Robyn Writes

Best Friends, Ex-Friends To The End – why the Fall Out Boy reunion matters

Pop punk has already had its commercial golden age. It came in the mid 2000s, when I was going through high school. Fall Out Boy were the kings of that era, and we made sure to shout it from the rooftops. I have followed this band around on tour to the point where I probably knew the set list better than they did. Between my sister and I, we own every single album, single, B-side. My email address is a misheard Fall Out Boy lyric (which in this one case, actually turned out to be better than the original). I have plenty of Clandestine clothing. Everything points at me being one of Fall Out Boy’s number one fans, but I’m not. At least, I haven’t been for years. When high school ended, and Fall Out Boy released Folie a Deux, it was time to move on to different things.

Now I am twenty-two years old. Four years have passed since the last Fall Out Boy album and I’ve graduated from one degree and moved on to another. Pete, Patrick, Andy and Joe all went their separate ways for a while. This website, initially little more than a blog, grew up into something a little bit bigger. We can finally call ourselves a ‘zine’. I went and saw other bands on other labels. I read Patrick’s essay on Alternative Press, about how he wanted a break from music because of all the hassle and stress it was bringing. I watched from the sidelines as more and more of the Decaydance bands split. I had boyfriends who didn’t know who the fuck Fall Out Boy were, nor cared. Pete Wentz maintained his penchant for swearing lots on stage whenever he came to the UK with his god-awful side project. Other bands, like Blink-182 came out of hiatus. Rumours would fly every six months or so about a Fall Out Boy reunion, but none ever came to fruition. Patrick’s solo album was outstanding as far as I could see, but the critics didn’t rate it. Andy and Joe’s time in The Damned Things was pretty awesome. Time just… went by.

Occasionally, Fall Out Boy would come up on my shuffle, and I would smile. They were a reminder of my teen years, more so than any other band. I rarely decided to listen to an album though, too busy with the tidal wave of promos that threatened to decimate my inbox. It’s not that I didn’t care. I’ve always cared. I’d just burnt myself out on them. Like they needed a hiatus, I needed a break.

But I didn’t realise how much I needed a Fall Out Boy reunion until it happened. There’d been a few false starts, but as soon as the proper announcement and the video exploded all over my Twitter feed, I felt my heart race. I listened to the song. I listened to all the songs, and I found that I remembered every single word. I texted people. None of them were that bothered, but I was. I belted out the lyrics as I sped down the motorway. It wasn’t like I’d been transported back to my youth again at all, because let’s get one thing straight, no Fall Out Boy album has been the same as its predecessor. Pete’s lyrics have gotten more metaphoric and Patrick’s experimented more and more with different genres. It’s this change that arguably led me to become disenchanted with the band, especially thanks to Folie a Deux. I still maintain that Take This To Your Grave is the best thing they ever did, built from heartbreak and mayhem and distilled into gloriously irreverent bursts, but like Patrick said, there would be no sense in writing another TTTYG. They’re in a completely different moment of time. Save Rock And Roll is not going to be a pop-punk album, but I can’t wait to see exactly what it will be. I’m not waiting for Fall Out Boy to come and show the newcomers how it has been done, but how to do it now. The new track is audacious, laden with hooks and takes more than a few cues from the music that Patrick’s been writing in the downtime. This is not Fall Out Boy as we know it, but something new. And that’s why this reunion matters so much. I have grown up, and Fall Out Boy have too.

Just one thing – no more hardcore screams, Pete. Please.

Shout out: Paper + Plastick Digital Subscription List Closing Soon!

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Galactic Cannibal – Demo Tape

The latest demo tape from US punks Galactic Cannibal comprises of four tracks of no-frills gruff pop punk with the emphasis leaning very much towards the ‘punk’. Upon first listen, the aplomb with which the songs are delivered is instantly palpable. Lead singer Peter J Woods eschews half-sung, half-shouted blasts of lyrics from his haggard sounding vocal chords, deploring the world and fractured society in typically unsubtle punk style.

But underneath their ruff n’ ready exterior is a certain jollity which drives the songs along and injects them with a somewhat unique positive energy which few bands can authentically muster. ‘Hate Everything More’ is the perfect attention grabbing opener – “Hey! What you waiting for? Surrender to the world” Peter screams over blistering drums and viciously strummed power chords. This is four-chord punk at its best- gritty and straight to the point. The not so cryptically entitled ‘We’re Fucked’ maintains the breakneck tempo and introduces a melodic lead guitar line straight out of the pop punk handbook as Peter continues his scathing attack on society with contempt-filled shouts of “this world fucking sucks”. ‘Air Runs Dry’ begins with Peter melodically hollering over a distorted three chord riff before the band joins the party, leading up to a crescendo of anguished screams that declare “Take these arms away!”. Final track ‘Up Against The Wall’ kicks off with a classic pop punk riff, a deliciously simple lead guitar line and supremely disgruntled vocals. The track sees the band employ simple yet effective dynamics that holds back their collective attack before releasing it with unquestionable anger for one final blast of fury.

The ten minute demo is a brilliant little nugget of pop punk that stays mostly on the angry side of things. Whilst it doesn’t break any new ground, it does emit an infectious energy that is hard to rebuff. Galactic Cannibal’s back to basics style of punk rock proves that sometimes less is much, much more. This is in-your-face pop punk, with bells on.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Reviewers wanted!

Hey everyone!

Another recruitment drive for the TBO machine here. We had an absolutely fantastic year last year, and a lot of that was thanks to the amazing new contributors we took on in the summer. However, that does mean that we’re now doing better than ever and as a result, we’re getting sent a lot more material. We need some new writers to help us to cover as much as we can.

The position is unpaid, but you’ll be getting a ton of awesome music sent your way before the general public will get their hands on it, and you’ll be contributing to a fast growing site that receives over 100,000 hits a month. While we’re at current only looking for reviewers (both live and recorded material), there is plenty of opportunity to move onto other things once we get to know your style.

If you’re interested, please email ripper@twobeatsoff.co.uk with a sample of your work. Previous experience in this field is not necessary, but a passion for alternative music and the ability to write well is vital. We tend to expect two contributions per month from our writers, but we are flexible. We’re looking to take on another two reviewers at this time.

xoxo – Ripper

Interview: Life On The Sideline

This week, Ripper got the chance to chat with Life On The Sideline about their upcoming studio time, their origins and their incredible songs. Check out Outpatient, their debut EP, as a pay-what-you-want download on their Bandcamp.

You got together via a fairly unusual method – chatting online on Craigslist. How instrumental do you think the internet can be in finding people with a similar vision? And do you think it’d be the same band if you’d gotten together by different means?
You never know exactly what you’re going to get when sifting through Craigslist ads, it’s kind of a hit or miss type of thing. Nick and I (Ralph) had the same drive and motivation in turning music into much more than just a weekend hobby so I think that helped right off the bat. Assuming that we all still met through some other means eventually, I think this band would still be the same.

You’ve got a pretty unique band name – where exactly does the name Life On The Sideline come from?
We had been shooting names around for months and weren’t getting excited about any of them. We really wanted the name to embody exactly who we are and what we are about. I think it mostly has to do with most of our lives doing things we weren’t completely happy doing. I can’t speak for everyone in the band, but to me I had spent most of my life “on the sideline” going to school or focusing on work so this band kind of became one of my biggest priorities.

You’ve played shows with some other up-and-coming pop-punk bands in the US so far, like Major League. How has that helped you build your fan base? And will we be seeing you over on this side of the Atlantic any time soon?
Playing with more established bands has been awesome! We love playing shows whether it be with bigger acts such as Major League or I Call Fives or smaller local bands from our area. Fans of the national acts may come to the show to see their favourite band and could catch our set. It’s no doubt that these bigger shows get us more exposure and get more kids to check us out. Hopefully we’ll have the chance to come over to Europe before too long.

You’re going to be in the studio again this year. What can we expect?
We’re currently in the process of writing an EP. You can expect something heartfelt, honest, and some of the hardest work we’ve put in as a band.

Outpatient is only two tracks long but has already gotten you some very positive reviews (from us included!). How do you go about writing, and how will you be able to maintain that level of quality across a full length album?
Writing happens in so many ways for us as a band. I think that’s one of the best parts about us. A song may start off with a riff I wrote or a melody Nick came up with or a jam that just sort of spontaneously comes out during practice. We usually always know right away if it’s something we want to continue to work on. We all write. A lot. Between classes, on lunch breaks at work, in the middle of the night when we can’t sleep. Basically we are putting all we have into this next release and from what we have so far I’m pretty excited to put it out!

Pop-punk seems to be too inadequate and too simple to describe your sound. How would you classify yourselves? And where do you take influence from?
It’s tough, we all come from similar backgrounds, music wise, but we all listen to completely different stuff now. We play with a lot of pop-punk bands so I think we kind of get thrown into the genre. I don’t really know how to classify our sound, we just play what we feel and it just kind of comes out. Personally, a lot of my guitar playing comes from whatever I’m listening to at the time. I’m always searching for new sounds and new tones.

Although your songs are obviously serious business, you don’t take yourselves too seriously online – your Facebook page is positively hilarious. Does that help you connect with your fans, or is it genuinely just an extension of how you guys are with each other?
Haha thank you! When it comes to the actual music, we couldn’t be more serious, however when it comes to pretty much every other aspect of the band or even life we do our best to just laugh. We run all of our social media ourselves so I think it’s just our way of showing people that while life can throw you some heavy stuff, you can ALWAYS find time to just laugh and forget the small stuff.

And finally, what are you most excited for in 2013?
I’m excited for The Hobbit pt 2! Hopefully, I’m actually not even sure if it’s supposed to come out this year or not… Band wise I’m just excited to play as many shows as possible, put out new music, meet new people and trying to help my friends get through whatever hurdles they face. Thanks for having us!