Skate punk might not be as big as it was in the 90s but
fast paced, melodic and slightly tongue-in-cheek punk rock isn't
dead. One example is the hugely fun Krang from Czech Republic, named after the pink brain-like alien from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While the artwork to Singalong does include said baddie, this new album has a more general 80s/90s' pop culture theme compared to it's predecessor Baddest Brain, with titles like IDDQD (a cheat code for the original DOOM game), Kick Ass or Chew Bubblegum (They Live quote) and I Ain't Got No Time To Bleed (Predator quote).
Like before, the tracks on here are pretty short, fast and bouncy with vibes akin to Satanic Surfers,Millencolin and even Sum 41's more melodic side only with slightly more..er..European sounding vocals. Although I've heard stronger accents on records before, you can't help but notice it, especially when mixed with the odd grammatical error. This isn't an entirely bad thing, though - at least they're not pretending and it makes them distinguishable.
Besides the movie quotes and retro references, the odd songtackles slightly more relatable subjects. King of a Dancefloor, for instance, is an anthem against violent dancing at punk and hardcore shows. Personally, I don't think hardcore dancing is something to be complaining about so strongly but it's clearly an important enough problem for the band...and I respect them wanting to get that message across. Ironically, the song is pretty kick-ass and might make you want to break things!
Other songs of importance include the short and anthemic No Fun In Fundamentatlism (where the Sum 41 vibes are most prominent), the fun and catchy Indian Jones Hates Nazis and Snakes and the band's impressive twist on The Beatles' classic Help! which still keeps the song's original essence while also being faster, harder and generally...more punk! I had the privilege to see Krang live in Tel Aviv last year. I meant to write about it but..yeh..never got around to it.. Anyway, as fun as they are on record, they are definitely a band to be experienced live for all their energy and on stage antics. Singalong in particular is just missing a little bit of that magic but is still an album worth checking out, especially if you're not into most modern day "pop punk".
It has been a while since I've written about Tel Aviv based alternative/rock trio, The Driers. Their 2015 EP, See You In Never, impressed me with its blend of punchy rhythms and beautiful harmonies (read my review here). Their long awaited debut album, Sad Party, provides very similar vibes. Like on the EP, Sad Party flirts with the likes of disco-tinged indie, alternative rock and even proto-punk; sometimes within the same song. Although all 10 songs on here are toe-tappers, there's still a bit of diversity among them. Songs like The Slides and Day One use interesting rhythm patterns provided by (previous) drummer Ben which'll get some hips a-shaking, while album opener Delayed, Fifty and Heartworms deliver faster and harder hitting punk rock beats which could have easily caused mass pogoing at mud-drenched music festivals in the 90's. The Invisible Girl also has a 90's feel but far more laid back, reminiscent of the Ash classic Oh Yeh! (the verses actually feel quite similar.) Squeeze, a personal highlight from the album, teases you into thinking it's a sweet indie-pop song before erupting into an almost Weezer-meets-Violent Soho style chorus which conjures up images of long-haired teens jamming out their angst in someone's garage. The album's title track has one of the most infectious choruses which makes perfect use of guitarist Ronnie and bassist Tomer's breath-taking male-female vocal harmonies (similar to Band Of Skulls or Belle and Sebastian), a trait prominent throughout the band's work. Although other bands do come to mind at times, The Driers are doing something very special; they manage to have one foot in the British indie scene of the last decade and the other somewhere in California in the 90's. While some Israeli bands who sing in English can come off sounding either too Israeli or like a poor imitation of their influences, The Driers sound totally natural, including some interesting and thought-provoking lyrics (e.g. The flight to my brain got delayed, And when it landed, it was too late..) Although the mix of the drums, in particular, could do with being a lot cleaner on occasion, Sad Party still shows that the band has the potential for success abroad. Anyone who is a lover of beautiful harmonies, up-tempo beats and the odd dose of straight up rock thrown in will not be able to resist cracking a smile while listening. 4/5
Things have been a bit quiet for Israel's biggest punk band, Useless ID, in recent years. All for good reason, though. Not only has vocalist and bassist Yotam Ben Horin been busy holding his own, doing solo acoustic tours and releasing another solo album, California Sounds, but the band has been in Colorado working on their 8th studio album, State Is Burning.
Before the album's official release, the band put out the We Don't Want The Airwaves EP on the famous punk label Fat Wreck Chords.
We Don't Want The Airwaves
The EP's title track is a Ramones' tribute anthem that bounces along in sweet punk rock fashion, speaking of how great the Ramones were and also singing praise to friend and fellow musician Brandon Carlisle of Teenage Bottlerocket who died late 2015. It's a little different to what the band are known for, as it really takes a more Teenage Bottlerocket rock n roll punk influence, even including a key change! The rest of the EP is 2 tracks that don't feature on the album and an acoustic version of the album's title track. Right Wing Fascist Killing Spree is an acoustic anthem for peace which only an Israeli could write, as it touches upon conscription and not wanting to be involved in the war. Although lyrically similar to classic track State Of Fear, it is done in pure protest song fashion, with the angry acoustic guitar giving the song more meaning. Tension is a song I recognise from Yotam's acoustic shows. Here, the whole band have come together to give the once soothing song more of a kick, making it a melodic punk song which could have easily been on previous album, Symptoms. The acoustic version of State Is Burning which finishes off the EP is something else I remember from solo shows. Its chorus is memorable and poignant and, much like Right Wing Fascist Killing Spree, is made ever the more intense being just guitar and raw vocals. 4/5
As well as including We Don't Want The Airwaves and a full version of State Is Burning, which takes on a more aggressive Living End meets Anti-Flag sound, this year's most talked about album (in the Israeli punk scene, at least) is full of perfectly written songs, some even exploring areas of punk that the band haven't really done before. Fans were already treated to the album's minute long opening track, Land Of Idiocracy, prior to release. Starting with an "Aaaaah", it's fast, it's frustrated and it's politically charged. Basically, it's pure punk! Although Useless ID have done fast songs in the past, this leans more towards the stylings of Bad Religion, 7 Seconds and Pennywise with a hint of street punk, as opposed to their usual style. This is certainly a great kickstart to the album. This faster, more hardcore sound is not a one off on this album. Following track Stopwatch, 45 Seconds and Without A Choice are the other more hardcore tracks on this record. Stopwatch could almost be an Ignite song, with its bouncy opening bassline leading up to high speed drums and powerful vocals. Both 45 Seconds and Without A Choice are short blasts of 7 Seconds style hardcore that run right by you but are so good you could have them on repeat. Without A Choice is a pro-vegan, animal rights song which you'd really only notice when reading the lyrics. It's melody is just so enticing that it becomes the focus more than the sentiment. Sometimes it's good to have to search for the meaning. Genetic, Lonely Man and Detune are still pretty fast but more melodic and pop punk. Genetic could nearly be a Not On Tour song, although the guitar solo is of a higher, more impressive standard. Lonely Man is almost quintessentially Useless and Detune has a Say It Ain't So-like slow beginning which then zooms into some fast melodic pop punk paired with lyrics about the band's real feelings towards war and society. All the faster songs aside, there are those like Borrowed Time and How To Dismantle An Atom Bomb which might have hints of heavier punk roots in the verses but the choruses are pure Useless. Borrowed Time is especially infectious, having been in my head ever since I heard it. ..Atom Bomb has an anthemic hook of "We are, we are.." which sounds a little bit dated but probably won't stop anyone from singing along. Creation, Novice and final track, Closer To The Edge, would all sit perfectly on previous albums like Lost Broken Bones or Symptoms. I can't help but find similarities within some of the choruses, such as Yotam touching upon Dave Grohl-like vocals a la The Pretender on Creation and Novice resembling Man Eater (Hal & Oates). That might just be me. Night Shift is the only other track on here like We Don't Want The Airwaves, with a more simplistic punk rock rhythm and Ramones style guitar parts. This makes it one of the highlights, along with Without A Choice, Stopwatch and Borrowed Time.
In a lot of places on the record, Yotam's voice sounds much harsher than before and sometimes even unrecognisable. It could have come with practice or naturally due to being older, wiser and more pissed off with the world. Either way, it does sound good but unfortunately lends itself to resemblances to other bands and singers. Musically, guitarists Ishay and Guy, drummer Gideon and Yotam (bass) are all on point. There are no standout riffs or drum parts, as such, besides the aforementioned solo on Genetic and the Stopwatch bassline. However, there is no song that makes you want to skip forward. Most of the lyrical content sticks to what the band knows best; life in a war-torn country and having to grow up too fast. For fans of the more mainstream Useless ID sound, there might be a few tracks here which go over their heads but for those who have always loved their skater punk side, they have delivered and then some! 4/5
As already mentioned when I posted one of their songs, it's always nice to discover a local band purely by accident. Especially in this very small punk, I was surprised to discover a band I hadn't even stumbled across before. Skid 24's first EP, Home and Away, consists of 4 tracks of pure early 2000s pop punk rock. If you think of bands like Blink 182 and The Offspring, then you're close to what this Israeli punk 4 piece do. Opening track, Stop The Planet, has quite a The Kids Aren't Alright (The Offspring) sound to it musically, but the vibe changes when vocalist, Leo, begins. His vocals are very much more in the vein of Blink 182 and New Found Glory but due to his strong accent, some words come out sounding strange. Despite that, the song itself is catchy with a fairly serious tone. The rest of the EP has a more Blink feel over all. Actually, it's not just a feel but even sound like total replicas. The EP's title track is pretty identical to Rock Show and closing song, Swings, is reminiscent of more poignant numbers like Stay Together For The Kids and Adam's Song. It even verges on the Angel and Airwaves use of the "disco" beat, which makes the chorus easy to dance to. Rock City is possibly the most anthemic. With fast delivery, the song's chorus will be stuck in your head for a while, as will the song's main riff.
In short, the obvious similarities and strong accent aside, this is personally quite enjoyable punk rock with added nostalgic value. The production quality is of high standard for such an unknown band and the songs are generally quite memorable. The vocals even grow on you after a while. I now sort of see it the same way I see Japanese punk; the accent acts as another instrument and just makes the whole thing sound more interesting.
Skid 24 might not be exploring any new ground as such, but they're playing what they like and doing it to a good standard, which has to be respected. For anyone interested in downloading the EP FOR FREE, there are special codes to use via the band's bandcamp. The band has kindly given me a few to allocate as I wish. Go to http://skid24.bandcamp.com/yum and use any of these codes: r2kk-3g37
uxmr-gkz3
vq85-b994
78nb-x96m
ludm-et96 If all of these have already been used and you cannot access the free download, get in touch and I might be able to get hold of some more, but essentially this is a first come first served basis.
3.8/5
(Yes. That's really 3.8. It's seriously better than 3.5 but not quite a 4.)
For many, this has been a long time coming. Despite all being busy with other projects, Useless ID have managed to make a new album. Before the album's release, the first 7", We Don't Want The Airwaves, comes out on May 6th. An obvious tribute to The Ramones, the song is also dedicated to the late Brandon Carlisle of Teenage Bottlerocket. The song goes back to the band's earlier style of pop punk as well as having quite a Teenage Bottlerocket vibe. Being fun and uplifting yet having a warm sentiment, the song is well crafted and should grab the attention of older fans who may not have liked the more serious style of last album, Symptoms. Check it out!
Just when I thought I was aware of pretty much all the currently active punk bands in Israel, someone posts a song on a facebook group and helps me to discover that there's more! Skid 24 are a fairly new band who play solid pop punk rock. Being a trio including 2 guys in their 30s, they play pop punk how it once was, not the crying self indulgence you tend to get nowadays, but just simple easy to listen to punk rock. Check out the track Stop The Planet. I will do a proper review of the new EP, Home and Away, soon.
Saturday Night Karaoke are a punk rock band from Bandung, Indonesia, who take their influences from the likes of The Ergs! and Descendents. I first discovered them via BlankTV, seeing their video for Indie Rock 101 from their SLURP! record (which I have been meaning to review for a while now). 90's Revival 101: How To Elaborate A Broken Heart With A Big Muff, from the same record, is yet another lesson in how to make a super short quirky punk rock number. There's nothing much else to say apart form the fact I've had a soft spot for these guys for a while and think they deserve a bigger global fanbase. If you like your punk rock honest, dorky and short, then Saturday Night Karaoke are for you. GET ON IT!
Yesterday, October 9th, pop punk legends New Found Glory released their Resurrection: Ascension album, a rerelease of last year's Resurrection, through Hopeless Records. The album features two new tracks, two re-workings (with guest vocalists etc..) and bonus acoustic tracks.
Ready and Willing II is a re-working of Ready and Willing, simply with an added array of guest vocalists: Ryan Key (Yellowcard) Mike Herrera (MXPX) Chris DeMakes (Less Than Jake) Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional) Chris Conley (Saves The Day) Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids) Brianna Collins (Tigers Jaw) Mark Hoppus (Blink 182) Garrett Dale (Red City Radio) David Wood (Down to Nothing) The video for the track features bands (mostly amateur bands) playing and singing along to the track in their bedrooms, garages, schools, practice rooms...anywhere, really. (All bands are listed in the info of the video.) We also get treated to karaoke style captions. It's a fun and interesting video, as was the original video, which had a premise of the band, played by younger actors, coping with fame and the media. This one leaves more of a focus on the music and the lyrics without trying to be too clever, which makes it a subtle yet entertaining delight.
Tonight sees me at Tel Aviv's Barby Club, one of the main venues for big acts just below stadium status, to see an acoustic set by Jimmy Eat World's Jim Adkins. Although only properly getting into Jimmy Eat World's back catalogue recently, I decided that this would be too much of an opportunity to miss out on.
Yotam Ben Horin
Due to not expecting the show to start on time and having to come to the Barby straight after work, I end up missing a good percentage of Useless Id's Yotam's acoustic set. I walk in to the sounds of Yotam's calming soothing vocals and gentle strumming to find the rock venue transformed into a vegas night club, with people seated around circular tables under the Barby's huge chandelier. I have a feeling that the set itself was not too different to that of a few days ago at the Not On Tour show (see review). However, there is less of the local punk scene here tonight, besides Useless ID bandmates and some who may have liked the band "back in the day". There's not as much singing along to hits such as Blood Pressure and Symptoms but there is still a good response and enthusiastic cheers as Yotam screams "Take, take, TAAAKE" during Blood Pressure. There's basically no-one else more perfect to support the solo outing of a popular band's front man than that of a local popular band's front man. I am pretty sure they are both equally honoured. 4/5
Jim Adkins
I'm not going to lie. Despite knowing the big hits from the Bleed American era, I pretty much overlooked Jimmy Eat World all these years. I didn't even realise that they were active a lot longer before that album. I tried to brush up on their material for tonight's show, but theirs so much it was impossible. Instead, I come into this show with an open mind as if I am watching a new act. As Jim Adkins graces the stage, he is greeted by a warm welcome from the surprisingly small turnout. Jim is a very presentable man and comes out onto the stage looking and behaving very refined. His set starts with what seems to be a new track no-one really knows, Love Don't Wait. The beautiful ballad helps to set the scene that this tonight is going to be something special. Despite being a new song for many, his strong vocals encourage cheering from the crowd as he reaches high notes. After some polite words, Jim continues his set with a good deal of oldies from 1999's Clarity, as well as a few songs from 2004's Futures, 2007's Chase This Light and their last album, 2013's Damage. There seems to be some old school Jimmy fans dotted around the room, cheering when they recognise intros and singing along to a good number of the songs, but the crowd in general just seem to be pleasantly and quietly enjoying the sultry tones of all the songs played tonight. Due to having done a bit of homework and listened mainly to Clarity prior to the show, I recognised the infectious On A Sunday and the sub-pop-like Lucky Denver Mint, which has people joining in on the "You're not bigger than this.." chorus as Jim joyfully strums away. Other songs that catch my attention include the song that is played in between the aforementioned oldies, Please Say No, Damage and You Were Good, all of which happen to be from the Damage album. Where both Please Say No and Damage are quite emotionally intense, You Were Good is bittersweet, being a tale of lost love sung over a bouncy melody. These three acoustic versions alone proved to me that I definitely need to give that record a listen. Sounds like it must be a great break-up album.
Among the Jimmy Eat World classic, Jim also plays brand new songs and covers, some of which he previously released through his "weekly single series" online. Hell and Get Right have more of that rocking Jimmy Eat World vibe whereas I Will Go is more reminiscent of 60s pop rock like Sunny Afternoon (The Kinks). The crowd get excited when hearing covers like Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (originally by Robert Hazard) and Only Girl (In The World) by Rihanna. I'm personally all for men covering songs by women and vice versa and it seems to also satisfy many others here tonight. He also plays some really old covers that go over my head, such as The Book Of Love (The Magnetic Fields), Make The World Go Away (Hank Cochran) and Give Me A Sweetheart (The Everly Brothers), but he still plays them with precision and gusto. He also plays Beautiful Is, which is a Jimmy Eat World b-side from the Chase This Light era. It sounds just as sweet and beautiful acoustically as it does on the original recording. The sing-alongs start up again as Jim plays Big Casino from Chase This Light, with the crowd joining in on the "Get up!" back up vocals, The Authority Song from Bleed American and Work from Futures. Personally, I wasn't expecting him to play anything from Bleed American, judging by what I had read on setlist.fm (more homework that I did.) Not only did he play The Authority Song but he then treated us all to what has to be the most famous Jimmy Eat World song there is; The Middle. As you'd imagine, this had people, especially the young women, up on their feet clapping and singing along. Let's face it, it's impossible not to enjoy this song. It would have been nice to have heard Your House or The Sweetness from the same albums, as those two are perfect for acoustic renditions. The fact he even played The Middle at all is a nice enough surprise. Although originally not knowing what to think of seeing an acoustic set of songs I am not all too familiar with, Jim Adkins deserved a much bigger audience tonight as it was definitely worth going. Hopefully, anyone who came here tonight just to hear The Middle also absorbed his writing brilliance and were then compelled to look through the band's back catalogue. His solo work is also impressive but I'm not too sure if it's anything I'd want to strictly follow. This was definitely a show for Jimmy Eat World super fans but anyone who appreciates when structured songs and a faultless performance, he is worth checking out. 4/5
My God, it's been a while! Not On Tour have, ironically, been on tour quite a lot as of late in honour of latest album, Bad Habits (see review). The rise in popularity has seen them touring Europe, playing headline shows, gaining support slots for big bands and playing some great festival line-ups. Tonight sees the female led pop punkers back on home soil. Along for the ride, is the legend that is Yotam Ben Horin, who is still stripping things down to basics playing an acoustic set.
Yotam Ben Horin
After his return to the US trying out his acoustic stuff on the road, Useless ID frontman, Yotam Ben Horin, returned to Israel a while back and has basically been playing solo shows non-stop, as well as a few shows with his more hardcore band, SPIT. He starts off tonights proceedings playing in front of the stage as everyone else stands around in a semi circle; standard. Whereas one of the last shows of his that I reviewed mostly consisted of slow ballads, tonight Yotam plays some Useless ID classics, like the uplifting Bring Me Down, the beautiful Symptoms and the rocking sing-along Blood Pressure, as well as new solo tracks and possible new Useless ID tunes, such as the catchy California Sounds and the highly political State Is Burning. Yotam is a captivating performer and it is certainly a great warm up set, with people singing along and smiling, but I'm sure everyone is eagerly awaiting Useless ID's return to the stage. 4/5
Not On Tour
After a brief break in proceedings, local legends, Not On Tour, finally take the stage and the Koro quickly starts to fill up as people hear the all familiar sounds of a band warming up. With enough people in the room, the band tease us with the intro to Hanged, Drawn and Quartered by friends Kids Insane. The intense build-up of said intro then leads into IWanna Be Like You (not a jungle book cover), where front woman Sima sweetly greets us over the extended intro. The song gets everybody singing along from the start. The band, as always, is on top form, with Sima's voice cutting through the air like a knife and Valer (guitar), Nir (bass) and Gutzy (drums) putting their hearts and souls into it. Due to being the first "home show" in quite some time, tonight's set is very long, as I can tell by looking at the setlist by Nir's feet. As the band rock out through their set, we get treated to an array of songs from the band's back catalogue, including a good percentage of new songs from Bad Habits. Opening act, Yotam, joins the band on stage for the first new song of tonight, No Communication. The thrashy, shouty number makes the place erupt as the band plays super fast and the two vocalists alternately spit politically tinged venom. Bad Habits is still a bit new to some people, so only a few have forced themselves to learn the lyrics and join in, but songs such as Sick Of This Mess, Different Kind Of Weather and Waiting In Line get a great response from the crowd. Songs like Write It Down and Gut Feeling might not have everyone chucking their weight around and falling over the place, but those who aren't afraid to have a little bit of a boogie. The material that gets the most response tonight are songs off of the band's N.O.T On Tour EP and All This Time album. The poppy sing-alongs, such as Just Forget It, All This Time, Fine and Did You Get Enough get everyone joining in and going a bit crazy on the dance floor. During Did You Get Enough, a guy standing next to me down the front actually loses his glasses due to the crowd's utter force. Upon seeing the aforementioned crowd member and myself eagerly searching on the floor, the band kindly stop and ask for all of us to help. As people get their phone lights out to search underneath and by the front of the stage, we hear some voices behind us. The glasses had somehow flown backwards about a meter to where some people were standing underneath the AC. Now that's skill! The now internationally covered to buggery, Darling, still gets the same enthusiastic reception as always, with almost the entire crowd pushing forward to have the voices picked up on Sima's mic. My personal favourite, Journey To The Ocean, is one of those songs that can make me break shit! This doesn't always go down too well with the local Tel Aviv crowd who are not too familiar with the "ninja" style of dancing, so tonight I contain myself to the best of my ability while still having to let out my aggression with a few air punches.
Besides Yotam, local legend, former You're Next front man and founder of the You're Next Records distro, Smiley, takes the stage, for what seems like the first time in years, to join the band on one of their heaviest tracks to date, Dirty Envelopes. He may not have sung it in a while, but the intensity in his voice is still their as he shouts "I WON'T PARTICIPATE IN YOUR DECAPITATION!" As well as this cameo, the band's punk take on the Grease classic You're The One That I Want and hearing songs from the self titled album are other personal highlights from tonight's performance. The musical cover has almost everyone around singing along and dancing, whether they intended to or not. Some of the early songs haven't really been played in a while. In addition to show staples such as the amazingly angry OK, What Now? and the brilliantly stupid/stupidly brilliant crowd pleaser, Don't Touch My Stuff, the band also play the punchy Baby You Such A Ho followed by the high octane Split The Earth. As with Journey To The Ocean, these songs make me explode, zooming through people without a care in the world. To those I may have bumped a little too hard, I'm sorry (not sorry.) It may be because everyone else was just a blur to me, but I didn't really see that many other people singing along or moving to these songs. Either they're not into the old stuff so much or just haven't listened to it.
After ending the main part of the set with other sing-along favourite, Oded, the band then starts an encore with the mental Silly Thoughts, the first song and video of theirs I ever heard/saw, which made me grin like a loon and join Sima on "DON'T STOP THINKING! USE YOUR HEAD!" This was followed by the bouncy titular track off the new album, Bad Habits, True Illness, with its infectious "Cover your ears with glue and stick to the plan" ending, and last song of the night, 90% Out. They play a little something for everyone tonight and I don't think anyone is disappointed. There are no major stuff-ups, not notes out of place and everything basically sounds as it does on record. The new songs will take a little getting used to but there's some crowd pleasers in there. I would personally love to hear more of the debut, some time, but considering this was the band's first show here since the official release of Bad Habits, it's good that they managed to squeeze some oldies in. Although not totally into the latest record, Not On Tour will never get boring live and are a must-see if they ever end up in a town near you. All photos courtesy of Beeran Production's video footage. 5/5
Now and again, I find some interesting stuff just by being online and taking a chance on something. Via a UK Pop Punk group on Facebook, a member of German band Planet Zero promoted their latest video for the song Zero Brew from their EP, Origin. Whereas most people consider pop punk to be about fast drumming and chugging breaks amongst whiney vocals, Zero Brew, although still incorporating some of those elements, is a bouncy summer anthem, similar to something like Third Eye Blind's Semi-Charmed Life or even Sugar Ray's Fly. Thing is, I didn't realise they were German at first. The mild sunshine and grassy river bank made me think of home, so I assumed they were at least from the Midlands. And then there's the vocals. Although I have used the word "whiney" to describe pop punk vocals, it's more that it's quite squeaky and high pitched. This is one of those cases where it actually works but is also a little bit deceptive of where they're from. I guess some bands do that, though. It makes you more international. It worked for The Beatsteaks. I'm hoping to get around to checking out their EP in full and tell you what I think of it.
Here's another new song and video from the amazing Front Bottoms. HELP comes from their upcoming album Back On Top - Available September 18th on Fueled By Ramen. The lyrics are more direct than some of their other stuff, which is refreshing. The video is a little weird, but personally, I like the concept of getting other people to stand in as the band. Why they need to be in forensic suits, I'm not entirely sure. But hey..not everything needs to make sense.
After a lot of hard work playing shows and writing new material, Tel Aviv rock trio The Driers finally deliver new EP, See You In Never, featuring latest drummer Ben (Mad Choice/Zaga Zaga/a bunch of other stuff). As readers of my blog will already know, I have seen this band a bunch of times and enjoy their refreshing slab of 90s style alt. rock. The five tracks on this EP are all songs that I recognise and love. If I am not mistaken, these are also songs which have been in the band's repertoire for quite some time. Whereas some of the newer material I've heard in live shows are a little bit more along the Weezer style of alternative rock, the songs here could almost be considered pop rock. Contagious gets things off to a heavy start. Some thumping drums in the intro lead to an upbeat, rock-out number with a bouncy chorus. Although guitarist Ronnie sings the first verse, from thereon in we hear the now trademark sweet harmonies that her and bassist Tomer do so perfectly. Ronnie also sings main vocals for second track Who Doesn't and fourth track Porchlight. Who Doesn't is pure rock in the choruses but, due to Ben's drumming techniques, explores other rhythms and styles throughout the song. Porchlight sounds incredibly lighthearted and quite poppy. The intro is one of my favourites of theirs, as the opening guitar riff is soon accompanied by the bass that harmonises beautifully. The song can easily be mistaken as a cover of some sort of song by Shangri Las or even The Supremes, as it has a hint of that traditional style of writing plus an easy listening quality to it. Tomer takes up main vocal duties on third track Lipstick Buds and EP closer A.L.A.R.M, which makes sense, as they are both pretty bass led. Because of the bassline and the groovy drumming, both songs have quite an electronic/new wave sound to them. Lipstick Buds has it mainly in the first verse which then leads to the hard hitting chorus of "You want to be my never again". All Driers' choruses are easy to sing along to but this has to be the catchiest of them all. The song has interesting vocal melodies and a generally fun and uptempo nature. A.L.A.R.M could be considered the EP's party song due to it's disco beat in the chorus. However, Tomer's vocals and the song's lyrical content add dark undertones, making the song a little bit edgier than the rest of the EP. As I have heard these songs many times before, I was really hoping to hear something new on this EP. Luckily, we are promised a full length soon which will hopefully have some cool surprises. I love the band's use of harmonies, especially blending both a female and male voice together, similar to bands like Band of Skulls and Spiderbait. That, plus the musicianship and songwriting, make these songs very enjoyable, as long as you appreciate pop sensibilities in rock music....which I do. 4/5
Once again, I bring you a compilation of new videos and songs from a variety of Israeli acts.
Free Sergio - So Far Yet So Close/Hate To Break It To Ya
I am starting off this post with pop punkers Free Sergio as I stupidly forgot to include their song So Far Yet So Close in the previous instalment. They have brought out another song Hate To Break It To Ya, so this seemed like a perfect time to mention them both. The former is what could be considered an "easycore" track, with metallic riffs and melodic punk vocals. Although the Israeli accent is pretty prominent, the actual vocabulary is intelligent and the lyrical content itself is positive and relatable. It has a sort of Rise Against meets Millencolin feel to it, which is the impression I got of the band when I saw them do an acoustic set some time ago. Hate To Break It To Ya showcases the band's ska sound, again, similar to Millencolin or even Less Than Jake without the brass. The vocals on both tracks might be a tad weaker than I'd hope for, the band musically have the genre down and I'm looking forward to seeing them play as a full band some day.
The Meatballs - Don't Waste My Time/Frowning Face
Here's another 2-in1. The Meatballs are an Israeli band who have been in existence since '09. The band plays old fashioned rock and roll, pure and simple. Don't Waste My Time takes its influences from more the 50s blues based rock and roll, whereas Frowning Face is very much in the 60s surf/B-Movie vein, with the video even including scenes from what seems like a real 60s B-Movie. I've been told these guys are fun live, as can be seen in the first video. I'm still yet to see them.
Both songs are singles from the forthcoming album Cut To The Chase.
Document - Disposition
A while ago, I went to see a band called Document, after hearing about them from friends and thinking about adding them to a show. Admittedly, I may not have given them the best live review but I did believe the band to have well crafted songs. Their latest single Disposition is good example of that. It is heavier than their previous work and generally well produced. Whereas the band can initially be considered indie and/or new wave, this has an almost post-punk sound and is simply captivating. The video is arty and quite dark, which works perfectly with the song itself.
Bones Garage - Birthmarks
Sliding perfectly into the next video, the friends who informed me of Document were the band Jeronimo. My second time seeing Jeronimo live was with another young band, Bones Garage. Bones Garage recently released their album Massacre/Dance, which I must get around to reviewing soon. This is their latest video for the song Birthmarks. When I saw them live, I appreciated the band's style although wasn't 100% into it at all times. Birthmarks, however, is beautiful. It's one of those songs which would definitely get tons of airplay and would intoxicate people with the "Aaahh" and "Wooaah" parts as well as with the song's simple beauty. Both the song and the video are incredibly professionally produced, which is surprising for such a young band. The video itself is like a short movie, showing two separate lives of a boy and a girl all the way from birth to when their two worlds collide at a record store and we then see their relationship progress from thereon in. If you like really good indie music and/or dark pop, GET ON THIS! They starting to really make a name from themselves in Israel's underground scene.
Heartrates - Rapunzel (Live at Keoss Studios)
Finally, I am compelled to post a live video from a show I actually witnessed. Heartrates are an Israeli metalcore band who I saw as the opening act at an event at Keoss Studios in Tel Aviv. As readers of my blog may already know, I am not the biggest fan of israeli metal/metalcore, but sometimes a band comes along who just hit the right spot. Heartrates' style reminded me of some of the UK metalcore/hardcore bands back in the early '00s, such as Funeral For A Friend, Incoherence and Hondo Maclean. Not only was the style good, but the band had great energy, especially the frontman, who must already have girls swooning all over him. Looks aside, he has a great connection with the crowd and, in my opinion, wasn't heavy on the metal clichés like some other frontmen out here are. I'm hoping to see them some more times and am looking forward to any future releases.
For those not familiar with them, The Front Bottoms are a four-piece band from New Jersey who play thought-provoking indie-tinged pop punk. I saw their name floating about the internet around a year ago and decided to check it out. I found frontman, Brian Sella's, vocal delivery interesting and more importantly, the band writes some catchy up tempo stuff. There are times that I feel as though the lyric writing process is some sort of game of potluck; pulling lines out of a hat and just forcing them together. However, it seems to work and has gained them a massive following, especially through the success of their Talon Of The Hawk (2013) album. Back in April, a split with rapper GDP entitled Liberty and Prosperity was released by Run For Cover and Bar/None Records and features new tracks Wolfman and Handcuffs. This week, the band has released a double single, Cough It Out/West Virginia, and a have made a video for each one. West Virginia was the first song out of the two that I saw and heard. The video has its fair share of typically pop punk video elements. Fish eye lens? Check. House party? Check. Friends dressed in costumes? Check? Random shots of nothing in particular? Check. However, the black and white and the fact the house party isn't totally full to the brim make the video slightly different from other pop punk house party videos. The song itself, very much like the video, moves around into different sections, all as catchy as the next. The song will have you singing along to both "Right now I'm just a psycho, hell bent on self destruction" and "Love of my life, gone forever.." and those refrains will remain in your head until a severe injury robs you of your memory. It's a fun song with a great video.
Cough It Out leans towards the band's more folk-punk sound, with a train rhythm pushing the song along. It is a sweet song that fans will soon know all the words to and proclaim them to be about their own lives, but I'm somehow missing something. It took me a few listens to even find the song memorable and notice the catchy bits. Despite the train beat, it seemed to feel lagging behind to me. The video is also nothing special, as it's basically just a day-in-the-life of one of the band members. The song is certainly from the heart but right now I am just not into it.
Both songs are hopefully a helpful insight into the vibe of the next album.
When it comes to punk in Israel, there are certain bands who have the talent, songs and potential to be an almost worldwide success. From the moment I discovered the music for video Silly Thoughts around 4 years ago when I moved to Israel, Not On Tour stole my heart. I have always had a soft spot for female fronted bands but Not On Tour go beyond just being a female fronted band. Along with Sima's strong vocal delivery, the rest of the band are able to play at breakneck speed and harmonise during their super short but catchy songs. They are certainly the most popular band in the more pop punk/skater/hardcore scene in Israel and have also made waves in Europe in the last few years. The band did a Europe and UK tour a couple of months back in light of the new album Bad Habits and the band are about to head out for another tour this summer. Hopefully, the good word has and will spread further.
Being a regular gig goer, I have seen the band a countless amount of times, both at packed shows and at shows a bit light on numbers. Along with classics from the self titled debut, the N.O.T On Tour Ep and second album All This Time, the guys have also played songs which feature on the new album, some of which have been in the live repertoire for quite some time. Album opener, Flip, is a track I think I recognise, although I could just be confused as it is similar in places to a previous track, I Wanna Be Like You (from All This Time). After more listens, the half tempo "This ship is sinking. Save yourself. There's nothing left to see here.." chorus really gets stuck in your head. 4th track, Write It Down, I definitely know from shows. As is common of Not On Tour, the song is short (although at 1:32, it's nowhere near the shortest on the album) and catchy, with its chorus that suggests repeatedly that we'd better..well...write it down. It is one of their songs which is at a nice enough tempo to be able to really appreciate the song fully as well as dance to. I have heard Gut Feeling (track 2) before as they are meant to be bringing out a video for it soon. At 1:19, it is still not the shortest on the album. While listening, I tend to often expect (and hope) that the song goes on for longer. It also has one of those choruses that can easily get stuck in your head, which has sort of been Not On Tour's specialty over the years and there's a fair bit of it here. In Rumours (track 3), they have us singing "This can be over when we say the word..", especially the anthemic singalong part right at the end. Without checking the name of the track, I have been singing one of the songs as "Cos it's a different kind of weapon...Cos it's a different kind of reign." Turns out the song is called Different Kind Of Weather (track 6). Ooops! Close, though. In Stuck In A Rut (track 10), you'll be sympathising with how front woman Sima "Never got things done" and was "Stuck in a rut" but has since "Found a way out." I can relate to this song's concept of having once been lost in life and putting things off but am I completely on track now? Hmm. I don't know. I think I am more akin to seeing myself as "Failing to succeed", as sung in Failing (track 15).
Not On Tour essentially play hardcore punk but the addition of Sima's melodic (although still raw and aggressive) vocals and the band's backing harmonies give their music that pop punk quality. Most songs, with the aid of Gutzy's awesome drumming, are super fast, such as thrashiest song No Communication (track 11) and title track Bad Habits (track 9), but there are still those which go along the more pop punk vein, such as Black Coffee (track 7) and Sick Of This Mess (track 8). The 16 songs on here range between 0:42 (Waiting In Line, track 14, possibly my favourite on the album) to 1:44 mins long (Sick Of This Mess), so you can hear the entire album in one short bus journey. It kind of leaves me wanting more but also wanting a little more diversity. The band have songs in their early repertoire which are more chaotic, have breakdowns and generally show the band's versatility. Bad Habits could do with a lot more variety, in my opinion, but it is certainly not a disappointment. 4/5
It's been a while since I've posted some videos, so I'm posting a few different batches of them, This one features videos and new songs by Israeli bands. Some of these videos are a few months old but still might be new to some of you.
Cain and Abel 90210 - HaMechonah (The Machine)
Cain and Abel 90210 are one of the most mental bands in Israel. In this video for HaMechonah off of their latest Videodrome release, we see the weird humour and playfulness that the band is known for that we did not see in previous video for Lakach Zman (see here). As well as seeing the band aggressively rock out, we see the band bring back their masked alter egos. Due to the song being fairly long, there's quite a lot happening in this video but none of it is boring. The song itself is also a return to the band's groovy and mental alternative metal with humorous lyrics. Even if you don't understand Hebrew, you must check this band out for some weird yet catchy heaviness.
Wounds Never Lie - Elephant (Home)
Elephant (Home) is the first single from the upcoming Exhausted Waves EP by Israeli metalcore starlets Wounds Never Lie. The song is a little more along the lines of what some people may consider "easycore", as it has some proper singing, melodic bits and an emotional sing-a-long chorus. The verses are still typical jagged and angry metalcore. It might not be ground breaking but it's certainly less irritating than some metalcore nowadays.
The video itself is actually well shot and pleasantly simple. Some people might find performance videos boring, but I actually like them. Here, we see the band playing in what looks like someone's living room, although not altogether. We see each individual member doing his own thing in pretty much the exact same spot in the room. It is shot in a sort of independent film style, which adds to the sentiment of the song. The lyrics are a little confusing to me, but the general gist I get from it is that it is meant to be a positive message about moving on through life's struggles. The EP is set for release this month and another video for the song Executer is expected any moment now.
Bryan The Mage - Comfort Zone
Bryan The Mage (seems to be a role playing reference with the misspelling of "Brian") are a young pop punk/easycore band out of Haifa. Comfort Zone is their first single and first video clip. The song has a very catchy chorus, some good grooves in parts and an electrifying guitar solo. When reading through the lyrics, there are some small spelling mistakes which, funnily enough, are not even the mispronounced words on the track itself. Ah well, it's the Israeli accent. What can you do? In the video, we see the band performing at what could easily be some sort of school prom. Typical school dance lighting shines upon kids doing their best push pit possible as the band rock out on stage.
Shtuby - Mazeponia / 7 Arms
The most electronic and out of character act for Punkalovich that I'll be posting today is the solo act Shtuby. Shtuby himself (Yuval) is an all-round musician whose small studio I used to rehearse in once upon a time in a band I drummed with. Since then, I ran into him at a show for a band called Golden Sheet who he was drumming for. Shtuby now has his own experimental act where he mixes different styles of music and uses instruments such as theremin and flute. The first video I saw from Shtuby was for a song called Mazeponia, where I saw Shtuby pretty much giving birth to his music by recording things such as kitchenware and a make-shift drum kit made from industrial metal amongst other things.
7 Arms is the latest offering, with a bit of a weird video where Shtuby is head to toe in a body suit which changes colour throughout, as does the background imagery. If you like experimental electronica, check this out. The live show is meant to be equally spectacular!
Skarate Kid - You're Not Alone / Skata 1
Finally, I'll finish with another 2-in-1, this time for brand new ska band Skarate Kid, which features members from Israeli punk bands. Ska and 2-tone has been a bit scarce in Israel in recent years and now Skarate Kid have come on the scene to fill that void.
In the You're Not Alone video, we see the band simply playing in the Street Music studios in south Tel Aviv. The song is upbeat with a positive message, very much like the British 2-tone of the 70s and 80s. The instrumentation is superb.
Skata 1 (audio only) is a more traditional sounding instrumental track similar to Symarip and Prince Buster, with the saxophone leading the track, accompanied by the odd "Pick it up!" "Huh!" and "chukka chak". I'm a sucker for ska, so if you are too, check them out!
Now...I know they did a video for a song called Gut Feeling...I was there for that. I did not know. however, that Tel Aviv pop punk band Not On Tour also filmed a really professional looking video for the track Maybe One Day. The track itself, like almost all Not On Tour, is just under 1 and half minutes of a harmonious pleasure. The video confuses me though...as at the beginning we see 4 kids sitting on top of a car talking...and these kids are blatantly British. I'm a Brit...I can tell a British accent. We then see the kids watching the band play...although I'm not entirely sure if it's the exact same kids. Are the two parts filmed separately...one in the UK and one over here in Tel Aviv? Either way, it's fun seeing the band get pelted with paint by what I guess is meant to be little versions of themselves. The band are currently on tour in Europe and the UK, having even played Groezrock this passed weekend. The album, Bad Habits, is to be released soon and I, along with many others who donated to the making of it, have already had a listen to it and will be posting my review in due course. For the time being....ENJOY!!
Some of you may remember that a while ago I posted some new songs and videos including Sense and Sensibility from Millencolin's latest offering True Brew. Their next video is for the track Bring Me Home. Whereas the previous was pretty much a performance video, this one follows someone in a giant bird costume trying to...well...get home...I suppose. The song is quite typically Millencolin at their more serious. Has a hint of Bouncing Souls about it. I'm hoping to check out the whole album soon and get a review done. Meanwhile, enjoy...
