I Breathe the Underground

Amtrak Ain't Got Shit on These Guys

For me, the word "transit" usually calls to mind crowded CTA buses and El cars, long rides on cross-country trains, and cramped airplane seats triggering nausea-related discomfort. Boston-based Transit is working hard to defeat these preconceptions by flavoring their own brand of post-hardcore/pop-punk excellence under the cursed nomenclature.

When I first spun Transit's relatively new EP, Stay Home, I thought Grade was resurrecting under a new pseudonym. Something about the tone of lead singer Joe Boynton's layered vocals is undeniably reminiscent of Grade's Kyle Bishop. The pace and feel are on par with Senses Fail at their best. Liken Transit to who you will, but the five-piece is certainly an animal all its own.

Stay Home is well-produced, confident and straight-forward while staying catchy and on-track. Flirting with a genre like pop-punk can be dangerous; the style itself has some serious identity issues, and a lot of bands end up on the shallow, Average Joe side of the tracks. Transit walks the tightrope adeptly, weaving hooks within the deeper post-hardcore themes of each song. Critics have drawn comparisons to Hot Water Music, but the only place I see it is in some of the gruff supporting vocals.

In the end, Stay Home is short, fun and innovative and sets a pretty solid standard for Transit. I know I'm excited for the full-length follow up. These guys are really just another piece of the burgeoning post-hardcore movement that's been sprouting a shitload of incredible under-the-radar acts.

Stay Home's lead-off track included for you listening pleasure, children.

Download 01 Stay Home

"I'd put my ear against your heart to keep the beat forever."
- Transit, "Stay Home"

Define "Irony"

After about two weeks of some hardcore listening, it's pretty clear to me that Manchester Orchestra is neither British nor orchestral. Still, there's something defiant and clear-cut in the band's hodge-podge of influences, something clearly defined that helps the Atlanta natives stand-out against the backdrop of pretentious indie rock permeating the music scene as of late.

Manchester Orchestra's recently released second label-backed full-length Mean Everything to Nothing is as ironic as the album's title. MO front-man Andy Hull has cited a diverse list of influences for the sophomore offering, from Foo Fighters to Nirvana to Death Cab for Cutie. What ultimately emerges is a concoction of Smoking Popes-esque vocals, big Motion City Soundtrack hooks, Get Up Kids pianos, anthems and lyrics that would make Matt Skiba jealous, twangy Hot Rod Circuit riffs, Hold Steady honesty, and a definitive sound that is quite oft compared to the evolved stylings of Brand New (who ironically enough discovered MO).

In a recent Alternative Press article, Max Bemis even weighs in: "On the upcoming Say Anything record, I was inspired a lot lyrically by [MO's] Andy [Hull]...They are the band who will push kids to write and listen to better music."

METN is exactly that, displaying rich soundscapes of indie-emo explosiveness that bridges genres without spreading itself too thin. Universally relatable and widely acclaimed, METN debuted at #37 on the Billboard charts -- and it's easy to hear why. METN will identify a far better direction for the wayward world of indie music.

The entirety of Mean Everything to Nothing is currently streaming at Manchester Orchestra's MySpace. What nice guys.

"Are you the living ghost of what I need? / Are you giving me the best of me? / We will see."
- Manchester Orchestra, "Shake It Out"

A Hardcore Band to Remember, Bra

Whoever thought of mating anger with happiness blew my f@#%ing mind. I'm of course talking about the affectionately-labeled "happy hardcore" (or "melodic hardcore" to those keeping official track), a trend that is catching on in a big way. You've probably already noticed this burgeoning movement erupting through bands like Set Your Goals, Daggermouth, Four Year Strong -- and of course the band that began the movement in the first place, Fall Out Boy. Don't act so offended, hardcore kids.

Expect to hear a lot about the next up-and-coming act in metalcore, a five piece from Florida called A Day to Remember. These kids can rock, and they've got the melodic hardcore world by its tail with their new release, Homesick.

Yep, here comes another bastard-child analogy to try to put the band's sound on the level. Think Bullet for My Valentine (fresh off a recent fling with My Chemical Romance) meets Fall Out Boy, falls in puppy love, elopes to Vegas and is wed by Set Your Goals, who have the authority to marry following a mix-up at the state department. The resulting offspring would sound a lot like ADTR.

Homesick makes me feel simultaneously comfortable and violently ill. ADTR masters the art of hardcore with an ecstatic flair, utilizing some of the most radio friendly riffs I've heard from a hardcore act. The screaming borders on death metal; the drums are oddly dumbed down. But the edge is there in a big way...and so are the hooks. They could have called this album The Next Big Thing in Underground Music and it would have turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Final summation? A Day to Remember will top my chart as the next music act that I love to hate, drawing in an audience most hardcore bands won't be able to relate to but keeping me interested with their catchy, edgy tracks. They stand as a reminder that even hardcore can be relatable to a wider audience while solidifying the death of gang vocals. RIP.

Here's a track from the new album, Homesick, for your listening pleasure.

Download 01 The Downfall Of Us All 1

"You know I've got you, / like a puppet in the palm of my hand, / don't you let me down."
- A Day to Remember, "I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?"

Thanking the Academy the Punk Rock Way

If I had any actual clout in the music industry, I would give Propagandhi the award for Best Supporting Caste.

Okay, no need to be tongue and cheeky when the punk rock/experimental thrash vets have already done so for me. But for the love of all that is unholy, I can't understand how Propagandhi keeps doing it. For their fifth full-length studio release, Propagandhi has opened up the flood gates of socio-political lyricism and musical complexity that rivals even Strung Out's more recent work.

This is not punk rock anymore, my friends. Propagandhi has introduced us to something seriously profound...elevated...something that transcends the breadth of former label Fat Wreck Chords' entire collection. Therefore, I'm happy to announce that this release is backed by Canadian label Smallman Records, a much more consistent and forward-thinking home for the evolutionary punkers.

To be frank, Supporting Caste doesn't really do anything that much more spectacular than Potemkin City Limits (2005) or even Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes (2001). Nothing beyond solidifying Propagandhi's stranglehold on the punk rock industry, that is. But Supporting Caste does stand out in and of itself, offering original, poetic, and unique punk rock fury supported by metalesque complexity that can't quite be defined as metal, either. Is Propagandhi the musical equivalent of social progression? Depends on how bleeding heart liberal you are. From a purely technical standpoint, Propagandhi represents a musical future that doesn't exist, a future that has yet proven ungraspable by the rock and roll landscape of today's standards.

Supporting Caste is beautiful, with more reliance on catchy intricacy than gushing, blazing hardcore compared to the band's past albums. Tracks like "Supporting Caste," "Tertium Non Datur," and "Dear Coach's Corner" stand out, even though they spin back to back to back.

The album borders on pretentious; then again, hasn't that always been Propagandhi's calling card? I mean, I have to admit...they know far more about social doctrine and humanist philosophy than I might ever hope to learn. Pretentious or not, I really could care less. Supporting Caste will be spinning on my playlist for awhile.

Supporting Caste drops on March 10. Check out a couple of older Propagandhi tunes below.

Download 14-Propagandhi-Purina_Hall_Of_Fame

Download 12 Iteration

"I guess it comes down to what kind of world you want to live in / and if diversity is disagreement, disagreement is treason."
- Propagandhi, "Dear Coach's Corner"

Precious Blasphemous Metal: Lamb of God Loosens "Wrath" on the World

There is something so intricately formulaic in Lamb of God's sound, defined almost exclusively by contemporary metal's most creative guitarist, LOG's Mark Morton. Every formula must contain supporting factors; blisteringly fast and distinct drums, growl/scream vocal dynamic, and tight, raw recording quality are all crucial supporting cast members in the Lamb of God show.

The unreleased CD fairy has graced my home yet again with the early arrival of Lamb of God's sixth full-length studio album, Wrath. By now, these guys are seasoned veterans of the scene and fully solidified as the torch-carriers to the Pantera throne.

It's hard to believe LOG started as a strictly-instrumental outfit when you hear how well vocalist Randy Blythe's screams lead each track. With Wrath, LOG maintains the same raw, heavy-hitting and serious themes of the group's earlier work while setting the bar even higher, capturing an almost indefinable songwriting evolution that wasn't always noticeable on 2006's Sacrament.

Yet Wrath is simultaneously a step forward and a step backward. Yes, the evolution is there. But what really sets Wrath off is the band's departure from Sacrament and revisit to older work in the songwriting space. Sitting here desperately trying to put my finger on specific differences, all I can say for sure is that the differentiators are technically minute but emotionally palpable.

"Grace" is my favorite track on Wrath, laden with metal grooves, some of the coolest drum fills I've ever heard, and, of course, a classic metal breakdown. I'm also partial to the final track, "Reclamation," which is reminiscent of and as big as a Pantera ballad.

Wrath is exactly what you would expect from major metal players like LOG: simply another example of why this band is on top of the genre. Pick it up February 24. Until then, rock to some oldies but goodies.

Download 01-lamb_of_god-ruin

Download 06 Descending

"There's a bad storm blowing in / and most of us won't make it / the wreckage of your past / means nothing now, forsake it."

- Lamb of God, "Broken Hands"