Sunday, November 28, 2010

Song Of The Week: 11/28/10






Song: "Crash"

Artist: 12 Stones

Album: "12 Stones"

Year: 2002



This song is about having faith even in times of struggle and adversity. Know that in times of trouble and despair, God is watching over you and His love for you and yours of him will eventually set you free. 12 Stones is a band that at times wears it's Christian faith on it's sleeve and "Crash" is definitely one of those songs. Hailing from Louisiana, 12 Stones formed as a band in 2000. They have released three full length studio albums as well as an EP. 12 Stones probably caught their biggest break back in 2003, when lead vocalist Paul McCoy contributed vocals to Evanescene's 2003 smash hit "Bring Me To Life". This probably more than anything else started to shine a light on McCoy's own band. 12 Stones is a pretty much straight forward rock band. They often use a formula which consists of softer verses followed by a heavier, melodic chorus. Their record label, Wind-Up Records, has several bands that offer similar styles, including Creed, Finger Eleven, Evanescence and Seether. The band's most recent release occurred in 2010, an EP entitled "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday". Currently, 12 Stones is at work on a new studio album which is slated to be released sometime in 2011.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Song Of The Week: 11/21/10






Song: "Queen And John"

Artist: Good Riddance

Album: "Good Riddance/Kill Your Idols" Split EP

Year: 2001



This song is basically about regret. Good Riddance is not really known for their relationship type songs, but every now and then they put one out there and "Queen And John" is one of their finest. In the song, the vocalist is definitely having regrets for the way he treated his girl in their relationship. He doesn't want it to end, but, to her, it's too late for him to change his ways and what they had is officially over. Good Riddance is a hardcore/punk band that got it's start back in 1986. They were heavily influenced by punk legends such as Black Flag and Bad Religion. The majority of their songs focus on social and political issues but as I said earlier, they were known to sprinkle in a love/relationship song here and there. GR spent their career on the famed punk label Fat Wreck Chords, adding some hardcore to a label which was dominated by skate punk bands. After more than twenty years, seven studio albums, several EPs and splits, a live album, cover album, and a rarities collection, Good Riddance decided to call it quits in 2007. A very sad moment in the punk rock world as GR was as solid a band as it gets. Thankfully, you can still get your fix of GR's vocalist, Russ Rankin, as he fronts another solid punk band called Only Crime. Currently, all the former members of Good Riddance are focusing on their new projects, the top dog being Only Crime.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Song Of The Week: 11/14/10






Song: "Home Frome Home"

Artist: Millencolin

Album: "Home From Home"

Year: 2002



This song is about how Millencolin's lead singer, Nikola Sarcevic, realized his dream the first time he picked up his bass guitar and started writing songs. It tells of how working regular jobs or going to school wasn't for him and that the place he really felt at home was when he was performing in his band. Millencolin is a punk band from Sweden that formed back in 1992. They adopted a "skate-punk" style similar to fellow 90's punk rockers such as No Use For A Name and NOFX. The high point in Millencolin's career came in 2000 with the release of "Pennybridge Pioneers". This was the band's most successful album, and i'd tend to agree, it is their finest effort to date. Millencolin kind of reminds me of a band such as The Living End. Not so much in style, but in the fact that they are much more popular internationally than they are here in the United States. If you are a fan of the band, you know that they are a solid band with a strong recording catalogue to back them up. Millencolin's latest release was "Machine 15" which dropped in 2008. Currently, lead singer and bassist Sarcevic has been focusing on his solo material, touring acoustically in support of his most recent album. As of now, there is no news as to when Millencolin is going to return to the studio to work on a new album, but the band is still very much intact.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Song Of The Week: 11/7/10






Song: "One More Hangover Day (Warren's Song, Pt. 7)"

Artist: Bracket

Album: "Novelty Forever"

Year: 1997



This song appears to be about just wanting to seclude yourself in your dark bedroom for the day and just make the outside world go away. While whoever has ever had a hangover can understand the feeling, I don't believe this song is about an alcohol related hangover, but more a hangover from a broken heart. He just needs one more day to get over a relationship lost and to wallow in his own pain and sadness. Bracket hails from California and formed as a band back in 1992. Though the band has some punk elements, I wouldn't go all the way and consider them a straight-forward punk band. They remind me more of just a garage rock band with definite pop sensibilities. They are just as much Tom Petty as they are Green Day is what i'm getting at. For the majority of their career, Bracket was on the famed punk label, Fat Wreck Chords. They are a band that always seems to fly under the radar. They never really achieved mainstream success with their music. They're more of an indie type band that relies on it's small core fan base as well as touring with more successful acts such as Fat Wreck's NOFX and No Use For A Name. In 2005, Bracket left Fat Wreck Chords and moved to Takeover Records to record what would be their last studio album, "Requiem". While the band has not officially said that Bracket has called it quits, some members of the band have moved to different parts of the country making it harder to work together on new material. Currently, some members of Bracket have formed a quirky band called The Good Life Crisis, which features odd instruments such as ukuleles and mandolins. There is no news if Bracket will eventually work together again as of now.