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"

Open Up Your Books to Chapter 1, "The Rise of Science"

In high school, I hated science so much that I never took a college course in any of the major disciplines. In fact, I think I took some sort of blow-off geology class to fulfill my gen-ed credits. But for the first time, science has touched me in a way it never has before. The science of musical cohesion, as exemplified by unsigned but innovative five-piece post-hardcore outfit The Rise of Science.

I found these guys randomly through Alternative Press' AP&R section, and I have to say "bravo" to the indie mag. The Rise of Science are stunning, employing Moneen-esque guitar riffs, high-pitched, raw vocals a la Coheed and Cambria, aura-building melodies that build brighter hooks than Circa Survive, and an essence that would turn Anthony Green...well, green (with envy, of course). Yet, TROS encapsulate a beauty that is rare for an unsigned band. In fact, I'm almost enraged at the fact that these guys are not signed to a huge deal. I've yet to come across such an impressive band that I've never heard of.

I don't have any tracks to share on the site, but please do me, them and yourself a favor and go check these guys out. They just got in a van accident for f@*#'s sake!

And definitely check out their cover of "Desperados Waiting for a Train."

"I can't pin my lungs and bite my tongue / Induce what I might soon forget."
- The Rise of Science, "Short Comings Can Be Incomplete"

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?"

The Top 20 Greatest Underground Debuts Pt. 2

Part 2 of the Top 20 Greatest Underground Debuts. View Part 1 here.

15. The Lawrence Arms - Guided Tour of Chicago - Even though Brendan Kelly dominates the vocals entirely on TLA's first album, Guided Tour of Chicago introduced a driving power in contemporary punk rock. Follow-up albums would highlight more of Chris McCaughan's gentler sensibilities, but GTOC was a force unto itself and a fan favorite.

Download Lawrence arms - a guided tour of chicago - 10 - eighteen inches

14. Primus - Frizzle Fry - A few years after his audition for and subsequent rejection from Metallica, Les Claypool took James Hetfield's advice and started his own band. There is no doubt in my mind that Primus was ultimately more important and unique to the scene than Metallica has ever been. Frizzle Fry debuted Claypool's unique vocal and bass style, provoking an immediate underground following.

Download 03. Too Many Puppies

13. Rancid - Rancid - What can I say about Rancid? They seem to be the luckiest punk band in the history of punk bands. It's hard to put my finger on what exactly it is that makes Rancid so good and even more difficult for me to locate what makes them more marketable than other punk rockers. But they made themselves into an incredibly influential part of the scene, and their self-titled debut still rings true today. Even if Tim Armstrong thinks he's a rock star. Track from B Sides and C Sides.

Download 12-rancid-sick_sick_world-3am

12. Thursday - Waiting - Post-hardcore had no idea these guys were coming. Thursday's debut was a wall of sound that displayed a little of their now signature darkness alongside some more upbeat tracks. Thursday is still on top of the genre today and will drop Common Existence on February 17. Track from Full Collapse.

Download 04 - Autobiography Of A Nation

11. Circa Survive - Juturna - Following his departure from Saosin, Anthony Green's next project blossomed into Circa Survive, a melancholy, atmospheric, and emotive collective. Juturna did well in defining the band's signature sound, rocking slow, powerful pop masterpieces. After a few years and another full length release, Juturna is still an essential album for underground enthusiasts.

Download 07 Stop the Car

Extracurriculars Were Never This Cool

Recently, I've been finding a bunch of sick new bands that build on Hot Water Music's gruff lyrical sound into something of apost-hardcore/pop-core hybrid. Although there were other contenders, like Houston's O Pioneers!!! or New York's Bridge and Tunnel, none of the post-hardcore heroes landed the blow quite as solidly as New York's Polar Bear Club.

Polar Bear Club mixes lush, gentle melodies with gruff, abrasive breakdowns. In the more melodic moments, PBC utilizes complex and lightly distorted guitar, complemented by lead singer Jimmy Stadt's bipolar (stop it, that pun was made on accident) vocal stylings. In the next moment, PBC turns into a freight train of HWM-influenced power, bursting at the seams with emotion and hooks. At times, PBC busts into full post-hardcore glory with huge, sweeping riffs and unpredictable movements.

PBC recently released its first full length, Sometimes Things Just Disappear, and I highly recommend you pick it up. Definitely up there in the running for best of 2008.

The only thing that I dislike about PBC is the name...lately, I need everything in my arsenal to keep my mind off the shitshow that has been Chicago's winter thus far. Think warm, happy thoughts. Maybe they could change the name to Gigantic African Sweaty Hippopotamus Association or something. Okay, that's not my best idea. Anyone have a better one?

Download 02 Hollow Place

Download 05 Burned Out in a Jar

"Is this a bad chase dream where speed's not what it seems? / The pedal's pressed, but nothing works. / Bite your nails 'til your fingers hurt."
- Polar Bear Club, "Hollow Place"