Born thanks to a collaboration between Tooth And Nail and Indie Vision Music, the second installment of the “I’m Your Biggest Fan” compilation gives us 20 songs from some of the best indie bands from the underground movement of the States. The songs on this compilation are almost all unreleased, so, there is only one place where you will be able to find these. Among the tracks that I enjoyed the most ( I could name all of the bands because I really had fun listening to these new bands ) I could name Anberlin, a new band on T&N, and their song “Ready Fuels”: it’s catchy, rocking and I bet this band will go big. Of course hands down to my favorite T&N band Dogwood, their new song “Sanctuary” is amazing and so I bet it is gonna be their new LP “Seismic”. Other bands I will keep an eye on are Slow Coming Day, Too Bad Eugene ( featring ex members of Craig’s Brothers ), two pop punk bands that give the right weigth to the word “melody”, Next In Line, Makeshift3, two melodic hardcore bands who play very well, Name Taken, a new pop punk band that is getting quite famous, Farewell To Fashion and Neutral Agreement , two bands that mix melody and energy all together. I suggest to any fan of indie bands to get to hear this compilation, as it features some of the best tracks from young bands that will be famous tomorrow. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

When I received this CD in the mail I jumped on my chair. After some Epitaph releases I thought this band was not around anymore, went on hiatus or something, as I did not hear from them in such a long time. And now, what’s this? A new album from Total Chaos entitled “Punk Invasion”. Dang! They’re back. Actually this is a re-release from Reject Records, but anyway. In true 1977 punk fashion, this band is able to bring together all of the clichès of The Exploited, GBH, Sex Pistols, 999, Subhumans, Chaos UK, and the likes. And the new album shows this: anthems like “Riot!!!”, “A Punk Killed”, “War In L.A.”, “Hey Freak Sid’s Dead” are the songs that we already heard something like 10,000 times before, but hey, that’s ok to listen to them cuz they’re punks. Important enought to mention is the cover of Twisted Sister “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, I guess the most covered tune of all the time, and the cover of “Sex And Violence” by The Exploited, which give props to this band to have some punk roots. I really do not think I will listen to this album a lot of times: I already own “Patriotic Shock” and “Pledge Of Defiance” and I don’t feel the need to be pissed off,not today. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

Tooth And Nail Records is putting out these days this very interesting collection of bands that cover songs from the 80’s. Interesting because you will see how punk and hardcore bands of today can play the old hits their way. There are 12 tracks on this CD, and it starts with Stretch Arm Strong coverng “Melt With You” by Modern English - their song is obviously hardcore, very personal and different from the original tune. I like it, as much as I enjoy the Ghoti Hook cover of “Walking On Sunshine”: this band is funny and this song is way more fun. Next is MxPx, and they do cover “Take On Me” by A-Ha ( I guess I spelt this wrong): intenste pop punk. Other tracks that I enjoyed a lot are the ones from my favorite Scott Silletta’s band Fanmail: their “Every Breath You Take” cover is brillant: very catchy melodies. I also enjoyed the Huntingtons covering the Ramones’ “I Believe In Miracles”, as well as Flight One Eighty and their ska on “Vacation” by the Go Go’s. I took also time to find out more about 80’s songs thanks to Stavesacre and their cover of “Fascination Street”, originally performed by The Cure. The Cure’s “Love Song” is also covered by Deluxtone Rockets, while other famous artists as Talking Heads are covered by Blenderhead: very talented band that plays “Once In A Lifetime”, very famous stuff. The last bands are Morella’s Forest, and their cover of Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry” is quite original; Furthermore, who cover “She And I” by R.E.M., a song that I personally did not know; and Frodus, whose cover of Devo’s song “Conglomerate International” is very very re-played in a personal way. Well, that’s what we wait from Frodus. All the 12 songs are very enjoyable and the idea of bringing band the hits from the 80’s is very nice, so if you are a fan of cover, you should get this compilation, you will find all from pop punk to rock to emo to hardcore to ska. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

One of the finest and most original band on the Hellcat Records’ roster, Tiger Army, took time to release one EP made of 6 of their old songs ( or anyway old versions ) that they used to play back in 96 and 97. The EP features demo versions of already known songs like “FTW” and “Noctural”, the first featured on “Power Of Moonlite” and the latter on the “Self-titled” album: both demo versions are a bit different from the way we know them on the band’s LP’s, but they still can get the hell-out of rock-a-billy and American Psychobilly sound. If there’s a band today that play this music well, this is Tiger Army. On the EP we can also find the cover of “American Nightmare” originally played by the Misfits: it’s a short song, but it is not your average Misfits cover with Woah’s. The three “new” but “old” songs are “Tempation”, “Jungle Cat” and “Twenty Flight Rock”: these were written by the band sometime ago, as Nick13 himself explains in the booklet of the EP: it might not be as good as their stuff on Hellcat full length albums, but I do believe these songs rock, possibly because written just for the fun and not while planning to release an album. If you are a Tiger Army fan, the “Early Years EP” is what you need to complete your collection of Tiger Army stuff, while if you never heard of this band, I suggest to get “Power Of Moonlite”. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

The fifth album from The OC Supertones is possibly their best record ever. I still remember when I found out about these crazy guys with their amazing hit “Supertones Strike Back”, and now, I would say their new CD is even better. “Hi-Fi Revival” is a collection of 15 songs influenced from so many things that go from ska, to punk rock to reggae and even to hip hop, at least in the way of singing. “Superfly” opens the album and it makes you understand what the record is all about: having fun, but without forgetting to think. “Band New Thing”, “Go Go Go”, “Just A Man”, “Perfect Love” and “Forever” are my favorite tracks, as in any song the band is able to put something original in what they do: horns are always catchy, as well as the guitars and the vocals. Plus, the whole album makes me wanna say “the Supertones and their ska influenced music rock hard”. If there ever was the need to show ska is not dead, with this album we are given proff. Thumbs up! | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

I think that among the breakthrough bands of 2002 we’ll have to put also Desert City Soundtrack, possibly the band to release one of the best debuts on Deep Elm Records. Including ex members of Edaline, this four piece formed by Matt Carrillo, Cory Gray, Mike Casanvo and Caitilin Love, after a trac on “Emo Diaries Vol.6″ put out a guitar driven EP with intense songwriting and six beautiful rock song some one will compare to Black Label Procession: dark and deep atmospheres created by the piano and the slow rock music of this band from Portland are something that not everybody is able to do. “Widow’s Staircase” and “What To Do In Case Of Fire” are examples of how Desert City Soundtrack can mx together both deep and slow elements of dark music created by guitars and a piano with intimistc and not always easy to understand lyrics. The band will release their debut full length album in 2003 ( “Contents of Distraction” is an EP, even tough it is almots as long as a LP), an album that I am already waiting for. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

If Element 101 were labelled a pop punk band, with a very generic way of labelling a band I’d say, after “Stero Girl” and “Future Plans Undecided”, the new album “More than Motion” shows how this band is not pop punk at all. The new album from the band is their more complete I’d dare to say, with rock music mixed very well with pop melodies and some sweet and gentle vocals of singer Crissie Verhagen. The production of Jason Livermore, Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton, of All/Descendents fame, is brillant and stress the melodies and harmonies the band is able to create. Songs like “Stop Breathing”, “Fade Away” and “Love Has No Sound” are all potential singles, that will please the ears of both young kids and thirty years old man, as the music pt out by this band is more than a label, it’s something brillant that has no age. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

The re-release of “Sweatin’ To The Oldies” on 2 DVD is something that I was waiting for. I am a fan of The Vandals, even tough their new album “Internet Datung Super Studs” is not as good as their old stuff. And then, think that this DVD covers mainly the first years of this band. The second is a bonus DVD where any Vandals fan will be able to see some fun things that happened to the band, for example you’ll see Dave singing for Pennywise in Italy, or the band trying to speak Dutch and ending up speaking German to Silverchair fans or again, Joe Escalante interviewing Bjork. But let’s not say too much. Oh the first DVD is the same stuff of the old VHS “Sweatin’ To The Oldies”, so, you’re sure you’ll have fun with this. Just be sure you can have a DVD reader before buying this. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

After the successful double CD “Low Level Owl”, Appleseed Cast are back with a new release, “Lost Songs”, which features the old drummer Dave Ott and Jason Wickersheim on bass, and it was recorded in part in 1999 with Christopher Crisci and in part in 2002. Now, all the songs are anyway new and never released before.The albumin fact cotains 9 tracks, forsomething like half an hour of music and pure experimentation; it is a bit different from the albums release last year, because here Appleseed Cast sound like they have no fear of tryng new elements: piano driven songs, with some quite intimistic lyrics and some slow songs, as “Novice” and “E to W”, do alternate with some more dynamic songs as “Peril Parts 1,2,3″, which is my favorite song and reminds me of The Promise Ring someway. The album ends with the slower “Novice Ambient Cannibalization”, more than a song, it sounds like an “opera”, you know, very complex instrumentation that leaves space only to music: yes, it’s an instrumental song. If you already know the Appleseed Cast, “Lost Songs” is a very good way to know where the band’s sound is developing, while if you never heard of this band before, I suggest to get “Low Level Owl”. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com

This album by Darlington was originally put out in Europe by Stardumb Records, but it’s all thanks to End if you can listen to it in the rest of the Globe. This band brings out 20 tracks of pop punk rock in the vein of The Ramones, The Huntingtones, Screeching Weasel and the likes, a genre that I find funny but not very interesting after 3 times you listen to an album. With Darlington, I get the feeling I like the songs and I want to listen to them, it’s weird, it happened only with Mxpx and Forty Winks ( other End artists ) before. “Disneyland”, “Gisele & Me” and “Melanie” are my favorite tunes, both for the lyrics and the music but also other good stuff comes from “Density”, “Theo”, “Bowling Betty” and “Eternally”. These guys have the ability to making you feel fine, thanks to their introspective lyrics that can easily be understood by any teenager and any grown up with a 12 years old kid mind. On the End Records version you will also be able not only to look at a very good artwork ( it’s-really-good!), but to find some extra goods on enhanced CD and a track with an interview done to Darlington by some Dj I never heard of. It’s interesting. I think any fan of the Ramones should pick Darlington as their new favorite band. | carlo@staff.truepunk.com