Robyn Writes

Review: Fake Problems – Real Ghosts Caught On Tape


When it comes to the new Fake Problems release, Real Ghosts Caught On Tape, there are two questions to ask. The first question to ask is this: is this album a Fake Problems album? The answer would be yes and no; it’s by the band named Fake Problems but it sounds so very different. The second question is: does this matter at all? The answer – hell no.

Real Ghosts Caught On Tape is not a typical folk punk offering. You’d probably struggle to find the folk or the punk in it. What is there instead is a ridiculously slick, well rounded record constructed of pure genius. Despite purist cries claiming otherwise, I’ve thought that Fake Problems have been heading in this direction quite naturally, so for all the haters, you can’t say you didn’t see it coming. That said, I fail to see how there are any haters at all because it’s just… So. Damn. Good.

The album opens on ADT, a wonderfully jangly affair which sets the tone for the rest of the album. They might not all be quite so wistful sounding – there are some pretty dark tracks on here – but they’re all equally fantastic if not better. Farren’s recurring line “tap tap your feet, to your heartbeat” wrenches through the entire song and it truly is the little things that make this album; from that line to the soulful scream of “don’t leeeeaaat them in!” in 5678 and the guiro in Songs For Teenagers along with the standard drum beat. And that’s just the first three tracks, there are far more gems in there for you to discover yourself. No attention to detail is lacking and everything is carefully considered. Is that punk rock? Maybe not but who gives a damn at this point?

This may be a perfect summer album with a great variety of upbeat dancers, slow burning chill outs and generally bouncy guitar (which begs the question – why did it come out this autumn?) but as I mentioned, there is a lot more at play here. This album is Chris Farren’s best lyrical effort so far – clever, infectious and at times, particularly heartfelt. Soulless in particular is a highlight for me as a wonderfully upbeat love story with some of the best metaphors I’ve seen. If you think you’re a poet, chances are you probably ain’t got anything on Chris Farren.

This is one of those albums where I love every single track. My general reviewing technique is to go through each and every song but with this, I don’t feel like I need to; there is literally nothing to complain about. As for highlights, every track is a highlight. 5678, potentially my favourite for the awesome vocal effects and the fantastically groovy bass, let alone the lyrics, instantly springs to mind but I could do exactly the same for every other track. Everyone is on form on this record and it feels a lot more complete and together than other Fake Problems releases. Trust me when I say I’ve had this on repeat.

The one thing I’ve found is that it’s pretty difficult to place this album. I thought about it, then realised that I didn’t care because whatever it is, it’s incredible. I promise, you won’t hear a better release this year. Pick it up, stick it on your iPod (because it really is best listened to through headphones) and enjoy.

5 out of 5 high fives!

Interview with Tom Conrad (Empires) by ninthandash

In this interview, ninthandash asks Tom Conrad, guitarist for Empires, about his thoughts on the current music scene, the internet fanbase and how Empires are different to virtually every other band out there.

There’s been a lot of discussion over the past few years about the impact that the internet has had on the music industry, and the general consensus seems to be very negative. Especially with MySpace, it’s now so easy to be heard or to find new music that a lot of people aren’t bothering, and new bands are either generic, one hit wonders or people are just choosing to listen to whatever popular music is in the charts.

However, Empires have a very strong internet fanbase. Do you feel that the internet has had a positive impact on the music industry, and you as a band, or do you think that it’s still mostly a bad thing?

I would not say it’s negative, it’s just different than what we have known in the past. It is important for life to evolve and I believe the general state of music is in a transition period. Everything is so quickly and easily accessible because of the internet, so you really need to offer something different to stand out.

Also, the internet fanbase; it’s unusual for a band to build up such a strong community so quickly. The fans all seem very close-knit, and have taken gifts to shows to give you, or made lists of fans from all over the country to give you. Do you think your fans are different to a more mainstream band’s due to the fact you can still talk to them personally, and that one-on-one dynamic is important?

The five of us have been very lucky thus far. We try very hard to have direct contact with the people that care about Empires as much as we do. I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is about sharing and hopefully sparking some sort of feeling in each other at the end of the day.

Putting ‘Howl’ on your website available for free download was a move almost like Radiohead’s release of In Rainbows. Coming back to the impact of the internet on the music industry issue, was this a response to that? Were you worried that no one would buy the hard copy of the album if you did this, or were you just happy to get your music out there, and this ensured that possibly more people would listen to it?

We released “Howl” online for free for several reasons. First, we did so because we could and not many artists can. The album was ours and will always be ours. Since the record was completely constructed by the band, we could do whatever we wanted with it. Second, it was important to us get our music out as fast and as easy as possible. We knew this way anyone in the world could grab it and we could know exactly where from. Third, we loved the idea of this being our
introduction to everyone. Knowing we initiated our relationship with you by giving away something we spent a lot of time and energy on is a great feeling. Now, we hopefully started a strong bond with the listener. “Howl” is the starting point for Empires and to me, feels like when the band truly kicked off.

Some of our readers have been asking about “Hayley”, and whether there’s a story behind it. Could you clarify this?

Sean writes all the lyrics for Empires. The story is true as far as I know.

Do you feel that being unsigned allows you a greater level of control? A lot of the reasons so many fans feel so strongly about you is that they feel a connection, due to the free download of Howl, and due to the way you can personally interact with them. Would you ever consider signing to a label, especially a major one, or do you feel that it wouldn’t be worth it for you in the long run?

The best thing about being unsigned is that our path is unwritten and unseen. Anything could happen. The downside to not having a home for Empires is that it does make things much harder for us and can be a cause for distractions while trying to achieve the main goal. I’m not opposed to signing with an indie or a major at this point but obviously whatever is in the best intention for Empires, we’ll decide to do. Max, Sean, Ryan, Alfred and myself do everything we can to make Empires as self-sufficient as possible and I don’t think that will change. It’s very important for us to be “hands on” with anything we do together. The more we can do on our own, the more accurate of representation it will be.

Your music is very different to most bands around these days and definitely stands out, especially the way all your songs have a different sound to them. Do you think this is important? What do you think about a lot of the bands that seem to have made it big these days, as some artists have labeled them as talentless and generic?

I think it’s important to be yourself and pursue what makes you happy, which is what “Howl” is to us. It’s not my place to judge or to call someone else’s work generic. Though I have been finding myself digging deeper through more experienced and educated artists to find inspiration lately. You need to have something valid to say to get my attention.

Emotions by Nox

Originally posted by Nox in November 2009

I have noticed over the past few years how several people handle their emotions. Every person is different and has their own way to cope with situations; however, these methods are not always healthy. For instance, being introverted is just fine except when a traumatic event occurs. In such a case, you cannot expect to handle all those emotions alone. If you feel like you need to get those feelings out then do it. Do not let shyness or fear stand in your way. When you hold so much in, it starts to tear you apart inside.

I know the world may seem like a terrible place, but trust me when I say there are people willing to listen. There are people in the world that have big hearts and open minds. Sure, they may be harder to find, but they are truly out there.

Now, let me make one thing clear – expressing your emotions does not make you weak. Given, wearing your heart on your sleeve twenty-four seven is not the best idea, but in moderation, it’s okay!

If strong emotions are suppressed they will find other outlets to make themselves known. This can be anger, hysteria, abuse, and stress.

It can feel like having a monster inside or maybe you just have not noticed yourself holding back. Either way, if you notice you are unusually lashing out or becoming overly controlling in any aspect of your life then you need to find yourself a healthy outlet. This doesn’t mean you need counselling. Although it is an option it is not the primary one. Exercise and extracurricular activities can be some of the best therapy for your heart and mind. Also, utilize your friends; they care about you and what you are feeling. A day out of the house with your best buddies can do a world of good for your emotional stability. Besides, it’s always good to escape and catch a break every now and then.

All in all, don’t hold back. Let it out, but be careful about it. Channel it into something creative and enjoyable or just say it out loud. Either way, get it out. Don’t bottle it up and stow it away. Life is too beautiful to be torn apart from the inside out.

Contrary To Popular Belief…

The other day, fightclubsandwich pointed something out to me during a conversation about music elitism. She said “Ripper, you’re pretty non-elitist, because you don’t go off a band when they release something new.” It’s not an entirely true statement – My Chemical Romance are a no no since The Black Parade, but maybe it’s their fans I hate more than the music – yet she makes a good point. It’s rare that I start to dislike a band based on their latest efforts.

Admittedly, in some cases, after years of glory, bands go shit. It’s the sad, but honest truth. New Found Glory, although one of my favourite bands, are a good example of this. From ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ to ‘Catalyst’, NFG released nothing but pure pop-punk gold. And then ‘Coming Home’ came out. It was okay, but nothing special. It didn’t make me jump around my bedroom like a five year old on a sherbet craze. However, I never stopped loving New Found Glory because of those earlier albums. My favourite band, AFI, have released a series of ‘okay’ albums since they crossed over to major label territory, but no matter what, I’ve found something that I love about those albums. They sure ain’t punk any more, but who gives a shit, it’s still great music! It’s really rare that a band is going to produce a perfect album every time – it’s totally possible because Jimmy Eat World have done it, but I find that’s probably Jim Adkins’ non-changing haircut that probably has sway over that – but no matter what, there’ll be something good in there.

Like the introduction states, no matter how much of a tangent I’ve gone off on, I tend not to go off bands when they release new records, like a lot of fellow music aficionados that I know. More importantly, I actually tend to prefer new material that others shun. The best example of this is probably my love of ‘Good Mourning’ by Alkaline Trio. It’s one of their darkest albums in terms of demonic metaphors, but is lacking the edge of some of the older material. However, it completely makes up for it in subtlety. There are so many hooks and lyrics in it that totally knock you by the wayside and you don’t even realise first time round. And that’s a pretty awesome quality in an album. It really kind of shocked me to find out that a fair few hardcore Trio fans actually don’t like ‘Good Mourning’ very much, nor anything afterwards. Alright, I didn’t like ‘Agony and Irony’ very much, but if we follow the ‘Less Than Jake Theory Of Awesomeness’ – which is, if we take ‘Hello Rockview’ as the starter for LTJ and ‘From Here To Infirmary’ for Alkaline Trio, awesome album, awesome album, awesome album, sucky album, awesome album – then the Trio have a lot more to offer.

Also, just because something has a more poppy sound or slicker production doesn’t make it instant sellout material. For example, whilst Against Me!’s ‘New Wave’ doesn’t sound as raw as ‘Reinventing Axl Rose’, the message hasn’t changed. If anything, Gabel’s trying to reach more people, which is something that I’ve found fans really don’t respect. I know that joy of finding a favourite band, and I also know the irritation when it gets played on Kerrang! TV. But, music’s meant to be universal, right? So we shouldn’t be selfish with our favourites if it helps the band be even more successful…

…that said, I’m not telling ANYONE about Cobra Skulls. No way.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you love a band, don’t stop just because they’re not ‘yours’ any more, and appreciate the fact that bands can and will move on because let’s face it, it’s kind of boring to play the same kind of stuff over and over. Well, if you’re not Rancid, anyway.

Elitism Is For Cool Kids

We at TBO decided a while ago that we were going to do a series on ‘show etiquette’ and the types of people you might find at your local punk rock show. This is a slight departure from that notion, but essentially, this article is about the elitist. You know who I mean. The cool guy who stands at the back, appreciating the band, but hating every other fan in the room. If we’re being honest now, depending upon what show I’m at, I am that guy.

Being elitist can be extremely fun. In a way, it’s fun because you actually know what you’re listening to and you’re not just there because your friends dragged you there or because you think the lead singer is highly attractive. Elitists aren’t really as dedicated as the fangirl, but they quietly own every single album that the band’s released in some form or another. They like to wear shirts featuring bands that the vast majority of the population has never even heard the name of. More often than not, the elitist owns vinyl. If you don’t own vinyl, you’re definitely not cool. For the ultimate in cool, I don’t even have a vinyl player and I own vinyl. There’s also that smug satisfaction of knowing that if you met the band, you would be totally chilled about it. You’d sit and talk music, being complimentary but not over the top. Maybe you’d get a picture with them, but you’d be cool about it. And no, the elitist would never put it as their Myspace picture, not at all.

There’s a few downsides to elitism as well. For a start, you can’t just lose it at a show and not care what everyone else thinks. After all, there’s a reputation to uphold. And sometimes, that can mean missing out on having as good a time as you might have liked, especially at a punk show. Another one is having your feelings of superiority clearly on show which definitely results in animosity. Of course, elitists shouldn’t give a shit, but really, in their heart of hearts that still listens to those first two My Chemical Romance albums, they do. Also, that music habit can be damn expensive. That one where you have to pick up everything on special order because the record store doesn’t stock the kind of music you like? After all, ordering from the internet… it just doesn’t beat that indie music store down the back alley now, does it?

However, elitism is still the preferable option to fangirlism. During my teenage years, I’ve probably gone through all of the different stages of fandom – ignorant poseur, casual listener, regular fan, obsessed fangirl, ashamed fangirl and then finally, to hip elitist. The fangirl angle definitely limits your credibility. First of all, it can be kind of creepy. No, excessively creepy. I’ve never been this bad, but you know those girls who own every Clandestine hoodie, probably have Fall Out Boy lyrics tattooed in some horribly visible place and have met the band four times through persistent waiting and hounding? Yeah, would you want to associate with them? It’s like that friend that finds a new favourite each week, instantly knows everything about them and won’t shut up about them at all. Not your favourite person. Secondly, fangirlism is so consuming. Looking up all those photos, learning all those lyrics purposefully, posting all those blogs and contributing to all those forums… before you know it, you have no life and your best friend is helenaxxloverxx666xxOMGGERARD from some bad MCR fanfic website. Thirdly, how many fangirls over the age of 16 do you know? Not many. It’s just not cool.

Of course, elitism isn’t something to be proud of. You’re snobby, hard to please and you probably irritate all the fangirls with your eye rolling. But goddamn, it feels good to be cool.