Song Of The Week: 1/26/20

Song: "Hurtlin""

Artist: American Steel

Album: "Destroy Their Future"

Year: 2007

Place Of Origin: Oakland, California

Years Active: 1995 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Hurtlin'" appears to be one of those songs about the band logging many miles on the road touring and the vocalist is feeling good because the boys are headed back home where he can return to the girl who is there waiting for him. The theme of this song seems like it's been regurgitated in thousands of "hair metal" songs. But hey, this is the punk rock version! Even punkers have girls waiting for them when they return home from the road!!

AMERICAN STEEL DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1998 - American Steel (New Disorder Records)
1999 - Rogue's March (Lookout! Records)
2001 - Jagged Thoughts (Lookout! Records)
2007 - Destroy Their Future (Fat Wreck Chords)
2009 - Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts (Fat Wreck Chords)

CURRENT STATUS OF AMERICAN STEEL:

American Steel formed as a band back in 1995, a product of the now infamous Bay Area punk scene. While Operation Ivy had dissolved, but Rancid rose from those ashes and Green Day was well on their way to huge success, American Steel followed their path to try to create a spot of their own in their hometown of Oakland, California. After non-stop touring, the band signed a deal with New Disorder Records to release their debut full length album, "American Steel". As they got a little more buzz, legendary Bay Area label, Lookout! Records signed the band for their next two releases. In 1999, the band delivered "Rogue's March". This album turned out to be a moderate underground success for American Steel. They continued to be an underground favorite with their 2001 release, "Jagged Thoughts". In 2002, for whatever reason, the guys in American Steel decided to change their sound and their name. They called themselves Communique, which turned out to be a short-lived project. By 2007, they reverted back to American Steel and signed on with legendary punk label, Fat Wreck Chords. Their first album with Fat Wreck was "Destroy Their Future". This to me is the band's highlight album. Fat Wreck does tend to bring out the best in punk rock artists. The band's last full length studio album would be 2009's "Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts". It took ten years before American Steel would release anything after that album. Their most recent release was a 2-song 7" single called "State Of Grace". American Steel sort of has a little hardcore in them, but they tend to keep it more melodic. They definitely got that "gravelly" vocals vibe in their songs. While the first wave of Bay Area punk bands like Rancid and Green Day sparked a punk rock revival, American Steel always lurked in the underground, never coming anywhere remotely close to the success of those two bands. There's nothing distinctly special about American Steel. They're a good punk band. Not great by any stretch. They have a few songs that stick out, nothing major. If you like the music of bands like Dead To Me, Banner Pilot, The Lawrence Arms, Dillinger Four or None More Black then you might like American Steel. Not bad. Not great. Just somewhere in the middle.

TEN AMERICAN STEEL SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Mean Streak
2. Maria
3. State Of Grace
4. Sons Of Avarice
5. Emergency House Party
6. Schrapnel
7. Every New Morning
8. Your Ass Ain't Laughing Now
9. Got A Backbeat
10. Rotting

Song Of The Week: 1/19/20

Song: "Mephisto"

Artist: Strung Out

Album: "The Element Of Sonic Defiance" EP

Year: 2000

Place Of Origin: Simi Valley, California

Years Active: 1990 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Mephisto, or Mephistopheles, is a demon in German folklore. So, if you look at "Mephisto" in this song, he can be referred to as the devil or Satan. The song basically plays out as a conversation between the vocalist and Satan, with the devil trying to tempt the vocalist to sell his soul to him.

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 released their new album, "Songs Of Armor And Devotion" in 2019 and the first single off of that album is called "Daggers". 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 two albums, "Transmission.Alpha.Delta" and "Songs Of Armor And Devotion", are both excellent albums. 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

Song Of The Week: 1/12/20

Song: "Childish Games"

Artist: Strung Out

Album: "The Skinny Years...Before We Got Fat"

Year: 1998

Place Of Origin: Simi Valley, California

Years Active: 1990 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Childish Games" appears to be a song about maturity, or lack thereof. Some people grow as human beings while others are still bogged down, playing childish games and acting immature. It's hard to maintain a relationship with someone when you are way past the stupid bullshit, and the other person is, for lack of a better term, full of shit!!

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 released their new album, "Songs Of Armor And Devotion" in 2019 and the first single off of that album is called "Daggers". 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 two albums, "Transmission.Alpha.Delta" and "Songs Of Armor And Devotion", are both excellent albums. 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

Song Of The Week: 1/5/19

Song: "I Knew I Couldn't Trust You"

Artist: Silverstein

Album: "A Shipwreck In The Sand"

Year: 2009

Place Of Origin: Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Years Active: 2000 - present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"A Shipwreck In The Sand" is a concept album so each song is a continuation of the whole story. Without getting into the whole story, "I Knew I Couldn't Trust You" is the story of two friends who've known each other since they were kids. One of them finds out that his friend has been having an affair with his wife. The friend who is having the affair can't bear to tell his friend, not knowing that he already knows what's going on with him and his wife. It's finding out that what you thought was your best friend is really a snake!

SILVERSTEIN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2003 - When Broken Is Easily Fixed (Victory Records)
2005 - Discovering The Waterfront (Victory Records)
2006 - 18 Candles: The Early Years (Victory Records)
2007 - Arrivals & Departures (Victory Records)
2009 - A Shipwreck In The Sand (Victory Records)
2010 - Decade (Live At The El Mocambo) (Victory Records)
2011 - Rescue (Hopeless Records)
2012 - Short Songs (Hopeless Records)
2013 - This Is How The Wind Shifts (Hopeless Records)
2015 - I Am Alive In Everything I Touch (Rise Records)
2017 - Dead Reflection (Rise Records)
2019 - Redux: The First Ten Years (NSEW Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF SILVERSTEIN:

Silverstein is a Canadian band that formed back in 2000. After releasing a couple of EP's, the band was signed by Victory Records and released their debut full length studio album, "When Broken Is Easily Fixed" in 2003. In 2005, the band dropped "Discovering The Waterfront" which would turn out to be the band's most successful release of their career. 2007's "Arrivals & Departures" would be the highest charting album of Silverstein's career, peaking at #25 on the Billboard 200 charts. In 2009, Silverstein released "A Shipwreck In The Sand" which was their very first concept album. 2011 saw the band sign on with Hopeless Records for the release of "Rescue". 2012 saw the band drop "Short Songs" where every song on the album checked in at a minute or under. They rounded out their time on Hopeless with the 2013 release, "This Is How The Wind Shifts". Silverstein, now signed to Rise Records, released "I Am Alive In Everything I Touch in 2015 and "Dead Reflection" in 2017. The band's most recent release was 2019's "Redux: The First Ten Years". This album featured the band re-recording some of their best songs from the first ten years of their musical career. Rumor has it that Silverstein will drop a new full length sometime in 2020. Silverstein is a post-hardcore/emo/scream/hardcore punk type of band! Whatever you want to call all those genres mixed into one?! Whatever you want to call it, they are probably the best at it in my opinion. This band never disappoints. All of their albums are excellent and the real beauty about this band is that you can expect new songs pretty much every other year, and sometimes even more than that! Think about it. They are about to hit their 20 year anniversary as a band and they have released 10 studio albums, 1 compilation album, 1 live album and 5 EP's. That's a lot of f'n music in 20 years!! I like a lot of bands. I wouldn't be surprised if Silverstein was in my top 20. I'd have to think about it but in their style of music, I think they're the best. If you dig the music of bands like Senses Fail, Hawthorne Heights, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, From First To Last or Funeral For A Friend you would most definitely enjoy the sounds of Silverstein. Check them out!!

TEN SILVERSTEIN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Giving Up
2. My Heroine
3. Massachusetts
4. Song To Woody (Bob Dylan cover)
5. Ghost
6. Vices
7. Forget Your Heart
8. If You Could See Into My Soul
9. A Midwestern State Of Emergency
10. Brookfield