Hammerbombs – Talk to Me
The great joke of the Universe is not that it keeps throwing more problems and responsibilities at us as we grow up. The real joke is how seriously we decide to take them. Your friends are all debating politics, arguing with strangers on their social media, and plotting to treat themselves to a big ol’ trainset for Christmas. Nobody points a gun to their head and threatens to shoot unless they become dull and predictable.
Nah, most people rush into the responsibilities of adulthood like a cow whose life dream has been to become a hamburger. It doesn’t make much sense when viewed from the outside, but then again, there aren’t many left on the outside to take a peak. Few things can break the spell. One of those few things, and it works instantly even if, usually, only briefly, is a dose of pop-punk music.
Hammerbombs don’t sound stuck in the past on “Talk to Me.” It sounds like they never left, like the band never stopped getting a kick out of music, falling in love, and drinking beer at shows. It sounds like they never made the fatal mistake of considering whether these things might be juvenile and, because of this, never ruined and of the experiences. Hammerbombs are in it for the thrills, aren’t boring and they’re fighting off the danger the best way that they know how.
Crack Up – Graceland
For the most part, I’ve found life is mostly about finding things to escape routine while not indulging so much that you end up homeless. You don’t have to start with big things, either. A few thrills here and there. Something to break up the monotony.
Maybe that’s why people like to hear a joke even when they’re attending a funeral. Perhaps that’s why people welcome bizarre conversations while waiting for their coffee about the energies that exist in the mountains of Peru. And, I’m pretty sure that this is why most people like to listen to rock music still.
What a chose it would be to listen to the same band/artist every day! How boring it would be to hear the same style of music or plow through the same playlist endlessly! Music is supposed to break up the monotony, not add to it.
Crack Up’s “Graceland” is a poppy, punk-rock song that strays away from the norm, looks for creative ways to say its piece, and sounds surprising throughout. No, don’t be scared! This isn’t some strange manifesto to spending life underwater or something. Nah, it reflects the same hopes and anxieties of many a pop-punk song. What Crack Up does have is enough care for their fans to try and use those guitar riffs, lyrics, or vocal melodies to spring some surprises on them. It’s the least that you should ask for from your rock music, and the band delivers here.
