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…
Read More “Saosin”
To go along with my interview restoration project, and Drew and Craig’s review project, there are a handful of classic AbsolutePunk reviews that I also think should be saved for posterity as well. This post will be continually updated as new reviews get brought back from the graveyard.
Read More “AbsolutePunk.net Review Archive”
Vocalist Aaron Weiss unpacks the apocalyptic imagery inside mewithoutYou’s newest release Pale Horses, why he likes to explore each album from a different perspective, and how that left him at his most unguarded while trying to reconcile his love/hate relationship with religion.
Aparna Nancherla thinks depression is funny, or at least her goal is to make listeners laugh when she talks about the topic. The DC native has received the attention of Conan O’Brien, Amy Schumer, Wyatt Cenac, Adam Devine, and many other prestigious comedians. Nancherla fit right in on the comedy stage at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and you can find a video of our talk about her new album below.
If your life was a movie, what songs would make the soundtrack?
Earlier this year, I found myself trying to answer that question, all because I was looking for a project to get me excited about music writing again. A decade ago, I couldn’t wait to write up reviews of every new album I liked. Now, the thought of going through that process feels exhausting, and maybe meaningless. Does anyone care about album reviews in 2025? And if not, where does that leave those of us who love trying to articulate what it is about a certain piece of music that makes us think, or makes us weep, or gets our hearts racing a little faster?
I came up with the life soundtrack idea almost on a lark. It would be a fun challenge, I told myself, especially if there were limits and rules by which I had to abide. The first rule I gave myself was to theme this project around my forthcoming 35th birthday. In honor of that milestone, I decided, I’d have the space of just 35 songs to tell my life story.
I didn’t know how maddening this game would prove to be – or, ultimately, how emotionally fulfilling. I’m an old veteran when it comes to making lists, but this version of the music list was so much harder than anything else I’d ever attempted. Picking your all-time favorite albums is easy. Picking your favorite songs is harder, but still somewhat intuitive. Trying to boil down your entire life’s journey into what is essentially a two-CD compilation is an exercise guaranteed to result in constant hand-wringing, excessive second-guessing, and endless revising. There are currently 47,145 songs in my iTunes library. How was I supposed to be satisfied picking such a tiny percentage of that?
Read More “My Life In 35 Songs, Track 1: “One Headlight” by The Wallflowers”
Ben Quad have announced a spring tour.
Read More “Ben Quad Announce Tour” Fast cars, loud music, and summertime: These are a few of my favorite things.
I have long been obsessed with the way a windows-down summer car ride can turn a song transcendent. Hearing the right song when you’re cruising down the road without a care in the world? In my opinion, there’s not much in the world that can make you feel more boundless. It’s something about the volume of the music in the car, the way it surrounds you, the reverberations you can feel coursing through the seats, the armrests, the steering wheel, your entire body. It’s something about the wind in your hair, and the sunshine, and the way the summer air smells. It’s definitely something about the freedom summertime brings, especially when you’re young, and especially when you’ve got wheels. Combine all these things with the right song, and it will sound as good as anything you have ever heard.
That’s what I learned at the outset of summer 2008, the first time I listened to the SafetySuit album Life Left to Go in the car. I’d gotten my driver’s license the previous summer, but this would be my first summer with my own car, and it wasn’t lost on me what that meant. That old cliché about wheels giving you wings might be overused, but it’s also accurate, because having a car unlocks so much when you’re a teenager. I didn’t know what the summer was going to bring, but I’d already made up my mind that I was going to make it count, and the freedom of having my own means of transportation was absolutely at the center of that pledge. All I needed was the right song to consecrate my vow. Enter SafetySuit.
Read More “My Life In 35 Songs, Track 13: “Someone Like You” by SafetySuit”
Lead singer Dan Marsala reflects upon the 10th anniversary of Page Avenue, reimagining the record on Ten Years and Counting, and the crossroads Story of the Year currently finds itself at.
Ten songs is a weekly playlist from Jason Tate featuring songs enjoyed over the previous week. It is included in every edition of the Liner Notes newsletter and is free to sign up for via email.
This playlist is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
Read More “6/1/24 (Ten Songs)”
Shoutout to whoever had the idea to put this Hayley Williams billboard outside of the Warner/Atlantic Records’ offices.
Read More “Perfect “Post Atlantic” Hayley Williams Placement”