Afraid to.

Panic! At the Disco - Mona Lisa (Single)

As a jaded twenty-something when Panic launched their career in the mid 00’s, I was completely against their sound and that of their peers Fall Out Boy. “Super sleek, over wordy and devoid of substance (sonic or otherwise)”. That was until I heard they’re 2009 opus “Pretty Odd” with an intoxicating blend of pitch perfect production and a “Sgt. Peppers” feel and aesthetic which blended 50 years of pop/rock and baroque elements into something completely fresh and way beyond the years of its players. I went back and revisited the early album to find that I could get behind what the band did a little more, knowing what they were capable.

It is that knowledge that splits my opinion on the first follow up single to that project. “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” is a driving straight ahead power pop song, immediately catchy and lyrically quite sharp and witty. But it is just a little too ordinary. It is a little difficult to not see this as a bit of a step backwards for a band that can produce some seriously sublime sonic treats.

Part of this may be the fact that they’ve lost a member and key song writer in the interim between the two projects, or it could have to do with sales. The last album didn’t exactly appeal to the same teenage demographic as the first. And, fearing a loss of relevance, they could have gone back to something a little simpler. But I don’t want to be too quick to judge. I do like the song, and there is an album coming soon. I’m hoping to see flashes of that brilliance again.

7 notes

The Get Up Kids - These Are Rules

Back after quite a long break, the Get Up Kids actually released an E.P. last year to test the waters, to see if there was still a market for a band who, at the end of their last run, had become something of a punchline. At the forefront of the indie/emo movement of the late nineties, the GUKs went from stripped down, emotional and confessional to being a bit of a parody of themselves. Not growing with their fanbase the way contemporaries like Jimmy Eat World had.

On the new record one thing is clear from the gate; The GUKs are here to say “We are no longer your little sisters favorite band”. The sound is hungrier, the delivery is definitely more fierce. The question is, does it work?

Well, for my tastes it doesn’t completely fail. There is a lot to like here. Some great melodies and vocal lines and some blistering guitar lines. Some songs even hint at some faux electro pop and funk. A big mark against them here is the production. It almost seems like self sabotage some of the time. Songs will start with the promise of a great melody, and while it’s there it seems buried under layers of ear splitting treble-heavy noise. If you can get past that, you’ll find some buried treasures in the white noise.

I have to compliment the fuzzy bass work on tracks like “Pararelevant”, as well the blunt chunk of “Better Lie”. The opener is a blistering one as well, boldly proclaiming “We’ve gotten over it! Sadness is for chumps!”

I’ll be interested in seeing if they stick around this time.

6 notes

Social Distortion - Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes

Mike Ness, here is a guy who finds new energy in his craft every time out. The So Cal punk rock veterans have been at this for about 30 years now. This is a band whose career has seen many high points and one seriously embarassing one in 1996’s White Light, White Heat, White Trash (which was my introduction to the band and I’ll admit is still my nostalgic favorite).

Well the punk rock heroes are back with an album that actually blows me away with how fresh, invigorated and passionate it sounds. Starting with a great straightforward fastburner with “Road Zombie” which is followed up by “California (Hustle and Flow)” a prefect example of how they’ve been able to blend the punk and the honky tonk, even featuring a great backing vocal from some gospel singers. From there things get even more “Social D” as Ness goes full bore doing what he does best telling stories about his down and out characters backed by some great production and just a bucketful of surprisingly timeless melodies.

I’ll be spinning this on repeat all year long, there are some great driving songs on here. Check it out if you like great guitar solo’s and driving guitar rock.

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Cake - Showroom of Compassion

Cake was a huge band for me when I was in High School. I remember I was a complete fiend for all things dark and foreboding. Metal was what I went for. Though I had a fairly broad background for loving all genres of music, it was metal that I gravitated toward in those awkward developmental years. As such, I started to develop an attitude of “if it doesn’t melt faces, I don’t want to hear it”.

That is, until I heard “Never There” the second single from Prolonging the Magic. It was the thickest, funkiest and most crisp piece of music I’d ever heard. I was hooked. I dove into their catalogue and gained an appreciation for tongue in cheek humor, alt country and white boy funk. Those three things have been a mainstay for the band who have been in a bit of a funk since the sudden spotlight they enjoyed with “Comfort Eagle”.

This album is a bit of a return to form for the guys. In my mind it was an instant classic for me as a fan of the band. They do a lot here that they’ve already done. The relentless funk of “Long Time” and the sizzling chunk of the albums instrumental “Teen Pregnancy” as well as just about everything else on the record are delivered with that idiosyncratic sound Cake are known for.

As opposed to the tired and bored feel of 2004’s “Pressure Chief” this record sees the band free of the pressure and scrutiny of the public eye and just creating music that is cool, clever and groovy the way we all knew they could. It probably won’t win over detractors of the group, but it will please long time followers and, if it happens to be your introduction to the former college radio heroes, you could do much worse.

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…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Tao of the Dead

There are great headphone albums made all of the time. Although the bulk of them stem from the hip/trip hop community and various atmospheric electronic acts, one of my favorite kind are layered, long play progressive acts. Trail of the Dead have attempted a few times to make one of these great soaring albums, and to me, have never really succeeded. That is, until now.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this band. Their blend of melody and cinematic soundscape has always pulled me in. On certain albums more than others. But here, on their seventh studio record, they have finally put all of their parts together into a whole that is truly unique and representative of the strengths of all of the band members.

Tao of the dead is a monolith. Songs are packed with lush sweeping melodies and soaring thematic heights. Progressive in a very old school sense, things are kept interesting with new ideas being introduced seemingly every minute. Most of the songs on the album are of a fairly short length mixing together just about every genre of rock you can think of leading up to the last two songs which are long and winding cumulative final exams, blending together all the ideas brought forth in the body of the record to hit new heights for the genre as well as the band.

Trail of Dead have long been a band who plays music on it’s own terms. Something I can truly appreciate. They are unique because they don’t follow trends. This integrity is a rare occurrence and should be rewarded.