Paladin
KC Hill
Craig Hill
Oracle of DelphiNew Format
January 20th 2010 09:31
New format coming soon
| 30 |
| Vote |
Punk Rawk News - by Craig Hill
Add Comments
Fiction Family by Fiction Family
May 1st 2009 05:10
Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman and Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins have set out to restore dude love’s lost notoriety with Fiction Family. The resultant self-titled record has plenty of charm despite lacking any “super band” qualities.
Those who became enamored with Foreman’s folky acoustic solo project will eat Fiction Family right up. The record isn’t as bluegrass-oriented as Nickel Creek, but fans of that band would also be remiss to skip this record. There’s a good mixture of styles here, ranging from the piano-rocker “When She’s Near” to the achingly sparse “Throw It Away” to closing knee-slapper “Look For Me Baby.” Somewhat surprisingly, the vocals are mostly handled separately.
As far as that goes, it just depends if you prefer the smoothness of Watkins or the rasp of Foreman. “Elements Combined” benefits from Watkins as his vocal melodies add a wonderful counterpart to the slightly eerie instrumentation. Watkins’ songs have a special way of taking you back in time, even if said time is before you were born. “Betrayal” is another subdued track, although Foreman leads the sorrow this time around. Not a shocker due to the name, but it’s not exactly a happy song: “I don’t remember much about that night / But I’m pretty sure it rained the day I died / I think it rained / I’m pretty sure it rained the day I died.” If these guys have anything in common it’s heartbreak.
While there is diversity on Fiction Family, it’s hard to call this a cohesive album. Watkins and Foreman worked on and off for 3 years before completing the record, and as such there isn’t that beginning-middle-end quality many tend to crave in their music. Most people won’t miss any grand scheme if you put Fiction Family on shuffle. Perhaps if there was more vocal intermingling between the two it would feel more collaborative, but as it is now, this could be two separate EPs packaged together. Foreman’s tearjerker “Please Don’t Call It Love” would benefit greatly from Watkins’ empathetic vocals. Watkins is providing instrumentation, but his involvement feels so limited. (“Mostly” is a good indication of what Watkins’ voice would add to Foreman’s.)
Fiction Family doesn’t sound like a group effort. Each man proves time and time again why he is so revered, but the listener doesn’t feel blown away in the slightest. Logic dictates that two good artists should make one great record. Fiction Family can only muster decent results. “We Ride” is essentially a The Beautiful Letdown b-side. For future recordings Watkins and Foreman should set aside consecutive days to work on an album. Tour schedules and pre-existing responsibilities make this difficult, but for a record to be collaborative there actually has to be a sense of togetherness.
Those who became enamored with Foreman’s folky acoustic solo project will eat Fiction Family right up. The record isn’t as bluegrass-oriented as Nickel Creek, but fans of that band would also be remiss to skip this record. There’s a good mixture of styles here, ranging from the piano-rocker “When She’s Near” to the achingly sparse “Throw It Away” to closing knee-slapper “Look For Me Baby.” Somewhat surprisingly, the vocals are mostly handled separately.
As far as that goes, it just depends if you prefer the smoothness of Watkins or the rasp of Foreman. “Elements Combined” benefits from Watkins as his vocal melodies add a wonderful counterpart to the slightly eerie instrumentation. Watkins’ songs have a special way of taking you back in time, even if said time is before you were born. “Betrayal” is another subdued track, although Foreman leads the sorrow this time around. Not a shocker due to the name, but it’s not exactly a happy song: “I don’t remember much about that night / But I’m pretty sure it rained the day I died / I think it rained / I’m pretty sure it rained the day I died.” If these guys have anything in common it’s heartbreak.
While there is diversity on Fiction Family, it’s hard to call this a cohesive album. Watkins and Foreman worked on and off for 3 years before completing the record, and as such there isn’t that beginning-middle-end quality many tend to crave in their music. Most people won’t miss any grand scheme if you put Fiction Family on shuffle. Perhaps if there was more vocal intermingling between the two it would feel more collaborative, but as it is now, this could be two separate EPs packaged together. Foreman’s tearjerker “Please Don’t Call It Love” would benefit greatly from Watkins’ empathetic vocals. Watkins is providing instrumentation, but his involvement feels so limited. (“Mostly” is a good indication of what Watkins’ voice would add to Foreman’s.)
Fiction Family doesn’t sound like a group effort. Each man proves time and time again why he is so revered, but the listener doesn’t feel blown away in the slightest. Logic dictates that two good artists should make one great record. Fiction Family can only muster decent results. “We Ride” is essentially a The Beautiful Letdown b-side. For future recordings Watkins and Foreman should set aside consecutive days to work on an album. Tour schedules and pre-existing responsibilities make this difficult, but for a record to be collaborative there actually has to be a sense of togetherness.
| 59 |
| Vote |
Comments (1)[ Link ]
Posted By: Craig Hill - Category: News
21st Century Breakdown by Green Day
February 12th 2009 14:19
Green Day’s 21st Century Breakdown won’t land in stores until May, but it's worth waiting for this revival of political punk. Here’s a sneak peek at what Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt have been cooking up with legendary producer Butch Vig at the same California studio they recorded the Grammy-winning American Idiot, Warning, Insomniac and Dookie.
The 16-track album is broken into three acts: Heroes and Cons, Charlatans and Saints, and Horseshoes and Handgrenades. Dirnt said that the songs “speak to each other the way the songs on [Bruce Springsteen’s] Born to Run speak to each other. I don’t know if you’d call it a ‘concept album,’ but there’s a thread that connects everything.” The songs are defiant, but also defiantly hopeful, referencing the unsettled political climate as well as more personal and generational turmoils. Its blend of claustrophobia, freedom and urgency is well illustrated by the album’s cover art, which depicts a tight shot of a young couple kissing against a graffiti-covered wall.
The title track quickly kicks into a familiar Green Day three-chord blast, but morphs into multiple movements like some of the more rock-opera-heavy numbers on American Idiot. “My generation is zero/I never made it as a working class hero,” Armstrong sings, making a reference to the John Lennon track the band covered in 2007. After a big drum breakdown, the song winds into a slower “Bohemian Rhapsody” moment. By contrast, “Know Your Enemy” is a straight-ahead rock song with a chanty “oh-way-oh-way” refrain. Opening powerfully like an AC/DC track, Cool drums furiously as Armstrong sings “Silence is the enemy so give me revolution.”
“Before the Lobotomy” is one of a handful of Breakdown tracks where Armstrong breaks into an uncharacteristically sweet singing voice and voyages into his limber upper register. Lyrics are answered by darts of guitar, and the band inserts pauses and breathing room between the music and vocals. At first Armstrong sings of “dreaming of another place and time where my family are from” but as the song progresses he’s pointing a finger at “Charlatans of lost memories like the end of the century.”
“March of the Dogs” is the most punky and overtly political of the six tracks. Built on big punches of guitar and classic shout and response vocals, Armstrong spits, “I want to know who’s allowed to breed/All the dogs who never learned to read/Missionaries, politicians/And the cops of a new religion.” It’s a biting indictment of contemporary religion that starts intense and never lets up, even for a marching-drum bridge.
Armstrong’s serene vocals reappear on the mid-tempo rocker “Restless Heart Syndrome.” Returning to the line “know your enemy,” Billie Joe advises, “Know what ails you/impales you… you’re a victim of the system.” The track takes a dramatic kick into its loud section, and its neat four-chord structure turns on a minor note. And “21 Guns” has a dash of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” to it — the track opens slowly with acoustic guitar, adding piano and other instruments until it opens up into a big, lush, super-melodic chorus. “Lay down your arms, give up the fight,” Armstrong croons. “Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I.” After a quick guitar solo and what sounds like a few pretty lines of harmonium, the song concludes with a hopeful finality.
From Rolling Stone
The 16-track album is broken into three acts: Heroes and Cons, Charlatans and Saints, and Horseshoes and Handgrenades. Dirnt said that the songs “speak to each other the way the songs on [Bruce Springsteen’s] Born to Run speak to each other. I don’t know if you’d call it a ‘concept album,’ but there’s a thread that connects everything.” The songs are defiant, but also defiantly hopeful, referencing the unsettled political climate as well as more personal and generational turmoils. Its blend of claustrophobia, freedom and urgency is well illustrated by the album’s cover art, which depicts a tight shot of a young couple kissing against a graffiti-covered wall.
The title track quickly kicks into a familiar Green Day three-chord blast, but morphs into multiple movements like some of the more rock-opera-heavy numbers on American Idiot. “My generation is zero/I never made it as a working class hero,” Armstrong sings, making a reference to the John Lennon track the band covered in 2007. After a big drum breakdown, the song winds into a slower “Bohemian Rhapsody” moment. By contrast, “Know Your Enemy” is a straight-ahead rock song with a chanty “oh-way-oh-way” refrain. Opening powerfully like an AC/DC track, Cool drums furiously as Armstrong sings “Silence is the enemy so give me revolution.”
“Before the Lobotomy” is one of a handful of Breakdown tracks where Armstrong breaks into an uncharacteristically sweet singing voice and voyages into his limber upper register. Lyrics are answered by darts of guitar, and the band inserts pauses and breathing room between the music and vocals. At first Armstrong sings of “dreaming of another place and time where my family are from” but as the song progresses he’s pointing a finger at “Charlatans of lost memories like the end of the century.”
“March of the Dogs” is the most punky and overtly political of the six tracks. Built on big punches of guitar and classic shout and response vocals, Armstrong spits, “I want to know who’s allowed to breed/All the dogs who never learned to read/Missionaries, politicians/And the cops of a new religion.” It’s a biting indictment of contemporary religion that starts intense and never lets up, even for a marching-drum bridge.
Armstrong’s serene vocals reappear on the mid-tempo rocker “Restless Heart Syndrome.” Returning to the line “know your enemy,” Billie Joe advises, “Know what ails you/impales you… you’re a victim of the system.” The track takes a dramatic kick into its loud section, and its neat four-chord structure turns on a minor note. And “21 Guns” has a dash of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” to it — the track opens slowly with acoustic guitar, adding piano and other instruments until it opens up into a big, lush, super-melodic chorus. “Lay down your arms, give up the fight,” Armstrong croons. “Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I.” After a quick guitar solo and what sounds like a few pretty lines of harmonium, the song concludes with a hopeful finality.
From Rolling Stone
| 47 |
| Vote |
Angels and Airwaves hit the studio
January 21st 2007 23:57
Pop-punk band Angels and Airwaves have always been a little controversial, but its never been for their sound. Still, that hasn't stopped the Delonge-fronted four piece from entering the studio for a second uncontroversial album. An update on their website outlines the details:
"Angels and Airwaves are back in the studio! After much thought and consideration, the band got together and decided that it was time to regroup and write their second record. It's a very exciting time.. not only because of the GREAT success of their first record and the huge potential for the second, but they will also be the first band to use the MACBETH recording studio to it's fullest potential. Roadcases full of seemingly endless equipment have been unloaded and thousands of electrical wires have been plugged in during the past week to get everything ready for the recording process. As the band gears up for long nights.... you should also get ready for video and photo updates brought to you by Atticus and MACBETH here on AVA.com. While some bands seem to hibernate while making their album, AVA wants you to be apart of it every step of the way..."
| 96 |
| Vote |
Hawthorne Heights reveal new album
January 2nd 2007 02:07
Screamo band, Hawthorne Heights, have unveiled some information regarding their upcoming new album. In a happy holidays-themed post on their blog on their Myspace, the band have revealed that they already have fifteen songs written for the new album, and are planning to release sometime in 2007.
"Our recent time off has re-charged our batteries and filled us with a new sense of empowerment," the post reveals. "We have over 15 new songs written and more on the way. This new album will be a fresh start for us in many ways, but I've said too much!"
The new album will be the band's third, and the followup to If Only You Were Lonely which peaked at No. 3 on the US Charts after it was released early in 2006. Earlier in the year, the band attempted to leave Victory Records for numerous reasons, but were declared to be contractually obligated to remain with the label for an undisclosed amount of time. It is assumed that the third album will be released under the same label.
| 93 |
| Vote |
Fall Out Boy reveal album artwork
December 15th 2006 11:38
Fall Out Boy have announced the album artwork and possible tracklisting for their new album, Infinity on High. The album artwork is, well, wierd and the tracklisting doesn't really reveal anything.
Tracklisting
Car Crash Hearts
Satisfaction
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
Me and You
Hum Hallelujah
How Cruel
Thanks for the Memories
Stitch Away
Carpal Tunnel of Love
Yellow Checkered Cars
Better With a Pen
Law and Order
Truth Hurts Worse
Car Crash Hearts
Satisfaction
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race
Me and You
Hum Hallelujah
How Cruel
Thanks for the Memories
Stitch Away
Carpal Tunnel of Love
Yellow Checkered Cars
Better With a Pen
Law and Order
Truth Hurts Worse
| 107 |
| Vote |
Release Date for New Anberlin
December 8th 2006 00:25
Anberlin have announced that they will be release their third LP, Cities on February 20, 2007. No other details as yet, but expect a tracklisting and/or new songs closer to the release date. For now, head over to their myspace to listen to their past material.
The band's frontman and vocalist Stephen Christian is also currently engaged in a solo project with Aaron Marsh of Copeland. The band, called Anchor and Braille, is a much more mellow and soft rock project, more in the style of Copeland except with a little more structure. Head over to Anchor and Braille's myspace to listen.
| 111 |
| Vote |
Panic! at Times Square
December 6th 2006 22:31
Panic! at the Disco have announced that they will be playing a special performance in New York's Time Square as part of the New Year's Eve celebrations. The Time Square event, hosted by MTV presenter Carson Daly, will host up to a quarter million people (of course, nothing compared to Sydney's celebrations) and a further twenty million people are expected to watch the hour-long event on one of four US TV Channels. NBC will have a live stream of the event on their website.
| 55 |
| Vote |
Taste of Chaos 2007 Lineup
December 6th 2006 01:42
The Taste of Chaos 2007 lineup has been announced, along with the launch of the first ticket pre-sale for the event. In a press release on their official site, the organisers behind Taste of Chaos announced that the US leg of the event would be co-headlined by The Used and Jared Leto's 30 Seconds to Mars. Accompanying them will be the likes of Senses Fail, Saosin, Chiodos, Aiden and Evaline. Location-specific artists and winners of the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands will be announced at a later time.
You can check out tour dates, and pre-sale info here. Should there be an Australian leg, I doubt I'll end up going, but its interesting to know that next year's lineup is a lot better than this year's, which was headlined by Taking Back Sunday.
| 67 |
| Vote |
Fan-created cover for new Fall Out Boy
December 2nd 2006 00:39
In an age where bands are trying their hardest to engage their fans in the everyday activities of the band, Fall Out Boy are no different. The pop-punk band have asked their fans to design an album cover for the iTunes release of their upcoming fourth album, Infinity on High. At last count, there are twenty-two submissions for covers which can be seen here. So far, it seems that if you want a decent cover, traditional retail is the way to go. Still, the winner will be announced on January 16 2007 when the pre-order becomes available.
Infinity on High is due for release on February 6, 2007. The first single. "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" is supposed to be released on December 4 but it is already available to be listened on their website (click the link on the right.)
| 83 |
| Vote |
The PETA2 Libby Awards 2006
December 1st 2006 00:32
The results for the Peta2 Libby Awards 2006 are in, because of course you were all anxiously waiting. The Libby Awards (short for Liberation) seem to be the most random awards ever, with the categories ranging from "Best Vegan-Friendly Clothing or Accessory Company" to "Best Vegan Skate Shoe." Nevertheless, music wasn't left out. Five of the thirteen available categories had music-related winners, with three being specially dedicated to artists, and one specifically labelled "Most Animal-Friendly Record Label."
Punk, supposedly the anti-social genre, took the show. Winner of the "Most Animal-Friendly Record Label," went to independent punk label Trustkill, whos most successful artist is Bleeding Through. The other two punk-related winnings went to hardcore punk quartet Rise Against, who came away with the award for "Best Animal Rights Song of 2006" after their song Ready to Kill. Current chart-climbers AFI won the award for "Best Veg Band," explaining the evil rabbits on the cover of their latest album, "Decemberunderground."
Punk wasn't the only winner of the day though. Electropoppers Hellogoodbye won the award for "Best Newcomers to peta2" - not sure what that means apart from possibly that they had only recently established their support for animal rights. Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor was even honoured with the award for "Best New Fur Foe," an honour only heightened by the appearance of his beaten up face on the award - who doesn't want to kiss that sweet face?
Peta is in no way shy of utilising artist support for their animal rights campaigns, and as such it is no surprise that music was such a big part of this year's Libby Awards. Just head over to their Myspace to see how many bands support them.
| 76 |
| Vote |
Post End Text
January 1st 2006 13:08
The content on this site is written and mediated by Craig Hill
Go to Craig Hill's home page by clicking here
Go to Craig Hill's home page by clicking here
| 19 |
| Vote |
[ Link ]
Posted By: Craig Hill - Category: News
Paladin's Blogs
Moderated by Paladin
