"I can relate, I’d throw me away." (Jeff Rosenstock - We Cool?)

Jeff Rosenstock
We Cool?

why you'll love it - Today's most relatable songwriter

why you'll hate it - Songs are samey / have been done better

I've been putting off this review for a while, worrying about how upsettingly "real" it would get while making my case for why Jeff Rosenstock is one of today's most relevant songwriters.  For the last 7 years or so, Jeff has found a real knack for representing the guilt and frustration of being an adult without growing up.  At first I resented his unfiltered take on failing at adulthood, but he eventually won me over.  Bomb The Music Industry!'s swan song, Vacation, was my favorite album of 2011. Have I just become more depressed, or had Jeff found the secret to being the most fun total bummer in punk rock?

We Cool? is actually the first "proper" solo album from Rosenstock.  He insisted I Look Like Shit was mostly half finished hodgepodge (though it was still one of my favorite releases of 2013).  It's exciting to hear his songs performed by a band again, but there is something more personal and special about the cheap sounding drum machines and synthesizers of I Look Like Shit and certain Bomb The Music Industry! songs.  As a result, Jeff treads familiar ground, to slightly less effect.

Don't get me wrong, I've got no problem with writing about the same thing.  Less Than Jake literally got me through high school with dozens of songs about awkward adolescence and dreams of "getting out of your hometown".  My other favorite living songwriter, Dr. Frank, has written hours and hours about being an absolute mess at relationships.  Rosenstock does blunt depression and shame better than anyone I know, and he should continue.  It just so happens not much on this album hasn't already been done better in songs like "Fresh Attitude, Young Body" and "Amen".

Highlights come in the form of moments.  The chorus to "Nausea" (music video of the year, for sure!), has summed up my 2015 so far a little too perfectly.  The bridge to "Polar Bear or Africa" is exactly what's so great about Jeff's ability to turn one of life's biggest fears into a catchy anthem.  The one true standout song on We Cool? is "I'm Serious, I'm Sorry".  It's an absolutely brutal story about one's own inability to console someone you truly care about.  It's a situation I have found myself in, and it suuucks.  Jeff makes no efforts to paint himself out of being the dipshit in this story, and it's a humbling look for a songwriter to have.

There are other perfectly fine songs on here like "Get Old Forever" and the Pinkerton soaked "Novelty Sweater" (more people need to crib from Pinkerton!).  Some manage to meet me half way.  "You, In Weird Cities" and "Hall of Fame" have a lot of bitter truthful charm, but bum me out for other reasons.  As much as understand these songs, Jeff is (perhaps unknowingly) coming from a perspective of social success here.  "...Weird Cities" reminds me of how few friends I've had in my life that I'd even consider being nostalgic for when separated from them.  "Hall of Fame" has Jeff reflecting on his successes only giving him negative attention.  I can't help then but think of my own struggle as an introverted nobody, trying to find a place in life.  If someone who actually has plenty of friends and eyes on him isn't finding the appreciation he deserves, what chance do I have on my own just trying to make ends meet?   Here creeps in the shameful reality... let's get back on track.

We Cool? is not as awesome as I wanted it to be.  That doesn't make it a bad record (or even a disappointment).  Past releases simply just had better songs.  All of Jeff's great stuff is on Quote/Unquote Records (including this album) for free to check out.  Get some attention on this guy, because his take on life is important to people like me.  The worst part about when you're feeling bad is a loss of control, a failure to grasp the situation, and just totally losing track of what's right or wrong for yourself.  When a song comes along that speaks to you, it does more than let you know someone relates.  It takes that thing, that formless vague creepy, uncontainable, fear; traps it in a jar, puts it on a shelf, and gives it a catchy label.  Yeah, the problem is still there, and it needs to be dealt with, but now you have a better understanding of what it is.  It now has a name, maybe even a weakness.  Now that it's over there, you can free up your mind and hopefully find a way to get past it.  That's how sometimes a song that sounds like a total bummer, can actually make you feel better.

Not enough songwriters do this.

Swami John Reis & The Blind Shake - Modern Surf Classics

"Son of a bitch must pay" (John Carpenter's Lost Themes)

John Carpenter
Lost Themes

why you'll love it: Vintage Carpenter

why you'll hate it: Just a bunch of fiddling with a synth.

Being able to praise a modern product of John Carpenter's is probably the best gift 2015 will give me.  His films of the 70s and 80s were groundbreaking, inspiring, and still relevant today.  His contributions to the art form still earn him regard, despite not directing anything better than embarrassing in over 15 years.  I could go on about the subtle touches to Halloween that leave it unparalleled in its genre to this day. I could write a thesis on why the title "Master of Horror" underplays his pulp-adventure films, and how wonderful they are at balancing camp with class.  There is one common thread running through all of John Carpenter's most beloved films : a overly synthesized soundtrack...

What this collection of Lost Themes does is bring back that John Carpenter charm so many of his films of the last 25 years have lacked.  Perhaps the brooding synthesizers were mostly a product of 70s culture, embraced by Carpenter, but nevertheless he made them his own.  Just about every track on here gives me instant flashbacks to Assault on Precinct 13 and The Thing.  These literally are lost themes; a puzzle with missing pieces.  What I mean is that there isn't a lot of meat on these bones.  They were meant to accompany visuals that either never happened, or found a better companion.  You won't find the kind of satisfaction here that you would out of an album convinced and produced for simple consumption.  Even the titles ("Abyss" Domain" "Mystery") are vague.  What depth you imagine from these tracks depends on the depth of your imagination.

Although, that is where John Carpenter originally found his place in cinematic history.  1978's Halloween is praised for birthing the modern teen slasher.  Some watch is as pure popcorn horror, with a masked man and a big shiny knife.  What Carpenter subtly did in Halloween to make it stand out even today was cloud the details of who "The Shape" is, who "The Boogeyman" is, what "evil" is, and how unfair and terrifying completely random tragedy can be.  You see, it's not really about Michael Mye... ok, I said I wasn't going to do this.  

To cut things short, John Carpenter's Lost Themes reunites his audience with that kind of uncertainty.  It's wonderfully nostalgic, effective, and interesting.  It's just about everything it possibly could be, which isn't saying a whole lot.  As cool as some moments can be, nothing on here will set the world on fire.  I've had this on a lot when I play The Binding of Isaac or Arkham Horror.  You don't need to have warm fuzzy memories of a fantastic decade of films to enjoy this, just a little imagination.

8 2015 songs for the first 8 weeks of 2015

Woah, that 8-tracks embedded player really fucks with safari.  Here's a link.

http://8tracks.com/roomrunner/songs-from-jan-feb-2015

The 10 best Polysics songs of the last 5 years

We're about a month away from a brand new Polysics EP, and I'm starting to have withdrawals.  It's been a year since any new songs, and about five years since my favorite band in the world has even come to America.  If not for digital stores and a promotional YouTube channel, Polysics has all but disappeared from what little American presence they had.  Keeping it local hasn't been the only change to the manic new-wave group.  Without a presence of physical fingers on synthesizers at all times, a lot of the electronic bells & whistles are on a hyper speed autopilot.  Polysics' sound has become less like a lightning bolt, and more like a intensified laser beam.  It's still quite fiery, but more predictable now.

Let me catch you up on the last five years of Polysics by plucking out the very best of this new and (for Western audiences) obscure era.

10. "Smile To Me" (Oh! No! It's Heavy Polysick!!!) : At their best, Polysics has a dangerous and abrasive sound.  After so many records of that, sometimes a straightforward tune can seem like the most refreshing thing.  "Smile To Me" has no tricks up its sleeve.  It's just a fun rock song with a bouncy bass line.  A great song to test out on "normies".  If this freaks your friends out, next serve them up "Kaja Kaja Goo" from behind protected glass.

9. "発見動物探検隊" (Action!!!) : Most Polysics songs are fireworks shows with little breathing room.  What "発見動物探検隊" does to stand out is play with pacing and buildup.  A fragile delivery opens each verse, building to a faster beat, followed up with a few spaced apart blasts, and then "ACTION".

8. "Steam Pack" (Weeeeeeeeee!!!) : No one really knew what Polysics was going to sound like as a trio.  I remember briefly entertaining the concept of almost entirely dropping synthesizers.  At the time, Man or Astro-Man? had reformed, and We Are The Physics were killing it (two similar bands with a ton of energy and stage presence that stick mainly to guitars and drums.)  "Steam Pack" is a song reinforces that concept.  Without any electronic presence, "Steam Pack" still manages to sound undeniably Polysics.

7.  "Everybody Say No" (Weeeeeeeeee!!!) : Given the right push, I honestly believe "Everybody Say No" would have been the Polysics song that reached the most widespread audience.  In most cases, the songs chosen for singles have an awkward English catchphrase.  "Everybody Say No" is both strange enough to turn a head, but not so much as to make someone cynically roll their eyes.  Aside from being a downright catchy song, "Everybody Say No" is unique for being their only fully vocoded single.  I'm a big fan of the vocoder, especially since Hayashi's voice has become unnaturally higher over the years.

6.  "Cough Cough" (Oh! No! It's Heavy Polysick!!!) : Think, and you'll miss it.  In this short instrumental, Polysics overclocks their sequencers and performs in lock step with them.  It seems more like a proof of concept than an actual song, but one hell of ride, nonetheless.

5.  "Post Post" (Action!!!) : Another great example of the band's talent and comfort in performing alongside pinballing sequencers.  An entirely unpredictable song on first listen.  With repeated listens, its charming pop moments are highlighted.  "Post Post" isn't just that perfect mix of guitars and synthesizers Polysics stands for; but also a perfect balance of positive energized pop, bleeding with manic punk rock acid.

4.  "How are you?" (eee-P!!!) : "How are you?" was how Polysics resurfaced as a trio in 2010.  It was a sigh of relief.  Fumi's fire-charged vocals gave confidence that she had no intentions of attempting to impersonate the flowery delivery of her departed bandmate.  Between the impossibly fast spitting of lyrics in the pre-chorus, and Hayashi's haphazard shredding, "How are you?" let fans know everything was going to be just fine.

3.  "Sparky" (Action!!!) :  The biggest setback to this era of Polysics has been how shallow the range of the synthesizers have been.  With more of an electronic presence than ever, sometimes the tone of the sequencers can become dull by the end of an album, or the tricks can become predictable.  2014's Action!!! fixed a lot of this, with a much wider range of electronic sounds; my favorite of which being the buzzsaw of death that rips through "Sparky".  As stated earlier, Polysics is best when dangerous and abrasive; and you can feel those synths tearing "Sparky" apart.  It makes an already explosive song even better.

2.  "Why" (Weeeeeeeeee!!!) :  The pounding march of "Why" is hypnotizing.  There is a certain feel to it that sets it apart from most Polysics songs.  While not lacking in energetic force whatsoever, it has a slightly darker edge than most of their songs.  Especially after the chorus, when it just spins into oblivion.  For the last ten years, Polysics has almost exclusively been a "come have fun and be crazy with us" sort of band, but not since National P (2003) has there been something as unfriendly and alien as this.

1.  "Turbo Five" (Action!!!) : I feel like this is the song Hayashi has been trying to make (and probably will continue to keep trying at) his entire career.  It's blazing fast non-stop action, with guitar solos exploding out from around every corner.  Fun from top to bottom without resorting to any corny sing along catch phrases.  "Turbo Five" is his fireworks powered waterslide into a trampoline ball-pit.  It has become the Polysics song I sample to newcomers.  I don't even bother explaining to people in words what kind of band they are anymore.  I've found their description carries to many "dealbreaker" words that manage to conflict each other ("punk" "synthesizer" "Japanese" "technopop").  I just throw "Turbo Five" at them and let them figure it out.

So what's next for a band that has seemingly finally created the song that perfectly encapsulates them?  I don't know.  It's a wonderful thing that a band like this is still around after going through such a major lineup and songwriting change.  It's sort of like these years are bonus DLC.  Heck, when they released We Ate The Machine back in 2008, my takeaway was "Yup, this is everything I ever asked for in a discography.  For now on, it's just icing."

Polysics releases Hen 愛 Let's Go! on March 25.  An EP apparently about food.  The treats keep on coming.