MSG TO A FRIENEMY.

8 to 3??? Is that the best ya got little guy? That fantasy football hubris gotcha underestimating the competition?

BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY!! - VACATION

 "It felt just like a vacation but still we complained until we all felt jaded and started to hate it"

  I listened to this entire album with a goofy smirk on my face loving every single second that passed.  The album starts with "Campaign for a Better Weekend," a piano driven snowfall that builds into a blizzard of fury and classic punk beats. "Everybody That You Love," is my favorite music video of 2011.
click here ---->   Enjoi.
The tenth track "Can't Complain" sent me into a nostalgic cocoon of warmth and simpler times as it ended with a sound-byte from the groundbreaking rollerblading movie Airborne.
"The point is when you got a perfect wave, a perfect anything you go for it.  Don't worry about what the shark has stuffed up his butt.  I mean there will always be sharks, but how often does this once in a lifetime wave come along?"
There are times on this album where you'd swear that Matt Skiba and Kris Roe made sweet love, and out came bomb the music industry. While raising little Bomb the Music Industry, his two gay dads told him "Learn from our mistakes, never take yourself too seriously or you'll never be able to top your first three albums and end up forgotten, or trying way too hard stay relevant."
The final track on the album "Felt Just Like a Vacation" happens to my favorite, and the perfect exclamation point to an absolute party of an album.  Maybe 2011 wasn't such a terrible year for music after all?


LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM!!!




Favorite Tracks - Felt Just Like a Vacation, Everybody That You Love, Can't Complain, Hurrican Waves


For Fans of - GODDAMMIT!, End is Forever, Judy is a Punk, Against Me! (acoustic album), drinking beer, headbanging, and gang vocal chants.

La Dispute - Wildlife

"And time can be such a funny thing, always moving to the future, Glorifying the past and amplifying the pain in frames and glass."

There are songs on this album that are hard to listen to. There are songs on this album that make you think. There are songs on this album that can make you cry. Seriously. If you've never listened to anything by La Dispute before you're in for a very unique experience. Lead singer Jordan Dreyer's unorthodox spoken word spasms into rage-filled outbursts will probably come off as too bizarre for most people to give this album a deep and true listen. For those of you who can handle it, I give you my word that this is one of the most visually stimulating albums you will listen this year. (i am completely aware that there are only 2 and a half weeks left of the year.)  
La Dispute brings its listeners into their lyrics, and many will find themselves lost between verses picturing themselves as ghosts, as parents, listeners will mourn and question while trying to understand Wildlife. "King's Park," reads more like a newspaper article and obituary than lyrics to a song, but nonetheless the song brings you into a murder scene as you float into reconstructed scenes from different perspectives of a senseless drive-by shooting that takes the life of an innocent bystander.  The most tragic being the final verse in which the shooter begs for forgiveness for his mistake as police surround his hotel. Another unique standout track is Safer in the Forest / Love Song for Poor Michigan, a ballad dedicated to the love of a once great state that is now slowly crumbling state. "Some winters never end."
My only qualm with this album is that there is almost too much emotion in every song, and during my first in depth listen, I was lugubrious almost the entire time, and though it's my one qualm its also one of the reasons i love this album so much.  Music is becoming too emotionless and pardon  my snark but most POP music is just so unintelligent, ie LMFAO, Black Eyed Peas, sorry if i offend....wait no i'm not. The last time i was touched by an album like this was last year when reviewing The National's "High Violet" which was my absolute favorite album of 2010.  The jury is still out for 2011, but Wildlife is definitely in the mix.

Favorite Tracks:  A Letter, Kings Park, The Most Beautiful Bitter Fruit

For Fans of:  Defeater, John Fante, Mystic River, thinking. 
 

TROPHY SCARS- NEVER BORN, NEVER DEAD

"And if I told you we live forever, Would you ever believe?  I love you so much more than forever
But now it's time for sleep"

Over the past year I've really dedicated a lot of time in searching for 2011's Crème fraîche of music.  For the most part it's been a disappointing year in terms of albums that will forever be on rotation of my beastly "top 25 most played songs" playlist which actually contains 750 songs. With that being said there have been a few bright spots, and one of the brightest is/was Trophy Scars -Never Born, Never Dead.
The first time i had heard or seen anything to do with trophy scars was went I home for leave in September, and my younger brother had just gotten the symbol on the center of album cover posted above tattooed on his forearm, which if nothing else told me that i've been missing out on something and i must indulge. As usual my brother's taste did not let me down.

This album is exactly what you've been longing for over the past year.

Incredibly smart, simple and complete lyrics on each and every song coupled with a transcendence of modern genres of rock and roll, Trophy Scars delivers a 7 song ep that will skyrocket up any music snob's last.fm most played music list.  From the opening bass-line "Messengers" to the closing verse of "Never Born" Never Born, Never Dead makes you want to open a speakeasy and hire Trophy Scars to be the house band.  All the cards are on the table with this band, and what you get is an ambitious, earnest album that showcases an understanding of making ambitious and not pretentious MUSIC.  Short and sweet, but completely unforgettable, Never Born, Never Dead never disappointments.

Favorite Tracks - Snake Oil, Never Born
For Fans of - Boardwalk Empire.

The Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be

"Oh go-oh-ohd how did i get here, i do not know, I just woke up at this strange show, This woman's clearly out of her mind, She's covered in shit and high as a kite, La la la la la, la la la la la la la la la la, la la la"

Cali-grown Dum Dum Girls release a noise-pop gem with I Will Be.  "Baby Don't Go" sings like a runaway note written for a loved one, explaining why she has to go, but wants you to stay and wait for her; it also makes for the perfect closer to the album, and a perfect opener to my review. (forgive me if I didn't use the semi-colon correctly, I'm a high school drop. ADUHHH)  With the radio and mtv churning out it's usual bile that gets pawned off as music, one should hope that DDG find a way to be heard.  Echoing melodramatic guitars, simple yet precise drumming, and a little bit of german will have you hooked like a delicious bass.  "Jail La La La" can potentially take over the world with its humorous and catchy lyrics, I envision DDG going to Japan and having a Runaways style riot on their hands. Its the kind of music any hipster dad would hope for his daughter to find in his record collection and become their favorite band. (Yes, margot, i'm talking to you!) Favorite Tracks - "Yours Alone," "Jail La La La," "Baby Don't Go"

Fans of - The Best Coast, Beach House, Cadence Fox (great girl band), being to cool for school, and talented woman.

The Chariot - Long Live

"They cannot escape, one if by land, two if by sea, i saved my money, but it can't save me."

Dissapointed I know you are! Chariot lead singer Josh Scogin explodes repeatedly to end the first song "Evan Perks" on Long Live, but I have know I idea what he's talking about because this album is anything but disappointing.  A ten song half hour dose of NO-XPLODE in music form, I'm doing overhead tricep extensions with my PC console as i type this.  not really. but really. not really.  Furious guitars, flame-thrower drumming, devasting growls, chants, and a little spoken word poetry for good measure.  The one flaw in the album, is at the end of Calvin Makenzie when they sample a 50's style radio jingle that ruins one of the better breakdowns on the cd, it has no business on anywhere near the album, and felt forced and weird for the sake of weird. ok enough about the 4 bad seconds of this cd, because thats it.  The band had some sort of contest on their myspace blog, that promised a prize for the 5 listeners to have songs on this album named after them, which explains the titles "Evan Perks, Andy Sundwall, Calvin Makenzie, David De La Hoz, and Robert Rios; imagine your favorite band naming a song after you, thats so legit. The music video for "David De La Hoz" is as fair as I know, the actual one take live recording that is on the album,that takes you on a journey of the studio while the chaos erupts, mustard stands by idly, creepers creep creepily reading creepy poetry with mustaches and drums everywhere.  (link at the bottom of the page.) "The City" calls for a revolution as Scogins panicked screams beseeches listeners to "stand hand in hand, and walk without fear;" while on "Andy Sundwall," cries "WE'VE GROWN BORED OF YOUR WAYS, WE WANT MORE," and once you've finished listening to this album you'll be joining me in exclaiming " LONG LIVE THE CHARIOT!"
Favorite Tracks - "The City," "Andy Sundwall," "David De La Hoz," and "Evan Perks"

For Fans Of - Norma Jean ( ADUUH! Poor Schmity) Maylene and Sons of Disaster (not really), Heavy Heavy Low Low (prior to that toxic shock BS), Revolutions (minus the industrial revolution of course) and Parenthesis (  .  )(  .  ) <---boobs.

Video for David De La Hoz.

Japandroids - No Singles

"My love is bigger than your love, my band is better than your band, my songs are better than your songs, we've got my songs than a song convention, and we're all going straight to hell"

Although the music on this album was originally released in 2007 and 2008 as two seperate eps, the combination of the two was released in 2010. I had not previously had to absolute pleasure of indulging in this Canadian bred duo's spastic and inventive style of rock and roll prior to today, boy howdy am I happy to have them in my life. The self-recorded eps are split with Lullaby Death Jams being the first 5 tracks and All Lies finishing the LP resulting in a fist-pumping, hip-rocking, and at times chill provoking good time. The bands timing and chord progressions matched with witty lyrics, and unique dueling vocals give Japandroids their it factor, and  they do it well.  The bullet-train paced "Lover/Strangers" must cause complete chaos at live shows due to its physics defying riffage and yelping vocals.  "To Hell With Good Intentions"  is a ravenous account of the bands vanity, that boasts of drug use, and large fathers.  I was originally under the impression that this was their latest album, so i guess i'm going to have to go get 2009's Post Nothing to get the latest taste of the Japandroids. Favorite Tracks - "To Hell with Good INtentions," "Couture Suicide," and "Lover/Strangers."

For Fans of - Neon Blonde, Cadence Fox, Team Sleep, Sweet,  nipple twisters, and slam dancing.