Check out a new video from Birmingham’s Future Elevators for “Machine Maker”:
Cool song with a late 90s indie rock feel to it. The video totally reminds me of something Wes Anderson might do in one of his movies.
Future Elevators released a self-titled album earlier this year on Communicating Vessels.
Former Rage Against The Machine front man Zack de la Rocha is back. He just tweeted a link to a new track of his:
My day has not even really started yet and here I am just smiling ear to ear. Produced by EL-P (Run The Jewels), it appears that all of those rumors I have been hearing about Zack doing a solo album are becoming a reality.
“where the days are all night”
Stream – https://t.co/9zQzEb9rwN
Free MP3 – https://t.co/VueMGu4skLhttps://t.co/VQWCLPXvF5— Zack de la Rocha (@ZackdelaRocha) September 8, 2016
Akron, OH’s prom kings Worship This! stopped out at Bad Racket earlier this summer and played one of my favorite OG songs, “Best Parts”.
Check it out:
Bad Racket is one of the coolest recording studios in Cleveland and have been doing their thing since 2009. They specialize in welcoming bands into their studio to play a song and be filmed while doing so. If you want to see more amazing acts do their things, click the below link:
It’s pretty crazy to me that Blink 182 still exists. Don’t get me wrong, I have been a fan since the 90s when they were just some unknown pop-punkers. After all they have been through, all of the fame, all of the drama, and most of all the departure of one Tom DeLonge, wouldn’t you think the band would just call it quits for good already?
Perhaps in a fit of spite, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker continued on and invited Alkaline Trio‘s Matt Skiba to take on vocal/guitar duties for a reunion show of sorts. I remember thinking “how bad ass would that be if Skiba just joined them and they put out a new album?” I know I was not the only one who thought that either.
Shortly after, it was confirmed Skiba had joined Blink and they were recording a new album. Now here I am about to throw some words and whatnot into a review for it. Perhaps a little delayed, but here it is.
Time for a story about me. Feel free to skip over…
The lyrics “nobody likes you when you’re 23” will always have special meaning in my mind for the rest of my life. Any Blink fan knows what song those lyrics come from. The year that song came out, an immature me swore the song was about my own experiences in a sense as I worked hard to get through a tough year thanks to an ex-psycho girlfriend and my own bad decision-making.
What I am trying to get at is simple, I was a Blink fan back then. “Dammit” was one of my go to songs, I loved Dude Ranch and Cheshire Cat. I remember even seeing Blink live at Blossom with Bad Religion opening for the Enema of the State tour. That was the show Barker missed as he broke his hand punching some a-hole at the Taco Bell my cousin was working at in Akron. Good times.
A few years later thanks to an old friend, I scored a front row ticket to see them again at Blossom with No Doubt. Both shows were amazing.
As the years passed, more Blink albums came out, Angels & Airwaves, Boxcar Racer, Transplants, and other side projects emerged, and Blink slowly moved out of my continual rotation of daily tunes. It happens folks, you know exactly what I am talking about. I got bored with them.
A certain Blink flame was re-ignited inside of me the day I heard Skiba was going to be on their new album. I remember hearing the first single off the new album, I was stoked. I still am stoked. So pardon my fandom and honestly on this post, these are my favorite reviews to do, the ones that I am legit excited to write on.
California is Blink 182’s seventh full-length release. Currently consisting of Hoppus, Barker, and the recent addition of Skiba (Alkaline Trio), who replaced Tom DeLonge. Blink 182 has been around since the early 90s and moved from a silly pop-punk band on underground labels, to a heavy-hitting act selling out stages all over the world.
When I listened to California the first time, my initial thought was that there was a lot of filler songs on the album. Long gone are the days of bands putting out albums with 16 tracks. After listening to the album over and over, that thought went away.
Opening track “Cynical” reminded me of past Blink material, at least the start did. Barker’s over the top drumming helped speed up the song and Skiba’s introductory backup singing proved this was not going to be the same Blink at all and not in a bad way.
“Bored To Death” has already taken over the radio stations. The beginning had an “Adam’s Song” similarity to it, but not enough to discourage. When the band jumps in together at the chorus, it pretty much blew me away. I know in time I am going to get sick of this song in time as it will be played over and over, but until that happens, I am going to enjoy the hell out of it. The video for the song cracked me up too, but only because I have reached old man status and remember feeling invincible once.
“She’s Out of Her Mind” will probably take responsibility for the younger generation to have a sudden interest in Bauhaus. Aside from that, this catchy song really planted a positive reminder that you should be yourself and not care about what others think.
“Los Angeles” was more of a rock masterpiece than a pop-punk track. I would not be shocked if this track alone brings in new fans of all ages. Hoppus and Skiba trading vocals and howls throughout was just perfect.
A more realistic “Sober” sang a story about substance-abused-rough-times in relationships and carried a level of honesty throughout. It was easy to compare my own bad decisions from my past in this track and also recall the apologetic resolutions. This song grew on me the more and more I listened to it. I loved the lyric “I’m a dandelion, you’re a four-leafed clover.”
The quick “Built This Pool” was about as crass as the band got on this album. Seeing how raw they used to be, I am glad they have not completely thrown away their comical ideals. Personally speaking, I really was hoping for a lot more of their humor throughout.
Skiba just killed it on “No Future”. This track was the song that had me smiling ear to ear knowing that Skiba was the perfect fit for the redesigned Blink. Hoppus and Skiba compliment the hell out of one another on this track. This dreary track which seemingly sounded like a humble departure, was one of the more catchier ones on the entire album for me.
“Kings of the Weekend” was one of the tracks I felt was more of a filler track at first, but the more I listened to it, the more I enjoyed it. This is everything a Blink fan could want in a Blink song. Not to mention the different singing styles keep things interesting.
I feel like I can say there is a lot I can say about”San Diego” as it really reminded me of the good times, but I won’t. I will just say it has grown on me a lot and I know the younger generation is going to eat this song up.
“Brohemian Rhapsody” was lame until I saw this:
Then it was hilarious…
All in all, California is an exceptional release. I can admit that I have not been a fan of Blink’s last few releases, but this one hits all the high marks in my mind. Initially I told myself and others that I only liked about 70% of the album, but the more and more I listen to it, the more I am digging it.
Perhaps my liking of California is because Skiba is on board now and I’ve been a AK3 fan for as long as I can remember, but I wish nothing but the best for Blink 182 and love seeing them at the top of the music world again. I seriously hope they continue and can not wait to see what they come up with next.
I recall the very day when I was first introduced to Jonathan Richman.
Sometimes I wish I could say it was because I came across a Modern Lovers album at a young age, but the truth is, I learned of him in the mid-90s thanks to Repo Man on VHS. As many of you know, there was a Modern Lovers song on the soundtrack and I fell in love with it instantly.
That was a long time ago and I have never stopped being a fan. So I am sure you can imagine how stoked I am to have been given the opportunity to review Richman’s latest release titled Ishkode! Ishkode!.
I have to admit though, I have been sitting on this review for a few weeks now as I wanted to make sure I said the right words as this artist is so important to me.
So here I am pondering and making a big deal about an album by a guy who has inspired me to be myself. After listening to this album probably for the 100th time, I felt today was the day to share.
Ishkode! Ishkode! dropped last month on Cleveland’s very own Blue Arrow Records. This is Richman’s first release in over six years and was well worth the wait. Assisting Richman on this release was Tommy Larkins, Lisa Marie, Kelly Brown, and a handful of other friends.
Starting off the album was “Woah! How Different We All Are!”, a more underground, beatnik sounding track that had Richman and crew taking a darker approach. Not goofy by any means but certainly something Warhol would have been a fan of.
“Ishkode! Ishkode!” carried the style Richman has presented over and over I have grown to appreciate. I loved when Richman, once warmed up, just went on a mini tangent with some amped up guitar playing.
I heard “Wait! Wait!” last year when Richman dropped a pair of 45s via Blue Arrow Records. This track is so fun it is ridiculous. I hate to repeat myself, so go check out what I said about it previously. I also talk about “O’Sun!” too.
“‘a Nnammurata Mia” which translates to My Beloved, was easily my favorite track off the entire album. I felt like I was on vacation listening to it as Richman swooned me away in Italian and English. Seriously though, Richman displayed himself to me in a new level on this song while blending the two languages so perfectly. It was beautiful.
The love fueled “Let Me Do This Right!” should be the soundtrack for all mantra. Even though it was the quickest song on the album, it was gentle, repetitious, and honest.
“Outside Oduffy’s” just had me smirking the entire time the song played. This was a comical track that just had me visualizing Richman talking to a girl outside of a pub, falling head over heels in 10 minutes. This was Richman storytelling at it’s finest. Having the ladies sing along made it that much better.
“Longtemps” returned back to that vacation feeling I had earlier with the versatile Richman showing his true talent in a different tongue – French to be exact. Originally written by Charles Trenet in 1955, Richman covered it quite well.
Closing the album was “Mother I Give You My Soul Call”, a chant written by Paramahansa Yogananda. It is beyond why Richman chose this song to cover, but it was absolutely captivating to listen to. The sitar playing over the low toned instrument that escapes me at this time (please feel free to help me out here) was calm and relaxing to listen to while Richman recited the chant. This was an incredibly unique listen.
For anyone who is a fan of Richman, listening to this album was an experience of its own. At first, I could not place my finger on some of the tracks and felt Richman was just doing something different because he can, but as I listened more and more, it made sense to me. This album was Richman continuing his legacy as a musician and merely enhanced his talents. It’s a fantastic release.
Head over to Blue Arrow Records to order a copy of Richman’s new album. If you are lucky enough to live in Cleveland, just take some time and visit their brick and mortar store. You will not be disappointed. I always enjoy my visits there and you can just pick up a copy of the LP yourself.
