The Wonder Years, “Suburbia….”
The Wonder Years
“Suburbia, I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing”
(Hopeless/No Sleep)
I’m more than fascinated at how quickly the Wonder Years have gone from relative obscurity, playing crappy venues in Tacoma, to becoming the darlings of contemporary pop-punk (i.e. Easycore). Don’t get me wrong. This band has obviously worked hard to get to where they are right now and it shows all over their latest album, “Suburbia, I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing.”
What made the Wonder Years stand out on their previous release, “The Upsides,” was their ability to capture being a depressed, emotionally distressed twenty-something so well on wax. It’s the kind of theme that many kids can relate to. Rather than continue to ape that sentiment, Soupy Campbell and gang have presented us with something that’s reactionary to their current lifestyle as a popular, touring band.
The record starts off with a bang with “Came Out Swinging,” a four-minute narrative that picks up where “The Upsides” left off. The record also finds highlights in “Summers in PA, “Don’t Let Me Cave In” and “Hoodie Weather.”
All in all, this is a pretty solid release. Because the Wonder Years are a band that plays it so close to the vest, topically, I imagine that an album full of tour stories and personal references will result in a backlash. But maybe it won’t. As storytellers, the band is certainly making this work out for them, so hopefully, people will give this record a shot.
— Ryan Pangilinan
Bad Banana, “Cry About It”
Bad Banana
“Cry About It”
(Puzzle Pieces)
(photo by Ryan Russell)
I feel like we tend to give the Crutchfields a lot of internet ink on the TCO, but you can’t deny good songwriting, which these sisters definitely have locked in. Having reviewed their self-released demo a few months ago, we don’t really need to get into another introduction.
The “Cry About It” EP isn’t too far off from the raw and punk aesthetic of Bad Banana’s demo, however, there is clarity in this 7” that makes it easier to digest for people who aren’t familiar with that last recording or PS Eliot’s “Bike Wreck Demo.”
Once again, the songs are catchy as hell and these new batch of tunes sound excellent, particularly “Boys with Girlfriends,” a song I like to sing out loud while walking down to the library.
I’m also a big fan of the fact that this single isn’t flimsy, as 7” records tend to be, by and large. Puzzle Pieces definitely did a great job in pressing this awesome record. Kudos to all involved.
— Ryan Pangilinan
Smoking Popes, “This is Only a Test”
Smoking Popes
“This is Only a Test”
(Asian Man)
Thanks to the 1995 film, “Angus,” I’ve been a fan of the Smoking Popes for well over half of my life. It’s interesting to see the different incarnations of the group, particularly after their mid-career break up when Josh Caterer began the family-friendly/excellent power pop band, Duvall.
A few years ago, the Smoking Popes reunited and “This is Only a Test” is their second album back since that hiatus.
What’s particularly great about this record is how it doesn’t seem like the band missed a beat. The album begins with the stellar pop song “Wish We Were,” which mixes the band’s crunchy guitars with catchy harmonies, while “Punk Band” is a well put together narrative about emulating Iggy Pop, albeit in a far less caustic manner.
The Popes make no bones of far along they are in their career. The songs are short and poppy and are largely about where they are today in their lives – which you don’t get often in most pop-punk bands. It’s a refreshing change from angst and a good look into a stable adult life.
— Ryan Pangilinan
Title Fight, “Shed”
Title Fight
“Shed”
(Sideonedummy)
I never got into Title Fight. I thought they were “okay” at best and just wrote them off as part of the new crop of bands that were aping the pop-punk bands of yesteryear. Their latest offering, “Shed,” however, suggests that this quartet are capable of much more.
Through songs like “Flood of 72” and “Crescent-Shaped Depression,” the album finds Title Fight standing their ground on the post-hardcore stylings that gave teeth to bands like Texas is the Reason and Hot Water Music.
Heavily influenced by bands that came out on Jade Tree, “Shed” certainly has some great moments, particularly in the song “27,” and if you’ve seen the video, then you know that it’s definitely a callback to legitimate DIY bands.
If Title Fight keeps up this kind of growth, they’ll definitely have a bright future ahead of them.
— Ryan Pangilinan
Nump, “#DailyMedication”
Nump
“#DailyMedication”
(454)
Despite its slightly dated Twitter hashtag reference, Nump’s “#DailyMedication” might be one of the best hip-hop records that you haven’t heard yet.
Nump’s party raps are best complimented with beats that take cues from pop culture, such as the case with “Medication’s” lead single “I’m Hungover,” which samples “The Office” theme song to the point where it might actually be better than its original source. The album’s title track is one of the stronger songs and is flanked by other songs about smoking weed.
While Nump topically comes off as a one-dimensional rapper, it doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s talented and that album, as a whole, is one hell of a party rocker. This is a record for people to dance to, not study. At 21 tracks, it’s slightly overwhelming (even with the ill-placed Filipino weed head intro), but it’s a pretty easy record to get into.
— Ryan Pangilinan
Cold Cave, “Cherish the Light Years”
Cold Cave
“Cherish the Light Years”
(Matador)
Wes Eisold’s Cold Cave project keeps going strong with their proper sophomore release, “Cherish the Light Years.” Whereas their last album “Love Comes Close” found the group still searching for their own sound, “Light Years” is a fully realized album, starting off with the exciting synth jam “The Great Pan is Dead” and going into likeminded new wave-inspired songs like “Underworld USA” and “Alchemy Around You.”
It’s still jarring to hear Eisold’s bass heavy clean vocals over dance pop after years of hearing him scream in American Nightmare, Some Girls and XO Skeletons, but hey, if there was ever an album to fully distance himself from his hardcore past, “Cherish the Light Years” is certainly that record.
— Ryan Pangilinan
PS Eliot, “Sadie”
PS Eliot
“Sadie”
(Salinas)
I think between PS Eliot, Bad Banana and Waxahatchee, it’s pretty safe to say that Katie Crutchfield is one of the most prolific (if not THE most) songwriters in today’s music scene. While PS Eliot’s debut album, “Introverted Romances in our Troubled Minds” revisited some of the Crutchfield sisters’ pop-laden hooks from The Ackleys, their sophomore record “Sadie” finds the quartet standing on pretty solid ground, finding a style to call their own.
Opening up with the keyboard-driven “Talk,” the band barrels through 40 minutes of fuzzy guitars, off-time drum parts and the occasional catchy chorus. Take, for example, “Shitty and Tragic” which has one of those melodic choruses I’ve ever heard. That song will get stuck in your head for days. Then there’s “Diana,” a somber tune that takes a break from the distorted guitars before breaking into the Dinosaur Jr-esque “Dead Letters.”
PS Eliot is one of the new crop of bands that lifts a lot of influence from 90s northwest/K Rec groups, which shows up all over “Sadie,” but they’re able to steer in a comfortable direction while owning the sound as their own. This album in particular finds Katie Crutchfield singing in some distinct ranges, at times breath-y, but most times caustic. It’s not as poppy as their last release, but it’s definitely already on my short list of best records of the year.
— Ryan Pangilinan
The Damned Things
“Ironiclast”
(Def Jam/Mercury)
I actually received this promo in early fall. I looked at the press release, laughed and tossed it in a pile of shit I would never listen to. Then a month ago, Michelle was on a Keith Buckley kick and I decided to give this band a chance. That being said, I might be a little tardy, but this record is pretty good.
It’s difficult to wrap your head around the fact that it’s a band that contains members of Every Time I Die, Anthrax and Fall Out Boy, but then again, the Damn Yankees were also a fluke of sorts.
“Ironiclast” is a mixed bag of heavy rock songs and some mid tempo ballads (such as the case with “A Great Reckoning”). But when they rock, the group invokes the spirit of “Appetite for Destruction”-era GNR. This would actually be a great companion for Andrew WK’s “I Get Wet.”
There are lots of big hooks on this record and it makes the perfect soundtrack for any karate movie. Believe that.
— Ryan Pangilinan
The back of this book has a quote from Owen Wilson (Drillbit Taylor. Duh) that says:
“When you read Call of the Wild, you wished you had a dog like Buck and a name like Jack London. When I read Chuck Dugan is AWOL I wanted to BE Chuck Dugan and write like Eric Chase Anderson.”
It’s funny that Drillbit wrote that, because I went to this book directly after reading both White Fang and Call of the Wild. It was like this cool little confluence of events that made me even more confident that I had made the right choice to stray from my “Let’s read the classics. But only the ones that look cool” plan to read this book. The book, of course, is Chuck Dugan is AWOL and it is of course, written by Eric Chase Anderson. Eric, firstly is the brother of prominent movie maker Wes Anderson, but he is also the concept artist for all of Wes’ meticulous, quirky stories. And most importantly, the creator of TCO’s own Michelle’s Richie Tenenbaum tattoo.
In short, Wes Anderson is my shit. So, naturally, I had to read this book.
The plot revolves around our hero, Chuck. An lithe, resourceful 18 year old marine. Well, until very recently. We meet Chuck just as he plummets off a huge cruise ship, leaving all that witnessed to figure him for dead. Of course he isn’t, and we learn there was method to his madness. He is being pursued. Pursued by the two sons of the man scheduled to marry his mom in just a few days. The man is known as The Admiral. And we don’t like The Admiral. Chuck’s dad unsuccessfully tried to try The Admiral for treason before he mysteriously died in an observatory fire. So naturally, there’s some bad blood there. The Admiral knows this, which is why he sent his two adopted sons, Harry Aloha, a Hawaiian wrestling champion, and Stretch Reilly, a skinny pickpocket from Blackpool to impede Chucks attempts at sabotage. The story stretches out from there. Chuck gets into and out of scrapes. All the while displaying his prowess and youthful resilience. Throughout the book are Anderson’s signature illustrations. I’d describe them like if Edward Gorey got a great bj and decided to use colored pencils. But really, the art is very quirky, just like his brother’s movies. The various illustrations are on just about every page and almost always are labeled, like “Flippers, Family crest tattoo, Ears.” Real Anderson-esque. I’d hate to see the Anderson family house when one of them got a label gun for Xmas.
The plot is cool, and so is the setting. It’s nautical, and I really dig nautical stuff because I don’t know shit about it. That said, I think one of the issues the story runs into is it’s minimalism. Granted, I just finished reading Jack London, who, due to his very detailed, rich descriptions, I shit you not made me believe that I understood dogs better. So I understand my lens isn’t terribly clear. But whatever. I’M writing this review. Just sit back and be delighted. Sorry guys, I’m not very good at this. Where was I? Right. The minimalism. I don’t know, I just found the writing style to not really keep my attention, which isn’t the greatest testament considering the books only 200 or so pages, with a lot of drawings and the font is like 14 or something.
But with all that said (See: nothing), the illustrations alone are worth the purchase. The story is cute, but not much more. Not a lot of meaning within Chuck Dugan is AWOL. Which books don’t always need, but it’s sure neat when they do! So, if you are Wes Anderson superfan like me, you’ll want to own this. If you don’t find the movies to be all that great (What is WRONG with you?) then you won’t appreciate this particular tome. But even if we can’t agree on that, I think we are all agreeance that Edward Gorey needed a good BJ.
- Corey Ball (is Finished With This Review)
Bayside, “Killing Time”
Bayside
“Killing Time”
(Wind-Up)
Long Island-based quartet, Bayside, has always been a weird group to me. Truthfully, I wrote them off when “Sirens and Condolences” came out in 2002 because it seemed like a shameless rip-off of Alkaline Trio and the Smoking Popes. I probably didn’t really like the band until after “The Walking Wounded” came out and I interviewed them for High Voltage back in 2007. On that record, Bayside seemed like they were trying a lot of new things, such as implementing elements of Klezmer. This kind of subtle experimentation continues on to their latest record, and first for semi-major label, Wind-Up, “Killing Time.”
The album begins with the shredder, “Already Gone” and pretty much goes up from there. There’s no lull on the record. From that first track, Bayside rips through nine more songs, with gusto on songs like “It’s Not a Bad Little War,” “Seeing Sound” and “Mona Lisa.”
Over the years, Bayside has gotten pretty good at crafting their own sound, which follows a very similar formula, yet plays to their strengths, whether it’s Jack O’Shea’s killer noodling or Anthony Raneri’s melodically hypnotic voice. “Killing Time” definitely has a lot of new songs that will be regarded as fan favorites.
— Ryan Pangilinan
