SONG OF THE WEEK: 21/27/20

SONG:  "Pick Up The Phone"

ARTIST:  Falling In Reverse

ALBUM:  "The Drug In Me Is You"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Las Vegas, Nevada

YEARS ACTIVE:  2008 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Pick Up The Phone" appears to be a song about a toxic and abusive relationship. It's not one way abuse either. They both physically and mentally torture each other as well as lying and cheating on one another. Seems like a relationship where both are gonna wind up killing each other, literally.

FALLING IN REVERSE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2011 - The Drug In Me Is You (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200 on 8-13-11

* certified gold

2013 - Fashionably Late (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200 on 7-6-13

2015 - Just Like You (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200 on 3-14-15

2017 - Coming Home (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #34 on the Billboard 200 charts on 4-29-17

MY THOUGHTS ON FALLING IN REVERSE:

Falling In Reverse vocalist, Ronnie Radke, was serving time in prison when he formed the band. Radke used to be the frontman for the band Escape The Fate but his legal issues forced the band to part ways with him. Needless to say, Radke was not happy with his former bandmates and that provided fuel for most of the songs on Falling In Reverse's debut album, "The Drug In Me Is You". Because of Radke's connection to Escape The Fate, who were on the Epitaph label, Falling In Reverse would also be signed by Epitaph and all four of their albums were released through them. "The Drug In Me Is You" proved to be the band's most successful album, eventually being certified gold. The band's sophomore effort, 2013's "Fashionably Late" was a bit less revengeful in theme, a bit more poppy and even had some hip hop elements. Radke even made amends with his former band and Falling In Reverse and Escape The Fate would embark on the "Bury The Hatchet" tour together. When the time came for their third release, "Just Like You", Radke has said that this would have been the album he would have made had he not been kicked out of Escape The Fate. This was a much heavier record with more gutteral vocals. The band's last full length release, 2017's "Coming Home" was a much more experimental album for Falling In Reverse. A definite curve ball for fans of the band. The time since that release, Falling In Reverse has released a few stand alone singles, the most recent being "Carry On" which was released in April of 2020. Falling In Reverse has many styles to their sound. There are definitely elements of post-hardcore, metalcore, pop punk, emo and even some rap metal/hip hop. Their sound is very similar to Radke's former band Escape The Fate but I find that Falling In Reverse is willing to explore more genres of music with their sound. Sometimes that is to the detriment of a band, but I feel Falling In Reverse has navigated these styles well. There has been a revolving door of band members in this band but this is Ronnie Radke's baby no doubt. I find that Falling In Reverse has a real knack for creating pop influenced songs, even in their harder songs, there's always some semblance of keen melodic vibes. These guys were pretty much on a album every two years pace so they are definitely due for a new album. I'm sure like many artists, this shitty pandemic has probably slowed that process down for them.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Escape The Fate

A Day To Remember

Silverstein

The Dead Rabbitts

Hands Like Houses

TEN FALLING IN REVERSE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Raised By Wolves

2. The Drug In Me Is You

3. Fashionably Late

4. God, If You Are Above...

5. Loser

6. Guillotine IV (The Final Chapter)

7. Pray

8. Carry On

9. Alone

10. Broken

SONG OF THE WEEK: 12/20/20

SONG:  "Gimme Shelter" (The Rolling Stones cover)

ARTIST:  Puddle Of Mudd

ALBUM:  "Re: (Disc)Overed"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Kansas City, Missouri

YEARS ACTIVE:  1991 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Gimme Shelter" is a classic rock and roll song written and originally performed by The Rolling Stones. Here's what Stones' frontman Mick Jagger had to say about the song. "It was a very moody piece about the world closing in on you a bit. When it was recorded, early '69 or something, it was a time of war and tension, so that's reflected in this tune. It's still wheeled out when big storms happen. It's been used a lot to evoke natural disasters."  I chose Puddle Of Mudd's cover of this song as my song of the week but check out the original by The Rolling Stones that was released on their 1969 album "Let It Bleed". The song is killer. One of the best tunes of all time!

PUDDLE OF MUDD DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1997 - Abrasive (Hardknocks Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Come Clean (Flawless/Geffen Records)

* peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 on 3-2-02

* certified 3X platinum

2003 - Life On Display (Flawless/Geffen Records)

* peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200 on 12-13-03

* certified gold

2007 - Famous (Flawless/Geffen Records)

* peaked at #27 on the Billboard 200 on 10-27-07

2009 - Volume 4:  Songs In The Key Of Love & Hate (Flawless/Geffen Records)

* peaked at #95 on the Billboard 200 on 12-26-09

2011 - Re: (Disc)Overed (Arms Division Records)

* peaked at #96 on the Billboard 200 on 9-17-11

2019 - Welcome To Galvania (Pavement Music)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON PUDDLE OF MUDD:

Puddle Of Mudd got it's start back in 1991, hailing from Kansas City, Missouri. The band's first release was an EP in 1994 called "Stuck". Their debut album was called "Abrasive" in 1997. After the band released that album, they basically dissolved as a band. Their album found it's way to Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst who contacted the band's lead singer and songwriter Wes Scantlin and had him go out to Los Angeles. Durst helped Scantlin form a whole new band and Puddle Of Mudd was back in business. In 2001, the band signed with major label Geffen Records and dropped "Come Clean". This album was an enormous success for Puddle Of Mudd. The lead single, "Control" generated major buzz for the band, but it was their next single "Blurry" that caused album sales to explode. "Come Clean" would go on to sell over 5 million units, go triple platinum and make Puddle Of Mudd an instant headliner. While never attaining that type of success on any of their other albums, their next record "Life On Display" did do fairly well, being certified gold. This album and their next, 2007's "Famous" would both chart in the 20's on the Billboard 200. The band would release another record in 2009, "Volume 4:  Songs In The Key Of Love & Hate" and in 2011, they released a covers album, "Re: (Disc)Overed". The years from 2012 to 2019 had mostly downs for Puddle Of Mudd. Several line-up changes marred the band and lead singer Wes Scantlin struggled with addiction leading to bad episodes both on and off the stage. Luckily, Scantlin got himself sober and in 2019, Puddle Of Mudd dropped their most recent album, "Welcome To Galvania" which features my favorite song by the band, "Uh Oh". Puddle Of Mudd is your basic mainstream rock type band. While they can rock out, they always seem to have some songs that are fun and tongue in cheek type songs. "She Hates Me", "Psycho" and "Uh Oh" are some songs like that. I first heard of Puddle Of Mudd when I heard the single "Control" and bought their "Come Clean" album. I hate that they are associated with that turd Fred Durst but what are you gonna do? I always thought they were a good band, not great by any stretch. I love their newest single "Uh Oh". It's just a simple song but for some reason the melody just gets me. Good to see Wes Scantlin get his life together and hopefully he's past his addictions and can focus on his music.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Staind

Fuel

Trapt

Seether

Creed

TEN PUDDLE OF MUDD SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Uh Oh

2. Blurry

3. Control

4. Spin You Around

5. Old Man (Neil Young cover)

6. Away From Me

7. Famous

8. Spaceship

9. Keep It Together

10. Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones cover)

SONG OF THE WEEK: 12/13/20

SONG:  "Already Home"

ARTIST:  Thousand Foot Krutch

ALBUM:  "Live At The Masquerade"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Peterborough, Ontario, Canada

YEARS ACTIVE:  1995 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Let me preface this by saying that Thousand Foot Krutch is an unapologetic, Christian hard rock band. That being said, "Already Home" appears to be about how God is the unwavering light in the vocalist's life. No matter any downfalls or obstacles, it is God that serves as his guidance that will help him overcome whatever life brings up and keep him on the true path. The studio version of "Already Home" can be found on Thousand Foot Krutch's 2009 album "Welcome To The Masquerade". I chose the live version as my song of the week.

THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1995 - Shutterbug (as Oddball) (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1997 - That's What People Do (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Set It Off (DJD Entertainment Group)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Phenomenon (Tooth & Nail Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - The Art Of Breaking (Tooth & Nail Records)

* peaked at #67 on the Billboard 200 on 8-6-05

2007 - The Flame In All Of Us (Tooth & Nail Records)

* peaked at #58 on the Billboard 200 on 10-6-07

2009 - Welcome To The Masquerade (Tooth & Nail Records)

* peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200 on 9-26-09

2011 - Live At The Masquerade (Tooth & Nail Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - The End Is Where We Begin (self-released)

* peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200 on 5-5-12

2014 - Oxygen:Inhale (TFK Music)

* peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 on 9-13-14

2016 - Exhale (TFK Music)

* peaked at #34 on the Billboard 200 on 7-9-16

2017 - Untraveled Roads (The Fuel Music)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH

Thousand Foot Krutch is a Canadian band that formed back in 1995. The band was basically lead vocalist Trevor McNevan's project which came out of the ashes of a band called Oddball. After self-releasing an album under the Oddball moniker, Thousand Foot Krutch's official debut would be 1997's "That's What People Do". The band's 2001 album, "Set It Off", was the band's first album to be released through a label. At this point in the band's career, their style was that of a rap/rock band, maybe in the vein of P.O.D. or something like that. In 2003, TFK signed a deal with Christian punk label, Tooth & Nail Records. Their debut with them, 2003's "Phenomenon" showed a band that seemed to be moving away from the rock/rap thing and moving more towards a nu-metal vibe. By 2005, Thousand Foot Krutch really became a mainstream, melodic, hard rock type of band. This was also a time that the band's records began charting on the Billboard 200 charts. "The Art Of Breaking" (2005), "The Flame In All Of Us" (2007), "Welcome To The Masquerade" (2009), "The End Is Where We Begin" (2012), "Oxygen:Inhale" (2014) and "Exhale"(2016) all charted on the Billboard 200. "Oxygen:Inhale" being the band's highest charting album at #11. The band's most recent release was the 2017 live album "Untraveled Roads". I've heard that the band is on a bit of a hiatus but there has been no news that they have broken up at this time. Thousand Foot Krutch, as I said earlier, is a Christian rock band. A lot of their lyrics use God and religion as a foundation. Some bands shy away from that label or don't like being called just a "Christian" band. This has never bothered the guys in TFK. In my mind, I really don't care. They write good songs and they are a really tight band. I want to say I got into this band around the time they released "Phenomenon". Besides Rage Against The Machine, I've never really been into the rock/rap bands. And, I wasn't really into TFK's early albums. But, as they started gearing their sound to a more hard rock style, I got more and more into their music. I know sometimes these mainstream sounding rock bands get shit on for having a generic formula, but some do it better than others and Thousand Foot Krutch know how to write good, catchy songs. I'm not going to blame them or criticize them for that. Though my heart lays with grunge and punk rock music, I can dig some mainstream rock bands as well and TFK is definitely one of the band's i'm cool with.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Three Days Grace

Saint Asonia

3 Doors Down

Breaking Benjamin

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

TEN THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Fire It Up

2. Phenomenon

3. Let The Sparks Fly

4. Falls Apart

5. Untraveled Road

6. Move

7. Running With Giants

8. Shook

9. Set It Off

10. Complicate You

SONG OF THE WEEK: 12/6/20

SONG:  "The Monarch Hotel"

ARTIST:  Dead To Me

ALBUM:  "Moscow Penny Ante"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  San Francisco, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  2003 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"The Monarch Hotel" appears to be a song about being stuck in monotony. The vocalist is so used to his surroundings that certain smells and sounds let him know what time of the day it is without looking at a clock! Perhaps he wants his situation to be rife with boredom and routine because the mental suffering allows him to be creative. You get the sense he's questioning his methods however.

DEAD TO ME DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2006 - Cuban Ballerina (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2009 - African Elephants (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - Moscow Penny Ante (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON DEAD TO ME:

Dead To Me is a San Francisco band that formed back in 2003. Jack Dalyrmple, formerly of One Man Army, was a founding member of the band. Dalyrmple joined the Swingin' Utters in 2006, and perhaps this gave Dead To Me the in to hook up with Fat Wreck Chords as the Utters are a mainstay on that label. Dead To Me dropped their first album in 2006, titled "Cuban Ballerina". After releasing the EP "Little Brother" in 2008, Dalyrmple left the band. Dead To Me used two different singers on their next two full length releases, 2009's "African Elephants" and 2011's "Moscow Penny Ante". Around 2015, Dalyrmple re-joined the band as lead vocalist. Dead To Me's most recent release was the 2016 7" single "I Wanna Die In Los Angeles". The band has released two videos for a couple of new songs in 2018, "Fear Is The New Bliss" and "Would It Kill You?" but I'm not sure if these are going to be for a forthcoming full length album or if they are just stand alone singles. Dead To Me is a solid, no nonsense, straight forward punk rock band. If you like Dalyrmple's work in his other bands, One Man Army and Swingin' Utters, then you would most likely enjoy the music of Dead To Me. While I guess they would be considered a side project, there's nothing side project about them. This is a solid band. Again, if punk rock had tiers, I would say Dead To Me is a high end 2nd tier band or even a low end 1st tier band. These guys are legit and hopefully those two new singles do lead to a new album. I need something to look forward to in 2021. Fuck 2020!!!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Falcon

The Lawrence Arms

None More Black

The Flatliners

Banner Pilot

TEN DEAD TO ME SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. By The Throat

2. Modern Muse

3. I Love My Problems

4. I Wanna Die In Los Angeles

5. Special Professional

6. The Hand With Inherited Rings

7. Bad Friends

8. Arrhythmic Palpitations

9. Don't Wanna

10. The Evolution Will Be Tele-visualized