12-Step Program - All Time Low

You've been hearing a lot about All Time Low if you've been following this blog, and not just because I was in their music video. All Time Low is one of the most prominent pop punk bands in the scene right now, and is soon to break out into the mainstream, following the footsteps of Boys Like Girls, We the Kings, and Fall Out Boy. If you've never heard of All Time Low and cringe at the radio-friendly pop music that the aforementioned bands have put out, don't be too quick to judge, for All Time Low bring new aspects to their music.

All Time Low may be the next New Found Glory or Blink-182, and you know you don't want to be blindsighted when they start appearing on the radio. If you've never heard of them or have only dabbled in their discography, today is your lucky day, for now I present my 12-Step Program to getting into All Time Low.

All Time have released two EPs and three albums since the band's inception in 2003, but of primary relevence are their three most recent releases, Put Up Or Shut Up, So Wrong, It's Right, and Nothing Personal. Their pop punk formula influenced heavily by Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy has changed somwhat, follwoing (or perhaps leading) similar traends in the scene. Put Up Or Shit Up offers an wintry, autumnal sound with little production, So Wrong, It's Right offers a more pop-oriented sound with more summery leanings, and Nothing Personal offers a completely summery feel with lots of production. For step one of my 12-Step Program, I present "Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)".

1) All Time Low - "Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)" (m4a)

"Damned If I Do Ya" is off All Time Low's most recent album Nothing Personal, and reveals their ability to write an incredibly catchy pop song. Singer Alex Gaskarth is a fine songwriter, using clever puns and sweet, memorable choruses. While occasioanlly some of All Time Low's poppier songs can be almost too sweet, they remain incredibly fun to sing along to and priovde an easy getaway from one's preocupations.

2) All Time Low - "Dear Maria, Count Me In"

Before the blistering pop of Nothing Personal, All Time began the split between pop and pop punk on So Wrong, It's Right, their second album and fourth release. "Dear Maria, Count Me In" retains the slightly autumnal pop punk of Put Up Or Shut Up, but reveals a clear move to a more pop-oriented sound in at least some of the songs. Still, though, "Dear Maria" mainatins all that is good about All Time Low, with clever lyrics and catchy melodies. This is the last time in All Time Low's career that production doesn't play a big part in the sound of their songs.

3) All Time Low - "Coffeeshop Soundtrack" (m4a)

"Coffeeshop Soundtrack" was All Time Low's first relevant single and is one of their best songs. Off Put Up Or Shut Up, this track has a noticible autumnal feel, which which is replaced by a summery feel in their later albums. "Coffeeshop Soundtrack" is a very well-written, mature song that showcases Alex's unique voice and penchant for harmonies and dual vocals. This track is more in the league of Fall Out Boy's Take This To Your Grave or New Found Glory's Coming Home than radio-friendly more-pop-than-punk We The Kings or Boys Like Girls.

4) All Time Low - "Remembering Sunday"

"Remembering Sunday" was All Time Low's first largely acoustic song and proves to be one of their most popular, in a similar vein to Boys Like Girls' "Thunder". The song is one of their most melancholy and tells a story about a boy looking for the girl he loves. Juliett Simms of Automatic Loveletter makes a grand appearance during the brigde of the song, which takes the song to an epic level. "Remembering Sunday" is one of All Time Low's gems in terms of structure and songwriting and is unlike any other, though All Time Low have other acoustic songs to boot.

5) All Time Low - "Walls" (m4a)

"Walls" represents All Time Low's true sound: accesible pop punk with just the tiniest bit of edge. Though not as catchy as "Damned If I Do Ya," "Walls" barely approaches the moodiness of Put Up Or Shut Up. "Walls" carries the heay production of Nothing Personal, which is where it differs from similar songs on So Wrong It's Right, but its sound has remained truest to Put Up Or Shut Up while still mainatining a pop aesthetic. Songwriting is mature but simple with clever, self-aware verses and catchy choruses. If the sweetness of the singles is too much, songs like "Walls" are a perfect getaway to the true pop punk sound of All Time Low.

Look at that! A 12-Step Program in only five steps! Hopefully you have an appreciation for All Time Low by now. As long as you can sit back and enjoy without scutinizing every lyrics or chord, All Time Low will be a perfect band for anyone with any pop or rock sensibility. If you just can't get into them, they probably aren't for you. Go listen to your Neutral Milk Hotel and leave the scene alone.

If you liked:

1) "Damned If I Do Ya (Damned If I Don't)"

Try: "Weightless," "Lost in Stereo," "The Beach"

2) "Dear Maria, Count Me In"

Try: "Six Feet Under the Stars," "Poppin' Champagne," "Come One, Come All"

3) "Coffeeshop Soundtrack"

Try: "Break Out! Break Out!," "Jasey Rae," "Lullabies"

4) "Remembering Sunday"

Try: "Jasey Rae (Acoustic)," "Break Out! Break Out! (Acoustic)," "Therapy"

5) "Walls"

Try: "Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal," "Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last for a Night)," "Break Your Little Heart"

See also: All Time Low - Poison and All Time Low - Weightless

Something Completely Different - Port Blue

It is very, very rare that I can appreciate music without vocals. To me, the meaning of a song is in the lyrics, and the beauty of a song is in the instrumentals and vocals. Port Blue takes that idea and throws it into the middle of the ocean: he has created 10 short tracks of pure sound with no vocals, and yet each track has more meaning than any words can convey. In his Albatross EP, he has created the soundtrack to a dream.

Port Blue is the project of Adam Young, also of Owl City. What makes his soundscapes so appealing is that he captures the spirit of the ocean and dreams so well, despite living as far from the sea as possible (in Minnesota). According to Young, "the ocean has always been a curiously dreamy, ethereal, almost romantic thing to me." This respect and admiration for the ocean is clear on The Albatross, and if you keep that in mind, his songs take on a new dimension as you imagine this midwestern boy dreaming of the west coast. Each song is like a dream, and is perfect to fall asleep to. The Albatross is 17 minutes of blissful paradise.

I don't post album downloads, but I highly recommend you buy Port Blue's album. Listen to it to fall asleep, listen to it as you sit in the sun, listen to it as you go to the aquarium. Each song is the soundtrack to a dream, a memory, or an experience. Here I have posted my three favorites; if you like them, please pursue an interest in this man; no one has captured the essence of dreams so well.

RIYL Owl City, The Postal Service, Playradioplay!, drifting into a daydream

Track:

Port Blue - "In the Dolphin Tank"

Port Blue - "City of Safe Harbors"

Port Blue - "Into the Sea"

For Comparison:

The Graduate - "Interlude"

Hybrid Theory - "Secret"

Port Blue:

http://www.myspace.com/portblue

Owl City:

http://www.myspace.com/owlcity

B-Side - All Time Low

All Time Low is one of the biggest pop punk bands in the scene that haven't made it to radio (though that could soon change). They are one of the few popular bands that have started from the bottom, doing hometown shows and getting signed by a tiny record label, and have made it as high as any band can get in the scene. After three albums and two EPs, All Time Low have the formula for great pop music down. Nearly every song off their most recent release, Nothing Personal, proves that.

While many pop punk bands play the game very safe with peppy melodies and energetic lyrics, All Time Low venture into darker territory with "Poison," a unique track that was left off Nothing Personal except as a bonus track. Why did All Time Low leave one of their best tracks off their possibly breakthrough record? The reason is that "Poison" is not your average pop punk song, and it commands a completley different vibe from the rest of the album.

"Poison"'s main appeal, to me, is its grittiness. It is a dark track about the negative aspects of being a rockstar, and you can tell no one was smiling as it was recorded, though that's not to say they didn't put all their energy into it. The song starts off slow, with a paced drum beat, followed by the introduction of singer Alex Gaskarth's unique voice and a guitar playing in a foreboding minor key. The chorus kicks in, breaking the melancholy of the first verse with catchy vocals and a creatively placed synth line, but ends on a hard note before a bass-drop kicks in. The second verse relays a level of anger very unusual for a pop band, but All Time Low pull it off with talent and power. The instrumental bridge is packed with rock-and-roll guitar a palm-muted verse, before All Time Low smash into the final chorus and wretch the demons from deep inside the pop punk vault with heavy distortion.

You can write All Time Low off as "just another pop punk band," but "Poison" reveals a level of maturity and grit unseen in their contemporaries. It was smart of them to have left it off Nothing Personal, for its themes and sounds differ greatly from the romance-laden lyrics found on many of the other osngs on the album. This is one b-side for the ages, and it turns out this this b-side is closer to the dark side than anything you should be prepared to see.

RIYL Paramore, There for Tomorrow, My American Heart, Hit the Lights

Track:

All Time Low - "Poison" (not my link)

For Comparison:

Paramore - "Decode"

My American Heart - "There Are More Frightening Things..."

All Time Low:

http://www.myspace.com/alltimelow

http://www.purevolume.com/alltimelow

Starring Yours Truly - All Time Low

(T at 1:09, me at 1:50)

All Time Low - "Weightless"

Awesome - Hit the Lights

Pop punk is a surprisingly interesting genre for what it's composed of. No radio stations in Los Angeles play it (except for when Fall Out Boy or Green Day have a new hit), yet it scores huge on MTV and even incited the creation of an entire scene of music lovers. Pop punk albums usually sell quite well because the music is so accessible, but rarely will they be remembered in history, let alone a year after their release (where the fuck did Cartel go?). Many say pop punk is a fad that will die out, and few disagree. If pop punk is so ephemeral, then, why do bands continue to play it?

Hit the Lights answers that question: they don't give a fuck about history, they just want to make good music that makes people feel a certain way and that people can sing along to. Their recent song, "Coast to Coast," off their new EP of the same name, may only last for one summer in people's playlists, but history is not what Hit the Lights are about. Instead, they channel their musical talent into fresh, catchy tunes perfect for the summer. Their music, simple as it may be, is just as good as that of Fall Out Boy or Paramore, but captures a different feeling: that of the three months of summer break. Hit the Lights sings to to the kids, and they sing it loud.

"Coast to Coast" is not only one of Hit the Lights' best tracks, but also one that exemplifies their style of music very well. Guitar, bass, and drum mix to create a powerful backdrop for singer Nick Thompson's slightly nasally voice, and the result is pop punk gold. They do everything right: great production, great composition, great instrumentation; Thompson's vocal style and songwriting is perfect for the summer, and his harmonies are well placed and skillfullly done. The lyrics are simple yet meaningful, a thank you to all the fans who helped them get where they are, and easy enough to remember that you'll know the chorus before it comes around twice. The gang vocals and intrumental breakdown at the bridge reveal that Hit the Lights had a lot of fun with this song, and that fun translates into the listener's good time.

Some people might call Hit the Lights generic, but if you can capture a mood perfectly and present it to your listeners while having fun, who gives a fuck about originality or longevity? Hit the Lights have created pop punk perfection. Let "Coast to Coast" be the soundtrack to your summer.

RIYL New Found Glory, All Time Low, Cartel, Amber Pacific

Track:

Hit the Lights - "Coast to Coast" (m4a)

For Comparison:

New Found Glory - "My Freinds Over You"

Hit the Lights - "Drop the Girl"

Hit the Lights:

http://www.myspace.com/hitthelights

http://www.purevolume.com/hitthelights

New Layout!

Hello! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but you can be assured that I will be posting a-plenty this coming week. It's the summertime now, which means I'd rather be sitting on a sandy beach watching the sunset than driving through a neon-lit city. So, for the re-grand-openning of my blog, I present the beach!

The picture used for my background was taken by friend Andrew Gold, much like the city scene that was my previous background. He is a skilled photograaher, and I encourage you to check out his works at http://andrewauphoto.com/.

With the changing of seasons comes my change in music tastes, as I am listening less to dancy electronica and more to sweet, catchy pop-punk. That is not to say that you will never see an electronica track on here again, but simply that I will be listening to and posting about music that better suits the mood of the summer. There will be more 12-Step Programs, more Awesome Recs, and some new fun things. Stay posted and leave comments!