Deaf Writers

90's kids and their opinions of music

[deafwriters-blog]

Seaway- Colour Blind 8/23/15

With the emo revival becoming bigger in the scene, pop punk has been trying to put a similar edge into it’s styling. But Seaway decided to screw that and show us a fun album that makes someone feel good and ready to dance mosh. Their second album is not an existential masterpiece and it does not show a huge complexity to their lyrics but they offer a different vibe. Seaway has songs about girls, the gotta get outta of this town themes, and covers the basic pop punk checklist. As simple as it seems, Seaway is not trying to emphasize on it’s state of mind or lack thereof and that is making the difference.With songs that are catchy and put any frown upside down, they seem to undermine the sad wave. Favorite tunes were Best Mistake and Still Weird. 

SPOTIFY LINK

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PWR BTTM - Ugly Cherries 9-19-15

This duo is sending the music scene up in flames with their progressive forms and settings set with a rock background. Their uncanny sense of self has developed a much needed community that seems to be the evolution of what Bowie first began. Their revolutionary stance on trans rock is seen throughout their gender neutral album. As well as it has had an impact even on public radio with NPR (National Public Radio) writing some great reviews on them (link at the bttm). Their latest and only album Ugly Cherries is phenomenal. It is grand with guitar solos and dance electronica as well as destroys the barriers of conventional lyricism with it’s gender fluidity. Ugly Cherries the song itself holds the best rock element while Dairy Queen with it’s simplistic lyrics shows off an upbeat, easy to groove indie vibe. Favorite songs off the album were I Wanna Boi and All The Boys. 

Going on tour with: Lisa Prank, Vundabar, and Bellows

LINK TO NPR

SPOTIFY LINK

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Bayside- Vacancy 8/19/16

Bayside seem to be the uncle of emo. They have taught us the hard lessons of life especially those of love as well as given us stories of their past that seem to collide with our own. Throughout the years Bayside has grown a cult ( hence the name of their last album) and a certain depression element they even the members have acknowledged (Stuttering off of Cult pretty much explains this).This new album seems different though. The anger ridden lyrics seemed to changed to lyrics mostly of inspiration. Anthony Raneri’s own personal life didn’t seem to have as much impact. After his first divorce he came out with Killing Time with the hits like Mona Lisa and Wrong Way. The album is amazing per usual Bayside but it is interesting to hear how they play with almost a 20′s swing vibe. It does have all the key ingredients that make Bayside the beloved band with great lyrics, sweet guitar solos, and those weird  enunciation ways Raneri likes to emphasize. Favorites off the album were Two Letters, Not Fair, and Mary. 

Going on tour with: Sorority Noise/ The Menzingers

LINK TO THE ALBUM

SPOTIFY LINK

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Songs that should get more love by this grand band

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Bad Luck- Cold Bones 7/15/14

Gritty voices and guitar parts are the main focuses on this roar of a band. They have two versions of this album and they like the one released off their label, Tragic Hero better. Mostly because it has such great producers like Jim Wirt (Incubus, Hoobastank, Something Corporate) on it. Bad Luck uses two lead singer for this pop punk purity that works well for most bands. It has a Jason Lancaster (Mayday Parade/Go Radio) vibe with the vocals floating between talking, singing, yelling, and screaming. The heart of the lyrics seems to be the basic plight of every twenty something, a life full of bills that you weren’t ready for, friendships breaking apart, and a stupid love life. The first song comes crashing out the gates highlighting the guitars and it’s not hard seeing how Bayside is one their favorites but the lyric complexity throughout the rest of the album is beautiful. Certain songs struck me harder than the rest but this album deserves the all around award with it’s vocals, guitar works, lyrics, and cohesive vibe. Favorite songs are Graphic Novel(s) with the line “I'm the ‘asshole with asthma’ sucking down cigarettes “ and King Of The Ring with “A place that men have wrecked with sin something my parents lied about and nurtured women die without”. 

Would pair nicely with: The Early November/  New Found Glory

LINK TO THE ALBUM

SPOTIFY LINK

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[deafwriters-blog]

Wild Ones- Heatwave 9/14/15

With Halsey and Melanie Martinez dominating the music scene, the feminine singers are being shown mad love again. Wild Ones is a sweet showcase of mysticism or “dream pop” as they herald it. This Portland band, shows the indie roots that the local scene is famous for. The new singer, Danielle Sullivan, just began writing music at 23; which gives the rest of us hope. This band is growing in popularity but still a relative “undiscovered band” with less than 15k views on YouTube. Although the ep, Heatwave seems to be predominantly about romantic relationships, the synth reverie is easy to get lost in. Favorite track of the album is “They Said”, the great lyrics perfectly compliment the cool sound that just emanates from this four minute ditty. A band to definitely keep track of and watch grow. 

Similar sounds: Wild Belle, Surfer Blood

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LINK TO THE ALBUM

SPOTIFY LINK

[deafwriters-blog]

Girlpool- Self Titled 09/17/14

An indie duo that came up from L.A. Their first ep is similar to what one would expect a musical adaptation of Broad City would be. It is of two best friend with no drums speaking their truths. Taking inspiration from Bright Eyes and a bluesy form of poetry, Girlpool has hit the American nerve system. Going through this album is a roller coaster. You start off with the head bobbing catchy, and honestly fun lyrics of Blah, Blah, Blah. You find such empowerment songs that follow. Feminism is a key element in their songs but they touch on other social issues such as body confidence, depression, and love. A song that highlights race and gender stereotypes, Paint Me Colors is an eerie reminder of American Tune by AJJ (Andrew Jackson Jihad). This entire album is an anthem and Slutmouth is the focal point with lyrics such as “Sometimes I wanna be a boy/Never really wanted girl toys/Why don't you cross your legs/Lady please”. A well worth listen from social justice warriors to beach goers. 

Feminist Comedians they should party with- Janeane Garofalo(Wet Hot American Summer) /  Kristen Schaal ( Louise Belcher on Bob's Burgers,Mabel Pines on Gravity Falls)

LINK TO THE ALBUM

Spotify link- play.spotify.com

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Have Mercy- My Oldest Friend

These guys seem to have grown so much since they were able to open for Motion City Soundtrack’s farewell tour. They are going on tour again with This Wild Life and Movements. They seem to have gotten much love and well deserved. Their first album “The Earth Pushed Back” set the bar high with Ancient West, Hell, and Let’s Talk About Your Hair. It also showed off the chill-wave style but the premise for that is My Oldest Friend. Funny enough 4 out of the 5 songs on there are on their first ep. The only song different is the opening track, My Oldest Friend. I personally do not know why they didn’t put it on the album because it’s fucking bodacious. And if you want to hear a more unrefined versions of some greats bandmanship, this ep is worth a dig. The lyrics hit hard for any situation and his singing style takes on the beloved song styles of an angry screaming poet and a sincere singer. Favorites were My Oldest Friend and Weak At The Knees.

Other Baltimore bands: Pianos Become the Teeth/Diamond Youth

LINK TO THE EP

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Hotel Books-Run Wild, Stay Alive 6/3/16

A proclaimed art movement instead of a true band, Hotel Books is becoming the latest popularized poetry-based songmakers. This art collection refuses to be considered a band. Although repeatedly said their lyrics are faith-based, they are relevant to any situation going from songs about girls to trying to find yourself. The presentation of themselves make this band hard not to love. They attempt to bring focus to the fans and to the fact that music is a release and not a prison. The band wrote a letter to their fans that everyone should read with the lines “We’re not here for genres, or emotions, or record sales. We are here for people. We are here to build a family and share art in the process”(link at the bottom). The album should be a notable album of 2016. These lyrics make each song heart achingly pure. The favorites are Constant Conflicts and Lesser but it is highly recommended to pull up the lyrics to truly see the magic in the poetry.

Should pair with: Tiny Moving Parts/ The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die 

LINK TO THE ALBUM

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LETTER FROM CAM OF HOTEL BOOKS

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blink, Weezer, Sum 41, and much much more....

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The Cardboard Swords- Self Titled 11/6/15

This band belongs to the new genre that envelops Head North and Sorority Noise. The background music leads to a lo-fy sound that bands are falling back in love with. The songs grow and shrink in lyric size. Some song’s like Brian’s Song are on the shorter and less focused solely on the lyrics while Flannel does the exact opposite and highlights an almost prose-like ending with lines that hit with “Life, may or may not be about finding true love but, it's certainly not about begging for it from someone so” or “While you keep doing the things that you do, shifting blame, and twisting truth and making absolutely positively sure that everybody in the room is certain that the victim just had to be you “. Personal favorite song is S(he) Said but Flannel’s lyrics makes it hard to miss.

Should talk poetry with: Hotel Books/ Microwave

LINK TO THE ALBUM

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Neck Deep- Rain in July 9/18/12

The first album of the now infamous pop punk band, “Rain in July is” a great new-age pop punk 7 song album. It helped pave the way for the new pop punk genre that no longer was Brand New or Jimmy Eat World but instead is with bands such as Knuckle Puck or Modern Baseball. Neck Deep seems to have mixed reviews nowadays from most people but that did not stop them from their latest EP, “Serpents”. But one thing that does seem to unite people is the general love of the first EP that they put out. The band then being only teenagers showed a level of promise with this. It’s been almost 5 years since it came out and “A Part of Me” is still one of the best pop punk love songs of the new era. Although personal favorite off of it is “Silver Lining”. Neck Deep has had some troubles in the past but still is a great “generic” pop punk band.

Same genre as: Story So Far/ Real Friends

LINK TO THE EP

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Envy on the Coast-Lucy Gray 8/7/07

This band who has been inactive for 6 years, has announced 3 shows and a possible “reincarnation”. Lucy Grey is the album that jump started this band into pop punk fame. The title of the album comes from a poem written by William Wordsworth, about the death of a girl. The album takes a different approach into catchy chorus’s and existential lyrics. The beginning is upbeat with dark lyrics that lead into the middle of questioning faith and existence. Each songs seems to go to into a personal description of something that raises questions whether it be death or faith or love. This album remains one of my go-to concept albums. Favorite songs off the album are Starving Your Friends and Sugar Skulls.

Would love to see them play with: I am the Avalanche/ Straylight Run

LINK TO THE ALBUM

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Mat Kerekes-  2011-2014

For fans of a man with a gift for talking about a girl with just a guitar. Citizen’s lead singer does an onset of songs with his brother and proves them as a great lyricist in these collection of songs from 2011-2014. Although most of the songs seem to highlight Mat instead of Chris, the two brothers present this 25 song showcase. Chill nights with a significant other or pinning for a lost one were meant for these songs. The downfalls of this album contain a repetition of a sad, lonely jams from men with broken hearts or the problem of breaking too many. But it is the quality of the songs that make them worthwhile. Favorite song off of it is 2am.

For fans of: City and Colour/ Citizen

LINK TO THE ALBUM

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Knapsack - This Conversation Is Ending Starting Right Now (1998)

This band is the predecessors of most the 2000’s emo revival. They began around 1993 and have quit making music, this album being their official last one as band. It is fantastic from beginning to end. The album brings back the era of Tell All Your Friends and Bleed American. The original pop and punk sound fused together with the thought-provoking lyrics leads to a sentimental album. Two songs stood out from the rest with Arrows to the Action and Katherine the Grateful. Some lyrics that caught my attention were, “I’m amazed how perfectly we match decay.”

Probably influenced: Manchester Orchestra/ The Polar Bear Club

LINK TO THE ALBUM

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Modern Baseball's The Perfect Cast EP 8/23/15

Released in 2015, The Perfect Cast EP is the ideal transition from the band’s sophomore album You’re Gonna Miss It All  and it’s most recent release Holy Ghost, which dropped in May 2016. Modern Baseball. The first song “The Waterboy Returns,” opens the album on a slightly darker note than YGMIA, with strong lyrics, (“death won’t bring friends and flowers to your grave”, for instance) and highlighted by complex, catchy riffs courtesy of guitar lead Jake Ewald. One of MoBo’s greatest strengths is their ever-developing ability to weave complex and meaningful lyrics into catchy beats. In Perfect Cast the band begins to match the words to the depth of the music itself. Tracks like “Waterboy” and “The Thrash Particle” introduce a more melancholy sound that is further developed and elaborated on in Holy Ghost. This often overlooked 2015 release is a solid connection between the two albums and a peek into their development as writers.

Jams with: The Front Bottoms/ Wavves

LINK TO THE ALBUM

WRITTEN BY: Ell Hart 

[deafwriters-blog]

Our First Brains- What You Were 4/7/15

A tiny punk band from Portland that is so rad. The punk vibes that Our First Brains use throughout the album are best compared to the magic of Constant Headache from Joyce. The slow down emphasis on certain parts yet upbeat drums make a jammable album. The short songs also don’t hurt with the first couple songs not going past 2 minutes and the entire album being about 19 minutes leaves room to put it on repeat. If you don’t think you have the time then check out Ego, it’s only 1.32 long and hits you in the feels with every second of the song.

Should open for: Tigers Jaw/Joyce Manor

LINK TO THE ALBUM

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