Spend Some Time With You: fIREHOSE (Part 2/2)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am a firm believer in the idea that you must be in the right mindset at the right time to really understand and enjoy a band. It was the case in the Minutemen, and it was a similar case with its successor, fIREHOSE. Rising from the ashes of the Minutemen after the tragic death of guitarist/vocalist D. Boon, fIREHOSE found Mike Watt and George Hurley returning to music and forging a new musical path with newcomer Ed Crawford.

Devastated by the death of their bandmate, Watt and Hurley disbanded the group and considered retiring from music. However, Crawford, a young Minutemen fan from Ohio, heard a false rumor that the two were auditioning a new singer. He quickly packed his things and moved out to San Pedro, California to audition. Ultimately, his enthusiasm was able to wear them down and they decided to give him a shot, thus creating fIREHOSE. In the group's eight years, they put out five albums, including two on a major label, a far cry from the Minutemen's jamming econo.

Musically, the group has roots in the same funk and jazz influenced punk the Minutemen did, yet forged a sound unique to them. Generally, the songs were longer and featured more conventional song structures, similar to the latter day songs released by the Minutemen. However, the group pushed melody even further, incorporating elements of folk into the music, similar to R.E.M. Once they moved to Columbia Records, the songwriting became heavier, with a greater focus on distorted guitar almost drawing them back closer to their punk roots.

As blasphemous as it it may say to some people, when comparing the two, I actually prefer fIREHOSE. While I enjoy the Minutemen and frequently put their albums in rotation, I just have a greater appreciation for fIREHOSE's output. In fact, I came to like fIREHOSE first, and they served as my gateway to the Minutemen, much like how I discovered Husker Du through Bob Mould's band, Sugar.

In the past, I have gone online reading forums comparing the two groups and it annoys me when I see people criticize Crawford for not being D. Boon. In a sense, I feel bad, because he was able to start a band with members of his favorite band and convince them to stay in the industry, but some hate him simply because they did not see him as a contemporary/equal to either of his bandmates or Boon.

In the long run though, I shouldn't compare the two that much. Regardless of the musical pedigree the band contains, the band's music and identity truly are their own and the music is strong enough to stand on its own. Even within their community, I can't really find another band that has a sound like theirs. I think if a college kid is able to discover this group thirty years after this relatively obscure music has come out, then that is a good indicator that it has stood the test of time.

Breakdown of My Collection

Ragin' Full On (CD, 1986) - The group's debut firmly establishes their signature sound from the get-go. Generally, people tend to like the group's three albums on SST Records most, and while this is a strong album and a strong debut, it's probably my least favorite of the three. This was the last album I bought by them, and this is probably one of my least listened-to albums by them, but I still enjoy it when I listen to it.

Highlights: "Brave Captain", "Choose Any Memory", "Chemical Wire", "Relatin' Dudes to Jazz" "The Candle and the Flame"

If'n (CD, 1987) - The group's second album is considered one of their best, and I have to agree. This was another album that I was late to getting, but there are numerous songs I listen to and enjoy. Musically, this seems to have less of the youthful punk energy found on Ragin, Full On, and is generally more easygoing, with a stronger folk influence. If somebody asked me about this band and where they should start if they wanted to check them out, I would probably tell them to listen to this album and its follow up.

Highlights: "Sometimes", "Hear Me", "Backroads", "Windmilling", "For the Singer of R.E.M."

fROMOHIO (CD, 1989) - I love this album. It's my favorite of their albums and is probably one of my favorite albums in general. Musically, it is cut from the same cloth as If'n, but for whatever reason, I love the songs on this one more. I bought this album at the same time as "Flyin' the Flannel" and much like the Minutemen's Post-Mersh Vol. 2, I think back to working in my 2D animation class when I listen to it. Even if I didn't have that experience with it, I would still probably love this album simply because the songs are so good, especially "Time With You", which is one of my favorite songs by them altogether.

Highlights: "Riddle of the Eighties", "In My Mind", "Time With You", "Some Things", "Understanding"

"Flyin' the Flannel" (CD, 1991) - Even on the first song, you can hear that the group's major label debut is going to be different. The production and the music are more muscular and heavy, reigning in some of the folkier elements on earlier albums. However, despite being on a major, the group maintains its artsier, more experimental edge. This was my first fIREHOSE CD and it features some of the first songs that got me to like the group in general, such as "Flyin' the Flannel" and "Can't Believe"

Highlights: "Down With The Bass", "Flyin' the Flannel", "Epoxy for Example", "O'er the Town of Pedro"

Mr. Machinery Operator (CD, 1993) - The band's final album is generally viewed as a low point. While I don't necessarily want to say it's a bad album, I'm not going to lie. It's probably their weakest album. No doubt, there is good material on the album, but unfortunately, I feel like the good material is balanced out with filler, and a number of tracks are skippable, something I can't say about If'n or fROMOHIO. Even with the good tracks, the songs don't even really sound like fIREHOSE. With J. Mascis's production and occasional backup vocals, some of these songs sound closer to Dinosaur Jr songs. While I wish the band had ended on a greater note, there are still enjoyable songs on here.

Highlights: "Formal Introduction", "Blaze", "Witness", Herded into Pools", "Disciples of the 3-Way" "Hell-Hole"

Our Band Could Be Your Life: Minutemen (Part 1/2)

Listening to music, I have the philosophy that you have to be in the right mindset at the right time to get into a group. You may check out an artist or a band but something won't click. However, as time goes on, you may get into other stuff, and ultimately, you may rediscover the artist you passed on previously, finding the song that originally turned you off to now be catchy. This was the case for me with the art-punk band, the Minutemen.

Formed in 1980, the group was established by two childhood friends: guitarist/vocalist D. Boon and bassist/vocalist Mike Watt, drafting high school classmate George Hurley who they had previously played with in a band called the Reactionaries. Originally playing hardcore punk with songs averaging around a minute long, the group began to incorporate funk and jazz influences in their music. Towards the end of their career, they began to experiment more with conventional song structures and melodies, as seen on their last EP and final album. Another thing that defined the group was their habit of "jamming econo", which included recording at ungodly hours in the studio, using recycled tape, and hauling their own equipment to save money.

Unfortunately, the group's career was cut short in 1985 when D. Boon was fell out of the back of a moving van and was killed. Devastated, Watt and Hurley promptly disbanded the group and considered retiring from music before reestablishing themselves in fIREHOSE, which will be discussed in a later entry. Since then, the two have gone on to perform Minutemen songs together without a third member as a tribute to their fallen bandmate.

My first encounter with the group was as a freshman in high school when I first read the book Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad, which focused on the Minutemen in the second chapter. However, at that point, I had little to no interest in the hardcore they played. As time went on and my horizons expanded, I started to look them up, but again, the music just didn't click with me. I finally started to get into the group when I was in college, after getting into fIREHOSE. I wanted to see the origins of this band and finally started finding songs that appealed to me, and I ultimately bought the compilation Post-Mersh Vol. 2, which has the Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat EP and the Project Mersh EP. Since buying that, when I hear songs from either EP, I now think back to being huddled over the animation capture stations, shooting footage while listening to the compilation. Once I got home, I quickly acquired the rest of their catalogue and listened to several albums on vacation.

Musically, the band had a very distinct sound that set them apart from the rest of the contemporaries, featuring high-treble guitars that lacked distortion, basslines that went above and beyond the basic runs and a greater variety of rhythms. Where Black Flag was experimenting with metal and Husker Du and Descendents were playing around with pop melodies, Minutemen were going in a more artsy direction with funky, jazzy and later, psychedelic material. While these traits may have limited the scope of their influence and commercial success, we can see where it still is strong music that holds up.

Breakdown of My Collection

Post-Mersh Vol. 1 (CD, 1987) - The first Post-Mersh compilation incorporates the first two albums the band put out: The Punch Line and What Makes a Man Start Fires? featuring 36 songs in 42 minutes.

The Punch Line (1981) - The first 12" LP by the band shows the band beginning to round out their sound, going from the standard hardcore sound and incorporating the more artistic sounds. Despite being considered an album, the release is extremely short, featuring 18 songs in 15 minutes. Musically, the songs tend to flow into one another, with less variety that would be seen in Double Nickels on the Dime or Three Way Tie (For Last). Overall, it is a small stepping stone in their sound that is a good example of their early sound.
Highlights: "Search", "Tension", "The Struggle", "No Parade", "Straight Jacket"

What Makes a Man Start Fires? (1983) - The group's second LP features the band with their defining sound, which would carry on for several releases. Also sporting 16 tracks, the album is 10 minutes longer. Ultimately this release seems to be a precursor to their magnum opus, Double Nickels on the Dime, and is a strong example of their work. In fact, it might be my favorite album by them.
Highlights: "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs", "Beacon Sighted Through Fog", "The Anchor", "Sell or Be Sold", "The Tin Roof"

Post-Mersh Vol. 2 (CD, 1987) - The second Post-Mersh compilation features two EPs, Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat and Project Mersh.

Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat (1983) - This EP was yet another step forward in the band's sound. Recorded live in the studio on two-track tape, the music is slightly more accessible. Meanwhile, there are also two tracks I could consider to be disposable, "Dreams are Free Motherfucker!" and "Toe Jam". It goes to show the band's evolution in songwriting when we compare its 7-song tracklist running just as long as the 18-song Punch Line.
Highlights: "Cut", "I Felt Like A Gringo", "The Product", "Little Man With A Gun In His Hand"

Project: Mersh (1985) - This EP was a drastic change in the group's sound, with the band experimenting with higher quality production, longer songs, and melodic hooks, hence the "Mersh" title. While the music is strong on several songs, I would not recommend this as a starting point because it is so separated from the rest of their music.
Highlights: "King of the Hill", "The Cheerleaders", "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Tour-Spiel"

Post-Mersh Vol. 3 (1987) - The last compilation in the Post-Mersh series features a collection of several releases: four EPs, Paranoid Time, Joy, Bean-Spill and Tour-Spiel, as well as the compilation, The Politics of Time.

Paranoid Time (1980) - The band's very first release shows seeds of what would come. Pumping out 7 songs in 7 minutes, it is largely rooted in hardcore with early traits that would be prevalent in their later music. I definitely recommend this if you want to see the band's overall evolution.
Highlights: "Validation", "Sickles and Hammers", "Fascist", "Joe McCarthy's Ghost"

Joy (1981) - This very brief EP basically continues what was established on Paranoid Time, with little deviation.
Highlights: "Joy", "Black Sheep"




Bean-Spill (1981) - This EP was released at the suggestion of Joe Carducci, who was concerned with how many songs the band was giving away to compilations. Again, this carries on the sound that had been established on prior releases.
Highlights: "If Reagan Played Disco", "Case Closed"



The Politics of Time (1984) This collection compiles music from numerous sources, such as studio tracks for an unreleased album, live tracks, and recordings done on cassette recorders. Because of the variations in audio quality, this release is one of the most disjointed releases by the band and as a result, is among my least favorite.
Highlights: "Party With Me Punker", "The Process", "Working Men are Pissed"



Tour Spiel (1984) - The last EP in this collection features four live recordings of the band doing covers by bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Blue Oyster Cult. Much like the Politics of Time, the poor audio quality hurts the release, however, two of these covers would be recorded in the studio for their last album, Three-Way Tie (For Last).
Highlight: "Green River"

Double Nickels on the Dime (CD, 1984) - Considered to be the band's magnum opus, this double album is the band's peak, packing in 43 songs into an hour and 15 minutes. When the group heard Husker Du was making a double album, they buckled down and doubled the number of songs for their next album. Musically, I see this as the band making the most out of their defining sound and is a neat album to listen to, but I don't know if it is my favorite. I think the way their music works, it fits better in 20-30 minute doses and the number of songs on this one was a bit much. Nonetheless, it is still considered among the band's best and I can't dispute that.
Highlights: "D's Car Jam / Anxious Mo-fo", "Two Beads at the End", "Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing", "Corona", "History Lesson - Part II", "This Ain't No Picnic", "Spillage"





Three-Way Tie (For Last) (CD, 1985) - The band's final album stands out among the group's LPs in that it shares more traits with the Project Mersh EP. The production is more on par with that of mainstream releases, the songs were longer and featured more conventional song structures and melodies. This album also features several covers, including songs originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Meat Puppets. It also experiments with other styles such as spoken word and hip hop. However, for whatever reason, I have struggled to listen to the album all the way through. While there are songs I enjoy, I can't keep focused on the album as a whole.
Highlights: "The Price of Paradise", "The Big Stick", "Courage", "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", "What Is It?"

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"

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.

If I Can't Change Your Mind Then No One Will: Bob Mould and Sugar

As I was writing my Hüsker Dü entry, I could tell that it was going to be an excruciatingly long post if I wrote about them as well as Bob Mould's later work in the same entry. As a result, I decided to split it in two: this time around, I will be writing about Bob Mould's '90s band, Sugar, as well as his solo career. While I would write about Grant Hart's work as a companion piece, not only does he not have as prolific a career as Mould, but I only own a copy of his first solo album, Intolerance.

When I was first introduced to Hüsker Dü, I was not particularly impressed. Granted, the only albums I had access to at the time were their latter day albums, Candy Apple Grey and Warehouse: Songs and Stories, which are not considered their prime. Instead, I slowly got into their work through Sugar. I remember the first song I really liked by them was "Helpless" off of Copper Blue. I then grew to like "If I Can't Change Your Mind" as well as "Gee Angel" from their second album, File Under: Easy Listening. Then, on my 16th birthday, I got a copy of Copper Blue on CD and loved it. That following April was when I bought Hüsker Dü's Flip Your Wig and New Day Rising. While Husker Du was always the group people acclaimed, I always held Sugar in a special regard, probably because it was what got me into Bob Mould's material in the first place. Unfortunately, the group didn't last long, but even then, their weaker works are still pretty enjoyable.

For the longest time, I had an aversion to solo albums. I don't know why. I guess I expected that when a member of a band I liked made a solo album, it was going to intentionally break away and forge a different sound. However, when I got into Bob Mould's solo material, I was delighted to find the music is more or less built off of the same sound he crafted when in Hüsker Dü, only with more experience and refinement. This consistency translates also in quality as well. As I listen to Bob Mould's various solo albums, even some of his more experimental albums, there is a consistency to his work. While Mould would play with certain elements such as acoustics or electronic sounds, his songs are still Bob Mould songs. This is especially evident as I was listening to his new album, Patch the Sky, which fits right in with his previous two albums, Silver Age and Beauty and Ruin, as well as others such as Body of Song or The Last Dog and Pony Show.

Bob Mould would begin his post-Hüsker Dü career with his first two solo albums. Upon work for his third solo album, he began to gel better with two new instrumentalists, David Barbe and Malcolm Travis and the project went from a solo act with backing instrumentalists to a full fledged band. After a couple years, the group disbanded and Mould made his third solo album by himself. After this, he made one more album in the mid-late 90s which would serve as a swan song for his guitar heavy rock. During this hiatus, Mould took this time to embrace electronic music. By the early 2000s, this interest heavily influenced his 2002 album, Modulate, which polarizes fans to this day. After Modulate, Mould eased up on the electronic influences on his two following albums and brought back the predominant guitar sounds he was known for. By the 2010s, Mould's music had reverted back to the guitar heavy pop rock in the vein of Sugar and Hüsker Dü.

Going over his entire discography, I can say Bob Mould is probably one of the key reasons I got through high school. Throughout his career, he was able to craft beautiful, soaring melodies that I loved and came to associate them with several high points from my teenage years. It's a shame a lot of people don't recognize him or his music, even when he has been recognized by several big name people and publications for years.

 Breakdown of My Discography

Sugar

1. Copper Blue (1992, CD, Cassette) - This was my first CD by any of Bob Mould's projects and I still think of it as one of his best. When people look at Bob Mould's overall work, this album frequently comes up as one of his greatest achievements, up there with Workbook, New Day Rising, Flip Your Wig and Zen Arcade. In fact, to me, this album has Mould perfecting the sound he was developing when Husker Du was at their peak, mixing in the right amount of guitar heavy rock with infectious pop melodies, with a strong backing band to fill out the songs. I have fond memories of listening to it while my friends and I played Halo: Reach online back in high school. While that may be an odd association, it goes to show those were two of the most notable elements I can remember about my sophomore and junior years of high school. I don't listen to this album a whole lot anymore, just because Bob Mould has such a prolific career, but whenever I come back to this one, I always remember why I love it.
Highlights: "Changes", "Helpless", "If I Can't Change Your Mind", "Fortune Teller"

2. Beaster EP (1993, CD) - This EP was recorded at the same time as Copper Blue, but released separately because the material on it had much darker feel. This can be heard in several places, such as the tense punk intro to "Tilted", the organ based "Walking Away", as well as the darker, Biblical lyricism. However, Mould's characteristic melodies still shine through and make this a neat companion to Copper Blue.
Highlights: "Tilted", "Feeling Better"

3. File Under: Easy Listening (1994, CD) - The second and final full-length studio album by Sugar, the album has some good cuts, but most people think it falls short when compared to its predecessors. As I look back at this album, I find there are several songs that I had forgotten about, but loved once I heard them again. However, I would go for Copper Blue first.
Highlights: "Gift", "Gee Angel", "Your Favorite Thing", Believe What You're Saying"

4. Besides (1995, CD) - As the name implies, this is a compilation of various b-sides, outtakes and live tracks the band did in its short existence. To me, the highlights are obviously the ones that were cuts recorded during the Copper Blue and FU:EL sessions, but it is also interesting to hear some of the contributions bassist David Barbe made that didn't make the albums.
Highlights: "Needle Hits E", "Mind is an Island", "Going Home", "And You Tell Me"

Overall, Sugar was a fruitful, albeit short endeavor Mould took in the nineties, that while it contributed songs that are still in his setlist today, was really something of a detour in his solo career, which makes up the most of his post-Hüsker Dü output.

Solo Albums

1. Workbook (1989, CD, Vinyl) - Bob Mould's first album after Hüsker Dü's implosion was one of reinvention and is still one of, if not the best, of his solo albums. He hid away in a farmhouse up in New York where he began writing material with a much more somber, stripped down approach. The album relies much more on acoustic instruments, with very little of the loud guitar that defined his work in Hüsker Dü. For whatever reason, I avoided this album. I didn't want to hear folk influenced music. I wanted to hear songs like "Makes No Sense At All", but when I started to sit down and listen to it, I realized this has some of his strongest material, no matter what musical lens it is played through. Since then I have come to love this album. I highly recommend it.

Highlights: "Wishing Well", "See A Little Light", "Compositions for the Young and Old", "Poison Years", "Lonely Afternoon"

2. Black Sheets of Rain (1990, CD) - After the more mellow, folk inspired work of Workbook, Mould returns to the loud guitar work of his earlier material. I don't listen to this album much, but it's not bad by any means. It's certainly angrier and more cathartic than Workbook, but it doesn't have as many songs that stand out to me.

Highlights: "Stop Your Crying", "It's Too Late", "Sacrifice/Let There Be Peace"

3. Bob Mould (1996, CD) - Once Sugar dissolved, Bob Mould took a step back from the concept of working with a band for his music and instead made this album by himself with a four track tape recorder and a drum machine, giving it a distinct sound among his albums. I'm conflicted on this one. It has several very good songs that I could consider some of his highlights, but there are others that are among my least favorite out of his entire discography. When I bought this album, I actually ordered a used copy and the version I got included a maxi-single for the song "Egoverride" as well, which was neat.

Highlight: "Anymore Time Between", "Fort Knox, King Solomon", "The Next Time That You Leave", "I Hate Alternative Rock", "Egoverride", "Art Crisis", "Deep Karma Canyon", "Roll Over and Die"

4. Egoverride Single (1996, CD) - This came with the self-titled album and has some interesting songs that were left off of the album. It's not essential, but it is a neat listen.

Highlights: "Egoverride", "Wanted Was"

5. The Last Dog and Pony Show (1998, CD) - When this album was coming out, Bob Mould was on the verge of a hiatus. As the title implied, this was going to be the last album and tour he did before retiring from rock music. Musically, it is not the most distinct album he has done, when you can listen to New Day Rising or Copper Blue, but it is one of my favorites for some reason. I think it's just because of some of the songs that stand out to me that make me love it so much. This album also foreshadows some of his later interests in the experimental track, "Megamaniac", which is less of a song and more of a collage of samples. My copy of this included a second disc that had an interview with Mould, which, while it is not as interesting as a single, is still a nice surprise.

Highlights: "New #1", "Moving Trucks", "Who Was Around", "Vaporub", "Skintrade", "Sweet Serene"

6. Modulate (2002, CD) - After several years, Bob Mould came back to music with Modulate, which, to this day, is by far the most polarizing album in his output. While some of the songs are still distinctly Bob Mould songs, they are played through an electronic lens, with synthesizers and samples strewn throughout the album. While many people revile this album, I actually really like it. Once you get past the strange production, the songs themselves are very strong and are frequent ones I listen to. One thing that I want to note also, is that the song, "Trade", actually has roots as a Hüsker Dü song, and I know there is a recording of them playing it live back in 1988, which I would recommend checking out if you like the album version.

Highlights: "Slay/Sway", "The Receipt", "Soundonsound", "Trade"

7. Body of Song (2005, CD) - After the overtly electronic sound of Modulate, Bob Mould begins to move back towards guitar based music on this album. However, his interest in electronic music and soundscapes are not gone and it sometimes seeps into the music. The album is not a bad album by any means, but it is one I don't spend a whole lot of time listening to.

Highlights: "Circles", "Paralyzed", "Beating Heart the Prize", "Days of Rain"

8. District Line (2008, CD) - This album basically continues the sound Bob Mould plays on Body of Song, mixing his typical sound with electronic work. I don't dislike this album, but I rarely listen to it. However, the song "Stupid Now" was the first solo song I heard by him and was what got me interested in his solo work altogether.

Highlights: "Stupid Now", "The Silence Between Us", "Miniature Parade"

9. Life and Times (2009, Digital Download) - With this album, Mould begins moving away from the electronic influences and goes back towards the sound heard on The Last Dog and Pony Show. While I tend to forget about this album, anytime I go back to it, I remember it has several good songs on it.

Highlights: "Life and Times", "Spiraling Down", "MM17", "I'm Sorry Baby, But You Can't Stand in My Light Anymore"

10. Silver Age (2012, CD, Vinyl) - Around the time this album came out, Mould's autobiography was also coming out and it was the 20th anniversary of Copper Blue. With that in mind, Bob Mould decided to go back to that sound, focusing almost entirely on thick guitar-heavy pop rock songs that one could find in Sugar's output. With bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster in tow, it almost feels like a spiritual successor to Sugar. This album almost seems to be the beginning of a renaissance for Mould, as his following albums continue in this vein are and are just as consistently good.

Highlights: "Star Machine", "Silver Age", "The Descent", "Angels Rearrange", "Round the City Square"

11. Beauty and Ruin (2014, CD, Vinyl) - This album basically continues the sound Mould picked back up on Silver Age. For some reason, I never really listened to this album much or at least paid much attention to it until the follow up, Patch the Sky came out. But once I did, I loved it.

Highlights: "I Don't Know You Anymore", "Nemeses are Laughing", "Forgiveness", "Hey, Mr. Grey", "Fix It"

12. Patch the Sky (2016, Vinyl) - For whatever reason, I didn't preorder this album when I heard about it, even though I did with the two previous albums. However, one night when I was at Barnes and Noble, I noticed a copy of this album, which included an autographed poster inside, and I bought it without question. I now love this album and it makes for a great trilogy with its two predecessors. Actually, I was inspired to continue writing this entry because of this album. If you find a copy, check it out.

Highlights: "The End of Things", "Hold On", "Daddy's Favorite", "Black Confetti"

My yellow vinyl copy of Beauty and Ruin

Since I first fell in love with earliest Sugar songs, Bob Mould has become my all time favorite singer songwriter. His songs have a character that is distinct to him. They can be either extremely loud and cathartic or soft and restrained and they still sound like him. That's just how much range he has. If you want straightforward, catchy rock music, you can't really go wrong with Bob Mould's material, whether it is Husker Du, Sugar or his solo stuff. That character transcends projects and shines through all of them.

Bring Out Your Dead: Strung Out

Over the course of 2015, there were several cases that once I got into a band, it would basically open the floodgates and introduce me to other bands through their scene or members. Once case was when I got into Lagwagon, After I started listening to them, I began listening to other bands on the Fat Wreck Chords roster (except for NOFX, ironically). However, aside from Lagwagon, the group that stood out to me most was Strung Out.

While the band is ultimately rooted in melodic skate punk that would fit on any early Tony Hawk game's soundtrack, it incorporates strong heavy metal influences in their guitar work as well as progressive rock in their more technical moments, which lead to an interesting listening experience. These influences slowly shift over time, as their sound subtly moves from excellent mid-90s punk on their early albums to more experimental albums at the turn of the millennium to the more metal-inflicted works since the mid 2000s. However, through even their most intense, abrasive moments, the band maintains a strong sense of melody which always shines through.

After getting into Lagwagon, I was in a total skate punk phase. I quickly got into several other groups that would have fit the Warped Tour in the 90s and Strung Out was no exception. Without much thinking, I ordered a copy of their album Twisted By Design simply because that was the one most people seemed to highlight. It was pretty good, but it wasn't THAT impressive at the time. However, I liked some of the material found on other albums and I noticed their new album Transmission.Alpha.Delta on the new albums section of iTunes, which had some good songs on it. I ended up putting a couple songs on my iPod just in time for a trip down to Florida and listened to those songs a lot. On vacation, my family has a $50 souvenir budget. However, I didn't get any souvenirs for that trip, and instead used the money to order several CDs, among them, three Strung Out CDs. I ended going home earlier than my parents and would listen to these albums repeatedly throughout the house. Since then, many of those songs have been etched into my memory as part of that trip, and I was hooked on the band. I would then begin amassing the rest of their discography throughout the rest of the year.

Nowadays, when I think if I ever had to show someone an accurate representation of my musical tastes, I would probably play a Strung Out song. The group's music is largely fast paced and marries the energy and feel of punk with the intensity and intricacy of metal, yet remains catchy. One thing that I really love about this band musically is that the band takes advantage of the two guitarists in the band, Rob Ramos and Jake Kiley. While they tend to use a standard rhythm/lead dynamic, they can also craft interesting harmonies through twin lead guitar parts and punishing riffs when both play rhythm. This guitar interplay is crucial to the band's sound, as are Jordan Burns' rapid drum patterns and Jason Cruz's voice and vocal harmonies. One of the downsides to this band is that the tempos are often similar between songs, meaning there is less diversity among the songs. However, that is where Cruz's vocals and the guitar work come in to save the day, as they are able to craft unique melodies for each song.

Breakdown of My Collection

1. Another Day in Paradise (1994, CD) - The group's first album finds the group still just establishing their style. Here, we can listen to elements of their music that they would come to refine in future albums. As a result, this is the band with the their rawest and most straightforward punk output. It's not bad, but isn't as memorable as some of the band's other albums. That being said, "Ashes" is probably one of my favorite Strung Out songs.

Highlights: "Ashes", "Population Control", "Away"

2. Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues (1996, CD) - The group's second album is more focused than their previous album and the songs are more developed and memorable. While it is not my personal favorite, it is seen as one of the band's best, especially among their early albums, so this may be a good place to start with this band. There are a number of songs I enjoy on this, but I have a problem with the production on the album, which I actually consider to be a step down from Another Day in Paradise. In particular, I have a problem with the guitar tones. I don't know how to describe it other than the tones almost remind me of bees. However, some of these songs would be remixed for the best of compilation and sound better, but I will get to that in a little bit.

Highlights: "Firecracker", "Solitaire", "Bring Out Your Dead", "Wrong Side of the Tracks"

3. Twisted by Design (1998, CD) - My first album from the group and arguably one of their best. I know earlier I found it to be decent but not all that impressive, but that was more of my first impression. Over the past couple months, after I got into much of the band's other albums, I started listening to this album again and I have to agree with many listeners that this is probably their best. The songs are catchy, some are heavy, and is a strong album to conclude their early era. This was also the last album with bassist Jim Cherry, who was crucial to the band's earlier sound, both in terms of composition as well as how much of a role the bass played in the songs. It goes to show that this was as strong album, because it is both Jason Cruz's favorite Strung Out album and one of Fat Mike's favorite Fat Wreck Chords albums.

Highlights: "Too Close to See", "The Exhumation of Virginia Madision", "Deville", "Paperwalls", "Matchbox"

4. The Skinny Years... Before We Got Fat (1998, CD) - This CD is a compilation of early tracks pre-Another Day in Paradise. The songs were from before the band really found their sound. The songs are somewhat primitive compared to the rest of their work and the production quality is comparable to a studio demo. This is really only something for a collector, and is now included as part of the remastered reissue of Another Day in Paradise.

Highlight: "Support Your Troops"

5. Element of Sonic Defiance EP (2000, CD, Vinyl) - This EP marks a new era for the band. The music was still punk, but more experimental and abrasive than any of the band's previous works, but is an enjoyable listen. Some of the songs are slower, others incorporate more progressive rhythms or beats than earlier albums, and there is slightly more notable metal influence in the guitar work.

Highlights: "Jackie - O", "Everyday"

6. An American Paradox (2002, CD, Vinyl) - This album continues the somewhat experimental nature the band was playing with at the time, an is probably my personal favorite album by them. This was one of the albums I first bought during my trip to Florida when I first really liked them and it always stood out amongst the other albums. I probably listen to the more songs from this album frequently than any other albums by them.

Highlights: "Velvet Alley", "Kill Your Scene", "Alien Amplifier", "An American Paradox", "Dig", "Cemetery"

7. Exile In Oblivion (2004, CD) - From the artwork to the titles of the tracks to the music itself, this is the band's darkest output. This is the first album where the metal influences really begin to shine through. However, the melody is still there and there are several strong songs on this album. This was another album I bought while in Florida, but didn't pay as much attention to when I listened to it and isn't one that I put on as much as the others. However, any time I listen to it, I find more and more to like about it.

Highlights: "Analog", "Her Name In Blood", "Skeletondance", "Swan Dive"

8. Blackhawks Over Los Angeles (2007, CD) - This album reduces some of the dark, edginess of the Exile, and brings back some of the more direct punk sound, bringing a balance to the punk and metal sounds in the band's music. This is another album I don't listen to much, except for a handful of songs, but the songs I like are strong.

Highlights: "Calling", "All The Nations", "A War Called Home", "Mission Statement"

9. Agents of the Underground (2009, CD, Vinyl) - Much like Blackhawks, Agents of the Underground has a fairly even balance of punk and metal. This was one of my last albums to buy from these guys, but I listen to this album fairly frequently.

Highlights: "Black Crosses", "The Fever and the Sound", "Heart Attack", "Andy Warhol"

10. Prototypes and Painkillers (2009, CD) - This CD is another compilation, this time, incorporating b-sides, outtakes, compilation contributions, tracks from the Crossroads & Illusions EP, demos and a couple covers. The first handful of songs almost come across as a coherent album, while some of the demos could have made for interesting songs if they made it to any of their albums. Meanwhile it is interesting hearing early studio versions of other songs that sound like legitimate recordings, not demos.

Highlights: "Novacaine", "Novella", "Your Worst Mistake", "Don't Look Back", "American Lie"

11. Top Contenders: The Best of Strung Out (2011, CD) - While I don't buy best-of collections if I have the rest of a band's discography, this one stands out. Not only does it include three new tracks, all of the old songs are remixed, giving them a more consistent sound. This gives songs like "Bring Out Your Dead" and "Analog" new life and avoids the issue some greatest hits albums have where songs almost sound like they were done by different groups because of differing production values. Overall, this is a fantastic way to introduce someone to Strung Out's material.

New songs: "Saturday Night", "City Lights", "Here We Are"

12. Transmission.Alpha.Delta (2015, CD) - Even though I already owned Twisted By Design, finding this album is what really led me to love Strung Out. Musically, it carries on with the sound found on Agents and Blackhawks, and the group is strong as ever. This was the third Strung Out album I bought on that Florida trip, but the only one that actually showed up while I was away. As a result, certain songs like "Rebellion of the Snakes" and "Nowheresville" remind me of being down there.

Highlights: "Rats in the Walls", "The Animal and the Machine", "Nowheresville", "Westcoasttrendkill"

While there may be some more experimental bands that could qualify as punk in some way or another, I ultimately view these guys as a thinking man's punk rock band, at least in the musical sense of the Epitaph/Fat bands. If you want a good punk/metal band that can be catchy but not be lumped in with all the -core bands, I'd recommend these guys.

It's Just Another Saturday: Lagwagon

As I skim over my music collection, I have come to view certain bands as "bands of the year", where I view a band or artist as a major component of a year depending on how many albums I get by them and how often I listen to them. In 2013, there were Tool and Rush. In 2014, there were Jawbox and Dag Nasty. For 2015, there were a couple of groups that could serve as bands of the year, such as Hot Water Music, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Strung Out and Lagwagon, the latter of which I will be talking about in this entry.

I had heard of Lagwagon in passing every now and then for several years, but I never paid much attention to the name and never bothered checking them out. I knew they were associated with NOFX and thought, for some reason, they were some overtly political group like Anti-Flag, which made me even less interested in them. However, they piqued my interest when I was scanning a venue's website and saw they were playing a show in the next month. For whatever reason, I decided to check them out only to realize I had knew their song "May 16" in the game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X and liked it. Unfortunately I never got to go to the show, but nonetheless, I had become aware of the band and I knew I liked some of their work.

About a month later I was checking out the punk section at record store in Silver Spring. There, I came across a copy of Let's Talk About Feelings, the album that "May 16" originated from. By that point I was still only familiar with that one song, but for five dollars, I figured, "Why not?" and bought it. After a while, I grew to really love that album and began looking into the rest of the group's output. In fact, I got copies of the albums Trashed, Double Plaidinum and Hoss around the same time as Hot Water Music's Fuel For the Hate Game and have since associated songs from those albums with the trip to Disney World I took soon afterwards.

Over the course of the year, I became familiar with other projects led by the band's lead singer Joey Cape. These projects include the indie side projects Bad Astronaut, The Playing Favorites, and Joey Cape's Bad Loud, as well as his acoustic solo work which including two split albums with No Use For A Name's Tony Sly. I could go on about these projects, but want to focus on Lagwagon now and will likely do a post about these other acts in the future.

The band's sound is typically upbeat, peppy melodic punk rock that also takes cues from pop and occasionally heavy metal. While it is still punk, the band members are all skilled instrumentalists and the music is actually much more technical that what is expected of bands in the genre. This can be heard through the interplay between the two guitarists as well as the solos. With this group I soon became acquainted with their contemporaries such as Strung Out and No Use For A Name among others, which both follow the same general sound with their own signature flavor.

Breakdown of My Collection

1. Duh (1992, CD) - Compared to some of their later albums, I have not listened to Duh much. It was one of my later additions to the collection and I have only recently begun listening in depth to certain songs. The production is cheap and raw and the music seems a tad rushed, however, the more I listen to it, the more songs I like.

Highlights: "Tragic Vision", "Angry Days", "Beer Goggles", "Child Inside"

2. Trashed (1994, CD) - The group's second album builds off the first and begins really solidifying the group's sound, and is seen as one of the band's strongest efforts. That being said, I don't listen to this album much. While many fans seem to really enjoy this one, I struggle to find many songs that really stand out. However, it may be the case that if I make myself sit down and listen to it more, there will be more songs that create a lasting impression, but so far, not many have seemed to do so on this one.

Highlights: "Island of Shame", "Give It Back", "Coffee and Cigarettes", "Brown Eyed Girl"

3. Hoss (1995, CD) - It took me a while to really get into this album. When I first bought it, I like "Violins" and "Sleep", but it didn't stand out all that much. I only really came to like it once I heard some of the acoustic interpretations Joey Cape did on his acoustic album with Tony Sly. Since then, it's become one of my favorites by them. This is one of the band's highest points in my opinion.

Highlights: "Violins", "Move the Car", "Razor Burn", "Sleep", "Bombs Away"

4. Double Plaidinum (1997, CD) - When I bought this album along with Hoss and Trashed, this was the one that stood out to me the most. Of all the albums I listened to on that Disney World trip, I listened to this one the most and have the most associations with this one. However as I have become more familiar with the rest of the group's output, I left this album behind. As I look over the album, though, I am reminded of all the songs I enjoyed off it.

Highlights: "Alien 8", "Making Friends", "Unfurnished", "Choke", "To All My Friends"

5. Let's Talk About Feelings (1999, CD, Vinyl) - I love this album. Plain and simple. It's the one that got me into the group and it still stands out as their strongest in my opinion. The songwriting is sharp and is easily the most pop influenced. The only real downside is that the album is really short compared to some of their other albums, lasting only 25 minutes. If I ever need to recommend an album by these guys, this is easily my go-to album.

Highlights: "May 16", "After You My Friend", "Leave the Light On", "Change Despair", "Everything Turns Grey", "Allison's Disease (Bonus Track)"

6. Let's Talk About Leftovers (1999, CD) - In the couple years, Fat Wreck Chords reissued all of Lagwagon's albums with bonus tracks and demos. Unfortunately, all my copies are original editions. Instead, I have most of these songs on the compilation, Let's Talk About Leftovers. The first third of the album was recorded at the same time as Feelings and were left off, so there is some strong material. Overall, the album is comprised of b-sides and outtakes from their previous albums, contributions to Fat Wreck Chords compilations, covers, and early tracks. It's not a bad collection, but like I said, you can find the material on this CD spread across most of the band's reissues as bonus tracks, and there are even more bonus tracks on each album that weren't on this one.

Highlights: "A Feedback of Truckstop Poetry", "Burn That Bridge When We Get to It", "Narrow Straits", "Want",

7. Blaze (2003, CD) - Another late addition to my collection, and another album I have least listened to. That's not to say the music is bad, it's simply that I haven't been able to sit down and get a full grasp of the album and I can only identify a couple of songs.

Highlights: "E Dagger", "Falling Apart", "I Must Be Hateful"

8. Resolve (2005, CD) - This album was written and recorded in tribute to founding drummer Derrick Plourde, who recently committed suicide, and has a heavy tone, both emotionally and musically. That being said, the music is more inspired, focused, and memorable than its predecessor, Blaze. In the end, the music is a heavy hearted, yet strong tribute to a fallen friend.
Highlights: "Automatic", "Resolve", "Heartbreaking Music", "Days of New"

9. I Think My Older Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon - EP (2007, CD) - The final addition to collection, I have only really sat down and listened to this EP in full once or twice. With that in mind, I can't say much. The music is standard Lagwagon but the EP just seems to lack some of the pep and charm of the group's earlier output.
Highlight: "Memoirs and Landmines"

10. Hang (CD, 2014) - The first studio release after a seven year gap, the group returns with the a strong comeback. The songs are slower and heavier, and Joey Cape's voice has matured with time, fitting with the more serious nature of the music. As shown on the album cover, the album has recurring themes of death, hanging... and bees, representing mortality as well as hive mentality and conformity. While I feel like the group peaked in the 90s, this is probably my favorite post-90s album.
Highlights: "Made of Broken Parts", "A Cog in the Machine", "Obsolete Absolute", "Burnin Out In Style", "In Your Wake"

Since discovering Lagwagon, I slowly began to uncover other works and projects that Joey Cape has done such as Bad Astronaut, The Playing Favorites, as well as his solo work, all of which contribute to my notion that this group is one of my "bands of the year" for 2015. If you want strong 90s punk that isn't Green Day, Rancid or the Offspring, I'd recommend these guys. I don't think you'll regret it.