Review: The Matches – Decomposer

Jason Tate Sep 12, 2006

I am going to be up-front with you right now: This band is not for everyone. In fact, there are a good many of you that are going to straight up hate this album. There are quite a few reading this that would probably rather place nails in their ears than ever listen to this band. I, however, am not one of those people. In fact – I think this is one of the best albums to be released this year and one of the most creative and innovative bands to be creating pop/punk/rock music in our, or any, genre.

Read More “The Matches – Decomposer”

Review: As Tall as Lions – As Tall as Lions

AbsolutePunk Sep 11, 2006

The idea of a summer record invokes for most people thoughts of an album such as New Found Glory’s Sticks and Stones, The Beach Boys’ Sounds of Summer, or who knows… maybe Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up The Sun” is the only smooth jam on your iPod “summer love” playlist. Either way, when sound waves and heat waves collide it’s the fair-weather combination of energetic melodies, warm tones, and lifting progressions that we love to turn up while we roll the windows down. This being the case, As Tall As Lions’ self-titled full length, in all its murky, ambient glory, would appear very much a fish out of water as an early August release. Who’s the genius over at Triple Crown who thought we would take Head Automatica, Gym Class Heroes, and Hellogoobye out of our stereo for this semi-challenging, mostly somber, and generally soft-tempo collection of songs? Well, whoever he or she is, they deserve a promotion, for As Tall As Lions is perhaps the most awesomely anti-summer album of all time.

Drew Beringer Sep 5, 2006

Richard Reines, co-owner of Drive-Thru, has posted a reply to Madison’s recent break up. He also responds to some of the things Madison said in his reply as well. Stephanie Reines also adds a little to the end.

Jason Tate Sep 4, 2006

We recently had a chance to conduct a quick interview with Steve of New Found Glory. We’d like to say thank you to the band (for being a huge inspiration in the foundation of this very website) and to Steve in particular for taking time out of his day to answer a few questions for us. The band’s new album Coming Home hits stores September 19th, 2006.

Remove

Madison’s Official Statement

AbsolutePunk Sep 1, 2006

Madison has posted the reason as to why they’re calling it quits.

Drew Beringer Aug 30, 2006

Alexisonfire are like a cult. They aren’t wildly popular and haven’t rode the wave of “popular screamo” like most bands have, but they have a fiercely passionate core of fans and two albums that match that intensity. After spending a few years on the Equal Vision roster, Alexis has jumped ships to one of the biggest independent labels ever, Vagrant, to release their third album, Crisis. Possessing one of the finest vocals talents in the scene, Dallas Green, Alexisonfire are looking to break into new ground. Incorporating three styles of vocals (from Green, George Pettit, and Wade MacNeil) with dual guitar work, Crisis is a bag full of mixed results. Throughout the eleven tracks, you’ll come across some songs that are good, some that are horrible, and a lot that sound like watered down versions from Watch Out!.

Jason Tate Aug 29, 2006

The best way to describe Over It’s major label debut Step Outside Yourself is as a giant coming out party for everyone involved. The vocals are strong and impressive, the lyrics are poignant and refreshing, the guitars are predominately displayed, the bass is powerful, the drums blistering, and the production flawless. Every single aspect of this album is a step above everyone’s past work and in reaching this new plateau the album sits a step above their peers as well.

The time is ripe, the stage is set, and the curtains drawn. If there was ever a time when the phrase “the next big thing” was perfectly fitting – that time would be now.

AbsolutePunk Aug 28, 2006

There have been few inaugural full-length releases in the recent modern rock mire that could be considered anywhere near as “make or break” as Saosin’s self-titled Capitol Records debut. While it is largely indisputable that the band’s game-changing breakout EP, Translating the Name, was a high water mark in its own right, it had the benefit of making impressions without the complication of prior expectations and the proverbial “hype.” However, with the passage of time, the residual fame from that release has begun to wear thin after three long, empty years. A crappy (though supposedly wrongly-released) EP two years later did little to reinforce fence fans’ confidences, but a bevy of high-profile tours and festival appearances have kept the bottom from falling out on Saosin, despite the defection of one of the scene’s most prolific frontmen, and other lineup changes from the white EP’s revered roster.

AbsolutePunk Aug 24, 2006

So I first off want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down and answer a few questions for us here at AbsolutePunk.net.

No problem at all, I’m excited to have the opportunity to sit down and answer some questions for you guys.

Can you introduce yourselves and tell us what you do in the band?

My name’s Alex Gaskarth and I sing and play guitar in the band All Time Low.

Remove

Interview: Mark Hoppus of +44

Jason Tate Aug 14, 2006

This interview was conducted over the phone with Mark Hoppus on August 14th, 2006. A huge thank you goes out to Ingrid at Interscope for setting this up and of course Mark for participating in the interview with us. For those of you that don’t know, Mark Hoppus is the former bassist for Blink-182 and is currently finishing up work with Travis Barker on their new project +44.

AbsolutePunk Aug 12, 2006

On their recent headlining tour, I was lucky enough to be able to sit down with the guys of Saosin to talk about what has been going on with the band, talk about their new record, and get some answers to the questions everyone wants to ask. This is what they had to say…

AbsolutePunk Aug 8, 2006

Gatsbys American Dream’s new record reads something like an open letter to the music industry. It’s blunt, angry, and to the point. The disc might as well be a picture of a middle finger pointed directly at…well, you can put it together. The band’s 2006 follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed release Volcano finds the band recreating their sound once again. The addition of keyboardist Kyle O’Quinn adds a new dynamic to the band, the production is far more raw, and backing vocals are now done by guitarist Bobby Darling and bass player Kirk Huffman instead of lead singer Nic Newsham. Nic’s vocals are far more aggressive on this record, as it conveys more raw emotion than ever before. Gatsbys seems to have completely strayed away from the slower, methodically technical side that popularized the band on 2003’s Ribbons and Sugar. Instead, this self-titled release offers up songs that are generally faster-paced and contain a groove vibe to them. Many of the songs flow with incredible bass lines and gang vocals that make this the most danceable Gatsbys record yet.

Drew Beringer Aug 1, 2006

The only thing more nonexistent than dinosaurs, aliens, zombies, or vampires these past 3 years was the debut album from the happy go lucky California quartet, Hellogoodbye. A stolen laptop with demos and leadman Forrest Kline’s struggle with his A.D.D. lead to numerous delays that made fans impatient or, even worse, just plain giving up on the band. But, finally Hellogoodbye have emerged from the darkness to release their debut album, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!!, through Drive Thru Records and what we get is a mixed bag of surprises, disappointments, cheesiness, and fun. Really though, should we really expect anything serious or groundbreaking with an album title like this and a band with a track history of goofiness like Hellogoodbye? I wouldn’t think so, and you would be wise to listen to this eleven-track album with an open mind and check your “scenester/elitist/holier-than-thou” attitude at the door.

Drew Beringer Jul 31, 2006

“Too rock for hip-hop, too hip-hop for rock,” has been the tagline for the upstate New York quartet, Gym Class Heroes. After name-dropping a who’s who of important scene bands in the catchy “Taxi Driver,” GCH developed a nice following, and after signing to Pete Wentz’s label, Decaydance, and releasing their heart-on-sleeve debut The Papercut Chronicles, people started paying attention, expectations began to build, and the Heroes began to worry: can we top Papercut? Fortunately, it is safe to say that their second album, As Cruel As School Children, not only surpasses their previous effort, but it is also going to serve as their launching pad into the big time. Produced by Sam Hollander and Patrick Stump,School Children’s fourteen track offering is heavy on the hip hop side this time around, yet still possesses that full band sound. Influenced more by frontman Travis McCoy’s obsession with 80’s R&B, GCH have added more depth to their lyrics and music on album two.

Remove