(END BLOG)
I kid. 2002 was the year I started high school. The intro metal at the time were bands like Slipknot and Staind, and I really did start the alternative hunt around that time. Death metal got me into looking into the local scene and my Nine Inch Nails discovery got me looking into the budding screamo scene.
Grade 10 I was introduce the the local music scene of Cambridge by a girl named Becky and a fellow named Jeff. They took me to see The Reason play with 86 This, Handheld, and Farewell To Freeway. So that seems like a good place to start.
A couple of notes:
Every little section will be followed by a "DOES IT HOLD UP?!" to which I am simply asking that if I had come across this album now instead of then, would I have picked it up.
I'd also like to take this line to Nate for introducing me to the phrase 2004-core. All you need to do is look at a few albums from this year to get what it means.
The Reason - Ravenna (2004)
This was one of my first experiences with "screamo." Ex Sewing with Nancy changed their sound and became a form of pioneer in the Southern Ontario punk scene beside Silverstein and Alexisonfire. The reason had that vocalist that would switch between the whining singing and screaming to accompany their soft-heavy-soft formula. The drummer barely used double kick, and it really kept the punk pace to all of their music. The individuel parts of their songs were very simple yet very fluid.
DOES IT HOLD UP?! Well, in the same way that At The Drive In's first album holds up. It is not so much a good listen as it shows a time and a place in music. In the screamo genre, this album has one of the lower production values that will apear on the list. Though this adds to the feel, it does make it hard for new listeners to pick it up and give it a swing. The Reason's next album, Things Couldn't Be Better, is a much cleaner album with much less 2004-core screaming.
Roses Dead - Stages (2006)
Holy fuck technical punk and/or Djent has come a long way, but my god this album is pretty. This is the first band I heard that played with rhythms and time signatures to a point where someone looking to learn the progressions would HAVE to break it down into segments, some of which lasting less than 3 seconds. The album starts with a "dirty breakdown" and the noise doesn't end for the entire 11 tracks. A Wake In The Water is still one of my favorite instrumental tracks of all time. The only real gripe I have about this album is that, even though it is one huge track, every song starts with a very similar guitar riff. This band has an EP prior to this release the broke up due to internal conflict and the inability to find a singer.
DOES IT HOLD UP?! New listeners and people who don't remember the early years of this sound would probably not enjoy this as much as those of us who lived through it to tell the tale. I mostly put this one on the list to remind the old 519punk users that they exist. 519 REGION PEOPLE, GIVE THIS ALBUM MORE PLAYS ON YOUR ITUNES! If you need a copy, talk to me. I think I still have mine somewhere.
Tugnut - Ode To Pete (2006)
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
*recomposes self*
I played so many shows with these guys and my do I miss it. The first time I saw them, their bass player played half the set outside and I had no fucking clue what the hell was going on. People didn't know whether to dance or to kill each other. Still remains one of the loudest bands I have ever seen and will always stay close to my heart. I am reviewing this album mostly because when scanning through all of them, this was one of the only ones I could hear. The recordings, minus this and one other album, were all self done analogue. The first few albums were put together using photocopiers, sharpies, and time. There was some mention that the singer would actually write poetry and base the songs around how he thought the music would accompany it. To be honest, there are still parts of their songs I can't play after all these years of trying because it makes ABSOLUTELY no sense, and I love it.
DOES IT HOLD UP?! If for no other reason than there is nothing that could ever sound like this ever. Their strange use of jazz chords followed by broken jazz chords followed by a saucy dance bit will never be able to be replicated, and that is a bit depressing. Where are they now? Joe is making acoustic guitars in, I believe, BC. Marc was playing bass for Fuck The Facts and Steve was playing with the Great Sabitini. Marc and Steve are also in a two piece doom metal group called Greber. Please help these amazing friends with their respected projects.
Poison The Well - Opposite of December... A Season Of Separation (1999)
I can't tell if I have to love this album for what they influenced and were at the forefront of, or if I should hate them for making entire songs on this album out of "dun dun dunundun dun." There was a time where the first track had blown my mind with it's blistering double kick outside of metal and how personal the lyrics are. When looking at my iTunes for albums that came out that same year, I can't find anything remotely similar with the exception of Calculating Infinity (The Dillinger Escape Plan) and Refused's The Shape of Punk To Come from the year prior. There are still some great moments on this album and I'll still bust Slice Paper Wrists out at social functions to watch a couple people go scouring the ground for nickels.
DOES IT HOLD UP?! To put politely, fuck no. It is little more than nostalgia and their second album Tear From The Red (2002) was the same idea but so much better. I still love this album, and I'm sure most people who picked it up back in the early 2000's still love this album. If you have never heard of Poison The Well, save this one for last on the list of which albums to check out.
...
*puts Slice Papers Wrists back on to sing along with the middle bit*
ALEXISONFIRE - ALEXISONFIRE (2003)
When the hell did this album hit ten years old? That aside, what a fantastic piece of audio. This album has some of the prettiest string work to date. This album was before Dallas Green could sing properly and before George Pettit knew how to scream without thrashing his voice. The drums on this album are simple because they have to be to make this album perfect.
DOES IT HOLD UP?! I am way too biased to say honestly whether it does or not. It is still in my top Canadian albums of all time and in my top twenty albums of all time. There is something I love about how unpolished it is. In fact; if they cleaned it up, I probably wouldn't care for the album at all anymore. It is gritty and off key and strangely mixed because it HAS to be. I'm still looking for someone to cover Counterparts And Number Them, by the way.
Brand New - Deja Entendu (2003)
Keep your voice low...
This album is beautiful. The use of vocal harmonies and almost vocal battles at points must have been something short of impossible to arrange in a way that didn't make them sound conflicting. This was my emo secret, and I owe it all to my friend Jaymi for reminding me every once and a while that I still have this album somewhere in this massive library of music I have. The songs are unfairly catchy, yet not cheesy. The lyrics are personal, but not pathetic, though they do hinge at times. Every song is about some horrible personal moment that could have ruined a life, and quite possibly has. At the heart of this wrist-cutting hair-dying masterpiece is a punk heart who beats with just as much hate as any of us. The vocalist is a lyrical genius with lines that seem relatable, quotable, but still incredibly personal to the one who wrote them.
DOES IT HOLD UP?! Like most major label releases from the early 2000's, there is little change is recording quality or methods so from a strictly auditory standing; yes. It comes from the same background that most modern pop-punk comes from and, since emo is a dead language, I would say that it would definitely hold up to date. Forget I dropped the emo line and pretend that punk was never used in this review. Use them as an idea to check out this classic album, but don't base the album on those merits. It's an experience, not a label. Listen, enjoy, and welcome to the family.
Norma Jean - O God The Aftermath (2005)
This album starts with a "...wat..." and it just never really drops it. I would like to think that I'm ok at drums, but I still can't figure out the first track. Speaking of tracks; this was the first album that I have ever seen that had not only a witty play on words every track title, but also had two titles per track (the second of which was equally witty). I can't make out a damned word he says on this album, but it all sounds equally brutal and harsh and something that's fun to punch walls to. I don't know if it's the gargled screams, the driving and fucked drums, or the constant slides of dissonance on the guitars that make me so angry when I listen to this album. Don't get me wrong, it's a good kind of angry. The kind that you get after you watch that bully who was just making fun of you get his ass handed to him by someone who just can't take his bull shit anymore. The biggest bit of regret I have around this band is that, when I got to see them (2005), I couldn't mosh or maim because the God Damned hardcore kids were dancing in every possible pit area.
DOES IT HOLD UP?! Oh fuck yes and no. It sounds like shit. The mid is totally scooped out and if you are in a car, the bass rattle from the windows will be louder than anything going on in the music. As far as musically, it is in a field all to it's own. When I say sliding guitars, I mean that the first track and a couple others are literally based around synchronized slides and dissident chords being hit in perfect unison. The drums are, though simple in skill, are so fucking tight with the random nature of the tracks, that following them can feel like you are going to loose your mind. Please, pick this album back up. Show them that they shouldn't have dropped this sound and that we may have supported them for longer if they hadn't. Seriously, Norma Jean: your other albums after this one suck.
I Hate Sally - Sickness Of The Ages (2004)
So fucking metal. This album came out before they got their more recognizable female front. I personally prefer where they went, but I can completely see why this album was so well received in the metal scene and why so many fans still hold it on such high. It was metal through and through. There was no attempt at making anything sound pretty and the message was very straight forward.
DOES IT HOLD UP?! Yes. The metal community should always remember these great Canadians and all the good that they did. The next big album they did (Don't Worry Lady) was much more drone feeling and came at everything from a different lyrical edge. Check them both out!1 Also, I will never do this band justice. Luka is a much better fan than I, ask her about them if you want more information!
BAHHHHHHH THERE IS TOO MUCH!
I will come back to this premis later if this is well received. If I left something out that you KNOW I shouldn't have, remind me in the comments! I'll probably hate myself forever if I don't get something I'm not thinking of right now in the next one.
