Militarie Gun : "God Save the Gun"

 It's been two years since I last heard these guys on "Life Under the Gun".When this album kicks in, they are more punk than I remember from the last time I checked them out. It sounds big and dumb, but is fun like some male cheerleaders gone wrong. "Fill Me With Paint" finds the shouted, double-tracked vocals capturing a similar vibe as the previous song, as you can hear how the West Coast sound is changing .

"Throw Me Away" has a sing-song vocal hook that works really well. There are hints of '90s punk in the veins. But rather than hitting you with speed and anger, they are more relaxed thanks to the ample sunshine. "God Owes Me Money" features a more shimmering new wave melody in the background as the almost-rapped vocal flows over it. They ride the line between being more of an alt-rock band and punk on this album, but I think the attitude is still there. 

The ballad 'Daydream' does cross the line into radio rock.  The roar back to redeem themselves with "Maybe I'll Burn My Life Down". It shuffle into a clapped groove. There is a more anthemic alternative feel to 'Kick" but it works well.  They indulge in a more chipper version of pop-punk for "Laugh at Me", though the guitar get more sonic on the chorus.  His singing has improved on this album for sure. "Wake Up and Smile" sounds more like the Pixies to me, which is a great band to be compared to. 

"I Won't Murder Your Friend" takes some interesting turns. They take a more blatant turn into pop-punk with the Blink 182 sounding "Thought You Were Waving". The title track closes the album with something more in line with the pop punk side of what they are doing on this album. I will give this album an 8.5, it's a solid performance though more pop-punk than I prefer. 

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Turnstile : "NEVER ENOUGH"

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 One of the year's most anticipated albums. Even Charli XCX was declaring it would be Turnstile summer at Coachella. It opens with the lead single and title track, which has the hooky chant of its title as the chorus. "SOLE" is a more energetic take on pop punk, perhaps not as explosive as their old, more hardcore direction. But the kids at Coachella don't know the difference. "I CARE" is much happier, with a skip in its step, and took a few listens for me to process.; It does not have the same depth as the first two songs. The trumpet fanfare gives a more Spanish accent. This one took a few listens to grow on me, punk but on the happier side of the genre. 

The songs are short and sweet, with "LIGHT DESIGN" riding the line between where they have been and where they are going. "DULL" is fun and has more of a punch. "SUNSHOWER" is an angrier take on making happy hardcore. "LOOK OUT FOR ME" finds them dialing in Andy Summer's guitar tone in places, the overall dynamic balance between their two side might be best captured on this one. This album is more subtle than 'GLOW ON" which grabbed me on first listen. I was initially inclined to think the follow-up was not as urgent energy-wise, but I think I am going to hold off on final judgments til I have sat with this one for a minute. 

"CEILLING" is more of an interlude than an actual song. "SEEN' STARS" carries a more subtle new wave-inflected mood. There is a uniform sound to many of these songs, with varied layers of electronic ambiance dripping from it. Much like the title track, this one drifts and drones over a repetitive melody that unfolds with more layers, and this time, the guitars play a larger role in how it plays out. 'BIRDS" from synth ambiance to Bad Brains-like punk. I like the groove they find for "SLOWDIVE" which reminds me of "Sweet Leaf" and not shoegaze like its namesake. 

"TIME IS HAPPENING"  is more like the intro for the last song, which feels marginally more like more of a fully realized song than just an ambient lead-up. But it's also so atmospheric that it is almost there and rather anti-climactic. It is for this reason and the general tone of the album that "GLOW ON" was a 10, and this album is a 9.5, which still puts them at the top of the game; the hype and expectations were as viral as what happens here. 

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PUP : "Who Will Look After the Dogs"

 

The band's 5th album finds them instantly kicking into the noisy brand of pop punk that owes more to Weezer and the Get-Up Kids than Blink-182. Their dense, rough-hewn guitar tone would have still been radio-ready in the '90s. The lyrics are just as clever as ever. They began experimenting with the layers of sound and were not attached to one mix for the entire album, as they let the bass slide up closer to front and center on "Concrete". Guitars jangle and shimmer in equal measure throughout a song. 

"Get Dumber" has a more clanging rock feel. It is pursued with a punk fervor. "Hunger For Death" might be the album's best lyrical narrative. There is an undercurrent of the 1950s doo-wop running through it. "Needed to Hear It" shows how they put the songs first and allow space for the vocal melody, and can do so without compromising the more abrasive aspects of their sound. "Paranoid" is a Black Sabbath song, but a more furious punk song. "Falling Outta Love" finds the vocals sitting back into the guitar as more of an effect; it is another song that finds the underlying influence of early 1950s pop as an influence. 

"Cruel" finds more rock n roll flowing through their veins, as the bass line anchors the song during the verses. The album is pretty fun and high energy, which is what you want from this sort of thing. Some songs like "Best Revenge' work of their sheer lyrical charm. "Shut Up" really winks in the direction of the Get-up Kids. I'll give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me, but it's a lot of light-hearted fun for the broken-hearted. Out on Rise Records. 

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The Story So Far : "I Want to Disappear"

 

This album is clearly more on the side of pop-punk than what I normally listen to, so I am breaking it up and just listening to one song at a time with breaks between listening to other albums I am reviewing before returning to this one. One reason for doing this is that the band is clearly good at what they do. By trying to power through this, what they do would wear on me, so returning to each song fresh is the best way to handle this one. The vocals are a little too sugary sweet, and too happy in the anthemic manner they cheer the listener on. The choruses are shooting for catchy and anthemic as most of this type of pop punk does. Though it is almost to a fault as it is hard not to hear Blink 182 at times.

"Letterman" works best when it holds back on the verses. It is still too happy for me, but that is more of a fault in the genre itself. The way the vocals are produced points the finger the hardest in the Blink 182 direction, It does not do a song like "Big Blind' justice as a different approach might tone down some poppy elements calling the shot, when if the guitars were brought up in the mix and the high end frequencies compressed to begin out the gain to roughen things up it might sound more like the Get Up, marking the fine line between clever and stupid. "Nothing to Say" is almost a punk song, but the vocals pretty much ruin it. If the vocals had more bite or balls to them it might work better for me. 

When darker moods are toyed with on "Keep You Around" things work better for them. The vocals are not grittier, but the sunshine in them is toned down enough to make it tolerable even when they continue to follow their formula on the chorus. They sound a little more like Fall Out Boy on "You're Still in My Way", though when you weigh it against them it's not as poppy.  The vocal arrangement might be the strong point here. At least when they commit to the emo strum of "White Shores" it sounds less like Blink 182, even on the chorus, which is frequently the main offender. The title track continues down this more strummed emo ballad road. However, I don't think this is done as well as it is in the previous song. I will give this an 8 because for a pop-punk album it is at least well done for what it is, I am rounding it down to an 8, because of the lack of originality due to holding their influences too close to their hearts,. but if you like pop-punk you like this as you do not know what actual punk sounds like so your expectations are low. 

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Lovesick Saints: War Story/Dia De Los Muertos"

This Arizona band carries their influences on the slightly darker side of pop punk, it has a more Social Distortion angle to it, but without all the things I dislike about Social Distortion which is namely Mike Ness' voice.From a songwriting perspective Face to Face would be an apt comparison, as they give a finer eye to detail in the songwriting that is not just one to three go.

From the bag pipes at the beginning of "War Story" you might expect them to go all Dropkick Murphy's on your ass, but instead they stick to their slick hook filled style that continues to fall some where in between Social Distortion and the sneer of Green Day that surfaces in the vocal delivery Their strength seem to be the thoughtfully layered guitars , that carry melodies just as infectious as the vocals and sometimes even more so. They have a good guitar tone, that carries enough sonic scope to give the melodies more depth.


The palm muted chug at the beginning of "This ain't It " sets the songs up to become my favorite on this album, and it is dark enough that fans of Beastmilk might have something to latch their fangs into. I am pretty picky when it comes to punk rock and generally go for it when it meets the blurred line of goth, bands like the Damned, Samhain, T.S.O.L among others who took a turn for the darker once they learned how to play their instruments. the Saints here come close enough, though not moody enough to be post-punk, nor are they going for that. The darkest moment comes via " Empty". The guitar is picked out in a way that reminds me a little of the Dead Boys, though not a sleazy or drugged out. This song also has the most thoughtful and honest lyrics .

 They play their instruments well, so might lose cred for not being raw enough for some and giving a damn about their song writing rather than the two part formula most take on. All six songs do clock in at 21 minutes so they aren't being indulgent and keep things to the point. We can go round and round for hours about how punk this is or isn't , but like many of the sub-genres of metal you just have to say for the sake of sanity this is punk or it isn't. If you think Social D is punk then this is punk. It is after all just a label and one the band is not a slave too when constructing their sound. The title track burns with enough get up and go to convince most, though there is some rock n roll to these guys as well.

These guys are polished at what they do, it's good west coast flavored punk, I would be interested in hearing where these guys might go on a full length because there is a fair amount of variety on this ep. So if you are looking for new punk with a melodic edge check these guys out.