So... It's been a while. I guess if I'm going to have a blog that I actually want people to pay attention to, I should post more often, right? Well, shit came up. Sorry. Now on to the purpose of this post:
I picked up the Phoenix last night while waiting for the bus at Sullivan and there was a full page article on the band brokeNCYDE and basically how much they suck and how they're banking on the shittiest aspects of popular music today. They're on Warped Tour this summer, along with such hardworking, legendary bands as Bouncing Souls and NOFX. All I can ask is, why? Kevin Lyman has a passion for the music but it seems that with brokeNCYDE, he's just trying to make money. Very well. The point is, it made me think about all the local bands that I know that play shows all year long and actually know how to make music with instruments rather than clicking a few icons in a computer program, and who are seriously fucking talented dudes. Dudes who can write music that says something, because anybody can write about getting ass and getting drunk. And so I thought I'd share with you the most talented group of musicians and writers, who are probably much farther under the radar than bands like 3OH!3 and brokeNCYDE, but who deserve to have huge things come their way. Listen with caution as it might rip your face off. This is what real music sounds like.
From New Bedford, Massachusetts, I give you A Wilhelm Scream.
If you like what you've heard here and live close by, they'll be playing on August 9 in New Bedford at the New Wave Cafe.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A lot of shit about A Loss For Words
I would consider A Loss For Words, along with many people into Boston's pop-punk and hardcore scenes, to be one of the most under-appreciated bands making music right now. These guys work so hard and they're just so god damned good that they should be infiltrating America's pop-punk scene. But most people I know in MA haven't heard of them unless I introduced them, so I can't even imagine how under the radar they are outside of New England. AL4W are unsigned and have put out a few of EPs (These Past Five Years, 2005; a split with They Sleep They Dream, 2007; and the acoustic EP Webster Lake, 2008) and been through a few lineup changes to get to where they are today - touring for their first full length album, The Kids Can't Lose, which was self-released in May. Seriously, if you pick the actual disc up, you will not find a record label logo anywhere on it.
The Kids Can't Lose is energetic the whole way through. If you've listened to any other music by AL4W, the production sounds cleaner than their other releases and the musicianship is more sophisticated. The guitars are layered perfectly and the hard-hitting drums along with the bass drive everything home. The lyrics touch on growing up and changing, life and death, being true to oneself, and difficult relationships and friendships. The fourth song on the disc, "Mt. St. Joseph," is an acoustic song which comes across to me to be about giving in to your problems. It's some pretty heavy shit if you actually listen to the words. The last three are remakes of some of their older songs, "Half-Step Down," "Behind Our Backs," and "Hot Hand in a Dice Game." At first the fact that they filled out the end of the album with remakes pissed me off and I liked the originals better, but I got used to these new versions and they're actually not so bad. If I had to name my top three favorite songs on the album, I'd start with "Where I'm From, You Die With Your Secrets." The chorus is catchy and the guitar lick at the end of the song is sick. The guitar is at its best on "Heavy Lies the Crown," but my top favorite track would have to be "Wasted Youth," in which singer Matt Arsenault displays the entirety of his range and his ability to create sweet melodies that nobody else would think of. The verses in this song are absolutely perfect.
Listen to "Stamp of Approval" from The Kids Can't Lose:
Stamp Of Approval - A Loss For Words
This band is also great live. I just saw them this past Saturday night at the Palladium upstairs in Worcester, where they played with four other straight up Boston hardcore bands. Onstage, Arsenault discussed the fact that AL4W were sort of the odd band out in terms of musical style, but that they fit in with the hardcore bands for their DIY work ethic and that all of the bands and fans get along awesomely. Their set consisted of three newer songs, two off of their popular acoustic EP, and three older ones. The show was very high energy and the band members looked like they were having a blast even though the stage was small and cramped. Arsenault interacted interacted with the crowd a lot, leaning off the edge of the stage to share the mic and at one point jumping off of the stage to sing with kids in the pit. That kind of interaction with fans is what makes kids love this band so much. You can tell how much they appreciate the fans and how strongly they want to make their fans a part of things and that feels fucking good and it's fun. My only complaint is that they probably would have sounded better if they had played at a venue with better sound equipment. I saw them on the East Coast Indie State at the 2008 Vans Warped Tour and they definitely sounded way better.
If you want to see this sick live show for yourself, the band is playing in Centerville, MA at the Masons Fraternal Lodge on July 10 and in Holyoke, MA at the Waterfront Tavern on July 12. The shows cost $12 and $10 to get in respectively, and for such a low price if you're in the area it is most definitely worth checking out. And if you feel so inclined, check them out in the iTunes store because each of their releases can be found for sale there and you can preview the tracks and whatnot.
The Kids Can't Lose is energetic the whole way through. If you've listened to any other music by AL4W, the production sounds cleaner than their other releases and the musicianship is more sophisticated. The guitars are layered perfectly and the hard-hitting drums along with the bass drive everything home. The lyrics touch on growing up and changing, life and death, being true to oneself, and difficult relationships and friendships. The fourth song on the disc, "Mt. St. Joseph," is an acoustic song which comes across to me to be about giving in to your problems. It's some pretty heavy shit if you actually listen to the words. The last three are remakes of some of their older songs, "Half-Step Down," "Behind Our Backs," and "Hot Hand in a Dice Game." At first the fact that they filled out the end of the album with remakes pissed me off and I liked the originals better, but I got used to these new versions and they're actually not so bad. If I had to name my top three favorite songs on the album, I'd start with "Where I'm From, You Die With Your Secrets." The chorus is catchy and the guitar lick at the end of the song is sick. The guitar is at its best on "Heavy Lies the Crown," but my top favorite track would have to be "Wasted Youth," in which singer Matt Arsenault displays the entirety of his range and his ability to create sweet melodies that nobody else would think of. The verses in this song are absolutely perfect.
Listen to "Stamp of Approval" from The Kids Can't Lose:
Stamp Of Approval - A Loss For Words
This band is also great live. I just saw them this past Saturday night at the Palladium upstairs in Worcester, where they played with four other straight up Boston hardcore bands. Onstage, Arsenault discussed the fact that AL4W were sort of the odd band out in terms of musical style, but that they fit in with the hardcore bands for their DIY work ethic and that all of the bands and fans get along awesomely. Their set consisted of three newer songs, two off of their popular acoustic EP, and three older ones. The show was very high energy and the band members looked like they were having a blast even though the stage was small and cramped. Arsenault interacted interacted with the crowd a lot, leaning off the edge of the stage to share the mic and at one point jumping off of the stage to sing with kids in the pit. That kind of interaction with fans is what makes kids love this band so much. You can tell how much they appreciate the fans and how strongly they want to make their fans a part of things and that feels fucking good and it's fun. My only complaint is that they probably would have sounded better if they had played at a venue with better sound equipment. I saw them on the East Coast Indie State at the 2008 Vans Warped Tour and they definitely sounded way better.
If you want to see this sick live show for yourself, the band is playing in Centerville, MA at the Masons Fraternal Lodge on July 10 and in Holyoke, MA at the Waterfront Tavern on July 12. The shows cost $12 and $10 to get in respectively, and for such a low price if you're in the area it is most definitely worth checking out. And if you feel so inclined, check them out in the iTunes store because each of their releases can be found for sale there and you can preview the tracks and whatnot.
To start...
For those of you reading this who don't already know, I used to co-host a radio show for WCCS, the Wheaton College (MA) radio station. A couple of my favorite things about the show was that I was able to say whatever I felt about music and have my opinions heard, and that I was able to support local and underground music by introducing Boston bands to new listeners through airtime on the show. I still have such a passion for this scene, and I will talk up bands to any who will act like they're listening, even if I know they don't want to hear it. So I started this blog as a way to avoid talking in person or on AIM to people who don't care, and to start spreading the word about bands that dserve acknowledgment to people who are actually interested and will potentially check out a show or buy some songs.
This summer, Boston bands are doing some really great stuff, so expect info in the very near future about some really good shit.
This summer, Boston bands are doing some really great stuff, so expect info in the very near future about some really good shit.
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