Alkaline Trio - Agony & Irony Review

My first encounter with Alkaline Trio came when I bought the first "Rock Against Bush" CD. Their song "Warbrain" caught my attention with its mournful yet playful sound. On Agony & Irony, released the first of July, Alkaline Trio continues with their tried and true sad-punk conventions, with a few new tricks.

Before releasing the full length album, Alkaline Trio released a sampler creatively titled "Agony & Irony - EP." Their opening song on the EP, the second song on the full album, "Help Me" largely retains the "old" Trio sound. The vocalist calmly singing a cry for help over distorted guitars cranking out a simple chord riff. The the song breaks for a brief period; the singer throws in some "la la"s and the drummer plays a simple beat, then leads up to another round of the chorus. This break from straight punk may be a surprise for the listener...if it weren't for the introductory track to Agony & Irony, "Calling all Skeletons."

Punchy, short guitar chords coupled with enthusiastic hand claps introduce the song, and are soon accompanied by the vocalist's trademark sad yet pleasant voice. This song is a medley of different sounds. One minute, the Trio has reverted to their straight punk sound, then they speed up the rhythm, then they slow it down for an anthemic chorus. It's a very interesting song, and a precursor to even more playful songs like "In Vein."

Of course the band still has some songs dominated by their old sound. "Into the Night" sounds like it could be from their Good Mourning album, albeit with a more polished flair.

Guitar parts and drums are all done very well, and are a bit more technical than previous albums. The guitars do more than crank out 3 or 4 chord riffs for every song. The drum parts don't stick to a standard 4/4 beat, the drummer likes to hit every part of the drum set for nearly every fill, and it sounds awesome.

Diehard fans have claimed that this album has given Alkaline Trio a more "mainstream" sound and appeal. They've blamed Sony BMG, the Trio's new major label, for simplifying and overproducing their music. I disagree. While Alkaline Trio has obviously evolved musically, it's not in an effort to become better known. (They already did that with Crimson, and more specifically "Time to Waste.") It's because they want to produce great music.

Alkaline Trio could easily crank out radio tunes any time they want to. They're talented enough to take the mainstream rock world by storm. But they are obviously more concerned with creating great, polished, unique punk rock.

Great album, albeit with some repetitive tracks.

9/10

Guns Up!-All This Is Review

Time for a CD that's a bit older. Guns Up!, a recently disbanded hardcore group, released All This Is on the semi-famous 1917 record label in 2005, and it remains their best. This is traditional New York hardcore at its finest. Everything from the vocalist's style, lyrics, riffs, and drum beats have that traditional tough feel. At just a bit over 23 minutes, it packs a hell of a punch for its truncated length.

Now, if you don't like traditional hardcore, you may not like this album. But, hell, this is the CD that originally got me into hardcore. It's everything good about the hardcore scene, while still being accessible and, dare I say it...catchy (?!?!?!?!).

All hardcore tends to get its listeners excited, pumped, ready to move. It easily explains the giant fighting mosh pits that pop up at every show. But there's an inexplicable quality to every riff, every verse in this CD that just oozes adrenaline. It's not a particularly fast CD. Every song has its quick and slow parts...and some have always-intense breakdowns. The riffs aren't even all that complicated. Any tab for a Guns Up! song is saturated with simple power chords and palm muting, but hell if the guitarists didn't find a way to make them sound awesome. It's often said that technicality doesn't mean anything in guitar playing, it's the feeling behind the notes, and that mantra is showcased brilliantly here.

The drumming is superb. Again, not overly complicated, but done very well. The drummer transitions from fast verses to breakdowns seamlessly. Great fills. Excellent bass drum work. Very good hardcore-style drummer.

Ah, the vocalist. The vocals are always my favorite part of any song. This vocalist pushes his vocal chords to the extreme with every line, every shout, every grunt. He has a deeper, strained style. It's not technically a "scream," but those who listen to hardcore will probably know what I'm talking about. A talk-yell-scream? Ah, to hell with it. It's awesome and hard to explain.

If you're into hardcore, pick this up. And, even if you aren't, at least give "All In" or "Break Yourself/Least Of My Worries" a try. Maybe you'll find a new genre to love.

So, in conclusion:

"Yo, straight up, hit this shit!" -"All In"

10/10

The Offspring-Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace Review

Now, unlike most Offspring fans, I genuinely enjoyed Splinter. Sure, it was...different, but I found "The Worst Hangover Ever" to be a clever little diddy, and "Spare Me The Details" remains one of my favorite songs on any album. So, after downloading (legally, mind you) Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace, I was expecting the same, almost grown-up punk rock that dominated Splinter. But, I didn't find that sound on this album...mostly.

Frankly, this CD reminded me of Pennywise's new CD (review soon to come), and not only because they use the same color scheme for their album art. Just like Pennywise, many of The Offspring's new songs hearken back to their old, faster punk days. But, there's still some of that newer modern-rockish sound too. So, to do justice to this eclectic CD, I've decided to do a track by track overview.

Half-Truism (3:28): This song has a very deceptive first verse. After a very quick piano introduction, the guitarists begin slamming on their guitars in classic punk fashion. Very quick, repeated chords, all overlaid by the drummer slamming on his set, setting a fast and consistent beat. Just when you think you have this song figured out, he breaks into what I can only describe as a faux-anthemic chorus. This time, sustained chords and a broken up drum piece slow down the song for the chorus. Quickly switching back to speed, the drummer goes back to his quick rhythm and the guitarists follow suit. Overall, a very Splinter-esque song. I can't help but love this song for all its catchyness. "It's a hell of a good day to die" is a hell of a way to launch into a chorus. The vocalist, one of the most recognizable voices in music, shows off his varied talents on this track. By far one of my favorite tracks on the album

Trust In You (3:09): The vocals on this song really remind me of "Lightning Rod," for better or worse. Maybe it's the line "Pull me up, cause I am ready," but this song has a submissive tone similar to "Lightning Rod." Less driven by guitars than "Half-Truism," the singer again really shows his talents. Sustained notes, quick singing for the verses. It seems The Offspring have perfected their formula of punk verse-anthemic chorus-quick solo-repeat. Solid track, but not their best.

You're Gonna Go Far, Kid (2:58): Now for the first new song the Offspring unleashed on unsuspecting audiences during their tour. Best song on the CD. Hands down. They reverse their formula on this song. Beginning each verse slowly, they then speed up a bit with the beginning of their chorus after the singer sings "dance, fucker, dance," slow down again, then launch into a very quick and powerful chorus after exclaiming "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid!" You can almost feel future concert-goers going nuts, jumping and pumping their fists in the air to this chorus. The guitars set a great rhythm, and are perfectly supported by the drummer. With the best rhythm, melody, and set of chorus lyrics (dance, fucker, dance never gets old) in any Offspring song I've heard, this is the Offspring's greatest song in a long time. It showcases their new style while still retaining their old feel. Download this if you want new "old" Offspring. Now.

Hammerhead (4:38): Ah, the radio single. Every major release has one. Luckily the Offspring tend to have better than average radio singles. Again, the drummer plows ahead with a consistent and powerful rhythm. Another song where the guitars focus on rhythm rather than technicality. Classic Offspring, even in the chorus. The backup singers do the traditional Offspring "oooo" sound while the lead vocalist drives ahead with their lyrics. A very quick and catchy song.

A Lot Like Me (4:28): I read one review of this CD where the author stated this is a very Linkin Park-esque song. And...it is. Of course it has an Offspring feel, but only because the singer's voice is so damn unique. This song is slow, with a piano controlling the melody for every verse. The drummer gets a break from the intense rhythms of past tracks and instead sets a weird broken up rhythm. Not one of The Offspring's best. It's every bad aspect of their modern hard rock style rolled into one song. Sigh. Well, one bad song out of the first four isn't THAT bad.

Takes Me Nowhere (2:59): Basically Trust In You, with a more playful verse. Less intense, but sounds more like Conspiracy Of One era Offspring in the instrumentals. The vocalist still has the softened, mellow tone he's taken on recently. Not a bad song.

Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? (3:42): Acoustic guitar. The Offspring are showing the Plain White T's of the world how to write an acoustic single. Another sad song, but it's catchy. I see this song becoming a fan favorite reallllly fast. You can't help but sing along to "Can you stay strong?/Can you go on?/Kristy are you doing okay?"

Nothingtown (3:30): Finally! Some of the best Offspring songs are the songs that show off their bass player. Verses are very bass-driven in this song. The bassist creates the melody while the drummer plays a pretty standard rhythm. The guitars a minimal until the chorus. The chorus is very...pop-punk, but in a good way. This song even has a bass solo at the end of the second repeat of the chorus, quickly followed by a guitar solo. Clearly the bassist's favorite song. Great track.

Stuff Is Messed Up (3:31): Oh, major labels. Why must you censor song titles? The soon to be fan favorite concert chant of a chorus sounds much better than the actual title..."I don't know much, I don't know much, but I know this...SHIT IS FUCKED UP!" This is a very fun song. The Offspring are reverting to their snide punk side again, and I love it. The vocalist's trademark "La las" (Offspring fans know what I mean) are abundant here. He also throws in a quick-talking verse for good measure. Rude, crude lyrics. Classic. I love it.

Fix You (4:20): Seeming unable to remain their old selves for long, they again shift to a soft radio-style song. This is not a bad song by any stretch. It blows "A Lot Like Me" right out of the water. But after "Stuff Is Messed Up," I was ready for another fun, fast punk song. Oh well.

Let's Hear It For Rock Bottom (4:05): This song is an anomaly. It opens like every other "hard" song on this CD. Rhythmic guitars, short lines of lyrics, and then it unleashes into a loud, 90s pop-punk style chorus. Quick, upbeat, and over way too quickly. The Offspring are experimenting on this song, and I like it. Good track, but in no way reflects old Offspring

Rise and Fall (4:05): I'm going to say what every other reviewer has said about this song: This is a Green Day song. Repetitive power chords, anthemic chorus, reptitive drums. This is "American Idiot," with the Offspring's vocalist. Funnily enough, they actually improve on the Green Day sound. Heh. Show 'em how it's done, I guess.

For a CD with songs that sound very similar to each other this album is...inconsistent. Not in quality, in fact, it's a very good CD, but The Offspring seem to be unable to decide whether to stick to their hard rock style (which appeals to fans like Disturbed and Rev Theory, according to iTunes...psssh...) or to return to their snobby, bratty, ratty punk side. I vote for the latter, but then, what I say isn't important.

As long as what they do sounds as good as this album, I don't care if they're schizophrenic.

8/10

Years Spent Cold-Moving Heaven to Hell Review

Originally a group of friends from Boston, the straight-edge/hardline "gang" Friends Stand United (or Fuck Shit Up) has become a national phenomenon. Not only does it have groups in multiple cities (and incidentally has its FSU-branded clothing banned in multiple venues,) but its influence has extended from the hardcore scene to the metal/deathcore scene. Years Spent Cold is a band uniting themselves with the FSU gang. Their song "Toy Soldier" showcases some of their friends in the gang and ties to the NJ FSU. While one may not agree with FSU's method of dealing with Neo-Nazis or those they feel are "dangerous" to the scene or their friends, one cannot deny that many FSU bands, Years Spent Cold in particular, have produced some remarkable music.

Moving Heaven to Hell opens with "Intro," which is a collection of scary sound samples ending with the sound of a heart rate meter, which quickly transitions to "Ear to Ear." The shortest song on the CD (discounting Intro,) it serves to give a quick example of what the rest of the CD is going to sound like. Grunting, harsh vocals over deep guitar chugs. While a lot of bands have relied solely on "chugs," (hell, As Blood Runs Black has a song titled "Strife (Chug, Chug)" and they're still good) Years Spent Cold uses them solely to set an aggressive and dark mood or in breakdowns. In "Ear to Ear" the vocal parts are short and punctuated, and for every chug is a more traditional metal riff. Overall, this song essentially pumps the listener up for the audio assault that is about to follow.

And Years Spent Cold wastes no time attacking its listener's ear drums. The title track opens with some power chords, harsh grunting, and a blast beat, within the first 30 seconds. Years Spent Cold's hardcore influence is heard soon after, with the drummer and the guitarist working together to manipulate and shift the rhythm at will. After another session of slamming on the snare drums comes what at first seems like the introduction to a breakdown, but is simply a shift in the time signature. Signature stuff for a deathcore band, but it's executed well.

The next song, "Retribution" opens in a similar fashion, and contains some of the most uplifting lyrics in metal. "Fuck your face/Fuck your family" immediately comes to mind. Other similarly inspiring lyrics are found later on the album. My personal favorite is the chant at the end of "Abandon All Hope:" "How does it taste/you dickeating dirt bag?" Now, understand, this music is meant to be aggressive and thus must contain aggressive lyrics. The singer...erm...screamer...erm...vocalist isn't really insulting this listener (I hope.)

The vocalist is one of the most talented I've ever heard. Most of the time he screams with a guttural, dark grunt. During breakdowns, he often reaches lower than I thought possible. Once in a while he tries his more hardcore-esque medium-pitch yell, and he easily pulls it off.

The drumming is fantastic. Ultra-fast when it needs to be (check out "Lifeless.") Double bass is done well. Blast beats are hit with perfection. Cymbals are used very effectively. Overall, the drums have a very crisp sound, which allows the drummer to shift to a different rhythm cleanly, without any rough transitions.

Guitar parts are also executed very well. Nothing too technical, but technicality is not always important. The riffs are suitably dark, giving every introduction to songs that foreboding sound that can only precede a deep growl from the vocalist.

It's hard to review an album in this genre. If you're into this music, you know what to expect. Breakdowns, beatdowns, the occasional crowd chant, some sound samples, screams and grunts of various timbre, etc. This music is very much an acquired taste. If you already love this music, Years Spent Cold executes deathcore (or whatever they're calling it these days) perfectly. That being said, if you don't enjoy this type of music, start with something softer. Otherwise, you'll end up swearing this genre of music off altogether.

Crappy myspace bands, take note. Sound samples don't have to precede every breakdown. Guitar chugs don't have to dominate every track, nor do the guitarists have to tear into a solo in the last 30 seconds of every single song, nor do you have to squeal like a dying farm animal to be considered an extreme vocalist.

10/10

Teenage Bottlerocket-Warning Device Review

I'm going to start this music blog by looking at a CD that came out earlier this year. It's by a little known band called Teenage Bottlerocket. This band has been around since 2004, but still have not reached total commercial success. Their 2008 release Warning Device clocks in at just under 28 minutes. Their sound would best be described as old school pop-punk.

Whenever I start this CD playing on my iTunes, I can't just listen to one song (and not just because the songs are so terribly short.) All of the songs are incredibly catchy. "In the Basement" was once named as a "Must Download" by Spin magazine, in addition to being the sole song on this album with a music video.

While not incredibly technical, both the drumming and guitar work are more than sufficient. The drummer plays a steady, quick beat, with suitably speedy fills. For most of the songs, the guitar is limited to playing simple chords. But, again, this is pop-punk. It's meant to be deceptively simple. Teenage Bottlerocket has been able to take various power chords and turn them into 13 distinct and entertaining melodies. While the songs all sound like they're in the same key-"happy" would be the best way to describe it-the songs never seem repetitive. And, when the guitar does have some solo time, the solos are not overly complicated, but with just enough notes for the guitarist to show off his playing prowess. The songs do usually follow the standard verse-chorus-verse formula, but both the choruses and verses are so damn fun that you simply can't get bored while listening to them.

The simplistic instrumentals are coupled with very light and uncomplicated lyrics.
During the chorus of "Basement" , the singer laments that he doesn't want to...go down to his basement. Clearly, the lyrics aren't the deepest, most thought provoking poetry-put-to-music you've ever heard. But, it's nice to hear a band that's not so bogged down with cheap melodrama that they have to scream about a lost love every other song. Even when they do sing about pursuing a relationship in "Crawling Back To You," Teenage Bottlerocket's lyrics aren't overdone or overly sappy.

The vocalist sings the verses very well. With a middle-high pitch voice, he gives a peppy but not sugary sound to the lyrics. He seems genuinely excited to sing.

This is what pop-punk should be. Fast, fun, and catchy as hell.

10/10