Review: Arctic Monkeys – Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?

Drew Beringer May 2, 2006

With every major music publication and their momma jumping on the bandwagon, it’s pretty easy for some of us to hate the Arctic Monkeys. Overrated and hype are two words that come hand in hand with this band these days, and with their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not selling like hotcakes overseas and here in the United States, it’s not hard to fall into this mindset. But I’m here to advise not to. Not only is their debut album something special, their follow-up EP, Who The Fuck Are The Arctic Monkeys, follows in the same vein of smart, aggressive indie rock.

The EP begins with the same opening track of the LP, “The View From The Afternoon,” which starts fast and finishes faster, and is a great opener here as it is on the LP. “Cigarette Smoker Fiona” follows with a guitar line that chugs and drums that bash as Alex Turner’s thick vocals take control. “Dispair In The Departure Lounge” is a slow, echoing track that’s great to chill out to. “No Buses” starts with a simple, relaxing riff and is a mild, bouncy track that picks up at the end with a constant pounding on the drums. The final track, “Who The Fuck Are The Arctic Monkeys?,” begins with a bass line that grooves and more high guitar tones. At 3:17, the song takes on a slight dark tone thanks to Andy Nicholson’s bass and Turner’s vocals. The end of this song is the storm taking over the sunshine of the beginning, making it the standout track on this EP.

Drew Beringer Apr 22, 2006

In 1992, the defending AFC Champion Buffalo Bills faced the Houston Oilers in the AFC Wild Card round. The first half of this game was a disaster for the Bills. Jim Kelly out with an injury and the Oilers dominated going into halftime with a 28-3 lead. Dejected, the Bills didn’t have a lot of time to make changes, but they realized they were the defending champs and needed to live up to that. The second half featured a completely different team, as backup quarterback Frank Reich threw 4 touchdowns to bring the game into overtime, which the Bills eventually won 41-38, making it one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. I’m sure by now all of you are confused as to why I began the review with such a story, but it is a great way to describe Thursday’s second major label album (and fourth overall), A City By The Light Divided.

Drew Beringer Apr 12, 2006

Thus far in 2006, there have been a few really good records, some solid ones, and more mediocre albums than I can count. No album has hit me in a way where I have to take a step back and just mutter “whoa.” Enter The Red Tree, the new album from Canadian rockers Moneen and the first great album of 2006. I enjoyed their previous efforts, but I was not expecting this album to hit me like it did. This 11-track masterpiece incorporates beautifully crafted lyrics with music that is just as delicate as it is hard-hitting, making this album full of intensity, passion, and raw emotion.

Drew Beringer Apr 1, 2006

Tell me again how we're easily forgettable
So formulaic and way too simple to be at all original, yea so we've heard
It's time to keep your mouth shut while we show you how to rock-n-roll

This is how Hit The Lights begin their debut full-length album, This Is A Stick Up….Don’t Make It A Murder, by responding to a certain AbsolutePunk.net reviewer’s opinion on their EP Until We Get Caught. The Lima, Ohio, five-piece not only deliver on their promise to “show us how to rock-n-roll,” but this album is also one of the first feel-good albums of 2006. Produced by Matt Squire (The Receiving End Of Sirens, Panic! At The Disco, many others), HTL offers us 12 tracks of pop-punk goodness that’ll have you wishing that summer were already here.

Drew Beringer Feb 21, 2006

Over the past year, The Academy Is… has sold over 100k of their Fueled By Ramen debut, Almost Here, have toured with the likes of Fall Out Boy and Midtown, have headlined their own nationwide tour, and have been embraced by TRL and 15 year old girls everywhere. They have boarded the “buzz” train and are on their way to a major label deal, so to keep the buzz pulsating and to satisfy fans (old and new alike), they have released a 6 track EP titled From The Carpet, exclusive only to iTunes. Now while I strongly disagree with this “digital only” crap, The Academy Is… (vocalist Will Beckett, guitarists Mike Carden and Tom Conrad, bassist Adam Siska, and drummer Andy Mrotek) do not disappoint with this EP. With 2 new acoustic songs, one John Lennon cover, and 3 new versions of favorites from the debut, this EP is definitely a must-have for all TAI fans.

Drew Beringer Dec 7, 2005

I remember when I was 17 years old. I did a lot of stupid things, as well as some great things, but I never did what the 4 members of All Time Low did. That would be releasing a debut album under independent label Emerald Moon Records. Hailing from Baltimore, All Time Low (consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Alex Gaskarth, guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson) have released an album, titled “The Party Scene”, filled with great melodies, catchy sing-alongs, and energizing guitar hooks. If you were listening to this album for the first time, not knowing who the band was, you would think that this would be an established pop-punk band’s second or third album. You would think that a band with four 17 year-olds wouldn’t be able to write an album as good as this. But All Time Low has surprised many, showing that they are very talented despite how young they are. Prepare yourself for 40 minutes of some of the best pop-punk you’ll hear all year.

Drew Beringer Nov 20, 2005

”Gutter Phenomenon” was a term coined in the 1950’s to describe rock and roll and its “sinfulness”. 50 years later, Every Time I Die is a band from that gutter that stands out among the rest. With two chaotic-filled albums under their belt already, ETID has become the hottest thing out of Buffalo since those world-famous wings. With Gutter Phenomenon, ETID brings a different sound. This time around ETID brings less chaos, more structure, and refined singing from vocalist Keith Buckley. Still evident are the biting, intelligent lyrics and overall passion and intensity from the band. This isn’t the ETID you’re used to; rather this is an ETID that proves that overall they are great musicians. Produced by Machine (Lamb Of God, Armor For Sleep, Boys Night Out), “Gutter Phenomenon” is an 11-track rock and roll beat down. Along with Buckley, ETID is rounded out by guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andrew Williams, with Mike “Ratboy” Novak on drums. The bass was done by Kevin Faulk for the record, but he was dropped by the band afterward. While this may be a more mature ETID, they still have the same bite as before.

Drew Beringer Nov 20, 2005

Before The Blackout, Allister’s third full-length album, refers to the many drinking binges lead man Tim Rogner went through before completing this album. It’s been three years since the Drive-Thru Record veterans released Last Stop Suburbia, and, after lineup changes, frustrations, and painful breakups, they are ready to give us a new offering of their pop-punk. Rogner, along with guitarist Kyle Lewis, bassist Scott Murphy, and drummer Mike Leveranz, wanted to add a more rock and roll style to this batch of songs this time around. What we get is a solid album that incorporates sing-along choruses, fist-pumping riffs, and persevering vocals.

Drew Beringer Nov 20, 2005

What do At The Drive-In, Taking Back Sunday, and The Movielife all have in common? Other than releasing genre-defying albums, they’ve also have broken up and each have produced two new bands. At The Drive-In gave us The Mars Volta and Sparta, Taking Back Sunday gave us a new TBS and the John Nolan-led Straylight Run, and the Movielife spawned I Am The Avalanche and Nightmare Of You. While TBS and Sparta have tried to recreate their older sound, TMV and SLR have drifted away from their previous band’s sound and have gave us something more original and fresh. When The Movielife broke up, Vinnie Caruana formed I Am The Avalanche and guitarist Brandon Reilly formed Nightmare Of You. While IATA began where The Movielife left off, Nightmare Of You follows in the vein of Straylight Run; a mellow indie band that features more accomplished and mature songwriting than before. Reilly is the lyricist, vocalist, and guitarist for NOY, while the rest of the band is rounded out by guitarist Joe McCaffrey, bassist Ryan Heil (although he joined NOY after the album was recorded, Lader played bass on most of the album) and drummer Sammy Siegler. Produced by Jason Lader, Nightmare Of You offers 11 dark pop songs that burst with memorable melodies, sarcastic lyrics, and great emotion.

Drew Beringer Nov 20, 2005

To be honest, when I got “All’s Well That Ends Well” in the mail, I didn’t know what to expect. First known as the Chiodos Bros., they had a variety of styles show up in their earlier work, but with their Equal Vision debut, they tried to categorize their sound a bit more with duel-guitar riffs and better lyrics. While there is still a melting pot of styles on this release, it’s more defined. Chiodos is a sextet featuring vocalist Craig Owens, Radley Bell on keyboards and backing vocals, guitarists Pat McManaman and Jason Hale, and Matt Goddard on bass. Chiodos has a nice-sized fan base and has toured with the likes of Coheed and Cambria and Yellowcard. With musical influences from Saves The Day to Queen to At The Drive-In, Chiodos covers a lot of genres in their music. Filled with electronic beats, piano, metal riffs, screaming, and vocals that rival Anthony Green, this is one fun album. At times melodic and at times in your face, this is one album that will definitely intrigue you.

Review: Arctic Monkeys – Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys?

Review: Thursday – A City By The Light Divided

Review: Moneen – The Red Tree

Review: Hit the Lights – This Is A Stick Up… Don’t Make It A Murder

Review: The Academy Is… – From the Carpet EP

Review: All Time Low – The Party Scene

Review: Every Time I Die – Gutter Phenomenon

Review: Allister – Before the Blackout

Review: Nightmare of You – Nightmare of You

Review: Chiodos – All’s Well That Ends Well