Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: The Apex Theory

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Apex Theory

This is going to be a bit different than previous posts because for one thing, I’ll be writing more about the music than the lyrics here. You will find out why shortly enough. The band was Apex Theory, the year, 2002, the song “Shh… (hope diggy).”

The band came out in the wake of bands like Linkin Park and System of A Down and like SOAD, the band was Armenian and their frontman was once System’s drummer. Being produced by Linkin Park’s producer certainly didn’t hurt and the band enjoyed some brief radio success with this out of the world song. First off, the music is extraordinary, particularly the drumming which seems to almost be superhuman during the verses and normal during the choruses. The guitar bounces off everything else and does whatever it wants.

What really makes the song stand out, however are the lyrics, courtesy of short-lived frontman Andy Khachaturian who changed his name to Ontronik. Sample some of these lyrics and try to figure out what the hell he was smoking: “A thousand rambles in a second tiny tip is tired and will not tolerate toilet tokens until he is topsy-turvy, so stop the torment, you traitors!” Profound and deep, huh? And then there’s this treasure: “Local lopsided judges lure lunacy over loony loud lumpy loopholes with lingo that’s loathsome and shady shameless shamsters.” But yet for some reason, the weird-ass lyrics work well with the music and brings the song to the forefront of weirdness. Unfortunately, any long-lasting success they could’ve had was derailed when they fired Khachaturianfor being a preaching asshole on stage. The musical trio came back in about ’08 with a new name and a new album but if you’re looking for nu-metal that makes you want to reach for the thesaurus, The Apex Theory is perfect for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckdokzpHIfQ

Forgotten Songs of the '90s: Rocket from the Crypt

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Rocket from the Crypt

Rocket from the Crypt were one of the most unique bands to come out during the ‘90s alt-rock explosion; a punk rock band with horns! Believe it or not, this combination created some enduring memories and some kickass songs, most notably “On A Rope” from 1995’s Scream, Dracula, Scream!

Kicking off with some excellent guitar work, the band works their way into a mid-level groove when frontman John Reis comes in with lyrics about holding out hope for love that is pushing him to the end of the proverbial rope. He continues in this fashion for about a minute and a half; at that point, the band begins speeding things up until they revert back to their old ways until the climax just gets in your face to the point where you want to punch someone or kick their ass.

The one thing that could’ve hurt the song’s chances of becoming a hit was the video which showed them playing with kittens and generally being cheesy. But overlooking that, the song should’ve been big and would’ve made them huge but unfortunately after years of being ignored, RFTC broke up in 2004 and their legacy is just now being rediscovered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=777kGx7-qLw

Forgotten Songs of the '90s: This Picture

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: This Picture

This is probably one of the greatest songs that no one has ever heard but thanks to the good people at VH1 Classic, the video has been rediscovered and a new generation of people can hear what marvelous sounds like.

This Picture, a short-lived British rock band broke onto the scene in late 1991 with the driving “Naked Rain,” off of their debut album, A Violent Impression. The song begins with a sleight string-laden intro until the vocals of Symon Bye come in in the best way imaginable, slow and quiet. Then drummer Duncan Forrester counts off and the band comes in at full speed. From there, the song takes off in extremely interesting ways. While it is another song about love lost and trying to regain, it stands out because the music is so dynamic.

When the chorus comes in, the band are at the peak of their power and they know it and they keep driving the song until it reaches its powerful crescendo. I’m basically saying that once this song hits your subconscious, it will never leave and that’s a damn good thing because it’s so uncommon today. So go download or steal this song wherever you can and start listening.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkzhFoErF5U

Forgotten Album of the Month: Violent Femmes

Forgotten Album of the Month: Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes are best known for their self-titled debut which contains classics like “Add It Up” and “Blister in the Sun” but without a doubt their best album is the follow-up, 1984’s Hallowed Ground.

The story goes that drummer Victor DeLorenzo and bassist Brian Ritchie didn’t want to record frontman Gordon Gano’s religious songs on the first album but afterwards, they warmed up to them and the band ended up recording what could essentially be called a religious folk record but it’s so damn good. Kicking off with the immortal “Country Death Song,” the band come across loud and clear with their intentions. The songs all come across a bit long except the less than two minute “I Hear the Rain” but everything sounds so good.

By the time “Never Tell” comes around, the listener should be enthralled with what they’re hearing because while the songs are religious, they don’t sound very preachy, just dark and foreboding. Then there’s songs like “I Know It’s True But I’m Sorry to Say,” which in my opinion should belong in the same pantheon as “Add It Up” and “Kiss Off,” because of how it shows Gano wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

Although the album is only nine songs long, there’s not a lot to complain about but that’s a good thing. If there is one complaint, it’s about the overly song brass breakdown in the middle of “Black Girls,” which is the most traditional Violent Femmes song on the record. Other than that, the album is absolutely legendary and why it isn’t talked about the same way the debut is is a shame and hopefully in a few years, that situation will be rectified. Until then, everyone will just have to hype the album up and spread the word of mouth around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1NThk8ZoTs (Country Death Song)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMtqX1vcFOk (Never Tell)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11aitM_6DVA (Hallowed Ground)

A Guide to the Toadies

A Guide to The Toadies

When talking about 90’s alternative rock, there are many bands that were swept under the rug by more popular bands, some (The Nixons, The Urge) deservedly so, others like the Toadies got swept away because they were away for so long; after coming back in 2001 after seven years, it was like they were obsolete. But after looking over their catalogue, it was clear that they were one of the best bands to emerge during the alternative era. In the 90’s, Texas had a strange scene going on, bringing us Rev. Horton Heat, Brutal Juice, Tripping Daisy, Course of Empire, Baboon, Deep Blue Something and others; Toadies, hailing from Dallas were one of the few bands from the area to break national and one of the only ones to still get radio play. By going through their discography, it should become clear to more than most that the band is still relevant and even the old stuff still sounds as good as it did in 1994.

Rubberneck (1994)

After releasing an EP, Pleather in 1993, the band signed with Interscope Records and entered the studio with Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, who were also producing Beck at the time. The band had the chops they needed, after forming in 1989 and playing around for years with various lineups. The classic lineup of vocalist/guitarist Todd Lewis, bassist Lisa Umbarger, drummer Mark Reznicek and guitarist Darrel Herbert had the skills necessary to pull off a classic alternative rock record. From heavy songs like the immortal “Tyler” and “I Come from the Water” to the slower crunch of “I Burn” and “Backslider,” this record has everything. Of course, the only song everyone concentrated on was “Possum Kingdom,” which is a good song but isn’t the best thing on the record. The song’s constant airplay helped the record to go platinum. At the time, everyone expected great things from the band, but time didn’t end up being the band’s friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mevoO8UVbnw (Tyler)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Cf5OusjrQ (Possum Kingdom)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlPU002xHbE (Mister Love)

In 1996, the band and Herbert parted ways; he ended up joining the Tomorrowpeople and was replaced by Clark Vogeler, formerly of major-label also-rans Sweetness. Before that change occurred, the band recorded essentially an EP’s worth of songs for soundtracks and compilations, including “Paper Dress” for “The Crow: City of Angels,” “Unattractive” for “The Cable Guy,” “Cut Me Out” for “Escape from L.A.,” an excellent cover of the Talking Heads’ “I’m Not in Love” for “Basquiat,” a cover of “Goolie Get-Together” for a compilation of Saturday morning kids’ songs and an interesting cover of “Beauty School Dropout” for a Texas tribute to “Grease,” perhaps their only recording as a trio.

Hell Below/Stars Above (2001)

Upon finally reentering the studio to record after a false start in 1998, they wrote new songs and began the process of recording all over again. The result, 2001’s Hell Below/Stars Above was recorded in early 2000 with Rubberneck producers Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf but it was not released until the spring of 2001, a delay that cannot be explained. The songs are still crunchy but don’t have the same ring as the predecessor. Tracks like the “Possum Kingdom” soundalike “You’ll Come Down” and the amazing title track, which features barely audible piano work from Elliott Smith, in what may be one of his last recorded appearances, it seems the band are just treading over the same ground they already demolished seven years before. While the record is not lacking in hooks, the songs just are not as memorable. Some songs from Feeler were reworked into presentable form but overall, the record makes you want to pull out Rubberneck again.

Best of Toadies: Live from Paradise (2002)

In August 2001, a mere four months after the record was released, bassist Lisa Umbarger decided to quit. The statement at the time was that without Lisa, Todd and the rest of the guys wouldn’t continue as the Toadies, so they disbanded. In the fall of 2002, the indie label Azera released Best of Toadies: Live From Paradise, recorded in Boston during the Hell Below tour. The band is ragged and sound tired, but still come across brutal and fierce. The noteworthy things about this record are the crowd singing all of “Tyler,” a virtual recreation of the recorded version of “Paper Dress,” “ATF,” a discarded instrumental from the Feeler sessions and a so-so cover of the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?” With that the band disappeared.

In the downtime, Clark Vogeler became an editor in Los Angeles, working on “Project Runway” and other shows, Mark Reznicek played around Texas, Lisa Umbarger became a massage artist and Todd Lewis formed the Burden Brothers with former Rev. Horton Heat drummer Taz Bentley and GWAR bassist Casey Orr. Over the course of two albums, 2003’s fantastic Buried in Your Black Heart and 2006’s woefully disappointing Mercy, the band blazed through standard alt-rock in the Toadies vein with a dash of 21st century alt-metal thrown in for good measure.

No Deliverance (2008)

After some touring and a major lineup change, the Burden Brothers went on hiatus as Lewis relaunched the Toadies with Reznicek, Vogeler and bassist Mark Hughes. When it came time to tour for the record, Hughes had been replaced by Doni Blair, formerly of Hagfish. After another seven year layoff, perhaps the band’s lucky number, the interesting No Deliverance, released on former Deep Blue Something drummer John Kirtland’s indie label, surprised the hell out of everyone by debuting at #56 on the Billboard 200. The record gets off to a rousing start with the rollicking “So Long Lovey Eyes” and it gets just more interesting from there; the title track, which could pass for a Burden Brothers outtake, rocks like nothing off of Mercy. Lewis’ vocals are still strong and carry the rest of the band in line with him. Despite strong rockers like "Hell in High Water," one of the many highlights is the slow “Don’t Go My Way.” The band were warmly welcomed back by hungry fans and hopefully will stick around a bit longer this time around.

Feeler (2010)

After the ’96-’97 compilation songs, the band took a well-deserved break and then entered the studio in 1998 with Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary. The result, to be titled Feeler, was supposed to be released later that year. But from what the band has said, they waited for Rubberneck mixer Andy Wallace to do the mix on Feeler and in the meantime, they turned in an unmixed version to the label, who promptly rejected it. The band then scrapped the songs and moved on to what became Hell Below/Stars Above. But in 2010, the band announced that they would be releasing the Feeler sessions on CD that summer. The announcement was met with wild enthusiasm from the fans who eagerly awaited to hear what Interscope thought was worth rejecting in 1998.

When the record was released in August of 2010, it turned out that the record contained re-recordings of a number of songs from the original Feeler, including “ATF” as well as a new song, “Trust Game.” Overall, the record seems like a bit of a jip, because there’s only nine songs on the record and it’s a total of twenty-eight minutes long. But upon further listen, there’s some really strong songs including “Suck Magic,” a very angry, loud song and probably the album’s theme song, “Waterfall,” which has all the earmarks of a classic Toadies song and is without a doubt, the strongest song here. Some of the songs sound like toss-offs but are still cool in their unique Toadies way like “Mine” while others like “Joey Let’s Go” and “Trust Game” just aren’t any interesting and bring the energy of the record down. While it’s cool that some of these songs finally saw a proper release, I think it would’ve been better if the band had included more songs or possibly had released the original ’98 sessions but in a way this is the best for what’s available rather than what’s not.