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Posts in category punk

Chaser – The Big Picture

Jan03
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Chaser - The Big Picture

Orange County may be the most Republican county (and rich, hmm coincidence?) in all of California, but Chaser is all about the Do-It-Yourself scene and have been a part of it since 2002. Playing their brand of melodic mall punk with a twist of alternative rock, Chaser drops fast rhythms and quick guitar pacing alongside melodic and somewhat nasal vocals. Think of No Use for a Name or other California, mid-to-late ‘90s pop-punk and you get the general gist. Not that it’s a bad thing, but I think “The Big Picture
” is more of a time filler between listening to really good albums than something I’d boast about to all of my friends about “being the first to be into this album”. There are some great guest spots that really augment the album though, namely Death By Stereo’s Dan Palmer and Authority Zero’s Jason Devore. As you might imagine you may have already seen them on the Vans Warped Tour (they played on it in ’08) or you may see them soon (they’re touring with Guttermouth in the early part of 2010) and they had some amount of national notoriety with their hit single “Numb America” that was out in 2006 with KROQ giving it a lot of spins.

Follow Chaser on Twitter.

Watch a live video of the group playing three songs and being interviewed courtesy of Flashrock:

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Keira Is You – Nothing Else Will Happen

Jan02
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Keira is You - Nothing Else Will Happen

Polish emo? You bet, and Keira Is You is in the vein of true emo, ala The Appleseed Cast, Engine Down, and perhaps even a little Sunny Day Real Estate. “Nothing Else Will Happen” casts its net far and wide with powerfully experimental nuances like children’s choirs, elements of New Wave, cello, and synthesizers. Indie rock should be a little challenging, now shouldn’t it?

Watch this video for “Madness”:

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Rotten Bark – Chillin’ Out (Teenage Love Story) Part 1

Jan02
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Rotten Bark – Chillin’ Out (Teenage Love Story) Part 1

Dear unsigned bands, do NOT ever send your material, unsolicited or otherwise, requiring a signature. That will just piss off whomever is in receipt of your package. And to open it up to find a plea that they need help from people just like myself, is well, hilariously ironic. But despite the aggravation of my mailman giving me warning slip after warning slip regarding signature, I promised to listen with an open-mind. Good thing I did! Polish pop-punk that is in the vein of California sunny pop-punk you’d hear at any mall or skate park. The EP is short at only three-songs but very strong nevertheless, perhaps strong enough to even get them signed to an indie label at some point soon. The single is “Chillin’ Out (Retarded Knight)” and at sub-three minutes is perfect for the attention span deficit mall punk fans out there. The recording is spot-on, sounding extremely professional, and yes they sing in English; also their harmonies are ridiculously catchy with nice foot-stomping rhythms – pretty much everything that a great pop-punk band needs in their favor. Definitely not something incredibly new by any stretch but in this genre, does it really matter?

Listen to their cover of Blink 182’s “First Date” at YouTube. Is it really a surprise that they’d cover Blink 182 (that’s a rhetorical question for those of you sucking down the cough syrup a bit too much these days).

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Lakehurst is Burning – Lakehurst is Burning

Jan01
2010 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

Atlanta may not be best known as a haven for post-hardcore outfits, but perhaps with the self-titled EP by Lakehurst is Burning from one of my personal favorite indie labels, Reason Y Records, that could all change in a blink of an eye. Angular guitars combine with splendid melodies that brine together the best offerings of DC post-hardcore/indie rock ala Fugazi and the smart emocore (you know, what REAL emo is/was?) that so many rock musicians these days seem to have sadly forsaken for the ridiculousness of screamo and bland noise rock. The Paper Champions unfortunately fell apart after six great years in 2008, but Lakehurst is Burning, which features three out of four members of that super group, formed in its wake shortly thereafter. If you don’t know – and few that consider themselves “in the know” wouldn’t, The Paper Champions were gifted with plenty of success ranging from a prized inclusion on Deep Elm Records’ widely acclaimed “Emo Diaries” compilation series and also their “Ask Emma” was featured on MTV’s coveted Road Rules soundtrack – their ’04 debut full-length “Weekend of Compromise” being one of the early success of the aforementioned Atlanta imprint Reason Y, but it was their 4-song EP, “End. Transmission” that was their most critically acclaimed album. Sadly that band is no more, but if this self-titled debut EP shows us anything, it’s that the creative juices and intelligent songwriting that went into each passionate cut that The Paper Champions penned hasn’t been lost and indeed seems to have been fostered into something new being just as propulsive and essential. How’d they get this interesting moniker you ask? Well the band name is a reference to an air force base in Lakehurst, New Jersey where brother Jason (vocals/guitar) and Brad Neubert (drums)’s great-grandfater manned the tethers for the doomed Hindenburg zeppelin that tragically burst into flames killing 36 people. Despite the bleak band moniker, the album is a refreshing and captivating adventure of post-hardcore indie rock with gritty song structures of intriguingly paced time signatures and mature yet dark lyrics. Fascinating album that seemingly offers something new and exciting with each listen.

Buy Entire Album on MP3 on Amazon | Listen to “Captain, This is Crazy” [Free MP3 Download]

Watch a Live Video from their CD Release Party:

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Prize Country – With Love

Nov07
2009 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

prize-country_with-love

I can’t believe more people aren’t gushing and obsessing about Prize Country. “With Love” is a fantastic journey across the myriad of DC hardcore via their hometown of Portland, Oregon with firm nods towards the late great Quicksand. We should all band together and make this band a huge success so that guitarist Jacob Depolitte doesn’t have to drive a cab for a living anymore (unless of course he wants to do it as a side hobby). With artwork done by renowned Philly poster artist, Mike Wohlberg, “With Love” is the total package. Riff heavy guitar-centric post-hardcore that boasts bass-heavy glides and sleekly dirty production and engineering efforts that was polished perfectly by recording engineer and producer Stephen Hawkes. Songs like “Gamble” and “It Was a Night Just Like Tonight” will make you forget your deep seeded resentment towards the demise of groups like Quicksand and Snapcase. This is one of the most essential albums this year, taking Fugazi to task with their intrepid backdrop of caustic guitar chords and surging melodic vocal yells.

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Artist vs. Poet – Artist vs. Poet

Jul18
2009 Leave a Comment Written by J-Sin

artist-vs-poet_artist-vs-poet

It truly amazes me how many bands can sound exactly like this and get away with such blatant plagiarism. Imagine if the music industry had the same zealous infatuation with catchy copycats as university’s do with college term paper-writing or hell the RIAA’s infamous prosecution of underage music pirates. That said, one can’t help but believe in such infectious melodies as Artist vs. Poet. Sure they could be on a dozen movie soundtracks starring Justin Long or Sean William Scott but who gives a damn. This is fun mall-punk rich in everything that producer Mike Green (Paramore, Danger Radio, The Higher) can pour into this quick up-tempo self-titled EP. You’ll hear way more on Fuse and see way more throughout their planned tour of the Spring of ’09.

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