Punk... The Genre That Doesn't Get Enough Credit. (Part 2: Mainstream Punk)

Mainstream Punk
Sorry about the nice long gap between this post and the last, I'm going to try and make them more regular and hopefully get into a routine of updating on a weekly basis once I'm back at school (or if schools work is too much than bi-monthly at the least).

But I'm back this week with another playlist... now unfortunately this one probably will not have much for you true music lovers as this is the part of punk we really tend to rag on, but it's because of that that I think I need to address the notable points of mainstream punk (and by mainstream I primarily mean pop punk as appose to punk merely punk making the top 40 lists). So if you're waiting for all the weird artsy punk bands, you're going to want to come back next post or the one following (I tend to save the best for last to give my playlists that last knockout punch). So ya, I'm going to get into bands that are doing a bit more with Punk next week but unfortunately if you're waiting for the truly good stuff you still have at least one more playlist to suffer through.

Alright, so as I've already said, this week I'm going to be tackling mainstream punk because I know this is where your opinions of hate stem from. I don't plan on making you enjoy mainstream punk bands but hopefully through my analysis you will get an idea for what to look for and where the value in it lies.


Blink 182 - Ok, so before you start throwing things at your computer screen, let me explain... Yes Tom Delong has an annoying voice and their lyrics are often nothing to brag about, BUT if you listen to the right part of their songs they are actually a decent band (instrumentally). What you got to look out for here is the percussion. Say what you will about Blink, Travis Barker is a spectacular Drummer and he incorporates percussion techniques from across the board including genres like Jazz and Hip Hop into his drumming styles (Which coming from a percussionist, trust me when I say these are not easy styles to learn.) So in short if you listen to the drums, Blink 182 is a pretty decent Band.

+44 - OK, remember what I was saying about Blink 182? Well picture the same band but without Tom Delonge and actually half decent lyrics. These guys are pretty much Blink 182 without the suck (which is probably because it's Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker's side project made after Blink 182's split.)

Fall Out Boy - Unless you've heard more than just the past few hits you might not know it, but Fall out boy manages to do something that very few Pop Punk band can do. They re-invent themselves every album. It's not a huge change but if you listen to their albums you will notice that each album draws from different musical influences. Even in the two songs I selected you can hear something distinctly different from one to the other. Being able to play around with your sound is a skill I respect because it shows that you are not relying on a formulae to write your music, it shows creativity and even though they are expressing that creativity through punk I still think it is a refreshing thing to see.

Billy Talent - OK, you're going to find out very quickly that I'm a sucker for bands with unique voices... If your voice is the farthest thing from generic, odds are I'm going to get a kick out of you. But Billy Talent has other things going for them, for one thing the type of distortion they use on their guitars adds a whole new dimension to their style of punk and actually gives their music this feeling of darkness beyond the lyrics... which you can say "so what, death metal is dark." which is true but it's supposed to be. Billy talent has taken a traditionally rebellious sound and turned it into something dark that feels like it should be listened to in a dimly lit basement somewhere.

Sum 41 - So Sum 41 had a 2 CD stint where Brownsound was growing in his musical abilities and preferences and was bringing the rest of the band along with them... now that he's left they have more or less reverted to they sound that they had when first they started making music, but for those two CD's of growth Sum 41 was actually a fairly decent band, exploring the different things they could do with punk. "Does this look infected" was just an exploration into the unpleasant and "Chuck" looked more at our society and social constructs (whether or not the lyrics were good is debatable, but they were trying new things and that's what is important here). They appeared to be maturing musically and lyrically and had Brownsound not have left I feel as though with time they could have evolved into a truly excellent band, but as it stands they were just a pretty good mainstream punk band.

gob - OK, so not a strong point mainly because I'm not sure exactly how to justify these guys. They are a solid Punk band, they have a good sound but they are really formulaic and probably everything you hate about Punk. But if I have to pick one thing, they are showmen at heart, which is essential to being a good live act. At the end of every act the lead vocalist chucks his guitar on the ground and uses it as a surf board to surf across the stage (whether or not they still do that I'm not sure) But none-the-less, their live shows are something to see and I can't actually see someone not enjoying themselves at one of their shows even if they weren't the hugest fan of the music because the environment they create is just one of good times and fun. Also the two guitarists tend to have a good back and forth thing going on in a lot of their songs (instumentally and vocally).

The Offspring - I know you guys are expecting me to talk about the Americana era, but I think that while those songs are all important, the reason to listen to more recent Offspring is because they've really got the whole catchy song thing down, while still remaining undeniably Offspring. That is impressive to make a song catchy and appealing to more than just your target audience without compromising your sound. That and that their most recent album is just a surprisingly spectacular album (even if you're a fan of old school offspring and haven't been a huge fan of their more recent musical decisions, this album is still spectacular).

New Found Glory - I like New Found Glory because when they want to capture something they do an excellent job at capturing it. Like the album Sticks and Stones, for example, has this child like attitude to it and the music captures that very well. Catalyst, however, has a much darker attitude to it and since it is a darker album thematically it again adds a new dimension to the album that gives it that little extra something.

Reese Roper - OK, so Reese has always been someone within the Punk/Ska scene that I have respected because he is an Intellectual, so he knows what he's talking about and yet he does not use his music as a pipeline for his academic views. His music is fun and occasionally quite inspirational, but for the most part his songs are enjoyable on a much different level. Also his ska background gives him a decent idea of what he can do with music, like the synths in Roper and how beautifully they compliment the rest of the music. Also Guerilla Rodeo being super group bringing together members of Relient K, Ace Troubleshooter, Five Iron Frenzy and The O.C. Supertones is just awesome by default.

Relient K - One of few Christian bands under a Christian label that I feel has a decent theological backing (and that's not just because of how many of them have Mennonite last names). But their songs have excellent dynamics, Mattew Theissens prow-ace on the piano in his other band The Earthquakes definitely transfers over to the music. His church upbringing also comes out in the music (stylistically/instrumentally). Basically if you don't like your punk being the same thing throughout the entire song and you also want a lyricist that enjoys word play and often times has something good to say about spirituality, then this band is for you.

MxPx - Here's the thing about MxPx, they were trapped by their christian label. While their music was OK back then they have become a much better band since their move to a secular label. A they actually have the freedom to ask questions about their faith in the music they play these days (The Story is an excellent example song for this). On top of that they have evolved beyond this pop punk sound that popularized the band and turned it into something that takes the gritty punk beginnings of the band and fuses it with everything they have experimented with up to date into a this kind of super hybrid of pop punk.

Less Than Jake - Ok, once again I'm going to praise Ska gone Punk. The main reason being is because ska artists often have at least a brief understanding of the other genres that make up ska (jazz and reggae) and it is because of this understanding that they can put together a much more dynamic punk song with highs and lows at appropriate points in the song (also I'm a sucker for a good horn section, I might as well admit that now). One of the good things about Less Than Jake however is that they have done their best to keep some of the ska in their music so basically what you have here is a band that evolved to punk in order to keep itself alive while still keeping what brought it into the limelight in the first place... Again, really refreshing. Although Less than Jake really needs to grow up and stop singing about the same thing they've been singing about for the past 15 years (although their newest album did have far less of that, so maybe they are finally taking that step)


Now again I'd just like to apologize for all the mainstream bands I felt I had to go over, hopefully I'll get to some more interesting bands next week. The download link is below if you are still interested in downloading this list.

Download Playlist Here ---> Mediafire