Looking for an awesome new melodic hardcore band? Look no further than Fat Wreck Chords' The Flatliners, a band that's sure to grab some major label attention in 2011.
Cavalcade, the band's 2010 LP, has made "best of" lists across the web, and for good reason. Think of these guys as Against Me! with some extra legs. Musically, they tear through hooks and anthemic vocals to create a sound comparable to Rise Against with more of the gritty rock-and-roll sound that's riding the wave through the punk rock scene. A raw angst bleeds through the tight production to create a sound that fits the Fat spectrum but sets the Flatliners in a class all their own.
Today's day and age of sound production doesn't require a move to a major label, and sticking with Fat has always been a good move from a fan perspective. Against Me! caught a lot of flack for their switch, even though White Crosses was easily one of 2010's most interesting albums. Still, there was a certain production quality and watered-down mystique that left WC a bit wanting. If you were wounded by it, stick by the Flatliners; they've managed to stay consistent.
"Collect your head, collect yourself, collect your severance / What on earth will you tell the wife and kids?" - The Flatliners, The Calming Collection
I caught an article on Twitter from Dying Scene the other day, part of a series of posts about how bands got their names. Polar Bear Club was the featured band and I'm a huge fan, so I checked it out.
Turns out PBC's moniker was born from a song by Long Island melodic hardcore band Silent Majority. According to the article, Polar Bear Club members considered Silent Majority's 1997 offering Life of a Spectator one of the most crucial punk albums of the last 15 years. Pretty strong claim. I decided to investigate. And I'm glad I did.
Silent Majority play a raw, emotional breed of hardcore-infused pop-punk that has all the energy of a live performance and the chemistry of Bill Nye the Science Guy. Gruff, melodic vocals surrounded by tight, heavy drums, chugging riffs, complementary guitar work and dominating hooks join to form the totally unique sound that is Silent Majority.
I must admit that I'd never heard of the Gamits prior to their recent reunion. Ashamed though I am, it makes it all the sweeter to finally get a taste of the band's unrelentingly catchy, tight, hard-hitting pop-punk style.
Straight out of Denver, the Gamits recently dropped Parts, an album that I'd be more than happy to place in my top five of 2010. If you're looking for another fun, playful pop-punk album...this isn't it. This is like Blake Schwarzenbach (post-24 Hour Revenge Therapy) on speed, frontmanning a genetically-engineered cross-breed of the Descendents and Green Day. This is serious stuff kiddies, and no one takes it more seriously than the Gamits. This album is one of the tightest, catchiest works of art I've heard since...well, since this year's Bad Religion -- but now we're talking two different ballparks.
Speaking of Green Day (a comparison I'm sure has been drawn before)...that group of namby-pamby Broadway losers ain't got shit on the Gamits. Sure, the vocal harmonies and vibrato are reminiscent of Billy Joe and GD, but the rest of the elements hold roots in far more diverse pop influences that come together to create a punk rock masterpiece. I can't say enough good things about this album...just. check. it. out.
Thus far, 2010 has been a back-breaking year of raucous, throwdown rock shows -- but nothing has touched the sheer perfection that was Bad Religion's performance at Riot Fest Chicago.
If you've never heard of Riot Fest, here's the quick breakdown. Every year, some of the most prominent punk rock bands of all time, including active and inactive bands on the Chicago scene, come together for a five-day event where punk rock rules a huge chunk of the most important venues in the city. Riot Fest inhabits the Metro, Subterranean, Double Door, Cobra Lounge and the Exit, with all of the "main stage" bands playing the Congress Theater, one of my favorite venues in the city. The amps warm up, feedback rings unabashed and the punkers young and old come out of the woodwork to enjoy some of the genre's best old and new acts. This year, Friday's Congress Theater show was a solid lineup -- but only two of the four bands really delivered.
The reception the Bouncing Souls got from the usually accepting crowd was kind of depressing. I saw a couple of punkers flipping the bird and eventually leaving the showroom, which was a good way to sum up the crowd's lukewarm feelings. Of course, I didn't feel like the Souls did much to help their cause; a lot of the setlist was on the poppier side, and it feels like the band is losing a little edge with age.
The Circle Jerks met with adversity following a sound gaffe that really took the air out of the first few songs. Once they cranked up the volume, they sounded alright; they still had trouble winning me over. Maybe it's because the Circle Jerks are so far outside my generation, or maybe it's just because they're old and out of practice, but I just wasn't into it. And I'm a guy who likes his old school punk.
Regardless, the Lawrence Arms took the stage and blew the lid off the whole event. They seemed less drunk than usual and benefited greatly from the hometown audience. Playing some of the best songs in the arsenal, TLA riveted the crowd for the main event.
It was a knock-down, drag-out show. Bad Religion took the stage hard and fast and didn't stop until the lights went up. I couldn't imagine a bad set-list from the accomplished punkers, which is probably why they rolled easily through the entire show with nary a poor song. Frontman Greg Graffin's voice is always flawless live, and drummer Brooks Wackerman plays like he's on a track. The wall of guitar and bass, of course, helps to create a wall of sound that captivates and dominates the audience.
Honestly, it's hardly worth it for me anymore to review a Bad Religion show. They've got this performing thing down pat. Anyone else go to the show?
"Rain fell like judgment across my windowpane / said it felt like judgment but it was only rain."
Hey friends, it's been awhile. I'm tackling a new job, and with the real world slowly weighing down on me, it seems I've neglected my old friend I Breathe the Underground and all of my old friends in the blogosphere that enjoy the music that makes my world spin. So, this week, I thought I'd roll things out with a Bad Religion extravaganza, fueled by new developments in their world (as well as mine).
We're going to kick this week off with a post about the band's new album, The Dissent of Man. After the band's last three masterpieces, it was nearly a sure bet that this was going to be intense cacophony of intellectual splendor. Still, thirty years of tireless touring -- coupled with the release of fifteen studio albums -- can take a lot out of a band. With few remaining in the punk species (I hope Doctor Graffin the evolutionary biologist wouldn't scoff at my classification choice), it's a lonely road to punk rock legend.
I'm happy to report that Bad Religion is still in prime shape. TDOM is chock-full of the blazing, melodic riffs and four-part vocal harmonies we've come to know and love as staples of the BR sound. Appealing in construction, flow and pop sensibility, BR reminds me why I've stuck with the punk rock genre for so long, even as my tastes expanded outward into the musical ethos. Tracks like "Only Rain" and "Meeting of the Minds" serve as throwbacks to the band's history, while "Cyanide" and closing track "I Won't Say Anything" demonstrate an appealing softer side that's been basically non-existent throughout the group's discography.
Overall, TDOM blends a lot of the band's influences with the style diehard fans have come to embrace over the band's colossal legacy. While I wouldn't venture to call it BR's best, I will say that it stands alone as a masterpiece of the collection. It builds the momentum of The Process of Belief, The Empire Strikes First and New Maps of Hell into a diverse, mature and masterful roller coaster ride of intellectual punk rock. Buy. This. Shit.
Have you had a chance to give the album a few spins? Hit me up with your thoughts in the replies, yo.
