Spanish Gamble - It's All Coming Down

OK, so Spanish Gamble used to be Dirty Money. When they were Dirty Money, they put out a split 7″ with OK Pilot that might have my favorite art from any record ever, and also provided the best song to the Fest 6 comp (“1-2-3 Fest!”). Nowadays, they’re Spanish Gamble, they’re on Paper + Plastick, and their first LP is about to drop on us. And they’re giving it away over on their MySpace! How ’bout that?

So, how is the album, you ask? Well, after listening to it a few times, what I’m hearing reminds me a lot of Hot Water Music. Like Fuel For The Hate Game-era Chris Wollard singing over Caution-era music. If you know me, you know I fit the Hot Water Music-loving stereotype of Punknews.org readers, so this is some pretty high praise. At various points in the album, it almost feels like you just got a bootleg of unreleased HWM tracks. Which rules.

Of course, it’s not all aping their Gainesville brethren; though, seeing as Spanish Gamble also hail from GNV FLA, one being influenced by the other makes perfect sense. They’re definitely distinct enough to not be confused for the older band. The songs here are melodic, driving, and aggressive. Over the course of 12 songs, they never let up their pace, though not at the expense of crafting a set of songs that work individually.

And did I mention catchy? These guys know how important it is to have a chorus that can be sung along to, or perhaps in this case, shouting along to in some sweaty basement club. Listen to “We Are the Restless” or “A Prescription to Your End” to see what I mean. The latter caused me to lament that my car stereo was incapable of playing the CD any louder. The song’s “There’s no way out of this alive!/There’s no way out of this at all!” chorus demands to be cranked up, with fists pumping and throats yelling.

Paper + Plastick seems to be on a winning streak with its artists, with releases from We Are the Union, the Riot Before, and No More coming this year. Spanish Gamble sets the bar high, though, with this impressive debut LP. It’s worth your time to check it out, especially since it’s, you know, free.

The Please & Thank Yous - Mind Your P's and Q's

Chicago has spawned a whole damn lot of great bands. Screeching Weasel, Naked Raygun, Slapstick and every band that its members went on to play in (Alkaline Trio, Lawrence Arms, etc.), plus many others. So it’s a musical city with a great scene. So when I hear of a promising new band from Chicago, I get stoked. And when I hear that their album will be coming out on the venerable Death to False Hope Records, I get doubly so. And it is with that in mind that I couldn’t wait to sit down with the debut full-length from Chicago’s The Please and Thank Yous.

The album kicks off with the jangly, quick-paced “Be a Tree… Che?” a great opener that’s there and gone before you know it. And it’s followed by the more low-key “Summer’s Over,” which begins with a quote from Mallrats. A truly underrated film. But anyway.

As the album progresses, there’s a noted jangle-pop influence here; like the boys are filtering the guitar work of Johnny Marr through a pop-punk lens, which has resulted in many comparisons to The Ergs!. The comparisons make sense, but aren’t the first band I’d put in the RIYL list; anyone going into this album hoping for Dorkrockcorkrod Part 2 is going to be sorely disappointed. Songs like “Bollywood Ending” call to mind more something similar to “Stinking of Whiskey Blues” from the Upstairs/Downstairs LP than, say, “Pray for Rain.” There’s a pop-punk thing going on here, but it’s not the Ramones-core pop-punk that’s “in” right now; rather, they’re more in the camp of the Lemuria-types, playing music that combines indie rock influences/sensibilities with that of pop-punk.

About halfway through the album comes a definite highlight, if not the best song on the record, “Fucking Honestly.” The chorus is infectious and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself singing “I’m all about fucking honestly” in inappropriate places. So high fives to the guys for a really great pop song.

Overall, this is a really fun record that shows a young band with a lot of promise. Definitely worth checking out. And, best of all, the album will be released on Death to False Hope, meaning it will be a free download. Ice Age Records will be putting it out on cassette, if that’s your thing.

Mixtapes - Maps

Mixtapes are a band out of Ohio, who will be sharing their debut album, Maps, with the world via Death to False Hope Records. DTFH, if you don’t know, is a donation-based label that, like Jeff Rosenstock’s Quote-Unquote Records, posts all of its releases online for your free downloading pleasure. They tend to put out awesome material, and Mixtapes are another strong band that backs up that reputation for quality.

The band features a great male/female vocal duo that reminds the listener of bands like Lemuria or Fifth Hour Hero. The music goes from driving punk rock to slower acoustic jams. The album’s highlight comes early on, with the wonderfully titled “Nothing Can Kill the Grimace.” Guitarist/vocalist Maura takes the lion’s share of the vocals, but the lines from Ryan help give the song a bit more texture, as does the slowed down bridge.

Also, at just over two minutes, “Grimace” might be the longest song on the record [nope, that's "Sunsets" -ed]; the band blows through its ten song set in just over 18 minutes. Even the slow jams are over before you know it; some of these songs could benefit from some extensions. As to the slow jams, some of these walk the line between almost sounding like a different band entirely- I’d say these, such as “And If We Both Fail?,” remind me of Bishop Allen or Ben Folds- and fitting in with the record.

This will be a fittingly quick review. Maps is a fantastic debut from a young band who will hopefully continue to grow and release more material. I cannot urge you enough to check out this release. Punks who have opened their hearts to the sweet sounds of Discount and Lemuria will find a lot to love here, and likewise the indie kids who still fondly reminisce about Rainer Maria could possibly find themselves drawn into Mixtapes’ sound.

To get the record, check out the band’s myspace.

Off With Their Heads

I feel like a news site up in here or something. Anyway! According to their Twitter, and this here article, Minneapolis’s favorite manic-depressive punks, Off With Their Heads, have signed to Epitaph Records, home of Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio, the Weakerthans, Frank Turner, and a shit-ton of really terrible bands. I’m looking at you, Escape the Fate.

The move is somewhat surprising. I kinda figured them for a Fat Wreck-bound act, maybe doing one more on No Idea before moving on up. But hey, regardless, good for them! They’re one of the best bands out there now, and deserve to get as big as possible.

According to the linked article, they’ve got a new record dropping June 1st. It’s looking to be a good year.

Spring Heeled Jack

I almost never use the “News” category, because, well, this isn’t a news site, but if you haven’t heard the news:

Connecticut-based ska heroes Spring Heeled Jack are doing some reunion shows! And reissuing their albums Static World View and Songs From Suburbia on vinyl! If you’re not familiar with the band, they were awesome, and home to such fine folks as Chris Rhodes, who plays in the Mighty Mighty Bosstones these days, and JR of Less Than Jake before he was snorting PEZ with those lads.

Speaking of JR, he writes about the history of the band briefly in his blog, before making the big announcement. You can check out that post here.

Get stoked!

Update: Punknews.org has the story now, too. Only new detail is that Connecticut’s Asbestos Records will be handling the aforementioned re-releases. Check the story here. And while you’re at it, go take a look at the Asbestos Records site, and their offerings. The vinyl reissue of Big Daddy Multitude, in particular, is excellent.

Harvey Danger - Little By Little

So several months ago, I had the pleasure of catching a show on Harvey Danger’s farewell tour, (documented here) which I thoroughly enjoyed. On my way out of the venue, I stopped by the merch booth because, well, this would be my last chance, right? I picked up their last studio album, Little By Little, on vinyl because that’s how I roll.

This album is a solid argument that this band should have been way bigger than they were.

A history lesson: HD burst into public consciousness in 1997 (try and remember back that far) with the radio single “Flagpole Sitta,” which everyone remembers as the song with the “Paranoia! Paranoia! Everybody’s coming to get me!” line. In the ten years since that single, the band kept a somewhat low profile, releasing only two full-lengths.

This album finds the band with some notable changes to their sound; things are a bit slowed down, and less angsty all around than the Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone? material sounded. Singer Sean Nelson always gave the sense of being a bit brainier than his alt-rock peers from the mid- to late-’90s, and his lyrics reflect that. They still rock out, such as on the second track “Cream and Bastards Rise,” but they follow it with the pop stomp of “Moral Centralia,” featuring a decidedly ’90s-sounding fuzzy guitar. And then there’s the song that everyone deserves to hear, and that should have been a smash single, “Little Round Mirrors.” Glorious pop balladry, even featuring some tasteful horns.

There’s a lot of piano on this album. The live show found their second guitarist spending more time behind a keyboard than with his axe, which perhaps represented the band’s later day focus on writing great pop-rock rather than sticking resolutely to the alt rock sound. Jumping, as I did, from Merrymakers to this album might take listeners by surprise, as this is hardly the same band as the one that appears on the former album. At some points, they remind me more of Ben Folds Five than the band who recorded “Flagpole Sitta.”

If nostalgia for “Flagpole Sitta” attracts you to this album- I’ll admit, it’s more or less what brought me out to the show that night- hopefully you’ll be able to see past the fact that they don’t make songs like that any more, and enjoy this album for what it is. Because it’s a great record, and it needs to be heard, if posthumously. And since the band offers the record for free download on their website, you’ve got no excuse.

• Alkaline Trio – This Addiction
  • The band has released the first single from the new album, the title track, to the Internets for our listening pleasure. I’d already heard it at Riot Fest, but it’s nice to have the studio version, especially since it’s so good. This has me even more stoked for this album. Out on Epitaph/Heart & Skull.
• Bad Religion
• Social Distortion
• The Smoking Popes – It’s Been a Long Day
• The Menzingers
• The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
• The Riot Before
• everything Death to False Hope Records is releasing

So what else? What’s coming this year that you all are excited for?

Watch out for wayward Star Children

If you’re the sort of person who enjoys reading other people’s opinions- and I know you are!- you might be interested to know that the GDTS Best of 2009 list has been posted for your reading pleasure.

You can hit this link right here for an obscenely long list of albums, plus descriptions of the top 10, just in case you forgot how awesome they were.

Also available over on the sidebar are the Best of… lists from 2007 and 2008, if you care to visit those olden days.

Finally, coming soon will be a list of the top 50 albums of the decade. Because, well, when you’re in list-making mode, why stop? And it’s fun to look back and see what came out this decade. 2001’s How I Spent My Summer Vacation seems like a long-ass time ago, huh?

Here’s to 2010!

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/xraphiex/

So here we are, wrapping up twenty-aught-nine, and once again, Boston’s own ska-core heroes The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are throwing their annual (minus some years in there) Hometown Throwdown. HTTD XII took place at Boston’s House of Blues for the first three nights, and wrapped up with a final show at the Middle East downstairs. And now the boys are playing in support of the recently-released Pin Points & Gin Joints. With a pair of reunions opening (Darkbuster on night 2, and Bim Skala Bim on night 3), this Throwdown certainly ranks up with the best that the ‘Tones have played.

Night One

The first night, at the House of Blues, featured local hardcore act Razors in the Night, and well-known NYC ska band the Pilfers, playing one of their sporadic shows of the last few years. I was unfamiliar with RITN’s material, but was quickly won over by their energy and catchy, pummeling sound. The Pilfers have long been a favorite of mine, and they did not disappoint, playing a great selection of songs for a receptive crowd, and got the majority of us pumped up for the ‘Tones.

The Bosstones kicked off the Throwdown with the “single” from their new album Pin Points & Gin Joints, “Graffiti Worth Reading,” and the assembled crowd loved it. They turned out a good mix of old and new, also playing “Sister Mary” and “Wasted Summers” from the new album, and a live debut of “The One With the Woes” from 2007’s b-side compilation Medium Rare. A great surprise was Dicky calling out a long-time fan to play the song he had waited years to hear, the title track from Don’t Know How to Party. I was right up there with him, stoked out of my mind to hear the song live. As has become a tradition at this point, the band also played “The Day He Didn’t Die.” All in all, a great set to open the series of shows with.

Night Two

Night two saw local favorites Darkbuster reuniting for the show, along with the Void Union (made of partially of members of Westbound Train). Void Union were similar in feel to Westbound Train, and with WBT’s current hiatus, might me your best source for ska/reggae in Boston. Darkbuster are perhaps the most drinkinest punk band around, and their fans are a rowdy bunch. Some of them were dicks, some were fine, just like any big show. The band themselves played a good set, though one that reminded me that I’m not at all familiar with their album 22 Songs You’ll Never Want to Hear Again.

The Bosstones’ set on night two was excellent. Some people may have been turned off by Darkbuster, but the Bosstones made up for it with this collection of songs. Opening with “Old School Off the Bright” from 2003’s A Jackknife to a Swan and “Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah” from the new album, things were off to a high note. They pulled out “A Reason to Toast,” another b-side that found its way onto Medium Rare, as well as “Another Drinkin’ Song,” “Tin Soldiers,” “Hope I Never Lose My Wallet,” and personal favorite from the new album, “I Wrote It.” But the real highlight of night two was the encore. A piano (or, rather, a keyboard inside an upright piano) was brought on stage, and 9th Bosstone, John “JG” Goetchius, came out the play a bit. The rest of the band soon joined, and after a brief introduction, launched into “Toxic Toast.” Perhaps my all-time favorite Bosstones song, hearing it with the piano intro brought tears to my eyes.

Night Three

Night three featured the Pietasters and a reunion of the classic Boston ska band Bim Skala Bim. The Pietasters played a solid, if short-feeling set to open the night up. Bim Skala Bim played a longer set than previous nights’ openers had. Their set was great; the guys look older, but still play great. Vinny, in particular, is a ball of energy. Great to have these guys back, if only sporadically.

“Dr. D” began things for the Bosstones on night three, and they again broke out a few deeper than usual cuts, such as b-side “Wrong Thing Right Then” and “Finally” off of Pay Attention. However, at the end of the main set, they called Vinny from Bim Skala Bim/Pilfers out to join trombonist Chris Rhodes on “A Little Bit Ugly” from their debut, Devil’s Night Out. It was pretty amazing; the bridge featured Chris and Vinny going back and forth in a trombonist duel that whipped the crowd up. What a way to go, huh?

Following the main set, some people in the crowd noticed that original Bosstones guitarist, Nate Albert, was hanging out side stage, and that a second guitar had been placed on-stage. When the band returned to the stage for the encore, they were in fact joined by Nate, to great applause from the crowd, for “X-Mas Time (It Sure Doesn’t Feel Like It)” and “Kinder Words.” Nate then departed, and the band played the six-and-a-half minute closer from the new album, “A Pretty Sad Excuse.” For the unfamiliar, the song spends its first few minutes as a slow ska number, until very suddenly ramping up into a big rock/punk song. So when the pit opened up, it did so very quickly. It was, well, awesome.

Night Four

Night four saw the Bosstones return to the Middle East downstairs, the traditional venue for the Hometown Throwdowns of the past. The Side Effects and Far From Finished opened. The Side Effects had a rather drunken demeanor, and their guitarist looked like a coked-up LA rocker. Oh, also, their songs all sounded the same. And I listen to punk rock. I had heard that Far From Finished was a hardcore band, but maybe that was some other Far From Finished; the guys I saw played pop songs. Most of the songs they played couldn’t even be considered melodic hardcore.

So what, of all songs, could the Bosstones play to open the last night of their hometown stand, back at the one and only Middle East? The polar opposite of a deep cut, that’s what: “The Impression That I Get.” Getting the “single” out of the way so early was a bold choice, and really kept the crowd on their toes; typically, hearing that song signifies the end of the set fast approaching, but here, the set could be whatever, wherever. And the set was extra long. They played songs like “Don’t Know How to Party,” “Illegal Left,” “It Can’t Hurt,” “Cowboy Coffee,” and many others. The encore was 5 songs, including “A Pretty Sad Excuse,” and closing out with “The Pirate Ship,” a fan favorite that is only available on the vinyl version of Question the Answers. A fitting end to four nights of high-energy shows that left us four-nighters pretty exhausted.

Conclusion

The Bosstones played four excellent nights that managed to keep a good balance of the “hits” with the less-played songs, most notably perhaps being the two playings of “Don’t Know How to Party.” The band is very gracious and appreciative of their dedicated fans, and those fans give it right back. In addition to the shows, the band did a meet and greet and McGreevy’s Saloon in downtown Boston (owned by Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys), and did a free raffle for prizes and tickets to shows. They not only play great music, they care a lot about the people who come to see them, and that elevates them from a good band to one of the greats.

On a Personal Note

I met a lot of incredible people this extended weekend, primarily thanks to the Bosstones’ official message board. These people made the entire experience even more enjoyable than it already was, a feat I’d have previously thought impossible. If these people are indicative of the overall fanbase- and I’d say they are- Dicky might be right that these are the greatest fans in the world.

Many thanks to Bosstones forum member XraphieX for the photo at the top of this post. Check out her gallery here!

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Pin Points & Gin Joints

2009 closes out with a new release from one of my all-time favorite bands, the one and only Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Boston’s plaid-clad crew returned from hiatus in late 2007 to bring a handful of new songs (on the b-side compilation Medium Rare) and play another of their legendary end-of-year stands, the Hometown Throwdown. Now, we have an 14 all-new (15 if you bought the vinyl) songs from the boys. The songs they’ve released so far post-hiatus have been solid. How does this stack up to their impressive catalog?

Damn well, honestly. The album opens with the “single” “Graffiti Worth Reading,” an upbeat, energetic song with a great sing along chorus. The song is decidedly in the camp of the former half of “ska-core,” as is much of the album; the Bosstones haven’t done a whole lot of “heavy” songs such as “Issachar” in recent history, and this album is largely bereft of such songs. There’s no “Mr. Moran” on this album. Perhaps the closest song on PP&GJ is the anti-war “Too Many Stars.” Not to say they’ve forgotten how to rock out; often the distortion ramps up on the chorus, and the guys do their thing. But the classic metal and hardcore influences are less apparent on this album than ever before.

This is not, however, a bad thing, since these guys are the best at what they do.

Lyrically, vocalist Dicky Barrett turns in some of his strongest work here. Even the deceptively-titled “Nah Nah Nah Nah Nah” reveals in its verses a letter to a father who left his wife and young child long ago. And damn if it’s not fun to sing along to the simple (it’s just the title) chorus live. And then there’s the impressive, album-closing “A Pretty Sad Excuse,” a six-and-a-half minute stylistic tour de force that runs from laid-back ska to anthemic rock to fast-paced punk and back, and it finds Dicky lamenting about a sort of self-loathing that I think any misfit could relate to. And we’re all misfits in one way or another, after all.

This album also marks a big first for the band: the debut of new 9th Bosstone, keyboardist John “JG” Goetchius. He’s well-used here, with most songs featuring notable organ or piano, in particular the rollicking “Death Valley Vipers,” whose added piano and trumpet calls to mind a Sergio Leone film (or just the Ennio Morricone soundtrack) played through the Bosstones’ filter.

This album is yet another incredibly strong effort from the band, and fans will find a lot to love here. Casual Bosstones fans, who probably know “that ‘Knock on Wood’ song” plus a handful of others (I’m probably not giving them enough credit, but whatever, it’s my blog), should find plenty to enjoy here. The album doesn’t contain the variety of, say, Question the Answers, but it’s hard to deny these are some of the best songs the boys have put out.

Also, speaking of the Bosstones and their annual Hometown Throwdown shows, stay tuned for a recap of this year’s set of shows in the next few days!