Review: The Strokes – Is This It

Adam Grundy Aug 2, 2021

It’s funny when you realize you’ve found an artist that you just know is going the change the landscape or rock, indie rock, and maybe music in general from the first time you hear that distinct sound. The Strokes released their debut record, Is This It, fairly under the radar, with the exception of RCA Records knowing they may have the next really big indie band on their label for the foreseeable future. The Strokes released an EP called The Modern Age in early 2001, which sparked an intense bidding war of major labels falling over themselves to earn the trust of the New York City-based rock band. Is This It was recorded then under the tutelage of producer Gordon Raphael (Regina Spektor) and was ultimately released 20 years ago today in Australia, first. The record would then gradually be released in several countries as their tours were being conducted across the world, and the physical version of the CD would hit the states in October (due to a delay after 9/11 and the label decision to exclude “New York City Cops” on the original sequencing. The vinyl version released on 9/11 still continues to have the track in the original tracklisting).

Adam Grundy Jul 27, 2021

This Seattle, Washington band called Pretty Awkward is on to some great new things, with their electric new single, “Hang Out.” The four piece-band consists of vocalist Austin Held, bassist/backing vocalist Nichola Wiggins, guitarist/backing vocalist Jake Jones, and drummer Damien Ward, and their unique band chemistry is contagious on this bouncy new track. The band is able to channel a lot of the vibes that are popular from other pop-rock bands like Twenty One Pilots, Foster the People, and Walk the Moon, into their own package.

Adam Grundy Jul 26, 2021

A week after the band released their new album, I was able to catch a hold of The Maine before they set off on their Sad Summer Fest tour with All Time Low and many other great bands. Garrett Nickelsen and Pat Kirch chatted with me in a Zoom interview to discuss everything that went into their fantastic new record, XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time. Garrett and Pat also described their band’s process for recording the album, how their songwriting has evolved, the unique connection to each of their fans, and when their loyal fanbase can expect new music on the horizon from The Maine.

Ashley Perez Jul 24, 2021

Ever since I first stumbled upon the “Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow” video, I’ve been a massive Bullet For My Valentine fan. I listened to The Poison every day for a year. I desperately tried to imitate Michael Paget’s insane riffs. And I’m still mad about the Bullet For My Valentine wallet I lost 10 years ago. But my relationship with them has been on the rocks since their last album, Gravity. Widely panned for its radio rock sound, it nearly turned me off to the band completely. Like many fans, I didn’t like the new direction. Not only was it bad, it felt like they changed solely for mainstream appeal. I was disappointed. Now, the boys are back with what’s supposed to be their heaviest album. And I’m kind of looking forward to it.

This new era of Bullet For My Valentine kicked off with “Knives” and it’s not bad. But it’s also not great. Days before the song dropped, the cryptic teasers and new logo got my heart racing. But once “Knives” was unleashed, I was underwhelmed. The song gripped me with its killer intro. The intense dirty riffs paired with Matt Tuck screaming “LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!” gets you pumped. You hear it and think “FUCK YEAH! HERE WE GO!” But over the course of the song, it loses steam. I got bored of it midway through and when it finished, I didn’t care about hearing it again. The song only has one note: be heavy. There are no interesting progressions, the riffs are okay, and the lyrics are decent. Otherwise, the song isn’t very memorable. It’s one of those Bullet songs you don’t mind hearing but ultimately forget about.

Remove

Interview: Dim

Adam Grundy Jul 24, 2021

This past week, I was able to reach out to the band Dim to talk about their great new record, From Dark To Light We’ll See that we premiered last week. In this interview, I asked the band about the circumstances that led to this album title, what each band member brings creatively into Dim with their unique artist influences, their process for songwriting, and upcoming merchandise plans to support the new record.

Adam Grundy Jul 23, 2021

Today I’m thrilled to share the exclusive video premiere of Flight Club’s latest single called “High Roller” from their upcoming record, Until The Sun Drowns, out everywhere on July 30th via Open Your Ears Records. Flight Club’s vocalist Charlie Mahoney shared this about this great new single, “With ‘High Roller,’ we wanted to make a song that felt like a late night. Something fun but with a bit of attitude to get you feeling yourself.” Your next musical obsession has arrived.

Craig Manning Jul 22, 2021

Some songs just linger in the cultural bloodstream. It’s impossible to predict, in the moment, which songs those will be. Occasionally, it’s the big hits, but it’s also often those same world-conquering smashes that end up sounding the most dated in retrospect. Usually, you have to wait years or even decades to see which songs have truly become songbook classics, once all the context and narrative and hype and promotion has drifted into distant memory. You have to get to the point where all that remains is the song itself and the mysterious, beguiling hold it somehow continues to have over people.

There’s a spectacular cover band in my hometown that mostly plays songs from the classic rock era. It’s not hard to see why: Those songs have been proven staples for so long that building a setlist around them is just a smart business decision. You can’t miss with “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Don’t Stop Believin’” or “American Girl.” You can’t miss with The Beatles or The Stones. There are precisely two post-2000 songs that I remember regularly hearing in the setlist from this particular cover band. The first one was “Mr. Brightside.”

The second was “The Middle.”

Adam Grundy Jul 22, 2021

This past week, I was able to get a hold of Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms before he embarks on a full US tour, including an expertly planned “troll job” of a gig on August 21st at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping venue with Laura Jane Grace. In this interview, we talked about the circumstances that led to this show, the things he admires most about Laura, his songwriting process, and how the pandemic delayed a lot of his creativity and motivation. Brendan’s “Here Goes Nothin'” tour begins on July 30th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will wrap up in Cleveland, Ohio on August 22nd. Merchandise for the Four Seasons Total Landscaping show is now on sale.

Adam Grundy Jul 19, 2021

On the third full-length record from pop-rockers A Story Told, called American Made, they channel all of the best elements of their band and their past work into a refreshing mix of great tunes. The first single released, “I Don’t Mind (To Get A Little Hurt Sometimes)” does a nice job of re-introducing the band to their fans, and brings some new elements into the fold for those just getting to know A Story Told. This record of 12 songs clocking in at just over 36 minutes, are punchy, to the point, and a hell of a lot of fun for this summer season. With so much great momentum going in the band’s favor, it’s no wonder why there is significant buzz surrounding these rockers.

Remove

Review: The Dangerous Summer – War Paint

Craig Manning Jul 16, 2021

I’m not sure I have ever needed an album more than I needed War Paint.

Sometimes, as a music fan, you lean on the records you love to help get you through things: breakups; losing loved ones; navigating huge tectonic shifts in your life; global pandemics. As someone whose love for music springs from an extremely emotional place, I have leaned on a lot of different albums over the years, for a lot of different reasons.

But even in that context, War Paint, the sophomore LP from Baltimore-based rock band The Dangerous Summer, was an album I needed. I needed it so badly that I listened to it more times in July and August 2011 than I have ever listened to any other album in a two-month span. It was the rhythm of my days and nights; the heartbeat of my dreams; the soundtrack of my summer. To this day, I can’t think of a single thing that happened that season without also remembering the songs on War Paint. For me, that time in my life and this album will always be inextricably intertwined, as if they were hardwired together.

Adam Grundy Jul 16, 2021

Just when you think that The Maine are hitting a groove in their musical delivery, they decide to take it up just a notch further and better. XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time is the perfect soundtrack to this summer of getting back to some sense of normalcy after the dumpster fire of this past year and a half. The Maine are able to channel everything that I love about their band into a crowd-pleasing package of ten songs that clock in at just over 30 minutes. With so much great momentum being carried forth from their last two records (Lovely Little Lonely and You Are Ok), the band are able to do the near-impossible of following up those amazing albums with a record worthy of being caught in the same breath of them.

Adam Grundy Jul 14, 2021

This past week, I was able to chat with Joe Principe (bassist) of Rise Against before the band embarks on one of their most ambitious tours to date. In this interview we discussed where the title of their excellent new album Nowhere Generation came from, the songwriting process that the band went through during these sessions, what Rise Against plan to do with their bonus material, as well as how Joe stayed active in the causes he is passionate about during the pandemic. Rise Against will be starting their headlining tour with support from the Descendents and The Menzingers.

Adam Grundy Jul 12, 2021

This past week, I was able to connect with Elliot Douglas, better known as the artist M.A.G.S. for a Zoom interview. In this enlightening interview, he discussed where the title of his new album Say Things That Matter (out everywhere on August 13th) originated from, his unique upbringing with a variety of musical styles, his connection to the emo and pop-punk scene, as well as how his upcoming tour preparations are going. I also asked M.A.G.S. about this new “wave” of artists who are creating their own trend, and how he sees himself fitting with the music landscape today.

Adam Grundy Jul 12, 2021

Looking back at the abruptly quick 10 year anniversary of Taking Back Sunday’s self-titled record was an incredibly joyous task. At first, this record got lost in my listening shuffle of so many other great albums that came out in 2011, but I thought it would only be fair to write a retrospective in case others have made the same mistake I did and not come to fully appreciate this album. Taking Back Sunday is the fifth studio album of the band’s career, and having gone through a few lineup re-shuffling over the years, this record found John Nolan and Shaun Cooper returning into the fold after some time away from TBS. The band chemistry is absolutely majestic on these songs that sound even better than they did when I first heard them. With great singles like “Faith (When I Let You Down)” and “This Is All Now,” I’m kicking myself for not revisiting this legendary album sooner.

Remove

Interview: Ali Tabatabaee and Adrian Estrella of Zebrahead

Adam Grundy Jul 9, 2021

A lot has changed in the world of Zebrahead since I last connected with Ali Tabatabaee. The band recently announced that longtime guitarist and front-man, Matty Lewis, had left the band, the pandemic rocked these road veterans touring plans, and the punk rockers were looking for a way to pick up the pieces in searching for their next lead singer of Zebrahead. Enter Adrian Estrella (front-man of Assuming We Survive) to take the coveted reins of the band as they begin their third chapter. In this interview, Ali and Adrian discuss the circumstances that led to Matty Lewis leaving Zebrahead, why the band chose Adrian to move forward with the recording of their new album and upcoming touring plans, as well as what they both think the future holds in store for this latest exciting version of the band.

Review: The Strokes – Is This It

Review: Pretty Awkward – Hang Out

Interview: Garrett Nickelsen and Pat Kirch of The Maine

Rediscovering Bullet For My Valentine After The Massive Letdown Of ‘Gravity’

Interview: Dim

Flight Club – “High Roller” (Video Premiere)

Review: Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American

Interview: Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms

Review: A Story Told – American Made

Review: The Dangerous Summer – War Paint

Review: The Maine – XOXO: From Love and Anxiety In Real Time

Interview: Joe Principe of Rise Against

Interview: M.A.G.S.

Review: Taking Back Sunday – Taking Back Sunday

Interview: Ali Tabatabaee and Adrian Estrella of Zebrahead