Song: "Anna Lee"
Artist: Strung Out
Album: "Exile In Oblivion"
Year: 2004
Place Of Origin: Simi Valley, California
Years Active: 1990 - present
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
"Anna Lee" is yet another song about a relationship that is on the outs. So many of these songs that i've written about have a scenario where the woman is walking out on the vocalist, but in this song, it seems like the other way around. The vocalist is clearly the one who wants this relationship to end. In fact, he wants to get as far away from this relationship as he can because even the surroundings of the city bring back memories that are too painful to deal with.
STRUNG OUT DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
1994 - Another Day In Paradise (Fat Wreck Chords)
1996 - Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues (Fat Wreck Chords)
1998 - Twisted By Design (Fat Wreck Chords)
1998 - The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat (Fat Wreck Chords)
2002 - An American Paradox (Fat Wreck Chords)
2003 - Live In A Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)
2004 - Exile In Oblivion (Fat Wreck Chords)
2007 - Blackhawks Over Los Angeles (Fat Wreck Chords)
2009 - Agents Of The Underground (Fat Wreck Chords)
2009 - Prototypes And Painkillers (Fat Wreck Chords)
2015 - Transmissions.Alpha.Delta (Fat Wreck Chords)
2019 - Songs Of Armor And Devotion (Fat Wreck Chords)
CURRENT STATUS OF STRUNG OUT:
Strung Out formed as a band back in 1990, hailing from Simi Valley, California. Soon after releasing a self-titled 7", Strung Out became one of the very first bands to sign with Fat Wreck Chords, NOFX frontman Fat Mike's label. That relationship would continue and has continued to the present day. The band's debut full length came out in 1994, "Another Day In Paradise". That was followed by 1996's "Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues". 1998 saw the band drop two albums, "Twisted By Design" and "The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat", which is a compilation of songs that band had before they signed with Fat Wreck Chords. In 2002, Strung Out didn't totally steer away from their skate punk roots but their style definitely started to show more elements of metal and technical playing. "An American Paradox became the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 charts. The band kept up steam with 2004's "Exile In Oblivion" and their 2007 release, "Blackhawks Over Los Angeles" would prove to be their most political album to date. 2009 saw two releases from the band again, "Agents Of The Underground" and "Prototypes And Painkillers", which is a b-sides and rarities compilation. 2015's "Transmission.Alpha.Delta" showed a band that has matured well and has gotten really comfortable with their sound. In 2018, the band dropped an acoustic EP, "Black Out The Sky", which was inspired by Alice In Chains' "Jar Of Flies" EP. Most recently, Strung Out has stated that their new studio album will be released in late summer of 2019. The album is titled "Songs Of Armor And Devotion" and the first single, "Daggers", has already been released. Strung Out is very much a part of that mid-90's Fat Wreck skate punk sound. They seemed to be under the radar in the 90's while bands like NOFX, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name and Bad Religion were getting more and more attention. I knew they were a great band when I saw them in the 90's open for No Use shows and Lagwagon shows. A weird thing happened however. In the 2000's, when the skate punk bands started to fade from popularity, Strung Out began to gain more of a following. Perhaps it's due to the fact that a lot of their music contains metal elements and they definitely play a technical brand of punk rock. I personally think their albums from the 2000's, beginning with "An American Paradox", are the band's wheelhouse. High points for me are "Blackhowks Over Los Angeles" and "Exile In Oblivion". And their last album, "Transmission.Alpha.Delta", is an awesome album that's making me giddy for their upcoming album due out soon. If you dig bands like Good Riddance, No Use For A Name, Lagwagon, Pulley or Face To Face, then you gotta give Strung Out a listen. You will not be disappointed.
TEN STRUNG OUT SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Calling
2. Analog
3. The Animal And The Machine
4. Velvet Alley
5. Match Box
6. Andy Warhol
7. Daggers
8. Bring Out Your Dead
9. Ashes
10. Your Worst Mistake
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