Weekly Listening Roundup #8

This post has been a long time coming. I have been distracted and neglectful of this blog, especially the Weekly Listening Roundup segments, and for no good reason. Maybe it's because of the vast options the internet offers me, or maybe it's because I am nervous to take the blog to such a dark place.

Anyway, this roundup really covers about the last three weeks. I was on a guilty pleasure kick, and it's amazing how it worked out. I have a lot of guilty pleasure records by bands whose name begins with the letter M (not including Blink-182, for obvious reasons).

So, here are the guilty pleasure albums I have been appreciating lately. Don't judge me.

Enema of the State - Blink-182 (MCA, 1999)
I may be challenged on this claim, but truthfully, I do not consider myself a fan of Blink-182. Have you listened to their catalog? A lot of my friends say that 1997's Dude Ranch is THE ONE, but I actually hate it. It sounds like crap and the drumming is uninspired. Enema of the State is my jam; the only decent Blink-182 record, in my opinion. I don't like that I like it, mostly because these guys just seem like real douchebags. But I can't help it. The songs are catchy, energetic and it brings me back to early high school. Also, I am still impressed by Travis Barker's drumming. Not only is he good and really tight, but he is creative with it and shows off with some nice intricacies that I would never expect to hear on a pop punk record. I could do without the splash cymbol, though.
Top jams: "Dumpweed," "Aliens Exist," "Going Away to College," "Dysentery Gary," "Mutt"

De-Loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta (Universal, 2003)
For a short time in my life, back in late 2003 and early 2004, I was way into this record. It combined a lot of what I loved about At the Drive-In's Relationship of Command with interesting hints of Latin music and Yes-ish song structures (I also was obsessed with The Yes Album at the time). More recently I came to the conclusion that it is a pretentious wankfest. I still have a soft spot for some of the more tolerable jams. The one-two punch of "Son et Lumiere" and "Inertiatic ESP" is a great opening to the record and "Take the Veil Cerpin Text" sounds like a lost and fattened up Relationship... track.
Top jams: "Inertiatic ESP," "Eriatarka," "Take the Veil Cerpin Text"


Let's Face It - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Mercury, 1997)Ska played a crucial role in my life in junior high and early high school. Sometime in 2000 is when this silly passion fizzled out. I am done with it, but once every great while I like to treat myself to revisiting some of those ska records that I loved. I hadn't listened to Let's Face It since the spring of 1997 and remembered very little of it. I was shocked to discover that, for the most part, it is a solid record. One of those third wave ska records with slightly more punk distortion than reggae upbeats. It's not perfect, obviously. For one, it's a ska record. It is definitely corny in places, and Dicky Barrett's shouty vocals are irritating (though there surprisingly are quite a few nice melodies throughout the album). But, it is a fun record without a bad song. In fact, there are several tracks I would consider awesome, "The Rascal King" being the best, without question.
Top jams: "Noise Brigade," "The Rascal King," "Royal Oil," "Let's Face It," "That Bug Bit Me"


Commit This to Memory - Motion City Soundtrack (Epitaph, 2005)
Motion City Soundtrack have become totally corny and cliche, but there was a short time in my life when I LOVED them. To this day, their debut, I Am the Movie, is great front to back. It's got that Something to Write Home About kind of sound, with impressive melodies and legitimately clever and funny albeit juvenile lyrics. The band nailed it though. Commit This to Memory is much of the same, but not even close to as good, and is a bit cheesier. Thankfully, the awesome melodies are still present, and there are some standout JAMS.
Top jams: "Everything is Alright," "Make Out Kids," "Time Turned Fragile," "Better Open the Door"


Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo - MxPx (A&M/Tooth & Nail, 1998)
MxPx was the first pop punk band I had ever gotten into, and though this isn't my favorite record of theirs, it might be their best. It didn't have the insane tempos, time shifts and stops-and-starts of Life in General, but I would consider it a more mature album. It is produced better, the song structures are more pop-oriented and they are catchier (there are some terrific melodies here). All things that would rub a punk purist the wrong way. But MxPx weren't trying to be pure punk, and in my eyes were very successful at writing punk-infused pop songs.
Top jams: "Under Lock and Key," "Tomorrow's Another Day," "Party, My House, Be There," "For Always," "Set the Record Straight," "Inches From Life"


New Found Glory - New Found Glory (MCA/Drive-Thru, 2000)
Is this the album I should be most ashamed of coming back to? Whatever. New Found Glory's self-titled major label debut is a really good whiny pop punk record. I will admit, it has not aged gracefully. The vocals are hard to swallow, and the lyrics are even worse. But, it is really fun, and again, very very catchy. I always liked the band's two guitar attack, and they are at their best on "Better Off Dead" and "Second to Last." Those two tracks along with "Sincerely Me," "Vegas," and "All About Her" still make this a worthwhile album in my collection.
Top jams: "Better Off Dead," "Sincerely Me," "Second to Last," "Eyesore," "Vegas," "All About Her"