SONG OF THE WEEK: 5-28-2023

SONG:  "We Want More"

ARTIST:  Bastards Of Young

ALBUM:  "Bastards Of Young/Wolves As Thieves" Split

YEAR:  2008

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Sacramento, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  2007 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"We Want More" appears to be a song about the disparity between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots. The vocalist is speaking of places that are crumbling and riddled with crime that seem to be looked over or just ignored as the money goes to building more skyscrapers, making conviences for the wealthy. It's kind of a battlecry for the less fortunate.

BASTARDS OF YOUNG DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2012 - California Redemption (La Escalera Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - White Knuckles (La Escalera Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON BASTARDS OF YOUNG:

Bastards Of Young formed as a band back in 2007, hailing from Sacramento, California. The band formed out of the ashes of former band Hanover Saints. The band's first release was a split LP with the band Wolves As Thieves in 2008. Their debut full length studio album was released in 2012, titled "California Redemption". The band's sophomore effort, and their most recent release would be 2016's "White Knuckles". Bastards Of Young also scattered in a few split releases along the way as well. Bastards Of Young is a punk band that offers a melodic style to their sound. They have a little bit of a Bouncing Souls vibe to their music. The covid pandemic kinda set them back a bit, as it did for a lot of bands, especially underground bands that couldn't rest on previous successes. All the guys in Bastards Of Young have day jobs because the band is not financially viable enough for them to do it full time. It is, however, a labor of love for all the band members. Though they haven't released any new material since 2016, they are currently performing some live shows, the most recent being in March of 2023. I most definitely found out about this band through the dyingscene.com blog. These guys are a solid listen. Hopefully, they're working on some new material.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Civil War Rust

Gunner's Daughter

Hear The Sirens

How Dare You

The Riot Before

TEN BASTARDS OF YOUNG SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Wooden Benches

2. Boys Like Us

3. Mary

4. New Reaction

5. Bloodline

6. Money For Nothing

7. Achin' To Be (The Replacements cover)

8. Stay Down

9. Never Catch Me Girl

10. In The Diggins...

SONG OF THE WEEK: 5-21-2023

SONG:  "Jack Names The Planets"

ARTIST:  Ash

ALBUM:  "Live On Mars:  London Astoria 1997"

YEAR:  2016

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland

YEARS ACTIVE:  1992 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The lyrics for "Jack Names The Planets" were in major part inspired by the 1984 novel "The Talisman" by Stephen King and Peter Straub. The novel is horror/fantasy and is about a boy named Jack Sawyer who must travel between two worlds to retrieve an object (the Talisman) that will save his dying mother. The Sunlight Home is a evil 'home for wayward boys' in the novel that plays a key role in the plot. Anyway, the lyrics are directly related to this novel.

ASH DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1994 - Trailer (Infectious Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1996 - 1977 (Infectious Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1997 - Live At The Wireless (Deathstar Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1998 - Nuclear Sounds (Infectious Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Free All Angels (Infectious Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2002 - Cosmic Debris (Infectious Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2004 - Meltdown (Infectious Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - Twilight Of The Innocents (Infectious Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - A-Z Vol. 1 (Atomic Heart Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - A-Z Vol. 2 (Atomic Heart Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Kablammo! (earMUSIC Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Live On Mars:  London Astoria 1997 (earMUSIC Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Islands (Infectious Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON ASH:

Ash is a Northern Ireland band that formed back in 1992. The band recorded many demos and singles, which ultimately made their way on a 1994 release, "Trailer". This would begin a long relationship with Infectious Records. Their proper debut album would be 1996's "1977". This album reached #1 in the United Kingdom thanks in part to hit singles "Goldfinger" and "Kung Fu". The "Goldfinger" video received moderate airplay in the States and was part of the alternative music movement of the mid 90's. The band followed that album up with 1998's "Nuclear Sounds". The band added guitarist/vocalist Charlotte Hatherley to their line-up for this album, a very welcome addition. "Nuclear Sounds" nearly bankrupted the band however. Luckily for the band, their 2001 album "Free All Angels" really hit the ball out of the park for Ash. Yet another album reaching #1 in the U.K. In 2004, the band released "Meltdown". Unfortunately, Hatherley left the band in 2006. I wasn't happy about this. Her background vocals were an awesome element of Ash's sound and worked so well with lead singer Tim Wheeler's vocals. The band's first release back as a three piece was 2007's "Twilight Of The Innocents". In 2009, the band started releasing a single with b-sides like every two weeks for a year. These singles would ultimately get comped in the releases, "A-Z Vol. 1" and "A-Z Vol. 2". These would also be their first releases off of Infectious Records. In 2015, the band returned to releasing proper albums starting with "Kablammo!". The band's most recent release would be 2018's "Islands", signaling a return to Infectious Records. Ash gets a little lumped in with the Brit Pop movement of the mid 90's, probably because they hail from Northern Ireland. Their melodic sound is similar to bands like Oasis or Hurricane #1, but I always felt that had a little more of a punk influenced edge to their style. I first heard of these guys from the "Angus" movie soundtrack that also featured Green Day's "J.A.R." on it. Once I heard "Goldfinger", I was hooked. I loved when the band added Charlotte Hatherley. Her background vocals really fit the band and I thought they were an intricate part of the band's sound. Their last few albums really seemed to be missing that. Still, Ash is a really good band. Catchy as hell and in my mind, a totally underrated band, especially here in the States. They definitely achieved more success in the their homeland Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. These guys are due for some new music for sure.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Oasis

Beady Eye

Superdrag

Hurricane #1

Everclear

TEN ASH SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Goldfinger

2. Burn Baby Burn

3. A Life Less Ordinary

4. Jesus Says

5. Starcrossed

6. Petrol

7. Tracers (featuring Emmy The Great) (acoustic version)

8. You Can't Have It All

9. Buzzkill

10. Cocoon

SONG OF THE WEEK: 5-14-2023

SONG:  "Alive"

ARTIST:  Lifetime

ALBUM:  "Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey"

YEAR:  2006

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  New Brunswick, New Jersey

YEARS ACTIVE:  1990 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Alive" appears to be a song about immersing yourself in positive thoughts even if those around you can't portray anything but negativity.

LIFETIME DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1992 - Background (New Age Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1995 - Hello Bastards (Jade Tree Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1997 - Jersey's Best Dancers (Jade Tree Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2006 - Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey (Jade Tree Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - Lifetime (Decaydance Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON LIFETIME:

Lifetime formed as a band back in 1990, hailing from New Brunswick, New Jersey. The band's debut full length album was released in 1992, titled "Background". This album and an underground following led the band to signing a deal with Jade Tree Records. Their first release through Jade Tree would be 1995's "Hello Bastards". This album hinted at the musical direction that the band would take, a melodic, hardcore form of punk rock music. In 1997, the band dropped "Jersey's Best Dancers". After this album, the band announced that they were breaking up. In 2005, however, the band reunited for what was to be a few final shows. 2006 saw the band release a compilation album full of their EP's, 7 inch recordings and rarities called "Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey". In 2007, the band announced that they were back together and they released the album "Lifetime". From 2007 to the present day, most of Lifetime's work was in performing shows. They haven't released anything since their self-titled album. In 2021, the band did announce they were working on new material finally, but because all the members live in different places, it has been hard getting everything together. Lifetime is highly regarded in the New Jersey/New York punk rock scene. Even though they have been pretty much an underground band, they have been highly influential to younger bands coming up in Jersey and New York. As I said earlier, they play a brand of melodic, hardcore punk. They have a lot of parallels to a band like New York's The Movielife. The Movielife had more success than Lifetime, but they both enjoyed an underground following and were hugely influential in their respective areas. Bands like The Bouncing Souls and Thursday are often heard heaping praise on Lifetime. Hopefully these boys figure out the logistics of everything and start working on getting some new material out there!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Dillinger Four

None More Black

Latterman

Strike Anywhere

Samiam

TEN LIFETIME SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Airport Monday Morning

2. Turnpike Gates

3. Rodeo Clown

4. Somewhere In The Swamps Of Jersey

5. The Boy's No Good

6. It's Not Funny Anymore (Husker Du cover)

7. Northbound Breakdown

8. Haircuts & T-Shirts

9. 25 Cent Giraffes

10. Yound, Loud And Snotty

SONG OF THE WEEK: 5-7-2023

SONG:  "Caged"

ARTIST:  Resistors

ALBUM:  "Conditioned"

YEAR:  2012

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Tampa, Florida

YEARS ACTIVE:  2012 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Caged" appears to be a song about someone in particular, or perhaps like a whole government or something who maybe isn't oppressive, but they are not progressive for sure. They are stuck in their ways and they don't budge but the will of the people will force change. So this person or government can be with the people or against them. If they are against them, the people will rise.

RESISTORS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2012 - Conditioned (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - Breaking Tradition (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Drag (Aces & Eights Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Rational Policy For The 19th Century (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON RESISTORS:

Resistors formed as a band back in 2012, hailing from Tampa, Florida. The band self-released their first full length studio album in 2012, called "Conditioned". Sticking with the DIY method, they also self-released their sophomore album, "Breaking Tradition", in 2013. Resistors signed with Aces & Eights Records for their third release, "Drag" in 2015. The band's last full length would be 2018's "Rational Policy For The 19th Century". Since then, the band has released some EP's and has been putting out some cover songs recently as well. The band almost broke up once.. maybe twice.. but they are still alive and kicking, touring and releasing music. Resistors jokingly says they are often compared to Good Riddance, Rise Against and Bad Religion, except without all of the success! I tend to agree with them. Their style is definitely an ode to that 90 skate punk style. In 2021, the band re-recorded their "Conditioned" album, calling it "Re-conditioned" and adding one track. These guys are very underground, but if you are into that 90's punk vibe, these guys would be right in your wheelhouse. Good little underrated punk band.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Strike Twelve

Implants

Boardroom Heroes

Sic Waiting

Bash Brothers

TEN RESISTORS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Oldage

2. First Day

3. Invisible Guy

4. Wasting Away

5. Dramatic Appeal

6. Hometowns

7. Call It A Night

8. Wrong Track

9. This Blood's For You

10. Lafayette