Review: Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue

Adam Grundy Sep 30, 2024

Black Gives Way To Blue proved that grunge was still alive and well in 2009. Alice In Chains decided to reboot themselves after the tragic death of original lead singer Layne Staley (in 2002) by beginning to play shows again in 2005 and start crafting what would be the material found on the band’s fourth studio album. Now getting the 15th anniversary vinyl re-press treatment via Craft Recordings, Black Gives Way To Blue gets another fresh makeover as audiences new and old can rediscover what made this band so legendary. The record was the first one to feature co-vocalist/guitarist William DuVall and he does a nice job of complementing the lead vocals from founding member Jerry Cantrell. The set would spawn four singles, with two of them earning Grammy nominations for Best Hard Rock Performance. Picking up the pieces after losing a band member is sadly all-too-common in the music industry, but Alice In Chains were able to honor the legacy of Staley in this vivid collection of songs that still highlight their staying power to this day.

Craig Manning Sep 23, 2024

When was the last time it felt like a rock album took over the whole damn world?

For the most part, rock music has not been the defining music of the past two decades. There were exceptions along the way: The Suburbs winning the Grammy for Album of the Year felt like a coronation moment for indie rock. In Rainbows started a conversation around music commerce and distribution that helped shaped the industry we’re living in now…for better and for worse. Albums like Viva La Vida and Stadium Arcadium kept rock on mainstream pop radio and seemed legitimately inescapable for months and months.

But none of those albums hit every marker of a true-blue, world-conquering, era-defining blockbuster – the type of album rock ‘n’ roll used to serve up regularly, before hip-hop and R&B and big-tent pop took its crown. No rock album has checked all those boxes since 20 years ago this weekend. Since American Idiot.

Before this album even came out, it felt seismic – and “seismic” probably wasn’t what anyone was expecting from Green Day at the time. The band had followed a path of diminishing returns (commercially, at least) ever since they’d set the world on fire 10 years previous with Dookie. That album was a bedrock pop-punk classic, an album that laid the groundwork for a sound that became the go-to music in every teenager’s bedroom during the late ‘90s and early 2000s. But Green Day themselves weren’t really part of that turn-of-the-century dominance. While bands like Blink-182 and The Offspring were carving out household name status for themselves, Green Day were making increasingly commercially unviable records, like 1997’s all-over-the-place Nimrod, or 2000’s underrated folk-meets-pop-punk gem Warning. Depending on who you ask, the Green Day that existed at the outset of 2004 were already has-beens, coasting on past glories. They already had a greatest hits album out, after all, and arguably their most enduring song was an acoustic tearjerker that you couldn’t get through any graduation ceremony without hearing at least once. While other bands were carrying the torch Green Day had lit, the Berkeley punks were somehow already elder statesmen. It felt like their chapter of the story was over.

Adam Grundy Sep 12, 2024

I’m sure many of us have a memory or two surrounding Let It Enfold You, the debut full-length record from the emo band Senses Fail. The memories we tie to music releases can get a little hazy over time, much less after 20 years. My best recollection of the release of Let It Enfold You was a combination of confusion, a whole lot of scene hype, and plenty of coverage in Alternative Press magazine. The confusion came in the form of Let It Enfold You being in record label limbo for quite some time, after Geffen Records (whom had absorbed Drive-Thru) lost interest in putting out the album, and Senses Fail deciding to leak the record after the trouble of finding a home for it. Vagrant Records eventually stepped up to the plate, and the hype behind this emo band steamrolled them to selling over 600,000 copies in the U.S. The album was frequently in the “Reader’s List” of top trending albums on Alt Press, while the band still was getting mixed reviews from most outlets unsure of where to best place the music that Senses Fail had created here. Let It Enfold You achieved commercial success, mostly by word of mouth, as Vagrant would only officially release two singles from the set in “Buried A Lie” and “Rum Is For Drinking, Not For Burning.” Senses Fail would cement their status as screamo heavyweights on their subsequent releases and showcase their staying power in the genre.

Adam Grundy Sep 5, 2024

The sophomore album from metalcore band, Atreyu, took advantage of the momentum the band built on their debut (Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses), and saw them adding in more melodic elements to connect with larger audiences. The Curse was produced by veteran producer GGGarth (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine) and the set would go on to achieve RIAA Gold status with over 500,000 copies sold in the U.S. With a rockin’ trio of singles released during the promotion cycle that included “Right Side of the Bed,” “Bleeding Mascara,” and “The Crimson,” Atreyu were gaining fans at a speedy rate, and were able to back up the music found on the record effortlessly live. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary with a slew of vinyl re-presses via Craft Recordings, The Curse deserves another moment of reflection.

Craig Manning Aug 22, 2024

I think I’d been waiting for it.

Butch Walker released Letters, his second full-length album as a solo artist, on August 24, 2004, two weeks before I started eighth grade. At the time, I was right in the middle of a burgeoning obsession with soundtracking every moment of my life. Music had always mattered to me, but something had clicked during the previous school year and songs had taken on a different level of meaning for me since then. Before, I maybe just liked the way something sounded on the radio. Now, I was falling in love with the way those songs could encapsulate the rhythms of my days and nights. I figured: if movies and TV shows had soundtracks, why shouldn’t my life have one too? And so I’d spent months making mixes for everything: for the end of seventh grade, for my summer vacation, for my family’s annual summer road trip to visit my grandparents in New Hampshire, and for the impending end of the season and all the bittersweet emotions that made me feel.

What I hadn’t done yet was make a mix for a girl. I wasn’t too familiar with the concept of mixtapes – with what a collection of songs could mean when you picked the tracks and sequenced them and packaged them for someone you felt romantic feelings for. Surely, I would have found my way to the art of mixtape-ology no matter what, as all music fans do. How long can you obsess over using music to encapsulate your own internal life before you start thinking about how music can play the role of confessional love note? Probably not long. Before I could get there on my own, though, I found my Jedi Master on the subject of mixtapes, and it changed my entire life.

Craig Manning Aug 15, 2024

When an album breaks a band you love, it gets saddled with a lot of baggage. Most albums are just a chapter in a band’s existence; there were albums before and there will be albums after. But the elephant in the room that music fans like to ignore is that there will always, eventually, be a last album, and a lot of “last albums” aren’t conceived or built to serve that role. When careers cut short because of death, or petty disagreements, or a simple exhaustion of ideas, it’s not usually the poetic ride-off-into-the-sunset conclusion we’d hope for. And yet, despite the randomness that often plays into the endings of musical careers, us music fans obsess over the lore and mythology of our favorite artists so much that we end up conferring significance that isn’t there on albums that just so happen to come at the end of the story.

Such was the case, for years, with Get Hurt, the fifth LP from New Jersey rock band The Gaslight Anthem. Released in August 2014, Get Hurt had the distinction for nearly a decade of being the final album that The Gaslight Anthem ever made. And for me at least, it collected all the baggage, lore, and extra fascination such a distinction entails. A part of me hated the album for breaking up a band I loved, for wasting the boundless potential I’d heard in their music just two years earlier. Another part of me loved it for the mystique of it all – the question of what it was about this particular set of songs that drove these four guys to the brink and forced them to pull the ripcord. To this day, when I listen to Get Hurt, those two parts of me are still in the room together, coexisting – even though, now, the album has been freed from most of the weight it was once tasked with carrying.

Adam Grundy Jul 18, 2024

When AFI began their fourth studio album, Black Sails In The Sunset, with the memorable gang vocals of “Through our bleeding, we are one!” they lit the match for one of the most explosive band trajectories ever witnessed in this scene. This would be the first LP with the now-classic lineup of Jade Puget, Adam Carson, Hunter Burgan, and Davey Havok, and featured a dramatic shift away from the punk rock sound they had explored on their earlier work in favor of a darker-tinged aesthetic. Black Sails In The Sunset is one of those gripping albums that grab the listener by the throat from the very first spin and beckons them to join in the fray. While AFI certainly weren’t the only punk band to explore a darker side to the sound, they did seem to do it a bit more flawlessly than the bands that would later emulate their career path.

This album has recently received a fresh vinyl reissue via Craft Recordings, that releases on July 19, 2024, and it includes several additional bonus tracks like “Midnight Sun,” “Who Knew?”, “Weight Of Words” and the previously vinyl-only song of “Lower It” has been added to the tail end of the tracklisting (rather than closing out Side A, as found on previous vinyl versions). AFI have re-captured our collective imaginations on this thrilling, comprehensive reissue that hits just as hard as it did back in the early summer of 1999.

Adam Grundy Jul 12, 2024

The self-titled record from Fenix TX came with a number of firsts for the band. It was their first major label LP, the first record that they would release after re-branding from Riverfenix to Fenix TX, and their first real exposure to the mainstream of pop-punk that was beginning to blossom during the summer of 1999. Other pop-punk bands, like Blink-182, were getting major radio airplay and more audiences were being exposed to this genre of music. Fenix TX was produced by Jerry Finn, Ryan Greene, and Jim Barnes, and the band would continue to work with Finn on their equally successful Lechuza. This self-titled LP by the pop-punk band from Houston still sounds as charming, polished, and at moments a bit before its time. For every great track like “All My Fault” and “Flight 601 (All I Got Is Time),” there’s a goofy song like “Rooster Song” to show their audience that they were growing up and to not be taken too seriously. There’s plenty to love and enjoy on this LP that would provide plenty of clues of where Fenix TX would take their sound on subsequent releases.

Adam Grundy Jul 5, 2024

Twenty-two million fans can’t be wrong, right? The 22x-platinum debut from Hootie & The Blowfish is a remarkable achievement of staying true to the band’s roots and being willing to be different from what was dominating the rock scene in the mid-90’s. Grunge rock was everywhere during this time period, so most major labels passed on the thought of signing a pop-rock band from South Carolina. Cracked Rear View opened to a modest charting of #127 on the Billboard 200, but it would quickly build momentum and become the best-selling album of 1995. The record was produced by Don Gehman (R.E.M., John Mellencamp) and would spawn five successful singles that still get radio airplay to this day. While Hootie & The Blowfish would have trouble replicating the magic found on their debut LP on their subsequent releases, these songs still stand the test of time and remain a key example of how writing authentic, heartfelt tracks can lead to success.

The record sets off on the right tone with “Hannah Jane,” a straight forward pop-rock track that quickly showcases the band’s great chemistry between each other, and lead singer Darius Rucker’s captivating vocal performance remains a key part of Hootie & The Blowfish’s success story. “Hold My Hand” was the first single to be released from the set and it’s a steadfast choice of a track to introduce the band to the world and continues to be a staple in the band’s live performances. The lead single is a key example of how the band understood what made their music accessible, catchy, and heartfelt simultaneously in an era when pop-rock wasn’t a major seller.

Adam Grundy Jun 13, 2024

It’s pretty amazing to think just how captivating Underoath were on their fourth studio album called They’re Only Chasing Safety. The album was first released on June 15, 2004 via Solid State Records and was produced by James Paul Wisner, and surprisingly enough, only had two official singles released from the set in “Reinventing Your Exit” and “It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door.” The LP has since been certified Gold, and remains one of the most influential records in the emo/hardcore scene. After their third record, The Changing of Times, nearly half of the band members had changed for this “version” of the band, now considered to be the “classic” lineup. They’re Only Chasing Safety, to this day, remains an adrenaline shot to the ears with its mix of post-hardcore, emo, electronica, and punk rock. The album features a creative blend of clean/screamed vocals by Spencer Chamberlain and drummer/vocalist Aaron Gillespie, while the rest of the band members make their presence felt in several different spots on the record. They’re Only Chasing Safety, and their subsequent album of Define The Great Line, are consistently pointed to by fans of Underoath as their best work, and the band can look back on this 20th anniversary proudly knowing that they captured lightning in a bottle at just the right moment in time.

Craig Manning Jun 4, 2024

Die-hard Bruce Springsteen fans love to deride Born in the U.S.A. It’s their way of telling you they’re “real” fans, not those jumping on the bandwagon as Bruce blew up. On the contrary, they’re “cultured” enough to prefer the stark landscapes of Nebraska to the dated, synth-blasted ‘80s sound of U.S.A. They use words like “overplayed” and “overproduced” to describe the famed songwriter’s biggest record, while perhaps praising something more obscure like The Ghost of Tom Joad. And they’re probably tired of explaining to their friends that “Born in the U.S.A.,” the song, is not a jingoistic piece of macho rock, but actually a critique of pointless wars.

In general, I don’t get along with these people.

To be fair, Born in the U.S.A. is not Springsteen’s best record. I don’t think I’ve ever met a fan who prefers it to Born to Run, which is my favorite Boss record and my favorite record, period. It also seems pretty universally accepted that U.S.A. is inferior to the records that immediately followed Born to Run: Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River. Those three albums certainly function as the thematic core of Springsteen’s catalog in a way that his later material can’t compete with. But Born in the U.S.A. is also a lot deeper, more nuanced, and more complex than most people make it out to be.

Adam Grundy May 20, 2024

Flash back to the year 2004 for a bit. Several pop-punk, emo and hardcore bands have been signed to major label deals, CDs are still selling in waves, and it’s an ultra-exciting time for this scene of music. New Found Glory came in riding a major high after their most successful record, Sticks and Stones, blanketed the pop-punk scene with great singles like “My Friends Over You” and “Head On Collision” getting some airplay on MTV’s popular Total Request Live (TRL). Enter Catalyst. The record was set up for success as well with a bulletproof lead single of “All Downhill From Here” that wasn’t going to do anything to dissuade longtime fans of NFG from liking the new material. Catalyst had a harder edge to it, starting with the hardcore-esque gang vocals of “Intro” that bled into the lead single, while the guitars just felt heavier in general throughout the LP. While this album had a mix of styles and sounds that were brought forth, and musically it’s a bit all over the place, it’s hard to not admit that this is still one of the band’s strongest albums to date.

Craig Manning May 6, 2024

There was something in the water in 2004. Not every year delivers even one classic debut album; 2004 was serving them up like it was going out of style. Hot Fuss; Franz Ferdinand; Funeral; Bows + Arrows; The College Dropout. Not all of those albums have aged well, but they all left an indelible mark on music, and most of them delivered at least one iconic hit – the kind of deathless single that will live on forever and ever on wedding dancefloor playlists or supermarket sound systems. I have, at one time or another, loved all of those albums. But in 2004 proper, if you’d have asked me which brand-new artist I was most excited to follow over the course of their career, I would have answered Keane, and I’d have done it without hesitation.

Keane were never going to be cool. They were pitched as the heirs apparent to Coldplay, which is probably a pretty big “strike one” for most tastemakers. They also made big, grandiose soft rock that wore its heart on its sleeve; there was no wit or irony here, just uber-emotional songs about unrequited love and the pains of growing up. Probably fair to call that strike two. And perhaps least cool of all, Keane were a rock band with no guitars. Even Coldplay, as wussy as their reputation would suggest they were, still had songs with Big Ass Guitars. Keane were a three-piece with a singer, a drummer, and a keyboardist, and the pianos were front and center in every single song. Do I even need to say it? Strike three; get outta here!

Adam Grundy Mar 20, 2024

Have you ever felt like an album compelled you to buy it? That strange, out of body experience that lures you towards the record in hopes that you’ll take a chance on listening to it? Funny enough, that seemed to happen to me in the case of Tokyo Police Club and their third studio album, Forcefield. I was browsing the record bins at my local shop when I saw behind the counter a white-covered LP that simply said “Tokyo Police Club – Forcefield” in a faded-stylized stamp. Having heard of the band through my friend at work, there was something in the world that told me I needed to have that record. What I wasn’t expecting when I first let the needle hit the vinyl was for Tokyo Police Club to quickly become one of my favorite bands in the world. Forcefield takes your breath away, from the early opus of “Argentina” to the cautious closing of “Feel The Effect,” the 9-song LP hits all the intended targets and still left room for future growth on subsequent releases. I would later backtrack through the band’s catalog of their debut EP, A Lesson In Crime, their first full-length of Elephant Shell, and the brilliance found on their breakthrough record, Champ. Forcefield still holds its own to this day, albeit ten years down the road from its release, and I’m just as drawn in to its magic.

Adam Grundy Feb 1, 2024

I can vividly remember my excitement for the fifth studio album by Incubus called A Crow Left of the Murder… since the band was on a legendary run of successful records. The started to break through in the nu-metal scene with S.C.I.E.N.C.E., established themselves as Alt Rock heavyweights on Make Yourself, and showcased their experimental side on Morning View. Even after the departure of longtime bassist Dirk Lance, in favor of Ben Kenney (The Roots), it seemed like nothing could derail the trajectory of one of my favorite bands of all time. A Crow Left of the Murder… found Incubus working with veteran producer Brendan O’Brien, whose credits include some of the biggest rock bands of all time, and their trust in his style paid off on this record that still sounds as refreshing and exciting as I remember from 20 years ago listening to it in full for the first time.

While some critics thought that Incubus were getting ultra-experimental, for the sake of being adventurous, after the success of their earlier albums, guitarist Mike Einziger clarified in a 2004 interview that, “we’ve never felt we didn’t have that freedom. We’ve always done what we wanted. It’s kind of self-serving, but that’s how we do it. We try not to pay attention to anything but each other.” By putting that trust back into their musical product, Incubus delivered the goods on what I consider to be some of the best work to date.

Review: Alice In Chains – Black Gives Way To Blue

Review: Green Day – American Idiot

Review: Senses Fail – Let It Enfold You

Review: Atreyu – The Curse

Review: Butch Walker – Letters

Review: The Gaslight Anthem – Get Hurt

Review: AFI – Black Sails In The Sunset

Review: Fenix TX – Fenix TX

Review: Hootie & The Blowfish – Cracked Rear View

Review: Underoath – They’re Only Chasing Safety

Review: Bruce Springsteen – Born In The U.S.A.

Review: New Found Glory – Catalyst

Review: Keane – Hopes & Fears

Review: Tokyo Police Club – Forcefield

Review: Incubus – A Crow Left Of The Murder…