Generic Insight Radio Volume One

For those not in the know, Generic Insight Radio is a weekly, Internet-based radio show that's led by host Barrie Cohn. And, as you've likely inferred, Generic Insight Radio Volume One is the radio show's first proper release; a compilation of 23 songs from some of New England's brightest, up-and-coming punk rock and hardcore acts.

While the record's selling point just might be the exclusive track from OnGuard, the now-defunct solo project of former Kid Dynamite and None More Black singer Jason Shevchuk, there are 22 other songs on the record, and many of them have that "these-guys-could-get-big" quality. Focusing on the punk rock and melodic hardcore of the Northeast, you can expect a number of songs that have clear Lifetime, Brand New and the Movielife influences, which is nothing to complain about. But, despite the overall high level of quality, I'm going to focus on the compilation's highlights.

The Gaslight Anthem's "I'da Called You Woody, Joe" gets the number three spot, and it's the first gem on Volume One. This gruff, story-telling punk rock band is already making waves, so they're one of the more recognizable acts, but I keep coming back to the gruff singing, soft verses and killer, memorable choruses. The Ghost Armada contributes one of the more unique songs herein, as booming, bass-heavy verses with throaty, shouted vocals transition into catchy, driving choruses. After you hear the song once or twice, you'll be shouting, "Black skies and rolling thunder!" just before the choruses kick in, and chances are it'll be a blast.

The middle section of Volume One is the hot spot, with cool songs from Young Hearts, Captives, In Times of War and Racing Exit 13. Young Hearts blends catchy, energetic pop-punk a la The Movielife with bouncy staccato riffs and shouted vocals; with the right recording budget, these guys could get some attention. Captives' song, "Struggle," reminds me of Where Eagles Dare and Stretch Arm Strong, so I was sold from the beginning, and In Times of War takes that brand of speedy melodic hardcore in a heavier, chunkier direction to forceful results. Racing Exit 13 is fast and catchy, making excitement out of full-bodied, clean singing and energetic tempos. Of course, the OnGuard song is endearing and folk-y, and Shevchuk's voice is always welcome to these ears. Capital's "Wolverines," a song from their 2006 release, Signal Corps., is of course good, but I would've liked to hear something from their newer release, Homefront. Murdock closes the compilation with "By Dawn's Early Light," which is probably the album's heaviest and most dissonant (but not mosh-based) song.

Volume One comprises 23 songs that, in the end, are genuine. There's really no trendy bullshit on the record and, if you prefer your punk rock and hardcore with more melody and texture than mosh and endless hooks, this is a good way to discover some new material.

The Gaslight Anthem - I'da Called You Woody, Joe
The Ghost Armada - The Ghost Armada
Young Hearts - I Went to a Party
Captives - Struggle

All you need to know about ordering the compilation is right here.

The Morning Of "The World As We Know It"

I'm a couple days past turning 25 and I like to think that, when I have to be, I'm a relatively mature guy. (At all other times, I find fart noises funny and Saved By the Bell great television programming.) Yet, I've been spending a lot of time listening to The Morning Of, a pop/rock band that's painfully cute, upbeat and sugary; practically the opposite of what I normally write about and something I can see teenagers touting as the best thing since the All American Rejects. I know the lyrics are fluff and, while I generally prefer music with more substance, I almost always have room for dessert, which is the food equivalent of The World As We Know It. 46 minutes of dessert.

Something like a cross between The Rocket Summer, Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer and the All American Rejects, The Morning Of plays friendly, driving, piano-accented pop/rock. There's not a lot of guitar wankery or crunchy distortion, as the piano parts tend to fill the holes left by the jangly guitars, but there are tons of good, insanely catchy hooks, which ultimately drive the record. I'm a huge sucker for male/female vocals, and The World As We Know It really gets me with its tradeoffs between and combinations of Jessica Leplon's and Justin Wiley's voices. The two have chemistry, and it just sounds cute. And sweet. And catchy.

Despite a cringe-worthy and unexpected foray into dissonant chaos in "There's a Bully in the Park," and an introduction track that tries too hard to be deep or poetic or something, this is a fun, relaxing change of pace.

Whoa whoa-ohh! Oh-whoa-ohhhh! You'll get it: The Morning Of - Let Your Spirit Soar

This one is out on Tragic Hero Records. You can get the sugary sweets here.

Up the Fury "Behind Every Mind"

While Up the Fury boasts current and former members of such Long Island hardcore mainstays as Crime In Stereo, This Is Hell and The Backup Plan (okay, the latter wasn't quite as prevalent), the band's full-length debut is much more than a half-realized album from five dudes with some extra time. Behind Every Mind's 10 songs are rooted in the sound of Long Island hardcore, with fast tempos, throaty, shouted vocals and, most importantly, layers of brisk guitar melodies accenting the fiery chord progressions. Sure, that lands the band in similar territory as This Is Hell, but Up the Fury foregoes catchy sing-alongs and takes a more straightforward, unabashedly pissed-off approach, which contributes a lot to the record's underlying sincerity. There are also plenty of surging, mid-paced passages that call to mind Another Breath and early Modern Life Is War. They're not as immediate but, given time, you'll really start to feel their power.

I appreciate the balance of overt aggression and slowed-down (but no less forceful) material on Behind Every Mind. Up the Fury is able to transition between the different speeds and sounds without completely shifting gears, so there's consistency and variety. The more I listen, the more I like this record. If you've got room for Long Island hardcore with only scant traces of anything metallic, this is likely to please.

Up the Fury - Dude We'd Have Like $900

You can pick this one up from the Detonate Records store.

Carry the Torch "Dead Weather"

Today, I move to a new apartment. But first, I post, using the last thing I'll pack up. Hopefully this'll hold you over until I'm back in the swing of things later in the weekend.

Dead Weather is the four-song, debut EP from Sacramento, California's Carry the Torch. Having never heard of the band prior to getting my hands on this brief record, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by musically inclined, subtly catchy melodic hardcore, rife with splashes of Shai Hulud and smatterings of Hopesfall. Like those bands, Carry the Torch weaves intricate, melodic guitar leads, atmospheric picking sequences and melodic chord progressions into a rather heavy base of chunky, hard-edged hardcore, and does so with grace and finesse. The band also proves unafraid to change the tempo multiple times within each three- or four-minute song, which, in combination with the varied guitar parts, makes for a fairly dynamic hardcore album. While singer Brian North doesn't pull any vocal punches, sticking to forceful mid-ranged screaming and shouting, I'm more than happy that he provides the power and lets the guitars handle the melody. Carry the Torch already has a good handle on writing consistent, cheese-free songs. And since there's not exactly an overabundance of this stuff out there, I'm most definitely anticipating more material from them. Keep it up.

Carry the Torch - For All I Care It Can Burn

This link will take you to the Detonate Records store; Dead Weather is currently the first listed item.

Life Long Tragedy "Runaways"

I like to consider Runaways "filthy" hardcore. And by "filthy" I don't mean that it's sloppy, unrefined or lewd -- because it most certainly isn't -- but that it's a seriously gritty and fittingly raw-sounding record. The fuzzy, dank production lends plenty of character to Runaways, making the album's dark, mid-paced riffs, desperately shouted vocals and rhythmic build-ups sound more like Life Long Tragedy's own than commonplace Modern Life Is War homage.

Rarely resorting to anything close to guitar chugging, the layers of somber, subtly melodic, and not-too-heavily-distorted guitar parts heighten Runaways' stark tension with tact. They're not especially complex, but they have a lot of feeling. Singer Scott Phillips' voice fits right in with the ominous guitars, driving home the feeling that everything isn't quite right. He hits a peak in "Hey Death," which culminates with wrenching shouts of "Hey death, I'm a fucking mess. Can you stop this beating in my chest?" Occasionally, Life Long Tragedy reverts to a more straightforward, fast-paced approach, which adds a certain fire to the record, but you won't hear any mosh parts or over-the-top gang vocals. That's fine by me, as Runaways' strengths lie in its unique production and tense, layered, ebbing and flowing songwriting.

My collection always has room for impassioned hardcore, whether it moves at the speed of light or a slow-to-medium clip. This is a pretty sweet effort, and something a little different.

Life Long Tragedy - Hey Death

Another great Deathwish Inc. release; get it from their store.

Once Nothing "First Came the Law"

There are two things about First Came the Law that irk me to no end. First, front man Todd Lowry has a tendency to scream and growl every lyric with a similar cadence and a trailing-off, high-to-low pitch change. After a few songs, you'll likely start to notice just how often the dude starts a word or lyric with a raspy, sneering scream and ends it by steadily lowering his voice to a deep growl. Second, the band goes the way of too many current metalcore bands and, for some reason, slaps a bunch of Southern-sounding riffs on their songs. Whether that's a problem in itself boils down to personal preference. But, most of the time, there's not even a transition between styles; a brief silence is all it takes to get the obligatory cowbell a'dinging and the big pseudo-Southern riffs a'churning. Once Nothing just don't pull it off that well. Hell, the band is from Pennsylvania so the gimmick alarm is sounding in my head.

But!

Yes, there is a but. Once Nothing carries a huge, bulky sound and, if nothing else, First Came the Law is an entertaining, car stereo-rocking full length. Despite the vocal repetition and forced forays into Southern-ish metalcore (and the wretched mid-album acoustic song), the band has a sturdy, weighty sound, braced by massive breakdowns, forceful, whining-free vocals, bold drumming and chunky riffs. It's far from original -- perhaps a heavier take on Maylene and the Sons of Disaster's sound -- but satisfying in some respects while it lasts. As with most every Solid State release, the production is top notch. Taken with a grain of salt, you might have some fun with this one.

Find out: Once Nothing - Avoid Me Like the Plague

You can snag the full length here.

Trial "Reunion - Retrospective"

Outspoken and overflowing with conviction, emotion and intellect, Trial is a categorically inspirational metallic hardcore band, fueled more by real issues and achieving tangible change than hollow anger. It's easy for hardcore and metal bands to sound pissed and be genuinely pissed, but it's not easy for them to make people want to act and work for something better. Trial did that.

And thanks to their recorded music and this massive DVD, they'll continue to do that.

There's so much to say about Trial and their recent posthumous Panic Records release, the Reunion - Retrospective DVD, as the two-disc set is packed with material. The "Reunion" disc features gritty live footage from London, as well as two full reunion shows -- one from Budapest and one from the band's homeland, Seattle -- from the fall of 2005. Each one has its own, distinct atmosphere and production values so, while the set lists are similar, each has its own merits and character.

The Seattle show goes down as the centerpiece, though; the capacity crowd of 800 goes nuts, bodies endlessly launch off the stage and the band seemingly sweats off every bit of moisture it’s got for a solid hour. The production qualities for this show are also the strongest, with a bunch of in-the-action camera angles and full, balanced sound. The entire package is the rare type of recording that manages to capture some of the feeling of a live hardcore show and, in the end, I probably had goose bumps through 25 percent (that's a lot) of it. The way Greg Bennick eloquently introduces songs is touching and real and, at one point, he even gets choked up about the sacrifices the crowd made to see the band one more time. Then I got a little choked up. There's just nothing else like this, and the lack of fighting and closing sing-along cement that idea.

Of course, the band visits much of Are These Our Lives? and some rarer and older songs. They sound tight and energetic, not to mention raw; there's no behind-the-scenes overdubbing or anything. And while I love the music, the most moving parts of the live shows are the way the band communicates their messages and the way the crowds respond.

The "Retrospective" disc primarily consists of interview footage that's interspersed with live recordings that span Trial's career. As Bennick and guitarist Timm McIntosh (both founding members) discuss the band's early beginnings, motivations for Trial, song meanings and, most interestingly, memorable shows and moments, listeners will see the band's development through fuzzy VHS video footage dating back to 1995. The two members both elaborate on the between-song explanations from their live sets, hammering home their drive to connect with listeners and inspire change, no matter how small. Unlike the first disc, the "Retrospective" isn't the kind of thing you'll want to show your friends or repeatedly watch, but it's a calm, interesting and introspective history of sorts. It rounds out the package and wraps up the band in about an hour.

Featuring two discs, hours of footage, some extras and functional menus, Reunion - Retrospective is a solid value and, more importantly, a deep look into a powerful metallic hardcore band. You really can't go wrong, here; pick up Are These Our Lives? first, but don't hesitate to spring for this DVD.

What kind of sample can I offer? Well, not much. But you can peep the DVD trailer here.

Byzantine "Oblivion Beckons"

Well, we can safely assume that Byzantine won't be touring in support of their third full length, Oblivion Beckons, as they announced their breakup just a few days after its release date. I'm not heartbroken or anything, but it's certainly an odd and unexpected (for me) string of events.

Oblivion Beckons is an ambitious metal album that gives nods to everything from thrash and death metal to breezy prog and polished melody. Between the 13 tracks, which comprise a hefty 55 minutes of material, the band brings a variety of textures and techniques to their American-made, Lamb of God-ish metal foundation. You'll hear upbeat, melodic choruses -- some even with catchy harmonies -- droning, Meshuggah-influenced riffs and rhythms, lengthy guitar solos, soft instrumental segues, flashy arpeggios, and more; while each track has its own character, all 13 form a pretty cohesive album. Byzantine is a seasoned unit, so everything here sounds genuine, and the wide range of vocals manages to fit most everything the band does.

Still, while the album comes together pretty well, it's long. And since the band incorporates a lot of different ideas and sounds, listeners are bound to hear things they don't really like. Me? I'm not into the gruffer singing that slithers into the mix or the mid-album acoustic song. Overall, though, Oblivion Beckons is well done. I don't think I'd rush out to buy it, but it's worth a chance.

Byzantine - Nadir
Byzantine - Receiving End of Murder

You can pick 'er up here.

Get Back Up "Weathering the Storm"

Hailing from whatever benevolent band-birthing machine keeps filling the bandscape with incarnations of the straightforward hardcore stalwart, Get Back Up sounds mighty similar to any number of bands -- Ambitions, Sinking Ships, etc. -- whose names you could draw out of a hardcore hat.

Years into this resurgence of frill-free hardcore, it's somehow refreshing. Part a reaction against the diluted playlists poisoning popular radio, part opposition to posturing fashionistas infiltrating the scene, Weathering The Storm is niche music for the ripped jeans and hoodie crowd.

Get Back Up's workmanlike formula meshes speedy and simple guitar work with hard, pinpoint drumming, layers of gruff shouting and gang-chants. Breakdowns are sprinkled throughout the torrent, but not enough to insult one's intelligence. I've already reviewed this album one hundred times. You probably already own ten copies of this album. But, as much as I bemoan the homogenization of music, this is one of those simple-as-pancakes recipes I can't deny.

Galvanizing isn't it? Get Back Up - "Years Away"

Stormchase over to Organized Crime Records and pick up the album.