Tag: punk

Hellcat Records has put out some of my favorite albums of all time. They have consistently floored me with the quality that they have put out, and it’s interesting to see the many different arrays of options that they put forward. In 2002, while I was graduating high school, they would release “Sing Sing Death House” by the Distillers, and I fell in love with one Brody Dalle. Everyone else who saw the punk rock beauty, including Tim Armstrong of Rancid fame, did, too. Eyes closed, however, The Distillers are more than a pretty-faced fronted band, they have a strong ethos in the punk rock world, and the record proved to be just one hell of a ride.

The second studio album from the band finds them with clever production, stronger bass-heavy rhythms, and vocals that were unmatched at the time. “Sing Sing Death House” starts the punk rock quest fast and heavy with “Sick of It All”, and doesn’t let up throughout the record. I love the bass guitar on this record, and the rest of the frenetic pace just complements it so well.

So many good songs come through with this release, including the opener, then of course “I Am A Revenant”, “Sing Sing Death House”, “City of Angels”, and much more. While under 30 minutes, the band could paint a portrait of punk rock ethos and much more, within good production value and breakneck speed. One heck of an album, that’s what you get with “Sing Sing Death House”.

Stream The Distillers or buy the vinyl all by clicking here, yeah, just one click.

I’m late to many bands, and one of the bands that I just didn’t jump into was that of 5 Seconds of Summer. I didn’t know much about them, and to be fair, didn’t think I was missing a whole lot. Then comes this blog, and I start to write, and we are here looking at the 2004 “5 Seconds of Summer” record, and it comes at you with a very polished approach overall. The opening track alone has been polished to a shine, and catchy as all hell in a way that pop punk wishes it could be all the time. With the opening anthem, the band puts you on notice that they are sweethearts, not your average punkers.

This is where the rubber hits the road, though. You’re either going to love the sweet sounds that “5 Seconds of Summer” comes through with, or you’re going to balk at the simplicity and harmony. The guys are often likened to Blink-182, and rightfully so, their guitar work at times and melodies are much like the So Cal Punk act, but with a little more polish, to a fault.

I have a hard time getting my head around all of the offerings that “5 Seconds of Summer” has to offer. It is 16 pop punk tracks that lean heavily into pop, to the point where you will think that this is a boy band. I don’t hate the record, but I also don’t remember much of it hitting me hard. It kind of washes over you like a bar of soap. Yeah, it’s effective, yeah, it’s catchy as hell, but it’s going to divide you. Turn your brain off if you’re going to put on this 2014 record. It’s an evolutionary record that will either grow on you or cause you to shake your head in disbelief. Either way, 5 Seconds of Summer was on to something with this record.

Not into streaming? Get the vinyl by clicking here.