Music Review - TTNG - 13.0.0.0.0

With lots of lineup changes and even a change in name (kinda, going from This Town Needs Guns to TTNG), consistency is not what the math rock (now) power trio from Oxford would be known for. With a melodic and percussive sound underscored by lamenting (dare I say emo?) vocals, the one thing TTNG proves on their latest release 13.0.0.0.0 is they can consistently deliver solid tunes.

There were concerns that the move from a quartet to a trio with the main vocalist leaving might lead to a drastic change. As the one remaining original member, Tim Collis, is still the driving force behind the writing, the sound of the band itself still contains the expected percussive tap-on sound. The drums on this album seem a bit more pedestrian and reigned-in compared to earlier drummers on earlier albums. Whether this was a production choice or an individual style is unclear but the frenetic, raw emotion seen on Animals is noticeably missing. The vocals are a bit less persistent on this album and leave a bit of a filling in the blanks feeling compared to the urgency of earlier vocalists.

Stand out tunes on this album are without doubt "Cat Fantastic", which leads off the album with a transition from the previous album seemingly. The quietness of "Nice Riff, Clichard" brings a solemn note into the mix and it's a good mid-album resting point, though and "Triptych" is a call back to previous work from TTNG.

When all is said and done, 13.0.0.0.0 is good follow-up for a long awaited band that some thought we might not hear from. The important word here is good not great.

Where to find them:

• the entire album is streaming on YouTube
• iTunes
• SoundCloud

RIYL:American Football, Toe, City and Colour

MUSIC REVIEW - Doctor Dirty Sanchez

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years (at least) since Dr. Dirty Sanchez have graced a stage together. Part of Buffalo's punk and hardcore resurgence in the early 2000's, DDS have given us one last gem to sit back and enjoy. After years sitting unfinished, Greg, Tim, Phil, and Jesse have released Prepare for the Worse - a misnomer if ever there was one.

Let's start by looking at the instrumentation. Greg and Tim keep the guitars super tight, with a guttural growl over Phil's clean and clear basslines that hold down every song. Then comes, Jesse: one of Buffalo's most accomplished and versatile (and bloody fast) drummers. These guys were tight. Every line is followed and every beat is rock solid. There is some datedness in the sound on the recording. The drums are often too far in the background with the bass holding up the rhythm section's weight by being up front. Vocals are well placed and clear regardless of who's singing or providing the oohs and aahs.

It's easy to see how this album will be a fun trip down memory lane for folks into pop-punk and hardcore in their youth. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I remember having tons of fun playing shows with these whack-jobs. If only this could be a DVD). Songs like "Make Up My Mind" and "Missing Nuns" are fun, the type of fun that makes you want to run around and light things on fire...you know, like you did when you were a kid and the punk show didn't start until the sun went down. The title track shows a bit more of the hardcore roots of the band and the scene that spawned them.

The only drawbacks of this album is that (a) there will be no more albums after this and (b) there will be no shows to go to in order to see the songs performed live. Alas...Dr. Dirty Sanchez is in fact a blast from the past. But we should all be thankful, they gave us one last backflip off the amp stacks to enjoy.

Where to get it:

• BandCamp(name your price!!)

RIYL: Seaweed, The Descendents, Snapcase

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

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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