Uncover Audio

Band of the Week: Hot Water Music

2012-05-29T09:11:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago I talked about Against Me!'s Todd Gabel and his (now her) decision to go public with being transgender. Since then, Laura Jane Grace has taken the stage for the first time as a female, and even announced that Against Me!'s new album will be called Transgender Dysphoria Blues.

The album was being written well before Laura decided to go public with being transgender; she simply marketed it to the band as a concept album. But now, and this will no doubt continue throughout the course of Against Me!'s career, the band is being accused of milking the story for record sales.

In Comes Hot Water Music

The support that Laura received instantly after RollingStone hit the shelves was overwhelming. Bands from all over voiced their support for Laura. I think the ongoing support is just as important as the initial support extended to Against Me!, mainly because they will be under a microscope for a long, long time.

I wanted to spotlight Hot Water Music this week for 2 reasons.

1.  They were able to sum up my thoughts on the Against Me! story better than I was

"I felt really honored to be a part of a community that was so open-minded supporting people doing things out of the norm, because when I was a kid, that’s what punk was all about. It was a mind-set, about you being exactly who you wanted to be, no matter what your school or your parents or the church said."~ Hot Water Music's Chuck Ragan

2. They just released Exister, which is unbelievably good.

Why am I not reviewing this album? To be honest, I can't really put into perspective just how good it is. Hot Water Music have been around since 1993. They've released over 8 full length albums. I have 1 of them.

In a way, it makes me a perfect unbiased reviewer. Too many people get caught up in what a band has done in the past to focus on what the band is trying to do now. And while I firmly believe that to be true, this particular band is a bit outside my norm. I'm still getting used to the non-stop guitar and the marlboro red-ish vocals, all the while loving both of them.

Better than ever?

Hot Water Music broke up somewhere around 2006. This is their first release since then. It leaves me wondering, is this release so good because they focused so much time, energy, and thought on it? Or is it so good because they went in to the studio, had fun, and released whatever the hell came out of them?

If you're ever struggling to answer that question when listening to an album, you have a really, really great album on your hands.

Buy it: Amazon

Review: Motion City Soundtrack- Go

2012-05-25T08:10:00.001-04:00

This may come as a surprise to you, but there are several days I am annoyed by 95% of the music on my iPod. Sometimes it's all too loud, or too in depth. Sometimes I just don't want to think. Motion City Soundtrack may not be my favorite band, but they are consistently in that other 5% that just sound good whenever. That's not easy to do, you know. Sure, the synthesizer helps. And Justin Pierre's clean, instantly recognizable vocals leading the charge doesn't hurt. But what is it about this band that is always just so easy to digest?

Lyrically, they're perfect for the music they make, but not stellar by any means. Allow me to throw a few lines at you that, when taken out of their musical context, make Justin Bieber look like Shakespeare

"Don't speak, don't think, just take it off."

"You're Chicken Little, I'm the monkey in the middle."

"You better believe it's true. You know I do."

You still reading? Stay with me. This is actually what makes MCR so difficult to figure out. They carefully disguise their weaknesses within their stregnths, and in a weird way, it just all blends together perfectly. Hear for yourself.

Despite such a strong single, this particular album (sadly), falls short of their previous efforts. Their old "endearing" sound comes across a bit childish and forced on "Go". It's actually hard to imagine they missed on writing a complete pop-rock album when listening to tracks like "True Romance" and "Timelines" (both very, very worth listening to).

Songs like "Happy Anniversary" sound promising until you reach the chorus, where you'll discover you've discovered this song a million times before. The uniqueness just isn't there. And when MCR aren't working off their strengths, their weaknesses slowly begin to stack up.

Listen to these, do youself a favor a skip these.

Track Listing
1) Circuits And Wires
2) True Romance
3) Son Of A Gun
4) Timelines
5) Everyone Will Die
6) The Coma Kid
7) Box Elder
8) The Worst Is Yet To Come
9) Bad Idea
10) Happy Anniversary
11) Floating Down The River

Motion City Soundtrack will release Go on June 12th.
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Pre-order: Amazon

Band of the Week: Coasta

2012-05-22T08:09:00.001-04:00

I have a confession to make: I download some of my music. Wait. It gets worse. It's not exactly... the downloading, it's not exactly....

You see, the "me" of ten years ago would love 2012. Not only would he be able to preview 1 and a half minutes of each song he's contemplating buying (thanks iTunes), but he could also have the entire album for free with 3 clicks and 5 pacing minutes. Boom. Album artwork, lyric booklet, and each song, dropped right into my iTunes library. If the "me" of 10 years ago had been able to do this back then, the "me" of today would have a speed boat.

Instead, he'd walk over to Gallery of Sound each Saturday morning with his CD player tightly squeezed into his pocket, walking ever so gently to prevent the CD from skipping. And as I'm writing this, I'm realizing my kids will probably never know the harshness of that sound, or the frustration of trying to prevent it. Unborn sons a...

Ahem, where was I? Oh yes... Exit store, unwrap CD, swap with what was in there, misplace old CD for months. Then, depending on how impatient I was, I'd attempt to read the lyrics while walking home. This process is the original form of texting, and yes, it's equally as dangerous around traffic.

I bought some of these $14 albums based off of one song I heard on a sampler. Or a recommendation from a friend. Or just cool band name that was mentioned in same breath as others I enjoyed. Any excuse I had to try and discover something new. Remember, I had just discovered my love for this type of music, so I wasn't waiting for it to come to me anymore, I was going out of my way to get it.

Well I soon found out I couldn't afford it anymore. I was discovering a lot of great music, but there was a lot of crap I bought too. "Why can't I listen to the ENTIRE album first and THEN pay for it if I want it?" Seems like a fair idea, right?

Side note: This is also why I don't trust samples in grocery stores.

Sample Lady: Would you like to try a sample of our honey ham?

Me: Sure!

Sample Lady: Well, what do you think?

Me: It's delicious. I'll take an unnecessary amount of it.

(Drives home)

Me: This ham sandwich is terrible.

Coasta, a new band from Long Island, have made me a sandwich. They made me a sandwich and said "Hey, if you like it, then pay for it." And you'll be happy to know that less than 2 weeks after making their self-released/recorded sandwich, Run For Cover Records decided to buy the entire sandwich shop!

OK, that's enough. My point is, it's much easier to discover these unknown bands nowadays. I don't HAVE to pirate your music if you just let me check it out first. And if you like what you hear, Coasta is polite enough to only charge $4 for their EP (you can pay more if you WANT). That's literally less than the cost of (don't say a sandwich don't say a sandwich don't say a sandwich) a sandwich. Sorry.

Recommended If You Like: Brand New (Coasta's lead singer is Jesse Lacey's Brother), The Shins, The Republic of Wolves.

5 Star Album: Jimmy Eat World - "Futures"

2012-05-18T09:49:00.001-04:00

There are 6,113 songs on my iPod at this very moment, all belonging to a band or artist that I keep track of one way or the other. I'm not sure if that's a large number or small number comparatively speaking, but it's what I like to call a "shuffle friendly" number. The problem with handing someone my iPod and letting them roam freely is that they may not give it back with an accurate view of the music I really listen to.

I'm going to be reviewing albums on my blog often. I'm also going to be rating them using a 5 star scale so people can skip over 90% of what I've written in exchange for the cliff note version of my long winded review (I do it too).

But similar to my iPod analogy, I want you to be able to jump right to what I really listen to. Which albums are "do not miss"? Which albums are, in my opinion, flawless?

So I came up with "5 Star Albums". While I encourage you to read all my album reviews, I want to put particular emphasis on the albums that rank this highly.

Jimmy Eat World

Futures

The Band
You've heard this band. Remember "The Middle"? Jimmy Eat World experienced some short lived fame with their album "Bleed American" back in 2001. They've been around for over 18 years and have released 7 full length albums. If you ever come across a big fan of this band, ask them what their favorite Jimmy Eat World album is. Ten minutes later, politely ask them to get to the point and decide already.

The Album
First off, scroll back up and look at the album cover again. Go ahead, I'll wait...

Now, clearly that guy needs to use the telephone. Not "Holy shit someone call 911" needs to use the telephone. More like an "I've been putting this off long enough" needs to use the telephone. That, accompanied with the title of the album, should put enough into perspective for you.

Musically speaking, don't let the aggressive opening guitar riff fool you, Jimmy Eat World typically move at a slow, steady pace. Maybe "slow" isn't the right word, "composed" might be a better fit.

But Futures doesn't really care how slow, fast, or structured the album sounds as a whole. Its the working parts and individuality that compliment each other the way an album should. For every bleak moment..

Kill
"I know what I should do, but I just can't walk away"

There's a refleshingly simply...

Polaris

"I feel that when I'm old I'll look at you and know the world was beautiful"

It's an incredibly honest album that speaks about struggling to make the right move due to the changes that accompany it. Change is hard, even when you know it's for the best.

The Song

"Polaris". A spacey, bass driven, sneakily powerful song. Few chorus's can bust out of a songs shell without losing the songs structure like this one does.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Recommended if you like: Brand New, Northstar, The Spill Canvas, contemplating change, the Fall.
Buy now: Amazon

Band of the Week: Against Me!

2012-05-15T08:22:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be spotlighting different bands from time to time based upon their recent activity and what's happening in the world of music news. Against Me! was a very easy selection this week.

Before reading any further, press play.

Listening? Good. It's important that you're listening.

Against Me! has been a punk-rock band for over 15 years and regular contributors to The Warped Tour, a national music festival for similar artists. Their most recent album, White Crosses, was their highest charting album to date, peaking at #34 on the Billboard 200.

They're fronted by lead singer Tom Gabel, a happily married man and father to his 2 year old daughter. Which is why it came as a surprise (and that's putting it lightly) that Tom Gabel has come out as transgender and will soon begin hormone and electrolysis treatments.

Yes, the man you're listening to right now.. the man covered in tattoos... the man representing a hard-edged/confrontational/political genre of music.... THAT man, will soon go by the name Laura Jane Grace.

The term "shocked" doesn't quite describe my initial reaction to this story. And the term "courageous" doesn't quite do Tom Gabel justice. Forget about whether or not you agree, socially or religiously, with this life altering decision. Focus on his honesty and his selflessness in exposing it so others can look up to him when they're faced with adversity.

There's no doubt in my mind that people will criticize and attempt to demoralize Tom for this decision. I can't, and won't, claim to know who's right or wrong. I can, however, make one thing clear for anyone surprised, confused, or unresolved in hearing this news. The "punk-rock" genre has always represented the fearless expression of rebelling against closed mindedness. It's about standing up for what you believe in. It's about not conforming for the sake of conformity. It's about letting your voice be heard.

Now, let me ask you this, is there another individual on this planet right now that represents punk-rock more than Tom Gabel?

I encourage you to check out ~~Tom's,~~ ahem (it does still take some getting used to).... Laura's interview in RollingStone this Friday, but I'm going to assume the song below will sum up that interview quite well.

Song: Bamboo Bones

Best Lyric: "What God doesn't give you, you've got to go get for yourself"

Buy Now: Amazon

"People don't care about what your music means to you, they only care about what it means to them"

2012-05-11T07:09:00.000-04:00

When I was about 15 years old, I bought tickets to see New Found Glory at a local venue. This would end up being my first real concert. Knowing full well I couldn't attend a function like this wearing a turtle neck, I bought a New Found Glory T-shirt. (Yes, I know, I broke the cardinal rule. "Don't wear a shirt advertising the band you're going to see." Baby steps people, baby steps.)

How was the concert? I don't really remember to be honest. What I do remember is how I felt in that T-shirt. I remember this "unlocking" feeling. I know it sounds silly, but it truly was one of those pivotal, enlightening childhood moments that wake you up to part of what you suddenly stand for.

All the guitar lessons that immediately followed..

All the paychecks that went directly to local record stores..

All the album art that covered every single inch of my bedroom walls..

All the wallets attached to metal chains that my Uncle Joe relentlessly made fun of me for..

All of that can be traced back to a T-Shirt.

I wish I knew what I did with that T-Shirt. I'm assuming I outgrew it, as I did with the band itself (and thankfully the chained wallets). But even today, just the thought of that shirt represents a world of music I never knew existed. I was thoughtlessly listening to the radio on a daily basis because I thought the radio = music, and that music = radio. Had I known there was an alternative, I can assure you I would've taken the necessary precautions to ensure I wouldn't be able to recite Sisqo's "Thong Song" word for word at the age of 26.

That's why I love describing what I listen to as "Alternative". It's an edgy, completely undescriptive word used to sum up a pool of music that requires some digging if you're going to discover it. The hope for my blog is to do some of that work for you.

Now, just to be clear, I'm not "anti-radio" by any means. I don't dislike the mainstream simply because it's the mainstream. I like passionate, fun, and meaningful music, regardless of what genre or category it may fit in to. So while I do plan on focusing on rock/indie/pop/punk/progressive music, I'm always looking for bands and artists that help challenge my appreciation for what I listen to now, and what I may discover in the future. So suggest away!

That being said, thanks for reading my blog. I look forward to sharing some music that means a lot to me, and may eventually mean a lot to you. And if it does, pass it along. I'll leave you guys with a song by The Gaslight Anthem called "45". You're going to see this band everywhere in 3 months.

Recommended if you like: Bruce Springsteen, Bluesy Punk Rock, the 1950's.
Best Lyric: "I can’t move on and I can’t stay the same."
Buy Now: Amazon