Tonight a pop punk band from Pennsylvania played 4 shows around the country in just one day. On Tuesday they release the defining album of their generation. Our generation. The greatest generation.

Working on a full album review and piece on this lovely little band called The Wonder Years. Stay tuned.

MAURA
“Outlier”

http://maura.bandcamp.com/track/outlier

I first heard this song from my super talented friend James, who runs Antique Records. He sent me a couple bands that he was considering working with and I remember as soon as I heard Maura, I knew he was onto something special. Readers, mark my words: you WILL hear more about this band in the next couple years.

This ONE song has been able to creep inside my soul in the short time that I’ve known about it and refuses to leave. It’s a very delicate song but don’t misread that for boring because this song is anything but. Its subtle simplicity will captivate you immediately yet the haunting key change around 0:30 leads you perfectly into this killer guitar part that repeats a few times throughout the song. It’s romantic and droney and sludgy and grungy all at the same time. FYI: you will not be able to avoid air-guitaring to this part. Just ask the drivers of the cars next to me while I blast this song in traffic.

The lyrics are also pretty spectacular. Here are my favorite lines:

“Some people mean the world but I just can’t be part of yours anymore.”

“I know what you mean to everybody else but me.
I just can’t complete with such foolish tendencies.”

So basically if you like anything along the lines of Weezer, Frank Turner, Andrew Jackson Jihad, shit I’ll even say Jeremy Enigk too— then you’re gonna dig this band. 

TROUBLED COAST
“Confidence”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3rMdvSkrnE

I’ve been meaning to write about this song for a while. I first fell for this album during a holiday trip home to visit the family. The vocals vary throughout the album but always maintain a sense of aggression, hence why it was the perfect soundtrack to accompany me on a trip home. (Kidding, mostly.)

I was supposed to go see these guys last month and actually did go, but of course, stupid cops ended up shutting the show down before TC could play. Fuck me, right? These guys almost never play shows so I’m probably out of luck. Oh well, I’ll always have this delicately-crafted masterpiece of an album, as well as their entire discography, to fall back on.

This song in particular has been a favorite of mine since I first heard it but lately has been really connecting for me even more. Something about his voice really drives home what I’ve taken as a constant theme throughout Awake And Empty: finding comfort in solitude. He changes up his vocal pattern quite a bit on every song, quite the ambitious task, with elements ranging from delicate singing to haunting screams to the occasional poetic, spoken word style that really comes alive during the bridge on “Confidence.”

At one point this past month, after listening to this song, I grabbed my phone and made a quick note to remind myself to write about it on here. Here’s what I wrote:

“TC - Confidence. For me, what this all comes down to is the idea of feeling lost in your own head and not being able to find a way out.”

I’m going to open up a little here because A.) it’s my blog and B.) maybe some of you can relate to this. I have this problem where I get tangled up in my own head a lot, causing me to assume things and let anxiety build until it all comes crashing down. I’ve always wanted to be able to be alone in my thoughts but have never been able to figure out how to without letting my mind wander and spiral out of control. I often fear that it will someday drive away the people that I care about most but am really working hard at changing this about myself. I’m starting to notice what my “triggers” are and have to push myself through them, so as to avoid letting my thoughts carry me away to places that aren’t even likely scenarios in the first place. THAT’S what this song makes me think of and feel.

I’m sure none of that actually made sense to anyone but me. Whatever. It’s my blog. Just listen to the song and support the band. That’s why we’re all here anyway, right?

DEPARTURES
“Where The Time Will Go”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE8j8IHTMvk

Holy shit. 
My heart.
I’ll be the hand that won’t let go. 
THESE LYRICS!
Perfect modern hardcore song.
Post about this!

Those were my actual first thoughts that I wrote down on a post-it after first hearing this song.  It starts off so quiet with some of the most emotionally stirring lyrics I’ve heard in a while: “if you start to fall, I’ll be the hand that won’t let go. When you’re all alone, I’ll be the hand that won’t let go.” Then literally out of nowhere, these forceful drums come in and I know I’m in for a ride.

From there, this song touches upon all of my favorite qualities found in bands like With Honor, Comeback Kid and Sick Of It All mixed with some of today’s post-rock/hardcore hybrids like Touche Amore, La Dispute and Pianos Become The Teeth. There’s quite a bit of dancing to be done here, especially about halfway through when he delivers “but the wheels keep turning over and the lights keep on rushing by.” Like, I want to bust out my motorcycle hands right there! Such a great moment. 

But what I think I love the most about this song is how passionate and honest the lyrics and vocal delivery are. You can almost feel the singer climb through the speakers, grab the back of your head and scream the words “when you feel so much loss, everything comes into focus” right in your face. There’s such a beautiful truthfulness to his tone that makes you feel like you’re a part of this crushing emotion, like you’re going through the same loss right by his side. Can’t say that about many bands these days. 

Gotta say thanks to my friend Ryan Gardner for suggesting I check out these guys and their most recent album Teenage Haze. I can’t believe they slipped past my radar but better late than never, especially with a song like this one.

Dear Departures: come play Los Angeles soon please and we can be friends forever. This album is too perfect for me not to be singing along to in a crowd full of sweaty strangers every night. <3

I know I’m trying to write about individual songs on here but I’m on my 2nd listen of the new album from The Braces and guys, get ready to hear an earful on this one. I’ll try to pick a favorite song and write about it later this week but I can already tell that it’ll be difficult to choose just one. Some really smart songwriting on here.

This album “Two Years” is currently up for sale on the P+P website for only $5. That’s nothing, you guys. I skipped my morning Starbucks visit and got an incredible album in its place. I’d say that’s pretty cool.

Get it here: http://paperplastick.limitedrun.com/products/512186-the-braces-two-years

Oh, also, I ended up getting my coffee this afternoon anyway so THERE! Caffeine addicts unite.

SETH SENTRY
“My Scene”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo0pNPtYOO8



“It’s the hardest thing to do, to look like them but feel like you.”

This song itself is great with a hook that will likely stay in your head for days but it’s the message here that stands out the most to me. It’s what inspired me to write about it in the first place. Seth has a great way of utilizing humor to tell stories and express emotion, as is perfectly displayed in “My Scene.” He talks about stoners and hippies and all the different types of people that he just can’t seem to relate to. It’s a funny story but by the end, he realizes that maybe he doesn’t need a scene to truly define who he is as a person.

Now I’ve grown up pretty lucky. My family has always given me everything that I needed to succeed. Although convincing them that moving to Los Angeles with no job to pursue a career in the music business was quite the challenge, they’ve been supportive through it all. But before me, no one in my family or circle of friends had ever even thought of music as anything other than a hobby. Sure, my sister was the first exposure I had to New Found Glory but she wanted to work in fashion (and does). My brother is currently in a touring band, so today we have plenty to chat about but back then, it was all video games and sports for him. My parents loved Earth, Wind & Fire so that’s about as far as that goes.

I remember being 15 years old and feeling completely alone, like nothing could ever possibly matter more to me than music. I was constantly seeking the friendship of others like me but had a hard time finding them. I tried to fit into various cliques along the way but nothing ever felt as good as slipping those earbuds in and losing myself to Brand New’s Deja Entendu did. Eventually I stopped trying to fit in. I kept quiet and put everything I had into building a life where I could talk about this love of mine forever.

Sometime in the past five years or so, I realized that fitting my taste into a particular world or scene doesn’t actually matter. Like, at all. I’m not a punk, I’m not a goth, I’m not a pop punk kid and I don’t care. My connection is with the music, whatever it may sound like. I fall in love with the song, with the words, with the message. I don’t need to fit into any particular community or scene in order to maintain that love and respect that I have for the music itself.

And if I happen to meet people who feel the same as I do along the way, then cool, I just made a couple new friends.

HARVARD
“What We Had”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io1QDJxNa7A

I’m only human, you guys. I can only check out so many new bands in the little free time I have. JK MY WHOLE JOB IS LISTENING TO MUSIC. But really, I totally slept on these guys. I kept hearing the name and just never got around to checking them out. Don’t know why because now that I finally did, I’m pretty into it. This album especially reminds me of the Circa Survive Juturna era, aka the best record that band has ever put out in my opinion. “What We Had” is a little more toned down and less production-heavy like most Circa tracks tend to be. Honestly I feel like there should be fireworks at the end of every single song they have but that’s neither here nor there. Back to Harvard. Or is it HRVRD? I don’t get it but I’ll hashtag both of those suckers and see what happens.

Anyway - this is a sultry little song that starts off slow and builds into a grand showcase for the singer to show off his vocal chops before drifting back into silence with ambient noise perfectly leading you into the next track. It made me feel all kinds of special inside and I especially love the way he delivers the line “I am…” then pauses and returns with a breathy “…your star.” SWOON.

My bad for being like 4 years late on this band, though. Life is hard. Whatever.

SECRET PLOT TO DESTROY THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE
“I Only Miss You When I Want To”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShMs9ESwAXM 

First off, any band that lists “sad bastard” as a tag on Bandcamp is cool with me. But anyway…

I first heard this song the other day when I bought The BIG Comp from Lame-O Records, Big Footprints and Property of Zack. Guys, you should really get this comp. It only cost $5 (proceeds go to charity) and there are literally 75 tracks. For every band I’m aware of, there are about 5 more that I’m not. Check it out:  

http://propertyofzack.com/post/46874407328/poz-presents-big-footprints-the-big-comp-75-bands

Anyway - back to this song and what a song, at that. It starts off with a super delicate guitar melody that will creep into your soul and have you wishing that it went on for another 10 minutes once its over. Then the most beautiful voice comes in chanting “I only miss you when I want to, I only miss you when I see you” and I just melt right there. The lyrics in this song are heartbreaking and poetic all at the same time. I think I mostly fell in love with the way this guys voice sounds. It’s rough but not in the rustic, heartworn way we’re used to with bands like Gaslight and the like. It’s the voice of, well, a sad bastard. It’s full of life and emotion, like you just know this guy has been through some shit. But the way it comes across in this song is just perfect. I’m going to dig into their material more this weekend but if this song is any indicator of what the rest of the album sounds like, I’m pretty sure Secret Plot To Destroy The Entire Universe just found themselves a new fan.