ORIANS: Summer search divulges music library’s depth, scope

My favorite part of summer vacation is the extra time we, as students, have on our hands. Even with taking summer courses and having a few jobs, I was lucky enough to find the time to go through my music library and really give an honest listen to what populated its depths. I realized I own a ton of music I don't actually listen to. Most of us have those albums we buy for one or two songs, and I encourage you to take a listen to the rest of that album. What you find might impress you more than what you expect. Here's what I spun this summer.

Iron Chic: "Not Like This"

I was turned on to Long Island natives Iron Chic by a tweet from Connecticut-based illustrator, Rob Dobi. He tweeted the link to their BandCamp page, stating very simply "these guys are the best." I would trust the opinion of the creator of yourscenesucks.com with my life (I am a very trusting person) and I agree with his judgement. Iron Chic's album opens up with a belligerent anthem "Cutesy Monster Man" and the opening lyrics "I wanna smash my face / Into that goddamn radio / I know that it seems strange / But these urges come and go" speak to something edgy indeed. The mixture of gang and harmony vocals is wonderful, reminiscent of Oklahoma's "Over Stars and Gutters," as well as Hot Water Music. The mixture of rough vocals with an easy-going pop punk sound is absolutely wonderful. I love every single second of this album, even the goofy synth and samples. "Not Like This" is available for free on the group's BandCamp page, however, I would throw them a couple bucks because it's more than worth it. It's in-your-face, honest punk rock at it's absolute finest (even with goofy titles). If you don't do anything, listen to "Cutesy Monster Man" and "Timecop" — easily the best tracks on that album.

Katy Perry: "Teenage Dream"

Let's get one thing straight: Every self-respecting gay man has a diva. Unfortunately, for most nowadays, this means Lady Gaga (if she even is a lady). However, this boy loves him some Katy Perry. And yes, I have "Teenage Dream" on my iPod and, yes, I listen to it often. The vast majority of this album is extremely crude and thinly veiled sexual innuendos ("I wanna see our peacock." I wonder what she means by that?) However, there are some wonderful gems on this record that haven't been released as singles. Mostly, I am in love with the song "Pearl." This track tells the story of a girl who had all the potential to be an amazing woman, but thanks to a domineering relationship she remains in a shell. Unlike most, this song doesn't seem over-produced. Perry's performance comes off as genuine. At the end of the song, she relays that this girl was indeed herself. She states in the final track that if love isn't like it is in the movies then you're doing something right. Yes. I love this album. It's wonderful. And "Firework" may be the greatest gay anthem since "Express Yourself" by Madonna.

Sum 41: "Half Hour of Power"

This summer I went back to my roots. This was the very first album I bought, way back when I was in sixth grade, right before "Fat Lip," the song that made the 4-piece famous and became a staple to middle school dances everywhere. "Half Hour of Power" is exactly that: a half hour of power. One of the greatest moments in Sum 41 history occurs on this album. About two and a half minutes into their ninth song they go into the original version of "It's What We're All About," a song remade for the first Spiderman movie. Much like "Fat Lip," it's an experiment in rap and rock. However, the second verse is performed by the original white rapper, Vanilla Ice. I shit you not. The songs "Makes No Difference" and "What I Believe" cemented the Canadian band in the history of pop-punk innovation. Nowadays they stray toward metal and punk, which works for them. However to see them at their beginning is a must for anyone who remotely ever cared about Sum 41. They will always remain on my top five favorite bands list.

Atmosphere: "If Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold"

Atmosphere, to me, is an enigma. When I first started listening to this album, I loved it. Despite my moshing tendencies, I am at the end of the day a music lover in general. There is a lot of bad rap and hip-hop out there. Atmosphere isn't an emcee; he's an artist and, musically speaking, this album was amazingly produced. The beats are more original and interesting than Kanye and Ratatat combined. Atmosphere is not afraid to sing, but unlike Eminem, he doesn't suck at it. Atmosphere, at his core, is a storyteller. His lyrics tell both his own stories, as well as the stories of others. Track 14, "The Waitress," will remain one of my absolute favorite songs ever. An amazing funky flute riff mixed with the drums/beat-boxing tells the story of a homeless man and his interactions with a local waitress. The first time I heard the song, I was walking to school. In the middle of an intersection, the ending made me stop dead in my tracks. This Minneapolis hip-hop is legit.

Less Than Jake: "B is for B-Sides"

It's an entire album comprised of B-Sides (the songs that don't quite make the album cuts). For a band that's been around for almost 20 years, it makes sense. And these songs are almost better than anything that made it onto their other albums (a stretch, seeing as these guys are an amazing group of Floridians). "National Anthem" and "Goodbye to Gasoline" are among my favorite anthems of youthful change. It's amazing that these guys have been around as long as they have and I'm still able to identify with their messages. "My American dream is to have it / A little better than my parents ever had it." I feel like that's a sentiment shared by many people my age; I know for a fact it's mine. If you're not a fan of Less Than Jake, or if you are a fan of the Tony Hawk game franchise, do yourself a favor and pick up this album. It's a modest representation of an almost 20-year ska career in one album.

The Swellers: "My Everest"

My first encounter with The Swellers was when I played a show with them at the now-defunct music venue in Papillion, Neb., The Rock. Back then they were just releasing this album, "My Everest." Since that time, they've signed with Fueled By Ramen (a record label created by Less Than Jake that also lists acts like Paramore and Fall Out Boy in their catalogue), and they've released two albums with them. However, it's "My Everest" that will always bring me back. My entire college experience has involved me walking to school and listening to "Bottles" at at least one point in my commute. These kids are from Flint, Mich., and they experienced the economic strife harder than most everyone in the United States. With a roller coaster of analogies, these guys have some of the most meaningful lyrics in punk rock. Their latest album, "Good For Me," was just released by Fueled by Ramen. For a lot of bands, you can't say that they truly deserve success. The Swellers is a notable exception in my eyes. They are easily some of the nicest guys I've ever met (they even still recognize me as "that guy from The Lucky Losers") and they deserve every ounce of support, respect and success they get. Plus, their music kicks your music's ass.

NeilOrians@

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