Transit - Listen & Forgive

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

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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Mike Park- Smile

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.

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-Bear (With a little help from Idle

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

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

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.

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-Bear

Neighborhoods - Facing a Lifetime

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

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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