It’s probably a little cliché right now, but I’d like to wish everyone a (belated) happy holidays, and that 2012 is even better than 2011.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I know it’s been slow here, but I am one man. I hope that you continue to read and make this more and more special for me. Thank you!
xMitch
There’s not a lot that really, really gets my blood boiling, I’ll be honest with you. Especially when it comes to politics and all that other corruption filled bullshit. But SOPA and the current climate of an industry that I’m attempting to have a career in and would be a totally different person witihout, is something I will absolutely 100% fight for.
If you’re out of the loop, which I would hope that you are not, SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is a bill proposed by Congress that would essentially censor the Internet. Not to mention, ruin the only thing that would and possibly could save the music industry. I don’t think I need to really beat a dead horse over this, but we live in a digital world. Our lives are encompassed by artifacts that at the same time enhance and distress our lives. Without our computers, digital libraries, the Internet, e-mail, instant messenger, cell phones/smart phones, Skype/VoIP, and even Wikipedia, we would be a drastically different culture. If it wasn’t for those things, I wouldn’t be able to do this, share my music (That I record at home, for free), keep in touch with my family (easily), or my friends from other states in different time zones, or other countries. At the same time, our social lives and day to day routines depend on those things, which a lot of people view as bad, it really depends on how you approach the subject. Twitter is an unfiltered, no biased news source, Facebook lets us keep track and tell every single one of our friends the moment something great happens to us (Or we take a poop…), and Tumblr fills our love and addiction of cats and artistic nudity (Or porn. Either or.).
I have no doubt in my mind that the Internet was created for the transmission of ideas and information. The exchange and essential learning concept is crucial to humans and our developments in science and technology that’s improved our lives and quality of living. And yes, there is a part of this quickly written hodge podge that sort of, and quite possibly, misses the point. But, in the light of employees of major movie studios and the labels that support organizations like the RIAA and MPA that can’t even abide by their own laws and regulations, yet cover it up with statements like ‘Those are IP addresses controled by proxy servers. We can’t track those’ is frankly bullshit. You can’t control your own task force members but you’ll sue and ruin the lives of middle American mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters in overwrought legal documents and lawsuits so they can never live normal lives again? Let’s be honest, that’s bullshit.
That doesn’t even include the outstanding number of government officials do don’t even understand the basic principles of how the Internet works, yet abuse it during their own debates by tweeting their boredom? That’s a brand new low. Fearing and not understanding how something works and wanting to censor it and shut it up sets us back as people, and in the information age, back a long, long way.
Please, take this in whichever manner you want. But, this is a very serious matter and I hope that you after reading this, do take the time to learn more about your freedom of speech and how it will be affected by SOPA.
That there are some bands that follow me, and possibly people in bands.
If you’d like me to review your music, please don’t hesitate to send me a message with a link!
I will be playing at this show in both Negative Department and The Only Ghost In Town.
It’s going to be a great time, so if you’re 21+ and live in Philadelphia, it would be nice to have you with us.
Tomorrow night will be the 12th Annual Arbor Records Christmas variety show at the Auction House in Audubon, NJ. Every year, a compilation record of holiday themed songs is put together by all of our friends with the recording help of Dave and Steve at the Gradwell House. For the comp this year, By Surprise recorded a new song called “Battle of Snowmeng Mountain Pt 2”.
The track, co-written by our friend Brendan Newell (dude on the cover of Mountain Smashers), will be featured on this year’s Arbor Christmas compilation along with bands like It’s A King Thing and Young Statues. The entire comp will be made available for free download in a couple days, but in the meantime head on over to www.arborchristmas.com for more information about this year’s show and to download last year’s songs as well.
“Christ! Mas!”
Hope you like the track! Please reblog it!
I love Arbor Records christmas comps. These also happen to be not just great people and good friends, but fantastic, incredible bands. Please download it and support a awesome scene and music.
The final edition of Poptimist, as curated by Pitchfork (Blech). Written by Tom Ewing.
Seriously, go back and read the previous articles. They are fantastic.
I’m always pretty conflicted on how to talk about screamo and post hardcore that is just as melodic as it is heavy without people automatically assuming I’m talking about metalcore or the kind of post hardcore that came with UnderØath. And don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that kind of music (Well, there is, but that’s just my opinion and all) but there’s a certain kind of approach that bands like Touché Amoré, Pianos Become The Teeth, La Dispute, and the others paving the way for melodic post hardcore that’s rooted deeply in an artistic approach that involves philosophy.
2010’s … To The Beat of A Dead Horse was a sleeper success on me. I admit it. Their follow up, Parting The Sea… is just as heavy as it is melodic and energetic. Embodying the punk quick-and-to-the-point song structure is just something that always begs to be broken and reshapped by every band who considers themselves punk in any fashion. The majority of Touché Amoré’s songs may not be over two minutes, but they certainly contain enough dynamics and energy to make it feel like they’re three plus minutes.
The pure emotion behind songs like ‘The Great Repetition’, ‘Method Act’, ‘Wants/Needs’, and ‘Home Away From Here’ are perfect. Tension filled and constantly flowing back and forth between restraint and straight up hardcore blasting energy, it’s something that I feel like a lot of bands in this scene constantly battle with and never quite get there. There’s something special about a band who also can use a piano, voice, and lyric set about dreaming of your own funeral at the end of the record to some how still not break the feel of the drive pushing the record from start to finish.
Bottom line, is that Touché Amoré is a band who is deserving of all the support and love. They’ve been busting their asses and doing something definitely special. Check out Parting… on Deathwish, Inc.. Out now.
Well, it’s December (officially), and I figured since everyone else on the face of the earth is posting their 2011 lists, I might as well too. It’s a little early, but whatever.
FAVORITE RECORDS OF 2011 (In no particular order):
BEST EP/7”/SPLITS:
RUNNER UPS:
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS:
