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Review: Counting Crows – Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings

Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
AbsolutePunk

Going platinum eleven times in less than fifteen years is an admirable feat for any recording artist, but Counting Crows have made it look cool. Dreadlocked lead singer Adam Duritz became sort of a poet of a generation, appealing to both young and old with his heartfelt lyrics and soothing vocals. The band’s newest creation, is the split-level Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings. The so-called “Saturday Nights” section is a seedy romp through debauchery and confusion, posing more questions than answers as frontman Adam Duritz puts himself all the way out on a limb for listeners. The “Sunday Mornings” portion experiences a bit of twisted nostalgia, as the singer replays and then comes to terms with his faults.

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Review: Millencolin – Pennybridge Pioneers

Millencolin - Pennybridge Pioneers
AbsolutePunk

Sometimes I wish I were like you, so why won’t you let me show who I am?

Eight years has passed since Sweden’s punk rock golden boys Millencolin have released their iconic full-length Pennybridge Pioneers, and looking back, we can see there is a certain tinge of irony lurking within Nikola Sarcevic’s self-deprecating lyrics (like the excerpt above from “Stop to Think”) that intersperse cold hard truths with dry, quirky humor.

Hailing from the Swedish town of Örebro (which translates quite literally to “pennybridge” in English), Millencolin rose to fame in the early 90’s as part of the skate punk revolution, quickly being snatched up and signed by Epitaph Records. With a new millennium came a new horizon for the band that had gained a fair amount of popularity and praise in Europe and Australia but had yet to capitalize on the success labelmates Rancid, NOFX, and The Offspring had found in America. Epitaph head (and Bad Religion guitarist/co-songwriter) Brett Gurewitz took the band under his wing and produced Pennybridge Pioneers, their highest selling album to date, taking them from outside their comfort zone in the rolling hills of Sweden to record in the rolling hills of Hollywood.

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Review: Lydia – Illuminate

Lydia - Illuminate
AbsolutePunk

Writing about music is about bridging the disconnect. No tone, beat or verse needs an explanation because music is, in itself, an explanation of sound and passion. It’s one of the more common conundrums a music critic faces: How do you illustrate something that is already done and painted? How do you rationalize with words and criticism when the sequences, notes and lines are already aware of what they do, how they work and the desire and despair they employ. 

This is where I sit with Lydia’s sophomore full-length, Illuminate. In fact, I’ve been sitting with this album for weeks, flinging around words like cheap hooker shots. This is my third take (or fourth, if you count that time I attempted to write from an “altered” state) at giving Illuminate a shakedown. Through all these exchanges, there are a several points that I’ve been able to finalize.

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Review: Panic! at the Disco – Pretty. Odd.

Panic! at the Disco - Pretty Odd
Drew Beringer 
Oh how it’s been so long, we’re so sorry we’ve been gone. 
We were busy writing songs for you. 
You don’t have to worry ‘cuz we’re still the same band.

Those are the first words uttered by Panic At The Disco’s Brendon Urie on “We’re So Starving,” the opening track of his band’s second album, Pretty. Odd.. 

Good joke guys, gooooood joke.

If you’re looking for hyperactive vocals paced by synths, Pretty. Odd. is not the album you’re gonna play, because it seems that the Las Vegas quartet have sweated out that fever known as the dance-rock trend. Instead, guitarist/lyricist Ryan Ross spent his spare time going to garage sales and scourging for as many Beatles and Beach Boys records he could find and reinvented his writing style. Instead of using witty pop culture references as a basis for his lyrics, Ross’ style on Pretty. Odd. is sometimes insightful, sometimes infuriating, but mostly just nonsensical (he seems to enjoy moons). 

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Review: The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues

The Hush Sound - Goodbye Blues
Drew Beringer

Whenever the discussion of underrated bands comes up, I always automatically think of The Hush Sound. It’s hard to get attention on a label stacked with more popular acts like Panic At The Disco, The Academy Is, and Cobra Starship, but The Hush Sound would rather not cater to the teenage girl scene. With the release of their third album, Goodbye Blues, the Chicago quartet furthers themselves from the Decaydance sound, as their brand of mature, piano-backed pop have flourished into a more refined sound.

Produced by Kevin Augunas (Cold War Kids), Goodbye Blues is a more focused effort, displaying a good balance of quirky, upbeat pop tunes and piano-driven, heavy ballads. Vocalist and pianist Greta Salpeter definitely carries this album, as you hear a lot of her throughout. Her vocal delivery has improved from Like Vines, as she demands more of your attention on each track she appears. She welcomes you to the listen experience with “Intro,” as heavy piano keys paint the mood. Two of the catchier tracks follow, first single “Honey” and the foot-stomping “Medicine Man” (which should have been the first single; hopefully it gets second single treatment). 

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Review: Tiger Lou – The Loyal

Tiger Lou - The Loyal
AbsolutePunk

The Loyal starts off with 14 seconds of “Woland’s First”. It’s only a quick moment but leeways into The Loyal gently. Still, the mood kicks off like a slingshot. From here on, Tiger Lou is changing along with the album, existing in the album and breathing like the album. There is no escaping. The Loyal is its own being. Rasmus Kellerman is the man pulling the strings and pumping the heart. Almost all the album instrumentation was recorded by his lonesome with Peter Katis (Interpol, Denali, The National) lending his production. The payoff is stunning.

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Review: City and Colour – Bring Me Your Love

City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Drew Beringer

Over the past few months, we’ve seen notable metalcore front men try their hand at quieter and gentler side projects, such as Keith Buckley and Josh Scogin, of Every Time I Die and The Chariot fame, respectively. But, if this is to become the new trend, we should give credit to City and Colour, the side project of Dallas (city) Green (colour, get it?), for spearheading such endeavors. Most famous for his work as the lead man in Canadian rock act Alexisonfire, Green is now making waves in the States with his solo work on his Vagrant-debut, folk-inspired Bring Me Your Love. 

Already a star in Canada, his debut album, Sometimes, garnered a plethora of critical acclaim and awards from our northern brothers. While Sometimes wasn’t widely available in the U.S., it still made a modest splash with American fans. Now, with the backing of Vagrant, Bring Me Your Love is the first City And Colour album to be released on American soil and aims to be a big hit with many in the scene.

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Review: Simple Plan – Simple Plan

Simple Plan - Simple Plan
AbsolutePunk

Nearly three and a half years removed from their sophomore album, the platinum-certified Still Not Getting Any…, Simple Plan has returned from their sabbatical with a brand new self-titled CD. It’s evident upon first listen that while they’ve opted for the glossy production of a major-label band, they still have the songwriting skills of cavemen. Unfortunately for our now-damaged ears, the overdone production doesn’t distort the abominably dull lyrics enough to offer any comfort.

The social commentary (no, really) from Simple Plan begins with the opener and lead single, “When I’m Gone,” while introducing us to a main talking point about the new album. Frontman Pierre Bouvier’s vocals, previously one step above nails on a chalkboard have lost most of its grating whine, and instead dropped him in the middle of every other average pop-rock singer with little to no range. Nonetheless, the band yearns for acceptance with a vast array of mid-tempo ballads and slow songs that will totally undershoot their target audience. Frankly, it doesn’t even sound like they’re trying half of the time. “The End” amounts to nothing more than a crappy b-side from The Higher’s newest album; heavy on distortion, little on substance. As Bouvier begs and pleads for the subject of the song to stay and croons, “You know it’s not the end,” the listener begins to wish it was.

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Casey Calvert Autopsy Results

Hawthorne Heights
AbsolutePunk

Casey Calvert died of accidental substance abuse.

Hawthorne Heights guitarist Casey Calvert died due to the “acute combined effects of opiate, citalopram and clonazepam intoxication,” according to the just-released results of an autopsy performed by the office of the chief medical examiner in Washington, D.C. The autopsy listed Calvert’s death as accidental, though it added that it was brought on due to “substance abuse.” Both citalopram (also known by the brand name Celexa) and clonazepam (also known by the brand names Klonopin and Rivotril) are prescription drugs, the former an antidepressant and the latter used to treat seizure disorders and panic attacks.

Eron Bucciarelli from Hawthorne Heights has sent us a message about Casey Calvert’s autopsy:

From the time of the incident we suspected a possible drug interaction as the cause. Casey wrestled with depression for as long as we knew him. He saw numerous doctors and took an ever-changing array of medicines to get better. He finally had his depression under control. According to the toxicology report, the cause of death was due to a fatal interaction between depression meds, anxiety meds and an opiate. Opiates being mentioned along with the term “substance abuse”, coupled with “rockstar” stereotypes immediately conjure up images of hard drug use and addiction, which simply couldn’t be further from the truth in Casey’s instance. What the toxicology report doesn’t show is that prior to us leaving for tour, Casey had a root canal, and was prescribed Vicodin (an opiate) for the pain. Once again, Casey was not involved in anything illegal nor was he a substance abuser. Please be respectful as we search for more answers to these newly raised questions and deal with this news.

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Review: Steel Train – Trampoline

Steel Train - Trampoline
AbsolutePunk

So this album came out two months ago. Apologies. No seriously, I’m really sorry. What this and other reviews should tell you is that I pace myself in analyzing albums. Perhaps too much so. There’s something so therapeutic about it, though. Waking up every morning, seeing a CD in your “To Review…” stack that has been there for much more than a month, popping it in, then telling yourself you’ll get to reviewing it tomorrow. Oh Trampoline — I will miss thee. Your simple cover that greeted me each time with memories of wasted hours at all those state fairs in and around October, attempting to impress some girl by making fun of carnies from afar and buying her lukewarm corn-dogs. Your rejuvenated peppiness (comparatively — Twilight Tales…) that virtually transforms my room in to a suburban backyard someplace, where the first day of spring is being celebrated by cannonballs in a pool and burgers straight off the grill. Oh, cheese on mine please!

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Review: The Color Fred – Bend To Break

The Color Fred - Bend To Break
AbsolutePunk

First off, I just have to say congratulations to the next guitarist of Taking Back Sunday. When you leave the band, or the band breaks up, whatever project your involved in will turn to gold. This may not be completely true, but after the successes of John Nolan (or what I would call success despite them being dropped), and based on the future success of Fred Mascherino, he will skyrocket as well. Which brings me to the debut record of Frederick Paul Mascherino, and his backup band, known completely as The Color Fred.

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Interview: Andrew McMahon of Jack’s Mannequin

Andrew Mcmahon
AbsolutePunk

In early December of 2007, I went into the studio with Andrew McMahon in Santa Monica when he was finishing up the new Jack’s Mannequin record. We originally shot a video of the interview, which you can watch here,1 but I’ve also transcribed the full text of the interview since many of the questions were left out or edited in the original video.

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  1. We no longer have this footage.↩

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Review: Angels and Airwaves – I-Empire

Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire
AbsolutePunk

Following the unfortunate demise of seminal pop-punk stars, Blink-182, bassist Mark Hoppus, drummer Travis Barker and singer Tom DeLonge went vastly different ways. Hoppus and Barker returned with +44, an electronica-themed band that seemed at times an extension of Blink (for better and for worse), and DeLonge traipsed across Larry King Live, proclaimed himself the second-coming of everything except John Lennon, and released Angels & Airwaves’ debut, We Don’t Need To Whisper. With WDNTW, DeLonge preached in favor of his newfound style, thrusting his maturity at anyone who would listen; to his chagrin, few did. The album sold relatively well in the mainstream, but many longtime fans had trouble embracing both the frontman’s attitude and his gloomy tunes.

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