I Say I Don't Love Her, But I Know It's A Lie: RX Bandits

Whenever I get into one band or a particular genre, I tend to embrace it fully. Once I buy one CD, it's not long before I begin trying to amass the rest of the group's discography and/or I begin to spread out to other bands in the genre. For the past year and a half, one particular genre I came to love was ska punk. With this newfound interest came a love for several bands including the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Catch 22, Mustard Plug, Dance Hall Crashers, and back in December, the RX Bandits.

In my initial ska phase back in the summer of 2015, I routinely skimmed over my local record store's small ska section, which is where I first recognized the group, with their album Halfway Between Here & There. Maybe in the past I had seen the name in passing, but it didn't leave an impression on me. However, I didn't end up buying it at the time, mainly because it was $6 and I'm a stingy bastard who wasn't willing to pay that much for a band I hadn't heard before.

Jump forward to December. Once again I was at the record store trolling for cheap music, this time in the budget section (this store has two sections, the main one where everything tends to be between $2-$10 and a massive budget section where everything is under $1). While sifting through the budget CDs, I came across another album by the RX Bandits for a dollar, which I figured I could take a chance on. Turns out I liked it.

Over the next several months I began collecting CDs by the RX Bandits, including the one I originally came across in August, which had still not been sold. As I began accumulating their albums, several of them became staples of this past summer, the most recent being 2014's Gemini, Her Majesty, which I got only a couple weeks ago.

While I tend to lump the group in with many other ska punk bands, this band has much more diverse palette than many other ska bands. If anything I would only classify their first three and even then, that's pushing it with their third album, Progress. Starting with this album, the band began to push its musical boundaries, which only expanded further and further with each release. By the time the band released Gemini, Her Majesty, their sound had largely expunged their initial ska punk sound for a progressive rock sound with quirky time signatures, lengthier songs, and more technical instrumentation. However, as odd as some of their songs may be, they are still accessible. In short, they went from being a Reel Big Fish clone to a quasi-cross between Sublime, Fugazi and Rush, creating a sound I have not heard from anybody else. The band also features much broader topics than their contemporaries, touching on subjects ranging from relationships to politics, and while I don't particularly share their sentiments, I commend them for taking greater leaps in terms of subject matter.

Overall, the group's material is a neat journey to listen to. Each album displays its own sound, and they all play into the band's progression and creation of their own sound when you look at all of them in the grand scheme of things.

Breakdown of My Collection

1. Halfway Between Here and There (1998, CD) - This was the band's second album, but the first under the moniker "RX Bandits". Before this album, they put out an album titled Those Damn Bandits as the Pharmaceutical Bandits. However, that album is long out of print, and I am not willing to pay an exorbitant amount of money for a copy, however you can get it on iTunes. Nonetheless, this is basically the earliest album you can get in hard copy without paying $50. Musically, this album has the RX Bandits playing typical 90s ska punk. The music and lyrical themes are fairly lighthearted and simplistic compared to the band's later works and of all their works, it is probably their least essential of the albums listed,  but it remains a decent album. So if you're interested in checking out the band's material, this is not the best album to start with.

Highlights: "Gun in Your Hand", "This Time", "Andrea"

2. Progress (2001, CD) - Generally considered the band's breakout album, this album shows the band experimenting with deeper and darker sounds and themes, as well as broader influences. If you ask me, this is a good place to start if you want to get into the group. It has some of the ska that defined their earlier sound, with some of the more progressive tendencies present in their later works.

Highlights: "VCG3", "Analog Boy", "Status", "Get", "Who Would've Thought"

3. The Resignation (2003, CD) - The Resignation was actually my first album and was what got me into the group. Musically, it finds the band at a crossroads. Rather than playing progressive ska punk like on Progress, it features the band playing some of the heaviest, most rock-intense material of their career, separating their sound into two. Some songs are distinctly heavy rock and punk, while others are closer to reggae. It also features some of the band's most political material, which adds to the heaviness of the work.

Highlights: "Sell You Beautiful", "Prophetic", "Newstand Rock (Exposition)" "Taking Chase As the Serpent Slithers"

4. ...And the Battle Begun (2006, CD) - This album finally has the band really starting to embracing the progressive rock angle in their sound, and is probably my favorite of their albums. With this album, the time signatures get much quirkier, the music gets more technical, and the overall sound is far more diverse. If want to get into this group, I'd recommend this album if you don't check out Progress first.

Highlights: "Only For the Night", "And the Battle Begun", "In Her Drawer", "On a Lonely Screen"

5. Mandala (2009, CD) - I came across a really cheap copy of this album on Amazon and debated whether or not to buy it for several weeks. I finally caved in back in July and bought it and I haven't regretted it. By this album, the band's sound had fully morphed into the ska-inflected progressive rock they had been inching towards since Progress. It tones down some of the reggae influences of ...And the Battle Begun, and the progressive influences are played up. While it may not be one of the best albums by them to start with, it is pretty rewarding once you get into them.

Highlights: "My Lonesome Only Friend", "It's Only Another Parsec", "Hope Is A Butterfly, No Net Its Captor…(The Virus Of Silence)", "Mientras La Veo Soñar", "Breakfast Cat"

6. Gemini, Her Majesty (2014, CD) - Being the most recent album by the group, I have yet to really sit down and listen to it, but in the chances I have gotten to listen to it, I can see that it is fairly close to Mandala in terms of sound, carrying the same progressive-reggae-rock sound and much like Mandala, presenting an enjoyable listening experience.

Highlights: "Wide Open", "Stargazer", "Meow! Meow! Space Tiger", "Fire to the Ocean"

If nothing else, the group stands out amongst many of the other bands I listen to for their more diverse sound and the fascinating development they went through to get to that sound. This diverse sound is also good because it can draw in people with varying tastes. Some who like punk can enjoy songs like "Sell You Beautiful" while progressive rock fans can listen to "Breakfast Cat", "Hope Is A Butterfly, No Net Its Captor…(The Virus Of Silence)" and "And the Battle Begun" and reggae fans can enjoy "Babylon", "In All Rwanda's Glory", and "Overcome (The Capitulation)". 

In short, this band has songs for fans of many different types if music, so if you like any of these types of things, you should check these guys out. If nothing else, it may open your eyes to some of the other sounds they play with as well.

You Get The Match and Gasoline: The Afghan Whigs

Whenever I get really stressed out, one of my favorite things to do is go for a drive through the nearby park, especially at night. Since I started doing this back last winter, it has become one of my favorite ways to relax. One of the key things I love about driving at night is just being able to put on music and listen to it as I stroll in the dark. While my soundtrack for driving at night can be fairly diverse, one of my favorite bands to listen to on these drives is the Afghan Whigs.

Initially coming to prominence in the early 1990s with their breakthrough album Gentlemen, the Afghan Whigs set themselves apart from their alternative rock contemporaries by embracing more soulful influences, which only became more apparent with each album.

Prior to 2016, my knowledge of and exposure to the Afghan Whigs was extremely limited. I had occasionally seen a copy of Gentlemen at Goodwill, and I knew their frontman, Greg Dulli was the only other person to perform on Foo Fighters' first album aside from Dave Grohl. My only exposure to Dulli's work was with the Gutter Twins and an Afghan Whigs song titled "Retarded" on a Sup Pop compilation. Even when I heard "Retarded", it didn't leave much of an impression.

However, I guess on a whim after seeing another copy of Gentlemen in a thrift shop, I decided to check out the group on iTunes. The songs all seemed okay until I got to the song, "Something Hot" off of 1965. I recognized from a scene in American Pie 2 (the American Pie movies are sort of a guilty pleasure for me) and it all started to come together. I already enjoyed the parts heard in the movie and once I got to hear the rest of the song, I fell in love. From there, it basically opened the floodgates. I first got my hands on the albums Black Love and 1965 in April this past year, and my collection expanded further over the summer. In that time frame, the Afghan Whigs became one of the best groups I discovered in 2016.

Musically, the band started out as a fairly conventional rock band, with a semi-grungy alternative that seemed to cross the sounds of their Sub Pop labelmates and the Replacements. However, as time went on, Dulli's songwriting began to incorporate wider influences, especially R&B and soul, as well as more instruments such as horns, violins and a clavinet. By the time the group put out 1965, they were wearing these influences loud and proud. Meanwhile, Dulli's lyrics often tend to be sexual and/or sleazy, which go well with the group's soulful sound. The only thing that is can be off-putting for the first time listener is Dulli's voice. However, with time, his voice only comes to add to the listening experience.

A Breakdown of My Collection

1. Up in It (1990, CD) - When listening to this album, it's difficult to realize this is the same band that would put out Black Love or 1965, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The music is far more raw draws from a punk and garage background, eschewing almost all the R&B and soul found in the music that would come in following releases. However, the material itself is fairly strong on its own, and I rank it fairly highly among their albums. In the long run though, while it's an enjoyable listen, the group's material in the coming years would surpass it and this would serve more as a testament to the group's early years.
Highlights: "White Trash Party", "Hey Cuz", "Retarded", "I Am the Sticks"

2. Congregation (1992, CD) - I recently bought this album and while as of now, it is not my favorite, it is slowly growing on me. This actually the band's third album, but it is the earliest album I own. It was also the last independent album before making it big and has them still performing their earlier sound. However, it begins to show shades of what they would do on Gentlemen and later albums, with the R&B influence.

Highlights: "I'm Her Slave", "Congregation", "Miles iz Ded"

3. Gentlemen (1993, CD) - This is one that broke the band into the mainstream and is one that critics now point to as a highlight of 90s rock albums. However, for the longest time, I just wasn't very interested in it. I don't know why, but I just wasn't. However, in the past couple weeks, I've been listening to it more frequently in the car and am beginning to really enjoy it. While it is still not my favorite album by them, I'd probably recommend this for newcomers because it is probably the strongest rock-heavy material they did.

Highlights: "Gentlemen", "Debonair", "Be Sweet", "What Jail Is Like", "Now You Know"

4. Black Love (1996, CD) - From what I remember, this was my first Afghan Whigs album. I ordered this along with a copy of 1965 and this one showed up first. This is the first album, to me, where the group's R&B influences were particularly prominent in the songs. Much like Gentlemen, I did not immediately fall in love with this album. However, I found songs I liked very fast and it's now probably my second favorite album by them. From what I know, this was actually inspired by an unproduced film-noir movie Dulli planned on making, and the music has a darker tone. On a side note, it also has the song, "Going to Town", which is one of my favorite songs in general.

Highlights: "Crime Scene Part One", "My Enemy", "Double Day", "Blame, Etc." "Honky's Ladder", "Going to Town"

5. 1965 (1998, CD, Vinyl) - This album is hands down my favorite by the Afghan Whigs. In fact, it may be one of my favorite albums of all time. It features the group at their most eclectic, incorporating elements of rock, pop, R&B, soul, and jazz to create a beautifully diverse set of songs. It has several songs that got me into the group in the first place. So if you want a fantastic album to listen to, I'd easily say go for this one. For Christmas 2016, I got a vinyl copy of the album as well, which, to my surprise, included a second disc with some covers, remixes, and live recordings, and I really loved the remixes to "Somethin' Hot" and "66".

Highlights: "Somethin' Hot", "Crazy", "Uptown Again", "66", "Cito Soleil", "John the Baptist", "Omerta"

6. Do to the Beast (2014, CD) - The band's first album since their reunion, it is also my most recent album, and when I mean recent, I mean I bought it less than a week ago. Granted, I haven't taken the time to listen to it in full, but for the songs I have heard, I can make some assumptions. The songs definitely have that distinct Afghan Whigs sound, albeit more subdued and with less angst heard on Black Love or Gentlemen. Much like most of the other albums by the Afghan Whigs, it will most likely grow on me with time.

Highlights: "Matamoros", "Algiers", "The Lottery"

I Can Go The Distance: Hercules (Part 2)

I make it no secret that Disney's Hercules is one of my favorite movies. No doubt it's my favorite animated movie and while it's not perfect, I enjoy it for what it is. But being me, simply enjoying the movie is not enough. I impulsively need to get a hold of anything I can get my hands on that was tied to it. That's why I even bought that crummy Zero to Hero tape. It's not great, but I like it because it's Hercules. However, I already talked about the movies, so if you want to read about them, click here. This time, I want to talk about some of the other things tied into the movie, the art book, The Art of Hercules: The Chaos of Creation, and the Playstation game based on the movie.

The Art of Hercules: The Chaos of Creation

I first heard about The Art of Hercules from my animation professor at my old community college. I was showing him some of the work I had been doing at the time and mentioned I had recently seen this movie and it left an impression on my work. To my surprise, he said it was one of his favorite 2D Disney movies and mentioned studying and copying the art styles in the book. This was the first time and heard of this. I knew they made books full of concept art for movies and video games. I even gave my cousin a book of concept art for Star Wars: The Force Unleashes for Christmas. But a book full of concept art for Hercules?!? I had to get it.

Due to the fact the movie is close to twenty years old and was not one of the most profitable Disney franchises, I had to get my hands on a secondhand copy. Nonetheless, my copy was basically good as new and didn't stop me from enjoying it at all.

The book itself is broken up into various chapters detailing the steps of the movie's creation, including the initial planning stages, the story development and the character and environmental design, all with amazing concept art. We can see how directors Ron Clements and John Musker plotted out the main storyline, where each made lists of potential ideas and then compared and contrasted the two. We also see early design sketches of several of the characters, including some by the directors themselves, because they were once Disney animators, themselves. This is one of the most fascinating things for me. The characters of Hercules have a distinct design that was intentionally done to set them apart from previous Disney heroes and heroines, but the earliest sketches can give the viewer an idea of what Hercules, Megara, and Phil could have looked like if they followed an art style closer to The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast.

Strewn throughout the book are rough animation frames of characters (i.e., the actual pencil sketches done by animators prior to cleaned up or being painted) that serve as guides throughout the book. The author sometimes gives them quotes to comment on whatever is being discussed, but it usually comes off as kind of cheesy. Nonetheless, when you see these frames, it makes you step back and realize how much work really goes into creating a single frame. And for somebody who is into hand drawn animation like me, that is incredible.

It's been a little while since I actually sat down and looked all the way through, but regardless, if you can find a copy for cheap and you're interested in animation, this is a neat book to check out.

Hercules (PlayStation)

Before I even got into the Disney's Hercules stuff, I had known about the game for the original Playstation after seeing JonTron talk about it. However, it was only recently I was particularly interested in getting my hands on a copy of it, when I found a copy for about $11 on Amazon when you count shipping. With that, I just couldn't resist.

A lot of times, licensed games based on movies or TV shows are total crap. Some of the only exceptions I can think of are SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, The Simpsons: Hit and Run, and a handful of Star Wars games. However, in this case, I'd say this was a pretty good game. I had fun, andI probably would have even if it wasn't based on a movie I liked.

Almost all of the levels are based on scenes from the movie, beginning with Hercules, training on Phil's island. We then go through levels such as the Centaur's forest, Thebes, a boss battle with the hydra, storming Mount Olympus, and traveling to the underworld and facing off against Hades.

The game itself is largely a side-scrolling platformer, with a handful of segments where you traverse the z-axis. Graphically, it almost reminds me of Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64, as it uses two-dimensional sprites with a three-dimensional background. The sprites themselves are pretty low resolution, but this is not the end of the world for me. There are a number of different moves and power-ups you can use, the types of levels arranged are varied, and the boss battles are varied as well, so you won't get bored doing the same thing over and over again. The controls are pretty responsive and overall, it is pretty fun.

However, there are drawbacks. For one thing, the game makes you jump through hoops just to get the ability to save. Basically, there are four vases hidden in each level and you must get each of them, which allows you to save your progress after completing the level. However, the vases can be hard to find or in some levels, extremely hard to even get to, and there is no indicator as to how many you have gotten. This normally wouldn't be a problem if there weren't things objects in the foreground obscuring your view several times per level. Then again, you may not need to use the save at all, because the game is incredibly short. Once you get the hang of the controls and what to do in each level, you can easily complete the game in the same amount of time it would take just to watch the movie.

In the long run, though, I liked the game. Would had it been worth $50 when it was new? No, but for about $10, it's a good deal to me. But if you have the money, I would definitely recommend the art book, first and foremost. If you like Disney or animation in general, the book gives some insight on the creative process that can go into creating an animated film, and can show how many incarnations everything goes through before the project is finished.

Everybody Says They Want A Million Bucks: ALL (Part 2/2)

When people look at the overarching career of the Descendents and All, many seem to only celebrate the Descendents portion, while viewing All as a substitute while Descendents frontman Milo Aukerman was working as a scientist. And while the group may lack the former's geeky, bespectacled vocalist, that does not diminish the group's overall musical output, and it tends to get overlooked as a result.

To sum it up, the Descendents were an influential punk band in the early-mid 1980s. However, by 1987, lead vocalist Milo Aukerman left the band to pursue a full-time career in biochemistry. Not wanting to continue under the Descendents name without Milo, drummer Bill Stevenson, guitarist Stephen Egerton and bassist Karl Alvarez decided to continue under a new name: All, taken from the most recent Descendents album. If you have not yet, I encourage you to read my previous post about the Descendents for additional background.

With the band now renamed All, they needed a new lead singer. Enter Dave Smalley, formerly of DYS and Dag Nasty (another personal favorite of mine). According to Smalley, as soon as he got off the plane and met up with the other members, they went straight to the restaurant, Alfredo's, and then to practice, highlighting the band's intense work ethic. By 1988, the band had already pumped out their first album, Allroy Sez... and was soon followed up with the EP, Allroy for Prez. However, the rigor of being on the road and performing with the band was beginning to wear on Smalley and he soon left the group. Smalley would go on to form his own band, Down By Law, and participate in two Dag Nasty reunions in the years following his time with All.

Smalley was replaced with Scott Reynolds, and the group began working on their sophomore album, Allroy's Revenge. For All fans, this seems to be one of the band's strongest albums, with songs such as "She's My Ex" and "Mary". Allroy's Revenge was soon followed up by Allroy Saves in 1990, and Percolater in 1992, which began pushing the band in a more experimental direction. However, by the time the group was touring for Percolater, conflicts began to arise between Reynolds and the other members, namely Alvarez, and it was decided Reynolds would leave the group following the European tour.

After the tour, Reynolds was replaced with Chad Price, who debuted on the 1993 album, Breaking Things. With the heavier instrumentation and Price's deeper voice, the new album gave the band a more muscular, albeit, less diversified sound.

By this point, alternative and punk had hit it big and countless bands were gaining mainstream attention. After being courted by major labels for a couple years, All signed a deal with Atlantic Records and put out Pummel in 1995. While the album had little commercial impact, Stevenson and Egerton decided to use the funds from the deal to build their own recording studio, The Blasting Room. Due to the limited success of Pummel, Atlantic dropped All from the roster.

By this point, Milo Aukerman was interested in performing with the Descendents again, and All went on hiatus for the former to put out Everything Sucks and tour. All benefited from this reunion, however, when it got signed with the Descendents to Epitaph Records, which had several successful releases in recent years and was doing incredibly well for an independent label. Once the Descendents disbanded again, All was able to ride the success of the Descendents with their newest album, Mass Nerder. However, by the new millennium, the group's success began to dwindle and the group ultimately went into hibernation.

After 2000's Problematic, the only release by the band was the split-live album with the Descendents, Live Plus One, from 2001. As the years went on, the members carried on with different projects and only resurfaced as All by the 2010s, with both Scott Reynolds and Chad Price fronting the band at different shows.

For me personally, I actually got into All before I got into the Descendents. And as much as I love the Descendents, I generally prefer All's output in the long run, no matter how blasphemous that sounds. By the time All was founded, had developed as songwriters to a point where they could largely avoid the growing pains early Descendents material had. However, despite sharing three of the four members, All is virtually ignored by most fans. If anything, it seemed to be derided for simply not being the Descendents. As a result, its discography has gone largely unnoticed despite it is largely on par with its Milo-fronted counterpart.

With the release of the Descendents' Hypercaffium Spazzinate, it makes me wonder about the future of All. The musicians are clearly active, but Milo also announced his retirement from science, which almost seems to put All in limbo. Nonetheless, I hope to see the groups coexist and both release albums.

MY COLLECTION

1. Allroy Sez... (CD, 1988) - The group's debut is not necessarily the band's best, but it's also not the group's worst. I don't have a whole lot to say about this album. I got it in January 2015, I can appreciate it because Dave Smalley is on it, there are some good songs, but I'd just rather to listen to some of the bands other works.
Highlights: "Pretty Little Girl", "Sex in the Way", "Sugar and Spice"

2. Allroy for Prez (CD, 1988) - This EP is probably one of my favorite releases by the group, and definitely my favorite of the releases with Dave Smalley. From what I remember, this is my second All album and it has some of my favorite tracks by them. In all honesty, the only track I don't particularly like is the instrumental, "Son-O-Qua". Regardless, if you wanted to check out this band, I'd say this is a good release to start on.
Highlights: "Just Perfect", "Skin Deep", "Daveage", "Wishing Well"

3. Allroy's Revenge (CD, 1989) - The band's first with Scott Reynolds, this album has some of the band's best songs. However, much like my initial opinion of the Descendents' I Don't Want to Grow Up, while there are a number of songs I love, I'm also not crazy about some of the other songs on this release. However, I still find it to be an enjoyable listening experience.
Highlights: "She's My Ex", "Mary", "Scary Sad"

4. Allroy Saves (CD, 1990) - Of all the albums by All, this is one I rarely listen all the way through. The sound on this album starts to push in a more diverse, experimental sound, which yields mixed results, and was the first All album to be produced by Stevenson and Egerton, which proves to be a drawback on this outing. While I can enjoy this album, I do not recommend it for someone just getting into All.
Highlights: "Educated Idiot", "Just Living", "Explorador"

5. Percolater (CD, 1992) - This album continues the more diverse experimentation All was playing around with, with better results in my opinion. The production is still not great, but is better than Saves. This was actually one of my favorite albums by All when I first heard it, and I can still enjoy it. I probably wouldn't recommend it to a new listener just yet, but it is still one that can be enjoyed.
Highlights: "Dot", "Nothin'", "Nobody's", "Breathe"

6. Breaking Things (CD, 1993) - With Chad Price now on vocals, the music on Breaking Things is much more powerful, with better production and heavier instrumentation. I know Bill Stevenson is actually disappointed this lacks the diversity of Percolater and Saves, but that doesn't really bother me. This album actually has a handful of songs that really got me into the group in the first place, such as "Guilty" and "Cause". It also has heavier topics such as "Birthday I.O.U", which really hits hard when you hear the lyrics and realize they deal with abortion. This was a fairly strong album in the long run and gives insight to what the band would do in the future.
Highlights: "Original Me", "Cause", "Guilty", "Birthday I.O.U.", "Shreen"

7. Pummel (CD, 1995) - All's first and only major label album has come to fall through the cracks of time, but that does not mean it is a bad album by any means. Much like Allroy Sez..., this album has several strong songs, which unfortunately seem to have been forgotten by fans, but it is also dragged down by others. One thing that really makes this album stand out from the rest of the band's discography is that it has some very angry, mainstream-unfriendly songs such as "Uncle Critic", "Stalker" and "Hetero". "Hetero" in particular bothers me due to its blatantly homophobic lyrics, which is saying something, because I am not particularly offended by political incorrectness. However, the good songs on here are still very enjoyable.
Highlights: "Self Righteous", "Million Bucks", "Long Distance", "Breakin' Up", "Black Sky"

8. All (CD, 1998) - This old, out of print compilation was one that I basically bought out of impulse for $20, but is also one I treasure. In essence, the band compiled a number of fan favorites and remixed them for one CD. This gives the songs a much greater sense of consistency and it almost sounds like songs sung by Dave Smalley and Chad Price could have been on the same album at one point. The remixing fixed many of the issues I had with songs on Allroy Saves and Percolater, such as the overabundance of reverb and making it sound much more modern. It also features a new version of the song "Just Like Them", from Allroy Saves. Originally written by Milo Aukerman, this version actually features Milo on vocals, and is a neat contribution. As of now, this CD fetches for about $33, but if you're a bit All fan or a completist, I'd recommend it.

9. Mass Nerder (CD, 1998) - After the success of the Descendents' Everything Sucks, this album gave All a good amount of publicity. Personally, it was my first All album. I found it at a Goodwill in 2014 for $2 and it may be one of the best purchases I ever made there. Musically it combines some of the heaviness of Breaking Things and Pummel with the melody of Allroy for Prez and is my favorite latter day albums by All. This is one I highly recommend.
Highlights: "World's On Heroin", "Until I Say So", "Honey Peeps", "Silly Me", "Vida Blue", "Until Then", "Silence"

10. Problematic (CD, 2000) - While I particularly enjoyed Mass Nerder, I was not a big fan of Problematic. It's not that the music is particularly bad, but it was just not as strong as previous efforts. I'm not crazy about some of the lyrics, and it's sort of a shame that this is currently their last studio album. In the long run, I'd probably say this is my least favorite album by them, and would only really recommend it to completists.
Highlights: "Carry You", "Better Than That", "Real People", "Drive Away"

11. Live Plus One (CD, 2001) - As I previously wrote about in the Descendents entry, this live album was actually a split album with the Descendents. While the Descendents disc was recorded in 1996 and was the real draw of the album, I was interested in the All disc, recorded on the Problematic tour in 2001. The most interesting thing to me is to hear songs initially done with Dave Smalley or Scott Reynolds sung by Chad Price, breathing new life into some of my favorite All songs. While I'm aware of another All live album, Trailblazer, I have yet to listen to it. In the meantime though, I seriously recommend this album, because it gives you a sampling of each band.

So why am I writing about All? Because in recent times, all the attention has been focused on the Descendents, and as much as I love them, I also want to give some love and attention to All, which I feel has been sorely lacking. So who knows if All will make any more music? In the meantime, for many listeners, even Descendents fans, All's material is a new goldmine waiting to be explored.

Couldn't Sell Out a Telephone Booth: Descendents (Part 1/2)

I don't generally buy new music the day it comes out. Most of the bands I listen to are long gone or they have reached a point in their career where they release music much less frequently. However, this year, there have been a couple of exceptions: Blink-182 and the Descendents, both of which impressed me. However, I will discuss Blink some other time and focus on the Descendents and its sister band, All.

Based on the bands I have discussed in the past, I think it's no surprise I tend to listen to the poppier, more melodic end of punk rock, and aside from the Ramones, the Descendents more or less kickstarted it. Coming up at the same time as more aggressive, rougher edged bands like Black Flag, the Circle Jerks and Minor Threat in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Descendents interjected a much stronger sense of melody and a much less serious demeanor, which helped set them apart from many of their contemporaries.

Initially formed in the late 1970s in Hermosa Beach, California by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson, the group put out a surf-y, new wave influenced single with Navetta and Lombardo singing on the each side. Soon afterwards, the band drafted Milo Aukerman, a friend of Stevenson's from high school, to front the band, a role he has had ever since. With Milo in tow, the band abandoned their earlier sound in favor of much faster, shorter, aggressive punk songs, which can be heard on the band's first EP, Fat.

After Fat, the band followed up with their first full length album, Milo Goes to College in 1982. True to the album's name, Milo would end up leaving the band to go to college to study biochemistry, and Bill Stevenson joined Black Flag, while the rest of the band largely went on hiatus. On the occasions the band would perform, they were fronted by Ray Cooper, unless Milo was in town. In that case, Milo would sing and Cooper would play rhythm guitar.

By the mid 1980s, Bill Stevenson had left Black Flag and presented Milo with some new songs, and the Descendents regrouped. However, during the group's hiatus, Navetta set all of his equipment on fire and moved to Oregon to become a full-time fisherman, and Cooper took over guitar duties. After rehearsing for two weeks, the band put out their sophomore album, I Don't Want to Grow Up, and Stevenson lined up a tour to support the album. This album would also be the last for Lombardo, who, already being close to 20 years older than the rest of the members, had a full time job and a new house. As a result, he had to reluctantly had to bow out of the band before the tour. To fill his place, Stevenson and Aukerman recruited high school classmate Doug Carrion and the tour commenced.

A year later, the band followed up on I Don't Want to Grow Up with Enjoy!, which included more experimentation with styles like heavy metal and relied more on toilet humor. After supporting this album, both Cooper and Carrion left in pursuit of different interests.

The band soon drafted bassist Karl Alvarez, who in turn recommended childhood friend Stephen Egerton to serve as guitarist. With Alvarez and Egerton, the band put out their fourth album, ALL in 1987, based on the concept of "All" by Stevenson and a friend. This concept, which meant you always go for greatness, has been part of the band since then. However, after this album, Milo backed out to resume his path towards a career in biochemistry, having always seen the Descendents as a hobby rather than a job. Thus, after the band's FinALL tour, the group retired the Descendents moniker.

With Milo leaving the band, Stevenson, Egerton, and Alvarez decided to carry on under a different name, donning the name, ALL, and initially recruiting Dag Nasty's Dave Smalley as vocalist and would release several albums with different singers from 1988 to 2000.

Our story with the Descendents resumes in the mid 1990s, when Milo, burned out from work contacted his former bandmates about doing some songs and shows. This resulted in the album, Everything Sucks, released in 1996. Due to the revived mainstream interest in punk at the time, Everything Sucks went on to be the band's first charting album. The album even featured guest appearances from Frank Navetta and Tony Lombardo. The band supported the album with a tour and even played on an early Warped Tour. However, much like before, Milo still considered Descendents a hobby and went back to work after the tour concluded.

After Everything Sucks, the band lied dormant until 2002, when the group reconvened in the studio. However these tracks would not see the light of day until 2004 with the album Cool to Be You. However, the group did not really support the album and the band went back into dormancy. Milo continued work as a biochemist while Stevenson and Egerton began careers as recording engineers. 

In the late 2000s, there were a handful of rough patches and tragedies that struck the band. Karl Alvarez had a heart attack in 2007. Frank Navetta died after going into a diabetic coma in 2008, and Bill Stevenson had both a meningioma (a brain tumor) and a pulmonary embolism. However, as Alvarez and Stevenson recovered, the band began to reconnect and began performing shows again, mainly performing one-off shows and festivals every couple times a year.

This tradition has changed as of 2016, as the band announced its seventh album, Hypercaffium Spazzinate, and Milo announced he was leaving his science career behind and playing with the Descendents full time. As I write this, this album has been out for less than a month and the band is on tour now.

When I first heard the Descendents in early high school, I wasn't very impressed, to be honest. Granted, at the time, I was much more picky in terms of what I listened to and I grew to love many of these songs later on. Ironically, I really got into the Descendents after I got into All, which is nowhere near as recognized or appreciated as the Descendents. As high school went on, I gradually began listening to them more often and really became a fan of the group around my sophomore year of college and began accumulating their CDs, as well as their documentary, Filmage. Since then, my appreciation for the band has only grown and have become a group I listen to routinely.

MY COLLECTION

1. Two Things At Once (CD, 1987) - This CD documents the band's early recordings, compiling both Milo Goes to College as well as the Bonus Fat record, which. in of itself, is a compilation in of the Fat EP and the group's debut single "Ride the Wild"/"It's a Hectic World". I got this compilation Christmas 2014 and I remember listening to it all the way through on the way up to my aunt and uncle's house for Christmas. Obviously being a collection of early recordings, it shows the band at its rawest. 

• "Ride the Wild" and "It's a Hectic World" (1979) are the only notable exceptions. These were written and recorded before Milo joined the group and the band had not yet solidified their sound. "Ride the Wild", penned and sung by Frank Navetta, has a new wave sound with some 60s influence, while Tony Lombardo's "It's a Hectic World" has more of a surf-y influence. This would be abandoned once Milo entered the fold.

• Fat (1981), the first release with Milo on vocals, highlights the band's new hardcore leanings, with two songs, "Weinerschnitzel" and "I Like Food" both being under 20 seconds. I almost never listen to these tracks, aside from "Mr. Bass", but they are the first steps towards the band's main sound.

• Milo Goes to College (1982) - The band's first album marries the melodic elements of the band's first single and the aggression of Fat in a fantastic 22 minute collection of pop-inflected hardcore. Seen by many as the band's best, this album is frequently listed as one of the best punk albums of all time and I wasn't that impressed the first time I heard it, but I grew on me and I now love it. The album has many fan favorites, and I have heard numerous covers of songs from this album, including "I'm Not A Loser" by Strung Out, "Bikeage" by Face to Face, and "Hope" by both Sublime and Blink-182. The only issue I have is with some of the lyrics, most notably on "I'm Not a Loser", which features some fairly homophobic lines during the bridge. Nonetheless, I still find it to be a very enjoyable album and recommend it to anyone interested in hardcore.

          Highlights include: "Myage", "I'm Not a Punk", "Hope", "Bikeage", "Jean is Dead", "Kabuki               Girl"

2. I Don't Want to Grow Up (CD, 1985) - The follow up to Milo Goes to College features a slightly stronger pop influence, while still retaining a lot of the hardcore sound. This time around, Milo seems to have a better control of his voice, actually singing rather than giving the tuneful adolescent bark we heard on College. I got this album the same Christmas I got Two Things at Once, and I remember listening to it on the same car ride. My impression of the album was that I liked a number of songs from the get-go, I disliked a handful of them too. However, much like Milo Goes to College, these songs grew and I enjoy many of them now. Maybe not as much as Milo, but I enjoy them nonetheless.

Highlights: "Silly Girl", "Christmas Vacation", "In Love This Way", "Good Good Things"

3. Enjoy! (CD, 1986) - I have conflicted feelings of this album. I guess I'd have to say it's my least favorite of all other their albums. However, that is not to say there are not good songs. On the contrary, there are some fantastic songs on here. However, I'm not crazy about others and I don't particularly appreciate the toilet humor on this one. Aside from the Fat EP, this is one of the my least listened to Descendents albums.

Highlights: "Sour Grapes", "80s Girl", "Get the Time"

4. ALL (CD, 1987) - The first album for Alvarez and Egerton, this album begins to branch out and feature more experimental songs and music, giving it a somewhat quirky sound. I first got this album for my 20th birthday, but one song from this album, "Clean Sheets", was the one that got me interested in the band in the first place.

Highlights: "Coolidge", "Clean Sheets", "Cameage", "Pep Talk"

5. Everything Sucks (CD, 1996) - After several years of inactivity as the Descendents, the band came back in full force and could almost be seen as a brief renaissance for them. They made one album, which garnered both acclaim from fans and even attention from the mainstream and then went back into dormancy. It also features guest appearances from former members Frank Navetta and Tony Lombardo on the song "Doghouse". Regardless, this album seems to be one fans revere as a high point. This was one of my first albums by them and some of these songs were what helped get me into them in the first place. While I tend to listen to Milo Goes to College more often, I highly recommend this album, because if College belongs among Black Flag's Damaged and Husker Du's Zen Arcade, then Everything Sucks belongs among Green Day's Dookie, The Offspring's Smash and Rancid's ...And Out Come the Wolves.

Highlights: "I'm The One", "Rotting Out", "When I Get Old", "Thank You", "We"

6. Live Plus One (CD, 2001) - I don't usually buy live albums, but being a split live album with All, I indulged and bought this double CD recently and I really enjoy it. The Descendents disc was recorded in 1996, while supporting Everything Sucks, and the band was playing in great shape. It was also interesting to hear the band play All's "Original Me" with Milo on vocals rather than All's Chad Price. I haven't gotten a chance to listen to the other two Descendents live albums Liveage or Hallraker, but I know this is a strong performance and recommend it.

7. Cool To Be You (CD, 2004) - This album was actually the first CD I owned by the Descendents, and it basically carries the same sound of Everything Sucks. However, the band didn't seem to be totally "there" and invested in the record the way they were with past albums. Nonetheless, there are some good songs on here. Not the very best, but it is still a fairly strong album. One particular highlight on this album is Bill Stevenson's song, "One More Day", detailing the strained relationship with his father in the year leading up to his death. Song lyrics don't usually affect me, but for some reason, the ones on this album really hit a chord with me, and it is one of the most emotional songs I've heard.

Highlights: "Talking", "Cool to Be You" "One More Day", "Tack", "Anchor Grill", "Dry Spell"

8. Hypercaffium Spazzinate (CD, 2016) - The first album in twelve years is a strong return for the group. With the issues the members has faced in the past several years, it seems to have brought the band back together, and on this record, they seem to be rejuvenated much like they were on Everything Sucks. My copy includes the Spazzhazard EP, which gives the album an extra five songs, and simply adds to the listening experience. It's rare that new albums meet or exceed my expectations, but this one certainly did.

Highlights: "Feel This", "Victim of Me", "Spineless and Scarlet Red", "Fighting Myself", "Beyond the Music", "Shameless Halo".

With the new Descendents album out and the band on tour, I hope to see the group carry on with even greater activity. With that, I also hope it gives more people a chance to see and experience the group firsthand and help spread their influence even more.