This is a weekly blog to let you in on what song and/or band that i've been feeling for that particular week. Music will always be a very important part of my life. I see it as the soundtrack for memories that bring you back to a certain place and time and new songs help to create new memories. Hope you enjoy!! :)
“An Apology” by the 2000s midwest emo/pop-punk band So They Say is a song about emotional betrayal, the sudden collapse of a relationship, and the desperate need for closure. Featured on their 2007 album "Life In Surveillance", the track centers on the aftermath of a broken dynamic where one partner unexpectedly walks away.
SO THEY SAY DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
2006 - Antidote For Irony (Fearless Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2007 - Life In Surveillance (Fearless Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON SO THEY SAY:
So They Say is a St. Louis band that formed back in 2005. Early on the band signed on with Fearless Records. The band's first release was a self-titled EP that dropped in 2005. Their debut full length studio album was released in 2006, titled "Antidote For Irony". So They Say followed that album up with their sophomore effort, "Life In Surveillance", in 2007. In 2008, So They Say went on a hiatus so all the band members could focus on other projects. In 2010, after listening to some demos, the band was feeling inspired to get back together. However, the band did not get back together until 2024. In 2025, it was rumored that the band was working on new material and a single called "Walls" was indeed released in 2026. So They Say is a pop punk band. As I said in previous blogs, I got into these guys in what I call my "Taking Back Sunday" era! I was listening to a lot of pop punk bands during the 2000 to 2010 years. I first heard of So They Say in 2006 when I heard the song "Antidote For Irony", which is still my favorite song by the band to date. They were only active for about 3 years from 2005 to 2008 so it's good to see the band picking it up again in recent years.
SONG: "Presenting: The Dancing Machine (The Robot With The Monkey Head)"
ARTIST: The Lawrence Arms
ALBUM: "Cocktails & Dreams"
YEAR: 2005
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Chicago, Illinois
YEARS ACTIVE: 1999 - Present
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
The Lawrence Arms song "Presenting: The Dancing Machine (The Robot With The Monkey Head)" is a cynical exploration of artistic exhaustion, performative identity, and the superficiality of the music scene. Released originally on a Fat Wreck Chords compilation and later on their b-sides album "Cocktails & Dreams", the song uses a comically bizarre title to mask deep feelings of disillusionment.
THE LAWRENCE ARMS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
1999 - A Guided Tour Of Chicago (Asian Man Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2000 - Ghost Stories (Asian Man Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2002 - Apathy And Exhaustion (Fat Wreck Chords)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2003 - The Greatest Story Ever Told (Fat Wreck Chords)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2005 - Cocktails & Dreams (Asian Man Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2006 - Oh! Calcutta (Fat Wreck Chords)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2014 - Metropole (Epitaph Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2020 - Skeleton Coast (Epitaph Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON THE LAWRENCE ARMS:
The Lawrence Arms are a Chicago band that formed back in 1999. The band's original members, Brendan Kelly (bass/vocals), Chris McCaughan (guitar/vocals) and Neil Hennessy (drums), are still the line-up to the current day. The band's debut full length album would be 1999's "A Guided Tour Of Chicago". While this album only featured Kelly on vocals, every album from here on out would feature Kelly and McCaughan on vocals starting with 2000's "Ghost Stories". In 2002, the band inked a deal with Fat Mike of NOFX's Fat Wreck Chords. The Lawrence Arms released three albums through Fat. 2002's "Apathy And Exhaustion", 2003's "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and 2006's "Oh! Calcutta". "Oh! Calcutta" is arguably the band's most successful album to date. It would be eight years until The Lawrence Arms released another full length album. In 2014, the band released "Metropole" through Epitaph Records. The band's most recent release would be 2020's "Skeleton Coast". The spaced out releases from 2006 till the present day is most likely due to the members focusing on some side projects, most notably The Falcon, which features Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy and Sundowner, which is a solo project by Chris McCaughan. Brendan Kelly also released solo projects in those years as well. The Lawrence Arms stamped their space in the Chicago punk scene alongside such acts as Alkaline Trio, Rise Against and 88 Fingers Louie. They play a melodic punk style that feels urgent. Their songs reflect personal stories as well as pop culture. They are indeed one the more influential bands to emerge from the early 2000's punk scene. I knew of The Lawrence Arms right when they came out, probably from compilations and such, but I didn't become a huge fan till I heard 2006's "Oh! Calcutta". Once I heard that album, I quickly got up to pace with their earlier releases and have been following them ever since. They're a really solid, maybe even underrated band in my eyes. I love Brendan Kelly's vocals too, even tho he said he wanted to try and sound like the guy from the Goo Goo Dolls! I'll let it "slide" BK!!
The Dropkick Murphys song "Skinhead on the M.B.T.A." is a working-class anthem about subcultural pride, local Boston identity, and anti-racism, serving as a direct punk adaptation of the classic American folk song "M.T.A.", also known as "Charlie On The MTA".
DROPKICK MURPHYS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
1998 - Do Or Die (Hellcat Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
1999 - The Gang's All Here (Hellcat Records)
* Peaked at #184 on the Billboard 200
2000 - The Singles Collection, Vol. 1 (Hellcat Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2001 - Sing Loud, Sing Proud! (Hellcat Records)
* Peaked at #144 on the Billboard 200
2002 - Live On St. Patrick's Day (Hellcat Records)
* Peaked at #155 on the Billboard 200
2003 - Blackout (Hellcat Records)
* Peaked at #83 on the Billboard 200
2005 - The Singles Collection, Vol. 2 (Hellcat Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2005 - The Warrior's Code (Hellcat Records)
* Peaked at #48 on the Billboard 200
* Certified Gold
2007 - The Meanest Of Times (Born & Bred Records)
* Peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200
2010 - Live On Landsdowne, Boston, MA (Born & Bred Records)
* Peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200
2011 - Going Out In Style (Born & Bred Records)
* Peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200
2012 - Live At Fenway (Born & Bred Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2013 - Signed And Sealed In Blood (Born & Bred Records)
* Peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200
2017 - 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory (Born & Bred Records)
* Peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200
2021 - Turn Up That Dial (Born & Bred Records)
* Peaked at #74 on the Billboard 200
2022 - This Machine Still Kills Fascists (Dummy Luck Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2023 - Okemah Rising (Dummy Luck Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2025 - For The People (Dummy Luck Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON DROPKICK MURPHYS:
Dropkick Murphys formed as a band back in 1996, hailing from Quincy, Massachusetts. Very early on, the band caught the ear of the guys in Rancid who signed the Dropkick's to their label Hellcat Records, which is a subsidiary of Epitaph Records. In fact, Rancid's Lars Frederiksen produced the debut album for the Dropkick's, 1998's "Do Or Die". Shortly after the release of that album, lead vocalist Mike McColgan left the band. Al Barr from the band The Bruisers came aboard to replace McColgan. Bassist Ken Casey also began to take on more lead vocals as well. The band's first album to feature Barr on vocals would be 1999's "The Gang's All Here". In 2001, the band released "Sing Loud, Sing Proud!". 2003 saw the Dropkick's release "Blackout" which featured two of the band's standout tracks, "Walk Away" and "The Dirty Glass". 2005's "The Warrior's Code" would be their only album to be certified Gold to date, thanks in part to their song "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" which was featured heavily in the movie "The Departed", widening the band's reach big time! In 2007, the band began releasing albums under their own label, Born & Bred Records. The first album on their own label would be "The Meanest Of Times". 2011's "Going Out In Style" would be the band's highest charting album, peaking at #6 on the Billboard 200. The band put out three more albums on Born & Bred which were 2013's "Signed And Sealed In Blood", 2017's "11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory" and 2021's "Turn Up That Dial". In 2022 and 2023, the Dropkick's released two albums, "This Machine Still Kills Fascists" and "Okemah Rising", which were centered around unused song lyrics by Woody Guthrie. These albums also marked the first time that Al Barr did not appear on an album since 1998's "Do Or Die" as he went on a hiatus from the band to care for his ailing mother who was suffering a form of dementia. In 2025, the band released "For The People". Al Barr did appear on one song on this album but he is still on a hiatus with the band. He also appeared at one of the band's annual St. Patrick's Day concerts in Boston in 2026 to perform four songs with the band. The Dropkick's most recent release was a split with the band Haywire in 2026 called "New England Forever". The Dropkick Murphys are an Irish punk/Celtic punk/street punk type band at it's core. The band is not shy about wearing it's politics on it's sleeve and they represent Boston to the fullest! I would argue there isn't any band out there that represents their city like the Dropkick Murphys do for Boston. Even though I'm a Boston guy myself, I was a little late to the party when getting into the Dropkick's. I'd say I really took notice on their 2003 album "Blackout". That's when I caught the Dropkick bug and started to check them out more fully. In my opinion, the five album span from 2003's "Blackout" to 2013's "Signed And Sealed In Blood" is my favorite era of the band, though all of their albums have been consistently good. It would be great to have Al Barr back in the band full time but family comes first understandably.
2001 - Free All Angels (Infectious/Home Grown Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2002 - Cosmic Debris (Infectious Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2004 - Meltdown (Infectious/Home Grown 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)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2016 - Live On Mars: London Astoria 1997 (earMUSIC)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2018 - Islands (Infectious Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2023 - Race The Night (Fierce Panda Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2025 - Ad Astra (Fierce Panda 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's first release, which was considered a mini-album, was 1994's "Trailer". This featured a lot of the band's previous singles with a few new songs. I guess what would be considered their "real" debut album was 1996's "1977". You could argue this is the best Ash album that the band came out with, but there may be another that you can make an argument for. 1998's "Nu-Clear Sounds" proved to be a little bit of a disappointment for the band. It almost signified the downfall of Ash, but the band rebounded with 2001's "Free All Angels". This is the other album you can make an argument for as being their best album. It was definitely their most successful album to date. The band followed this up with 2004's "Meltdown". Pretty solid album in it's own right! 2007's "Twilight Of The Innocents" was supposed to be the last full length album that Ash was going to release as they wanted to just put out singles. They would put out 2 singles a month for a year that culminated in the "A-Z" compilations in 2010. Alas, in 2015, Ash returned to releasing albums with the release of "Kablammo!". In 2018 the band released "Islands" and in 2023, "Race The Night" was released. Ash released their latest full length studio album in October of 2025, titled "Ad Astra". Like most people who became Ash fans here in the States, I discovered this band from the "Angus" soundtrack that came out in 1995. Once I heard "Jack Names The Planets", I instantly fell in love with these guys. "1977" is just an awesome album. The song "Goldfinger" to this day gets in just about every playlist I create! I loved when the band brought Charlotte Hatherley in as an extra guitarist and back up vocalist. She was in the band from 1998 until 2006. Her background vocals were just totally legit and I always thought she brought just that little extra to the band that I really loved. Plus she killed it on lead vocals on the track "Taken Out"! Even after Charlotte left the band, these guys just kept on releasing music. Ash is a super active band, coming out with albums every 3 years or so. Can't wait to hear the new record in a couple of months. Ash never got super successful here in America, but in the U.K. and Europe, they're considered a pretty successful band. If you grew up in 90's America, you gotta check these guys out. Awesome band!
The meaning of "Molly" by the punk rock band The Briggs centers on the painful process of letting go, grief, and accepting the end of a relationship or a chapter in life.
THE BRIGGS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
2001 - Is This What You Believe (Northeast Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2003 - Numbers (Disaster Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2006 - Back To Higher Ground (SideOneDummy Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
2008 - Come All You Madmen (SideOneDummy Records)
* Did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BRIGGS:
The Briggs actually formed out of the ashes of a band called I Decline in 1999. Formed by brothers Joey and Jason LaRocca, the band became The Briggs in 2001, hailing from Los Angeles, California. The band's debut full length album was 2001's "Is This What You Believe". The Briggs followed that album up with sophomore effort, 2003's "Numbers". After touring relentlessly to promote those two records, The Briggs caught the ear of famed punk rock label SideOneDummy Records who promptly signed the band to a deal. Their first album with SideOneDummy would be 2006's "Back To Higher Ground". In 2008, the band dropped "Come All You Madmen" which is the band's most successful, and I think, best album. There wasn't a lot of action coming out of The Briggs' camp following this album. In 2015, they released an EP titled "The Briggs". Vocalist Joey LaRocca has done some solo stuff in the band's downtime but The Briggs have been performing live, hitting several festivals and most recently in 2025, the band released the stand alone single "One Step Behind". The Briggs are very much a street punk band with shades of Celtic punk. A good comparable would be Boston's Street Dogs. I got into these guys late. When I heard their "Come All You Madmen" album, I was instantly a fan! As I said earlier, I believe that is their best album. I love the songs "Mad Men" (which features Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys) and "This Is L.A.", which is the intro music for the NHL's Los Angeles Kings! I'm glad to see the band released a new single last year but come on boys! We need a new album here!
