While the very involvement of MTV is unlikely to convince people of the validity of the statement, the popular network has named Against Me!‘s polarizing major label debut, New Wave, the best punk album of the year.

The article is the latest from frequent provocateur James Montgomery who this week demonstrates he has some carrots to go with his sticks.

He notes:

See, Against Me! have some of the dumbest “fans” out there — the kind of crusty, DIY gutter punx who hold nothing to be more verboten than the concept of “selling out,” which is something they’ve pretty much accused AM! of doing for almost a decade now. [As] the band leapt from indie to indie and tinkered with its sound, the catcalls only got louder, until — in late 2005, when AM! signed with Sire Records — they became a full-blown wail, one that manifested itself in blatantly stupid and juvenile acts like hate-filled message board screeds and vandalism.

It’s a blazing 33-odd minutes packed full of protest songs about music videos and file-sharing (“Up the Cuts,”) and protest songs about the ineffectiveness of protest songs (“White People for Peace”); open-hearted duets with slightly embarrassing titles (the truly excellent “Borne On the FM Waves of the Heart,” featuring Tegan Quin of Tegan & Sara); and roiling numbers in which Gabel declares his desire to have been born a woman named Laura (“The Ocean”). It’s bold and ballsy and really excellent, and for a punk record, it’s surprisingly free of the genre’s less-than-desirable aspects — the exclusion, the pissy attitude, the inherent sexism — so, if that’s selling out, well, then I’m buying.

The record has received considerable acclaim from critics overall.
Source Continue reading MTV declares “New Wave” as best punk album of the year →

We’ve got a lot of big names on board today, and I have to shower soon anyway so let’s get right into it:

• Canadian indie pop sisters Tegan and Sara‘s fifth full-length and Sire debut, The Con
• The Canuck attack continues with Attack in Black‘s first LP, Marriage
• Maybe you’ve heard of Against Me!; we give their Thrash Unreal 7″ single the ol’ once-over
• Nü-grind’s the Number Twelve Looks Like You and their new effort, Mongrel
• Down to Nothing‘s latest batch of hardcore tunes, The Most
• Melodic hardcore supergroup Last of the Believers and their new EP, Paper Ships Under a Burning Bridge
• A look at the Clash‘s classic in-betweener, Give ‘Em the Rope
• Several more over at the Punknews Review page

Source Continue reading Friday, August 3, 2007 →

Killswitch Engage has debuted the video for their cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.” The song and video will appear on the special edition of Killswitch’s album As Daylight Dies, due out August 28.

You can check out the video on MySpace.
Source Continue reading Killswitch Engage unveil video for “Holy Diver” →

Bad Brains have posted the first video from their new full length Build a Nation. The video, directed by System Of A Down bassist Shavo Odadjian and shot by cinematographer Danny Hiele (U2, Green Day, Kanye West), combines the songs “Give Thanks and Praises” and “Jah Love.” Footage was shot at the George, Washington based Sasquatch Festival and in Portland Oregon.

Source Continue reading Bad Brains: “Give Thanks And Praises/Jah Love” →

Fear Before the March of Flames has fleshed out the dates on their European tour, as well as announced supporting acts, which will come in the form of Heavy Heavy Low Low and the End.

FBTMOF are supporting 2006’s The Always Open Mouth as well as a new tour-only EP, A Little Less Teeth. Heavy Heavy Low Low are out on a recent limited reissue of their 2005 EP, Fuck It, and 2006’s Everything’s Watched, Everyone’s Watching. The End released Elementary earlier this year.
Source Continue reading Tours: Fear Before the March of Flames / Heavy Heavy Low Low / The End →