Episode #51
Click to listen to this episode
1. Charlie Brown Gets A Valentine
Charlie Brown Gets A Valentine were a three-piece punk band that were active during the years 1997 to 2004. During that time they released two albums, Commencement (Wyndel Records) and Dismissed (Woah Oh Records), one split CD, and a bunch of singles. They played really sweet punk-pop with some really nice melodies and lots of variations in their songs without overusing their standard three-chord formulas. It's like this on their last record, Dismissed, a nice album with a diversified track listing and a great set of songs. Charlie Brown Gets A Valentine's song on this album is titled, Cluttered, off of, Dismissed.
2. Ninjas With Syringes
Ninjas With Syringes are a three-piece rock band from Portland, Oregon. They play fast and catchy rock and punk-pop with quirky, humorous lyrics which can also be somewhat aggressive and blunt at times. They have a few albums out including Premature (2008), Stunner (2009), Oceanographer (2011), and their most recent EP, Railroader (2012).Check out those albums and pick them up on their Bandcamp HERE. They're currently working on a new LP and some new demos and other songs can be heard on their Soundcloud HERE. Ninjas With Syringes' song on this episode is called, Happy, off of, Premature. Check out their other tunes on Episode 20, Episode 38, and Episode 39.
3. MailboxBaseball
MailboxBaseball are a three-piece pop-punk band from Queens, New York. They play a pretty interesting mix of punk, rock, reggae, and ska, as heard on their latest EP, Back in a Hurricane (download that EP for free and listen to their other releases on their Bandcamp HERE). The EP has four songs and it was released in September 2011. It opens with a poppy rock tune, Silence Please, which has some nice ska elements in it as well, followed by an equally catch track, (Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay. The remaining two songs, Go For Three Woody Hayes and Along the Floor are their more rock-based tracks, a bit faster and slightly more aggressive. A rather nice listen for something outside the norm. MailboxBaseball's song on this episode is titled, Go For Three Woody Hayes, off of, Back in a Hurricane.
4. Aintuse
Aintuse are a four-piece punk rock band based in Graz, Austria. The band formed in 2006 and recorded and released a self-titled demo on their own. The following year, they went into the studio to record an EP titled, Liberty Stand Still. Their most recent release is their debut full-length titled, The Morons of Truth, which was released through Lockjaw Records in 2011. That album features 10 songs in a little less than 25 minutes of skate and technical punk rock. They keep it fast and melodic on this album, with a lot of gang-vocals, thrashy power-chords and tight instrumentation. A sophomore release from this band would be an equally if not better album. I hope that happens. Check out some acoustic jams from this band HERE. Aintuse's song on this episode is titled, View From Nowhere, off of, The Morons of Truth.
5. Light Years
Light Years are a four-piece pop-punk band from Kent, Ohio. They recently released a new five-song EP titled, Just Between Us, through Escapist Records as a follow up to, This Will Come Back to Haunt Me (pick up both at Escapist Records' Bandcamp HERE). The EP presents a nice mix of heavy styles and pop-punk backed by lyrics that sing of life on the road and a passion to staying committed to making music. All of this, delivered with big choruses, fast tempos and passionate vocals. The first song, To Live and Die, opens with four lonely chords that later speed up into a frenzy of tight instrumentals, setting the tone for the song and for the rest of the EP. Following are some rather tour-friendly songs, consisting of nice breakdowns and some catchy sing-along's. The closing song, Feet First, ends with some strong instrumentation before fading out. A rather nice closing for an EP that stays consistently strong and melodic in it's entirety. Will definitely be on the lookout for music from this band. Light Year's song on this episode is titled, To Live and Die, off of, Just Between Us.