The guys have moved on from the faster-paced drinking songs to more solemn topics and the music has also matured. Even looking at the cover art for Run I’m struck by how much more modern it looks with HD photography and clean lines – a new direction from the animated covers of their previous albums. I really like what Ghouls have achieved with this record; Run is a very well-made album with great songs that builds on their distinct sound and pushes it to new places.

Stream and download Run here: https://ghoulsuk.bandcamp.com/

Like Ghouls here: https://www.facebook.com/ghoulsuk

This review was written by Robyn Pierce.

Album Review: May Your Ashes Have Stories To Tell by Everymen

If there was one band that I didn't know but really made me a fan when Emma and I visited Gainesville for The Fest last year it was Everymen. The Floridian five piece's eccentric brand of folk punk rock was full of energy and was definitely THE biggest surprise of the whole festival. I was beyond stoked when I got an email from the brilliant Say-10 Records, whom the band had recently signed to, to review their brand new album, May Your Ashes Have Stories To Tell. If the band are half as lively on record as they are live I was sure to love this album.

First up is the track Shake Your Bones. Immediately the guitar teleports you to the swamp (metaphorically, guitars don't have teleportation powers) and we get a feel of what Everymen are all about. It's fast paced folk dance, designed to get you dancing joyfully and singing along with all your pals. The double bass does a fantastic job of holding the song together while a mass of other instruments do their thing and go off in all directions. A very strong start to the album. In the past year or so the members of Everymen have sadly lost some close friends, this is addressed in the second song, Dead Friends. This song is a stirring tribute to lost loved ones with the lyrics "Memories That Linger With Time, And The Ghost Of Your Heart Will Never Die" basically saying that even though you are gone you will never be forgotten. This is an incredibly emotional song lyrically and a really fitting tribute for anyone who has lost somebody that they care about. Annihilation has more than a whiff of early Against Me! about it, which made me fall in love with it immediately. The song starts out slowly before building into a full on raucous punk party. The rawness to the recording adds an element of real to it. Annihilation is about destroying yourself because you're struggling to deal with things that are happening in your life. I loved this song so much. I can see it easily appearing in my end of year lists.

The fourth song, How To Live, is another highlight. This is a proper barroom sing-a-long, foot-stomper of a song. The sort of song where you put your arm around whoever is next to you, stick your other arm, with drink in hand in the air and just shout along with all the joy in the world. How To Live is an upbeat song about letting down the walls that prevent you doing things and learning how to get the most out of your life. Don't Rain On My Parade starts out with a slow, gypsy punk style before transforming into a fast paced, dance-like-a-maniac track. It's the longest song on the album and really allows each member to show off their immense musical skills. The song switches styles again towards the end of it, slowing things down for some polka to complete the song. In my mind I'm imagining the crowd have a good ol' square dance. The sixth song is a re-recording of the opening song Waking Up Hurts off of the Everymen album Beautiful Curse. I'm interested to know why they decided to re-record this track for Ashes. I'm not complaining though, it fits in perfectly. I love the lyrics at the end of the song - "When I'm Feeling All Alone, I Can Hear You On My Stereo." Tattoo worthy lyrics. Time is another that starts out slowly before launching into a fast paced punk sing-song. Starting slow and building the track up is something that Everymen do very very well. Time is about setting you free. I know this because these are the words to the chorus. It's about learning from mistakes over time and growing as a person.

M.B. is a song dedicated to folk punk legend and good friend of Everymen, Erik Peterson of Mischief Brew, who so sadly died last year. M.B. is an up-tempo number with plenty of very poignant lyrics. "You Created A World Surrounded By Friends, May Your Songs Get Stuck Out Of Our Heads" and "When We Sing Out Loud To Your Songs, With More Feeling Than Ever Before, With Our Hearts In Our Throats, We Have To Let Go" really stand out. Just a fantastic song and a very fitting tribute to a great man. The penultimate song on May You Ashes Have Stories To Tell is named Taking Work Home. The beginning of the song feels extremely old school Against Me! again - like I said earlier, never a bad thing! After the obligatory slow start, we are treated to more fast paced folk punk fun. I cannot state enough just how good Everymen are as musicians. It's hard to remain still whilst listening to them play. This is most evident at the end of the song where the melody is switched up and drives up towards the end of the track in a great fashion. On the final track, Don't Stay, the band switches things slightly to a Baltic/gypsy sound reminiscent of Gogol Bordello. On my first listen of the song I was waiting for the expectant slow start/fast ending song structure that I had become accustomed to on this album. This doesn't happened, instead we are treated to a fiddle lead song that features a female vocal playing off lead singer Sergio Witis. The whole track has a bit of a haunting feeling to it, the fiddle playing helps create a fantastic atmosphere. A brilliant ending to the album.

I don't often review folk punk albums for Colin's Punk Rock World, as that tends to be Emma's specialist area. I'm so pleased that I decided to do May Your Ashes Have Stories To Tell. It's a great album that has inspired me to dig deeper into the fantastic world of folk punk and uncover some more excellent bands like Everymen.

Download May Your Ashes Have Stories To Tell here: http://www.say-10.com/store/everymenashes/

Like Everymen here: https://www.facebook.com/EVERYMEN.MUSIC/

This review is by Colin Clark.

CPRW Playlist: Punk Rock Around The World

Here at Colin's Punk Rock World we love to discover bands from all over the world. The whole team have got together to look for bands from all corners of the globe but also avoiding the UK and USA to make it a little bit harder. Why don't you check out our playlist and see if you can work out where each band is from. The answers are here.

Top Tens: Colin's Top Ten Lightyear Songs

Last Friday the most exciting piece of musical news of the year was released. One of my all-time favourite bands, Lightyear, announced that they would be reforming permanently, will be doing a UK tour in October to celebrate their 20th anniversary and are working on new music!

I feel like I should rewind slightly and explain who Lightyear are and why I love them so much. Lightyear are a ska punk band from Derbyshire who hit their peak during the early 2000s. Known as much for their lively and raucous live shows as they are for their fantastic and exciting brand of ska punk. I don't think you've really experienced a proper live show unless you've seen Lightyear live. It's everything you would expect from a live set - it's fun, it's filled with mayhem, it's so unpredictable and they'll have you singing and dancing almost as much as laughing. Lightyear are a band like no other. I'm so pleased that I can use the word 'are' rather than 'were' when talking about Lightyear again.

Because of this most exciting news, I decided that the time is right to do a Top Ten Lightyear songs. You might think that this is a bit silly as they only released two albums. I say to those people: it's okay, Lightyear were quite a silly band. I also say it's my blog so I can do it if I want to. And I want to.

10. Uri Gellar Bent My Heart from Chris Gentlemens Hairdresser and Railway Bookshop

When I first picked up a CD of Chris Gentlemens Hairdresser this was one of the songs that stood out due to its title. I was immediately impressed on my first listen, with Chas and Neil doing some absolutely fantastic harmonies. It's a song that isn't particularly horn heavy, especially for a Lightyear song, instead going for a less is more approach with understated blasts throughout. There is also a great spoken word breakdown when Chas denounces many of the terrible political decisions that were made in the early 2000s when the album was released.

9. Trumpet Trousers from Chris Gentlemens Hairdresser and Railway Bookshop

Trumpet Trousers is classic Lightyear. I say this because it's such a unique and unpredictable song. Implementing a turntable and a voice track that talks about testicles exploding, Trumpet Trousers is the most random of songs - it's about drug use. It's a really smart song lyrically as it plays like a conversation of two people having a random conversation whilst under the influence. The chorus is one that remains in your head, especially the line "Chin Up Chas, At Least You're Not The Drummer From Busted."

8. Tread Lightly, Speak Dearly from Call Of The Weasel Clan

Tread Lightly, Speak Dearly is the opening song of debut album Call Of The Weasel Clan. It served as a great opening of what you get from Lightyear from the opening guitar chords. It's a bit disjointed, much like Lightyear, but there is so much charm and joy to the music that it is impossible not to immediately fall in love with the band. This is a fast paced ska punk tune with Lightyear's brass section on top top form, giving the song even more impetus throughout. Tread Lightly, Speak Dearly is a song about dealing with the end of a relationship and working out the best way to deal with things.

7. Blindside from Call Of The Weasel Clan

Blindside is another song about break-ups. Starting off with an extended horn section (which Emma thinks would be brilliantly used in a 90s comedy crime caper with the main character wearing a suit and sunglasses walking down the street dancing). You can't help but want to dance to this track and it has one of Lightyear's best choruses - which is really saying something. I can't wait to shout "There's A Hole Inside Of Me, And It's Cut So Clinically, A Lesson Learned, And No Regret" back at the band. This is also a fantastic song live where the percussion breakdown transforms into a Morris dancing section, as you would expect.

6. Life Jacket Water Wings from Chris Gentlemens Hairdresser and Railway Bookshop

Starting out with some crunching guitars and some thudding drums before quickly switching to a lighter acoustic guitar sound. There is a feeling of happiness and joy to the song, it has such a upbeat and positive sound. If you're listening to the song for the first time it might sound like a lot of nonsense, after many more listens it still sounds like a lot of nonsense but deep down it's a song about leaving your comfort zone, getting out and your day to day life but remembering the good times.

5. Nuff Cuts from Chris Gentlemens Hairdresser and Railway Bookshop

After a horn lead introduction, Nuff Cuts is one of Lightyear's more punk rock sounding tracks. It will instantly turn a skank pit into a full on mosh pit. Nuff Cuts is a great song for showing off Lightyear's harmonies and excellent gang vocal sections. The track really has everything I want in a ska punk song. It's about getting out of an abusive scenario and shouting "Step Back, You'll Never Lay A Finger On Me!"

4. Positive Outlook from Call Of The Weasel Clan

The penultimate song on Call Of The Weasel Clan, Positive Outlook, is another that heavily features the incredible harmonies and gang vocal abilties of Lightyear. It's a song about friendship and no matter how hard things can get you'll always have your people to look out for you. It's a slower track that is truly infectious in many ways. The melody is one that you'll be humming immediately and the chorus of "And There's A Place Where We'll Forget, The Thing's We've Done, The Thing's We've Said, I Know There's Been Some Hard Times, But I Need You My Friend." There is a disgusting yet humorous voice track of the band discussing eating things you really shouldn't eat, it's the type of conversation that you can only have with your best friends. I thought it was very smart to include it on this song about friendship.

3. Twat Out Of Hell from Chris Gentlemens Hairdresser and Railway Bookshop

The opening track on Chris Gentlemens Hairdresser is also the best on the album in my opinion. It's also the first Lightyear song that I ever heard. It's also my favourite Lightyear song title - I'm amused by the Bat Out Of Hell pun. Twat Out Of Hell is a song about two things, firstly former President George W. Bush's time in charge of the USA and secondly about the struggles of life in a underground band. I like how the premise of the song is supposed to be about Bush but the band continusly find themselves going back to rock band struggles. This is clever songwriting, Chas Palmer-Williams has long been one of the best lyricists in the game. This was such an amazing introduction to Lightyear for me and I've been hooked on them ever since.

2. A Pack Of Dogs from Call Of The Weasel Clan

Lightyear's ode to the 80s is probably their most beloved track. Opening with a voice track about how ska punk will never be accepted in the main stream culture, from there we have one of the catchiest, most fun, smile inducing songs I've ever heard. Starting with the ever amazing brass section, the song gets you dancing straight away before Chas's first two verses make reference to many of the greatest things to come out of the 80s - including The Fonz, Mr T, The Goonies and The Breakfast Club. Then we get to the chorus which switches up the melody and we get some huge gang vocals and the song makes big references to cult 80s game show Bullseye. This is the tradiotional closing track for Lightyear, with very good reason. It's a huge crowd favourite due to its massive sing-a-long moments and rediculously danceable melody. Listen to this song and don't smile. I dare you.

1. Three Basics from Call Of The Weasel Clan

It was a very close run thing but Three Basics is my absolute favourite Lightyear song. The fourth song on Call Of The Weasel Clan wastes no time at all in getting started with some fast paced vocals, helping the song to explode into life and the band shouting "It Will All Fall Down, This Music Doesn't Belong To You!" A great chance for the a live crowd to shout with the band. After the horns come in and help to continue the ferocious start, the tempo of the song changes for the real meat and gravy of the song. This is where we really get a sense of what the song is about. Three Basics looks at all the different prejudices that are forced on you as a youngster, whether it's racism, homophobia or anything else, and how despite all of the terrible things that happen because of prejudice they still have faith in the good in humanity. The song is only two minutes and twenty seconds long but you are taken on such a rollercoaster throughout the song's duration. So much goes on it feels like this is three brilliant songs rather than just one. So many lyrics stand out on this song. One being "And I Know We'll Get Away From This, Believe In A Stupid Song, Not A Social Analyst, But I Know We'll Get Away From This, Faith In Human Kind, Faith To Destroy Prejudice" and "We'll Fight, Forever If We Have To, We'll Stand, Longer Than You Do, We'll Win, Never Any Question, Of The Reason Why, Or Of Our Intention." Just an amazing, uplifting, powerful punk rock song.

My gosh I can't wait for October to see Lightyear once more! Five months is too long to wait!

This top ten was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: The Best We Know How by One Armed Joey

One Armed Joey are a pop punk band from San Francisco, California consisting of Avery Okamura (guitar/vocals), Kevin Worden (bass/vocals) and James Allen (drums/vocals). The three piece are influenced by legends such as NOFX, Propagandhi and Dillinger Four as well as newer bands such as PUP, Pears and The Dirty Nil. On the 12th of May the band release a new EP named The Best We Know How.

The EP begins with title track, The Best We Know How. This track starts with a nice little guitar riff, before the full band come in and immediately show their skill as musicians. Vocally they have a bit of a 90s skate punk throwback vibe and that really made me want to keep listening. One part of the song that I enjoyed above all else was the breakdown, which was just guitar and vocals. It really helped to drive home the meaning of the song - no matter what hurdles come your way in life you have to keep going the best way that you know how. I loved the up-tempo vocal style of the second track Groundhog Day. It was filled with so much energy that it had me dancing on my sofa. This is the sort of pop punk I really jump on board with. It's not just the vocal delivery, the music is superb - the guitar, bass and drums all playing their parts perfectly. As you might have guessed from its title, Groundhog Day is about getting stuck in a rut and wanting to find a way out of it. The next song, Walls, is a really interesting song - there is a bit of a stop/start approach to the song that helps the song hold your attention throughout. It, more so than any other song on the EP, shows just what good musicians One Armed Joey are.

The fourth song on The Best We Know How is named Vagrant. Vagrant starts out pretty slowly before exploding into life and becoming one of the hardest songs on the EP. Musically I'm really reminded on NOFX on this track, if the vocals were more snotty then I think the song could easily have found its way onto Punk In Drublic. A common theme on The Best We Know How is how excellent the guitar intros to all the songs are. This remains the case with Occupied By Leaves. Occupied By Leaves has more of a modern pop punk sound, but you know, it's good, very very good. It's fast and upbeat and the vocals are full of passion. There are moments to dance, there are moments to just pogo up and down. This is that summer pop punk that fits magically in those classic 90s American teen movie montages where the gang get into hi-jinks at the beach. The final track on the EP is titled You And Your Friends Are Dead (Game Over). Not a very cheerful song title. The song takes a strange look at the upsides of being dead. It's a brave topic to attempt a song about but One Armed Joey pull it off well with some brilliant tongue in cheek lyrics. There is a massive upbeat feeling to the whole song and it is one of the best pop punk songs of the year.

One Armed Joey are a band with a massive upside - super tight musicianship, great vocals and excellent songwriting skills. There's nothing not to like about this great new band. Check them out!

Like One Armed Joey here: http://www.facebook.com/onearmedjoey

This review was written by Colin Clark.

Album Review: Sink or Swallow/North by The Run Up

The Run Up are a five piece punk rock band from Bristol. On the 21st of April they released a brand new single featuring the songs Sink or Swallow and North. I loved their previous release, Scared Of Everything, so I was intrigued to see where the band went with this brand new single.

Sink or Swallow comes first on the single. There is no messing around with a slow intro, the song starts with no thrills and this does a great job in helping to familiarise yourself with The Run Up's melodic pop punk sound. Think Red City Radio with cleaner vocals. The track has a fantastic anthemic quality that also does a ridiculously good job of pulling you into the song. From the first listen I found myself trying to sing along. By the end of that first listen, I had nailed the chorus - it's so infectious. The first half of the single was a cracker, what about the second?

North is played at a faster pace than Sink or Swallow, which gives the song slightly more urgency. For me, if a song sounds urgent it's a great way of getting my attention for the entire song. The guitar playing at the beginning of the song immediately got me bouncing along before those excellent vocals struck. The Run Up's lead singer Larry has one of my favourite voices in UK punk rock. It just makes me want to sing along with him - it's endearing and welcoming and just lovely. When the rest of the band join in for harmonies and gang vocals the sound just explodes. This is that fist pumping punk rock that I love oh so much!

This is a great release from The Run Up. If you like bands such as Red City Radio, Hot Water Music, Bangers or Iron Chic you should be checking out The Run Up. If you're in London on the 17th of May make sure to check them out at the Unicorn in Camden. They are also playing Fest as well. Quality band, quality release.

Stream and download the single here: https://therunupuk.bandcamp.com/album/sink-or-swallow-north

Like The Run Up here: https://www.facebook.com/therunupuk/

This review was written by Colin Clark.