Today marks the 8th anniversary of Joe Strummer's death from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect. I'll be playing London Calling tonight, and whatever your favourite song or album by Joe or The Clash, i'd suggest you do the same.
Thanks for the music, Joe. Let it roll!
In other news, since the band are Clash disciples, I am currently drafting (yes, really) my views on 'Chamberlain Waits' by The Menzingers. it will be up tonight or tomorrow, I promise. That should keep the impatient (and non-existent) hordes at bay.
Hey! God, has it really been over a week since I promised to write some stuff that no one will read about albums no one will buy? Yeah, it has been. I've been busy with work and just generally doing other things like making my gameface for FIFA 11 and have been distracted from writing. I've had a bad day at work today, but tomorrow is a day off and I will, absolutely will, write about at least two albums tomorrow. You might have read my tweet (in the box opposite, and HEY, follow me on Twitter @rwalkerdotcom) saying that I'm only going to write long articles on my top 10. I have trouble seeing things through so it's best that I do things this way, but I will write a little on the best of the rest and add links as to where you can hear samples or legally download that stuff. After I've completed my wordy stream-of-consciousness musings, I'll reveal my final standings for 2010's record of the year. That's an exclusive to this blog, you won't read it in your latest copy of Smash Hits magazine. What a scoop!
This is just a quick check in to say that next up in my review fest will be Chamberlain Waits by the Menzingers and The Speakeasy by Smoke or Fire. If you don't own these albums, then I assume that you all know how to use the internet and itunes and what have you. Consider listening to them your homework. See you tomorrow or the next day or the day after that.
Off With Their Heads is weird. There. I said it. Right off the bat. They are the weirdest band. But the thing that makes them weird is also the thing that makes them great. If you were just to read their lyrics without knowing what type of music they played you'd think that they were a miserable, depressing, mopey shoegaze band but couple their lyrics with the devestatingly simple but well crafted punk rock tunes and they take on a completely different dimension and somehow the lyrics aren't so downbeat. They become almost a celebration of the fucked up world we live in and the mundane crap that we have to live with. I've only seen Off With Their Heads live once, but it wasn't a depressing affair at all, it was riotous and fun (and very, very LOUD) and that speaks volumes for their prowess as a band.
And so onto the record. In Desolation is Off With Their Heads second full length proper, following on from 2008's From The Bottom, and a glut of 7 inches released over their 8 year span as a band. It is also their debut for Epitaph, that onetime punk rock powerhouse label that has latterly been releasing all manner of long fringed rubbish. Hopefully, In Desolation will see the label head back to its roots. Lasting just over half an hour, this album is 12 tracks of almost triumphant self-loathing. Kicking off with the anthemic 'Drive', you get the feeling that this album is a bit special. This song captures Off With Their Heads approach brilliantly. Young takes the listener out with him for a ride as he tries to escape his demons and ultimately himself, telling us he'll give over "everything I have if you got the right words to say," before not-so-reassuringly adding "If I can just get away from my shadow I'm in the clear."
Next up is 'Their Own Medicine' which roars out of the gate, looking to settle old scores and pick at scabs, with Young declaring 'I know it's fucked up but I can't forget all of the shit that happened in the past,' and then inviting the listener to join him as he gives his tormentors 'some of their own medicine.' By the time you reach 'Trying To Breathe', you realise that the formula for each new song isn't going to stray too far from the one for the last. Simple, bold as brass power chords played at speed over a solid rhythm section. Young himself has called OWTH's brand of punk "high school music" but there are no 17 year olds singing like this, at least not convincingly believe me. You can feel the frustration through your speakers when Young blasts "I hate every second of the goddamn day, gimme anything you got, I don't care. It's all the same." 'ZZYZX' is perhaps my favourite song on the record and it's the track that gives the album its title with it's catch refrain of 'for reasons, for reasons,' after which Young reiterates his desire to be completely alone, relecting the strains of the constant touring he undergoes with his band. He even goes so far as to say "I'll find myself or you'll find me dead." These deeply confessional lyrics span the length of the album, and, as I said, are alarmingly frank when read away from the music. They serve to create a great contradiction. How exactly can someone write such upliftingly ctachy punk music but at the same time be so miserable? The mirror is turned on the listener with 'Spare Time', as Young asks:
"How do you spend your spare time, what do you do to pass the day? do you focus on the bad times and how you never get your way"
The album closes with two of its strongest songs, 'My Episodes' and 'Clear The Air.' The latter, Young has admitted, is musically inspired by 'Joy' by Against Me! (from the album Searching For A Former Clarity). It is perhaps the most achingly open of all the album's tracks, the sparse arrangement leaving the lyrics bare whereas in other tracks they are surrounded by noise and aggression. 'Clear The Air' sees the band provide an overview for the entire album. It opens almost like a letter, with Young stating "I wanted to tell you, I wanted to share, Some important details that you're unaware of, I want you to listen, I want you to care,I'll choke to death if I don't clear the air." Although the album might seem depressing in its themes Young implores the listener " Don't leave yet, I haven't got to the part that explains at all. Don't leave yet, I need some body there to catch me before I fall," before bookending the song the same way it began.
In Desolation is a fantastic album by a great band. I know I've made it sound like it should be hard work, but it really isn't. It's strangely uplifting and so catchy you'll need a vaccine to stop listening to it. Please don't take the lyrics out of the context of the music too much because that can detract from the overall feel of the album. This album is a must for fans of Dillinger Four and other 'beard punk' bands. Do yourself a favour and check it out. It's one of those that'll stay with you when you need it most.
Against Me! is a band that divides opinion like no other. Whenever an article appears about them on Punknews.org, the comments section is filled with clashing opinions and raised internet voices. (Check out this recent thread of comments reacting to the news that the band had left Sire to see what I mean: http://www.punknews.org/article/40752) See what I mean? It's all so boring now, isn't it? Everyone under the sun has had the same conversation about them. It's not hard to understand why they draw so much attention, affection, devotion, spite and hatred when listening to their back catalogue. Powerful punk rock jams with wordy lyrics that nailed singer/guitarist Tom Gabel's colours firmly to the mast. It's easy to see why he became a standard for people to rally behind and then a figure of fun and ridicule for others. But I'm not here to chat about a well worn topic. It's a long and difficult history and with countless opinions online about Gabel and his band, I won't get drawn into it.
Safe to say, I'm a big fan of Against Me!. I never used to be, but thankfully a couple of my friends showed me the error of my ways and now I would count them as one of my top 3 favourite bands. 2010 saw them release their fifth full length, and second for Sire/Warner, White Crosses. Clocking in at just over 35 minutes in length, White Crosses sees AM! developing the aural themes they started on 2007's excellent New Wave. Opening with the catchy pro-choice title track, the album grabs you from the word go. You can also tell immediately that the production is slicker than on anything that the band has previously released, with many fans complaining that Butch Vig's work had 'ruined' the album but, for me, the production doesn't detract from Gabel's songwriting at all. Yes, it does sound more radio friendly than Reinventing Axl Rose, but you don't get pop songs with lyrics like "7 missiles flying over the sea of japan. Tales of feral children sleeping in wolf dens. And the pious preacher commands. I hold my breath in anticipation. Into the shelter of the jungle noble savages run. Vestal virgins triumph over life long inhibitions. And I wonder, what is real? What is fiction?" as on 'High Pressure Low'. First single 'I Was A Teenage Anarchist' sees Gabel address his past and hit back at those who had accused him of selling out his ideals. The message is clear: Tom Gabel is older, wiser and doesn't need doctrines or movements to tell him who he is anymore. He marches to his own drum beat. The chorus is undeniably catchy, with Vig's soaring production complementing it brilliantly. 'Beacuse of The Shame' found it's origins in New Wave's 'Thrash Unreal', with Gabel speaking directly to a deceased friend who mistakenly thought the song had been penned about her. The chorus is another example of Gabel's skill when penning a lyric and his knack for fitting lines that just shouldn't work into a catchy tune:
"Because of the shame I associate with vulnerability I am numbing myself completely. Can you hear me right now? I watched your mother bury you today, with tears in her eyes. It wasn’t her words that shook me, it was the resemblance you shared."
The pace drops a little as the band head into 'Suffocation', a lament about the modern way of life. Yes, that is a dog toy you can hear in the chorus and the accompanying "Huh!" is one of the most unashamedly playful things you'll ever hear on AM! track. The following song 'We're Breaking Up' seems to deal with a past relationship that Gabel has had with a woman but fans of the band recognised it as a farewell to departed drummer and bearded rhythm machine Warren Oakes. Gabel expresses his regret that things have ended whilst recognising that fault lies with all parties. The final line "I'm not giving up on us" expresses hope at a reconciliation that would see many fans begin growing heroic beards in celebration. Even the girls. Whilst it is a cryptic lyric, it doesn't sound too much like a typical Against Me! song and I feel that the record would have been better served had they replaced this track with 'One By One' or 'Bitter Divisions', both tracks included on the deluxe edition of the release.
'High Pressure Low' is a lyric that jumps from place to place, opening with Andrew Seward's insanely catchy bass riff. Starting off like a weather report, wrapped in cold war anxiety, it is one of the album's stand out cuts. It also contains another classic Against Me! lyric when Gabel lambasts Robert Strange McNamara, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, for his part in the U.S.A's involvement in the Vietnam war, surely the first time McNamara has ever been immortalised in song. Gabel has admitted in interviews that the song's lyric was written in a motel room whilst on tour and deals with whatever was on TV at the time.
'Ache With Me' slows the pace of the reocrd again for another mournful look at the state of the world, with Gabel concluding that he has "no judgement for you. Come on and ache with me." Life is tough, yes, but that's the way it is and ultimately we're in it together. It also contains what might be construed as another thinly veiled dig at the punk scene when Gabel sings "Ideals turn to resentment, open minds close up with cynicism." Next up is the brilliant 'Spanish Moss' with its catchy as fuck backing vocals, and Who-like opening verse. It sees Gabel yearn for simpler times, whilst acknowledging the ultimate irrelevance of anything he has achieved with his music. He seems to be saying that the fact that he is in a reasonably successful and popular rock band does not define him as a person, and he could as easily walk away from it all as carry on.
The album's penultimate track 'Rapid Decompression' is classic AM! Fast, punchy, and filled with reckless abandon, it is another dig at the scores of people who have tried to hold the band back. Gabel spits the lyrics spitefully at a nameless 'you,' tearing them to pieces. The band set stheir stall out, and the track almost acts as a mission statement for Against Me!'s future, the opening line states that Gabel, Seward, Bowman and Rebelo are tired of 'predicting to lose', and they want to take this thing as far as they can, before calling out the listener on any judgements they might make about this: "But before you point your finger, before you cast your stones, take a look at yourself." It's a worthy member in AM!'s cannon and stands up against anything in their back catalogue. Brilliant.
Closing cut 'Bamboo Bones' sees Gabel continuing the album's over riding theme of defiance coupled with regret. Rebelo's beats provide this song with a jerky, schizophrenic feel in places, complenting Gabel's lyrics brilliantly to maintain the theme of inner turmoil they set out. At the end of it all, the band is triumphant, having come through adversity with the conclusion that "What god doesn’t give to you, you’ve got to go and get for yourself."
And so ends White Crosses. Sure, it's not AM!'s strongest release. It's definitely a transitional one, as the band seem keen to tackle their past whilst looking to the future. Musically, they have married the best poppy punk rock of the Replacements to Tom Petty, with a pinch of Springsteen in some tracks. It will be exciting to see where Against Me! head next. Having left Sire, will they cast off the supposed shackles of major label employment and head back into the realms of honest punk rock or will they carry on down the path they have made with their last two releases? Either way, I'll be with them for the ride as will many, many others. After all, if this is, as some will have you believe, Against Me! off form just imagine what they could do if they rediscover what they have supposedly lost. As the boys themselves have told us already, even at their worst, they're better than most.
The Official video for 'I Was A Teenage Anarchist' from the album White Crosses
The Official video for 'Rapid Decompression' from the album White Crosses
Grab Against Me's daytrotter.com session here! Features 'White Crosses' and 'Ache With Me' from White Crosses, as well as covers of Cock Sparrer's 'Because You're Young' and the Dead Kennedys' 'Moon Over Marin'. And best of all, it's completely free and legal!
Only 30 days remain of the year. 2010 has seen 2009 and raised it. 2010 has called 2009 out on it's musical output and is ready to throw down. Yes, yes, YES! It's the time of year where music geeks like me (and you Flynny, yes!) get excited because we get to put all our favourite music from the year into a list and argue about what was the best album, song, cover etc etc ad nauseum. It's already started, months ago probably, on countless forums, twitter feeds and facebook status updates. I'm going to wade in with my thoughts on this weighty matter and, in the run up to (and probably beyond) the dawn of the new year, I'm going to write a piece on each album that has made my own personal shortlist, in no particular order. Once I accomlish this noble, lengthy and utterly pointless task, I will reveal the standings for best record of the year 2010.
So here's the not-so-shortlist (in alphabetical order as the appear on my iTunes library):
"We Live On Cliffs" by Adam Haworth Stephens
"White Crosses" by Against Me!
"This Addiction" by Alkaline Trio
"The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire
"Volatile Molatov" by The Arrivals
"The Dissent of Man" by Bad Religion
"Brothers" by The Black Keys
"I Was Trying To Describe You To Someone" by Crime In Stereo
"Real Ghosts Caught On Tape" by Fake Problems
"Cavalcade" by The Flatliners
"The Chaos" by The Futureheads
"American Slang" by The Gaslight Anthem
"Heaven is Whenever" by The Hold Steady
"Not Like This" by Iron Chic
"Notes" by The Measure [SA]
"Chamberlain Waits" by The Menzingers
"Good Morning, Magpie" by Murder By Death
"High Violet" by The National
"Icons" by None More Black
"In Desolation" by Off With Their Heads
"Rebellion" by The Riot Before
"LP" by RVIVR
"The Speakeasy" by Smoke or Fire
"We Chase The Waves" by Sundowner
"The Monitor" by Titus Andronicus
"Manimals" by VRGNS
I think I'll probably start with Against Me! Look out, stomach, here it comes!
Starting with a report of Hull City's trip to Millwall, a look at City's new boys James Harper, Nobby Solano and Robert Koren, as well as a few other bits.
