Do you ever look back at songs and wonder how the hell we let them get big on the radio? I mean, seriously, take a look at some hits from the late-90’s/early-00’s in metal:
- Korn’s “Freak on a Leash” where the iconic line from the song is literally “Da-boom-na-da-noom-na-na-me-na“
- Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba” where the chorus is literally non-sense of “Bawitdaba, da bang, da dang diggy diggy /Diggy, said the boogie, said up jump the boogie“
- Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness” where — ahh hell, you know what I mean.
20 years from now, what are we going to look back on and think the same thing? What are we going to half-heartedly mock ourselves for listening to? Does any of this have anything to do with this week’s Take 5? No. I told you last week I was bad at writing intros, so this is what you get. A combination of 90’s music and new music. That essentially sums me up as a whole, so if you read these, you’re likely to be exposed to this again.
Anyway, let’s dive into it. We’ve got some good ones for you this week.
Young Culture – “Fantasy”
I freaking love this song. I’m not saying this song will turn into a radio song, but I’m saying it should. On their self-titled album, Young Culture ditched their pop-punk roots for the most part and committed to delivering a pop gem. “Fantasy” is the epitome of how they did it so, so well. I tweeted the other day that it was a contender for song of the year, and I stand by that. If you trust me, trust me when I say you will love this song of you’re a fan of pop music. Then play it on repeat and show your parents.
Bearings – “Super Deluxe”
Bearings have been teasing their divorce with pop-punk for some time now with songs like “So Damn Wrong,” “Blue in the Dark,” and the Transit-tinged “Aforementioned.” While “Super Deluxe” isn’t a complete separation, you can see that Bearings is proving they’re more than another run-of-the-mill pop-punk band. With a chorus that’s larger than life, “Super Deluxe” is a fantastic taste of what’s to come off their new album, Hello, It’s You, which will be released on November 20th via Pure Noise Records.
Vox Rea – “Dose Me Up”
If you like new-age indie meets old-school noir-pop, then “Dose Me Up” by Vox Rea is for you. If you read that sentence and went, “what?,” then just press play and listen for yourself. “Dose Me Up” is the first release in a new era for the band, formerly known as The Katherines. The band added Berklee-alum Mitchell Schaumberg to their trio, changed their name, and are ready to show their growth. The single was written by sisters Kate and Lauren Kurdyak, and the sound of “Dose Me Up” is impulsive, blending string arrangements and harmonies into something incredibly dreamy.
Sydney Sprague – “i refuse to die”
Earlier I went on a ramble about 90’s metal that, at the time didn’t really have much to do with this week’s Take 5, but here we are with an update. I could go back and delete the intro, but where’s the fun in that. Sydney Sprague’s “i refuse to die” is a song straight out of the alternative side of the music industry in the 90’s. It builds slow and she lets her voice carry the paranoid track, before crashing down with loud instrumentals around her. This song is very good. Sprague just signed to Rude Records and will be releasing their next song, “steve,” very soon. Pay attention.
I Am the Avalanche – “You’re No Good to Me Dead”
I Am the Avalanche has been pumping out punk-rock tunes for over 15 years, and everything they do sounds just as fresh as the music they did back in 2005. “You’re No Good to Me Dead” comes as a sneak peak of their new album, Dive, (due out November 20th via I Surrender Records) and shows they’ve yet to lose their edge. It’s the aggressive punk that they’ve done so well, and though it was the second song released from Dive, it almost didn’t exist at all. “This one came to fruition in the 11th hour,” recalls vocalist Vinnie Caruana. “We had a short break before our last week of tracking, and I came back to the studio with this one. We jammed on it and we were all thrilled to finish so strong.”
