Album Reviews :: Title Fight, Western Addiction, The Flatliners, and Dead End Story
Written by: Andrea Janov, CC2K Music Editor
Title Fight :: Spring Songs EP :: Revelation Records
Title Fight’s Spring Songs EP is one of the most interesting albums I heard in 2013. Though only four tracks, it marks such a growth and change for the band. Title Fight has taken an old school approach to this record, it was recorded on 2” analog tape, and I swear you can hear the difference and depth to each track because of it. Each of these tracks sounds different than the others, in this EP Title Fight embraced their diverse tastes and influences and explored the limitlessness of their sound. To add to all this, this EP is the band’s first release on the legendary Revelation Records.
The Spring Songs EP kicks off with Blush, a killer hardcore track that is everything we have come to love from Title Fight. Be A Toy is a bit distorted, a bit alternative, and a bit pop – think Weezer, when they were good. Receiving Line is a slow, delicate track with a slight drone and Hypnotize is an alternative song with subdued vocals, heavy music, and a haunting undertone.
Western Addiction :: Pines :: Fat Wreck Chords
Western Addiction’s Pines is an awesome classic hardcore record. It is thrashy and hard and snotty with some great breakdowns. Fans of Fugazi and Youth Brigade will get behind this sound.
The music is fast, aggressive, and almost metal-y at moments. The vocals are screaming contempt and we are screaming right along with them. Though there are moments that enter into the gravely guttural sound, these vocals mostly remain on the snotty-we-need-to-change-this-fucking-place style of hardcore.
These guys will no doubt, get a crowd fucking moving. It will be as sea of sweaty bodies finger pointing, singing along, and thrashing around.
My favorite track is My Opinion Is, I Hate It. It combines so many elements into one fucking killer hardcore song. There is singing, yelling, screaming, thrashing, and just a hint of melody – all blended and perfectly balanced.
The Flatliners :: Casket’s Full :: Fat Wreck Chords
Casket Full is a fantastic gritty gravely Flatliners record. The A side, Caskets Full is from the new album Dead Language and does nothing but get you riled up. The B side, Wynford Bridge is also from the Dead Language sessions and has some great “whoas”. The third track, Fireball, is a cover that was recorded for the Tony Sly tribute album, has a more melancholy feel than the rest of the EP, but it is a beautiful melancholy. It is a recording full of pain, sadness, and heart.
Dead End Story :: One For The Distant Shore
Dead End Story is a punk rock band from Oulu, Finland who play straight forward old school street punk. And we all know how much I love gruff vocals and slightly melodic music, so I was digging this album immediately. One For The Distant Shore is hard and rough yet throws in a melody or two. It will get you psyched, it will get you moving, it will have you screaming along.