“Life Is Not A Waiting Room” is the title of the new record from Senses Fail. Needless to say, slightly exctied about it…
DONT FUCK THIS UP BUDDY..PUT THE CRACK PIPE DOWN AND DO WORK!
One word that I have found doesn’t always translate over to music is consistency. There are only a few of the countless bands I listen to that remain constant in their production of music that is theirs and sounds like them time and time again. So often, bands change from record to record. I am not saying this is a horrible thing. So many of my favorite bands grow up and change sound over the years. Your Favorite Weapon is far far different from The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me. Growth through music in and out.
One band though that has remained consistent record after record is Alkaline Trio. Just today they released their newest album Agony and Irony. I was able to grab it around midnight when it first came out and gave it a listen. It IS Alkaline Trio. From the first drop of vocals to the simple rhythms, it sounds like Alkaline Trio has always sounded.
It’s funny; I almost find comfort in that. I think that they are the kind of band that if they were to change it would tarnish everything they have ever done. Yes, some of their CD’s have gone a little more under the radar than others (most of my pals didn’t even know this album was coming). That is not the point; they constantly put out good product. They put out good record after good record. Song after song is good. They are truly a band you could put on shuffle and never fast forward to the next track.
They are a band that reminds you of time. Private Eye is my high school anthem. I can’t help but think of high school when that first beat goes off. Crimson (the album as a whole) is college for me. I can’t tell you how many times I walked through the cold Hartford air rocking out to that CD.
So, if you like the boys, if you hate the boys, listen to this album. Give it a chance at least. Listen to this and listen to their first record. You will hear what I am talking about. The boys are back and they bring us gifts that only Alkaline Trio can bring us…
I am in love. Yes, Benjamin J. Kamlet Esquire III JR. is neck deep in sheer pop punk rock love. Last week I somehow mistakenly came across the new offspring of the pop gods at Fueled By Ramen (the doctors who created Fall Out Boy, Paramore, Panic (!) At The Disco, Gym Class Heroes…to name a few). Yes, that’s right, the boys at Ramen have done it AGAIN. This time, they bring us The Cab. A glorious mix of piano, pop punk lyrics/beats and sweet, sweet boyish vocals.
Truth told though, the first time I heard them I wanted to vomit. There was something about them that just didn’t settle with me. But, in all fairness to them, I gave em a second shot. I have to say, they got me excited. The tempo of their album is something I just can’t seem to shy away from.
I think their sound is so fresh. For the first time in a long time I have an album in my hands that flows from start to finish. You find yourself fiending during those brief pauses between songs waiting for the next beat. You want that flow, you want that rhythm to just keep going.
I can best describe them as this. Imagine if you will, Justin Timberlake/something corporate/ Fall Out Boy/ Farewell and Jimmy Eat World all getting drunk and locking themselves in a hotel room for one night. Yeah, nine months later you would have The Cab.
Here is a video to give you a LITTLE TASTE
No question, eleventeen year old girls are gonna swallow these boys whole. Between the swooning of the vocals to their tight Swedish boy looks (yucky?). They are hands down the next Pete Wentz and CO.
Am I mad? Na…
I mean, I hate Pete Wentz. I do (who doesn’t…). He took a great band and shoved a plunger up its ass. But these boys, these boys are different. I say, ”let em get big”. I can only imagine that with success would only come better music. In truth, they went to Pat Stump for help on the record over Pete. That in itself is a huge deal (Pat throws vocals down on the first track).
So check them out. I will try and upload tracks soon so you can download them here. But I urge you to buy the record on Itunes. It is beyond worth 10 bucks!
Hugs Not Drugs
-Benny
So, I have had the new EP from New Found Glory / International Superheros of Hardcore for some time now. I wanted to like it. No, wait, I wanted to LOVE it. But truthfully…IT SUCKS. I dunno, I just can’t seem to get behind it. They are not playing the pop punk rock that they helped to create. They are trying sooooo hard to push the limit that it almost feels fake.
DO THE RIGHT THING BOYS AND STOP TRYING…JUST TOUR THE COUNTRY & PLAY BETTER OFF DEAD AND DO WHAT YA DO RIGHT!!!!
HUGS NOT DRUGS
XOXOXOXOXO
The Morning Light’s EP “THE SOUNDS OF LOVE” is for lack of a better term, AWESOME. The record starts off with a soft acoustic song that gets your ears all sorts of warmed up. Shortly after though the record turns full circle. 5 songs of straight heartache and pain (in a good way). The band takes you from highs of being in love to lows of having a girl look at you with in-genuine eyes as she thinks of somebody else (something all familiar to this guy). Soon as you think you hit the pits, they spit you back up again. Songs like “You’re Not Mine” and “Safe Bet” make you the listener feel like you too have had your heart riped from your ribs and make you want sweet, sweet revenge!
Now, I know that this formula of writing (get you feelin good at first only to make you wanna cry thereafter) is nothing new. The Morning Light though does it with so much emotion and so much genuine feeling that you feel for them. More, you can tell the are enjoying the music they play. They are having fun writing / playing music which shines through the record.
More than the writing though, the music is amazing. The guitar rips are tight and the drums are rough. The detail the band puts in to every beat is noticeable right down to the tambourine that constantly is shaking in the background. Frankly, if a band can get you to hear the smallest tambourine beat in the background, they are doing something right.
So go and grab the EP. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
That folks is what I am rocking out to this week…
Months ago I somehow stumbled on Forever The Sickest Kids. In normal Benny fashion I bought the EP “Television Off, Party On” blind and decided to give them a shot. It didn’t take long for me to hop on the worldwide interweb and let Jap know of the little gem I just found. What can I say, the mix of pop punk and electronics just made us melt like an eleventeen year old at a Jonas Brothers concert.
Today, I woke up to the annoying sound of “My Super Sweet Sixteen” (not sure why) and rolled over to the macbook to see what new jams were on iTunes today (Tuesday is Christmas in the music world). Anyway, there, right on the front page I saw the full length album from FTSK. I had completely forgotten that the full record was coming out today. How could I have been so dense? I didn’t hesitate to nab the album Wow, just…wow. They went ahead and remixed the EP songs taking them to a whole new level of awesomeness! OY, and the new beats are just dope. I HIGHLY recommend getting both the EP and the full record “Underdog Alma Mater”.
The first beat drops and it takes your brain and just throws a fist to it. What can I say? Benny finds yet another diamond in the rough. I cannot wait for this one to get polished by the musical gods in television and radio and see these boys shine in the spotlight Go my babies, make me proud… 
Filed under: killakam
This is why I am going to Coachella next year…
Filed under: killakam
Hello World,
So, over the past few months I have picked up the hobby of randomly downloading a band and seeing what other listeners bought. Most of the time I come up pretty strong. Other times though, I fail something awful. When asked to start writing this blog I decided the beat I would take would be to report on what I found on iTunes each week. If you have heard of the band, awesome, tell me your thoughts on them. If not, check em out and let me know what you think.
That said, the band I am rocking out to this week is “The Years Gone By”. Their album “On The Verge” is about a year old but I am just coming to hear em. Right away I was sucked into thier poppy sound and their catchy lyrics. I found myself singing just after a few listens (which is a great tribute to great lyrics as far as I am concerned).
Only problems I had with the band though was the lack of originality. There was nothing in their music that set them apart from a Danger Is My Middle Name or a Lights Out Dancing (whom I know and love dearly). Also, as much as I love the lyrics, they were so recycled. It was a classic album about boy wanting girl and never getting her. A topic I am becoming quite bored with (perhaps because it is the story of my life?)
After hearing the record a few times through I have come to decide that Years Gone By would be a much better live act. They are on tour now and I fully intend on going out to catch them on the road. I think that seeing them and watching thier stage presence would be the icing on the cake in helping to convince me if this is a band I can fully get behind.
In all though, check em out. Let me know what you think. I am totally down to spit sauce about em and hear how dumb I am for my review.
SONGS TO DOWNLOAD:
1) HIGH SCHOOL SENSATION
2) Billboards
In the near future, provided our economy smooths out, and England’s slows it’s growth rate; I would like to be living somewhere in the U.K. Doing what? I don’t know. And I don’t really care. But The Courteeners may just be one of the reasons for my wish of transatlantic migration.
I often listen to Virgin Radio Xtreme to get see what’s playing on popular rock radio outside of the U.S. there have been quite a few bands that have tickled my proverbial fancy, but this band (and particularly song)stood out from the rest.
Straight out the slums of Manchester (home of The Smiths, Joy Division, Oasis, the first computer, manchester united [the last 2 aren't bands]) come The Courteeners.
It’s the steady pulsing beat of the drums that contrast with the ever changing flow of the lyrics from Liam Fray that create interest and curiosity in how the next words will come out of this mouth. It reminds me of the delayed shuffle of a lounge singer (me being a huge fan of the lounge lizard circuit). The layers of little guitar licks give texture and break up the constant anchor of the the eighth note guitar strums, like toppings on ice cream.
The empowering lyrics present the “Who the fuck do you think you are?” message, with a backbeat to dance to. It gives off the feel of “ok, i’ve got you all figured out now and i’m done”. It makes me wish I could adopt that attitude even after the song is over, but always fail. So I continue to push repeat, and thankfully the song is just as good as the previous listen. The albums “St. Jude” is full of rock n roll that makes you want to smoke cigarettes. Pick it up!
I wanted to start my first post with a song off a record that took me 22 years to discover, and I didn’t want you to have to wait any longer either. I’ve been a huge fan of Joe Strummer for quite a while. I’ve read two of his biographies, seen several documentaries, but not until recently have I listened to some of the last music he made in his life.
The Mescaleros rescued Joe from a dark period in his life. After The Clash disbanded, he went through a small acting stint as well as some soundtrack work, a few solo albums and a tour with The Pogues. However none of these really satisfied him.
This song is off “Streetcore” an album released postmortem. This song faithfully embodies the raga/dub influence that Joe explored with The Clash. Complemented by the gospel vocals in the verse and hook make this seem like a song of praise to life/jah/and LSD. The twangy sound of the blues licks and late influence of programmed beats give brief respirations between the soul soothing bassline and horn section combo creschendoing to a feeling I can only describe as a take off to flight with the addition of the organ and finally smacking back into the groove almost telepathically throwing your shoulders and waist in opposite directions and turning your neck into jelly while your head somehow connects perfectly in the syncopated snare work.
This song, to me at least, is a beautiful mix of the diverse influences that turned Johnny Mellor into Joe Strummer. It’s a perfectly seasoned stew that leaves you completely satisfied once it unfortunately ends.
This entire album acts as a tangible musical zeitgeist of Joe’s life. You realize the songs on this album are like a retrospective piece of his years of life stories and experiences. Looking back on everything that’s fallen upon his shoulders in uplifting confidence and nirvana. Since I got it, I haven’t been able to think of anything but sparking a joint to complement the record, like a Juicy Merlot paired with a steak… and I think that’s the way he would have wanted it.
