Bomb the Music Industry! – Adults!
In an age where bands have lengthy rider lists making their demands (NO BROWN M&M’S PLEASE!) and the cast members of the “Jersey Shore” are getting paid thousands of dollars to appear in bars (NO ORANGE ONES EITHER!), one band is making amazing punk rock music for free.
On February 8, Bomb the Music Industry! released Adults!!!: Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited By Nothing!!!!! (Adults! for short), on the donation driven Quote Unquote Records. You wont find this band selling T-shirts on their Web site or peddling their merch at shows. Instead, they have a stencil that they will spray paint on to your shirt.
Adults! is the followup to Scrambles, which was my favorite album of 2009. So needless to say (why say it then?) the 7-song EP had some big shoes to fill.
Well, this EP is great. Period.
Adults! begins with the ska-driven “You Still Believe in Me?” and “Planning My Death.” Vocalist/guitarist/saxophone player/keyboard player Jeff Rosenstock has gone back to what drew a lot of people to the band in the first place. Ska upstrokes and horns dominate these two fast numbers. Laura Stevenson’s vocals really add a lot to this album, especially the powerful “Ba ba ba ba ba” at the beginning of the chorus on “You Still Believe in Me?” This part of the song really reminded me of some of the work Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs did for the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack. It just has that sort of whimsical, playful vibe to it.
“Slumlord” is Rosenstock’s open letter to the landlord of his crappy apartment. The synth work on this track is really great and adds to the song.
“All Ages Shows” is a slow, but powerful ballad about relationships and punk rock music. In my eyes, this song can mean a lot of different things and it can really speak to a wide variety of people.
In a trashed room in 1996.
A fourteen year old punk and in a flash I’m my parents.
And we’ll never know love, ’cause I was too busy talking to my Green Day posters
They never said nothing to me.
“The First Time I Met Sanawon” is the one track on this album I can absolutely not get enough of. I can listen to it over and over. It has a great ska vibe, plus Rosenstock name drops Chicago, which you have to love. The singalong chorus is amazing. It is one of those songs that makes you long for the summer, even though it is about how cold Chicago is.
The EP concludes with “Struggler,” which is an ode to failure. Rosenstock sings “I don’t wanna go outside ’cause I might have a terrible day and get sent home.”
Overall, this EP is a great collection of songs from Bomb the Music Industry! Since this record was made in 5 days, I would be very surprised if this was the last we heard from Rosenstock this year. The fact that this band is releasing such great and creative music on a shoestring budget makes you really think about why bands need a huge label and tons of money to be successful. Adults! was recorded in someone’s mom’s basement and mixed in an apartment. So all of you small bands out there, don’t give up. There’s plenty of room for you to make great music.
As the great band Journey once said:
The wheel in the sky keeps on turnin’.
What? Did you think I was going to say “don’t stop believin’?” That would have been lame.
You can download Adults! here. A $5 donation is recommended, but you can sample any of the tracks or download the entire album for free. Also, every time you refresh the page, you get a different album cover, so you can pick whichever one you want.
Release Date: February 8, 2010
Label: Quote Unquote
Track Listing:
1. You Still Believe in Me?
2. Planning My Death
3. Slumlord
4. All Ages Shows
5. Big Ending
6. The First Time I Met Sanawon
7. Struggler
Guns. Razors. Knives.
Don’t worry folks. I’m still alive. I’ve just been busy.
But, I come bearing amazing news.
The Deftones have released a new song. AND IT’S AWESOME!
We first heard a live clip of “Rocket Skates” last week. But yesterday, the band put up a video with the studio version of the song along with lyrics. Their new album, Diamond Eyes, will be released May 18.
The Deftones are often lumped in with other “Nu-Metal” bands from the 90s. Doing so is a major injustice to this band. They have been releasing great music since 1995. Their heavy music, mixed with Chino Moreno’s vocals create a very original and unmistakable sound. The Deftones have released two platinum records and two gold records, so if you haven’t heard of them, you’re definitely in the minority. Fans of all genres seem to gravitate toward this band.
On a more somber note, Diamond Eyes will mark the band’s first release since their bassist Chi Cheng was in a car accident and slipped into a “minimally conscious” state November 4, 2008. You can read more about that and donate here.
So here is “Rocket Skates.” There is some adult language in the song. So kiddies, put up those earmuffs.
Anthony Green > Everyone
WHOA! I haven’t really heard anything about Circa Survive in a while, but today they released a song off of their new album Blue Sky Noise, which is set to be released April 20.
“Get Out” is an amazingly powerful song that will more than satisfy any fan of the band’s past work. I didn’t think Circa Survive could possibly attain a bigger sound, but somehow they did it on this track.
Blue Sky Noise will be release April 20
For those of you who don’t know, Circa Survive is driven by the amazing vocal of Anthony Green. Green’s musical resume is both extensive and impressive. He was with Zolof and the Rock and Roll Destroyer’s self-titled album, along with The Popsicle EP. Green was in Saosin for the Translating the Name EP. After he left, the band got really crappy really fast. He is “The Skunk” in The Sounds of Animals Fighting with members of Finch and the RX Bandits. He has also released a solo album titled Avalon.
After hearing this track, Blue Sky Noise has quickly become on of my most anticipated albums of the year. The album marks Circa Survive’s debut on Atlantic Records. Blue Sky Noise was produced by David Bottrill,who has won three Grammys. Bottrill has worked with Tool, Muse, Coheed and Cambria and Dream Theater, which would explain the big sound.
“Get Out” has really reminded me how much I love this band.
So, enough with the Anthony Green praise. Here’s “Get Out.”
Check out the rest of Circa Survive’s music.
We will never forget 2-14-08
“I call on each of you to gather up your own strength and to remember.”
-NIU President John Peters
Big D gets theatrical
If you haven’t heard anything from Big D and the Kids Table for a few years, you might be surprised to hear their new sound.
This Boston Ska band’s style has gone through some changes over the years, but their biggest jump has been from their 2007 album Strictly Rude to their latest album Fluent in Stroll. Their new sound is a lot more polished and even includes backup singers. But even with these changes, the band still has the grittiness that everyone is used to. I give Big D and the Kids Table so much credit for never staying in their comfort zone. They don’t seem afraid to try anything.
Any fan of ska should give this band a chance.
Check out their music at their MySpace.
Fluent in Stroll was one of the runners-up on my top albums of 2009 list.
Here’s their newest video for “We Can Live Anywhere.” It has a really theatrical feel to it.
Check it out.
New Toy Story 3 Trailer
Check out the new trailer for Toy Story 3. I’ve watched it about five times. I honestly couldn’t be more excited.
My only beef with it is the beginning when it says “From the creators all these other movies.” How about, “From the creators of Toy Story?” The movie is a classic. Kids today need to learn. Toy Story broke the mold when it came to this kind of animation.
Go see the movie when it comes out on June 18, which just so happens to be my birthday.
New Found Glory/Dashboard Confessional – Swiss Army Bro-mance
New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional have a lot in common. They both put out albums on the once-iconic Drive Thru Records. They both seem to have been around forever. And they have left an impression on thousands of their fans. So why wouldn’t these two bands get together to record an old-fashioned split?
Well, after listening to Dashboard Confessional cover two NFG classics, I was wondering why anyone thought this was a good idea.
If I gave out grades for albums, Swiss Army Bro-mance would receive a 50%, simply because half of the songs are great and the other half are garbage.
I used to be a Dashboard Confessional fan. Back in the days when it was mainly Chris Carrabba with an acoustic. I dig The Swiss Army Romance and The Places You Have Come to Fear The Most, but once they went to a full band, they kind of lost me. Come on. You have stolen my heart? I’m sorry, but that sucks.
The first two tracks on the album are Chris Carrabba’s take on “All About Her” and “Better Off Dead” from NFG’s self titled album. I figured he would go back his great acoustic sound for this split. Boy, was I wrong. Both feature a whinier-than-usual Carrabba laboring through the pop-punk classics over a cheesy digital drum track and strange ambiance. It was like he got to the studio and realized he forgot he scheduled a dentist appointment and said “Hey let’s hurry this up. I have a root canal in an hour.” Both covers are incredibly boring and have this awful airy vibe to them. You’d swear someone just told Carrabba his entire family died in a car accident. Splits are supposed to be fun, not coma-inducing.
But all hope is not lost. After hearing Carrabba butcher two songs, the album rises like a phoenix. New Found Glory is here to save the day (Not Saves the Day. That certainly would have made a better split). We have come to expect a lot out of New Found Glory covers because of the From the Screen to Your Stereo albums, and they definitely deliver on their two tracks.
The band kicks in with their version of Dashboard’s “Saints and Sailors.” Now this is what a cover should sound like. They stay true to the original structure, while adding their own flair. Tough-guy guitarist Chad Gilbert screams through the bridge, almost as if he’s saying “Hey Carrabba, this is how you do a cover.” New Found Glory’s rendition of “The Swiss Army Romance” starts with the strumming of an acoustic guitar, but then we hear the crackle of a guitar being plugged into an amp. A nice touch to another nice cover.
New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional both came on the scene in the late 90’s and they have both had a lot of success. The main difference is New Found Glory still stays true to their roots and is releasing great music, while Dashboard Confessional has alienated their fans for mainstream success and a tour with Bon Jovi.
Keep it going NFG. I’ll see you in Chicago March 5.
New Found Glory – Dashboard Confessional
Track Listing:
1. All About Her
2. Better Off Dead
3. Saints and Sailors
4. The Swiss Army Romance
It must really suck to be Four Year Strong right now
March can’t come soon enough. Not only does the weather in Chicago change from “absolutely terrible” to “only kind of terrible,” but March also marks the release of one of the most anticipated albums of the year.
Four Year Strong will release Enemy of the World on March 9, 2010. The few songs we have heard from the followup to their 2007 release Rise or Die Trying have blown nearly everyone away.
You can pick up this album March 9
Today, AbsolutePunk.net put up the band’s first single from Enemy of the World. “Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)” can be streamed in it’s entirety right here.
The song is fast and fun, and if the rest of the songs on this album are anything like it, we are in for a fantastic album.
Songs from their 7″ comically titled It’s Not The Size of the 7″…It’s How You Use It, also preview what we can expect from the new album.
“It Must Really Suck to be Four Year Strong Right Now” was the first song that was made public from the new album. This sounds like a classic Four Year Strong song, picking up right where Rise or Die Trying left off. Of course, in standard Four Year Strong fashion, the song is equipped with a poppy breakdown that will please all of the band’s fans.
Enemy of the World is shaping up to be an amazing record, just in time for spring. I can see this album blaring from my car with the windows down all summer.
The only thing that makes me want to tone down my excitement is how pumped I was for Set Your Goals to release This Will be the Death of Us last year. We all know that Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals will always be compared to one another (even though FYS crushes SYG in every aspect). From the first songs I heard from This Will be the Death of Us, it was on its way to the top of my album of the year list, until the album was released. This Will be the Death of Us is one of the cheesiest albums of all time. Nearly every song had a guest appearance as to say “Hey! Look how many friends we have!” The Hayley Williams cameo will go down as one of the worst in history. That album had so much hype behind it, and in my opinion, it went down harder than the Hindenburg.
But, Four Year Strong is a much better band. I think Enemy of the World will be one of the best albums of the year. Upsides by The Wonder Years might have some serious competition at the top of my list.
Check out Four Year Strong on Myspace where you can listen to new songs and pre-order Enemy of the World.
Motion City Soundtrack plays for Team Coco
Motion City Soundtrack played “Her Words Destroyed My Planet” on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the gubernatorial race in Illinois ran super late, so the show didn’t air until like 3:00 a.m. So here it is for all of you folks who didn’t get a chance to see it.
It’s nice to see a band actually having fun on TV. You could tell they were nervous, but it turned out to be a really good performance. I also enjoyed the Jay Leno diss.
My Dinosaur Life debuted at number 15 on the Billboard charts in its first week. I suggest picking it up. You can check out my review here.
You can check out the higher-quality video on Hulu.
Enjoy!
The Bamboozle hits Chicago! Literally, it feels like I just got hit.
Rumors have been swirling about a Bamboozle festival in Chicago for months now. Needless to say, I was pretty excited because I have driven to New Jersey twice to see this star-studded show. That’s a twelve-hour drive.
Both the New Jersey and California dates have been shaping up to look pretty decent.
New Jersey gets Weezer, Paramore, fun. Polar Bear Club, The Aquabats, even Hanson!
California gets AFI, Circa Survive, Envy on the Coast, Say Anything, The Bouncing Souls and a Something Corporate reunion.
The excitement has been mounting for the announcement of Chicago’s lineup. Who will it be? They have to be good right?
Well, they were announced today.
And they are:
Drum roll please!
…
…
…
…
Are you kidding me?
This is what we get?
We’re Chicago. We deserve better than this. We have Lollapalooza. We have The Taste. We have Mike Ditka. Come on!
And what makes it even better is the fact that tickets go on sale this Saturday. You want me to drop money on this? Without announcing anyone else? REALLY?
This place is going to be crawling with jr. high kids in neon skinny jeans rocking Kanye glasses. I bet they will smell too.
I have seen so many amazing bands at Bamboozle in New Jersey, including:
The Movielife Reunion with Vinnie Caruana
Jimmy Eat World
Weird Al
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
New Found Glory
Brand New
I Am the Avalanche and a ton more.
I don’t see any bands of that caliber here. 3oh!3? Gross. Cobra Starship? You can have ’em.
Even seeing MC Hammer and Bret Michaels in New Jersey was way better than this.
Bamboozle people, I am very disappointed in you so far. You better come through and announce some awesome bands, or you will not be getting any of my money.
You can see updates on who will be playing the festival at thebamboozle.com
The Clams Casino 