H2O - Nothing to Prove

Seven long years later, and H2O return with their fifth album. Now returning to an independent label (good to see), Bridge Nine Records, as opposed to MCA, on which their 2001 released Go was released on.

Nothing to Prove starts out with the track "1995", which feels more like it came from said year, as opposed to their catchy, but still good, major label effort Go.

"Still Here", one that definitely has the spirit of the mid nineties, features CIV (Anthony Civarelli), formerly of Gorilla Biscuits and CIV (good to hear from him again!), and proclaims that they are stil here after all these years. This track is a must.

Other guests on the album include NYHC staples Roger Miret, Freddy Cricien, and Lou Koller. The other guests are Kevin Seconds and Matt Skiba.

I really had not realised H20 had not released an album in such a while as I am not a huge fan, but definitely enjoy listening to their music. H20 are definitely back, if they were gone. Nothing to Prove, regardless of how the album title is viewed, is them at their best, not having to prove anything to anyone. H2O, as the intro track suggest, year wise, are back to their early form.

(This blog is "still here" despite the slow posts!)

Bad Religion - No Substance

No Substance is a Bad Religion album I generally always liked, but started enjoying it moreso after giving it rotation again a few years ago while I was at work, around 2002. As I said at Punk Rock Wisdom, I had been meaning to listen to it once again as it was coming up on being ten years since being released.

I believe No Substance was, and is an underrated album. In terms of Bad Religion releases, but overall too.

No Substance has a pretty unique feel to it, more down tempo for the most part, and that aside, possibly heavy on the use big words (for lack of a better word/term!), maybe just as much as any Bad Religion album, however the lyrics seem quite intellectual, and thought out.

I believe that this album feels the way it does as it was the first BR album after Greg Graffin released his first solo offering, American Lesion. While making American Lesion his marriage was ending, so that can also spell softer/slower music. Thus I feel American Lesion somewhat spilled over into No Substance.

The album starts off with "Hear It", what one would come to expect from Bad Religion, a catchy up tempo song. Basically, in my opinion how Greg (in the first person) doesn't want to hear the useless advice. "Priests and politicians pretend they're your friend, and police speak to you like you're children again, blanket statements cover you like a rug, and they tell me maybe I'm acting a little too smug." And, "they'd rather see us all pusillanimous, absorbent in their chorus of correctness."

"Shades of Truth" is one of the slower songs on the album, yet well thought out as I mentioned earlier. It was released as a single to modern rock radio stations, as I recall hearing it on the station I've listened to much in the past. "Shades of Truth" has a pretty distinct first line, which comes after the bass intro, "here inside this quiet room there's direction". It continues, "outside in the sultry noon-time reflection, a million people scurry, they're looking for advice..."

"The Biggest Killer in American History" is about Edward Teller, who is also known as "the father of the hydrogen bomb", a title he apparently did not care for ("I have always considered that description in poor taste"), gee, I wonder why! I can't comment too much on this song, as The Manhattan Project, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Edward Teller are topics I am looking to read more on.

A recurring topic on this album, is, to steal from the song title, mediocre minds. There is the song "Mediocre Minds", "At the Mercy of Imbeciles", and a line from "In so Many Ways" goes, "ignoring mortality, we worship mediocrity."

A lyric from "At the Mercy of Imbeciles" that I find can tie into "Raise Your Voice" goes: "and it is oh so easy just to keep to yourself". Instead of being heard when you object to something, as the lyric states, it is just easier to keep to yourself, and do nothing. While talking about "Raise Your Voice", as I stated at Punk Rock Wisdom, it is an essential song, as far as the topic goes. That again, could be the second "Punk Rock Song". The lyrics are posted at Punk Rock Wisdom. They are worth a read, as everyone should be heard, there will obviously be conflicting opinions, but more could get done, and it could lead to better things.

"Raise Your Voice" has a couple versions, one where Greg Graffin sings the song in its entirety, and another where the verses are alternated between Greg and Campino from the German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen. Both versions are very good, but I'd probably lean towards the version with Campino. As I said how it could be Punk Rock song number 2, it is also anthemic in nature.

Continuing on the above, and going beyond, is "The State of the End of the Millenium Adress." It is indeed an address, albeit satirical, yet still being truthful, set to music.

"The Voracious March of Godliness" is a religious themed song. Following it is "Mediocre Minds", coincidence?

"Strange Denial" is a catchy toe tapper. Possibly a song about denying the truth, as in, there's no suffering in the world, ignoring images we would prefer not to see Many of which never find their ways to the American or even Canadian mainstream, which could also be what the song draws upon, at least broadly speaking.

The album ends on another catchy song, "In so Many Ways", for which I won't get into, as I'll leave some to you the reader/listener.

Worth looking out for as well is the Japanese bonus track "Dream of Unity", along with the b-sides disc that was given out around the time of No Substance, it includes the great "Markovian Process", and "Leaders and Followers", they can be found on European and Japanese versions of Stranger than Fiction.

Subhumans (UK)

The Subhumans were a punk band I never really listened to a lot, or really got the chance to get into them, for said reason. I am referring to both punk bands that go by that moniker. The band from Canada, and the United Kingdom Subhumans. However the topic of this post is for the UK Subhumans.

I just gave their new album, Internal Riot a listen. After just one listen, I have to highly recommend it, it is quite a good album (and I believe will definitely get better with subsequent listens, and checking out the lyrics too) of quality British style punk rock, that is more in the old school vein, and when one can tell it is obvious the singer is British (I'm not so great at describing styles of sound). It was self released on Bluurg Records.

Dick Lucas fronts the Subhumans, and he also leads Citizen Fish. Citizen Fish are a band I quite enjoy, even though I still have some stuff to listen to from them. So if you know and like Citizen Fish, then the new Subhumans album is perfect for you. With the new Subhumans think Citizen Fish, but with less ska.

Additional information: Bluurg Records, Subhumans at myspace Citizen Fish, and Citizen Fish at myspace

Pennywise - About Time

This is a companion blog to go with the one I just started, that I call Punk Rock Wisdom. Punk Rock Wisdom is an idea for a blog that has been in my head for quite a while, and while I was writing the first post, which was also in my head for quite a while, I thought a companion blog would be interesting, where I essentially review the album that the song I blogged about came from. I have also been meaning to have a music review site for ages, since before web logs, or blogs exploded in popularity, like Pogs (never really played, but I inevitably had some!), and hockey cards a good many years back! Okay, no more cheesy pop culture references, unless it is called for in the specific review. So this should help me get the punk rock aspect going, and eventually a music review blog, as that is easier to maintain than a website these days. I'd still recommend learning HTML, and going from there, as it cannot hurt. I need to brush up on mine, and get more into CSS, etc.

Alright, the boring part is done.

Closing in on 13 years since About Time was released (13 June 1995), and I definitely think it has stood the test of time. Start to finish this is an excellent punk rock album. Starts out fast, and stays that way all the way to the end, catchy, melodic, positive messages, all in a little over 30 minutes, how can you go wrong with a punk rock record!

This is the third long player from Hermosa Beach's own Pennywise. It starts off with "Peaceful Day", on a mid tempo note, but quickly picks up. After having listened to the album in its entirety, it's worth listening again while following along with the the included lyrics.

Lyrics, as I noted above are optimistic, possibly a theme, or something I picked up anyway, is to live life to the fullest. "Waste of Time", as blogged about is about not wasting your time thinking about what is or is not to come in post life. "Perfect People", probably one of the fan favourites, is about not caring about all the so called perfect people out there, the hollywood (intentionally not capitalised) types, and so one. "Every Single Day" is pretty much as I have been saying, to live every single day, and not worry about past mistakes, as they cannot be changed, rather learn from them. It is also apparently Fletcher's favourite Pennywise song. It also has some good woahs and ahhs, as Bad Religion and oohs and ahhs. "Freebase" (starts side two on the audio cassette, and I imagine vinyl) delves into warning people to stay away from cocaine, and drugs. All the tracks are good, but another fan favourite, and one I like too, is "Same old Story". "Try", is a good song about trying, essentially doing your best, and getting on with things. "I Won't Have It" borrows a Zach de la Rocha line, "You got a bullet in your head". "Killing Time", is essentially how we see the bad things in life right in front of us on our television screens.

Definitely a quality new school punk rock album.