Mr. Blake Hammond has been very busy in his real world life. So I have been given the green light to fill the “classic” music void by him. I’ve decided to give you some thumbnail reviews of my favorite albums. The trick is writing a thumbnail is trying to keep to 50 words. I ran over at times, but I tried to do it. I landed on writing about 10 albums for the sake of your time. I wanted to do 50, but even I wouldn’t want to read it. So please FAN, enjoy and pray to god that Blake is coming back next week.
I also have to credit another friend of mine in Chris Stall (who you can listen to at http://party934.com/ every Thursday/Friday at midnight) for the inspiration. He spent the duration of me writing this pumping good old pop punk music into my ears. Props my friend. Not all of these albums fit that genre, but it’s just my opinion man.
Here are the best albums ever listened to by me:
1. Reggie and the Full Effect, Last Stop: Crappy Town (Vagrant).
Here we have what sounds like dyspeptic, fractured and soul crushing lyrics. Well that is exactly right. “Here’s where it ends” spills from lead singer James Dewees, despair frothing from the mouth of a recovering drug addict. The song titles are subway stops on his way to rehab; his pain is evident in each verse. This was a fitting finale for a band steeped in narcotics.
2. Brand New, Déja Entendu (Triple Crown).
French for “Already Heard,” Brand New unleashes a barrage of ultra-personal songs onto a music scene they call out as being trite and monotonous. Songs about car crashes, death and fear of fame show great maturity for this supposed “average” pop-punk quartet. Despite the name, this is an original.
3. Reggie and the Full Effect, Greatest Hits 1984-1987 (Second Nature).
In their debut album, Reggie debuts what could only be described as whirring keyboards mixed with the ramblings of a man on more drugs than most pharmacies can hold. Nine tracks are filled with noises and gibberish. The remaining tracks of merit are worth wading through that nonsense.
4. Sum 41, All Killer, No Filler (Aquarius).
Chocked full of anthems for 14-year-old boys with feelings of angst toward the world and hate for the authority in their lives, Sum 41 creates music for the kids to get out that aggression. Green mohawks and studded wristbands while this album makes me yearn for times like these: It was the Best Day Ever!
5. The Ataris, So Long, Astoria (Columbia).
Songwriter Kris Roe writes his fourth album while putting his soul on display. Roe comes to grips with his daughter growing up without him and what life on the road can ruin. He laments about a life with nothing of value but a career that leaves him lonlier than he would have ever thought.
6. Coheed and Cambria, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (Columbia).
Opening with an eight minute cavalcade of raw power, and finishing with the nine minutes of tenderness that would make any girls’ knees week, the 70-minute album is non-stop switching of moods, tone and message. The album makes other progressive rock acts look like cookie-cutter retreads.
7. New Found Glory, Sticks and Stones (MCA).
If the aim of making music is only to relate to the audience, New Found Glory would have the number one album of all time. Every song is fast paced and fervently stricken with lyrics about broken hearts and spurned affection. Matched with Jordan Pundik’s whiny voice, this is pop-punk heaven.
8. Karate High School, Arcade Rock (Eyeball Records).
Many say the first to do something is never remembered. Paul McGuire created an album using a computer and keyboards; blending a sound that is now dubbed “nintendocore.” KHS is now defunct, but the sound the album helped create is thriving in venues that host these independent thinkers.
9. The Starting Line, Based on a True Story (Drive- Thru).
The word emo seems to make people cringe. The Starting Line shows the world that emotional rock can be done without having to remove one’s genitals. Lashing out at the label that tells them how to sound, the album explores trying to grow artistically while being pigeonholed by their fans.
10. Brand New, The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me (Interscope).
Brand New has dealt with tragedies that allow them to paint melancholy lyrics onto a canvas of aching hearts. Lead singer Jesse Lacey sings about the fear of heaven, a young girl dying in a car accident, and general despair toward living. He devalues himself claiming that, “the messiah is tired of his laments. He’d die for me once, but never again.” I only wish poetry like this could come from me.