Greetings loyal acolytes! Your leader has descended from the heavens bearing fruits in the form of early 1990's punk, PROPAGANDHI. This is the kind of band that pretty much everybody I respect likes. They have recently come out with a new album that I'm not really feeling at this point in time. Like most immature boys I believe their best stuff can be found elsewhere in their careers with the very early fat wreckchords release HOW TO CLEAN EVERYTHING. This album definitely has some great individual songs (anti-manifesto, hallie sallasse up your ass and this might be satire) that to me go down as some of the best cuts of the 90's. This music goes real good with the beginning of summer, straight up positive and political fun. This band definitely got me to think more about the world around me as a teenager and were an all around great influence in my life! Seeing them back in the day (barrymore's had all ages shows and Ottawa still allowed smoking indoors!) with my boy zakon unique AMAZING and I cherish that memory. PROPAGANDHI - HOW TO CLEAN EVERYTHING get into it.
Track listing
"Anti-Manifesto" – 3:36
"Head? Chest? Or Foot?" – 2:04
"Hate, Myth, Muscle, Etiquette" – 2:43
"Showdown (G.E./P.)" – 3:47
"Ska Sucks" – 1:50
"Middle Finger Response" – 2:23
"Stick the Fucking Flag Up Your Goddam Ass, You Sonofabitch" – 2:51
YOUTH-CEMBER NEVER ENDS HERE AT YOUTH ANTHEMS INDUSTRIES.
Today's post is dedicated to la belle province. Got what's on and popping today as well as yesterday's classics. A lot of times I'm embarrassed of my French race like ponytails and sometimes being behind on the times musically. But when I watch theses videos I realize we are superior. We ain't white, we french.
N.1. VULGAIRES MACHINS great franco punk band that has grown a lot over the years and creates important music. This song is called TRIPLE MEURTRE ET SUICIDE RATÉ (triple murder failed suicide) and the video is from their newly released live DVD. Great lyrics and great energy. If you are loved in Québec they will love you forever. NOFX plays 2 nights when they come to MTL and they don't do that anywhere else.
N.2. 83 (name of the band) The best rappers to ever come out of Québec City. Kind of a joke but kind of not. They are kind of like a QBC version of Cypress Hill but with way more gang vocals. I have one of their crew t-shirts. The song is 2003's QUÉBEC GOLD about an apparently potent strain of Québec weed. Due to new technologies in indoor growing as well as cold resistant strains of pot Québec has surpassed B.C. in terms of weed exports. This song goes out to my boy Big Eagle P.
Finally we have an 18 year old girl who performs under the stage name COEUR DE PIRATE. I think will be a pretty big star. Like someone on punkottawa said she has yet to perform outside of Québec and I think once she does she will be winning that canadian critics prize. I would say she sounds like what would happen if Cat Power and Françoise Hardy had a lesbian baby together. Song is COMME DES ENFANTS.
my friend charles got me this for my birthday. we thought this c.d. was revelation, no joke. THE OFFSPRING, COME OUT AND PLAY.
My sister and I used to sing this shit all the time (pathetic I know). My dad got mad at us cause he said it was about drugs. Somehow everything was related to drugs. He also had an equation that drugs equaled murder. Whatever, I think it holds up. GREEN DAY- WHEN I COME AROUND.
My friend's big sister's boyfriend put us on to this shit. He also smoked and had a knife. Looking back he was in grade 10 and was probably pimply and as dorky as fuck. But shit, in grade 6 he scared the shit out of us and we thought he was the epitome of cool. Sawry for the lack of video. MISFITS, WHERE EAGLES DARE.
This is something new for Youth Anthems. I am going to try my hand at true rock journalism and review a record and why not start with something that is real close to home Ottawa's own BRIGHTS and their debut release HEARTBREAKERS.
Before I get into the album proper let's talk about my first experience with BRIGHTS. Summer of 2007. The Transit (who are probably my second favorite Ottawa band ever) are playing a true last show. I need closure for this band that was so important to me yet I did not buy a ticket in time before it sold out. Brights were playing their first show as the opener and one of their members Ross was kind enough to sell me a ticket. SWEET, I get to see The Transit. Standing in the basement of endhits I think of my years in the Ottawa scene thinking of all the great and often underrated bands that truly influenced my life. I turn to a friend of mine (jayhu? hooligan?) and I say "wow, with Transit completely done Ottawa officially has no more good bands." It killed me to say this but the days of Course of Action, Miles Between Us and Roads to Shiloh seemed so far away. Brights are setting up and I'm like alright whatever gimme the transit. Their first song wasn't even done and I turn to that same friend and I say "I officially retract my previous statement, these guys rule". Now they have their first release out on burgeoning record label SQUARE UP and even in that basement I couldn't forsee this. Truly great songs recorded and packaged at a level that makes me think theses guys are making an honest attempt at making this band a success outside of the confines of the 613/819. One thing I like about this is that's it an EP 5 songs, no bullshit. No bullshit being the overall vibe I get from this band. "Emotional" punk has changed a lot in the past couple of years and it has grown into what I would consider to be a bloated and disgusting monster. Brights truly evoke a feeling of having lived this scene for years and still contributing because they have to not because it's cool. The days when emo was still an inside joke and the haircuts were stupid but not THAT stupid. Pretty much the good old days (if there is such a thing) for people in their early to mid twenties. There's a fine line between sounding honest and sounding cheesy as hell. Brights are firmly entrenched on the honest side of things which is what makes it rise above most bands in the genre. Key tracks to listen to are HOME and HEARTBREAKERS, luckily they are on their myspace .
Youth Anthems gives HEARTBREAKERS an 8 out of 10. If these kids really work at it I would expect big things.
you can and should buy the record at interpunk, endhits and surely a bunch of other places.
Ok this post really hit me sideways. I was reading a great Ottawa blog OTTAWA EXPLOSION and their most recent post introduced me to something mindblowingly awesome. BACK PORCH VIDEOS a cable access show from Michigan that ran during the 80s. They were live for 3 hours every week and played music videos, showcased live bands and played records. On top of that the entire staff was comprised of HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. Just seeing them go really makes me think of what I want Youth Anthems to be and evoke. Just a love of music and having fun all while being motivated by and maintaining the fire and vigor of youth. I have spoken to some friends about taking Youth Anthems to public access television and seeing this really amazes me. That being said they had a million dollar studio being backed by a famous DJ and they were around when video was just blowing up. Still though, one can dream. I think the concept of having a bunch of kids hang out and talk about stuff in an interactive setting and integrating listening to music and music videos could work. You know talking celebrity gossip, politics, cheesy issues like aids and sweet arguments about sports. MTV Canada's aftershow has the hanging out aspect now just merge that with the old school and I believe it would attract kids back to the television set. Have a live online chat at the same time and you're set. dreamjob!
Ok. I will play some videos from BACK PORCH TV that were made when they didn't have a video for the song. Starting with anti-racist Welsh skinhead band THE OPPRESSED with SKINHEAD GIRL. The hosts just seem to be having so much fun. I am thinking about shaving my head bald just to see how warped by skull really is and to truly appreciate the hugeness of my dome. I would have to wear suspenders just to not look like I have cancer.
Next up is THE MISFITS with ASTRO ZOMBIES you should already know what it is. One of their only non static age good songs. You can really feel the punk kid nostalgia oozing out of this clip. It makes me so sad/happy...
Finally we have a video that is CRUSHINGLY nostalgic for me. Because the song already makes me long for another time A NEW ENGLAND by BILLY BRAGG. That and the kids just seem so beautiful and lucky at this crossroads of their lives. Kinda like when you see the future C.E.O., the future convict, the future sad old lonely man in a an old highschool year book just going crazy and having fun together during a lunch time activity or chilling outside in the parking lot. A perfect moment frozen and preserved forever in photography after which the crashing waves of time will destroy those innocent hearts... sigh. Wow, I can't believe I wrote that. Fuck I'm a loser, haha. Enjoy the amazing song bitches!
One of my heroes plays on my dad's soccer team (which is almost entirely comprised of Scottish immigrants). The man is in his mid 60's and is still a very good soccer player. He's also a union man who swears like you could not believe. His secret to this health is that he drinks (at least) one pint of beer a day, takes one good shit a day and only eats one meal a day(!). Today I have started this diet. I'm gonna try to do the one big meal a day thing, snacks are for the weak. The theme today is pretty damn somber and I think I am bummed out just by thinking about. The best artists to have been murdered...
If you know me as a human being you KNOW who I am going to start with on this post. I have posted about this man before and I will most definitely post about him again. Christopher Wallace a.k.a. THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. . This guy is one of my favorite artists. Bar none the greatest rapper to have ever lived. I saw a tshirt on the internet that said "If Biggie were still alive most rappers would be working at McDonalds" this is true. Every rapper on TV today owes him everything. Many people think of Tupac as a "deeper" artist. I would disagree as Biggie was heavily introspective. He has a song about suicide which is a HEAVILY taboo and stigmatized topic amongst the african-american community. The song today is PARTY AND BULLSHIT which at first glance seems to be simply about partying but he really takes us into that whole high school house party world. Painting a picture of the epic events of adolescence. His posthumous album was already called Life After Death before he was murdered by drive-by shooting in Los Angeles 15 days before it was released. His murder remains unsolved to this day.
R.I.P. May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997
A band I got into towards the end of my high school was THE GITS. A Seatle punk/grunge band that was active from 1986 to 1993. When you listen to them its truly Mia Zapata's voice that reaches out and gets you. She was apparently a huge influence on Bikini Kill/Le Tigre's Kathleen Hannah. She sings about hopelessness and alcohol. Their music really strikes a chord with me. Mia Zapata was brutally raped and murdered in 1993. Her murder was finally solved due to new developments in DNA analysis. I know I joke around a lot but it makes me really angry that a woman still can't feel safe walking home at night. The song is called SEAWEED and if ever you have the time you should check the lyrics as they are really beautiful.
R.I.P. August 25, 1965 – July 7, 1993.
Everybody has favorite genres of music but I'll be damned if you can't appreciate a true ARTIST. A person who's talent seems to be infinite. One of these artists is MARVIN GAYE. He was the most popular artist on Motown during the 60's and he went against the grain big time in refusing the song writing formula at Motown at the time. He made the creative process a collaboration between songwriter, producer and artist. In high school my friend Sam's grand father gave him his car once he was too old to drive. It was a huge Oldsmobile. Sam installed a thumping sound system in that thing. Marvin was a staple in the cd player. Marvin Gaye was tragically shot dead by his own father. You can't write stuff that sad. The song is SEXUAL HEALING.
The final person is probably the most culturally important. JOHN LENNON. I haven't ever really been big into The Beatles. I think this is because everybody loves them and I never liked to be on the winning team. Lennon though has the same birthday as me (9th of October) which always got me interested in him thinking we had some ridiculous connection. Having recently read an interview with him I think he quit The Beatles for the same reason young Iain never wanted to like them, not wanting to be in the majority. The song is WORKING CLASS HERO. I think it's easily my favorite of his. Green Day should have never touched it. Lennon was sadly shot in the back 4 times in New York City.
This past weekend I went to see an exhibit on 1930's art. Fascist Italy produced some awesome art. The Nazis? only if you like naked dudes rowing and doing exercise. I also got to visit the fair city of Buffalo to watch the Bills play. It was mental as fuck. The tailgaiting is like being in Mad Max but more post-apocalyptic. Today's theme is music from WES ANDERSON movies. The kid has wicked taste.
First movie featured is RUSHMORE. Pretty much my favorite movie of all time. The song is I AM WAITING by THE ROLLING STONES. I recently read 2 interviews one with Mick Jagger and the other with Keith Richards and I said to myself "I really need to check out their shit". As a kid I just saw the Stones as being disgusting old dudes that my dad liked. How wrong I was. The song is off their album Aftermath which is apparently when they became good at music. Keith and Mick become G certified in songwriting here. The song appears in the movie when Max is at rock bottom. The video is a really cool live performance from the classic show Ready Steady Go in 1966.
Part 2. Wes Anderson gets on the mainstream map with THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS. Everybody loves this movie. Only thing I would say is not enough BILL MURRAY. Good lord I want to be that man. The song was a really hard choice here which makes me think that like the WU TANG WEEKEND wrap up we might have a Wes Anderson version of that feature. I picked the song JUDY IS A PUNK by THE RAMONES. The song is off their self titled album which is pretty much a perfect record. I picked this song because its from the part when Royal is fucking shit up with his grandkids. That reminded me of my BMX afternoon with my little cousins this summer. Best times ever. The video is apparently from a 1974 performance, quality is bad but you can still make out the lyrics.
Episode 3. LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU. A movie that was panned by critics. I, however, would say it was panned by haters. Sure it wasn't as tight as his three first movies but it was another visual homerun. The soundtrack is also great and actually created songs for the movie. DAVID BOWIE, LIFE ON MARS? Wouldn't say I'm a Bowie superfan but he did pump out some tight tracks. My dad apparently gave in a Bowie song as a poem for english class, he got like a B or something. HA. The video is pretty damn cool and it's a fuckin epic song.
Grande Finale. THE DARJEELING LIMITED. This movie blew my mind. It takes Life Aquatic's grand slam visuals and Rushmore's heart. I really felt a connection to this film. That being said the soundtrack is mostly composed of music used in Bollywood films. I couldn't find a good enough video for one of The Kinks' songs on the soundtrack so I went with 60's one hit wonder PETER SARSTEDT. The track is WHERE DO YOU GO TO MY LOVELY is a very important part of the movie (especially the prologue HOTEL CHEVALIER) as it is played in association to the soul destroying ex girlfriend that dumped Jason Schwartzman's character. I feel him. Reeaaaaaaaallly good song.
BONUS.
I know I've gone long enough already but I would be dumb not to feature SEU JORGE Brazilian singer who plays a member of Steve Zissou's crew. He covers David Bowie tracks in Portuguese. Yup.
Today's post is dedicated to everybody that "gets it". Friday is a good day but you gotta make everyday a positive day. Tuesdays can be beautiful. Today we talk about one of the greatest human beings alive today. DAN YEMIN. This man is pure truth in the shell of a mortal man. He is in my favorite band ever, my 6th favorite band ever and 2 of my favorite bands touring today. I have met him twice and have been a loser fanboy both times. Both those times though the guy treated me with the most class and respect i have ever encounteredwhile talking to semi big touring HC bands.
Ok let's do this in non chronological order. Go with his work in KID DYNAMITE one of the bands that rose out of the ashes of Lifetime and almost as amazing (which is still better than 99% of bands). My blog is named after this song CHEAP SHOT YOUTH ANTHEM. It's about the importance of all ages shows. So many kids turn 19 and 21 and turn their backs on AA which is fucking ridiculous. If it wasn't for all ages shows I honnestly think I might have never finished high school. This video was made by a random dude on youtube and it makes me think of my psycho scottish cousins that were in town this summer.
Next up we have LIFETIME. Already featured on the blog. Essentially my favorite group of all time. I would kill a man with a swiss army knife if they asked. No joke. Their songs speak so much to me and I have so many memories associated to their music. The perfect combination of aggression and melody. They were together from 1990 to 1997 but they are most remembered for their last 2 albums of this era (HELLO BASTARDS and JERSEYS BEST DANCERS). Both those albums are perfect and you should listen to them A.S.A.P. They reunited in 2005 (i had the opportunity to see them at this time) and came out with a new self titled album. Which believe it or not got a POSITIVE review in pitchfork. To me it's not as good as HB and JBD but it is growing on me like HPV in paris hilton's uterus. Some of the songs on it are on par with their classic shit. They are signed on Fueled by Ramen aka Fallout Boy's label and I think that's alright cause every single mainstream "emo" or pop punk band owes them half their profits. We have a double pack of songs. YOUNG LOUD AND SCOTTY live from a breakup show and AIRPORT MONDAY MORNING the video from their new album. Let it percolate.
Finally we have PAINT IT BLACK with Dan Yemin singing. I like them less than his other bands cause to me he's a genius guitar player. The song is called MEMORIAL DAY it's from a house show, the quality sucks but during the sing along you can really see what I'm talking about when I'm trying to communicate the feeling i get in my heart when I listen to these bands.
BONUS ALERT
Yemin is in another band ARMALITE which features Atom Goren of Atom and his Package and other dudes from bands. They pretty much only play philly but dear lord are they amazing.
This post is influenced by some douchebag on a message board bashing my birthplace. The city (or former city) of Vanier a working class/poor and predominately French neighborhood. People bash it a lot and it pisses me off. These asshole kids are far removed from the areas they bash and forget or don't care that people live there, people with stories! My point is that a very significant portion of the world's best art comes from areas like Vanier. Shit, another place that gets a similar bad a rap is the state of NEW JERSEY. We've all heard the jokes. One thing though is that the state of New Jersey alone probably produced more awesome/important music than all of English Canada. Woops.
Now let's start with the most obvious of Jersey's glorious sons. Everybody loves him too no question about it. The beautiful stories he conveys could have very well taken place in Vanier. This is the type of inspiration you just can't get in the Glebe yo! Giving you one of his most popular songs which is ironically about yearning to leave Asbury Park.
Next up we have another one of the most critically acclaimed and universally loved artists of recent times in Lauryn Hill. Although I'm going to put up a Fugees song cause I feel like it. Praz and Wyclef were Haitian immigrants (HAÏTI!) and hooked up with jersey native Hill to create one of the most important hip hop groups of the 90's. One thing I love about this era was that every hip hop video had the artists in a secret agent mission type scenario. Vanier 2 - Westboro 0.
Finally we have what can be considered as my favorite band of all time, Lifetime. A seminal melodic hardcore band who's influence can be heard across a lot today's mainstream music. Not really working class and more crappy suburb influenced but 10000% jersey. This song is called Theme Song for a New Brunswick Basement Show. Much like Springsteen, Lifetime makes an ordinary event happening to ordinary people into an epic story. In this case just sitting down next to a girl at a shitty punk show. I saw them live at a reunion show in 2005 and I wish I had a clip from that show but this is pretty close they are playing the Stone Pony (a legendary Jersey venue). K.O. Vanier wins.
BONUS FEATURE!
And we have a bonus! The dark lords of suburban jersey the danzig era MISFITS! Unfortunately like so many awesome groups they inspired a lot of shit (any band that wears makeup that is not them). Whatever. This is a video from what I believe to be is a Detroit area public access show. Quality sucks but the interview is awesome.
