36 Crazy Wrists

Graduating from high school was a banner event for me, and that May, before I was officially done, the band Goldfinger put out “Open Your Eyes”. This time around, the band would start the record with a fast-paced, energetic performance and ditch the horns altogether. The band stuck with the melody but went hard into a skate-punk sound. This is evident from the outset with “Going Home” and carries through with “Spokesman”, “Open Your Eyes”, and others on the record.

For me, 2002 was a year of travel: I went to music festivals, I slept under the stars, I found myself lost in life’s next push, and the soundtrack really propelled me forward. “Spokesman,” for instance, really spoke to me, and it threw down a great anthem for all of us pseudo-punk rock kids in the suburbs.

“Open Your Eyes” spins through 38 minutes of pop punk glory, and doesn’t let up, even when you think they are going to slow down. No, they aren’t speeding through the record; they just have a sensibility that makes this record one that you’ll no doubt want to revisit from time to time. While the band’s first half of the record is grand, it does start to diminish with joke tracks and hidden tracks that just push you away from the upper half of the recording. That’s not to say that the record isn’t worth listening to, but rather it’s something that you’re going to dismiss probably. “Open Your Eyes” is a solid outing and one of the better releases from Goldfinger’s catalog.

Growing up in Southern California, I learned about many bands before they hit the mainstream. One of the bands I grew up listening to and always found interesting is Yellowcard. The main reason is simple, and one of the reasons why “Ocean Avenue” is such a hit. The punkers took the idea of pop punk and then introduced the violin. I kid you not. There’s a string section in the band, and it made them stand out completely, to the point that they were signed by a major label and put out none other than “Ocean Avenue”.

The band’s 13 tracks and 47 minutes of music feel comfortable, steady, and rocking throughout. You aren’t ever given a break from the lyrical elements that take you from angst to love to the struggles of a generalized manner; the lyrics are relatable and on point with the signature sound of Yellowcard. The band’s track listing flows really well, and the album feels like a “whole” release, rather than a collection of singles. That is evidenced through the first 5 tracks, which set you up for the latter half of the record, even when the band slows down a little on “Empty Apartment”, giving you a sensibility that is not often found on pop punk records. “Ocean Avenue” has so many catchy songs, uses the violin to great advantage, and unleashes a record that is very much West Coast in nature and full of life even after all these years.

A lot of punk rock acts are steadfast, steady in their musical stream, and don’t have much stop-and-go. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, the three chords get played smoothly through a speedy delivery, and that’s it. Then there are pop punkers who find a way to mix genres, and you really start to get a little more complex, and that’s where “The Greatest Generation” fits in. The Wonder Years put on a showcase of pop punk, blending elements of indie rock that work well for them. It’s not just steady streams; there are a few moments that just ring anthemic, bringing back a sense of urgency with every chorus.

“The Greatest Generation” is not a one-trick pony, mind you; it’s a collective of 13 songs that drive through a mix of genres, with powerful drumming and a rock-minded approach. I have a hard time labeling this one as pop punk at times, but there is a pop sensibility on tracks like “Passing Through a Screen Door” and “We Could Die Like This”. That’s not to say that the band isn’t pop or punk for that matter, it’s just something more here, and it’s interesting to hear the record all these years later and still rock with it, pop or not.

By record number five, the band Nofx was finally getting a lot of popularity. It was released in 1994 and is on many top 10 lists. They would branch out some and create a more skate punk sound, but that wasn’t much different than the approach to their fourth record, so it’s not like they are leaving the sound behind that got them to the big dance of sorts. Ok, so they weren’t quite as big in 1994. However, still, the record would eventually go Gold, so it sold decently after a lot of touring and work from the band, which makes “Punk in Drublic” one record from the band you must have in your collection, especially with the title track “Linoleum” which is an anthem, a strategically placed beginning track that rocks in any genre that you put it in.

Of course, one song won’t make an album glorious, which is why “Punk in Drublic” comes with 17 tracks and nearly 40 minutes of music. “Leave it Alone” would come second on the tracklist and, once again, showcase the band’s melodic side. They can put together punk rock songs that feature melody, hardcore measures, and sing-along vocals at times. It’s a nice, full-fledged romp into the pop punk world, while maintaining their street attitude.

Fat Mike’s vocals are more unmistakable on this record, with a mix of guitars and bass that are well-polished and would become a signature for the band. There’s a mix of punk and even a little ska with El Hefe playing trumpet, but mostly it is a well-thought-out punk rock record that shows off the prowess of a band that knows what they are doing, or at least knows how to fake it very well. What a record.

Favorite tracks: “Linoleum”, “Don’t Call Me White”, “The Cause”, “The Brews.”

The Bouncing Souls really turned a corner in 1999, writing a fun album full of charm. Their fourth record, which came out, put the band on the map further with an eclectic blend of punk and pop, with a focus on having fun. The band even admitted to writing silly songs for this record and put on their fun hats to deliver a blast of comedy alongside more serious matters. The band would release this record on Epitaph and join a lineup of bands that were getting a lot of attention at the time. “Hopeless Romantic” is easily accessible by any fan of alternative music, with a nod to punk along the way.

You don’t need to know the history of punk or be hardcore to enjoy the offerings that come across in 13 songs from “Hopeless Romantic”. The band really put together a good mix of tracks, 13 in total, on the release and focuses on sing-along style vocals, including the mighty “Ole”, “Kid”, and “Night on Earth”. That, of course, comes with the title track “Hopeless Romantic” and much more. Even though we are far removed from 1999, you can’t deny the power of this record, and the nod to punk and pop, all mixed into one good-sounding record.

In 1994, a lot of punk started to get attention. This included bands that have become staples of alternative rock, like Green Day. Mxpx also released a record in 1994, their studio debut for Tooth and Nail Records. The record was named “Pokinatcha”, and it was the first record for a band that would become heavy hitters, even if they did not reach the same platform as some other punkers that came out the same year.

It’s interesting to note that the band’s record introduces you to their style, with strong, blown-out guitar distortion. This would get cleaned up in the second record, but for this record, it was raw and full of life. The frenetic pace of the band was upheld here, and while there were some melodies, “Pokinatcha” is a faster-paced record than their other releases. The band put together a mix of hardcore, pop punk, and pure melody in 49 minutes. They would release a video for the album “Want Ad” before releasing a second album in 1995.

There are a lot of tracks on this record, and it was something Christian music fans jumped on, as the band was labeled as such for its first few records. They stepped away from that with the releases they had down the line, but the starting line for Mxpx was “Pokinatcha,” a Christian music release. They were doing what other bands under the banner of Christian music weren’t doing at the time, and that’s staying within the lanes of pop and punk and Christendom as well.

“Pokinatcha” is a stellar debut record with a lot to offer newcomers. It has catchy melodies, a strong three-chord structure, and a lot more. There’s something for everyone on this record, that’s for sure.

Released in March of 2000, the punk band Goldfinger released their third record, which once again delivered a mix of tracks that were not only catchy but also featured a great deal of promise amidst a lot of pop punk hopefuls that year. “Stomping Ground” features 24-some odd minutes of catchy tunes and focuses on a variety of styles that float through punk, pop, ska, and, of course, melody. It’s an interesting and, dare I say, eclectic blend of tracks that would become calling cards for the band.

Interestingly, the Japanese version of the record would get a few other tracks, and covers from The Specials, The Police, and The Who populate that disc, so if you look out for it, you could very well pick it up. Those tracks are littered throughout the releases of the band, of course, but it’s something to take note of, overall.

According to the wiki page for this record, the band toured with Reel Big Fish to promote it, and it’s definitely a good fit overall, as the two bands complement each other quite well. While “Hang-Ups” had a more ska steady push, “Stomping Ground” featured a bit of punk rock overall, and while there were some slow moments like “The End of the Day”, the rest of the record has a great deal of frenetic pacing and melody to boot. In the end, “Stomping Ground” was a nice pivot for the band before they released their next record in 2002.

Mixing genres can be dangerous. Many bands attempt to blend the two, but most often fail to do so. I’m reminded of a story about The Orange County Supertones, and how they used to mix genres before going rocksteady ska. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones did the same thing, only they did it in the 1980s, and they only mixed a couple of genres, which somehow worked out well because they would hit the studio to record one of the first showings of hardcore punk and ska mixed into one ball of fury. Of course, that sort of mix is now common, but not in 1989, where “Devil’s Night Out” firmly sits as the debut record for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

If your first introduction to the band is “Devil’s Night Out”, then you’ll find the band in rare form. They are strong out front with gravelly vocals, ska sensibilities, but with a flair for the punk rock sound that you’d expect from bands from the late 1980s. It’s got melody at times, it has that future Mighty Mighty Bosstones polished sound, but there’s something hardcore about this record.

The more you listen to “Devil’s Night Out”, the more of a taste of the band’s future you get. There are some catch songs, some straight rocksteady ska songs, and a nod to punk rock ethos all in the same. It’s an album that has contradictions at times, and it’s too easy to call it a simple ska record because it has a lot more to offer, especially in terms of guitar work. As far as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, “Devil’s Night Out” is a promising debut to check out even after all these years.