Quarantine Playlist #2: Green Day

Every now and then, I will post a Spotify playlist here of 10-15 songs from one artist, that is designed to draw you in and give you a crash course on just what I think makes them so special. Each playlist will have an ebb and flow rhythm to it, and so I highly recommend listening to each one in order and not on shuffle to get the full experience 🙂!

Please sit back, read along while you listen, or just jam out to some of my favorite tunes while you’re sheltering in place at home!

Playlist #2: Green Day

Green Day has had a very prolific career ever since their first studio album back in 1990, and so this playlist mixes songs across their entire discography from the early 90s all the way into 2020. Please enjoy, read along, and jam out!

Song #1 | 21st Century Breakdown | It may seem strange to some longtime fans to include the title track from their second rock opera studio album 21st Century Breakdown, but I think this intro track demonstrates extremely well Green Day’s penchant for churning out long rock anthems that take you on a journey. From the acoustic strum-out intro to the varying shifts in rhythm and dynamics that make you feel like you’re going through multiple songs in one track, it shows Green Day’s mastery of the rock opera without needing to be too overtly long. In the context of this list, it also gears you up to launch into the world of Green Day.

Song #2 | 99 Revolutions | While the infamous trilogy albums UNO, DOS, and TRES from the band have not garnered the strongest reputations, there are a few good ones mixed in there. This staple from TRES was a prominent opening song while Green Day was touring for the trilogy, and it demonstrates a vibrant anthemic punk energy that sounds like a mix of late 90s Green Day mixed with the epic sounds of 00s Green Day. The almost perfect blend of old and new, there’s a lot to be said for 99 Revolutions as it continues channeling the energy of this playlist.

Song #3 | Bang Bang | The lead single from Green Day’s 2016 record Revolution Radio, this song was marked by many as a major return-to-form for the band. The song shows an aggressiveness and a political edge to it that was indicative of the times of the mid-2010s, and it shows that the band has never quite lost their grit or grasp on the world, and they effectively use punk rock to channel it.

Song #4 | Welcome to Paradise | Flashback to 1992, when this song first released on Kerplunk!, it was shortly before Green Day was propelled into rock star territory. This track’s lo-fi and fuzz contributes to the atmosphere of a band that was just feeling their way through the East Bay punk scene in the early 90s, but it already showcased Billie Joe Armstrong’s trademark whine in a way reminiscent of the Ramones, giving a grungy nod to an era of punk rock that made Green Day what they are today. This song was rerecorded later for their first hit album Dookie, but there is something about this version of the song that makes it almost magical.

Song #5 | Father of All… | We jolt right back into 2020, and listen to the first single and title track from the band’s most recent album Father of All… While many have lauded this song for being such a drastic deviation from the standard that many have come to expect from the band, I personally found this song growing on me with more listens, as it demonstrates the band’s ability to change their sound to different corners of the world of rock and roll – whether the band intended to or not. It’s short, spunky, and gets right to the point – exactly what a good punk song ought to do.

Song #6 | Geek Stink Breath | Once again we return to the 90s to the grimy sounds of the album Insomniac. This era of the band was hot off the extreme success of Dookie, and you can feel a desire to wander into some more off-the-beaten-path murkiness and edge that perhaps the mainstream was not quite used to. Nevertheless, this song’s rhythm still begs you to bop and head bang to a time when the band is still always thinking about pushing the envelope.

Song #7 | Going to Pasalacqua | This track is from Green Day’s debut studio album 39/Smooth, released all the way back in 1990. The band’s influences from classic punk rock is on full display here, but what I appreciate more than anything else is in the way Billie Joe croons on the chorus, which for me evokes the operatic melodies of modern Green Day. Even with the lyrical content of early Green Day material, their sense of songwriting already demonstrates a sense of maturity that was well ahead of their times.

Song #8 | Waiting | Admittedly, Warning from 2000 is one of my favorite Green Day albums, and one of the songs that show why is none other than this track. Waiting is a song absolutely laden with pop punk and dare I say even emo hooks and melodies, but what sets it apart from the crowd is Green Day’s controlled and clean production with their use of a more subdued guitar tone (at least compared to their contemporaries). The end result is a song in which the production of it comes to the forefront showing that even while sounding clean, Green Day is still able to come out with the songs that make you feel.

Song #9 | Stray Heart | My favorite song from DOS, this song feels almost feels like a B-side that was left on the mixing room floor of some of Green Day’s earlier material. It also, at the very same time, feels like a song coming from a completely different band (which makes sense, as many consider DOS to be the 2nd Foxboro Hottubs album, one of Billie Joe Armstrong’s side projects). This song has a natural bounce to it that throws back to a classic 60s rock-and-roll sound, thus calling to mind a time and sound that even Green Day’s influences might call classics. There is a purity to this song that you don’t find in music anymore today, and the ironic part is that this song was from an album released in 2012.

Song #10 | Rusty James | Rounding out the trilogy’s representation on this playlist with a song from UNO is Rusty James. A lot of hate is thrown from the fanbase into this album especially, but I do truly think that this song has a redeeming quality. Much like 99 Revolutions, it feels like a song that could easily belong in an American Idiot-style rock opera, and features Billie Joe’s ability to once again craft an emotional tune masquerading in the guise of a punk anthem. There is a sense of true heart and story coming from this track especially, and I think it is a strong representation of what Green Day is capable of in modern times: Songs that still make you feel, mosh, and shout at the same time.

Song #11 | Wake Me Up When September Ends | It didn’t seem reasonable for me to cram the entirety of American Idiot into this playlist, so I settled for what I consider to be the outlier of that album. This song almost serves as a break from the story of American Idiot, and I think is one of Billie Joe’s most gut-wrenching and personal songs in their entire discography. Here we hear Billie Joe Armstrong lamenting over the loss of his father, and it is a special look into the heart of this rock star as we can audibly hear his heart deconstruct, churn, explode, and ultimately resolve and accept – all in the form of the amazing instrumentals, melodies, and lyrics of this emotional song. There’s a reason why this album was deemed fitting to be adapted into a broadway musical.

Song #12 | Basket Case | The band’s biggest hit from the 90s, this song from Dookie perfectly encapsulates everything about Green Day’s energy and vibe that so many people were and still are drawn to. A seemingly simple song about going off the deep end is magnified by an erratic and energetic instrumental progression, compounded by some unexpectedly emotional hooks, is exactly what led to this song becoming such an ear worm for many in the 90s and today. This song is simple to play, easy to sing, and impossible to get out of your head – and that serves as a testament to its masterful songwriting and composition.

Song #13 | Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) | The signature campfire song from the album Nimrod, this song is another example of Green Day’s uncanny ability to put together extremely simple chords, melodies, and lyrics together to form something completely unforgettable. This song is universally recognized by all music fans, regardless of their affinity towards rock, and that is because of this song’s universal simplicity and masterful songwriting that is able to call to the mind many relatable emotions. Whether it’s for a graduation, retirement, leaving a job, leaving a town, or reminiscing over lost love, this is a universal relatable, and emotional anthem for the heart, and is representative of the human experience.

Quarantine Playlist #1: Blink-182

Hello! Hope everyone is doing well during this crazy pandemic. To stave off some of the cabin fever, I decided to put together playlists that I consider ‘starter kits’ for getting into some of my favorite music artists!

Every now and then, I will post a Spotify playlist here of 10-15 songs from one artist, that is designed to draw you in and give you a crash course on just what I think makes them so special. Each playlist will have an ebb and flow rhythm to it, and so I highly recommend listening to each one in order and not on shuffle to get the full experience 🙂

Please sit back, read along while you listen, or just jam out to some of my favorite tunes while you’re sheltering in place at home!

Playlist #1: Blink-182

While nearly everyone has heard of Blink-182’s all-famous All the Small Things, this playlist treads just the very edge of what I consider to be the signature sounds that have made them so successful in the past.

Song #1| Man Overboard | A quick, fast and slightly subdued intro that has both lead singers Mark Hoppus and Tom Delonge singing together in quick punk action. While this song was never officially part of any album, it garnered the most attention and popularity during their infamous live recording The Mark, Tom and Travis Show.

Song #2 | Don’t Leave Me | The second track off Blink’s highly acclaimed Enema of the State, this song gives you the full punch of Mark Hoppus’ simple but insanely catchy sense of rhythm and pop-punk melodies that made Blink such mainstays of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Song #3 | Wishing Well | We take a slight left turn and venture into early 2010s Blink-182, with what I consider the strongest track from their record Neighborhoods. While Tom Delonge has a noticeably different sounding voice, his penchant for songwriting is in full display in this track – showing a maturity when it comes to not just the production of the song, but also in the lyrics as Tom takes a more introspective look at life while still maintaining a mature punk energy.

Song #4 | Carousel | We now go all the way back to what many consider Blink-182’s first ever song from their demo Buddha, released all the way back in 1994. My favorite part of this song is without a doubt the extended musical instrumental that gradually ramps up into Tom Delonge singing solo in a way that would project some way back into the days of sunshine and skate parks. This song is full of boundless energy and potential, and it makes me wish that the habit of having extended punk instrumentals never fell to the way side.

Song #5 | Reckless Abandon | My favorite track from Take Off Your Pants and Jacket, while the lyrics are about classic Blink-182 getting into all sorts of trouble, what sticks out here is the minor lead melody that drives this song. It shows what I consider some of the first hints of Blink’s desire to mature their sound, and take their music in a direction that prevents them from just remaining in the same space and thereby getting stale. This song is without a doubt a banger and an indicator of the Blink to come in the years following this album’s release in 2001.

Song #6 | M+Ms | Another older song from the band off their first studio record Cheshire Cat, this song features Tom Delonge’s iconic style of punk shredding, but now accompanied by Mark Hoppus singing about teenage love lost. While the song lyrics are laughable at times, there are moments in this song that takes it into unexpectedly dark territory, therefore showing some of the earlier notes of Cure-inspired ’emo’ songwriting. Also it has a cool punk instrumental with drums that make you feel like you’re barreling constantly forward.

Song #7 | Dogs Eating Dogs | A mid 2010s song from Blink’s EP Dogs Eating Dogs, this song has a crunch and aggressiveness to it that projects Mark Hoppus’ songwriting into areas previously only lightly explored in earlier Blink material. Tom Delonge’s chorus also helps to ground the song, and provides a clean and elegant balance to the aggression happening throughout the rest of the song. It is reminiscent of Mark’s side project +44, which also comes highly recommended.

Song #8 | I Miss You | We take a brief moment to relax and indulge in one of the band’s biggest hits from their Self-Titled record. This song is heavily characterized by Travis Barker’s erratic drumming, while accompanied by a smooth-as-butter piano and bass lick that just puts you in a different mood from a lot of their other songs. The use of orchestral strings in combination with the guitars also elevate the song where deemed necessary, and of course, Tom Delonge’s signature crooning is in full force.

Song #9 | Cynical | We now flash forward to modern-day Blink-182, with the explosive first track off of 2016’s California. Everything about this song is explosive and fires on all cylinders after a subtle Mark solo in the beginning potentially lamenting about the loss of Tom Delonge from the band. This song is also beautifully symbolic in the way that Travis seemingly lifts Mark out of his funk in the middle of the song, then accompanied by fast-paced rocking electric guitars, and terrific scream-singing from Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio fame. Matt makes his presence known in this song, and through it shows he is prepared to bring something different to the table that the band may have sorely needed by this point in their career.

Song #10 | No Heart to Speak Of | One of Blink-182’s newest songs off of their latest album NINE, this song displays Matt Skiba’s dark punk tendencies in full on aggression as he screams his way through each verse and chorus. Mark is relegated to more of a supporting role in this song, but Travis Barker’s drumming keeps the momentum going through the quieter moments. The most adrenaline-pumping part of the song though is without a doubt the epic scream that Matt Skiba pours everything into at the end of the bridge, which makes me long for and remember times that I never even had.

Song #11 | Dammit | Finally, we end this playlist with another one of Blink’s biggest hits from their career. This song is from 1997’s Dude Ranch, and does a good job bookending the playlist by reminding you of the classic 90s punk energy that Blink-182 displayed in spades. From Mark’s strained-voice singing about missing a former lover to the simple but catchy guitar lick, this song is classic Blink-182 that doesn’t lose any of its punk edge, and hasn’t quite captured the pop sheen yet.

Holding On To You: My Journey with Twenty One Pilots

With the release of Trench, I wanted to look back and reflect a little on my personal history with Twenty One Pilots – a band that has shot through the roof in popularity over the course of a few years, going from playing small 21+ only clubs to selling out arenas. Just how did I get into these guys, and do I still like them, despite their somewhat tarnished reputation to those outside of their fanbase?

I first discovered Twenty One Pilots back in 2013, when I learned they were opening for Fall Out Boy as part of the Save Rock & Roll arena tour. At the time, they had just signed onto Fueled By Ramen, and had just released Vessel. I remember listening through Vessel for the first time, and being absolutely enchanted by the intense combination of both alternative pop and hip-hop, comboed with some of the realest spiritual/Christian lifestyle lyrics I’ve ever heard,  all rolled into one shiny package. I instantly became a fan, and was one of the few in that crowd that was shouting out the lyrics to every song of their short set. Years later, the band added an emo-element to their sound, resulting in 2015’s Blurryface, which catapulted them to stardom. I vividly remember staying up all night playing Dragon Age while listening to Blurryface, and would repeat the album constantly until the sun came up.

I also had my fair share of issues though, mainly with what I consider to be a very intense fanbase. The level of fandom that I witnessed rising during the Blurryface era was not unlike the worshipping-fandoms of K-Pop and Western Pop. The levels of obsession and idolatry flexed by these new wave of young, impressionable fans admittedly left a stain on Twenty One Pilot’s reputation – one that convinced non-fans at the time that all they were was this generation’s version of My Chemical Romance, and the fans of pre-Blurryface era that these were two guys that had suddenly sold out and became perfect – no longer able to do anything wrong. Despite this though, I remained firm and held my belief that Blurryface was still undeniably a fantastic album.

Besides Twenty One Pilot’s ability to meld genres together as well as craft fantastic hooks, a big part of why I’m into them is because of the level of spirituality they demonstrate in their lyrics. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun are both noted Christians, as you can very visibly trace both their musical histories to an assortment of worship teams from churches, and more Christian-oriented bands such as House of Heroes. In addition, outside of their music, they constantly thank God and Jesus in the liner notes of their albums. Once you dive into their actual lyrics though, I’m confronted with feelings about my own faith that I’ve had trouble putting to words.

The first song that hit me in such a way is their single from Vessel, “Holding On To You”. The lyrics in that song can be interpreted multiple ways (one of the most popular being an anti-suicide message), but I personally read those lyrics as Tyler dissecting his own sense of faith in God, but ultimately coming through and deciding to hold on, after calling on God to ‘entertain his faith’. This is a powerful lyric as it speaks to the twisted juxtaposition in many Christian’s heads, between choosing to believe in God, but also being a skeptic and questioning whether your faith is real, and if your faith is your own.

“Screen” is another song which highlights Christian’s thoughts of thinking they can hide themselves and who they really are, when God is able to see through you the entire time. The song’s bridge then breaks down into an anthemic “We’re broken people” line, which feels like a confession. “Trees” speaks to the story of Zacchaeus, “Ode to Sleep” relates Tyler himself to Peter, and if we choose to go further back into Twenty One Pilot’s catalogue – “Clear” from 2011’s Regional at Best might be one of the closest to a straight-up worship song, lyrically. “Be Concerned” and “Fall Away” also speak to the feelings of doubt and denial of faith even further – a feeling that many Christians (including myself) struggle to verbalize. “The Judge” from Blurryface acknowledges his own tendency to stray, but at the same time acknowledging the power and sovereignty of God.

I often find it difficult to summarize my feelings about God. Like with every other Christian out there, feelings of doubt and skepticism creep in – but with Twenty One Pilot’s music, I also often myself reaffirmed in my faith. In their music and lyrics, Twenty One Pilots take me on a roller coaster of emotion and spirituality – with the lowest lows and the highest highs. In the end, I think their music ultimately has served to reinforce my faith and give me resolve more than anything else. For that, I am grateful. I can’t wait to dive into Trench.

Worship Musician Confessions |Seeing God in the Music of Tom Delonge

This series is an ongoing discussion on my thoughts revolving around the idea of contemporary Christian worship, and my role in it. 

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Previously, I wrote about my struggles with Contemporary Christian Music, and I posed the question asking if it was a legitimate source of worship.

While my affection for CCM is slipping because of its artificial nature, I have found God speaking to me from unlikely musical sources. In my other post, I wrote about how I felt that the evangelical nature of CCM was seemingly trying to pull out an inauthentic form of worship from me. This idea stemmed from “Maybe if I sing Mighty to Save enough times, I’ll actually mean it eventually”. True enough to the mysterious nature of God, I’ve found some of my most worshipful moments to be from alternate musical places.

A Little’s Enough is a song by the alternative rock band Angels & Airwaves, released in 2006. Angels & Airwaves is not a Christian band. The songwriter of A Little’s Enough, Tom Delonge (more famously known as the former co-singer of Blink-182), occasionally delves into a spiritual subject matter in some of his music. Here are some lyrics:

To say I

I can do anything if you want me here

And I can fix anything if you’ll let me near

Where are those secrets now

That you’re just scared to tell

I whisper them all aloud
So you can hear yourself

I’m sorry to say it, but you look like you’re sad
Your smile is gone, I noticed it bad

The cure is if you let in just a little more love
I promise you this, a little’s enough

These words struck me as powerful and strangely spiritual. There is no concrete proof that Tom Delonge is a Christian, but yet I feel a strong connection to God through this song through the desperation presented from the perspective of a person on their death bed. Rather than pulling my worship from this song, I find myself acknowledging God’s presence, and wanting to worship Him through this song. While I won’t go into detail here, Tom Delonge has also been known to inject strong spiritual messages meaning into his other songs, such as Letters to God from Box Car Racer, and Not Now from Blink-182.

Lyrics from Letters to God:

I won’t lie
I won’t sin
Maybe I don’t wanna go
Can’t you wait
Maybe I don’t wanna go

I should’ve asked
I could’ve helped
At least a fucking 1,000 times before
Will this offer get me in
Or does this prove that they gave more and I

Lyrics from Not Now:

Come here, please hold my hand, Lord, now
Help me, I’m scared please show me how to fight this
God has a master plan
And I guess
I am in his demand
Please save me this time I cannot run
And I’ll see you when this is done
And now I have come to realize
That you are the one who’s left behind

Please stay until I’m gone
I’m here hold on to me I’m right here
Waiting and take
My one last breath, and don’t forget
That I will be right here
Waiting

These songs have managed to pull a sense of worship from within me that very few other Contemporary Christian Music songs have been able to. Now I’m not saying that the first thing I’d like to do is bring these to a Sunday morning worship right away, I’m simply sharing that I’ve experienced God outside of the context of Church and Christian music, and I’ve had some of my most powerful worship experiences come through some unlikely sources.

 

Worship Musician Confessions | CCM & Inauthentic Worship

This series is an ongoing discussion on my thoughts revolving around the idea of contemporary Christian worship, and my role in it. 

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My first exposure to CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) was when I was 15 years old, and my friend convinced me to go to his youth group on a Friday night after many months of trying. The first song I ever heard was “Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman,  followed by “Holy is the Lord” by Chris Tomlin. The thing that surprised me the most about these two songs, was how upbeat and kind of “rock and roll” they were. My only experience with Christian music prior to that point was in the form of hymnals heard in Cathedrals from when I was a small child.

I thought to myself “Wow, Christian music sure changed a lot since the last time I went to church”. What I had no idea back then was that there was this entire movement revolved around “modernizing” church music so as to make it more accessible for the people of today. It was clear that for many congregations, Gregorian chants and hymns from the late 19th-century weren’t quite cutting it anymore with today’s youth. It made sense that CCM became the most accessible means of spreading worship music. Personally, I subscribed to this same logic. I found myself at my utmost “worshipful” moments through CCM music. I’ve seen Hillsong in concert a couple times, and I’ve been to many Christian music festivals in the ten years since becoming a Christian.

I don’t doubt for a second the authenticity of the worship that happens through CCM music. What I question is the authenticity of the worship that spurns from that music.

In my mind, there is a difference between attaining worship THROUGH CCM and attaining worship FROM CCM. Attaining worship through CCM means using the music merely as a vehicle, or a tool, to strengthen a preexisting relationship or desire to grow with God. Attaining worship from CCM means to actually pull what you understand about God, and your relationship with God, from the song itself – whether it be by the lyrics, music, or both.

Is attaining worship from CCM bad, and through CCM, good? That’s up to you to decide.

Personally, CCM was a big part of my own personal spiritual walk. If it wasn’t for CCM, I would no doubt believe that I wouldn’t be a worship musician today, if a Christian at all. It is through that music that I am able to find God. Yet, I find myself questioning my own theology, if I look at Hillsong music as a source of spiritual nourishment, in the same way, I look at the bible. Maybe I even see it as a larger source.

Is that the point, then, that the worship coming from CCM, becomes illegitimate or inauthentic?

If I sing “Mighty to Save” or “Here I Am to Worship” on a Sunday morning, but it’s being pulled out of me by the worship band, is it really me that’s singing it or is it almost like a manipulated emotional, spiritual high? As a worship musician, it’s easy for me to say that we play those songs to try and draw out the spirit of worship from a congregation, but is it really worth doing that, and is it authentic, if we are legitimately using the music to be the source of their worship on a Sunday morning?

It doesn’t matter how often I say “We lift up our voice to God” before or while we sing a song. We’re still trying to pull out that worship using the music. If that is the result, then are we instilling an inherently inauthentic sense of worship in the congregation, and therefore setting up the church as a place to attain spiritual highs?

I know for me, the more I sing “You are good, You are good, when there’s nothing good in me”, the less I feel any kind of emotion towards it.

Worship Musician Confessions | Feeling like a Fraud

This series is an ongoing discussion on my thoughts revolving around the idea of contemporary Christian worship, and my role in it. 

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It’s easy to feel like a fraud.

Being a musician in a worship band, everything you do is supposed to be in service of a greater purpose. You’re not supposed to be lifting up yourself, but rather you are an instrument in service of the gospel and the message.

Yet, standing up on a stage and playing an instrument seems contradictory to the very nature of what being in a worship band supposedly should be. Go online and you can see any number of churches across the world with skilled musicians on stage, putting full-on concerts with lights, smoke, and loud guitars, all in the name of worship. While my local church doesn’t quite go that far, we still have a full “rock band” setup with guitars, drums, and amps.

I’m not trying to put down the authenticity or legitimacy of the worship that may be happening in those rooms, but as a musician, I can’t help but feel a bit like a hypocritical fraud at times. At my church, I play the electric and acoustic guitars, as well as sing sometimes. Whenever I play, there is always a part of me that is focused on a performance. My reasoning, or justification, is rooted in this passage:

33 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
    Praise befits the upright.
² Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
    make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
³ Sing to him a new song;
    play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

Psalm 33:1-3 (ESV)

Based on this passage, I can consider it a God-given gift to be able to play music in service of worship, right? I often see the worship happening in my bandmates faces, and on the surface, they don’t seem anywhere near as tethered to the ground as I am. Going purely by the expression of their worship, I see eyes closed, hands raised, and passionate singing with a spiritual fervor that I long for myself.

Is it me? Is it because I don’t love God nearly as much as them? Is my worship not enough?

It’s easy to compare yourself to others and feel like you are “not spiritual enough” simply because you don’t close your eyes and raise your hands in the same way that others do. I consider the fact that we are all made different, and that perhaps maybe my expression of worship just isn’t the same as my bandmates, even though it seems like half of them have the exact same expression of worship.

Is it worth staying as a worship musician then, if my thoughts constantly race around how I’m worshipping, and not who I’m worshipping?

Is it even worship at that point? If it isn’t, should I even be up there?

Maybe I’ll Catch Fire (2000) – Alkaline Trio | Album Review

In honor of Alkaline Trio’s new album announcement, I thought it’d be fun to visit some classic Alkaline Trio records and journey through their discography. Now without further ado, enjoy this review of Maybe I’ll Catch Fire!

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Listen with me here:

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This album and this band have been on my mind a lot lately. Like many others, I only discovered Alkaline Trio after Matt Skiba was announced as joining Blink-182 as the guitarist, famously replacing Tom Delonge. I was curious and wanted to check out more of Alkaline Trio’s music, and so I feel deep down into the rabbit hole.

I  found Alkaline Trio’s 2008 release Agony & Irony to be my gateway into their discography. A couple years later, I found myself aggressively listening to and going through each of their records, having been completely enraptured by their early material’s frenetic punk energy (not unlike early Blink-182), and their later material’s darker and gothic pop-punk vibes. I found Alkaline Trio to have something really unique to offer to the world of rock, and better late than never, right?

Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, Alkaline Trio’s sophomore album from 2000, is almost a perfect harmony between their aggressive and fast-paced punk style, mixed with the later era’s darker and atmospheric material. As far as first impressions go, I initially definitely didn’t think much of this album at all. Upon first listen, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire feels a little sloppy and messy, with not much when it comes to substance. I have now come to eat those words, as I have found an appreciation for this record many months later.

Dan Andriano, the other singer of Alkaline Trio, really shines on this record. “You’ve Got So Far To Go”, “Maybe I’ll Catch Fire”, and “She Took Him to the Lake” I consider to be the essential trinity of Dan Andriano songs. Each one offers up an extremely emotional and melancholy break, full of lovelorn lyrics telling the most bittersweet stories. They’re a welcoming break in between bouts of Matt Skiba’s angry, hazy punk songs. The Dan songs on this record are by far some of my favorite across all of Ak3’s catalog, and these are also the songs that sold me on his unique style of songwriting, and his more mature sounding and nuanced voice.

Matt Skiba has plenty of bangers on this record as well. The opening track “Keep ‘Em Coming” is the most like the songs from Goddamnit!, their prior (and debut) studio album before this one. Then with “Madam Me”, we’re more properly introduced to the darker tone of this record. The lyrics “Lower than piss / Have you ever felt like this” strikes as very visceral and tinged with aggressive emotion. “Tuck Me In” and “Radio” are also both striking emo hits – and the sense of desperation you get from this record feels guttural and real.

In many ways, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire is a very gut-punching experience. Matt Skiba swings at you hard with songs of a troubled lifestyle, and Dan Andriano comes back with a couple of bittersweet tales of lost loves. This album sets a tone, and it’s one that’s always worth revisiting in maybe a slightly masochistic way. Or maybe it’s not, it does remind me of Weezer’s Pinkerton. I wouldn’t call this record a good entry point into Alkaline Trio’s discography. This is a record for you to listen to when you feel like thrashing about and breaking stuff, and then curl up into a ball knowing that no matter how much stuff you break, the things that have caused you frustration are now a part of you, but maybe you can find it within yourself to get back up and carry on. That’s the ultimate message of Maybe I’ll Catch Fire to me.

Favorite Tracks: You’ve Got So Far to Go, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, She Took Him to the Lake

Rating: 4 out of 5

Dogs Eating Dogs EP (2012) – Blink-182 | Track-by-Track Review

Note: This is an attempt on a track-by-track style of music reviewing. While I may or may not review more albums in this format, I’m using Blink-182’s 2012 EP as an experimental stage for this format. Let me know if this is interesting, or if a more traditional album review is more appealing!

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Listen with me here:

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1. When I Was Young 

This song comes swinging out with a very Angels & Airwaves-esque synth intro, but also provides distinctly more natural-sounding band dynamic compared to most of Neighborhoods. With this opening track, Tom has never sounded stronger – and the bombastic chorus with driving power riffs combo-ed with Mark’s supporting vocals gives off a very self-titled 2003 era vibe. While this song is undeniably more Angels & Airwaves-leaning than it is Blink-182 (it is a Tom-led song after all), the Travis Barker drums and Mark Hoppus vocals root it distinctly in the Blink-182 song catalog. Overall, it’s a powerful intro and gives off the vibe that we’re in for a ride.

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2. Dogs Eating Dogs

Following up an Angels & Airwaves-inspired song, we’ve got a Mark-led song that is very much +44. Contrasting with the synthy, airy quality of the first track, we’ve got a grittier, punchier, rock song in the form of Dogs Eating Dogs. Mark attacks the verses with lots of gusto, with a fervor that hasn’t been felt since, well, +44 (and also in the 2003 self-titled Blink album). Mark is also willing to let Tom soar with his vocals, thereby recognizing their individual strengths. Even though this song gives off a +44 vibe, you can tell that this is the kind of song where Tom and Mark complement each other perfectly.

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3. Disaster

The first two songs have signature Tom sounds and Mark sounds, this song falls more squarely into the Tom-territory, which is an interesting creative decision to make, considering how much more prolific Tom is than Mark at this point, at least with the amount of musical output they have in the world. Mark is not without a presence on the album, but a lot of the instrumentation is reminiscent of Angels & Airwaves – that is, it’s a big arena rock anthem, with spacey and delay-heavy guitars driving the whole thing. It’s not a bad song (I actually quite enjoy Angels & Airwaves), but it also feels like the least-Blink-182 of this EP, and comes off as a bit more of an Angels & Airwaves b-side.

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4. Boxing Day

While Blink-182 is no stranger to the acoustic number, this song is unique in the sense that it’s the first acoustic number of the 2009-2015 Blink-182 era (henceforth known as Blink 2.0). Not only that, but it’s a Christmas song! Not only is it a seasonal song, but it’s also much more poignant and emotional compared to Blink-182’s usual acoustic numbers. Tom and Mark feel like they both have an equal amount of spotlight in this song, and it also doesn’t lean too heavily in either +44 or Angels & Airwaves directions. This, in my opinion, actually makes it arguably the strongest track on this EP. This is Tom and Mark at work creating something distinctly new and fresh for this era of Blink-182, one that feels earnest and real.

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5. Pretty Little Girl (ft. Yelawolf)

This is a Travis Barker track through and through. Right from the get-go, even underneath the Angels & Airwaves-styled synths and delayed guitar on top, Travis is already hammering away at the drums, leaving a distinct and resounding mark on the song. This feels like a track that was arguably built around Travis’ drum beat, thereby making it stand out more as a Travis Barker song, even though Tom is the one singing. If anything, it’s a glimpse into what an Angels & Airwaves band with Travis Barker may have sounded like. It’s got a big chorus reminiscent of the first track When I Was Young, thereby bringing the EP full circle. Yelawolf’s feature is also jarringly different and unexpected for a Blink-182 track, but I find his verse powerful and driving. Yelawolf’s rapping with Travis’ intensity make for an intense combination, and while this may be an unpopular opinion, I absolutely adore the sound that Yelawolf was able to accomplish on top of Travis’ marching beat.

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Final Thoughts

For the last release Blink-182 put out with Tom Delonge, I’m glad that things ended on a high note. I think looking back at this EP six years later, I look back on the Angels & Airwaves-heavy moments much more fondly than I may have back in 2012. While some of the signature Blink-182 sounds that I love are markedly absent in this release, there is just enough Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker on this record that I still absolutely accept it as Blink-182. I do wish that we received a proper follow-up to Neighborhoods that falls more in line with Dogs Eating Dogs, but overall, I’m glad that we received anything at all.

Rating: 4 out of 5

MCU Retro | Ant-Man (2015)

For years there was a rumor of an Ant-Man film in the works. The initial hype was mainly stemmed from the fact that Edgar Wright of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame would be the one to direct it (both of which are films that I adore). The whole notion of an Edgar Wright superhero film in and of itself was already intriguing, and to add to that – one of the most obscure (but still classic) Marvel characters ever to be the star of that film? This needed to happen, and I had to see it. Unfortunately, as time went on and the film was stuck in development limbo, the MCU had staked its claim on the superhero world, and Marvel was eager to use the already-established interest in an Ant-Man film to add to the MCU. Edgar Wright wasn’t too keen on making it too integrated into the MCU, and instead wanted it to be more of its own thing – and thus, he sadly departed from the project. What we eventually got in its place though, still had some Edgar Wright-isms present in it, and is still what I consider a very decent action comedy film. But it could have been just a bit better.

Instead of having the original Ant-Man character Hank Pym be the star of the film, Marvel instead opted to feature Scott Lang, technically the second Ant-Man, and one with a more devil-may-care attitude, rather than the brainy scientist. The decision to use Scott Lang as the primary antagonist I think worked out, as Paul Rudd was able to bring a certain level of comic brilliance to the role – and made him an empathetic character at the same time through his family. The Ant-Men were all traditionally flawed (as with most Marvel characters), but Hank Pym, in particular, has a rougher backstory with most, and in the modern world, audiences may not take a particular shine to Pym’s darker tendencies. Instead, Scott Lang being a cat burglar trying to look out for his daughter made for a much better personal backstory to follow instead. In the end, though, both Scott and Hank were portrayed in the film with a student-mentor relationship, and I’m happy to say that Marvel nailed both characters with this film.

An additional charm with this film that was leftover from the original Edgar Wright screenplay was the heist film angle. Ant-Man being Ant-Man, and Scott Lang being a cat burglar, was all perfectly suited for the heist film genre. A byproduct of that was also getting the terrific character Luis, who is probably one of my favorite supporting cast characters of all time. The film tries to use the heist angle to change up the traditional events of a superhero film, and for the most part, the execution is pretty decent. There are pitfalls when it comes to the film’s lackluster antagonist, but we’ll get to that in a bit. Hope Van Dyne being introduced in this film pre-Wasp days was also effective, and it was fun to see the burgeoning dynamic between Scott and Hope, even though at times it felt like another shoehorned in romance that didn’t need to be there. Hope was largely just a support character in this film, but I’m excited to see her go into action as the Wasp when Ant-Man and the Wasp comes out later this year.

The character Darren Cross/Yellowjacket as the film’s antagonist was definitely one of the blandest MCU villains across the entire scape of the MCU. Second only to Malekith, Yellowjacket comes across as incredibly one-dimensional, even though the film tries to give him a backstory in being a former protege of Hank Pym that’s gone to the dark side. The incredibly minuscule addition of HYDRA in this film also felt shortsighted, as short of dropping the name, they might as well have just been generic arms dealers. Yellowjacket’s design is cool, and the fight scene between him and Ant-Man was certainly entertaining, but I found all of his scenes lacking, and actor Corey Stoll even seemed to just be phoning it in half the time, but then again – he had a poor, undeveloped character to work with, and probably did the best he could.

The best things about Ant-Man all came from Edgar Wright’s initial influence, and Marvel’s devotion to nailing down their protagonists to a tee. Scott Lang, Hank Pym, Hope Van Dyne and Luis were all great characters. The Ant-Man CGI sequences were incredible to behold, and it was fun to see a shrinking superhero be effective in combat (in the face of the naysayers that like to make fun of Ant-Man). The family backstory that Scott Lang has makes him a little different from the other MCU protagonists so far. The fact that our hero starts off as a criminal was also fun. Everything good about this film stems from the execution of a unique concept of both the character and the film. The biggest pitfall is without a doubt Yellowjacket’s character, and I feel like if Marvel took the time to, they could have really improved him and made the audiences care a little more. The little shout-out to Falcon and the Avengers Headquarters was also fun and a treat for MCU fans.

The post-credits scene teasing Wasp was cool, and I appreciate the layered character arc and subsequent growth that adds to Hank Pym’s character as a result of this scene. The final credits scene with a trapped Winter Soldier in a room with Captain America and Falcon got me all kinds of excited for Civil War, which was just around the corner.

MCU Retro | Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

There were extremely high expectations going into Avengers: Age of Ultron. I absolutely adored The Avengers, and I was also very doubtful as to whether or not Marvel Studios could hit another home run. The final result was something of a mixed bag, but overall still what I consider at the very least a decent film. Rather than go into extreme detail over each character’s personal arc like I did with the first Avengers, I’m going to approach Age of Ultron from a much higher level. That said, let’s look at what I consider one of the more debated entries in the MCU.

Age of Ultron is full of mythos additions, and expands the MCU further with many new characters. On the side of the villains, we get a more fully realized Baron Von Strucker, an introduction to Ulysses Klaue, and of course – Ultron. For heroes, we are introduced to Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Vision. This is a lot of “new” packed into one film, and going into it I did wonder how Marvel was going to pull off all these introduction. Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are both famously known in the comics as the children of Magneto (of X-Men fame), but here we get an altered version of their history: Rather than being mutants, instead they are citizens of Sokovia that volunteered to be experimented upon by the newly-resurrected HYDRA cell led by Strucker. This drastic change to their history was done to eliminate the X-Men connection, and personally, while I’m not too bothered that this happened, it was a little sad to realize that Marvel didn’t choose to leave any room for a potential introduction to mutants later down the line, should the X-Men franchise situation change (as of this writing, the Fox-Disney deal had not been finalized, yet). Both Wanda and Pietro’s characterizations are very much in line with their comic book counterparts, as well as their abilities. Wanda goes into action against the Avengers in the beginning in a very witch-like manner, with some horror film-like approaches to how her powers are presented (that shot of Wanda walking backwards out of a room sped up sticks out to me in particular). Pietro’s protectiveness over his sister also remains true here – with his main motivation behind working with the Avengers being to keep an eye out for his sister more than anything else. You can easily tell that even though Pietro isn’t inherently a bad person, you can’t exactly say that he’s a patron saint, either. Pietro is not in it for himself, but everything he does is what he considers best for first of all Wanda, and then himself. Overall, the twins were handled well, and I am genuinely upset that Quicksilver had to die at the end of this film. It would have been nice to see more Quicksilver, but at the same time – there had to be some consequence to this film, right?

Vision is a character that I consider difficult to execute in today’s stories. Both in the film and in the comics, Vision is the product of Ultron, but the MCU’s Vision is partially patterned after Tony Stark’s JARVIS AI. This gives Vision a sense of familiarity with the audience, and actually comes off as a pretty sneaky way to get audiences to care about this character. While the persona of Vision is new, viewers have been watching (or hearing?) Paul Bettany’s JARVIS since the first Iron Man film back in 2008. Vision is every bit as enigmatic as he is in the comics, and I think out of all the things considered, Vision was handled pretty well. He was presented as a bit of a trump card for the Avengers in the battle against Ultron, and by the end of the film, succeeds in making you care about a character that doesn’t appear until the end of the second act.

Bad guys! Strucker is traditionally a Captain America villain, and the post-credit sequence from Winter Soldier did lead me to believe that he would have a bit more of a role in this film, so I was slightly disappointed that he really was just used as a vehicle for the Avengers to come together once more, as well as bring Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver into the story. I would say that Strucker has the MCU villain syndrome, but he didn’t get quite enough screentime to even justify that. Watching Andy Serkis portray Ulysses Klaue is an absolute joy, and I highly enjoyed his version of the character. Though we don’t get to see more of him until Black Panther years later, I thought that Serkis was able to take an obscure C-list character and propel him into the level of “at least he’s entertaining to watch”. Klaue doesn’t contribute a whole lot to the narrative aside from his teases of Wakanda, and so by the end of the film, I would say that my curiosity surrounding this character was lightly piqued. James Spader honestly gave Ultron probably the best shot he could. While Ultron’s writing was questionable, Spader was successfully able to portray Ultron with a personality that’s not just “maniacal villain bent on world domination”. There’s purpose in Ultron’s tone and demeanor, and he’s also arguably one of the more emotional and human characters in the entire cast. In the comic books, Ultron is created by Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man), but here in the MCU, rather than go through the trouble of introducing yet another character, they decide to make Ultron a product of Tony Stark (and a little bit Bruce Banner) instead. This doesn’t really affect Ultron’s character in any particularly strong way though, as Ultron’s usual rage against his “father” is instead more directed at Stark instead of Pym. Ultron had much more potential in this film than he ultimately utilized, but luckily thanks to Spader’s portrayal, at least he was still somewhat memorable as a villain.

The original Avengers – Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk naturally also each have their moment in the spotlight. Starting with Hawkeye – who was by far the most gypped out of having any development in the first Avengers film. This film dedicates significantly more time (and an entire section of Act 2) to developing Hawkeye’s backstory more – giving him a barn and a family – something at stake for him. This was much needed for audiences to care about Clint Barton a little bit more, but unfortunately we don’t get too much with Clint beyond this particular moment. As usual, Tony Stark takes up quite a lot of screen time – with an entire arc devoted to the creation of Ultron, and then subsequently trying to fix the problem that he created. Tony’s character takes another significant step forward in Age of Ultron, as he is forced to confront his own mistakes in a much larger form than he did in the Iron Man trilogy. By the end of this film, you truly do start to feel that Tony Stark has learned that maybe he doesn’t always make the best decisions. Steve Rogers/Captain America is a bit of a one-note in this film, as he effectively puts his search for Bucky on hold to deal with the whole Ultron business. Captain America here gets less development, but he is still portrayed as an effective commander/leader of the Avengers.

Let’s go into one of the most hotly debated topics of this film: Black Widow and the Hulk. Natasha and Bruce. I’m in the camp that says that this was one of the most awkward romantic lines ever, in particular because a) there’s no precedent for this set in the comics, b) it was never hinted at or developed in previous films, and c) it just wasn’t executed very well. The romance that was essentially forced onto these two characters came off extremely awkward and unnatural. Then there’s the infamous dialogue where Natasha considers herself a monster because she couldn’t give birth, in an effort to compare herself to the Hulk. Whedon has written a lot of stuff that I enjoy, but this was arguably one of his biggest low points as a writer and director.  As a result, because most of their screentime not devoted to fighting was devoted to building this “romance”, both characters were pretty much robbed of any decent character development. Oh yeah, and Thor was there, too. The teasing in this film for Ragnarok wasn’t handled too well, and just felt like Marvel ticking a box that requires them to tease a future film.

Overall, this film without a doubt felt like one big action piece. There were moments that I enjoyed, such as the party scene with the Avengers all relaxing and hanging out together (bonus points for having War Machine and Falcon involved in a small role in this film). I enjoyed the creative liberty Marvel took with Ultron’s characterization. I thought the Maximoff twins and Vision were given proper introductions and had sufficient development as characters. Beyond those points though, I do struggle to retain smaller details about this film. With the first Avengers, I can almost mouth the dialogue as I watch it. With this film, I mainly remember the Hulkbuster fight (which was great, by the way). This film wasn’t fantastic, but they could have done worse. That’s not a bad thing I suppose, but then again – they had such a high bar to meet with this one, it was nearly impossible to pull off, and I think Marvel did an okay job.

That is, until Infinity War.