13 New Songs You Need To Hear before January ends
Sometimes the rock world can get noisy, and we don’t just mean in decibels or fuzz. Often the signal-to-noise ratio is more noise than signal. But no worries; we read, listen to and watch everything so we can sort it for you. Here are some of our favorite new songs and videos of January 2014.
CONTRIBUTORS:
[MB] Michele Bird
[MC] Matt Crane
[SH] Scott Heisel
[BK] Brian Kraus
[BM] Brittany Moseley
[PO] Philip Obenschain
[JP] Jason Pettigrew
[MS] Mamie Silver
[CW] Cassie Whitt
AGAINST ME! – “Drinking With The Jocks”
There are plenty of great moments on the new album from Against Me!, but it's the seething diatribe “Drinking With The Jocks” that's completely worth the price of admission alone. One part boys-will-be-boys thuggery (“I'm drinking with the jocks/Laughing at the faggots/Just like one of the boys/Swinging my dick in my hand”), the other steeped in self-loathing about hanging out with that kind of vermin in the first place (“All my life/Wishing I was one of them/There will always be a difference/Between me and you”). The song is bracingly strident, brutally honest in its portrayal of entitled-male attitudes and positively furious sonically (two words: Atom Willard). Given Laura Jane Grace's transgender journey, the hurt and the confusion in the lyrics are still very much in the forefront of her mind. Fortunately, so is her conviction. [JP]
CAYETANA – “Hot Dad Calendar”
If you’re wondering who exactly Cayetana are, don’t worry: You haven’t missed the boat—yet. But you better hop on now because these three ladies from Philadelphia are about to be on a lot more radars once their 7-inch, Hot Dad Calendar, comes out next Tuesday. Besides its delightfully ridiculous title, “Hot Dad Calendar” is three-and-a-half minutes of boisterous, punky indie rock. The only thing better than the song is the music video which I can only assume came about when, while in the middle of an epic house party, the members of Cayetana looked at each other and said, “This would be the perfect place to shoot a music video.” And perfect it is.[BM]
CHIODOS – “Ole Fishlips Is Dead Now”
“She’s in love/She’s in love with herself,” Craig Owens howls. It looks like the singer’s back to his old tricks. “And I never should’ve trusted someone else with my insides.” Yeah, he’s definitely back to his old tricks. The first Chiodos song since Owens’ return to the band hit the internet hard Monday with a flavorful sound faithful to the band’s legacy. But there’s a healthy dose of new in “Ole Fishlips Is Dead Now” (someone got catfished?) as well: The experimental nature of Thomas Erak’s guitar ripping begins to shine, right as Owens surely shreds his vocal cords with his loudest shriek yet. Welcome back, Chiodos. [MC]
EAGULLS, “Possessed”
We put U.K. post-punkers Eagulls in our 100 Bands You Need To Know In 2013 special way back in AP 297, and have spent the past year waiting for them to finally deliver their debut full-length. The wait is nearly over—Eagulls drops March 4 via Partisan Records—but to tide everyone over for just a few more weeks, the band recently dropped “Possessed,” a delicious slice of poppy post-punk (post-pop-punk?) loaded with thick slabs of guitar and vocals that sound like they were shouted toward a mic through an open window 15 feet away (that just happened to have a pop filter on it). Writing about music is like dancing about architecture, so just listen to it already, okay? [SH] >>>
FOSTER THE PEOPLE, “Coming Of Age”
Following a massively huge track like “Pumped Up Kicks” is a seemingly impossible task, but with “Coming Of Age,” the first single from their upcoming sophomore effort Supermodel, Foster The People certainly give it the old college try. With prolific producer Paul Epworth at its helm, “Coming Of Age” channels something of a Killers vibe. At once dancey, unabashedly poppy and more lighthearted than the group's breakout hit (which tackled mass shootings), “Coming Of Age” is the best of the band's non-“Kicks” singles so far. My only gripe? It's a perfect summer anthem, released during one bitterly cold winter. [PO]
HAVE MERCY, “Pete Rose And Babe Ruth”
Baltimore's Have Mercy are wasting no time raising the bar set by last year's The Earth Pushed Back. While that had a brash and live feel, their emo rock capabilities are more clearly translated on their upcoming No Sleep split with Daisyhead. Producer Paul Leavitt can be credited with that. The man behind modern masterpieces like Moneen's The Red Tree and the Dangerous Summer's War Paint makes a perfect match for HM. We just wish they teamed up for more than two songs. [BK]
THE HOLD STEADY, “I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You”
The Hold Steady pick up where 2010's Heaven Is Whenever left off with a four-minute dose of soul rock, finding the skittish Craig Finn deep in a seedy story (“There was a side of this city I didn't want you to see/There's just these cats that I know/We go back pretty deep”). They picked up Memphis-based guitarist Steve Selvidge a while back, who makes his recording debut with the band here, bringing some Southern hospitality to the Brooklyn boys' twangy bridge. [BK]
LA DISPUTE – “Stay Happy There”
Don’t let this song title fool you: There isn’t anything happy about La Dispute’s first single from their upcoming third album—except for the fact that La Dispute have new music out. Frontman Jordan Dreyer rushes through the song, spitting out his lyrics, only coming up for air at the halfway point. It’s confrontational (“But doesn't it seem a bit wasteful to you/To throw away all of the time we spent perfecting our love in close quarters and confines?”) and dark (“I know you were getting tired of my drinking/I guess I was never cut out for the coke scene/You were worried I would end up like your father”), before coming to a mysterious yet profound ending: “Everything is happening at once.”[BM]
MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, “Top Notch”
By the time Manchester Orchestra's new album, Cope, arrives in April, nearly three years will have passed since their last, Simple Math. We got a taste of what was in store last fall, with the release of “After The Scripture” on the soundtrack for Dallas Buyers Club, but it's the group's latest (and appropriately named) single, “Top Notch,” that really has me eager with anticipation. While “After The Scripture” was stripped down and understated, “Top Notch” is riff-laden and heavy, juxtaposing frontman Andy Hull's haunting, infectious vocals with crunchy, dynamic guitar work. Hull recently described Cope as “unapologetic heavy rock,” and if “Top Notch” is any indication, he's not kidding. [PO] >>>
