Music Review - Bad Religion

Bad Religion is easily one of the longest running bands in history. Technically, only one member has been in the band since it's inception in 1979 (singer, Greg Graffin), but there are six current members and they continue to make music that remains against the grain.

Their latest, True North remains in the vein of there albums since about 2000. The songs are all good, solid guitars (they should be as there are 3 guitarists now), killer beats courtesy of Brooks Wackerman, and always foundational bass lines from Jay Bentley. Vocals, both the lead vocals and the "oohs and ahs" Bad Religion is so well known for, are all right as expected.

The concern here is that, as they get older, will they slow down? Thus far, it doesn't seem to be the case. Songs like "Robin Hood" and "Land of Endless Greed" show there is still a stance against the oligarchy and consumerism of corporatized American life. And they are still punk rock enough to have a song called "Fuck You".

The problem here is that album seems to get a bit flatter around the middle. This has been the case with the last few Bad Religion albums: as if the songs were written well, but half way through they become just filler (see "Dharma and The Bomb" and "Hello Cruel World"). Perhaps it would be better if they released EPs instead of full albums.

That said, all in all, the world of music, and in general, is a better place for Bad Religion being in it.

Where to find True North:

• in true punk fashion, the full album is streaming for free on YouTube
• Available for pre-order from the Bad Religion Store

RIYL: NoFX, Offspring, Rancid

Music Review - Float the Witch

The mid-90's was really an epic time for the female fronted alt-rock band. Blake Babies, Belly, Juliana Hatfield, Liz Phair...the list goes on. Float the Witch seem to very much want to carry on in this vein and their self-titled EP really sets the tone.

The immediate grab starts on the first track, "Meridian" with a lilting, almost celtic voice that wouldn't be too far from many of the vocal performances heard on the radio program Thistle and Shamrock. That all changes as you realize this band can actually rock out. It's not all simple acoustic ditties. The energy (and guitars and bass and full kit drums) are whipped out right in the next track, "The Abyss Gazes Back". This is a straightforward rocker, compared to "Le Miroir" a french inspired (and vocalized) surf rock song.

If there is one drawback to Float the Witch it is the seeming lack of direction. The music is eclectic, which is not bad, but can seem scatter-brained, even within the structure of a single song. The production value is decent for a first recording and the sincerity is apparent in every song.

This being a valiant effort, hopefully we will see a full length soon from Float the Witch.

Where to find them:

• Bandcamp
• Their Website

RIYL: Juliana Hatfield, Decemberists, Swans

Music Review - Coheed and Cambria

It's tough to go back to something that was once so great. Remembering the first listen through of The Second Stage Turbine Blade or In Keeping Secrets of the Silent Earth 3 and the jolt of originality and fresh ideas, this is what was hoped for in Coheed and Cambria's latest release The Afterman: Ascension.

For those of us keeping score on the storyline, Afterman is the first part of a two-part album (the second half is promised in February 2013) and is the prequel to the story of the characters Coheed and Cambria and their children. I know Year of the Black Rainbow was also a prequel, but the story has a definite end...so apparently now we must find the true beginning.

It's seems as time has passed, Coheed has become overly polished. The story is definitely more concise, and the playing is on point, although it seems we've moved further from roaring guitars with keyboard accents to more of a keyboard focus. It would be a good sacrifice to lose some continuity in order to get some edge back. After going through the tunes of Afterman it seems these albums have become formula. Starting with a somewhat instrumental tune ("Hollow", parallel to "Keeping the Blade" on Good Apollo or "One" on Black Rainbow), followed by the big anthemic song ("Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute", parallel to "Welcome Home" on Good Apollo or "The Broken" on Black Rainbow), and the obligatory slow jam ("Subtraction", parallel to "Wake Up" on Good Apollo or "Pearl of the Stars" on Black Rainbow)...we begin to see that there is a pattern. This may be the intent of the story teller, but if so, we are losing out on better music in order to ensure a pocket pattern is formed.

Unfortunately, this is not the triumphant return of Coheed we may have hoped for...but hope still shines...perhaps they can break the chain in February with the second part, The Afterman: Descension.

Where to find them:

• Their Website
• iTunes

RIYL: The Protomen, The Used, Rush

---

The Amory Wars 1 Ultimate Edition By Sanchez, Claudio/ Guzman, Gabriel (ILT)/ Vasquez, Gus (ILT) (Google Affiliate Ad)

Music Review - The Dirty River Boys

A lot of folks bandy about the words "Americana" or "New Country" these days. Few groups are able to capture that pure Appalachian zeal. The Dirty River Boys have no problem finding that down home, cottage porch sound though. No problem at all.

From the opening track of their latest effort, Science of Flight, The Dirty River Boys take us to a simpler time in music, a time when it wasn't about raucous distortion, but it was about the story itself. There are complexities and inter-workings in the instrumentation that make it seem like they've just picked up together at the local music stand to play a few standards, but the songs themselves are anything but standard.

The mastery of the instrumentation here is what's important. The scratchiness of long lost Grand Ole Opry recordings is missing, but that's about it. Too polished? Not necessarily, the jangle and back beat make you forget this isn't some digitally remastered coal mining hill band. Guitars move us along, fiddles are well played, and the vocals make you feel like you know these folks, you'd be willing to sit back and have a beer with them after a long working week. Let's hope they put more out for our listening pleasure soon!

Where to find them:

• Their website
• iTunes
• YouTube

RIYL: Mumford & Sons, Ten Cent Howl, Johnny Cash

Music Review - Sledding with Tigers

Sledding with Tigers are nothing if not prolific and ever-evolving. When we first experienced this band, it was a solo acoustic punk act with a teenage angst that was real and palpable. But we all get older and change a bit. We leave college, get jobs, change tastes...it's part of a social evolution called "being a grown up".

Along comes the latest album from Sledding with Tigers, Being Nice is Still Cool, where we see a move away from the punkier tunes of their earlier days into a sweeter, more rounded punk/Americana sound, self-described as "I'm not punk enough for punk and I'm not folk enough for folk". Imagine The Descendents decided to soften a bit and go acoustic, add a fiddle...picture it. Now you have the lastest Sledding with Tigers album.

No need to worry...the relatable lyrics are still there, the raucous, rolling guitar hasn't left, the group-yell choruses have remained intact. What is added is some saavy to using the fun stuff in a studio. Distortion on vocals ("A Floppy Disc Worth of Singing"), a straight-up pop song ("Homeless"), and mix of everything to kick the whole thing off ("Quit Yr Job"). All this gets put together to make for the best SWT has to offer thus far.

Where to find this album:

• SWT Website

RIYL: Ben Lee, The Descendents, American Stories

Music Review - NoFX

For nearly thirty years now, NoFX has been entertaining and shocking audiences and fans around the world. No one can ever question their dedication, their drive, their ability to make dick jokes, or their stance on issues, be they social, political, or pornographical. And after nearly 30 years, they still have it.

Their twelfth studio full length and latest in a long line of releases that includes EPs splits, special 7" records, and various compilations, Self Entitled is a reassurance that they have in no way lost their edge after all this time. The guitars of El Hefe and Eric Melvin are still fast and loud, Fat Mike's voice is still that perfect punk rock crappiness that says "I can sing, I'm just not that good at it"...and then there is Smelly.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Eric "Smelly" Sandin is one of my favorite drummers of all time. I seriously put him up there with the likes of Max Roach, Buddy Rich, Max Weinberg, and Bobby Schayer. But he's faster. He makes Travis Barker look like a flashy poseur. And on the new album, he proves that speed can be interspersed with breakdowns to make diversity.

If there is one thing that stands out as a negative on this album it would be that it sounds more polished than most NoFX albums. The production is clearly high-end, or at least higher-end than we've come to expect from a punk rock album.

It's hard to pick the stand-outs on this album. It has a great flow to it, starting with a kick in the face on "72 Hookers" (an actual solution to bring about world peace?) right on through the hilarious yet poignant "Ronnie & Mags" to my personal favorite, perhaps because of the spoken word portion praising Fat Mike for being right, "My Sycophant Others". This album is a complete package that is most reminiscent of White Trash, Two Heebs, and A Bean.

Where to find them:

• Fat Wreck Chords site
• iTunes
• Amazon

RIYL: Bad Religion, The Descendents, Rancid

Music Review - Bloc Party - Four

It's been years. There were solo projects (for Kele at least)...there were reunion shows...there were interviews and radio reports and everything. But next week, we will have the long awaited new album from Bloc Party, Four. Now that it arrives next week, it's easy to see the wait was worth it.

With a week left before release, Bloc Party has elected to stream the entire album on their site, a great boon to fans who just can't wait another week. It may not be what some people were expecting. The sound is cleaner than their first two albums, yet more characteristics of those albums than Intimacy, an album that carried the same Bloc Party edge and angst but was a bit over the top noise wise.

So where does Four find our foursome? A little more mature...a little darker...in a place where antics meet adulthood. The edge is still there, there is still anger and something to feel strongly about. There is no better example of this than "Coliseum", a song that starts of with a country twang before attacking with a full on hardcore blitz, lyrics searing throughout with bitterness at the established and the longstanding.

This doesn't mean there aren't the expected songs of tragedy and love and growing together. It just seems that as time has gone on, the realization that the party isn't over but enjoyable without so much chemical stimulation has occurred to our not-so humble narrator. Songs like "3x3" and "V.A.L.I.S." demonstrate this clearly. It cannot be doubted that Bloc Party is just as tight as they have been in the past. Musically, everything flows together as a movement, driven by the drumbeats, the guitars and bass pull it all together to give the vocals are clear base to rise from.

With Four, Bloc Party has managed to move past many of their counterparts who were unable to grow even a little bit. This album is hopefully a taste of what is to come...hopefully there will be a Five.

Where to find Four:

• on their site
• Preorder on Amazon and iTunes

RIYL: We Are Augustines, Muse, Cloud Nothings