March 29, 2009

Still, we sing with our heroes.

(March 29th, 2009 Millvale, PA - Mr. Small's)


When 2008 ended, I posted all of my different end-of-the-year lists, and was, for the most part, on the same page as most of my colleagues. I did manage to miss out on one album – The Gaslight Anthem’s The ’59 Sound – and boy did I miss out. When I post my revised lists (which will be coming at the end of June), it’s sure to be very close to the top of the Best Albums of 2008. Anyway, when I did finally come around to listening to this album, it wasn’t long before it was in regular rotation on my iPod. They managed to work their way into the top four most-listened to artists on my last.fm page in less than a month. This was after I had decided that I wouldn’t be going to see them on March 29th. Since then, my mind changed.

It helped that they were bringing one of my favorite bands from last year, Good Old War, to town with them. Consisting of two former members of Days Away (the second band I ever saw live) and one from Unlikely Cowboy, Good Old War play a very listener friendly brand of folk rock reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, but can hold their own on stage with flamboyant frontman Anthony Green of Circa Survive. As soon as their set started, I could tell they were going to be spot on musically. The vocal harmonies of the first four songs were flawless, the musicianship was indisputable (particularly Dan Shwartz’s guitar playing), but the eye-catching aspect of their set was the palpable fun they were having. Already being very familiar with their music, I expected to enjoy their set more than most of the crowd, but was pleasantly surprised to find everyone in the room paying very close attention, and applauding enthusiastically after each song. Clearly, many were impressed. The stand out from the set was a new song called “My Own Sinking Ship” (I asked Dan the title after the show), I literally caught myself laughing at the lyrics’ relevance in my personal life. It also featured Timmy Armstrong playing accordion, rather than his usual drumming. Saw Creek EP, to be released later this year, is sure to be a handsome addition to the bands small catalog. The songs that followed were just as enjoyable; the band seemed even more comfortable than they were when the set started.

set list:
Window
Weak Man
Just Another Day
I’m Not For You
Tell Me
My Own Sinking Ship (new song)
Coney Island
Looking For Shelter

Following Good Old War, a band called Heartless Bastards was on. Prior to the show, I knew nothing of them. I didn’t know what they looked like, sounded like, anything. I was 100% in the dark. When they took the stage, I was a bit surprised. The frontwoman reminds me of my own mother, only a tiny bit cooler (she can sing and play guitar, my mom can’t even drive). At the beginning of their set, I was enjoying it, but only enough to keep me from talking. I had my phone out, was only semi-paying attention, just kind of there. About halfway into the set though, they played a song called “The Mountain” that featured their bassist playing pedal steel guitar and their lead guitarist playing bass. It takes a lot for a song to get me really into it, to move me. That song did. After that the set really picked up and I was hooked. I could feel the intensity, and my sentiments were echoed by most of the audience.

And now, the reason we were all gathered in an old church on a Sunday night: The Gaslight Anthem. Set up was relatively quick, thanks to Gaslight’s hard working tech. They came out and jumped right into the set with “Great Expectations,” and I could tell it was going to be a good night. They blasted through several songs on The ’59 Sound before mixing a few of the standouts from Sink or Swim into the set. All of ’59 was played, save for “The Patient Ferris Wheel,” coincidentally one of my favorites on the album. Still, the set lacked nothing. Frontman Brian Fallon was clearly enveloped into his music, and everyone appreciated it. He meant every note he played, every word he sang, and sounded great in the process. All in all, while my mind wasn’t blown or anything, I was definitely stirred by the set. If you get the chance, and you’re a fan, take the time to go see the Gaslight Anthem. On that note, if you haven’t already, give The ’59 Sound a listen.

set list:
Great Expectations
High Lonesome
Old White Lincoln
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Casanova, Baby!
The ’59 Sound
We Came To Dance
Wooderson
Film Noir
Miles Davis & the Cool
1930
Boomboxes and Dictionaries
Meet Me By the River’s Edge
Here’s At Looking at You, Kid
The Backseat

encore:
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
Stand By Me/I’da Called You Woody, Joe
Angry Johnny and the Radio

March 25, 2009

A brief update

I've been very sparse on the reviews, and I'm sorry. There's many coming, in time. But I will have numerous show reviews over the next few weeks. Very busy in that department:

March 29th: The Gaslight Anthem w/ Good Old War, Heartless Bastards
April 5th: Once Nothing's final show
April 18th: Copeland
May 2nd: Manchester Orchestra

There are several others that may or may not get reviews, we will see. Hopefully I'll knock out another album review between now and then though.

P.O.S. - Never Better


“Sorry I took so long” are the first words you hear from Stefon Alexander, more commonly known as hip-hop anomaly P.O.S., on his latest album Never Better. Well, while it’s been three years since his fourth album Audition, it’s immediately clear it was well worth the wait. “Let It Rattle” kicks the album off in a straightforward way, but P.O.S.’ rhymes are incredibly fluent over such a simple beat. In fact, the whole album is fashioned in a similar manner, no where is it overdone, but every word, every beat finds a way to strike you as the listener.

If you don’t already know, P.O.S. is not your typical rapper. In fact, he’d probably be more comfortable at a punk rock show circa 1989 than on the same bill as the Kanye’s and Wayne’s of the mainstream hip hop scene. His raps – no, lyrics – are best described as thought-provoking, heavy, and sometimes even almost splendid. Lines like: “And we all save face in the face of our friends, and we all bend backwards to make amends, and we all take chances that change us” (from “Goodbye”) set the tone of the album: undeniable optimism in the face of fear.

The truth is I can’t find a song on Never Better that I don’t like. There are standouts, including “Goodbye,” “Optimist,” and the all too brief “Savion Glover,” but there aren’t any songs that I would – or have skipped when listening front-to-back. This is the first album to be released so far this year that I’m still listening to very regularly.

The further I find myself into Never Better, the better it gets. Even now as I sit here and attempt to write this review, I’d rather just listen to it. The production is flawless, thanks to both P.O.S. and fellow Doomtree member Lazerbeak. Paper Tiger is worth noting as well for his production on “Low Light Low Life,” which features Doomtree collective members Sims, Cecil Otter, and Dessa, and is probably my personal favorite song on Never Better.

The strongest aspect of P.O.S.’ music however is in his words. The content and the delivery, he’s more a modern troubadour than a rapper. Many hip hop artists today utilize vulgarity to an unprecedented extent, which there is nothing wrong with, when it’s in ‘good’ taste. But as I listen to my copy of Never Better, I still don’t know if I have the uncensored or clean version. P.O.S.’ vocabulary is unbelievable, but he could get along with your grandmother while just as well maintaining the same abrasiveness exhibited on his albums.

However, if you’re looking for the next big thing, the next rapper to take number one on TRL or whatever garbage MTV is running nowadays, P.O.S. is not your man. Never Better is not standard hip-hop. It’s something different that has to be appreciated for just that. Don’t expect to see it on any “Best Rap Albums of 2009” lists, but is it too early to say one of the “Best Albums of 2009?” No, and as of right now, it’s certainly on my list. Musically Never Better is a seven-and-a-half, vocally an eight, production-wise a nine, but overall I can honestly say I believe this record is a nine out of ten: definitely tell your friends about P.O.S.

http://www.myspace.com/pos

March 11, 2009

A breif explanation

So whoever reads this is probably wondering "Ben, why do you give these albums such high ratings?" The answer is simple: I review albums that I listen to. I don't listen to things that I think are bad. However, if a review is requested, I'd be more than happy to listen to the album several times, regardless how much I hate it.

Reviews coming soon:
Where's the Band? tour (January 24th)
Ace Enders - When I Hit the Ground
Bomb the Music Industry! - Scrambles
Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood
Mansions - New Best Friends
Number Twelve - Worse than Alone
P.O.S - Never Better
Winston Audio - The Red Rhythm

I've got a busy few weeks :)

New Found Glory - Not Without a Fight


I’d like to start this review with total honesty: up until several weeks ago, I knew NOTHING of New Found Glory short of “Catalyst, you insist to pull me down…” I only heard “My Friends Over You” a month or so ago. So I feel as though I’ve approached Not Without A Fight from a very unbiased standpoint. What a perfect way to do it too.

I think it’s safe to say I was missing out in not listening to New Found Glory all these years. Downloading this album lead me to download everything they’ve released prior to, without even listening to it. I couldn’t be happier with that decision. I’ve been stuck on Sticks & Stones whenever I’m not listening to this new one. Which should speak to all the old school NFG fans: this album is unquestionably a return to form for the band. They sound like the adolescent pop-punkers that they were so long ago all over again.

Compromises are made in order to reach that point, yes. Musically, there’s nothing special about this release in comparison with anything else that will come out this year. They’re all more well-rounded musicians than they were back in the day, but they certainly won’t blow your mind. Lyrically nothing stands out either, most of the songs actually come off as almost pretentiously immature, but that doesn’t significantly take away from the enjoyability (that’s not a word, I know) of Not Without a Fight.

Something about songs like “47” and “I’ll Never Love Again” really takes me by surprise. For the most part, the record feels really genuine. This is so odd because it’s also quite a blast into the past, something that usually fails horribly when attempted by other bands. The stand out from the album in my opinion is probably “Listen to Your Friends,” something I’m a little ashamed to say because it’s the lead off single. But it is a great song, definitely a stand out within their entire catalog at this point. A few others worth noting are certainly “47,” “Right Where We Left Off” which starts the album off on an almost hardcore note, and “Such a Mess.” But there are still songs like “Tangled Up” (which subtly features Hayley from Paramore *melts*), which I actually couldn’t stand upon initial listens, but with a few more it really grew on me. The thing about Not Without a Fight that tells me that it’s actually a really great album is the fact that I can skip around and listen to the songs individually and enjoy it, OR I can listen front-to-back, and still get the same satisfaction.

With this album, I have a little bit of faith restored in the pop-punk genre. As of late, things have gotten very cut-and-dry, and save for a few bands, I feel as though pop-punk is on its death bed. New Found Glory was not one of those bands until I heard this record. This is not the same synthesizer, handclap, and autotune heavy album that every other pop band can be expected to release this year. I only hope former fans of the band will accept this album, despite the mediocre previous two. Musically and vocally Not Without a Fight is a seven, vocally a six, but Mark Hoppus’ production is outstanding - by no means raw, but without being over-produced - he gets a nine. This is a great record from a band I never thought was all that great at all: Nine out of ten, definitely tell your friends about this one.

http://www.myspace.com/newfoundglory

March 10, 2009

Initial thoughts: Ace Enders and a Million Different People - When I Hit the Ground

Very solid record. I'm enjoying every second to be honest. Definitely check this out if you're a fan of anything else Ace has done.

Also, my next post will be a review of New Found Glory's Not Without A Fight

March 8, 2009

Initial Thoughts: Winston Audio - The Red Rhythm

This sounds like a great record. I can't wait to listen to it several more times. Expect a full review in the future. Check these guys out if you like '90s alternative rock or newer bands like Manchester Orchestra and Colour Revolt.

March 6, 2009

Initial Thoughts: The Number Twelve Looks Like You - Worse Than Alone

Well, it's a Number Twelve album. If you like them, you'll probably like it. If you don't, you probably won't. It's a teeny bit more accessible than Mongrel, but not by much. My opinion on it is that it's decent, probably their strongest release. I still don't like the band very much.