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Review: Talk Show Host – Mid-Century Modern

Talk Show Host - Mid-Century Modern
Adam Grundy

On the debut album from Toronto punk rockers Talk Show Host, they channel all of the best parts of melodic punk rock into a package worthy of taking immediate notice. The three-piece band is comprised of Chris Veinot (vocals/guitar), Fabien Rivenet (bass) and Sean Woolven (drums/backing vocals), and their early band chemistry is undeniable. The punk rockers have put out a few EPs early on to hone in the sound that comes into its truest form on Mid-Century Modern. The record was produced by John Dinsmore (PUP, Single Mothers) and their trust in the hitmaker pays full dividends as he gets the best performance out of every track. With so much early momentum going in Talk Show Host’s favor, its no wonder why some are touting them as the “next big thing” in the melodic punk scene.

The album blasts off on the right foot with the guitar bliss of “You Asshole!” where lead vocalist Chris Veinot snarls over the backing instruments impressively. The comparisons to bands like The Bouncing Souls, Anti-Flag, and Bad Religion get felt early on with the solid slabs of punk rock found on this opener.

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Review: Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver

Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver
Craig Manning

Bon Iver, Bon Iver sounds like a summer storm. A muggy June evening; temperatures that hang suspended in the mid-70s, even after the sun goes down; heat lightning flashing on the horizon; and then, eventually, a torrential downpour, crashes of thunder, strikes of lightning too close for comfort.

Or maybe I just think this album sounds like all those things, because that happened to be the environment in which I first heard it. The night Bon Iver, Bon Iver leaked on the internet, weeks ahead of its June 21, 2011 release date, it was pouring in northern Michigan. When I first heard “Perth,” it felt like someone was taking the weather outside and translating it into music. The far-off guitar notes felt like the first flickers of lightning on the horizon. Vernon’s multi-tracked, harmony-backed voice, when it breaks through the waves about 45 seconds in, evoked the gentle drizzle of the storm’s start. And then, the crescendo: a martial drumbeat, a wash of horns, the guitar sparking louder and louder. The song builds until it sounds like a furious storm—the rain clattering against your windowpane, the thunder rattling the glasses in the cabinets, the lightning flashing so quickly that it seems to illuminate the entire outside world for minutes at a time. Soon, the song subsides, burns itself out. It fades to nothing as quickly as it exploded— just as a summer storm eventually crashes away.

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Review: Rise Against – Nowhere Generation

Brett Bodner

In times of political turmoil, Rise Against have consistently been a band people can turn to as a guiding light. They were there for the George W. Bush years, the 2008 financial crisis and of course, they went after the Donald Trump presidency when they dropped their last album Wolves in June 2017. After nearly four long years since Wolves was released, Rise Against (singer/guitarist Tim Mcllrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bass player Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes) have triumphantly returned with their ninth studio album, Nowhere Generation. This time around, they’re here to take on the ongoing inequality plaguing the country and the illusion of the American Dream. 

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Review: Ethan Gold – Earth City 1: The Longing

Adam Grundy

Singer-songwriter and extremely talented composer Ethan Gold is back to deliver his sophomore record that will be the first in a trilogy of concept albums. The first, Earth City 1: The Longing, tackles the feelings of longing for acceptance in cities that we visit for the first time, or come back to for repeat visits. Gold described the first in the series as, “the first step of yearning that drives us inward and forward into the most profound experiences of living. Doubt, searching, and loneliness are motivating principles that bring us towards others, and they bring us towards grace.” Ethan Gold continues to find his true path forward on this record that is quite the ride.

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Review: Blink-182 – Take Off Your Pants And Jacket

Blink-182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
Adam Grundy

Usually you can trace back to moments in time when you know you’ve discovered something special or extraordinary. Sometimes that can be a new love, a new album, or new band that makes you feel like you’re discovering a new part of yourself in the process. Looking back on the 20th anniversary of this pop-punk classic makes me remember the carefree days of school ending and looking towards the promise of an unpredictable summer. Treading into the unknown only furthered my discovery of who I was, and in the process, helped me discover one of my favorite bands of all time. Blink-182 had made quite a name for themselves on their album, Enema of the State, and all eyes were fixed to see how the pop-punk band would follow up their massively successful and now legendary record. Enter Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, the studio album that’s a pun for <ahem> the act of self love. Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge, and Travis Barker couldn’t have been riding any higher coming into this fourth album, and working with veteran hit-maker Jerry Finn (Green Day, Sum 41) wasn’t going to change their trajectory into the stratosphere of popularity. The topics covered on the album tackle young love, fighting back authority figures, and more serious issues like divorce. With a mix of both topical elements, on top of well-crafted pop-punk tunes, Blink-182 must have known they created something special.

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Review: Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend

Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend
Mary Varvaris

Wolf Alice began as a folk band. Not that you would know it if you had only heard their Grammy-nominated grunge single, “Moaning Lisa Smile,” or their commanding trysts into riot grrrl punk music (“Yuk Foo,” “Play the Greatest Hits”). You cannot pigeonhole the London group, not when they leaped from sophisticated balladry to shoegaze to rip-roaring metal tracks on their 2017 Mercury Prize-winning album, Visions of a Life. That’s why I love them so much. There’s always been something for everybody to love: if you like Mazzy Star, you will love “After The Zero Hour.” If you want to hear the British heavy metal revival, I reckon you will be impressed by “Visions of a Life.” If you like Britpop, “The Last Man On Earth” recalls the boldness, effortless cool, and timeless songwriting that defines What’s The Story (Morning Glory)? as a modern classic. 

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Review: Tokyo Police Club – Champ

Tokyo Police Club
Adam Grundy

While I was planning to write about Tokyo Police Club’s 10-year anniversary of Champ last June, I never got around to finishing my retrospective. So, this one goes to 11. This is one of those great indie rock records that has aged gracefully and ended up being the breakthrough album for Tokyo Police Club. Champ followed up their debut, Elephant Shell, and showcased the growth in the four musicians that made up the band. Frontman and bassist Dave Monks sounded as captivating and confident as he ever did on this album, and Greg Alsop, Josh Hook, and Graham Wright helped solidify the band’s great chemistry here. The album was produced by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Saves the Day, Elliott Smith) and he really was able to get the best out of the band on Champ.

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Do You Get Déjà Vu Listening To Olivia Rodrigo?

Olivia
Adam Grundy

When we last premiered a feature on Taylor Swift comparing both versions of Fearless, I was intrigued by the idea of working with my fellow contributors on a similar collaborative piece. Our next group topic takes a look at Olivia Rodrigo’s ultra-popular SOUR album. I asked Mary Varvaris and Zac Djamoos to join me in discussing key comparisons in Rodrigo’s sound to other modern artists, what worked well on the album, as well any missteps or areas for improvement in the young artist’s sound.

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Review: Adventurer – Pacifica

Adventurer - Pacifica
Adam Grundy

On the latest album from the post-hardcore band Adventurer, the group is able to channel a lot of the best elements of the genre into a creative work of art. Led by the talented and energetic vocalist Jeff Masterson, there’s a lot to like about Adventurer on their sophomore album entitled Pacifica. What the band does best on this album is to allow their spiraling guitars to tangle a complex web of emotions paired well with their vocalist’s ability to match each of the highs and lows of the songs. Adventurer have gained key experience by touring with bands like Dance Gavin Dance and Hail the Sun, that they have put directly back into their sound. With an energetic blend of songs similar to Saosin, Taking Back Sunday, and early-Hawthorne Heights, this band could very well be your next obsession.

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How Fuse and ‘Girl’s Not Grey’ Sparked A Fire Inside Me

AFI
Ashley Perez

Remember Fuse Network? Before the channel was nothing but reruns of Sister, Sister and The Parkers, it was a haven for alternative kids. Dedicated to playing the newest and best in rock music, it was rose above other so-called music networks. It was true 24/7 music programming during a time when MTV and VH1 switched to reality TV. And back in the mid-2000s, I was obsessed with it. I’d watch Fuse every day just to see what bands they played. Programs like Comp’d and Steven’s Untitled Rock Show introduced me to My Chemical Romance, Dir En Grey, The Academy Is…, and Every Time I Die. But only one Fuse memory sticks out vividly in my head: watching AFI’s “Girl’s Not Grey” for the first time.

I had no idea who or what AFI was. My friends didn’t listen to them. I didn’t hear them on the radio. But when I saw that video, it grabbed me. It was strange, yet mesmerizing. The band performing under a red sky surrounded by cherry blossoms, the uncanny girl guided by a strange bunny creature, Davey Havok screaming while covered in black tar. It was like walking through a surreal dream. Unlike anything I’d seen before. And the song was catchy too. From that moment on AFI was my band.

I couldn’t get the video out of my head. I waited hours for it to download so I could watch it every day until I knew every scene by heart. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to know everything about AFI. I spent hours online learning about them, listening to their music, memorizing their lyrics, playing Sing the Sorrow daily, and even downloading their catalog from Limewire. (Hey, I was a broke high school student). Soon, printed pictures of Davey filled my locker. My notebooks were covered with poorly drawn versions of their logo. I told anyone who would listen about this amazing new band. I was obsessed.

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Review: Twenty One Pilots – Scaled and Icy

Adam Grundy

On the sixth studio album from Twenty One Pilots, the band literally could have gone in any direction that they pleased. Their run of ultra-successful records started with Vessel, exploded with Blurryface, and maintained high interest in Trench. On the latest album, Scaled and Icy, the band conquers complex themes like anxiety and self-doubt while still maintaining an optimistic outlook that things can and will get better. The material found on this album is largely upbeat, even when the weight of the lyrics allow the listener to reconsider everything that they just heard. In many ways, Scaled and Icy is the album that best represents the sound that their label Fueled By Ramen so successful over the past two decades. This album features elements of label alums like fun., Paramore, Fall Out Boy, and the modern glow of the recently signed Meet Me @ the Altar. By packaging so much raw emotion into this album that consistently delivers more than it misses, Twenty One Pilots have made yet another massive record perfect for summer and finding the light at the end of the tunnel out of this pandemic.

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Review: Foster the People – Torches

Adam Grundy

How does a struggling musician and former commercial jingle writer come up with one of the most popular songs in 2011? “Pumped Up Kicks” was literally everywhere that summer the single released to kick-start the insane popularity of Foster the People. From being played while getting your groceries to excessive modern rock radio airplay, there didn’t seem to be a single person out there not humming along to the chorus of the smash hit. The band formed two years prior to their debut album, Torches, and consisted of Mark Foster (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), lead guitarist Sean Cimino, keyboardist Isom Innis, and drummer Mark Pontius. What I thought the band’s strengths at the time of their debut was their ability to make every note, every hook, feel like you were part of something bigger than yourself. Foster the People found early success that most bands could only dream of, and this album went on to sell more than two million copies in the United States. The irony found here was that the business Mark Foster was trying to break away from (commercial jingles) would only add to his band’s marketability, and he’d hear his music in commercials nonetheless.

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Interview: Tyler Posey and Mike Henneberger

Tyler Posey and Mike Henneberger
Adam Grundy

This past week, I was fortunate enough to re-connect with author Mike Henneberger who wrote Rock Bottom at the Renaissance: An Emo Kid’s Journey Through Falling In and Out of Love In and With New York City. Mike Henneberger chose veteran actor/musician Tyler Posey to record the audiobook, that has recently been released. In this interview, Mike, Tyler and I discuss the importance of working consistently on our mental health, the process Tyler went through for recording this audiobook and what made this project different than being on screen, and also how Mike has been constantly promoting his memoir in hopes that others will benefit from his story.

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Review: Fenix TX – Lechuza

Adam Grundy

Of all the bands that got attention during the boom of the pop-punk and Drive-Thru Records era, I always thought that Fenix TX didn’t get enough love. Their self-titled debut (after their official name change) launched their first legitimate hit in “All My Fault” and had several other tracks on the album that could’ve been just as successful with the right commercial push. Lechuza brought some added pressure since they were expected to outsell their MCA/Drive-Thru Records debut and take their sound to new and exciting directions. They officially kicked off this era of the band with the single, “Threesome” that received moderate MTV2 video airplay and some success with the Warped Tour crowd. With great guitar work, solid pop hooks, and a fresh sound to go into this album cycle, why did Lechuza not get the same amount of attention as their colleagues on the same label?

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