I Breathe the Underground

The Original Pop-Punk Gangstas Divide the Nation

I always feel like I'm sitting at the bar of some small club sipping a whiskey when I listen to Dillinger Four. Albeit you could draw that conclusion directly from each album's production quality -- but I really meant how the music makes me feel. It's like the band has something wiser behind it than the pop-punk powerhouses spewing out the same catchy chord progressions and hooks, yet something more playful than a lot of today's political punkers. The band succeeds in blending the raw with the - for lack of a better term - marketable.

I've been a huge Dillinger Four fan since the first time I listened to them -- back when they were the centerpiece for Hopeless Records' Hopelessly Devoted to You compilation series. Those comps were truly historical collections for 90s punk, showcasing respected now-veteran scenesters like Mustard Plug, Against All Authority, Guttermouth, the Queers, Funeral Oration, the Weakerthans and Samiam; defunct or still unknown but truly spectacular bands like 88 Fingers Louie, Digger, Fifteen, and Scared of Chaka; even Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold, Break the Silence and Atom and His Package on more recent compilations. Ever since I first heard those comps, Dillinger Four became a band whose track record I've followed religiously for several years.

Dillinger Four hasn't shown a significant musical progression over the years, but the quality of their tunes hasn't diminished either, which is something only the finest punk bands can demonstrate. Let's be honest; punk rock isn't really about complicated riffs and musical progression anyway.

The band's newest recording, C I V I L W A R, stays true to Dillinger Four's hook-laden chord progressions, formulaic but catchy. You can feel a slightly different quality to the music; in an interview posted on AP.net, Erik Funk summed it up nicely:

"Now that it's done, I think it's more heavy on the pop side than our other records."

Which isn't to say that D4's signature rawness is gone -- it's just a little more subtle. After all, Fat Wreck Chords wouldn't promote a band that had gone soft, would they?

There's not much else to say about this recording. I love it. You either love 'em or hate 'em. D4 is straight-up, in-your-face pop-punk. They've got nothing to hide. So if you dig D4's other recordings, you're sure to like this one. If you don't like the old stuff, then stop reading this damn post.

Oops, too late. It's already over.

"I am not unforgiving / but I won't take the fall / Let the ashes surround us / I am not gonna crawl through / broken glass and razor wire."

- Dillinger Four, "Noble Stabbings!!"

Obama, Supergroups, and Punk Rock...Oh My!

Oh my, there is a lot going on in the world of music as of late that I'd like to blog about. For one, New Found Glory signed to Epitaph Records today. But we'll get to that tomorrow. Today's blog will focus on a super-group of sorts, a band formed from bits and pieces of Goldfinger, Dee Dee Ramone (band), Soulfly/Stone Sour, and New Dead Radio, with original members spanning Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, and Guttermouth. The band, of course, is Black President.

DISCLAIMER: Band members claim the band name was decided upon before Barack Obama won the democratic nomination, so don't get your panties in a tussle just yet. Although socially charged, the band doesn't appear to have any such political obligations as of yet.

Black President is a fusion of old skool punk rock and old fashioned rock and roll. Think Rancid with a twinge of Against Me, guitar riffs reminiscent of the Living End, throw a little Minor Threat in the mix, vocal stylings a la the Distillers (with a male vocalist, of course), and you've got the perfect recipe for a punk rock shit sandwich.

From flowing chunky measures to raw superfast punk to churning old skool rock and roll, Black President is chock full of pop-sensible hooks and supercharged punk rock anthems. A little raw for the radio (but that's the way -- uh huh uh huh -- I like it). If you listen closely (whether intentional or unintentional), you may even hear something of a 90s Chicago punk scene homage throughout. Old and new skool Chicago bands that come to mind: Oblivion, Mexican Cheerleader, Apocalypse Hoboken, No Empathy.

Black President released their self-titled debut full-length today on Cobra Music. I suggest you hop on down to your local DIY record store and pick up a copy son.

"it was just our way of saying america needed a change & we could think of nothing more indictative of change in a racist, soulless system than a BLACK PRESIDENT. the sad truth is we don’t support ANY of the candidates at this point."
- Black President, "our name & barack obama" (blog post 3/08)

Hardcore Kids Against Maternal Love?

Norma Jean is back with a vengeance. Out for blood, the Georgia quintet recently released The Anti Mother, a characteristic raging masterpiece that screams for the scene respect that this band deserves and usually gets.

Since Josh Scogin left the band to form the Chariot, a lot of unfounded talk bustled across the scene that Norma Jean wasn't up to 2002's Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child level, that O God, the Aftermath (2005) wasn't quite on par with the band's previous work. Still, some people were impressed with the offering. Personally, I wasn't exactly impressed, but it wasn't a terrible album. It never really made a significant spot in my rotation, but it was good for a stray listen every so often.

Cory Brandan, Scogin's successor, powered the band back to hardcore splendor with 2006's Redeemer, which ironically enough seemed to redeem the band's status as scene pioneers. It was pretty clear to me at the time that if you weren't ready to move on with the band away from its roots, then there was always the Chariot, which essentially picked up where BTMAKTC left off.

To me, Redeemer had a sonic quality that could be felt more than heard; the band's typical dissonant style was still there, but poppy hooks bled through the noise and formulated strong tunes, supported by an evenly unpredictable drum pattern that wasn't too "out there," as much I cannot say for the previous recording. (Pop in OGTA and you'll see what I'm talking about.) I like experimental music, but I felt like OGTA wasn't really working for them. I think the band felt that too, as Redeemer is such a drastic countermeasure (and was released only a year after the previous recording).

Stepping in the dominant footprints of Redeemer, The Anti Mother is a tantalizing and catchy journey through the evolution of the band that loses no edge or momentum from earlier work, capturing a raw earnestness that pumps through unfamiliar riffs laced with surprisingly strong hooks, bolstered by the characteristic heaviness and dissonance that only Norma Jean can seem to capture.

Norma Jean appears to have finally found a niche in the realm of melodic metalcore, solidifying their position as pioneers of the scene. If you're not happy with it, then go listen to the Chariot. I can't offer refunds -- only peace of mind.

"I guess a liar's heart is still true even if her lips are not."
- Cory Brandan, "Birth of the Anti Mother"

It's Not You -- It's Me, Russia

Holy shit. Can I just say -- and actually mean, for once -- that I've found my brand new obsession? Please? Okay, I'm going to say it anyway.

If anyone can bring peace to the sickly giant that is Russia, then it is this band. And they know it. Say hello to Closure in Moscow.

This band blindsided me. Even though Circa Survive has kept me contented following Anthony Green's departure from Saosin (more on Green's new solo album to come), I didn't think anyone would be able to take young Saosin's place in my heart. But apparently Saosin chose the heir to the throne, as it threw its weight behind CIM after a flattering appearance in AP, where the young Aussie band cited Saosin as a primary influence (referring directly to the band's Green days).

Now, Closure in Moscow has...well...essentially...um...brought closure to fans of Saosin that were disillusioned by Green's exit. They pick up right where Saosin left out, pounding out high-pitched emotive music supported by unpredictable patterns and intense drum fills. They've preserved the haunting melodies while pushing forward with the song structures, driving a production of intricacy and beauty that's been unmatched by any band I've had the pleasure of listening to this year.

To be fair, CIM is more than just a Saosin clone. The band's influences and similarities shine through in their gigantic, aura-building sound. Think if Saosin and the Mars Volta eloped to Vegas, but Saosin got cold feet and hooked up with a showgirl named Fall of Troy, broke her heart, and flew out to the east coast to live with My Chemical Romance, an old college buddy. Meanwhile, From First to Last and Rufio are tracking Saosin like an animal, bounty-hunting for the reward money. Unbeknownst to From First to Last, it was Rufio's older brother Yellowcard that Saosin had murdered, and Rufio is searching for more than just money -- he wants revenge.

Sorry, I blacked out for a second. What just happened?

Closure in Moscow recently brought the thunder from down under, releasing its debut EP The Penance and the Patience in April of this year. Check them out.

"Line by line, it's not too late / We're biding time."

- Closure in Moscow, "Breathing Underwater"

Get Lost in the Sound of Separation

I've been waiting in dire anticipation at least a year for this, so it is with great pleasure that I present you Underoath's fourth full-length studio recording, Lost in the Sound of Separation.

Christianity and brutality have never quite melded the way this sextet from Tampa, Florida has demonstrated over the past ten years. Blurring the lines between art and chaos, music and dissonance, and elevated spirituality and earthly frustration, each song Underoath has recorded is like a raging, insistent battle between good and evil. Aaron Gillespie's honest vocals seem eternally pitted against Spencer Chamberlain's explosive growls in an epic struggle for dominance, like two sides of the same coin tumbling down a bottomless well.

Underoath's latest offering plays deeper into that same dynamic, building up something beautiful and destroying it in a whirlwind of crunching guitars and wailing vocals. Fans of the band might remember Define the Great Line's (2006) face-melting intro, "In Regards to Myself" -- that is, until they pop this baby in and let "Breathing in a New Mentality" spin. The urgency of the record doesn't push its own limits as it drifts purposefully from song to song, drilling the band's staple catchy melodies into your head and leaving a hole in the back of your skull so the music can come and go as it pleases.

Although I'm a firm subscriber to the notion that production can be a record's biggest downfall, the quality difference between DTGL and LITSOS is most tangible in the drums, facilitating a self-sustaining product that feeds on a dominant beat, with layered guitars and the usual vocal meandering. Another production upgrade is apparent in Gillespie's vocals; nearly flawless, the recording captures the emotion and power that stands independent of Chamberlain's screams, while simultaneously working with them to present the contrast that solidfies Underoath as a unique ship in a sea of metalcore bouys.

Clearly, this is not a detour from previous records, but the evolution that Underoath fans could have only been dreaming about waiting for the album to drop.

"Oh, God! It's racing through my veins / I'm afraid there must be some kind of mistake."

- Underoath, "Breathing in a New Mentality"