The Swellers Ups and Downsizing Review

Wow, quite the day for rock music! New stuff dropped from AFI, Paramore, Strung Out, Evergreen Terrace, It Dies Today, Hatebreed and Flint Michigan's The Swellers. It was an easy choice deciding which release I would write about first.

It's no secret that I have been a huge fan of this band for a long time. See the review of their last opus. A while after "My Everest" came out, I started to wonder out loud, "someone is paying attention and is going to grab them away from Search and Rescue records, right?" I kept thinking, what am I missing or more appropriately, what are these record labels missing? Well, fortunately the nice folks over at Fueled By Ramen were paying attention and snapped them up earlier this year. Over time, I suspect we will all look back and say "what a coup". I don't know if they have good artist management or if the label is simply really smart, but putting them out on the road as support for Paramore is brilliant. That Paramore release ("Brand New Eyes") is going to be huge, and playing mid-size theatres for the next few months will introduce legions of Haley fans to a really good, hard working and genuine punk band!

The Swellers "Ups and Downsizing" starts with a great opener! "2009" is a great melodic punk opening track, reminds me of the start of No Use For A Name's "Not Your Savior" kicking off "More Betterness". I rarely do this when I listen to a release the first time, but I had to go back and listen to that track a couple of times before moving on to the bands first single, "Fire Away". Yes, it's that good. "Fire Away" is very complex and quite mature. It's the song where I first remarked at how strong that Nick Diener's voice has become. I have long thought that he had a good punk voice, but on this track, and really the whole album, it's clear that Nick has developed some serious strength in that voice. "Load up the flares and fire away"!!! Way to announce that The Swellers have arrived and hey everyone, take notice!

"Ups and Downsizing" continues with "Sleeper", one of the more pop-punk tracks. It's very accessible, mid-paced and easily memorable. I had heard "Welcome Back Riders" off their 7 inch, so I was familiar with this track and it is another strong track with rich melodies and it's heartfelt sentiment.

Then we come to "Feet First". The subtlety in Nick's voice is impressive as this track starts off like a whisper and builds to a crushing melodic hardcore pinnacle. It's probably not likely to be their next single, but it's such a strong song that I think it would do quite well. "Do You Feel Better Yet?", hey wait, I just figured it out. The Swellers sound very similar to one of my most favorite, under appreciated acts, Israel's Useless ID. Both vocally and melodically "Do You Feel Better Yet?" and several other tracks could easily be found on that groups amazing "Redemption" release. That was a great melodic hardcore album from start to finish and "Ups and Downsizing" is equal to it, actually, it surpasses it!

Not sure that the word "darker" should be used to describe a punk song, but it somehow fits for "Ups and Downsizing". It's kind of has this dark vibe, melodically. Maybe it's lyrics that speak of leaving, thawing, or that "should I stay or should I go now" type of sentiment leaves me with that darker impression. It's one of the "slower" tracks on the album, and might disappoint some of the fans of their earlier hyper-paced stuff. For me though it's a pretty strong tune as we start to head toward the finish of this album.

Fear not, hyper-paced fans, you will have your cake and eat it too on "The Iron". Another great track and one that once again, showcases the depth to Nick Diener's vocals. He's not Tim McIlrath (yet...), but he is a very strong punk vocalist as is shown on "The Iron".

"Watch It Go" sums up The Swellers in one single song with it's tempo changes and its natural sing-along quality. "Stars" starts off with some beautiful acoustic guitar and then leads into one of their more "moodier" melodies. It's The Swellers own "My Hero" and it's brilliant! "Dirt" finishes off one of the best rock records of 2009! It's dark and complex and a little sad, but musically it's filled with that Swellers "speed up / slow down" heartfelt approach to song writing.

Faultless harmonies abound on this entire album. It's tight musically! Each member does their own part very well and then they come together very easily. This is what punk rock should sound like in 2009!

Likeability should not enter into an opinion on someones art, but be real, it does! The art of The Swellers is excellent, but maybe I appreciate it so much, because they seem like real, (hate using this term) "down to earth", hard working but have fun, kind of guys. You can't help but want for them to thrive and succeed. Well, they certainly have on this record. They have done right by themselves and by their fans with the outstanding work on "Ups and Downsizing". It's true that what you get in return is always equal to what you put out there. Based upon this effort, The Swellers should prepare for more betterness!

Go grab it at iTunes

or it's on sale at FYE

Set Your Goals This Will Be The Death Of Us Review

I love writing about music, always have. I think at times I apply a healthy amount of creativity and ingenuity to describing what I hear. But sometimes, I just need to strip it all down and say "this record is fucking brilliant!".

So, this record is fucking brilliant! Go ahead Epitaph Records and Set Your Goals, use that in your next bio or promotional piece! But, it truly is brilliant, what else can be said that can give the reader a sense of this amazing punk release. Well, lots, so here goes...

My feelings about this record are very much the same as the first time I heard "Dear You" by Jawbreaker. I knew right away that it was special and that it was going to be one of my all time favorites. To this day, "Dear You" ranks in my top 10 of punk releases and I suspect had a bit of influence on their fellow SF brethren SYG! Why is this album so special? Because it's got intricacy in all aspects of the music and voice. Intricate can be used to describe the background vocals, guitar lines, solos, lead singing and most certainly the percussion. This is pop-punk, but it's pop-punk with some teeth and depth to it. That's almost a disservice to call it pop-punk, it's probably more simply described as general punk with a wealth of influences from other genres. Believe it or not, you will hear melodic death metal and even some thrash in some of the tracks on "This Will Be The Death Of Us". To be clear, while you'll hear some Blink-182 influences, there is a harder edge to it. I guess on the punk spectrum, I would say it's closer to Rise Against than say All Time Low.

Let's begin at the beginning. I'm not one who easily falls for curb appeal, but in this case, I did. The packaging is great. The artwork itself, made me want to grab the record. Again, there's that intricacy to the artwork and overall design that I find captivating. I know, I know...intricacy and captivating, we're talking about punk, right? Yes, but this is thinking mans punk and it works!

The next thing that I really appreciated were the vocals; both lead and the gang background style vocals on the tracks. At first, I wasn't sure that I actually liked Matt Wilson's voice. It's kind of unique, in a Kevin Seconds sort of a way. When I first heard "Regress No Way", I was intrigued by the vocals and to this day KS is one of the best punk voices, ever! With Matt Wilson, I kind of thought the same thing but then I started to hear the range and rage and started to think I was listening to some vintage Zach De La Rosa. Go listen to "Gaia Bleeds" and tell me you're not thinking "Bulls on Parade". Yes, imitation is the highest form of flattery, but Matt does not imitate, he has created a great punk vocal experience on this record. Highlighting Matt's voice is by no means intended as disrespect to the other vocalist, Jordan Brown. He is solid as well, there is just something old-school about Matt's voice that pleases the ear!

Seems like there's a resurgence of hardcore background vocals on many a punk releases these days. Kind of like you are listening to a kinder gentler Madball or Cro-Mags, but with some seriously strong background voices. The new New Found Glory record does a lot of over-the-top vocals on several of their tracks. It kind of works in my mind and I appreciate what Hoppus and NFG were trying to do, but what really works on the SYG record is the solid and natural fit of the other band members group vocals. I don't think I remember or remark on many bands supporting cast voices, but this groups do stand out!

Then there is the guitar. In Flames made a hell of a career out of overlaying a strong guitar solo-like line on top of the songs melody. And as a result, they were true pioneers in melodic death metal. SYG achieves that same greatness, but on a punk release. It's very clever; how I can be listening to a track and totally focus on that guitar line, while still appreciating everything else that is going on in the song? Not sure, but it happens.

In general, the musicianship from these Bay Area lads is excellent. I'll give a special shout-out to Michael Ambrose. His drumming is phenomenal and reminds me a bit of some of the ground breaking stuff we heard from Travis Barker on the self titled Blink 182 release. "Gaia Bleeds" and the title track are two standout tracks where Mikey shines!

So, guess what children, I really like this record. It's a complete package. Punk, melodies, aggression, hardcore stylings, outstanding production, creativity, lyrics you actually want to read, everything. Well done! For a band that is becoming legendary in their touring efforts, it's nice to see those efforts rewarded with the full support of a great record label and management that has booked one of the summers best tours! Absolutely run out and see "The Gig Life" tour when it comes to your town. SYG is headlining, but you will see two other very strong, up and coming punk bands in Worcester's own Four Year Strong and Michigan's The Swellers. Side note: kudos to the talent department over at Fueled By Ramen. Signing The Swellers was brilliant (no I won't use another f-bomb here, I have a two f-bomb limit) and I hope they get the same kind of label support that Epitaph is giving SYG. I know they will!

Go Grab it at Amazon

or at iTunes

The Swellers My Everest Review

From Search and Rescue records comes an outstanding pop-punk release from Michigan's The Swellers. This record took all of five minutes to grow on me. It's infectious and I appreciate it for it's simplicity and pop-punk sensibilities. "Bottles" is a stand-out track and pays tribute to Jawbreaker with its guitar sound. Influences are many for The Swellers and the list is pretty impressive. NoFX, Blink 182, No Use For A Name, The Ataris, etc. This is not a list to simply copy from, this band indeed does their own thing and it's very good from the beginning of "My Everest" 'til the end.

"The Flood" is a hyper-paced punk backlash, replete with guitar solo no less! "This Is My Everest" is a solid mid-paced punk track and showcases the bands ability to craft a memorable melody. "Clean Slate" and "Surrounded" are both fair. "What's At Stake" is another stellar track as is "Skoots". Both quickly establish a foundation rooted in power punk and add in the now familiar Swellers harmony.

It's not every day that I pop a CD in and am able to listen to it from beginning to end, there are usually a couple of tracks that I just have to skip past. Not on "My Everest"! Every track is enjoyable, sure it's all similar, but what's wrong with that. Released during 2007, I suspect that it got buried a bit amongst other punk releases, but they still developed a loyal fan base. If the band can keep up this good song writing, then greater things are ahead and certainly a broader audience will just naturally occur.

Go Grab it at Amazon


or Grab It at iTunes

Blink 182 Reforms!!!

Yep, it's true, Blink 182 has reformed, is in the studio and is preparing to tour! Announced last night on the Grammy's, they have apparently reconciled and are picking up where they left off. Love them or hate them, the band is certainly a force in pop punk. I've been a fan ever since I first heard "Cheshire Cat" on a little San Diego indie label. Though they went on to form +44 and Box Car Racer, there has been a void in pop punk since they split. "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket" is a phenomenal punk album. And the self-titled album in 2003 was completely experimental and in my opinion a huge success. I think I always knew that Travis Barker was a drum talent like rock may not have seen, but on the 2003 release, he showcases his craft in an extraordinary manner.

That self titled release moved the band past their youthful stage and put them squarely into the mature punk rock mainstream. I suspect that with the new album it will be a blend of their pop punk roots, their experimental side along with a healthy dose of their post-Blink lives and its influences. It's going to be great. Come on, admit it, when you heard the news, you smirked and said "that's very cool"! I know I did.

Highly Useful - Useless ID - Redemption Review

Compilations are great sometimes. You get a chance to check out a wide array of bands and sometimes are pleasantly surprised when you come across a band that you had not heard previously. On the Rock Against Bush comps, there are numerous stand-out tracks, but on Volume 2 it's "State of Fear" from Useless ID that made me want to hear more from this band. Hailing from the punk mecca that is Haifa, Israel comes Useless ID. I shouldn't say that, there may well be a thriving scene over there, but this is an outstanding hybrid pop punk / hardcore release. on Rock V. Bush "State of Fear" was a driving hardcore anthem and it's found on this release too. Having heard that, I expected more of the same, but I was pleasantly surprised at the variety. At times it's funny like on "Drinkage", other times it's quite serious for example on "Redemption" and at all times, it's melodic and memorable punk.

I sometimes use the word complexity to offer the reader the perspective that there are musical layers that get uncovered over the course of an album. The word simplicity is more appropriate for Useless ID. There is a very pleasing simplicity to this entire record. It's hard-charging punk, with some pop-punk harmonies and I find that the entire album as a whole is strikingly complete. The whole album is greater than the sum of its parts! This is in fact a great rock record. Great production, outstanding musicianship, solid vocals and it sounds like the band is playing music, just to play music. Again, it's very complete...there's some New Found Glory-esque pop-punk numbers like "Kiss Me, Kill Me" and "Everything Turns Red". There is some NUFAN influence on "It's Alright" and "Dying Love" and there is very intense hardcore, a la Strung Out on "Suffer For The Fame".

Having said all that, you might be thinking that the band is "all over the map" in terms of an identity? Not at all, I think that's the charm of the ID of Useless ID, it's simple variety. I'm reminded of Lawrence Arms. There is a Lawrence Arms sound, but each song is delivered in a distinct manner. Same goes for highly relevant Useless ID!

Grab It At iTunes

The Classic Crime - The Silver Cord...I Promise Not To Use That Word That Starts with "E" and Ends in "O"!

OK, so I'm going to attempt to write a comprehensive and quite complete record review without using the word that begins with "e", ends in "o" and has an "m" somewhere in the middle. I promise! I actually approached this album with the attitude of "it may have been done before, but so what, let's see what these fellas bring to the table". I think that without that attitude it would be way to easy to just say Fall Out Boy or Senses Fail strongly influenced this band. To be sure, it's pop-punk but I'll offer that it has more of an edge that let's say All Time Low or Boys Like Girls. In general, that's probably a fair assessment for many Tooth & Nail artists, there is a bit of metal influence and, an influence that in large part is not unnatural in any way. So, The Classic Crime, hailing from Seattle, WA and headlining the current Atticus Tour play an energetic pop punk, replete with harmonies, melodies and memories. "The Fight" is a stunning track with grinding guitars, balanced dueling vocals and creative tempo changes. Matt Macdonald has one of the stronger voices in the pop-punk /alt genres and has the range to handle some of the songs that require more of a scream than a whisper. "Closer Than We Think" is the "poppiest", is that a word?, of the numbers, with a simple guitar line and an Ataris like vibe. It's certainly a radio friendly track and in general the album is that. In an environment where there is a release like this hitting iTunes everyday, this one does standout. For a sophomore release, this record does possess some nice maturity that helps it standout from all those others. Debate whether this is punk, but the roots of punk are here and it's music well done.

Go Grab It At iTunes