They signed a million dollar contract with Dreamworks after the massive success of “Deja Entendu.” When Dreamworks was bought out it seemed to trigger something inside of the band. They seemed to go out of their way to displease the powers that be. They lacked the desire to truly promote themselves. Instead, they let the music do the talking for them.

“The Devil and God…” was a phenomenal album that gets better and better with each listen. It was a departure from their previous sound, but maintained that special ingrediant that makes Brand New so goddamn good. I wish I could describe what that ingrediant entails, but I, like so many of their fans am just blindly apt to follow whatever twist and turn they throw my way.

Today marks the release of their album, “Daisy.” The band had done a few interviews about the album, mostly with overseas publications and mostly about how they were not going to be doing any promotion for the album. The album continues the ambient turn of “The Devil and God…” but it is far noisier.

The opening track “Vices” seems almost in the vein of a Refused song. Certainly an eye opener for any fan coming in thinking this was the same band that wrote “Magazines.” It calms back down with “Bed” but it never seems to calm down entirely. It is as if the battle is still raging inside of the band. It is interesting to note the number of references to fire throughout the album.

The first time I listened to the album, I thought to myself, wow, Brand New has managed to create their “In Utero.” This is a band that has all the tools to create an album that would sell millions and millions. This is a band that could have very well taken the torch they lit so many years ago and run with it.

Instead, they have withdrawn into themselves and written the songs they want to play. In doing so, they have written a phenomenal album. They have written some truly beautiful noise here on “Daisy.”

Will it be every Brand New fans cup of tea? Probably not. There will be people longing for the days of “Sic Transit” or even “Jude Law,” but if they put aside their pre-teen crush on Jesse Lacey and actually listen to the album, they’ll see the beauty in it.

While some may wish Brand New was slightly more accessible, I have enjoyed their transition and highly recommend “Daisy” to anyone with a pulse.

Favourite Songs: Bed, Sink, Gasoline, Bought a Bride.

I picked up “The Unraveling” as soon as it was released and it did not even remotely disappoint. It was raw, it was hard, it was fast and it left you needing a cigarette by the end of it. It also showcased a band with both socially aware and also heartfelt lyrics.

They would follow up with “Revelotions Per Minute” and once again, it was an in-yer-face punk rock/hardcore album that delivered start to finish. They had gained some momentum within the punk and hardcore community and also gone through a line up change. “RPM” only increased their clout and popularity.

Then, out of nowhere, they were scooped up by a Major label and the downward spiral began. “Siren Song…” started off with one of the hardest Rise Against songs ever written in “State of the Union” but failed to deliver much more. The songs were softer, more radio friendly and delving into the pop-rock world.

Don’t get me wrong, it is a great album, but it wasn’t what I had come to expect. Tim’s vocals are distinct enough though to carry the album through start to finish.

I don’t even want to get into the next two albums because, quite frankly, despite a song or two, I think they are mainstream dribble.

So, back to the concert last night…it was my sixth time seeing Rise Against and I went in pretty much expecting what I had seen the previous two times; little to no FAT WRECK era material, and that is exactly what they delivered. They played ONE song from “RPM” and went with “Dead Ringer” which is a great song but an odd choice if you were only going to do one. The only song from “The Unraveling” was the acoustic version of “Everchanging.”

I LOVE “Everchanging.” It might even be my favourite Rise Against song, but i do NOT like the acoustic version. It robs the song of its energy and passion and the crowd didn’t seem to know enough of the words to even sing along.

The only time the crowd went truly nuts was when they broke out the last few singles. It was a massive crowd, one I never really thought I’d see at a Rise Against show. So I suppose their radio-friendly brand of rock is connecting with people, but not exactly the kind of crowd I feel comfortable in.

What truly surprised me was how much I enjoyed Rancid’s set. I have always respected Rancid for what they’ve done in the scene but I have never been what I would call a fan of the music. Oh, I, like many others get down with “Ruby Soho” and dance like mad to “Time Bomb” but overall, I had never been too into the Rancid vibe.

That changed last night. Here is a group of guys who have been playing together for 18 years and last night they were up on stage like a bunch of spry young punk rockers in love with what they were doing. Tim seemed to be smiling the entire set and their energy was contagious. They also did what Rise Against did not; PLAYED THE OLD SHIT!

Ruby Soho? Check. Salvation? Check. Time Bomb? Check. Olympia, WA? Check. Nihilism? Check. Roots Radicals? Check.
I could go on, but I’m sure you get the point. Yes, they did play some new songs as well, and they didn’t necessarily click with me, but they came out knowing what they do best and knowing where they came from.

Kudos to the ol’ crust punkers in Rancid and here’s to another 18 years! OI! OI!

Metric’s new video for “Sick Muse”

If you look at the Wakestock 2009 Posters it looks a little bit like Emily Haines in the middle…

I am hoping this is the case since Wakestock is in my hometown of Collingwood, ON this year!

Social Distortion is the first confirmed band thus far which is super rad.

“Welcome to Cancellation, Bitch.”

Ever since the end of Beverly Hills: 90210, the world had been in desperate need of a California-based teen angst drama. The 2003-2004 FOX television season would deliver our saviour and quench our insatiable thirst for rich kid drama. The O.C. would take us all on quite the ride and perhaps its immense popularity during its initial run was its own undoing.

Garnering audiences of up and around the 10 million viewer mark, the O.C. was a genuine phenomenon. From drinking games to making everyone know that the geeky kid could land the popular girl (thanks Seth, you were a true inspiration), the O.C. taught us many things.

Everyone knew that Thursday nights the bar scene would have to wait until after Ryan and Marissa solved whatever alcohol induced problems they were facing. That was until, of course, Wilf’s brought us O.C. Thursdays. Why lose an hour of quality bar time when you can watch the O.C. at a bar? While providing storyline after storyline its first season, the O.C. would hit a lull in its second season.

Viewership dropped drastically and even a disgustingly cliché ratings grab like a lesbian romp in the sand couldn’t bring the kids (or dirty old men) back. I admit that even I, after not missing a single episode of the first season found myself bored and looking elsewhere for my teen angst (thank you One Tree Hill and Dawson’s Creek reruns). Different time slots and tired storylines would continue in the third season and viewers jumped ship even faster.

Trying to shake the O.C. and its viewers, the writers had decided that even they had exhausted all possible storylines for Marissa Cooper, the shows star, and had her killed off in a car crash in the season finale. This was perhaps an attempt to lure people back for the fourth season to see how the rest of the cast would cope. Surely Ryan would be back to his fist slinging ways in no time! But, alas, the fourth season stalled and struggled to find its place and ratings dropped even further.

Some have argued that the fourth season has not been a disappointment and in fact has been quite enjoyable. Seth, Summer, Ryan and the rest of the cast have delivered some memorable moments from a pregnancy scare to a bizarre coma-induced alternate dimension, but the viewers have not been buying it. After its run of 16 episodes, the O.C. will be no more. So mark your calendars for February 22 because my friends, it’s time we once again take to the streets and declare our love for the outcast loner, geeky emo kid and spoiled yet transformed rich girl. Thanks for the memories O.C., I look forward to when you are slotted next to 90210 on TV Tropolis.

Originally Published in The Cord Weekly as “Mixed Tape of Emotion”

That’s right folks; it’s almost that time of the year again. It is the time of year to shell out that hard-earned cash for chocolate and diamonds to prove how much you love your significant other.  It is the time to throw your money at every cliché possible in an attempt to catch the eye of that special someone and hope to Eros and Aphrodite that they feel the same way.  It’s the time prove how popular you are by showing off how many Valentine cards you have and of course it is the time for all of us bitter and lonely people to rue the day Saint Valentine became a martyr for love.

            It’s the perfect time to take a date out to the latest romantic comedy starring two people who would never mesh in real life. The radio stations will be pumping out the love songs and that annoying couple in the concourse with their constant display of public affection will be singing along to Michael Bolton’s version of “When a Man Loves a Woman,” but for the rest of us who don’t have that type of sordid connection to Bolton we will be left in search of the perfect mix for our anti-Valentine’s Day feelings.

Now this mix can take us in many different directions. There is the incredibly bitter and slightly homicidal route one can take with songs such as the Misfits’ “Die, Die My Darling” or one can go the lonely and broken hearted route with the ever-popular Dashboard Confessional choice of “Again I Go Unnoticed.” One must choose the overall tone as well.  Will the mix be a reminiscing tone or will it be an “I am so over you and I am moving on” tone? However one chooses to go about putting thiss mix together one should always remember that one should never, EVER let anyone else listen to said mix. 

Trust me on this one folks, people do not want to know what is going on in your bitter little head, and if you are planning on winning the one who got away back with this mix, forget it. If the heartfelt lyrics from “Smack That” in your MSN name didn’t work, you’re just not going to make any headway on this one. My friends, this exercise is solely for self-healing and getting the bitter out.

            With the public service announcement part out of the way, we can now move onto to song selection and things to avoid.  Even though this mix is for you and only you, that does not mean that proper care and sequencing is not required.  The number one rule when making a mix is that there is a ONE SONG per artist limit. It doesn’t matter how kick ass and face-melting Dragonforce is. That brings me to rule number two; you should probably avoid face-melting action on this mix, unless having your face melted is exactly what you need to heal.  Finally rule number three is; try to avoid cliché songs because this mix is about attacking the clichéd notion that we need one day a year to prove how much we love someone by spending the most money possible on flowers that will die and chocolates that will go straight to our hips.  That’s right; I am putting the kybosh on ANY songs that directly reference bunny rabbits and butterflies (sorry Crazytown). I must apologize about the rules but you would not believe how often I have gotten mixes that had three to four songs by the same band and the number of times I have gotten a mix that actually had Nickleback on it (did I forget the rule ABSOLUTELY NO NICKLEBACK?).

            With the rules out of the way, you are now free to sort through your album collection (who are we kidding? Your MP3s you pirating thief) and construct the perfect mix.  Just go with your gut and you’ll discover that the songs you pick will start the process of purging. Label your mix but don’t write out a track listing (track listings are only for mixes that you plan to give to someone else).  Go back to it in a few months and play it all the way through. You’ll laugh at your song selection and how bitter and angry you were.

The spirit of Valentine’s Day can affect you in a plethora of ways but the tried and tested way of dealing with it all is music, because as the great Bob Marley once sang; “the great thing about music is that when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

I had seen Belvedere in concert many a time and they never once disappointed. They even played my hometown of Collingwood multiple times. Their energetic brand of hardcore-tinged skate punk was ridiculously addictive and as the band matured, so did the lyrics, but never to the point of pretension.

Steve Rawles, the lead singer, is now in a new band called This is a Standoff, and the Belvedere comparisons are inevitable, and while TIASO is an excellent band full of the same energy Belvedere was, it’s just not quite the same.  It’s not Belvedere.

Here is the video for High School Heroics off of their first album “Because No One Stopped Us”.

The 2010 Vancouver Olympics are off to a blazing start.

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