New York rockers Wyldlife are pretty rockin' for a band that shares a name with the middle schooler version of the religious group Young Life. Their latest album, Out On Your Block, showcases a terrific mix of punk, glam and garage and is full of catchy, anthemic cuts that are mostly about rocking out and having a good time. Hat tip to my brother, Steve, for the recommendation.
RIYL: The Strokes, The Cars, The Exploding Hearts, The Clash
Early afternoon...or maybe lunchtime?
All I know is daylight is creeping through
The covered windows behind me, neon signs fluorescent flicker:
"this Bud´s for you!"
By light of day it´s hard not to notice
Just how filthy this place can be.
The smell of bleach and cheap shots
Drowning out my ugly company.
So line ´em up, my lonely friends.
raise your glass and knock ´em down.
A little salt to sap the sting
from the last words that we spoke
So CHEERS! Here´s to hoping
I never see your face again.
This one´s to chase
The awful taste of your name from my tongue
And one more in hopes that I´ll hit the floor
And knock the thought of you from my brain.
And last, hopelessly wishing
I never met you.
It's a fine Saturday afternoon, how about some good old-fashioned pop-punk? I stumbled across Bad Cop, Bad Cop the other day while searching for some live videos of Meat Wave. You know, as you do. So, yeah, Meat Wave to hard rocking girl band? Sure. Makes sense. Anyway, it's fun stuff, just check out this video, and after that you might try some more from Live From The Rock Room. They've got some good stuff there.
RIYL: Bad Religion, Teenage Bottlerocket, Against Me, Amazombies, Tsunami Bomb
I sense the enemy, they're rustling around in the trees
I thought I had gotten away but the followed me to 02143
Oh, woe, woe is me, no one knows the trouble I see
When they hang Jeff Davis from a sourapple tree, I'll sit beneath the leaves and weep
None of us shall be saved, every man will be a slave
For John Brown's body lies a-mould'ring in the grave and there's rumbling down in the caves
So if it's time for choosing sides, and to show this dirty city how we do the Jersey Slide
And if it deserves a better class of criminal
Then I'ma give it to them tonight
So we'll rally around the flag, rally around the flag
Rally around the flag, boys, rally once again
Shouting the Battle Cry of Freedom
Rally around the flag, rally around the flag
Glory, glory, Hallelujah, His truth is marching on
Listening to Ted Leo yesterday got me thinking, for some reason I'm not 100% sure of, Titus Andronicus and their classic 2010 release The Monitor. We've never featured them here, so let's fix that. Today's Most Important, the blistering "A More Perfect Union" which chronicles frontman Patrick Stickles' move from Glen Rock, NJ, to Somerville, MA. Mashed up with a bunch of Civil War references. Oh and bits from Springsteen, Billy Bragg and others. The general theme and style carries through the album and makes for a unique and interesting punk rock adventure.
RIYL: The Hold Steady, Billy Bragg, Japandroids, Cloud Nothings, Ted Leo
I'll just run you out
Gonna run you out
Surf's up and Chicago's Meat Wave is ready to crash. Ok, that was corny, their music is not. It's smart, tight, diverse rock and roll that's full of killer hooks and unique arrangement. Their latest album The Incessant just dropped and I've been really enjoying it. Reminds me, both in tone and feeling, of The Cribs' early stuff, particularly the awesome Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever which, now that I think about it, I need to get on vinyl. I digress, and you should check this out.
RIYL: The Cribs, Hot Snakes, Plague Vendor, White Reaper
Turns out these clouds were hanging on strings
So let's get high and cut them down
And watch them fall on everything
Listen, there's nothing that I can't do
I've tried and I just can't lose
My little brother had mentioned London, Ontario post-hardcore band Single Mothers to me a while back, but I'd forgotten to check them out. Luckily they showed up a couple weeks back on my Spotify Discover Weekly. That playlist is a bit hit or miss, but this time they've got me dead to rights. Single Mothers don't have a large catalog, but it's solid and, from what I can gather from various sources, they get together every once in awhile to rock. They sound like a band I'd like to see live. They're kind of like The Murder City Devils mixed with The Hold Steady. So, yeah. Good, smart, rocking stuff. Let's hope this line from their website is true: "Single Mothers broke up in 2009 and have been playing shows ever since."
RIYL: The Hold Steady, IDLES, The Murder City Devils
