Hello NewFury readers, as this is my inaugural post I thought I’d share a list of songs that you may or may not have heard. These come from my lengthy collections on Spotify, from my iPod & searching on YouTube. As time allows, I hope to share with you some of my personal lists of favorites in the musical world. 1. “Night” – Former States (released on 4-way split w/Secoue, Raintree & In Writing in 2014) The reason I picked this song first out of many is simply that it’s a heavy, makes-you-want-to-groove-on-it track by a stellar band that is going places and one you should look out for. The opening bass/drums/guitar attack recalls the heyday of Sunny Day Real Estate or pre-Fantastic Planet Failure. KEY LYRIC: “Falling leaves brought out the worst in me/And by winter I could barely breathe” A must have on your playlist for those late nights where you feel empty. [Former States is a ‘gloompop’ four-piece outfit from the Metro Detroit area of Michigan and have been in existence since Fall 2012. They’ve so far released an EP (entitled “Heritage“, produced by Nick Diener) which I highly recommend in addition to this cut from the 4-way split.] 2. “That’s Entertainment” – Morrissey (cover originally by The Jam – located somewhere on YouTube) This was a random suggestion made by YT as I was searching for live footage of the Smiths’ classic “Please, Please, Please (Let Me Get What I Want)” and it brought out some memories. The original was written by a British band called the Jam and released on their album Sound Affects in 1980 though what I love Morrissey’s cover is that the emotionality he brings to it by the lines “Splattered walls and a kick in balls/Is all that you get in the name of entertainment…” is just wonderfully descriptive of how some of us are too invested in the lives of celebrities and pop-stars who can’t write a song to save their lives. 3. “This Is Not The End” – Fieldwork (can be heard in the trailer for the film “Edge of Tomorrow” starring Tom Cruise – NOT included on the soundtrack) This sparse, slow-moving track from Fieldwork had me hooked as I was watching trailer after trailer for EoT and one night as I was downloading a ton of music it hit me that I didn’t have this yet! It’s a haunting, nearly all instrumental song that builds to a climax but is worth sitting through. I will admit that I cried manly tears as memories of high school and people who’ve come & gone in my life came to mind. [Also my nerd-crush is actress Emily Blunt as the character Rita Vrataski (a.k.a. “the Full Metal Bitch”) from this film.] 4. “I Blame Myself” – Sky Ferreira (released on 2013’s Night Time, My Time) First things first: When searching for this song, be aware that the album cover contains some nudity! Secondly, it’s a very-pop piece of work. The song is obviously about blaming yourself for the breaking down of a relationship, etc. and worth a listen if you like sad-ish music on those kinds of days. [From the same album: ‘You’re Not the One’ – another savage pop tune from Sky but with a nice hook and cutting guitar riff visage.] 5. “Tired” – Smalls (released as a single (?) by Negative Progression Records from the upcoming The Same Mistakes) If you haven’t heard of Smalls, a tightly wound and badass punk band from L.A., then you don’t have a good taste in music! But I only kid. Smalls is an excellent band with clever, personal from-the-heart lyrics. Their first release Expecting the Worst is a flash-in-the-pan blast of pop punk that is highly relatable. We’ve all been there – shitty friends, shitty people, shitty moments in life and that’s what you should remember & ponder when listening to Expecting but that’s not why I included “Tired” on my list here. This song frankly is just a blast and a total headbanger. Reason why? The very first line sung, near-screamed, by singer Ashley Cadawallader: “I’m getting tired of your shit” is enough of a reason why you should follow & support Smalls. I am and so should you. They’re going places. 6. “Halfway to L.A.” – Centerpiece For Passion Centerpiece for Passion was an indie/surf band from my hometown of Romeo, Michigan that sadly is no longer a band. While they were together, the band played excellent shows and were set to just get better and better but internal band conflicts caused it all to fall apart. Singer/guitarist Austin Carpenter and drummer Dave Thoel were also in another band, The Sharp, that brought to mind Blink-182 pre Enema of the State. “Halfway” is the first song recorded for their demo and their strongest at the time though compared to the energy live* the song suffers because of production value in the studio. Despite this it’s an attention grabbing, reminds-you-of summer rocker that easily could have been a collaboration between members of Wavves, Best Coast, & Beach Fossils. Highly recommend a listen or two. Sadly if the band had survived longer, this could have been a hit single on college radio. This is one tune that gets many plays on my iPod weekly next to Husker Du, Foo Fighters & Tom Petty songs. [*Here is some self-shot video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoTrUD3zwiU. Worth searching for on YouTube is a song called “Sonar” which is one I would have liked to seen recorded over “Halfway” for this demo.] 7. “Sins of My Youth” – Neon Trees (released on 2008’s Habits) The first time I heard this song, I was driving and I nearly began crying. A friend had played it for me repeatedly and I could not help but become entranced by singer Tyler Glenn’s vocals. The melody was what caught me and the lyric “Would you love me still?” nearly brought on the waterworks. A relatively not-as-popular tune from a band that brought us “1983”, “Animal”, “Sleeping With A Friend” & “Everybody Talks” that deserves more exposure and a place in your iPhone in a playlist about remembering the past and getting over it. 8. “Painted By Numbers” – The Sounds (released on 2006’s Dying To Say This To You) An excellent little bit of new wave riding in on dancing guitars with a pretty risqué video to match. The reason I included this one is frankly because of the memory I have of watching singer Maja Ivarsson dancing in the video when I was twelve on Saturday mornings. Look it up and see for yourself. 9. “Missing You” – Green Day (released on Tre! in 2012/2013) Okay, before you start sending angry emails and posting trolling commentary on Facebook pages like the Defend Pop Punk Group – Green Day’s much-maligned trilogy of Uno!, Dos!, & Tre! has been the target of anger, indifference & ignorance among many GD fans who wish for nothing than Dookie Part Two. With that aside, I personally preferred Tre! above the other two in this trilogy because I found the songs to be more concise and relatable. I wanted to rank “Brutal Love”, “8th Avenue Serenade”, “Amanda”, & “X-Kid” from this album above “Missing You” but this one frankly came out on top. I prefer the rawer yet similar-sounding version from the recently-released Demolicious – and this song is one that I wish I could have written before Billie Joe Armstrong had a chance to. Out of all of Billie’s guitar work from the trilogy to going way back to 1,039 Smooth/Kerplunk! era, this song has some of my favorite. I play air guitar to this song more times than I’m willing to admit. It’s the kind of song you want to sing to a girlfriend/boyfriend or crush to get them to stay. From the opening riff to the last snare drum hit, is a lovely piece of pop-rock from a beloved band that deserves repeated listens. I listen to this daily and when I crash at the end of the night. 10. “Ignorance” – Paramore (released on 2009’s Brand New Eyes) Well I don’t know how you couldn’t have NOT heard this song or of this band but if you haven’t, hopefully you’ll become a devoted fan. I’ll keep this one simple and sweet. I was being bullied in high school by a girl I was in love with who was dating Dave Thoel of Centerpiece for Passion fame and it was to a point where I considered suicide as an option. If Hayley Williams’ voice hadn’t come through my earbuds, you wouldn’t be reading this. Thank you guys for reading! I hope to have Volume 2 up soon and new articles written by my hand up on the site a.s.a.p. – Renny
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