I decided that I would start something called B-side Friday. So every friday I’ll post up to 7 lesser known songs. The songs could be by known artists but they will be lesser known songs by that artist. I don’t think I have to explain the term b-side. So check out the songs.
Hideaway – Fuel
When the Sun Rose Again – Alice in Chains
Play Crack the Sky – Brand New
Black – Pearl Jam
Set Phasers to Stun – Taking Back Sunday
The Resistance – Anberlin
Lithium – Nirvana
The boys from Long Island have recently released a new song called Winter Passing that was supposed to appear on their latest album, New Again. It and other merchandise is available on their Online Store. “It’s beyond me why it didn’t make New Again, but at the same time maybe it would have gotten lost in the mix that way. The best is always yet to come and this tune is our proof. Enjoy,” said Adam Lazzara when asked about the song.
A live stream of the song can be found by following this link. http://www.altpress.com/features/tbswinterpassing.htm
San Diego California isn’t exactly the first place you think of when trying to name cities that pump out bands faster then I go through lemonade bottles. I wonder if the locals knew they had something special when they first heard the fourman group of Weatherbox. When I first heard them I knew within the first minute of “Trippin’, the Life Fantastic” that this wasn’t your typical indie punk rock group.
The Members of Weatherbox
The name Weatherbox comes from a song by the band Mission to Burma. In an interview that vocalist and guitarist Brian Warren gave with AbsolutePunk he said this about the name: “It began as a random name but slowly gained meaning. When people ask me what it means now, I say the box is your consciousness and the weather is the external stimuli which effects you constantly. So Weatherbox is everything but since we got it from the Mission of Burma song it’s also nothing. So it is the union of everything with nothing,”.
It all started with an EP titled “The Clearing”. The EP is full of songs about life and death. With their gutting guitar riffs, and punk lyrics Weatherbox began to get some attention and also raise some eyebrows.
Then came American Art, the debut LP that made Weatherbox an underground household name, if that expression makes any sense. It was released on May 8th 2007. On this album, listeners were left being able to recognize Weatherbox’s distinctive sound. Slightly bizzare bridges and drum beats make this album worth many more listens. This album is what indie is all about, experimentation, and music for music’s sake.
Weatherbox’s follow up to American Art came in September of 2009. It was called “The Cosmic Drama”. It left old fans satisfied while managing to not sound just like American Art.
Will Weatherbox ever break into the mainstream or will they stay an underground smash like so many bands before? It is possible that they will become mainstream. As long as there are people like me who want to get the word out about unknown bands, and people like you who care, then Weatherbox breaking into the mainstream is certainly possible. In conclusion, with deep lyrics, gutting guitar riffs, and a very distinctive sound, Weatherbox truly is an underground sensation.
A few mp3s are streaming at weatherbox’s myspace page where you can check out the band’s latest news, and such. http://www.myspace.com/weatherbox
Rumors have been circulating that Brand New after just about ten years will be going on hiatus, indefinitley once the promotion of their latest album, Daisy is done. The band’s publicist has said that the rumors are false. So the publicist says it isn’t true, I’m inclined to completely ignore this rumor.
I, however wouldn’t be surprised if this rumor was true. There have been hints that the band might be getting sick of touring and when talking about the new album, frontman Jesse Lacey said, “this album is really all about facing when something really is done and when you should just stop and move on from it”. That could mean alot of different things. Since this rumor arose some have taken him to be talking about the band. I still doubt that this rumor is true, but if anything arises I will keep you posted.
When I have nothing to do sometime I browse the internet and read reviews for albums that have been out for months or more. Earlier I looked at reviews of Tacking Back Sunday’s latest album, New Again. None of the reviews I read really seemed to truly dig into the album, so I am writing one of my own.
Taking Back Sunday has probably seen more lineup changes in the past decade then any other band. They have dropped 3 guitarists, 2 bassists, and a lead vocalist and I may be forgetting some people. I am going to get this out of the way before I even talk about New Again. Bands evolve. As frontman Adam Lazzara said, he was 18 when the band’s LP debut, Tell All Your Friends came out. It has been close to 10 years since then, and Taking Back Sunday has gone through a facelift.
Now, onto New Again. The album’s songs seem to be about losing former guitarist and vocalist Fred Mascherino (“Where My Mouth Is”, “Capital M-E”, and “Summer Man”), and Adam Lazzara’s engagement to Chauntelle DuPree which was abruptly called off (“Carpathia”, “Swing”, and “Everything Must Go” just to name a few”).
While much of the old sound of Taking Back Sunday seems to melt away on this album, Adam Lazzara’s lyrics have reached a new level. The best song lyrically (and one of my favorites) is Carpathia, it is full of metaphors and great lines like “I am the mantel and your a painting
come rest your frame on me”, and “A fine hose that stood here, on this worn foundation”. Everything Must Go is a masterpiece lyrically and melodically with lines like “No you don’t have the sense. To talk this through to dawn. Instead you’re walking through the door”.
In this album Taking Back sunday also reachs a new height with very agressive vocals in songs like “Catholic Knees”, “Cut Me Up jenny”, and “Carpathia”. “Summer Man” comes out as one of the top songs with a solid guitar riffs agressive vocals that will get you tongue tied trying to sing them, and lyrics that are top notch. The second verse of this song is lyrically one of the best for Taking Back Sunday ever, “‘Cause I ain’t working for you anymore,
No, I ain’t working for you anymore,
So go prove to the world
What you already proved
That you just couldn’t do on your own.”
The true melodic masterpiece on this album though, is “Where My Mouth Is”. Starting off quiet and then a booming chorus in which Matt Fazzi brings it home with perfectly thought out guitar riffs and a brilliant bridge. Lyrically this song isn’t as good as some of the other songs on the album, but they are far greater then lyrics that so many bands come up with today.
Top Song:
Carpathia
Most Melodic Song:
Where My Moth is
Overall Rating:
8.5/10
Ello there. Im Alex_N. The new author on this site. So let me tell you a little bit about my self.
1. I mostly listen to classic rock and alternative.
2. I spend time on the computer so I often find underground bands.
3. I’m me.
So anyways, since I didn’t want to seem like a noob for not talking about music here’s a cool robot band.
http://www.myspace.com/thtrons
Thats all. For now.
-From the basement of Alex_N
