Review: Person L – Initial

AbsolutePunk Aug 5, 2008

So what can you expect from someone who’s mastered the craft? Surely more mastering of the craft, or a stamp of approval and a toss into the history books. Like Kenny Vasoli, the singer behind the start-up pop-punk wonder boys, The Starting Line. At this point in his career, it’s not that he has done it all, it’s just that, when it comes to pop-punk, there isn’t much more he has to learn.

Which is why when word came out that Mr. Vasoli had a little ‘ol side project, it made sense. Here’s someone who’s been dribbling sweet hooks for the greater part of his young adult years, spinning, caressing and nourishing them like a pro. A more experimental and indie side project was inevitable. A boy’s gotta explore his boundaries, right? Vasoli grabbed some friends (Brian Medlin, Charles Schnieder, Nathaniel Vaeth, and Ryan Zimmaro, to be exact) and demos started to peek out of his Myspace page. People got pumped.

AbsolutePunk Aug 2, 2008

Let’s start off by stating your name and what you play in A Day to Remember.

Jeremy McKinnon. I sing for A Day to Remember.

How is Warped Tour going so far?

Incredible. We seriously couldn’t be happier with how the tour is run, and how it’s going.

Any funny or embarrassing moments?

When we played one of the Texas Warped dates, some of the kids threw a blow up doll on stage that had writing all over it. There was a heart around its … back door that said “For Tom.”

AbsolutePunk Aug 1, 2008

Being the pillar of an important rock band must be exhausting work – so much so that it renders the siren song of going soft downright deafening. Nick Torres and Tyler Odom went from Northstar to the alt-country of Cassino, Dustin Kensrue offered up his own solo slice of down-home Americana, Roddy Woomble veered off the Idlewild course to dabble in Scottish folk, and on and on. Maybe it is just the “in” thing to do – like how some actors will take up stints on Broadway to bolster their middling resumes, or maybe it is just the underlying need for variety after recording and touring on the same genre of music day after day. Regardless of what drives this magnetism, it has corralled yet another subscriber in Anthony Green, the scene’s favorite man of many hats. After having his hands in countless bands and records, Green has decided to finally to wander off on his own (sort of, at least – the guys in Good Old War are certainly a noteworthy backing band). With Avalon, Anthony pulls a near 180 to most work he has done in the past – so is it any good or should he be running back to his Circa brethren apologizing for ever straying?

Blake Solomon Jul 21, 2008

The beauty of pop-punk is all around us.

I see it when I peer down at my turquoise and lime green limited edition Air Force Ones. I see it on my computer screen while I’m bashing other reviewers for hating my favorite bands. I feel it when I pen every new, wonderful, totally original opening paragraph about a pop punk band. There’s just too much about this music – and life for Christ’s sake – to love. I’m in love! With a girl. With The Maine!

Let me tell you about it!

The Maine are original in the way that Doritos keep making zestier Cool Ranch or tangier Nacho Cheese chips. (And we’re supposed to celebrate this? It tastes the f**king same!) Rather than nut-busting rockers, they prefer to chill us out with acoustic guitars and jog-don’t-sprint tempos. Also, while most of the lyrics are terrible, they still find a way to resonate with me. I’ve been there: One time a girl blocked my advances and I almost died. Another actually broke up with me and I was clinically dead for 6 minutes.

Drew Beringer Jul 17, 2008

Pop-punk is dead.

Okay, so maybe that isn’t as great or grand as the statement Nas made in 2007 about hip-hop, but it still applies here. Once a genre full of camaraderie, energy, and statements has become stale, as bands are more concerned with their neon clothes, swooping hair cuts, and which 17 year old groupie they are going to nail tonight. Pop punk is dead. And like Nas tried to resurrect his genre, we need a band that can breathe new life into pop-punk.

This band is Valencia.

The band’s debut, 2005’s This Could Be A Possibility, was overall a good album, displaying themes and vibes that brought back memories of quality pop-punk, but their Columbia Records debut, We All Need A Reason To Believe takes the Philadelphia quintet’s sound to the next level. Produced by Ariel Rechtshaid (We Are Scientists, Plain White T’s), We All Need A Reason To Believe features eleven tracks that are fast, raw, and pack an emotional punch the majority of the bands in the genre fail to generate.

Drew Beringer Jul 12, 2008

To have the “perfect” night, you need to make sure you hit all the criteria.

Is the sun setting and is there a light breeze?

Check.

Are my closest friends with me and am I drinking my favorite brew?

Check.

Is the soundtrack to the perfect night spinning in my stereo?

You can only check this off if said soundtrack is Stay Positive, the fourth studio album from The Hold Steady.

The Brooklyn quintet has a knack for spinning intricate tales of drinking, friendship, the good times and the bad. Vocalist and guitarist Craig Finn is a master at his craft; his vocals are gruff yet inviting, his lyrics deep yet simple. Produced by John Agnello, Stay Positive is eleven tracks chock full of big riffs, beautiful keys, and raw energy throughout.

Drew Beringer Jul 8, 2008

Just when I thought you couldn’t get any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!
Harry Dunne

When you saw the link to my Finch review, you probably thought to yourself, “oh, Drew will probably talk about how Say Hello To Sunshine alienated so many fans and in some way was a cause to the band initially breaking up, blah, blah, blah.” But I will do no such thing, instead I fooled you with a Dumb and Dumber quote! Just like that adventure Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas made cross-country to return that briefcase (Samsonite! I was way off! I knew it started with an S, though.), Finch’s journey has been one of up’s and down’s. But the California quintet (Hmmm, California! Beautiful!) have fought through all their adversity to release the best Finch material to date.

AbsolutePunk Jul 6, 2008

Considering a majority of their fan base ranges in the age group of 14-18 years of age, Skip School, Start Fights might not be the wisest message to send to today’s ever-vulnerable youth, who have taken the bait from every young pop band with scenester haircuts. Yet for Ohio pop-punk quartet Hit The Lights, they appear to be a different breed of pop-punk – no synthesizers blazing the overproduced dance songs, no overdubbed auto-tuned vocals, and well … no scenester haircuts to be seen as far as I can tell. In fact, they might even do pop-punk better than just about anyone out there right now, not making any large creative strides, simply offering a slice of sprightly exhilaration.

How is all this possible, you might be asking? With dozens of pop bands to choose from, the music scene for today’s teenagers has become a major-label-funded ice cream truck of sorts. Most fans likely choose their ice cream by the way it looks and not by the way it tastes – after all, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ice cream is so much yummier than banana fudge. Although, in the long run, the coolest (let’s use that term lightly) looking one is always the most difficult to eat and gives you the biggest stomachache.

Drew Beringer Jun 30, 2008

“This is so bad.”

“This is my least favorite record by them.”

“They’re dead to me.”

“Maybe they should just break up.”

These were just some of the general reactions to Alkaline Trio’s 2005 release, Crimson. Many longtime fans of the band disliked it; they didn’t like the dynamics, the vibe, the atmosphere. It was “too goth.” The list continues. Quite frankly, this very reviewer enjoyedCrimson, sure it wasn’t their best work, but it was far from horrible. Now three years have passed, and the Chicago punk vets are back with their sixth studio album and Epic debut, Agony & Irony. But has three years been enough for fans to forget the bitter taste of Crimson?

AbsolutePunk Jun 30, 2008

If there is one thing you can count on from Canton, Ohio’s Relient K, it’s consistency — and having the ability to back that consistency up with an uplifting bravado that comes off as generosity rather than ego. Last winter, they graciously provided their fans with a Christmas record to sit by their fires with; this summer, the band has put together a lengthy double-set of new and old tracks alike for the cleverly-titled The Bird and The Bee Sides. While you could claim it’s a double-album, really, the band recorded 13 new songs (entitled the Nashville Tennis EP) and remastered some old gems from their various singles and EPs (dubbed The Bird and The Bee Sides). The entire set is a 26-track jubilee and clocks in at just over an hour, never succeeding as a cohesive whole — but that really isn’t the album’s purpose.

AbsolutePunk Jun 29, 2008

”Less Than Jake have lost their touch. They’ll never top Hello Rockview. Being on a major label changed them as a band.”

We’ve all heard the constant stream of allegations, accusations, and diatribes against the Gainesville, Florida-based band now in its sixteenth year. Finished with their stint on Sire/Warner Bros. Records, they started their own label (Sleep It Off Records) to release their seventh studio album, GNV FLA, the title an ode to their hometown.

Titillating trombone slides, warbling guitar riffs, and even the addition of a trumpet (Scott Klopfenstein from Reel Big Fish) allow GNV FLA to explode into the top half of Less Than Jake’s discography with little effort. The songs are in your face, catchy, and full of skankable goodness. Some may say the band has “returned” to an earlier sound, but it’s just the product of ditching glossy overproduction and continuing to write a mix of social commentary, nostalgic witticisms, and horn-happy sing-alongs.

AbsolutePunk Jun 23, 2008

I like change. I like when one day is beautiful and sunny, the next is dark and gloomy, and I’m left waiting for the storm. For me, change keeps things interesting when there isn’t much going on in general. Musically, I like change too, but more often than not, when a band decides to change their sound, it’s usually a hit or miss. Names like Cartel and The Academy Is… come to mind when I think of times a band has tried to progress musically but subsequently failed to deliver. On the other hand, New Found Glory’s Coming Homewas able to possess a sound that was different from their usual work yet still accessible to their fan base (for the most part, anyway). Back in 2006, Cute Is What We Aim For released The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch, their label debut done by pop-aficionado Matt Squire, and although it was the soundtrack of my Summer, it came with mixed reviews; much of which I agreed with despite liking the record so much. Filled with cliched one-liners, grating vocals, and predictable instrumentation, it was a magnet for hate. However, none of this bothered me; I loved that album for sole purpose of making me feel good with its catchy melodies and the fact that I could listen over and over again without getting sick of it. With that said, Cute Is What We Aim For avoids the dreaded “sophomore slump” with their new album Rotation by making a record that is a vast improvement musically and vocally from their previous effort.

AbsolutePunk May 12, 2008

Death Cab For Cutie has a new album. It’s called Narrow Stairs, and if you haven’t read the articles, then you may not know that it’s “bloody and loose” and more “hard rock” than any of their previous work. Or maybe you have no clue that guitarist Chris Walla is back as producer, and from there, the album was recorded on analog tape to minimize overdubs. These are the token details we’ve been given.

2005’s Plans, the band’s first major label release, is high-profile studio work – sparkling and calculated. Being the epitome of commercially viable indie rock and a band that’s proved themselves capable of making literate music in the face of popularity, the release of Narrow Stairs isn’t about doubt; it’s about questions. Like, how will the band live up to darling Transatlanticism? Or will Narrow Stairs come close to the ability of Plan’s platinum success? Will Ben Gibbard top his past lyric and vocal work? If the analog Narrow Stairsprocess really was “bloody and loose”, will we even notice, or was it more for their own well-being? Death Cab’s art pop as hard rock? Wait, really?

Drew Beringer Apr 29, 2008

To be honest, before even listening to my copy of From First To Last’s new self-titled album, I was thinking of how many horrible puns I could create using former vocalist Sonny Moore’s name. But because I’m just a Neanderthal, I couldn’t come up with any decent ones. Unfortunate for me (fortunate for you, though).

Seriously, though, From First To Last have encounter more drama over the past year than the entire first season of A Shot At Love. After Moore quit to go make his own music, the band was dropped by Capital Records and seriously considered breaking up. Instead guitarist Matt Good took over lead vocals, the band picked up a permanent bassist in Matt Manning, and they were picked up by Suretone Records. Armed with a new home and a permanent lineup, From First To Last went on to complete their third studio album and major label debut.

AbsolutePunk Apr 20, 2008

The double disc album can be a pitfall for many bands. The girth of a release sometimes outweighs the overall vision and flow of the effort. Such is not the case with this 4-disc opus (ok, it’s technically a two release 24 song opus that could fit on two discs, but who’s counting?). I never thought I’d say it, but with the release of the second half of The Alchemy Index, Thrice has succeeded in creating a relevant multi-disc album that not only stands as a testament to the success of the format but also maintains a fairly even level of quality throughout. Though it is not without its slip-ups, the release stands as an excellent departure and display of tremendous growth from a band once pigeon holed as “screamo”.

Review: Person L – Initial

Jeremy McKinnon of A Day to Remember

Review: Anthony Green – Avalon

Review: The Maine – Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

Review: Valencia – We All Need a Reason to Believe

Review: The Hold Steady – Stay Positive

Review: Finch – Finch EP

Review: Hit the Lights – Skip School, Start Fights

Review: Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony

Review: Relient K – The Bird and the Bee Sides

Review: Less Than Jake – GNV FLA

Review: Cute is What We Aim For – Rotation

Review: Death Cab for Cutie – Narrow Stairs

Review: From First To Last – From First To Last

Review: Thrice – The Alchemy Index Vols. III & IV