PUNX: pls talk to us

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by Taques, Jun 19, 2009.

  1. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    Menzingers are coming to Birmingham again :ohgosh: I'm pretty stoked because they are playing with The Fourth Estate, a band that a few of my friends are in. I've promoted them itt before


    DateVenueLocationTickets

    Jan 11 Tipsy Teapot Greenville, NC
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    Jan 12 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
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    Jan 13 Milestone Club Charlotte, NC
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    Jan 14 God's Butt Birmingham, AL
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    Jan 15 Downtown Music Hall Little Rock, AR
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    Jan 16 The Prophet Bar Dallas, TX Tickets
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    Jan 17 Austin Music Hallw/ Rise Against, A ... Austin, TX Tickets
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    Jan 18 Illusion Theater at Alamodomew/ Rise Against, A ... San Antonio, TX Tickets
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    Jan 19 House Of Bluesw/ Rise Against New Orleans, LA Tickets
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    Jan 21 NEW UCF ARENAw/ Rise Against, A ... Orlando, FL Tickets
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    Jan 22 The Township Auditoriumw/ Rise Against, A ... Columbia, SC Tickets
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    Jan 24 Constant Convocation Centerw/ Rise Against, A ... Norfolk, VA Tickets
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    Jan 25 The Blue Nile Harrisonburg, VA Tickets
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    Jan 26 Memorial Athletic and Convocationw/ Rise Against, A ... Kent, OH Tickets
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    Jan 27 UIC Pavilionw/ Rise Against, A ... Chicago, IL Tickets
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    Jan 29 Bryce Jordan Centerw/ Rise Against, A ... University Park, PA Tickets
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    Jan 30 Mid Hudson Civic Centerw/ Rise Against, A ... Poughkeepsie, NY
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    Feb 01 Paul E. Tsongas Arenaw/ Rise Against, A ... Lowell, MA
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    Feb 02 Webster Underground Hartford, CT
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    Feb 03 Nassau Veterans Mem. Col.w/ Rise Against, A ... Uniondale, NY Tickets
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    Feb 04 Susquehanna Bank Centerw/ Rise Against, A ... Camden, NJ Tickets
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    Feb 05 Patriot Centerw/ Rise Against, A ... Fairfax, VA Tickets
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    Feb 25 Soundwave Festival Brisbane, Australia Tickets
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    Feb 26 Soundwave Festival Sydney Nsw, Australia Tickets
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    Mar 03 Soundwave Festival Adelaide, Australia Tickets
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    Mar 05 Soundwave Festival Perth, Australia Tickets
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    Apr 28 GROEZROCK 2012w/ Rancid, Simple P... Meerhout, Belgium Tickets
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  2. H/T

    H/T Top 3 Swansea City AFC Poster
    Donor
    Clemson TigersBaltimore OriolesCharlotte HornetsBaltimore RavensSwansea

    Menzingers in Chapel Hill and Columbia. I literally told the gf this coming year I wnt to get to a Menzingers show. So so so damn excited.
     
    BhamBammer likes this.
  3. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    If you haven't seen them you are in for a treat. Incredible band.
     
  4. H/T

    H/T Top 3 Swansea City AFC Poster
    Donor
    Clemson TigersBaltimore OriolesCharlotte HornetsBaltimore RavensSwansea

    Probably my favorite band at the moment, so Ive been waiting for a chance to see them. Saw Rise Against recently and I couldnt care less about ADTR.
     
  5. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
    Donor

    I've never been so disappointed by a band I like so much than Rise Against. I saw them in Champaign, Illinois with Bad Religion last summer and they were complete shit. Their last two albums were complete shit anyways. The Menzingers have been my favorite band ever since A Lesson In The Abuse of Information Technology came out in 2007. Fantastic band. They are good dudes too. I've seen them three times and have enjoyed thoroughly every show.
     
  6. H/T

    H/T Top 3 Swansea City AFC Poster
    Donor
    Clemson TigersBaltimore OriolesCharlotte HornetsBaltimore RavensSwansea

    Thats good to hear, I hate going to shows and leaving dissapointed. I agree whole heartedly about Rise Against I used to enjoy a lot of their stuff then all of a sudden Bam absolute crap.

    Favorite show for me has to be Gogol Bordello at the 930 club in DC. The fucking crowd and the energy was amazing.
     
  7. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    sad that the menzingers wont ever come back to lubbock

    i was one of the like 20 people rockin out though thats for sure
     
  8. NinjaRXA

    NinjaRXA Make Anime Great Again
    Donor TMB OG

    looking at a tampa concert schedule, dropkick murphys coming to town in march. excellent.
     
  9. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    Such a riveting conversation with three of you lol. I wish there was a better punk following on tmb.
     
  10. H/T

    H/T Top 3 Swansea City AFC Poster
    Donor
    Clemson TigersBaltimore OriolesCharlotte HornetsBaltimore RavensSwansea

    Yeah bham it be nice especially with the million different personalities, and shit on tmb. Then again it doesnt surprise me seems like the people I meet that say they listen to punk are very confused with what they consider punk and i can def say living in SC there isnt excactly a plethora of punk fans around so ill take a 3 person convo all day.
     
  11. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    only a very tiny, but dedicated, punk following here in lubbock

    im hoping polar bear club comes back here since i missed them last time. plenty of people showed up to see four year strong (the 2nd headliner) and some shitty metalcore band so maybe they had a decent enough turnout for what should have been the real headliner

    big screamo and bad hardcore following here, and lots of the local bands play shittier versions of it, but country will always be king
     
  12. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    Sure, of course. Same with me. There isn't shit at all in Tuscaloosa and there is barely anything in Birmingham. The hardcore scene is big in Birmingham but I like hardly any hardcore.
     
  13. NinjaRXA

    NinjaRXA Make Anime Great Again
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    I think I fall more into posthardcore/a little bit of emo rather than conventional punk :ohdear:
     
  14. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    :dislike:
     
  15. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    used to be a big hardcore fan, not so much anymore

    anxiously awaiting a wilihelm screams album next year though

    most of all though: new gaslight anthem early in 2012 :quagmire:
     
    Where Eagles Dare likes this.
  16. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    I have a lot of expectations for 2012. New Menzingers, Wilhelm Scream and Gaslight are dropping like you say and some other good stuff should come. Hopefully it will make up for this sub-par year.
     
  17. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    well damn new gaslight is coming out in the summer apparently

    does it annoy anyone else when punknews makes a post about a tour without saying that its regional and then you click "read more" only to see that its limited to 4 shitty rust belt towns

    fuck me i wanted to see the lawrence arms/the holy mess show fuck cleveland
     
  18. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    downloading the new gallows ep with their new frontman

    i expect it to be shit
     
  19. NinjaRXA

    NinjaRXA Make Anime Great Again
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    i doubt you'll be disappointed then
     
  20. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    Yeah I never get my hopes up. The only band I really like that frequents Birmingham is Tigers Jaw. Against Me! frequents all over Alabama but not necessarily Bham. Andrew Seward is from Huntsville and I guess since they are from Gainesville they aren't too far to come up here every once in a while.
     
  21. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    lol I won't even bother trying it. I don't know why I remember this, but back in the rb days in a "last five songs you listened to" thread you said you didn't like Gallows. Did you warm up to them or something? I really liked them at the time, I thought Orchestra of Wolves was truly a great album.
     
  22. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    yeah orchestra of wolves really grew on me. i dont necessarily listen to it much but i like it enough to keep on my hard drive

    grey britain i may have listened to once through but it didnt have any real staying power with me

    just finished the new ep and without frank they just sound like a run-of-the-mill hardcore band that happens to have the screamy guy from alexisonfire. it wasnt bad but it sure didnt make me want to go buy it or anything. meh.
     
  23. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    Grey Britain is up there with Machine 15, Appeal to Reason, ect.
     
  24. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    i had completely shut machine 15 out of my mind ugh

    time to listen to pennybridge pioneers because in my mind they broke up after that release
     
  25. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
    Donor

    I'm out gentlemen, I should have been asleep hours ago. I can't say no to a good bi-yearly in depth punx conversation though. We should do this more often.
     
  26. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

  27. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
    Donor

  28. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    I really enjoy the band Elway. I was thinking, with all of this Tebow mania.....
    How weird would it be in 25 years if there was a punk band named "Tebow"

    :donotwant:
     
  29. NinjaRXA

    NinjaRXA Make Anime Great Again
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    can I get some punk/alternative cover songs? i guess things in the vein of the Punk Goes.... series

    thanks :3
     
  30. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    been listening to bad religion pretty much non stop the last 3 days

    feels good man
     
    BhamBammer likes this.
  31. NinjaRXA

    NinjaRXA Make Anime Great Again
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    I've been scouring absolutepunk for new musics, found automatic loveletter and some others, diggin' them.
     
  32. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    putting together my top 25 or so for the year since nothing else really is coming out
     
  33. NinjaRXA

    NinjaRXA Make Anime Great Again
    Donor TMB OG

    if life on repeat's cover of Party in the USA isn't #1 then you're doing it wrong taq
     
  34. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
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    Punknews.org Staff's Top 5 EPs of 2011

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    5


    collective sounds

    Talk about a comeback. Jimmy Cliff’s legacy was already assured, but hearing something like Sacred Fire this late in his career is got-damn inspirational. Between the stellar covers (The Clash, Rancid, Bob Dylan) and the awesome originals, it feels good to be rude again. -Joe Pelone
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    4


    gold metal

    On Quadruple Single, Big Business takes everything that is great about the band, riffs that rumble like tanks, ghostly wails, inventive song structure and general wackiness, and condense it into a tight four tracks. While rapid-drone-stomping has been done before, Big Biz's approach, which is equally appreciative and self aware, trims the fat, takes the genre in new directions, and includes one element that most heavy bands forget: The songs actually sound good. Really, really good, in fact. On the final track the band declares "Guns! Guns! Guns are better than everything else!" If that's true, then firearms beat this release by the width of a hair. - John Gentile
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    3

    The Sidekicks / Tigers Jaw: Split [7-Inch]

    shout out loud prints

    While the Sidekicks and Tigers Jaw both occupy the poppier side of the indie/punk spectrum, they have very different approaches to their craft. The Sidekicks’ upbeat power-pop has soaring vocal melodies and catchy hooks that are so immediately satisfying they do little to betray the beautiful lyrics and sophisticated guitar work contained within that you only discover upon repeated listens. Tigers Jaw, on the other hand, have a more intentionally obscure path they take you on with their music, having a heavier debt to '90s Midwest emo and alterna-rock, and yet there is something localized rather than universal about their music. Their lyrics are more abstract, their tempos are slower, and their guitar parts shift just enough so they make you wait for that one sweet spot in a song rather than delivering right away. Putting these two bands together proves to be an interesting and overall successful experiment. The Sidekick's cover of of Elvis Costello's cover of “(Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes” not only respects the original but builds upon it, which is an extremely rare feat for such a classic song transforming this from a great seven-inch into something really special. - Sloane Daley
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    2



    Against Me! amp up the energy level (Thanks in no small part to new drummer Jay Weinberg) and deliver two extremely catchy punk rock anthems. If their next full-length can keep up this level of quality, we may very well be looking at the future holders of the "Album of 2012" title.- Tori Pederson
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    1


    self-released

    The long-awaited followup to 2004's The New What Next from beardpunk's most heralded is a seven-inch teaser that's simply delightful. Sure, it basically sounds like a split between Chuck Ragan and the Draft, but the grizzled recording tone is a fresh feel, and both turn in yearning, ruggedly endearing performances. - Brian Shultz
    Punknews.org Staff's Top 20 LPs of 2011

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    20 (Tie)



    As fans of this band are more than aware, they have a gift for writing about the most dark, twisted and upsetting moments of life with a certain kind of clarity. Sean Bonnett’s delivery of these gut-wrenching tales has the power to be either depressing as all hell, or surprisingly uplifting. From discussing his own straight, white, male privilege, to the inadequate system we have for taking care of our nation’s poor, to the pure desperation in realizing how far any of us can fall, it’s hard not to feel something listening to the record. AJJ may not yet present solutions, but they urge their listeners to pay attention to the people around them and the situations they’re in that may not be entirely their fault. The moral of the story? Have compassion, don’t feel bad for your own suffering, and stay true to your convictions. - Katy Hardy
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    20 (Tie)


    grave mistake

    It's surf punk meets Dead Kennedys. You want something longer than that you're taking too long for Nightbirds. - Rich Verducci
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    18

    Defeater: Empty Days and Sleepless Nights


    Remember when hardcore was the poster child for stagnation? Well Defeater and their ilk are making sure that the aforementioned poster is ripped up, burnt, and stomped on. On Empty Days and Sleepless Nights the band keeps it rough, but drops in twilight tapping, acoustic numbers…oh and a story about the aftermath of mass destruction from flooding. What, you thought only one hardcore band was allowed to make a concept album about catastrophe this year? - John Gentile
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    17



    Trips serves as both a literal return for Samiam and A spiritual return of sorts for the band. After five years between this and their last proper LP, Whatever's Got You Down, Samiam has created a generally upbeat collection that is perhaps their most immediate release since You Are Freaking Me Out. Trips continues exploring thoughtful and mature melodic punk in a way that only a band who has been around for twenty years can but expands upon a foundation of more traditional guitar pop like they never have before. Lyrically the themes of perseverance through life's trials and tribulations might not be complex but they really ring true both for the band and hopefully the listener. Maybe these tricks aren't entirely new but they are more focused and inspired than anyone might expect. This should be everyone's go-to "feel good" album of the year. - Sloane Daley
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    16



    I sort of don't want to like this album. There are certain parts of it that tend to drag on me and the lyrical content is about as far from uplifting as you can get. Still, there are parts (like the line "If actions speak louder than words, I'm the most deafening noise you've heard" on the opener "~") that can't help but make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Jeremy Bolm has a way of using a few words to convey complex concepts in an incredibly forceful manner and the musical aspect keeps the album from ever relying strictly on the vocals. It's a testament to how good this album is that it's an epic downer that you keep revisiting. - Rich Verducci
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    15



    Legal issues aside, Colorado's Elway usher in their new moniker beautifully, with 11 killer, melody-laden punk songs. The new takes on the 10-4 Eleanor material, alongside the new songs, are fantastic, and the hooks will get firmly stuck in your head. - John Flynn
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    14


    sideonedummy records

    It's difficult to stress just how warm and comforting Chuck Ragan's solo work sounds, to me at least. There's a lot of flack gets thrown at punk and hardcore musicians who have embarked on more folk-based solo work in recent years, and I've never really understood that. As I see it, the song is everything, and the songs, reduced to their most essential and timeless components, are the things that stand out most in Chuck's work, as well it should be.

    Covering Ground isn't a huge departure from the musical styles of Feast Or Famine or Gold Country, and that's no bad thing. It's no secret that Chuck is a gifted songwriter and musician, and his solo work continues to show us a man with everything to say, but nothing to prove. That Chuck seems so comfortable in his work, speaking for myself, allows me to listen to his work in comfort, even when that work deals with uncomfortable things. This year I've come back to this album again and again, on those nights when I'm feeling rough, and there's nobody on hand who can talk to me. When nobody is around to listen, I listen to Chuck, and it's like getting understanding and advice from a true friend. Magnificent. - Andrew Waterfield
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    13



    The Anarchy and The Ecstasy is the definition of a "grower record." Much more subtle than their past releases, World/Inferno switches their swinging ‘20s horns for meditative acoustic ballads and opera-influenced duets. It takes some time to sink in, but once it does, it shows that this might be the album, with all its quiet nuances and sly tricks, to define the punk-cabaret collective. Plus, the lead single, "I Am Sick of People Being Sick of My Shit" is not only the best song they've ever recorded, but it probably encapsulates a band in three minutes with more definition than a documentary could in 12 hours. - John Gentile
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    12


    june 28 on no sleep records

    The '90s became nostalgia territory well before 2011, but its emotive, powerful musical landscape continuously provides an expansive spectrum to pull from. Case in point: The first proper full-length from Doylestown, Pa.'s Balance and Composure, Separation digs its heels in and grinds out a cathartic and thunderous display drawing blood from the likes of Nirvana, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jawbreaker, Red House Painters and countless others. The running cliché about musically thoughtful bands brilliantly mining their record collections has admittedly become a tiresome one (although, as noted in my review back in June, there's a metaphor for B&C that's quite literal). But Separation's unrelenting drive of dynamic exercises, unpredictable turns and persistently distraught tensions puts Balance and Composure in a class all their own--in other words, its title creates just that for the band.- Brian Shultz
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    11



    Banner Pilot writes really great songs about drinking and/or failing. When played at sufficient speeds, these songs almost sound triumphant. So while Heart Beats Pacific reads like a depressing, endless winter journal, it plays like a beautiful piece of punk spirit. I’m pretty protective of the Jawbreaker tag, but Banner Pilot is one of the few bands I would compare them to, at least in spirit. - Joe Pelone
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    10


    tiny engines

    I took a long time to warm to Restorations' self-titled full-length. The Philadelphia band shares a certain aesthetic with my post-punk heroes the Constantines and that similarity made my standards impossibly high. It was a long buy-in on my part, but it was cemented with a brilliant, life-affirming set from the band at a small bar in Gainesville this October closing out The Fest. These punk-informed rock'n'roll songs are pensive, slow-building and ultimately deeply rewarding. That's a lot of what made me love the Cons, and Restorations are more than worthy of taking up that banner. - Adam White
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    9



    I remember the first time I saw Title Fight was January 2009. While a flood of kids were losing their minds, the most memorable moment for me was when they kicked off "Youreyeah". I had heard the song before and yet still thought, "Oh, cool, they're covering something from Can't Slow Down." Obviously, they weren't, but that kind of mistaken perception sums up their nascent material well: sloppy, emotional pop-punk/melodic hardcore that might have been a little derivative for its own good. And sure, Shed still reeks of its influences (namely Lifetime and Jawbreaker), but the variety and depth Title Fight achieves with their long-anticipated full-length debut is warm and enriching. They're growing leaps and bounds, and you can hear it in both their enthusiastic, signature speeds and slow-churning, gravelly mood pieces. - Brian Shultz
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    8

    Laura Stevenson and the Cans: Sit Resist


    While it was no surprise that I was taken by her gorgeous voice and the wealth of accordion and brass backing, it is a bit surprising that it was the 'Org that introduced me to Laura Stevenson and the Cans. As un-punk as they may be, they seem intertwined in the scene and everyone is the better for it. Sit Resist improves upon A Record in both production and breadth of songwriting, and Stevenson's voice fits marvelously whether it's a lilting stripped-down track, bouncy indie pop, or full-tilt folk rock. - Greg Simpson
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    7



    Songs like “I Am Disappeared”, “Redemption” and the controversial “Glory Hallelujah” make more effective use of Turner’s band The Sleeping Souls than we’ve heard to date and are some of the finest songs he’s ever written. Other than that weird a capella bit in the middle, England Keep My Bones is consistently great from front to back. - Tori Pederson
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    6


    paper + plastick

    Following a handful of splits and an EP, 2011 was finally the year of the proper Red City Radio full-length release. And it’s a goodie. The quartet from Oklahoma City had been kicking around for a couple years before their first LP came out this year on Paper + Plastick. The Dangers of Standing Still has a healthy dose of “woahs,” fast guitars, gruff vocals and sing-along choruses. It’s super accessible and helps remind you how fun punk really can be. I look forward to singing along loudly with my fist in the air at one of their shows soon. Come play DC, y’all. Fav Track: “Drinking Yourself Into The Future” -Kira Wisniewski
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    5



    I’ve never given a 10/10 score to an album in my time at Punknews, finding that rating reserved for classics of the Rain Dogs/In the Aeroplane Over the Sea variety. However, if I had written the review for Elsie, I would have been compelled to do just that. In pulling from influences beyond what is expected of him, Brian Fallon has created an instant classic, not to mention the perfect breakup album. Elsie is a masterpiece. - Tori Pederson
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    4



    It's Dead to Me V3.0 (Or Dead To Sam or Ken to Me or whatever). It's hard to imagine a band that changes co-songwriters two times still managing to forge ahead but Dead to Me has done it and come out better for it. Lyrics about everything from songs about personal difficulties to songs about 19th century pioneers for gay rights. Fantastic music form 1/2 of Western Addiction, 1/4 of New Mexican Disaster Squad, 1/4 of Enemy You and 4/4 of Dead to Me.- Rich Verducci
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    3


    ernest jenning / really

    I highly anticipate every Bomb the Music Industry! release yet somehow I wasn't expecting this record to be as great as it turned out. BtMI! are a band whose sound is constantly evolving and Vacation is the result of the band's creativity at it's absolute best. This record contains a side of BtMI! that we have never seen before with a more mature, polished sound but still accompanied by Mr. Rosenstock's relatable lyrics. I believe they truly outdid themselves on this record and my obsession for this band is reaching dangerous levels. - Brittany Strummer
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    2



    If Fucked Up is truly winding down, this would be a wonderful way to go out. David Comes To Life is a career-defining record. Of course it only works as a concept album if you can follow whatever narrative established between Damian Abraham's shouts and growls, and I can't, but that doesn't matter when the songs are so good. Fucked Up remains gloriously over the top. Their sense of play is second to none. Their willingness to flaunt the conventions and pretenses of hardcore punk is no less daring now than it was early in their career. This is a monster of a record, and only a brilliant band like Fucked Up has the levity to pull it off without being consumed by it.- Adam White

    It really doesn't get more interesting than Fucked Up; their gleeful ability to subvert expectations even as they embrace genre conventions makes for consistently powerful and inspiring tracks. I can think of few bands since the Who with both this level and ambition and the talent to realize it. - Aubin Paul
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    1


    6131

    Joyce Manor remind me of past Punknews "record of the year" winners the Sidekicks, both in their raw pop-punk sound and their ability to slice across the entire spectrum of our editorial staff and please just about everyone (and probably for different reasons). There are huge hooks in these songs, but they never stick around long enough to overdo it before you're hit with the next. The majority of these tracks clock in well under two minutes and that's exactly what the makes this work so well. The first asshole producer to talk this band into padding out their songs is fired from punk. - Adam White

    Joyce Manor is everyone's favorite new artist. Those who disagree are clearly lying because I know for a fact that no one can listen to "Constant Headache" and not enjoy it. It's impossible and I don't believe you if you say otherwise. - Brittany Strummer

    A little over two years ago I saw Joyce Manor open up for Andrew Jackson Jihad. At the time they were an acoustic two-piece that weren’t too impressive but since then have grown to become a full four-piece band that released one of my favorite albums this year. The energy found on this album is virtually unmatched by any other release this year and with lyrics that give Blake Schawarzenbach a run for his money what’s not to like? - Armando Olivias


    Somewhat confusing list this year, but like we have been saying it's certainly a down year. Initial thoughts: LOL Title Fight, Elway is too low, Dead To Me is way too high, and Banner P is a little low as well
     
  35. Duval

    Duval On a gravy train with biscuit wheels
    Donor TMB OG

    Taques likes this.
  36. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    i just finished (well, last night) adding 5-6 new albums from these top 10 end of year lists to my queue as usual

    samiam has gotta have the most underrated album of the year - its probably their best one

    havent finished my list yet but its probably my (and punknews crew apparently) least punk-leaning list in years. hopefully next year is a stronger one for the genre.
     
  37. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    "oh hey the last best of 2011 list got put up, the user-voted list is usually pretty good. lets see..."

    1. bomb the music industry! - "vacation"

    get the fuck out of here
     
  38. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    there is a special place in my heart for any band that lets me have a free flac download of their album
     
  39. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    has anyone noticed the screamo resurgence with that pianos become the teeth and la dispute albums?

    i dont dig at all but people are creaming all over these two
     
  40. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    the org taught me that fred armisan was in a hardcore band

    my mind literally blew up when i saw that
     
  41. NinjaRXA

    NinjaRXA Make Anime Great Again
    Donor TMB OG

    listened to pianos become the teeth based solely on name, was highly disappoint. i can dig a few screamo lines but not the entire fuckin song. really sucks because a lot of those artists have really good voices that are completely wasted on shit like that.
     
  42. Heavy Mental

    Heavy Mental non serviam
    Donor
    Metal

    I'm not a frequent contributor to this thread, but has the Refused reunion been discussed here yet? They are playing at Coachella this year. I'd kill to see that performance.
     
  43. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
    Donor

    Okay fuckers back to work itt


    Hot Water Music begin recording new album

    Contributed by alex101. Posted by kira on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 12:30 PM (EST)

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    A twitter update from Hot Water Music has revealed that they have started recording their new album at theBlasting Room in Denver, directly following the wrap of Bouncing Souls new album at the same studio. Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag) will be producing the forthcoming album. This will be Hot Water Music's first post-reunion full length, debut on Rise Records and first proper release since 2004's The New What Next.
     
  44. Illinihockey

    Illinihockey Well-Known Member
    Chicago CubsChicago BullsChicago BearsChicago BlackhawksIllinois Fightin' IlliniLiverpool

    Been wearing out my old Hitler Bad, Vandals Good CD. This band never fails to put me in a good mood.
     
    BhamBammer likes this.
  45. NinjaRXA

    NinjaRXA Make Anime Great Again
    Donor TMB OG

  46. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
    Donor

    :jizz: :bartscott:



    [​IMG]
    Author's Rating



    Vocals 9.5


    Musicianship 9.5


    Lyrics 9.5


    Production 9.5


    Creativity 9.5


    Lasting Value 9.5


    Reviewer Tilt 9.5
    Final Verdict: 95%



    Member Ratings



    Vocals 9.43


    Musicianship 9.35


    Lyrics 9.6


    Production 9.5


    Creativity 9.38


    Lasting Value 9.45


    Reviewer Tilt 9.53
    Average: 95%
    Inside AP.net

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    Menzingers, The - On the Impossible Past

    Reviewed by: Thomas Nassiff (02/10/12)

    The Menzingers - On the Impossible Past
    Release Date: February 21, 2012
    Record Label: Epitaph


    I’ve been having a horrible time
    Pulling myself together.
    I’ve been closing my eyes to find
    The old familiar failures.
    I’ve been closing my eyes to find
    Why all good things should fall apart.

    So begins The Menzingers’ latest record, the sweeping, driven, masterful On the Impossible Past. Those lyrics come from the opening (and essentially introductory) “Good Things,” a short song that starts calm before the guitars and vocals tumble into an avalanche of power. As we have come to expect from the band, which is following the phenomenal Chamberlain Waits, anthemic sing-alongs provide a vessel for thought-provoking lyrics.

    But it really is not enough to describe On the Impossible Past with your typical album review language. The jargon and the adjectives that we reviewers are notorious for rotating don’t do a record like this justice. Not at all. On the Impossible Past is the sort of rarefied album that doesn't come along often; it’s the type of record that, even only after a month of listening, I know will become regarded as a treasure. Riddled with thematic landscapes, On the Impossible Past presents a story, but it’s such a compelling, poetic and well-told story that by the time it ends, I need to hear it again. Right after listening to the album, I want to hear about the American muscle cars, the waitresses working at the diners, the late-night drives, the drunken escapades, the passion and dead-end-liness of everyday living, the good things and the nice things, I want to hear about all of these things all over again.

    It’s a Midwestern punk rock album written by a Pennsylvania punk rock band, but it transcends genres. Genres don’t matter when you sing along to the opening lines of “Burn After Reading”:


    Here’s to you, the same chords that I stole
    From a song that I once heard;
    The same melody I borrowed from the void.
    I’d rather observe than structure a narrative.
    The characters are thin; the plot does not develop.
    It ends where it begins.

    Want to talk about your literary devices? The opening lines of this second track summarize the entire record in a clever way, as with so many repeating themes, you can play this album on repeat and essentially give yourself a never-ending story that never reaches any conclusions. The story doesn’t really get going, however, until the first two released songs, “The Obituaries” and “Gates.” Standing as polar opposites to each other, the former is a rough-around-the-edges, drunken rally of a pop-punk track while the latter is a toned-down, thought-out masterpiece of songwriting. That isn’t to say one is better than the other; when you belt out “I will fuck this up / I fucking know it,” over and over and over again in “The Obituaries,” you can’t tell me that moments like this exist often in music. Someone in The Menzingers must have fucked up really bad; we’ve all fucked up pretty bad at some point. Singing about it couldn’t hurt. The brilliance of “Gates” comes in the fact that it immediately follows such a blunt song, and its arpeggiated power chords signal to the listener that not everything has to be a race.


    It’s not hard to fall for a waitress when you both smoke the same cigarettes.
    You’ll get seated as diners or lovers, you’ll get the check as friends for the better.
    You’ll carve your names into the Paupack Cliffs just to read them when you get old enough to know that happiness is just a moment.

    So I’m marching up to your gates today to throw my lonely soul away,
    Cause I don’t need; it you can take it back.

    As often happens throughout the record, The Menzingers tell us about specific situations; I don’t know where in the world the Paupack Cliffs are or what they look like, but I’ll be damned if I won’t still appreciate a line like “…when you get old enough to know that happiness is just a moment” in another 15 years when I’ve stopped caring about the things I care about right now.

    On the Impossible Past certainly has its high points, and the climax of the record proves to be in the middle. It comes in the form of a heavy and consistent dose of trading off between furious, passion-filled parts and slower, intimate parts. “Ava House” shows us both of these, while the explosive “Sun Hotel” and “Mexican Guitars” provide the types of guitar riffs that make you feel good whether they’re being played in a car, on a turntable or in shitty earbuds. “I’m pretty sure this corner of the world is the loneliest corner in the whole world” directly contrasts painful cries of, “I will leave you alone and you will leave me alone” during “Sun Hotel,” while “Mexican Guitars” rings home as a tale of lost friendship and wanting to get out of a dead town.

    What stands out about this album is that The Menzingers have stepped into a whole new arena in terms of musicianship. On the Impossible Past is built punk-first, pop-second, but the slower songs give off a depth unparalleled by earlier work. Sounding like The Gaslight Anthem at times isn’t a bad thing, and with such a rich storytelling aspect to the lyricism, this is much, much more than an album to throw on the record player when you’re having a few beers.

    “Casey” is my personal favorite on the album, not just because it has the best chorus on the record, but because the imagery of the waitresses is something I cannot get enough of:


    Before the plug was pulled, the fire burned out
    And all the parties grew bored.
    You waited tables and I waited for your shift breaks.
    Gin and Casey used to dance inside of me,
    And I know I sound like a broken record every time I open my mouth.
    I want to wander around the city with you again,
    Like when you waited tables and I waited for your shift breaks.
    Me and Casey used to get drunk before we did the dishes every evening;
    Me and Casey used to get high and listen to our boredom,
    Because it was so much easier than dealing with everything.
    So Casey, tell me when you’re ready I’m all packed to go,
    To search for that old place we found forever ago.
    We can take my car, Casey, she’s still got the spirit.
    We could live and no longer just have to hear it.

    I think it’s a record like On the Impossible Past – a record that, despite the fact that I review albums every week, I just can’t seem to fully explain my adoration of – that brings everything back to earth. Why do I love these scenes with waitresses and driving around aimlessly so much? I’ve driven around aimlessly before, but I’ve never even dated a waitress. Does it make sense? Does it have to?

    It’s about the music; it’s about the lyrics; it’s about how a record makes you feel, when you listen to it five times a day for an entire month, but even though you’ve already memorized all the words, it still feels new. This is the kind of record that makes us love music; this is the kind of record that an album reviewer waits a long time to review. When there is nothing bad to say because whatever mistakes were made weren’t important enough to stand out. Sometimes you hear an album, inherent with its own flaws, that still manages to be all but perfect.

    The Menzingers have moved past whatever they used to be. Once a punk rock group amongst a community of punk rock groups, On the Impossible Past has transformed them into a band of great American storytellers that not only deserve to be mentioned along with the best in the scene, but deserve your actual, undivided attention. This isn’t an album that should be listened to while you’re on Facebook in the background; this is an album that should have come out decades ago, before music would leak a month before its release date, so we could all sit at the foot of our beds and read along with the lyrics in the insert while we watched the record spin on our turntables. This is something that has no expiration date.

    9.5/10: Rarefied Air

    Recommended If You LikeThe Gaslight Anthem
     
  47. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    what
     
  48. BhamBammer

    BhamBammer Showtime for Heisman
    Donor

    The recommended bands on absolute punk and interpunk are retarded.
     
  49. Taques

    Taques sometimes maybe good sometimes maybe shit
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    The Real Movement

    downloading

    will listen later tonight