NOFX – The War on Errorism

NOFX is not very happy with the punk scene it is a part of. “I want conflict, I want dissent, I want the scene to represent / Our hatred of authority, our fight against complacency / Stop singing songs about girls and love, you killed the owl you freed the dove / Confrontation and politics replaced with harmonies and shticks / When did punk rock become so tame, these fucking bands all sound the same.” A number of songs like “The Separation of Church and Skate,” “Mattersville,” “Medio-Core,” and “Anarchy Camp” all challenge certain bands and individuals, as well as the punk scene in general, to get their shit together.
Nor is the band especially happy with the current state of society overall, whether it is the general population or those who rule over it. “The Irrationality of Rationality” raises questions about the unequal distribution of wealth, while “Franco Un-American” is a story about the trauma associated with apathy. In addition to the artwork, which paints a rather unflattering picture of our current president, songs like “Idiots are Taking Over” and “Regaining Unconsciousness” squarely point the finger at those in charge, and “American Errorist” seems to challenge everyone else to ask questions and not trust everything they see or hear.
Then there are the less serious songs, tossed in every now and then just to give your mind a little break, and these sort of jokes have come to be expected from NOFX. For example, there is “She’s Nubs,” a song about a girl without arms or legs who hangs out at clubs and goes to punk shows anyway. Even some of the songs containing rather thought-provoking subject matter are set to perky song structures that make the information a bit easier to digest. Examples include “Franco Un-American,” one of the poppiest songs these guys have ever written, and “Anarchy Camp,” which has a strong ska vibe to it. Meanwhile, “13 Stitches” is rather quiet and muffled in comparison to the other tracks, utilizing a few interesting studio effects, while the closing “Whoops, I OD’d” consists of simply vocals and guitar.
Aside from those, the majority of the songs offered on The War on Errorism are of the blazing pop-punk variety that people have come to expect from NOFX. The hooks are plentiful, as are the chugging riffs. The rhythms are merciless and pummeling, while the harmonies are nearly perfect. Many of the tracks are more fast-paced and less poppy than those that made up the band’s last studio effort, Pump Up the Valium, but not quite like the older and more pummeling efforts. On this one, NOFX has found a nice middle ground, combining some of the best of what they have always done and switching things up every minute of the way. There is politics, but also humor. There is furious punk, but also infectious pop and ska. Over the years, there have been countless imitators, but with albums like this, NOFX doesn’t seem ready to pass the torch just yet.

The Birthday Machine – Direction and Destination 7”

Hailing from Vancouver, Canada and consisting of former or current members of bands like Gaze, the Beans, and the Secret Three, the Birthday Machine is making its recorded debut with this pretty little 7″ record. With five band members (two singer/guitarists, one singer/keyboardist, one bassist, and one drummer), you might expect a thick and aggressive wall of noise, but what you get is nothing of the sort. Instead, you get an extremely lulling batch of shoegazing rock.
“The Birthday Machine” is a bit of a sluggish opener, featuring two layers of lovely female vocals, a cute guitar piece that doesn’t provide a whole lot of variety, a splash of humming keyboard, and a rhythm section that sounds bored out of its skull. “Victory Chords” comes next, switching over to male vocals and jazzing up the rhythms a little bit. The guitar layers get a bit more intriguing this time around, and there is even a hint of swagger that makes you sit up, take notice, and feel bad for dismissing these guys so quickly.
The female vocals return for “Direction and Destination,” and this second appearance is a much more successful one. In fact, this song would have been worthy of release all on its own. It is a painfully beautiful tune that seems to beg for a spot on any mix tape reserved for tired late nights in the bedroom with your loved one. It is lulling and gentle, but with a gritty guitar solo and slowly building rhythm that really tug at your heartstrings. Closing things out is a remix of the song “Closet Superhero” done by an individual by the moniker of Cowbell. In all honesty, you shouldn’t expect this to work. An electronic remix of a sloooow indie-rock track sounds like a bit of a stretch, but you never know. The track begins with an atmospheric vibe that actually works quite well, but then a heavy beat kicks in and things get a little peculiar. The remix makes for a bit of a spastic ending, but it also leaves you wondering if the electronic elements could be used to the band’s advantage in future recordings.
This is the sort of music that makes you want to sit back and do nothing but listen. It is so delicate that you don’t really dare do much else, and once you’ve made yourself comfortable, the romantic feel to both the music and the lyrics will keep you motionless.

Liars Academy – Trading My Life EP

It appears that “emo” isn’t quite what it used to be. When the term was first formulated, it applied to bands that came strong with an “emotional” style of music – typically more melodic than heavy. However, as labels and bands discovered that this genre is good for rolling in the dough, the sound has become increasingly simplified and toned down. So, with this restructuring of the music taking place, most would have to agree that the line must be drawn somewhere: Where does emo begin and pop end, and vice versa? The Liar’s Academy seems to have found its own answer.
This rockin’ and rollin’ Equal Vision outfit surely emanates from the pop category. While one can pick up on some of the band’s “emo” influences, the music on this EP is as pop-rock as it gets. In particular, this record should please fans of ballsy 80s pop. Although this group is surely not quite from the ranks of The Boss or Mellencamp, it does deliver in terms of solid musicianship and songwriting.
Out of the four songs on this EP, “Chainsmoke the Night Away” is probably the bounciest and prettiest – both of which are important factors in the pop/rock universe. This number is a pleasant trip down roads occupied by the likes of Weezer. This track delivers with a powerful hook, and equally melodic and strong vocal lines. “Now is the Time” would fit perfectly on the dial of any retro 80s station. If one can imagine the mid-paced bubblegum of Rick Springfield hooking up with the slight crunch of The Cars, he or she would be right in sync with what LA is going for.
Is this a progression from the band’s previous full-length? Some would agree, while others would object. One thing, however, is for sure: The Liar’s Academy is definitely moving further down the pop/rock trail. Those that are eager to travel down the same path will probably like this EP.

Various Artists – Sisters of the South

The Music Maker Relief Foundation is a non-profit organization out of North Carolina. The goal of this organization is to uncover some of the practitioners of African American roots music and the like. The foundation has many aspects other than recording, as they help musicians by providing them with medicine, food, instruments, and other common needs. The foundation has been able to stretch across the country to help some of these musicians in need in more ways then you can count. They have released many recordings that cover a lot of ground that has unfortunately been overlooked. Many of their releases are brimming with talent that cannot be matched; this music is the real thing, as many of the recordings are just from field tapes. The spotlight of this release is on the female artists and the wide variety and amazing performances are breathtaking.
The gospel group The Branchettes starts the disc off with a very strong and touching performance with the previously unreleased “I Know I’ve Been Changed.” These two women have been performing together for 20 years, which is obvious as they effortlessly blend their two voices together; it’s very touching as all gospel should be. Beverly “Guitar” Watkins unleashes the new “Baghdad Blues” with its sweet R&B groove over some sparkling guitar work. Watkins has a very good voice and the sentiment of the song is a good one; the lyrics may not be the smoothest but all together it works very nicely and the groove is impeccable. The next song is a great highlight from Precious Bryant entitled “If You Don’t Love Me, Would You Fool Me Good?” and the rolling guitar playing here is jaw dropping. Bryant is truly a great practitioner of piedmont styled blues, and she has a stupendous release of here own out, Fool Me Good, that is fully worth checking out.
The late Willa Mae Buckner chimes in with the risqué traditional song “Yo-Yo,” which will have you laughing for sure. Buckner really has a way with this song, as her approach to this material is wonderful, and her background is also a very interesting one to find out about. Sweet Betty provides “Coffee Drinkin’ Blues” with accompaniment by former Muddy Water’s guitarist Bob Margolin, and his bandmate Tad Walters. Here is a down-and-dirty country-blues tune with Sweet Betty heartily belting out the lyrics over great accompaniment that suits her perfectly as this is a strong performance on all accounts.
Lucille Lindsay has two performances here accompanied by her late brother Guitar Gabriel, with her strong gospel vocals showing she has a clear appreciation for the music and inspiration it provides. Lindsay lives in a retirement home in NC and suffers from diabetes and blindness, but clearly she has found joy in her faith and musical gifts as shown here by the truly inspirational “Come on in the Room.” Cora Mae Bryant is the daughter of the great guitarist Curley Weaver, and she chips in with “Born in Newton County.” Bryant’s voice is perfectly suited for the music here, full of gravel for a charming and beautiful approach. Bryant really has the blues running through her veins. Joshua Jacobsen knows the ins and outs of her style as his able accompaniment fills in spots and pushes her along.
This disc is just a tiny sampler of all the magic the Music Maker Relief Foundation has dug up in the hopes of exposing some of the forgotten artists of roots music. Many of these artists have records available through Music Maker, and they all should be sought out. You’ll find anything from gospel to piedmont to vaudeville to country blues and further if your willing to seek these amazing performers out. More information can be found at the organization’s website. I highly suggest going over and taking a visit and learn me about this worthy cause and the music they have released. Once you hear these songs you’ll be hooked and you’ll want to know more.

Verbena – La Musica Negra

This is the third record put out by Verbena and their second with Capitol after the Dave Grohl produced Into the Pink. Verbena clearly pay tribute to the heyday of grunge and bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and their kindred spirits. Singer and guitarist Scott Bondy is very powerful in both aspects of his performance, and he is the focal point of the music. Their sound will bring you back to your youth, but with some added features.
“Way Out West” starts the disc off on a hard-rocking note with some storming guitars and great backing vocals on the chorus. The song namechecks different songs from the past, and it’s a downright catchy tune. There is some really nice guitar solos here as the song brings in classic rock, grunge, and punk influences, making an anthemic and enjoyable song to sing along with. “Killing Floor (Get Down on It)” follows with a grinding, bluesy, hard-rock tune with an underlying punk attitude. Here Bondy puts in a great performance with a slight snarl to his vocals and extremely catchy guitar.
“It’s Alright, it’s Okay (Jesus Told Me So)” is a hard rock/grunge hybrid with some crunchy guitars and powerful vocals. Bondy’s vocals, while at their most nasal, are kind of aggravating but the power and crunch of this song are pretty neat, anyone wanting a new anthem to head bang to, here it is. “Camellia” goes for the pre-requisite ballad and will leave you wishing that it wasn’t included. There appears to be some bad keyboard here, and the song is very flat and lacking in the strength that proceeded it. “Devil in Miss Jones” returns to the bluesy grunge formula for the better after a few songs in the classic rock mode; here the band regains the momentum they had before. Boyd’s vocals are very well done and captivating here while the band shows the muscle in their music with some strong drumming and Boyd’s raucous guitar playing.
La Musica Negra will bring you back to the heyday of hard rock and grunge since this is clearly where the band is coming from. It’s not very hard to see why this band is one of Dave Grohl’s favorites; they share a lot in common with the groups he’s worked with like Nirvana and Foo Fighters. The band gets off to a good start with the first couple of tracks that are fun while they last, but it really hits a misstep in the middle with a couple of the lighter songs. Occasionally they will hit their mark on the more sentimental songs, but they are much stronger when they let rip and bring you back to the early and mid 90s grunge scene. This is clearly oriented for alt-rock radio play, and as such it is a nice breather from the nu-metal and pop-punk that are the mainstays of the format. It’s a good record if you’d like to look back to your youth and remember those sounds; it’s fun for that cause though you may forget it after it’s done playing.

Electric Six – Fire

This is the debut for the Detroit band Electric Six, who, formerly known as the Wildbunch, had Jack White (of the White Stripes, of course) as a member. They perform a musical mash-up of disco, 80s dance, and punk to the extreme. Many of the members have names such as The Rock and Roll Indian, Surge Joebot, and Disco, clearly showing their sense of humor. The band has had a following ever since the overseas release of the single “Danger! High Voltage,” which really took off. It has finally been released officially here in the States and is the best example of the band’s sound as there can be.
“Dance Commander” starts the disc off with a disco/punk beat with some snarling growls between explosions of distorted guitars and chirping keyboards. Dick Valentine’s vocals are definitely attention grabbing here in a good way, but eventually the music becomes really stale and takes away from the fun that is trying to be expressed. “Electric Demons in Love” is quite an interesting song with Valentine sounding like a hair-metal singer, as the guitar charges along as the showcase of this song. The playful melody sticks around for the whole time and is very good accompaniment to the over-the-top vocals. The much talked about single “Danger! High Voltage” is very catchy, and if you are dance-inclined it will get you moving in no time. This song is extremely catchy and unique; it also includes some great sax work that’s worth the price of admission alone.
“Improper Dancing” has some slick funkified guitar and bass work combined with some charging guitars during the chorus. During the funky parts of the music it’s a lot of fun to hear, when they start rocking out it becomes more generic. “Gay Bar” is a little too over-the-top with Valentine shouting over the music, while the guitars rip some furious punk and surf riffs. The lyrics are a little too banal, and the over-the-top schtick takes away some of the enjoyment in this rapid song. “I’m the Bomb” sounds like it could come right out of the late 70s and early 80s with a new-wave disco feel. This song is very enjoyable with the short funky guitar that just hits a groove and keeps going Valentine is great in this as his voice is suited perfectly for this song. The band is hitting on all cylinders here and is all the more impressive; it is quite a fun little tune, and the tongue-in-cheek music and cocky lyrics are a hoot.
The Electric Six have made an extremely energetic record and one that has many unique traits, which is really all you can ask for. Unfortunately you can tell this band has a lot more songwriting talent than is expressed here. Many of these songs are too stuck on pulling off the over-the-top persona these guys put out to the public. Sometime the humor and musical flashbacks really shine like “Danger! High Voltage” and “I’m the Bomb,” which are two wonderful songs. There are some other songs that might catch your ear, but there is also a lot of undistinguishable filler. “Danger! High Voltage” can’t carry this disc by itself, no matter how fun a song it will be interesting to hear what they have up their sleeves next time cause there has to be more to this band then just the schtick recorded here.

Skating Club – Bugs and Flowers

Bugs and Flowers is a really good, complex, and spicy glass of wine that ruins your taste buds for all other wines. It’s the way your significant other’s shoulder smells when you lock arms and necks for a long embrace, knowing you won’t be seeing each other for a while. It is the feeling of sweet anticipation in returning home, while realizing that you won’t be staying very long.
If this seems a bit contradictory, or at least messy, . . . good, cause that’s reality, and that’s how Aubrey Anderson and company write it. Anderson is Skating Club’s creative nucleus and is surrounded by able composers and tasteful musicians Matt Smith (piano, Hammond, chamberlain) and Kenneth Bernard (drums). Skating Club debuted in 2001 with their self-titled album that spent time on the CMJ charts (peaking at #23) and received some heady praise from all corners of the music press. The Club has spent their time since then promoting, touring, writing, moving, and recording.
To achieve the delicate-yet-dramatic sound that is Skating Club, everyone involved must have a keen sense of what direction the music is supposed to be heading in and how to play their part so as to properly support the song and not burden the composition. And while the sound of the Club is fleshed out a bit more than the debut, the aim of the production and instrumentation is still true to the songs and lo-fi spirit.
The song themes sway between bittersweet satisfaction, warm-but-tender happiness, sad recollections, and lonely observation. From “Come by or Call”: “Babe, are you gonna call me when you start to think about children? Or am I left pursuing a stranger who’s wearing your perfume?” From “Birthday Song”: “And in the evening when I realized you weren’t gonna call, I wrote this song for you and I cursed my fantasy of you and me. Outside deluxe restaurant, whispering and kissing in the snow. Showing you the ground is frozen, darling, when I hold you so.”
For all fans of introspective, quietly dynamic indie pop, this is familiar territory, or at least should be. The Club deliver the goods yet again, albeit with a slightly more “weathered” voice and outlook than the debut. Some of the stand-out tunes include “Birthday Song,” “Virginia is for Lovers,” “Come by or Call,” and “Here Before,” which has a hand-percussion and synthesized voice sample fadeout which simply must be heard. Slide down onto your favorite chair and slip this album into the stereo, and enjoy the lyrical tales Anderson weaves through these slow, bright-yet-sad songs.

Wakefield – American Made

The cover makes me cringe. The washed-out high school athletic tee font logo isn’t exactly bursting with originality, but – for nostalgia’s sake – it can be overlooked. I’m less merciful, however, about the cover shot. I know you’ve seen it before. The band is in their rehearsal space overwhelmed – supposedly – by the intensity of their music. The string section is leaping in unison, donning their best hardcore punk poses while the unblinking camera eye captures them in all their spirited glory. It’s the sort of image that has been rehashed so many times in punk circles that it has long since lost its power to covey the desired emotion. Rather, for us more weathered souls, it is the lack of creativity and spontaneity that speaks volumes. So I’ll admit it was with some trepidation that I slipped it into the player, expecting the worst. And maybe that’s wrong of me; perhaps I’m not the ideal candidate to reviewing this sort of thing. After all, these boys haven’t yet reached their 20s, and it isn’t that what it’s all about when we’re young – raw urgency, unbridled energy, having fun?
Okay. I can accept that. What I couldn’t do throughout my foray into Wakefield’s debut CD, American Made, was shake the uneasy feeling that someone was trying to sell me something. This sort of radio-accessible, mass-appeal pop-punk has saturated the market for too long. The Blink 182′s, Sum 41′s, and Good Charlotte’s of this world have ceased being rebellious pranksters poking fun at the status quo. Instead they themselves have slowly become the status quo, MTV darlings in the same vein as Justin, Britney, and Cristina. Their adolescent antics increasingly seem less like acts of shameless irreverence and more like simple posturing. They have become, in a word – product.
At least Wakefield makes no pretense to the contrary. Opening with the bouncy, hook-heavy “Sold Out,” singer/guitarist Ryan Escolopio exclaims, “We’re in it for the money / and all the groupie honeys / we want your life / so we sold out.” Admittedly catchy and spring-loaded with irony, the song nonetheless conveys a simple message: “This is all in good fun. Don’t take us too seriously.’ The problem with bands that expect you to not take them seriously is that they too often get their wish. So what if they lack chops, vision, originality, and just about anything else that has to do with composing quality music? It’s much easier to distract listeners with personality than impress them with talent. Sure, songs like the debut single “Say You Will,” “Girls Rock Boys,” and “L7 (Medication)” are chock full of exuberant three-part harmonies containing more sugar than a Jolt cola factory. But the derivative three-chord riffs and spiraling melodic leads are dull and uninspired. “Un-Sweet Sixteen” is probably their best work, beginning with some dynamic and driving guitars similar to Foo Fighters, but the song leads nowhere, eventually drowning in its own lazy repetition. And there is simply no excuse for the sappy melodramatics of the emo-ish “Heaven’s Coming” and “Honesty.”
Truth be told, I don’t see Wakefield breaking out into the masses. For the time being, I believe our radio waves are safe from this drudgery. But I’ve been wrong before and I’ll be wrong again. By this time next month, Wakefield mania may have taken hold, with “Say You Will” vying for a position as genuine summertime anthem. Music is supposed to be about what you bring to the table, not how well you can ape your heroes and peers. The boys in Wakefield have shown they have sharp instincts for crafting the occasional memorable hook, but musically they are as innovative as sliced bread. This is carbon-copy crapola worthy of the bargain bin at your local record store. Steer clear of this one.

The Jupiter Watts – Short Wave Signals and False Alarms

The Jupiter Watts are a quartet of middle-aged rock-and-roll junkies from Atlanta. Their debut album, Short Wave Signals and False Alarms, proves that it really is never too late… or is it? The Jupiter Watts sound like a mix between the gentleness of the Lemonheads, the harshness of the Rolling Stones, and a hint of Guided by Voices: not such a bad combination when you think about it. However, depending on what the Jupiter Watts’ target audience is, it’s difficult to see them breaking into either the mainstream or indie music scene.
Short Wave Signals and False Alarms is an attempt to recapture the rock and roll sound of the 70s, but with a modern edge. The members of The Jupiter Watts are all over 30 years old, and one is over 40 – the exact age group of fans who would enjoy their music. The Jupiter Watts are not making music for teens or even people in their 20s. Short Wave Signals and False Alarms is an album for those who are middle-aged and looking for a new album to “let their hair down” to.
The Jupiter Watts are, in essence, a concept band. Their name is derived from the 1966 NASA term used to describe “apparent electrical forces at work”. What’s more, several of The Jupiter Watts’ songs are centered around themes of space and science, a little geeky if you ask me, but I digress.
Short Wave Signals and False Alarms offers up 10 tracks of power-pop and straight-up rock n’ roll. The Jupiter Watts have already garnered a following in Atlanta and have been signed to the indie label Florine Records. Still, it’s hard to see The Jupiter Watts becoming the next big band of the summer, or any season for that matter. Although current fans of The Jupiter Watts will be satisfied with Short Wave Signals and False Alarms, it’s doubtful that the album will help garner many new fans.

Richard Youngs – Airs of the Ear

For everyone who has ever picked up an instrument, not knowing exactly how to play but willing to wander up and down its melodic scales out of curiosity, you know that if you take enough time you will likely find a melody that seems to have been pulled straight out or your subconscious, the nature of its particular meter or lilt innate to your idea of what music should sound like. You’ll repeat that melodic phrase over and over, its few notes burrowing into mind as you trace its tonal steps through their perfect trajectory, convincing you that you’ve stumbled upon what might be the perfect melodic progression. Even if it is fairly simple and repetitive, it seems so right that you have to play it until you restore some unseen and vaguely understood balance that is dependent upon your repeating that series of notes. For over 10 years now, Richard Youngs has been finding those kinds of melodies, building entire albums out of the repetition of a few hypnotic melodic cadences and making them so intuitively appealing that they feel like they’ve been buried in your DNA. Somehow, he seems to have gained ownership of the rudimentary melodies that comprise the birthright of the Anglo-Saxon musical tradition.
Constructed around only five tracks, Airs of the Ear is saturated with more of Youngs’ meditative magic, opening with the richly cascading 12-string guitar notes of “Life on the Stream,” its piercing notes ringing out at the end of each measure. Displaying an aesthetic constantly caught in the push and pull between the modern and the medieval, electronic drones provide the sonic underpinning for the flowing guitar lines, evoking a barely remembered ancient past. As always, English folk music is as much of a jumping-off point as is experimental music, as Youngs guitar fingerwork is fluid and haunting, firmly rooted in the folk tradition, matched by a clear and strong voice that evokes a pure and honest pastoral existence. Yet his delicacy is most always augmented by dissonance, squeals of electronic feedback, and spaceship sounds interrupt the ethereal peace of “Oh My Stars.”
Still, the balance is impeccably maintained, the rising wave of electric guitar, banjo, and rumbling bass forming a dark sonic undertow in “Fire Horse Rising,” colliding with and overwhelming the acoustic guitar lines that open the piece. “I don’t understand, and I don’t want to know” forms the central lyrical phrase which, like his reliance on a single well-placed melodic line, is all that is required to form the template to expand outward into open-ended compositional space. With a square wave (whatever that is) howling like a homesick coyote, Youngs’ multi-tracked harmonies add a particularly stark weight to the Anglicized “Halifax Amore,” a song that lands squarely on the careful balance between the organically homespun and the coldly experimental that he pursues throughout the disc by simply tracing and retracing its most winning elements in a number of textural shades.
Even so, to call Youngs a minimalist would seem to be disingenuous and misleading. A lot is concentrated and focused on those foundational elements, giving them a deeper resonance than if he had decided to write songs with choruses or multiple stanzas. Every note, every word has to convey more, has to bare a higher ratio of the compositional burden. As five minutes stretch into 10, and 10 into 15, Youngs’ true gift reveals itself in the closing “Machaut’s Dream,” as his guitar lines cycle around and around each other, changing little in each of their revolutions around their central point. With just a little watery manipulation of his 12-string guitar lines and eerie theremin (is there any other kind?) added to the elemental arrangement, Youngs is a paradoxical marriage of the simple and the complex, using an economy of notes and a smattering of effects to evoke intuitively felt memories and places never visited.
The scenario previously described probably requires a somewhat naïve mindset, one that is willing to follow its muse to whatever ends it naturally leads, picking melody and hypnotic repetition over the allure of technique and vitriol to push the listener to evident conclusions. Youngs, however, is anything but naïve. His tendencies toward reductionism aside, his take on minimalism is sophisticated and deliberate, allowing him to indulge in excesses that never grow tiresome and reach entirely unique conceptual territory without being heavy-handed. And, somehow, he ends up playing the melodies that have been lying barely submerged in your subconscious, waiting to be freed when you to pick up a guitar or trace a melody with one finger on the piano.

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