Yet another new video. This time, from Pennsylvanian hardcore legends Wisdom In Chains. When We Were Young comes off the latest record The God Rhythm (review to come soon). For those unfamiliar with the band, it's pretty much a mix of old school hardcore with more of that tough guy vibe associated with the NY scene. I got into them via the London scene. They used to (and still do) play London a lot due to their connection with Rucktion Records. I just always loved the fact that they had great sing alongs and a straight hardcore attitude similar to Sick Of It All, possibly my favourite hardcore band. From previous records, I wasn't too keen on the band's lyrical content all the time (never thought I'd hear a hardcore song about a dog) but, judging by this track, the band still has it. When We Were Young is about the good times way back when. I'll be honest, it seems as though when you get to a certain age, you start to think about your youth, your friends and all the good times. I've done it myself. In a way, the song I wrote was inspired by the likes of WIC and H2O. Although they may have sung about this kind of stuff before, it shines through that they're still passionate about where they came from. The passion is certainly heard through frontman Mad Joe Black's vocals. He is one of my favourite vocalists, somehow being able to sing melodically with still very harsh vocals. The video isn't ground breaking but I do love a good old fashion band performance and the guys are solid. If you like your hardcore pretty straight up but not afraid of a bit of melody and emotion, check this band out.
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
Despite being a band since 1989, I remember really only knowing Therapy? through their hit Screamager (maybe also Nowhere) before seeing them at something called The Lost Weekend in London. I was blown away by their set and the fact that they actually incorporated different styles, like industrial and techno, while I initially viewed them as just some sort of old school hard rock band. Despite really only ever having the album Troublegum in my collection and not really paying attention to them since the song Rock You Monkeys (from Never Apologise Never Explain), I've always had a sort of sweet spot for the band. When I heard they had new album, Disquiet, on the way, I just had to check it out.
As some of my readers know already, I posted the video for the band's first single Still Hurts (album opener) a while back and was surprised by the fact they are still churning out pretty heavy stuff. Still Hurts is pretty frantic in the verses, melodic and sweet in the bridge and groovy and catchy in the chorus. It has that iconic Therapy? snare sound (the one that sounds a bit like a trash can) which has always given them a slight industrial edge to their music. The song, as a whole, aptly sets the tone for the whole album. Not saying that all the songs here sound the same, but there's an ingredient that not only ties them all to Therapy? but also ties them all together to the same album. What that actual ingredient is, I'm not too sure, but could be a fusion of the aforementioned snare sound, the guitar tones, the pairing of thumping as well as groove drumming (played by drummer Neil Cooper) and frontman Andy Cairns' distinct vocals. There is nothing on this album which is too "out of the ordinary", which also means there is nothing that feels out of place. Even the incredibly named Vulgar Display of Powder (track 8) unfortunately doesn't live up to the Pantera-esque image I initially had. It still has a fat, heavy main riff, as do tracks such as Fall Behind (track 4) and Helpless Still Lost (track 6). Therapy? have definitely surpassed themselves by managing to write a catchy chorus for almost every song. Tides (track 2) has one that's melodically sung and relatable, the one for Good News Is No News (track 3) will be stuck in your head for days (was for me), that of Idiot Cousin (track 5) sounds like Silverchair's Freak but cooler and the chorus for Torment Sorrow Misery Strife (track 10) is surely going to be a great singalong at shows. The latter, along with album closer Deathstimate, are really the only tracks that are in anyway different to the rest. Torment Sorrow... has a punk feel, reminiscent more of bands like Down By Law or Social Distortion, while Deathstimate, the album's slowest track, stands out due to its spacey stoner riff. Its change of pace makes it a great end to a pleasurable album, which is surprising for me to say as I don't normally like songs this long (7 mins). As someone who hasn't been following Therapy? for a long time, the album was still a great listen from start to finish. My only criticisms are that the snare sound might distract some people and the bass tone on the intro for Good News... is ridiculously 80s and quite awful on first listen. The material on here is heavier than some stuff they have done before but also not as experimental as other material from past albums. Nevertheless, I can't imagine any diehard fans being disappointed with this album. Whether it will get the band new ones is hard to say. 4/5
It has been just under a year since the release of Obituary's latest album, Inked In Blood, and they only now have put out a video for the the song Violence. Admittedly, I haven't listened to the album properly yet, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Obituary. Violence is true to form Obituary, albeit probably one of the shorter tracks they've ever done. The video, on the other hand, is not something you'd ever expect from the demonic sounding band. The cartoon style is very comical, more like something a punk band will use. Somehow, the comical story telling of a band going on the rampage fits remarkably well with the heavy, angry track. Sweet dreams!
"Ash?" you say? Yes, Ash. Anyone remember them? During the 90s, the three-piece were known for hits such as Kung Fu, Girl From Mars, Goldfinger and Oh Yeah! from the album 1977 (from 1996), all of which were songs that made me, at about the age of 9/10, think that they were one of the coolest bands ever. It wasn't until the album Meltdown (2004) that the band garnered success with singles such as Shining Light and Burn, Baby, Burn. New album Kablammo! is the band's first full length since 2007's Twilight of The Innocents, the first album released as a trio after the departure of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley. Somehow, both that album and 2012's Little Infinity EP completely passed me by.
Upon hearing the thunderous drum intro to Ash's first single Cocoon (also the album opener), they now had my full attention again; it is an absolute return to form. A slight nod to punkier hits such as Kung Fu, Burn, Baby Burn and even A Life Less Ordinary (from the movie of the same name), the chorus will have you sweetly singing "COCOOOON" along with frontman Tim Wheeler in the chorus. Shutdown (track 10), like Cocoon, is reminiscent of the band's more 'full throttle' material, where songs like Let's Ride (track 2) and Hedonism (track 8, not a Skunk Anansie cover) still rock out yet have a more commercially acceptable quality to them. (On a side-note, the latter's intro reminds me of the title music to a franchise of British adult movies. I'll say no more.) Machinery (track 3) is also fast paced, but has elegant strings and warm vocals that give the song a Manic Street Preachers type feel. The band's softer side, as seen at different stages throughout their career, is still present on this album. Free (track 4) beautifully rumbles away, Moondust (track 6) is a heartfelt orchestral masterpiece and For Eternity (track 11) is essentially Robbie Williams' hit She's The One in some form of alternate universe. As good as the aforementioned tracks are (specifically Cocoon, Let's Ride, Moondust and Hedonism), stand out track on this record is undoubtably Go! Fight! Win! (track 5). Going in the same thumping vein as Envy (the only new song from the Intergalactic Sonic 7"s compilation), the whole song felt like a salute to rock and roll revival bands like Rocket From The Crypt (I can't really think of any others, to be honest). Not only does it have the thumping drumming, but it has a heavy guitar riff, organ hits, a bouncy chorus and... cheerleaders! It is definitely the most rock and roll on this album and possibly the most rock and roll track they have ever done. What would have made it even more impressive for me would have been a brass section, although then it would REALLY sound like RFTC. Kablammo! is an easy album to listen to from start to finish. There's a hint of that "Spaghetti Western" sound hidden in there which I'm not really a fan of, but the album is nevertheless an interesting collection. The slower songs may bore some people and the rockier ones might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is definitely an impressive album for a band whom many have seemed to have left behind. They still know how to pen a song and are not afraid to show that, even as a rock band initially, they have the essence of pop within them. Cocoon even has a bloody key change. Who still does key changes anymore? I'm hoping this gives them equal success to that of Meltdown from over ten years ago.
Out of all my reviews so far, I have done a lot of local bands and a few touring bands, including the odd fairly big name like Republica and '68, but this takes the biscuit!
Incubus have been a part of my life since around the age of 12/13 when, after hearing from an elder whose musical tastes I admired about bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit, I discovered them along with other bands on the Family Values Tour '98 album. The song New Skin was unlike any of the other rock or metal I was hearing up until then. It had djembe, it had funk elements, it had rapping....it just really grabbed me. The album S.C.I.E.N.C.E, the band's second official full length release, became the soundtrack to my teens along with System Of A Down's self titled debut and more punk stuff like Lit's A Place In The Sun and even Sick Of It All's Call To Arms. As years went on, the band garnered success primarily with the album Make Yourself and later also had hits from Morning View. They may be one of those bands whose original fan base has been disappointed by later releases (myself included) but after about 16 years of never having seen them, I was excited to hear that they were coming here. The new material, that some of you may have heard on the blog already, has impressed me, so that was another reason to go.
It's the evening of the show and I somehow confused myself about what time the show was actually starting. I tried to get to Ranaana from Tel Aviv as fast as I could but still managed to miss opening act Tatran, an Israeli fusion band (I guess). After finally finding the correct entrance and the box office to collect my ticket, I zoom down to the VIP area (not bragging, just explaining) which was right in front of the stage. The venue's layout is a bit different to what I'm used to. First of all, it's outdoors. I've been to outdoor concerts before but they didn't have separate areas with seating before. Normally in arenas, seated areas are to the side or further back and standing room is down by the front....this was the opposite. The stage practically faces a hill of which standing room was from the middle part of the hill upwards. Despite having seating there and an allocated seat on my ticket, I join a few other people who are standing in the aisle.
Of course, there's massive screaming from the crowd at the sight of frontman Brandon Boyd alone. I'm going to admit, back in the day when I had band posters on my wall, I had a Brandon Boyd one. Does it mean I had homosexual feelings towards Brandon back then? Maybe. Do I have homosexual feelings towards him now?.... I think tonight I do! You can't ignore it; the man is pretty. After a dreamy introduction, the band starts things off with Wish You Were Here. Good choice! As the aisle I'm standing in starts to fill up, fans are singing along and there's a little bit of head movement. I can't help but feel the band are a bit static. For those who don't know, Incubus are known for their set up on stage having each member quite a distance away from one another. Not too dissimilar to other bands, especially on big stages, but the Incubus guys are like 5 corners of a pentagon (not pentagram). Apart from the odd convulsion from Brandon, there's not much else happening on stage. It is cool, however, that we see drummer José side on, as we can properly observe his beats and fills.
As the only Incubus records I've ever owned and/or heard in full are S.C.I.E.N.C.E, Morning View and the most recent Trust Fall (Side A) EP, I really only recognised the tracks from those releases and the obvious hits. I didn't recognise second song Anna Molly from Light Grenades but the heavy riff and the beautifully sung chorus had everyone else very enthralled. Even now, I have "I picture your face in the back of my eyes.." implanted in my brain. Following two songs were Adolescents and Absolution Calling. When I first heard Adolescents (from If Not Now, When?) four years ago, I thought it was a super boring song and ignored it up until this moment. I was slightly taken in by the dreaminess of the song and the unconventional vocal pattern. Absolution Calling, in my eyes the second best track form the Trust Fall (Side A) EP, goes down well with the crowd. I even caught myself singing "I REMEMBER FEELING THE OPPOSITE OF FALLIIIING" along with Brandon. This was then followed by a song I didn't recognise at first until the chorus. It was Vitamin, the only song in the set to come from S.C.I.E.N.C.E. Now, Vitamin is a heavy song; it has a cool build up in the verses leading to a rock out chorus along with some funky drum soloing and djembe action. I start to realise that I'm one of the few people in my vicinity (and as I look back, at the concert in general) who is properly going crazy for this song. I'm guessing most people here only know and like Make Yourself onwards, right? To be fair, I have the opposite problem, as people in the crowd join in on songs like In The Company of Wolves, A Kiss To Send Us Off (which I particularly enjoyed tonight and seemed to be a crowd favourite), Here In My Room and Sick Sad Little World (a heavy funky number that I also enjoyed), all of which I hadn't heard before. Obviously, bigger hits Are You In? and Pardon Me were in the set; the former getting people dancing to its sexy slow jam and joining in on the "woo hoo hoo"s while the latter, right from the quiet intro, had everyone passionately singing along to Make Yourself's second most iconic track. Nice To Know You (Morning View) and Megalomaniac (A Crow Left Of Murder) help inject a little extra does of heaviness into the set while newer songs Trust Fall and Dance Like You're Dumb seem a little lost on people. Trust Fall isn't such a great song, in my opinion, whereas Dance Like You're Dumb is not only my favourite off the new EP but one of my favourites songs at the moment. How no-one else is going crazy to this, not even clapping along to the gospel-like section in the middle, is beyond me. As the band goes off, we all know that they're coming back and there's just screaming galore. They return and kick back off with a lovely rendition of "the big chill out hit of about 15 years ago", Drive. Bassist Ben Kenney sits himself upon an amp and the whole performance is pretty sweet as almost the entire crowd joins in on the whole song. This is then followed by two songs I am unfamiliar with, The Warmth and set closer A Crow Left Of Murder. The warmth has a bit of a 311/reggae feel leading to a breakdown ending, all which I really liked, and ..Left Of Murder just rocked out with some cool dance beats and heavy guitars. I may have made a mistake sleeping on that album..
Overall, the setlist is pretty decent and seemed to have most people satisfied. There was one guy shouting for I Miss You who must have been disappointed. Personally, I would have liked some more from S.C.I.E.N.C.E, although Vitamin was quite an interesting and surprising choice. It's funny... when you look back over the band's career, you notice that they were once this dreadlocked Mr Bungle inspired nu-metal band who have now turned into the epitome of clean cut modern rock. I wonder if the band's demeanor is all that different now from back then. As great as the songs were, the band in general seem pretty boring on stage. We had some nice backdrops on screen throughout the set but not really enough from the band themselves. Brandon does his best to check in that we're ok and having a good time but doesn't really talk to us. Also pretty sure he shouted "Tel Aviv!" at one point. Can't really blame him, and most of us here tonight probably are from Tel Aviv, but still...it's Raanana, dude. Guitarist Mike Eizinger just doesn't seem all that excited at all to be playing and even DJ Chris Kilmore could have been a little bit more enthusiastic. From where I was standing, the bass and kick were pretty overpowering throughout most of the set, but I was very near the front. I sort of wonder if I should have been humble and moved further back to see if it sounded any better. All that aside, am I glad I came? Yes! 3.5/5
