“Cover Your Tracks” is the best example of how new school Deep Elm meets old school Deep Elm in an unique collection of songs. This is in fact a compilation where the new bands on this indie label cover songs of the older bands, always on Deep Elm.
The album starts with indie rockers Desert City Soundtrack covering “Marigold And Patchwork” by The Appleseed Cast: they do a nice great job.
The best stuff comes from Small Arm Dealer covering “TOday I Discovered The World” by Cross My Heart, reinventing the song in a more punk rock way; Clair De Lune covering “Angel On Hiatus” by Benton Falls, where the superb guitars fall in love with melodic harmonies.
Free Diamons cover “Go Teens” by Muckafurgason and Slowride cover “Fishing The Sky” by The Appleseed Cast: both bands show how it’s great and innovative to completely change the original songs. And so do Settlefish, who cover “Will The Violings Be Playing?”, by Last Days Of April and Burns Out Bright, who cover “This Guy’s Ready For Bed” by Pop Unknown. The album also features the unreleased track “Noone KNows What We’ve Got” by Sounds Like Violence, which, I remind you, the most exciting rock and roll band around today.
The twelve song disc is a must-have for any fan of the Deep Elm cult. Buy your copy at the link below.
Tracklist 01. Desert City Soundtrack performs “Marigold & Patchwork” by Appleseed Cast 02. Small Arms Dealer performs “Today I Discovered The World” by Cross My Heart 03. Clair De Lune performs “Angel On Hiatus” by Benton Falls 04. Fightstar performs “The Days I Recall Being Wonderful” by Last Days Of April 05. Lock And Key performs “Blindspot” by Brandtson 06. Eleven Minutes Away performs “Hollowed-Out” by Camber 07. Free Diamonds performs “Go Teens” by Muckafurgason 08. Surrounded performs “Coming From The Cold” by Starmarket 09. Slowride (Dan Phillips) performs “Fishing The Sky” by Appleseed Cast 10. Burns Out Bright performs “This Guy’s Ready For Bed” by Pop Unknown 11. Settlefish performs “Will The Violins Be Playing?” by Last Days Of April 12. Sounds Like Violence “Noone Knows What We’ve Got” 13. Nathaniel Sutton “Deep Elm Is A Friend Of Mine”
In a time where music is more downloaded than sold, major labels try to steal those few bucks to fan by reissuing older albums, or even recent ones. I am quite pissed when I see record labels reissuing a CD after six months it came out, with a couple of shitty sounding demos and so called “rare” songs, or a bonus DVD filled with empty content.
Now, Sony BMG is doing a similar thing in Germany, reissuing a 14 years old album. I must say, this is something I can understand: Bad Religion are so hyped, they have a brand new disc coming out, and by reissuing this CD, I am quite sure Sony BMG is trying to make some extra cash by changing cover artwork to an old CD. It’s ok, I am a fan and bought this. It was also sold at a fair price and I am a serious Bad Religion nerd, even tough not the kind that spends 100 dollars on eBay to get the first press of “Into The Unknown” on vinyl.
Now, to the serious things, “The Gray Race” was a real great melodic punk album, and even tough Brett Gurewitz said this is what he consider the worst Bad Religion album ever, I think this is still a solid release. It was first released in 1996, when Bad Religion were huge in Europe and toured with the Sex Pistols. Gurewitz was out of the band to take care of the cash that entered thanks to The Offspring, Rancid and NOFX, and Bad Religion was on the dirty European roads supporting this album: MTV, especially in Germany, but also in Italy, France and Spain, gave great space to the videos of “Punk Rock Songs” and “A Walk”, and I even remember when Greg Graffin and Jay Bentely sat down for an interview with an MTV vj during a summer festival. It was a nice time for punk rock.
The album has some ups and downs, but only on a first listen, becase you get the hella catchy choruses of “Punk Rock Songs”, “Drunk Sincerity” and “Pity The Dead” and think this is a pop disc and the rest is garbage. But it has some great anthems like “Them And Us”, “Parallel” and “Cease”, which might be unknown Bad Religion songs, but still so good.
I am not suggesting to pick this album up, on the contrary, if you do own the first press do not waste money on this like I did (it has the same songs, no bonus tracks, and not even remastered stuff), but if you were born in the late 80’s or first 90’s, and want to feel the spirit of punk music in those years, this is a great release to know what was going on.
Tracklist 1. The Gray Race 2. Them And Us 3. A Walk 4. Parallel 5. Punk Rock Song 6. Empty Causes 7. Nobody Listens 8. Pity The Dead 9. Spirit Shrine 10. The Streets Of America 11. Ten In 2010 12. Victory 13. Drunk Sincerity 14. Come Join Us 15. Cease 16. Punk Rock Song - German Language Version
Sound The Alarm is a really young band coming from PA, and after a well acclaimed EP, they are releasing their debut album on June 12. “Stay Inside” was produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, All American Rejects, Relient K) and is a collection of twelve pop rocking song that are so catchy they hurt.
The band - made of young teenagers in the best years of their lives - plays insanely addicting pop anthems with chrouses that are so melodic they stuck in my ears for weeks after I heard the whole album. The choruses, especially, are something unique, making you feel like you are under the stage singing along with your fingers pointed to the sky: “Picture Perfect”, “If I Told You”, and “Closer” have got the perfect mix of melody and fury, with hints of keys and harmonic strings, like a cross between the older New Found Glory and Blink 182, but better.
“Stay Inside” is a strong, solid album that comes with not even one bad song or a filler, since all of the tunes on this record sound like hit singles.
Tracklist 1. Closer 2. Picture Perfect 3. Suffocating 4. Stay Inside 5. Until We Collide 6. Fact Or Fiction 7. Telling Lies 8. If I Told You 9. Count On Me 10. Something New 11. Blame It All On Me 12. Fight For
Limbeck needs no introduction. They have been around for some years now and their indie rock music is well know. But on the new self titled disc, they get more experimental than ever, yet more catchy than on the previous albums.
The new tunes sound clearer, with a more country-alternative beat that reminds me of Lucero at times and of Against Me! at some other points, of course with more sunny melodies and less screaming fists. Songs like the hit single “Big Drag” and the soft “Bird Problems” remind me of The Format, with very intense guitar rhythms and soft vocals that are quite unique and genuine after all.
If you like American indie pop , this Orange County band will make your days.
If you’re ever going to ask me which is my favorite band for this part of 2007, my answer would be Weatherbox. Why? Because I never heard of these guys, but when I popped their new Doghouse Records CD in my stereo, I jumped on my chair. Who the hell are these guys, where do they come from and how the heck can they sound so loud?
Yes, their music is explosive, a real music bomb in your ears, and if you listen carefully, you will hear how they get influences from old school indie rock band, as well as from “new” emo wave. Take the best parts of The Get Up Kids and throw them together with Say Anything’s Max Bemis unique vocals, add more rock and rolling guitar riffs, a furious singer with screaming lines, and you will get Weatherbox.
“American Art” is an album where there is no space to relax: the rhythms are seriously fast, and songs like “Aroms Smash”, “The Drugs” and “I Worship Raw Beats” will get you in the right mood to start to dance.
This disc is pure madness, and if you want to discover now, do it: either way, wait a couple of years and let your friends tell you that some major label has just reissued a old record by the coolest indie band around. Oh wait, that already happened with Say Anything. Tracklist
Army Of Me is a brand new indie rock pop band to come out on the ever growing Doghouse Records, which has become home of young and talented, yet still indie, bands: think of The All American Rejects and Say Anything, but even The Get Up Kids or Hot Water Music, to check out some older bands.
After releasing one full length and two EP’s, Army Of Me delivers “Citizen”, a fresh, young and harmonic new album where you can truly feel the spirit of independent music, where pop melodies come together with rock and rolling guitars, where the whispers meet the loud and noisy riffs. On such anthems as “Better Run”, “Walk On” and “Meet You at the Mouth”, you can hear how this four piece can deliver explosive rhythms fused with soft pop and catchy melodies. Get this if you want to hear some sunny songs.
Tracklist 1 Perfect 2 Going Through Changes 3 Rise 4 Meet You At The Mouth 5 Still Believe In You 6 Thinking It Over 7 Better Run 8 How Long 9 Walking On 10 2 Into 1 11 Saved Your Life 12 Back To Business
“Punk Goes Acoustic 2″ is the brand new installment from the “Punk Goes” series, on Fearless Records. The new compilation features fourteen of the most important bands around today in the pop-punk-emo music world, and on this comp they cover their own songs, but only with acoustic guitars and a little drums.
The album starts with Jack’s Mannequin, The Audition and +44, three nice bands that do their job quite well, but I think the original versions were a little more interesting. The best stuff on this album comes from such bands as Say Anything, who cover “Woe” in an unique way, with Max Bamis playing his acoustic guitar at best; Relient K do a great job on “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been”, even tough I think I already heard this song some year ago; Sherwood cover “The Only Song” off their new album “A Different Light” and this is awesome, the best song on the CD, with soft acoustic melodies that create catchy harmonies. Set Your Goals, a melodic hardcore band, plays “Echos”, the last song off their disc “Mutiny!” and I must say they close the album in a very great way.
This disc is a superb example of how new bands can play catchy stuff only with one guitar.
Tracklist 1 Jack’s Mannequin -Bruised 2 Audition -Don’t Be So Hard 3 +44 -Baby Come On 4 Daphne Loves Derby -Sun 5 Say Anything -Woe 6 Alesana -Apology 7 All Time Low -Jasey Rae 8 Silverstein -Red Light Pledge 9 All-American Rejects -Night Drive 10 Mayday Parade -Three Cheers For Five Years 11 Spill Canvas -Staplegunned 12 Relient K -Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been 13 Anti-Flag -Welcome To 1984 14 Sherwood -The Only Song 15 Set Your Goals -Echoes
Be dangerous on rock guitar is a profuse 4 track release by this up and coming band The Jennifer echo.With the combination of powerpop and punk rock this bands able to create a sound that is mature and unusually catchy.
Finish what you start is a rhythmical and stunning release.Many of the songs come off as very sentimental and personal with the band members expertise showing in their musical abilities.This is a short 5 song release but it should prepare anyone into indie or alternative music to prepare for what this band for future releases and live shows.
The moment is the latest release by Framing Hanley.The moment brings together a great balance of elegant lyrics and melodic and emotional /instrumental abilities.
The quality of this CD is stunning, which only brings out the overly emotional and point of fact lyrics.Framing Hanley is so far the bestalbum I have heard coming out of Silent Majority group.I think this band will really impress anyone who is into Indie / alternative music.
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