Idle and the Bear

fun.- Some Nights

2012-02-28T14:39:00.000-05:00

fun is perhaps one of the best pop bands there is. I fell in love with Aim & Ignite in 2009, and I'm falling in love with this record today. I actually don't know anyone who hasn't fallen in love with them. It's a trio of three sweet guys making awesome music. This album was released on the 21st. RIYL The Format, Jack's Mannequin

The music is a little bit more produced than it was on Aim & Ignite, but that's expected to happen when you become one of the most popular indie bands in America. It's less piano heavy and more traditional full-band centered. Still a lot of piano, though.

The intro starts off very sweet and quiet. Piano and Nate. The best kind of combination. Oh, and some opera singing. It does a great job of slowly, slowly building up into this amazing orchestra thing. It's awesome. And then "Some Nights" has some awesome, awesome a capella. Super cute. Also, Nate gets a little gruff with his voice. Never heard that before, but most definitely appreciated. The percussion is amazing. It reminds me of the Lion King a little, I can't even lie.

Here's a little highlight of some of the best songs-

"We Are Young feat. Janelle Monae"- no surprise that this song is amazing. It was released as the first single, and everyone fell in love with it. The lyrics are completely wonderful and the piano/drum combination gives you that endorphin rush music can give. Oh, and Janelle does a great job.

"All Alright"- Extremely catchy chorus. Reminds me a little of "Be Calm" from Aim & Ignite. Probably because they're both really, really good anti-panic songs.

"Out On The Town"- The bonus tracks are usually great, aren't they? As per the usual, the percussion and the lyrics are mind-blowing. Great, great song.

Only complaint I could possibly have is the overproduction. It sounds really good, but I miss the sound of Aim & Ignite. Either way, amazing record. Check it out.

Official website

Last.fm

Twitter

fun. Facebook/Our facebook

-Bear

Cheap Girls- Giant Orange

2012-02-27T15:06:00.001-05:00

Cheap Girls is this badass Lansing indie rock band. You've probably heard of them before, and you've probably seen them before. I swear to God, even the times I'm NOT going to see Cheap Girls, I end up seeing Cheap Girls. It's like when you get two gumballs out of the machine or something. Anyway, they're really good. Ian and Ben Graham combined with Adam Aymor make up Cheap Girls. We've talked about them before. (ps. that split is a lot better than Idle makes it sound like.) This was released on February 21st. RIYL Tin Armor, Sundials, The Lemonheads

Holy shit, this album is amazing. The last time I saw Cheap Girls (out of a thousand. 1001, if you include when I just saw Ian Graham.) was almost right before they released this, and I got to hear a couple of these songs live and I knew right then I was going to fall in love with this record. And I did.

Cheap Girls is unbelievably catchy and creative. The melodies are always fairly intricate with lots of interesting guitar and occasionally keyboards. Ian Graham has an awesome voice. Also, he is the bassist and vocalist, so we're like the same person. That's a joke, because he's better than I am. The first thing I did while listening to this record was text Idle and say "I've always liked Cheap Girls. But this was the first time I understood Jeff Rosenstock completely."

"Gone All Summer" was an awesome, awesome way to start off the record. Incredible lyrics and a really, really addictive melody. You rock back and forth in your chair a little bit when it's on.

"Ruby" is my second favorite song. IT'S SO GOOD. Picture perfect instrumental balance. Emotionally striking lyrics. So catchy, you would put it on the juke box a thousand times and stay in the restaurant for all thousand. Drums you feel in your stomach, even through your shitty laptop speakers. Overall, bravo bravo bravo.

The best song on the entire album is "Cored To Empty." I have a habit of always picking the acoustic Cheap Girls song on the record as my favorite, but that's okay. The lyrics almost made me cry. It's an amazing, amazing song. Brings me back to when I first heard "Her and Cigarettes" but this time, it was less about being catchy and more about being perfect. This song wins the record.

Some close runner-ups include "Right Way," "Mercy-Go-Round, and "On/Off Switches."

Cheap Girls Tumblr.

Last.fm

Myspace.

Big Cartel. Buy this record.

I'm already predicting this being in my top 2012 albums.

-Bear

Placeholder- Nothing Is Pure

2012-02-26T13:03:00.000-05:00

Placeholder, originally Coastal, was formed in March of 2011. Just two months later, they released their first EP Demonstration. This was recorded last year also and released on the 20th of December. These four guys are a pretty impressive post-hardcore machine with powerful beats and catchy melodies. RIYL The Polar Bear Club, Balance & Composure, Close Only Counts

This album is not the kind of album you can passively listen to. It's extremely emotionally charged and strong to listen to. The words are in that strange subcategory of lyrics that are so specifically personal to the band that you can connect to them more than vague lyrics. Fairly rare and always a nice surprise. They make a badass combination with the vocalist's voice, which is a nice combination of angsty and focused.

The music itself is very bass and drums heavy, which I can appreciate. Creative drum rhythms and strong bass. Props to that. The guitar lines can also be really melodic and interesting, so they have the entire package for you.

Songs especially worth listening to are "Give Up," "What This Means," and "Resent." "Resent" is definitely my favorite; it's very catchy and intense. Overall, this is a pretty good record. I wouldn't say it's one of the best I've heard ever, but I would say I'm definitely going to listen to it many times again. This is partially due to the fact that it's not my scene, so it's fairly important to take my opinion with a grain of salt. If I think it's pretty good, and this is your thing, then you'll probably fall in love or something.

Better Days Records

Placeholder Facebook/Idle and the Bear Facebook

-Bear

Wavelets- Athaletics

2012-02-25T22:40:00.000-05:00

Wavelets is this badass emo band from Gainesville. Aren't all the best bands from Gainesville, or is it just me? (It's totally not just me.) They released this on Tiny Engines on January 10th of this year and I'm pretty sure thousands of people are already blaring it in their basements. I made that last part up, but it at least should be true. It's that good. RIYL Algernon Cadwallader, Dikembe, Grown Ups, Dads, Snowing, Weatherbox

Let me go ahead and describe this record to you in a few short phrases: Awesome guitar riffs. Awesome lyrics. Awesome. It's that perfect combination of calming and interesting. The music is very laid-back and emotive. It's pretty awesome when you can feel the musician's emotions through the speakers. The songs all have direction and great dynamics and it's very impressive.

Some of my favorites are "Bad Scene, Jawbreaker's Fault," "Kelly Hewitt Loves Waterworld," and "My Dad The Manatee." Not just because they have awesome/hilarious/both song titles, even though that helps.

Fans of Cursive everywhere will rejoice when they hear this album. It's just as awesome, but this time, it doesn't make you cry! (I hope that makes sense to some of you.)

My favorite thing about this album is hands down the guitar riffs. Super melodic, cyclic stuff that just makes ears happy. I love listening to all the different melodies they can come up with in every single song. Normally, I get much more excited about the bass or drums, but this album just has badass guitar.

Lastly, listen to the lyrics. The lyrics are super relate-able and very well written. I'm getting super into it.

LISTEN TO IT!

Blogspot Downloadography of Wavelets

Wavelets Facebook/Our facebook.

-Bear

Defying Control - Time Changes

2012-02-24T07:36:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what it'd sound like if Saves the Day never turned awful and if the punk music that was popular on MTV in the 90s actually went in the right direction after all? Basically, it'd sound sort of like the melodic punk group Defying Control from over in Portugal.

Defying Control a lot of catchiness and impressiveness to the table with their newly released two-song EP. Both songs have excellent, relatable lyrics and are instrumentally as sound as the Batmobile. 'Time Changes' is an EP that might make you throw away all of your Polar Bear Club records, because they definitely struggle to hold a torch to such an excellently executed melodic punk effort.

I promise you'll like both songs on this release. Even though I know it's totally possible that you won't, because not everyone is into the same shit. But, I promise that if you happen to be a clone of myself or many people I know who would definitely enjoy the fuck out of this record, you will enjoy this release. Do yourself a favor and check out Defying Control's website and head over to their soundcloud page to download 'Time Changes' for yourself. You'll probably like it. There's even an awkward key change towards the finish of the first song, "Time Changes". I mean, it feels a little bit awkward, but still comes out sounding pretty good with the backup vocals in place. I don't know what I'm saying. I like this EP, though. That's all.

-Idle

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The Lonely Kids Club - When the Time Comes EP

2012-02-24T07:22:00.000-05:00

The Lonely Kids Club from Kent, Ohio have blessed my pop punk soul with some the nicest sounding songs let forth into the scene since 2012 started two months ago. Apparently Max Stern from Signals Midwest (Cleveland) sent them our way, and for that I repeatedly thank him.

TLKC have the same sort of energy as Signals Midwest, i.e. high energy, but basically sound like a more diverse version of the Lawrence Arms instrumentally, with vocals that sound similar to a manly version of Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy. Which is definitely a compliment coming from me...I'm not really into Fall Out Boy, but I can't deny the vocal prowess of that Stump dude. They also boast this overall elegance that's common in a Gaslight Anthem Record. Don't let that put you off if you're like me and don't like Gaslight for shit, because The Lonely Kids Club are definitely professionals at what they do. 'When The Time Comes' is simply an excellent EP, and even if it were to garner international attention, it'd still deserve much more than that.

This album has it all. "Early Varnished Afternoons" is an excellent power-pop tune with a simple chord progression and is raptly followed by "Not Alone", which is a more somber sounding acoustic number. There's definitely a decent amount of diversity for a six song release, and it's pretty refreshing. The last string of short albums I reviewed were generally all same-sounding twinkly emo songs, which I still thought were great, but this EP definitely tops most of the EPs we've reviewed over our term of existence.

The final song on the album is titled "Home", and this one I find a bit funny in an odd, specific to me sort of way. Basically, it starts off acoustic and turns into an electric jam. The ska-punk band I'm in has a song titled "Home" which does exactly the same thing. We're like band buddies now or something. Regardless, this song is an excellent way to finish off an album. It's powerful, longer than three minutes, and leaves you with a feeling that its an ending that would be quite difficult to top if the album were to continue. It's pretty awesome.

You can download "When The Time Comes" for free over at The Lonely Kids Club's bandcamp page. Which is perfect, because I never have any money and definitely would like to burn a copy to listen to whenever I'm forced to drive somewhere. Why can't everything be in either walking or biking distance? Stupid world. LISTEN TO THIS EP.

-Idle

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A few free albums from Carucage Records!

2012-02-22T13:57:00.000-05:00

Carucage Records are this small label based out of both St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee. They seemingly have a lot to offer in the emo-punk department, which means Idle and the Bear are as interested as two music dorks could possibly be. Carucage Records shot us an email asking us to aid in promoting some of their albums and the fact that you can choose to download the albums for free or purchase yourself a physical copy from their webstore. After listening to the first link in the email, I was sold. Here are a few albums you should take notice of when you dive into the world of Carucage Records:

Innards/Two Knights - No Scum Allowed split

The Innards side of this split is a bit on the heavier side when compared to the latter half, but I’d have to say I find both sides to be equally energetic. Innards deliver some solid hardcore punk/skramz type shit for the first bit of the song “Brain” on this split, and then completely abandon the style and go for a more indie-emo approach, albeit still topped with screaming from the vocalist. The variety represented in their small, three minute portion of the split is pretty excellent. Two Knights play more of just straight forward twinkly emo...with the addition of insanely interesting percussion bits. The vocals are more snotty and therefore more relatable to by me, since I’m a stupid pop punk dork.

Innards/The Reptilian split

More of what you heard in the last album from Innards. So, their side of the split is great. The Reptilian are absolutely perfect. I’ve reviewed their music in the past, and I’ve always been deeply impressed by it. You should check out this split just to hear more of what Innards have to offer and to feast on the cornucopia of awesomness that The Reptilian bring to the Thanksgiving table. It’s not Thanksgiving, is it? Oh yeah, it’s February. Fuck it.

Adaje/Lizards Have Personalities split

This split made a weird decision that is not seen very often. It starts off with one band, then there’s two songs by the other band, then it finishes off by playing a song by the first band again. It’s kind of a cool method, because it mixes them up a bit. I feel like it’d make more sense going every other song or something, but hey, what the fuck do I know? Adaje are way more screamy than the other bands in this article. There’s two main vocalists, one who screams and one who just bark-yells. It’s kind of interesting in that respect...plus the guitar takes some weird turns at some parts in the songs. It’s definitely some interesting music, and some pretty good music. My only beef with this split as opposed to the other ones on this post would have to be the fact that I had to double check the album to make sure the band has actually changed. The style between Adaje and Lizards With Personality is far too similar to put them on a split together, but I guess that’s what they went with, and it’s too late to hate now. The songs are definitely good, either way.

You should check out Carucage Records’ webstore and get a feel for everything they have to offer! I’m going to do the same after I post this review! And eat mozzarella bites...but that’s hardly related. Later!

-Idle

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Direct Hit! / Hold Tight! split 12"

2012-02-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

I awoke this morning to a text from our dear friend Billy. The text inquired as to whether or not I've heard this new Direct Hit! split in which a new singer was incorporated. Billy then went on to tell me that the Direct Hit! songs are "not that good." Well, my initial thought was that perhaps Billy had just stumbled upon some new band that just happens to be going by the same name as DH. Then I remembered that Billy has a head on his shoulders and probably would've done a little bit of research before sending me such a text. My second thought was that maybe Billy is right, and these songs aren't that good. Yeah...we're going to have to go with the latter on this one.

The Direct Hit! side of the split starts off with some stranger shouting, "fuck you! Get pumped!" And if you didn't read below on the bandcamp page where it states that they used a different singer for these songs, you might just be convinced that this is some sort of Direct Hit! parody and not the real thing at all. This stranger continues to yell throughout the rest of the songs, which seem to be trying their damnedest to fit in with the Hold Tight! side of the release. Honestly, if you're into this heavy stuff, you might seriously dig these new Direct Hit! songs. The only real issue would have to be the fact that they should've used a different microphone on the lead vocalist. His barks sound way more grumbly than intended. Also, the fact that these songs sound absolutely nothing like the Direct Hit! we're accustomed to sort of hangs me out to dry. It's like when New Found Glory released all those International Superheroes of Hardcore songs that were hilarious and fun. The thing is, NFG intended those songs to be hilarious. I don't think the humor was as intended by Direct Hit! Or maybe it was, honestly. It would explain a lot.

Overall, the DH! side of the split is for people who listen to Champion and whatnot, I suppose, and it serves its purpose well in that sense. However, the Hold Tight! side of the split is for absolutely everyone. The songs are equally as heavy as the songs on the DH! half, but they feel far less draggy with HT!'s vocalist. The songs are also much shorter and therefore are in the habit of never outstaying their welcome. There's 11 cool little numbers on Hold Tight's side, and pretty much all fun, energetic, and exactly the type of hardcore punk I get into. There's a definite Go Rydell/Kid Dynamite sort of feel to the songs, and with that sort of resemblance to other bands we all love, it's sort of impossible to alienate anyone in the process.

You should check out both sides of the split, because you honestly might dig the weird hardcore excursion by the Direct Hit! boys. I mean, they're awesome dudes, so you should definitely check it out. And while you're at it, you should definitely check out their full length Domesplitter, because it is fucking awesome. The Hold Tight! side of the split is excellent and can be found for free download at their bandcamp page, or you can just pick up a physical copy of the split back at the DH! bandcamp, if you'd prefer to go that route! Options, options, options! Point is, check it out. You'll probably like it.

-Idle

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Kite Party - Baseball Season

2012-02-21T20:47:00.000-05:00

Animal Style Records have this weird habit of typically releasing exclusively awesome records. I'm serious. I bet they do it on purpose or something. Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that their most recent release 'Baseball Season' by the indiepopemopunk group Kite Party is just as excellent as anything else Animal Style puts out for us to freak out over. Let's dig in, or whatever.

(By the way, I typed out a sentence about how I initially saw the email regarding this band as an email regarding a new "Katy Perry" record. Of course, right after I wrote out my short anecdote about this, I realized that Property of Zack already mentioned this little tidbit in their review. Motherfucker. Either way, I get to keep my anecdote in tact just by adding these other sentences to give it context. So, it's cool.)

If I for some reason had to sum 'Baseball Season' up in one word, I'd probably have to go with "relaxing". Because that's seriously what this album is to me. Relaxing. It reminds me of spring and summer and it calms my nerves temporarily, which is definitely a much sought after thing in my life. It reminds me of Sunny Day Real Estate in that sense...but that's probably also due to the fact that they sound like Sunny Day a bit. You know who they don't sound like? Hot Water Music. Thank god. That didn't stop review sites from comparing the two bands, though. Goofy shit, if you ask me.

Kite Party's songs on this record pretty much convey the talent of the musicians as individuals and as a hole. It's like they think of a couple clever ideas, attach them to the same song, and then absolutely refuse to take the easy way out. More cleverness is added in the rhythm section and then once the stakes are higher, the guitar does some cool mid-90s emo shit while the vocals do kind of a Onelinedrawing/Quicksand sort of thing. Overall, it's great. There are nine songs on this 'Baseball Season' record and each of them sit pretty damn well with me. There's absolutely no way you could listen to the song "Arizona" off this album and not be completely convinced of Kite Party's awesomeness. Before I knew the song name I kept picturing that scene from The Lion King with Simba running through the desert...at least that's how the music sounded to me. It sounded like the desert. Then of course it gets to the part where he's singing, "Arizonaaaaaa" and I'm like, "oh shit, it's supposed to remind the listener of a desert." That's some impressive stuff, if you ask me. Or, on the more likely side, I just see way too far into things. I'm a dork. You knew this.

The album closes out with this odd little number called "We Won't Survive." The guitar riff reminds me of something but I honestly can't place my finger on it. It's either a recent pop song or something by Lemuria. That's about as close to the answer as I can get. This song gets incredibly atmospheric part way in, which definitely seems to be a trend with these Kite Party dudes. The only problem I have with this album is actually the way it ends. It feels like it's going into another song, but another song never happens. It's a bit of a let down. I like albums with a solid, brick wall type ending. Where it feels like throughout the album the band is just paving this stone wall, and at the end of the final song this wall is finally finished and we're kind of stuck on one side of it while the band is off on the other side doing science-only-knows what. And that's a good thing. I like when it feels like the final song can't be topped.

I didn't get this effect from 'Baseball Season', but whatever. It's still an excellent debut album from a band that we can hopefully expect a lot of cool shit from in the future. You should definitely check it out, though. You can stream the entire thing for free on punknews right now, or you can pick a record up from the Animal Style website. Your call!

-Idle

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Classics of Love - Classics of Love

2012-02-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

If you don’t know who the Classics of Love are, then I’m not entirely sure how you came across this review blog in the first place. But, it’s definitely a part of my job as a reviewer to assume that there are some people who need filled in, so here it goes:

Jesse Michaels was the vocalist of 80s East Bay ska-punk geniuses Operation Ivy and made a name for himself pretty quickly. After the band disbanded, Jesse wasn’t really involved in too much musically for quite some time until like ten years or so ago when he focused his creative energy on a band known as Common Rider. They were basically a more developed and advanced version of what Operation Ivy sounded like and represented. They were awesome. Well, they also disbanded and a couple years ago Mike Park from Asian Man Records hooked Jesse up with the guys from the punk band Hard Girls and apparently it was a match made in heaven because they became Classics of Love: an awesome as fuck punk band reminiscent of the East Bay music scene and the Jesse Michaels style and lyrics we’ve all come to love and respect.

Now we are up to date and ready to actually talk about the new, self-titled Classics of Love debut full length.

Pardon my vulgarity, but IT'S FUCKING GREAT. Feedback is pumped into your ears the moment you turn the album on, and it's quickly followed by what is probably the most Operation Ivy esque music Jesse Michaels has had his name on since, well, Operation Ivy. The only thing missing from it that would make it a complete throwback to the olden days would be if there were any ska thrown into mix...well, you need only to wait for the next song to come on to be greeted with ska-punk awesomeness. These two songs do pretty much sounds exactly like what it would've been like if Operation Ivy would've stuck around, but you honestly shouldn't let that shit fool you, because the album doesn't just grab onto one style of music and white knuckle clutch it-this album bounces around between punk and rock subgenres so seemlessly it could confuse the shit out of a narrow minded music critic in a heart beat. (Am I the only one who thinks there's a lot of Assorted Jelly Beans influence in the second song, by the way? I can't possibly be.)

Every song on this album does exactly what the audience wants it to do, and not in some sort of, "oh, I know what's about to happen next!" sort of way, either. More like the listener can barely contain their excitement when something in one of the songs goes absolutely perfectly. You can honestly chalk this album up as another awesome punk album to add to your collection, but you might find yourself wanting to be a bit more inclusive with the classification process when you get to the half-way point in the album. "Moving Pictures" feels like a mix between The Shins, Fugazi, Common Rider, and just about any blend of indie and punk you could possibly think up. Jesse Michaels referred to it in an interview as the "heavy rock" song that made the cut for the album. Of course, this odd musical excursion is immediately followed by another meat and potatoes punk song, "It Will Not Be Moved."

Jesse's vocals have definitely improved greatly over the year, and if anything he's gained MORE energy since the days of Operation Ivy, Big Rig, and Common Rider. Maybe it's just the awesome addition of the Hard Girls dudes into the musical blender? That's probably it. "Bandstand" is another very Operation Ivy/Assorted Jelly Beans-esque ska-punk number, and includes all the catchiness and assumed importance that the rest of the songs carry in abundance. This ska-punk ordeal is followed by one of the catchier songs on the album, "Would-Be Kings". It's just another song that is heavier in the rock side than most. I just wanted to point this song out especially for the variety it displays and for just how damn good it is.

If you're more into the 80s punk influence that this band has to offer, you could probably do well to just listen to "Dissolve" and "Last Strike" on repeat. These songs sounds like if Black Flag were about 10 times better than they ever were, and if cotton candy could be marketed in a musical format.

The last song on this album, "We Need a Change", proves once and for all that there's nothing wrong with another political punk song. The lyrics are very reminiscent of Operation Ivy, while the only thing about the music that brings Op Ivy to mind would just be Jesse's vocals. The lyrics are very direct and feel as important as Michaels has always made things feel to us. I know I have a few friends who have these awkward reservations about political and social statements being displayed on top of music they'd absolutely love otherwise, but I have to disagree with their stance against this phenomenon. I grew up on politically fueled punk bands and even though I've gone a different direction with my own music and with much of the bands I listen to, it's still something that I enjoy and hold very close to my heart and brain. Jesse Michaels has once stated that music is an indirect force for change, and it warms my heart to know that he still holds this as truth to this day. The new Classics of Love albums is one of those albums that feels more like an event in your life. Very much like the first time you were listening to Operation Ivy, or some other punk band you came across in your youth, and something clicked in your head and things just made sense and you could feel yourself becoming more self aware and growing as a person. Maybe this album only has that effect on life long fans of Jesse Michaels, but maybe this album will have that effect on the younger crowd in the same way older albums had an effect on the slightly older crowd. I don't know. I guess what's really important here is that this album is pretty damn good and you should get your hands, digitally or physically, on a copy of it as soon as possible. For real.

Oh god. I just ended a review with, "for real."

-Idle

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Noun- Holy Hell

2012-02-09T17:57:00.000-05:00

Noun is the low-key solo project of Marissa Paternoster from Screaming Females. It features quite a few musicians, however, she writes all the songs. This has actually been out for a while now, but it's relevant, I promise. It's being re-released on Valentine's Day as an LP! How exciting!

The first song, "Black Lamb," is a slow eerie piano-ballad-type of a song. This stuff sounds nothing like Screaming Females, but I still like it. "Outerspace" honest-to-Jesus made me think of Grace Slick straight off the bat. And that is one of the highest compliments I will give any female singer. "Old Friends" is an awesome song. It's very melodic, toned-down and even slightly lo-fi music. I really like the keyboard usage in this one. "Holy Hell," the title track, is a really edgy song with addictive riffs and powerful vox. The entire album is pretty badass, to be honest.

"Wrong Things" has the best melody out of all the songs on this LP. It's extremely catchy and creative.

"Call Earth" is another great keyboard song. One of the softer, more laid back tracks.

The entire album overall is really pretty good. It's a little repetitive, but the sound is good, so I don't mind too much. It's got powerful vocals that will no doubt impress, creative guitar and keyboard melodies, and awesome lyrics.

Check it out! (Literally and figuratively.)

-Bear

Ex-Suicide Machines frontman Jay Navarro with new band

2012-02-09T15:03:00.000-05:00

Jay Navarro returns to us just in the knick of time with a new band and a new message. Basically just spend years working a dead end job and realized that it’s not how he should be spending his life...so he’s back to pleasing us with his excellent fucking song writing. Check out the band’s first single! It’s pop punk and just as awesome as anything Suicide Machines used to put out for our ear pleasure. Read the full article and check out the song over at AOL Music! RIYL Street Dogs, Dillinger Four, and obviously Suicide Machines.

-Idle

Micah Brown / James Brown - Islands

2012-02-09T08:05:00.001-05:00

If you're on a search for the most brotherly love to not come out of Philadelphia, you needn't look any further than Charlottetown, apparently, for Micah Brown and James Brown have released a brotherly split album together and it's pretty much way cooler than anything you've ever done with your siblings, if you ask me.

James and Micah call this split release 'Islands', but I've had a much easier time just referring to it as 'super', or 'excellent', or perhaps 'fucking rad.' Choose your own adventure. Honestly, if you dig indie music blended rather nonchalantly with punk vibes, you're going to dig the hell out of this split. James Brown hits us up with two awesome acoustic tracks that will make you fall in love and fall over yourself in joy at the same time. I guess that actually depends on how lovesick you tend to get and how clumsy you find yourself to be in general, but still, awesome. Both these acoustic tracks are excellent and reminiscent of Warren Franklin and anything Justin Pierre has a hand in.

Micah Brown's side of the split employs a full band worth of instruments, consisting of the usual suspects (electric guitar, bass, drums) coupled with his excellent vocals, which fall on the deeper side when compared to his brother James's higher tuned voice. These songs have more of a Sunny Day Real Estate feel to them, if you ask me. That just makes it better, really. Unless you happen to be one of those awkward creatures who doesn't enjoy Sunny Day.

The latter song on the Micah side of this split is once again an acoustic number and just like James's two songs on the split, it's pretty great. There are excellent backup vocals that just make some sort of ba-du-dah type noises repeated while the acoustic plays us a happy chord progression and Micah's vocals paint us the somber story of what it's like to deal with depression day after day after day after way too long day. It sucks, we know.

Check out this split, seriously! No harm can come from it! Unless you have some weird kind of allergies to awesome music...in which case you should probably stay away from Warren Franklin and Sunny Day Real Estate as well. Don't want our readers breaking out in hives. Could have a lawsuit on our hands.

-Idle

Islands (split)

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Half Hearted Hero / Deadhorse - Split 7"

2012-02-09T07:50:00.000-05:00

Animal Style and Broken Circles record labels have recently teamed up to release the coolest of the unlikely pairings of bands in the form of a split record between pop punk band Half Hearted Hero and post-rock group Deadhorse. If you're looking for a little bit of musical diversity to throw under the needle, you needn't look any further. This split is definitely the perfect blend of awesomeness. Take my fucking word for it.

Half Hearted Hero deliver two excellent pop punk jams a la Saves the Day (Through Being Cool era) and The Hotel Year and it's immediately followed by Deadhorse melting our proverbial faces with one of the coolest instrumental tracks to ever grace my ear drums and let alone this shitty planet. It's seriously hard to decide which half of this split takes away the gold medal, honestly. Whereas I love exciting as fuck pop punk music and I appreciate the awesome guest vocals from A Wilhelm Scream's Nuno Pereira, I have to say I might not have heard anything quite as, dare I say, epic as the instrumental track "New Bones". There's a gigantic cathartic build up and accompaniment of pianos and strings and choir vocals and ohmygod it's pretty freaking cool. It's so cool that I even forgot how to correctly use curse words, for love's sake.

You should just check the split out on bandcamp if you don't believe me how worthwhile the whole thing is. Once you've come over to the dark side with me and Anakin Skywalker, you can purchase the vinyl from either Animal Style or Broken Circles. That part is totally up to you. But, as the reviewer, it's up to me to decide how good this record is. I'd have to say that I'd give it at least an 8 out of 10 for what it is. If it's something you're into, you're going to love it. That's a fact. So give it a shot! Later!

-Idle

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The Arteries - Dead Sea

2012-02-09T07:36:00.000-05:00

The Arteries are basically what it would be like if AFI never made that awkward turn after 'Black Sails in the Sunset'. I'm fairly certain that's the most accurate description of this band I've read/heard yet, and I'm pretty proud of it. I guess I'm not really proud of it; it's kind of an obvious comparison and all. The vocalist definitely croons (can you call it that?) in a similar fashion to the Davey Havok we all know and love, and the rhythm section is punk as a duck whereas the leads sounds like they were constructed by Anti-Flag or one of the fifteen billion guitarists from Bad Religion. This is all topped off with a definitely hint of orgcore influence, considering some tracks sound dead on Hot Water Music blended with 'New Wave' era Against Me! and pretty much anything Rise Against shits out. What's cool about all of these sounds coming together is the fact that it sounds fucking awesome as a result.

'Dead Sea' is the recent badass release from this U.K. group The Arteries, and it's definitely some top of the line shit. Every song perfectly stays its welcome and accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, whether that is to inspire or declare that all hope is lost. However, all hope is not lost, after all, for The Arteries have put the entire album up on bandcamp for name-your-own-price download. How fucking cool of them is that? You can stream the entire album and think to yourself, "is this my kind of shit, or should I just pass it on?" I mean, chances are you're going to download the album after you're three songs in and singing along to the incredibly catchy and well written "No Place Like Home", so all my money is on that. Do with this power what you will, but I know I'm using the power to download this record and play it on repeat while I hop on Counter Strike or some other online FPS and kick some ass (also known as "suck really badly"). What you do is entirely up to you though, boys and girls. But if you want my opinion, you now have it: 'Dead Sea' is a fucking awesome full length record and The Arteries are a fucking awesome punk band. BOOM!

-Idle

The Arteries - Dead Sea
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The City Calls - "Meet In the Middle" Music Video

2012-02-09T07:25:00.000-05:00

UK pop punk/power pop group The City Calls (I Am Mighty Records) have a new music video out for their song "Meet in the Middle". Check it out above, and also check out this tour poster below if you're over the England and able to check these dudes out!

You can also purchase their mini-album on itunes, and I suggest you do it. For fans of Motion City Soundtrack, The Motorcycle Industry, Howard Alias, and you know...pop punk stuff.

-Idle

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P.S 118 / Oliver Revilo - Don’t Hit Me! I’ll Hit Me!

2012-02-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

A couple New Jersey bands thought it was a capital idea to release a twinkly emo/indie 8-song split recently. I guess they were absolutely correct about this being a solid idea, because the split is absolutely gorgeous. Or whatever word you think we should use there. Cool? Awesome? Partyful? Sexy? Connectitude? I don’t know, dudes. All I know is that this shit hits the spot with me. I guess that means it’s like pizza or something delicious.

P.S 118’s side of the split is dominated by some of the catchiest indie/emo sing-a-longs to be released this year. I guess that’s not that crazy, considering this year has just begun, but still, I’m sure if I were reviewing this a few months in the future I’d use the same exact declaration. So fudge off. I think their band name is a reference to the school Arnold went to in that 90s cartoon Hey Arnold! It might also just actually be a school in New York for all I know, though. So I’m not going to take any chances. One thing for certain is that P.S 118 is an excellent twinkly emo band, as demonstrated by some of the coolest guitar leads since American Football and Braid ruled the emo scene.

The sounds that stand out on the P.S 118 half of the split are pretty hard to decide on. All 4 songs are amazing to me, but I guess if I would have to pick only 2, I’d say “Now I’ll Never Meet Bob Saget” and “Choco Taco, Go Phillies!” do it for me. “Bob Saget” is just one of the catchiest ones on the split, with gang vocals boasting the line “We are not the most valiant of men, and oh god, does it show!” That’s the kind of line you find yourself singing along to on your second playthrough of the record. The wording is right down my alley and the emotion behind it is great. “Choco Taco” is just a fun song overall. It utilizes one of those chord progressions that just makes things feel all right for a moment, and the way the bass line walks around it is just so charismatic and enjoyable. The lyrics are as memorable as the rest of the split, and it’s definitely a solid way to end the P.S 118 half of this release.

Oliver Revilo take the proverbial stage next, starting with the song “Fozzy, I’m Back!” After the drum counts the song in, clean guitar leads follow like a little kid follows his older brother around the playground in a similar manner to dust sticking to Pig-Pen from those Peanuts comic strips. I just double analogied; I’m pretty cool. Seriously though, this song is great. The vocals are hectic and disastrous, which is absolutely a positive thing. I don’t know how into emo our general readership is, but considering the amount of it I review, I’m going to guess there’s a pretty decent emo fandom in the Idle and the Bear realm. I want to read comments from those people regarding this split, because I can’t be the only person who thinks this release is as awesome as I consider it to be. Some of the drum fills on the Oliver side of this split are just perfect, really. There’s a bit of sloppiness to these songs, but it’s the kind of sloppiness most people dig. Like sloppy joes or something. Oliver Revilo just do an excellent job of ensuring that people will love the heck out of both sides of this split.

I don’t know, man, I just love these songs. I was in an awful mood today and this split definitely fixed me right up. I feel like every first aid kit should come with this CD neatly packed inside. These songs should also be the music they play when they put a person on hold on a suicide hotline. Maybe I’m just overly excited or whatever. Who cares? You should just definitely listen to this split. You can find both sides on it on the bands’ individual bandcamp pages, which I will link you to below. If you like it, be sure to leave a comment or two on this review. We love that kind of shit and so do the bands. Excellent split! Seriously!

-Idle

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Family Cat - Don’t Let This Be You

2012-01-30T15:38:00.000-05:00

There’s only so many times you can compare every single new band to Latterman before the comparison gets stale and tired. It seems like the simplest solution to such a problem would be to just not make the comparison...there in lies the problem; most punk bands these days sound pretty much exactly like Latterman. But, for the sake of this review, I will not compare this band to Latterman. I’m doing my part, bands, now do yours. Without any further ado, here’s Idle and the Bear’s review of Family Cat’s new Death to False Hope Records release ‘Don’t Let This Be You’:

Honestly, I’m just pulling your leg with the whole Latterman comparison thing. This band Family Cat does bear some minor, passing resemblances to the great Latterman, but overall they don’t stick to the formula quite likes other bands do (*cough* Spraynard *cough*). Family Cat has more of a Shinobu edge to them, really. The vocals tend to be on the softer side most of the time, with occasional excursions into the raspy yelling voice that us punk kids love to hear.

Actually, I’m a little bit surprised that this album wasn’t released on Count Your Lucky Stars. That’d be a pretty good fit, considering the heavy emo influence in the song structure and guitar leads. The songs on this EP are all interesting and definitely have a tendency to vary a bit musically and intellectually. It’s pretty refreshing, actually. I feel like some pop punk these days treats the listeners like dipshits. It’s probably just assumed that everyone listening to pop punk is at least eight Pabst Blue Ribbons in and trying to set some sort of beer belly record. HEY DUDES, THAT’S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. Some of us like interesting music that just happens to be incredibly catchy and ~~seductive~~ fun. Family Cat have our backs when it comes to this, so don’t be worried, guys.

Since ‘Don’t Let This Be You’ is a DTFH release, you can stream or download the album entirely for free over at the DTFH website. God, I just love free music. I think everyone does. Except maybe the grinch. That asshole probably is one of those contrarians who sticks up for the record labels and millionaire recording artists. What a douche. Thankfully, Family Cat hate the grinch and prefer to have their music up for free, so that awesome people like yourself and I can enjoy their songs at our own leisure. Also, I’ll have you know that if you’re expecting to not enjoy these songs, then be prepared for a difficult, uphill battle because these songs are pretty fucking sweet. Like I said earlier, it’s basically like a healthy mix between Shinobu, Latterman-core bands, and mid-90s emo. What can possibly go wrong with a formula like that? Do yourself a favor and check Family Cat out!

-Idle

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Wings and Wounds EP

2012-01-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

Wings and Wounds, a new hip hop group made up of Sarx and Graves 33, released their first EP together on the first of this year. Long story short, they are badass. The lyrics are clever, the beats are catchy as hell, etc. etc. etc... From Seattle.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Wait, Idle and the Bear only like punk music! This is crazy!" Well, faithful readers, you are wrong. you're wrong. This album is badass.

It has a fairly long intro track, and then it starts into "Two Wanderers." I can't tell what the audio sample of the woman talking is from, but maybe one of you can tell me. The flow is extremely impressive with these guys.

"Bellowing Scum" is badass. Mostly because the guests on this track are ridiculous.

Hands down "Wizardry" is the best track. It's so goddamn impressive. I listened to this track about 100 times before I moved on to the next one. These guys are super, SUPER talented.

If there's anything better than all the overproduced corporate bullshit rap on all the top charts, it's the guys that can actually make some real beats and spit rhymes like it's no one's business. I could listen to this shit all day.

To put this in the most uncomfortable way I know how, these beats are dope.

-Bear

Radiator Hospital- Nothin' In My Eyes

2012-01-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

Radiator Hospital is truly an interesting group from Grand Rapids, MI. They're more of a collective centered around Sam Cook-Parrott, which in my experience, has never gone wrong. It's kind of pop-ish indie experimental bubblegum punk lofi...stuff. I don't really know what genre it is. It's good. This is kind of old, but recent enough. So you'll live.

The first time through this album, I was just a little ಠ_ಠ about it. But then I made the amazing choice to keep listening and realized that I really like it!

It's definitely very diverse and every song feels a little different. The best song, hands down, is "Jose Chung's "From Outer Space". First off, it was funny because of the title and reddit. And then the song was awesome. I love the melody and the lyrics so much. It's a cute ukulele song that I really want to cover. Awesome.

There's a J Church cover of "Nostalgic for Nothing" which gets mad respect from me. I fucking love J Church. (Who doesn't?)

Oh, and there's another cover. They covered "My Place" by the Adverts, and it's a really really great cover. I think it sounds badass. It's interesting and great.

Sam's got a really crazy sounding voice that I love.

It's an awesome combination of guitar, ukulele, vocal harmonies, and frankly, anything else that he could fit on it. For a basement recording, I'm fairly impressed. I'm not typically a big lofi person, but this is super catchy stuff.

I think you should all listen to this guy!

DOWNLOAD IT

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-Bear

“The Folkamines - Expect the Wurst"

2012-01-25T17:09:00.001-05:00

There are two defining moments in a man’s life. The first is when he meets the woman or man or whatever he’ll marry (or do whatever with). The second is discovering that Billy Wallace and the Virginia Blues (from Northern KY, like myself) have released the most amazing album to ever grace the internet.

IT’S A FOLK ALBUM CONSISTING ENTIRELY OF DOPAMINES COVERS, WITH MINOR LYRIC CHANGES TO POKE FUN AT THE GROUP AND THEIR OBSESSION WITH BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND SHIT.

So...yeah. You can probably guess my opinion on this album already...

The Dopamines are probably one of the best pop punk to exist in the history of this planet. Folk music is probably also one of the best things to exist in this history of this planet. So, it makes complete sense that the combination of the two leaves us with something really quite amazing. “The Folkamines” do an excellent job of folking the fuck out of nine of my favorite Dopamines tracks. Don’t let the album title mislead you, because absolutely zero of these songs are from The Dopamines most recent full length ‘Expect the Worst’. The songs are all from the self-titled full length and the EP ’Soaps and Lampshades’. It’s awesome.

Dopamines songs happen to song pretty good when slowed down a lot and performed acoustically (including some harmonica) and sung by Billy Wallace and some lady whose name I don’t know. I’m going to just go ahead and assume her name is Virginia Blues...that’d make me happy. Her name might be Alex, but I don’t know. The facebook page says that the band members change quite often. One of the listed occasional members is actually ex-Dopamines drummer Matt Hemmingway. Weird. THIS ALBUM IS AWESOME.

You should just go check it out immediately. The production quality is pretty damn high and the replay value is exponentially higher. Do it.

-Idle

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Les Doux- Dialects

2012-01-22T12:49:00.000-05:00

Les Doux is a bluesy screamo band from Hattiesburg, MS. This is their second EP, a follow up to a self-titled. It's a concept album about a son leaving home, and it's really really interesting. Released on the 21st of December.

First off, that album art makes me happy. Whoever did the text is very talented.

Anyway, the album is really really interesting. It really is an exact mix of blues and screamo- and it's mixed well. I'm not crazy about all aspects of the EP, but I am crazy about their musicianship.

"Interrogative" has a beautiful intro that made me smile. The guitar is chilling, and the lyrics are very interesting.

On another note, their drummer continues to impress me throughout the album. They're all great musicians, but the drums really stood out to me.

"Declarative," as you would guess, is more angry and direct than "Interrogative." For once, the songs actually have to do with the song titles. That's rare in today's modern world. I'm proud.

It starts to fade more out of the blues and more into the screamo style as the EP progresses.

"Exclamatory" is well, exclamatory. Angry and harsh sounding. "Imperative" is an order. Clearly. (I'm like your middle school english teacher all over again!)

Overall, the guys do a great job with the concept and the style. Very impressed.

There's room to improve, as always. I wasn't crazy about some of the stylistic choices, but overall, I'm fairly impressed. Can't wait to see where they go with their music.

Download it.

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-Bear

Waxahatchee- American Weekend

2012-01-22T12:28:00.000-05:00

Waxahatchee is Katie Crutchfield. Many of you know Katie from PS Eliot! She's from Brooklyn NY and she is awesome. This album was released on January 10th. RIYL Eisley, Laura Stevenson, Summer Salt, PS Eliot, Very Okay

Katie has one of the sweetest voices I've ever heard. Not sweet like "sweet skateboard, bro." Sweet like adorable and soothing. It's great. The music is very chill and laid back. Mellow. Etc. Etc. Etc.

"Catfish" sets the mood for the entire record- it's almost a ballad, but it's not. Cute slow song.

"Grass Stain" is a little more upbeat, with the perfect amount of reverb and addictiveness. Approval.

"Rose 1956" is probably my favorite song on the album. It's a really cute song and the melody is badass. I listen to it when I get ready in the morning. One of those kinds of songs.

"American Weekend" has a sad feel to it. I love how Katie's voice sounds in it.

"Michel" has absolutely amazing lyrics. Super sad, but amazing. I actually just listened to it about 40 times in a row. I'd advise you do the same.

"Be Good" is the perfect song, seriously. Her lyrics are amazing, and the guitar is unbelievably catchy.

The entire album has almost a roots-y sound to it. It's very easy going and calming. It's the kind of CD you want to keep in your car for bad days.

The rest of the songs are badass too, but I figure that's probably enough of a feel for you.

Waxahatchee facebook./Our facebook.

Don Giovanni Records.

-Bear

Young///Savage - New Flesh

2012-01-20T14:00:00.000-05:00

There are quite a few unwritten rules around the Idle and the Bear office, and a few of them don’t really mind being written, such as:

Don’t let squirrels build indoor forts.
Velcro beats shoelaces.
Everything on Death to False Hope Records’s website is the shit.
Numbered lists are fun and make the review look lengthier and more fun.

This band Young///Savage (I’m probably not going to write the entire band name out any more times than that) have all four of those rules going for them. Well, actually I can only say the third thing is officially true. I don’t want to harm my journalistic integrity regarding the others. They’re just rumors. For now.

If you’ve ever been sitting around at my house in Kentucky, you may’ve felt this weird, unnamed urging. An urging to listen to a perfect blent of Count Your Lucky Stars-esque emo mixed with the catchiness and hopefully beardiness of orgcore. Orgcore, for those just tuning in, is a ~~fake~~ genre consisting of bands like Hot Water Music, The Lawrence Arms, Spraynard, Dillinger Four, Against Me! and all that. I’d say Young Savage are more on the emo side of this, and therefore I like it even more.

On ‘New Flesh’, Young Savage really pull out all the stops. Take nothing musically or emotionally for granted here. The tone can change rapidly and so can the music. These are catchy songs with a bit of an edge to them. There’s weird guitar bits thrown in at times, and clever/awesome drum fills. The song “90 Proof Stallion” actually sounds like the record was filtered through a giant bucket of booze, and the unsettling guitar leads midway through fit into the atmosphere beautifully.

My favorite song would have to be “The Rawest Nerves”. I love the drum beat coupled with the simple, yet cool guitar bits. It reminds me of that band Dads from New Jersey. And then when the Fall Out Boy-esque bass line comes in, the song starts to feel a bit like a song by the band "fun." after taking a turn down the wrong alley on the wrong side of town. The vocals are so nicely distorted by vivid emotion that it makes me shake in my proverbial boots.

You really should check out this band. The music is excellent, and I’d bet like 50 bucks at least that they’re excellent people too. If it turns out they’re not, I’ll give you 50 dollars and let you write “dipshit” on my forehead. If they’re as awesome as I postulate them to be, then I get to walk around without “dipshit” written on my forehead for once.

-Idle

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Flawless- Something I'll Never Miss

2012-01-19T17:32:00.000-05:00

Flawless is this melodic hardcore band from Springfield, MO. Did you know that there were hardcore bands in Missouri? Yeah, me either! Crazy, right. It's a four-piece group that splits the vocals. This is their debut EP, released on December 17th of 2011. RIYL the 90s.

This album was about 300 times better than I expected it to.

The word hardcore scares me a little bit due to recent events in the teenage-midwest-music scene. I've never met an Ethan that I liked. Oh, and it's Missouri.

I'll stop poking fun now, I'm totally kidding. (Mostly.) The music is really good. It's one of those bands that clearly just has fun with it and you can picture them live. It's a five track EP with a Wonder Years meets Cursive sound. It's got great lyrics, and it does a pretty good job of staying equalized between all the instruments.

"Leap Year" is one of those songs that has a really exciting intro. You don't really know what the song's gonna sound like, but it builds it up like all hell. And then it turns out to be a good song. Crazy, right? It's angsty, too. It's an interesting playing style and I enjoy it a lot.

"Model Home" has fabulous lyrics. You know those kind of lyrics that you instantly send to Idle and be like "Don't you wish you were reviewing this?"

I don't know. I might be the only one that does that. Anyway, the song has really great instrumentals. Their style is pretty basic when you just listen to it the first time, but the more you really start to listen to what they're doing, it's pretty interesting and I like it a lot. I have a feeling it'll have a little bit of an influence on the next handful of songs that are written in my household.

I want to punch people in the face during "1992." No lie. In a good way. Great song.

"Words" surprisingly has a lot of words in it. They're all good words, though. My favorite thing about this band so far is probably most definitely the lyrics.

Last but not least, "Free At Least" ends the record on a great note. I fully support and endorse this song. It's all fairly slow music, but it has interesting melodies and somehow manages to be slow and catchy at the same time.

PS. After doing some research, it turns out that Missouri kind of has a hardcore scene. The more you know!

They're almost out of downloads on bandcamp. Steal one.

They sell the normal merch, plus socks. Don't you want a new pair of socks?

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-Bear

Gillian Carter/Ghost Aviary Split

2012-01-16T17:24:00.000-05:00

To begin this review, I’d like to set you up with a few things you might need:

Links to the Gillian Carter and the Ghost Aviary halves of the split.
A fair warning that we’re entering the bold and sometimes abrasive world of lo-fi recordings.
Ice cream! (I can’t really give you ice cream. Internet isn’t that advanced yet. Sucks, right? I mean, if you feel like driving to Cincinnati, I can hook you up with some cookies ’n’ cream. But otherwise, you might just wanna pop into a convenient store and grab some ice cream before continuing the review. It’s dangerous to go alone.)

Now you’re as prepared as I am!

Gillian Carter are a skramz band from Palm Bay, Florida and Ghost Aviary are a sloppyskramz band and also from Palm Bay. The Urban Dictionary definition of skramz is, “a new term for the screamo/emo bands of the 90s, or anythign that is REAL screamo/emo.” I’m assuming it’s sort of like how some ska bands call themselves trad-ska so that people know they’re better/cooler than other ska bands. The definition goes on to question whether the term ’skramz’ is to be taken seriously or not, and that it was most likely, “created in revolt of the shitty ’new’ emo bands and self-proclaimed ‘emo’ kids” It’s always a bit refreshing to find out that genres other than ska and pop punk have to deal with all the same first world problems as we do. DEFEND POP PUNK.

~~Wow, that paragraph had a good deal of red and green squiggly lines under certain words/sentences. I’m glad you guys can’t see the writing process from my point of view.~~

Gillian Carter’s half of the split is pretty solid overall. It starts off with a song jam packed with screaming/yelling. I’m not 100 percent on what is being shouted, but it sounds like it’s either one of these things:

White rights.
White rice.
Black flag.
Riot riot.
Right right.
Idle and the Bear is the best thing to happen to the internet since napster.

It’s probably neither of those things, actually, but it’s hard to say. I don’t think it matters. I honestly can’t understand the lyrics in any of these songs, but it doesn’t take away from the experience for me. The only beef I have at all with the Gillian half of the split is that the snare drum sounds really, really ugly. Other than that, there are five short but sweet skramz tunes for all the skramz fans to yell and fist pump along to.

You may recall from earlier on in this review an instance in which I referred to Ghost Aviary as sloppyskramz rather than just skramz. I don’t honestly like they’re sloppy or anything...that’s just what the drummer Tim told me to refer to them as. They’re just as skramz as Gillian Carter, and more importantly, just as good.

Ghost Aviary’s half of the split starts off with my favorite song from either side of this motherfucker, “Chelsea.” It starts off with a burst of power and then calms down for some scream/yell vocals. I overall enjoy the Ghost half of the split more than I do the Gillian half. I feel sketchy stating this since the drummer of Ghost is a close friend of the bear and I, but to be fair he was also a part time drummer in Gillian. So they start off on equal grounds with me...the ground Ghost Aviary stand on just raises up a bit while listening to their bit of the split. The songs are entertaining on musical terms and as something to yell along to and skramz it up with.

You’re pretty much set as a skramz fan with this split in your hands. You also should totally get this split in your hands; it’s awesome when it’s shit you’re into. You can order the split or you can just enjoy the bandcamp links I set you up with; it’s entirely up to you! I’ve done my work.

-Idle

Sold For Parts - WHAT’S GOOOOOOOOOOD?

2012-01-11T18:51:00.000-05:00

Does anybody remember me performing any weird ceremonies or rituals a few month back? This band Sold For Parts makes me feel as if I tried to forfeit my flesh and blood in an act to bring forth the most excellent example of brocore pop punk to ever exist. Well, I don’t remember any such rituals, but it apparently paid off, considering the fact that I’m spending my valuable time writing some goofy scenario as if my life has purpose or whatever. Or as if that sentence had purpose. Whatever.

Sold For Parts have a few things going for them, and barely anything against them:

They have a perfect Get Up Kids like sound to most of their music.
They have very bro-core lyrics, i.e. lyrics about bros and hoes (women...my bad. I’m not sexist, I promise. I was creating humor in light of the topic. You know? Just don’t kick my ass, all our womyn readers. Thanks)
They’re bros. That could either work for them or against them, depending on who’s reading this. They’re kind of like The Dopamines of New Jersey. I’m assuming their friends in Jersey love them as much as we in Cincinnati love our Dopamines.

If you’re a fan of pop punk or emo, you should definitely check these guys out. I’ll admit, they’re not for everyone. I can name several friends who would not enjoy them at all, but I could also name way more people who would dig them as much as I do. Here’s 5 songs that can make or break it for you, listen to them at your leisure. Don’t overbrose or whatever...uh...I’m pretty lame. Regardless, check out this ‘What’s Gooooooooood?’ EP from Sold For Parts. I bet you love their skatepunk riffs and anxious, girl-crazy boy lyrics. I know I do.

-Idle

The Traders- Even At Our Best, We're Still Worse Than Most

2012-01-05T20:50:00.000-05:00

The Traders is an amazing punk band from Lyon, France. They've been together since April of 2010, and they kick ass. We first became acquainted with these guys last year when we reviewed the Traders' first EP and Nichiel's, a band that shares members. This album was released on November 18th of last year. RIYL Nichiel's, Dead Pop Club, Why I Hate

As I've stated before, the Traders do have English lyrics, so there goes your excuse to not download them. Besides, you want to hear these guys. I promise.

"Roundabouts" is a striking, fast, catchy song with fun melodies and awesome vocals. It has nice variability and shows some skill. "The Best Cabaret" has a bass line that makes me smile. It's another fast song with some nice harmonies from the two vox guys. Reminds me of Black Sails, Western Shores.

The album in entirety is really quite good. I liked them a lot before, but I think that their sound has improved quite a lot and they're evolving quite nicely. They have a traditional early melodic punk sound and it's always nice to hear a band that isn't trying too hard.

Out of all the global scenes that I've checked out, I think France probably has one of the coolest. Part of the reason I've found that out is through this band. It's a really tight-nit group from what I can see, and they all make really, really badass music.

Tres, tres bon mon amis!

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-Bear

Dowsing - All I Could Find Was You

2012-01-05T14:00:00.002-05:00

This is the third day in a row that I’ve reviewed an album released by CYLS (Count Your Lucky Stars). You know why that is? Every single band on that record label is brilliant. I honestly feel like I found some new, revolutionary alternate energy source or I discovered a brand new gold mine or something. Or maybe it’s more like when you’re hiking through the woods and you come across a rock that's shaped precisely like male genitalia, and you’re like, “woah! That’s crazy,” and then you go and tell everyone and they’re all like, “dude, I’ve seen that rock plenty of times before and I’m already aware of how great it is.” I hope nobody feels confused or excluded by that shitty analogy. What I’m trying to say is: CYLS isn’t new (they’re on their 5th year), but they’re certainly new to me. So, I’m pretty excited.

Not unlike the other CYLS bands I reviewed (Empire! Empire!, Annabel, The Reptilian, Warren Franklin, Joie De Vivre), this band Dowsing from Chicago are a breath of the freshest air. Their new EP ‘All I Could Find Was You’ is packed with 6 of the most heartfelt songs I’ve heard since Shinobu or Arrogant Sons of Bitches. This 4-piece emo-indie group know what they’re doing, and what they’re doing is melting our faces and breaking our hearts.

The EP kicks off with “Driving,” which is the perfect blend of poppy feels and scathing vocals. Dowsing remind me a lot of what it would be like if Warren Franklin was part of full band rather than just a one man ninja army musician. The rest of the album continues in this manner: infectious vocals matched up with infectious clean guitar leads and an abundance of simple, poppy chord progressions. I feel like this band could easily act as a buffer between pop punk and emo. If you’re really into pop punk and then you check out this band, you’ll likely be all like, “oh man, this is right down my alley, but new at the same time!” And if you’re into emo and check them out, you might find yourself jamming out to Handguns or The Dopamines just a couple days later.

The album closes with “Joking/Laughing,” which is probably one of the best album closers I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. There’s a cathartic build up followed by a veritable musical explosion (well, really just it’s keyboard, guitar, bass, drums doing what they do best) paired with great gang vocals. It’s a great ending to an awesome release by a superb group of rad musicians. ADJECTIVES!

Check out Dowsing’s ‘All I Could Find Was You’ over on their bandcamp page, and pay a visit to the CYLS bandcamp to check out loads of other awesome bands!

-Idle

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Warren Franklin - Your Heart Belongs to the Midwest

2012-01-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

Today is a good day. My only real reason for saying that is that this album I’m reviewing right now is nothing less than fucking amazing. Warren Franklin is an acoustic punk deity. For real. He plays this acoustic brand of emo/indie/punk goodness that absolutely everyone in the world would probably love. Infectious vocals, emotional lyrics that pull you in, and the occasional percussion and horn work added into the mix. This is all made special by the absolutely amazing vocals that top it all off. Warren’s voice is the perfect blend of raspy and endearing. I think I’m in musician love.

Warren Franklin did us all the amazing favor of releasing a second full length titled ‘Your Heart Belongs to the Midwest’. The album is packed with 12 songs that make you want to immediately leave everything behind and get in some shitty Econoline-esque van and hit the road with your other folk punk friends and play a bunch of house parties for people just as lost and fucked as yourself. Maybe that’s just what the songs do to me, actually. They might paint an entirely different picture for you...and that’d also be awesome.

Songs to be sure to check out for this release would definitely have to be “Bro Downs Know No Bounds”, “You Get Weary”, and “St. Peters”. Actually, you should just listen to the entire album through like 50 times. It’s probably my favorite release of 2011. It’s definitely somewhere up there on my top list. You can check it out on bandcamp for free if you don’t believe me. Be sure to check out the rest of the dudes on Count Your Lucky Stars too!

-Idle

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Annabel/Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Joie De Vivre, The Reptilian split 7"

2012-01-03T12:37:00.000-05:00

Emo-centric record label Count Your Lucky Stars recently released a 4-way split between the bands Annabel, Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), Joie De Vivre, and The Repitlian. I guess you probably figured that much out by reading the title, though. However, what you may not have figured out (unless you're already a fan of these bands) is that this split is really, really good.

The split kicks off with Annabel, an awesome mid-90s emo styled indie rock group with quite a lot to offer. Their song for this 4-way split boasts excellent guitar leads and is probably one of the happiest sounding songs I’ve heard since reviewing Bomb the Music Industry earlier this year. Actually, this band reminds me a lot of that new BTMI record, but I guess it would have to be vice versa since I’m going to have to assume Annabel have been playing in this style for quite some time now. BTMI is trying to sound like Annabel. There we go.

The second song on this puppy is by this band called Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate). I’d be lying if I didn’t say that this band reminds me a shit load of the band I just reviewed in the previous paragraph; the only real discernible difference being the vocalist. That’s not to say I don’t fucking love this song; because I totally love this song. The vocals sound anxiety ridden and desperate, and that’s exactly the kind of thing I dig about this genre. I feel like I’m being emotionally thrusted into the song and I can’t lie and say I don’t like when that happens. I like when that happens.

Joie De Vivre manage to change the tone of the album to a more depressing sound...at first. Then the horn bits kick in and you forget all about that. It’s easy to see why these bands have all been label mates for the past 5 years. They boast a fairly similar style and they’re all pretty damn awesome at what they do.

A challenger has appeared.

The EP finally changes tone almost entirely when The Reptilian’s song comes on. The style isn’t really drastically different (desperate vocals, drum beat changing at odd times, clean guitar leads), but at the same time it’s completely different. The vocals are raspy as hell and remind me a lot of that dude who scream in A Billion Ernies, and I love it. The song just feels more interesting overall, even though it’s not a song you can really sing-a-long to (pop punk kid problems). The Reptilian came in at the end of this already rad EP and made it even radder. Awesome.

You should check out this EP if you’re a fan of bands like Rites of Spring, American Football, Fugazi and all that good stuff. Even if you’re not, this EP might make you a fan of the genre after all. So, here’s a link to the bandcamp page and here’s a link to the record label. Have fun with all that.

-Idle

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Summer Salt- The Places You Call Home

2012-01-02T23:27:00.002-05:00

Summer Salt is this really awesome indie/folk pop band from Bloomington, IN. Not only are they from one of the coolest towns in the US, they're really fun to listen to. They have seven members, wow. Emi Knight fronts the group, joined with Ali Homan, Jenna Beasley, Dave Segedy, Jess Childs, Micah Bontrager, and Oliver Ceelen. They released this in June of 2011.

The music is really calming and sweet. It reminds me a little bit of Eisley, actually. The first song, "The Sun" is a cute short track that fades into a more energetic song, "Emi Completely." The lyrics are really, really nice and the girls do amazing harmonies. "Heart Races" is another slow one, with a great beat. "Learning So Much" is probably one of my favorites... Really sweet song with great melodies. It's just so fucking cute. I love the lyrics and I'm obsessed with Emi's voice.

"Tiptoe Dancers" has the best, best best harmonies! Oh, and the bass is like chocolate raindrops. No lie. It is exactly like that. I love the guitar in "I Saw You Coming." This song is almost a little jazzy, which I enjoy.

"A Love Song" has nice picking and cute lyrics. "Mosquito" is super fucking addicting.

I could go on, but I won't. It's really cute mostly-acoustic and sometimes-electric indie pop that will make your insides go "squee." It's extremely creative and talented,but it's pretty simple. It's very mellow. How many other sentences can I start with the word "it's"? Who knows.

I think I'm going to start falling asleep to this. It's awesome.

Bandcamp download.

Their facebook./Our facebook.

-Bear

Interview with Slingshot Dakota (Top Shelf Records)

2012-01-02T14:00:00.003-05:00

Infectious indie rock/punk duo Slingshot Dakota are on the verge of making their debut on Top Shelf Records with a new full length, and we were blessed with the opportunity to shoot them a few questions regarding it over email. They’re awesome and you should be as excited as we are about this upcoming release!

How would you two compare your Top Shelf Record debut release with your 2008 album ’Their Dreams Are Dead, But Ours Is the Golden Ghost?’

Our new record has the same honesty that "Their Dreams Are Dead" has, except it's a bit more dark and introspective. Since the release of "Their Dreams," we've lost our friends to tragic accidents and encountered a lot of hardships in our lives that felt impossible to overcome. The new record focuses a lot on what was going on in our lives the past few years, and how we can possibly move on. We're still earnest and hopeful, and we're still pouring our hearts and souls into the music, it's just in a more real and difficult way. With "Their Dreams," we were trying to prove that we could be a kick-ass two piece band. You can hear it in the record; it's very impulsive. Now that we've let our friends and fans know that we can form a band that's as punk, or loud, or whatever as the next band, we're writing songs that we really want to write. And those songs aren't just about "doing what you love" anymore. It's about living.

I know there was definitely a lot of positive feedback for ‘Golden Ghost', because I’m pretty sure I heard praise of the record from like everyone and their mother. Plus I loved it. Would you say this created any sort of stress for attempting to top it in the future?

I think it creates the same amount of stress that any band encounters! Because writing a great record is relative, and we think "Their Dreams" AND the new record are amazing; they're just different. The Golden Ghost has this child-like positivity to it that we still believe in, but the new record is about how our positive attitudes got shaken up when life happened. It's hard to believe in yourself or your friends or humanity when terrible things happen. So, I guess people might be bummed out that we're not singing the same anthems as what's on the Golden Ghost, but we're still trying to get them out. The positive hope is still in there, it's just shaken. Also, to try to "top" any record or song isn't how we view songwriting. We just try to write what we love and convey some kind of message in our music, or we just hope that someone can relate to what we're writing about. That's more meaningful to us than writing the newest hit song.

I saw on your twitter page that somebody considers your live show to be preachy, and I guess they also thought of this negatively. What are your thoughts whenever something like this occurs? I’m hoping you have the Propagandhi approach to it (sarcastically releasing a record titled ‘Less Talk, More Rock’.)

Oh yes, the anonymity of the internet!! It gets hard, because I have this natural tendency to want to please everyone. I don't go online and search anymore, and if I do see something negative, I usually leave it alone or confront the person about it (if it's something messed up). I don't care if people don't like our band; I don't like a lot of things. I get it! It's cool. But, when you are writing on "punk" message boards about my boobs and how Tom is a "faggot" and you don't want to hear us talk about how rape isn't okay, then seriously, what are you doing here? Honestly, what are those people doing in life. It gets frustrating. But we just keep talking about it anyway. That's how I grew up liking the bands I like to this day.. I liked knowing what their songs were about. And people don't have to like that about us, too. I get it.. you don't have to like a band talking a lot in between songs. But, 1.) we're old. we need breathers. and 2.) the things we talk about are absolutely important to us and we WANT to talk about them in hopes that it reaches someone who needs to hear it, or someone who needs to feel like they are not alone. If you aren't into bands that talk about their songs, well, you probably won't like us. But you can't possibly call yourself "punk" or in my opinion, a good human being, if you can't appreciate a band taking the time to talk about rape, sexual assault, any kind of violence in hope that it HELPS someone.

How did working with Topshelf Records come together? Did you approach them or did they approach you with the idea of working together to release the upcoming record?

After releasing the Golden Ghost by ourselves, we realized we wanted to be touring a lot and we wanted our music to be our jobs. Putting out your own record is the best thing you can do; you can give it away to people who don't have enough money, you can take your time, you don't owe anyone anything. But there are things as a band that you can't do, or afford. In order for us to tour all the time, and possibly go on tour with bands we couldn't reach ourselves, we realized it was time to reach out to possible labels who could help us out. Tom did all of the contacting and research on labels that he respects and looks up to, and Topshelf was one of the first that came to mind. We sent them a demo my cousin did a year ago, and luckily they decided to work with us on our new release.

You guys are doing a mini-tour this winter with The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die. That sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun. Do you have any more planned tours on the horizon? Is there anywhere you’ve been really wanting to tour to but haven’t been able to put it together yet?

We are beyond stoked for our upcoming minitour!! Our last tour was another mini-tour with Now, Now and Mansions, two bands we absolutely love. So it's awesome to go on another mini-tour with The World Is, because not only do we love them as people but their music is amazing and we will get to see them every night! We plan on doing a tour in the spring that coincides with the release of our record, and it will be a full-US tour. We would LOVE to go back to Europe and we'd also love to visit Australia, as we've never been there!!

If you were to compare your band’s style or message with any other band (or person, or anything really), what would be the comparison you’d make?

We always describe ourselves as a two-piece indie band with the energy of a punk/hardcore band. We're pretty poppy if you just turn on a CD and listen, but if you see us live, you get a whole other story. You get a lot of talking, as mentioned above. You get a lot of stupid jokes. But, you also get a lot of head banging and broken drum sticks and keys. We put everything into our performance, because it is what we love to do. Music is our hearts, and we do a lot of driving and work a lot of part-time jobs to be able to play the shows we play, so once we get to play, we go nuts.

People love comparing us to other 2 piece bands that we don't sound like at all (Matt & Kim, really?!). It's like comparing The Beatles to Weezer because they all have 4 members. It's not that easy, people!

Thanks for doing an interview with us! I hope everything goes smoothly with the tour and release!

Be sure to check Slingshot Dakota out if you haven’t already! Amazing band and amazing people.

-Idle

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Lee Corey Oswald- Moon Songs

2012-01-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Lee Corey Oswald is a folk punx duo that has expanded into a full-band for it's LP debut, Moon Songs. They hail from Portland. The songs are honest, catchy, and heartfelt. It was released on cassette in December of 2011, and will soon be put on an expanded release, too. :) RIYL The Good Life meets Against Me!. Kind of. More like the Motorcycle Industry.

Have you guys ever wondered what it would sound like if a kitten, a unicorn, and Mike from Monsters Inc started a folk punk band together? That sounds nothing like Lee Corey Oswald. It's like a reverse analogy, because that hypothetical band would sound like shit. They would probably be cute, though.

In all seriousness, this release surprised me.

It sneaks up on you.

At first, you're like "Eh. Pretty good." and then all the sudden you want to rewind tracks. And then you're replaying the album... And then it hits you.

This release is great. The lyrics are fantastic. I'm not too crazy about some of the melodies or guitar lines, but the badass vocals, lyrics, and bass/drum beats fully make up for it.

The cassette tape came with these badass little cards made up of fancy paper with all the album info printed on it. I love it. The person that made these is a kickass human being. The first thing I noticed when I looked through them was "holy shit there are a lot of instruments in this band" and then I started to hear it.

Oh, and they thank Satan in their thank yous. It was adorable.

"Dream Song" is by far my favorite track. The keyboards are fucking adorable. You guys have no idea. The lyrics are fantastic. The melody is really, really addictive.

"Stare At The Moon" is another fantastic one. I love it. It's very catchy, upbeat, and the picking style is gorgeous.

Honestly, it's hard to find things about this album to criticize... Check them out!

-Bear

Museum Mouth- Sexy But Not Happy

2012-01-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

Museum Mouth is an indie band from Southport, SC. They've been together for a few years now, and this is a January 2012 release! Woo! They are Karl Kuehn (see also) on drums and vocals, Graham High on guitar, and Kory Urban on bass. RIYL Hymie's Basement, SWTHRT, Lovvers

This album is a pretty interesting sound. I absolutely love the album booklet, first off. The pictures are adorable and funny. It starts off on "Goodbye, Evan" which has a pretty good melody. I really like the guitar line, but it's a little redundant, to be honest. "Sexy But Not Happy," the title track, wins the award for the best track name and probably the best song on the album. "Big Problems" is another one that I liked, it has a really nice drum rhythm to it.

It has a very interesting mix of lo-fi and pop punk to it. It's very guitar heavy and is pretty dance-y. To be honest, I think it loses me on some of the tracks. But that's not because it isn't good, it's just not catching me, I suppose.

The lyrics are really really great and the melodies are fun, too. Overall, I would say it's a good. album. It's not my favorite, partially because it's just not my genre and partially because I've heard it before. It's definitely got it's catchiness to it, though. I would say it's good driving music, probably.

I think this band is going to have those people that absolutely love it (most definitely) and people that can't stand it. I'm somewhere in between, leaning towards the first.

Check them out! :) If I'm wrong, tell me I'm super wrong and threaten to fight me. Or something. Maybe we could just play it in the car together.

Museum Mouth facebook/Our facebook

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-Bear

Make Do and Mend - Part and Parcel

2011-12-27T16:37:00.000-05:00

Pop punk-ish band Make Do and Mend from Hartford, CT have recently released a cool little acoustic EP featuring four old songs re-imagined acoustically, one completely new song, and one cover of an awesome Touche Amore song. It’s actually a pretty cool little album, overall. My only beef with it being that when performed in this style, and with vocalist James’s voice, these songs sound very much like some late 90s/early 2000s radio rock ballad type shit. If you can get over that, it’s a solid release.

The first song, “Unknowingly Strong,” and the last (untitled) song are the two that don’t really suffer much from this weird radio rock ballad feel, and they also both happen to be my favorite on this release. The first of those two is pretty much just awesome acoustic version of an already awesome song, whereas the second is an all new song, and has this really cool folk feel to it. These two songs alone make this a pretty worthwhile purchase, and the rest are just there to drive it home.

You can stream this EP for free over at Make Do and Mend’s bandcamp page, and I heavily recommend you do just that. It’s an enjoyable album and is practically flawless if it’s a style of music you’re into. It seriously sounds great and you should definitely check it out!

-Idle

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Andrew James & The Steady Tiger- Red in Tooth and Claw

2011-12-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

Andrew James & The Steady Tiger is this really talented bluegrass band from Cape Town, South Africa. The band is actually just a guitarist (Andrew James) and a drummer (James van Minnen), which is pretty cool. The music is extremely calming, fun to listen to, and really talented. I actually fell asleep listening to this record last night. Released on the 5th of August of this year.

They have an amazing roots sound with this great mix of instruments. It's calming, it's inspiring, and it's fun. Andrew James has a very talented and controlled voice that I adore, and his array of instruments is very impressive. It all gets tied together by van Minnen's fun and interesting percussion choices. I absolutely love the duo. This is the kind of music I want to paint to.

Songs worth bringing up are "Swansong," "Harder than My Bones," "Rushing," and "Under the Umbrella."

"Swansong" is a slow and brooding song with a great guitar intro. It's very Joe Bonamassa and I love it. The melody is intricate and weaves around itself in the best of ways. It leaves an amazing first impression and I'm immediately hooked.

"Harder than My Bones" shows off Andrew James' banjo skills and it's really a great song. The percussion really gives it a serious tone and a powerful beat. The back-up vocals rock. Great song.

"Rushing" is a sweet, slow song with a great vocal melody that I adore.

Lastly, "Under the Umbrella" has the best guitar melody ever.

Such a great album! love it.

You can download it for free, too!

Learn more about Andrew James & the Steady Tiger!

Their facebook/Our facebook

Official Website

Bandcamp

Soundcloud

-Bear

Scrap Kids- All That I Can't Be

2011-12-26T23:25:00.001-05:00

I'm a bad reviewer, guys. We have this huge waiting list right now that we've been doing our very best to get through, but tonight, something happened. I was talking to my friend Tim McGowan when he sends me this link... And I freaked out. No, Idle and I both freaked out. This kid is amazing. Scrap Kids is Lawson from Pennsylvania. Acoustic ska. This is his third release, and it's been on Bandcamp since the 22nd. I don't know when it was/will be released. Sorry.

"Reminiscing," the intro really show's off Lawson's voice. It's got great lyrics too, but I love his voice. I was hooked straight from this song. "All That I Can't Be" has great guitar, amazing lyrics, and is just so great. It's extremely upbeat and catchy and sweet. I can't get enough of it. "Just Five More Minutes" has the best lyrics. Super catchy and just flat out FUN. "The Straw That Broke The Hater Camel's Back" wins the WTF title award, and proofs that he's a versatile musician. Oh, and weird. "Testament" is just a really, really sweet song. I honest to god want to cover every single one of these songs. I would play them all day. The solo in this one is great. All I have to say about his High Anxiety cover is holy fuck. Lastly, "Connor" is an amazing way to finish the EP.

Somehow, in the last week of 2011, this guy I've never heard of before has made his way into my favorite artists of 2011. Kudos, dude. Thanks.

Listen. You'll understand.

Facebook. also Facebook.

-Bear

Dead End Story- Dead End Story EP

2011-12-26T21:52:00.000-05:00

I think this might be our first review of a Finnish band, everyone! This is Dead End Story from Oulu, Finland. They've been together since fall of 2010. They're awesome. This EP was released on July 19th of this year, and you can download it for free on their bandcamp! RIYL Hot Water Music, Leatherface

Dead End Story is a pretty straightforward punk band. It's very melodic and technical. The guitarist is extremely talented. So are the other musicians, clearly, but damn. That guitar makes me happy.

The EP is a single, but I can't wait to hear more from them.

"Workaholic" starts off with a strong guitar beat and then goes straight into a super awesome guitar intro. The vocals are awesome, and all the instruments work together really well.

"Yesterday's Burden" is a great song. My ska-o-meter is going crazy though. Oh Finnish melodic punk band, why are you playing ska riffs? Squee. How happy-making. Anyway, the song is really good. The little ska-fit ends and it goes into another badass punk song. No horns, in case you were wondering.

This is a great single. Listen to it!

Their facebook./Our facebook.

-Bear

Lie Captive- The Hopeless North

2011-12-26T21:13:00.000-05:00

Lie Captive is this badass punk group from Plattsburgh, NY. They got together in the summer of 2010, and have since released an EP and a full length, both on DTFH records. This was released in November of this year. RIYL Polar Bear Club, The Get Up Kids, The Draft.

So let me start off by saying I love this record. It's interesting, it's powerful, it's loud, and the songs are short. Badass.

The first track, "Whatever May Come From Here" is a really chill acoustic track that lies to you. It lies to you because it makes you think these boys are mellow. They aren't. (Musically, at least.)

"Judas Like The Last Time" is a great track with a nice guitar/bass balance and great vocals coming from Tyler Oliver and Chris Parmelee. The drum rhythm is interesting enough to make me pay attention to it, which I don't do very often. We're starting on a good foot, Lie Captive!

"Weight of Meager Pay" takes on one of the most socially-relevant topics on America today, and does it quite well. The lyrics are thoughtful, the music is catchy, and the beat rocks.

The music is very guitar driven and fast. It's a little technical without sounding over-the-top and the melody always has an interesting "play" to it. They play fast, but they get a nice variation on tempo to keep it fun.

"Lit Screen Commodity" is one of my favorite songs. It starts off slow and pretty, and then launches into this badass song that shows off the bass (<3) and has a great beat to it.

This is an awesome record. Check it out.

Their facebook./Our facebook

Download the EP/Download this album.

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Big Cartel.

-Bear

Grand Hotel Paradox- Louder Than Lyrics

2011-12-20T17:34:00.001-05:00

Do you guys remember Grand Hotel Paradox? You should. This is such a great band. It seems like just yesterday I was sticking their stickers all over the United States (Send in a picture if you ever see one, it was probably me.) and reviewing their last EP. In July, they released a new single that's badass. Check it out! RIYL punk rock.

The first track, "Wake Up Call" has really powerful lyrics and a super catchy bass line. It kind of makes you want to dance. Ants in your pants, yeah? Sorry, I'll stop with the rhyming. Politically charged, talented, and full of energy straight after a tour is the best combination for writing an album. Badass.

The next song, "Louder than Lyrics" is absolutely amazing. Holy shit. It's got a guitar line that sounds like pins and needles- in the best of ways. It gives an atmosphere of desperation and determination. The bass and drums are stronger than hell. I'm just going to tell you guys the lyrics now:

"the only bars that we're behind are 4/4 signature time

and we are able to find the key much more easily

we are just the commentators, we're not in the boxing ring

we are just the war reporters, gotta keep our hands clean

but dictators won't step down and economies won't shape up

if you just sing

actions speak louder than lyrics

but dictators won't step down and economies won't shape up

if you just sing"

Have I won you over yet? You should be nodding your head "yes" right about now.

Check it out!

Name Your Price download at Bandcamp

GHP facebook/Our facebook

-Bear

Ridgemont - Colder Days

2011-12-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

A long time has elapsed since the last moment in which I’ve had the pleasure of discovering a new band that hit all the right spots musically for me. Until today, that is.

Ridgemont play a gritty-as-fuck brand of pop punk that seriously strikes home for me. I obsess over bands like Dear Landlord, Dillinger Four, Mayflower, Pinhead Gunpowder, Arms Aloft, The Dopamines, and all the other usual suspects for this type of beer-chugging, vocal-chord-ruining, energetic and infectious pop punk shit. I love it.

Ridgemont from Allston, MA fit into the above list rather perfectly, with their new 12” ‘Colder Days’ being an excellent example for this. (I’d also like to accentuate the fact that they’re from Massachusetts, because long time readers of Idle and the Bear are probably quite used to the fact that I have some weird sort of musical hard-on for MA at this point. I don’t know what it is about that state, but for past couple years they’ve done nothing but release excellent pop punk band after excellent pop punk band. Seriously, it’s great.) These guys gave us 14 awesome pop punk jams to take over our musical enjoyment for the remaining weeks of the 2011 calendar. I’m not saying you’re going to just quit listening to them once the “clock” strikes 2012, because you’re not likely to let go of them at all.

The music on this ‘Colder Days’ album is absolutely perfect. There’s the right amount of interesting/impressive guitar leads mixed in with an abundance of beyond catchy, throaty vocal melodies. If you’re a fan of the pop punk genre, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be a fan of this record. And if you’re not a fan of this record, I’m not entirely sure that I’m a fan of you. I don’t know...maybe that’s a bit harsh. But honestly, I feel like I’d be hard pressed to find a soul in the scene who would turn up their nose and scoff at this awesome band. That’s just impossible!

Get your hands on ‘Colder Days’ by Ridgemont from Kiss of Death Records! You can even just get your digital hands on a digital copy for free! What beats that?

-Idle

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Adaje/Shark Bait Split 7"

2011-12-18T13:01:00.000-05:00

This is quite possibly the most interesting release I've listened to in a long time. Adaje, a strange mix of progressive and the 90s, paired up with Shark Bait, who are kind of like 90s emo, but not. Shark Bait is from Lafayette, LA and Adaje is from Memphis. Released in September.

Let's start with Adaje. The first track, "Caveman" shows extreme musicianship. I liked that a lot. It's an extremely intriguing song with lots of dynamic and talent. Not too big of a fan of the vocals, but there are barely any vocals, so it was okay. The bass, guitar, and drums were all extremely pleasant to listen to, though.

The second, "Cavemen Not Cometh" has a really catchy melody for the intro.

They're good at what they do, I will grant them this. I'm just unskilled in discussing what they do.

I really, really enjoyed Shark Bait's half. Maybe it's because I have a weakness for Cursive, I dunno. "High Horse" is unbelievably catchy. The bass line of the little interlude is great.

"Something Old, Something New" is also a really great song. They have a really amiable sound that you can get really into.

If you're looking for new music with a new sound, look no further, people. I can honestly say that I haven't heard anyone that sounds quite like these guys, and that's hard to do.

Adaje bandcamp/Shark Bait bandcamp

Carucage Records

Adaje Facebook/Shark Bait facebook/Our facebook

-Bear

Declaration - Searching For the Answers

2011-12-16T12:22:00.000-05:00

There are two very important things that the band Declaration (Pee Records) have taught me today:

Hardcore punk bands from Melbourne consist of members that appear as if they belong in a third wave ska band.
Hardcore punk bands from Melbourne have the potential to be fucking awesome, and Declaration are a perfect example of living up to, and then exceeding that potential.

‘Searching For the Answers’ is the debut 7” from Declaration and it’s filled to the brim with melodic hardcore punk excellence. Environmentalists, look no further for your alternative source of energy! Just find a way to extract the pure musical chaos presented by Melbourne hardcore group Declaration and I think we’d probably be all set to power everything on the planet for another hundred years or so...and I think that’s really plenty of time to finish whatever the hell we’re on this planet to be working on.

While Declaration’s musical influences may be easily discerned simply by listening to this 7” (Champion, Black Flag, Casey Jones, Municipal Waste, etc.), the listener definitely won’t find themselves mistaking them for any other band. Declaration takes the meat and potatoes of the genre and adds their own flavor to it. And the result is pretty fucking tasty, really. So, do yourself a favor and get your hands on this record, because you’re only hurting yourself by putting it off any longer.

-Idle

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Greenland is Melting - Where Were We

2011-12-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

Greenland Is Melting are this folk punk band from one of the few folk punk capitals of the United States, which of course would have to be Gainesville, Florida (home of The Fest). Upon checking them out though, I’d be hard pressed to immediately think, “Gainesville” just by hearing them. They’re more bluegrassy than Steve Martin’s band...hell, they’re more bluegrassy than my entire state...and I live in the Bluegrass State.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to anything quite like Greenland Is Melting. Their music is blatantly bluegrass/folk with vocals that very much complement the style. The lyrics are very much in the typical style of folk punk, which is to say it’s very folk, but with a bit more edge to it. This isn’t your grandma’s folk band...unless your grandma is a badass with great taste in music.

Greenland’s new album ‘Where Were We’ is a perfect example of just how good folk music can be. Each song is infinitely catchy and relatable, and you can’t go wrong with some banjo and upright bass when they’re performed so damn expertly. My favorite song on the release is either every single song, or “The Dead Are Watching”; it’s honestly too close to call. You’ll have to make the final decision on that yourself, dudes.

‘Where We Were’ is currently up for sale on Paper + Plastick for not very much money at all, making it the perfect purchase in this hectic holiday season. Slip that shit in somebody’s stocking or exchange it as a secret Santa present, and people will most certainly fall in love with you. It’s 13 tracks of pure bluegrass/folk-punk amazingness and you’re only doing yourself a serious disservice by not getting your hands on it immediately. You can also download Greenland’s older material from their band website, and that’s always an awesome bonus. It’s all worth it!

-Idle

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The Story So Far- Under Soil and Dirt

2011-12-07T21:36:00.000-05:00

Honestly, it's hard NOT to like The Story So Far. With their super-catchy melodies, strong harmonies, heartfelt vocals, and powerful lyrics, I can guarantee you'll find yourself bouncing along with this band with me. To be honest, you probably already are. This album was released in this past summer on Pure Noise records. RIYL Fireworks, The Wonder Years, Transit, or Saves the Day.

I listened to this album twice, and then immediately sent Idle a text. "The Story So Far might be my new favorite pop punk band."

I honestly mean that. I rant over bands all the time, but I never say anything that extreme, right?

The combination of perfect lyrics and catchy melodies is just perfect.

"Roam" has this awesome rhythm and the vocal pattern is genius. Parker Cannon does some of the best harmonies I've heard in quite a while. "High Regard" follows the same pattern- the lyrics blow me away. It's like if Soupy Campbell and Justin Pierre had a lyrical baby, and it turned into this group.

The music is study, steady, and powerful. The vocals are heartfelt and powerful. The themes of the songs are powerful.Getting my drift so far?The guitar is always interesting, the bass is innovating, the drummer is badass, etc. etc. etc.

"Mt Diablo" is interesting- the tempo and dynamic changes keep you listening without zoning out. It's feel good music. There's even a little bit of a breakdown towards the end, but it's so minor and it fit so well that I didn't even mind!

Instead of having instruments take turns being the "power sound" like a lot of bands do, The Story So Far really seems to work together. Everyone plays their equal part and it sounds great.

This CD is going to be in my car for a long, long time. End of story.

If you haven't yet, check them out!

Their facebook./Our facebook.

Tumblr.

Twitter.

-Bear

Rejectioneers - 25 EP

2011-12-07T18:11:00.000-05:00

Honestly, the only issue we have when it comes to reviewing indie records would have to be the fact that we’re completely brain dead when it comes to any sort of background with that scene. We’re ska kids and pop punk dorks. Seriously, that sums us up pretty well. But, we do know a good album when we hear one, regardless of genre, and this band Rejectioneers not long ago put out an excellent fucking EP called ’25’.

Rejectioneers sounds like the result of taking They Might Be Giants, Foo Fighters, Ben Folds, and Jimmy Eat World and just mashing them all together into this perfect concoction of indie rock gold. That’s probably the neatest way to put it, too. (I mean neat as in organized...not like the way Beaver Cleaver would say it). ’25’ happens to be Rejectioneers’s debut release...which for some reason just makes it all that better to me. I already just considered it to be an excellent album, but now that I know it’s the first official demonstration of what this band has to offer, I’m just all that more into it.

The few songs on ’25' are catchy, thought-out and complex where necessary while being simple where it counts. Your ears aren’t doing homework here! They’re taking a vacation! A much needed one, too, because the latter half of this year has definitely been lacking in excellence. Well, here’s your fucking excellence!

Do yourself the favor of all favors by downloading Rejectioneers’s ’25’ EP for free over at their bandcamp page. You’re missing out if you don’t, and nobody likes to be missing out. Except for creepy, weird people. And our readers are neither creepy or weird...despite the fact that we are...

-Idle

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Nightlights- So It Goes

2011-12-05T14:59:00.000-05:00

Nightlights is such a great band. From the second I heard their 2009 demo, I was in love. Alex, Jake, Matt, and Joe are all really talented guys and they make great sound together. They're from Daytona Beach in Florida, and this album was released on Eulogy in July. RIYL Latterman, Menzingers, Iron Chic, or Red City Radio

Nightlights is one of those rare bands that fits into two of the best categories: "interestingly different" and "comfortably the same." I'm gonna be honest- it doesn't have a new sound. In fact, it's very similar to most other modern punk bands. HOWEVER. It's got something different to it to make you want to listen to it. Maybe it's Matt's voice, or the organization of their rhythms. I don't know what it is, but I like it.

"When You Grow Up Your Heart Dies" sounds like the name of a poem you wrote in freshman year, but it's not. It's a lot more talented than that. Slow melody with mostly rhythm instrumentals going on.

"Truffle Shuffle" is one of the better songs on the album. I really like the lyrics and the vocals on it. The guitar-bass ratio is also a pretty cool sound.

"Obviously You're Not A Golfer" is a great song. It's got a pretty nice intro and a calm melody to it. It's (as always) addictive as hell.

"That John Denver is Full of Shit!" is my favorite track. It's a kickass song with a great rhythm and the lyrics are great.

"Good Morning Mr. Breakfast" has the best song title on the entire album, and that's hard to do with these guys. The titles are all amusing. Oh, and the outro to this song is badass.

"There's Something New In Nothing" is super pretty.

The rest of the album continues being pretty good. I wouldn't say it's the best I've heard lately, but it definitely impressed me and held up their reputation in my mind. Listen to it!

Their facebook Our facebook Tumblr

-Bear

Speaker For the Dead - I Hope You Have Fun While You Sleep

2011-12-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

This seriously has be the greatest album released this year. I'm serious. I've used serious multiple times now! That's how seriously serious I am. Okay, I'm done being annoying now. Well, I'm done being intentionally annoying, at least. Speaker For the Dead is what Greg McKillop from Worchester, MA calls his solo project (or is it a collective in this case, due to the additional members on some release?). Greg has a whole bunch of music up on the SFTD bandcamp page, and it's all pretty awesome... but it's kind of logical that I should focus on the most recent release 'I Hope You Have Fun While You Sleep'...so here we are:

Pretty much immediately after starting up the first song "Journal" on this short release, you'll be stoked on your choice to have done so. It's a very emo-punk styled instrumental track reminiscent of bands like Shinobu and Laura Stevenson and the Cans. Actually, this EP sounds so much like some of the music you'd find on Quote Unquote Records' website that I'm quite surprised it's not. This song functions as the perfect lead in to "St. Peter", which is probably one of the best folk influenced songs I've ever heard. The accompaniment of trumpet and tuba (delightfully performed by Larry Wilson) on parts of this record is a beautiful touch, as it goes so well with Greg's beautiful vocals. These songs bear a stylistic resemblance to bands like Defiance Ohio, The Taxpayers, and RVIVR, and I'm liking every second of it.

"Pile of Dirt" is a not only a great point in my argument for synthesizer being a gift from above, but also an amazing fucking song. Also, Greg and his friends once again remind me of Shinobu at this point. It also reminds me heavily of the 'Your Favorite Weapon' album by that Brand New band. Hmm...

Do your punk rocker duty and head over to Speaker For the Dead's bandcamp page and stream or download this album. It's fantastic. I mean it. There's nothing more I can say about the album that you won't immediately understand by checking it out for yourself. That's what's awesome about bandcamp and other music streaming websites! Everyone likes to try shit before they buy it.

-Idle

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The Wild- A Collection

2011-12-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

The Wild is awesome. I think we all know that. You've heard us geek out about them before here and you're about to hear it again. Easily the best folk punk in Atlanta (I don't know if there is any other folk punk in Atlanta, to be honest) and it shows. This record is exactly what the name says- a collection of different works. It contains songs from live recordings, splits, and EPs. I wish more bands would do this, because it makes listening to the harder to find and scattered out music much easier. This came out in July of this year. RIYL The Weakerthans, Ghost Mice, Defiance Ohio, and Billy Bragg

Tracks 1-4 are off of their split with Pedals on our Pirate Ships. "Mudlines" is a great song with awesome lyrics (as per the usual) and a super catchy melody. It has great contrasts and I love the harmonies.

Tracks 5 and 6 are from their split with Run, Forever. "To Be Content" has a great drum and bass intro. It's a really great song, and it's a little quieter than the usual with them.

7 through 11 are all from the self titled EP. "We Will Drive Those Warlords Out" has always been a favorite of theirs for me. The harmonia melody is so pretty and the lyrics are some of my favorite ever. It's such a great song. I'm ashamed to say how many hours I've spent playing this song on guitar.

12, 13, and 14 were all recorded for various things.

"Everything We Need" was for If You Make It, and it's great. I love Diana's voice, and you can hear it

more clear than usual on this stripped-down track. It's a pretty cute song.

I'm so glad that this CD exists. It gives you a nice taste of them if you haven't heard of them, and it's like a bonus to the older fans.

Website.

Facebook./Our facebook.

Twitter.

Youtube.

Myspace.

-Bear

Prevenge/Dig It Up Split 7"

2011-12-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

I love split records. I love listening to the new songs, the experiments, the covers, and the co-work. Lots of times, I discover bands solely because they did a split with a band I already like. This right here is a split record from Prevenge and Dig It Up out of Montreal. The two bands are extremely close, and released this album together on Pavones Records in the summer of 2011. Prevenge are a heavier version of pop punk, and Dig It Up are a mix of grunge and hardcore punk.

I absolutely LOVE Prevenge. So great. The first track, "Berry'd Alive" not only made me giggle, but impressed me. Super catchy, nice guitar riff at the beginning, and great vocals. It's got a vintage pop punk feel, which is pretty cool. It's a really fast, bouncy song with a very sing-along-able vocal melody.

"Wicked Mess" is a little softer of a song, but not any less awesome. It has a more prominent bass line, and it's an interesting song. Love it.

To be honest, I didn't like Dig It Up at first. It wasn't that they were bad, the sound was just strange to me. But I've listened to the record 3 times now, and I have to admit... they've grown on me. A lot.

I still wouldn't say it's my favorite, but I do plan on listening to them more.

It's very fast and rough sounding with lots of extensive guitar work. "Move My Way" is my favorite one. It's fast and I like the drums a lot. The melody, once you pick it up, is really addictive and cool-sounding.

"Cops On Horses" has a funny name and the ending is also funny. The song is once again, really fast and powerful. I would love to see these guys live, because I bet the crowd just goes insane.

Overall, really enjoyed it.

There were only 500 of these made, so I advise you JUMP ON IT! I already took one of the white ones though, sorry. That leaves 99 left for everyone else to fight over... But some of those are probably gone too. I have faith in you! Buy it! It's five dollars.

Bandcamp.

Prevenge Facebook, Dig It Up Facebook, Our facebook.

Free/donation download

-Bear

The Mighty Fine- In Revival

2011-12-03T14:05:00.000-05:00

The Mighty Fine are this badass punk band from San Luis Obispo. They combine almost all the punk subgenres on this album at one point or another, and it sounds great. It's a pretty awesome sound and I fell in love right away. This is their sophomore release, and their first with Solidarity Records. It came out in August. RIYL Menzingers, Against Me!, or Hot Water Music.

This is a very melodic record with impressive harmonies and riffs. It's just flat out interesting. Brook Thompson has THAT voice. You know what I mean, that guy that you always wanted to sing for your punk band but was too into grunge/hip hop/metal/whatever in high school so he never joined your band. Except in this reality, he does like punk rock. And he's damned good at it. He also plays guitar. Mikey Castillo (bass) makes some impressive harmonies with it, and I like him best. Just because I like bassists.

To tie it all together, Chris Scott is a great drummer. It always takes a good drummer to really tie together music and give it the right sound.

The first track, "Revive" is really, really catchy. It pretty much sets a tone for the rest of the album.

Some of my favorite songs are "To Indiana," "Flow," "Paper Trails," and "Catching Up To Tired."

"To Indiana" has this really addictive intro, it's a little pop-punk, and it's so great. The song is a mix of tempos and sounds. It's a goddamn ballad. It almost made Indiana suck less in my mind. almost.

"Heroes On TV" has the best lyrics on the entire album- not to mention the melody rocks. It's a little repetitive, but the beats are great. I fullheartedly approve.

This album is awesome, seriously. Perfect mix of hard and soft, lots of musicianship, and most importantly, it will stay in your head for fucking WEEKS.

"Ambassadors" is a perfect example of how dynamic they are. It's slower, but they rock that, too. It has much more of the roots influence showing through.

I advise you look into these boys.

-Bear

New vinyls out from Paper + Plastick

2011-11-29T10:47:00.000-05:00

It's a good day to be an employed fan of punk music (or possibly some punk dude or chick who won the lottery or found a few bucks on the sidewalk)! Paper + Plastick have released 7 new, reasonably priced albums on vinyl! There's 'Idle Ages' by Junior Battles, 'Hey, Hey Pioneers!' by Farewell Continental, 'Hither & Yon' by Reverse the Curse, the Smash/Grab EP from Riverboat Gamblers, a split between Red City Radio and The Gamits, a collection of songs over the years on 2x LP by Plow United, and a compilation of female-fronted punk bands titled 'Are You With the Band?'

Actually, it's a good day to be a broke punk with internet access too, because the first five albums I listed are also on Paper + Plastick's SoundCloud page for free streaming purposes. But, if you have the spare cash, you should probably do yourself a favor and pick up one or so of these records from the Paper + Plastick online store.

Here are short reviews of some of these new records!

Red City Radio/The Gamits split 7"

Listen / Buy

Red City Radio and The Gamits have a thing or two in common...they're both awesome pop punk groups and the bear and I both love the both of them. And now, they have this split together! How badass is that? Very, I know. If you like The Dopamines, House Boat, For Science, Vacation, or any other pop punk band that sounds remotely like any of the ones I just listed, you'll probably dig this split. You can read two reviews from our site regarding Red City Radio's last release; one from the bear, and one from myself.

Riverboat Gambler's - Smash/Grab

Listen / Buy

Riverboat Gamblers are what I guess you'd call an awesome fucking pop punk group. They don't directly resemble any band I can think of, and that's definitely a positive thing. I mean, they play pop punk...or at least some version of it, and they do it pretty damn well. There's not really much more you need to know! There's tons of energy and awesomeness, just like there's tons of talent and infectiousness. Perfect.

Reverse the Curse - Hither & Yon

Listen / Buy

I have to admit, this turned out to be a pretty good album. After turning on Reverse the Curse's new release 'Hither & Yon', I can't say I was immediately into it at all. The music came off as a bit dull and I was pretty much prepared to just write it off as an album I just couldn't possibly get into. A few songs later, it turned out that I was wrong. This is actually a pretty solid post-hardcore punk album. It's passionate, impressive, infectious, and just about everything else it needed to be in order to win me over in the end. I definitely recommend it to anyone who has ever been at all interested in this particular sub genre.

Junior Battles - Idle Ages

Listen / Buy / Read Our Review

Farewell Continental - Hey, Hey Pioneers!

Listen / Buy / Read Our Review

-Idle

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Mindset - Midnight Sky

2011-11-22T16:45:00.000-05:00

Mindset are this hardcore band from Melbourne, Australia that happen to sound an awful like a mix between Set Your Goals and Kid Dynamite. Earlier this year, in April, Mindset released their debut full length ‘Midnight Sky’ upon the world, and the world rejoiced. I mean, the entire world didn’t rejoice...but hardcore fans certainly did.

Mindset play this brand of hardcore punk music that borrows from pretty much every decade in which hardcore punk existed. The vocals and guitar leads at most times are heavily influenced by 80s hardcore and 90s/2000s metal, whereas there are times in the music where the vocals sound very post-2000 hardcore and the instrumentals don’t hesitate to accompany the vocals by playing the same style of hardcore.

If Mindset threw in any more melodic influence than they currently have, it’d be very difficult to tell them apart from bands like Set Your Goals. But since they stay pretty strictly on the side of hardcore, we can’t in good conscious refer to them as a bro-core punk band by any means. What they are, though, is a hardcore band that managed to change my opinion on recent additions to the genre I’ve grown out of. And they did this by writing some good fucking songs.

If you’re a fan of pretty much any hardcore band within the last 30 years, you definitely owe it to yourself and to Mindset to try this record out. It’s driven and heavy just as much as it is interesting, unique, infectious, and intelligent. This album is post 2010 hardcore punk at its absolute best, and you’re doing yourself a solid by tuning in. You can check it out on Pee Records’ bandcamp page or just purchase it over at iTunes. That part is up to you, really. Just trust me, it’s a fun album that I’ll definitely be listening to quite a few more times this month. You should do the same, dudes!

-Idle

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Sirs/Run, WALK! split 7”

2011-11-21T13:59:00.000-05:00

Today’s Idle review is this awesome post-hardcore split co-released by Topshelf Records and Holy Roar Records (UK). The two bands represented on this release are Sirs from New York and run, WALK! from Winchester. Both bands are amazing, therefore, both sides of this split are pretty damn great. They both play their own unique form of indie/post-hardcore/punk music that is vastly different from most of the bands I come across while reviewing, but at least similar enough between the two bands to qualify the split’s existence.

I have to say I’m much more fond of the Sirs side of the split than the run, WALK! side, despite liking both sides overall. The songs are catchy and short, which are two of my favorite things when it comes to music. In these two songs, there is an awful lot of experimentation with the guitar, and that’s always something worth getting into. I like the attitude behind not just settling with vocals on top of a chord progression; I like the addition of interesting shit instrumentally throughout. It’s clever and fun for the band and for those of us fortunate enough to stumble upon them. There’s also this whole atmospheric feel to the songs, which is something I’ve always found awesome about the genre. It’s definitely due to the ambient guitar tones and the way the drums seem a little distant in the mix. Sirs supply two badass songs for this split, and I know I’ll find myself coming back to listen to them with each new release that comes out now.

As for Run, WALK!’s side of the split: it’s also awesome! It starts off with ‘Rainhouse’, which is admittedly quite a long song, but, at the same time, it’s a fucking awesome song. It starts off with some crazy guitar bits that decide the right thing to do is to never abandon the song, so we’re lucky enough to hear that shit throughout. And then the scathing yell/scream-vocals come in to tear us a new one and pretty much paint us a vivid picture of what a Run, WALK! live show must be like. I imagine beautiful chaos, mosh pits, stage diving, angry British teenagers, and Mordor. I’m pretty sure they play all of their concerts in Mordor. It’s just how it has to be for them. This first song takes a lot of interesting turns musically, and for a song clocking in at over four minutes, it doesn’t give you a single second to grow bored or restless; it’s awesome.

Run, WALK!’s second song on the split is about half the length, but I would never dare say it’s half the energy or half the awesome-i-tude, because it’s definitely high as fuck in both. Seriously, you have no excuse to not grab this split immediately. The record is five dollars! What else were you planning on spending that five dollars on, anyway? Probably fast food or beer or something pretty worthy, but certainly not as worthy as a split between two awesome bands like Sirs and Run, WALK! So do your civic duty, and head over to Topshelf Records or Holy Roar Records and purchase yourself this 7”. Or at least visit the Sirs's bandcamp page and Run, WALK!’s facebook page to listen to the songs off this split. You’d be doing yourself something quite far from a disservice. Later, dudes! Make good choices!

-Idle

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Hightime- Ishi Prende

2011-11-20T14:38:00.001-05:00

Hightime is an awesome ska-punk band from Adelaide, Australia. They've been playing together since 2009, and recently signed to Pee Records to release their debut album, Ishi Prende. Nina is an amazing vocalist and the music is absolutely badass. Lately, it's rare to hear any NEW ska-punk bands that don't suck major balls, so it was really exciting to get this. Ishi Prende will be released on the 25th (Black Friday)!

The first song, "Beer Garden," is great. The guitar/bass play of Reuben and Jay is really catchy, and Nina's voice is perfect for the sound. It's a really fun song. The sound is very NOFX meets Save Ferris, if you can picture that (I'm sure you can.) "Share Your Smokes" is another one of the punx-y songs, and it's pretty great. The lyrics are awesome and really up-front, which I love.

"Figure This Out" is probably one of my favorites. It's super addictive. It's been on-and-off stuck in my head for days.

Other great songs include "Lay Low," "Don't Move Away," and "Lag Behind." "Lag Behind" is INTENSE, dude. I bet seeing them play that song live is crazy.

Overall, I'm just really impressed with the musicianship of these guys.

Last but not least, the ending track "Die For Something" is the best out of all of them. It has male vocals on it, the lyrics are brilliant, and I love the melody.

There's also a little secret on this album!

I really recommend this to all ska fans reading this... Give Hightime a shot!

-Bear

The Decline- Are You Gonna Eat That?

2011-11-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

The Decline, in short, rock out. They play melodic punk with a powerful backbone and clever lyrics. Oh, and I love Australian accents. It's pretty much just a winning situation across the board. This album was released in September on Pee Records. RIYL Frenzal Rhomb, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, Millencolin.

This is a great album. How have I not heard this earlier, seriously? It's awesome. Every time I think a record that gets sent to me is the BEST THING EVER, something else comes along... And I realize that maybe it wasn't the best thing ever. And maybe this is the best thing ever. But I have a feeling this CD will end up playing in the car for a while.... It's great. It's like the Aussie DC Fallout. The first song hooks me right away with the pounding bass, strong vocals, and creative guitar patterns. And then, I found out that all the songs were like that. Woah, right?

The lyrics are a great mix of extremely well educated, clever, thought provoking, and sometimes, just FUN. I'm a sucker for social awareness and accents... Have I mentioned that already?

There are songs like "The Financial Equivalent of a Complete Rectal Exam," "A Crash Course in Emotional English," and "Showertime in the Slammer" that we can all find something to relate to in it. Speaking of "Showertime...", it's one of the many songs on this album that includes some audio clips. That I don't recognize, which is strange. I will give my first child to the first person to cite all of these things for me.

"Worlds Apart II" says my name in it. That's my favorite part. Granted, it's only the first half of my name, which is really only used by a little less than half of the people in my life, but still, it made me giggle. The song itself is also badass. It's one of those songs that makes you think, watch out.

The rest of the songs are pretty much either A) Really sweet and clearly for someone special, like "Addison." or B) politically charged awesome magic-glitter.

And by that, I mean these are some really intelligent guys trying to get a great point across through punk rock and a little bit of fun.

Idle and I want to cover "2006" more than anything. That's all I have to say about that.

Overall, if you're wondering if you should buy this album, the answer is: hell yes.

-Bear

Run For It - No You Ain’t, We Is

2011-11-17T20:48:00.000-05:00

Run For It are this band from Pennsylvania consisting of members from Bangarang, Your Best Regret, and Straight Up! If you happen familiar with any of those bands, you’re likely already prepared for the pop punk awesomeness that they put out in this newer band. They play a brand a pop punk that is very similar to bands like The Wonder Years, Title Fight, Fireworks, and whatever else you feel like throwing in there. They're like a brocore pop punk, but kind of sophisticated.

Well, the dudes in Run For It have just released their sophomore album ’No You Ain’t, We Is' recently, and I have to say it's pretty badass. Every song (other than the one acoustic song) is packed full of energy, power chords, infectious vocals and solid backup vocals. Oh, and that one acoustic song sounds a lot like that one acoustic song on ‘Suburbia’ by The Wonder Years, meaning it sounds pretty awesome.

I know I say this pretty often, but I also review great bands pretty often, but every song on this album is seriously great. I think I’m in love. Musical love, that is; nothing my girlfriend should be concerned about. The vocalist of Run For It reminds me very much of Patrick from Fall Out Boy. Like how I just threw that in the middle of some random paragraph? I’m such a professional, guys.

You can stream this album for free on their facebook and their stereokiller pages, or you can purchase it on itunes so that you can listen to it wherever you go! I highly recommend both options, really. Stream it so that you can test it before you buy it, then once you undoubtedly fall in love with it, buy it. Fool proof plan! If you’re into anthemic pop punk with heavy guitars, catchy vocal melodies perfect for singing along to, and pretty much good music in general, you’re going to dig Run For It. I promise.

-Idle

Painted Ox Records
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Driven Fear- Contender

2011-11-17T16:25:00.001-05:00

Driven Fear, a hardcore punk band from Queensland, Australia, has made quite the name for themselves in the past couple of years. The five boys make hard-hitting, extremely fun songs that I enjoy quite a bit. This record, released on 11/11/11, is 14 songs of pure, undiluted hardcore punk. This was released on Pee Records out of Marden! RIYL Raised Fist, Final Fight, Comeback Kid, Down To Nothing

I'm going to make one thing very clear first- I am not traditionally a hardcore person. Unless we're talking pre-nineties hardcore, I just so rarely get into it. HOWEVER- this record was a different case. From the first track, I found myself getting really into it. The energy is badass, and you just want to move to it! It's extremely raw, fast, catchy, and it pumps you up with the first note. The first thing I said to Idle about Driven Fear is "At some point in our lives, we're going to go to see Driven Fear live. Australia's really fucking far, but I bet it'll be a good time." You can just tell they're great performers.

Nic Lalot is a great drummer. Can you even imagine how tired he gets after these songs? This is not your typical hardcore drummer- not only is it faster than hell, there's some real refined technique to that. One of my favorite songs to show that off is "March 29th."

"Ten Years" has this awesome guitar riff in it that's super addictive. I can't give any name recognition to this one, because there are two guitarists... So we'll just go with yay for both of them!

"The Hunt" is probably my favorite song on the album. The intro is creepy. In a good way. If I was directing a horror movie, I would play this song at the beginning. I hope that's a compliment- I meant it that way. It changes pretty fast into a lighter tone, though. It's just a really great instrumental track. Everything ties together awesomely and the rhythms and melodies just work around each other perfectly.

Oh, and the bass in "The Contender" wins. It just beats everything else. Bass solos are the best.

Every single track is awesome. I demand that you listen to these guys!

-Bear

Timeshares - Bearable

2011-11-14T18:23:00.000-05:00

Timeshares are awesome. Timeshares are a punk band from New York. Timeshares have recently put their new LP 'Bearable' up for free download at If You Make It, and for vinyl purchase at Kind of Like Records. I don't think the order or structure of these sentence matters all too much. What matters is the overall message. The message you are left with upon clicking the hyperlink to the album download or vinyl purchase and making that plunge into greatness. Greatness in the form of a great fucking album.

From fist pumping beginning to raucous end, this album is a host of excellent scream-a-longs and perfect demonstrations of how scathing and anthemic, dirty pop punk can be done when done by professionals. Both vocalists deliver excellent high energy performances every time they take the microphone, and the band has no trouble at all belting our excellent amounts of noise and melody. Songs like "Focus, Eddie" and "Too Many ELO Days" will not soon leave your mind. They're catchy and ballsy, and just like the rest of the songs, have a bit of obvious Latterman influence being boasted. They also remind me a lot of that one band Mayflower. Those guys are fucking awesome. Arms Aloft too. Damn, I really like this brand of pop punk a shit ton.

If you've been dying for some new infectious beer-can-throwing type of pop punk band to become obsessed with, I don't think you'll need to look much further than this review. Timeshares are obviously perfect for you, from their pop punk chord progressions and vocal melodies to their 90s rock and folk punk influenced bits and pieces, they keep you paying close attention. Seriously, pick up this record immediately, or at least download it for free. I've supplied you with the proper means to do so like three times in this review.

-Idle

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Beside Myself- Demo

2011-11-14T16:00:00.000-05:00

Beside Myself is a new creation of 2011 that I'm very excited about. They share a member with The Regime, Todd Allen, who is a friend of mine and a very talented musician. He teamed up with Estevan Rodriguez and Ricky Schmidt to record this, and it's extremely impressive for a band's first demo. Perhaps the most amazing part about this group is that they started in two different countries- the US and Italy. How cool is that? This demo was released in October.

"Take Your Time" hooked me from the start. It's super catchy, and the 3 instruments work together super well. It's got a powerful bass line, catchy guitar, and the drummer is kickass. I love the fact that Todd and Ricky are both singing- their voices go together great. The lyrics are also enjoyable. Depressing, but enjoyable. Isn't that quite the oxymoron?

"Something Casual" has a really great intro with a super catchy riff. I love how the bass and guitar play off each other- it's a little bit of a cat-and-mouse game between the instruments. The drums are like the glue of this awesome project... Which makes the band sound like macrame, but I promise this demo is even better than 3rd grade art projects.

"X-Ray" has my favorite vocals out of the four.

Last but not least, "Something Casual" is a kick-ass song. It makes your life feel exciting, seriously. If I ever do any undercover missions, play this song in the background- straight up.

It's a really awesome sound. I love demos like this, because normally, bands either sound awesome and have nowhere to evolve, or they suck. However, Beside Myself not only sounds great now, there are so many different ways that they can take their sound. I'm personally excited to see where they go with it.

If you haven't listened to these guys yet, I strongly recommend it.

Bandcamp- free download!

Beside Myself Facebook.

I&TB Facebook.

Official website.

-Bear

Transit - Listen & Forgive

2011-11-13T18:57:00.001-05:00

Transit are one of those really awesome pop punk bands from Massachusetts that I'm always going on and on about. I've said it before and if Transit's new record 'Listen & Forgive' is any indication, I'll say it a million more times: they have to be putting something in the water up there. There's no other excuse for how awesome bands like Transit and The Hotel Year are.

So yeah, like last month or something Transit came out with this new album 'Listen & Forgive'. And, as stated in the previous paragraph, it's fucking great. The songs are all unreasonably catchy. The instruments inspire so much awe while the lyrics and vocals demand so much attention at the same time. The record starts off with one of the catchier songs on it, "You Can't Miss It", and it just keeps going uphill from there. I don't think there's a single song on here that I dislike. As mentioned in my review of their record 'Something Left Behind', I love the little guitar leads they have going on throughout all of the songs. It reminds me a lot of bands like American Football and Braid.

I would probably describe Transit as like a laid back version of bands like Saves the Day or The Wonder Years. There are stylist similarities, while the overall feel is ultimately different. They have their own very impressive sound that I think can only be continuing on an uphill path. The title track on this release is just so perfect from beginning to end. The lyrics are boasted by two vocalists and this is pulled off so damn well. Seriously, this is one of the best songs on the album. Transit have this perfect style that gets subsequently harder to compare to other bands with each release. They have their own style and if one of their songs came on while I was at a show or something, I'd for sure know it was them regardless of whether I've heard the song before or not.

With all that being said, you should definitely pick up this record right away, despite the fact that it may mean having to visit Rise Records's webstore. Whatever, I promise it's worth it! Great release and definitely in the running for top 10 albums of 2011. Check it out, dudes!

-Idle

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Candy Hearts- Everything's Amazing & Nobody's Happy

2011-11-13T17:59:00.001-05:00

We love Candy Hearts. Using the words of Idle in our review of Ripped Up Jeans and Silly Dreams, "Candy Heart is a pop punk infused indie group from somewhere north east of us in the New York City area. They play a brand of music which can most easily be compared to awesomeness, or you could compare it to bands like Rvivr, The Promise Ring, Jimmy Eat World, and Laura Stevenson and the Cans." So we're a little late on this review, but that's okay.

"Tongue Tied" is one of the cutest songs ever. Candy Hearts are really good at being the cutest thing ever. It's super catchy pop punk that's just super positive sounding, and I love that. "What I'm Made Of" has a great lyrical premise- it's something we can all connect to. I love the simplicity of the lyrics. The entire album pretty much follows the same great trend- blunt lyrics, cutesy melodies, and AWESOMENESS.

"Sleepy Kisses" is the cutest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. I love this song to death. It's heart-ache cute, not happy cute... But all the same. Probably my favorite track on the entire album.

I just really love the entire mood of Candy Hearts. I fell in love with them when they released Ripped Up Jeans..., but this really set it in stone with me. It's the same thing as the previous, but I feel like it's a lot more put together and a little more focused.

"Jawbreaker" is another great song. The lyrics are my favorite. It's also the catchiest, and definitely has my favorite riff. Oh, and the bass = <3

"Good Enough" is another great one. I can't get enough of their lyrics and I just want to dance to the music.

Overall, this record gets an A++++ from me. One of my favorite bands from 2011. Someone remind me why I haven't seen these guys live yet?

-Bear

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Candy Hearts.

Mike Park- Smile

2011-11-11T15:00:00.002-05:00

If you've ever read any of our reviews, or have just even heard of our website, there's a good chance that you're familiar with the name Mike Park. Basically anyone familiar with any variety of punk or ska music is very aware of the importance Mike Park has in the scene. He's fronted so many excellent bands (Skankin' Pickle, The Chinkees, Bruce Lee Band) and he runs the best record label ever to be run out of a garage. Wait, scratch that- the best record label in the WORLD: Asian Man Records. Asian Man Records is the label responsible for your addiction to bands like Alkaline Trio, Big D & the Kids Table, Lemuria, Hard Girls, Kepi Ghoulie, Lawrence arms, The Broadways, Shinobu, Slapstick, and way more. So, by saying that Asian Man Records is responsible for this, we're automatically saying that Mike Park is ultimately held responsible. Mike Park also does solo stuff, which never ceases to amaze me. This record is something truly awesome, though- Smile is a children's music work. And I am still proud to say that I've been listening to it for an hour straight. It's that good.

The record is an amazing combination of pure fun, education, and talented music. I can't stand so much of kids music because of the pure inanity of it all- it's boring, repetitive, and obnoxious. HOWEVER. As to be expected, that's not what Mike Park does with it. The music is great. It's something that could easily be passed off as any other kind of music with different lyrics. The sax solo in "I Love Playing My Saxophone" is so great, it makes me really happy. But above all- the lyrics are perfect for kids. It's a great balance of teaching good habits to kids and just letting them have fun with it. Songs like "I Can See The Ocean" and "We All Live In Animal Park" are prime wiggle-and-giggle opportunities. There's also stuff like "Apples are my Favorite" and "When The Light Turns Red You Stop", that clearly has an agenda. Although all the songs typically mention good habits for kids, there are still songs focused mainly on this. And yet the educational songs are still super fun.

I'm far too old to be enjoying this record so much! It's just Mike Park's magic, I guess. I'm going to be pulling out this record for my nieces and nephews, possible future spawns, and maybe even just for fun sometimes... But don't tell anyone! ;) "Wigily Wigily Worm" is my new jam, you guys. You don't even understand. I want to walk down the aisle to that song.

"Paint With Me" also pulls a few heartstrings.

Overall, if you ever said to yourself "I bet Mike Park can't make a good album with a target audience of children," you were wrong. So wrong.

Great record for parents! And well, not-parents too. I can say from personal experience that you don't need to be a little kid to get into this.

Buy this. You'll thank me.

Mike Park's Website

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-Bear (With a little help from Idle

Gameday Regulars - ...But It's Hell in the Hallway

2011-11-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

Immediately upon listening to the instrumentals at the beginning of the song "Pale Reflections", first track on Gameday Regulars' (NY) debut EP '...But It's Hell in the Hallway', you're dragged head first into this amazing world of what punk rock bands should aspire to be. This is then enforced by the bear-like vocals which come bursting into the mix partway into the song. You're in heaven, dude. and it's all uphill from here.

Gameday Regulars are one of the newest bands to become a part of the excellent Mightier Than Sword family. For those of you unfamiliar, MTS is this record label that has a tendency to release rambunctious pop punk bands alongside infectious melodic hardcore acts. And they do this with an uncanny ability to only put out excellent music. Gameday Regulars are no exception to the general order of things. They play an awesome brand of punk music, heavily influenced by groups such as Hot Water Music and Off With Their Heads, and they do it with enough musicality and originality to put their name out there with a vengeance. I'm pretty sure by the end of 2011, everyone I'm in communication with will have some sort of hardon for these guys.

'...But It's Hell in the Hallway' sticks around for six medium length songs with enough energy to power 20 robocops. Maybe even 21 robocops! Hell, I don't know; this kind of thing is rarely tested. The recording and production quality is also worth noting, because this awesome sounds pretty much perfect. I doubt this band is at all just studio magic though, but I would be working against my own belief by trying to suggest that magic was not made in the studio during the recording of this record. Hell, Harry fucking Potter is probably in this band. That'd be an easier way to explain just how awesome the record is from beginning to end.

If you're a fan of either of those two influences I mentioned, or of bands like Signals Midwest, O Pioneers!, or actually just a fan of music in general, you'll probably become an instant fan of Gameday Regulars. The awesomeness and inevitable importance of '...But It's Hell in the Hallway" is impossible for any human to deny. You can just prove this yourself by purchasing the EP from Mightier Than Sword. You'll be doing yourself a favor by doing so. I highly recommend it. You can even select to purchase this deal that comes with a t-shirt! That's just awesome, and you know it. I'm going to personally guarantee your enjoyment of the record, too. If you end up disliking it for any reason whatsoever, just come here and bitch me out about it. But, if you end up liking the album like I do, feel free to also come here and post in our comment section about it. Later, dudes!

-Idle

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Annabel- Here We Are Tomorrow

2011-11-10T19:34:00.000-05:00

Annabel is an awesome indie band from Kent, OH. I like them because we're from the same state. (Alright, I guess I like them for other reasons too.) They released this on Tiny Engines last December. Annabel is Andy, Ben, Scotty, and Corey. RIYL DCFC, Nada Surf, Superchunk, The Get Up Kids, Built to Spill

The first track, "The Forgetting of Names and Faces" is awesome. It sets up the band great. It grabs your attention and gets stuck in your head immediately. The melody is really catchy and it's got an interesting beat to it. The music is very nicely textured, but still has a little bit of a punk influence on the sound- it's a little rough around the edges. In a talented way- not in a Dane Cook way. ;)

"Repetition, Etc." is a little bit softer- and a little more repetitive. The guitar is the most catchy thing I've ever heard in my entire... well, week or so. It's a good song, in all seriousness. I really like the vocal melody- it's extremely easy to sing along with. Very cute. I also really like the keyboard in this song- it's a little hard to pick up on, but once you do start to hear it, it's great. The outro is also badass.

"We Came As Today" is my favorite song on the EP. I can't even put my finger on what's so awesome about this one, all the parts just work together really, really well. The dynamics are badass, and it flows extremely nicely.

Last but not least, "Summer Health" is a nice slow song with a really nice melody and some cute harmonies.

Overall, A+ for this record... love it.

Check them out!

-Bear

Neighborhoods - Facing a Lifetime

2011-11-10T19:20:00.002-05:00

Sometimes things in life just work out in some weird (albeit, hardly significant) way. This morning I was in a strange mood where all I wanted to listen to was New Found Glory. I don't even listen to NFG; I recognize maybe two or three of their songs, but that's not really the point. The point is that we've been slacking like crazy with reviews lately. Real life conflicts can be rather, well, conflicting. IT HAPPENS. So we decided that we definitely need to get a few reviews done tonight. Conveniently enough, 'Facing a Lifetime' by Neighborhoods fell into our grateful laps.

Upon having played the album, it became immediately clear that Neighborhoods were perfect for this weird NFG mood I was in. Neighborhoods play pop punk in the same vein as NFG, but with a bit more intensity and urgency. It also worked out well for the fact that I was unbelievably exhausted for no apparent reason. Now I'm awake. I think it may be impossible for this album not to completely wake a fellow up.

'Facing a Lifetime' starts off, after some random chatter, with a gang vocal shout of "HOODS UP!" This immediately reminded me of the Direct Hit! method of starting an album by shouting, "FUCK YOU! GET PUMPED!" It's an effective way to lead into an energetic batch of pop punk goodness, and trust me-that's exactly what this record is. You'll noticed pretty obviously similarities between this band and groups like Saves the Day, Handguns, and pretty much any other semi-dudecore/brocore pop punk band you can think of. The songs are rambunctious and infectious, and that's always something to be stoked on.

Neighborhoods are from the Jersey Shore, so I'm assuming that either understandable shame or unexplainable pride led them to a place in their lives where they were overcome this overwhelming need to create awesome music. I dont know. I don't care what caused it; I just care that it's awesome. Another awesome thing about this record would have to be the fact that it flies by. I love fast songs. Always have. I like when a song sticks around just long enough to do exactly what it was made to do. You won't find filler here, and that's always a bonus.

So, I think you guys should really check this album out. I know that there's a big part of our readership that's into this type of music, just like there's a big part of our readership that is pretty turned off by it. I don't care which group you fall into, you have no reason not to give this album a listen. It might change your mind about this sect of the genre. Maybe the genre will quit having stupid sects. It'll be awesome. You could change the very state of pop punk music just by getting into this band. You don't know. Okay, it's pretty unlikely, I'll admit. But whatever, the album is up on bandcamp for free streaming and you can purchase a physical copy of the CD over at Love & Death Records. Do one of the two; it's worth it.

-Idle

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Here's a video for the song Finer Things off the release!

Gray Young - Staysail

2011-11-01T11:52:00.000-04:00

Gray Young (Raleigh, NC) is definitely not the kind of band that I would, on any normal day, find myself listening to. But, after the bear sent me the album to review-that changed a bit. They mostly come off to me as a sort of instrumental/almost-a-jam-band type band, with sparse use of vocals (which, when used, are executed quite well) and perfect use of instruments. The songs on their new album Staysail come off as extremely atmospheric and bold. They're well developed, textured, and so haunting that they're instantly realized as infectious. After one listen-through of the album, it's very difficult to not hit play again and experience it all a second, third, or probably even hundredth time. I don't know too many people who would listen to an album 100 times in a row, but I bet this would be an album that it'd happen to, if it were to occur.

There's something to be said for an album that manages to make the percussion sound urgent and driven while at the same time making the guitar sound like wind...or, rather, all types of weather. Actually, it seems to me like every song creates a different image in your head, in as far as scenery goes. This album amazes the shit out of me, seriously. I mean, I usually find myself listening to pop punk songs about getting drunk, hating or loving life, and being poor-so this is a drastic change. What I find weird about the listening experience is the fact that I don't think I've paid much attention to any of Gray Young's lyrics. I mean, I listen to the vocals with the intensity any reviewer should have, but I'm listening to the nuances of the vocals and the cleverly chosen melodies. In this case, it's so easy to get distracted from the actual words being sung. Especially when some sort of mandolin or banjo comes in during this close vocal inspection...

Point is, as someone who is in to sing-a-longs as much as I am, it's always weird when I get into something that I wouldn't find myself singing along to (others are probably greatly thankful when this is the case). And what this point means is you should definitely purchase Staysail by Gray Young and experience this all for yourself. I honestly can't see a reason in which you wouldn't enjoy it...unless maybe you're like super into 80s hardcore punk and nothing else. Or maybe you're a rude boy 'til death, and nothing else may grace your ears without violent recourse. Or maybe you should just listen to it anyway, because it's awesome and you want to be awesome too. Or something like that.

-Idle

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The Bombpops- ...Stole the TV

2011-10-30T14:05:00.001-04:00

The Bombpops are one of the catchiest things I've ever heard ever. This is only their second EP, but they've already made quite the name for themselves in the SoCal scene. Poli van Dam's voice sounds awesome with Jen Razavi's, and they're both awesome guitarists. Dylan Wade is the optimum pop-punk drummer, and I love Neil Wayne. Because I love all good bassists from the bottom of my heart. Overall, you're going to love this EP. I promise. RIYL Mikey Erg, the Unlovables, Salteens, etc. Released on October 4th!

The entire EP is exactly 10 minutes, 10 seconds of badass. The first song, "(Back to) The Medicine Cabinet" is an awesome song. The lyrics are really great, and the melody is fast and powerful. I love it. It's addictive and fun, which is exactly what you're looking for in a pop punk record. "Paranoid" starts off a little slower, but you know it won't stay that way. It sets into an awesome driving song with the same energy of the first song. It's the perfect (and confusing) combination of cute and punk. "Grocery Store" is probably my favorite. And last but not least, "Crazy" has such awesome vocals. It's got great lyrics and the harmonies are wonderful.

Overall, fell in love. You probably will too. Hopefully I'll see these guys live sometime in the next few months, cause it sounds like a great time!

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-Bear

We Are the Union - Graveyard Grins

2011-10-26T19:41:00.000-04:00

We Are the Union are at it again! It seems like it's been ages since they've put something out, but lucky for us it's a great one. About a week ago, those crazy kids from Ann Arbor released a digital EP on Paper + Plastick, and that EP is called 'Graveyard Grins', and it's pretty damn rad.

For those of you hermits who are unfamiliar with them, We Are the Union are a ska-punk group of sorts. I mean, they're like pop punk that has been mildly infused with a bit of hardcore, which was then carefully blended with a bit of ska music...and after all of that chemistry the world was left with WATU. They have two full lengths out there in the world, and both of them are pretty awesome. 'Who We Are' was this awesome as fuck, heavy with pop punk record with some of the catchiest songs ever to be written, and 'Great Leaps Forward' was some of the coolest shit I've ever heard done with any of the involved genres, and none of their trademark catchiness was lost in the process.

'Graveyard Grins' kicks off with a typical sounding WATU song. "If I Can't Smoke or Swear I'm Fucked" seems very much like WATU song title (or a Latterman song title...which is saying the same thing, pretty much) and it's definitely in their usual style. It's horn heavy, guitar heavy, and full of vocalist Reed Wolcott's awesome lyricism and vocals, which have gotten much better with each release. The only difference here is that they throw a guitar solo in there, which is mixed in so loudly that I'm pretty sure it has been trying very hard for very long to break out over the rest of the instruments. Another thing I'd like to mention is how quiet the trombone is on this record. It's a little ridiculous. That's basically my only problem, though. Because this album is completely awesome.

The rest of the album goes at a much slower pace. "Do What You Love..." is kind of a Lifetime styled song, if Lifetime had some awesome horn lines, and it leads into "...And Fuck the Rest", which is this reggae influenced instrumental ordeal that can only really be described as either weird or interesting. The former song is probably my favorite on the album, and I guess the latter is really just continuing the same song, meaning it's part of my favorite song on the album? I'm not really sure how that works out.

But hey, the album isn't over after these two! They're followed by an awesome cover of "Thank You" by Descendents. To be honest, THIS is my favorite song on the EP. But to be fair, it's just a cover so I can't really make that claim. If you like Descendents and you like WATU, there's zero chance that you won't love this cover. It's done so well, and there's horns! It's a pretty awesome deal. There's even some sort of 8-bit style shit after the song ends. Rad.

This album is definitely worth the four dollars that Paper + Plastick is charging for it, so don't miss out on this release. I mean, unless it turns out that the three originals songs are going to be on the upcoming full length. If that's the case, then it's not worth the four dollars, but it is worth at least a dollar for that awesome Descendents cover. So yeah, you should just go ahead and buy it. Because you're a good person and probably have been waiting ages for some new material from the WATUniverse. The wait is over.

-Idle

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Shuteye Unison- Our Future Selves

2011-10-26T19:15:00.000-04:00

Shuteye Unison is one of my favorite west coast bands. Their first album was badass, and this record has not let me down. Daniel Mckenzie, Jon Fee, Jake Krohn, and Remco Vanderheide worked incredibly hard to make this album happen and released it on April 12th of this year through Parks and Records. RIYL: Autolux, Sonic Youth, and Silversun Pickups.

Our Future Selves is a very, very interesting record. I think that's why I like it so much. Even though I can recommend it towards similar bands, it honestly doesn't sound like ANYTHING else. It's really hard to be this original and not sound like a.) shit b.) assholes c.) all of the above. But these boys manage to do it. It's a very light, mellow, and slow record.

It makes me feel like I am on drugs. The sound is very thought provoking and honestly makes me think of euphony. I reserve the term "euphony" for the most extreme cases, you guys.

Let's start off with the first track: "Be Kimball." The intro is badass. It gets you pumped. It's catchy, it's rough, and it makes you excited to hear what's next. It goes into a very interesting melody: they put a soothing and relaxed vocal melody along side jagged, powerful instrumentals. I love it.

"Portable Rome" is shorter than "Be Kimball" but I really think it has more to it. It's got more going on.

I'm just gonna talk about a few of my favorite songs:

"Century M" has a beautiful riff. It makes me think of sunshine. (Yes, I said sunshine.)

"Better Highway Vision" is probably the most entertaining and abstract song on the album. All the instruments work together perfectly on this track.

"Our Future Selves" easily has the coolest lyrics ever.

What a great album.

I strongly recommend you check them out!

Myspace.

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Parks and Records.

-Bear

The InCiders - MegaKill v.2 Turbo

2011-10-19T21:09:00.000-04:00

It seems like the most logical thing to do at this point in my life would be to grab the Bear and fly overseas to the UK and start a hardcore punk band. I mean, I'm pretty sure that's what everyone in that country is doing these days. We just did a review of Officer Down earlier this week, and we have this friend Jake who plays in a hardcore punk band and does nothing but go on and on about the various local punk bands that he listens to. And now we've stumbled upon another punk band from the UK that borrows almost no influence from recent punk rock catastrophes. Excellent. Now I just need to convince the Bear to go with me to the UK!

The InCiders (the band I just mentioned a second ago) play pedal to the metal punk rock music. By pedal, I of course am referring to the distortion pedal. And by metal, I'm of course referring to the fact that there are random metal riffs and bass notions mixed into various parts of their songs. And by punk rock, I mean it's fucking punk rock. That part is pretty obvious and redundant. They recently released this full length that is for some reason called 'MegaKill v.2 Turbo' and is accompanied by album art that I'm pretty certain you'd find on some sort of tumblr page regarding goofy punk album covers. I hope that page exists. Oh wait, it does! Oh, and the cool thing about this release (other than the music) is that it's up on bandcamp for free streaming and downloading. So get to it!

'MegaKill v.2 Turbo' contains eight medium length songs that embody the nature of punk music. They're fast, lo-fi, raw, accompanied by politically charged lyrics and awesome. I mean, this is like some Municipal Waste type shit. This is what Minor Threat would sound like if they were to have occurred a couple decades later then they did. This is what it would sound like if some lions with mohawk'd manes delved into the punk world. I'm not 100% sure about that last one, but you should definitely just take my word for it. Actually, don't take my word for it! You have the link to their bandcamp page. Go download or stream this shit and have the time of your life! It'll be like Dirty Dancing, if Dirty Dancing took place in some sort of punk rock utopia (dystopia?) and was about moshing and pogoing or what have you. Take my word for it.

-Idle

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Family Lumber - Look to the Sidelines EP

2011-10-18T17:48:00.000-04:00

I'm not 100% what kind of band Family Lumber is; I guess that's the best way I could possibly start off my review of their new EP 'Look to the Sidelines'. They're from Long Island. They're not a rock band...or maybe they are? I've heard softer stuff than this still be considered rock music. Their music is very calming and relaxing type stuff, and reminds me a lot of stuff Jonah Mantranga (onelinedrawing) puts out. Therefore, I would have to classify Family Lumber as one of those bands where I could instantly think of 10 or so people who would be really into them, while not finding it very interesting myself.

The first song on EP, "Before I Sleep" is this very atmospheric number. Being the first song on the EP, it's your first impression of the band and of course immediately influences your opinion on them. Well, that's what happened with me. I didn't really get into the first song, and felt like it was far too serious and strange. But then the second song came on, and I was like, "hey, maybe I'll actually get into these dudes afterall!" "Everything You Wanted to Say" is a very 90s styled song. It's more poppy than the previous song, and I personally find it far more enjoyable. It's followed by another awesome song that also sounds like it could be an entirely different band.

I really love it when bands pull this shit. You hear one song by them and you think you've got them all figured out and you're sitting there thinking, "oh, they're this type of band. They sound like this and this and this and that's all there is to know about them." And then the next song comes on and you're floored and begin to frantically scribble over the notes you already took down! Revise! Revise! Revise! So yeah, that's what listening to Family Lumber is like. Each song is a new experience and I feel as though the EP just gets better with each song. I mean, there's only like four songs, though! Imagine if there were like 50 songs, and by the last song they were the best band in the world! I guess that's the whole reason for further releases. And after listening to this full EP, I can honestly say that I'm pretty stoked for whatever they put out next. Great job, guys! You made Long Island cool, somehow!

-Idle

The Wild/Run, Forever 7"

2011-10-18T17:18:00.000-04:00

I recently saw The Wild live for the first time, and it was an incredible show. They were playing with The Taste of Irony and Andrew Jackson Jihad, so of course it was a built to win show, and it was definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen without leaving Kentucky. It wasn't until after witnessing the amazingness that is The Wild's live show that I finally sat down and gave the band a listen. I didn't regret this at all. They're amazing. They have this one release out on Quote Unquote that is just brilliant from beginning to end. They're this band full of like 58 or so members (I may be exaggerating due to how much energy the dudes have) and they play absolutely excellent folk punk music that would turn the greediest asshole into a people loving philanthropist. True story. Well, they make a point to put every single bit of their excellence into the two songs donated to our ears with this split. If you like any band that's ever been on Plan-It-X, you'll probably have a thing for The Wild. And the other side of the split has just as much awesomeness to offer.

I don't think I've really heard much about Run, Forever until this release. I know they're from Pittsburgh, and since I'm from Cincinnati I'm suppose to like hate them or something...I'm not quite sure. I fail at hating them anyway, because their music is impossible not to enjoy. The two songs on this split are seriously two of the most likable electric folk punk jams I've ever laid ears on. They're catchy, energetic, the lyrics are rad, and they manage to unique through all of this. They kind of remind me of Signals Midwest, just in the way they manage to hammer out these clearly flawless punk songs with a folky vibe. Plus I mean, who can help but sing along when the instrumentals come to a halt long enough for, "sometimes it takes going through hell to make you feel alive!", followed by the instrumentals coming back in to accompany some "woah-ohs" and "we're gonna be fine!"

Solid split between two awesome bands, what more can you ask for? You can even download it for free from If You Make It, if you want. But, the cooler thing to do is to purchase the 7" record from Kat Kat Records. Trust me. This is going to be one of your favorite purchases of all time if you go through with it.

-Idle

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Coffee Project- Concrete Boots EP

2011-10-18T16:32:00.000-04:00

Coffee Project is an amazing folk punx band from Gainsville composing of Jake Crown and Buddy Shuab. Every single release they have amazes me- and I don't think I'm alone. Concrete Boots is no exception- I loved it, and you will too. It was self-recorded in Shaub's basement! They released it on the 27th of September.

The record starts off awesome with "Shenandoah Valley", which is an awesome song with a really catchy melody. They have such a great "feel good" sound to them, and the blending of the music is perfect. The trombone is definitely my favorite part of the song.

"Concrete Boots" is my favorite track on the EP. The soft guitar, the great lyrics, Kim Helm's guest vocals, the trombone... I could go on. It all combines perfectly. It's a great song.

"Exit Stage Left" has a little bit different of a sound, but it's still an awesome song. I really dig the bass.

"Laid Up" has the best vocals and horn lines hands down. The lyrics (as per the usual) are also great. Sometimes, I think I might honestly like Coffee Project more than LTJ. Only sometimes though ;)

"Little Boxes" is the last track. It's extremely addictive and cutesy. The lyrics are HILARIOUS.

Overall, it's a great EP. I adore it.

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-Bear

These Branches - The Payoff

2011-10-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

We reviewed an EP by this band These Branches not too long ago, and now they're back with a followup release that will blow you out of the water (unless you're not currently in the water). Seriously, it's a really great 7" with four really great songs that I'm fairly certain you'll dig just as much as I do. Without further ado, my review of the new 7" by These Branches, 'The Payoff' (Kat Kat Records).

Like I mentioned in the previous review, I'm pretty sure these guys listen to a lot of Latterman. However, I need to slightly reevaluate this statement for this release because the influence is far less overbearing. Before it was kind of like the way High School Football Heroes sounded like Less Than Jake, and now it's more like the way Bomb the Music Industry sound like Weezer. I mean, if you understand the comparisons there at least. I don't just take it for granted that you guys listen to those bands, so I guess it won't work for everyone. OH! I can do one for video gamers! The previous release was similar to Latterman in the way that Saints Row is similar to Grand Theft Auto. But the new one is similar to Latterman in the way that Half-Life 2 is similar to Doom. There we go! These Branches are their own damn band and they make their own damn music. What the hell was I on about back there?

I've listened to the 'This One's On You" release probably around 30-40 times since I reviewed it, and I still think it's a solid release. But really, 'The Payoff' shows a shit ton of progression. The songs are better constructed and feel more chiseled and deliberate than the ones on the prior release, and it's definitely a sign that These Branches are on a roller coaster than functions only by going uphill the entire time. I know, it sounds pretty boring and inconvenient when applied to roller coasters, but it's awesome when it comes to bands and the music they put out. With how rad and infectious the songs on 'The Payoff' are, and the fact that they're more rad and infectious than the ones on 'This One's On You', I am only led to believe that the next release will be nothing short of awesome.

If you like pop punk as much as you do indie, and if you like scratchy vocals as much as you like the singing talent to back it up, chances are you'll really get into These Branches. If not, then you might be some sort of alien life form. Which is fine and all, I'm not racist...or worldist...or whatever the terminology would be. I think all beings deserve to be created as equals or whatever. Except for wasps. Fuck wasps. They're just evil. I'm sure you've all seen the proof of this:

So yeah, These Branches are an awesome pop-punk-ish rock band that have done nothing but put out awesome songs and wasps have done nothing but fuck shit up. And I've done nothing but annoy the shit out of you. Don't let that stop you from checking these guys out though! 'The Payoff' is due out October 30th on Kat Kat Records! Save the date! They have a song from the album streaming online! You can also listen to their previous release 'This One's On You' over on their bandcamp page, and I definitely recommend you do so! Live long and eat pizza.

-Idle

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Officer Down - Thrown to the Water

2011-10-16T14:54:00.001-04:00

I don't know how they pulled it off, but Officer Down somehow traveled to present times from the 80s. I'm assuming they did so in some sort of Econoline van with a flux capacitor and suicide doors, only because DeLorean's are trendy as fuck, and it appears is though they did it to keep 80s styled punk rock alive. The only problem is that they chose to do this in the UK and not over where I am in the US...so it's still very much dead where I live. But whatever, I still get to listen to them when I choose to, and that's what really matters. (No it's not; I'm just putting on a brave face. Moshing is what matters to me. Moshing and burritos and never growing up).

Conveniently enough, Officer Down also acts as a "fountain of youth" of sorts. While listening to them you may suddenly be rejuvenated and do quite a lot of regressing during the duration of the album and possibly for some time after. You may find yourself driving down streets knocking mailboxes off their posts with a baseball bat, yelling obscenities from your window at every person in a high school letterman jacket for the shit they gave you in your younger years, and quite possibly playing Streets of Rage 2 for Sega Genesis. These are just some of the side effects of listening to Officer Down, whereas the most prominent side effect is enjoying the music. Their songs are fast, scathing, fun, infectious, and punk as a duck. They still remind me a lot of Crack Rock Steady bands, as I mentioned in a review of a previous release of theirs, but really it's just in some of the instrumentals. They definitely sound more on the punk side, and they definitely have quite a bit more melody to their vocals than you'd find in much LOC type music. Oh, and the bass is still awesome. That's another thing I mentioned in the previous review.

This album throws 12 awesome punk songs at you and expects your stomach to somehow digest them properly and efficiently. They problem here is that the songs probably won't leave your system at a timely rate, and you'll probably be stuck with them for quite some time. Wait, that's not a problem...that's just the band doing their job. And if you were doing your job, you'd be heading over to Officer Down's big cartel page and purchasing this full length 'Thrown to the Water', because it's well worth it, I assure you. It's a super enjoyable release and we need far more of those in 2011. Seriously. The second half of the year has been pretty damn dry in comparison to the rambunctious first half. But whatever, we have Officer Down's full length. What else do we need? Well, pizza. Duh. However, I haven't the money for pizza, so I'll just stick with Officer Down.

-Idle

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The Static Age- In The City Of Wandering Lights

2011-10-16T14:09:00.000-04:00

The Static Age (Chicago, IL) is a powerful blend of punk and 90s alternative. It's a unique mix of smooth vocals, weaving guitar melodies, and a strong backbone from the bass and drums. This album was released on April 19th of this year.

First off, can I rant about this album art? It's beautiful. Whoever the artist is has EXTREME talent. Love it. But about the music- the first track, "Wires" got me hooked. I love Andrew Paley's voice tons, and the music is all really well thought out and talented. "Returning" is a very mellow song with awesome guitar melodies and harmonies. It's the kind of song you can listen to a million times and pick up something new each time. "One City" is a little different from the first two, because it's very bass heavy. Not that I'm complaining- I have a soft spot for the bass. I play the bass, personally, so whenever I hear a really great bass line, my heart does this. It softens out towards the end, with a refrain of "This is how we get free" and I love it. Great track.

The last track, "Down To Your Canyons" is a longer track, and almost a ballad. It's extremely soft and shows great understanding of dynamics (I love when I get to talk about theory in reviews!!). The music is really interesting and has a lot of variance. Andrew does most of the instrumentals on this track and he does a great job.

"I Heard About You" is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It's extremely addictive and the lyrics are absolutely wonderful. Annie Coleman also does some backup vocals on this track! :) Adam Meilleur is also one of my new favorite bassists. Just throwing that out there. "Patience" has a different sound. It's got some abstract harmonies in it and the intro reminds me of David Bowie making love to Billy Idol. What else do you need in a song?

"Wandering Lights" is another one of those amazing lyrical songs. Love it. And last but not least, "Come Swimming" is a little more upbeat than the rest of the album. It's a fabulous song with a really catchy guitar line and I dance in my chair a little bit when it's on. :)

Note: Although I like to review on "Shuffle," I always start off with the album in perfect order.... And I recommend you do the same. This album has some AWESOME transitions. :)

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-Bear

Be Easy- It's Going Well

2011-10-16T13:11:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, do you remember Be Easy from last summer? We loved them the first time, and we're loving them the second. Make all the jokes you want about that statement. Georgia pop punk, you'll love it. Promise. Released on October 1st. :)

The four track EP isn't even 10 minutes long, but every second counts with a band like this. It's very catchy, addictive, etc. It's one of those albums that just gets you pumped up.

The "Intro" (these boys seem to like intros a lot) is awesome. It does a pretty nice showcase of all the different sounds. My first thought was "Damn, the drums on this track. Damn." but then I was like "Wait. is this a guitar thing? This sounds like a guitar thing." The bass pulls the entire thing together very nicely with the backbeat.

In the next track, "Routine," we get introduced to the last player of the game- John's voice. It's a very fast, driven song with all the appropriate qualities of pop punk. We have the power chords, the 'woah-ohs', the fun lyrics. What else do you need?

"Stay What You Are" is the best song on the EP. I want to show it to every angsty teen in the world and say "You're welcome." Enough said.

Last but not least, "Selflessness" follows the trend of the other three songs... Awesome. The beat is really easy to get into, and it wraps everything up nicely.

Check out the new Be Easy EP on Bandcamp.

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-Bear

Big Big Buildings- Be Not Aglow - Review + Interview

2011-10-13T18:10:00.001-04:00

Big Big Buildings, the solo project of Adam McElreath, has been active in the Boston music & art scene for about six years now. Adam has been recording and self releasing his own EPs since he was 16 years old as Big Big Buildings. The music is extremely talented, and his artwork is beautiful. His first full length is being released today! He's having an awesome release party tonight at The Bear's Place, playing with the Okay Win and Butterknife. Check it out!

I'm happy to say that Be Not Aglow is one of the best album's I've heard in quite a long time. The music is very catchy and pretty, and I'm in love with Adam's voice. There are songs like "Fishing for Wires" and "Landscape" that are almost acoustic guitar and vocals. There are also songs like "Slinking Down A Mountain" and "Crickets" that are pure instrumental tracks, but with a lot more going on in them. Be Not Aglow is an extremely diverse album with lots of different sounds and it's great. Easily one of the best folk/indie albums I've heard in a very long time. "Tasteful Abandon" and "Last Weekend" are my favorite tracks, hands down. You've gotta get yourself this album... And maybe even go out to see him play it live tonight!

Here are some words from Adam about his music:

Did you grow up in a musical family? Have you always been a musician, or is it something you picked up in your teen years?

My mom has always been really into music. She had me when she was 18, so I was exposed to heavy doses of MTV at a very early age. When I was 2, I was singing Aerosmith and Taylor Dayne. The radio was always on and I'd often ask my mom what certain lyrics meant. I always has a romantic fantasy that I'd get to write my own songs and play them for folks, and it's always occurring to me how fortunate I am to be doing that. As a whole, my family isn't particularly artistic or musical, so they've always encouraged me to keep making my stuff and I'm certainly thankful for that.

How has your music evolved since you were 16?

I was way more outwardly mellow-dramatic and heartbroken at 16. My music was so bittersweet, I can barely listen to it now. It was all heart. It's taken me a long time to start using my brain, too. I've become much more aware of social issues. Not so much political issues, but the complexity of human interaction and what people do with their given power. I like to think of my songs now as a bit more light-hearted, but I'm probably wrong . Other than that, since 16, I learned how to sing, kind of.

We've spoken about your self-made illustrations for the cover art. Do you make the cover art to reflect the songs?

I think any connection between my art and music will be in the eye of the beholder. Both mediums have the same emotional push, but the illustrations play more on the psychedelic aspect of life. I'm also a blossoming absurdist, so I often enjoy illustrating something that has nothing to do with the content of the music, simply because I can. For "Be Not Aglow", though, I had a definite mental image of what i wanted to cover to look like. Something compact, with a lot of detail, like the eye of a microscope.

About how long did it take you to record Be Not Aglow?

Be Not Aglow took me about a year to record. All of it was recorded in my room, which, up until a couple months ago, was a tiny walk-in closet with no windows. It was like an endurance test, but it gave me means to be closer to the process. Within the year, my goal was to sit down and get the best possible take of each song. That's always the time-consuming part, just playing the song over and over, until it develops it's traits and quirks. I tend to take my time, but I'm glad a year was all it took.

Who are your biggest influences?

My influences change day-to-day, but there's certain music that keeps following me throughout life. In a song called "Consolation" on Be Not Aglow, I reference two of my favorite song writers, Chris McCaughan and Mark Kozelek. Those are two guys I can listen to and think, "Yeah, these dudes get it." There's a band from Kansas called The Appleseed cast that I've been listening to since high school and have evolved beautifully since. As far as reliable classic stuff, I love Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, but I also love seeing what folks are doing right now. I'm inspired by anyone who reminds you how amazing it is that music even exists.

Any big tour plans coming up?

I desperately want to tour. I suppose it's just hard to will yourself to do it as a solo musician. I don't have a manager or anything, so for me, tour would mean hopping in a car and driving for a long time, by myself. Hopefully, some people will listen to the record and dig it, and I'll find means to get around. I have no car and no money, though. I'm down for a national tour, but somebody's gotta pick me up.

-Bear

Andrew Jackson Jihad - Knife Man

2011-10-06T17:30:00.001-04:00

To anyone familiar with all the Andrew Jackson Jihad releases to date, this new one, 'Knife Man', will seem long. REALLY long. At first, you'll probably be all like, "ah, a formidable opponent! 43 minutes playing time, I will defeat you!" But, of course, after you're like a song or two in, your inner dialogue becomes, "oh shit, this album is amazing!" And then after the last song, "WHY NO MORE SONGS :(" Yeah, something like that. To sum this really amateur introductory paragraph up: Knife Man is full of 16 really awesome songs and unless you lack a heart and soul, you will fall in love with it.

Andrew Jackson Jihad are like a folk punk band, I suppose. I don't know if that's what you'd really classify them as, but whenever I hear the term "folk punk", several bands go through my mind all at once. That'd be Wingnut Dishwasher's Union, Chris Clavin, and Andrew Jackson Jihad. I mean, they're really punk influenced dudes who play a bunch of really catchy songs to a bunch of punk kids all the time. If that's not folk punk, then I don't really know what is. I've read somewhere that they're from Arizona, but I'm pretty sure that's false. They're most definitely from heaven. Or, at least, they've spent a shit load of time in heaven perfecting their music and becoming awesome people. I think it's really the only possible way to explain the effect their music has on people. I swear that everyone I know is head over heels in love with these guys, and I'm included. Sean (vocalist, guitarist) and Ben (bassist) are some of the nicest people in the world, and I'm saying that while having only ever met the former! Oh yeah, the new album...

'Knife Man' is just as great as everything else AJJ have released up to this point, if not even more great! There are so many parts you can't help but singalong to, and so many cleverly simple lyrics that are simply clever, and just the right mix of cynicism, realism, pessimism, optimism, intellectualism, anti-intellectualism, atheism, theism, and every other ism you can think of. Seriously, the isms are all mixed in pretty well with this release. There's even another edition of the People song series that we all fondly remember from the album 'People Who Can Eat People...', and it's just as awesome as the prior editions. There's also a lot of electric guitar and drumming and other full band type shit that I probably should've mentioned earlier on in the review. This album is definitely far more eclectic than the other releases, and definitely has a lot to show for it. IT'S SO GOOD, GUYS. I SWEAR.

My friend Tim kept telling me how imperative it was that I listened to this album immediately. He was totally right. I'm pretty sure if you played this movie for Bambi right after the whole scene with his mother dying and whatnot, he'd find inner peace and happiness and probably head down to the forest soup kitchen to help out the even less fortunate. I don't know what the science is behind music making people feel this great, but clearly Sean and Ben are renowned scientific visionaries in this field. Folkologists or punkologists, or folkpunkologists or something. I don't know what it is; I just know that this album is amazing. There's zero chance of you not liking it. Unless you're a complete weirdo. So, buy it. Duh.

5 out of 5 stars, dudes.

-Idle

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Challenges - We Ruined the Neighborhood

2011-10-04T14:27:00.001-04:00

Challenges are a few things. Firstly, they're another one of those bands that are heavily influenced by New Found Glory, Blink 182, Set Your Goals, and all the bands that have emerged recently who share the same influences. Secondly, they're from Massachusetts...which means it's pretty likely that they're a pretty rad pop punk band. And lastly, they're pretty damn good!

Late last year, Challenges released their debut full length 'We Ruined the Neighborhood', and for some reason it's taken nearly a year to reach my inbox. It's one of those albums where you really dig the shit out of it, but you're pretty aware of all the ways it could be better, and are also pretty aware that the band could be just a couple changes in style away from no longer inciting your interest. The album is packed with so much energy that you'd probably have to enlist a fleet of very large cargo ships to even begin to contain it all, and with enough infectious vocal hooks to almost trick you into thinking you're listening to Fireworks by accident. Sure, it can sound pretty whiny at times, and you may have a problem with how much Tom Delonge influence the vocals exhibit, but there's enough awesomeness going on that most of your problems with the record will be heavily outweighed by all the reasons you keep hitting play again after all the tracks have run their course.

Challenges have put out an excellent album to kick open the door with, and they have plans on releasing their sophomore LP this year. Most of my feelings towards this band are definitely of anticipation. I want to see where they go next. I've almost always liked the second album far more than first with basically every band in this genre, and I hope it's the case with Challenges, because I'm definitely more than a little bit interested in listening to a lot more music by them in the future. It's not just pop punk mixed with hardcore; it's also good music mixed with rambunctious energy and unapologetic attitudes and good times condensed into melodic form. It's Challenges, and it's pretty rad. Oh, and it's also on bandcamp. Cheers.

-Idle

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Drinking Mercury- Orcades

2011-10-01T20:35:00.000-04:00

Drinking Mercury, hailing from Lansing, MI, is an interesting combination of alternative rock and psychedelia... And it sounds great. The four friends work together to make a musical baby from sounds like the Decemberists, The Flaming Lips, and a little bit of Jefferson Airplane/Starship. It's a great record, released on September 27 by Bermuda Mohawk and GTG Productions.

This is a long record. Okay, maybe I'm just used to short records... But still. It's almost an hour of awesome. The songs are all on the longer side, with a beautiful mellow lack of direction. The vocals are absolutely amazing and all the musicians are extremely talented at what they do. The dynamics are complicated and beautiful, and it's just awesome. "Barely Strung" is the first song to absolutely blow my mind- it's such an awesome song with a really catchy sound. "Pretend We're Unique" has the best song title ever. "Grateful Day" is such a cool intro. I think that if I were going to go on a huge LSD binge, I know the CD I'm going to listen to. Or if I'm just going to be painting something abstract or going on a long drive. Any of the above. "Mother's Son" is super long. I'm talking almost eight minutes long. It's an epic. The instrumentals are so great. It's such a soft, pretty song. Definitely one of my favorites.

"Hey Hey Sally" is AWESOME. So great. I could listen to this song for hours. Days, maybe. It's such an amazing combination of different sounds and the harmonies and the bass/guitar working off eachother... Mmmm wonderful.

This entire album was great for me. I'm so into this CD.

-Bear

Josh David and the Dream Jeans- Can You Believe We Landed On The Moon?

2011-10-01T19:24:00.000-04:00

Josh David and the Dream Jeans is quite a shock... They're a true flashback to the days of 80s-hardcore. The music has the energy and speed of the true "punx" bands. Ironic, because a few days before receiving the CD, I had been bitching to Idle about the lack of balls-out punk these days. As much as I appreciate the indie and pop punk bands, I have a softspot for Ian Mackaye, Henry Rollins (<3), and Jello Biafra. This band signals all of the idols in Can You Believe We Landed On The Moon?, released on September 27, 2011 on both Bermuda Mohawk and GTG Records.

The first thing we have to get straight about this album is that it's all about the noise. It's the kinda band that you get lost in at a show- you can't tell what they're saying, but you just wanna move to it. It's got an amazing energy that I fell in love with from the start. It's very fast, and very fun. The intro, "Richard Switzer," is a build up to the insanity of the actual music.. And then you land straight into "Tall Paul Rides Again", with a great beat and incredibly addictive guitar lines.

Some of my favorite songs from the album:

"Oh Santa" is a great song with very interesting riffs and hilarious lyrics. I absolutely love Josh David's vocals in this song. "Baby I'm A Fiend" is easily the catchiest song on the album. It ties in so many strong influences, and is an awesome-throwback. "It's Derry not Londonderry" cracks me up every time. It's a great song with super funny lyrics. Overall, the entire album is great. It's music to blast and rock out to. Preferably at a time when you can be pants-less and using your hairbrush as a microphone. (Am I doing punk rock wrong?)

Anyway, the music of JDDJ is very raw and powerful. It's rough, it's experimental... It's kickass. I want to party with these guys.

You need to check out this band!

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--Bear

Real Talk!/Dollar Signs split

2011-10-01T19:03:00.002-04:00

If you've ever been sitting around watching Jersey Shore (for your sake, I hope this has never happened), then you might at some point wonder whether or not there's anything not shitty going on in that state. I mean, The Ergs and no more, and Lifetime are just being all weird about the fact that they quit being a band forever ago. If you're 16 you might be all like, "oh man, Streetlight Manifesto are from New Jersey," but if you're 21, you're probably like, "well at least there's a good deal of pop punk bands from New Jersey these days. Oh, and Clerks was pretty good." But there's those moments in time when you have to wonder about the folk punk scene in such a hellish state. Don't worry guys, I've done some research (i.e. I did zero research and just read an email) and I think it's safe to say that the folk punk scene doesn't seem so bad.

There's this split out between a Jersey folk punk group known as Real Talk! and North Carolina based Dollar Signs that I'm finding to be pretty damn enjoyable. Dollar Signs are pretty typical folk punk in terms of musical style and lyrical content. Songs about homeless people dying, homeless people smiling, girl troubles, hatred, instances in which people get eaten by werewolves and cats get fucked by dogs and blood is vomited up onto a rainbow. Very typical folk punk stuff, you know? It's stuff that you'd really enjoy if you're into Matt Wixson and Andrew Jackson Jihad type stuff. And if you have a sense of humor, a sense of honesty, and good taste in music.

Real Talk! sound kind of like back when Signals Midwest was just an acoustic solo project by Max Stern. The not-too-simple lyrics combined with the innocent guitar playing and non-abrasive vocals really hit home as far as my taste in music goes, and it definitely ensures their half of this Split as being pretty damn good. Both bands supply four songs which range from above-average to awesome, and therefore you should totally go to the bandcamp page for this split and listen to it at least 50 times. Maybe try listening to it 70 times, just to be safe. It's on you, man! The vegetarian meatball is in YOUR food court, now.

-Idle

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Boy Set Sail- We're Almost There

2011-09-26T17:01:00.000-04:00

Boy Set Sail is a 4-piece pop punk band from South Wales. They've been making music since 2010, and released this EP this past summer on I Am Mighty Records. Boy Set Sail is Gareth Jones (vox, guitar), Chris Russel (vox guitar), Nathan Towell (drums), and Sam McManus (bass). RIYL New Found Glory, Take The Floor, Four Years Strong, The Rocket Summer

"Rewind" starts off the EP in the best of ways. It's very ADDICTIVE pop punk with a great beat and catchy melodies. The vocals are very classic pop punk vocals- cute and smooth, but still powerful. "Believe" has some awesome harmonies, and that's what sticks out the most to me on the track. I really like how well the instruments work together, it's a very well-oiled machine. "You Are" has some great lyrics and it's a great sing-along song. It's one of those songs you can just get into, you know? It's simple, but there's a lot to it. "All These Things" is my favorite. The music is interesting and explores with some different sounds, and it's a nice little "ballad." Lastly, "This Time Around" is an awesome way to close the EP. Like the rest of the tracks, it has a certain tone to it that you can't help but love.

Overall, We're Almost There is a great album. Boy Set Sail is a band to be looking out for, because they're only going to get better.

-Bear

Dan Webb and the Spiders - Much Obliged

2011-09-26T13:41:00.000-04:00

If I could sum up the album 'Much Obliged' by Dan Webb and the Spiders in only one word, my job would be a lot easier. But, alas, I must use quite a few more words than that. I mean, not too many more words...don't expect that much out of me, guys.

Dan Webb and the Spiders are a punk band of sorts from Boston, Massachusetts (a state which has recently been a musical goldmine). The vocals kind of sound like if Tom Gabel and Tim Armstrong had their voices mixed together into some sort of gruff, accented hybrid. And the music pretty much varies song to song while maintaining to sustain this sort of antique quality to it. There's influences from all over the spectrum (excluding rap-metal, for some weird reason) that generally stick to a sort of pop/pop punk style as their primary sound. It feels like even when the rhythm section is playing a general punk type of song, the lead guitar does a lot to bring this classy feel to it, like in the song "Flyover Country". But there's also just songs like "28 Years" which just completely go for a strictly classy and bluegrassy feel and leave most of the punk vibe behind in the wreckage, while bringing along the gruff vocals for the ride.

Dan Webb and the Spiders kind of remind me of Signals Midwest from Ohio, and that's also pretty awesome. They also just have so much of their own sound being represented that I think it may be safe to assume that after listening to 'Much Obliged', someone could immediately identify a song as being by them without having previously heard the song in question. But hey, I also think my house is haunted. So you might not want to trust my opinion on anything. But, if you do happen to be one of the foolish/awesome few who trust my opinion on shit like this, you should probably take it to heart when I say that this album is fucking awesome and you should be getting your hands on it as soon as possible. Even if it's just your digital hands or whatever. They have a few of the songs up on their bandcamp page! That's pretty rad. But if you prefer your physical hands to their digital counterparts, you can order the vinyl from Gunner Records. It'll be one of the best decisions you've made this year; I guarantee it.

Check them out! They're awesome. Promise.

-Idle

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SWTHRT- Compact Disk

2011-09-25T14:37:00.000-04:00

What started off as a senior graduation project for Becca High turned into one of the coolest bands I know... Becca (keyboards, vocals, percussion) and Karl Kuehn (guitar, vocals, bass, percussion) combine their indie, new wave, punk, and whatever else influences into making an interesting and fun sound for all to enjoy. It's also an interesting combination that we're seeing more and more often these days- the punk DIY work ethic and a shoegaze/indie sound. Based out of Southport NC, they released this album themselves on June 14th of this year. RIYL The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Joy Division, New Order, or the Cure.

"Good Omens" starts off with a great bass line. I love powerful bass- it makes me really happy. Then the rest of the music starts in, and I feel like I'm in a David Bowie music video. (For the record, I'd love to be in a David Bowie music video.) It's a really great song. Kuehn's deep voice mixes really well with the laid-back instrumentals of the sound, and I love when Becca joins in with a little harmony. It's a little repetitive, but it's interesting enough that I don't mind at all.

"I Am In Misery" has some really cool melodies to it. It's got some awesome lyrics, and as per the usual, I love the tone of the music. Not one of my favorites on the LP, but still a great song.

"Long Hair Don't Care" is a favorite for me. First off, that phrase always has and always will make me laugh really hard. Anyway, the song itself rocks. Do you guys know what swthrt sounds like? It's one part unicorns, one part smoothies, one part bass, one part treble, and three parts happy. I think that translates better than any lame adjective I could find on thesaurus.com. Really.

"Boys With Problems" is maybe my favorite. I'm not sure. It's up there, though. The lyrics are definitely my favorite hands down, and I really, really like the percussion in this song.

"So Dumb" is the catchiest song on the album. Possibly one of the catchiest songs ever.

"Maggie Valley" is a nice little instrumental in the middle. It is very pretty. Also, is that a tambourine? I love tambourines.

"Aloha Y'all" straight up reminds me of my friend Olivia. It describes every time we hang out pretty much spot on.. And so I think I like this song a little more than the others just due to personal reasons. However, I enjoy it a lot too. The percussion is really cool (as I keep saying over and over and over again...) and the melody is really soothing.

"Terror Dread" is a really cool song. It's very unique and it's a song that you can really just close your eyes and relax to.

"No Holiday" is a badass song. I love it. I love it so much. The melody = wonderful. I want to dance to it FOREVER.

"I Hate This" has more Becca-singing than any other song. And it's great. They harmonize really well and her voice is really soothing. The keyboards are addictive as hell in this song.

Lastly, "Sunroof" really picks up the energy and I love it! The lyrics are fucking great and the intro is amazing... Overall, just a big thumbs up.

Everything on this record is awesome.

Bandcamp- free download

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-Bear

Ghost Knife- Kill Shelter, Yes!

2011-09-20T18:32:00.001-04:00

Ghost Knife (includes members of Riverboat Gamblers, J Church, High Tension Wires) is a great new indie group that I've fallen in love with! Kill Shelter, their debut album, was just released today and it rocks my world, like badass musicians are wont to do.... RIYL the Thermals, Marked Men, Spits, Scared of Chakra, and the Weakerthans.

Ghost Knife surprised me. As someone who's been listening to the Riverboat Gamblers (Mike Wiebe) and J Church (Ben Snakepit, Chris Pfeffer), I was expecting more of a punk sound from these guys. However, that is not what I got. I was, however, correct in assuming that this band would be awesome. Ghost Knife is very indie/ pop punk on quaaludes. Not that these guys are on quaaludes- they're just chill... Anyway.

"Omnipotent" starts off on a great foot with a catchy and interesting riff and awesome vocals. I love this song. It's very dance-y, and it's got a sweet bass line. All the instruments play off of each other quite a bit, and I love it.

"Pixiedust" is very similar, but a slower song. This song makes me laugh, because when asked about Ghost Knife, Mike Wiebe said that he wanted to push away from the punk sphere towards a sound similar to "more laid-back stuff, like the Pixies." Get it? Pixies? Pixiedust? Really though, Ghost Knife has a very unique sound that's super addictive.

"Bahamas Breeze" is probably my favorite song on the album. It's very feel good, upbeat, & has some awesome instrumentals. It's a great song, and describes the overall tone of Ghost Knife very well.

Skipping down the album a little bit, we get a different sound from "...And That's How We Get Nitrogen", which is a lot slower and more laid-back than the rest of the album. It's simple, but still interesting.

"Frustrated Maths" definitely makes me think of some classic rock greats. It's got a very 70-ish feel and the lyrics are BADASS. Love it.

The last song I'll touch upon is "Ulcers/Milk", which is probably the most interesting song on the album. It's a slow, almost-bluesy song with lyricism that makes me smile.

Normally, I like to just list the best songs on an album... But for the record, I loved every song on this piece of work. It was hard to pick which songs to mention, really. This album gets the bear seal of approval, or whatever the hell I give to good bands.

Learn more about the band. Also, buy the CD.

--Bear

Restorations - Restorations

2011-09-19T19:59:00.000-04:00

Restorations are one of those bands that when you hear them you can automatically name 10 or 15 people you know that would dig the shit out of them. They're kind of like a blend of Against Me!, Gaslight Anthem, and bands that all the fans of those bands fawn over. Their songs sound developed, powerful, and like pretty solid rock anthems that are derivative of various punk subgenres (e.g. folk punk, orgcore, badass unicorn juice).

It's clear upon listening to their self titled full length that these guys are pretty damn good at what they do, especially the drummer...I fell in love with the drums on this album. Especially that "Canadian Club" song on this release; you can't listen to that song and then say anything remotely negative about the drummer on this album. The only greivance I have with Restoration would have to be the fact that the songs are pretty much all between 4 and 6 minutes. It's ridiculous. I felt like by time I finished the album for the first time, I had read the entire Harry Potter series. Or even every Star Wars comic series ever released. Shit, dude. I mean, if you're into long songs, you'll dig it. I know it's not really proper to use "you" in journalistic endeavors, but I don't care, man. Forget you!

This album pretty down and dirty in terms of demonstrating a shit load of variety. The album takes some drastic changes from time to time and has songs that I wouldn't even know how to completely classify. I mean, the most present genres would have to be punk, obviously, and alternative. I don't really know what else. It's just some good rock music, and I guess we're supposed to rock out to it or whatever. That's all that really needs to be said or known, so that's good. So I mean, if you're into rocking out to long songs written by great musicians in a style that's pleasant to your ears, you should probably get your hands on a copy of this release. If you're into slaying unicorns and drinking their blood, you're probably he-who-must-not-be-named. If you're a great wizard who once wore grey but now wears white, and you identify as homosexual, you're probably Gandalf. Or Magneto. Well, regardless of who you are, you should definitely go buy this album now. Fact.

-Idle

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Half Hearted Hero - Running Water 12"

2011-09-19T18:23:00.000-04:00

HOLY SHIT! WHAT DO THEY PUT IN THE WATER IN MASSACHUSETTS?

That right there is the subtitled for this review. Seriously though, what have they been putting in the water in Massachusetts? All the bands I've been hearing from there as of late have been fucking awesome. Half Hearted Hero are not an exception. They just put out this amazing 12" called Running Water, and it's full of beautiful pop punk anthems with awesome guitar leads and it brings so much to the table that you might as well celebrate like 20 Thanksgivings while listening to this record.

On top of the brilliant instrumental there are these infectious vocal hooks being belted out in a sort of Handguns like manner, but with a bit of gruffness thrown in for good measure. I mean, this band kind of sounds like a heavier and tighter version of Handguns to me, but I'm probably retarded and you shouldn't trust my opinion (I hope you choose to trust my opinion, otherwise I'm just wasting my time here).

There's basically no possible way for you to not enjoy the shit out of this record. The guitars are relentless and riveting, the vocals are scathing, perfectly performed, and infectious, and the rhythm section pull it all together with some of the tightest playing I've heard in the pop punk scene. Each and every song on this 12" are the best song on the record. They're all just memorable and awesome. Listening to Running Water by Half Hearted Hero will probably change your life...or not. I mean, you'll at least enjoy the shit out of every moment spent listening to them. I mean, I know I'm burning a copy to keep in the Jeep after this review, so that I can listen to this shit while cruising around my shitty city pretending I'm way cooler than I am. Yeah, that about sums everything up!

Buy this record!

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Ghost Robot Ninja Bear - Ghost Robot Ninja Bear

2011-09-19T18:02:00.000-04:00

Ghost Robot Ninja Bear is basically the creative outlet for musician Oscar Albis Rodriguez. He's accompanied by different dudes on occasion in an effort to rock his music out on a grander-than-acoustic scale, which is something I can relate to because that's also what I try to do. That's also kind of a Jeff Rosenstock sort of thing, and a Rick Johnson sort of thing. It's kind of just a common thing, but they're more accustomed to using iPods, whereas it appears that when Oscar doesn't have the bandmates to support him he just goes acoustic and rocks it out that way.

Ghost Robot Ninja Bear kind of sound like what it would be like if The Ramones grew up on 90s radio rock and picked up a metal guy to write some guitar and do some scathing vocals. I mean, honestly dudes, that's about the best way I can describe them. So basically, they're a little bit like Nofx in sound but definitely something I'd find myself listening to more often. This self titled EP or LP or whatever 8 songs turns out to be is a pretty awesome release for a young band.

Another cool thing about this release is that you can just stream the fucker on bandcamp. And if you're not really into using bandcamp, you can just download the album! It's free (if you're a cheap ass like me, it's really set to 'name your own price')! Actually, you should totally give them like 5 dollars for it, because it's totally worth your money. It's an eclectic piece of musical awesomeness with zero genre restrictions. Oscar does what he wants and he does it however he wants to do it and the result is some great punk-whatever music for our enjoyment. So yeah, check this album out. It's for your own good. You're just cheating yourself out of something great if you don't. So don't be an idiot. Best advice anyone could ever receive. I wish somebody gave me that advice years ago!

-Idle

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Polar Bear Club - Clash Battle Guilt Pride

2011-09-14T12:52:00.000-04:00

Polar Bear Club are like the hard rock band that every hard rock band should aspire to be. The vocals are passionate and gruff, the lyrics mean something, which is completely optional in rock music, and the instruments don't pull the same shenanigans in every song. PBC keeps their shit fresh, interesting, and enjoyable as fuck to listen to. Oh, and just because they play with pop punk bands a lot, does not make them at all a pop punk band. I mean, it's pretty obvious they've listened to every Lifetime album a million times, but that influence hasn't created any kind of structure around their music. They just can't really be confined to one genre; it's just easier to call them hard rock to put the situation to rest.

Polar Bear Club just did the world a huge favor by putting out 'Clash Battle Guilt Pride' this week. Now it would just be rude to not return the favor by enjoying the shit out of it. I like it just as much as I like their previous releases, if not a little bit more. The songs are catchier than ever, and the band is just becoming more and more solid as a whole. It'd legitimately be a struggle to tell you which songs are the best on the album, too; they're all just so damn great. It's kind of like when you've assembled the perfect pokemon party, and you're about to fight someone who uses fighting types, and you can't decide on your awesome pidgeot or your badass Alakazam, because they're both ideal in this situation due to being super effective and super cool. Yeah, this PBC album is a lot like that. I'm not a dork, I swear.

So, if you like infectious vocals, semi-heavy rock music, and leads constructed perfectly to fit the overall tone and atmosphere of the music, then you'll like Polar Bear Club. And if you like Polar Bear Club, you'll like 'Clash Battle Guilt Pride." And if you like 'Clash Battle Guilt Pride', you should probably support the fine musicians by picking up a copy of the album from their label Bridge 9 Records. Oh, and if you like us, we like you too. Via con dios.

-Idle

P.S. This band is awesome and you won't regret listening to this album a thousand times. Unless that's the exact amount of time you have left to live...then you should probably listen to it on an ipod while you ride some sick waterslides and go skydiving and whatnot.

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Dude Jams - How to Abuse Everything

2011-09-12T12:26:00.000-04:00

I've had a pretty difficult time finding out much about the band called Dude Jams. It seems like all I know about them is that they're either really into drugs (or just dig talking about drugs), that they definitely enjoy drinking as much beer as possible (Dopamines style), they have fun parodying Propagandhi album titles and cover art, and that they're located in Texas. That's basically what all my research has yielded...so there's your bio. That's what you need to know about the band...apart from what you'll learn about them in the next paragraph! And then the few after that...

Dude Jams have this habit of writing infectious pop punk songs...which I guess explains their band name. They basically sound like a mix between Off With Their Heads and a barrel of laughing gas. Something had to happen in order to make their main focus in the music world be a dark sense of humor and an awesome sense of melody. They play pop songs for the every day loser, stoner, and beer can crusher. They also play songs for anyone who just digs awesome music. They mostly just play songs for their own amusement though...I'm pretty sure of that.

My favorite part of this album, apart from the fact that every song has a sing a long element, would have to be that most of the songs time in at under two minutes, which is just perfect for my lack of ability to pay attention to anything. I seriously can barely listen to Fucked Up or Streetlight Manifesto; I don't need six minute punk songs, like at all. Nothing against Fucked Up, though. And whatever about Streetlight, nobody cares. Point is, Dude Jams are awesome and this album is rad.

If you were wanting to just take this album for a quick trial run, you'll probably want to listen to the songs "Don't Try", "Flower Eaters" (this one starts off sounding like a Foo Fighters song for some reason), "Drink, Drank, Panic" and "Disappointment is an Understatement". I mean, you should just listen to the full album right away, because it's awesome and short. But, if you feel like you must discover the best songs first, you can always just do it that way...and then follow it by rocking out to the rest of the album.

So, yeah. You should by this album from ADD Records (Tampa). Because...that's the American thing to do. And everybody's being really American this past couple of days...not so much today. But maybe we can make everyone be American today. It will go down in history as the day that everyone decided to purchase 'How to Abuse Everything' by Dude Jams. 9/12/2011. Never forget.

-Idle

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-Idle