Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Able Baker Fox - Voices

It's not hard to tell that I am a huge Small Brown Bike fan. I have been since I was in early high school, and so it should be obvious to assume that in light of their 2004 breakup, I was incredibly excited to learn almost randomly that previous members of Small Brown Bike had joined together with Nathan Ellis of Casket Lottery to form Able Baker Fox and released a full length LP entitled 'Voices'.



My liking of this band went through three phases:

1) Absolutely ecstatic. I loved it. It sounded like Small Brown Bike and it was new.
2) A bit confused. It wasn't quite Small Brown Bike and it almost just made me miss them more.
3) And finally, I came to terms that this wasn't Small Brown Bike. It wasn't Casket Lottery...


Able Baker Fox have a songwriting style that has dynamics which are at points vastly different than their connected projects, while still falling in the post-hardcore/emo realm of their pasts. The shining point of this project is definitely the triple vocals. With an impressive range of style, the contrasting vocals in songs like 'Stuttering' should be enough to sell anyone on ABF. Once you get over the 1-2 songs on 'Voices' that sound like 'River Bed' album rejects, it's easy to appreciate the songs that are unique and unexpected. Songs like 'Folding Pocket Blades' impress with tinges of 90s alternative, whereas 'Whispering' seems to mould the styles of both previous efforts into tamer expression of emotion with a solid hook that resonates through the albums end.

I would post MP3s for everyone but they've made it easy for us all. Stream the whole album here: www.ablebakerfox.com/voices

On a side note, I will be in Chicago this Thurs/Fri for not only Able Baker Fox but Hot Water Music, Lucero (and their respective solo side projects) as well as Milwaukee for Dillinger Four. Expect cool stuff when I return.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Rumbleseat

My interest in all things Chuck Ragan has been admittedly amplified by my excitement for my upcoming weekend in Chicago. This also means my attention is being given to projects like Rumbleseat, who I sometimes feel don't get enough attention. Featuring Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard as well as Samantha Jones, Rumbleseat played a fairly straight forward acoustic-folk style complete with covers from Johnny Cash, Don Gibson and Tex Ritter. The thematic content across their discography is not very dynamic; if a song isn't about drinking, it's probably about love/loss. I wouldn't want it any other way, either.



Story time: About 4 years ago a friend of mine on the east coast burnt me a pile of CDs for my 22 hour bus ride home. Among those was a 19 song "complete discography" of the band Rumbleseat. I had heard all the stories of this release being delayed, and at this point, it still hadn't officially surfaced. I retained those 19 files over the years and just recently realized that only 12 of them were ever released when No Idea released the discography entitled 'Rumbleseat is Dead'. Some extensive searching awarded me with the names to a few of the better tracks, but I have still yet to figure out where exactly they came from. I'm choosing to share two of my favourite today, and I would very much love it if anyone who listens to these happens to know or discover anything about them that they share that information with me.

Rumbleseat- Love Song

Rumbleseat- What Do You Say

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Wax Estatic

Punknews.org has an interesting Vinyl File up today entitled 'A Look at all that is Yemin'. Featuring pressing information on all release from Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black and Armalite, the article was exciting to see (as someone who set an alarm to win a copy of Lifetime's first 7" released on Jade Tree on ebay last night), but at the same time raised a bit of debate.





The ever opinionated punknews readers of course came back with comments like "I can't help but think all this vinyl coveting kinda goes against the spirit of punk rock. I'm starting to hate vinyl cuz all the Ebay gouging that goes on now between the punks." This immediately reminded me of a thread over at deadformat.net that highlighted Tom Gabel of Against Me!'s feelings towards the punk scenes reaction to mainstream culture as expressed in Spin Magazine recently...



"'Up the Cuts' is trying to say that the argument the punk scene is making about mainstream culture is totally irrelevant now -- technology is changing everything, and they're still talking about $5 shows and seven-inch records. What I'd love is for those people to come with us."

For those not aware, Against Me! releases most of their full lengths and singles on a rainbow of coloured vinyl, in limited presses. Their first 7", limited to 50 copies, sells for $350 on ebay. So maybe this isn't entirely their choice, but this is where I'm confused. Against Me! is at least partly guilty of fueling the new punk consumerism where collecting, hording, and trading records replaced the tranditional anti-consumerist attitude once held. I wonder, then, what direction Mr. Gabel would like the punk scene to follow. Limited edition ring tones? iTunes only releases? There are independent labels staying better afloat thanks to multi-colour releases, and while I support and appreciate that aspect of the vinyl collecting phenomena, there are also kids buying "investment" records for the sole purpose of turning them over for profit on ebay to line their pockets. I guess then, this is where the dilemma lies.



When a punk band signs to a larger/major label, there is often a backlash of sorts, which may explain the tinge of bitterness in Gabels statement. The reactions in this situation (Is the band selling out? Or just getting more help with exposing their music to fans and staying afloat?) very much mimic the good vs. evils of the vinyl debate. People make decisions and embrace trends/activities/lifestyles for right and wrong reasons. Somewhere a happy median exists where kids can still buy records 'cause they like the music and pay $5 for a show and have the band still able to eat/buy gas. If Against Me! wants fans to still embrace them in their decisions to move forward as a band, it might be wise for them to find a similiar median.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Marvelous Darlings


I worked the door for Marvelous Darlings' release party for the "I Don't Wanna Go To the Party" Single this weekend at Rancho Relaxo. Wow, what can I say. Unfortunately, I don't have a full review, but I will say that it was a party and a half. Marvelous Darlings and Statues were unreal. Dead Letter Dept. was terrible and seemed to play forever, and Horses weren't bad. Here's the review I submitted to exclaim! this month:



With a style that sees ‘77 punk meet power pop not unlike the Exploding Hearts, Toronto’s Marvelous Darlings have produced a debut 7” so infectious it hurts. Featuring the former frontman and guitarist from No Warning and Violent Minds, I Don’t Wanna Go To The Party is the first of a few planned releases from the band in the not so distant future. Guaranteed to steal hearts and cause an influx of leather jackets and long hair at every show, “Careerist”, the B side to this hand-clappingly hooky single is just as contagious as the title track. Sure to cause involuntary foot tapping and quickly become the soundtrack to dirty dance parties everywhere, the slashing guitars and sing-along worthy choruses on I Don’t Wanna Go To The Party will have even the most unlikely of fans hooked from the start. Here’s hoping that this brilliantly simple and fun release is a good indication of what’s to come from the Marvelous Darlings.

Friday, January 18, 2008

The Humanoids... Are Born

I'm 21. As much as I like to have the attitude that I listened to most bands when they were first "cool", for most of the music I listen to, I can't. I mean, c'mon, Milo Goes to College was released 4 years before I was born. Even Jersey's Best Dancers, one of my favourite (if not my all time favourite) albums came out when I had just turned 11. I will admit that I had a late pass on that one. I've seen some really great bands, but, for the most part, the genre(s) of music that I most admire, I did not experience in their prime.

Now, even with that explanation, I still feel nostalgic for those times and that music. And with that, every so often a new band surfaces that gives me hope for MY generation. With that I present you a review I just submitted for Exclaim! for the EP from St. Louis's The Humanoids. Thanks to Pete at Hits and Misses for this one.



It seems only natural that a band with a name like the Humanoids would be capable of acting as a time machine back to the days when pop punk was best served in sweaty basements with a side of fast-paced and light hearted aggression. The Humanoids Are Dead is an 8 song EP filled with classic pop-punk melody and bursts of hardcore-style energy that is sure to surprise anyone who grew up with now veteran bands like the Descendents or Dag Nasty and inspire those who may not have been so lucky. It wont be hard for this young St. Louis five-piece to prove themselves among other Midwestern gems (and obvious influences) like Dillinger Four. The only flaw in this 14 minutes of songs worth adding to your soundtrack of growing up is that they leave the listening wanting more. No word yet on whether a full-length is in the works, but one can only hope.

Visit http://www.myspace.com/thehumanoidsruleearth to stream some tracks.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Polar Bear Club- Sometimes Things Just Disappear



Call me old fashion, but no matter how much new music comes out, I still can't help but wish that there were more bands still putting out records in the style of the bands that I attribute the evolution of my musical taste to. Seeing Small Brown Bike this fall sure didn't help with that feeling of nostalgia, but thankfully it seems like my time might be coming back; again. I feel as though the post hardcore style most popular in the late 90s to early 2000s has been given just enough time on the back burner to come back with vigor. And, who better to ignite the revitalization than Western New York's Polar Bear Club. Here's the review I'm working on for Exclaim! of "Sometimes Things Just Disappear", the bands first full length on Red Leader Records.


With melodies and hooks as addictive as narcotics, meet Polar Bear Club, post hardcore's new favourite dealers. Just as the mid-late 90s emo style popularized by bands like Hot Water Music and Small Brown Bike becomes more past than present, 5 young men from Western New York are exploding onto the scene; fueled by a self-proclaimed love for taco bell, and packing an unrelenting power and passion. For a debut full-length, Sometimes Things Just Disappear has classic written all over it. Featuring duel vocals with the perfect contrast between assaulting aggression and emotional melodies on top of confident songwriting, this album may quickly place the band within the ranks of many old favourites. The raw intensity that Polar Bear Club are capable of is best embodied in tracks like “The Bug Parade”, whereas “Convinced I’m Wrong” starts the listener off in a style reminiscent of the Casket Lottery only to deliver what is arguably the most powerful chorus on the album. With such impressive depth and a live show that is rumoured to match, this band is sure to take 2008 by storm.



Polar Bear Club- The Bug Parade MP3