RADIO SILENCE NYC - Renegade (Single)

Here's a group of four 16-year old boys who came together from different parts of New York City. According to their website bio, they first started playing together a year ago. Their first single is called "Renegade". The group has partnered with the not-for-profit organization DoSomething.org to use the song, which features lyrics like "Hatred is the enemy!", as an anti-bullying anthem. The song itself is slickly-produced pop rock that owes a big debt to the genre commonly known as pop-punk. Considering they're 16, the song is decent and it seems like they're acting their ages which is good. The guitar solo is the best part, the guitarist reminds me of the lead guitarist from the movie School of Rock.

Watch the "Renegade" video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qon7zy2Qotk

Radio Silence NYC: radiosilencenyc.com
DoSomething.org: www.DoSomething.org.

BOUNCING SOULS - Ghosts On The Boardwalk

Eighth full-length studio album from this band from New Brunswick, New Jersey. Last year, the band celebrated 20 years together by releasing a new song every month. This album collects those 12 songs so you can keep them all in one place. It's hard for me to believe that the band is actually that old because their music has such a youthful, energetic sound. Put punk, rock, pop, and fun in a blender and you will get The Bouncing Souls. They're definitely one of the best bands on the Warped Tour lineup - anyone want to take me?

www.myspace.com/bouncingsouls
www.bouncingsouls.com

THIS PROVIDENCE - Who Are You Now?

Who Are You Now? is This Providence's third full-length album. This Providence are a four-piece band out of Seattle, Washington, and this is their second album to be released by Fueled By Ramen records.

I was initially interested in checking out this album after hearing the fifth track on the album, "Keeping On Without You". That song reminded me of the songs on Sloan's Pretty Together, an album I hold near and dear to my heart. "Keeping On Without You" features melodic guitar with a peaceful male vocal and is one of those songs that you like immediately. While it's my favorite song on the album, there are a number of other good ones on here as well ("Squeaking Wheels and White Light," "Letdown," and "That Girl's A Trick" are just a few I especially liked).

The overall sound of This Providence could be described simply as power pop-rock. At times, the vocalist reminds me of what Jonathan Visger of Mason Proper would sound like if he fronted a pop-punk band (It's a strange comparison, I know). The songs are polished, catchy, and filled with hooks and anthemic choruses that will get you dancing and singing along right away. If you are a fan of any music in this genre, This Providence's newest will be a fine addition to your collection.

This Providence will be embarking on an extensive United States tour from March 25 through May 1, 2010; dates and venues may be viewed on their websites.

www.myspace.com/thisprovidence
www.thisprovidence.com

BLINK 182 - Blink 182

Yes, I know that this album was released in 2003. However, recently, it's been playing a lot while I'm at home so I figured I might as well write about it. I don't know what it is about Blink 182 that makes me like this album so much, but I love it. It might be that Travis Barker, whether you love him or hate him, is one of the best drummers in recent years. His drumming is intricate, adding a whole new layer to the music and fleshing out the sound for the trio. It might be that they have two different vocalists, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge, who can alternate between sounding heartbroken, angry, giddy, and a wide range of other emotions. It might be that the simple lyrical content actually makes the songs stronger; they are easy to relate to and won't make you scratch your head wondering what they really mean. You just listen and bob your head and hope that the energy in these songs is transferred to you by some sort of cosmic intervention. Or it might be that these three guys write some very catchy pop songs which I just can't stop listening to. Yeah, that might be it.


www.myspace.com/blink182
www.blink182.com

NEW FOUND GLORY - Not Without A Fight

They're from Florida, and have been around since the end of the 90's. Not Without A Fight is their sixth proper studio album, following the release of Tip of the Iceberg/Takin' It Ova!, which featured an EP billed to NFG and a full-length by NFG masquerading as the International Superheroes of Hardcore. Not Without A Fight returns to the emo/pop-punk sound that New Found Glory is best known for, with most of the lyrics focusing on relationships. Singer Jordan Pundik sounds a bit less whiny on this album than he has in the past, though he still is recognizable (for better or for worse, depending on your feeling about his vocals). This is their first album on the Epitaph label and should please their long-time fans.

www.myspace.com/newfoundglory
www.newfoundglory.com (Currently redirects to their myspace site)

FAKE PROBLEMS - It's Great To Be Alive

This is the band's third full-length album and first for the SideOneDummy label. They're from Naples, Florida, so the comparisons to Against Me!, who are also from Naples, are inevitable. Fake Problems plays poppier punk rock than the aformentioned Against Me!. Some of their stuff has an acoustic, folk-punk influence. All in all, it's a good album and should appeal to anyone who has an interest in this style of music.

www.myspace.com/fakeproblems
www.fakeproblems.com

The (International) Noise Conspiracy - The Cross Of My Calling

Their fourth studio full-length album. They're Swedish so my review isn't even necessary; put it on, press play, you know it's gonna be good! But if you need more info, they play rock/pop/punk/garage-punk. Their sound is more polished on this record than it was in the past. Their guitarist is named Lars, the drummer is Ludwig, Inge plays bass, and Dennis is the lead singer. So the majority of them have awesome rock star names. Rockandroll!

www.myspace.com/internationalnoiseconspiracy
www.internationalnoise.com

Dead To Me - Little Brother EP

Good ol' pop/punk from San Francisco. This is their second release; their debut, Cuban Ballerina, was released in 2006. They are fun and I like them. Good upbeat music. They are similar to their label mates of Fat Wreck Chords, which includes some of the big bands of the 90's pop/punk scene - NOFX, Less Than Jake, Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, and so many more.

www.myspace.com/deadtomesf
http://www.fatwreck.com/band/index/83

The Mystery Tramps - We Are The Mystery Tramps EP

They're from Boston. I'm not sure how old they are, though they look like they are about fifteen. Prior to this EP, they released another EP and a full-length CD. They play a mix of pop/pop-punk/rock, though some songs teeter dangerously to the edge of being labeled as "emo". The vocalist whines his way through some of these tracks, which lessens their appeal. The songs without the whining are fairly decent though, so overall, this cd was a mixed bag for me.

www.myspace.com/themysterytramps
www.themysterytramps.com