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BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About LOTD
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Various
Artists: Winter 2003 Sampler This 2003 Winter Sampler put out by Missing Words Records and To Define Records is very, very long (22 tracks!) So, what youre going to get is a very short review of each track in a list format. Sound okay? Great, let's get started. 1. THE SHAPE "Summer Nights, Cape Cod" Ahhh, the Shape. They start this CD off right. They have a very Hey Mercedes sound going on: poppy, but the kind of pop that has integrity. Lyrics about driving, life, cigarettes it's got it all. Their drummer is excellent, hitting mathy turns on a dime, and making 4/4 feel like a real thrill ride. A really good song from a really good band. 2. THE RETURN "Aberdeen" The jury is still out on this song. It has a very Spanish feel, or maybe ska minus the horns. As if Enrique Iglesias joined an indie rock band. No new ground is really covered here, although I think the song could hold it's own in a dance environment. I could see the ladies gettin' down every time the chorus comes in. 3. THE INVOCATION "Last Call" *cough*Saves The Day*cough* This song sounds pretty generic as far as Emo/Indie goes. The band is certainly competent musically, but come on guys, try something new. 4. HYMN FOR HER "Move On" *cough*Alkaline Trio*cough* This sounds almost exactly like an Alkaline Trio song in the beginning, and then it slips into very generic pop punk. Singing about relationships and being the guy that gets the girl. Again, just something that doesn't really explore. 5. HOORAY! FOR EVERYTHING "This is My Last" This fits in with the previous two tracks, except it's a little more "raw" sounding, which gives it a little more character. This is a pretty rockin' track, except for the lyrical cliches. The singer has a unique voice, and I think it helps set them apart. Not bad at all. 6. POLLYESTHER "Hester Prynne" Do I remember correctly? Is Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter? I guess the song is written about her? I don't know, but either way, it just sounds like any generic pop punk band. I don't really have anything positive to say about this song. Cliche lyrics, boring guitar parts, generic voice. Copy... paste. 7. 19th HOLE "Right Stuff" I hate when ska or punk bands record covers. Really, it bugs me. Let it suffice to say, this is The Right Stuff, with horns and ska-style guitar riffs. 8. STANDSTILL "Pistols at Dawn" I like this song. The lyrics are clever (the beginning is Simpsons-related). Overall it's very upbeat, and easy to listen to. Still a little generic, but how can you dislike something so fun/clever? For your reading pleasure, here are my favorite lyrics from this song: "Hey Moe, this is I.P. Freely, What the word yo what the dealie? I hear those rotten Simpson kids are fouling my good name. I demand satisfaction, disciplinary action, for such a grave infraction I choose pistols at dawn" Good job boys. 9. THE SHAPE "I'll Hang Myself With the Good Towels" This is the high point of the CD. Very cool opening riff. Great lyrics, very catchy, while maintaining integrity. These guys are going places. Again, very Hey Mercedes/Braid/Mock Orange sounding, but still pretty original. 10. THE RETURN "Without Water" The intro to this song sounds like something Linkin Park would do. The "quivering" voice really kills me. If you've ever heard of the band Hello Goodbye... they're very similar. This song is leaps and bounds better than their earlier track, with a few clever lyrics here and there. Again, very catchy, but the voice was tough to listen to. 11. THE INVOCATION "American Hearts" Isn't this a Piebald song title? The intro has the lead vocalist singing with some "lo-fi" effect on his voice (You know, like a good percentage of pop punk bands?) I really don't mean to sound so harsh on these guys. They're good at what they do, I've just heard it a zillion times before. I feel like I could review these songs by saying: Pop Punk. And leave it at that. 12. HYMN FOR HER "Blue Days" "I'm still holding on to you girl". That coupled with the earlier description, and I'm sure you can guess what these guys sound like. This song isn't pulled off as well as the bands first track. It ends up being pretty flat and not very energetic at all. 13. HOORAY! FOR EVERYTHING "It's Always Raning" This song is better than this bands first track. It's a lot more upbeat and catchy. The lyrics are still pretty high school, but the recording quality (while not as good as most of the other tracks on this CD) really gives it character. 14. POLLYESTHER "Ballad" When this song starts off, its just an acoustic guitar and drums. I got my hopes up, but then, in true pop punk fashion, the guitars (which I will take a guess and say the guitars are les Pauls and the amps are Marshall JCM 900s) came crashing in. I hate when people say things like "When I'm with you" and "I love you" in songs; it just makes my flesh crawl. 15. 19th HOLE "Bond" Wow. This song kicks ass. Very surfy instrumental song, complete with horns. Sounds like it belongs in a 70s gangster flick. The sax solo is phenomenal. By the song's end, it sounds a lot like a ska song that forgot to include vocals. Normally I don't like ska, but this is really damn cool. I bet most kids listen to this CD and when it gets to this, they think "man, this isn't pop punk, what the hell is it doing on here?" Whoever decided to put this song on this CD: Thank you. 16. STANDSTILL "The Game" Well, now that the horns have exited, the pop punk rockers return. I will say, however, that I really like the lead singer's voice. It sounds a lot like the guy from Neutral Milk Hotel meets Billy Corgan. The lyrics aren't so great though. And the generic pop punk harmonies sort of detract from it. 17. MAYFIELD "The Feeling's Gone" What? The name of a month in a band name on this CD? (Sure it's disguised as MAYfield, but I saw it from a mile away.) No offense, but I knew what this track would sound like before listening to it. And, well, I was right. I bet these guys love New Found Glory. 18. IN SEPTEMBER (Kyle Peterson) "0 and 1" I hate it when bands leave mess-ups in a track. Where they start off, mess up, and laugh, and then really go into the song? It's cool the first time, but once you hear it a few times, it's irritating. Anyways, this guy sounds exactly like Dashboard Confessional. Singing about cars, coffee, looking into eyes all belted out over top of an acoustic guitar. This seriously sounds exactly like a Dashboard B-side. The performance is great, and I'll give him that (minus that mess-up at the beginning). By the way, name of a month as a band name on this CD? Wow, deja vu. 19. THE INDECISIVES "Stand Up to Fall Down" This song starts out ok sort of like a ska ballad. But once the distorted guitars come in well, I've heard this before, and so have you. I promise. 20. THE 500 HATS "Suicide Machines Song" It takes a good 41 seconds to get into this song. This is what could be called slightly polished off punk rock. Could be anthemy, but it's hard to make out lyrics. It's not that bad, but when the cowbell comes in, I've heard enough. 21. BASIC STRUDLE STUFF "Split Shift" This song is tough to listen to. The guitar sounds sort of frustrate me for some reason, and the lyrics are very trite. The vocals are decent, but the backup vocals sound really annoying. And once they sing the following line in harmony: "Heading off to work right now, already an hour late, It's gonna suck, but you're still coming everyday", I can't take it anymore. Come on man, find a subject that's a little more intriguing. 22. THE 500 HATS "Sabre Death" I had high hopes for this song, since I wanted the CD to end on a good note. It sounds like Reel Big Fish with a sloppy bass player. The lyrics are really awful. I mean, really awful. This ends the CD on a very bad note: "Saturday night, you were looking at the stars... Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Kiss my ass cause I hate you, So sweet till the end, All I can say is caca poopoo on you" If that's all you can say, please just don't say it at all. This is the worst song on this CD. RECAP: Okay, so... pop punk is what's popular now, so I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. But sheesh. be somewhat original. My hat goes off to The Shape and 19th Hole for making this CD at least worth keeping. No offense to everyone else, since my opinion doesn't mean anything. I'm sure you're all pretty successful, or cool dudes, or whatever. Pop Punk just really doesn't get me all fired up about independent music.
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