Month: March 2023

Fall Out Boy Vulture Feature

Fall Out Boy
Jason Tate

Vulture:

But to Wentz, who often speaks in pop-culture references (and has been watching The Last of Us), making more pop-oriented music felt like reaching quarantine in a zombie apocalypse. “We figured out how to exist somehow, but we’re like, mmm, kind of existing.” The band still had an appetite to do more, like on 2018’s Mania, a heavily programmed, hip-hop–influenced album that some fans feel veered too far into pop, but it gave the band a chance to flex new creative muscles. “It was me goofing around with what you could do to mangle sound waves,” Stump says. “And that was really fun, but we did that, so I didn’t want to just go back and do it again.”

Nobody likes you when you’re … 40?

Yeah, I’m still not sure how I feel about that number. But what I have discovered is that moving into my forties has a much different feeling than any previous birthday. A decade ago was a time of massive change, I was moving down to the city and feeling burnt out with the website I’d been running since I was a teenager. Today I’m feeling more grounded and at home than I ever have before, while my passion for music has seen its spark renewed.

I’m happily married to someone that can make this incredible @blink182 cake and surrounded by the best friends and family I could ever hope to have. And most days the two cats keep me company while I’ve turned a once stressful “job” into a place to write and talk about music with people that share the same love of music and community.

Life continues to have ups and downs, but the last ten years have given me a new appreciation for what can be endured and how a stoic mind can give a calming presence to any stormy sea.

Anyway, I’m 40. I’m on the other side of the proverbial hill. Um, yeah, I guess this is growing up.

Jason Tate Photo Blog

Review: PHNTMS – “Heat of the Moment”

Adam Grundy

Pop rock band, PHNTMS, have returned with a new, vibrant single called “Heat of the Moment” that features The Chain Gang of 1974. The new song was produced by Courtney Ballard (Grayscale, Armor for Sleep) and is dripping with dark synths, paired with vocals by Kamtin Mohager (of The Chain Gang of 1974). What PHNTMS do best on this track is pay direct homage to 80’s electronica bands with a twist of modern flair in the guitar parts to keep things feeling fresh.

The song opens with syrupy-thick synths before breaking away into a great guitar riff by Adam Jessamine. The second verse of, “So when did love become so deceiving? / Something I can’t define / You’re playing tricks in my mind / Face it, we are simply just human / And this is not apathy / Just let me go and get high / Oh my my,” tackles the difficulties of navigating a one-sided relationship. The anthemic chorus is well-constructed, and if the song has any faults, it’s that it ends too soon. “Heat of the Moment” is sure to be stuck in your mind for days on end.

Review: Story of the Year – Tear Me To Pieces

Adam Grundy

Nostalgia can have a funny way of bringing back a flood of memories, whether they be for good or bad. Story of the Year do a great job of honing in on the positive memories of their platinum-certified debut LP, Page Avenue, into a re-imagined version of this sound found on their sixth studio album called Tear Me To Pieces. From the similar cover art, to the references of a familiar time on the song “2005,” Story of the Year embrace their past while still looking towards the future. Tear Me To Pieces features a more polished version of themselves that they hinted at on Wolves, and probably wish they had the poise to create back in 2003. This album is a solid collection of songs that hit hard from front to back, and still leave the door wide open to where they could take their sound next. With themes ranging from self-doubt, anxiety, and meaningful relationships, Story of the Year’s return to the music scene couldn’t have come at a better time.

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The Clamor – ‘The Clamor’ (Album Stream)

The Clamor
Adam Grundy

Today is a great day to share the self-titled debut LP from The Clamor, that comes from the mind of Aaron Louis. This new punk rock project channels musicians like Joe Strummer and Billie Joe Armstrong into a crowd-pleasing package. Louis shared this about the record:

The album is not me trying to recreate that atmosphere but a place to begin where I left off. Even if that just means having fun – like not being too precious, finding ways to be vulnerable, and embracing the collision of styles, all of which I hope you feel in this album. I like this moment in my life and feel like this album was a way to create a sort of sonic snapshot of what I’ve been thinking about and what’s important to me. And thinking of how fast it goes.

Get ready to fall in love with The Clamor.

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